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

Study of techniques and applications of satellite imagery to small scale mapping

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Cartographic research in EREP program for small scale mapping

The author has identified the following significant results. Skylab photography is suitable for producing planimetric maps with graphical representation of landform at scales up to 1:100,000. It cannot supply all the detail necessary for maps at this scale, but it may be used to produce a sound framework which can be completed by detail from other sources. Its principal cartographic use is for original mapping of undeveloped areas of the world, but it would also be useful for the revision of existing maps and for monitoring extensive urban changes

Radial orbit instability: review and perspectives

This paper presents elements about the radial orbit instability, which occurs in spherical self-gravitating systems with a strong anisotropy in the radial velocity direction. It contains an overview on the history of radial orbit instability. We also present the symplectic method we use to explore stability of equilibrium states, directly related to the dissipation induced instability mechanism well known in theoretical mechanics and plasma physics.Comment: 10 pages, submitted to Transport Theory and Statistical Physics, proceedings of Vlasovia 2009 International Conference. Corrected for typos, redaction, and references adde

Photoactivation experiment on 197Au and its implications for the dipole strength in heavy nuclei

The 197Au(gamma,n) reaction is used as an activation standard for photodisintegration studies on astrophysically relevant nuclei. At the bremsstrahlung facility of the superconducting electron accelerator ELBE (Electron Linear accelerator of high Brilliance and low Emittance) of Forschungszentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, photoactivation measurements on 197Au have been performed with bremsstrahlung endpoint energies from 8.0 to 15.5 MeV. The measured activation yield is compared with previous experiments as well as with calculations using Hauser-Feshbach statistical models. It is shown that the experimental data are best described by a two-Lorentzian parametrization with taking the axial deformation of 197Au into account. The experimental 197Au(gamma,n) reaction yield measured at ELBE via the photoactivation method is found to be consistent with previous experimental data using photon scattering or neutron detection methods.Comment: 9 page

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

Managing concomitant congenital diaphragmatic hernia, esophageal atresia, and tracheoesophageal fistula: A case report of a premature infant that achieved survival

AbstractNewborns with the constellation of congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH), esophageal atresia (EA), and tracheoesophageal fistula (TEF) present a unique clinical situation that requires well-coordinated multi-disciplinary management as it is most commonly fatal. The authors describe successful management of a premature infant diagnosed with left CDH, EA, and TEF in the United States, the first such case to be reported in this country

Reducing decoherence in optical and spin transitions in rare-earth-ion doped materials

In many important situations the dominant dephasing mechanism in cryogenic rare-earth-ion doped systems is due to magnetic field fluctuations from spins in the host crystal. Operating at a magnetic field where a transition has a zero first-order-Zeeman (ZEFOZ) shift can greatly reduce this dephasing. Here we identify the location of transitions with zero first-order Zeeman shift for optical transitions in Pr3+:YAG and for spin transitions in Er3+:Y2SiO5. The long coherence times that ZEFOZ would enable would make Pr3+:YAG a strong candidate for achieving the strong coupling regime of cavity QED, and would be an important step forward in creating long-lived telecommunications wavelength quantum memories in Er3+:Y2SiO5. This work relies mostly on published spin Hamiltonian parameters but Raman heterodyne spectroscopy was performed on Pr3+:YAG to measure the parameters for the excited state.Comment: 10 pages, 5 figure

New features of the phase transition to superconducting state in thin films

The Halperin-Lubensky-Ma (HLM) effect of a fluctuation-induced change of the order of phase transition in thin films of type I superconductors with relatively small Ginzburg-Landau number $\kappa$ is considered. Numerical data for the free energy, the order parameter jump, the latent heat, and the specific heat of W, Al and In are presented to reveal the influence of film thickness and material parameters on the properties of the phase transition. We demonstrate for the first time that in contrast to the usual notion the HLM effect occurs in the most distinct way in superconducting films with high critical magnetic field $H_{c0}$ rather than in materials with small $\kappa$. The possibility for an experimental observation of the fluctuation change of the order of superconducting phase transition in superconducting films is discussed.Comment: 11 pages, MikTexTeX, 3 fig, 2 Tables, corrected some typos, Submitted J.Phys:Cond Ma