Characterizing and improving generalized belief propagation algorithms on the 2D Edwards–Anderson model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Domínguez, Eduardo; Lage-Castellanos, Alejandro; Mulet, Roberto; Ricci-Tersenghi, Federico; Rizzo, Tommaso

2011-01-01

We study the performance of different message passing algorithms in the two-dimensional Edwards–Anderson model. We show that the standard belief propagation (BP) algorithm converges only at high temperature to a paramagnetic solution. Then, we test a generalized belief propagation (GBP) algorithm, derived from a cluster variational method (CVM) at the plaquette level. We compare its performance with BP and with other algorithms derived under the same approximation: double loop (DL) and a two-way message passing algorithm (HAK). The plaquette-CVM approximation improves BP in at least three ways: the quality of the paramagnetic solution at high temperatures, a better estimate (lower) for the critical temperature, and the fact that the GBP message passing algorithm converges also to nonparamagnetic solutions. The lack of convergence of the standard GBP message passing algorithm at low temperatures seems to be related to the implementation details and not to the appearance of long range order. In fact, we prove that a gauge invariance of the constrained CVM free energy can be exploited to derive a new message passing algorithm which converges at even lower temperatures. In all its region of convergence this new algorithm is faster than HAK and DL by some orders of magnitude

Registration of segmented histological images using thin plate splines and belief propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Kybic, Jan

2014-03-01

We register images based on their multiclass segmentations, for cases when correspondence of local features cannot be established. A discrete mutual information is used as a similarity criterion. It is evaluated at a sparse set of location on the interfaces between classes. A thin-plate spline regularization is approximated by pairwise interactions. The problem is cast into a discrete setting and solved efficiently by belief propagation. Further speedup and robustness is provided by a multiresolution framework. Preliminary experiments suggest that our method can provide similar registration quality to standard methods at a fraction of the computational cost.

Effect of grain size upon the fatigue-crack propagation behavior of alloy 718 under hold-time cycling at elevated temperature

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James, L A

1986-01-01

Fatigue-crack propagation tests were conducted in air at 538/sup 0/C on several specimens of Alloy 718 representing several different producers, melt practices and product forms. This variety resulted in a range of grain sizes from ASTM Size 5 to 11.5. Tests at low cyclic frequency employing a tensile hold-time revealed a relationship between crack growth rates and grain size: higher growth rates were associated with fine-grain material and lower rates with larger-grain material. The lowest crack growth rates were associated with a necklace microstructure, whereby large grains are associated with necklaces of very small grains.

Belief propagation and loop series on planar graphs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chertkov, Michael; Teodorescu, Razvan; Chernyak, Vladimir Y

2008-01-01

We discuss a generic model of Bayesian inference with binary variables defined on edges of a planar graph. The Loop Calculus approach of Chertkov and Chernyak (2006 Phys. Rev. E 73 065102(R) [cond-mat/0601487]; 2006 J. Stat. Mech. P06009 [cond-mat/0603189]) is used to evaluate the resulting series expansion for the partition function. We show that, for planar graphs, truncating the series at single-connected loops reduces, via a map reminiscent of the Fisher transformation (Fisher 1961 Phys. Rev. 124 1664), to evaluating the partition function of the dimer-matching model on an auxiliary planar graph. Thus, the truncated series can be easily re-summed, using the Pfaffian formula of Kasteleyn (1961 Physics 27 1209). This allows us to identify a big class of computationally tractable planar models reducible to a dimer model via the Belief Propagation (gauge) transformation. The Pfaffian representation can also be extended to the full Loop Series, in which case the expansion becomes a sum of Pfaffian contributions, each associated with dimer matchings on an extension to a subgraph of the original graph. Algorithmic consequences of the Pfaffian representation, as well as relations to quantum and non-planar models, are discussed

Residue-Specific Side-Chain Polymorphisms via Particle Belief Propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Ghoraie, Laleh Soltan; Burkowski, Forbes; Li, Shuai Cheng; Zhu, Mu

2014-01-01

Protein side chains populate diverse conformational ensembles in crystals. Despite much evidence that there is widespread conformational polymorphism in protein side chains, most of the X-ray crystallography data are modeled by single conformations in the Protein Data Bank. The ability to extract or to predict these conformational polymorphisms is of crucial importance, as it facilitates deeper understanding of protein dynamics and functionality. In this paper, we describe a computational strategy capable of predicting side-chain polymorphisms. Our approach extends a particular class of algorithms for side-chain prediction by modeling the side-chain dihedral angles more appropriately as continuous rather than discrete variables. Employing a new inferential technique known as particle belief propagation, we predict residue-specific distributions that encode information about side-chain polymorphisms. Our predicted polymorphisms are in relatively close agreement with results from a state-of-the-art approach based on X-ray crystallography data, which characterizes the conformational polymorphisms of side chains using electron density information, and has successfully discovered previously unmodeled conformations.

Experimental study on waves propagation over a coarse-grained sloping beach

Science.gov (United States)

Hsu, Tai-Wen; Lai, Jian-Wu

2013-04-01

This study investigates velocity fields of wave propagation over a coarse-grained sloping beach using laboratory experiments. The experiment was conducted in a wave flume of 25 m long, 0.5 m wide and 0.6 m high in which a coarse-grained sloping 1:5 beach was placed with two layers ball. The glass ball is D=7.9 cm and the center to center distance of each ball is 8.0 cm. The test section for observing wave and flow fields is located at the middle part of the flume. A piston type wave maker driven by an electromechanical hydraulic serve system is installed at the end of the flume. The intrinsic permeability Kp and turbulent drag coefficient Cf were obtained from steady flow water-head experiments. The flow velocity was measured by the particle image velocimeter (PIV) and digital image process (DIP) techniques. Eleven fields of view (FOVS) were integrated into a complete representation including the outer, surf and swash zone. Details of the definition sketch of the coarse-grained sloping beach model as well as experimental setup are referred to Lai et al. (2008). A high resolution of CCD camera was used to capture the images which was calibrated by the direct linear transform (DCT) algorithm proposed by Abed El-Aziz and Kar-Ara (1971). The water surface between the interface of air and water at each time step are calculated by Otsu' (1978) detect algorithm. The comparison shows that the water surface elevation observed by integrated image agrees well with that of Otsu' detection results. For the flow field measurement, each image pair was cross correlated with 32X32 pixel inter rogation window and a half overlap between adjacent windows. The repeatability and synchronization are the key elements for both wave motion and PIV technique. The wave profiles and flow field were compared during several wave periods to ensure that they can be reproduced by the present system. The water depth is kept as a constant of h=32 cm. The incident wave conditions are set to be wave

Belief propagation decoding of quantum channels by passing quantum messages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renes, Joseph M

2017-01-01

The belief propagation (BP) algorithm is a powerful tool in a wide range of disciplines from statistical physics to machine learning to computational biology, and is ubiquitous in decoding classical error-correcting codes. The algorithm works by passing messages between nodes of the factor graph associated with the code and enables efficient decoding of the channel, in some cases even up to the Shannon capacity. Here we construct the first BP algorithm which passes quantum messages on the factor graph and is capable of decoding the classical–quantum channel with pure state outputs. This gives explicit decoding circuits whose number of gates is quadratic in the code length. We also show that this decoder can be modified to work with polar codes for the pure state channel and as part of a decoder for transmitting quantum information over the amplitude damping channel. These represent the first explicit capacity-achieving decoders for non-Pauli channels. (fast track communication)

Belief propagation decoding of quantum channels by passing quantum messages

Science.gov (United States)

Renes, Joseph M.

2017-07-01

The belief propagation (BP) algorithm is a powerful tool in a wide range of disciplines from statistical physics to machine learning to computational biology, and is ubiquitous in decoding classical error-correcting codes. The algorithm works by passing messages between nodes of the factor graph associated with the code and enables efficient decoding of the channel, in some cases even up to the Shannon capacity. Here we construct the first BP algorithm which passes quantum messages on the factor graph and is capable of decoding the classical-quantum channel with pure state outputs. This gives explicit decoding circuits whose number of gates is quadratic in the code length. We also show that this decoder can be modified to work with polar codes for the pure state channel and as part of a decoder for transmitting quantum information over the amplitude damping channel. These represent the first explicit capacity-achieving decoders for non-Pauli channels.

Fast H.264/AVC FRExt intra coding using belief propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Milani, Simone

2011-01-01

In the H.264/AVC FRExt coder, the coding performance of Intra coding significantly overcomes the previous still image coding standards, like JPEG2000, thanks to a massive use of spatial prediction. Unfortunately, the adoption of an extensive set of predictors induces a significant increase of the computational complexity required by the rate-distortion optimization routine. The paper presents a complexity reduction strategy that aims at reducing the computational load of the Intra coding with a small loss in the compression performance. The proposed algorithm relies on selecting a reduced set of prediction modes according to their probabilities, which are estimated adopting a belief-propagation procedure. Experimental results show that the proposed method permits saving up to 60 % of the coding time required by an exhaustive rate-distortion optimization method with a negligible loss in performance. Moreover, it permits an accurate control of the computational complexity unlike other methods where the computational complexity depends upon the coded sequence.

Indoor Positioning Using Nonparametric Belief Propagation Based on Spanning Trees

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Savic Vladimir

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Nonparametric belief propagation (NBP is one of the best-known methods for cooperative localization in sensor networks. It is capable of providing information about location estimation with appropriate uncertainty and to accommodate non-Gaussian distance measurement errors. However, the accuracy of NBP is questionable in loopy networks. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a novel approach, NBP based on spanning trees (NBP-ST created by breadth first search (BFS method. In addition, we propose a reliable indoor model based on obtained measurements in our lab. According to our simulation results, NBP-ST performs better than NBP in terms of accuracy and communication cost in the networks with high connectivity (i.e., highly loopy networks. Furthermore, the computational and communication costs are nearly constant with respect to the transmission radius. However, the drawbacks of proposed method are a little bit higher computational cost and poor performance in low-connected networks.

Sythesis of MCMC and Belief Propagation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahn, Sungsoo [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (South Korea); Chertkov, Michael [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Shin, Jinwoo [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (South Korea)

2016-05-27

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) and Belief Propagation (BP) are the most popular algorithms for computational inference in Graphical Models (GM). In principle, MCMC is an exact probabilistic method which, however, often suffers from exponentially slow mixing. In contrast, BP is a deterministic method, which is typically fast, empirically very successful, however in general lacking control of accuracy over loopy graphs. In this paper, we introduce MCMC algorithms correcting the approximation error of BP, i.e., we provide a way to compensate for BP errors via a consecutive BP-aware MCMC. Our framework is based on the Loop Calculus (LC) approach which allows to express the BP error as a sum of weighted generalized loops. Although the full series is computationally intractable, it is known that a truncated series, summing up all 2-regular loops, is computable in polynomial-time for planar pair-wise binary GMs and it also provides a highly accurate approximation empirically. Motivated by this, we first propose a polynomial-time approximation MCMC scheme for the truncated series of general (non-planar) pair-wise binary models. Our main idea here is to use the Worm algorithm, known to provide fast mixing in other (related) problems, and then design an appropriate rejection scheme to sample 2-regular loops. Furthermore, we also design an efficient rejection-free MCMC scheme for approximating the full series. The main novelty underlying our design is in utilizing the concept of cycle basis, which provides an efficient decomposition of the generalized loops. In essence, the proposed MCMC schemes run on transformed GM built upon the non-trivial BP solution, and our experiments show that this synthesis of BP and MCMC outperforms both direct MCMC and bare BP schemes.

Causal inference in biology networks with integrated belief propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Chang, Rui; Karr, Jonathan R; Schadt, Eric E

2015-01-01

Inferring causal relationships among molecular and higher order phenotypes is a critical step in elucidating the complexity of living systems. Here we propose a novel method for inferring causality that is no longer constrained by the conditional dependency arguments that limit the ability of statistical causal inference methods to resolve causal relationships within sets of graphical models that are Markov equivalent. Our method utilizes Bayesian belief propagation to infer the responses of perturbation events on molecular traits given a hypothesized graph structure. A distance measure between the inferred response distribution and the observed data is defined to assess the 'fitness' of the hypothesized causal relationships. To test our algorithm, we infer causal relationships within equivalence classes of gene networks in which the form of the functional interactions that are possible are assumed to be nonlinear, given synthetic microarray and RNA sequencing data. We also apply our method to infer causality in real metabolic network with v-structure and feedback loop. We show that our method can recapitulate the causal structure and recover the feedback loop only from steady-state data which conventional method cannot.

Design of belief propagation based on FPGA for the multistereo CAFADIS camera.

Science.gov (United States)

Magdaleno, Eduardo; Lüke, Jonás Philipp; Rodríguez, Manuel; Rodríguez-Ramos, José Manuel

2010-01-01

In this paper we describe a fast, specialized hardware implementation of the belief propagation algorithm for the CAFADIS camera, a new plenoptic sensor patented by the University of La Laguna. This camera captures the lightfield of the scene and can be used to find out at which depth each pixel is in focus. The algorithm has been designed for FPGA devices using VHDL. We propose a parallel and pipeline architecture to implement the algorithm without external memory. Although the BRAM resources of the device increase considerably, we can maintain real-time restrictions by using extremely high-performance signal processing capability through parallelism and by accessing several memories simultaneously. The quantifying results with 16 bit precision have shown that performances are really close to the original Matlab programmed algorithm.

Design of Belief Propagation Based on FPGA for the Multistereo CAFADIS Camera

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

José Manuel Rodríguez-Ramos

2010-10-01

Full Text Available In this paper we describe a fast, specialized hardware implementation of the belief propagation algorithm for the CAFADIS camera, a new plenoptic sensor patented by the University of La Laguna. This camera captures the lightfield of the scene and can be used to find out at which depth each pixel is in focus. The algorithm has been designed for FPGA devices using VHDL. We propose a parallel and pipeline architecture to implement the algorithm without external memory. Although the BRAM resources of the device increase considerably, we can maintain real-time restrictions by using extremely high-performance signal processing capability through parallelism and by accessing several memories simultaneously. The quantifying results with 16 bit precision have shown that performances are really close to the original Matlab programmed algorithm.

Preparation of Al-Ti-B grain refiner by SHS technology[Self-propagating High-temperature Synthesis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nikitin, V.I.; Wanqi, J.I.E.; Kandalova, E.G.; Makarenko, A.G.; Yong, L.

2000-02-01

Since the discovery of the grain refinement effect of aluminum by titanium, especially with the existence of B or C in 1950, grain refiners are widely accepted in industry for microstructure control of aluminum alloys. Research on this topic is to obtain the highest grain refinement efficiency with the lowest possible addition of master alloy. It is widely accepted that the morphology and size of TiAl{sub 3} particles, which are known as heterogeneous nucleation centers, are important factors deterring the grain refinement efficiency. Fine TiAl{sub 3} particles are favorable. The grain refinement process shows a heredity phenomenon, which means that structural information from initial materials transfers through a melt to the final product. It is important to find the connection between microstructural parameters of the master alloy and the final product. To improve the quality of Al-Ti-B master alloys for the use as a grain refiner, a new method based on SHS (self-propagating high-temperature synthesis) technology has been developed in Samara State Technical University to produce the master alloys. SHS, as a new method for preparation of materials, was first utilized by Merzhanov in 1967. This method uses the energy from highly exothermic reactions to sustain the chemical reaction in a combustion wave. The advantages of SHS include simplicity, low energy requirement, and higher product purity. Because SHS reactions can take place between elemental reactants, it is easy to control product composition. The purposes of this investigation were to fabricate an SHS Al-5%Ti-1%B master alloy, to analyze its structure and to test its grain refining performance.

Coarse-grained representation of the quasi adiabatic propagator path integral for the treatment of non-Markovian long-time bath memory

Science.gov (United States)

Richter, Martin; Fingerhut, Benjamin P.

2017-06-01

The description of non-Markovian effects imposed by low frequency bath modes poses a persistent challenge for path integral based approaches like the iterative quasi-adiabatic propagator path integral (iQUAPI) method. We present a novel approximate method, termed mask assisted coarse graining of influence coefficients (MACGIC)-iQUAPI, that offers appealing computational savings due to substantial reduction of considered path segments for propagation. The method relies on an efficient path segment merging procedure via an intermediate coarse grained representation of Feynman-Vernon influence coefficients that exploits physical properties of system decoherence. The MACGIC-iQUAPI method allows us to access the regime of biological significant long-time bath memory on the order of hundred propagation time steps while retaining convergence to iQUAPI results. Numerical performance is demonstrated for a set of benchmark problems that cover bath assisted long range electron transfer, the transition from coherent to incoherent dynamics in a prototypical molecular dimer and excitation energy transfer in a 24-state model of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson trimer complex where in all cases excellent agreement with numerically exact reference data is obtained.

Belief propagation and replicas for inference and learning in a kinetic Ising model with hidden spins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Battistin, C; Roudi, Y; Hertz, J; Tyrcha, J

2015-01-01

We propose a new algorithm for inferring the state of hidden spins and reconstructing the connections in a synchronous kinetic Ising model, given the observed history. Focusing on the case in which the hidden spins are conditionally independent of each other given the state of observable spins, we show that calculating the likelihood of the data can be simplified by introducing a set of replicated auxiliary spins. Belief propagation (BP) and susceptibility propagation (SusP) can then be used to infer the states of hidden variables and to learn the couplings. We study the convergence and performance of this algorithm for networks with both Gaussian-distributed and binary bonds. We also study how the algorithm behaves as the fraction of hidden nodes and the amount of data are changed, showing that it outperforms the Thouless–Anderson–Palmer (TAP) equations for reconstructing the connections. (paper)

Low Complexity Approach for High Throughput Belief-Propagation based Decoding of LDPC Codes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

BOT, A.

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The paper proposes a low complexity belief propagation (BP based decoding algorithm for LDPC codes. In spite of the iterative nature of the decoding process, the proposed algorithm provides both reduced complexity and increased BER performances as compared with the classic min-sum (MS algorithm, generally used for hardware implementations. Linear approximations of check-nodes update function are used in order to reduce the complexity of the BP algorithm. Considering this decoding approach, an FPGA based hardware architecture is proposed for implementing the decoding algorithm, aiming to increase the decoder throughput. FPGA technology was chosen for the LDPC decoder implementation, due to its parallel computation and reconfiguration capabilities. The obtained results show improvements regarding decoding throughput and BER performances compared with state-of-the-art approaches.

STATED VS. ENACTED BELIEFS: LOOKING AT PRE-SERVICE TEACHERS' PEDAGOGICAL BELIEFS THROUGH CLASSROOM INTERACTION

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Alberto Fajardo

2013-08-01

Full Text Available This article explores the relationship between pedagogical beliefs and classroom practice. Two Colombian pre-service primary school language teachers in the final stage of their five-year training programme were the research participants. Interview and classroom observation were the methods used, and content analysis was the analytical approach. It is argued in this study that by comparing the stated beliefs (as articulated in interviews and enacted beliefs (as manifested in classroom interaction, it is possible to gain a fine-grained understanding of the relationship between beliefs and teaching practice. The findings suggested that while there were significant cases of coherence between beliefs and classroom action, there was also evidence of some incongruent relationships.

The role of grain boundaries and transient porosity increase as fluid pathways for reaction front propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Jonas, Laura; John, Timm; Geisler, Thorsten; Putnis, Andrew

2013-04-01

The pseudomorphic replacement of Carrara marble by calcium phosphates was studied as a model system to examine the influence of different fluid pathways for reaction front propagation induced by fluid-rock interaction. In this model system, the grain boundaries present in the rock and the transient porosity structures developing throughout the replacement reaction enable the reaction front to progress further into the rock as well as to the center of each single grain until complete transformation. Hydrothermal treatment of the marble using phosphate bearing solutions at temperature levels of 150° C and 200° C for different durations lead to the formation of two product phases which were identified as hydroxyapatite [Ca5(PO4)3OH] as well as β-tricalcium phosphate [β-Ca3(PO4)2] (β-TCP). The formation of β-TCP was probably favored by the presence of ~0.6wt.% of Mg in the parent phase. Completely transformed single grains show a distinctive zoning, both in composition and texture. Whereas areas next to the grain boundary consist of nearly pure hydroxyapatite and show a coarse porosity, areas close to the center of the single grains show a high amount of β-TCP and a very fine porous microstructure. If F was added as an additional solution component, the formation of β-TCP was avoided and up to 3wt.% of F were incorporated into the product apatite. The use of the isotope 18O as a chronometer for the replacement reaction makes it possible to reconstruct the chronological development of the calcium phosphate reaction front. Raman analysis revealed that the incorporation of 18O in the PO4 tetrahedron of hydroxyapatite results in the development of distinct profiles in the calcium phosphate reaction front perpendicular to the grain boundaries of the marble. Through the use of the 18O chronometer, it is possible to estimate and compare the time effectiveness of the different fluid pathways in this model system. The results show that the grain boundaries serve as a

A Line-Based Adaptive-Weight Matching Algorithm Using Loopy Belief Propagation

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Hui Li

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In traditional adaptive-weight stereo matching, the rectangular shaped support region requires excess memory consumption and time. We propose a novel line-based stereo matching algorithm for obtaining a more accurate disparity map with low computation complexity. This algorithm can be divided into two steps: disparity map initialization and disparity map refinement. In the initialization step, a new adaptive-weight model based on the linear support region is put forward for cost aggregation. In this model, the neural network is used to evaluate the spatial proximity, and the mean-shift segmentation method is used to improve the accuracy of color similarity; the Birchfield pixel dissimilarity function and the census transform are adopted to establish the dissimilarity measurement function. Then the initial disparity map is obtained by loopy belief propagation. In the refinement step, the disparity map is optimized by iterative left-right consistency checking method and segmentation voting method. The parameter values involved in this algorithm are determined with many simulation experiments to further improve the matching effect. Simulation results indicate that this new matching method performs well on standard stereo benchmarks and running time of our algorithm is remarkably lower than that of algorithm with rectangle-shaped support region.

The role of idiotypic interactions in the adaptive immune system: a belief-propagation approach

Science.gov (United States)

Bartolucci, Silvia; Mozeika, Alexander; Annibale, Alessia

2016-08-01

In this work we use belief-propagation techniques to study the equilibrium behaviour of a minimal model for the immune system comprising interacting T and B clones. We investigate the effect of the so-called idiotypic interactions among complementary B clones on the system’s activation. Our results show that B-B interactions increase the system’s resilience to noise, making clonal activation more stable, while increasing the cross-talk between different clones. We derive analytically the noise level at which a B clone gets activated, in the absence of cross-talk, and find that this increases with the strength of idiotypic interactions and with the number of T cells sending signals to the B clones. We also derive, analytically and numerically, via population dynamics, the critical line where clonal cross-talk arises. Our approach allows us to derive the B clone size distribution, which can be experimentally measured and gives important information about the adaptive immune system response to antigens and vaccination.

Distributed Software-Attestation Defense against Sensor Worm Propagation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun-Won Ho

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Wireless sensor networks are vulnerable to sensor worm attacks in which the attacker compromises a few nodes and makes these compromised nodes initiate worm spread over the network, targeting the worm infection of the whole nodes in the network. Several defense mechanisms have been proposed to prevent worm propagation in wireless sensor networks. Although these proposed schemes use software diversity technique for worm propagation prevention under the belief that different software versions do not have common vulnerability, they have fundamental drawback in which it is difficult to realize the aforementioned belief in sensor motes. To resolve this problem, we propose on-demand software-attestation based scheme to defend against worm propagation in sensor network. The main idea of our proposed scheme is to perform software attestations against sensor nodes in on-demand manner and detect the infected nodes by worm, resulting in worm propagation block in the network. Through analysis, we show that our proposed scheme defends against worm propagation in efficient and robust manner. Through simulation, we demonstrate that our proposed scheme stops worm propagation at the reasonable overhead while preventing a majority of sensor nodes from being infected by worm.

Kinematics and thermodynamics across a propagating non-stoichiometric oxidation phase front in spent fuel grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stout, R.B.; Kansa, E.J.; Wijesinghe, A.M.

1993-09-01

Spent fuel contains mixtures, alloy and compound, but are dominated by U and O except for some UO 2 fuels with burnable poisons (gadolinia in BWR rods), the other elements evolve during reactor operation from neutron reaction and fission + fission decay events. Due to decay, chemical composition and activity of spent fuel will continue to evolve after removal from reactors. During the time interval with significant radioactivity levels relevant for a geological repository, it is important to develop models for potential chemical responses in spent fuel and potential degradation of repository. One such potential impact is the oxidation of spent fuel, which results in initial phase change of UO 2 lattice to U 4 O 9 and the next phase change is probably to U 3 O 8 although it has not been observed yet below 200C. The U 4 O 9 lattice is nonstoichiometric with a O/U weight ratio at 2.4. Preliminary indications are that the UO 2 has a O/U of 2. 4 at the time just before it transforms into the U 4 O 9 phase. In the oxygen weight gain versus time response, a plateau appears as the O/U approaches 2.4. Part of this plateau is due to geometrical effects of a U 4 O 9 phase change front propagating into UO 2 grain volumes; however, this may indicate a metastable phase change delay kinetics or a diffusional related delay time until the oxygen density can satisfy stoichiometry and energy conditions for phase changes. Experimental data show a front of U 4 O 9 lattice structure propagating into grains of the UO 2 lattice. To describe this spatially inhomogenous oxidation phase transition, as well as the expected U 3 O 8 phase transition from the U 4 O 9 lattice, lattice models are developed and spatially discontinuous kinematic and energetic expressions are derived. 9 refs

Modification of the grain structure of austenitic welds for improved ultrasonic inspectability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, S.; Dugan, S.; Stubenrauch, S.; Jacobs, O.

2012-01-01

Austenitic stainless steel welds, which are widely used for example in nuclear power plants and chemical installations, present major challenges for ultrasonic inspection due to the grain structure of the weld. Large grains in combination with the elastic anisotropy of the material lead to increased scattering and affect sound wave propagation in the weld. This results in a reduced signal-to-noise ratio, and complicates the interpretation of signals and the localization of defects. The aim of this project is to influence grain growth in the weld during the welding process to produce smaller grains, in order to improve sound propagation through the weld, thus improving inspectability. Metallographic sections of the first test welds have shown that a modification of the grain structure can be achieved by influencing the grain growth with magnetic fields. For further optimization, test blocks for ultrasonic testing were manufactured to study sound propagation through the weld and detectability of test flaws.

In situ TEM study of the effect of M/A films at grain boundaries on crack propagation in an ultra-fine acicular ferrite pipeline steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong Yong; Xiao Furen; Zhang Jingwu; Shan Yiyin; Wang Wei; Yang Ke

2006-01-01

Microstructural refinement of structural materials generally improves their tensile properties but deteriorates their fatigue properties. However, pipeline steels with ultra-fine acicular ferrite (UFAF) possess not only high strength and toughness, but also a low fatigue-crack-growth rate (FCGR) and long fatigue-propagation life. In this paper, the micro-fracture mechanisms of an UFAF pipeline steel are investigated by in situ tensile testing in a transmission electron microscope. The results indicate that a grain-boundary-film structure composed of martensite/austenite could significantly influence the crack propagating behavior in the UFAF steel, consequently lowering the FCGR by enhancing roughness-induced crack closure during cyclic loading

Top-down feedback in an HMAX-like cortical model of object perception based on hierarchical Bayesian networks and belief propagation.

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Salvador Dura-Bernal

Full Text Available Hierarchical generative models, such as Bayesian networks, and belief propagation have been shown to provide a theoretical framework that can account for perceptual processes, including feedforward recognition and feedback modulation. The framework explains both psychophysical and physiological experimental data and maps well onto the hierarchical distributed cortical anatomy. However, the complexity required to model cortical processes makes inference, even using approximate methods, very computationally expensive. Thus, existing object perception models based on this approach are typically limited to tree-structured networks with no loops, use small toy examples or fail to account for certain perceptual aspects such as invariance to transformations or feedback reconstruction. In this study we develop a Bayesian network with an architecture similar to that of HMAX, a biologically-inspired hierarchical model of object recognition, and use loopy belief propagation to approximate the model operations (selectivity and invariance. Crucially, the resulting Bayesian network extends the functionality of HMAX by including top-down recursive feedback. Thus, the proposed model not only achieves successful feedforward recognition invariant to noise, occlusions, and changes in position and size, but is also able to reproduce modulatory effects such as illusory contour completion and attention. Our novel and rigorous methodology covers key aspects such as learning using a layerwise greedy algorithm, combining feedback information from multiple parents and reducing the number of operations required. Overall, this work extends an established model of object recognition to include high-level feedback modulation, based on state-of-the-art probabilistic approaches. The methodology employed, consistent with evidence from the visual cortex, can be potentially generalized to build models of hierarchical perceptual organization that include top-down and bottom

Heat affected zone and fatigue crack propagation behavior of high performance steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Sung Won; Kang, Dong Hwan; Kim, Tae Won; Lee, Jong Kwan

2009-01-01

The effect of heat affected zone in high performance steel on fatigue crack propagation behavior, which is related to the subsequent microstructure, was investigated. A modified Paris-Erdogan equation was presented for the analysis of fatigue crack propagation behavior corresponding to the heat affected zone conditions. Fatigue crack propagation tests under 0.3 stress ratio and 0.1 load frequency were conducted for both finegrained and coarse-grained heat affected zones, respectively. As shown in the results, much higher crack growth rate occurred in a relatively larger mean grain size material under the same stress intensity range of fatigue crack propagation process for the material.

Grain size, stress and creep in polycrystalline solids

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Nabarro, FRN

2000-08-01

Full Text Available Taylor lattice stabilized by sigma (p); (iii) Does Lo exceed the value required for a Frank-Read or Bardeen-Herring source to operate within the grain? (iv) Does L (1/2) sigma exceed the Hall-Petch value required for slip to propagate across a grain...

Communicating the benefits of wholegrain and functional grain products to European consumers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shepherd, R.; Dean, M.; Lampila, P.

2012-01-01

In order to increase the consumption of wholegrain products or grain products with functional properties, it is important to understand consumer beliefs about such products and the impact of health claims. In a series of consumer studies several differences were found between countries. While...... consumers in Finland, Italy and the UK saw wholegrain products as having positive attributes, those in Finland had more negative beliefs about refined grain products. Health claims and wholegrain labels increased perceived healthiness but had a less positive impact on likelihood of buying, and in Italy both...

Models for seismic wave propagation in periodically layered porous media

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kudarova, A.; Van Dalen, K.N.; Drijkoningen, G.G.

2014-01-01

Several models are discussed for seismic wave propagation in periodically layered poroelastic media where layers represent mesoscopic-scale heterogeneities that are larger than the pore and grain sizes but smaller than the wavelength. The layers behave according to Biot’s theory. Wave propagation

Fracture toughness of WWER Uranium dioxide fuel pellets with various grain size

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sivov, R.; Novikov, V.; Mikheev, E.; Fedotov, A.

2015-01-01

Uranium dioxide fuel pellets with grain sizes 13, 26, and 33 μm for WWER were investigated in the present work in order to determine crack formation and the fracture toughness.The investigation of crack formation in uranium oxide fuel pellets of the WWER-types showed that Young’s modulus and the microhardness of polycrystalline samples increase with increasing grain size, while the fracture toughness decreases. Characteristically, radial Palmqvist cracks form on the surface of uranium dioxide pellets for loads up to 1 kg. Transgranular propagation of cracks over distances several-fold larger than the length of the imprint diagonal is observed in pellets with large grains and small intragrain pores. Intergranular propagation of cracks along grain boundaries with branching occurs in pellets with small grains and low pore concentration on the grain boundaries. Blunting on large pores and at breaks in direction does not permit the cracks to reach a significant length

Reliability assessment of complex mechatronic systems using a modified nonparametric belief propagation algorithm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhong, X.; Ichchou, M.; Saidi, A.

2010-01-01

Various parametric skewed distributions are widely used to model the time-to-failure (TTF) in the reliability analysis of mechatronic systems, where many items are unobservable due to the high cost of testing. Estimating the parameters of those distributions becomes a challenge. Previous research has failed to consider this problem due to the difficulty of dependency modeling. Recently the methodology of Bayesian networks (BNs) has greatly contributed to the reliability analysis of complex systems. In this paper, the problem of system reliability assessment (SRA) is formulated as a BN considering the parameter uncertainty. As the quantitative specification of BN, a normal distribution representing the stochastic nature of TTF distribution is learned to capture the interactions between the basic items and their output items. The approximation inference of our continuous BN model is performed by a modified version of nonparametric belief propagation (NBP) which can avoid using a junction tree that is inefficient for the mechatronic case because of the large treewidth. After reasoning, we obtain the marginal posterior density of each TTF model parameter. Other information from diverse sources and expert priors can be easily incorporated in this SRA model to achieve more accurate results. Simulation in simple and complex cases of mechatronic systems demonstrates that the posterior of the parameter network fits the data well and the uncertainty passes effectively through our BN based SRA model by using the modified NBP.

Coupled seismic and electromagnetic wave propagation

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schakel, M.D.

2011-01-01

Coupled seismic and electromagnetic wave propagation is studied theoretically and experimentally. This coupling arises because of the electrochemical double layer, which exists along the solid-grain/fluid-electrolyte boundaries of porous media. Within the double layer, charge is redistributed,

Interactions between Dislocations and Grain Boundaries

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Soer, Wouter Anthon

2006-01-01

Dislocations (line defects) and grain boundaries (planar defects) are two types of lattice defects that are crucial to the deformation behavior of metals. Permanent deformation of a crystalline material is microscopically associated with the nucleation and propagation of dislocations, and extensive

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in a weak collisional and fully ionized dusty plasma

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jia, Jieshu; Yuan, Chengxun, E-mail: yuancx@hit.edu.cn; Gao, Ruilin; Wang, Ying; Zhou, Zhong-Xiang [Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); Liu, Sha; Yue, Feng [Shanghai Institute of Spaceflight Control Technology, Shanghai 200233 (China); Wu, Jian [China Research Institute of Radio wave Propagation, Beijing 102206 (China); Li, Hui [Department of Physics, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150001 (China); China Research Institute of Radio wave Propagation, Beijing 102206 (China)

2016-04-15

The propagation properties of electromagnetic (EM) waves in fully ionized dusty plasmas is the subject of this study. The dielectric relationships for EM waves propagating in a fully ionized dusty plasma was derived from the Boltzmann distribution law, taking into consideration the collision and charging effects of the dust grains. The propagation properties of the EM waves in a dusty plasma were numerically calculated and studied. The study results indicated that the dusty grains with an increased radius and charge were more likely to impede the penetration of EM waves. Dust grains with large radii and high charge cause the attenuation of the EM wave in the dusty plasma. The different density of the dust in the plasma appeared to have no obvious effect on the transmission of the EM waves. The propagation of the EM waves in a weakly ionized dusty plasma varies from that in a fully ionized dusty plasma. The results are helpful to analyze the effects of dust in dusty plasmas and also provide a theoretical basis for future studies.

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in a weak collisional and fully ionized dusty plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Jieshu; Yuan, Chengxun; Gao, Ruilin; Wang, Ying; Zhou, Zhong-Xiang; Liu, Sha; Yue, Feng; Wu, Jian; Li, Hui

2016-01-01

The propagation properties of electromagnetic (EM) waves in fully ionized dusty plasmas is the subject of this study. The dielectric relationships for EM waves propagating in a fully ionized dusty plasma was derived from the Boltzmann distribution law, taking into consideration the collision and charging effects of the dust grains. The propagation properties of the EM waves in a dusty plasma were numerically calculated and studied. The study results indicated that the dusty grains with an increased radius and charge were more likely to impede the penetration of EM waves. Dust grains with large radii and high charge cause the attenuation of the EM wave in the dusty plasma. The different density of the dust in the plasma appeared to have no obvious effect on the transmission of the EM waves. The propagation of the EM waves in a weakly ionized dusty plasma varies from that in a fully ionized dusty plasma. The results are helpful to analyze the effects of dust in dusty plasmas and also provide a theoretical basis for future studies.

A new light on the evolution and propagation of prehistoric grain pests: the world's oldest maize weevils found in Jomon Potteries, Japan.

Science.gov (United States)

Obata, Hiroki; Manabe, Aya; Nakamura, Naoko; Onishi, Tomokazu; Senba, Yasuko

2011-03-29

Three Sitophilus species (S. granarius L., S. oryzae L., and S. zeamais Mots.) are closely related based on DNA analysis of their endosymbionts. All are seed parasites of cereal crops and important economic pest species in stored grain. The Sitophilus species that currently exist, including these three species, are generally believed to be endemic to Asia's forested areas, suggesting that the first infestations of stored grain must have taken place near the forested mountains of southwestern Asia. Previous archaeological data and historical records suggest that the three species may have been diffused by the spread of Neolithic agriculture, but this hypothesis has only been established for granary weevils in European and southwestern Asian archaeological records. There was little archeological evidence for grain pests in East Asia before the discovery of maize weevil impressions in Jomon pottery in 2004 using the "impression replica" method. Our research on Jomon agriculture based on seed and insect impressions in pottery continued to seek additional evidence. In 2010, we discovered older weevil impressions in Jomon pottery dating to ca. 10 500 BP. These specimens are the oldest harmful insects in the world discovered at archaeological sites. Our results provide evidence of harmful insects living in the villages from the Earliest Jomon, when no cereals were cultivated. This suggests we must reconsider previous scenarios for the evolution and propagation of grain pest weevils, especially in eastern Asia. Although details of their biology or the foods they infested remain unclear, we hope future interdisciplinary collaborations among geneticists, entomologists, and archaeologists will provide the missing details.

A new light on the evolution and propagation of prehistoric grain pests: the world's oldest maize weevils found in Jomon Potteries, Japan.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroki Obata

Full Text Available Three Sitophilus species (S. granarius L., S. oryzae L., and S. zeamais Mots. are closely related based on DNA analysis of their endosymbionts. All are seed parasites of cereal crops and important economic pest species in stored grain. The Sitophilus species that currently exist, including these three species, are generally believed to be endemic to Asia's forested areas, suggesting that the first infestations of stored grain must have taken place near the forested mountains of southwestern Asia. Previous archaeological data and historical records suggest that the three species may have been diffused by the spread of Neolithic agriculture, but this hypothesis has only been established for granary weevils in European and southwestern Asian archaeological records. There was little archeological evidence for grain pests in East Asia before the discovery of maize weevil impressions in Jomon pottery in 2004 using the "impression replica" method. Our research on Jomon agriculture based on seed and insect impressions in pottery continued to seek additional evidence. In 2010, we discovered older weevil impressions in Jomon pottery dating to ca. 10 500 BP. These specimens are the oldest harmful insects in the world discovered at archaeological sites. Our results provide evidence of harmful insects living in the villages from the Earliest Jomon, when no cereals were cultivated. This suggests we must reconsider previous scenarios for the evolution and propagation of grain pest weevils, especially in eastern Asia. Although details of their biology or the foods they infested remain unclear, we hope future interdisciplinary collaborations among geneticists, entomologists, and archaeologists will provide the missing details.

Magnetization reversal processes of isotropic permanent magnets with various inter-grain exchange interactions

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroshi Tsukahara

2017-05-01

Full Text Available We performed a large-scale micromagnetics simulation on a supercomputing system to investigate the properties of isotropic nanocrystalline permanent magnets consisting of cubic grains. In the simulation, we solved the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation under a periodic boundary condition for accurate calculation of the magnetization dynamics inside the nanocrystalline isotropic magnet. We reduced the inter-grain exchange interaction perpendicular and parallel to the external field independently. Propagation of the magnetization reversal process is inhibited by reducing the inter-grain exchange interaction perpendicular to the external field, and the coercivity is enhanced by this restraint. In contrast, when we reduce the inter-grain exchange interaction parallel to the external field, the coercivity decreases because the magnetization reversal process propagates owing to dipole interaction. These behaviors show that the coercivity of an isotropic permanent magnet depends on the direction of the inter-grain exchange interaction.

Effect of service exposure on fatigue crack propagation of Inconel 718 turbine disc material at elevated temperatures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jeong, Dae-Ho [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, RECAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Chinju (Korea, Republic of); Choi, Myung-Je [Korea Aerospace Industry, Sacheon (Korea, Republic of); Goto, Masahiro [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Oita University, Oita (Japan); Lee, Hong-Chul [Republic of Korea Air Force (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sangshik, E-mail: sang@gnu.ac.kr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, RECAPT, Gyeongsang National University, Chinju (Korea, Republic of)

2014-09-15

In this study, the fatigue crack propagation behavior of Inconel 718 turbine disc with different service times from 0 to 4229 h was investigated at 738 and 823 K. No notable change in microstructural features, other than the increase in grain size, was observed with increasing service time. With increasing service time from 0 to 4229 h, the fatigue crack propagation rates tended to increase, while the ΔK{sub th} value decreased, in low ΔK regime and lower Paris' regime at both testing temperatures. The fractographic observation using a scanning electron microscope suggested that the elevated temperature fatigue crack propagation mechanism of Inconel 718 changed from crystallographic cleavage mechanism to striation mechanism in the low ΔK regime, depending on the grain size. The fatigue crack propagation mechanism is proposed for the crack propagating through small and large grains in the low ΔK regime, and the fatigue crack propagation behavior of Inconel 718 with different service times at elevated temperatures is discussed. - Highlights: • The specimens were prepared from the Inconel 718 turbine disc used for 0 to 4229 h. • FCP rates were measured at 738 and 823 K. • The ΔK{sub th} values decreased with increasing service time. • The FCP behavior showed a strong correlation with the grain size of used turbine disc.

LOOP CALCULUS AND BELIEF PROPAGATION FOR Q-ARY ALPHABET: LOOP TOWER

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

CHERTKOV, MICHAEL [Los Alamos National Laboratory; CHERNYAK, VLADIMIR [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2007-01-10

Loop calculus introduced in [1], [2] constitutes a new theoretical tool that explicitly expresses symbol Maximum-A-Posteriori (MAP) solution of a general statistical inference problem via a solution of the Belief Propagation (BP) equations. This finding brought a new significance to the BP concept, which in the past was thought of as just a loop-free approximation. In this paper they continue a discussion of the Loop Calculus, partitioning the results into three Sections. In Section 1 they introduce a new formulation of the Loop Calculus in terms of a set of transformations (gauges) that keeping the partition function of the problem invariant. The full expression contains two terms referred to as the 'ground state' and 'excited states' contributions. The BP equations are interpreted as a special (BP) gauge fixing condition that emerges as a special orthogonality constraint between the ground state and excited states, which also selects loop contributions as the only surviving ones among the excited states. In Section 2 they demonstrate how the invariant interpretation of the Loop Calculus, introduced in Section 1, allows a natural extension to the case of a general q-ary alphabet, this is achieved via a loop tower sequential construction. The ground level in the tower is exactly equivalent to assigning one color (out of q available) to the 'ground state' and considering all 'excited' states colored in the remaining (q-1) colors, according to the loop calculus rule. Sequentially, the second level in the tower corresponds to selecting a loop from the previous step, colored in (q-1) colors, and repeating the same ground vs excited states splitting procedure into one and (q-2) colors respectively. The construction proceeds till the full (q-1)-levels deep loop tower (and the corresponding contributions to the partition function) are established. In Section 3 they discuss an ultimate relation between the loop calculus and the Bethe

Propagation of electromagnetic waves in a weakly ionized dusty plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jia, Jieshu; Yuan, Chengxun; Gao, Ruilin; Wang, Ying; Liu, Yaoze; Gao, Junying; Zhou, Zhongxiang; Sun, Xiudong; Li, Hui; Wu, Jian; Pu, Shaozhi

2015-01-01

Propagation properties of electromagnetic (EM) waves in weakly ionized dusty plasmas are the subject of this study. Dielectric relation for EM waves propagating at a weakly ionized dusty plasma is derived based on the Boltzmann distribution law while considering the collision and charging effects of dust grains. The propagation properties of EM energy in dusty plasma of rocket exhaust are numerically calculated and studied, utilizing the parameters of rocket exhaust plasma. Results indicate that increase of dust radius and density enhance the reflection and absorption coefficient. High dust radius and density make the wave hardly transmit through the dusty plasmas. Interaction enhancements between wave and dusty plasmas are developed through effective collision frequency improvements. Numerical results coincide with observed results by indicating that GHz band wave communication is effected by dusty plasma as the presence of dust grains significantly affect propagation of EM waves in the dusty plasmas. The results are helpful to analyze the effect of dust in plasmas and also provide a theoretical basis for the experiments. (paper)

Effects of pulse current stimulation on the thermal fatigue crack propagation behavior of CHWD steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lin, H.Q.; Zhao, Y.G.; Gao, Z.M.; Han, L.G.

2008-01-01

The fatigue crack propagating behaviors of cast hot working die (CHWD) steel untreated and treated by an electric current in the intermediate stage of thermal fatigue were investigated in the present study. The circle/elliptical heating affected zone (HAZ) was formed ahead of the notch tip on the fatigued specimens after pulse electric current stimulation. Both SEM observation and X-ray diffraction analysis revealed that pulse electric current stimulation refined grains/subgrains in the HAZs. With the prolonging of discharging duration, the grains/subgrains decreased in size and the dislocation density and microhardness increased gradually. The grain refinement and dislocation density increase played an important role in the material strengthening, which inevitably enhanced the propagation resistance and delayed the propagation of thermal fatigue cracks. Therefore, the pulse electric current stimulation was an effective method to improve the service lifetime of die material

Crack propagation behavior of TiN coatings by laser thermal shock experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Choi, Youngkue; Jeon, Seol; Jeon, Min-seok; Shin, Hyun-Gyoo; Chun, Ho Hwan; Lee, Youn-seoung; Lee, Heesoo

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► The crack propagation behavior of TiN coating after laser thermal shock experiment was observed by using FIB and TEM. ► Intercolumnar cracks between TiN columnar grains were predominant cracking mode after laser thermal shock. ► Cracks were propagated from the coating surface to the substrate at low laser pulse energy and cracks were originated at coating-substrate interface at high laser pulse energy. ► The cracks from the interface spread out transversely through the weak region of the columnar grains by repetitive laser shock. - Abstract: The crack propagation behavior of TiN coatings, deposited onto 304 stainless steel substrates by arc ion plating technique, related to a laser thermal shock experiment has been investigated using focused ion beam (FIB) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The ablated regions of TiN coatings by laser ablation system have been investigated under various conditions of pulse energies and number of laser pulses. The intercolumnar cracks were predominant cracking mode following laser thermal shock tests and the cracks initiated at coating surface and propagated in a direction perpendicular to the substrate under low loads conditions. Over and above those cracks, the cracks originated from coating-substrate interface began to appear with increasing laser pulse energy. The cracks from the interface also spread out transversely through the weak region of the columnar grains by repetitive laser shock.

Propagation of stress-corrosion cracks in unirradiated zircaloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Norring, K.; Haag, Y.; Wikstroem, C.

1982-01-01

Propagation of iodine-induced stress-corrosion cracks in Zircaloy was studied using pre-cracked and internally pressurized cladding tubes. These were recrystallized at different temperatures, to obtain grain sizes between 4 μm and 10 μm. No statistically significant difference in propagation rate due to the difference in grain size was observed. If the obtained data, with Ksub(I) values ranging from 4 to 11 MNmsup(-3/2), were log-log plotted (da/dt = CKsub(I)sup(N)), as usual, they fell within the scatter-band of data reported earlier. But from this plot it could also be seen that the Ksub(I) interval can be divided into two separate parts having different da/dt-Ksub(I) relations. The transition takes place at a Ksub(I) value of about 8 MNmsup(-3/2). The region with lower Ksub(I) values shows a substantially lower n value than the upper region (2.4 and 9.8 respectively), and earlier reported values (n = 7 to 10). This transition is in good agreement with a transition from an intergranular to a transgranular propagation mode of the stress-corrosion crack. (orig.)

Modification of the grain structure of austenitic welds for improved ultrasonic inspectability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Sabine; Dugan, Sandra; Stubenrauch, Steffen; Jacobs, Oliver

2013-01-01

Welding is an essential part of the fabrication of austenitic stainless steel components used in industrial plants, such as those designed for nuclear power generation, chemical processing, conventional power generation and, increasingly, for production of renewable energy. The welded austenitic material presents major challenges for ultrasonic inspection due to the grain structure of the weld metal. The typically coarse grain structure, in combination with the elastic anisotropy of the material, leads to increased scattering and affects sound wave propagation in the weld. These effects result in a reduced signal-to-noise ratio, and complicate the interpretation of signals and the localisation of defects by ultrasonic inspection. This paper presents the results of a research project dealing with efforts to influence grain growth in the weld during the welding process, in particular during the solidification process, in order to produce smaller grains. The objective was to achieve improved sound propagation through the weld, so that inspectability can be improved. The welding process was modified by the application of alternating magnetic fields at different frequencies, as well as different temperature cycles and pulsed arc technology. Metallographic sections of the test welds show that modification of the grain structure can be achieved by the use of these techniques. For further optimisation, test blocks for ultrasonic testing were manufactured with testflaws to study sound propagation through the modified weld and to assess the detectability of test flaws. The results of this investigation are of importance in assessing the integrity of highly stressed components in industrial installations, particularly for those components with stringent requirements on safety and quality.

The ecology of religious beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Botero, Carlos A.; Gardner, Beth; Kirby, Kathryn R.; Bulbulia, Joseph; Gavin, Michael C.; Gray, Russell D.

2014-01-01

Although ecological forces are known to shape the expression of sociality across a broad range of biological taxa, their role in shaping human behavior is currently disputed. Both comparative and experimental evidence indicate that beliefs in moralizing high gods promote cooperation among humans, a behavioral attribute known to correlate with environmental harshness in nonhuman animals. Here we combine fine-grained bioclimatic data with the latest statistical tools from ecology and the social sciences to evaluate the potential effects of environmental forces, language history, and culture on the global distribution of belief in moralizing high gods (n = 583 societies). After simultaneously accounting for potential nonindependence among societies because of shared ancestry and cultural diffusion, we find that these beliefs are more prevalent among societies that inhabit poorer environments and are more prone to ecological duress. In addition, we find that these beliefs are more likely in politically complex societies that recognize rights to movable property. Overall, our multimodel inference approach predicts the global distribution of beliefs in moralizing high gods with an accuracy of 91%, and estimates the relative importance of different potential mechanisms by which this spatial pattern may have arisen. The emerging picture is neither one of pure cultural transmission nor of simple ecological determinism, but rather a complex mixture of social, cultural, and environmental influences. Our methods and findings provide a blueprint for how the increasing wealth of ecological, linguistic, and historical data can be leveraged to understand the forces that have shaped the behavior of our own species. PMID:25385605

The effects of variable dust size and charge on dust acoustic waves propagating in a hybrid Cairns–Tsallis complex plasma

Science.gov (United States)

El-Taibany, W. F.; El-Siragy, N. M.; Behery, E. E.; Elbendary, A. A.; Taha, R. M.

