A general multivariate latent growth model with applications in student careers Data warehouses

The evaluation of the formative process in the University system has been assuming an ever increasing importance in the European countries. Within this context the analysis of student performance and capabilities plays a fundamental role. In this work we propose a multivariate latent growth model for studying the performances of a cohort of students of the University of Bologna. The model proposed is innovative since it is composed by: (1) multivariate growth models that allow to capture the different dynamics of student performance indicators over time and (2) a factor model that allows to measure the general latent student capability. The flexibility of the model proposed allows its applications in several fields such as socio-economic settings in which personal behaviours are studied by using panel data.Comment: 20 page

Students Enhancing Their Learning Experience: From Evaluation to Action

Much of the formal module evaluation takes place at the end of a module through questionnaires developed by higher education institutions (HEIs) as part of their effort to improve modules. However, there is limited literature on approaches to module evaluation in collaboration with students. This deficiency in the literature represents an opportunity to involve students in the formative and summative evaluation of the module in order for them to enhance their learning experience from module evaluation to module improvement. This Student as Academic Partner (SAP) project focuses on an undergraduate module enhancement in terms of learning, teaching and assessment for the benefit of current and future students

Seasonal variations in Greenland Ice Sheet motion : Inland extent and behaviour at higher elevations

Peer reviewedPreprin

Individual Variation in Contagious Yawning Susceptibility Is Highly Stable and Largely Unexplained by Empathy or Other Known Factors

The contagious aspect of yawning is a well-known phenomenon that exhibits variation in the human population. Despite the observed variation, few studies have addressed its intra-individual reliability or the factors modulating differences in the susceptibility of healthy volunteers. Due to its obvious biological basis and impairment in diseases like autism and schizophrenia, a better understanding of this trait could lead to novel insights into these conditions and the general biological functioning of humans. We administered 328 participants a 3-minute yawning video stimulus, a cognitive battery, and a comprehensive questionnaire that included measures of empathy, emotional contagion, circadian energy rhythms, and sleepiness. Individual contagious yawning measurements were found to be highly stable across testing sessions, both in a lab setting and if administered remotely online, confirming that certain healthy individuals are less susceptible to contagious yawns than are others. Additionally, most individuals who failed to contagiously yawn in our study were not simply suppressing their reaction, as they reported not even feeling like yawning in response to the stimulus. In contrast to previous studies indicating that empathy, time of day, or intelligence may influence contagious yawning susceptibility, we found no influence of these variables once accounting for the age of the participant. Participants were less likely to show contagious yawning as their age increased, even when restricting to ages of less than 40 years. However, age was only able to explain 8% of the variability in the contagious yawn response. The vast majority of the variability in this extremely stable trait remained unexplained, suggesting that studies of its inheritance are warranted

Imide and isatin derivatives as β-lactam mimics of β-lactam antibiotics

Activated γ-lactams, which are derivatives of succinimide, phthalimide and isatin with suitable elements of molecular recognition, have been synthesised as mimics of the ß-lactam antibiotics and their chemical and biological reactivity determined

Fragmentation and systematics of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance in the stable N=82 isotones

The low-lying electric dipole (E1) strength in the semi-magic nucleus 136Xe has been measured which finalizes the systematic survey to investigate the so-called pygmy dipole resonance (PDR) in all stable even N=82 isotones with the method of nuclear resonance fluorescence using real photons in the entrance channel. In all cases, a fragmented resonance-like structure of E1 strength is observed in the energy region 5 MeV to 8 MeV. An analysis of the fragmentation of the strength reveals that the degree of fragmentation decreases towards the proton-deficient isotones while the total integrated strength increases indicating a dependence of the total strength on the neutron-to-proton ratio. The experimental results are compared to microscopic calculations within the quasi-particle phonon model (QPM). The calculation includes complex configurations of up to three phonons and is able to reproduce also the fragmentation of the E1 strength which allows to draw conclusions on the damping of the PDR. Calculations and experimental data are in good agreement in the degree of fragmentation and also in the integrated strength if the sensitivity limit of the experiments is taken into account

Enhanced radiative strength in the quasi-continuum of 117Sn

Radiative strength functions of 117Sn has been measured below the neutron separation energy using the (3He,3He'gamma) reactions. An increase in the slope of the strength functions around E_gamma= 4.5 MeV indicates the onset of a resonance-like structure, giving a significant enhancement of the radiative strength function compared to standard models in the energy region 4.5 <= E_gamma <= 8.0 MeV. For the first time, the functional form of this resonance-like structure has been measured in an odd tin nucleus below neutron threshold in the quasi-continuum region.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Radial Color Gradients in K+A Galaxies in Distant Clusters of Galaxies

Galaxies in rich clusters with z $\gtrsim$ 0.3 are observed to have a higher fraction of photometrically blue galaxies than their nearby counterparts. This raises the important question of what environmental effects can cause the termination of star formation between z $\approx$ 0.3 and the present. The star formation may be truncated due to ram-pressure stripping, or the gas in the disk may be depleted by an episode of star formation caused by some external perturbation. To help resolve this issue, surface photometry was carried out for a total of 70 early-type galaxies in the cluster Cl1358+62, at z $\sim$ 0.33, using two-color images from the Hubble Archive. The galaxies were divided into two categories based on spectroscopic criteria: 24 are type K+A (e.g., strong Balmer lines, with no visible emission lines), while the remaining 46 are in the control sample with normal spectra. Radial color profiles were produced to see if the K+A galaxies show bluer nuclei in relation to their surrounding disks. Specifically, a linear gradient was fit to the radial color profile of each galaxy. We find that the K+A galaxies on average tend to have slightly bluer gradients towards the center than the normals. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov two-sample test has been applied to the two sets of color gradients. The result of the test indicates that there is only a $\sim$2% probability that the K+A and normal samples are drawn from the same parent distribution. There is a possible complication from a trend in the apparent magnitude vs. color gradient relation, but overall our results favor the centralized star formation scenario as an important process in the evolution of galaxies in dense clusters.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted for publication in A

Short-term variability in Greenland Ice Sheet motion forced by time-varying meltwater inputs: implications for the relationship between subglacial drainage system behavior and ice velocity.

High resolution measurements of ice motion along a -120 km transect in a land-terminating section of the GrIS reveal short-term velocity variations (<1 day), which are forced by rapid variations in meltwater input to the subglacial drainage system from the ice sheet surface. The seasonal changes in ice velocity at low elevations (<1000 m) are dominated by events lasting from 1 day to 1 week, although daily cycles are largely absent at higher elevations, reflecting different patterns of meltwater input. Using a simple model of subglacial conduit behavior we show that the seasonal record of ice velocity can be understood in terms of a time-varying water input to a channelized subglacial drainage system. Our investigation substantiates arguments that variability in the duration and rate, rather than absolute volume, of meltwater delivery to the subglacial drainage system are important controls on seasonal patterns of subglacial water pressure, and therefore ice velocity. We suggest that interpretations of hydro-dynamic behavior in land-terminating sections of the GrIS margin which rely on steady state drainage theories are unsuitable for making predictions about the effect of increased summer ablation on future rates of ice motion. © 2012. American Geophysical Union