48,922 research outputs found
Toeplitz algebras and spectral results for the one-dimensional Heisenberg model
We determine the structure of the spectrum and obtain non-propagation
estimates for a class of Toeplitz operators acting on a subset of the lattice
. This class contains the Hamiltonian of the one-dimensional Heisenberg
model.Comment: 13 page
Teacher and student perceptions of the development of learner autonomy : a case study in the biological sciences
Biology teachers in a UK university expressed a majority view that student learning autonomy increases with progression through university. A minority suggested that pre-existing diversity in learning autonomy was more important and that individuals not cohorts differ in their learning autonomy. They suggested that personal experience prior to university and age were important and that mature students are more autonomous than 18-20 year olds. Our application of an autonomous learning scale (ALS) to four year-groups of biology students confirmed that the learning autonomy of students increases through their time at university but not that mature students are necessarily more autonomous than their younger peers. It was evident however that year of study explained relatively little
A semantic web approach for built heritage representation
In a built heritage process, meant as a structured system of activities
aimed at the investigation, preservation, and management of architectural
heritage, any task accomplished by the several actors involved in it is deeply
influenced by the way the knowledge is represented and shared. In the current
heritage practice, knowledge representation and management have shown several
limitations due to the difficulty of dealing with large amount of extremely heterogeneous
data. On this basis, this research aims at extending semantic web
approaches and technologies to architectural heritage knowledge management in
order to provide an integrated and multidisciplinary representation of the artifact
and of the knowledge necessary to support any decision or any intervention and
management activity. To this purpose, an ontology-based system, representing
the knowledge related to the artifact and its contexts, has been developed through
the formalization of domain-specific entities and relationships between them
Particle-in-cell simulation of a mildly relativistic collision of an electron-ion plasma carrying a quasi-parallel magnetic field: Electron acceleration and magnetic field amplification at supernova shocks
Plasma processes close to SNR shocks result in the amplification of magnetic
fields and in the acceleration of electrons, injecting them into the diffusive
acceleration mechanism. The acceleration of electrons and the B field
amplification by the collision of two plasma clouds, each consisting of
electrons and ions, at a speed of 0.5c is investigated. A quasi-parallel
guiding magnetic field, a cloud density ratio of 10 and a plasma temperature of
25 keV are considered. A quasi-planar shock forms at the front of the dense
plasma cloud. It is mediated by a circularly left-hand polarized
electromagnetic wave with an electric field component along the guiding
magnetic field. Its propagation direction is close to that of the guiding field
and orthogonal to the collision boundary. It has a low frequency and a
wavelength that equals several times the ion inertial length, which would be
indicative of a dispersive Alfven wave close to the ion cyclotron resonance
frequency of the left-handed mode (ion whistler), provided that the frequency
is appropriate. However, it moves with the super-alfvenic plasma collision
speed, suggesting that it is an Alfven precursor or a nonlinear MHD wave such
as a Short Large-Amplitude Magnetic Structure (SLAMS). The growth of the
magnetic amplitude of this wave to values well in excess of those of the
quasi-parallel guiding field and of the filamentation modes results in a
quasi-perpendicular shock. We present evidence for the instability of this mode
to a four wave interaction. The waves developing upstream of the dense cloud
give rise to electron acceleration ahead of the collision boundary. Energy
equipartition between the ions and the electrons is established at the shock
and the electrons are accelerated to relativistic speeds.Comment: 16 pages, 18 figures, Accepted for publication by Astron & Astrophy
Signatures of Cool Gas Fueling a Star-Forming Galaxy at Redshift 2.3
Galaxies are thought to be fed by the continuous accretion of intergalactic
gas, but direct observational evidence has been elusive. The accreted gas is
expected to orbit about the galaxy's halo, delivering not just fuel for
star-formation but also angular momentum to the galaxy, leading to distinct
kinematic signatures. Here we report observations showing these distinct
signatures near a typical distant star-forming galaxy where the gas is detected
using a background quasar passing 26 kpc from the host. Our observations
indicate that gas accretion plays a major role in galaxy growth since the
estimated accretion rate is comparable to the star-formation rate.Comment: 33 pages, 8 figures, version matching the proofed tex
Manufacturing with the Sun
Concentrated solar radiation is now a viable alternative source for many advanced manufacturing processes. Researchers at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have demonstrated the feasibility of processes such as solar induced surface transformation of materials (SISTM), solar based manufacturing, and solar pumped lasers. Researchers are also using sunlight to decontaminate water and soils polluted with organic compounds; these techniques could provide manufacturers with innovative alternatives to traditional methods of waste management. The solar technology that is now being integrated into today's manufacturing processes offer greater potential for tomorrow, especially as applied to the radiation abundant environment available in space and on the lunar surface
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The importance of strategic financial leadership in the UK public sector in a time of financial austerity
Given the severity of financial pressures on public authorities, this report is concerned with how finance managers in public services are coping with the demands placed on them and how they can demonstrate improved value by providing more effective strategic financial leadership. It considers how they are applying managerial approaches and solutions to the challenges of austerity and the role that the public sector finance function can play in this process
A large scale extinction map of the Galactic Anticenter from 2MASS
We present a 127deg x 63deg extinction map of the Anticenter of the Galaxy,
based on and colour excess maps from 2MASS. This 8001 square degree
map with a resolution of 4 arcminutes is provided as online material. The
colour excess ratio / is used to determine the power law index of
the reddening law (\beta) for individual regions contained in the area (e.g.
Orion, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga, Monoceros, Camelopardalis, Cassiopeia). On
average we find a dominant value of \beta=1.8+-0.2 for the individual clouds,
in agreement with the canonical value for the interstellar medium. We also show
that there is an internal scatter of \beta values in these regions, and that in
some areas more than one dominant \beta value is present. This indicates large
scale variations in the dust properties. The analysis of the A_V values within
individual regions shows a change in the slope of the column density
distribution with distance. This can either be attributed to a change in the
governing physical processes in molecular clouds on spatial scales of about 1pc
or an A_V dilution with distance in our map.Comment: 18 pages, 29 Figures, 1 Table, Accepted for publication by MNRAS, A
version with higher resolution figures can be found at
http://astro.kent.ac.uk/~df
Murphy et al. Reply to the Comment by Kopeikin on "Gravitomagnetic Influence on Gyroscopes and on the Lunar Orbit"
Lunar laser ranging analysis, as regularly performed in the solar system
barycentric frame, requires the presence of the gravitomagnetic term in the
equation of motion at the strength predicted by general relativity. The same
term is responsible for the Lense Thirring effect. Any attempt to modify the
strength of the gravitomagnetic interaction would have to do so in a way that
does not destroy the fit to lunar ranging data and other observations.Comment: 1 page; accepted for publication in Physcal Review Letters; refers to
gr-qc/070202
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