2018-05-01

The propagation characteristics of dust acoustic waves (DAWs) in a dusty plasma consisting of variable size dust grains, hybrid Cairns-Tsallis-distributed electrons, and nonthermal ions are studied. The charging of the dust grains is described by the orbital-motion-limited theory and the size of the dust grains obeys the power law dust size distribution. To describe the nonlinear propagation of the DAWs, a Zakharov-Kuznetsov equation is derived using a reductive perturbation method. It is found that the nonthermal and nonextensive parameters influence the main properties of DAWs. Moreover, our results reveal that the rarefactive waves can propagate mainly in the proposed plasma model while compressive waves can be detected for a very small range of the distribution parameters of plasma species, and the DAWs are faster and wider for smaller size dust grains. Applications of the present results to dusty plasma observations are briefly discussed.

Study of toughening mechanisms through the observations of crack propagation in nanostructured and layered metallic sheet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, A.Y.; Li, D.F.; Zhang, J.B.; Liu, F.; Liu, X.R.; Lu, J.

2011-01-01

Highlights: → A nanostructured and layered steel exhibits high strength and large ductility. → The excellent combination originates from a multiple interlaminar cracking. → The initiation and propagation of cracks are controlled by three aspects. → The cracks are deflected by interface and arrested by compressive residual stress. → Finally, the cracks are blunted by the graded grain size distribution. - Abstract: A layered and nanostructured (LN) 304 SS sheet was produced by combination of surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) with warm co-rolling. The microstructure of LN sheet is characterized by a periodic distribution of nanocrystalline layers and micron-grained layers with a graded transition of grain size. Tensile test results show that exceptional properties of high yield strength and large elongation to fracture are achieved. A multiple interlaminar cracking was observed by scanning electron microscopy, which is induced by repeated crack initiation and propagation. The toughening mechanisms of the LN sheet are proposed to be controlling the crack propagation path by several strategies. The main cracks initiating at interface defects are arrested by large compressive residual stress, deflected by weak interface bonding and blunted by the graded grain size distribution.

Evaluation of deformation behavior of in grains and grain boundaries of L-grade austenitic stainless steel 316L

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagashima, Nobuo; Hayakawa, Masao; Tsukada, Takashi; Kaji, Yoshiyuki; Miwa, Yukio; Ando, Masami; Nakata, Kiyotomo

2009-01-01

In this study, micro-hardness tests and AFM observations were performed on SUS 316L low-carbon austenitic stainless steel pre-strained by cold rolling to investigate its deformation behavior. The following results were obtained. Despite the fact that the same plastic strain was applied, post-tensile test AFM showed narrower slip-band spacing in a reduction in area of 30% cold-rolled specimen than the unrolled specimen. Concentrated slip bands were observed near grain boundaries. These were presumably due to slip blocking at grain boundaries. SCC sensitivity increased at a hardness of 300 or higher, the frequency occurrence of a hardness of 300 or higher in the micro-hardness measurements was compared. The micro-hardness did not exceed 300 both within grains and at grain boundaries in the unrolled and up to a reduction in area of 20% cold-rolled specimens of before and after the tensile tests. Micro-hardness exceeding 300 was found to occur frequently in after tensile test specimens with a reduction in area of 30% or more, particularly at grain boundaries. It is suggested that the nonuniformity of deformation at grain boundaries plays an important role of IGSCC crack propagation mechanism of low-carbon austenitic stainless steel. (author)

Systematic Testing of Belief-Propagation Estimates for Absolute Free Energies in Atomistic Peptides and Proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Donovan-Maiye, Rory M; Langmead, Christopher J; Zuckerman, Daniel M

2018-01-09

Motivated by the extremely high computing costs associated with estimates of free energies for biological systems using molecular simulations, we further the exploration of existing "belief propagation" (BP) algorithms for fixed-backbone peptide and protein systems. The precalculation of pairwise interactions among discretized libraries of side-chain conformations, along with representation of protein side chains as nodes in a graphical model, enables direct application of the BP approach, which requires only ∼1 s of single-processor run time after the precalculation stage. We use a "loopy BP" algorithm, which can be seen as an approximate generalization of the transfer-matrix approach to highly connected (i.e., loopy) graphs, and it has previously been applied to protein calculations. We examine the application of loopy BP to several peptides as well as the binding site of the T4 lysozyme L99A mutant. The present study reports on (i) the comparison of the approximate BP results with estimates from unbiased estimators based on the Amber99SB force field; (ii) investigation of the effects of varying library size on BP predictions; and (iii) a theoretical discussion of the discretization effects that can arise in BP calculations. The data suggest that, despite their approximate nature, BP free-energy estimates are highly accurate-indeed, they never fall outside confidence intervals from unbiased estimators for the systems where independent results could be obtained. Furthermore, we find that libraries of sufficiently fine discretization (which diminish library-size sensitivity) can be obtained with standard computing resources in most cases. Altogether, the extremely low computing times and accurate results suggest the BP approach warrants further study.

Towards modeling intergranular stress corrosion cracks on grain size scales

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simonovski, Igor; Cizelj, Leon

2012-01-01

Highlights: ► Simulating the onset and propagation of intergranular cracking. ► Model based on the as-measured geometry and crystallographic orientations. ► Feasibility, performance of the proposed computational approach demonstrated. - Abstract: Development of advanced models at the grain size scales has so far been mostly limited to simulated geometry structures such as for example 3D Voronoi tessellations. The difficulty came from a lack of non-destructive techniques for measuring the microstructures. In this work a novel grain-size scale approach for modelling intergranular stress corrosion cracking based on as-measured 3D grain structure of a 400 μm stainless steel wire is presented. Grain topologies and crystallographic orientations are obtained using a diffraction contrast tomography, reconstructed within a detailed finite element model and coupled with advanced constitutive models for grains and grain boundaries. The wire is composed of 362 grains and over 1600 grain boundaries. Grain boundary damage initialization and early development is then explored for a number of cases, ranging from isotropic elasticity up to crystal plasticity constitutive laws for the bulk grain material. In all cases the grain boundaries are modeled using the cohesive zone approach. The feasibility of the approach is explored.

Study of Ferrite During Refinement of Prior Austenite Grains in Microalloyed Steel Continuous Casting

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Jiang; Wen, Guanghua; Tang, Ping

2017-12-01

The formation of coarse prior austenite grain is a key factor to promote transverse crack, and the susceptibility to the transverse crack can be reduced by refining the austenite grain size. In the present study, the high-temperature confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM) was used to simulate two types of double phase-transformation technologies. The distribution and morphology of ferrites under different cooling conditions were analyzed, and the effects of ferrite distribution and morphology on the double phase-transformation technologies were explored to obtain the suitable double phase-change technology for the continuous casting process. The results indicate that, under the thermal cycle TH0 [the specimens were cooled down to 913 K (640 °C) at a cooling rate of 5.0 K/s (5.0 °C/s)], the width of prior austenite grain boundaries was thick, and the dislocation density at grain boundaries was high. It had strong inhibition effect on crack propagation; under the thermal cycle TH1 [the specimens were cooled down to 1073 K (800 °C) at a cooling rate of 5.0 K/s (5.0 °C/s) and then to 913 K (640 °C) at a cooling rate of 1.0 K/s (1.0 °C/s)], the width of prior austenite grain boundary was thin, and the dislocation density at grain boundaries was low. It was beneficial to crack propagation. After the first phase change, the developed film-like ferrite along the austenite grain boundaries improved the nucleation conditions of new austenitic grains and removed the inhibition effect of the prior austenite grain boundaries on the austenite grain size.

Event-triggered Decision Propagation in Proximity Networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soumik eSarkar

2014-12-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel event-triggered formulation as an extension of the recently develo-ped generalized gossip algorithm for decision/awareness propagation in mobile sensor networksmodeled as proximity networks. The key idea is to expend energy for communication (messagetransmission and reception only when there is any event of interest in the region of surveillance.The idea is implemented by using an agent’s belief about presence of a hotspot as feedback tochange its probability of (communication activity. In the original formulation, the evolution ofnetwork topology and the dynamics of decision propagation were completely decoupled whichis no longer the case as a consequence of this feedback policy. Analytical results and numeri-cal experiments are presented to show a significant gain in energy savings with no change inthe first moment characteristics of decision propagation. However, numerical experiments showthat the second moment characteristics may change and theoretical results are provided forupper and lower bounds for second moment characteristics. Effects of false alarms on networkformation and communication activity are also investigated.

Applying the theory of planned behavior to promotion of whole-grain foods by dietitians.

Science.gov (United States)

Chase, Kellie; Reicks, Marla; Jones, Julie Miller

2003-12-01

The objective of this preliminary study was to apply the theory of planned behavior to explain dietitians' intentions to promote whole-grain foods. Surveys were mailed to a random national sample of registered dietitians to assess knowledge and attitudinal, normative, and control beliefs regarding intention to promote whole-grain foods, with a 39% return rate (n=776, with 628 usable surveys from those working in direct patient care). About half of the respondents had a master's degree, and 58% had substantial experience in the dietetics field. The theory of planned behavior explained intention to promote whole grains to a moderate extent (df=3, F=74.5, R(2)=0.278, Pconsume more whole-grain foods. Continuing education for dietitians should use strategies that enhance self-efficacy regarding ability to promote whole-grain foods.

Effects of dust grain charge fluctuation on obliquely propagating dust-acoustic potential in magnetized dusty plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamun, A.A.; Hassan, M.H.A.

1999-05-01

Effects of dust grain charge fluctuation, obliqueness and external magnetic field on finite amplitude dust-acoustic solitary potential in a magnetized dusty plasma, consisting of electrons, ions and charge fluctuating dust grains, have been investigated by the reductive perturbation method. It has been shown that such a magnetized dusty plasma system may support dust-acoustic solitary potential on a very slow time scale involving the motion of dust grains, whose charge is self-consistently determined by local electron and ion currents. The effects of dust grain charge fluctuation, external magnetic field and obliqueness are found to modify the properties of this dust-acoustic solitary potential significantly. The implications of these results to some space and astrophysical dusty plasma systems, especially to planetary ring-systems and cometary tails, are briefly mentioned. (author)

A grain boundary sliding model for cavitation, crack growth and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A model is presented for cavity growth, crack propagation and fracture resulting from grain boundary sliding (GBS) during high temperature creep deformation. The theory of cavity growth by GBS was based on energy balance criteria on the assumption that the matrix is sufficiently plastic to accommodate misfit strains ...

Propagation of waves in a multicomponent plasma having charged ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Propagation of waves in a multicomponent plasma having charged dust particles has been investigated by various authors in recent times as the presence of charged dust grains give rise to a new kind of modes called dust modes and it has wide applications in magneto- sphere and space plasma [1–3]. In fact, Rao et al [4] ...

Propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves in dusty plasma with full ionization

Science.gov (United States)

Dan, Li; Guo, Li-Xin; Li, Jiang-Ting

2018-01-01

This study investigates the propagation characteristics of electromagnetic (EM) waves in fully ionized dusty plasmas. The propagation characteristics of fully ionized plasma with and without dust under the Fokker-Planck-Landau (FPL) and Bhatnagar-Gross-Krook (BGK) models are compared to those of weakly ionized plasmas by using the propagation matrix method. It is shown that the FPL model is suitable for the analysis of the propagation characteristics of weakly collisional and fully ionized dusty plasmas, as is the BGK model. The influence of varying the dust parameters on the propagation properties of EM waves in the fully ionized dusty plasma was analyzed using the FPL model. The simulation results indicated that the densities and average radii of dust grains influence the reflection and transmission coefficients of fully ionized dusty plasma slabs. These results may be utilized to analyze the effects of interaction between EM waves and dusty plasmas, such as those associated with hypersonic vehicles.

Thermodynamically consistent coarse graining of biocatalysts beyond Michaelis–Menten

Science.gov (United States)

Wachtel, Artur; Rao, Riccardo; Esposito, Massimiliano

2018-04-01

Starting from the detailed catalytic mechanism of a biocatalyst we provide a coarse-graining procedure which, by construction, is thermodynamically consistent. This procedure provides stoichiometries, reaction fluxes (rate laws), and reaction forces (Gibbs energies of reaction) for the coarse-grained level. It can treat active transporters and molecular machines, and thus extends the applicability of ideas that originated in enzyme kinetics. Our results lay the foundations for systematic studies of the thermodynamics of large-scale biochemical reaction networks. Moreover, we identify the conditions under which a relation between one-way fluxes and forces holds at the coarse-grained level as it holds at the detailed level. In doing so, we clarify the speculations and broad claims made in the literature about such a general flux–force relation. As a further consequence we show that, in contrast to common belief, the second law of thermodynamics does not require the currents and the forces of biochemical reaction networks to be always aligned.

Swelling and gas release of grain-boundary pores in uranium dioxide

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schrire, D.I.

1983-12-01

The swelling and gas release of overpressured grain boundary pores is sintered unirradiated uranium dioxide were investigated under isothermal conditions. The pores became overpressured when the ambient pressure was reduced, and the excess pressure driving force caused growth and interconnection of the pores, leading to eventual gas release. Swelling was measured continuously by a linear variable differential transformer, and open and closed porosity fractions were determined after the tests by immersion density and quantitative microscopy measurements. The sinter porosity consisted of pores situated on grain faces, grain edges, and grain corners. Isolated pores maintained their equilibrium shape while growing, without any measurable change in dihedral angle. Interconnection occurred predominantly along grain edges, without any evidence of pore sharpening or crack propagation at low driving forces. Extensive open porosity occurred at a threshold density of about 85% TD. There was an almost linear dependence of the initial swelling rate on the driving force, with an activation energy of 200+- 8 kJ/mole, in good agreement with published values of the activation energy for grain boundary diffusion

Effect of grain size on the melting point of confined thin aluminum films

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wejrzanowski, Tomasz; Lewandowska, Malgorzata; Sikorski, Krzysztof; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof J. [Materials Design Division, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology, Woloska 141, 02-507 Warsaw (Poland)

2014-10-28

The melting of aluminum thin film was studied by a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation technique. The effect of the grain size and type of confinement was investigated for aluminum film with a constant thickness of 4 nm. The results show that coherent intercrystalline interface suppress the transition of solid aluminum into liquid, while free-surface gives melting point depression. The mechanism of melting of polycrystalline aluminum thin film was investigated. It was found that melting starts at grain boundaries and propagates to grain interiors. The melting point was calculated from the Lindemann index criterion, taking into account only atoms near to grain boundaries. This made it possible to extend melting point calculations to bigger grains, which require a long time (in the MD scale) to be fully molten. The results show that 4 nm thick film of aluminum melts at a temperature lower than the melting point of bulk aluminum (933 K) only when the grain size is reduced to 6 nm.

Spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy for rapid imaging of material microstructure and grain orientation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, Richard J; Li, Wenqi; Coulson, Jethro; Clark, Matt; Somekh, Michael G; Sharples, Steve D

2014-01-01

Measuring the grain structure of aerospace materials is very important to understand their mechanical properties and in-service performance. Spatially resolved acoustic spectroscopy is an acoustic technique utilizing surface acoustic waves to map the grain structure of a material. When combined with measurements in multiple acoustic propagation directions, the grain orientation can be obtained by fitting the velocity surface to a model. The new instrument presented here can take thousands of acoustic velocity measurements per second. The spatial and velocity resolution can be adjusted by simple modification to the system; this is discussed in detail by comparison of theoretical expectations with experimental data. (paper)

Grain-boundary microchemistry and intergranular cracking of irradiated austenitic stainless steels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, H.M.; Ruther, W.E.; Sanecki, J.E.; Kassner, T.F.

1993-01-01

Constant-extension-rate tensile tests and grain-boundary analysis by Auger electron spectroscopy were conducted on high and commercial-purity (HP and CP) Type 304 stainless steel (SS) specimens from irradiated boiling-water reactor (BWR) components to identify the mechanisms of irradiation-assisted stress corrosion cracking (IASCC). Contrary to previous beliefs, susceptibility to intergranular fracture could not be correlated with radiation-induced segregation of impurities such as Si, P, C, or S, but a correlation was obtained with grain-boundary Cr concentration, indicating a role for Cr depletion. Detailed analysis of grain-boundary chemistry was conducted on BWR neutron absorber tubes that were fabricated from two similar heats of HP Type 304 SS of virtually identical bulk chemical composition but exhibiting a significant difference in susceptibility to IASCC after irradiation to ∼2 x 10 21 n/cm 2 (E > 1 MeV). Grain-boundary concentrations of Cr Ni, Si, P, S, and C of the cracking-resistant and -susceptible HP heats were virtually identical. However, grain boundaries of the cracking-resistant material contained less N and more B and Li than those of the cracking-susceptible material. This observation indicates that, besides the deleterious effect of grain-boundary Cr depletion, a synergism between grain-boundary segregation of N and B and transmutation to H and Li plays an important role in IASCC

Fault Gauge Numerical Simulation : Dynamic Rupture Propagation and Local Energy Partitioning

Science.gov (United States)

Mollon, G.

2017-12-01

In this communication, we present dynamic simulations of the local (centimetric) behaviour of a fault filled with a granular gauge submitted to dynamic rupture. The numerical tool (Fig. 1) combines classical Discrete Element Modelling (albeit with the ability to deal with arbitrary grain shapes) for the simualtion of the gauge, and continuous modelling for the simulation of the acoustic waves emission and propagation. In a first part, the model is applied to the simulation of steady-state shearing of the fault under remote displacement boudary conditions, in order to observe the shear accomodation at the interface (R1 cracks, localization, wear, etc.). It also makes it possible to fit to desired values the Rate and State Friction properties of the granular gauge by adapting the contact laws between grains. Such simulations provide quantitative insight in the steady-state energy partitionning between fracture, friction and acoustic emissions as a function of the shear rate. In a second part, the model is submitted to dynamic rupture. For that purpose, the fault is elastically preloaded just below rupture, and a displacement pulse is applied at one end of the sample (and on only one side of the fault). This allows to observe the propagation of the instability along the fault and the interplay between this propagation and the local granular phenomena. Energy partitionning is then observed both in space and time.

Preparation of bimodal grain size 7075 aviation aluminum alloys and their corrosion properties

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wenming TIAN

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The bimodal grain size metals show improved strength and ductility compared to traditional metals; however, their corrosion properties are unknown. In order to evaluate the corrosion properties of these metals, the bimodal grain size 7075 aviation aluminum alloys containing different ratios of coarse (100 μm in diameter and fine (10 μm in diameter grains were prepared by spark plasma sintering (SPS. The effects of grain size as well as the mixture degree of coarse and fine grains on general corrosion were estimated by immersion tests, electrochemical measurements and complementary techniques such as scanning electron microscope (SEM and transmission electron microscope-energy disperse spectroscopy (TEM-EDS. The results show that, compared to fine grains, the coarse grains have a faster dissolution rate in acidic NaCl solution due to the bigger size, higher alloying elements content and larger area fraction of second phases in them. In coarse grains, the hydrogen ions have a faster reduction rate on cathodic second phases, therefore promoting the corrosion propagation. The mixture of coarse and fine grains also increases the electrochemical heterogeneity of alloys in micro-scale, and thus the increased mixture degree of these grains in metal matrix accelerates the corrosion rate of alloys in acidic NaCl solution.

Calculating Quench Propagation with ANSYS(regsign)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Caspi, S.; Chiesa, L.; Ferracin, P.; Gourlay, S.A.; Hafalia, R.; Hinkins, R.; Lietzke, A.F.; Prestemon, S.

2002-01-01

A commercial Finite-Element-Analysis program, ANSYS(reg s ign), is widely used in structural and thermal analysis. With the program's ability to include non-linear material properties and import complex CAD files, one can generate coil geometries and simulate quench propagation in superconducting magnets. A 'proof-of-principle' finite element model was developed assuming a resistivity that increases linearly from zero to its normal value at a temperature consistent with the assumed B magnetic field. More sophisticated models could easily include finer-grained coil, cable, structural, and circuit details. A quench is provoked by raising the temperature of an arbitrary superconducting element above its T c . The time response to this perturbation is calculated using small time-steps to allow convergence between steps. Snapshots of the temperature and voltage distributions allow examination of longitudinal and turn-to-turn quench propagation, quench-front annihilation, and cryo-stability. Modeling details are discussed, and a computed voltage history was compared with measurements from a recent magnet test.

Cognitive biases explain religious belief, paranormal belief, and belief in life's purpose.

Science.gov (United States)

Willard, Aiyana K; Norenzayan, Ara

2013-11-01

Cognitive theories of religion have postulated several cognitive biases that predispose human minds towards religious belief. However, to date, these hypotheses have not been tested simultaneously and in relation to each other, using an individual difference approach. We used a path model to assess the extent to which several interacting cognitive tendencies, namely mentalizing, mind body dualism, teleological thinking, and anthropomorphism, as well as cultural exposure to religion, predict belief in God, paranormal beliefs and belief in life's purpose. Our model, based on two independent samples (N=492 and N=920) found that the previously known relationship between mentalizing and belief is mediated by individual differences in dualism, and to a lesser extent by teleological thinking. Anthropomorphism was unrelated to religious belief, but was related to paranormal belief. Cultural exposure to religion (mostly Christianity) was negatively related to anthropomorphism, and was unrelated to any of the other cognitive tendencies. These patterns were robust for both men and women, and across at least two ethnic identifications. The data were most consistent with a path model suggesting that mentalizing comes first, which leads to dualism and teleology, which in turn lead to religious, paranormal, and life's-purpose beliefs. Alternative theoretical models were tested but did not find empirical support. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Importance and role of grain size in free surface cracking prediction of heavy forgings

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhenhua [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Key Laboratory of Advanced Forging & Stamping Technology and Science, Yanshan University, Ministry of Education of China, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Sun, Shuhua; Wang, Bo [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Shi, Zhongping [Key Laboratory of Advanced Forging & Stamping Technology and Science, Yanshan University, Ministry of Education of China, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China); Fu, Wantang, E-mail: wtfu@ysu.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory of Metastable Materials Science and Technology, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004 (China)

2015-02-11

The importance and role of grain size in predicting surface cracking of heavy forgings were investigated. 18Mn18Cr0.5N steel specimens with four different grain sizes were tensioned between 900 and 1100 °C at a strain rate of 0.1 s{sup −1}. The nucleation sites and crack morphology were analyzed through electron backscatter diffraction analysis, and the fracture morphology was examined using scanning electron microscopy. The nucleation sites were independent of the grain size, and cracks primarily formed at grain boundaries and triple junctions between grains with high Taylor factors. Grains with lower Taylor factors inhibited crack propagation. Strain was found to mainly concentrate near the grain boundaries; thus, a material with a larger grain size cracks more easily because there are fewer grain boundaries. Fine grains can be easily rotated to a lower Taylor factor to further inhibit cracking. The fracture morphology transformed from a brittle to ductile type with a lowering of grain size. At lower temperature, small dimples on the fracture surfaces of specimens with smaller grain sizes were left by single parent grains and the dimple edge was the grain edge. At higher temperature, dimples formed through void coalescence and the dimple edge was the tearing edge. Finally, the relationship between the reduction in area, grain size, and deformation temperature was obtained.

Fatigue crack propagation under combined cyclic mechanical loading and electric field in piezoelectric ceramics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirakihara, Kaori; Tanaka, Keisuke; Akiniwa, Yoshiaki; Suzuki, Yasuyoshi; Mukai, Hirokatsu

2006-01-01

Fatigue crack propagation tests of PZT specimens were performed under cyclic four-point bending with and without superposition of electric fields. The specimens were poled in the longitudinal direction (PL specimens) perpendicular to the crack plane. The crack propagation rate for the case of open circuit was faster than that for the case of short circuit. The application of a negative or positive electric field parallel to the poling direction accelerated the crack propagation rate, and the amount of acceleration was larger for the case of the negative field. The change of the crack propagation rate with crack extension can be divided into three regions. In the region I, the crack propagation rate decreases with increasing crack length, and then turn to increase in the region III. In the region II, the propagation rate is nearly constant. The mechanisms of fatigue crack propagation were correlated to domain switching near the crack tip. The grain boundary fracture was predominant in the low-rate region, while transgranular fracture became abundant on the unstable fracture surface. (author)

Grain boundary diffusion in terms of the tempered fractional calculus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sibatov, R.T.; Svetukhin, V.V.

2017-01-01

Mathematical treatment of grain-boundary diffusion based on the model first proposed by Fisher is usually formulated in terms of normal diffusion equations in a two-component nonhomogeneous medium. On the other hand, fractional equations of anomalous diffusion proved themselves to be useful in description of grain-boundary diffusion phenomena. Moreover, the most important propagation regime predicted by Fisher's model demonstrates subdiffusive behavior. However, the direct link between fractional approach and the Fisher model and its modifications has not found yet. Here, we fill this gap and show that solution of fractional subdiffusion equation offers general properties of classical solutions obtained by Whipple and Suzuoka. The tempered fractional approach is a convenient tool for studying precipitation in granular materials as the tempered subdiffusion limited process. - Highlights: • The link connected fractional diffusion approach and Fisher's model of grain-boundary diffusion is derived. • The subdiffusion exponent of grain-boundary diffusion can differ from 1/2. • Nucleation in granular materials is modeled by the process limited by tempered subdiffusion.

Grain boundary diffusion in terms of the tempered fractional calculus

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sibatov, R.T., E-mail: ren_sib@bk.ru [Ulyanovsk State University, 432017, 42 Leo Tolstoy str., Ulyanovsk (Russian Federation); Svetukhin, V.V. [Ulyanovsk State University, 432017, 42 Leo Tolstoy str., Ulyanovsk (Russian Federation); Institute of Nanotechnology and Microelectronics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 115487, 18 Nagatinskaya str., Moscow (Russian Federation)

2017-06-28

Mathematical treatment of grain-boundary diffusion based on the model first proposed by Fisher is usually formulated in terms of normal diffusion equations in a two-component nonhomogeneous medium. On the other hand, fractional equations of anomalous diffusion proved themselves to be useful in description of grain-boundary diffusion phenomena. Moreover, the most important propagation regime predicted by Fisher's model demonstrates subdiffusive behavior. However, the direct link between fractional approach and the Fisher model and its modifications has not found yet. Here, we fill this gap and show that solution of fractional subdiffusion equation offers general properties of classical solutions obtained by Whipple and Suzuoka. The tempered fractional approach is a convenient tool for studying precipitation in granular materials as the tempered subdiffusion limited process. - Highlights: • The link connected fractional diffusion approach and Fisher's model of grain-boundary diffusion is derived. • The subdiffusion exponent of grain-boundary diffusion can differ from 1/2. • Nucleation in granular materials is modeled by the process limited by tempered subdiffusion.

Potential of ultrafine grained materials as high performance penetrator materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee C.S.

2012-08-01

Full Text Available The shear formability and the metal jet formability are important for the kinetic energy penetrator and the chemical energy penetrator, respectively. The shear formability of ultrafine grained (UFG steel was examined, mainly focusing on the effects of the grain shape on the shear characteristics. For this purpose, UFG 4130 steel having the different UFG structures, the lamellar UFG and the equiaxed UFG, was prepared by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP. The lamellar UFG steel exhibited more sharper and localized shear band formation than the equiaxed UFG steel. This is because a lamellar UFG structure was unfavourable against grain rotation which is a main mechanism of the band propagation in UFG materials. Meanwhile, the metal jet formability of UFG OFHC Cu also processed by ECAP was compared to that of coarse grained (CG one by means of dynamic tensile extrusion (DTE tests. CG OFHC Cu exhibited the higher DTE ductility, i.e. better metal jet stability, than UFG OFHC Cu. The initial high strength and the lack of strain hardenability of UFG OFHC Cu were harmful to the metal jet formability.

TRAJECTORIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF INTERSTELLAR DUST GRAINS IN THE HELIOSPHERE

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slavin, Jonathan D.; Frisch, Priscilla C.; Müller, Hans-Reinhard; Heerikhuisen, Jacob; Pogorelov, Nikolai V.; Reach, William T.; Zank, Gary

2012-01-01

The solar wind carves a bubble in the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) known as the heliosphere. Charged interstellar dust grains (ISDG) encountering the heliosphere may be diverted around the heliopause or penetrate it depending on their charge-to-mass ratio. We present new calculations of trajectories of ISDG in the heliosphere, and the dust density distributions that result. We include up-to-date grain charging calculations using a realistic UV radiation field and full three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic fluid + kinetic models for the heliosphere. Models with two different (constant) polarities for the solar wind magnetic field (SWMF) are used, with the grain trajectory calculations done separately for each polarity. Small grains a gr ∼ gr ∼> 1.0 μm, pass into the inner solar system and are concentrated near the Sun by its gravity. Trajectories of intermediate size grains depend strongly on the SWMF polarity. When the field has magnetic north pointing to ecliptic north, the field de-focuses the grains resulting in low densities in the inner heliosphere, while for the opposite polarity the dust is focused near the Sun. The ISDG density outside the heliosphere inferred from applying the model results to in situ dust measurements is inconsistent with local ISM depletion data for both SWMF polarities but is bracketed by them. This result points to the need to include the time variation in the SWMF polarity during grain propagation. Our results provide valuable insights for interpretation of the in situ dust observations from Ulysses.

Normalizing effect on fatigue crack propagation at the heat-affected zone of AISI 4140 steel shielded metal arc weldings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Vargas-Arista

2013-01-01

Full Text Available The fractography and mechanical behaviour of fatigue crack propagation in the heat-affected zone (HAZ of AISI 4140 steel welded using the shielded metal arc process was analysed. Different austenitic grain size was obtained by normalizing performed at 1200 °C for 5 and 10 hours after welding. Three point bending fatigue tests on pre-cracked specimens along the HAZ revealed that coarse grains promoted an increase in fatigue crack growth rate, hence causing a reduction in both fracture toughness and critical crack length, and a transgranular brittle final fracture with an area fraction of dimple zones connecting cleavage facets. A fractographic analysis proved that as the normalizing time increased the crack length decreased. The increase in the river patterns on the fatigue crack propagation in zone II was also evidenced and final brittle fracture because of transgranular quasicleavage was observed. Larger grains induced a deterioration of the fatigue resistance of the HAZ.

TRAJECTORIES AND DISTRIBUTION OF INTERSTELLAR DUST GRAINS IN THE HELIOSPHERE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slavin, Jonathan D. [Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, MS 83, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States); Frisch, Priscilla C. [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Chicago, 5460 S. Ellis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60637 (United States); Mueller, Hans-Reinhard [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755 (United States); Heerikhuisen, Jacob; Pogorelov, Nikolai V. [Department of Physics and Center for Space Physics and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 35899 (United States); Reach, William T. [Universities Space Research Association, MS 211-3, Moffett Field, CA 94035 (United States); Zank, Gary [Department of Physics and Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 35805 (United States)

2012-11-20

The solar wind carves a bubble in the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) known as the heliosphere. Charged interstellar dust grains (ISDG) encountering the heliosphere may be diverted around the heliopause or penetrate it depending on their charge-to-mass ratio. We present new calculations of trajectories of ISDG in the heliosphere, and the dust density distributions that result. We include up-to-date grain charging calculations using a realistic UV radiation field and full three-dimensional magnetohydrodynamic fluid + kinetic models for the heliosphere. Models with two different (constant) polarities for the solar wind magnetic field (SWMF) are used, with the grain trajectory calculations done separately for each polarity. Small grains a {sub gr} {approx}< 0.01 {mu}m are completely excluded from the inner heliosphere. Large grains, a {sub gr} {approx}> 1.0 {mu}m, pass into the inner solar system and are concentrated near the Sun by its gravity. Trajectories of intermediate size grains depend strongly on the SWMF polarity. When the field has magnetic north pointing to ecliptic north, the field de-focuses the grains resulting in low densities in the inner heliosphere, while for the opposite polarity the dust is focused near the Sun. The ISDG density outside the heliosphere inferred from applying the model results to in situ dust measurements is inconsistent with local ISM depletion data for both SWMF polarities but is bracketed by them. This result points to the need to include the time variation in the SWMF polarity during grain propagation. Our results provide valuable insights for interpretation of the in situ dust observations from Ulysses.

Dominant effect of high anisotropy in β-Sn grain on electromigration-induced failure mechanism in Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu interconnect

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Huang, M.L., E-mail: huang@dlut.edu.cn; Zhao, J.F.; Zhang, Z.J.; Zhao, N.

2016-09-05

The effect of high diffusivity anisotropy in β-Sn grain on electromigration behavior of micro-bumps was clearly demonstrated using Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu solder interconnects with only two β-Sn grains. The orientation of β-Sn grain (θ is defined as the angle between the c-axis of β-Sn grain and the electron flow direction) is becoming the most crucial factor to dominate the different electromigration-induced failure modes: 1) the excessive dissolution of the cathode Cu, blocking at the grain boundary and massive precipitation of columnar Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} intermetallic compounds (IMCs) in the small angle θ β-Sn grain occur when electrons flow from a small angle θ β-Sn grain to a large one; 2) void formation and propagation occur at the cathode IMC/solder interface and no Cu{sub 6}Sn{sub 5} IMCs precipitate within the large angle θ β-Sn grain when electrons flow in the opposite direction. The EM-induced failure mechanism of the two β-Sn grain solder interconnects is well explained in viewpoint of atomic diffusion flux in β-Sn. - Highlights: • High anisotropy in β-Sn dominates different electromigration-induced failure mode. • Excessive dissolution of cathode Cu occurs if electrons flow in forward direction. • Voids initiate and propagate at cathode if electrons flow in reverse direction. • Failure modes are well explained in viewpoint of atomic diffusion flux in β-Sn.

Graphical Independence Networks with the gRain Package for R

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Soren Hojsgaard

2012-01-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present the R package gRain for propagation in graphical independence networks (for which Bayesian networks is a special instance. The paper includes a description of the theory behind the computations. The main part of the paper is an illustration of how to use the package. The paper also illustrates how to turn a graphical model and data into an independence network

Microstructural characteristics and toughness of the simulated coarse grained heat affected zone of high strength low carbon bainitic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lan Liangyun; Qiu Chunlin; Zhao Dewen; Gao Xiuhua; Du Linxiu

2011-01-01

Highlights: → Total toughness can be separated into crack initiation energy and crack propagation energy. → Small effective grain size of lath martensite can improve the crack propagation energy. → MA constituent is mainly responsible for the low toughness of coarse bainite specimens. → High angle packet boundary in coarser bainite has few contributions to improving crack propagation energy. - Abstract: The correlation of microstructural characteristics and toughness of the simulated coarse grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ) of low carbon bainitic steel was investigated in this study. The toughness of simulated specimens was examined by using an instrumented Charpy impact tester after the simulation welding test was conducted with different cooling times. Microstructure observation and crystallographic feature analysis were conducted by means of optical microscope and scanning electron microscope equipped with electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) system, respectively. The main microstructure of simulated specimen changes from lath martensite to coarse bainite with the increase in cooling time. The deterioration of its toughness occurs when the cooling time ranges from 10 to 50 s compared with base metal toughness, and the toughness becomes even worse when the cooling time increases to 90 s or more. The MA (martensite-austenite) constituent is primary responsible for the low toughness of simulated CGHAZ with high values of cooling time because the large MA constituent reduces the crack initiation energy significantly. For crack propagation energy, the small effective grain size of lath martensite plays an important role in improving the crack propagation energy. By contrast, high misorientation packet boundary in coarse bainite seems to have few contributions to the improvement of the toughness because cleavage fracture micromechanism of coarse bainite is mainly controlled by crack initiation.

Microstructural characteristics and toughness of the simulated coarse grained heat affected zone of high strength low carbon bainitic steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lan Liangyun, E-mail: lly.liangyun@gmail.com [State Key Laboratory of Rolling Technology and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Qiu Chunlin; Zhao Dewen; Gao Xiuhua; Du Linxiu [State Key Laboratory of Rolling Technology and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China)

2011-11-25

Highlights: {yields} Total toughness can be separated into crack initiation energy and crack propagation energy. {yields} Small effective grain size of lath martensite can improve the crack propagation energy. {yields} MA constituent is mainly responsible for the low toughness of coarse bainite specimens. {yields} High angle packet boundary in coarser bainite has few contributions to improving crack propagation energy. - Abstract: The correlation of microstructural characteristics and toughness of the simulated coarse grained heat affected zone (CGHAZ) of low carbon bainitic steel was investigated in this study. The toughness of simulated specimens was examined by using an instrumented Charpy impact tester after the simulation welding test was conducted with different cooling times. Microstructure observation and crystallographic feature analysis were conducted by means of optical microscope and scanning electron microscope equipped with electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) system, respectively. The main microstructure of simulated specimen changes from lath martensite to coarse bainite with the increase in cooling time. The deterioration of its toughness occurs when the cooling time ranges from 10 to 50 s compared with base metal toughness, and the toughness becomes even worse when the cooling time increases to 90 s or more. The MA (martensite-austenite) constituent is primary responsible for the low toughness of simulated CGHAZ with high values of cooling time because the large MA constituent reduces the crack initiation energy significantly. For crack propagation energy, the small effective grain size of lath martensite plays an important role in improving the crack propagation energy. By contrast, high misorientation packet boundary in coarse bainite seems to have few contributions to the improvement of the toughness because cleavage fracture micromechanism of coarse bainite is mainly controlled by crack initiation.

Migration mechanisms of a faceted grain boundary

Science.gov (United States)

Hadian, R.; Grabowski, B.; Finnis, M. W.; Neugebauer, J.

2018-04-01

We report molecular dynamics simulations and their analysis for a mixed tilt and twist grain boundary vicinal to the Σ 7 symmetric tilt boundary of the type {1 2 3 } in aluminum. When minimized in energy at 0 K , a grain boundary of this type exhibits nanofacets that contain kinks. We observe that at higher temperatures of migration simulations, given extended annealing times, it is energetically favorable for these nanofacets to coalesce into a large terrace-facet structure. Therefore, we initiate the simulations from such a structure and study as a function of applied driving force and temperature how the boundary migrates. We find the migration of a faceted boundary can be described in terms of the flow of steps. The migration is dominated at lower driving force by the collective motion of the steps incorporated in the facet, and at higher driving forces by the step detachment from the terrace-facet junction and propagation of steps across the terraces. The velocity of steps on terraces is faster than their velocity when incorporated in the facet, and very much faster than the velocity of the facet profile itself, which is almost stationary. A simple kinetic Monte Carlo model matches the broad kinematic features revealed by the molecular dynamics. Since the mechanisms seem likely to be very general on kinked grain-boundary planes, the step-flow description is a promising approach to more quantitative modeling of general grain boundaries.

Fatigue damage in coarse-grained lean duplex stainless steels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strubbia, R., E-mail: strubbia@ifir-conicet.gov.ar; Hereñú, S.; Marinelli, M.C.; Alvarez-Armas, I.

2016-04-06

The present investigation is focused on assessing the effect of a thermal treatment for grain coarsening on the low cycle fatigue damage evolution in two types of Lean Duplex Stainless Steels (LDSSs). The dislocation structure developed during cycling is observed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Additionally, a detailed analysis of short crack initiated and grown during low cycle fatigue (LCF) is performed by means of optical and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy in combination with automated electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. Though in both coarse-grained LDSSs the short cracks nucleate in the ferrite phase, in each steels its origin is different. The embrittlement caused by the Cr{sub 2}N precipitation and the plastic activity sustained by each phase can explain this difference. The propagation behavior of the short cracks present two alternative growing mechanisms: the crack grows along a favorable slip plane with high Schmid Factor (SF) or the crack alternates between two slip systems. In both cases, the crack follows the path with the smallest tilt angle (β) at a grain boundary.

Diffraction-based study of fatigue crack initiation and propagation in aerospace aluminum alloys

Science.gov (United States)

Gupta, Vipul K.

The crack initiation sites and microstructure-sensitive growth of small fatigue cracks are experimentally characterized in two precipitation-hardened aluminum alloys, 7075-T651 and 7050-T7451, stressed in ambient temperature moist-air (warm-humid) and -50°C dry N2 (cold-dry) environmental conditions. Backscattered electron imaging (BSE) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) of the fracture surfaces showed that Fe-Cu rich constituent particle clusters are the most common initiation sites within both alloys stressed in either environment. The crack growth within each alloy, on average, was observed to be slowed in the cold-dry environment than in the warm-humid environment, but only at longer crack lengths. Although no overwhelming effects of grain boundaries and grain orientations on small-crack growth were observed, crack growth data showed local fluctuations within individual grains. These observations are understood as crack propagation through the underlying substructure at the crack surface and frequent interaction with low/high-angle grain and subgrain boundaries, during cyclic loading, and, are further attributed to periodic changes in crack propagation path and multiple occurrences of crack-branching observed in the current study. SEM-based stereology in combination with electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) established fatigue crack surface crystallography within the region from ˜1 to 50 mum of crack initiating particle clusters. Fatigue crack facets were parallel to a wide variety of crystallographic planes, with pole orientations distributed broadly across the irreducible stereographic triangle between the {001} and {101}-poles within both warm-humid and cold-dry environments. The results indicate environmentally affected fatigue cracking in both cases, given the similarity between the observed morphology and crystallography with that of a variety of aerospace aluminum alloys cracked in the presence of moist-air. There was no evidence of

Grain size distributions and their effects on auto-acoustic compaction

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, S.; Brodsky, E. E.

2013-12-01

A variety of geophysical and geomorphological processes depend on the response of granular mixtures to shear stress. For example, if shear sliding in a fault zone causes gouge to compact or dilate, this has implications on our understanding of earthquake nucleation and propagation. The behavior of granular flows has previously been found to be strongly dependent on shear rate. At relatively slow shear velocities, a granular flow will support stresses elastically through force chains in what is recognized as the 'quasi-static' regime. At relatively high shear velocities, it will support stresses by transferring momentum in higher velocity grain collisions in the 'grain-inertial' regime, which results in dilation of the flow. Recent experiments conducted using a commercial torsional rheometer found that at intermediate shear velocities, force chain collapse in angular sand samples produced sound waves capable of vibrating the shear zone enough to cause compaction. To expand on the characterization of this newly identified rheological regime, the 'auto-acoustic' regime, we used the same experimental set up to observe how volumetric and acoustic response to shear stress changes with grain size mean and range. Stepped velocity ramp experiments were conducted first on five separate grain size bins, and then on various mixtures of these grain sizes. As expected, larger grain sizes entered the mass-dependent grain-inertial regime at lower shear velocities than smaller grain sizes. Interestingly, smaller grain sizes exhibited more pronounced compaction at slower velocities resulting from the auto-acoustic regime, and the largest grain sizes showed no compaction, implying a grain size threshold for auto-acoustic compaction. In mixtures of different grain size bins, the response of the flow to intermediate shear velocities was consistent with the response of the smallest grain size bin included in the mixture, while the response of the flow to high shear velocities was most

Improvement of corrosion resistance in austenitic stainless steel by grain boundary character distribution control

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Yun; Kaneda, Junya; Kasahara, Shigeki; Shigenaka, Naoto

2012-01-01

Strauss test, Coriou test and Huey test were conducted on a Type 316L austenitic stainless steel. Improvement in grain boundary corrosion resistance was verified after raising low Σ coincidence site lattice (CSL) grain boundary (GB) frequency by controlling grain boundary character distribution (GBCD). During crevice corrosion test under gamma-ray irradiation, initiation frequency of GB corrosion after GBCD controlled specimens decreased to 1/10 of GBCD uncontrolled counterpart along with lower depth of corrosion. Stress corrosion cracking (SCC) propagation rate of GBCD controlled specimen decreased to less than 1/2 of GBCD uncontrolled specimen in high temperature and high pressure water. Based on these results, we expect that GBCD control will improve corrosion resistance of austenitic material in a wide range of application and environment. (author)

Onset of turbulence induced by electron nonthermality in a complex plasma in presence of positively charged dust grains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Susmita Sarkar

2018-03-01

Full Text Available In this paper onset of turbulence has been detected from the study of non linear dust acoustic wave propagation in a complex plasma considering electrons nonthermal and equilibrium dust charge positive. Dust grains are charged by secondary electron emission process. Our analysis shows that increase in electron nonthermality makes the grain charging process faster by reducing the magnitude of the nonadiabaticity induced pseudo viscosity. Consequently nature of dust charge variation changes from nonadiabatic to adiabatic one. For further increase of electron nonthermality, this pseudo viscosity becomes negative and hence generates a turbulent grain charging behaviour. This turbulent grain charging phenomenon is exclusively the outcome of this nonlinear study which was not found in linear analysis.

Ontological confusions but not mentalizing abilities predict religious belief, paranormal belief, and belief in supernatural purpose.

Science.gov (United States)

Lindeman, Marjaana; Svedholm-Häkkinen, Annika M; Lipsanen, Jari

2015-01-01

The current research tested the hypothesis that the abilities for understanding other people's minds give rise to the cognitive biases that underlie supernatural beliefs. We used structural equation modeling (N=2789) to determine the roles of various mentalizing tendencies, namely self-reported affective and cognitive empathy (i.e., mind reading), actual cognitive and affective empathic abilities, hyper-empathizing, and two cognitive biases (core ontological confusions and promiscuous teleology) in giving rise to supernatural beliefs. Support for a path from mentalizing abilities through cognitive biases to supernatural beliefs was weak. The relationships of mentalizing abilities with supernatural beliefs were also weak, and these relationships were not substantially mediated by cognitive biases. Core ontological confusions emerged as the best predictor, while promiscuous teleology predicted only a small proportion of variance. The results were similar for religious beliefs, paranormal beliefs, and for belief in supernatural purpose. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In-situ transmission electron microscopy observation of slip propagation in ä3 bicrystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Gemperlová, Juliana; Jacques, A.; Gemperle, Antonín; Vystavěl, Tomáš; Zárubová, Niva; Janecek, M.

2002-01-01

Roč. 324, - (2002), s. 183-189 ISSN 0921-5093 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA202/98/1281 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z1010914 Keywords : in- situ TEM deformation * propagation of slip * plastic deformation * grain boundary * symmetrical ä3 bicrystal Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.107, year: 2002

Model for phonon transmission through a NbN grain-size distribution: Comparison with tunneling-spectroscopy observations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chicault, R.; Joly, Y.

1990-01-01

Transport properties of phonons in granular NbN thin film with left-angle 111 right-angle texture are discussed. We propose a model in which each grain has an acoustic resonance when phonons propagate parallel to the film and where a coupling through the amorphous boundaries exists. A statistical study shows that the most homogeneous chains in the grain stack are selected because of the strong efficiency of their transport properties and that they give a fine structure of phonon modes even if the grain-size distribution is quite large. A reasonable agreement is obtained between our tunneling-spectroscopy experiments and the model. A typical experimental result has been fitted using an inelastic phonon-electron-interaction mean free path Λ ph ∼215 nm and a mean grain size d M ∼25.7 nm, the full width at half maximum of the grain distribution being 14 nm

The Relationship among Pre-Service EFL Teachers' Beliefs about Language Learning, Pedagogical Beliefs, and Beliefs about ICT Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Inayati, Dian; Emaliana, Ive

2017-01-01

This paper elucidates the relationship among pre-service teachers' beliefs about language learning, pedagogical beliefs, and beliefs about ICT Integration through survey methodology. This study employed a quantitative approach, particularly a correlational relationship to investigate the relationships among beliefs about language learning,…

Influences of triple junctions on stress-assisted grain boundary motion in nanocrystalline materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aramfard, Mohammad; Deng, Chuang

2014-01-01

Stress-assisted grain boundary motion is among the most studied modes of microstructural evolution in crystalline materials. In this study, molecular dynamics simulations were used to systematically investigate the influences of triple junctions on the stress-assisted motion of symmetric tilt grain boundaries in Cu by considering a honeycomb nanocrystalline model. It was found that the grain boundary motion in nanocrystalline models was highly sensitive to the loading mode, and a strong coupling effect which was prevalent in bicrystal models was only observed when simple shear was applied. In addition, the coupling factor extracted from the honeycomb model was found to be larger and more sensitive to temperature change than that from bicrystal models for the same type of grain boundary under the same loading conditions. Furthermore, the triple junctions seemed to exhibit unusual asymmetric pinning effects to the migrating grain boundary and the constraints by the triple junctions and neighboring grains led to remarkable non-linear grain boundary motion in directions both parallel and normal to the applied shear, which was in stark contrast to that observed in bicrystal models. In addition, dislocation nucleation and propagation, which were absent in the bicrystal model, were found to play an important role on shear-induced grain boundary motion when triple junctions were present. In the end, a generalized model for shear-assisted grain boundary motion was proposed based on the findings from this research. (paper)

Suppressed Belief

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Komarine Romdenh-Romluc

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Moran’s revised conception of conscious belief requires us to reconceptualise suppressed belief. The work of Merleau-Ponty offers a way to do this. His account of motor-skills allows us to understand suppressed beliefs as pre-reflective ways of dealing with the world.

Study of fatigue crack propagation in magnesium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yarema, S.Ya.; Zinyuk, O.D.; Ostash, O.P.; Kudryashov, V.G.; Elkin, F.M.

