The provision of distance education within the HE sector - some areas for concern

This paper presents a summary of the findings of a recent survey of the way in which UK higher education institutions (HEIs) are offering distance education (DE) courses, the types of courses being offered, and their modes of delivery. From analysis of the findings of this survey, it is apparent that the emphasis of HEIs is very much on the exploitation of available teaching technology in the delivery of DE courses. However, teaching at a distance is quite different from face-toface teaching, and the evidence suggests that many HEIs fail to implement any meaningful academic staff training for the new role of DE tutor. The authors consider the difficulties this presents to academic staff who are required to move from face-to-face teaching to online facilitating. The paper concludes with an examination of the current provision of staff development and training within UK HEIs and suggests the type of academic staff training required if DE courses are to become truly core activities

Star formation in W3 - AFGL333: Young stellar content, properties and roles of external feedback

One of the key questions in the field of star formation is the role of stellar feedback on subsequent star formation process. The W3 giant molecular cloud complex at the western border of the W4 super bubble is thought to be influenced by the stellar winds of the massive stars in W4. AFGL333 is a ~10^4 Msun cloud within W3. This paper presents a study of the star formation activity within AFGL333 using deep JHKs photometry obtained from the NOAO Extremely Wide-Field Infrared Imager combined with Spitzer-IRAC-MIPS photometry. Based on the infrared excess, we identify 812 candidate young stellar objects in the complex, of which 99 are classified as Class I and 713 are classified as Class II sources. The stellar density analysis of young stellar objects reveals three major stellar aggregates within AFGL333, named here AFGL333-main, AFGL333-NW1 and AFGL333-NW2. The disk fraction within AFGL333 is estimated to be ~50-60%. We use the extinction map made from the H-Ks colors of the background stars to understand the cloud structure and to estimate the cloud mass. The CO-derived extinction map corroborates the cloud structure and mass estimates from NIR color method. From the stellar mass and cloud mass associated with AFGL333, we infer that the region is currently forming stars with an efficiency of ~4.5% and at a rate of ~2 - 3 Msun Myr-1pc-2. In general, the star formation activity within AFGL333 is comparable to that of nearby low mass star-forming regions. We do not find any strong evidence to suggest that the stellar feedback from the massive stars of nearby W4 super bubble has affected the global star formation properties of the AFGL333 region.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Feeding, Respiration and Excretion of the Copepod Calanus hyperboreus from Baffin Bay, Including Waters Contaminated by Oil Seeps

Metabolic processes in eastern arctic copepods Calanus hyperboreus were analyzed during the post-bloom period (August-September). Mixed adult and subadult copepods were collected from 12 stations in Baffin Bay (Davis Strait to Lancaster Sound) by trawling from 0-300 m. Measurements were made of clearance rate, O2-consumption and NH3 excretion. The cruise track included 6 stations in oil-seep contaminated waters of Scott Inlet and Buchan Gulf. Physiological parameters for populations of C. hyperboreus from the latter stations were compared with those from non-seep stations. Mean O2 consumption rates (0.309 - 0.907 µl O2 / mg dry wt / h) for all stations were similar to those described for Antarctic calanoid species but were higher than reported for more northern arctic waters. Mean ammonia excretion rates (0.023 - 0.071 µg N / mg dry wt / h) were somewhat lower than reported for comparable Antarctic species and were similar to values from other eastern arctic studies. O:N ratios for 11 of the 12 stations occupied ranged between 8.4 and 22.1, indicative of protein-based metabolism. The single exception was a High Arctic station with O:N ratio 43.6. Clearance rates were low to nonexistant for all stations. Most of the non-feeding values came from the Scott Inlet-Buchan Gulf region of western Baffin Bay. At those stations in this region a strong negative correlation (P<.01) exists between clearance rate and hydrocarbon contamination. This suggests that in the oil-seep region of Baffin Bay feeding may be suppressed in Calanus hyperboreus by low concentrations of petroleum hydrocarbons derived from sub-sea seepage.Key words: zooplankton, Calanus hyperboreus, Arctic, metabolism, oil seep, petroleum, hydrocarbons, oil pollutionMots clés: zooplancton, Calanus hyperboreus, Arctique, métabolisme, suitements de pétrole, pétrole, hydrocarbures, pollution par les hydrocarbure

Synthesis from Design Requirements of a Hybrid System for Transport Aircraft Longitudinal Control

Volume I of this report presents a new method for synthesizing hybrid systems directly from desi gn requirements, and applies the method to design of a hybrid system for longitudinal control of transport aircraft. The resulting system satisfies general requirement for safety and effectiveness specified a priori, enabling formal validation to be achieved. Volume II contains seven appendices intended to make the report accessible to readers with backgrounds in human factors, flight dynamics and control, and formal logic. Major design goals are (1) system design integrity based on proof of correctness at the design level, (2) significant simplification and cost reduction in system development and certification, and (3) improved operational efficiency, with significant alleviation of human-factors problems encountered by pilots in current transport aircraft. This report provides for the first time a firm technical basis for criteria governing design and certification of avionic systems for transport aircraft. It should be of primary interest to designers of next-generation avionic systems

