Uncertainty from Heisenberg to Today

We explore the different meanings of "quantum uncertainty" contained in Heisenberg's seminal paper from 1927, and also some of the precise definitions that were explored later. We recount the controversy about "Anschaulichkeit", visualizability of the theory, which Heisenberg claims to resolve. Moreover, we consider Heisenberg's programme of operational analysis of concepts, in which he sees himself as following Einstein. Heisenberg's work is marked by the tensions between semiclassical arguments and the emerging modern quantum theory, between intuition and rigour, and between shaky arguments and overarching claims. Nevertheless, the main message can be taken into the new quantum theory, and can be brought into the form of general theorems. They come in two kinds, not distinguished by Heisenberg. These are, on one hand, constraints on preparations, like the usual textbook uncertainty relation, and, on the other, constraints on joint measurability, including trade-offs between accuracy and disturbance.Comment: 36 pages, 1 figur

Trainee teachers' cognitive styles and notions of differentiation

Purpose – To compare the cognitive styles of trainee teachers with their notions of differentiation and perceptions of its place/location within their teaching and learning during a PGCE programme of ITE. Methodology – 80 trainee teachers completed the Cognitive Style Index (CSI) (Allinson & Hayes, 1996) at the beginning and at the end of their course. After completing the CSI measure trainees received instruction on cognitive styles. To assess their initial understanding and prior knowledge of differentiation, all trainees completed a questionnaire at the beginning at the end of their course. Findings – At the outset rudimentary understandings of differentiation were found to be held by the trainees, as well as stylistic differences between the four style groupings. Gains in understanding of differentiation and the use of cognitive style in school were evident in all trainees. Moderate changes in style were evident, with all trainees becoming more intuitive over the course of the programme. Research limitations – The sample size may be seen as a limitation in terms of generalisability. Practical implications –The predominant direction of cognitive style movement was from analytic to intuitive. The suggestion that cognitive style whilst relatively fixed is also something that can be developed, is a feature which should offer encouragement to those developing university courses through interventions such as this. Originality - Teaching sessions on how cognitive styles can be used in the classroom were used to enhance trainee understandings of individual learning differences and increase awareness of own style to facilitate understanding of differentiation

An analysis of how 2002 judicial reorganisation has impacted on the performance of the First Instance Courts (Preture) in Ticino

With data from 2001 to 2010 of the First Instance Courts of the Canton of Ticino, Switzerland, this paper examines the impact of Legge sull’istituzione della Pretura penale e della funzione di sostituto Procuratore pubblico (2002), which meant to improve Cantonal court performance by decreasing penal workload. Our results suggest that such law has posed non-positive effects on judicial length and courts’ performance. This work may furnish moreover some intuition about the expected impact of Legge sull’organizzazione giudiziaria (2006), which has adapted cantonal judicial system to new Swiss Civil Procedure Code, as well policy proposals for the cantonal programme known as Giustizia 2018

Inside International Development Organisations: Socially Constructing Judgement in-the-Moment

This exploratory study aimed, first, to build new knowledge on how senior managers of international development organisations defined judgement and how they made sense of it in the context of their leadership roles and work environments. A secondary aim was to explore methodologies and methods, specifically unstructured interviews and observations, to be used in the PhD phase to study the social phenomenon of judgement. Using an ethnographic and reflexive approach, this study addressed the question: How do managers understand their use of judgement ‘in-the-moment’ in practice? Results from the two participating organisations suggest that there are diverse interpretations of the meaning of ‘judgement’; it is a socially constructed process; used in uncertain situations; and influenced by time and space. These findings contribute to our understanding of how judgement in-the-moment is perceived inside an understudied area: the everyday context of small international development organisations. Theoretically, this study complements the existing literature with a social constructionist perspective and draws linkages to judgement as a constitutive element of sensemaking. Methodologically, the reflexive approach taken builds awareness of examining the ‘multiple selves’ and how researchers influence their research and are influenced by it as subject and object. The validity, methodological issues, limitations and implications for future research are also discussed

Interpreting and responding to the Johannine feeding narrative : an empirical study in the SIFT hermeneutical method amongst Anglican ministry training candidates

Drawing on Jungian psychological type theory, the SIFT method of biblical hermeneutics and liturgical preaching maintains that different psychological type preferences are associated with distinctive readings of scripture. In the present study this theory was tested amongst two groups of ministry training candidates (a total of 26 participants) who were located within working groups according to their psychological type preferences, and invited to reflect on the Johannine feeding narrative (Jn 6:4−22), and to document their discussion. Analysis of these data provided empirical support for the theory underpinning the SIFT method

Consciously unconscious: Researching, teaching and practising transformation architecture

Experiencing architecture, making architecture and teaching architecture all seem to share a common premise – the dualistic relationship between the emotional and the intellectual, the concrete and the abstract. Louis Kahn describes the work of the architect as a movement from something intangible through concrete matter and back: «A great building must begin with the unmeasurable, must go through measurable means when it is being designed and in the end must be unmeasurable».Peer Reviewe

Spilling Over and Crowding Out: The Effects of Public Sector/Private Sector Convergence and Competition, in the Provision of Public Goods

This paper develops an original model of product differentiation, to contribute to the debate about theregulation and finance of public television. It goes beyond the conventional analysis in this topic, byshowing the spill-over effects that a public broadcaster can have upon commercial broadcasters. It showshow the existence of a publicly-financed, free-to-air channel (such as the BBC) can affect the behaviour ofadvertiser-financed, free-to-air channels (such as the ITV). In particular, it shows what happens if theoutput of the public channel converges with that offered by private firms, so that it becomes lessdistinctive; and or it introduces advertising.These are timely issues, given the extent to which public broadcasters are increasingly criticised forseeking popularity, losing distinctiveness, and in many cases, introducing advertising. These tensions arebeing felt in the television sectors of virtually every country of the world. To illustrate these and otherquestions of this nature, we develop a model that clarifies the interplay of the key issues. Moreover, themodel has wider parallels to other sectors where services are also offered free at the point of access, butfinanced by advertising. The most obvious example is the internet.The following pages therefore develop an original model of product differentiation in two dimensions,following the tradition of Hotelling and Cournot competition. The horizontal product attribute is programmequality or type, and the vertical attribute is level of advertising. Broadcasters compete for viewers byaltering their levels of advertising. The second novelty of this model is its pricing scheme, which capturesthe unusual nature of television advertising markets. Channels sell quantities of airtime to advertisers, theunit price of which is determined by the number of viewers. Relative demand therefore plays the role ofprice in a Cournot model, except there can be different prices for diffspatial competition, product differentiation, television, advertising.

Radial penetration of flux surface shaping in tokamaks

Using analytic calculations, the effects of the edge flux surface shape and the toroidal current profile on the penetration of flux surface shaping are investigated in a tokamak. It is shown that the penetration of shaping is determined by the poloidal variation of the poloidal magnetic field on the surface. This fact is used to investigate how different flux surface shapes penetrate from the edge. Then, a technique to separate the effects of magnetic pressure and tension in the Grad-Shafranov equation is presented and used to calculate radial profiles of strong elongation for nearly constant current profiles. Lastly, it is shown that more hollow toroidal current profiles are significantly better at conveying shaping from the edge to the core.Comment: 11 pages, 13 figure