1981-01-01

Fatigue crack propagation in standard (MA2-1, MA8) and super light (MA21, MA18) alloys has been investigated in the whole range of load amplitude changes-from threshold to critical; the materials have been compared by cyclic crack resistance, fractographic analysis has been made. It is shown that MA2-1 alloy crack resistance is slightly lower than the resistance of the other three alloys. MA8 and MA21 alloys having similar mechanical properties almost do not differ in cyclic crack resistance as well. MA18 alloy has the highest resistance to fatigue crack propagation in the whole range of Ksub(max) changes. The presented results on cyclic crack resistance of MA21 and MA18 alloys agree with the data on statistic fracture toughness. The fractures have been also investigated using a scanning electron microscope. Fracture microrelieves of MA8 and MA21 alloys are very similar. At low crack propagation rates (v - 7 m/cycle) it develops through grains, in MA2-1 alloy fracture intergrain fracture areas can be observed. In MA8 and MA21 alloy fractures groove covered areas can be seen alonside with areas of slipping plane laminatron; their specific weight increases with #betta# decrease. Lower crack propagation rates and higher values of threshold stress intensity factors for MA8 and MA21 alloys than for MA2-1 alloy are caused by the absence of intergrain fracture

Preparation of Al-Ti-B grain refiner by SHS technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nikitin, V.I.; Wanqi, J.I.E.; Kandalova, E.G.; Makarenko, A.G.; Yong, L.

2000-01-01

Since the discovery of the grain refinement effect of aluminum by titanium, especially with the existence of B or C in 1950, grain refiners are widely accepted in industry for microstructure control of aluminum alloys. Research on this topic is to obtain the highest grain refinement efficiency with the lowest possible addition of master alloy. It is widely accepted that the morphology and size of TiAl 3 particles, which are known as heterogeneous nucleation centers, are important factors deterring the grain refinement efficiency. Fine TiAl 3 particles are favorable. The grain refinement process shows a heredity phenomenon, which means that structural information from initial materials transfers through a melt to the final product. It is important to find the connection between microstructural parameters of the master alloy and the final product. To improve the quality of Al-Ti-B master alloys for the use as a grain refiner, a new method based on SHS (self-propagating high-temperature synthesis) technology has been developed in Samara State Technical University to produce the master alloys. SHS, as a new method for preparation of materials, was first utilized by Merzhanov in 1967. This method uses the energy from highly exothermic reactions to sustain the chemical reaction in a combustion wave. The advantages of SHS include simplicity, low energy requirement, and higher product purity. Because SHS reactions can take place between elemental reactants, it is easy to control product composition. The purposes of this investigation were to fabricate an SHS Al-5%Ti-1%B master alloy, to analyze its structure and to test its grain refining performance

Grain size refinement in nanocrystalline Hitperm-type glass-coated microwires

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Talaat, A.; Val, J.J. del; Zhukova, V.; Ipatov, M.; Klein, P.; Varga, R.; González, J.; Churyukanova, M.; Zhukov, A.

2016-01-01

We present a new-Fe 38.5 Co 38.5 B 18 Mo 4 Cu 1 Hitperm glass-coated microwires obtained by Taylor-Ulitovsky technique with nanocrystalline structure consisting of about 23 nm of BCC α-FeCo and an amorphous precursors in as-prepared samples. Annealing resulted in a considerable decrease of such nano-grains down to (11 nm). Obtained results are discussed in terms of the stress diffusion of limited crystalline growth and the chemical composition. Rectangular hysteresis loops have been observed on all annealed samples that are necessary conditions to obtain fast domain wall propagation. An enhancement of the domain wall velocity as well as mobility after annealing has been obtained due to the structural relaxation of such grains with positive magnetostriction. These structure benefits found in the nanocrystalline Hitperm glass-coated microwires are promising for developing optimal magnetic properties. - Highlights: • Grains size refinement upon annealing. • Enhancement of the domain wall velocity as well as mobility after annealing. • Nanocrystalline structure in as-prepared microwires.

Finding undetected protein associations in cell signaling by belief propagation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bailly-Bechet, M; Borgs, C; Braunstein, A; Chayes, J; Dagkessamanskaia, A; François, J-M; Zecchina, R

2011-01-11

External information propagates in the cell mainly through signaling cascades and transcriptional activation, allowing it to react to a wide spectrum of environmental changes. High-throughput experiments identify numerous molecular components of such cascades that may, however, interact through unknown partners. Some of them may be detected using data coming from the integration of a protein-protein interaction network and mRNA expression profiles. This inference problem can be mapped onto the problem of finding appropriate optimal connected subgraphs of a network defined by these datasets. The optimization procedure turns out to be computationally intractable in general. Here we present a new distributed algorithm for this task, inspired from statistical physics, and apply this scheme to alpha factor and drug perturbations data in yeast. We identify the role of the COS8 protein, a member of a gene family of previously unknown function, and validate the results by genetic experiments. The algorithm we present is specially suited for very large datasets, can run in parallel, and can be adapted to other problems in systems biology. On renowned benchmarks it outperforms other algorithms in the field.

Evolution of the Annealing Twin Density during δ-Supersolvus Grain Growth in the Nickel-Based Superalloy Inconel™ 718

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuan Jin

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Grain growth experiments were performed on Inconel™ 718 to investigate the possible correlation of the annealing twin density with grain size and with annealing temperature. Those experiments were conducted at different temperatures in the δ supersolvus domain and under such conditions that only capillarity forces were involved in the grain boundary migration process. In the investigated range, there is a strong inverse correlation of the twin density with the average grain size. On the other hand, the twin density at a given average grain size is not sensitive to annealing temperature. Consistent with previous results for pure nickel, the twin density evolution in Inconel™ 718 is likely to be mainly controlled by the propagation of the pre-existing twins of the growing grains; i.e., the largest ones of the initial microstructure. Almost no new twin boundaries are created during the grain growth process itself. Therefore, the twin density at a given average grain size is mainly dependent on the twin density in the largest grains of the initial microstructure and independent of the temperature at which grains grow. Based on the observations, a mean field model is proposed to predict annealing twin density as a function of grain size during grain growth.

Investigation of fatigue crack growth rate of Al 5484 ultrafine grained alloy after ECAP process

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Brynk, Tomasz; Rasinski, Marcin; Pakiela, Zbigniew; Kurzydlowski, Krzysztof J. [Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology (Poland); Olejnik, Lech [Faculty of Production Engineering, Warsaw University of Technology (Poland)

2010-05-15

During the last decade equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) has emerged as a widely used fabrication route of ultrafine-grained (UFG) metals and alloys. Enhanced mechanical properties of UFG materials produced by severe plastic deformation, with a grain size smaller than 1 {mu}m, have been reported in a large number of publications. However, the higher strength does not imply higher resistance to fatigue both high- and low-cyclic. In fact, due to reduced plasticity, higher fatigue crack propagation rates are reported for UFG materials, particularly in low-amplitude range. The aim of this work was to investigate fatigue crack propagation in samples of Al 5483 alloy subjected to ECAP treatment. Because of small dimensions of the coupons processed by ECAP, non-standard, mini-samples were used in a crack propagation tests. Two test procedures were used to estimate stress intensity factor (K). The first was based on optical measurements of crack length from images recorded during the test. The second method was based on digital image correlation (DIC), which was used to determine K value directly from displacement field near the crack tip. Comparison of these two methods is made and the relationship between the intensity of ECAP process (measured in terms of the number of ECAP passes) and fatigue crack propagation rates proposed. In addition to fatigue resistance, the results of tensile tests carried out with mini-samples are presented. Applicability of such samples in the investigations of the mechanical properties of UFG materials is discussed. (Abstract Copyright [2010], Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)

Acoustic Wave in a Dusty Plasma with Frequent Grain Charging Collisions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Hee J.; Cho, Sang-Hoon

2003-01-01

The sink terms in the electron and ion continuity equations and the frictional terms in the momentum equations of a dusty plasma are obtained by taking moments of a kinetic equation which takes into account the grain charging collisions by electrons and ions. We show that an acoustic wave can propagate as a normal mode in the parameter regime where the frequencies of charging collisions are much greater than the wave frequency

Effect of Chamber Pressurization Rate on Combustion and Propagation of Solid Propellant Cracks

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Wei-Lan; Wei, Shen; Yuan, Shu-Shen

2002-01-01

area of the propellant grain satisfies the designed value. But cracks in propellant grain can be generated during manufacture, storage, handing and so on. The cracks can provide additional surface area for combustion. The additional combustion may significantly deviate the performance of the rocket motor from the designed conditions, even lead to explosive catastrophe. Therefore a thorough study on the combustion, propagation and fracture of solid propellant cracks must be conducted. This paper takes an isolated propellant crack as the object and studies the effect of chamber pressurization rate on the combustion, propagation and fracture of the crack by experiment and theoretical calculation. deformable, the burning inside a solid propellant crack is a coupling of solid mechanics and combustion dynamics. In this paper, a theoretical model describing the combustion, propagation and fracture of the crack was formulated and solved numerically. The interaction of structural deformation and combustion process was included in the theoretical model. The conservation equations for compressible fluid flow, the equation of state for perfect gas, the heat conducting equation for the solid-phase, constitutive equation for propellant, J-integral fracture criterion and so on are used in the model. The convective burning inside the crack and the propagation and fracture of the crack were numerically studied by solving the set of nonlinear, inhomogeneous gas-phase governing equations and solid-phase equations. On the other hand, the combustion experiments for propellant specimens with a precut crack were conducted by RTR system. Predicted results are in good agreement with experimental data, which validates the reasonableness of the theoretical model. Both theoretical and experimental results indicate that the chamber pressurization rate has strong effects on the convective burning in the crack, crack fracture initiation and fracture pattern.

The Origins of Belief Representation: Monkeys Fail to Automatically Represent Others’ Beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Alia; Santos, Laurie R.

2014-01-01

Young infants’ successful performance on false belief tasks has led several researchers to argue that there may be a core knowledge system for representing the beliefs of other agents, emerging early in human development and constraining automatic belief processing into adulthood. One way to investigate this purported core belief representation system is to examine whether non-human primates share such a system. Although non-human primates have historically performed poorly on false belief tasks that require executive function capacities, little work has explored how primates perform on more automatic measures of belief processing. To get at this issue, we modified Kovács et al. (2010)’s test of automatic belief representation to examine whether one non-human primate species—the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta)—is automatically influenced by another agent’s beliefs when tracking an object’s location. Monkeys saw an event in which a human agent watched an apple move back and forth between two boxes and an outcome in which one box was revealed to be empty. By occluding segments of the apple’s movement from either the monkey or the agent, we manipulated both the monkeys’ belief (true or false) and agent’s belief (true or false) about the final location of the apple. We found that monkeys looked longer at events that violated their own beliefs than at events that were consistent with their beliefs. In contrast to human infants, however, monkeys’ expectations were not influenced by another agent’s beliefs, suggesting that belief representation may be an aspect of core knowledge unique to humans. PMID:24374209

Effect of Grain Orientation and Boundary Distributions on Hydrogen-Induced Cracking in Low-Carbon-Content Steels

Science.gov (United States)

Masoumi, Mohammad; Coelho, Hana Livia Frota; Tavares, Sérgio Souto Maior; Silva, Cleiton Carvalho; de Abreu, Hamilton Ferreira Gomes

2017-08-01

Hydrogen-induced cracking (HIC) causes considerable economic losses in a wide range of steels exposed to corrosive environments. The effect of crystallographic texture and grain boundary distributions tailored by rolling at 850 °C in three different steels with a body-centered cube structure was investigated on HIC resistance. The x-ray and electron backscattered diffraction techniques were used to characterize texture evolutions during the rolling process. The findings revealed a significant improvement against HIC based on texture engineering. In addition, increasing the number of {111} and {110} grains, associated with minimizing the number of {001} grains in warm-rolled samples, reduced HIC susceptibility. Moreover, the results showed that boundaries associated with low {hkl} indexing and denser packing planes had more resistance against crack propagation.

Grain-resolved analysis of localized deformation in nickel-titanium wire under tensile load.

Science.gov (United States)

Sedmák, P; Pilch, J; Heller, L; Kopeček, J; Wright, J; Sedlák, P; Frost, M; Šittner, P

2016-08-05

The stress-induced martensitic transformation in tensioned nickel-titanium shape-memory alloys proceeds by propagation of macroscopic fronts of localized deformation. We used three-dimensional synchrotron x-ray diffraction to image at micrometer-scale resolution the grain-resolved elastic strains and stresses in austenite around one such front in a prestrained nickel-titanium wire. We found that the local stresses in austenite grains are modified ahead of the nose cone-shaped buried interface where the martensitic transformation begins. Elevated shear stresses at the cone interface explain why the martensitic transformation proceeds in a localized manner. We established the crossover from stresses in individual grains to a continuum macroscopic internal stress field in the wire and rationalized the experimentally observed internal stress field and the topology of the macroscopic front by means of finite element simulations of the localized deformation. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Fatigue crack propagation behavior of stainless steel welds

Science.gov (United States)

Kusko, Chad S.

The fatigue crack propagation behavior of austenitic and duplex stainless steel base and weld metals has been investigated using various fatigue crack growth test procedures, ferrite measurement techniques, light optical microscopy, stereomicroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and optical profilometry. The compliance offset method has been incorporated to measure crack closure during testing in order to determine a stress ratio at which such closure is overcome. Based on this method, an empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been shown to be very successful in overcoming crack closure for all da/dN for gas metal arc and laser welds. This empirically-determined stress ratio of 0.60 has been applied to testing of stainless steel base metal and weld metal to understand the influence of microstructure. Regarding the base metal investigation, for 316L and AL6XN base metals, grain size and grain plus twin size have been shown to influence resulting crack growth behavior. The cyclic plastic zone size model has been applied to accurately model crack growth behavior for austenitic stainless steels when the average grain plus twin size is considered. Additionally, the effect of the tortuous crack paths observed for the larger grain size base metals can be explained by a literature model for crack deflection. Constant Delta K testing has been used to characterize the crack growth behavior across various regions of the gas metal arc and laser welds at the empirically determined stress ratio of 0.60. Despite an extensive range of stainless steel weld metal FN and delta-ferrite morphologies, neither delta-ferrite morphology significantly influence the room temperature crack growth behavior. However, variations in weld metal da/dN can be explained by local surface roughness resulting from large columnar grains and tortuous crack paths in the weld metal.

Conscious Belief

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Pitt

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Tim Crane maintains that beliefs cannot be conscious because they persist in the absence of consciousness. Conscious judgments can share their contents with beliefs, and their occurrence can be evidence for what one believes; but they cannot be beliefs, because they don’t persist. I challenge Crane’s premise that belief attributions to the temporarily unconscious are literally true. To say of an unconscious agent that she believes that p is like saying that she sings well. To say she sings well is to say that when she sings, her singing is good. To say that she believes that p is (roughly to say that when she consciously considers the content that p she consciously affirms (believes it. I also argue that the phenomenal view of intentional content Crane appears to endorse prima facie commits him to the view, at least controversial, perhaps incoherent, that there is unconscious phenomenology (the intentional contents of unconscious beliefs.

Effect of grain boundary phase on the magnetization reversal process of nanocrystalline magnet using large-scale micromagnetic simulation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hiroshi Tsukahara

2018-05-01

Full Text Available We investigated the effects of grain boundary phases on magnetization reversal in permanent magnets by performing large-scale micromagnetic simulations based on Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation under a periodic boundary. We considered planar grain boundary phases parallel and perpendicular to an easy axis of the permanent magnet and assumed the saturation magnetization and exchange stiffness constant of the grain boundary phase to be 10% and 1%, respectively, for Nd2Fe14B grains. The grain boundary phase parallel to the easy axis effectively inhibits propagation of magnetization reversal. In contrast, the domain wall moves across the grain boundary perpendicular to the easy axis. These properties of the domain wall motion are explained by dipole interaction, which stabilizes the antiparallel magnetic configuration in the direction perpendicular to the magnetization orientation. On the other hand, the magnetization is aligned in the same direction by the dipole interaction parallel to the magnetization orientation. This anisotropy of the effect of the grain boundary phase shows that improvement of the grain boundary phase perpendicular to the easy axis effectively enhances the coercivity of permanent magnets.

Strategic Belief Management

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Foss, Nicolai Juul

While (managerial) beliefs are central to many aspects of strategic organization, interactive beliefs are almost entirely neglected, save for some game theory treatments. In an increasingly connected and networked economy, firms confront coordination problems that arise because of network effects....... The capability to manage beliefs will increasingly be a strategic one, a key source of wealth creation, and a key research area for strategic organization scholars.......While (managerial) beliefs are central to many aspects of strategic organization, interactive beliefs are almost entirely neglected, save for some game theory treatments. In an increasingly connected and networked economy, firms confront coordination problems that arise because of network effects...

NASA Perspective and Modeling of Thermal Runaway Propagation Mitigation in Aerospace Batteries

Science.gov (United States)

Shack, P.; Iannello, C.; Rickman, S.; Button, R.

2014-01-01

NASA has traditionally sought to reduce the likelihood of a single cell thermal runaway (TR) in their aerospace batteries to an absolute minimum by employing rigorous screening program of the cells. There was generally a belief that TR propagation resulting in catastrophic failure of the battery was a forgone conclusion for densely packed aerospace lithium-ion batteries. As it turns out, this may not be the case. An increasing number of purportedly TR propagation-resistant batteries are appearing among NASA partners in the commercial sector and the Department of Defense. In the recent update of the battery safety standard (JSC 20793) to address this paradigm shift, the NASA community included requirements for assessing TR severity and identifying simple, low-cost severity reduction measures. Unfortunately, there are no best-practice guidelines for this work in the Agency, so the first project team attempting to meet these requirements would have an undue burden placed upon them. A NASA engineering Safety Center (NESC) team set out to perform pathfinding activities for meeting those requirements. This presentation will provide contextual background to this effort, as well as initial results in attempting to model and simulate TR heat transfer and propagation within battery designs.

Probabilistic Volcanic Multi-Hazard Assessment at Somma-Vesuvius (Italy): coupling Bayesian Belief Networks with a physical model for lahar propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Tierz, Pablo; Woodhouse, Mark; Phillips, Jeremy; Sandri, Laura; Selva, Jacopo; Marzocchi, Warner; Odbert, Henry

2017-04-01

Volcanoes are extremely complex physico-chemical systems where magma formed at depth breaks into the planet's surface resulting in major hazards from local to global scales. Volcano physics are dominated by non-linearities, and complicated spatio-temporal interrelationships which make volcanic hazards stochastic (i.e. not deterministic) by nature. In this context, probabilistic assessments are required to quantify the large uncertainties related to volcanic hazards. Moreover, volcanoes are typically multi-hazard environments where different hazardous processes can occur whether simultaneously or in succession. In particular, explosive volcanoes are able to accumulate, through tephra fallout and Pyroclastic Density Currents (PDCs), large amounts of pyroclastic material into the drainage basins surrounding the volcano. This addition of fresh particulate material alters the local/regional hydrogeological equilibrium and increases the frequency and magnitude of sediment-rich aqueous flows, commonly known as lahars. The initiation and volume of rain-triggered lahars may depend on: rainfall intensity and duration; antecedent rainfall; terrain slope; thickness, permeability and hydraulic diffusivity of the tephra deposit; etc. Quantifying these complex interrelationships (and their uncertainties), in a tractable manner, requires a structured but flexible probabilistic approach. A Bayesian Belief Network (BBN) is a directed acyclic graph that allows the representation of the joint probability distribution for a set of uncertain variables in a compact and efficient way, by exploiting unconditional and conditional independences between these variables. Once constructed and parametrized, the BBN uses Bayesian inference to perform causal (e.g. forecast) and/or evidential reasoning (e.g. explanation) about query variables, given some evidence. In this work, we illustrate how BBNs can be used to model the influence of several variables on the generation of rain-triggered lahars

Shape preferred orientation of iron grains compatible with Earth's uppermost inner core hemisphericity

Science.gov (United States)

Calvet, Marie; Margerin, Ludovic

2018-01-01

Constraining the possible patterns of iron fabrics in the Earth's Uppermost Inner Core (UIC) is key to unravel the mechanisms controlling its growth and dynamics. In the framework of crystalline micro-structures composed of ellipsoidal, aligned grains, we discuss possible textural models of UIC compatible with observations of P-wave attenuation and velocity dispersion. Using recent results from multiple scattering theory in textured heterogeneous materials, we compute the P-wave phase velocity and scattering attenuation as a function of grain volume, shape, and orientation wrt to the propagation direction of seismic P-waves. Assuming no variations of the grain volume between the Eastern and Western hemisphere, we show that two families of texture are compatible with the degree-one structure of the inner core as revealed by the positive correlation between seismic velocity and attenuation. (1) Strong flattening of grains parallel to the Inner Core Boundary in the Western hemisphere and weak anisometry in the Eastern hemisphere. (2) Strong radial elongation of grains in the Western hemisphere and again weak anisometry in the Eastern hemisphere. Both textures can quantitatively explain the seismic data in a limited range of grain volumes. Furthermore, the velocity and attenuation anisotropy locally observed under Africa demands that the grains be locally elongated in the direction of Earth's meridians. Our study demonstrates that the hemispherical seismic structure of UIC can be entirely explained by changes in the shape and orientation of grains, thereby offering an alternative to changes in grain volumes. In the future, our theoretical toolbox could be used to systematically test the compatibility of textures predicted by geodynamical models with seismic observations.

Identifying and Understanding Environment-Induced Crack propagation Behavior in Ni-based Superalloy INCONEL 617

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ma, Longzhou

2012-11-30

The nickel-based superalloy INCONEL 617 is a candidate material for heat exchanger applications in the next-generation nuclear plant (NGNP) system. This project will study the crack propagation process of alloy 617 at temperatures of 650°C-950°C in air under static/cyclic loading conditions. The goal is to identify the environmental and mechanical damage components and to understand in-depth the failure mechanism. Researchers will measure the fatigue crack propagation (FCP) rate (da/dn) under cyclic and hold-time fatigue conditions, and sustained crack growth rates (da/dt) at elevated temperatures. The independent FCP process will be identified and the rate-controlled sustained loading crack process will be correlated with the thermal activation equation to estimate the oxygen thermal activation energy. The FCP-dependent model indicates that if the sustained loading crack growth rate, da/dt, can be correlated with the FCP rate, da/dn, at the full time dependent stage, researchers can confirm stress-accelerated grain-boundary oxygen embrittlement (SAGBOE) as a predominate effect. Following the crack propagation tests, the research team will examine the fracture surface of materials in various cracking stages using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an optical microscope. In particular, the microstructure of the crack tip region will be analyzed in depth using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron energy loss spectrum (EELS) mapping techniques to identify oxygen penetration along the grain boundary and to examine the diffused oxygen distribution profile around the crack tip. The cracked sample will be prepared by focused ion beam nanofabrication technology, allowing researchers to accurately fabricate the TEM samples from the crack tip while minimizing artifacts. Researchers will use these microscopic and spectroscopic results to interpret the crack propagation process, as well as distinguish and understand the environment or

Introducing the modified paranormal belief scale: distinguishing between classic paranormal beliefs, religious paranormal beliefs and conventional religiosity among undergraduates in Northern Ireland and Wales

OpenAIRE

Williams, Emyr; Francis, Leslie J.; Lewis, Christopher Alan

2009-01-01

Previous empirical studies concerned with the association between paranormal beliefs and conventional religiosity have produced conflicting evidence. Drawing on Rice's (2003) distinction between classic paranormal beliefs and religious paranormal beliefs, the present study proposed a modified form of the Tobacyk Revised Paranormal Belief Scale to produce separate scores for these two forms of paranormal belief, styled 'religious paranormal beliefs' and 'classic paranormal beliefs'. Data provi...

The Relationships among Chinese Practicing Teachers' Epistemic Beliefs, Pedagogical Beliefs and Their Beliefs about the Use of ICT

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Feng; Chai, Ching Sing; Tsai, Chin-Chung; Lee, Min-Hsien

2014-01-01

This study aimed to investigate the relationships among practicing teachers' epistemic beliefs, pedagogical beliefs and their beliefs about the use of ICT through survey methodology. Participants were 396 high school practicing teachers from mainland China. The path analysis results analyzed via structural equation modelling technique indicated…

Recursive belief manipulation and second-order false-beliefs

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Braüner, Torben; Blackburn, Patrick Rowan; Polyanskaya, Irina

2016-01-01

it indicate that a more fundamental *conceptual change* has taken place? In this paper we extend Braüner's hybrid-logical analysis of first-order false-belief tasks to the second-order case, and argue that our analysis supports a version of the conceptual change position.......The literature on first-order false-belief is extensive, but less is known about the second-order case. The ability to handle second-order false-beliefs correctly seems to mark a cognitively significant step, but what is its status? Is it an example of *complexity only* development, or does...

Basic study on development of monitoring for crack propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Enoki, Manabu; Kishi, Teruo; Kawasaki, Hirotsugu; Aoto, Kazumi

2000-03-01

The system for detecting the generation and propagation of cracks in products and materials has been investigated in this research. Firstly, in order to apply the method to harsh environment such as plant equipment, the system with laser interferometer which cables to detect fracture in non-contact way was tried. It was confirmed that the heterodyne interferometer with He-Ne laser could detect elastic waves propagating through materials, and the non-contact system with four interferometers to detect acoustic emission (AE) wave was developed. It was applied to the thermal stress fracture in alumina coating materials. AE wave during cooling of specimens due to microfracture near the interfaces was detected and the generation time, location, size and fracture mode could be evaluated by the inverse analysis. Thus, the quantitative system for evaluating AE wave was developed and the validity of this system was confirmed. Secondly, in order to predict the crack initiation, the detection tests which were performed to detect a change in damage in the pre-stage of micro crack initiation were tried. For the components that were subject to transient cyclic thermal loading changes, the ultrasonic detection test was performed, and the obtained echo was analyzed. Furthermore, the measurement of micro hardness was performed by using the micro hardness tester for the grain boundary at near crack. The ultrasound velocity which could detect damaged state before crack initiation was estimated from the wavelet analysis of ultrasonic echoes obtained here. It was confirmed to be possible to predict the crack initiation from the change of micro hardness on the grain boundary. (author)

Film grain synthesis and its application to re-graining

Science.gov (United States)

Schallauer, Peter; Mörzinger, Roland

2006-01-01

Digital film restoration and special effects compositing require more and more automatic procedures for movie regraining. Missing or inhomogeneous grain decreases perceived quality. For the purpose of grain synthesis an existing texture synthesis algorithm has been evaluated and optimized. We show that this algorithm can produce synthetic grain which is perceptually similar to a given grain template, which has high spatial and temporal variation and which can be applied to multi-spectral images. Furthermore a re-grain application framework is proposed, which synthesises based on an input grain template artificial grain and composites this together with the original image content. Due to its modular approach this framework supports manual as well as automatic re-graining applications. Two example applications are presented, one for re-graining an entire movie and one for fully automatic re-graining of image regions produced by restoration algorithms. Low computational cost of the proposed algorithms allows application in industrial grade software.

Electromigration-Induced Surface Drift and Slit Propagation in Polycrystalline Interconnects: Insights from Phase-Field Simulations

Science.gov (United States)

Mukherjee, Arnab; Ankit, Kumar; Selzer, Michael; Nestler, Britta

2018-04-01

We employ the phase-field method to assess electromigration (EM) damage in wide polycrystalline interconnects due to grain-boundary grooving. An interplay of surface and grain-boundary diffusion is shown to drastically influence the mode of progressive EM damage. Rapid atomic transport along the surface leads to shape-preserving surface drift reminiscent of Blech drift-velocity experiments. On the other hand, a comparatively faster grain-boundary transport localizes the damage, resulting in the proliferation of intergranular slits with a shape-preserving tip. At steady state, the two regimes exhibit exponents of 1 and 3 /2 , respectively, in Black's law. While surface drift obeys an inverse scaling with grain size, slits exhibit a direct relationship at small sizes, with the dependence becoming weaker at larger ones. Furthermore, we explain the influence of curvature- or EM-mediated healing fluxes running along the surface on groove replenishment. Insights derived from phase-field simulations of EM in bicrystals are extended to investigate the multiphysics of mixed-mode damage of a polycrystalline interconnect line that is characterized by a drift of small grain surfaces, slit propagation, and coarsening. The triple and quadruple junctions are identified as prominent sites of failure.

Dust grain charging in a wake of other grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miloch, W. J.; Block, D.

2012-01-01

The charging of dust grain in the wake of another grains in sonic and supersonic collisionless plasma flows is studied by numerical simulations. We consider two grains aligned with the flow, as well as dust chains and multiple grain arrangements. It is found that the dust charge depends significantly on the flow speed, distance between the grains, and the grain arrangement. For two and three grains aligned, the charges on downstream grains depend linearly on the flow velocity and intergrain distance. The simulations are carried out with DiP3D, a three dimensional particle-in-cell code with both electrons and ions represented as numerical particles [W. J. Miloch et al., Phys. Plasmas 17, 103703 (2010)].

Grain growth: The key to understand solid-state dewetting of silver thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacquet, P.; Podor, R.; Ravaux, J.; Teisseire, J.; Gozhyk, I.; Jupille, J.; Lazzari, R.

2016-01-01

The dynamics of solid-state dewetting of polycrystalline silver thin films in oxygen atmosphere was investigated with in situ and real-time environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy at high temperature combined with Atomic Force Microscopy. Three steps were identified during dewetting: induction, hole propagation without specific rim and sintering. Moreover, it was observed that a very selective grain growth, promoted by surface diffusion, plays a key role all along the process.

Influence of Different Growth Conditions on the Kefir Grains Production, used in the Kefiran Synthesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Carmen Rodica Pop

2014-11-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to optimize the kefir grains biomass production, using milk as culture media. The kefir grains were cultured at different changed conditions (temperature, time, shaker rotating speed, culture media supplemented to evaluate their effects. Results showed that optimal culture conditions were using the organic skim milk, incubated at 25°C for 24 hours with a rotation rate of 125 rpm. According to results, the growth rate was 38.9 g/L for 24 h, at 25°C using the organic milk - OSM, 36.87 g/L during 24 hours, optimal time for propagation process gave 37.93 g/L kefir grains biomass when the effect of temperature level was tested. The homogenization of medium with shaker rotating induced a greater growth rate, it was obtained 38.9 g/L for 24 h, at 25°C using rotation rate at 125 rpm. The growing medium (conventional milk supplemented with different minerals and vitamins may lead to improve the growth conditions of kefir grains biomass. The optimization of the growth environment is very important for achieving the maximum production of kefir grains biomass, substrate necessary to obtain the polysaccharide kefiran

Religious beliefs are factual beliefs: Content does not correlate with context sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Levy, Neil

2017-04-01

Neil Van Leeuwen argues that religious beliefs are not factual beliefs: typically, at least, they are attitudes of a different type. He argues that they exhibit much more sensitivity to context than factual beliefs: outside of contexts in which they are salient, they do not govern behaviour or inference, or provide background assumptions for cognition. This article surveys a large range of data to show that the kind of context sensitivity that Van Leeuwen thinks is the province of religious beliefs does not correlate with belief content. Beliefs about matters of fact beyond the theological realm exhibit this kind of sensitivity too. Conversely, theological and supernatural beliefs often guide behaviour across contexts. It is the intuitiveness of representations across contexts that predicts context (in)sensitivity, and intuitiveness is powerfully influenced by processing fluency. Fluency, in turn, is sensitive to cues that vary across contexts. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evolution of Religious Beliefs

CERN Multimedia

CERN. Geneva

2009-01-01

Humans may be distinguished from all other animals in having beliefs about the causal interaction of physical objects. Causal beliefs are a developmental primitive in human children; animals, by contrast, have very few causal beliefs. The origin of human causal beliefs comes from the evolutionary advantage it gave in relation to complex tool making and use. Causal beliefs gave rise religion and mystical thinking as our ancestors wanted to know the causes of events that affected their lives.

The moderating role of rational beliefs in the relationship between irrational beliefs and posttraumatic stress symptomology.

Science.gov (United States)

Hyland, Philip; Shevlin, Mark; Adamson, Gary; Boduszek, Daniel

2014-05-01

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT) assumes that rational beliefs act as cognitive protective factors against the development of psychopathology; however little empirical evidence exists regarding the nature of the possible protective effects that they offer. The current study investigates whether rational beliefs moderate the impact of irrational beliefs on posttraumatic stress symptomology (PTS). Three hundred and thirteen active law enforcement, military, and related emergency service personnel took part in the current study. Sequential moderated multiple regression analysis was employed to investigate: (i) the direct impact of irrational beliefs on PTS; (ii) the direct impact of rational beliefs on PTS; (iii) the moderating effects of rational beliefs in the relationship between irrational beliefs and PTS. The irrational beliefs predicted by REBT theory emerged as critical predictors of PTS symptomology, in particular Depreciation beliefs. Rational beliefs (Preferences, and Acceptance beliefs) had a direct, negative impact on levels of PTS, and Acceptance beliefs moderated the impact of Catastrophizing beliefs on PTS. Irrational beliefs are important cognitive vulnerability factors in symptoms of PTS, while rational beliefs (Acceptance) appear to have a protective role in the emergence of PTS symptoms, both directly and by moderating the impact of Catastrophizing beliefs.

Recycling process of Mn-Al doped large grain UO2 pellets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Ik Hui; Yang, Jae Ho; Rhee, Young Woo; Kim, Dong Joo; Kim, Jong Hun; Kim, Keon Sik; Song, Kun Woo

2010-01-01

To reduce the fuel cycle costs and the total mass of spent light water reactor (LWR) fuels, it is necessary to extend the fuel discharged burn-up. Research on fuel pellets focuses on increasing the pellet density and grain size to increase the uranium contents and the high burnup safety margins for LWRs. KAERI are developing the large grain UO 2 pellet for the same purpose. Small amount of additives doping technology are used to increase the grain size and the high temperature deformation of UO 2 pellets. Various promising additive candidates had been developed during the last 3 years and the MnO-Al 2 O 3 doped UO 2 fuel pellet is one of the most promising candidates. In a commercial UO 2 fuel pellet manufacturing process, defective UO 2 pellets or scraps are produced and those should be reused. A common recycling method for defective UO 2 pellets or scraps is that they are oxidized in air at about 450 .deg. C to make U 3 O 8 powder and then added to UO 2 powder. In the oxidation of a UO 2 pellet, the oxygen propagates along the grain boundary. The U 3 O 8 formation on the grain boundary causes a spallation of the grains. So, size and shape of U 3 O 8 powder deeply depend on the initial grain size of UO 2 pellets. In the case of Mn-Al doped large grain pellets, the average grain size is about 45μm and about 5 times larger than a typical un-doped UO 2 pellet which has grain size of about 8∼10μm. That big difference in grain size is expected to cause a big difference in recycled U 3 O 8 powder morphology. Addition of U 3 O 8 to UO 2 leads to a drop in the pellet density, impeding a grain growth and the formation of graph- like pore segregates. Such degradation of the UO 2 pellet properties by adding the recycled U 3 O 8 powder depend on the U 3 O 8 powder properties. So, it is necessary to understand the property and its effect on the pellet of the recycled U 3 O 8 . This paper shows a preliminary result about the recycled U 3 O 8 powder which was obtained by

Belief in complementary and alternative medicine is related to age and paranormal beliefs in adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Van den Bulck, Jan; Custers, Kathleen

2010-04-01

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widespread, even among people who use conventional medicine. Positive beliefs about CAM are common among physicians and medical students. Little is known about the beliefs regarding CAM among the general public. Among science students, belief in CAM was predicted by belief in the paranormal. In a cross-sectional study, 712 randomly selected adults (>18 years old) responded to the CAM Health Belief Questionnaire (CHBQ) and a paranormal beliefs scale. CAM beliefs were very prevalent in this sample of adult Flemish men and women. Zero-order correlations indicated that belief in CAM was associated with age (r = 0.173 P paranormal belief (r = 0.365 P paranormal. Paranormal beliefs accounted for 14% of the variance of the CAM beliefs (regression coefficient: 0.376; 95%: CI 0.30-0.44). The level of education (regression coefficient: 0.06; 95% CI: -0.014-0.129) and social desirability (regression coefficient: -0.023; 95% CI: -0.048-0.026) did not make a significant contribution to the explained variance (paranormal beliefs.

Grain-filling duration and grain yield relationships in wheat mutants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larik, A.S.

1987-01-01

Nine stable mutants of bread wheat along with their mother cultivars were investigated for grain-filling characteristics in relation to grain yield. Significant differences among mutants for grain-filling duration and grain-filling index were observed. Inspite of the consistent differences in grain-filling duration there was no significant association between grain-filling duration and grain yield in C-591 and Nayab mutants. Failure to detect an yield advantage due to differences in grain-filling duration in these genotypes suggests that any advantage derived from alteration of grain-filling period may have been outweighed by the coincident changes in length of the vegetative period. Other factors such as synchrony of anthesis may have limited out ability to find an association between grainfilling duration and grain yield. On the contrary, significant association between grain-filling duration and grain yield displayed by indus-66 indus-66 mutants derived from gamma rays, shows the ability of gamma rays to induce functional alternations in the pattern of gene arrangements controlling these traits. Thus, the vaability observed in these physiological traits suggests that selection for these traits could be useful in improving grain yield. (author)

Effects of dust on the propagation and dissipation of Alfven waves in interstellar clouds

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pilipp, W.; Morfill, G.E.; Hartquist, T.W.; Havnes, O.; Maryland Univ., College Park; Nordlysobservatoriet, Tromso, Norway)

1987-01-01

The propagation of circularly polarized Alfven waves in dusty, weakly ionized media consisting of three gaseous fluids and of one size of grains that are either neutral or singly ionized is numerically investigated. For a molecular hydrogen number density of 10,000/cu cm, a magnetic field strength of 0.0001 G, and a temperature of 20 K, the waves are well coupled when the wavelengths exceed about 1 pc. The grains can reduce the minimum wavelength for coupled waves to about 0.1 pc and the dissipation rates of well-coupled small-amplitude waves by an order of magnitude. The speeds and dissipation rates of decoupled Alfven waves with frequencies well above 0.01/yr and wavelengths well below 0.01 pc are altered greatly over a wide range of frequencies by the presence of grains. In particular, right-handed circularly polarized waves are affected strongly by gyroresonance and cutoff effects. 18 references

Belief Elicitation in Experiments

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Blanco, Mariana; Engelmann, Dirk; Koch, Alexander

Belief elicitation in economics experiments usually relies on paying subjects according to the accuracy of stated beliefs in addition to payments for other decisions. Such incentives, however, allow risk-averse subjects to hedge with their stated beliefs against adverse outcomes of other decisions......-belief elicitation treatment using a financial investment frame, where hedging arguably would be most natural....

Giant grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leitch-Devlin, M.A.; Millar, T.J.; Williams, D.A.

1976-01-01

Infrared observations of the Orion nebula have been interpreted by Rowan-Robinson (1975) to imply the existence of 'giant' grains, radius approximately 10 -2 cm, throughout a volume about a parsec in diameter. Although Rowan-Robinson's model of the nebula has been criticized and the presence of such grains in Orion is disputed, the proposition is accepted, that they exist, and in this paper situations in which giant grains could arise are examined. It is found that, while a giant-grain component to the interstellar grain density may exist, it is difficult to understand how giant grains arise to the extent apparently required by the Orion nebula model. (Auth.)

Extreme Overvalued Beliefs: How Violent Extremist Beliefs Become "Normalized".

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Tahir

2018-01-12

Extreme overvalued beliefs (EOB) are rigidly held, non-deusional beliefs that are the motive behind most acts of terrorism and mass shootings. EOBs are differentiated from delusions and obsessions. The concept of an overvalued idea was first described by Wernicke and later applied to terrorism by McHugh. Our group of forensic psychiatrists (Rahman, Resnick, Harry) refined the definition as an aid in the differential diagnosis seen in acts of violence. The form and content of EOBs is discussed as well as group effects, conformity, and obedience to authority. Religious cults such as The People's Temple, Heaven's Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, and Islamic State (ISIS) and conspiracy beliefs such as assassinations, moon-hoax, and vaccine-induced autism beliefs are discussed using this construct. Finally, some concluding thoughts on countering violent extremism, including its online presence is discussed utilizing information learned from online eating disorders and consumer experience.

Carpel size, grain filling, and morphology determine individual grain weight in wheat.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Quan; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L

2015-11-01

Individual grain weight is a major yield component in wheat. To provide a comprehensive understanding of grain weight determination, the carpel size at anthesis, grain dry matter accumulation, grain water uptake and loss, grain morphological expansion, and final grain weight at different positions within spikelets were investigated in a recombinant inbred line mapping population of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)×spelt (Triticum spelta L.). Carpel size, grain dry matter and water accumulation, and grain dimensions interacted strongly with each other. Furthermore, larger carpels, a faster grain filling rate, earlier and longer grain filling, more grain water, faster grain water absorption and loss rates, and larger grain dimensions were associated with higher grain weight. Frequent quantitative trait locus (QTL) coincidences between these traits were observed, particularly those on chromosomes 2A, 3B, 4A, 5A, 5DL, and 7B, each of which harboured 16-49 QTLs associated with >12 traits. Analysis of the allelic effects of coincident QTLs confirmed their physiological relationships, indicating that the complex but orderly grain filling processes result mainly from pleiotropy or the tight linkages of functionally related genes. After grain filling, distal grains within spikelets were smaller than basal grains, primarily due to later grain filling and a slower initial grain filling rate, followed by synchronous maturation among different grains. Distal grain weight was improved by increased assimilate availability from anthesis. These findings provide deeper insight into grain weight determination in wheat, and the high level of QTL coincidences allows simultaneous improvement of multiple grain filling traits in breeding. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Posttraumatic Maladaptive Beliefs Scale: Evolution of the Personal Beliefs and Reactions Scale

Science.gov (United States)

Vogt, Dawne S.; Shipherd, Jillian C.; Resick, Patricia A.

2012-01-01

The Posttraumatic Maladaptive Beliefs Scale (PMBS) was developed to measure maladaptive beliefs about current life circumstances that may occur following trauma exposure. This scale assesses maladaptive beliefs within three domains: (a) Threat of Harm, (b) Self-Worth and Judgment, and (c) Reliability and Trustworthiness of Others. Items for the…

Conditional Belief Types

Science.gov (United States)

2016-04-19

Rationality of a player is determined by comparing her actual expected payoff to her expected payoff when her strategy is changed , while her beliefs —and...reduced strategies, and it is possible that under such conditions, beliefs about other players’ reduced strategies change as well. Thus, independence...assumptions, whether they concern observability of moves or subjective beliefs of any other kind, can be all accommodated by changing the informational

Dynamic propagation and cleavage crack arrest in bainitic steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hajjaj, M.

2006-06-01

In complement of the studies of harmfulness of defects, generally realized in term of initiation, the concept of crack arrest could be used as complementary analyses to the studies of safety. The stop occurs when the stress intensity factor becomes lower than crack arrest toughness (KIa) calculated in elasto-statics (KI ≤ KIa). The aim of this thesis is to understand and predict the stop of a crack propagating at high speed in a 18MND5 steel used in the pressure water reactor (PWR). The test chosen to study crack arrest is the disc thermal shock test. The observations under the scanning electron microscope of the fracture surface showed that the crack arrest always occurs in cleavage mode and that the critical microstructural entity with respect to the propagation and crack arrest corresponds to at least the size of the prior austenitic grain. The numerical analyses in elasto-statics confirm the conservatism of the codified curve of the RCC-M with respect to the values of KIa. The dynamic numerical analyses show that the deceleration of the crack measured at the end of the propagation is related to the global dynamic of the structure (vibrations). The transferability to components of crack arrest toughness obtained from tests analysed in static is thus not assured. The disc thermal shock tests were also modelled by considering a criterion of propagation and arrest of the type 'RKR' characterized by a critical stress sc which depends on the temperature. The results obtained account well for the crack jump measured in experiments as well as the shape of the crack arrest front. (author)

Prevalence of IgE antibodies to grain and grain dust in grain elevator workers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, D M; Romeo, P A; Olenchock, S A

1986-01-01

IgE-mediated allergic reactions have been postulated to contribute to respiratory reactions seen in workers exposed to grain dusts. In an attempt better to define the prevalence of IgE antibodies in workers exposed to grain dusts, we performed the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) on worker sera using both commercial allergens prepared from grain and worksite allergens prepared from grain dust samples collected at the worksite. We found that the two types of reagents identified different populations with respect to the specificity of IgE antibodies present. The RAST assay performed using worksite allergens correlated well with skin test procedures. These results may allow us to gain better understanding of allergy associated with grain dust exposure, and document the utility of the RAST assay in assessment of occupational allergies. PMID:3709478

Prevalence of IgE antibodies to grain and grain dust in grain elevator workers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lewis, D.M.; Romeo, P.A.; Olenchock, S.A.

1986-04-01

IgE-mediated allergic reactions have been postulated to contribute to respiratory reactions seen in workers exposed to grain dusts. In an attempt better to define the prevalence of IgE antibodies in workers exposed to grain dusts, we performed the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) on worker sera using both commercial allergens prepared from grain and worksite allergens prepared from grain dust samples collected at the worksite. We found that the two types of reagents identified different populations with respect to the specificity of IgE antibodies present. The RAST assay performed using worksite allergens correlated well with skin test procedures. These results may allow us to gain better understanding of allergy associated with grain dust exposure, and document the utility of the RAST assay in assessment of occupational allergies.

Prevalence of IgE antibodies to grain and grain dust in grain elevator workers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewis, D.M.; Romeo, P.A.; Olenchock, S.A.

1986-01-01

IgE-mediated allergic reactions have been postulated to contribute to respiratory reactions seen in workers exposed to grain dusts. In an attempt better to define the prevalence of IgE antibodies in workers exposed to grain dusts, we performed the radioallergosorbent test (RAST) on worker sera using both commercial allergens prepared from grain and worksite allergens prepared from grain dust samples collected at the worksite. We found that the two types of reagents identified different populations with respect to the specificity of IgE antibodies present. The RAST assay performed using worksite allergens correlated well with skin test procedures. These results may allow us to gain better understanding of allergy associated with grain dust exposure, and document the utility of the RAST assay in assessment of occupational allergies

Identification and classification of similar looking food grains

Science.gov (United States)

Anami, B. S.; Biradar, Sunanda D.; Savakar, D. G.; Kulkarni, P. V.

2013-01-01

This paper describes the comparative study of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifiers by taking a case study of identification and classification of four pairs of similar looking food grains namely, Finger Millet, Mustard, Soyabean, Pigeon Pea, Aniseed, Cumin-seeds, Split Greengram and Split Blackgram. Algorithms are developed to acquire and process color images of these grains samples. The developed algorithms are used to extract 18 colors-Hue Saturation Value (HSV), and 42 wavelet based texture features. Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN)-based classifier is designed using three feature sets namely color - HSV, wavelet-texture and their combined model. SVM model for color- HSV model is designed for the same set of samples. The classification accuracies ranging from 93% to 96% for color-HSV, ranging from 78% to 94% for wavelet texture model and from 92% to 97% for combined model are obtained for ANN based models. The classification accuracy ranging from 80% to 90% is obtained for color-HSV based SVM model. Training time required for the SVM based model is substantially lesser than ANN for the same set of images.

Parallelized implicit propagators for the finite-difference Schrödinger equation

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Jonathan; Taylor, K. T.

1995-08-01

We describe the application of block Gauss-Seidel and block Jacobi iterative methods to the design of implicit propagators for finite-difference models of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. The block-wise iterative methods discussed here are mixed direct-iterative methods for solving simultaneous equations, in the sense that direct methods (e.g. LU decomposition) are used to invert certain block sub-matrices, and iterative methods are used to complete the solution. We describe parallel variants of the basic algorithm that are well suited to the medium- to coarse-grained parallelism of work-station clusters, and MIMD supercomputers, and we show that under a wide range of conditions, fine-grained parallelism of the computation can be achieved. Numerical tests are conducted on a typical one-electron atom Hamiltonian. The methods converge robustly to machine precision (15 significant figures), in some cases in as few as 6 or 7 iterations. The rate of convergence is nearly independent of the finite-difference grid-point separations.

CHEMISTRY OF A PROTOPLANETARY DISK WITH GRAIN SETTLING AND Lyα RADIATION

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fogel, Jeffrey K. J.; Bethell, Thomas J.; Bergin, Edwin A.; Calvet, Nuria; Semenov, Dmitry

2011-01-01

We present results from a model of the chemical evolution of protoplanetary disks. In our models, we directly calculate the changing propagation and penetration of a high energy radiation field with Lyα radiation included. We also explore the effect on our models of including dust grain settling. We find that, in agreement with earlier studies, the evolution of dust grains plays a large role in determining how deep the UV radiation penetrates into the disk. Significant grain settling at the midplane leads to much smaller freeze-out regions and a correspondingly larger molecular layer, which leads to an increase in column density for molecular species such as CO, CN, and SO. The inclusion of Lyα radiation impacts the disk chemistry through specific species that have large photodissociation cross sections at 1216 A. These include HCN, NH 3 , and CH 4 , for which the column densities are decreased by an order of magnitude or more due to the presence of Lyα radiation in the UV spectrum. A few species, such as CO 2 and SO, are enhanced by the presence of Lyα radiation, but rarely by more than a factor of a few.

Belief Change in Reasoning Agents

OpenAIRE

Jin, Yi

2007-01-01

The capability of changing beliefs upon new information in a rational and efficient way is crucial for an intelligent agent. Belief change therefore is one of the central research fields in Artificial Intelligence (AI) for over two decades. In the AI literature, two different kinds of belief change operations have been intensively investigated: belief update, which deal with situations where the new information describes changes of the world; and belief revision, which assumes the world is st...

Illness causal beliefs in Turkish immigrants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Klimidis Steven

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background People hold a wide variety of beliefs concerning the causes of illness. Such beliefs vary across cultures and, among immigrants, may be influenced by many factors, including level of acculturation, gender, level of education, and experience of illness and treatment. This study examines illness causal beliefs in Turkish-immigrants in Australia. Methods Causal beliefs about somatic and mental illness were examined in a sample of 444 members of the Turkish population of Melbourne. The socio-demographic characteristics of the sample were broadly similar to those of the Melbourne Turkish community. Five issues were examined: the structure of causal beliefs; the relative frequency of natural, supernatural and metaphysical beliefs; ascription of somatic, mental, or both somatic and mental conditions to the various causes; the correlations of belief types with socio-demographic, modernizing and acculturation variables; and the relationship between causal beliefs and current illness. Results Principal components analysis revealed two broad factors, accounting for 58 percent of the variation in scores on illness belief scales, distinctly interpretable as natural and supernatural beliefs. Second, beliefs in natural causes were more frequent than beliefs in supernatural causes. Third, some causal beliefs were commonly linked to both somatic and mental conditions while others were regarded as more specific to either somatic or mental disorders. Last, there was a range of correlations between endorsement of belief types and factors defining heterogeneity within the community, including with demographic factors, indicators of modernizing and acculturative processes, and the current presence of illness. Conclusion Results supported the classification of causal beliefs proposed by Murdock, Wilson & Frederick, with a division into natural and supernatural causes. While belief in natural causes is more common, belief in supernatural causes

Illness causal beliefs in Turkish immigrants.

