27,634 research outputs found
The effect of metacognitive strategy instruction on L2 learner beliefs and listening skills
This pilot study investigated the effect of semester-long strategy-based instruction on
learner beliefs and skills in the processing of aural input by adult learners of English as a
second language at metacognitive and procedural levels. The study addressed two
frequently encountered learner beliefs thought to impede L2 processing of aural input:
The little words arenât important; intonation is merely decorative. Working on the
premise that learner beliefs underpin learner strategies for processing aural input and are
reflected in learner productive and receptive skills, pre- and post-instruction instruments
measured both learnersâ awareness of connected speech processes and the functions of
intonation, and their ability to segment a continuous speech stream, and to process
utterances for speaker intent. Findings using repeated measures analysis of variance
support strategy-based metacognitive training in connected speech and stress and
intonation to promote listening skills awareness, aid word segmentation, and facilitate
understanding utterance content and intended meaning.Published versio
Hybrid Quantum Cosmology: Combining Loop and Fock Quantizations
As a necessary step towards the extraction of realistic results from Loop
Quantum Cosmology, we analyze the physical consequences of including
inhomogeneities. We consider in detail the quantization of a gravitational
model in vacuo which possesses local degrees of freedom, namely, the linearly
polarized Gowdy cosmologies with the spatial topology of a three-torus. We
carry out a hybrid quantization which combines loop and Fock techniques. We
discuss the main aspects and results of this hybrid quantization, which include
the resolution of the cosmological singularity, the polymeric quantization of
the internal time, a rigorous definition of the quantum constraints and the
construction of their solutions, the Hilbert structure of the physical states,
and the recovery of a conventional Fock quantization for the inhomogeneities.Comment: 24 pages, published in International Journal of Modern Physics A,
Special Issue: Proceedings of the Second Workshop on Quantum Gravity and
Noncommutative Geometry (Lisbon, Portugal
Asymptotics of large eigenvalues for a class of band matrices
We investigate the asymptotic behaviour of large eigenvalues for a class of
finite difference self-adjoint operators with compact resolvent in
High-resolution 3D weld toe stress analysis and ACPD method for weld toe fatigue crack initiation
Weld toe fatigue crack initiation is highly dependent on the local weld toe stress-concentrating geometry including any inherent flaws. These flaws are responsible for premature fatigue crack initiation (FCI) and must be minimised to maximise the fatigue life of a welded joint. In this work, a data-rich methodology has been developed to capture the true weld toe geometry and resulting local weld toe stress-field and relate this to the FCI life of a steel arc-welded joint. To obtain FCI lives, interrupted fatigue test was performed on the welded joint monitored by a novel multi-probe array of alternating current potential drop (ACPD) probes across the weld toe. This setup enabled the FCI sites to be located and the FCI life to be determined and gave an indication of early fatigue crack propagation rates. To understand fully the local weld toe stress-field, high-resolution (5 mu m) 3D linear-elastic finite element (FE) models were generated from X-ray micro-computed tomography (mu-CT) of each weld toe after fatigue testing. From these models, approximately 202 stress concentration factors (SCFs) were computed for every 1 mm of weld toe. These two novel methodologies successfully link to provide an assessment of the weld quality and this is correlated with the fatigue performance
Alternative linear structures for classical and quantum systems
The possibility of deforming the (associative or Lie) product to obtain
alternative descriptions for a given classical or quantum system has been
considered in many papers. Here we discuss the possibility of obtaining some
novel alternative descriptions by changing the linear structure instead. In
particular we show how it is possible to construct alternative linear
structures on the tangent bundle TQ of some classical configuration space Q
that can be considered as "adapted" to the given dynamical system. This fact
opens the possibility to use the Weyl scheme to quantize the system in
