Use of self-referential (ipsative) feedback to motivate and guide distance learners

Distance learners often rely on written feedback for learning and for motivation. But feedback that is 'given' to learners and that relies on praise to motivate does not engage learners in the process of self-development. We propose that an ipsative approach to assessment and feedback based on a comparison with a learner's previous performance motivates distance learners by developing a self-awareness of progress that encourages learners to interact with feedback and apply this to future work. A study of a distance learning Masters programme in Educational Leadership indicated that formal self-referential (ipsative) feedback was largely absent. An ipsative feedback scheme was therefore developed in consultation with the tutors in which students completed a reflection on their progress in implementing past feedback. Tutors provided both an ipsative and a developmental response. Student and tutor evaluations of the scheme indicated that feedback on progress has the potential to motivate distance learners and to encourage them to act on developmental feedback, but can also raise grade expectations. Sustainable methods of applying ipsative feedback to a wide range of distance learning programmes are worth further exploration

Signatures of the superfluid to Mott insulator transition in equilibrium and in dynamical ramps

We investigate the equilibrium and dynamical properties of the Bose-Hubbard model and the related particle-hole symmetric spin-1 model in the vicinity of the superfluid to Mott insulator quantum phase transition. We employ the following methods: exact-diagonalization, mean field (Gutzwiller), cluster mean-field, and mean-field plus Gaussian fluctuations. In the first part of the paper we benchmark the four methods by analyzing the equilibrium problem and give numerical estimates for observables such as the density of double occupancies and their correlation function. In the second part, we study parametric ramps from the superfluid to the Mott insulator and map out the crossover from the regime of fast ramps, which is dominated by local physics, to the regime of slow ramps with a characteristic universal power law scaling, which is dominated by long wavelength excitations. We calculate values of several relevant physical observables, characteristic time scales, and an optimal protocol needed for observing universal scaling.Comment: 23 pages, 13 figure

Non-magnetic pair-breaking effect on La(Fe_{1-x}Zn_{x})AsO_{0.85} studied by NMR and NQR

$^{75}$As and $^{139}$La NMR and nuclear quadrupole resonance (NQR) studies on Zn-substituted LaFeAsO$_{0.85}$ have been performed to investigate the Zn-impurity effects microscopically. Although superconductivity in LaFeAsO$_{0.85}$ disappears by 3% Zn substitution, we found that NMR/NQR spectra and NMR physical quantities in the normal state are hardly changed, indicating that the crystal structure and electronic states are not modified by Zn substitution. Our results suggest that the suppression of superconductivity by Zn substitution is not due to the change of the normal-state properties, but due to strong non-magnetic pair-breaking effect to superconductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, This paper was chosen as "Paper of Editors' Suggestion

Identifying dynamical systems with bifurcations from noisy partial observation

Dynamical systems are used to model a variety of phenomena in which the bifurcation structure is a fundamental characteristic. Here we propose a statistical machine-learning approach to derive lowdimensional models that automatically integrate information in noisy time-series data from partial observations. The method is tested using artificial data generated from two cell-cycle control system models that exhibit different bifurcations, and the learned systems are shown to robustly inherit the bifurcation structure.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure

Many-body localization and thermalization in the full probability distribution function of observables

We investigate the relation between thermalization following a quantum quench and many-body localization in quasiparticle space in terms of the long-time full distribution function of physical observables. In particular, expanding on our recent work [E. Canovi {\em et al.}, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 83}, 094431 (2011)], we focus on the long-time behavior of an integrable XXZ chain subject to an integrability-breaking perturbation. After a characterization of the breaking of integrability and the associated localization/delocalization transition using the level spacing statistics and the properties of the eigenstates, we study the effect of integrability-breaking on the asymptotic state after a quantum quench of the anisotropy parameter, looking at the behavior of the full probability distribution of the transverse and longitudinal magnetization of a subsystem. We compare the resulting distributions with those obtained in equilibrium at an effective temperature set by the initial energy. We find that, while the long time distribution functions appear to always agree {\it qualitatively} with the equilibrium ones, {\it quantitative} agreement is obtained only when integrability is fully broken and the relevant eigenstates are diffusive in quasi-particle space.Comment: 18 pages, 11 figure