Science.gov (United States)

Minas, Harry; Klimidis, Steven; Tuncer, Can

2007-07-24

People hold a wide variety of beliefs concerning the causes of illness. Such beliefs vary across cultures and, among immigrants, may be influenced by many factors, including level of acculturation, gender, level of education, and experience of illness and treatment. This study examines illness causal beliefs in Turkish-immigrants in Australia. Causal beliefs about somatic and mental illness were examined in a sample of 444 members of the Turkish population of Melbourne. The socio-demographic characteristics of the sample were broadly similar to those of the Melbourne Turkish community. Five issues were examined: the structure of causal beliefs; the relative frequency of natural, supernatural and metaphysical beliefs; ascription of somatic, mental, or both somatic and mental conditions to the various causes; the correlations of belief types with socio-demographic, modernizing and acculturation variables; and the relationship between causal beliefs and current illness. Principal components analysis revealed two broad factors, accounting for 58 percent of the variation in scores on illness belief scales, distinctly interpretable as natural and supernatural beliefs. Second, beliefs in natural causes were more frequent than beliefs in supernatural causes. Third, some causal beliefs were commonly linked to both somatic and mental conditions while others were regarded as more specific to either somatic or mental disorders. Last, there was a range of correlations between endorsement of belief types and factors defining heterogeneity within the community, including with demographic factors, indicators of modernizing and acculturative processes, and the current presence of illness. Results supported the classification of causal beliefs proposed by Murdock, Wilson & Frederick, with a division into natural and supernatural causes. While belief in natural causes is more common, belief in supernatural causes persists despite modernizing and acculturative influences. Different

What Happens When a Teacher's Science Belief Structure Is in Disequilibrium? Entangled Nature of Beliefs and Practice

Science.gov (United States)

Martin, Anita; Park, Soonhye; Hand, Brian

2017-08-01

This qualitative case study examined the process of change in an experienced elementary teacher's belief structure during implementation of an inquiry-based science program. Difficulties generally associated with ascertaining beliefs were minimized by using Leatham's (Journal of Mathematics Teacher Education, 9, 91-102 (2006) Sensible System Framework, enabling researchers to obtain rich descriptions of the teacher's belief structure by focusing on words (professed beliefs), intentions (intended beliefs), and actions (enacted beliefs). Models were constructed of the teacher's belief structure before and after implementation of the Science Writing Heuristic (SWH) approach (Hand et al. International Journal of Science Education, 26(2), 131-149, 2004), an inquiry-based approach to teaching science. Key beliefs for this teacher were related to how students learn, goals for teaching science, focus of instruction, and roles of teacher and student. Ultimately, the teacher shifted her professed, intended, and enacted beliefs resulting in a shift from a teacher-centered to a student-centered classroom. Findings support Thagard's Coherence Theory of Justification (2002), positing that change in one belief creates a state of disequilibrium that must be alleviated by changing/realigning other beliefs in order to re-establish coherence in the overall belief structure. This research focus is distinct from the general trend in teacher beliefs research in important ways. Most significant is that this study was not focused on the traditional two lists—those beliefs that were consistent with practice and those that were inconsistent with practice—but instead focused on the entwined nature of beliefs and practice and have shown that a teacher's practice can be viewed as their enacted beliefs, an integral part of the teacher's overall belief structure.

Do Humans Have Two Systems to Track Beliefs and Belief-Like States?

Science.gov (United States)

Apperly, Ian A.; Butterfill, Stephen A.

2009-01-01

The lack of consensus on how to characterize humans' capacity for belief reasoning has been brought into sharp focus by recent research. Children fail critical tests of belief reasoning before 3 to 4 years of age (H. Wellman, D. Cross, & J. Watson, 2001; H. Wimmer & J. Perner, 1983), yet infants apparently pass false-belief tasks at 13 or 15…

In situ observation of fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of a high-Nb TiAl alloy at 750 °C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Min, Zhang [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Xi-ping, Song, E-mail: xpsong@skl.ustb.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Long, Yu; Hong-liang, Li [State Key Laboratory for Advanced Metals and Materials, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China); Ze-hui, Jiao; Hui-chen, Yu [National Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Advanced High Temperature Structural Materials, Beijing Institute of Aeronautical Materials, Beijing 100095 (China)

2015-01-12

In this paper, the fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of a high-Nb TiAl alloy with nearly lamellar microstructure was studied by in situ scanning electron microscope observation at 750 °C. Dog-bone shaped specimens with a single-edge notch were used in the test. The results showed that the fatigue crack initiated first at the central portion of the notch, and then shifted to the edge portion. As the cycle numbers went on increasing, these cracks joined together and formed a main fatigue crack, which could propagate along the surface of the specimen. During the fatigue crack propagation two or three propagation stages were found depending on the microstructure of the crack tip. When the fatigue crack was parallel to the lamellar laths, it exhibited the rapid, steady and accelerated propagation stages successively, while when the fatigue crack was perpendicular to the lamellar laths, it exhibited only the steady and accelerated propagation stages, with no rapid propagation stage being found. In these different propagation stages the fatigue crack propagation rates were different and depended intensively on the lamellar laths orientation, lamellar colony size, equiaxed gamma grains and peak stress intensity factor K{sub max}. Based on the experimental data it was concluded that the fatigue crack initiation lifetime was much longer than the propagation lifetime for the single-edge notched specimens at 750 °C.

In situ observation of fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of a high-Nb TiAl alloy at 750 °C

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Min, Zhang; Xi-ping, Song; Long, Yu; Hong-liang, Li; Ze-hui, Jiao; Hui-chen, Yu

2015-01-01

In this paper, the fatigue crack initiation and propagation behavior of a high-Nb TiAl alloy with nearly lamellar microstructure was studied by in situ scanning electron microscope observation at 750 °C. Dog-bone shaped specimens with a single-edge notch were used in the test. The results showed that the fatigue crack initiated first at the central portion of the notch, and then shifted to the edge portion. As the cycle numbers went on increasing, these cracks joined together and formed a main fatigue crack, which could propagate along the surface of the specimen. During the fatigue crack propagation two or three propagation stages were found depending on the microstructure of the crack tip. When the fatigue crack was parallel to the lamellar laths, it exhibited the rapid, steady and accelerated propagation stages successively, while when the fatigue crack was perpendicular to the lamellar laths, it exhibited only the steady and accelerated propagation stages, with no rapid propagation stage being found. In these different propagation stages the fatigue crack propagation rates were different and depended intensively on the lamellar laths orientation, lamellar colony size, equiaxed gamma grains and peak stress intensity factor K max . Based on the experimental data it was concluded that the fatigue crack initiation lifetime was much longer than the propagation lifetime for the single-edge notched specimens at 750 °C

Abnormal grain growth: a non-equilibrium thermodynamic model for multi-grain binary systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Svoboda, J; Fischer, F D

2014-01-01

Abnormal grain growth as the abrupt growth of a group of the largest grains in a multi-grain system is treated within the context of unequal retardation of grain growth due to the segregation of solute atoms from the bulk of the grains into the grain boundaries. During grain boundary migration, the segregated solute atoms are dragged under a small driving force or left behind the migrating grain boundary under a large driving force. Thus, the solute atoms in the grain boundaries of large grains, exhibiting a large driving force, can be released from the grain boundary. The mobility of these grain boundaries becomes significantly higher and abnormal grain growth is spontaneously provoked. The mean-field model presented here assumes that each grain is described by its grain radius and by its individual segregation parameter. The thermodynamic extremal principle is engaged to obtain explicit evolution equations for the radius and segregation parameter of each grain. Simulations of grain growth kinetics for various conditions of segregation with the same initial setting (100 000 grains with a given radius distribution) are presented. Depending on the diffusion coefficients of the solute in the grain boundaries, abnormal grain growth may be strongly or marginally pronounced. Solute segregation and drag can also significantly contribute to the stabilization of the grain structure. Qualitative agreement with several experimental results is reported. (paper)

Extreme Overvalued Beliefs: How Violent Extremist Beliefs Become “Normalized”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tahir Rahman

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Extreme overvalued beliefs (EOB are rigidly held, non-deusional beliefs that are the motive behind most acts of terrorism and mass shootings. EOBs are differentiated from delusions and obsessions. The concept of an overvalued idea was first described by Wernicke and later applied to terrorism by McHugh. Our group of forensic psychiatrists (Rahman, Resnick, Harry refined the definition as an aid in the differential diagnosis seen in acts of violence. The form and content of EOBs is discussed as well as group effects, conformity, and obedience to authority. Religious cults such as The People’s Temple, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, and Islamic State (ISIS and conspiracy beliefs such as assassinations, moon-hoax, and vaccine-induced autism beliefs are discussed using this construct. Finally, some concluding thoughts on countering violent extremism, including its online presence is discussed utilizing information learned from online eating disorders and consumer experience.

Extreme Overvalued Beliefs: How Violent Extremist Beliefs Become “Normalized”

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Tahir

2018-01-01

Extreme overvalued beliefs (EOB) are rigidly held, non-deusional beliefs that are the motive behind most acts of terrorism and mass shootings. EOBs are differentiated from delusions and obsessions. The concept of an overvalued idea was first described by Wernicke and later applied to terrorism by McHugh. Our group of forensic psychiatrists (Rahman, Resnick, Harry) refined the definition as an aid in the differential diagnosis seen in acts of violence. The form and content of EOBs is discussed as well as group effects, conformity, and obedience to authority. Religious cults such as The People’s Temple, Heaven’s Gate, Aum Shinrikyo, and Islamic State (ISIS) and conspiracy beliefs such as assassinations, moon-hoax, and vaccine-induced autism beliefs are discussed using this construct. Finally, some concluding thoughts on countering violent extremism, including its online presence is discussed utilizing information learned from online eating disorders and consumer experience. PMID:29329259

Demonstration of slow light propagation in an optical fiber under dual pump light with co-propagation and counter-propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Qiu, Wei; Liu, Jianjun; Wang, Yuda; Yang, Yujing; Gao, Yuan; Lv, Pin; Jiang, Qiuli

2018-04-01

In this paper, a general theory of coherent population oscillation effect in an Er3+ -doped fiber under the dual-frequency pumping laser with counter-propagation and co-propagation at room temperature is presented. Using the numerical simulation, in case of dual frequency light waves (1480 nm and 980 nm) with co-propagation and counter-propagation, we analyze the effect of the pump optical power ratio (M) on the group speed of light. The group velocity of light can be varied with the change of M. We research the time delay and fractional delay in an Er3+-doped fiber under the dual-frequency pumping laser with counter-propagation and co-propagation. Compared to the methods of the single pumping, the larger time delay can be got by using the technique of dual-frequency laser pumped fiber with co-propagation and counter-propagation.

Maternal Attitudes, Normative Beliefs, and Subjective Norms of Mothers of 2- and 3-Year-Old Children.

Science.gov (United States)

Northrup, Angela A; Smaldone, Arlene

This exploratory study examined maternal attitudes, normative beliefs, subjective norms, and meal selection behaviors of mothers of 2- and 3-year-old children. Guided by the Theory of Reasoned Action, we had mothers complete three surveys, two interviews, and a feeding simulation exercise. Data were analyzed using descriptive and bivariate statistics and multivariate linear regression. A total of 31 mothers (50% Latino, 34% Black, 46.9% ≤ high school education, 31.3% poor health literacy) of 32 children (37.5% overweight/obese) participated in this study. Maternal normative beliefs (knowledge of U.S. Department of Agriculture recommendations) did not reflect actual U.S. Department of Agriculture recommendations. Collectively, regression models explained 13% (dairy) to 51% (vegetables) of the variance in behavioral intent, with normative belief an independent predictor in all models except grain and dairy. Meal selection behaviors, on average, were predicted by poor knowledge of U.S. Department of Agriculture recommendations. Dietary guidance appropriate to health literacy level should be incorporated into well-child visits. Copyright © 2016 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Morphology of the boron-rich phase along columnar grain boundary and its effect on the compression crack of Fe-6.5Si-0.05B alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu Huadong; Zhang Zhihao; Yang Qiang; Xie Jianxin

2011-01-01

Research highlights: → Three morphologies of alloy phases were observed under different conditions. → Three different morphologies were thick-strip, fish-bone like and thin-strip. → These phases were all with enrichment of boron and dilution of silicon. → Three morphologies of alloy phases had different influences on mechanical property. - Abstract: The morphology of precipitated phases along Fe-6.5Si-0.05B columnar grain boundary and its effect on the initiation and propagation of compression cracks were investigated. Under the present experimental condition, alloy phases along the grain boundary exhibited three different morphologies, i.e., thick-strip, fish-bone like and thin-strip. These phases were all with enrichment of boron and dilution of silicon. The grain boundary with dendrite growth mode was apt to generate the thick-strip and fish-bone like phases, while the boundary with cellular growth mode was easy to form the thin-strip phase. The thick-strip phase was favorable to form 'weak plane' containing numerous micropores, which ultimately led to intergranular cracks. The fish-bone like phase was one of the main crack sources under the compression processing and easily caused transgranular cracks. The thin-strip phase enhanced the bond strength of the grain boundary and detained the crack propagation.

Free will and paranormal beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Mogi, Ken

2014-01-01

Free will is one of the fundamental aspects of human cognition. In the context of cognitive neuroscience, various experiments on time perception, sensorimotor coordination, and agency suggest the possibility that it is a robust illusion (a feeling independent of actual causal relationship with actions) constructed by neural mechanisms. Humans are known to suffer from various cognitive biases and failures, and the sense of free will might be one of them. Here I report a positive correlation between the belief in free will and paranormal beliefs (UFO, reincarnation, astrology, and psi). Web questionnaires involving 2076 subjects (978 males, 1087 females, and 11 other genders) were conducted, which revealed significant positive correlations between belief in free will (theory and practice) and paranormal beliefs. There was no significant correlation between belief in free will and knowledge in paranormal phenomena. Paranormal belief scores for females were significantly higher than those for males, with corresponding significant (albeit weaker) difference in belief in free will. These results are consistent with the view that free will is an illusion which shares common cognitive elements with paranormal beliefs.

Free will and paranormal beliefs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ken eMogi

2014-04-01

Full Text Available Free will is one of the fundamental aspects of human cognition. In the context of cognitive neuroscience, various experiments on time perception, sensorimotor coordination, and agency suggest the possibility that it is a robust illusion (a feeling independent of actual causal relationship with actions constructed by neural mechanisms. Humans are known to suffer from various cognitive biases and failures, and the sense of free will might be one of them. Here I report a positive correlation between the belief in free will and paranormal beliefs (UFO, reincarnation, astrology, and psi. Web questionnaires involving 2076 subjects (978 males, 1087 females, and 11 other genders were conducted, which revealed significant positive correlations between belief in free will (theory and practice and paranormal beliefs. There was no significant correlation between belief in free will and knowledge in paranormal phenomena. Paranormal belief scores for females were significantly higher than those for males, with corresponding significant (albeit weaker difference in belief in free will. These results are consistent with the view that free will is an illusion which shares common cognitive elements with paranormal beliefs.

Free will and paranormal beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Mogi, Ken

2014-01-01

Free will is one of the fundamental aspects of human cognition. In the context of cognitive neuroscience, various experiments on time perception, sensorimotor coordination, and agency suggest the possibility that it is a robust illusion (a feeling independent of actual causal relationship with actions) constructed by neural mechanisms. Humans are known to suffer from various cognitive biases and failures, and the sense of free will might be one of them. Here I report a positive correlation between the belief in free will and paranormal beliefs (UFO, reincarnation, astrology, and psi). Web questionnaires involving 2076 subjects (978 males, 1087 females, and 11 other genders) were conducted, which revealed significant positive correlations between belief in free will (theory and practice) and paranormal beliefs. There was no significant correlation between belief in free will and knowledge in paranormal phenomena. Paranormal belief scores for females were significantly higher than those for males, with corresponding significant (albeit weaker) difference in belief in free will. These results are consistent with the view that free will is an illusion which shares common cognitive elements with paranormal beliefs. PMID:24765084

A grain-boundary diffusion model of dynamic grain growth during superplastic deformation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Byung-Nam; Hiraga, Keijiro; Sakka, Yoshio; Ahn, Byung-Wook

1999-01-01

Dynamic grain growth during superplastic deformation is modelled on the basis of a grain-boundary diffusion mechanism. On the grain boundary where a static and a dynamic potential difference coexist, matter transport along the boundary is assumed to contribute to dynamic grain growth through depositing the matter on the grain surface located opposite to the direction of grain-boundary migration. The amount of the diffusive matter during deformation is calculated for an aggregate of spherical grains and is converted to the increment of mean boundary migration velocity. The obtained relationship between the strain rate and the dynamic grain growth rate is shown to be independent of deformation mechanisms, provided that the grain growth is controlled by grain-boundary diffusion. The strain dependence, strain-rate dependence and temperature dependence of grain growth predicted from this model are consistent with those observed in superplastic ZrO 2 -dispersed Al 2 O 3

Carpel size, grain filling, and morphology determine individual grain weight in wheat

OpenAIRE

Xie, Quan; Mayes, Sean; Sparkes, Debbie L.

2015-01-01

Individual grain weight is a major yield component in wheat. To provide a comprehensive understanding of grain weight determination, the carpel size at anthesis, grain dry matter accumulation, grain water uptake and loss, grain morphological expansion, and final grain weight at different positions within spikelets were investigated in a recombinant inbred line mapping population of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)?spelt (Triticum spelta L.). Carpel size, grain dry matter and water accumulat...

Paranormal beliefs and religiosity: Chinese version of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiah, Yung-Jong; Tam, Wai-Cheong Carl; Wu, Ming-Hsun; Chang, Frances

2010-10-01

This paper reports an initial study investigating the relations of paranormal beliefs with religiosity in a Chinese sample, as well as the development of a Chinese version of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale and a test of its psychometric properties with 310 college students (5.5% Christians, 21.3% Buddhists, 61% believers in traditional Chinese religions, and 12% atheists). The reliability and validity of the Chinese version were satisfactory. In general, traditional Chinese religious believers had higher scores on paranormal belief than did Christians and atheists, and the mean total score of the Chinese participants was higher than previously reported in a Western sample. It was concluded that the greater involvement of practitioners of traditional Chinese religions in activities emphasizing paranormal experiences might contribute to their greater paranormal belief, especially as compared to the minority Christian group. The results are consistent with the idea that Christianity may offer the least support for paranormal belief.

Fatigue crack propagation: In situ visualization using X-ray microtomography and 3D simulation using the extended finite element method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ferrie, Emilie; Buffiere, Jean-Yves; Ludwig, Wolfgang; Gravouil, Anthony; Edwards, Lyndon

2006-01-01

The propagation of a semi-elliptical crack in the bulk of an ultrafine-grained Al-Li alloy has been investigated using synchrotron radiation X-ray microtomography. In this material, the studied crack, despite its small dimension, can be considered as 'microstructurally long' and described in the frame of the linear elastic fracture mechanics. The extended finite element method is used to calculate the stress intensity factors along the crack front taking into account the three-dimensional geometry extracted from the tomographic images. For the same nominal value of the stress intensity factor range, crack propagation is faster in the bulk than at the surface. The observed anisotropy is attributed to the variation of the closure stress along the crack front between surface and bulk. The experimentally observed fatigue crack propagation is compared to numerical simulations. Good agreement is found when a linear variation of closure stress along the crack front is taken into account in the '3D crack propagation law' used for the simulation

Grain dissection as a grain size reducing mechanism during ice microdynamics

Science.gov (United States)

Steinbach, Florian; Kuiper, Ernst N.; Eichler, Jan; Bons, Paul D.; Drury, Martin R.; Griera, Albert; Pennock, Gill M.; Weikusat, Ilka

2017-04-01

Ice sheets are valuable paleo-climate archives, but can lose their integrity by ice flow. An understanding of the microdynamic mechanisms controlling the flow of ice is essential when assessing climatic and environmental developments related to ice sheets and glaciers. For instance, the development of a consistent mechanistic grain size law would support larger scale ice flow models. Recent research made significant progress in numerically modelling deformation and recrystallisation mechanisms in the polycrystalline ice and ice-air aggregate (Llorens et al., 2016a,b; Steinbach et al., 2016). The numerical setup assumed grain size reduction is achieved by the progressive transformation of subgrain boundaries into new high angle grain boundaries splitting an existing grain. This mechanism is usually termed polygonisation. Analogue experiments suggested, that strain induced grain boundary migration can cause bulges to migrate through the whole of a grain separating one region of the grain from another (Jessell, 1986; Urai, 1987). This mechanism of grain dissection could provide an alternative grain size reducing mechanism, but has not yet been observed during ice microdynamics. In this contribution, we present results using an updated numerical approach allowing for grain dissection. The approach is based on coupling the full field theory crystal visco-plasticity code (VPFFT) of Lebensohn (2001) to the multi-process modelling platform Elle (Bons et al., 2008). VPFFT predicts the mechanical fields resulting from short strain increments, dynamic recrystallisation process are implemented in Elle. The novel approach includes improvements to allow for grain dissection, which was topologically impossible during earlier simulations. The simulations are supported by microstructural observations from NEEM (North Greenland Eemian Ice Drilling) ice core. Mappings of c-axis orientations using the automatic fabric analyser and full crystallographic orientations using electron

Statistical study of the non-linear propagation of a partially coherent laser beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ayanides, J.P.

2001-01-01

This research thesis is related to the LMJ project (Laser MegaJoule) and thus to the study and development of thermonuclear fusion. It reports the study of the propagation of a partially-coherent laser beam by using a statistical modelling in order to obtain mean values for the field, and thus bypassing a complex and costly calculation of deterministic quantities. Random fluctuations of the propagated field are supposed to comply with a Gaussian statistics; the laser central wavelength is supposed to be small with respect with fluctuation magnitude; a scale factor is introduced to clearly distinguish the scale of the random and fast variations of the field fluctuations, and the scale of the slow deterministic variations of the field envelopes. The author reports the study of propagation through a purely linear media and through a non-dispersive media, and then through slow non-dispersive and non-linear media (in which the reaction time is large with respect to grain correlation duration, but small with respect to the variation scale of the field macroscopic envelope), and thirdly through an instantaneous dispersive and non linear media (which instantaneously reacts to the field) [fr

Scandinavian belief in fate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Åke Ström

1967-02-01

Full Text Available In point of principle, Christianity does not give room for any belief in fate. Astrology, horoscopes, divination, etc., are strictly rejected. Belief in fate never disappeared in Christian countries, nor did it in Scandinavia in Christian times. Especially in folklore we can find it at any period: People believed in an implacable fate. All folklore is filled up with this belief in destiny. Nobody can escape his fate. The future lies in the hands of fate, and the time to come takes its form according to inscrutable laws. The pre-Christian period in Scandinavia, dominated by pagan Norse religion, and the secularized epoch of the 20th century, however, show more distinctive and more widespread beliefs in fate than does the Christian period. The present paper makes a comparison between these forms of belief.

Moral Beliefs and Cognitive Homogeneity

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nevia Dolcini

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The Emotional Perception Model of moral judgment intends to account for experientialism about morality and moral reasoning. In explaining how moral beliefs are formed and applied in practical reasoning, the model attempts to overcome the mismatch between reason and action/desire: morality isn’t about reason for actions, yet moral beliefs, if caused by desires, may play a motivational role in (moral agency. The account allows for two kinds of moral beliefs: genuine moral beliefs, which enjoy a relation to desire, and motivationally inert moral beliefs acquired in ways other than experience. Such etiology-based dichotomy of concepts, I will argue, leads to the undesirable view of cognition as a non-homogeneous phenomenon. Moreover, the distinction between moral beliefs and moral beliefs would entail a further dichotomy encompassing the domain of moral agency: one and the same action might possibly be either genuine moral, or not moral, if acted by individuals lacking the capacity for moral feelings, such as psychopaths.

Belief attribution despite verbal interference.

Science.gov (United States)

Forgeot d'Arc, Baudouin; Ramus, Franck

2011-05-01

False-belief (FB) tasks have been widely used to study the ability of individuals to represent the content of their conspecifics' mental states (theory of mind). However, the cognitive processes involved are still poorly understood, and it remains particularly debated whether language and inner speech are necessary for the attribution of beliefs to other agents. We present a completely nonverbal paradigm consisting of silent animated cartoons in five closely related conditions, systematically teasing apart different aspects of scene analysis and allowing the assessment of the attribution of beliefs, goals, and physical causation. In order to test the role of language in belief attribution, we used verbal shadowing as a dual task to inhibit inner speech. Data on 58 healthy adults indicate that verbal interference decreases overall performance, but has no specific effect on belief attribution. Participants remained able to attribute beliefs despite heavy concurrent demands on their verbal abilities. Our results are most consistent with the hypothesis that belief attribution is independent from inner speech.

When fast logic meets slow belief: Evidence for a parallel-processing model of belief bias.

Science.gov (United States)

Trippas, Dries; Thompson, Valerie A; Handley, Simon J

2017-05-01

Two experiments pitted the default-interventionist account of belief bias against a parallel-processing model. According to the former, belief bias occurs because a fast, belief-based evaluation of the conclusion pre-empts a working-memory demanding logical analysis. In contrast, according to the latter both belief-based and logic-based responding occur in parallel. Participants were given deductive reasoning problems of variable complexity and instructed to decide whether the conclusion was valid on half the trials or to decide whether the conclusion was believable on the other half. When belief and logic conflict, the default-interventionist view predicts that it should take less time to respond on the basis of belief than logic, and that the believability of a conclusion should interfere with judgments of validity, but not the reverse. The parallel-processing view predicts that beliefs should interfere with logic judgments only if the processing required to evaluate the logical structure exceeds that required to evaluate the knowledge necessary to make a belief-based judgment, and vice versa otherwise. Consistent with this latter view, for the simplest reasoning problems (modus ponens), judgments of belief resulted in lower accuracy than judgments of validity, and believability interfered more with judgments of validity than the converse. For problems of moderate complexity (modus tollens and single-model syllogisms), the interference was symmetrical, in that validity interfered with belief judgments to the same degree that believability interfered with validity judgments. For the most complex (three-term multiple-model syllogisms), conclusion believability interfered more with judgments of validity than vice versa, in spite of the significant interference from conclusion validity on judgments of belief.

Numerical Study of Critical Role of Rock Heterogeneity in Hydraulic Fracture Propagation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

J. Zhou; H. Huang; M. Deo

2016-03-01

Log and seismic data indicate that most shale formations have strong heterogeneity. Conventional analytical and semi-analytical fracture models are not enough to simulate the complex fracture propagation in these highly heterogeneous formation. Without considering the intrinsic heterogeneity, predicted morphology of hydraulic fracture may be biased and misleading in optimizing the completion strategy. In this paper, a fully coupling fluid flow and geomechanics hydraulic fracture simulator based on dual-lattice Discrete Element Method (DEM) is used to predict the hydraulic fracture propagation in heterogeneous reservoir. The heterogeneity of rock is simulated by assigning different material force constant and critical strain to different particles and is adjusted by conditioning to the measured data and observed geological features. Based on proposed model, the effects of heterogeneity at different scale on micromechanical behavior and induced macroscopic fractures are examined. From the numerical results, the microcrack will be more inclined to form at the grain weaker interface. The conventional simulator with homogeneous assumption is not applicable for highly heterogeneous shale formation.

Grain-size sorting and slope failure in experimental subaqueous grain flows

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kleinhans, M.G.; Asch, Th.W.J. van

2005-01-01

Grain-size sorting in subaqueous grain flows of a continuous range of grain sizes is studied experimentally with three mixtures. The observed pattern is a combination of stratification and gradual segregation. The stratification is caused by kinematic sieving in the grain flow. The segregation is

The birth beliefs scale - a new measure to assess basic beliefs about birth.

Science.gov (United States)

Preis, Heidi; Benyamini, Yael

2017-03-01

Basic beliefs about birth as a natural and safe or a medical and risky process are central in the decisions on where and how to birth. Despite their importance, they have not been studied separately from other childbirth-related constructs. Our aim was to develop a measure to assess these beliefs. Pregnant Israeli women (N = 850, gestational week ≥14) were recruited in women's health centers, in online natural birth forums, and through home midwives. Participants filled in questionnaires including sociodemographic and obstetric background, the Birth Beliefs Scale (BBS), dispositional desire for control (DC) and planned mode of delivery. Factor analyses revealed that the BBS is composed of two factors: beliefs about birth as a natural process and beliefs about birth as a medical process. Both subscales showed good internal and test-retest reliability. They had good construct validity, predicted birth choices, and were weakly correlated with DC. Women's medical obstetric history was associated with the BBS, further supporting the validity of the scale. Beliefs about birth may be the building blocks that make up perceptions of birth and drive women's preferences. The new scale provides an easy way to distinctly assess them so they can be used to further understand planned birth behaviors. Additional studies are needed to comprehend how these beliefs form in different cultural contexts and how they evolve over time.

Lucky Belief in Science Education - Gettier Cases and the Value of Reliable Belief-Forming Processes

Science.gov (United States)

Brock, Richard

2018-05-01

The conceptualisation of knowledge as justified true belief has been shown to be, at the very least, an incomplete account. One challenge to the justified true belief model arises from the proposition of situations in which a person possesses a belief that is both justified and true which some philosophers intuit should not be classified as knowledge. Though situations of this type have been imagined by a number of writers, they have come to be labelled Gettier cases. Gettier cases arise when a fallible justification happens to lead to a true belief in one context, a case of `lucky belief'. In this article, it is argued that students studying science may make claims that resemble Gettier cases. In some contexts, a student may make a claim that is both justified and true but which arises from an alternative conception of a scientific concept. A number of instances of lucky belief in topics in science education are considered leading to an examination of the criteria teachers use to assess students' claims in different contexts. The possibility of lucky belief leads to the proposal that, in addition to the acquisition of justified true beliefs, the development of reliable belief-forming processes is a significant goal of science education. The pedagogic value of various kinds of claims is considered and, it is argued, the criteria used to judge claims may be adjusted to suit the context of assessment. It is suggested that teachers should be alert to instances of lucky belief that mask alternative conceptions.

MANGO PROPAGATION

OpenAIRE

ALBERTO CARLOS DE QUEIROZ PINTO; VICTOR GALÁN SAÚCO; SISIR KUMAR MITRA; FRANCISCO RICARDO FERREIRA

2018-01-01

ABSTRACT This Chapter has the objectives to search, through the review of the available literature, important informations on the evolution of mango propagation regarding theoretical and practical aspects from cellular base of sexual propagation, nursery structures and organizations, substrate compositions and uses, importance of rootstock and scion selections, also it will be described the preparation and transport of the grafts (stem and bud) as well as the main asexual propagation methods...

Modelling of interfacial transition zone effect on resistance to crack propagation in fine-grained cement-based composites

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Šimonová, H.; Vyhlídal, M.; Kucharczyková, B.; Bayer, P.; Keršner, Z.; Malíková, Lucie; Klusák, Jan

2017-01-01

Roč. 11, č. 41 (2017), s. 211-219 ISSN 1971-8993 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA16-18702S Institutional support: RVO:68081723 Keywords : Effective fracture toughness * Fine-grained concrete * Interfacial transition zone * Three-point bending fracture test * Scanning electron microscopy Subject RIV: JL - Materials Fatigue, Friction Mechanics OBOR OECD: Audio engineering, reliability analysis

Three-dimensional study of grain boundary engineering effects on intergranular stress corrosion cracking of 316 stainless steel in high temperature water

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Tingguang; Xia, Shuang; Bai, Qin; Zhou, Bangxin; Zhang, Lefu; Lu, Yonghao; Shoji, Tetsuo

2018-01-01

The intergranular cracks and grain boundary (GB) network of a GB-engineered 316 stainless steel after stress corrosion cracking (SCC) test in high temperature high pressure water of reactor environment were investigated by two-dimensional and three-dimensional (3D) characterization in order to expose the mechanism that GB-engineering mitigates intergranular SCC. The 3D microstructure shown that the essential characteristic of the GB-engineered microstructure is formation of many large twin-boundaries as a result of multiple-twinning, which results in the formation of large grain-clusters. The large grain-clusters played a key role to the improvement of intergranular SCC resistance by GB-engineering. The main intergranular cracks propagated in a zigzag along the outer boundaries of these large grain-clusters because all inner boundaries of the grain-clusters were twin-boundaries (∑3) or twin-related boundaries (∑3n) which had much lower susceptibility to SCC than random boundaries. These large grain-clusters had tree-ring-shaped topology structure and very complex morphology. They got tangled so that difficult to be separated during SCC, resulting in some large crack-bridges retained in the crack surface.

Intention and Normative Belief

OpenAIRE

Chislenko, Eugene

2016-01-01

I defend the view that we act “under the guise of the good.” More specifically, I argue that an intention to do something is a belief that one ought to do it. I show how conflicts in intention and belief, as well as more complex impairments in these states, account for the central problem cases: akrasia in belief and intention, apparently unintelligible choices, and lack of motivation or accidie.

A comparison of grain boundary evolution during grain growth in fcc metals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brons, J.G.; Thompson, G.B.

2013-01-01

Grain growth of Cu and Ni thin films, subjected to in situ annealing within a transmission electron microscope, has been quantified using a precession-enhanced electron diffraction technique. The orientation of each grain and its misorientation with respect to its neighboring grains were calculated. The Cu underwent grain growth that maintained a monomodal grain size distribution, with its low-angle grain boundaries being consumed, and the Ni exhibited grain size distributions in stages, from monomodal to bimodal to monomodal. The onset of Ni’s abnormal grain growth was accompanied by a sharp increase in the Σ3 and Σ9 boundary fractions, which is attributed to simulation predictions of their increased mobility. These Σ3 and Σ9 fractions then dropped to their room temperature values during the third stage of grain growth. In addition to the Σ3 and Σ9 boundaries, the Σ5 and Σ7 boundaries also underwent an increase in total boundary fraction with increasing temperature in both metals

When fast logic meets slow belief: Evidence for a parallel-processing model of belief bias

OpenAIRE

Trippas, Dries; Thompson, Valerie A.; Handley, Simon J.

2016-01-01

Two experiments pitted the default-interventionist account of belief bias against a parallel-processing model. According to the former, belief bias occurs because a fast, belief-based evaluation of the conclusion pre-empts a working-memory demanding logical analysis. In contrast, according to the latter both belief-based and logic-based responding occur in parallel. Participants were given deductive reasoning problems of variable complexity and instructed to decide whether the conclusion was ...

Against Motivational Efficacy of Beliefs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seungbae Park

2015-07-01

Full Text Available Danielle Bromwich (2010 argues that a belief is motivationally efficacious in that, other things being equal, it disposes an agent to answer a question in accordance with that belief. I reply that what we are disposed to do is largely determined by our genes, whereas what we believe is largely determined by stimuli from the environment. We have a standing and default disposition to answer questions honestly, ceteris paribus, even before we are exposed to environmental stimuli. Since this standing and default disposition is innate, and our beliefs have their source in environmental stimuli, our beliefs cannot be the source of the disposition. Moreover, a recent finding in neuroscience suggests that motivation is extrinsic to belief.

Underestimating belief in climate change

Science.gov (United States)

Jost, John T.

2018-03-01

People are influenced by second-order beliefs — beliefs about the beliefs of others. New research finds that citizens in the US and China systematically underestimate popular support for taking action to curb climate change. Fortunately, they seem willing and able to correct their misperceptions.

Narcissism and belief in the paranormal.

Science.gov (United States)

Roe, Chris A; Morgan, Claire L

2002-04-01

The present study was designed to assess whether the relationship between narcissistic personality and paranormal belief identified by Tobacyk and Mitchell earlier could be replicated with a general population and to see whether the effect could be found with a narrower definition of paranormal beliefs that focuses only on belief in psychic phenomena. 75 participants completed the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and two measures of paranormal belief, the Paranormal Belief Scale and the Australian Sheep-Goat Scale. There was no correlation between narcissism and Paranormal Belief Scale scores, but narcissism and Australian Sheep-Goat Scale scores were significantly positively correlated. Of the three subscales to the Australian Sheep-Goat measure, scores for narcissism correlated with belief in ESP and PK but not in Life after death. These relationships were interpreted in terms of need for control.

Attitudes and beliefs as verbal behavior

OpenAIRE

Guerin, Bernard

1994-01-01

Attitudes and beliefs are analyzed as verbal behavior. It is argued that shaping by a verbal community is an essential part of the formation and maintenance of both attitudes and beliefs, and it is suggested that verbal communities mediate the important shift in control from events in the environment (attitudes and beliefs as tacts) to control by other words (attitudes and beliefs as intraverbals). It appears that both attitudes and beliefs are constantly being socially negotiated through aut...

Perceived parental beliefs about the causes of success in sport: relationship to athletes' achievement goals and personal beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

White, Sally A; Kavussanu, Maria; Tank, Kari M; Wingate, Jason M

2004-02-01

This study examined the relationship between perceived parental beliefs and young athletes' achievement goal orientations and personal beliefs about the causes of success in sport. Participants were 183 male and female athletes, 11-18 years old, involved in team sports. Athletes completed the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, the Beliefs about the Causes of Sport Success Questionnaire, and two modified versions of the latter inventory to assess their perceptions of their parents' beliefs. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that perceived parental beliefs were related to goal orientations and personal beliefs in a conceptually coherent fashion. Thus, the perceived parental belief that effort leads to success in sport was related to athletes' task orientation and personal belief that effort causes sport success. In contrast, the perceived parental beliefs that superior ability, external factors, and using deceptive tactics are precursors to success in sport corresponded to athletes' ego orientation and the same personal beliefs. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the socialization experiences of young athletes.

Mechanism of secondary recrystallization of Goss grains in grain-oriented electrical steel

Science.gov (United States)

Hayakawa, Yasuyuki

2017-12-01

Since its invention by Goss in 1934, grain-oriented (GO) electrical steel has been widely used as a core material in transformers. GO exhibits a grain size of over several millimeters attained by secondary recrystallization during high-temperature final batch annealing. In addition to the unusually large grain size, the crystal direction in the rolling direction is aligned with , which is the easy magnetization axis of α-iron. Secondary recrystallization is the phenomenon in which a certain very small number of {110} (Goss) grains grow selectively (about one in 106 primary grains) at the expense of many other primary recrystallized grains. The question of why the Goss orientation is exclusively selected during secondary recrystallization has long been a main research subject in this field. The general criterion for secondary recrystallization is a small and uniform primary grain size, which is achieved through the inhibition of normal grain growth by fine precipitates called inhibitors. This paper describes several conceivable mechanisms of secondary recrystallization of Goss grains mainly based on the selective growth model.

The Making of Paranormal Belief: History, Discourse Analysis and the Object of Belief

OpenAIRE

White, Lewis

2013-01-01

The present study comprises a discursive analysis of a cognitive phenomenon, paranormal beliefs. A discursive psychological approach to belief highlights that an important component of the cognitivist work has been how the object of paranormal belief has been defined in formal study. Using discourse analysis, as developed as a method in the history of psychology, this problem is explored through analysis of published scales. The findings highlight three rhetorical themes that are deployed in ...

Erosion of belief and disbelief: effects of religiosity and negative affect on beliefs in the paranormal and supernatural.

Science.gov (United States)

Beck, R; Miller, J P

2001-04-01

The authors investigated the effects of religiosity and negative affect on beliefs in the paranormal and supernatural among 94 undergraduate students enrolled in psychology classes at a small, private U.S. university. They hypothesized that religiosity would predict differential beliefs in the supernatural versus the paranormal but that negative affect would attenuate these beliefs. In addition, the authors predicted that belief in the supernatural and negative affect would interact to predict belief in the paranormal. Overall, the results were consistent with predictions. The religious participants were skeptical of paranormal phenomena but were accepting of supernatural phenomena. In addition, increased reports of negative affect over the preceding year appeared to attenuate belief in the supernatural for the religious participants. By contrast, for the nonreligious participants, increased belief in both the supernatural and paranormal was predicted when reports of negative affect were high. Finally, the interaction of supernatural belief and negative affect significantly predicted belief in the paranormal.

Ultrasonic wave propagation in real-life austenitic V-butt welds: Numerical modeling and validation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hannemann, R.; Marklein, R.; Langenberg, K. J.; Schurig, C.; Koehler, B.; Walte, F.

2000-01-01

In nondestructive testing the evaluation of austenitic steel welds with ultrasound is a commonly used method. But, since the wave propagation, scattering, and diffraction effects in such complicated media are hardly understood, computer simulations are very helpful to increase the knowledge of the physical phenomena in such samples. A particularly powerful numerical time domain modeling tool is the well established Elastodynamic Finite Integration Technique (EFIT). Recently, EFIT has been extended to simulate elastic waves in inhomogeneous anisotropic media. In this paper, the step-by-step evaluation of ultrasonic wave propagation in inhomogeneous anisotropic media will be described and the results will be validated against measurements. As a simplified model, a V-butt weld with perpendicular grain structure is investigated. The coincidence between the B Scans of the simulation and the measurement of an idealized V-butt weld is remarkable and even effects predicted by theory and simulation - the appearance of two coupled quasi-SV waves - can be observed. As a next step, an improved and more realistic model of the grain orientation inside the V-butt weld is introduced. This model has been implemented in the EFIT code and has been validated against measurements. For this verification, measured and simulated B-Scans for a real-life V-butt weld have been compared and a significant coincidence has been observed. Furthermore, the main pulses in the B-Scans are interpreted by analyzing the snapshot-movies of the wavefronts

Grain-boundary engineering applied to grain growth in a high temperature material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Huda, Z.

1993-01-01

Crystallography of grain boundaries are determined for a high temperature material, before and after grain growth processes, so as to study the induction of special properties useful for application in components of a gas-turbine engine. The philosophy of grain-boundary engineering is applied to grain growth in APK-6, a powder formed nickel-base superalloy so as to establish the possible structure/property relationships. The alloy in the as received condition is shown to possess a strong texture and contained coincident site lattices (CSL) boundaries with most boundaries having sigma values in the range of 3 > sigma > 25. A normal grain-growth heat treatment result in a good population of low angle grain boundaries, and drastically reduces the proportion of CSL boundaries. A strong [011] annealing texture is observed after an intermediate grain growth; most grain boundaries, here, tend to be high angle indicating a possibility of possessing special properties. (author)

Effect of Different Size Dust Grains on the Properties of Solitary Waves in Space Environments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Elwakil, S.A.; Zahran, M.A.; El-Shewy, E.K.; Abdelwahed, H.G.

2009-01-01

Propagation of nonlinear dust-acoustic (DA) waves in an unmagnetized collisionless dusty plasma consisting of dust grains obey power law dust size distribution and nonthermal ions are investigated. For nonlinear DA waves, a reductive perturbation method was employed to obtain a Korteweg-de Vries (KdV) equation for the first-order potential. The effects of a dust size distribution, dust radius and the non-thermal distribution of ions on the soliton amplitude, width and energy of electrostatic solitary structures are presented

Homo economicus belief inhibits trust.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ziqiang Xin

Full Text Available As a foundational concept in economics, the homo economicus assumption regards humans as rational and self-interested actors. In contrast, trust requires individuals to believe partners' benevolence and unselfishness. Thus, the homo economicus belief may inhibit trust. The present three experiments demonstrated that the direct exposure to homo economicus belief can weaken trust. And economic situations like profit calculation can also activate individuals' homo economicus belief and inhibit their trust. It seems that people's increasing homo economicus belief may serve as one cause of the worldwide decline of trust.

Homo Economicus Belief Inhibits Trust

Science.gov (United States)

Xin, Ziqiang; Liu, Guofang

2013-01-01

As a foundational concept in economics, the homo economicus assumption regards humans as rational and self-interested actors. In contrast, trust requires individuals to believe partners’ benevolence and unselfishness. Thus, the homo economicus belief may inhibit trust. The present three experiments demonstrated that the direct exposure to homo economicus belief can weaken trust. And economic situations like profit calculation can also activate individuals’ homo economicus belief and inhibit their trust. It seems that people’s increasing homo economicus belief may serve as one cause of the worldwide decline of trust. PMID:24146907

Paranormal beliefs of Latvian college students: a Latvian version of the revised paranormal belief scale.

Science.gov (United States)

Utinans, A; Ancane, G; Tobacyk, J J; Boyraz, G; Livingston, M M; Tobacyk, J S

2015-02-01

A Latvian version of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (RPBS) was completed by 229 Latvian university students. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed six relatively independent factors labeled Magical Abilities, Psychokinesis, Traditional Religious Belief, Superstition, Spirit Travel, and Extraordinary Life Forms. Based on the motivational-control model, it was hypothesized that the societal stressors affecting Latvian society during the last 50 yr. have led to a reduced sense of personal control which, in turn, has resulted in increased endorsement of paranormal beliefs to re-establish a sense of control. The motivational-control hypothesis was not supported. Results indicated that (except for Traditional Religious Belief in women), the majority of these students were disbelievers in paranormal phenomena. As hypothesized, Latvian women reported significantly greater paranormal belief than men.

Phloem Transport of Arsenic Species from Flag Leaf to Grain During Grain Filling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

A Carey; G Norton; C Deacon; K Scheckel; E Lombi; T Punshon; M Guerinot; A Lanzirotti; M Newville; et al.

2011-12-31

Strategies to reduce arsenic (As) in rice grain, below concentrations that represent a serious human health concern, require that the mechanisms of As accumulation within grain be established. Therefore, retranslocation of As species from flag leaves into filling rice grain was investigated. Arsenic species were delivered through cut flag leaves during grain fill. Spatial unloading within grains was investigated using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microtomography. Additionally, the effect of germanic acid (a silicic acid analog) on grain As accumulation in arsenite-treated panicles was examined. Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were extremely efficiently retranslocated from flag leaves to rice grain; arsenate was poorly retranslocated, and was rapidly reduced to arsenite within flag leaves; arsenite displayed no retranslocation. Within grains, DMA rapidly dispersed while MMA and inorganic As remained close to the entry point. Germanic acid addition did not affect grain As in arsenite-treated panicles. Three-dimensional SXRF microtomography gave further information on arsenite localization in the ovular vascular trace (OVT) of rice grains. These results demonstrate that inorganic As is poorly remobilized, while organic species are readily remobilized, from leaves to grain. Stem translocation of inorganic As may not rely solely on silicic acid transporters.

Phloem transport of arsenic species from flag leaf to grain during grain filling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carey, Anne-Marie; Norton, Gareth J.; Deacon, Claire; Scheckel, Kirk G.; Lombi, Enzo; Punshon, Tracy; Guerinot, Mary Lou; Lanzirotti, Antonio; Newville, Matt; Choi, Yongseong; Price, Adam H.; Meharg, Andrew A. (EPA); (U. South Australia); (Aberdeen); (UC); (Dartmouth)

2011-09-20

Strategies to reduce arsenic (As) in rice grain, below concentrations that represent a serious human health concern, require that the mechanisms of As accumulation within grain be established. Therefore, retranslocation of As species from flag leaves into filling rice grain was investigated. Arsenic species were delivered through cut flag leaves during grain fill. Spatial unloading within grains was investigated using synchrotron X-ray fluorescence (SXRF) microtomography. Additionally, the effect of germanic acid (a silicic acid analog) on grain As accumulation in arsenite-treated panicles was examined. Dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) were extremely efficiently retranslocated from flag leaves to rice grain; arsenate was poorly retranslocated, and was rapidly reduced to arsenite within flag leaves; arsenite displayed no retranslocation. Within grains, DMA rapidly dispersed while MMA and inorganic As remained close to the entry point. Germanic acid addition did not affect grain As in arsenite-treated panicles. Three-dimensional SXRF microtomography gave further information on arsenite localization in the ovular vascular trace (OVT) of rice grains. These results demonstrate that inorganic As is poorly remobilized, while organic species are readily remobilized, from leaves to grain. Stem translocation of inorganic As may not rely solely on silicic acid transporters.

Teacher Beliefs and Technology Integration

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, ChanMin; Kim, Min Kyu; Lee, Chiajung; Spector, J. Michael; DeMeester, Karen

2013-01-01

The purpose of this exploratory mixed methods study was to investigate how teacher beliefs were related to technology integration practices. We were interested in how and to what extent teachers' (a) beliefs about the nature of knowledge and learning, (b) beliefs about effective ways of teaching, and (c) technology integration practices were…

Ionizing radiation for insect control in grain and grain products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tilton, E.W.; Brower, J.H.

1987-01-01

A technical review summarizes and discusses information on various aspects of the use of ionizing radiation for the control of insect infestation in grains and grain products. Topics include: the effects of ionizing radiation on insects infesting stored-grain products; the 2 main types of irradiators (electron accelerators; radioisotopes (e.g.: Co-60; Cs-137); dosimetry systems and methodology; variations in radiation resistance by stored-product pests; the proper selection of radiation dose; the effects of combining various treatments (temperature, infrared/microwave radiation, hypoxia, chemicals) with ionizing radiation; sublethal radiation for controlling bulk grain insects; the feeding capacity of irradiated insects; the susceptibility of insecticide-resistant insects to ionizing radiation; and the possible resistance of insects to ionizing radiation. Practical aspects of removing insects from irradiated grain also are discussed

Stress-assisted grain growth in nanocrystalline metals: Grain boundary mediated mechanisms and stabilization through alloying

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yang; Tucker, Garritt J.; Trelewicz, Jason R.

2017-01-01

The mechanisms of stress-assisted grain growth are explored using molecular dynamics simulations of nanoindentation in nanocrystalline Ni and Ni-1 at.% P as a function of grain size and deformation temperature. Grain coalescence is primarily confined to the high stress region beneath the simulated indentation zone in nanocrystalline Ni with a grain size of 3 nm. Grain orientation and atomic displacement vector mapping demonstrates that coalescence transpires through grain rotation and grain boundary migration, which are manifested in the grain interior and grain boundary components of the average microrotation. A doubling of the grain size to 6 nm and addition of 1 at.% P eliminates stress-assisted grain growth in Ni. In the absence of grain coalescence, deformation is accommodated by grain boundary-mediated dislocation plasticity and thermally activated in pure nanocrystalline Ni. By adding solute to the grain boundaries, the temperature-dependent deformation behavior observed in both the lattice and grain boundaries inverts, indicating that the individual processes of dislocation and grain boundary plasticity will exhibit different activity based on boundary chemistry and deformation temperature.