different non equivalent ways, "evading", so to speak, the von Neumann
uniqueness theorem.Comment: 32 pages, two figures, to be published in IJMP
Simplicity of extremal eigenvalues of the Klein-Gordon equation
We consider the spectral problem associated with the Klein-Gordon equation
for unbounded electric potentials. If the spectrum of this problem is contained
in two disjoint real intervals and the two inner boundary points are
eigenvalues, we show that these extremal eigenvalues are simple and possess
strictly positive eigenfunctions. Examples of electric potentials satisfying
these assumptions are given
Temporal Ordering in Quantum Mechanics
We examine the measurability of the temporal ordering of two events, as well
as event coincidences. In classical mechanics, a measurement of the
order-of-arrival of two particles is shown to be equivalent to a measurement
involving only one particle (in higher dimensions). In quantum mechanics, we
find that diffraction effects introduce a minimum inaccuracy to which the
temporal order-of-arrival can be determined unambiguously. The minimum
inaccuracy of the measurement is given by dt=1/E where E is the total kinetic
energy of the two particles. Similar restrictions apply to the case of
coincidence measurements. We show that these limitations are much weaker than
limitations on measuring the time-of-arrival of a particle to a fixed location.Comment: New section added, arguing that order-of-arrival can be measured more
accurately than time-of-arrival. To appear in Journal of Physics
Reply to "Comment on 'Quantization of FRW spacetimes in the presence of a cosmological constant and radiation'"
The Comment by Amore {\it et al.} [gr-qc/0611029] contains a valid criticism
of the numerical precision of the results reported in a recent paper of ours
[Phys. Rev. D {\bf 73}, 044022 (2006)], as well as fresh ideas on how to
characterize a quantum cosmological singularity. However, we argue that,
contrary to what is suggested in the Comment, the quantum cosmological models
we studied show hardly any sign of singular behavior.Comment: 4 pages, accepted by Physical Review
Bose Einstein condensation on inhomogeneous amenable graphs
We investigate the Bose-Einstein Condensation on nonhomogeneous amenable
networks for the model describing arrays of Josephson junctions. The resulting
topological model, whose Hamiltonian is the pure hopping one given by the
opposite of the adjacency operator, has also a mathematical interest in itself.
We show that for the nonhomogeneous networks like the comb graphs, particles
condensate in momentum and configuration space as well. In this case different
properties of the network, of geometric and probabilistic nature, such as the
volume growth, the shape of the ground state, and the transience, all play a
role in the condensation phenomena. The situation is quite different for
homogeneous networks where just one of these parameters, e.g. the volume
growth, is enough to determine the appearance of the condensation.Comment: 43 pages, 12 figures, final versio
Jahn-Teller effect versus Hund's rule coupling in C60N-
We propose variational states for the ground state and the low-energy
collective rotator excitations in negatively charged C60N- ions (N=1...5). The
approach includes the linear electron-phonon coupling and the Coulomb
interaction on the same level. The electron-phonon coupling is treated within
the effective mode approximation (EMA) which yields the linear t_{1u} x H_g
Jahn-Teller problem whereas the Coulomb interaction gives rise to Hund's rule
coupling for N=2,3,4. The Hamiltonian has accidental SO(3) symmetry which
allows an elegant formulation in terms of angular momenta. Trial states are
constructed from coherent states and using projection operators onto angular
momentum subspaces which results in good variational states for the complete
parameter range. The evaluation of the corresponding energies is to a large
extent analytical. We use the approach for a detailed analysis of the
competition between Jahn-Teller effect and Hund's rule coupling, which
determines the spin state for N=2,3,4. We calculate the low-spin/high-spin gap
for N=2,3,4 as a function of the Hund's rule coupling constant J. We find that
the experimentally measured gaps suggest a coupling constant in the range
J=60-80meV. Using a finite value for J, we recalculate the ground state
energies of the C60N- ions and find that the Jahn-Teller energy gain is partly
counterbalanced by the Hund's rule coupling. In particular, the ground state
energies for N=2,3,4 are almost equal
- âŠ