V1647 Ori (IRAS 05436-0007) in Outburst: the First Three Months

We report on photometric (BVRIJHK) and low dispersion spectroscopic observations of V1647 Ori, the star that drives McNeil's Nebula, between 10 February and 7 May 2004. The star is photometrically variable atop a general decline in brightness of about 0.3-0.4 magnitudes during these 87 days. The spectra are featureless, aside from H-alpha and the Ca II infrared triplet in emission, and a Na I D absorption feature. The Ca II triplet line ratios are typical of young stellar objects. The H-alpha equivalent width may be modulated on a period of about 60 days. The post-outburst extinction appears to be less than 7 mag. The data are suggestive of an FU Orionis-like event, but further monitoring will be needed to definitively characterize the outburst.Comment: Accepted for publication in the Astronomical Journa

Psychometric Assessment of the Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire: Comparing a Brief Version to the Original Full Scale

The current set of studies compared the psychometric properties of the original Comprehensive Effects of Alcohol Questionnaire (CEOA) to a 15-item version (B-CEOA) in a nonclinical undergraduate sample (N = 581), and attempted to replicate and extend the B-CEOA findings in an undergraduate sample referred to an alcohol intervention (N = 734). Psychometric assessment included construct validity, internal consistency, and concurrent validity, using both “positive” and “negative” expectancy items in all analyses. Results provided further support for the empirical validity of the original CEOA, and provided support for the use of the B-CEOA despite the reduction in the number of items. The B-CEOA factor structures obtained using exploratory and confirmatory techniques provided support for a 4-factor structure of expectancies and 3-factor structure of valuations. Findings reveal potential problems with “positive” and “negative” expectancy items. Trade-offs regarding factor structure, internal consistency, and administration time should be considered in using the B-CEOA vs. the CEOA

Do the ends justify the means? Problematizing social acceptance and instrumentally-driven community engagement in proposed energy projects

Proposed energy projects across rural working landscapes play an important role in energy transitions. While community engagement has been increasingly a part of these projects, instrumental motivations for engagement and the emphasis placed on achieving social acceptance has remained uncritically examined. Here, we aim to highlight relationships between actor rationale, the structuring of engagement processes, and how communities perceive the driving forces behind engagement practices. To do so, we draw on lived experiences of communities facing proposed shale gas and wind energy projects across rural working landscapes in the UK and Canada, respectively. We find that engagement is often perceived by community members as insincere, insufficient, ineffective and instrumentally-driven. We suggest that a more community-centered approach to engagement is necessary and will require a move beyond existing engagement and acceptance practice and frameworks. This can include creating more inclusive decision-making processes where powers are balanced and designing community engagement to incorporate multiple rationales beyond achieving social acceptance of energy projects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Simultaneous Multi-Wavelength Observations of Magnetic Activity in Ultracool Dwarfs. I. The Complex Behavior of the M8.5 Dwarf TVLM513-46546

[Abridged] We present the first simultaneous radio, X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical spectroscopic observations of the M8.5 dwarf TVLM513-46546, with a duration of 9 hours. These observations are part of a program to study the origin of magnetic activity in ultracool dwarfs, and its impact on chromospheric and coronal emission. Here we detect steady quiescent radio emission superposed with multiple short-duration, highly polarized flares; there is no evidence for periodic bursts previously reported for this object, indicating their transient nature. We also detect soft X-ray emission, with L_X/L_bol~10^-4.9, the faintest to date for any object later than M5, and a possible weak X-ray flare. TVLM513-46546 continues the trend of severe violation of the radio/X-ray correlation in ultracool dwarfs, by nearly 4 orders of magnitude. From the optical spectroscopy we find that the Balmer line luminosity exceeds the X-ray luminosity by a factor of a few, suggesting that, unlike in early M dwarfs, chromospheric heating may not be due to coronal X-ray emission. More importantly, we detect a sinusoidal H-alpha light curve with a period of 2 hr, matching the rotation period of TVLM513-46546. This is the first known example of such Balmer line behavior, which points to a co-rotating chromospheric hot spot or an extended magnetic structure, with a covering fraction of about 50%. This feature may be transitory based on the apparent decline in light curve peak during the four observed maxima. From the radio data we infer a large scale steady magnetic field of ~100 G, in good agreement with the value required for confinement of the X-ray emitting plasma. The radio flares, on the other hand, are produced in a component of the field with a strength of ~3 kG and a likely multi-polar configuration.Comment: 13 pages, 4 figure

Mood, motives, and money: An examination of factors that differentiate online and non-online young adult gamblers

Background and aims To date, there is a lack of research on psychological factors associated with young adult online gambling. The current study examined differences between young adult online and non-online gamblers, using information gathered at baseline and over 30 days during which participants reported on their moods, gambling behaviors, and reasons for initiating and discontinuing gambling. Methods Participants were 108 young adult regular gamblers (i.e., gambling four or more times in the past month) who participated in a 30-day daily diary study. Results Male gender, baseline coping motives for gambling and negative affect averaged across the 30 days emerged as significant correlates of online gambling, over and above other background variables. Online gamblers also scored higher on a baseline measure of pathological gambling. Over the 30 days of self-monitoring, online gamblers spent more time gambling, and won more money gambling, whereas non-online gamblers consumed more alcohol while gambling. Online gambling was more often initiated to make money, because of boredom and to demonstrate skills, whereas non-online gambling was more often initiated for social reasons and for excitement. Online gambling was more often discontinued because of boredom, fatigue or distress, whereas non-online gambling was discontinued because friends stopped gambling or mood was improved. Discussion and conclusions This study provides preliminary evidence that coping strategies may be particularly important to reduce risks for online gamblers, whereas strategies for non-online gamblers should focus on the social aspects of gambling