Hormonal changes in the grains of rice subjected to water stress during grain filling.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, J; Zhang, J; Wang, Z; Zhu, Q; Wang, W

2001-09-01

Lodging-resistant rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars usually show slow grain filling when nitrogen is applied in large amounts. This study investigated the possibility that a hormonal change may mediate the effect of water deficit that enhances whole plant senescence and speeds up grain filling. Two rice cultivars showing high lodging resistance and slow grain filling were field grown and applied with either normal or high amount nitrogen (HN) at heading. Well-watered and water-stressed (WS) treatments were imposed 9 days post anthesis to maturity. Results showed that WS increased partitioning of fixed (14)CO(2) into grains, accelerated the grain filling rate but shortened the grain filling period, whereas the HN did the opposite way. Cytokinin (zeatin + zeatin riboside) and indole-3-acetic acid contents in the grains transiently increased at early filling stage and WS treatments hastened their declines at the late grain filling stage. Gibberellins (GAs; GA(1) + GA(4)) in the grains were also high at early grain filling but HN enhanced, whereas WS substantially reduced, its accumulation. Opposite to GAs, abscisic acid (ABA) in the grains was low at early grain filling but WS remarkably enhanced its accumulation. The peak values of ABA were significantly correlated with the maximum grain filling rates (r = 0.92**, P water stress during grain filling, especially a decrease in GAs and an increase in ABA, enhances the remobilization of prestored carbon to the grains and accelerates the grain filling rate.

MANGO PROPAGATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

ALBERTO CARLOS DE QUEIROZ PINTO

2018-03-01

Full Text Available ABSTRACT This Chapter has the objectives to search, through the review of the available literature, important informations on the evolution of mango propagation regarding theoretical and practical aspects from cellular base of sexual propagation, nursery structures and organizations, substrate compositions and uses, importance of rootstock and scion selections, also it will be described the preparation and transport of the grafts (stem and bud as well as the main asexual propagation methods their uses and practices. Finally, pattern and quality of graft mangos and their commercialization aspects will be discussed in this Chapter.

Grain dynamics and inter-grain coupling in dusty plasma Coulomb crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rahman, H.U.; Mohideen, U.; Smith, M.A.; Rosenberg, M.; Mendis, D.A.

2001-01-01

We review our results on the lattice structure and the lattice dynamics of dusty plasma Coulomb crystals formed in rectangular conductive grooves. The basic structure appears to be made of mutually repulsive columns of grains confined by the walls of the groove. The columns are oriented along the direction of the electrode sheath electric field. Inter-grain coupling as a function of plasma temperature and density were investigated by measurement of these parameters. A simple phenomenological model wherein the inter-grain spacing along the column results from an attractive electric field induced dipole-dipole force balanced by a repulsive monopole Coulomb force is consistent with observed features of the Coulomb crystal. In addition, here we present some preliminary measurements of the vibration and rotation dynamics of the individual grains in the Coulomb crystal. The thermal energy of the dust grain thus calculated is much less than the inter-grain Coulomb potential energy as required for the formation of stable structures. Also the observed rotational frequency is consistent with the assumption of thermal equilibrium between the dust grains and the neutral gas. (orig.)

Cognitive Network Modeling as a Basis for Characterizing Human Communication Dynamics and Belief Contagion in Technology Adoption

Science.gov (United States)

Hutto, Clayton; Briscoe, Erica; Trewhitt, Ethan

2012-01-01

Societal level macro models of social behavior do not sufficiently capture nuances needed to adequately represent the dynamics of person-to-person interactions. Likewise, individual agent level micro models have limited scalability - even minute parameter changes can drastically affect a model's response characteristics. This work presents an approach that uses agent-based modeling to represent detailed intra- and inter-personal interactions, as well as a system dynamics model to integrate societal-level influences via reciprocating functions. A Cognitive Network Model (CNM) is proposed as a method of quantitatively characterizing cognitive mechanisms at the intra-individual level. To capture the rich dynamics of interpersonal communication for the propagation of beliefs and attitudes, a Socio-Cognitive Network Model (SCNM) is presented. The SCNM uses socio-cognitive tie strength to regulate how agents influence--and are influenced by--one another's beliefs during social interactions. We then present experimental results which support the use of this network analytical approach, and we discuss its applicability towards characterizing and understanding human information processing.

Microbiota of kefir grains

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tomislav Pogačić

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Kefir grains represent the unique microbial community consisting of bacteria, yeasts, and sometimes filamentous moulds creating complex symbiotic community. The complexity of their physical and microbial structures is the reason that the kefir grains are still not unequivocally elucidated. Microbiota of kefir grains has been studied by many microbiological and molecular approaches. The development of metagenomics, based on the identification without cultivation, is opening new possibilities for identification of previously nonisolated and non-identified microbial species from the kefir grains. Considering recent studies, there are over 50 microbial species associated with kefir grains. The aim of this review is to summarise the microbiota composition of kefir grains. Moreover, because of technological and microbiological significance of the kefir grains, the paper provides an insight into the microbiological and molecular methods applied to study microbial biodiversity of kefir grains.

Are essentialist beliefs associated with prejudice?

Science.gov (United States)

Haslam, Nick; Rothschild, Louis; Ernst, Donald

2002-03-01

Gordon Allport (1954) proposed that belief in group essences is one aspect of the prejudiced personality, alongside a rigid, dichotomous and ambiguity-intolerant cognitive style. We examined whether essentialist beliefs-beliefs that a social category has a fixed, inherent, identity-defining nature-are indeed associated in this fashion with prejudice towards black people, women and gay men. Allport's claim, which is mirrored by many contemporary social theorists, received partial support but had to be qualified in important respects. Essence-related beliefs were associated strongly with anti-gay attitudes but only weakly with sexism and racism, and they did not reflect a cognitive style that was consistent across stigmatized categories. When associations with prejudice were obtained, only a few specific beliefs were involved, and some anti-essentialist beliefs were associated with anti-gay attitudes. Nevertheless, the powerful association that essence-related beliefs had with anti-gay attitudes was independent of established prejudice-related traits, indicating that they have a significant role to play in the psychology of prejudice.

Origins of GEMS Grains

Science.gov (United States)

Messenger, S.; Walker, R. M.

2012-01-01

Interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) collected in the Earth s stratosphere contain high abundances of submicrometer amorphous silicates known as GEMS grains. From their birth as condensates in the outflows of oxygen-rich evolved stars, processing in interstellar space, and incorporation into disks around new stars, amorphous silicates predominate in most astrophysical environments. Amorphous silicates were a major building block of our Solar System and are prominent in infrared spectra of comets. Anhydrous interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) thought to derive from comets contain abundant amorphous silicates known as GEMS (glass with embedded metal and sulfides) grains. GEMS grains have been proposed to be isotopically and chemically homogenized interstellar amorphous silicate dust. We evaluated this hypothesis through coordinated chemical and isotopic analyses of GEMS grains in a suite of IDPs to constrain their origins. GEMS grains show order of magnitude variations in Mg, Fe, Ca, and S abundances. GEMS grains do not match the average element abundances inferred for ISM dust containing on average, too little Mg, Fe, and Ca, and too much S. GEMS grains have complementary compositions to the crystalline components in IDPs suggesting that they formed from the same reservoir. We did not observe any unequivocal microstructural or chemical evidence that GEMS grains experienced prolonged exposure to radiation. We identified four GEMS grains having O isotopic compositions that point to origins in red giant branch or asymptotic giant branch stars and supernovae. Based on their O isotopic compositions, we estimate that 1-6% of GEMS grains are surviving circumstellar grains. The remaining 94-99% of GEMS grains have O isotopic compositions that are indistinguishable from terrestrial materials and carbonaceous chondrites. These isotopically solar GEMS grains either formed in the Solar System or were completely homogenized in the interstellar medium (ISM). However, the

The variation of grain structure and the enhancement of shear strength in SAC305-0.1Ni/OSP Cu solder joint

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fleshman, Collin; Chen, Wei-Yu; Chou, Tzu-Ting [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Huang, Jia-Hong [Department of Engineering and System Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Duh, Jenq-Gong, E-mail: jgd@mx.nthu.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China)

2017-03-01

In this study, the slow speed shear test in both Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu (wt%)/OSP Cu and Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu-0.1Ni (wt%)/OSP Cu assembly with the ball heights of 300 μm and the corresponding grain structures were investigated. With the aid of Electron Back Scattering Diffraction (EBSD) analysis, single grain structure was observed in Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu/OSP Cu. Besides, Ni was found to control the grain structure in Sn-3.0Ag-0.5Cu-0.1Ni solder balls, showing multiple grains with partially interlaced structure. The grain variation resulted from larger undercooling caused by smaller ball size and Ni-dopant induced tiny intermetallic compounds (IMCs). IMCs serve as heterogeneous nucleation sites for β-tin and thus alter the grain structure of solder balls. The results of shear test reveal that the peak force of solder joints was efficiently enhanced by the addition of Ni. The enhancement of mechanical strength was attributed to the modification of grain structure by the introduction of Ni dopant. It is believed that the smaller grains, tiny intermetallic compounds, and the oriented interlaced area in Ni-doped solder joints became energy barriers for propagation of cracks and dislocations. It is demonstrated that Ni-doped solder joints tend to exhibit better mechanical reliability in advanced electronic packaging. - Highlights: • The grain structure and slow speed shear test performance were investigated. • Doping Ni into solder induce interlaced grain structure. • Interlaced structure can enhance mechanical reliability in BGA packaging.

How psychotic-like are paranormal beliefs?

Science.gov (United States)

Cella, Matteo; Vellante, Marcello; Preti, Antonio

2012-09-01

Paranormal beliefs and Psychotic-like Experiences (PLE) are phenotypically similar and can occur in individuals with psychosis but also in the general population; however the relationship of these experiences for psychosis risk is largely unclear. This study investigates the association of PLE and paranormal beliefs with psychological distress. Five hundred and three young adults completed measures of paranormal beliefs (Beliefs in the Paranormal Scale), psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire), delusion (Peters et al. Delusions Inventory), and hallucination (Launay-Slade Hallucination Scale) proneness. The frequency and intensity of PLE was higher in believers in the paranormal compared to non-believers, however psychological distress levels were comparable. Regression findings confirmed that paranormal beliefs were predicted by delusion and hallucination-proneness but not psychological distress. The use of a cross-sectional design in a specific young adult population makes the findings exploratory and in need of replication with longitudinal studies. The predictive value of paranormal beliefs and experiences for psychosis may be limited; appraisal or the belief emotional salience rather than the belief per se may be more relevant risk factors to predict psychotic risk. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic and impact contact mechanics of geologic materials: Grain-scale experiments and modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cole, David M.; Hopkins, Mark A.; Ketcham, Stephen A.

2013-01-01

High fidelity treatments of the generation and propagation of seismic waves in naturally occurring granular materials is becoming more practical given recent advancements in our ability to model complex particle shapes and their mechanical interaction. Of particular interest are the grain-scale processes that are activated by impact events and the characteristics of force transmission through grain contacts. To address this issue, we have developed a physics based approach that involves laboratory experiments to quantify the dynamic contact and impact behavior of granular materials and incorporation of the observed behavior indiscrete element models. The dynamic experiments do not involve particle damage and emphasis is placed on measured values of contact stiffness and frictional loss. The normal stiffness observed in dynamic contact experiments at low frequencies (e.g., 10 Hz) are shown to be in good agreement with quasistatic experiments on quartz sand. The results of impact experiments – which involve moderate to extensive levels of particle damage – are presented for several types of naturally occurring granular materials (several quartz sands, magnesite and calcium carbonate ooids). Implementation of the experimental findings in discrete element models is discussed and the results of impact simulations involving up to 5 × 105 grains are presented.

Dynamic and impact contact mechanics of geologic materials: Grain-scale experiments and modeling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cole, David M.; Hopkins, Mark A.; Ketcham, Stephen A. [Engineer Research and Development Center - Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory, 72 Lyme Rd., Hanover, NH 03755 (United States)

2013-06-18

High fidelity treatments of the generation and propagation of seismic waves in naturally occurring granular materials is becoming more practical given recent advancements in our ability to model complex particle shapes and their mechanical interaction. Of particular interest are the grain-scale processes that are activated by impact events and the characteristics of force transmission through grain contacts. To address this issue, we have developed a physics based approach that involves laboratory experiments to quantify the dynamic contact and impact behavior of granular materials and incorporation of the observed behavior indiscrete element models. The dynamic experiments do not involve particle damage and emphasis is placed on measured values of contact stiffness and frictional loss. The normal stiffness observed in dynamic contact experiments at low frequencies (e.g., 10 Hz) are shown to be in good agreement with quasistatic experiments on quartz sand. The results of impact experiments - which involve moderate to extensive levels of particle damage - are presented for several types of naturally occurring granular materials (several quartz sands, magnesite and calcium carbonate ooids). Implementation of the experimental findings in discrete element models is discussed and the results of impact simulations involving up to 5 Multiplication-Sign 105 grains are presented.

Agency Beliefs Over Time and Across Cultures: Free Will Beliefs Predict Higher Job Satisfaction

Science.gov (United States)

Feldman, Gilad; Farh, Jiing-Lih; Wong, Kin Fai Ellick

2017-01-01

In three studies, we examined the relationship between free will beliefs and job satisfaction over time and across cultures. Study 1 examined 252 Taiwanese real-estate agents over a 3-months period. Study 2 examined job satisfaction for 137 American workers on an online labor market over a 6-months period. Study 3 extended to a large sample of 14,062 employees from 16 countries and examined country-level moderators. We found a consistent positive relationship between the belief in free will and job satisfaction. The relationship was above and beyond other agency constructs (Study 2), mediated by perceived autonomy (Studies 2-3), and stronger in countries with a higher national endorsement of the belief in free will (Study 3). We conclude that free-will beliefs predict outcomes over time and across cultures beyond other agency constructs. We call for more cross-cultural and longitudinal studies examining free-will beliefs as predictors of real-life outcomes. PMID:29191084

Belief, hope and faith.

Science.gov (United States)

Figueiredo, Luis Claudio

2004-12-01

A case of hysteria is presented in order to create a frame of reference for the author's approach to the concepts of hope, belief and faith. A difference between hope as a 'sad passion' (which is here called regressive hope) and hope as a principle of mental functioning is established. The concept of hope will at first always be based on beliefs--either beliefs organised in the paranoid-schizoid position (called here fragmented and delusional beliefs)--or those organised from the depressive position (complex systems of beliefs, which end up being dogmatic); the latter typically occur in neurotics. It is suggested here that there is another possibility for hope, which is based on faith. The meaning of faith is considered here externally to the religious sense. The solid establishment of hope as a principle--based on faith--can be viewed as responsible for the opening up of creative potentials and as one of the main aims of analysis. Such an aim, however requires the establishment of a deep relationship, both in theory and in clinical practice, between the Kleinian question of the depressive position and the Freudian question of the Oedipus complex.

Effects of Epistemological Beliefs and Topic-Specific Beliefs on Undergraduates' Cognitive and Strategic Processing of Dual-Positional Text.

Science.gov (United States)

Kardash, CarolAnne M.; Howell, Karen L.

2000-01-01

Investigates effects of epistemological beliefs and topic-specific beliefs on undergraduates' (N=40) cognitive and strategic processing of a dual-positional text. Findings reveal that epistemological beliefs about the speed of learning affected the overall number of cognitive processes exhibited, whereas topic-specific beliefs interacted with the…

Conceptions about the mind-body problem and their relations to afterlife beliefs, paranormal beliefs, religiosity, and ontological confusions.

Science.gov (United States)

Riekki, Tapani; Lindeman, Marjaana; Lipsanen, Jari

2013-01-01

We examined lay people's conceptions about the relationship between mind and body and their correlates. In Study 1, a web survey (N = 850) of reflective dualistic, emergentistic, and monistic perceptions of the mind-body relationship, afterlife beliefs (i.e., common sense dualism), religiosity, paranormal beliefs, and ontological confusions about physical, biological, and psychological phenomena was conducted. In Study 2 (N = 73), we examined implicit ontological confusions and their relations to afterlife beliefs, paranormal beliefs, and religiosity. Correlation and regression analyses showed that reflective dualism, afterlife beliefs, paranormal beliefs, and religiosity were strongly and positively related and that reflective dualism and afterlife beliefs mediated the relationship between ontological confusions and religious and paranormal beliefs. The results elucidate the contention that dualism is a manifestation of universal cognitive processes related to intuitions about physical, biological, and psychological phenomena by showing that especially individuals who confuse the distinctive attributes of these phenomena tend to set the mind apart from the body.

Conceptions about the mind-body problem and their relations to afterlife beliefs, paranormal beliefs, religiosity, and ontological confusions

Science.gov (United States)

Riekki, Tapani; Lindeman, Marjaana; Lipsanen, Jari

2013-01-01

We examined lay people’s conceptions about the relationship between mind and body and their correlates. In Study 1, a web survey (N = 850) of reflective dualistic, emergentistic, and monistic perceptions of the mind-body relationship, afterlife beliefs (i.e., common sense dualism), religiosity, paranormal beliefs, and ontological confusions about physical, biological, and psychological phenomena was conducted. In Study 2 (N = 73), we examined implicit ontological confusions and their relations to afterlife beliefs, paranormal beliefs, and religiosity. Correlation and regression analyses showed that reflective dualism, afterlife beliefs, paranormal beliefs, and religiosity were strongly and positively related and that reflective dualism and afterlife beliefs mediated the relationship between ontological confusions and religious and paranormal beliefs. The results elucidate the contention that dualism is a manifestation of universal cognitive processes related to intuitions about physical, biological, and psychological phenomena by showing that especially individuals who confuse the distinctive attributes of these phenomena tend to set the mind apart from the body. PMID:25247011

The effects of irradiation on grain coat color and grain texture in winter wheat

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miao Bingliang; Liu Xueyu

1989-01-01

Dry seeds of the variety ''Yangmai 5'' with red grain coat, semihard grain texture, and the variety ''Ningmai 3'' with red grain coat, soft grain texture were irradiated with Y-rays at various doses.The effect on M1 grain coat color was different between two varieties, the higher doses made grain coat color of ''Yangmai 5'' redder, but had hardly effect on ''Ningmai 3''.The effect on M1 grain texture showed that the grain texture became softer with doses increased.It was found that there were 0.6% of positive ( red to white ) grain coat color mutants and 2.0% of negative(hard to soft) grain texture mutants in M2 of ''Yangmai 5'', and there were 0.7% of negative ( white to red ) grain coat color mutants and 3.6% of positive ( soft to hard ) grain texture mutants in M2 of ''Ningmai 3''. It seemed that the positive mutants selected in M3 were stable in M4. The results showed that γ-rays can be used to improve the grain coat color andgrain texture of wheat varieties

Investigation of the Quasi-Brittle Failure of Alashan Granite Viewed from Laboratory Experiments and Grain-Based Discrete Element Modeling.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhou, Jian; Zhang, Luqing; Yang, Duoxing; Braun, Anika; Han, Zhenhua

2017-07-21

Granite is a typical crystalline material, often used as a building material, but also a candidate host rock for the repository of high-level radioactive waste. The petrographic texture-including mineral constituents, grain shape, size, and distribution-controls the fracture initiation, propagation, and coalescence within granitic rocks. In this paper, experimental laboratory tests and numerical simulations of a grain-based approach in two-dimensional Particle Flow Code (PFC2D) were conducted on the mechanical strength and failure behavior of Alashan granite, in which the grain-like structure of granitic rock was considered. The microparameters for simulating Alashan granite were calibrated based on real laboratory strength values and strain-stress curves. The unconfined uniaxial compressive test and Brazilian indirect tensile test were performed using a grain-based approach to examine and discuss the influence of mineral grain size and distribution on the strength and patterns of microcracks in granitic rocks. The results show it is possible to reproduce the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and uniaxial tensile strength (UTS) of Alashan granite using the grain-based approach in PFC2D, and the average mineral size has a positive relationship with the UCS and UTS. During the modeling, most of the generated microcracks were tensile cracks. Moreover, the ratio of the different types of generated microcracks is related to the average grain size. When the average grain size in numerical models is increased, the ratio of the number of intragrain tensile cracks to the number of intergrain tensile cracks increases, and the UCS of rock samples also increases with this ratio. However, the variation in grain size distribution does not have a significant influence on the likelihood of generated microcracks.

Part two: Error propagation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Picard, R.R.

1989-01-01

Topics covered in this chapter include a discussion of exact results as related to nuclear materials management and accounting in nuclear facilities; propagation of error for a single measured value; propagation of error for several measured values; error propagation for materials balances; and an application of error propagation to an example of uranium hexafluoride conversion process

Changing Conspiracy Beliefs through Rationality and Ridiculing.

Science.gov (United States)

Orosz, Gábor; Krekó, Péter; Paskuj, Benedek; Tóth-Király, István; Bőthe, Beáta; Roland-Lévy, Christine

2016-01-01

Conspiracy theory (CT) beliefs can be harmful. How is it possible to reduce them effectively? Three reduction strategies were tested in an online experiment using general and well-known CT beliefs on a comprehensive randomly assigned Hungarian sample ( N = 813): exposing rational counter CT arguments, ridiculing those who hold CT beliefs, and empathizing with the targets of CT beliefs. Several relevant individual differences were measured. Rational and ridiculing arguments were effective in reducing CT, whereas empathizing with the targets of CTs had no effect. Individual differences played no role in CT reduction, but the perceived intelligence and competence of the individual who conveyed the CT belief-reduction information contributed to the success of the CT belief reduction. Rational arguments targeting the link between the object of belief and its characteristics appear to be an effective tool in fighting conspiracy theory beliefs.

Grain boundary and grain interior conduction in γ'-Bi2MoO6

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vera, C.M.C.; Aragon, R.

2005-01-01

Impedance spectroscopy of fine grained ( 2 MoO 6 samples, in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz-250 kHz, relevant to sensor applications, up to 800 deg. C, has been used to characterize grain boundary and grain interior contributions to conduction. Above 500 deg. C, the grain boundary contribution is no longer rate limiting and conduction is dominated by the grain interior component. The corresponding activation energies are 0.98 eV for grain boundary and 0.73 eV for grain interior components. The weak dependence of conductivity on oxygen partial pressure below 500 deg. C can be attributed to electrode-electrolyte interface phenomena, whereas the robust response to ethanol is commensurate with changes in intrinsic ionic conductivity

Psychics, aliens, or experience? Using the Anomalistic Belief Scale to examine the relationship between type of belief and probabilistic reasoning.

Science.gov (United States)

Prike, Toby; Arnold, Michelle M; Williamson, Paul

2017-08-01

A growing body of research has shown people who hold anomalistic (e.g., paranormal) beliefs may differ from nonbelievers in their propensity to make probabilistic reasoning errors. The current study explored the relationship between these beliefs and performance through the development of a new measure of anomalistic belief, called the Anomalistic Belief Scale (ABS). One key feature of the ABS is that it includes a balance of both experiential and theoretical belief items. Another aim of the study was to use the ABS to investigate the relationship between belief and probabilistic reasoning errors on conjunction fallacy tasks. As expected, results showed there was a relationship between anomalistic belief and propensity to commit the conjunction fallacy. Importantly, regression analyses on the factors that make up the ABS showed that the relationship between anomalistic belief and probabilistic reasoning occurred only for beliefs about having experienced anomalistic phenomena, and not for theoretical anomalistic beliefs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Grain Entrapment Pressure on the Torso: Can You Breathe while Buried in Grain?

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, Kevin G; Jones, Carol L

2017-04-26

The pressure applied to the chest and back of a simulated grain entrapment victim was measured. Pressure sensors were attached to the chest and back of a manikin that was buried in grain in the vertical position. Measurements were made in four grain types at four grain depths ranging from the top of the manikin's shoulders to 0.61 m (24 in.) over the head. The pressure ranged from 1.6 to 4.0 kPa (0.23 to 0.57 psi). Based on available physiological information, this amount of pressure is unlikely to limit the respiration of an otherwise healthy adult male victim. However, other factors, such as the victim's age, gender, and body position in the grain, may influence respiration. The aspiration of grain appears to be the most likely asphyxiation risk during grain bin entrapment. Entering a grain storage bin is inherently dangerous, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines for permit-required confined spaces and grain handling facilities must be followed. Due to the risk of grain aspiration during engulfment, the development of safety equipment that could help protect the airway of a victim should be investigated. Copyright© by the American Society of Agricultural Engineers.

Grain Handling and Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Harris, Troy G.; Minor, John

This text for a secondary- or postecondary-level course in grain handling and storage contains ten chapters. Chapter titles are (1) Introduction to Grain Handling and Storage, (2) Elevator Safety, (3) Grain Grading and Seed Identification, (4) Moisture Control, (5) Insect and Rodent Control, (6) Grain Inventory Control, (7) Elevator Maintenance,…

Grain Grading and Handling.

Science.gov (United States)

Rendleman, Matt; Legacy, James

This publication provides an introduction to grain grading and handling for adult students in vocational and technical education programs. Organized in five chapters, the booklet provides a brief overview of the jobs performed at a grain elevator and of the techniques used to grade grain. The first chapter introduces the grain industry and…

Concurrent grain boundary motion and grain rotation under an applied stress

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gorkaya, Tatiana; Molodov, Konstantin D.; Molodov, Dmitri A.; Gottstein, Guenter

2011-01-01

Simultaneous shear coupling and grain rotation were observed experimentally during grain boundary migration in high-purity Al bicrystals subjected to an external mechanical stress at elevated temperatures. This behavior is interpreted in terms of the structure of the investigated planar 18.2 o non-tilt grain boundary with a 20 o twist component. For characterization of the grain rotation after annealing under stress the bicrystal surface topography across the boundary was measured by atomic force microscopy. The temperature dependence of the boundary migration rate was measured and the migration activation energy determined.

Belief Functions: Theory and Applications - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Belief Functions

CERN Document Server

Masson, Marie-Hélène

2012-01-01

The theory of belief functions, also known as evidence theory or Dempster-Shafer theory, was first introduced by Arthur P. Dempster in the context of statistical inference, and was later developed by Glenn Shafer as a general framework for modeling epistemic uncertainty. These early contributions have been the starting points of many important developments, including the Transferable Belief Model and the Theory of Hints. The theory of belief functions is now well established as a general framework for reasoning with uncertainty, and has well understood connections to other frameworks such as probability, possibility and imprecise probability theories.   This volume contains the proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Belief Functions that was held in Compiègne, France on 9-11 May 2012. It gathers 51 contributions describing recent developments both on theoretical issues (including approximation methods, combination rules, continuous belief functions, graphical models and independence concepts) an...

Starch bioengineering affects cereal grain germination and seedling establishment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shaik, Shahnoor Sultana; Carciofi, Massimiliano; Martens, Helle Juel

2014-01-01

Cereal grain germination is central for plant early development, and efficient germination has a major role in crop propagation and malting. Endosperm starch is the prime energy reserve in germination and seedling establishment. In this study, it was hypothesized that optimized starch granule...... structure, and not only the endosperm starch content per se, is important for germination and seedling establishment. For that purpose, wild-type (WT), and specifically engineered degradable hyperphosphorylated (HP) starch and more resistant amylose-only (AO) starch barley lines were used. The transgenics...... showed no severe phenotypes and the WT and HP lines degraded the starch similarly, having 30% residual starch after 12 d of germination. However, the AO line showed significant resistance to degradation, having 57% residual starch. Interestingly, protein and β-glucan (BG) degradation was stimulated...

Methods of assessing grain-size distribution during grain growth

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tweed, Cherry J.; Hansen, Niels; Ralph, Brian

1985-01-01

This paper considers methods of obtaining grain-size distributions and ways of describing them. In order to collect statistically useful amounts of data, an automatic image analyzer is used, and the resulting data are subjected to a series of tests that evaluate the differences between two related...... distributions (before and after grain growth). The distributions are measured from two-dimensional sections, and both the data and the corresponding true three-dimensional grain-size distributions (obtained by stereological analysis) are collected. The techniques described here are illustrated by reference...

Grain boundary structure and properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Balluffi, R.W.

1979-01-01

An attempt is made to distinguish those fundamental aspects of grain boundaries which should be relevant to the problem of the time dependent fracture of high temperature structural materials. These include the basic phenomena which are thought to be associated with cavitation and cracking at grain boundaries during service and with the more general microstructural changes which occur during both processing and service. A very brief discussion of the current state of our knowledge of these fundamentals is given. Included are the following: (1) structure of ideal perfect boundaries; (2) defect structure of grain boundaries; (3) diffusion at grain boundaries; (4) grain boundaries as sources/sinks for point defects; (5) grain boundary migration; (6) dislocation phenomena at grain boundaries; (7) atomic bonding and cohesion at grain boundaries; (8) non-equilibrium properties of grain boundaries; and (9) techniques for studying grain boundaries

Temporal scaling in information propagation

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Junming; Li, Chao; Wang, Wen-Qiang; Shen, Hua-Wei; Li, Guojie; Cheng, Xue-Qi

2014-06-01

For the study of information propagation, one fundamental problem is uncovering universal laws governing the dynamics of information propagation. This problem, from the microscopic perspective, is formulated as estimating the propagation probability that a piece of information propagates from one individual to another. Such a propagation probability generally depends on two major classes of factors: the intrinsic attractiveness of information and the interactions between individuals. Despite the fact that the temporal effect of attractiveness is widely studied, temporal laws underlying individual interactions remain unclear, causing inaccurate prediction of information propagation on evolving social networks. In this report, we empirically study the dynamics of information propagation, using the dataset from a population-scale social media website. We discover a temporal scaling in information propagation: the probability a message propagates between two individuals decays with the length of time latency since their latest interaction, obeying a power-law rule. Leveraging the scaling law, we further propose a temporal model to estimate future propagation probabilities between individuals, reducing the error rate of information propagation prediction from 6.7% to 2.6% and improving viral marketing with 9.7% incremental customers.

Development and Validation of the Family Beliefs Inventory: A Measure of Unrealistic Beliefs among Parents and Adolescents.

Science.gov (United States)

Roehling, Patricia Vincent; Robin, Arthur L.

1986-01-01

Evaluated the criterion-related validity of the Family Beliefs Inventory, a new self-report measure of unreasonable beliefs regarding parent-adolescent relationships. Distressed fathers displayed more unreasonable beliefs concerning ruination, obedience, perfectionism, and malicious intent than nondistressed fathers. Distressed adolescents…

Interstellar grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoyle, F.; Wickramasinghe, N.C.

1980-11-01

Interstellar extinction of starlight was observed and plotted as a function of inverse wavelength. Agreement with the calculated effects of the particle distribution is shown. The main kinds of grain distinguished are: (1) graphite spheres of radius 0.02 microns, making up 10% of the total grain mass (2) small dielectric spheres of radius 0.04 microns making up 25% and (3) hollow dielectric cylinders containing metallic iron, with diameters of 2/3 microns making up 45%. The remaining 20% consists of other metals, metal oxides, and polysiloxanes. Absorption factor evidence suggests that the main dielectric component of the grains is organic material.

Constructivism, Factoring, and Beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Rauff, James V.

1994-01-01

Discusses errors made by remedial intermediate algebra students in factoring polynomials in light of student definitions of factoring. Found certain beliefs about factoring to logically imply many of the errors made. Suggests that belief-based teaching can be successful in teaching factoring. (16 references) (Author/MKR)

Reproductive performance of reindeer fed all-grain and hay-grain rations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. M. Blanchard

1986-06-01

Full Text Available Reproductive performance of grain-fed reindeer {Rangifer tarandus was evaluated over a 2-year period. Groups of pregnant reindeer were fed one of three rations, (1 100% whole-grain barley, (2 98.9% whole-grain barley and 1.2% mineral and trace element supplement, and (3 70% whole-grain barley and 30% finely-chopped bluegrass hay. Reindeer fed unsupplemented whole-barley failed to produce a single live calf. The addition of mineral and trace element supplement to the ration did not result in any significant improvement in reproductive performance. Eighty-five percent of the reindeer consuming unsupplemented and supplemented all-barley rations became pregnant; however, 76% of the pregnancies resulted in stillborn calves. One-hundred percent of the cows maintained on the grain/hay ration produced live calves. We speculate that reproductive failure in reindeer cows maintained on all-grain rations is most likely a result of a diet induced disfunction in maternal rumen and/or carbohydrate metabolism rather than a micro-nutrient deficiency. More research is neeeded to determine which metabolic pathways are affected.

Fatigue crack propagation of super duplex stainless steel with dispersed structure and time-frequency analysis of acoustic emission

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Ki-Woo; Kang, Chang-Yong; Do, Jae-Yoon; Ahn, Seok-Hwan; Lee, Sang-Kee

2001-06-01

The fatigue crack propagation of super duplex stainless steel was investigated for the effect of various volume fractions of the austenite phase by changing the heat treatment temperature. We also analyzed acoustic emission signals obtained during the fatigue crack propagation by the time-frequency analysis method. As the temperature of the heat treatment increased, the volume fraction of austenite decreased and coarse grain was obtained. The specimen treated at 1200 had a longer fatigue life and slower rate of crack growth. Results of time-frequency analysis of acoustic emission signals during the fatigue test showed the main frequency of 200-300 kHz to have no correlation with heat treatment and crack length, and the 500 kHz signal to be due to dimples and separation of inclusion.

Concern beliefs in medications: changes over time and medication use factors related to a change in beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiyanbola, Olayinka O; Farris, Karen B; Chrischilles, Elizabeth

2013-01-01

Concern belief in medication is a construct that may characterize patients' attitude toward managing medicines, and this could change with time. Understanding the factors that would impact a change in concern beliefs would be helpful in interventions that could reframe patients' perceptions about their medicines. To examine if patient concern beliefs in medications change over time, assess the characteristics of individuals whose beliefs change, and determine what factors might impact a change in patient beliefs. Secondary data analysis using 2 longitudinal studies. The first study was an Internet-based survey of Medicare enrollees pre-post Medicare Part D. The second study was a randomized controlled trial evaluating a medication management intervention among adults with physical limitations. Respondents were classified as those whose beliefs remained stable and those whose beliefs increased and decreased over 2 separate periods. Chi-square analysis examined significant differences across the groups. Multiple linear regressions examined factors that influence changes in patient beliefs. Among older adults, there were differences in perceived health status (χ(2)=26.05, P=.001), number of pharmacies used (χ(2)=17.41, P=.008), and number of medicines used after the start of Medicare Part D. There were no significant differences among adults with physical limitations. Among older adults, having an increased number of medicines over time and reporting a self-reported adverse effect to a physician were positively associated with an increase in concern beliefs in medication. Having an increase in adherence was associated with a decrease in concern beliefs over time. Concern beliefs in medications may contribute independent information about individuals' response to drug programs and policies. Outcomes of medication use may influence patient anxieties about medicines. The instability of patient concerns in medications that occurs with prescription drug coverage changes

Why do interstellar grains exist

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seab, C.G.; Hollenbach, D.J.; Mckee, C.F.; Tielens, A.G.G.M.

1986-01-01

There exists a discrepancy between calculated destruction rates of grains in the interstellar medium and postulated sources of new grains. This problem was examined by modelling the global life cycle of grains in the galaxy. The model includes: grain destruction due to supernovae shock waves; grain injection from cool stars, planetary nebulae, star formation, novae, and supernovae; grain growth by accretion in dark clouds; and a mixing scheme between phases of the interstellar medium. Grain growth in molecular clouds is considered as a mechanism or increasing the formation rate. To decrease the shock destruction rate, several new physical processes, such as partial vaporization effects in grain-grain collisions, breakdown of the small Larmor radius approximation for betatron acceleration, and relaxation of the steady-state shock assumption are included

Phonon thermal transport through tilt grain boundaries in strontium titanate

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zheng, Zexi; Chen, Xiang; Yang, Shengfeng; Xiong, Liming; Chen, Youping [Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States); Deng, Bowen; Chernatynskiy, Aleksandr [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States)

2014-08-21

In this work, we perform nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study phonon scattering at two tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in SrTiO{sub 3}. Mode-wise energy transmission coefficients are obtained based on phonon wave-packet dynamics simulations. The Kapitza conductance is then quantified using a lattice dynamics approach. The obtained results of the Kapitza conductance of both GBs compare well with those obtained by the direct method, except for the temperature dependence. Contrary to common belief, the results of this work show that the optical modes in SrTiO{sub 3} contribute significantly to phonon thermal transport, accounting for over 50% of the Kapitza conductance. To understand the effect of the GB structural disorder on phonon transport, we compare the local phonon density of states of the atoms in the GB region with that in the single crystalline grain region. Our results show that the excess vibrational modes introduced by the structural disorder do not have a significant effect on phonon scattering at the GBs, but the absence of certain modes in the GB region appears to be responsible for phonon reflections at GBs. This work has also demonstrated phonon mode conversion and simultaneous generation of new modes. Some of the new modes have the same frequency as the initial wave packet, while some have the same wave vector but lower frequencies.

Phonon thermal transport through tilt grain boundaries in strontium titanate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zheng, Zexi; Chen, Xiang; Yang, Shengfeng; Xiong, Liming; Chen, Youping; Deng, Bowen; Chernatynskiy, Aleksandr

2014-01-01

In this work, we perform nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations to study phonon scattering at two tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in SrTiO 3 . Mode-wise energy transmission coefficients are obtained based on phonon wave-packet dynamics simulations. The Kapitza conductance is then quantified using a lattice dynamics approach. The obtained results of the Kapitza conductance of both GBs compare well with those obtained by the direct method, except for the temperature dependence. Contrary to common belief, the results of this work show that the optical modes in SrTiO 3 contribute significantly to phonon thermal transport, accounting for over 50% of the Kapitza conductance. To understand the effect of the GB structural disorder on phonon transport, we compare the local phonon density of states of the atoms in the GB region with that in the single crystalline grain region. Our results show that the excess vibrational modes introduced by the structural disorder do not have a significant effect on phonon scattering at the GBs, but the absence of certain modes in the GB region appears to be responsible for phonon reflections at GBs. This work has also demonstrated phonon mode conversion and simultaneous generation of new modes. Some of the new modes have the same frequency as the initial wave packet, while some have the same wave vector but lower frequencies

Well-Founded Belief and Perceptual Justification

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Broncano-Berrocal, Fernando

2016-01-01

According to Alan Millar, justified beliefs are well-founded beliefs. Millar cashes out the notion of well-foundedness in terms of having an adequate reason to believe something and believing it for that reason. To make his account of justified belief compatible with perceptual justification he...

Scaling Irrational Beliefs in the General Attitude and Belief Scale

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lindsay R. Owings

2013-04-01

Full Text Available Accurate measurement of key constructs is essential to the continued development of Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT. The General Attitude and Belief Scale (GABS, a contemporary inventory of rational and irrational beliefs based on current REBT theory, is one of the most valid and widely used instruments available, and recent research has continued to improve its psychometric standing. In this study of 544 students, item response theory (IRT methods were used (a to identify the most informative item in each irrational subscale of the GABS, (b to determine the level of irrationality represented by each of those items, and (c to suggest a condensed form of the GABS for further study with clinical populations. Administering only the most psychometrically informative items to clients could result in economies of time and effort. Further research based on the scaling of items could clarify the specific patterns of irrational beliefs associated with particular clinical syndromes.

Evolution of grain boundary character distributions in alloy 825 tubes during high temperature annealing: Is grain boundary engineering achieved through recrystallization or grain growth?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bai, Qin; Zhao, Qing; Xia, Shuang; Wang, Baoshun; Zhou, Bangxin; Su, Cheng

2017-01-01

Grain boundary engineering (GBE) of nickel-based alloy 825 tubes was carried out with different cold drawing deformations by using a draw-bench on a factory production line and subsequent annealing at various temperatures. The microstructure evolution of alloy 825 during thermal-mechanical processing (TMP) was characterized by means of the electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique to study the TMP effects on the grain boundary network and the evolution of grain boundary character distributions during high temperature annealing. The results showed that the proportion of ∑ 3 n coincidence site lattice (CSL) boundaries of alloy 825 tubes could be increased to > 75% by the TMP of 5% cold drawing and subsequent annealing at 1050 °C for 10 min. The microstructures of the partially recrystallized samples and the fully recrystallized samples suggested that the proportion of low ∑ CSL grain boundaries depended on the annealing time. The frequency of low ∑ CSL grain boundaries increases rapidly with increasing annealing time associating with the formation of large-size highly-twinned grains-cluster microstructure during recrystallization. However, upon further increasing annealing time, the frequency of low ∑ CSL grain boundaries decreased markedly during grain growth. So it is concluded that grain boundary engineering is achieved through recrystallization rather than grain growth. - Highlights: •The grain boundary engineering (GBE) is applicable to 825 tubes. •GBE is achieved through recrystallization rather than grain growth. •The low ∑ CSL grain boundaries in 825 tubes can be increased to > 75%.

Pre-service teachers’ perceived value of general pedagogical knowledge for practice: Relations with epistemic beliefs and source beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Rosman, Tom; Rueß, Julia; Syring, Marcus; Schneider, Jürgen

2017-01-01

Pre-service teachers tend to devalue general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) as a valid source for deriving successful teaching practices. The present study investigated beliefs about knowledge sources and epistemic beliefs as predictors for students’ perceived value of GPK. Three pre-registered hypotheses were tested. We expected beliefs that GPK originates from scientific sources to entail a devaluation of GPK (Hypothesis 1). Concerning epistemic beliefs, we expected absolute beliefs to positively, and multiplistic beliefs to negatively predict pre-service teachers’ perceived practical value of GPK (Hypothesis 2). Finally, we expected relationships between epistemic beliefs and pre-service teachers’ perceived practical value of GPK to be confounded by epistemic trustworthiness, perceived topic-specific consistency and topic-specific familiarity (Hypothesis 3). In a study using a split plot design, 365 pre-service teachers were presented with four texts on different educational research topics. For each topic, three text versions were constructed. Even though they were invariant in content, these versions varied in a way that the results were allegedly generated by a practitioner, an expert or by means of a scientific study. Unexpectedly, results showed that research findings allegedly generated by means of a scientific study were associated with a higher perceived value of (topic-specific) GPK for practice (Hypothesis 1). As expected, the perceived value of GPK for practice was predicted by topic-specific multiplism and domain-specific absolutism (Hypothesis 2). These predictive effects were confounded by expertise evaluations of the source and the consistency of prior beliefs with the presented research results (Hypothesis 3). In summary, our results suggest that source beliefs might not be responsible for the devaluation of GPK, but that beliefs on the nature and structure of GPK (i.e., epistemic beliefs) might play an even more important role in this respect

Pre-service teachers' perceived value of general pedagogical knowledge for practice: Relations with epistemic beliefs and source beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Merk, Samuel; Rosman, Tom; Rueß, Julia; Syring, Marcus; Schneider, Jürgen

2017-01-01

Pre-service teachers tend to devalue general pedagogical knowledge (GPK) as a valid source for deriving successful teaching practices. The present study investigated beliefs about knowledge sources and epistemic beliefs as predictors for students' perceived value of GPK. Three pre-registered hypotheses were tested. We expected beliefs that GPK originates from scientific sources to entail a devaluation of GPK (Hypothesis 1). Concerning epistemic beliefs, we expected absolute beliefs to positively, and multiplistic beliefs to negatively predict pre-service teachers' perceived practical value of GPK (Hypothesis 2). Finally, we expected relationships between epistemic beliefs and pre-service teachers' perceived practical value of GPK to be confounded by epistemic trustworthiness, perceived topic-specific consistency and topic-specific familiarity (Hypothesis 3). In a study using a split plot design, 365 pre-service teachers were presented with four texts on different educational research topics. For each topic, three text versions were constructed. Even though they were invariant in content, these versions varied in a way that the results were allegedly generated by a practitioner, an expert or by means of a scientific study. Unexpectedly, results showed that research findings allegedly generated by means of a scientific study were associated with a higher perceived value of (topic-specific) GPK for practice (Hypothesis 1). As expected, the perceived value of GPK for practice was predicted by topic-specific multiplism and domain-specific absolutism (Hypothesis 2). These predictive effects were confounded by expertise evaluations of the source and the consistency of prior beliefs with the presented research results (Hypothesis 3). In summary, our results suggest that source beliefs might not be responsible for the devaluation of GPK, but that beliefs on the nature and structure of GPK (i.e., epistemic beliefs) might play an even more important role in this respect

Pre-service teachers' perceived value of general pedagogical knowledge for practice: Relations with epistemic beliefs and source beliefs.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samuel Merk

Full Text Available Pre-service teachers tend to devalue general pedagogical knowledge (GPK as a valid source for deriving successful teaching practices. The present study investigated beliefs about knowledge sources and epistemic beliefs as predictors for students' perceived value of GPK. Three pre-registered hypotheses were tested. We expected beliefs that GPK originates from scientific sources to entail a devaluation of GPK (Hypothesis 1. Concerning epistemic beliefs, we expected absolute beliefs to positively, and multiplistic beliefs to negatively predict pre-service teachers' perceived practical value of GPK (Hypothesis 2. Finally, we expected relationships between epistemic beliefs and pre-service teachers' perceived practical value of GPK to be confounded by epistemic trustworthiness, perceived topic-specific consistency and topic-specific familiarity (Hypothesis 3. In a study using a split plot design, 365 pre-service teachers were presented with four texts on different educational research topics. For each topic, three text versions were constructed. Even though they were invariant in content, these versions varied in a way that the results were allegedly generated by a practitioner, an expert or by means of a scientific study. Unexpectedly, results showed that research findings allegedly generated by means of a scientific study were associated with a higher perceived value of (topic-specific GPK for practice (Hypothesis 1. As expected, the perceived value of GPK for practice was predicted by topic-specific multiplism and domain-specific absolutism (Hypothesis 2. These predictive effects were confounded by expertise evaluations of the source and the consistency of prior beliefs with the presented research results (Hypothesis 3. In summary, our results suggest that source beliefs might not be responsible for the devaluation of GPK, but that beliefs on the nature and structure of GPK (i.e., epistemic beliefs might play an even more important role in this

Forward induction reasoning and correct beliefs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Perea y Monsuwé, Andrés

2017-01-01

All equilibrium concepts implicitly make a correct beliefs assumption, stating that a player believes that his opponents are correct about his first-order beliefs. In this paper we show that in many dynamic games of interest, this correct beliefs assumption may be incompatible with a very basic form

Comparisons of Belief-Based Personality Constructs in Polish and American University Students: Paranormal Beliefs, Locus of Control, Irrational Beliefs, and Social Interest.

Science.gov (United States)

Tobacyk, Jerome J.; Tobacyk, Zofia Socha

1992-01-01

Uses Social Learning Theory to compare 149 university students from Poland with 136 university students from the southern United States for belief-based personality constructs and personality correlates of paranormal beliefs. As hypothesized, Poles reported a more external locus of control and significantly greater endorsement of irrational…

A Rare Allele of GS2 Enhances Grain Size and Grain Yield in Rice.

Science.gov (United States)

Hu, Jiang; Wang, Yuexing; Fang, Yunxia; Zeng, Longjun; Xu, Jie; Yu, Haiping; Shi, Zhenyuan; Pan, Jiangjie; Zhang, Dong; Kang, Shujing; Zhu, Li; Dong, Guojun; Guo, Longbiao; Zeng, Dali; Zhang, Guangheng; Xie, Lihong; Xiong, Guosheng; Li, Jiayang; Qian, Qian

2015-10-05

Grain size determines grain weight and affects grain quality. Several major quantitative trait loci (QTLs) regulating grain size have been cloned; however, our understanding of the underlying mechanism that regulates the size of rice grains remains fragmentary. Here, we report the cloning and characterization of a dominant QTL, grain size on chromosome 2 (GS2), which encodes Growth-Regulating Factor 4 (OsGRF4), a transcriptional regulator. GS2 localizes to the nucleus and may act as a transcription activator. A rare mutation of GS2 affecting the binding site of a microRNA, OsmiR396c, causes elevated expression of GS2/OsGRF4. The increase in GS2 expression leads to larger cells and increased numbers of cells, which thus enhances grain weight and yield. The introduction of this rare allele of GS2/OsGRF4 into rice cultivars could significantly enhance grain weight and increase grain yield, with possible applications in breeding high-yield rice varieties. Copyright © 2015 The Author. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Economic Beliefs and Party Preference

OpenAIRE

Michael W.M. Roos; Andreas Orland

2014-01-01

This paper reports the results of a questionnaire study used to explore the economic understanding, normative positions along the egalitarian-libertarian spectrum, and the party preferences of a large student sample. The aim of the study is both to find socio-economic determinants of normative and positive beliefs and to explore how beliefs about the economy influence party support. We find that positive beliefs of lay people differ systematically from those of economic experts. Positive beli...

Selection of lactic acid bacteria from Brazilian kefir grains for potential use as starter or probiotic cultures.

