Evolutionary population synthesis: models, analysis of the ingredients and application to high-z galaxies

Evolutionary population synthesis models for a wide range of metallicities, ages, star formation histories, and Horizontal Branch morphologies, including blue morphologies at high metallicity, are computed. The energetics of the post Main Sequence evolutionary phases are evaluated with the fuel consumption theorem. The impact on the models of the stellar evolutionary tracks is assessed. We find modest differences in synthetic broad-band colours as induced by the use of different tracks in our code (e.g. d(V-K) ~ 0.08 mag; d(B-V) ~ 0.03 mag). These differences are smaller than the scatter among other models in the literature, even when the latter adopt the same evolutionary tracks. The models are calibrated with globular cluster data from the Milky Way for old ages, and the Magellanic Clouds plus the merger remnant galaxy NGC 7252, for ages of ~ 0.1 - 2 Gyr, in a large wavelength range from U to K. Particular emphasis is put on the contribution from the Thermally-Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch phase. We show that this phase is crucial for the modelling of young stellar populations by the comparison with observed spectral energy distributions of Magellanic Clouds clusters, which are characterised by high fluxes both blueward and redward the V-band. We find that the combination of the near-IR spectral indices C2 and H2O can be used to determine the metallicity of ~ 1 Gyr stellar populations. We re-analyze the spectral energy distributions of some of the high-z galaxies (2.4 < z < 2.9) observed with the Spitzer Space Telescope by Yan et al. (2004). Their high rest-frame near-IR fluxes are reproduced very well with the models including Thermally-Pulsing Asymptotic Giant Branch stars for ages in the range 0.6-1.5 Gyr, suggesting formation redshifts around z ~ 3-6.Comment: 29 pages, 30 figures, MNRAS, in press. Very few minor revisions with respect to the submitted version. Improved Figures 2, 18, 19, 23 and 27. More models available at http://www-astro.physics.ox.ac.uk/~maraston

Parental Perceptions of the Management of Childern with Type 1 Diabetes at School: A Broader Perspective

The purpose of this study was to examine parental perceptions related to the care and management of children with Type 1 diabetes at school. Parents of elementary and middle school-age children with Type 1 diabetes completed a survey questionnaire, which included one open-ended question. The questionnaire was developed by the researchers based on original questionnaires by Nabors, Lehmkuhl, Christos, and Andreone (2003) and Lewis, Powers, Goodenough and Poth (2003 ). Permission to use and modify the questionnaires was provided by Nabors and Poth. Results from this study showed a split in parental satisfaction regarding care provided by school personnel in the following areas: level of knowledge and skills on diabetes, ability to handle a hypoglycemic episode, communication between parents and school, and accommodation in meeting the needs of the child at school. The majority of parents offered suggestions for school nurses and school personnel regarding the care of children with diabetes. Suggestions included the need for training and education, more support, and better communication. Findings from this study provide evidence to support specific content for educating school staff, a greater presence of licensed personnel, and more open communication between families and school personnel

Resonances of the Unknown

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the relevance of second-order cybernetics for a theory of architectural design and related discourse. Design/methodology/approach – First, the relation of architectural design to the concept of “poiesis” is clarified. Subsequently, selected findings of Gotthard Günther are revisited and related to an architectural poetics. The last part of the paper consists of revisiting ideas mentioned previously, however, on the level of a discourse that has incorporated the ideas and offers a poetic way of understanding them

The Funder and the Intermediary, in Support of the Artist: A Look at Rationales, Roles, and Relationships

This article, examining the ecology of funders' use of intermediaries and regranting organizations, came about as a direct offshoot of GIA's Research Initiative on Support for Individual Artists, begun in 2011. As the research team worked to map the pathways that support followed from funder to artist, a complex map of options and routes began to emerge, and intermediaries and regranters were often part of that picture. It became increasingly clear that this was an essential and important part of the overall system. It also emerged that this was an area of philanthropic practice that had been little examined, and about which little had been published. Interviews with funders during the research work also revealed that while a number of foundations were using intermediaries, their practices had independently evolved, and a wide range of methods and procedures were in use. What follows is the first tangible product of GIA's Research Initiative on Support for Individual Artists. In her analysis, Claudia Bach provides both an overview of the range of philanthropic practices involving intermediaries and regranters, as well as an exploration of a number of related topics and questions that emerged during the course of this work

New format for online courses: the open course "Future of Learning"

Since 2007 the concept of open online courses came up leading to many discussions of this new format in blog posts and articles especially in the US and Canada. 2011, the first German open online course was started addressing the Future of Learning. The article discusses the concept of open online courses, the experiences with the first German course, and gives some perspectives on further developments which partly were implemented in a new course that was just started in 2012

Wikis in elearning and student projects

The paper presents a study which was based on the hypothesis that wikis that are initiated bottom up by students might be used more deliberately than wikis which are introduced top down by teachers. Therefore it examines the specific effects observed in nine different wiki projects at the university of Frankfurt ranging from student wiki projects up to wikis used in seminars and as information tool for institutions