Revealing Differences Between Curricula Using the Colorado Upper-Division Electrostatics Diagnostic

The Colorado Upper-Division Electrostatics (CUE) Diagnostic is an exam developed as part of the curriculum reform at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU). It was designed to assess conceptual learning within upper-division electricity and magnetism (E&M). Using the CUE, we have been documenting students' understanding of E&M at Oregon State University (OSU) over a period of 5 years. Our analysis indicates that the CUE identifies concepts that are generally difficult for students, regardless of the curriculum. The overall pattern of OSU students' scores reproduces the pattern reported by Chasteen et al. at CU. There are, however, some important differences that we will address. In particular, our students struggle with the CUE problems involving separation of variables and boundary conditions. We will discuss the possible causes for this, as well as steps that may rectify the situation.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Learning to like or dislike : revealing similarities and differences between evaluative learning effects

Researchers study phenomena such as the mere-exposure effect, evaluative conditioning, and persuasion to learn more about the ways in which likes and dislikes can be formed and changed. Often, these phenomena are studied in isolation. Here, we review and integrate conceptual analyses that highlight ways to relate these different phenomena and that reveal new avenues for research on evaluative learning. At the core of these analyses lies the idea that evaluative learning can be defined as changes in liking that are due to regularities in the environment. We discuss how this definition allows one to distinguish different types of evaluative learning on the basis of the nature of regularities (e.g., in the presence of one stimulus vs. in the presence of two stimuli) and the function of regularities (i.e., symbolic vs. nonsymbolic)

Value Elicitation using BDM and a Discrete Choice Mechanism

We compare the Becker-DeGroot-Marschak (BDM) mechanism to a discrete choice mechanism for revealing willingness to pay (WTP) in a lab experiment. Differences in WTP disappear when considering only engaged bidders with non-zero bids. Only WTP elicited with BDM are sensitive to the variation of quantity offered to participants.experimental economics, substitution

Fine asymptotics for the consistent maximal displacement of branching Brownian motion

It is well-known that the maximal particle in a branching Brownian motion sits near $\sqrt2 t - \frac{3}{2\sqrt2}\log t$ at time $t$. One may then ask about the paths of particles near the frontier: how close can they stay to this critical curve? Two different approaches to this question have been developed. We improve upon the best-known bounds in each case, revealing new qualitative features including marked differences between the two approaches.Comment: 25 pages; corrected several mistake

Anisotropy of effective masses in CuInSe2

Anisotropy of the valence band is experimentally demonstrated in CuInSe2, a key component of the absorber layer in one of the leading thin-film solar cell technology. By changing the orientation of applied magnetic fields with respect to the crystal lattice, we measure considerable differences in the diamagnetic shifts and effective g-factors for the A and B free excitons. The resulting free exciton reduced masses are combined with a perturbation model for non-degenerate independent excitons and theoretical dielectric constants to provide the anisotropic effective hole masses, revealing anisotropies of 5.5 (4.2) for the A (B) valence bands

Plant genetic reseources: effective utilization

Characterizing better understanding the genome organization and differentiating identity of genotypes based on their morphology and genome characteristics are vital determinants in their commercialization, management of germplasm repositories, and genetic conservation. Morphoagronomic characterization of plants is not always feasible or sometimes labor intensive. Employing chloroplast, mitochondrial, and nuclear genome diversity using molecular biology tools will enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of revealing identity differences between genotypes. Using organelle and nuclear genome diversity can also answer a broad range of genetic, evolutionary relationships, and ecological questions

Quark and gluon jet properties at LEP

The study of the differences of the fragmentation of quarks and gluons to jets of hadrons gives insight into the fundamental structure of QCD. Results from different approaches to properties of quarks and gluons are shown. The colour factor ratio $C_A/C_F$ is measured in agreement with the QCD prediction. Identified particles in quark and gluon jets are investigated, revealing no overproduction of isoscalar $\eta^0$ and $\phi(1020)$ in gluon jets, but an excess of protons.Comment: Submitted to the proceedings of the XXIX International Symposium on Multiparticle Dynamics (ISMD99), Providence, 6 pages including 6 figures Version 2 with additional reference

Comparison of Gaussian process modeling software

Gaussian process fitting, or kriging, is often used to create a model from a set of data. Many available software packages do this, but we show that very different results can be obtained from different packages even when using the same data and model. We describe the parameterization, features, and optimization used by eight different fitting packages that run on four different platforms. We then compare these eight packages using various data functions and data sets, revealing that there are stark differences between the packages. In addition to comparing the prediction accuracy, the predictive variance--which is important for evaluating precision of predictions and is often used in stopping criteria--is also evaluated

Hierarchical Features of Large-Scale Cortical Connectivity

The analysis of complex networks has revealed patterns of organization in a variety of natural and artificial systems, including neuronal networks of the brain at multiple scales. In this paper, we describe a novel analysis of the large-scale connectivity between regions of the mammalian cerebral cortex, utilizing a set of hierarchical measurements proposed recently. We examine previously identified functional clusters of brain regions in macaque visual cortex and cat cortex and find significant differences between such clusters in terms of several hierarchical measures, revealing differences in how these clusters are embedded in the overall cortical architecture. For example, the ventral cluster of visual cortex maintains structurally more segregated, less divergent connections than the dorsal cluster, which may point to functionally different roles of their constituent brain regions.Comment: 17 pages, 6 figure

Forest management plan as a policy instrument: carrot, stick or sermon?

Technical aspects of forest management planning as decision-support have been addressed in numerous scientific studies. However, forest management plans (FMPs) also play a significant, but largely neglected, role as forest policy instruments. We have examined the policy context and planning practices in two contrasting case countries, revealing striking differences in policy instrumentation. In Sweden, FMPs mainly serve for informational steering, with under-utilised potential for providing individualised advice. In Lithuania, the plans are primarily regulatory, serving for effective control but with several deficiencies, notably excessive costs and institutionalised corruption. The study demonstrates that policy analyses can be fruitfully grounded in the empirics of planning practices