Science.gov (United States)

Zanirati, Débora Ferreira; Abatemarco, Mário; Sandes, Sávio Henrique de Cicco; Nicoli, Jacques Robert; Nunes, Álvaro Cantini; Neumann, Elisabeth

2015-04-01

Brazilian kefir is a homemade fermented beverage that is obtained by incubating milk or a brown sugar solution with kefir grains that contribute their different microbiological compositions. It is highly important to isolate and characterize microorganisms from Brazilian kefir grains to obtain starter cultures for the industrial production of a standardized commercial kefir. Thus, the present study aimed to isolate lactic acid bacteria from eight kefir grains that were propagated in milk or sugar solutions from five different locations in Brazil and to select Lactobacillus isolates based on desirable in vitro probiotic properties. One hundred eight isolates from both substrates were identified by amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis and/or 16S rRNA gene sequencing and were determined to belong to the following 11 species from the genera: Lactococcus, Leuconostoc, Lactobacillus (L.), and Oenococcus. Leuconostoc mesenteroides, Lactobacillus kefiri, and Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens were isolated only from milk grains, whereas Lactobacillus perolens, Lactobacillus parafarraginis, Lactobacillus diolivorans, and Oenococcus oeni were isolated exclusively from sugar water grains. When the microbial compositions of four kefir grains were evaluated with culture-independent analyses, L. kefiranofaciens was observed to predominant in milk grains, whereas Lactobacillus hilgardii was most abundant in sugar water kefir. Unfortunately, L. hilgardii was not isolated from any grain, although this bacteria was detected with a culture-independent methodology. Fifty-two isolated Lactobacilli were tested for gastric juice and bile salt tolerance, antagonism against pathogens, antimicrobial resistance, and surface hydrophobicity. Three Lactobacillus strains (L. kefiranofaciens 8U, L. diolivorans 1Z, and Lactobacillus casei 17U) could be classified as potential probiotics. In conclusion, several lactic acid bacteria that could be used in combination with yeasts as starter

Examining the incremental contribution of metacognitive beliefs beyond content-specific beliefs in relation to posttraumatic stress in a community sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Fergus, Thomas A; Bardeen, Joseph R

2017-11-01

Cognitive-behavioral models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) propose that the content of one's thoughts, including negative beliefs about the self, others, and world, play a fundamental role in our understanding and treatment of PTSD. Metacognitive theory suggests that metacognitive beliefs (i.e., beliefs about thinking), rather than content-specific beliefs, underlie PTSD. The present study provided the first known examination of the incremental contribution of metacognitive beliefs and trauma-related cognitions in relation to posttraumatic stress. Community adults recruited through an online crowdsourcing website who reported experiencing a criterion A traumatic event (N = 299) completed self-report measures of the study variables. Results from multiple linear regression analyses indicated that metacognitive beliefs of the uncontrollability and danger of thinking shared associations with each posttraumatic stress symptom cluster after accounting for the effects of content-specific beliefs and other covariates. The individual content-specific beliefs did not consistently share associations with posttraumatic stress symptoms in the regression analyses. The contribution of the individual content-specific beliefs to posttraumatic stress symptoms was consistently attenuated or rendered nonsignificant after accounting for metacognitive beliefs. These results are consistent with metacognitive theory in suggesting that metacognitive beliefs may be more important than trauma-related thought content in relation to posttraumatic stress. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Uncertainty propagation in a multiscale model of nanocrystalline plasticity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koslowski, M.; Strachan, Alejandro

2011-01-01

We characterize how uncertainties propagate across spatial and temporal scales in a physics-based model of nanocrystalline plasticity of fcc metals. Our model combines molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to characterize atomic-level processes that govern dislocation-based-plastic deformation with a phase field approach to dislocation dynamics (PFDD) that describes how an ensemble of dislocations evolve and interact to determine the mechanical response of the material. We apply this approach to a nanocrystalline Ni specimen of interest in micro-electromechanical (MEMS) switches. Our approach enables us to quantify how internal stresses that result from the fabrication process affect the properties of dislocations (using MD) and how these properties, in turn, affect the yield stress of the metallic membrane (using the PFMM model). Our predictions show that, for a nanocrystalline sample with small grain size (4 nm), a variation in residual stress of 20 MPa (typical in today's microfabrication techniques) would result in a variation on the critical resolved shear yield stress of approximately 15 MPa, a very small fraction of the nominal value of approximately 9 GPa. - Highlights: → Quantify how fabrication uncertainties affect yield stress in a microswitch component. → Propagate uncertainties in a multiscale model of single crystal plasticity. → Molecular dynamics quantifies how fabrication variations affect dislocations. → Dislocation dynamics relate variations in dislocation properties to yield stress.

Effect of thermal aging on grain structural characteristic and Ductile-to-Brittle transition temperature of CLAM steel at 550 °C

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Wei [Key Laboratory of Neutronics and Radiation Safety, Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Chen, Jianwei [Key Laboratory of Neutronics and Radiation Safety, Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China); Xu, Gang, E-mail: gang.xu@fds.org.cn [Key Laboratory of Neutronics and Radiation Safety, Institute of Nuclear Energy Safety Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei, Anhui, 230031 (China)

2017-02-15

Highlights: • The grain boundary length per unit area decreased with the increasing aging time. • The fraction of LABs increased obviously after thermal aging. • Prior austenitic grain refinement is more important to improve low temperature toughness. - Abstract: In this work, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) was used to investigate the grain structure evolution of China low activation martensitic (CLAM) steel samples which were aged at 550 °C for 0 h, 2000 h, 4000 h and 10,000 h. The results showed that the prior austenitic grain size increased with the aging time, which led to the decrease of grain boundary length. The fraction of misorientation angle in a range from about 4 to 10° increased obviously after thermal aging for 10,000 h, and it indicated that the fine subgrains formed in the CLAM steel during the long-term thermal exposure. Furthermore, Charpy impact experiments were carried out to analyze the toughness of the CLAM steel before and after aging, particularly the Ductile-to-Brittle Transition Temperature (DBTT). Though amounts of fine subgrians formed in matrix, a substantial increase in DBTT (∼40.1 °C) had been noticed after aging for 10,000 h. The results showed that the high angle boundaries such as prior austenitic grain boundaries are more effective in retarding the propagation of cleavage crack than subgrain boundaries.

The influence of relationship beliefs on gift giving

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rai Dipankar

2017-12-01

Full Text Available People have fundamental beliefs about what constitutes a good relationship, known as implicit theories of relationship, where some people have destiny beliefs whereas others have growth beliefs. People with destiny beliefs believe that potential partners are meant either for each other or not, whereas people with growth beliefs believe that successful relationships are cultivated and developed. This research shows that different implicit theories of relationship influence consumers’ gift choice to their significant others. We demonstrate, through two studies, that consumers with destiny beliefs prefer giving gifts that are more feasible in nature, whereas consumers with growth beliefs prefer giving gifts that are more desirable in nature. We show that this effect is mediated by desirability-feasibility considerations. Specifically, consumers with destiny beliefs focus on feasibility considerations, which leads them to choose a highly feasible gift. Conversely, consumers with growth beliefs focus on desirability considerations, which leads them to choose a highly desirable gift. We also discuss the theoretical and managerial implications of our research.

Effects of grain size and grain boundaries on defect production in nanocrystalline 3C-SiC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swaminathan, N.; Kamenski, Paul J.; Morgan, Dane; Szlufarska, Izabela

2010-01-01

Cascade simulations in single crystal and nanocrystalline SiC have been conducted in order to determine the role of grain boundaries and grain size on defect production during primary radiation damage. Cascades are performed with 4 and 10 keV silicon as the primary knock-on atom (PKA). Total defect production is found to increase with decreasing grain size, and this effect is shown to be due to increased production in grain boundaries and changing grain boundary volume fraction. In order to consider in-grain defect production, a new mapping methodology is developed to properly normalize in-grain defect production rates for nanocrystalline materials. It is shown that the presence of grain boundaries does not affect the total normalized in-grain defect production significantly (the changes are lower than ∼20%) for the PKA energies considered. Defect production in the single grain containing the PKA is also studied and found to increase for smaller grain sizes. In particular, for smaller grain sizes the defect production decreases with increasing distance from the grain boundary while for larger grain sizes the presence of the grain boundaries has negligible effect on defect production. The results suggest that experimentally observed changes in radiation resistance of nanocrystalline materials may be due to long-term damage evolution rather than changes in defect production rates from primary damage.

Belief in reciprocity in a Chinese sample.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Zhen; Zhang, Jianxin

2012-08-01

Belief in reciprocity refers to a personally internalized faith in the reciprocity norm: that people will return positive and negative interactions or favors in kind. The current study aims to examine the relationship between belief in reciprocity and altruism among a Chinese sample. The Personal Norm of Reciprocity Scale, Trait Forgiveness Scale, Prosocial Tendency Measure, and Altruism Scale were used to assess extent of belief in reciprocity, forgiveness, and prosocial motivation, respectively, among 204 Chinese undergraduates. The results indicated that belief in reciprocity was a partially negative, but not neutral, reciprocity norm for Chinese people. Specifically, belief in reciprocity was positively related to negative reciprocity, but not significantly related to positive reciprocity. Moreover, belief in reciprocity was negatively related to both prosocial tendency and altruistic motivation. The results also indicated that forgiveness largely mediated the effect of belief in reciprocity on altruism. Finally, the implications and limitations of the current study were discussed.

Grain dust and the lungs.

Science.gov (United States)

Chan-Yeung, M.; Ashley, M. J.; Grzybowski, S.

1978-01-01

Grain dust is composed of a large number of materials, including various types of grain and their disintegration products, silica, fungi, insects and mites. The clinical syndromes described in relation to exposure to grain dust are chronic bronchitis, grain dust asthma, extrinsic allergic alveolitis, grain fever and silo-filler's lung. Rhinitis and conjunctivitis are also common in grain workers. While the concentration and the quality of dust influence the frequency and the type of clinical syndrome in grain workers, host factors are also important. Of the latter, smoking is the most important factor influencing the frequency of chronic bronchitis. The role of atopy and of bronchial hyperreactivity in grain dust asthma has yet to be assessed. Several well designed studies are currently being carried out in North America not only to delineate the frequency of the respiratory abnormalities, the pathogenetic mechanisms and the host factors, but also to establish a meaningful threshold limit concentration for grain dust. Images p1272-a PMID:348288

Explaining body size beliefs in anorexia.

Science.gov (United States)

Gadsby, Stephen

2017-11-01

Cognitive neuropsychiatry has had much success in providing theoretical models for the causal origins of many delusional beliefs. Recently, it has been suggested that some anorexia nervosa patients' beliefs about their own body size should be considered delusions. As such, it seems high time the methods of cognitive neuropsychiatry were turned to modelling the false body size beliefs of anorexics. In this paper, I adopt an empiricist approach to modelling the causal origins of false body size beliefs in anorexia. Within the background of cognitive neuropsychiatry, empiricist models claim that abnormal beliefs are grounded by abnormal experiences bearing similar content. I discuss the kinds of abnormal experiences of body size anorexics suffer from which could ground their false beliefs about body size. These oversized experiences come in three varieties: false self-other body comparisons, spontaneous mental imagery of a fat body and distorted perception of affordances. Further theoretical and empirical research into the oversized experiences which anorexics suffer from presents a promising avenue for understanding and treating the disorder.

Gravity, God and Ghosts? Parents' Beliefs in Science, Religion, and the Paranormal and the Encouragement of Beliefs in Their Children

Science.gov (United States)

Braswell, Gregory S.; Rosengren, Karl S.; Berenbaum, Howard

2012-01-01

Using a questionnaire, the present study examined parents' beliefs regarding the development of children's beliefs about science, religion, and the paranormal. The study also investigated parental encouragement of children's beliefs, as well as parents' own beliefs within these domains. Results revealed that parents make distinctions between…

Turkish Prospective Middle School Mathematics Teachers' Beliefs and Perceived Self-Efficacy Beliefs Regarding the Use of Origami in Mathematics Education

Science.gov (United States)

Arslan, Okan; Isiksal-Bostan, Mine

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate beliefs and perceived self-efficacy beliefs of Turkish prospective elementary mathematics teachers in using origami in mathematics education. Furthermore, gender differences in their beliefs and perceived self-efficacy beliefs were investigated. Data for the current study was collected via Origami in…

Self-Assembling Sup-porosity: The Effect On Fluid Flow And Seismic Wave Propagation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pyrak-Nolte, Laura J. [Purdue University

2013-04-27

Fractures and joints in the field often contain debris within the void spaces. Debris originates from many different mechanisms: organic and/or inorganic chemical reactions/mineralization, sediment transport, formation of a fracture, mechanical weathering or combinations of these processes. In many cases, the presence of debris forms a sub-porosity within the fracture void space. This sub-porosity often is composed of material that differs from the fracture walls in mineralogy and morphology. The sub-porosity may partially fill voids that are on the order of hundreds of microns and thereby reduce the local porosity to lengths scales on the order of sub-microns to tens of microns. It is quite clear that a sub-porosity affects fracture porosity, permeability and storativity. What is not known is how the existence/formation of a sub-porosity affects seismic wave propagation and consequently our ability to probe changes in the subsurface caused by the formation or alteration of a sub-porosity. If seismic techniques are to be developed to monitor the injection and containment of phases in sequestration reservoirs or the propping of hydraulically induced fracture to enhance oil & gas production, it is important to understand how a sub-porosity within a fracture affects macroscopic seismic and hydraulic measurements. A sub-porosity will directly affect the interrelationship between the seismic and hydraulic properties of a fracture. This reports contains the results of the three main topics of research that were performed (1) to determine the effect of a sub-porosity composed of spherical grains on seismic wave propagation across fractures, (2) to determine the effect of biofilm growth in pores and between grains on seismic wave propagation in sediment, and (3) to determine the effect of the scale of observation (field-of-view) on monitoring alteration the pore space within a fracture caused by reactive flow. A brief summary of the results for each topic is contained in

Grain centre mapping - 3DXRD measurements of average grain characteristics

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Oddershede, Jette; Schmidt, Søren; Lyckegaard, Allan

2014-01-01

characteristics of each grain (such as their centre-of-mass positions, volumes, phases, orientations and/or elastic strain tensor components), while the exact locations of the grain boundaries are unknown. In the present chapter a detailed description of the setup and software for both grain centre mapping...... and the closely related boxscan method is given. Both validation experiments and applications for in situ studies of microstructural changes during plastic deformation and crack growth are given. Finally an outlook with special emphasis on coupling the measured results with modelling is given....

Grain Boundary Segregation in Metals

CERN Document Server

Lejcek, Pavel

2010-01-01

Grain boundaries are important structural components of polycrystalline materials used in the vast majority of technical applications. Because grain boundaries form a continuous network throughout such materials, their properties may limit their practical use. One of the serious phenomena which evoke these limitations is the grain boundary segregation of impurities. It results in the loss of grain boundary cohesion and consequently, in brittle fracture of the materials. The current book deals with fundamentals of grain boundary segregation in metallic materials and its relationship to the grain boundary structure, classification and other materials properties.

Plan-Belief Revision in Jason

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Andreas Schmidt; Villadsen, Jørgen

2015-01-01

When information is shared between agents of unknown reliability, it is possible that their belief bases become inconsistent. In such cases, the belief base must be revised to restore consistency, so that the agent is able to reason. In some cases the inconsistent information may be due to use of...... of incorrect plans. We extend work by Alechina et al. to revise belief bases in which plans can be dynamically added and removed. We present an implementation of the algorithm in the AgentSpeak implementation Jason....

Grain boundary migration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dimitrov, O.

1975-01-01

Well-established aspects of grain-boundary migration are first briefly reviewed (influences of driving force, temperature, orientation and foreign atoms). Recent developments of the experimental methods and results are then examined, by considering the various driving of resistive forces acting on grain boundaries. Finally, the evolution in the theoretical models of grain-boundary motion is described, on the one hand for ideally pure metals and, on the other hand, in the presence of solute impurity atoms [fr

Phloem Transport Of Arsenic Species From Flag Leaf To Grain During Grain Filling

Science.gov (United States)

Strategies to reduce arsenic (As) in rice grain, below concentrations that represent a serious human health concern, require that the mechanisms of As accumulation within grain be established. Therefore, retranslocation of As species from flag leaves into filling rice grain was ...

3D random Voronoi grain-based models for simulation of brittle rock damage and fabric-guided micro-fracturing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Ghazvinian

2014-12-01

Full Text Available A grain-based distinct element model featuring three-dimensional (3D Voronoi tessellations (random poly-crystals is proposed for simulation of crack damage development in brittle rocks. The grain boundaries in poly-crystal structure produced by Voronoi tessellations can represent flaws in intact rock and allow for numerical replication of crack damage progression through initiation and propagation of micro-fractures along grain boundaries. The Voronoi modelling scheme has been used widely in the past for brittle fracture simulation of rock materials. However the difficulty of generating 3D Voronoi models has limited its application to two-dimensional (2D codes. The proposed approach is implemented in Neper, an open-source engine for generation of 3D Voronoi grains, to generate block geometry files that can be read directly into 3DEC. A series of Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS tests are simulated in 3DEC to verify the proposed methodology for 3D simulation of brittle fractures and to investigate the relationship between each micro-parameter and the model's macro-response. The possibility of numerical replication of the classical U-shape strength curve for anisotropic rocks is also investigated in numerical UCS tests by using complex-shaped (elongated grains that are cemented to one another along their adjoining sides. A micro-parameter calibration procedure is established for 3D Voronoi models for accurate replication of the mechanical behaviour of isotropic and anisotropic (containing a fabric rocks.

The behavior of mineral inclusions during host decomposition. A SEM-STEM study of rutile inclusions at a natural propagating corundum-spinel interface.

Science.gov (United States)

Baldwin, Lisa; Li, Chen; Habler, Gerlinde; Abart, Rainer

2017-04-01

When two neighbor phases are not in chemical equilibrium, they may react and produce a reaction rim at their interface, separating the mutually incompatible phases. At constant P-T-X conditions, such a reaction will continue until one of the reactants is completely consumed. Reaction rim growth involves transfer of chemical components across the growing rim by long-range diffusion and localized interface reactions on either side of the growing rim. Consequently, the thickness of the reaction rim will be a function of time. Yet, in order to quantify and interpret such corona structures and to define a reaction rate law, the kinetics and mechanism of rim formation must be well constrained. In particular, the coupling between long-range diffusion, and interface reaction must be known. In this contribution we focus on potential complexities associated with interface reactions. Many natural minerals contain inclusions of other phases, which in turn may influence the reaction interface propagation kinetics during host phase decomposition (Ashby et al. 1969), as a propagating reaction interface dissipates more free energy when bypassing a mineral inclusion, resulting in a locally decelerated reaction rate. Here, we report results of a SEM-STEM study of the interface between natural rutile-bearing corundum and a polycrystalline ferromagnesio-aluminate spinel that grew topotactically with respect to the corundum precursor as a consequence of its reaction with FeO and MgO from basaltic melt. Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) crystal orientation imaging revealed that the spinel rim is polycrystalline and exhibits (111) twinning that is parallel to the corundum (0001) plane. The rutile inclusions in corundum are elongated perpendicular to the corundum [0001] axis and are randomly oriented in the (0001) plane. Furthermore, they follow an oscillatory grain size distribution zonation with grain sizes being either a few tens of nanometers, or about 500 to 800 nanometers in

Grain boundary motion and grain rotation in aluminum bicrystals: recent experiments and simulations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Molodov, D A; Barrales-Mora, L A; Brandenburg, J-E

2015-01-01

The results of experimental and computational efforts over recent years to study the motion of geometrically different grain boundaries and grain rotation under various driving forces are briefly reviewed. Novel in-situ measuring techniques based on orientation contrast imaging and applied simulation techniques are described. The experimental results obtained on specially grown aluminum bicrystals are presented and discussed. Particularly, the faceting and migration behavior of low angle grain boundaries under the curvature force is addressed. In contrast to the pure tilt boundaries, which remained flat/faceted and immobile during annealing at elevated temperatures, mixed tilt-twist boundaries readily assumed a curved shape and steadily moved under the capillary force. Computational analysis revealed that this behavior is due to the inclinational anisotropy of grain boundary energy, which in turn depends on boundary geometry. The shape evolution and shrinkage kinetics of cylindrical grains with different tilt and mixed boundaries were studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The mobility of low angle <100> boundaries with misorientation angles higher than 10°, obtained by both the experiments and simulations, was found not to differ from that of the high angle boundaries, but decreases essentially with further decrease of misorientation. The shape evolution of the embedded grains in simulations was found to relate directly to results of the energy computations. Further simulation results revealed that the shrinkage of grains with pure tilt boundaries is accompanied by grain rotation. In contrast, grains with the tilt-twist boundaries composed of dislocations with the mixed edge-screw character do not rotate during their shrinkage. Stress driven boundary migration in aluminium bicrystals was observed to be coupled to a tangential translation of the grains. The activation enthalpy of high angle boundary migration was found to vary non-monotonically with

Anders Breivik: Extreme Beliefs Mistaken for Psychosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Rahman, Tahir; Resnick, Phillip J; Harry, Bruce

2016-03-01

The case of Anders Breivik, who committed mass murder in Norway in 2011, stirred controversy among forensic mental health experts. His bizarrely composed compendium and references to himself as the "Knights Templar" raised concerns that he had a psychotic mental illness. Beliefs such as Mr. Breivik's that precede odd, unusual, or extremely violent behavior present a unique challenge to the forensic evaluator, who sometimes struggles to understand those beliefs. Psychotic disorder frequently is invoked to characterize odd, unusual, or extreme beliefs, with a classification that has evolved over time. However, the important concept of overvalued idea, largely ignored in American psychiatry, may better characterize these beliefs in some cases. We discuss the definitions of delusion and overvalued ideas in the context of Anders Breivik's rigidly held extreme beliefs. We also review the British definition of overvalued idea and discuss McHugh's construct, to introduce the term "extreme overvalued belief" as an aid in sharpening the forensic evaluator's conceptualization of these and similar beliefs. © 2016 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

Changing Conspiracy Beliefs through Rationality and Ridiculing

OpenAIRE

Orosz, Gábor; Krekó, Péter; Paskuj, Benedek; Tóth-Király, István; Bőthe, Beáta; Roland-Lévy, Christine

2016-01-01

Conspiracy theory (CT) beliefs can be harmful. How is it possible to reduce them effectively? Three reduction strategies were tested in an online experiment using general and well-known CT beliefs on a comprehensive randomly assigned Hungarian sample (N = 813): exposing rational counter CT arguments, ridiculing those who hold CT beliefs, and empathizing with the targets of CT beliefs. Several relevant individual differences were measured. Rational and ridiculing arguments were effective in re...

Politics of climate change belief

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

Donald Trump's actions during the election and his first weeks as US president-elect send a strong message about his belief in climate change, or lack thereof. However, these actions may reflect polarization of climate change beliefs, not climate mitigation behaviour.

A belief-based evolutionarily stable strategy.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Xinyang; Wang, Zhen; Liu, Qi; Deng, Yong; Mahadevan, Sankaran

2014-11-21

As an equilibrium refinement of the Nash equilibrium, evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) is a key concept in evolutionary game theory and has attracted growing interest. An ESS can be either a pure strategy or a mixed strategy. Even though the randomness is allowed in mixed strategy, the selection probability of pure strategy in a mixed strategy may fluctuate due to the impact of many factors. The fluctuation can lead to more uncertainty. In this paper, such uncertainty involved in mixed strategy has been further taken into consideration: a belief strategy is proposed in terms of Dempster-Shafer evidence theory. Furthermore, based on the proposed belief strategy, a belief-based ESS has been developed. The belief strategy and belief-based ESS can reduce to the mixed strategy and mixed ESS, which provide more realistic and powerful tools to describe interactions among agents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

75 FR 76254 - Official Performance and Procedural Requirements for Grain Weighing Equipment and Related Grain...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-08

... DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards Administration 7 CFR Part 802 [Docket GIPSA-2010-FGIS-0012] RIN 0580-AB19 Official Performance and Procedural Requirements for Grain Weighing Equipment and Related Grain Handling Systems AGENCY: Grain Inspection, Packers and Stockyards...

High toughness in the intercritically reheated coarse-grained (ICRCG) heat-affected zone (HAZ) of low carbon microalloyed steel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Jun, E-mail: hujunral@163.com [The State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Du, Lin-Xiu [The State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Wang, Jian-Jun [Institute of Materials Research, School of Material and Metallurgy, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Xie, Hui; Gao, Cai-Ru [The State Key Laboratory of Rolling and Automation, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819 (China); Misra, R.D.K. [Laboratory for Excellence in Advanced Steel Research, Center for Structural and Functional Materials, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, Lafayette, LA 70504-4130 (United States)

2014-01-10

Motivated by the small lattice mismatch between ferrite and vanadium nitride (VN), we describe here the welding thermal cycle simulation that provides high toughness in the ICRCG HAZ of low carbon V–N steel. This unique behavior is attributed to the formation of ultra-fine grained ferrite along prior austenite grain boundaries generated by the first pass welding thermal cycle with high misorientation boundaries, where V(C, N) precipitates provide potential nucleation sites for ferrite, leading to extraordinary refinement of martensite/austenite (M/A) constituent. Nitrogen stimulates the precipitation behavior of V(C, N). The nucleation of high density of V(C, N) precipitates consumes carbon-content in the austenite, leading to decrease in the carbon-content in the M/A constituent, with consequent decrease in hardness. The increase in toughness is explained in terms of Griffith's crack propagation theory.

High toughness in the intercritically reheated coarse-grained (ICRCG) heat-affected zone (HAZ) of low carbon microalloyed steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu, Jun; Du, Lin-Xiu; Wang, Jian-Jun; Xie, Hui; Gao, Cai-Ru; Misra, R.D.K.

2014-01-01

Motivated by the small lattice mismatch between ferrite and vanadium nitride (VN), we describe here the welding thermal cycle simulation that provides high toughness in the ICRCG HAZ of low carbon V–N steel. This unique behavior is attributed to the formation of ultra-fine grained ferrite along prior austenite grain boundaries generated by the first pass welding thermal cycle with high misorientation boundaries, where V(C, N) precipitates provide potential nucleation sites for ferrite, leading to extraordinary refinement of martensite/austenite (M/A) constituent. Nitrogen stimulates the precipitation behavior of V(C, N). The nucleation of high density of V(C, N) precipitates consumes carbon-content in the austenite, leading to decrease in the carbon-content in the M/A constituent, with consequent decrease in hardness. The increase in toughness is explained in terms of Griffith's crack propagation theory

78 FR 33224 - Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers

Science.gov (United States)

2013-06-04

... 1625-AA00 Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers... Guard is establishing a temporary safety zone around all inbound and outbound grain-shipment and grain-shipment assist vessels involved in commerce with the Columbia Grain facility on the Willamette River in...

78 FR 57261 - Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers

Science.gov (United States)

2013-09-18

... 1625-AA00 Safety Zone; Grain-Shipment and Grain-Shipment Assist Vessels, Columbia and Willamette Rivers... temporary safety zone around all inbound and outbound grain-shipment and grain-shipment assist vessels involved in commerce with the Columbia Grain facility on the Willamette River in Portland, OR, the United...

Wave propagation in elastic solids

CERN Document Server

Achenbach, Jan

1984-01-01

The propagation of mechanical disturbances in solids is of interest in many branches of the physical scienses and engineering. This book aims to present an account of the theory of wave propagation in elastic solids. The material is arranged to present an exposition of the basic concepts of mechanical wave propagation within a one-dimensional setting and a discussion of formal aspects of elastodynamic theory in three dimensions, followed by chapters expounding on typical wave propagation phenomena, such as radiation, reflection, refraction, propagation in waveguides, and diffraction. The treat

[French validation of the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale].

Science.gov (United States)

Bouvet, R; Djeriouat, H; Goutaudier, N; Py, J; Chabrol, H

2014-09-01

For the last decades, many researchers have focused on paranormal beliefs. Beliefs in the existence of paranormal phenomena would be common and studies conducted in westernized countries have highlighted a high prevalence of individuals believing in the existence of such phenomena. Tobacyk and Milford (1984) developed the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale (RPBS) for assessing beliefs in paranormal phenomena. This 26-item self-reported questionnaire, measuring beliefs in phenomena such as witchcraft or superstition, is one of the most widely used questionnaires to assess such beliefs. While studies focusing on paranormal beliefs tend to develop, there is no French self-report instrument to assess this construct. Researchers have tried to identify specific variables that might be linked to such beliefs, and some have focused on personalities of individuals who believe in the paranormal. Schizotypy has been reported to be significantly and positively correlated with paranormal beliefs. The aim of this study was a) to validate the French version of the RPBS and b) to explore the relationship between Schizotypal Personality Disorder traits and paranormal beliefs. After being recruited using the Internet and social networks (e.g. facebook), a sample of 313 participants (mean [SD] age=31.12 [11.62]; range 18-58years) completed the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ-B), assessing Schizotypal Personality Disorder traits and the Revised Paranormal Belief Scale assessing paranormal beliefs. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to test the proposed 7-factor structure of the RPB developed by Tobacyk. Several adjustment indices were used to evaluate the model. As the first model did not fit the original one, others models were tested. Our findings indicated that a seven-factor solution, excluding 2 items, best described the item structure: (1) spiritualism, (2) superstition, (3) witchcraft, (4) precognition, (5) traditional religious belief, (6) psi, (7) and

Ultrafine Ceramic Grains Embedded in Metallic Glass Matrix: Achieving Superior Wear Resistance via Increase in Both Hardness and Toughness.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Lina; Wen, Mao; Dai, Xuan; Cheng, Gang; Zhang, Kan

2018-05-09

As structural materials, crystalline or metallic glass materials have attracted scientific and practical interests. However, some mechanisms involving critical size and shear bands have adverse effects on their mechanical properties. Here, we counter these two effects by introducing a special structure with ultrafine ceramic grains (with a diameter of ∼2.0 nm) embedded into a metallic glass matrix, wherein the grains are mainly composed of a Ta-W-N solid solution structure in nature, surrounded by a W-based amorphous matrix that contains Ta and N atoms. Such a structure is in situ formed during preparation, which combines the merits of both phases to achieve simultaneous increase in hardness and toughness relative to references (pure TaN and W) and thus superior wear resistance. Even more remarkable, a favorable variation of increased hardness but reduced elasticity modulus can be induced by this structure. Intrinsically, ultrafine ceramic grains (free of dislocations), embedded in the metallic glass matrix, could prevent shear band propagation within the glass matrix and further improve the hardness of the matrix material. In return, such glass matrix allows for stiffness neutralization and structural relaxation to reduce the elasticity modulus of ceramic grains. This study will offer a new guidance to fabricate ultrahigh-performance metal-based composites.

Losing Belief, While Keeping Up the Attitudes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Klausen, Søren Harnow

2013-01-01

While arguing that many cognitive states do indeed have a characteristic phenomenology, I find reasons for exempting beliefs from the program of cognitive phenomenology. Examining the complex relationship between beliefs and various kinds of conscious experience shows that belief is a messy conce...

Equilibria in social belief removal

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Booth, R

2008-09-01

Full Text Available In studies of multi-agent interaction, especially in game theory, the notion of equilibrium often plays a prominent role. A typical scenario for the belief merging problem is one in which several agents pool their beliefs together to form a...

Order effects in research on paranormal belief.

Science.gov (United States)

Dudley, R Thomas

2002-04-01

Measures of paranormal belief and emotional intelligence were given a group of 72 college students using Tobacyk's Revised Paranormal Belief Scale and Schutte, Malouff, Hall, Haggerty, Cooper, Golden, and Dornheim's Emotional Intelligence Scale. Order effects indicated that participants who took the Paranormal Belief Scale first had lower emotional intelligence scores than those who took the Emotional Intelligence Scale first. The study demonstrates the importance of taking order effects into account when conducting research on paranormal belief.

Grain destruction in interstellar shocks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seab, C.G.; Shull, J.M.

1984-01-01

One of the principal methods for removing grains from the Interstellar Medium is to destroy them in shock waves. Previous theoretical studies of shock destruction have generally assumed only a single size and type of grain; most do not account for the effect of the grain destruction on the structure of the shock. Earlier calculations have been improved in three ways: first, by using a ''complete'' grain model including a distribution of sizes and types of grains; second, by using a self-consistent shock structure that incorporates the changing elemental depletions as the grains are destroyed; and third, by calculating the shock-processed ultraviolet extinction curves for comparison with observations. (author)

The self-attribution bias and paranormal beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

van Elk, Michiel

2017-03-01

The present study investigated the relation between paranormal beliefs, illusory control and the self-attribution bias, i.e., the motivated tendency to attribute positive outcomes to oneself while negative outcomes are externalized. Visitors of a psychic fair played a card guessing game and indicated their perceived control over randomly selected cards as a function of the congruency and valence of the card. A stronger self-attribution bias was observed for paranormal believers compared to skeptics and this bias was specifically related to traditional religious beliefs and belief in superstition. No relation between paranormal beliefs and illusory control was found. Self-report measures indicated that paranormal beliefs were associated to being raised in a spiritual family and to anomalous experiences during childhood. Thereby this study suggests that paranormal beliefs are related to specific cognitive biases that in turn are shaped by socio-cultural factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Race Research and the Ethics of Belief.

Science.gov (United States)

Anomaly, Jonathan

2017-06-01

On most accounts, beliefs are supposed to fit the world rather than change it. But believing can have social consequences, since the beliefs we form underwrite our actions and impact our character. Because our beliefs affect how we live our lives and how we treat other people, it is surprising how little attention is usually given to the moral status of believing apart from its epistemic justification. In what follows, I develop a version of the harm principle that applies to beliefs as well as actions. In doing so, I challenge the often exaggerated distinction between forming beliefs and acting on them. 1 After developing this view, I consider what it might imply about controversial research the goal of which is to yield true beliefs but the outcome of which might include negative social consequences. In particular, I focus on the implications of research into biological differences between racial groups.

Proposing an Operational Definition of Science Teacher Beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

Hutner, Todd L.; Markman, Arthur B.

2016-01-01

Much research has shown that a science teacher's beliefs are related to their teaching practice. This line of research has often defined "belief" epistemologically. That is, beliefs are often defined relative to other mental constructs, such as knowledge, dispositions, or attitudes. Left unspecified is the role beliefs play in cognition…

Korean Americans' Beliefs about Colorectal Cancer Screening

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shin-Young Lee, PhD, RN

2013-06-01

Conclusion: Results show the critical need for in-depth understanding of unique health and cultural beliefs about CRC screening in KAs. These beliefs could be useful for future intervention strategies to change health and cultural beliefs in order to increase CRC screening participation in KAs.

False belief understanding in Cantonese-speaking children.

Science.gov (United States)

Tardif, Twila; Wellman, Henry M; Cheung, Kar Man

2004-11-01

The present study investigates the performance of 96 Cantonese-speaking three- to five-year-old preschoolers on three false belief tasks - a deceptive object, a change of location, and an unexpected contents task encompassing a variety of task factors. Most importantly, the research examines the possibility that false belief performance depends on specific linguistic factors such as the type of verb used in the test question--an explicitly false vs. a neutral belief verb. Cantonese was chosen as particularly useful for examining this question because it explicitly codes belief status as either neutral (nam5) or false (ji5wai4), and because it offers additional linguistic and cultural contrasts to research conducted on false belief with children learning English and other Indo-European languages. As expected, a strong age effect was found, as well as a significant advantage for children who received the explicit false belief (ji5wai4) wording and for those who were asked to explain rather than predict the protagonist's actions. Interestingly, there was also a strong task difference with children performing better on the deceptive object task than on the other two false belief tasks. We argue that these results point both to universal trajectories in theory of mind development and to interesting, but localized, effects of language and culture on children's false belief understanding.

SPORT SCIENCE STUDENTS‟ BELIEFS ABOUT LANGUAGE LEARNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Suvi Akhiriyah

2017-04-01

Full Text Available There are many reasons for students of Sport Science to use English. Yet, knowing the importance of learning English is sometimes not enough to encourage them to learn English well. Based on the experience in teaching them, erroneous belief seems to be held by many of them. It arouses curiosity about the beliefs which might be revealed to help the students to be successful in language learning. By investigating sport science students‘ beliefs about language learning, it is expected that types of the beliefs which they hold can be revealed. Understanding students‘ beliefs about language learning is essential because these beliefs can have possible consequences for second language learning and instruction. This study is expected to provide empirical evidence. The subjects of this study were 1st semester students majoring in Sport Science of Sport Science Faculty. There were 4 classes with 38 students in each class. There were approximately 152 students as the population of the study. The sample was taken by using random sampling. All members of the population received the questionnaire. The questionnaire which was later handed back to the researcher is considered as the sample. The instrument in this study is the newest version of Beliefs About Language Learning Inventory (BALLI, version 2.0, developed by Horwitz to asses the beliefs about learning a foreign language.

Developing resident learning profiles: Do scientific evidence epistemology beliefs, EBM self-efficacy beliefs and EBM skills matter?

Science.gov (United States)

Robert, Nancy J.

This study investigated resident scientific evidence epistemology beliefs, evidence based medicine (EBM) self-efficacy beliefs, and EBM skills. A convenience sample of fifty-one residents located in six U.S. based residency programs completed an online instrument. Hofer's epistemology survey questionnaire was modified to test responses based on four types of scientific evidence encountered in medical practice (Clinical Trial Phase 1, Clinical Trial Phase 3, Meta-analysis and Qualitative). It was hypothesized that epistemology beliefs would differ based on the type of scientific evidence considered. A principal components analysis produced a two factor solution that was significant across type of scientific evidence suggesting that when evaluating epistemology beliefs context does matter. Factor 1 is related to the certainty of research methods and the certainty of medical conclusions and factor 2 denotes medical justification. For each type of scientific evidence, both factors differed on questions comprising the factor structure with significant differences found for the factor 1 and 2 questions. A justification belief case problem using checklist format was triangulated with the survey results, and as predicted the survey and checklist justification z scores indicated no significant differences, and two new justification themes emerged. Modified versions of Finney and Schraw's statistical self-efficacy and skill instruments produced expected significant EBM score correlations with unexpected results indicating that the number of EBM and statistics courses are not significant for EBM self-efficacy and skill scores. The study results were applied to the construction of a learning profile that provided residents belief and skill feedback specific to individual learning needs. The learning profile design incorporated core values related to 'Believer' populations that focus on art, harmony, tact and diplomacy. Future research recommendations include testing context

Database for propagation models

Science.gov (United States)

Kantak, Anil V.

1991-07-01

A propagation researcher or a systems engineer who intends to use the results of a propagation experiment is generally faced with various database tasks such as the selection of the computer software, the hardware, and the writing of the programs to pass the data through the models of interest. This task is repeated every time a new experiment is conducted or the same experiment is carried out at a different location generating different data. Thus the users of this data have to spend a considerable portion of their time learning how to implement the computer hardware and the software towards the desired end. This situation may be facilitated considerably if an easily accessible propagation database is created that has all the accepted (standardized) propagation phenomena models approved by the propagation research community. Also, the handling of data will become easier for the user. Such a database construction can only stimulate the growth of the propagation research it if is available to all the researchers, so that the results of the experiment conducted by one researcher can be examined independently by another, without different hardware and software being used. The database may be made flexible so that the researchers need not be confined only to the contents of the database. Another way in which the database may help the researchers is by the fact that they will not have to document the software and hardware tools used in their research since the propagation research community will know the database already. The following sections show a possible database construction, as well as properties of the database for the propagation research.

False belief reasoning in the brain: An ERP study

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

2008-01-01

Understanding others mind and interpersonal interaction are the cognitive basis of successful social interactions. People’s mental states and behaviors rely on their holding beliefs for self and others. To investigate the neural substrates of false belief reasoning, the 32 channels event-related potentials (ERP) of 14 normal adults were measured while they understood false-belief and true belief used de-ceptive appearance task. After onset of the false-belief or true-belief questions, N100, P200 and late negative component (LNC) were elicited at centro-frontal sites. Compared with true belief, false belief reasoning elicited significant declined LNC in the time window from 400 to 800 ms. The source analysis of difference wave (False minus True) showed a dipole located in the middle cingulated cortex. These findings show that false belief reasoning probably included inhibitive process.

False belief reasoning in the brain: An ERP study

Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

无

2008-01-01

Understanding others mind and interpersonal interaction are the cognitive basis of successful social interactions. People's mental states and behaviors rely on their holding beliefs for self and others. To investigate the neural substrates of false belief reasoning, the 32 channels event-related potentials (ERP) of 14 normal adults were measured while they understood false-belief and true belief used deceptive appearance task. After onset of the false-belief or true-belief questions, N100, P200 and late negative component (LNC) were elicited at centro-frontal sites. Compared with true belief, false belief reasoning elicited significant declined LNC in the time window from 400 to 800 ms. The source analysis of difference wave (False minus True) showed a dipole located in the middle cingulated cortex. These findings show that false belief reasoning probably included inhibitive process.

Plant Density Effect on Grain Number and Weight of Two Winter Wheat Cultivars at Different Spikelet and Grain Positions

Science.gov (United States)

Ni, Yingli; Zheng, Mengjing; Yang, Dongqing; Jin, Min; Chen, Jin; Wang, Zhenlin; Yin, Yanping

2016-01-01

In winter wheat, grain development is asynchronous. The grain number and grain weight vary significantly at different spikelet and grain positions among wheat cultivars grown at different plant densities. In this study, two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, ‘Wennong6’ and ‘Jimai20’, were grown under four different plant densities for two seasons, in order to study the effect of plant density on the grain number and grain weight at different spikelet and grain positions. The results showed that the effects of spikelet and grain positions on grain weight varied with the grain number of spikelets. In both cultivars, the single-grain weight of the basal and middle two-grain spikelets was higher at the 2nd grain position than that at the 1st grain position, while the opposite occurred in the top two-grain spikelets. In the three-grain spikelets, the distribution of the single-grain weight was different between cultivars. In the four-grain spikelets of Wennong6, the single-grain weight was the highest at the 2nd grain position, followed by the 1st, 3rd, and 4th grain positions. Regardless of the spikelet and grain positions, the single-grain weight was the highest at the 1st and 2nd grain positions and the lowest at the 3rd and 4th grain positions. Overall, plant density affected the yield by controlling the seed-setting characteristics of the tiller spike. Therefore, wheat yield can be increased by decreasing the sterile basal and top spikelets and enhancing the grain weight at the 3rd and 4th grain positions, while maintaining it at the 1st and 2nd grain positions on the spikelet. PMID:27171343

Folk beliefs of cultural changes in China

OpenAIRE

Xu, Yi; Hamamura, Takeshi

2014-01-01

For the last several decades, Chinese society has experienced transformative changes. How are these changes understood among Chinese people? To examine this question, Part 1 in this research solicited folk beliefs of cultural change from a group of Chinese participants in an open-ended format, and the generated folk beliefs were rated by another group of participants in Part 2 to gage each belief's level of agreement. Part 3 plotted the folk beliefs retained in Part 2 using the Google Ngram V...

Analytic cognitive style predicts religious and paranormal belief.

Science.gov (United States)

Pennycook, Gordon; Cheyne, James Allan; Seli, Paul; Koehler, Derek J; Fugelsang, Jonathan A

2012-06-01

An analytic cognitive style denotes a propensity to set aside highly salient intuitions when engaging in problem solving. We assess the hypothesis that an analytic cognitive style is associated with a history of questioning, altering, and rejecting (i.e., unbelieving) supernatural claims, both religious and paranormal. In two studies, we examined associations of God beliefs, religious engagement (attendance at religious services, praying, etc.), conventional religious beliefs (heaven, miracles, etc.) and paranormal beliefs (extrasensory perception, levitation, etc.) with performance measures of cognitive ability and analytic cognitive style. An analytic cognitive style negatively predicted both religious and paranormal beliefs when controlling for cognitive ability as well as religious engagement, sex, age, political ideology, and education. Participants more willing to engage in analytic reasoning were less likely to endorse supernatural beliefs. Further, an association between analytic cognitive style and religious engagement was mediated by religious beliefs, suggesting that an analytic cognitive style negatively affects religious engagement via lower acceptance of conventional religious beliefs. Results for types of God belief indicate that the association between an analytic cognitive style and God beliefs is more nuanced than mere acceptance and rejection, but also includes adopting less conventional God beliefs, such as Pantheism or Deism. Our data are consistent with the idea that two people who share the same cognitive ability, education, political ideology, sex, age and level of religious engagement can acquire very different sets of beliefs about the world if they differ in their propensity to think analytically. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-deception as pseudo-rational regulation of belief.

Science.gov (United States)

Michel, Christoph; Newen, Albert

2010-09-01

Self-deception is a special kind of motivational dominance in belief-formation. We develop criteria which set paradigmatic self-deception apart from related phenomena of auto-manipulation such as pretense and motivational bias. In self-deception rational subjects defend or develop beliefs of high subjective importance in response to strong counter-evidence. Self-deceivers make or keep these beliefs tenable by putting prima-facie rational defense-strategies to work against their established standards of rational evaluation. In paradigmatic self-deception, target-beliefs are made tenable via reorganizations of those belief-sets that relate relevant data to target-beliefs. This manipulation of the evidential value of relevant data goes beyond phenomena of motivated perception of data. In self-deception belief-defense is pseudo-rational. Self-deceivers will typically apply a dual standard of evaluation that remains intransparent to the subject. The developed model of self-deception as pseudo-rational belief-defense is empirically anchored. So, we hope to put forward a promising candidate. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Beliefs and brownies: in search for a new identity for 'belief' research

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Skott, Jeppe

2014-01-01

Belief research (BR) has contributed with better understandings of teachers’ acts and meaning making, but is fraught with conceptual and methodological problems. Also, the premise that teachers’ beliefs impact practice is often not confirmed. I compare BR with a conceptual framework, Patterns...... of the rationale of BR, but involves a fundamental shift of identity for research on affect, which alleviates some of the problems of BR and is useful for understanding the dynamics of teachers’ contribution to classroom practice....

Belief update as social choice

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Benthem, J.; Girard, P.; Roy, O.; Marion, M.

2011-01-01

Dynamic epistemic-doxastic logics describe the new knowledge or new beliefs indexBelief of agents after some informational event has happened. Technically, this requires an update rule that turns a doxastic-epistemic modelM(recording the current information state of the agents) and a dynamic ‘event

Are Teacher Beliefs Gender-Related?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kraker - de Pauw, Emmy; van Wesel, F.; Verwijmeren, Thijs; Denessen, Eddie; Krabbendam, Lydia

2016-01-01

Teacher beliefs influence student behaviour and learning outcomes. Little is known about the role of specific teacher characteristics (e.g., gender and teaching domain) in the formation of these beliefs. In the current study, three versions of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) were used to assess

Are teacher beliefs gender-related?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kraker-Pauw, E. de; Wesel, F. van; Verwijmeren, T.; Denessen, E.J.P.G.; Krabbendam, L.

2016-01-01

Teacher beliefs influence student behaviour and learning outcomes. Little is known about the role of specific teacher characteristics (e.g., gender and teaching domain) in the formation of these beliefs. In the current study, three versions of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) were used to assess

Modelling of grain refinement driven by negative grain boundary energy

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fischer, F. D.; Zickler, G. A.; Svoboda, Jiří

2017-01-01

Roč. 97, č. 23 (2017), s. 1963-1977 ISSN 1478-6435 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA15-06390S Institutional support: RVO:68081723 Keywords : grain refinement * grain nucleation * distribution concept * jump on distribution function Subject RIV: BJ - Thermodynamics OBOR OECD: Thermodynamics Impact factor: 1.505, year: 2016

Grain Interactions in Crystal Plasticity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boyle, K.P.; Curtin, W.A.

2005-01-01

The plastic response of a sheet metal is governed by the collective response of the underlying grains. Intragranular plasticity depends on intrinsic variables such as crystallographic orientation and on extrinsic variables such as grain interactions; however, the role of the latter is not well understood. A finite element crystal plasticity formulation is used to investigate the importance of grain interactions on intragranular plastic deformation in initially untextured polycrystalline aggregates. A statistical analysis reveals that grain interactions are of equal (or more) importance for determining the average intragranular deviations from the applied strain as compared to the orientation of the grain itself. Furthermore, the influence of the surrounding grains is found to extend past nearest neighbor interactions. It is concluded that the stochastic nature of the mesoscale environment must be considered for a proper understanding of the plastic response of sheet metals at the grain-scale

Changing Preservice Teachers' Beliefs about Motivating Students

Science.gov (United States)

Peterson, Sarah; Schreiber, Jim; Moss, Connie

2011-01-01

We examined the effects of an educational psychology course on students' beliefs about motivating students. After providing opportunities to engage in systematic intentional inquiry of their beliefs about teaching and learning, we expected that students' beliefs would become more soundly based in theory and research. Following several classes on…

Confirming the structure of negative beliefs about psychosis and bipolar disorder: A confirmatory factor analysis study of the Personal Beliefs about Experience Questionnaire and Personal Beliefs about Illness Questionnaire.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Peter J; Pyle, Melissa; Schwannauer, Matthias; Hutton, Paul; Morrison, Anthony

2015-11-01

Negative beliefs about psychosis and other mental health difficulties may contribute to depression and distress in individuals with these experiences. The Personal Beliefs about Experience Questionnaire (PBEQ) and Personal Beliefs about Illness Questionnaire (PBIllQ) are two widely used measures of these beliefs. It is currently uncertain how the items on these measures map onto different underlying factors. This study therefore aimed to test the factor structure of these two measures. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test three alternative, pre-specified, factor structures for the PBIllQ and PBEQ in a sample of individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (n = 202) and a sample of individuals with experien-ces of psychosis (n = 362). Associations with depressive symptoms were also examined. A three-factor structure was supported for both measures, which included Negative Expectations/Appraisals (NEA), Internal Shame/Defectiveness (ISD) and External Shame (ES) factors. The NEA and ISD subscales also had consistent independent associations with depressive symptoms. The results suggest that the PBIllQ and PBEQ may capture three distinct sets of negative beliefs in individuals with psychosis or bipolar disorder and that these beliefs may have important consequences for subsequent difficulties in these populations such as depression. Both measures may be helpful in supporting assessment and formulation in clinical practice and in evaluating belief change in intervention trials. However, when used in these settings, the three subscales identified in this study may be the most valid way of calculating scores on these measures. Negative personal beliefs about the causes, meaning and consequences of psychosis and bipolar disorder are associated with greater distress and depression. Two related measures, the PBIllQ and PBEQ, have been developed to assess these beliefs. Our analyses suggest that scores on these questionnaires are best broken down into three

Skin tests of pollen grains of taxodiaceae and cupressaceae in children with bronchial asthma.

Science.gov (United States)

Midoro-Horiuti, T; Nouno, S; Seino, Y

1992-10-01

Atmospheric cedar pollen in the southern region of Okayama Prefecture (situated in south-western Japan) has been counted since 1988. Pollen of different species of the Taxodiaceae family (Cryptomeria japonica, Sequoia sempervirens and Metasequoia glyptostroboides) and Japanese juniper (Juniperus rigida) in the Cupressaceae family, which are propagated mainly in the southern region of Okayama Prefecture, were found among the atmospheric pollen. Scratch tests using the pollen extract from Taxodiaceae and Cupressaceae were performed on children with bronchial asthma. Forty (25%) and 30 (18.8%) of the 160 patients reacted positively to an allergen extract from the pollen grains of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) and Japanese juniper, respectively.