Multiple first-order metamagnetic transitions and quantum oscillations in ultrapure

We present measurements on ultra clean single crystals of the bilayered ruthenate metal Sr3Ru2O7, which has a magnetic-field-tuned quantum critical point. Quantum oscillations of differing frequencies can be seen in the resistivity both below and above its metamagnetic transition. This frequency shift corresponds to a small change in the Fermi surface volume that is qualitatively consistent with the small moment change in the magnetisation across the metamagnetic transition. Very near the metamagnetic field, unusual behaviour is seen. There is a strong enhancement of the resistivity in a narrow field window, with a minimum in the resistivity as a function of temperature below 1 K that becomes more pronounced as the disorder level decreases. The region of anomalous behaviour is bounded at low temperatures by two first-order phase transitions. The implications of the results are discussed. PACS: 68.35.Rh, 71.27.+a, 72.15.-v, 74.70.PqComment: 12 pages 4 figures, submitte

Anomalous Expansion of Attractively Interacting Fermionic Atoms in an Optical Lattice

Strong correlations can dramatically modify the thermodynamics of a quantum many-particle system. Especially intriguing behaviour can appear when the system adiabatically enters a strongly correlated regime, for the interplay between entropy and strong interactions can lead to counterintuitive effects. A well known example is the so-called Pomeranchuk effect, occurring when liquid 3He is adiabatically compressed towards its crystalline phase. Here, we report on a novel anomalous, isentropic effect in a spin mixture of attractively interacting fermionic atoms in an optical lattice. As we adiabatically increase the attraction between the atoms we observe that the gas, instead of contracting, anomalously expands. This expansion results from the combination of two effects induced by pair formation in a lattice potential: the suppression of quantum fluctuations as the attraction increases, which leads to a dominant role of entropy, and the progressive loss of the spin degree of freedom, which forces the gas to excite additional orbital degrees of freedom and expand to outer regions of the trap in order to maintain the entropy. The unexpected thermodynamics we observe reveal fundamentally distinctive features of pairing in the fermionic Hubbard model.Comment: 6 pages (plus appendix), 6 figure

Production of High‐Sr Andesite and Dacite Magmas by Melting of Subducting Oceanic Lithosphere at Propagating Slab Tears

We present K-Ar ages, major and trace element concentrations, and Sr-Nd-Pb isotope data for late Cenozoic volcanic rocks from the Chugoku district, southwest Japan arc. Andesite and dacite lavas in this region are enriched in Sr (mostly >800 μg g−1) and show geochemical characteristics of volcanic rocks commonly referred to as “adakite.” K-Ar dating of these lavas revealed that the eruption of high-Sr andesitic to dacitic magmas occurred during the last 2 Myr, following or concurrent with the eruption of basalt in adjacent regions. Trace-element characteristics of high-Sr andesites and dacites are consistent with the formation of their parent magmas by partial melting of the basaltic layer of the subducting Shikoku Basin Plate. Mass balance modeling of trace element concentrations and isotopic compositions suggests that the parental magmas of high-Sr andesites and dacites are best explained by mixing of partial melts from oceanic crust (F = 5–15%) and sediment (F = 30%) at 80:20 to 55:45 ratios. Spatial coincidence of the occurrences of high-Sr andesites and dacites and seismic gaps of the subducting slab demonstrates the causal link between slab melting and mantle upwelling at slab tears. We speculate that these tears could have been formed by subduction of ridges on the plate. A warm mantle upwelled through tears, preventing the solidification of the siliceous slab melts in the mantle and facilitating the transportation of these melts to the surface