7,095 research outputs found
Not seeing the forest for the trees: Novice programmers and the SOLO taxonomy
This paper reports on the authors use of the SOLO taxonomy to describe differences in the way students and educators solve small code reading exercises. SOLO is a general educational taxonomy, and has not previously been applied to the study of how novice programmers manifest their understanding of code. Data was collected in the form of written and think-aloud responses from students (novices) and educators (experts), using exam questions. During analysis, the responses were mapped to the different levels of the SOLO taxonomy. From think-aloud responses, the authors found that educators tended to manifest a SOLO relational response on small reading problems, whereas students tended to manifest a multistructural response. These results are consistent with the literature on the psychology of programming, but the work in this paper extends on these findings by analyzing the design of exam questions. Copyright 2006 ACM
Fusion-Fission of 16O+197Au at Sub-Barrier Energies
The recent discovery of heavy-ion fusion hindrance at far sub-barrier
energies has focused much attention on both experimental and theoretical
studies of this phenomenon. Most of the experimental evidence comes from
medium-heavy systems such as Ni+Ni to Zr+Zr, for which the compound system
decays primarily by charged-particle evaporation. In order to study heavier
systems, it is, however, necessary to measure also the fraction of the decay
that goes into fission fragments. In the present work we have, therefore,
measured the fission cross section of 16O+197Au down to unprecedented far
sub-barrier energies using a large position sensitive PPAC placed at backward
angles. The preliminary cross sections will be discussed and compared to
earlier studies at near-barrier energies. No conclusive evidence for
sub-barrier hindrance was found, probably because the measurements were not
extended to sufficiently low energies.Comment: Fusion06 - Intl. Conf. on Reaction Mechanisms and Nuclear Structure
at the Coulomb Barrier, San Servolo, Venezia, Italy, March 19-223, 2006 5
pages, 4 figure
Faraday rotation in the MOJAVE blazars: 3C 273 a case study
Radio polarimetric observations of Active Galactic Nuclei can reveal the
magnetic field structure in the parsec-scale jets of these sources. We have
observed the gamma-ray blazar 3C 273 as part of our multi-frequency survey with
the Very Long Baseline Array to study Faraday rotation in a large sample of
jets. Our observations re-confirm the transverse rotation measure gradient in
3C 273. For the first time the gradient is seen to cross zero which is further
indication for a helical magnetic field and spine-sheath structure in the jet.
We believe the difference to previous epochs is due to a different part of the
jet being illuminated in our observations.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures. To appear in the proceedings of "Beamed and
Unbeamed Gamma-rays from Galaxies", held in Muonio, Finland, April 11-15,
2011. Journal of Physics: Conference Serie
Phonon Dispersion Relations in PrBa2Cu3O6+x (x ~ 0.2)
We report measurements of the phonon dispersion relations in
non-superconducting, oxygen-deficient PrBa2Cu3O6+x (x ~ 0.2) by inelastic
neutron scattering. The data are compared with a model of the lattice dynamics
based on a common interaction potential. Good agreement is achieved for all but
two phonon branches, which are significantly softer than predicted. These modes
are found to arise predominantly from motion of the oxygen ions in the CuO2
planes. Analogous modes in YBa2Cu3O6 are well described by the common
interaction potential model.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures. Minor changes following referees' comment
WASP-30b: a 61 Mjup brown dwarf transiting a V=12, F8 star
We report the discovery of a 61-Jupiter-mass brown dwarf, which transits its
F8V host star, WASP-30, every 4.16 days. From a range of age indicators we
estimate the system age to be 1-2 Gyr. We derive a radius (0.89 +/- 0.02 RJup)
for the companion that is consistent with that predicted (0.914 RJup) by a
model of a 1-Gyr-old, non-irradiated brown dwarf with a dusty atmosphere. The
location of WASP-30b in the minimum of the mass-radius relation is consistent
with the quantitative prediction of Chabrier & Baraffe (2000), thus confirming
the theory.Comment: As accepted for publication in ApJL (6 pages, 2 figures, 3 tables
Electromagnetic transition from the 4 to 2 resonance in Be measured via the radiative capture in He+He
An earlier measurement on the 4 to 2 radiative transition in Be
provided the first electromagnetic signature of its dumbbell-like shape.
However, the large uncertainty in the measured cross section does not allow a
stringent test of nuclear structure models. The present paper reports a more
elaborate and precise measurement for this transition, via the radiative
capture in the He+He reaction, improving the accuracy by about a factor
of three. The {\it ab initio} calculations of the radiative transition strength
with improved three-nucleon forces are also presented. The experimental results
are compared with the predictions of the alpha cluster model and {\it ab
initio} calculations.Comment: 5 pages and 7 figures, Submitted to Physical Review Letter
Gender, migration and the ambiguous enterprise of professionalizing domestic service: the case of vocational training for the unemployed in France
Drawing on ethnographic data concerning migrant male domestic workers, this article examines the gendered dimensions of the process of racialization in Italy and France. First, it shows that specific racialized constructions of masculinity are mobilized by the employers as well as by training and recruitment agencies. These constructions of masculinity are related to different forms of organization of the sector in each country and to different ideologies about the integration of migrants. Second, the data presented reveal the strategies used by migrant male domestic workers to reaffirm their masculinity in a traditionally feminized sector. In doing so, this article intends to explore the connections between international migration and the gendering of occupations, with regard to the construction and management of masculinities in domestic service. Finally, by examining men’s experiences, this article aims to contribute to a more complex definition of the international division of care work
Second-line cabozantinib versus nivolumab in advanced renal cell carcinoma: Systematic review and indirect treatment comparison
Background: Nivolumab and cabozantinib, two new treatment options for previously-treated advanced/metastatic renal cell carcinoma (aRCC), have recently been approved. Methods: Two independent reviewers performed study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment. Indirect treatment comparisons were carried out by directly assessing HR differences and statistical modeling of Kaplan-Meier curves from these two trials. Results: Publications identified showed that no head-to-head comparisons had been carried out. Two indirect treatment comparisons used agreed that there was no significant difference in OS between cabozantinib and nivolumab and that cabozantinib significantly improved PFS compared to nivolumab. Conclusions: The field of aRCC treatments is evolving rapidly, creating opportunities for individualized treatments and challenges for clinicians to keep up with the evidence. In lieu of availability of direct comparisons of all options, advanced modeling results presented herein can help to inform and improve personalized treatments
Decay modes of 250No
The Fragment Mass Analyzer at the ATLAS facility has been used to
unambiguously identify the mass number associated with different decay modes of
the nobelium isotopes produced via 204Pb(48Ca,xn)(252-x)No reactions.
Isotopically pure (>99.7%) 204Pb targets were used to reduce background from
more favored reactions on heavier lead isotopes. Two spontaneous fission
half-lives (t_1/2 = 3.7+1.1-0.8 us and 43+22-15 us) were deduced from a total
of 158 fission events. Both decays originate from 250No rather than from
neighboring isotopes as previously suggested. The longer activity most likely
corresponds to a K-isomer in this nucleus. No conclusive evidence for an alpha
branch was observed, resulting in upper limits of 2.1% for the shorter lifetime
and 3.4% for the longer activity.Comment: RevTex4, 10 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR
- …