Normative beliefs and sexual risk in China.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Li; Ding, Ying Ying; Wu, Zunyou; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Guo, Sam

2011-08-01

We examined normative beliefs about multiple sexual partners and social status in China and their association with risky sexual behaviors and sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Self-reported and biological markers of sexual risk were examined among 3,716 market vendors from a city in eastern China. Men who were older or with less education believed having multiple sexual partners was linked to higher social status. Adjusting for demographic characteristics, normative beliefs were significantly associated with having multiple sexual partners, while having multiple sexual partners was significantly associated with STIs. Normative beliefs regarding sexual behaviors may play an important role in individual risk behaviors. Future HIV/STI interventions must address community beliefs about the positive meaning of sexual risks, particularly among men with traditional beliefs about gender roles.

The relationship between clients' depression etiological beliefs and psychotherapy orientation preferences, expectations, and credibility beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Tompkins, Kelley A; Swift, Joshua K; Rousmaniere, Tony G; Whipple, Jason L

2017-06-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between clients' etiological beliefs for depression and treatment preferences, credibility beliefs, and outcome expectations for five different depression treatments-behavioral activation, cognitive therapy, interpersonal psychotherapy, pharmacotherapy, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. Adult psychotherapy clients (N = 98) were asked to complete an online survey that included the Reasons for Depression Questionnaire, a brief description of each of the five treatment options, and credibility, expectancy, and preference questions for each option. On average, the participating clients rated pharmacotherapy as significantly less credible, having a lower likelihood of success, and being less preferred than the four types of psychotherapy. In general, interpersonal psychotherapy was also rated more negatively than the other types of psychotherapy. However, these findings depended somewhat on whether the participating client was personally experiencing depression. Credibility beliefs, outcome expectations, and preferences for pharmacotherapy were positively associated with biological beliefs for depression; however, the other hypothesized relationships between etiological beliefs and treatment attitudes were not supported. Although the study is limited based on the specific sample and treatment descriptions that were used, the results may still have implications for psychotherapy research, training, and practice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Executive functions in morality, religion, and paranormal beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Wain, Omar; Spinella, Marcello

2007-01-01

Moral, religious, and paranormal beliefs share some degree of overlap and play important roles in guiding peoples' behavior. Although partly cultural phenomena, they also have neurobiological components based on functional neuroimaging studies and research in clinical populations. Because all three show relationships to prefrontal system functioning, the current study examined whether they related to executive functions as measured by the Executive Function Inventory in a community sample. As in previous research, religious beliefs related positively to both moral attitudes and paranormal beliefs. Moral attitudes, however, did not relate to paranormal beliefs. Paranormal beliefs related inversely to impulse control and organization, whereas small positive correlations occurred between traditional religious beliefs, impulse control, and empathy. Moral attitudes, on the other hand, showed consistent positive correlations with all executive functions measured, independent of demographic influences. These findings concordantly support that prefrontal systems play a role in morality, religion, and paranormal beliefs.

Stabilisation of the grain market by the flexible use of grain for bioethanol

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Helming, J.F.M.; Pronk, A.; Woltjer, I.

2010-01-01

This report reviews whether the grain market and grain price can be stabilised by the variation of the use of grain in the EU-27's production of bioethanol. The time horizon of this study is 2020, whereby account is taken of the minimum 10% obligation for biofuel use in the EU-27. An economic

Apocalypse soon? Dire messages reduce belief in global warming by contradicting just-world beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Feinberg, Matthew; Willer, Robb

2011-01-01

Though scientific evidence for the existence of global warming continues to mount, in the United States and other countries belief in global warming has stagnated or even decreased in recent years. One possible explanation for this pattern is that information about the potentially dire consequences of global warming threatens deeply held beliefs that the world is just, orderly, and stable. Individuals overcome this threat by denying or discounting the existence of global warming, and this process ultimately results in decreased willingness to counteract climate change. Two experiments provide support for this explanation of the dynamics of belief in global warming, suggesting that less dire messaging could be more effective for promoting public understanding of climate-change research.

Implicit false-belief processing in the human brain.

Science.gov (United States)

Schneider, Dana; Slaughter, Virginia P; Becker, Stefanie I; Dux, Paul E

2014-11-01

Eye-movement patterns in 'Sally-Anne' tasks reflect humans' ability to implicitly process the mental states of others, particularly false-beliefs - a key theory of mind (ToM) operation. It has recently been proposed that an efficient ToM system, which operates in the absence of awareness (implicit ToM, iToM), subserves the analysis of belief-like states. This contrasts to consciously available belief processing, performed by the explicit ToM system (eToM). The frontal, temporal and parietal cortices are engaged when humans explicitly 'mentalize' about others' beliefs. However, the neural underpinnings of implicit false-belief processing and the extent to which they draw on networks involved in explicit general-belief processing are unknown. Here, participants watched 'Sally-Anne' movies while fMRI and eye-tracking measures were acquired simultaneously. Participants displayed eye-movements consistent with implicit false-belief processing. After independently localizing the brain areas involved in explicit general-belief processing, only the left anterior superior temporal sulcus and precuneus revealed greater blood-oxygen-level-dependent activity for false- relative to true-belief trials in our iToM paradigm. No such difference was found for the right temporal-parietal junction despite significant activity in this area. These findings fractionate brain regions that are associated with explicit general ToM reasoning and false-belief processing in the absence of awareness. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Inter-grain coupling and grain charge in dusty plasma Coulomb crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, M. A.; Goodrich, J.; Mohideen, U.; Rahman, H. U.; Rosenberg, M.; Mendis, D. A.

1998-01-01

We have studied the lattice structure and grain charge of dusty plasma Coulomb crystals formed in rectangular conductive grooves as a function of plasma temperature and density. The crystal appears to be made of mutually repulsive columns of grains confined by the walls of the groove. The columns are oriented along the direction of the electrode sheath electric field. A simple phenomenological model wherein the inter-grain spacing results from an attractive electric field induced dipole-dipole force balanced by a repulsive monopole Coulomb force is consistent with observed features of the Coulomb crystal

Beliefs About Child TV Viewing in Low-Income Mexican American Parents of Preschoolers: Development of the Beliefs About Child TV Viewing Scale (B-TV).

Science.gov (United States)

Thompson, Darcy A; Johnson, Susan L; Schmiege, Sarah J; Vandewater, Elizabeth A; Boles, Richard E; Lev, Jerusha; Tschann, Jeanne M

2018-06-01

Objectives Parental beliefs about child television viewing may affect the way parents regulate child television viewing. Despite this, little research has focused on the development of measures of parental beliefs about child television viewing, particularly among ethnic minority parents and parents of young children. This study's objective was to develop and test a culturally-based measure of parental beliefs about television viewing in low-income Mexican American mothers of preschoolers. Methods Using a cross-sectional study design, 22 items reflecting parental beliefs about influences of TV on children were developed and assessed for psychometric properties in a sample of 312 low-income Mexican American mothers of preschoolers. Results Using exploratory factor analysis, we identified four factors reflecting four domains of parental beliefs: positive general beliefs, positive sleep-related beliefs, positive functional beliefs, and negative general beliefs. Internal reliabilities were acceptable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.70-0.89) for all factors except negative general beliefs (Cronbach's alpha = 0.61). Positive sleep-related beliefs and Positive Functional Beliefs were correlated with children's average daily hours of TV (r = 0.16, p parental beliefs regarding child TV viewing, and has good initial reliability and validity for three factors. Future use will allow investigators to conduct more in-depth evaluations on the influence of parental beliefs on the way parents shape their child's use of the TV.

A constitutive model of nanocrystalline metals based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Gurses, Ercan

2011-12-01

In this work, a viscoplastic constitutive model for nanocrystalline metals is presented. The model is based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms. In particular, inelastic deformations caused by grain boundary diffusion, grain boundary sliding and dislocation activities are considered. Effects of pressure on the grain boundary diffusion and sliding mechanisms are taken into account. Furthermore, the influence of grain size distribution on macroscopic response is studied. The model is shown to capture the fundamental mechanical characteristics of nanocrystalline metals. These include grain size dependence of the strength, i.e., both the traditional and the inverse Hall-Petch effects, the tension-compression asymmetry and the enhanced rate sensitivity. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Playing with knowledge and belief

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Fiutek, V.

2013-01-01

This thesis contributes to the development of Soft Dynamic Epistemic Logic (Soft DEL). Soft DEL has been introduced to deal with a number of informational phenomena, including belief revision. The work in this thesis extends the scope of Soft DEL to belief contraction, providing as such a framework

Stimulated Brillouin scattering of laser in semiconductor plasma embedded with nano-sized grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharma, Giriraj, E-mail: grsharma@gmail.com [SRJ Government Girls’ College, Neemuch (M P) (India); Dad, R. C. [Government P G College, Mandsaur (M P) (India); Ghosh, S. [School of Studies in Physics, Vikram University, Ujjain, (M P) (India)

2015-07-31

A high power laser propagating through semiconductor plasma undergoes Stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) from the electrostrictively generated acoustic perturbations. We have considered that nano-sized grains (NSGs) ions are embedded in semiconductor plasma by means of ion implantation. The NSGs are bombarded by the surrounding plasma particles and collect electrons. By considering a negative charge on the NSGs, we present an analytically study on the effects of NSGs on threshold field for the onset of SBS and Brillouin gain of generated Brillouin scattered mode. It is found that as the charge on the NSGs builds up, the Brillouin gain is significantly raised and the threshold pump field for the onset of SBS process is lowered.

Islamic Cultures: Health Care Beliefs and Practices.

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, Charles

1996-01-01

Presents an overview of Islamic health care beliefs and practices, noting health-related social and spiritual issues, fundamental beliefs and themes in Islam, health care beliefs and practices common among Muslims, and health-affecting social roles among Muslims. Cultural, religious, and social barriers to health care and ways to reduce them are…

Mentalizing Deficits Constrain Belief in a Personal God

Science.gov (United States)

Norenzayan, Ara; Gervais, Will M.; Trzesniewski, Kali H.

2012-01-01

Religious believers intuitively conceptualize deities as intentional agents with mental states who anticipate and respond to human beliefs, desires and concerns. It follows that mentalizing deficits, associated with the autistic spectrum and also commonly found in men more than in women, may undermine this intuitive support and reduce belief in a personal God. Autistic adolescents expressed less belief in God than did matched neuro-typical controls (Study 1). In a Canadian student sample (Study 2), and two American national samples that controlled for demographic characteristics and other correlates of autism and religiosity (Study 3 and 4), the autism spectrum predicted reduced belief in God, and mentalizing mediated this relationship. Systemizing (Studies 2 and 3) and two personality dimensions related to religious belief, Conscientiousness and Agreeableness (Study 3), failed as mediators. Mentalizing also explained the robust and well-known, but theoretically debated, gender gap in religious belief wherein men show reduced religious belief (Studies 2–4). PMID:22666332

Assessment of dysfunctional beliefs in borderline personality disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Butler, Andrew C; Brown, Gregory K; Beck, Aaron T; Grisham, Jessica R

2002-10-01

This study had two aims: to test the hypothesis that borderline personality disorder (BPD) patients hold numerous dysfunctional beliefs associated with a variety of Axis II disorders, and to construct a BPD belief scale which captures these beliefs. Beliefs were measured using the Personality Belief Questionnaire (PBQ) which is designed to assess beliefs associated with various personality disorders, although not specifically BPD. Eighty-four BPD patients and 204 patients with other personality disorders (OPD) were randomly split into two study samples. Fourteen PBQ items were found to discriminate BPD from OPD patients in both samples. These items came from the PBQ Dependent, Paranoid, Avoidant, and Histrionic scales and reflect themes of dependency, helplessness, distrust, fears of rejection/abandonment/losing emotional control, and extreme attention-seeking behavior. A BPD beliefs scale constructed from these items showed good internal consistency and diagnostic validity among the 288 study patients. The scale may be used to assist in diagnosis and cognitive therapy of BPD.

DEVELOPMENT OF GRAIN MARKET IN UKRAINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aleksandr Maslak

2015-11-01

Full Text Available The subject of the research is a set of theoretical, methodological and practical fundamentals of organizational and economic functioning are integrated agricultural formations in the grain market of Ukraine. The methodological basis of research is the complex analysis of economic processes in the grain market in Ukraine and the world. During research we used such methods as method of systematization and comparison, statistic, economic, balance, constructive, target-oriented, and the methods of induction and deduction, analogy and comparison. Main aim of this article is the analysis of the situation on the grain market in Ukraine, defining the role of integrated agricultural formations in this market, improving the organizational-economic mechanism of its functioning, identifies ways of improving the competitiveness of Ukraine among world exporters of grain. Using results of the studies we examined trends grain market in Ukraine; influence of businesses in grain production; analysis of constraints to improve production efficiency of grain; defined domestic (internal needs of grain in Ukraine; assessed the status and expediency transformation infrastructure of the grain market of Ukraine; defined priority directions of development of the grain market in Ukraine. As a result of the preparation of articles, it is obtained the following conclusions: Ukraine is the world's largest producers and exporters of grain, the production of integrated agricultural units to a third of the total grain; technical condition of farm does not meet the needs of production; the domestic market is unable to provide the existing demand for grain production, contributing to export growth; Ukraine has a number of problems due to increased grain production, namely the shortage of storage capacity for the storage of grain, limited performance transshipment of grain in port elevators and imperfection and depreciation of transport systems; solving the existing problems is

Photoelectric charging of dust grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ignatov, A. M.

2009-01-01

Photoemission from the surface of a dust grain in vacuum is considered. It is shown that the cutoff in the energy spectrum of emitted electrons leads to the formation of a steady-state electron cloud. The equation describing the distribution of the electric potential in the vicinity of a dust grain is solved numerically. The dust grain charge is found as a function of the grain size.

Paranormal belief, schizotypy, and Body Mass Index.

Science.gov (United States)

Hergovich, Andreas; Willinger, Ulrike; Arendasy, Martin

2005-06-01

There are indications that subjects with schizotypal personality have a lower Body Mass Index. Also schizotypal personality is linked to a higher incidence of paranormal belief. In this study we examined whether low Body Mass Index is also linked to paranormal belief. In a pilot study 48 students of psychology (85.4% women) between the ages of 20 and 27 years were administered a questionnaire assessing weight, height, and paranormal belief. Analysis suggested an association between belief in paranormal phenomena and low Body Mass Index. In a follow-up study with 300 subjects and equal sex distribution, the relationship was examined under control of schizotypy. The results for Body Mass Index could not be confirmed; however, paranormal belief was heavily associated with the cognitive-perceptual component of schizotypy.

Indonesian teachers' epistemological beliefs and inclusive education.

Science.gov (United States)

Sheehy, Kieron; Budiyanto; Kaye, Helen; Rofiah, Khofidotur

2017-01-01

A growing number of children with intellectual disabilities attend inclusive schools in Indonesia. Previous research has suggested that teachers' type of school and experience influences their beliefs about inclusive education. This research collected questionnaire data from 267 Indonesian teachers and compared the responses from those working in inclusive, special and regular schools regarding their epistemological and pedagogical beliefs. The results showed that teachers in inclusive schools expressed stronger social constructivist beliefs than those in other schools. However, it was teachers' epistemological beliefs, rather than their type of school or experience, which were the significant predictor of their beliefs about inclusive education. The findings suggest that international epistemological research needs to have a more nuanced view of constructivist models of learning to better understand and inform how inclusive pedagogy is being enacted in different contexts.

Grain Flow at High Stresses

Science.gov (United States)

McSaveney, M. J.

2015-12-01

The transport mechanism of rapid long-runout rock avalanches was a hotly debated topic when I came on the scene in 1967. So how come it is still debated today? My explanation is that it is the expected outcome of peer review, poor comprehension, and technological advances outpacing intellectual advances. Why think about the problem when we can model it! So let us think about the problem. Shreve thought that rock avalanches fell upon and trapped a layer of air. What physics was he thinking about? It is how feathers and tissue papers fall. When my rock avalanches fly, they fly like unlubricated bricks using the physics of projectiles and ballistics. But the main transport mechanism is not flight. The dominant impression from watching a rock avalanche in motion is of fluid flow, as Heim described it in 1882. A rock avalanche is a very large grain flow. Bagnold studied dispersive grain flows, but why should one assume that rock avalanches are dispersive grain flows as many do. The more common grain flow type is a dense grain flow and rock avalanches are dense grain flows in which the weight can and does generate very high stresses at grain contacts. Brittle rock deforms elastically up to its compressive strength, whereupon it breaks, releasing elastic strain as transient elastic strain (seismic energy to a seismologist, acoustic energy to a physicist). Melosh and others have shown that acoustic energy can fluidize a grain mass. There is no exotic physics behind grain flow at high stress. When grains break, the released elastic strain has to go somewhere, and it goes somewhere principally by transmission though grain contacts. Depending on the state of stress at the grain contact, the contact will pass the stress or will slip at conventional values of Coulomb friction. Enough thinking! A physical model of the entire process is too big for any laboratory. So whose numerical model will do it?

Beliefs about God and mental health among American adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Silton, Nava R; Flannelly, Kevin J; Galek, Kathleen; Ellison, Christopher G

2014-10-01

This study examines the association between beliefs about God and psychiatric symptoms in the context of Evolutionary Threat Assessment System Theory, using data from the 2010 Baylor Religion Survey of US Adults (N = 1,426). Three beliefs about God were tested separately in ordinary least squares regression models to predict five classes of psychiatric symptoms: general anxiety, social anxiety, paranoia, obsession, and compulsion. Belief in a punitive God was positively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, while belief in a benevolent God was negatively associated with four psychiatric symptoms, controlling for demographic characteristics, religiousness, and strength of belief in God. Belief in a deistic God and one's overall belief in God were not significantly related to any psychiatric symptoms.

Impact fracture experiments simulating interstellar grain-grain collisions

Science.gov (United States)

Freund, Friedemann; Chang, Sherwood; Dickinson, J. Thomas

1990-01-01

Oxide and silicate grains condensing during the early phases of the formation of the solar system or in the outflow of stars are exposed to high partial pressures of the low-z elements H, C, N and O and their simple gaseous compounds. Though refractory minerals are nominally anhydrous and non-carbonate, if they crystallize in the presence of H2O, N2 and CO or CO2 gases, they dissolve traces of the gaseous components. The question arises: How does the presence of dissolved gases or gas components manifest itself when grain-grain collisions occur. What are the gases emitted when grains are shattered during a collision event. Researchers report on fracture experiments in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV, approximately less than 10 to the -8th power mbar) designed to measure (by means of a quadrupole mass spectrometer, QMS, with microns to ms time resolution) the emission of gases and vapors during and after impact (up to 1.5 sec). Two terrestrial materials were chosen which represent structural and compositional extremes: olivine (San Carlos, AZ), a densely packed Mg-Fe(2+) silicate from the upper mantle, available as 6 to 12 mm single crystals, and obsidian (Oregon), a structurally open, alkaline-SiO2-rich volcanic glass. In the olivine crystals OH- groups have been identified spectroscopically, as well as H2 molecules. Obsidian is a water-rich glass containing OH- besides H2O molecules. Olivine from the mantle often contains CO2, either as CO2-rich fluid in fluid inclusions or structurally dissolved or both. By analogy to synthetic glasses CO2 in the obsidian may be present in form of CO2 molecules in voids of molecular dimensions, or as carbonate anions, CO3(2-). No organic molecules have been detected spectroscopically in either material. Results indicate that refractory oxide/silicates which contain dissolved traces of the H2O and CO/CO2 components but no spectroscopically detectable traces of organics may release complex H-C-O (possibly H-C-N-O) molecules upon fracture

Microbiota of kefir grains

OpenAIRE

Tomislav Pogačić; Sanja Šinko; Šimun Zamberlin; Dubravka Samaržija

2013-01-01

Kefir grains represent the unique microbial community consisting of bacteria, yeasts, and sometimes filamentous moulds creating complex symbiotic community. The complexity of their physical and microbial structures is the reason that the kefir grains are still not unequivocally elucidated. Microbiota of kefir grains has been studied by many microbiological and molecular approaches. The development of metagenomics, based on the identification without cultivation, is opening new possibilities f...

Preparation of lead oxide nanoparticles from cathode-ray tube funnel glass by self-propagating method.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yu; Zhu, Jianxin

2012-05-15

This paper presents a novel process of extracting lead oxide nanoparticles from cathode-ray tube (CRT) funnel glass using self-propagating high-temperature synthesis (SHS) method. The impacts of added amount of funnel glass on the extraction ratio of lead, the lead extraction velocity and the micromorphology, as well as particle size of extracted nanoparticles were investigated. We found that self-propagating reaction in the presence of Mg and Fe(2)O(3) could separate lead preferentially and superfine lead oxide nanoparticles were obtained from a collecting chamber. The separation ratio was related closely to the amount of funnel glass added in the original mixture. At funnel glass addition of no more than 40wt.%, over 90wt.% of lead was recovered from funnel glass. High extraction yield reveals that the network structure of funnel glass was fractured due to the dramatic energy generated during the SHS melting process. The PbO nanoparticles collected show good dispersion and morphology with a mean grain size of 40-50nm. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interplay between grain structure and protein adsorption on functional response of osteoblasts: ultrafine-grained versus coarse-grained substrates.

Science.gov (United States)

Misra, R D K; Nune, C; Pesacreta, T C; Somani, M C; Karjalainen, L P

2013-01-01

The rapid adsorption of proteins is the starting and primary biological response that occurs when a biomedical device is implanted in the physiological system. The biological response, however, depends on the surface characteristics of the device. Considering the significant interest in nano-/ultrafine surfaces and nanostructured coatings, we describe here, the interplay between grain structure and protein adsorption (bovine serum albumin: BSA) on osteoblasts functions by comparing nanograined/ultrafine-grained (NG/UFG) and coarse-grained (CG: grain size in the micrometer range) substrates by investigating cell-substrate interactions. The protein adsorption on NG/UFG surface was beneficial in favorably modulating biological functions including cell attachment, proliferation, and viability, whereas the effect was less pronounced on protein adsorbed CG surface. Additionally, immunofluorescence studies demonstrated stronger vinculin signals associated with actin stress fibers in the outer regions of the cells and cellular extensions on protein adsorbed NG/UFG surface. The functional response followed the sequence: NG/UFG(BSA) > NG/UFG > CG(BSA) > CG. The differences in the cellular response on bare and protein adsorbed NG/UFG and CG surfaces are attributed to cumulative contribution of grain structure and degree of hydrophilicity. The study underscores the potential advantages of protein adsorption on artificial biomedical devices to enhance the bioactivity and regulate biological functions. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Assessment of Religious Beliefs Form.

Science.gov (United States)

Faiver, Christopher M.; O'Brien, Eugene M.

1993-01-01

Notes that religion may be source of spiritual strength or source of conflict and guilt. Outlines importance of assessing religious beliefs of clients for treatment purposes and provides format for counselor to use. Says that, because counselors may be unaware of clients' individual perspectives, it is important to evaluate client's belief system…

The association between reality-based beliefs and indirectly experienced traumatization.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiri, Shimon; Wexler, Isaiah D; Schwartz, Isabella; Kadari, Michal; Kreitler, Shulamith

2010-12-01

The purpose of the study was to examine the association between belief types and the magnitude of indirect traumatization. Specific types of beliefs were defined in terms of the cognitive orientation theory, which is a cognitive-motivational approach to the understanding, predicting, and changing of behaviors. Belief types that were analyzed included beliefs about self, general beliefs, beliefs about norms, and goal beliefs as they relate to personal growth. Study participants included 38 rescuers (body handlers), 37 nurses, and 31 rehabilitation workers who treated injured civilians that had been exposed to politically motivated violence. The Cognitive Orientation for Posttraumatic Growth Scale was used to assess beliefs about personal growth. The Revised Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Inventory was administered to evaluate indirect traumatization. The results indicate that three of the four belief types related to personal growth were associated with the level of indirect traumatization. Optimistic and positive beliefs about self and general beliefs were associated with a lower level of indirect traumatization symptomatology, suggesting that these types of beliefs may counteract indirect traumatization. On the other hand, stronger goal beliefs were associated with greater indirect traumatization. The negative association between positive goal beliefs and indirect trauma may be related to the gap the individual perceives between the hoped-for ideals and the trauma-stricken reality. These results indicate the importance of cognitive beliefs and their possible role in determining the response to indirect traumatization.

Whole grains and health: attitudes to whole grains against a prevailing background of increased marketing and promotion.

Science.gov (United States)

McMackin, Elaine; Dean, Moira; Woodside, Jayne V; McKinley, Michelle C

2013-04-01

To explore current awareness and perceptions of whole grain foods and perceived barriers and facilitators of whole grain consumption. Focus groups were conducted to investigate consumer attitudes to whole grains. Discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed thematically. Discussions were held throughout Northern Ireland with adults who were at least partly responsible for food shopping. Seven focus groups were held (n 43; thirty-three females, ten males). All participants were aware of the term 'whole grain' and had a basic level of awareness of their health benefits. Prominent barriers and facilitators of whole grain intake were related to perceptions of the sensory properties (most dominant factor) of whole grains; knowledge of how to locate, identify and use whole grains; and awareness of the health benefits, perceived cost and family influences. Parents of young children appeared to be altruistically motivated with many stating they wanted to ensure their children consumed whole grains in order to establish good eating habits. Participants were generally aware of the term 'whole grain'; however, even against a background of increased availability and promotion of whole grain foods, many key barriers to whole grain consumption were still evident. Alongside general education efforts, opportunities and challenges exist for the food industry to develop novel, but affordable, food products that are able to deliver whole grains in a wide variety of forms, including whole grains 'in disguise' for those who are most resistant to change.

An Atomistic Modeling Study of Alloying Element Impurity Element, and Transmutation Products on the cohesion of A Nickel E5 {001} Twist Grain Boundary

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Young, G.A. Jr.; Najafabadi, R.; Strohmayer, W.; Baldrey, D.G.; Hamm, B.; Harris, J.; Sticht, J.; Wimmer, E.

2003-01-01

Atomistic modeling methods were employed to investigate the effects of impurity elements on the metallurgy, irradiation embrittlement, and environmentally assisted cracking of nickel-base alloys exposed to nuclear environments. Calculations were performed via ab initio atomistic modeling methods to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the results. A Griffith-type fracture criterion was used to quantitatively assess the effect of elements or element pairs on the grain boundary cohesive strength. In order of most embrittling to most strengthening, the elements are ranked as: He, Li, S, H, C, Zr, P, Fe, Mn, Nb, Cr, and B. Helium is strongly embrittling (-2.04 eV/atom lowering of the Griffith energy), phosphorus has little effect on the grain boundary (0.1 eV/atom), and boron offers appreciable strengthening (1.03 eV/atom increase in the Griffith energy). Calculations for pairs of elements (H-Li, H-B, H-C, H-P, and H-S) show little interaction on the grain boundary cohesive energy, so that for the conditions studied, linear superposition of elemental effects is a good approximation. These calculations help explain metallurgical effects (e.g. why boron can strengthen grain boundaries), irradiation embrittlement (e.g. how boron transmutation results in grain boundary embrittlement), as well as how grain boundary impurity elements can affect environmentally assisted cracking (i.e. low temperature crack propagation and stress corrosion cracking) of nickel-base alloys

Hierarchies of belief and interim rationalizability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeffrey C. Ely

2006-03-01

Full Text Available In games with incomplete information, conventional hierarchies of belief are incomplete as descriptions of the players' information for the purposes of determining a player's behavior. We show by example that this is true for a variety of solution concepts. We then investigate what is essential about a player's information to identify behavior. We specialize to two player games and the solution concept of interim rationalizability. We construct the universal type space for rationalizability and characterize the types in terms of their beliefs. Infinite hierarchies of beliefs over conditional beliefs, which we call Delta-hierarchies, are what turn out to matter. We show that any two types in any two type spaces have the same rationalizable sets in all games if and only if they have the same Delta-hierarchies.

Grain boundary and grain interior conduction in {gamma}'-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vera, C.M.C. [Laboratorio de Peliculas Delgadas, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colon 850, 1063 Buenos Aires (Argentina)]. E-mail: cvera@fi.uba.ar; Aragon, R. [Laboratorio de Peliculas Delgadas, Facultad de Ingenieria, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Paseo Colon 850, 1063 Buenos Aires (Argentina); CINSO, CONICET, CITEFA, Lasalle 4397, Villa Martelli, Buenos Aires (Argentina)

2005-07-25

Impedance spectroscopy of fine grained (<10 {mu}m) {gamma}'-Bi{sub 2}MoO{sub 6} samples, in the frequency range of 0.1 Hz-250 kHz, relevant to sensor applications, up to 800 deg. C, has been used to characterize grain boundary and grain interior contributions to conduction. Above 500 deg. C, the grain boundary contribution is no longer rate limiting and conduction is dominated by the grain interior component. The corresponding activation energies are 0.98 eV for grain boundary and 0.73 eV for grain interior components. The weak dependence of conductivity on oxygen partial pressure below 500 deg. C can be attributed to electrode-electrolyte interface phenomena, whereas the robust response to ethanol is commensurate with changes in intrinsic ionic conductivity.

A UNIFIED MODEL OF GRAIN ALIGNMENT: RADIATIVE ALIGNMENT OF INTERSTELLAR GRAINS WITH MAGNETIC INCLUSIONS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoang, Thiem [Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H8 (Canada); Lazarian, A. [Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison (United States)

2016-11-10

The radiative torque (RAT) alignment of interstellar grains with ordinary paramagnetic susceptibilities has been supported by earlier studies. The alignment of such grains depends on the so-called RAT parameter q {sup max}, which is determined by the grain shape. In this paper, we elaborate on our model of RAT alignment for grains with enhanced magnetic susceptibility due to iron inclusions, such that RAT alignment is magnetically enhanced, which we term the MRAT mechanism. Such grains can be aligned with high angular momentum at the so-called high- J attractor points, achieving a high degree of alignment. Using our analytical model of RATs, we derive the critical value of the magnetic relaxation parameter δ {sub m} to produce high- J attractor points as functions of q {sup max} and the anisotropic radiation angle relative to the magnetic field ψ . We find that if about 10% of the total iron abundance present in silicate grains is forming iron clusters, this is sufficient to produce high- J attractor points for all reasonable values of q {sup max}. To calculate the degree of grain alignment, we carry out numerical simulations of MRAT alignment by including stochastic excitations from gas collisions and magnetic fluctuations. We show that large grains can achieve perfect alignment when the high- J attractor point is present, regardless of the values of q {sup max}. Our obtained results pave the way for the physical modeling of polarized thermal dust emission as well as magnetic dipole emission. We also find that millimeter-sized grains in accretion disks may be aligned with the magnetic field if they are incorporated with iron nanoparticles.

Selection of common bean lines with high grain yield and high grain calcium and iron concentrations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nerinéia Dalfollo Ribeiro

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Genetic improvement of common bean nutritional quality has advantages in marketing and can contribute to society as a food source. The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic variability for grain yield, calcium and iron concentrations in grains of inbred common bean lines obtained by different breeding methods. For this, 136 F7 inbred lines were obtained using the Pedigree method and 136 F7 inbred lines were obtained using the Single-Seed Descent (SSD method. The lines showed genetic variability for grain yield, and concentrations of calcium and iron independently of the method of advancing segregating populations. The Pedigree method allows obtaining a greater number of lines with high grain yield. Selection using the SSD method allows the identification of a larger number of lines with high concentrations of calcium and iron in grains. Weak negative correlations were found between grain yield and calcium concentration (r = -0.0994 and grain yield and iron concentration (r = -0.3926. Several lines show genetic superiority for grain yield and concentrations of calcium and iron in grains and their selection can result in new common bean cultivars with high nutritional quality.

Comparing strengths of beliefs explicitly

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ghosh, S.; de Jongh, D.

2013-01-01

Inspired by a similar use in provability logic, formulas p > B q and p ≥ B q are introduced in the existing logical framework for discussing beliefs to express that the strength of belief in p is greater than (or equal to) that in q. Besides its usefulness in studying the properties of the concept

Testing a biopsychosocial model of the basic birth beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Preis, Heidi; Chen, Rony; Eisner, Michal; Pardo, Joseph; Peled, Yoav; Wiznitzer, Arnon; Benyamini, Yael

2018-03-01

Women perceive what birth is even before they are pregnant for the first time. Part of this conceptualization is the basic belief about birth as a medical and natural process. These two separate beliefs are pivotal in the decision-making process about labor and birth. Adapting Engel's biopsychosocial framework, we explored the importance of a wide range of factors which may contribute to these beliefs among first-time mothers. This observational study included 413 primiparae ≥24 weeks' gestation, recruited in medical centers and in natural birth communities in Israel. The women completed a questionnaire which included the Birth Beliefs Scale and a variety of biopsychosocial characteristics such as obstetric history, birth environment, optimism, health-related anxiety, and maternal expectations. Psychological dispositions were more related to the birth beliefs than the social or biomedical factors. Sociodemographic characteristics and birth environment were only marginally related to the birth beliefs. The basic belief that birth is a natural process was positively related to optimism and to conceiving spontaneously. Beliefs that birth is a medical process were related to pessimism, health-related anxiety, and to expectations that an infant's behavior reflects mothering. Expectations about motherhood as being naturally fulfilling were positively related to both beliefs. Psychological factors seem to be most influential in the conceptualization of the beliefs. It is important to recognize how women interpret the messages they receive about birth which, together with their obstetric experience, shape their beliefs. Future studies are recommended to understand the evolution of these beliefs, especially within diverse cultures. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Kansas Agents Study Grain Marketing

Science.gov (United States)

Schoeff, Robert W.

1973-01-01

Author is an extension specialist in feed and grain marketing for Kansas State University. He describes a tour set up to educate members of the Kansas Grain and Feed Dealers' Association in the area of grain marketing and exporting. (GB)

Advection-diffusion model for normal grain growth and the stagnation of normal grain growth in thin films

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lou, C.

2002-01-01

An advection-diffusion model has been set up to describe normal grain growth. In this model grains are divided into different groups according to their topological classes (number of sides of a grain). Topological transformations are modelled by advective and diffusive flows governed by advective and diffusive coefficients respectively, which are assumed to be proportional to topological classes. The ordinary differential equations governing self-similar time-independent grain size distribution can be derived analytically from continuity equations. It is proved that the time-independent distributions obtained by solving the ordinary differential equations have the same form as the time-dependent distributions obtained by solving the continuity equations. The advection-diffusion model is extended to describe the stagnation of normal grain growth in thin films. Grain boundary grooving prevents grain boundaries from moving, and the correlation between neighbouring grains accelerates the stagnation of normal grain growth. After introducing grain boundary grooving and the correlation between neighbouring grains into the model, the grain size distribution is close to a lognormal distribution, which is usually found in experiments. A vertex computer simulation of normal grain growth has also been carried out to make a cross comparison with the advection-diffusion model. The result from the simulation did not verify the assumption that the advective and diffusive coefficients are proportional to topological classes. Instead, we have observed that topological transformations usually occur on certain topological classes. This suggests that the advection-diffusion model can be improved by making a more realistic assumption on topological transformations. (author)

Skepticism: Genuine unbelief or implicit beliefs in the supernatural?

Science.gov (United States)

Lindeman, Marjaana; Svedholm-Häkkinen, Annika M; Riekki, Tapani

2016-05-01

We examined whether skeptics hold implicit supernatural beliefs or implicit cognitive underpinnings of the beliefs. In study 1 (N=57), participants read a biological or a religious story about death. The story content had no effect on skeptics' (or believers') afterlife beliefs. Study 2 examined the relationships between religious and non-religious paranormal beliefs and implicit views about whether supernatural and religious phenomena are imaginary or real (n1=33, n2=31). The less supernatural beliefs were endorsed the easier it was to connect "supernatural" with "imaginary". Study 3 (N=63) investigated whether participants' supernatural beliefs and ontological confusions differ between speeded and non-speeded response conditions. Only non-analytical skeptics' ontological confusions increased in speeded conditions. The results indicate that skeptics overall do not hold implicit supernatural beliefs, but that non-analytically thinking skeptics may, under supporting conditions, be prone to biases that predispose to supernatural beliefs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vegan lifestyle behaviors: an exploration of congruence with health-related beliefs and assessed health indices.

Science.gov (United States)

Dyett, Patricia A; Sabaté, Joan; Haddad, Ella; Rajaram, Sujatha; Shavlik, David

2013-08-01

This study aimed to investigate health belief as a major motive for diet and lifestyle behaviors of 100 vegans in the United States; and to determine congruence with selected health and nutrition outcomes. Response data from an administered questionnaire was analyzed. Statistical analyses determined the most common factors influencing diet choice; the number of vegans practicing particular lifestyle behaviors; body mass index; and prevalence of self-reported chronic disease diagnoses. Nutrient intakes were analyzed and assessed against Dietary Reference Intakes. Health was the most reported reason for diet choice (47%). In the health belief, animal welfare, and religious/other motive categories, low percentages of chronic disease diagnoses were reported: 27%, 11%, and 15%, respectively. There were no significant differences in health behaviors and indices among vegan motive categories, except for product fat content choices. Within the entire study population, health-related vegan motive coincided with regular exercise; 71% normal BMI (mean=22.6); minimal alcohol and smoking practices; frequently consumed vegetables, nuts, and grains; healthy choices in meal types, cooking methods, and low-fat product consumption; and adequate intakes for most protective nutrients when compared to reference values. But incongruence was found with 0% intake adequacy for vitamin D; and observation of excessive sodium use. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Origins of amorphous interstellar grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hasegawa, H.

1984-01-01

The existence of amorphous interstellar grains has been suggested from infrared observations. Some carbon stars show the far infrared emission with a lambda -1 wavelength dependence. Far infrared emission supposed to be due to silicate grains often show the lambda -1 wavelength dependence. Mid infrared spectra around 10 μm have broad structure. These may be due to the amorphous silicate grains. The condition that the condensed grains from the cosmic gas are amorphous is discussed. (author)

Tracer concentration contours in grain lattice and grain boundary diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y. S.; Olander, D. R.

1997-01-01

Grain boundary diffusion plays a significant role in fission gas release, which is one of the crucial processes dominating nuclear fuel performance. Gaseous fission products such as Xe and Kr generated during nuclear fission have to diffuse in the grain lattice and the boundary inside fuel pellets before they reach the open spaces in a fuel rod. These processes can be studied by 'tracer diffusion' techniques, by which grain boundary diffusivity can be estimated and directly used for low burn-up fission gas release analysis. However, only a few models accounting for the both processes are available and mostly handle them numerically due to mathematical complexity. Also the numerical solution has limitations in a practical use. In this paper, an approximate analytical solution in case of stationary grain boundary in a polycrystalline solid is developed for the tracer diffusion techniques. This closed-form solution is compared to available exact and numerical solutions and it turns out that it makes computation not only greatly easier but also more accurate than previous models. It can be applied to theoretical modelings for low burn-up fission gas release phenomena and experimental analyses as well, especially for PIE (post irradiation examination). (author)

Proceedings of the Twentieth NASA Propagation Experimenters Meeting (NAPEX XX) and the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Propagation Studies Miniworkshop

Science.gov (United States)

Golshan, Nassar (Editor)

1996-01-01

The NASA Propagation Experimenters (NAPEX) Meeting and associated Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) Propagation Studies Miniworkshop convene yearly to discuss studies supported by the NASA Propagation Program. Representatives from the satellite communications (satcom)industry, academia, and government with an interest in space-ground radio wave propagation have peer discussion of work in progress, disseminate propagation results, and interact with the satcom industry. NAPEX XX, in Fairbanks, Alaska, June 4-5, 1996, had three sessions: (1) "ACTS Propagation Study: Background, Objectives, and Outcomes," covered results from thirteen station-years of Ka-band experiments; (2) "Propagation Studies for Mobile and Personal Satellite Applications," provided the latest developments in measurement, modeling, and dissemination of propagation phenomena of interest to the mobile, personal, and aeronautical satcom industry; and (3)"Propagation Research Topics," covered a range of topics including space/ground optical propagation experiments, propagation databases, the NASA Propagation Web Site, and revision plans for the NASA propagation effects handbooks. The ACTS Miniworkshop, June 6, 1996, covered ACTS status, engineering support for ACTS propagation terminals, and the ACTS Propagation Data Center. A plenary session made specific recommendations for the future direction of the program.

Folk Beliefs of Cultural Changes in China

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yi eXu

2014-09-01

Full Text Available For the last several decades, Chinese society has experienced transformative changes. How are these changes understood among Chinese people? To examine this question, Part 1 in this research solicited folk beliefs of cultural change from a group of Chinese participants in an open-ended format, and the generated folk beliefs were rated by another group of participants in Part 2 to gauge each belief’s level of agreement. Part 3 plotted the folk beliefs retained in Part 2 using the Google Ngram Viewer in order to infer the amount of intellectual interests that each belief has received cross-temporarily. These analyses suggested a few themes in Chinese folk beliefs of cultural change (1 rising perceived importance of materialism and individualism in understanding contemporary Chinese culture and Chinese psychology relative to those of the past (2 rising perceived importance of freedom, democracy and human rights and (3 enduring perceived importance of family relations and friendship as well as patriotism. Interestingly, findings from Parts 2 and 3 diverged somewhat, illuminating possible divergence between folk beliefs and intellectual interests especially for issues related to heritage of Confucianism.

Ferroelectric domain continuity over grain boundaries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mantri, Sukriti; Oddershede, Jette; Damjanovic, Dragan

2017-01-01

Formation and mobility of domain walls in ferroelectric materials is responsible for many of their electrical and mechanical properties. Domain wall continuity across grain boundaries has been observed since the 1950's and is speculated to affect the grain boundary-domain interactions, thereby...... impacting macroscopic ferroelectric properties in polycrystalline systems. However detailed studies of such correlated domain structures across grain boundaries are limited. In this work, we have developed the mathematical requirements for domain wall plane matching at grain boundaries of any given...... orientation. We have also incorporated the effect of grain boundary ferroelectric polarization charge created when any two domains meet at the grain boundary plane. The probability of domain wall continuity for three specific grain misorientations is studied. Use of this knowledge to optimize processing...

Branching-induced grain boundary evolution during directional solidification of columnar dendritic grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Chunwen; Li, Junjie; Yu, Honglei; Wang, Zhijun; Lin, Xin; Wang, Jincheng

2017-01-01

We present an investigation of secondary and tertiary branching behavior in diverging grain boundaries (GBs) between two columnar dendritic grains with different crystallographic orientations, both by two-dimensional phase-field simulations and thin-sample experiments. The stochasticity of the GB trajectories and the statistically averaged GB orientations were analyzed in detail. The side-branching dynamics and subsequent branch competition behaviors found in the simulations agreed well with the experimental results. When the orientations of two grains are given, the experimental results indicated that the average GB orientation was independent of the pulling velocity in the dendritic growth regime. The simulation and experimental results, as well as the results reported in the literature exhibit a uniform relation between the percentage of the whole gap region occupied by the favorably oriented grain and the difference in the absolute values of the secondary arm growth directions of the two competitive grains. By describing such a uniform relation with a simple fitting equation, we proposed a simple analytical model for the GB orientation at diverging GBs, which gives a more accurate description of GB orientation selection than the existing models.

Equilibria in social belief removal [Journal article

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Booth, R

2010-08-01

Full Text Available removal function >i, which tells it how to remove any given sentence from its belief set. In this paper we view >i as a unary function on the set L of non- tautologous sentences, i.e., agents are never required to remove >. The result of removing 2 L... from i?s belief set is denoted by >i( ). We assume i?s initial belief set can always be recaptured from >i alone by just removing the (b) (1) (A) contradiction, i.e., i?s initial belief set is >i(?). We call any n-tuple (>i)i2A of removal functions a...

The Development of Reasoning about Beliefs: Fact, Preference, and Ideology.

Science.gov (United States)

Heiphetz, Larisa; Spelke, Elizabeth S; Harris, Paul L; Banaji, Mahzarin R

2013-05-01

The beliefs people hold about the social and physical world are central to self-definition and social interaction. The current research analyzes reasoning about three kinds of beliefs: those that concern matters of fact (e.g., dinosaurs are extinct), preference (e.g., green is the prettiest color), and ideology (e.g., there is only one God). The domain of ideology is of unique interest because it is hypothesized to contain elements of both facts and preferences. If adults' distinct reasoning about ideological beliefs is the result of prolonged experience with the physical and social world, children and adults should reveal distinct patterns of differentiating kinds of beliefs, and this difference should be particularly pronounced with respect to ideological beliefs. On the other hand, if adults' reasoning about beliefs is a basic component of social cognition, children and adults should demonstrate similar belief representations and patterns of belief differentiation. Two experiments demonstrate that 5-10 year old children and adults similarly judged religious beliefs to be intermediate between factual beliefs (where two disagreeing people cannot both be right) and preferences (where they can). From the age of 5 years and continuing into adulthood, individuals distinguished ideological beliefs from other types of mental states and demonstrated limited tolerance for belief-based disagreements.

Tropospheric radiowave propagation beyond the horizon

CERN Document Server

Du Castel, François

1966-01-01

Tropospheric Radiowave Propagation Beyond the Horizon deals with developments concerning the tropospheric propagation of ultra-short radio waves beyond the horizon, with emphasis on the relationship between the theoretical and the experimental. Topics covered include the general conditions of propagation in the troposphere; general characteristics of propagation beyond the horizon; and attenuation in propagation. This volume is comprised of six chapters and begins with a brief historical look at the various stages that have brought the technique of transhorizon links to its state of developmen

Light propagation in linear optical media

CERN Document Server

Gillen, Glen D; Guha, Shekhar

2013-01-01

Light Propagation in Linear Optical Media describes light propagation in linear media by expanding on diffraction theories beyond what is available in classic optics books. In one volume, this book combines the treatment of light propagation through various media, interfaces, and apertures using scalar and vector diffraction theories. After covering the fundamentals of light and physical optics, the authors discuss light traveling within an anisotropic crystal and present mathematical models for light propagation across planar boundaries between different media. They describe the propagation o

The effect of grain refinement and silicon content on grain formation in hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Y.C.; Dahle, A.K.; StJohn, D.H.; Hutt, J.E.C. [Queensland Univ., Brisbane (Australia). Dept. of Mining, Minerals and Mater. Eng.

1999-01-15

The effect of increasing the amount of added grain refiner on grain size and morphology has been investigated for a range of hypoeutectic Al-Si alloys. The results show a transition in grain size at a silicon concentration of about 3 wt% in unrefined alloys; the grain size decreasing with silicon content before the transition, and increasing beyond the transition point. A change in morphology also occurs with increased silicon content. The addition of grain refiner leads to greater refinement for silicon contents below the transition point than for those contents above the transition point, while the transition point seems to remain unchanged. The slope of the grain size versus silicon content curve after the transition seems to be unaffected by the degree of grain refinement. The results are related to the competitive processes of nucleation and constitutional effects during growth and their impact on nucleation kinetics. (orig.) 13 refs.

PROPAGATOR: a synchronous stochastic wildfire propagation model with distributed computation engine

Science.gov (United States)

D´Andrea, M.; Fiorucci, P.; Biondi, G.; Negro, D.

2012-04-01

PROPAGATOR is a stochastic model of forest fire spread, useful as a rapid method for fire risk assessment. The model is based on a 2D stochastic cellular automaton. The domain of simulation is discretized using a square regular grid with cell size of 20x20 meters. The model uses high-resolution information such as elevation and type of vegetation on the ground. Input parameters are wind direction, speed and the ignition point of fire. The simulation of fire propagation is done via a stochastic mechanism of propagation between a burning cell and a non-burning cell belonging to its neighbourhood, i.e. the 8 adjacent cells in the rectangular grid. The fire spreads from one cell to its neighbours with a certain base probability, defined using vegetation types of two adjacent cells, and modified by taking into account the slope between them, wind direction and speed. The simulation is synchronous, and takes into account the time needed by the burning fire to cross each cell. Vegetation cover, slope, wind speed and direction affect the fire-propagation speed from cell to cell. The model simulates several mutually independent realizations of the same stochastic fire propagation process. Each of them provides a map of the area burned at each simulation time step. Propagator simulates self-extinction of the fire, and the propagation process continues until at least one cell of the domain is burning in each realization. The output of the model is a series of maps representing the probability of each cell of the domain to be affected by the fire at each time-step: these probabilities are obtained by evaluating the relative frequency of ignition of each cell with respect to the complete set of simulations. Propagator is available as a module in the OWIS (Opera Web Interfaces) system. The model simulation runs on a dedicated server and it is remote controlled from the client program, NAZCA. Ignition points of the simulation can be selected directly in a high-resolution, three

Should informed consent be based on rational beliefs?

OpenAIRE

Savulescu, J; Momeyer, R W

1997-01-01

Our aim is to expand the regulative ideal governing consent. We argue that consent should not only be informed but also based on rational beliefs. We argue that holding true beliefs promotes autonomy. Information is important insofar as it helps a person to hold the relevant true beliefs. But in order to hold the relevant true beliefs, competent people must also think rationally. Insofar as information is important, rational deliberation is important. Just as physicians should aim to provide ...

Childhood trauma and the development of paranormal beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Berkowski, Monisha; MacDonald, Douglas A

2014-04-01

Belief in the paranormal is fairly prevalent in the general population. Previous research has shown a link between several personological characteristics and paranormal beliefs. The current study attempted to further investigate this link by replicating previous models that have shown a link between childhood trauma, fantasy proneness, and paranormal beliefs. In addition, the study attempted to expand on this model by including other variables such as stigma, resiliency, and coping style. The study used a sample of 198 undergraduate students. A significant correlation between trauma and paranormal beliefs was found. Partial correlations and path analyses revealed that fantasy proneness and avoidant coping style fully mediate the relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs. The results imply that researchers need to take into account how a person responds to trauma via the development of coping strategies to accurately understand any observed relationship between trauma and paranormal beliefs.

Feeling Is Believing: Inspiration Encourages Belief in God.

Science.gov (United States)

Critcher, Clayton R; Lee, Chan Jean

2018-05-01

Even without direct evidence of God's existence, about half of the world's population believes in God. Although previous research has found that people arrive at such beliefs intuitively instead of analytically, relatively little research has aimed to understand what experiences encourage or legitimate theistic belief systems. Using cross-cultural correlational and experimental methods, we investigated whether the experience of inspiration encourages a belief in God. Participants who dispositionally experience more inspiration, were randomly assigned to relive or have an inspirational experience, or reported such experiences to be more inspirational all showed stronger belief in God. These effects were specific to inspiration (instead of adjacent affective experiences) and a belief in God (instead of other empirically unverifiable claims). Being inspired by someone or something (but not inspired to do something) offers a spiritually transcendent experience that elevates belief in God, in part because it makes people feel connected to something beyond themselves.

Compaction of cereal grain

OpenAIRE

Wychowaniec, J.; Griffiths, I.; Gay, A.; Mughal, A.

2013-01-01

We report on simple shaking experiments to measure the compaction of a column of Firth oat grain. Such grains are elongated anisotropic particles with a bimodal polydispersity. In these experiments, the particle configurations start from an initially disordered, low-packing-fraction state and under vertical shaking evolve to a dense state with evidence of nematic-like structure at the surface of the confining tube. This is accompanied by an increase in the packing fraction of the grain.

Semiclassical propagation of Wigner functions.

Science.gov (United States)

Dittrich, T; Gómez, E A; Pachón, L A

2010-06-07

We present a comprehensive study of semiclassical phase-space propagation in the Wigner representation, emphasizing numerical applications, in particular as an initial-value representation. Two semiclassical approximation schemes are discussed. The propagator of the Wigner function based on van Vleck's approximation replaces the Liouville propagator by a quantum spot with an oscillatory pattern reflecting the interference between pairs of classical trajectories. Employing phase-space path integration instead, caustics in the quantum spot are resolved in terms of Airy functions. We apply both to two benchmark models of nonlinear molecular potentials, the Morse oscillator and the quartic double well, to test them in standard tasks such as computing autocorrelation functions and propagating coherent states. The performance of semiclassical Wigner propagation is very good even in the presence of marked quantum effects, e.g., in coherent tunneling and in propagating Schrodinger cat states, and of classical chaos in four-dimensional phase space. We suggest options for an effective numerical implementation of our method and for integrating it in Monte-Carlo-Metropolis algorithms suitable for high-dimensional systems.

Propagation phenomena in real world networks

CERN Document Server

Fay, Damien; Gabryś, Bogdan

2015-01-01

“Propagation, which looks at spreading in complex networks, can be seen from many viewpoints; it is undesirable, or desirable, controllable, the mechanisms generating that propagation can be the topic of interest, but in the end all depends on the setting. This book covers leading research on a wide spectrum of propagation phenomenon and the techniques currently used in its modelling, prediction, analysis and control. Fourteen papers range over topics including epidemic models, models for trust inference, coverage strategies for networks, vehicle flow propagation, bio-inspired routing algorithms, P2P botnet attacks and defences, fault propagation in gene-cellular networks, malware propagation for mobile networks, information propagation in crisis situations, financial contagion in interbank networks, and finally how to maximize the spread of influence in social networks. The compendium will be of interest to researchers, those working in social networking, communications and finance and is aimed at providin...

Molecular dynamics study on microstructure of near grain boundary distortion region in small grain size nano- NiAl alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.Y.; Wang, X.W.; Rifkin, J.; Li, D.X.

2001-12-01

Using the molecular dynamics simulation method, the microstructure of distortion region near curved amorphous-like grain boundary in nano-NiAl alloy is studied. The results showed that due to the internal elastic force of high energy grain boundary, distortion layer exists between grain and grain boundary. The lattice expansion and structure factor decreasing are observed in this region. Stacking fault in sample with grain size 3.8nm is clearly observed across the distortion region at the site very close to grain. The influences of different grain sizes on average distortion degree and volume fractions of distortion region, grain and grain boundary are also discussed. (author)

7 CFR 868.310 - Grades and grade requirements for the classes Long Grain Milled Rice, Medium Grain Milled Rice...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... Grain Milled Rice, Medium Grain Milled Rice, Short Grain Milled Rice, and Mixed Milled Rice. (See also Â... Milled Rice Principles Governing Application of Standards § 868.310 Grades and grade requirements for the classes Long Grain Milled Rice, Medium Grain Milled Rice, Short Grain Milled Rice, and Mixed Milled Rice...

Analytic thinking reduces belief in conspiracy theories.

Science.gov (United States)

Swami, Viren; Voracek, Martin; Stieger, Stefan; Tran, Ulrich S; Furnham, Adrian

2014-12-01

Belief in conspiracy theories has been associated with a range of negative health, civic, and social outcomes, requiring reliable methods of reducing such belief. Thinking dispositions have been highlighted as one possible factor associated with belief in conspiracy theories, but actual relationships have only been infrequently studied. In Study 1, we examined associations between belief in conspiracy theories and a range of measures of thinking dispositions in a British sample (N=990). Results indicated that a stronger belief in conspiracy theories was significantly associated with lower analytic thinking and open-mindedness and greater intuitive thinking. In Studies 2-4, we examined the causational role played by analytic thinking in relation to conspiracist ideation. In Study 2 (N=112), we showed that a verbal fluency task that elicited analytic thinking reduced belief in conspiracy theories. In Study 3 (N=189), we found that an alternative method of eliciting analytic thinking, which related to cognitive disfluency, was effective at reducing conspiracist ideation in a student sample. In Study 4, we replicated the results of Study 3 among a general population sample (N=140) in relation to generic conspiracist ideation and belief in conspiracy theories about the July 7, 2005, bombings in London. Our results highlight the potential utility of supporting attempts to promote analytic thinking as a means of countering the widespread acceptance of conspiracy theories. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The hot hand belief and framing effects.

Science.gov (United States)

MacMahon, Clare; Köppen, Jörn; Raab, Markus

2014-09-01

Recent evidence of the hot hand in sport-where success breeds success in a positive recency of successful shots, for instance-indicates that this pattern does not actually exist. Yet the belief persists. We used 2 studies to explore the effects of framing on the hot hand belief in sport. We looked at the effect of sport experience and task on the perception of baseball pitch behavior as well as the hot hand belief and free-throw behavior in basketball. Study 1 asked participants to designate outcomes with different alternation rates as the result of baseball pitches or coin tosses. Study 2 examined basketball free-throw behavior and measured predicted success before each shot as well as general belief in the hot hand pattern. The results of Study 1 illustrate that experience and stimulus alternation rates influence the perception of chance in human performance tasks. Study 2 shows that physically performing an act and making judgments are related. Specifically, beliefs were related to overall performance, with more successful shooters showing greater belief in the hot hand and greater predicted success for upcoming shots. Both of these studies highlight that the hot hand belief is influenced by framing, which leads to instability and situational contingencies. We show the specific effects of framing using accumulated experience of the individual with the sport and knowledge of its structure and specific experience with sport actions (basketball shots) prior to judgments.

How do Epistemological Beliefs Affect Training Motivation?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ingrid Molan

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Studies show that human resources development through workplace training is one of the major investments in the workforce in today’s globalized and challenging market. As training motivation influences employees’ preparation for the workplace training, their respond to the programme, their learning outcome, their performance levels, and use of acquired knowledge and skills in their workplace it seems logical to investigate and determine antecedents of training motivation. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between the concepts of epistemological beliefs, training motivation and the actual participation in the workplace training. We predicted that epistemological beliefs would have an effect on training motivation and actual participation on the workplace training and that there would be a positive relationship between the concepts, meaning that the more sophisticated epistemological beliefs would lead to higher motivation and participation. To test the epistemological beliefs, the Epistemic Belief Inventory (Schraw, Bendixen & Dunkle, 2002 was used and adjusted to the workplace setting. Then the results were compared to employees’ training motivation, which was measured with a questionnaire made by authors of the present study, and employees’ actual number of training hours annually. The results confirmed the relationship between the concepts as well as a significant predicting value of epistemological beliefs on motivation and actual participation. Epistemic Belief Inventory did not yield expected results reported by the authors of the instrument therefore the limitations, possible other interpretations and suggested further exploration are discussed.

Individualized measurement of irrational beliefs in remitted depressives.

Science.gov (United States)

Solomon, Ari; Arnow, Bruce A; Gotlib, Ian H; Wind, Brian

2003-04-01

Recent reviews of cognitive theories of depression have noted that individualized assessment strategies might help to resolve mixed findings regarding the stability of depressotypic beliefs and attitudes. We describe encouraging results for an individualized measure of one such cognitive construct, irrational beliefs. Twenty depression-prone women (recurrent major depressives in full remission) and twenty closely matched never-depressed controls completed leading forced-choice measures of irrational beliefs (the Belief Scale; BS) and sociotropy-autonomy (The Revised Personal Style Inventory), as well as the Specific Demands on Self Scale (SDS). The BS requires participants to rate their agreement with twenty preselected statements of irrational beliefs, while the SDS focuses on whether participants harbor any strongly held irrational beliefs, even if uncommon or idiosyncratic. Consistent with previous research, there were no group differences on the traditional measure of irrational beliefs. In contrast, depression-prone participants strongly exceeded controls on the SDS, and this difference persisted after controlling for residual depression, anxiety symptoms, anxiety diagnoses, sociotropy, and autonomy. These findings provide some initial support for a key assumption of the rational-emotive model of depression, and, more broadly, suggest that individualized assessment strategies may help researchers capture the core negative beliefs of asymptomatic individuals, even in the absence of mood or cognitive priming. Copyright 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 59: 439-455, 2003.

Organizational Conspiracy Beliefs: Implications for Leadership Styles and Employee Outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

van Prooijen, Jan-Willem; de Vries, Reinout E

2016-01-01

Belief in conspiracy theories about societal events is widespread among citizens. The extent to which conspiracy beliefs about managers and supervisors matter in the micro-level setting of organizations has not yet been examined, however. We investigated if leadership styles predict conspiracy beliefs among employees in the context of organizations. Furthermore, we examined if such organizational conspiracy beliefs have implications for organizational commitment and turnover intentions. We conducted a survey among a random sample of the US working population ( N  = 193). Despotic, laissez-faire, and participative leadership styles predicted organizational conspiracy beliefs, and the relations of despotic and laissez-faire leadership with conspiracy beliefs were mediated by feelings of job insecurity. Furthermore, organizational conspiracy beliefs predicted, via decreased organizational commitment, increased turnover intentions. Organizational conspiracy beliefs matter for how employees perceive their leaders, how they feel about their organization, and whether or not they plan to quit their jobs. A practical implication, therefore, is that it would be a mistake for managers to dismiss organizational conspiracy beliefs as innocent rumors that are harmless to the organization. Three novel conclusions emerge from this study. First, organizational conspiracy beliefs occur frequently among employees. Second, participative leadership predicts decreased organizational conspiracy beliefs; despotic and laissez-faire leadership predict increased organizational conspiracy beliefs due to the contribution of these destructive leadership styles to an insecure work environment. Third, organizational conspiracy beliefs harm organizations by influencing employee commitment and, indirectly, turnover intentions.

Propagation of dynamic measurement uncertainty

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hessling, J P

2011-01-01

The time-dependent measurement uncertainty has been evaluated in a number of recent publications, starting from a known uncertain dynamic model. This could be defined as the 'downward' propagation of uncertainty from the model to the targeted measurement. The propagation of uncertainty 'upward' from the calibration experiment to a dynamic model traditionally belongs to system identification. The use of different representations (time, frequency, etc) is ubiquitous in dynamic measurement analyses. An expression of uncertainty in dynamic measurements is formulated for the first time in this paper independent of representation, joining upward as well as downward propagation. For applications in metrology, the high quality of the characterization may be prohibitive for any reasonably large and robust model to pass the whiteness test. This test is therefore relaxed by not directly requiring small systematic model errors in comparison to the randomness of the characterization. Instead, the systematic error of the dynamic model is propagated to the uncertainty of the measurand, analogously but differently to how stochastic contributions are propagated. The pass criterion of the model is thereby transferred from the identification to acceptance of the total accumulated uncertainty of the measurand. This increases the relevance of the test of the model as it relates to its final use rather than the quality of the calibration. The propagation of uncertainty hence includes the propagation of systematic model errors. For illustration, the 'upward' propagation of uncertainty is applied to determine if an appliance box is damaged in an earthquake experiment. In this case, relaxation of the whiteness test was required to reach a conclusive result

Valence-Dependent Belief Updating: Computational Validation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bojana Kuzmanovic

2017-06-01

Full Text Available People tend to update beliefs about their future outcomes in a valence-dependent way: they are likely to incorporate good news and to neglect bad news. However, belief formation is a complex process which depends not only on motivational factors such as the desire for favorable conclusions, but also on multiple cognitive variables such as prior beliefs, knowledge about personal vulnerabilities and resources, and the size of the probabilities and estimation errors. Thus, we applied computational modeling in order to test for valence-induced biases in updating while formally controlling for relevant cognitive factors. We compared biased and unbiased Bayesian models of belief updating, and specified alternative models based on reinforcement learning. The experiment consisted of 80 trials with 80 different adverse future life events. In each trial, participants estimated the base rate of one of these events and estimated their own risk of experiencing the event before and after being confronted with the actual base rate. Belief updates corresponded to the difference between the two self-risk estimates. Valence-dependent updating was assessed by comparing trials with good news (better-than-expected base rates with trials with bad news (worse-than-expected base rates. After receiving bad relative to good news, participants' updates were smaller and deviated more strongly from rational Bayesian predictions, indicating a valence-induced bias. Model comparison revealed that the biased (i.e., optimistic Bayesian model of belief updating better accounted for data than the unbiased (i.e., rational Bayesian model, confirming that the valence of the new information influenced the amount of updating. Moreover, alternative computational modeling based on reinforcement learning demonstrated higher learning rates for good than for bad news, as well as a moderating role of personal knowledge. Finally, in this specific experimental context, the approach based on

Pressure effect on grain boundary diffusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smirnova, E.S.; Chuvil'deev, V.N.

1997-01-01

The influence of hydrostatic pressure on grain boundary diffusion and grain boundary migration in metallic materials is theoretically investigated. The model is suggested that permits describing changes in activation energy of grain boundary self-diffusion and diffusion permeability of grain boundaries under hydrostatic pressure. The model is based on the ideas about island-type structure of grain boundaries as well as linear relationship of variations in grain boundary free volume to hydrostatic pressure value. Comparison of theoretical data with experimental ones for a number of metals and alloys (α-Zr, Sn-Ge, Cu-In with Co, In, Al as diffusing elements) shows a qualitative agreement

Ochratoxin A in grain dust--estimated exposure and relations to agricultural practices in grain production.

Science.gov (United States)

Halstensen, Anne Straumfors; Nordby, Karl-Christian; Elen, Oleif; Eduard, Wijnand

2004-01-01

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a nephrotoxin frequently contaminating grains. OTA inhalation during grain handling may therefore represent a health risk to farmers, and was the subject of this study. Airborne and settled grain dust was collected during grain work on 84 Norwegian farms. Climate and agricultural practices on each farm were registered. Penicillium spp., Aspergillus spp. and OTA in settled dust were measured. Settled dust contained median 4 microg OTA/kg dust (range 2-128), correlating with Penicillium spp. (median 40 cfu/mg; range 0-32000, rs =0.33; p grain species, districts and agricultural practices. Penicillium levels, but not OTA levels, were higher in storage than in threshing dust (p=0.003), and increased with storage time (rs =0.51, p dust during threshing and median 7 mg/m3 (range 1-110) dust during storage work, equalling median 3.7 pg/m3 (range 0.6-200) and median 40 pg/m3 (range 2-14000) OTA, respectively (p grain work was low, although varying by more than 1,000-fold. However, the farmers may occasionally be highly exposed, particularly during handling of stored grain.

Evolution of orientations and deformation structures within individual grains in cold rolled columnar grained nickel

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wu, G.L.; Godfrey, A.; Winther, Grethe

2011-01-01

Columnar grained Ni is used as a model material allowing simultaneous non-surface investigations of the evolution of crystallographic orientations and deformation microstructures within individual grains as a function of rolling strain up to ε=0.7. Electron channelling contrast and electron...... backscattered diffraction are used to visualise microstructures and crystallographic orientations. It is found that both the microstructural and the textural development depend strongly on the initial grain orientation. A grain size effect is observed on the deformation-induced orientation scatter within...

Psychosis or Faith? Clinicians' Assessment of Religious Beliefs

Science.gov (United States)

O'Connor, Shawn; Vandenberg, Brian

2005-01-01

This study investigated mental health professionals' assessment of the pathognomonic significance of religious beliefs. A total of 110 participants reviewed 3 vignettes depicting individuals possessing the religious beliefs associated with Catholicism, Mormonism, and Nation of Islam. The religious beliefs of the individuals in the vignettes were…

Propagation Engineering in Wireless Communications

CERN Document Server

Ghasemi, Abdollah; Ghasemi, Farshid

2012-01-01

Wireless communications has seen explosive growth in recent decades, in a realm that is both broad and rapidly expanding to include satellite services, navigational aids, remote sensing, telemetering, audio and video broadcasting, high-speed data communications, mobile radio systems and much more. Propagation Engineering in Wireless Communications deals with the basic principles of radiowaves propagation for frequency bands used in radio-communications, offering descriptions of new achievements and newly developed propagation models. The book bridges the gap between theoretical calculations and approaches, and applied procedures needed for advanced radio links design. The primary objective of this two-volume set is to demonstrate the fundamentals, and to introduce propagation phenomena and mechanisms that engineers are likely to encounter in the design and evaluation of radio links of a given type and operating frequency. Volume one covers basic principles, along with tropospheric and ionospheric propagation,...

Effect of acicular ferrite formation on grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wan, X.L.; Wei, R.; Wu, K.M.

2010-01-01

The microstructure of acicular ferrite and its formation for the grain refinement of coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone of high strength low-alloy bainite steels were studied using three-dimensional reconstruction technique. Crystallographic grain size was analyzed by means of electron backscatter diffraction. It was revealed that the microstructure in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone consisted of predominantly bainite packets and a small proportion of acicular ferrite. Acicular ferrite was of lath or plate-like rather than needle or rod-like morphology. Tempering of the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone showed that the acicular ferrite was more stable than the bainite, indicating that the acicular ferrite was formed prior to bainite. The acicular ferrite laths or plates divided the prior austenite grains into smaller and separate regions, and confining the bainite transformed at lower temperatures in the smaller regions and hence leading to the grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone.

Effect of acicular ferrite formation on grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wan, X.L.; Wei, R. [Institute of Advanced Steels and Welding Technology, Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Systems Science on Metallurgical Processing, Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China); Wu, K.M., E-mail: wukaiming@wust.edu.cn [Institute of Advanced Steels and Welding Technology, Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Systems Science on Metallurgical Processing, Key Laboratory for Ferrous Metallurgy and Resources Utilization of Ministry of Education, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430081 (China)

2010-07-15

The microstructure of acicular ferrite and its formation for the grain refinement of coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone of high strength low-alloy bainite steels were studied using three-dimensional reconstruction technique. Crystallographic grain size was analyzed by means of electron backscatter diffraction. It was revealed that the microstructure in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone consisted of predominantly bainite packets and a small proportion of acicular ferrite. Acicular ferrite was of lath or plate-like rather than needle or rod-like morphology. Tempering of the coarse-grained region of heat-affected zone showed that the acicular ferrite was more stable than the bainite, indicating that the acicular ferrite was formed prior to bainite. The acicular ferrite laths or plates divided the prior austenite grains into smaller and separate regions, and confining the bainite transformed at lower temperatures in the smaller regions and hence leading to the grain refinement in the coarse-grained region of the heat-affected zone.

Evolution of interstellar grains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Greenberg, J.M.

1984-01-01

The principal aim of this chapter is to derive the properties of interstellar grains as a probe of local physical conditions and as a basis for predicting such properties as related to infrared emissivity and radiative transfer which can affect the evolution of dense clouds. The first sections will develop the criteria for grain models based directly on observations of gas and dust. A summary of the chemical evolution of grains and gas in diffuse and dense clouds follows. (author)

An integrated model of communication influence on beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

Eveland, William P; Cooper, Kathryn E

2013-08-20

How do people develop and maintain their beliefs about science? Decades of social science research exist to help us answer this question. The Integrated Model of Communication Influence on Beliefs presented here combines multiple theories that have considered aspects of this process into a comprehensive model to explain how individuals arrive at their scientific beliefs. In this article, we (i) summarize what is known about how science is presented in various news and entertainment media forms; (ii) describe how individuals differ in their choices to be exposed to various forms and sources of communication; (iii) discuss the implications of how individuals mentally process information on the effects of communication; (iv) consider how communication effects can be altered depending on background characteristics and motivations of individuals; and (v) emphasize that the process of belief formation is not unidirectional but rather, feeds back on itself over time. We conclude by applying the Integrated Model of Communication Influence on Beliefs to the complex issue of beliefs about climate change.

Functional beliefs and risk minimizing beliefs among Thai healthcare workers in Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai hospital: its association with intention to quit tobacco and alcohol.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiraniramai, Surin; Jiraporncharoen, Wichuda; Pinyopornpanish, Kanokporn; Jakkaew, Nalinee; Wongpakaran, Tinakon; Angkurawaranon, Chaisiri

2017-07-12

Individual health beliefs are likely to play a key role in how people respond to knowledge and information about the potential harm from smoking and alcohol abuse. The objectives of the study were to 1) explore whether functional beliefs and risk minimizing beliefs were associated with intention to quit smoking and confidence to quit smoking and 2) explore whether functional beliefs and risk minimizing beliefs were associated with intention to quit alcohol drinking and confidence to quit alcohol drinking. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2013 among health care workers working in Thailand. Using predicted factor scores from factor analysis, the relationship between factor scores for each of the two beliefs and intention to quit and confidence to quit were tested using ANOVA and further adjusted for age and sex using linear regression. Functional beliefs were inversely associated with the intention to quit and confidence to quit smoking. Both functional beliefs and risk minimizing beliefs were each inversely associated with the intention to quit and confidence to quit alcohol drinking. Our study enhances the understanding of the complexities of health beliefs regarding these two commonly abused substances. As functional beliefs were associated with smoking and alcohol use, interventions to counter the cultural values and individual beliefs about the benefits of smoking and alcohol use are needed. Tackling risk minimizing beliefs by providing individualized feedback regarding harm may also be useful in alcohol drinkers.

A constitutive model of nanocrystalline metals based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms

KAUST Repository

Gurses, Ercan; El Sayed, Tamer S.

2011-01-01

In this work, a viscoplastic constitutive model for nanocrystalline metals is presented. The model is based on competing grain boundary and grain interior deformation mechanisms. In particular, inelastic deformations caused by grain boundary

Grain Formation Processes in Oxygen-Rich Circumstellar Outflows: Testing the Metastable Eutectic Condensation Hypothesis and Measuring Atom-Grain & Grain-Grain Sticking Coefficients (A Sub-orbital Investigation)

Science.gov (United States)

Nuth, Joseph

An experimentally-based model of grain formation in oxygen-rich circumstellar outflows that includes vapor-solid nucleation, grain growth, thermal annealing and grain aggregation in sufficient detail to predict the spectral energy distribution (SED) of the shells for comparison with observations of a wide range of stellar sources still lacks critical data. In order to gather this data we propose to conduct a series of laboratory experiments using our proven experimental system and microgravity condensation, growth and grain aggregation experiments on sounding rockets with a flight-proven payload provided by Dr. Yuki Kimura of Hokkaido University. We have proposed that solids from a hydrogen-rich, supersaturated, Fe-Mg-SiO vapor condense at metastable eutectic points in this ternary phase diagram. Because the FeOMgO system is totally miscible (has no eutectic or metastable eutectic compositions), this predicts that condensates will be pure Mg-silicate or Fe-silicate grains and that no primary condensate will be a mixed Fe-Mg-silicate. We have shown that this observation leads to a logical explanation as to why pure magnesium olivine and enstatite minerals are detected in circumstellar winds rather than the mixed Mg-Fe-silicate grains that might otherwise be expected (Rietmeijer, Nuth & Karner, 1999). This simplifying hypothesis has been built into our models of circumstellar condensation and growth. However, these experimental results require confirmation and testing since they should apply to other, quite similar condensable systems. We propose to test this hypothesis by condensing solids from the Fe-Mg-AlO ternary vapor system. Since FeO-MgO miscibility also applies to this system, the primary condensates from such a vapor should consist of pure amorphous Fe-aluminates and Mg-aluminates. No mixed Fe-Mg-spinels should be detected as primary condensates if this hypothesis is correct, just as none were detected for the FeO-MgO-SiO system. Confirmation of this

Storing Peanuts in Grain Bags

Science.gov (United States)

A study was executed to determine the potential of storing farmers stock peanuts and shelled peanuts for crushing in hermetically sealed grain bags. The objectives of the study were to evaluate equipment for loading and unloading the grain bags, the capacity of the grain bags, and the changes in qu...

Mental Rotation in False Belief Understanding.

Science.gov (United States)

Xie, Jiushu; Cheung, Him; Shen, Manqiong; Wang, Ruiming

2018-05-01

This study examines the spontaneous use of embodied egocentric transformation (EET) in understanding false beliefs in the minds of others. EET involves the participants mentally transforming or rotating themselves into the orientation of an agent when trying to adopt his or her visuospatial perspective. We argue that psychological perspective taking such as false belief reasoning may also involve EET because of what has been widely reported in the embodied cognition literature, showing that our processing of abstract, propositional information is often grounded in concrete bodily sensations which are not apparently linked to higher cognition. In Experiment 1, an agent placed a ball into one of two boxes and left. The ball then rolled out and moved either into the other box (new box) or back into the original one (old box). The participants were to decide from which box they themselves or the agent would try to recover the ball. Results showed that false belief performance was affected by increased orientation disparity between the participants and the agent, suggesting involvement of embodied transformation. In Experiment 2, false belief was similarly induced and the participants were to decide if the agent would try to recover the ball in one specific box. Orientation disparity was again found to affect false belief performance. The present results extend previous findings on EET in visuospatial perspective taking and suggest that false belief reasoning, which is a kind of psychological perspective taking, can also involve embodied rotation, consistent with the embodied cognition view. Copyright © 2018 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Examining Belief and Confidence in Schizophrenia

Science.gov (United States)

Joyce, Dan W.; Averbeck, Bruno B.; Frith, Chris D.; Shergill, Sukhwinder S.

2018-01-01

Background People with psychoses often report fixed, delusional beliefs that are sustained even in the presence of unequivocal contrary evidence. Such delusional beliefs are the result of integrating new and old evidence inappropriately in forming a cognitive model. We propose and test a cognitive model of belief formation using experimental data from an interactive “Rock Paper Scissors” game. Methods Participants (33 controls and 27 people with schizophrenia) played a competitive, time-pressured interactive two-player game (Rock, Paper, Scissors). Participant’s behavior was modeled by a generative computational model using leaky-integrator and temporal difference methods. This model describes how new and old evidence is integrated to form both a playing strategy to beat the opponent and provide a mechanism for reporting confidence in one’s playing strategy to win against the opponent Results People with schizophrenia fail to appropriately model their opponent’s play despite consistent (rather than random) patterns that can be exploited in the simulated opponent’s play. This is manifest as a failure to weigh existing evidence appropriately against new evidence. Further, participants with schizophrenia show a ‘jumping to conclusions’ bias, reporting successful discovery of a winning strategy with insufficient evidence. Conclusions The model presented suggests two tentative mechanisms in delusional belief formation – i) one for modeling patterns in other’s behavior, where people with schizophrenia fail to use old evidence appropriately and ii) a meta-cognitive mechanism for ‘confidence’ in such beliefs where people with schizophrenia overweight recent reward history in deciding on the value of beliefs about the opponent. PMID:23521846

Plant Density Effect on Grain Number and Weight of Two Winter Wheat Cultivars at Different Spikelet and Grain Positions

OpenAIRE

Li, Yong; Cui, Zhengyong; Ni, Yingli; Zheng, Mengjing; Yang, Dongqing; Jin, Min; Chen, Jin; Wang, Zhenlin; Yin, Yanping

2016-01-01

In winter wheat, grain development is asynchronous. The grain number and grain weight vary significantly at different spikelet and grain positions among wheat cultivars grown at different plant densities. In this study, two winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars, 'Wennong6' and 'Jimai20', were grown under four different plant densities for two seasons, in order to study the effect of plant density on the grain number and grain weight at different spikelet and grain positions. The resul...

Segregation of solute elements at grain boundaries in an ultrafine grained Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sha, Gang; Yao, Lan; Liao, Xiaozhou; Ringer, Simon P.; Chao Duan, Zhi; Langdon, Terence G.

2011-01-01

The solute segregation at grain boundaries (GBs) of an ultrafine grained (UFG) Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy processed by equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) at 200 o C was characterised using three-dimensional atom probe. Mg and Cu segregate strongly to the grain boundaries. In contrast, Zn does not always show clear segregation and may even show depletion near the grain boundaries. Trace element Si selectively segregates at some GBs. An increase in the number of ECAP passes leads to a decrease in the grain size but an increase in solute segregation at the boundaries. The significant segregation of alloying elements at the boundaries of ultrafine-grained alloys implies that less solutes will be available in the matrix for precipitation with a decrease in the average grain size. -- Research Highlights: → Atom probe tomography has been employed successfully to reveal unique segregation of solutes at ultrafine grained material. → Mg and Cu elements segregated strongly at the grain boundary of an ultrafine grained Al-Zn-Mg-Cu alloy processed by 4-pass and 8-pass ECAP at 200 o C. Zn frequently depleted at GBs with a Zn depletion region of 7-15 nm in width on one or both sides of the GBs. Only a small fraction (3/13) of GBs were observed with a low level of Zn segregation where the combined Mg and Cu excess is over 3.1 atom/nm 2 . Si appeared selectively segregated at some of the GBs. → The increase in number of ECAP passes from 4 to 8 correlated with the increase in mean level segregation of Mg and Cu for both solute excess and peak concentration. → The change of plane normal of a grain boundary within 30 o only leads to a slight change in the solute segregation level.

The role of beliefs in teacher agency

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Biesta, Gert; Priestley, Mark; Robinson, Sarah

2015-01-01

’s Curriculum for Excellence – in order to explore these questions. We focus on teachers’ beliefs in order to get a sense of the individual and collective discourses that inform teachers’ perceptions, judgements and decision-making and that motivate and drive teachers’ action. While the research suggests...... that beliefs play an important role in teachers’ work, an apparent mismatch between teachers’ individual beliefs and values and wider institutional discourses and cultures, and a relative lack of a clear and robust professional vision of the purposes of education indicate that the promotion of teacher agency...... does not just rely on the beliefs that individual teachers bring to their practice, but also requires collective development and consideration....

Grain growth studies on nanocrystalline Ni powder

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rane, G.K.; Welzel, U.; Mittemeijer, E.J.

2012-01-01

The microstructure of nanocrystalline Ni powder produced by ball-milling and its thermal stability were investigated by applying different methods of X-ray diffraction line-profile analysis: single-line analysis, whole powder-pattern modelling and the (modified) Warren–Averbach method were employed. The kinetics of grain growth were investigated by both ex-situ and in-situ X-ray diffraction measurements. With increasing milling time, the grain-size reduction is accompanied by a considerable narrowing of the size distribution and an increase in the microstrain. Upon annealing, initial, rapid grain growth occurs, accompanied by the (almost complete) annihilation of microstrain. For longer annealing times, the grain-growth kinetics depend on the initial microstructure: a smaller microstrain with a broad grain-size distribution leads to linear grain growth, followed by parabolic grain growth, whereas a larger microstrain with a narrow grain-size distribution leads to incessant linear grain growth. These effects have been shown to be incompatible with grain-boundary curvature driven growth. The observed kinetics are ascribed to the role of excess free volume at the grain boundaries of nanocrystalline material and the prevalence of an “abnormal grain-growth” mechanism.

The effect of belief in free will on prejudice.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Xian; Liu, Li; Zhang, Xiao-xiao; Shi, Jia-xin; Huang, Zhen-wei

2014-01-01

The current research examined the role of the belief in free will on prejudice across Han Chinese and white samples. Belief in free will refers to the extent to which people believe human beings truly have free will. In Study 1, the beliefs of Han Chinese people in free will were measured, and their social distances from the Tibetan Chinese were used as an index of ethnic prejudice. The results showed that the more that Han Chinese endorsed the belief in free will, the less that they showed prejudice against the Tibetan Chinese. In Study 2, the belief of the Han Chinese in free will was manipulated, and their explicit feelings towards the Uyghur Chinese were used as an indicator of ethnic prejudice. The results showed that the participants in the condition of belief in free will reported less prejudice towards Uyghur Chinese compared to their counterparts in the condition of disbelief in free will. In Study 3, white peoples' belief in free will was manipulated, and their pro-black attitudes were measured as an indirect indicator of racial prejudice. The results showed that, compared to the condition of disbelief in free will, the participants who were primed by a belief in free will reported stronger pro-black attitudes. These three studies suggest that endorsement of the belief in free will can lead to decreased ethnic/racial prejudice compared to denial of the belief in free will. The theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Belief change

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Booth, R

2012-07-01

Full Text Available In this paper the authors present a brief overview of belief change, a research area concerned with the question of how a rational agent ought to change its mind in the face of new, possibly conflicting, information. The authors limit themselves...

Harm beliefs and coping expectancies in youth with specific phobias.

Science.gov (United States)

Ollendick, Thomas H; Öst, Lars-Göran; Ryan, Sarah M; Capriola, Nicole N; Reuterskiöld, Lena

2017-04-01

Catastrophic beliefs and lowered coping expectancies are often present in individuals with specific phobias (SPs). The current study examined these beliefs and expectancies in 251 youth who received One Session Treatment for one of the three most common types of SP in youth (animals, natural environment, and situational). We compared the children's subjective beliefs to objective ratings of the likelihood of occurrence and the dangerousness of the feared events. Results revealed pre-treatment differences in the youths' beliefs across phobia types and age. Specifically, children with animal phobias rated their beliefs as more likely to occur than did children with environmental and situational phobias. In addition, older children rated their beliefs as more dangerous than younger children. However, regardless of phobia type or child age, the beliefs improved following treatment. Changes in catastrophic beliefs and coping expectancies were related to changes in clinical severity following treatment but not 6-months following treatment. Moreover, at pre-treatment, children viewed their beliefs as significantly more catastrophic and likely to occur than did independent coders of these beliefs; however, these differences were no longer evident following treatment. Clinical implications are discussed, highlighting how changes in beliefs and expectancies might be associated with treatment outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Grain-to-grain variations in NbC particle size distributions in an austenitic stainless steel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barlow, C.Y.; Ralph, B.; Silverman, B.; Jones, A.R.

1979-01-01

Quantitative information has been obtained concerning the size distributions of NbC precipitate particles in different grains in a deformed and aged austenitic stainless steel specimen. The precipitate size distributions obtained differ from one grain to another. The average disparity measured between the mean precipitate sizes was a function of the distance between the grains compared. The results obtained are considered in terms of differences in precipitation behaviour due to variations in the levels of plastic strain in constituent grains of the deformed specimen. (author)

Grain refinement of zinc-aluminium alloys

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zaid, A.I.O.

2006-01-01

It is now well-established that the structure of the zinc-aluminum die casting alloys can be modified by the binary Al-Ti or the ternary Al-Ti-B master alloys. in this paper, grain refinement of zinc-aluminum alloys by rare earth materials is reviewed and discussed. The importance of grain refining of these alloys and parameters affecting it are presented and discussed. These include parameters related to the Zn-Al alloys cast, parameters related to the grain refining elements or alloys and parameters related to the process. The effect of addition of other alloying elements e.g. Zr either alone or in the presence of the main grain refiners Ti or Ti + B on the grain refining efficiency is also reviewed and discussed. Furthermore, based on the grain refinement and the parameters affecting it, a criterion for selection of the optimum grain refiner is suggested. Finally, the recent research work on the effect of grain refiners on the mechanical behaviour, impact strength, wear resistance, and fatigue life of these alloys are presented and discussed. (author)

Fatigue crack propagation behavior under creep conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohji, Kiyotsugu; Kubo, Shiro

1991-01-01

The crack propagation behavior of the SUS 304 stainless steel under creep-fatigue conditions was reviewed. Cracks propagated either in purely time-dependent mode or in purely cycle-dependent mode, depending on loading conditions. The time-dependent crack propagation rate was correlated with modified J-integral J * and the cycle-dependent crack propagation rate was correlated with J-integral range ΔJ f . Threshold was observed in the cycle-dependent crack propagation, and below this threshold the time-dependent crack propagation appeared. The crack propagation rates were uniquely characterized by taking the effective values of J * and ΔJ f , when crack closure was observed. Change in crack propagation mode occurred reversibly and was predicted by the competitive damage model. The threshold disappeared and the cycle-dependent crack propagation continued in a subthreshold region under variable amplitude conditions, where the threshold was interposed between the maximum and minimum ΔJ f . (orig.)

Experimental Study of Dust Grain Charging

Science.gov (United States)

Spann, James F; Venturini, Catherine C.; Comfort, Richard H.; Mian, Abbas M.

1999-01-01

The results of an experimental study of the charging mechanisms of micron size dust grains are presented. Individual dust grains are electrodynamically suspended and exposed to an electron beam of known energy and flux, and to far ultraviolet radiation of known wavelength and intensity. Changes in the charge-to-mass ratio of the grain are directly measured as a function of incident beam (electron and/or photon), grain size and composition. Comparisons of our results to theoretical models that predict the grain response are presented.

Proteomics analysis of maize (Zea mays L.) grain based on iTRAQ reveals molecular mechanisms of poor grain filling in inferior grains.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Tao; Li, Geng; Liu, Peng; Dong, Shuting; Zhang, Jiwang; Zhao, Bin

2017-06-01

In maize, inferior grains (IG) located on the upper part of the ear have poor grain filling process compared to superior grains (SG) located on the middle and lower parts of the ear. This difference limits satisfactory yield and quality; however, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, using the isobaric tag for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) technology, the proteomes of IG and SG during early and middle grain filling stages were investigated. In total, 4720 proteins were identified in maize grain and 305 differentially accumulated proteins (DiAPs) were detected between IG and SG. These DiAPs were involved in diverse cellular and metabolic processes with preferred distribution in protein synthesis/destination and metabolism. Compared to SG, DiAPs related to cell growth/division and starch synthesis were lag-accumulated and down-regulated in IG, respectively, resulting in smaller sink sizes and lower sink activities in IG. Meanwhile, impediment of the glycolysis pathway in IG may lead to reduce energy supply and building materials for substance synthesis. Additionally, reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and the defense system were disturbed in IG, which might lead to reduce protection against various environmental stresses. The present study provides new information on the proteomic differences between IG and SG, and explains possible molecular mechanisms for poor grain filling in IG. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Analyzing Sexual Health-Related Beliefs Among Couples in Marriage Based on the Health Belief Model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Majid Barati

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Sexual health is the integrity between mind, emotions, and body, and any disorder leading to discoordination, can be associated with sexual dysfunction. The aim of this study was to investigate the beliefs of couples attending marriage counseling centers toward sexual health based on the health belief model. Materials and Methods: This cross sectional descriptive study was performed on 400 couples referring to marriage counseling centers of Hamadan recruited with a random sampling method. The participants completed a self-administered questionnaire including demographic characteristics, knowledge and health belief model constructs. Data analysis was performed using SPSS-16 software, by Pearson’s coefficient correlation, independent T-test, and one-way ANOVA. Results: Couples had a moderate knowledge of sexual health. In addition, perceived susceptibility and severity of the consequences of unsafe sexual behavior among couples were not satisfactory however, perceived benefits and barriers were reported in a relatively good level. Internet and friends were the most important sources for sexual health information. Conclusion: Promoting knowledge and beliefs toward sexual health by preparing training packages based on the needs of couples and removing obstacles to have normal sexual behavior are necessary.

Predicting dyadic adjustment from general and relationship-specific beliefs.

Science.gov (United States)

DeBord, J; Romans, J S; Krieshok, T

1996-05-01

The cognitive mediation model of human psychological functioning has received increasing attention by researchers studying the role of cognitive variables in relationship distress. This study is an examination of the role of general irrational beliefs, as measured by the Irrational Beliefs Test (IBT; Jones, 1968), and relationship-specific irrational beliefs, as measured by the Relationship Belief Questionnaire (RBQ; Romans & DeBord, 1994), in predicting the perceived quality of relationships by married or cohabiting couples. Results indicated that respondents who reported higher levels of relationship-specific irrational beliefs also reported higher levels of dyadic adjustment; but contrary to expectation, higher levels of general irrational beliefs correlated with lower levels of dyadic adjustment. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the depressive realism hypothesis.

Beyond "born this way?" reconsidering sexual orientation beliefs and attitudes.

Science.gov (United States)

Grzanka, Patrick R; Zeiders, Katharine H; Miles, Joseph R

2016-01-01

Previous research on heterosexuals' beliefs about sexual orientation (SO) has been limited in that it has generally examined heterosexuals' beliefs from an essentialist perspective. The recently developed Sexual Orientation Beliefs Scale (SOBS; Arseneau, Grzanka, Miles, & Fassinger, 2013) assesses multifarious "lay beliefs" about SO from essentialist, social constructionist, and constructivist perspectives. This study used the SOBS to explore latent group-based patterns in endorsement of these beliefs in 2 samples of undergraduate students: a mixed-gender sample (n = 379) and an all-women sample (n = 266). While previous research has posited that essentialist beliefs about the innateness of SO predict positive attitudes toward sexual minorities, our research contributes to a growing body of scholarship that suggests that biological essentialism should be considered in the context of other beliefs. Using a person-centered analytic strategy, we found that that college students fell into distinct patterns of SO beliefs that are more different on beliefs about the homogeneity, discreteness, and informativeness of SO categories than on beliefs about the naturalness of SO. Individuals with higher levels of endorsement on all 4 SOBS subscales (a group we named multidimensional essentialism) and those who were highest in discreteness, homogeneity, and informativeness beliefs (i.e., high-DHI) reported higher levels of homonegativity when compared with those who were high only in naturalness beliefs. We discuss the implications of these findings for counseling and psychotherapy about SO, as well educational and social interventions. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Modelling the gluon propagator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leinweber, D.B.; Parrinello, C.; Skullerud, J.I.; Williams, A.G

1999-03-01

Scaling of the Landau gauge gluon propagator calculated at {beta} = 6.0 and at {beta} = 6.2 is demonstrated. A variety of functional forms for the gluon propagator calculated on a large (32{sup 3} x 64) lattice at {beta} = 6.0 are investigated.

Alignment of dust grains in ionized regions

Science.gov (United States)

Anderson, Nels; Watson, William D.

1993-01-01

The rate at which charged dust grains in a plasma are torqued by passing ions and electrons is calculated. When photo-emission of electrons is not important, attraction of ions by the grain monopole potential increases the rate at which the grains' spins are dealigned by nearly an order of magnitude. Consequently, the energy density of the magnetic field required to align grains in an H II region may be increased by about an order of magnitude. In contrast, electric dipole and quadrupole moments are unlikely to produce large dealignment rates for grains of modest length-to-width ratio. Nonetheless, for positively charged grains these higher-order moments likely prevent monopole repulsion of ions from reducing the dealignment rate far below that for neutral grains. The presence of positive grain charge therefore does not greatly facilitate grain alignment in an H II region.

Concepts on Low Temperature Mechanical Grain Growth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sharon, John Anthony [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Metallurgy and Materials Joining Dept.; Boyce, Brad Lee [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States). Metallurgy and Materials Joining Dept.

2013-11-01

In metals, as grain size is reduced below 100nm, conventional dislocation plasticity is suppressed resulting in improvements in strength, hardness, and wears resistance. Existing and emerging components use fine grained metals for these beneficial attributes. However, these benefits can be lost in service if the grains undergo growth during the component’s lifespan. While grain growth is traditionally viewed as a purely thermal process that requires elevated temperature exposure, recent evidence shows that some metals, especially those with nanocrystalline grain structure, can undergo grain growth even at room temperature or below due to mechanical loading. This report has been assembled to survey the key concepts regarding how mechanical loads can drive grain coarsening at room temperature and below. Topics outlined include the atomic level mechanisms that facilitate grain growth, grain boundary mobility, and the impact of boundary structure, loading scheme, and temperature.

Spanking infants and toddlers: maternal belief and practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Socolar, R R; Stein, R E

1995-01-01

To describe maternal beliefs and practices of spanking infants and toddlers and the relations between factors affecting these beliefs and practices. Cross-sectional survey. Site 1 was an inner-city teaching hospital pediatric clinic. Site 2 was a private pediatrician's office in a nearby suburban neighborhood. Mothers of children less than 4 years old in the waiting area. Site 1: n = 104; site 2: n = 100. Systematic sample of convenience. Mothers were interviewed using a 20-minute structured questionnaire. Measures were constructed to assess beliefs (Cronbach's alpha = .90) and practices about spanking and approach to discipline (alpha > .71). Belief in spanking correlated significantly (P children 1 to 3 years old. Forty-two percent reported that they had spanked their own child in the past week. Mothers believed more strongly in spanking for dangerous misbehaviors than for annoying ones (P disciplining very young children. The context of the spanking affects beliefs and practices. The finding that belief and practice of spanking are highly correlated suggests that belief rather than impulse largely explains spanking of children less than 4 years old. The high correlation between spanking and negative approach toward discipline raises questions about whether negative consequences of spanking are the result of spanking per se, the negative approach toward the child, or both.

Establishment of Grain Farmers' Supply Response Model and Empirical Analysis under Minimum Grain Purchase Price Policy

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Shuang

2012-01-01

Based on farmers' supply behavior theory and price expectations theory, this paper establishes grain farmers' supply response model of two major grain varieties (early indica rice and mixed wheat) in the major producing areas, to test whether the minimum grain purchase price policy can have price-oriented effect on grain production and supply in the major producing areas. Empirical analysis shows that the minimum purchase price published annually by the government has significant positive imp...

Criminalising defamation of religion and belief

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Noorloos, L.A.

2014-01-01

This article deals with the role of criminal law in dealing with defamatory expressions about religion or belief. Defamation of religion and belief is a form of indirect defamation ‘via identification’ which, as the discussion about the Dutch group defamation law shows, stretches up the notion of

Teachers' Beliefs about Neuroscience and Education

Science.gov (United States)

Zambo, Debby; Zambo, Ron

2011-01-01

Information from neuroscience is readily available to educators, yet instructors of educational psychology and related fields have not investigated teachers' beliefs regarding this information. The purpose of this survey study was to uncover the beliefs 62 teachers held about neuroscience and education. Results indicate there were three types of…

Cultural Beliefs about Autism in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Riany, Yulina Eva; Cuskelly, Monica; Meredith, Pamela

2016-01-01

Cultural beliefs about parenting have an important influence on parenting behaviours, including considerations about appropriate ways to parent children with autism. Although Indonesia has one of the largest and most ethnically diverse populations in the world, little is known about cultural beliefs regarding children with autism within Indonesian…

Semiclassical propagator of the Wigner function.

Science.gov (United States)

Dittrich, Thomas; Viviescas, Carlos; Sandoval, Luis

2006-02-24

Propagation of the Wigner function is studied on two levels of semiclassical propagation: one based on the Van Vleck propagator, the other on phase-space path integration. Leading quantum corrections to the classical Liouville propagator take the form of a time-dependent quantum spot. Its oscillatory structure depends on whether the underlying classical flow is elliptic or hyperbolic. It can be interpreted as the result of interference of a pair of classical trajectories, indicating how quantum coherences are to be propagated semiclassically in phase space. The phase-space path-integral approach allows for a finer resolution of the quantum spot in terms of Airy functions.

Sound propagation in cities

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Salomons, E.; Polinder, H.; Lohman, W.; Zhou, H.; Borst, H.

2009-01-01

A new engineering model for sound propagation in cities is presented. The model is based on numerical and experimental studies of sound propagation between street canyons. Multiple reflections in the source canyon and the receiver canyon are taken into account in an efficient way, while weak

Comparative characteristics of grain classifications of soft wheat of Kazakhstan and major grain-producing countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. A. Shaimerdenova

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Soft wheat is one of the most important crops, grown in more than 130 countries. To date, one-fifth of the world's wheat, or about 150 million tons a year, is sold on international markets. In the world trade traditionally dominated by the US, Australia, Canada and Argentina. Kazakhstan, being on the 15th place in the production of wheat grain, is among the first ten exporters - in 2017 the country exported about 8 million tons to the amount of 1.5 billion dollars. USA, then, as potential export opportunities are much higher, as evidenced by annual carryover stocks at 3 million tons. According to experts, considerable differences in the classification of wheat grain used in Kazakhstan and in other countries participating in the grain market and the methods for assessing the technological dignity indicators (TDs laid down in the classifications are a significant obstacle to increasing the export potential of wheat grains. In view of this, an analysis was made of grain classifications of wheat grains used in the most important grain producing countries, TD indicators were determined, methods for their evaluation, and differences were revealed. It is established that in countries that are stable in the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of grain, an insignificant list of TD indicators is adopted, while they characterize the physical quality and state of the grain, which may indicate a general suitability for grinding. It is determined that in Russia and Kazakhstan, in determining the contamination, such an indicator as dockage is not taken into account. Comparative tests of different methods of sampling and determination of contamination have been carried out, and correlation coefficients have been established between indicators of contamination determined by different methods.

Strong commitment to traditional Protestant religious beliefs is negatively related to beliefs in paranormal phenomena.

Science.gov (United States)

Hillstrom, E L; Strachan, M

2000-02-01

Numerous studies have yielded small, negative correlations between measures of paranormal and "traditional religious beliefs". This may partly reflect opinions of Christians in the samples who take biblical sanctions against many "paranormal" activities seriously. To test this, 391 college students (270 women and 121 men) rated their beliefs in various paranormal phenomena and were classified as Believers, Nominal Believers, and Nonbelievers on the strength of their self-rated commitment to key biblical (particularly Protestant) doctrines. As predicted, Believers were significantly less likely than Nominal Believers or Nonbelievers to endorse reincarnation, contact with the dead, UFOs, telepathy, prophecy, psychokinesis, or healing, while the beliefs of Nominal Believers were similar to those of Nonbelievers. Substantial percentages of Nominal and Nonbelievers (30-50%) indicated at least moderate acceptance of the paranormal phenomena surveyed.