RX J0806+15: the shortest period binary?

The X-ray source RX J0806+15 was discovered using ROSAT , and shows an X-ray light curve with a prominent modulation on a period of 321.5 s. We present optical observations in which we report the detection of its optical counterpart. We find an optical period consistent with the X-ray period. We do not find convincing evidence for a second period in the data: this implies the 321.5-s period is the orbital period. As such it would be the shortest period stellar binary system yet known. We discuss the nature of this system. We conclude that an isolated neutron star and an intermediate polar interpretation is unlikely and that a double degenerate interpretation is the most likely

Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum

The field of specialization known as the science of learning is not, in fact, one field. Science of learning is a term that serves as an umbrella for many lines of research, theory, and application. A term with an even wider reach is Learning Sciences (Sawyer, 2006). The present book represents a sliver, albeit a substantial one, of the scholarship on the science of learning and its application in educational settings (Science of Instruction, Mayer 2011). Although much, but not all, of what is presented in this book is focused on learning in college and university settings, teachers of all academic levels may find the recommendations made by chapter authors of service. The overarching theme of this book is on the interplay between the science of learning, the science of instruction, and the science of assessment (Mayer, 2011). The science of learning is a systematic and empirical approach to understanding how people learn. More formally, Mayer (2011) defined the science of learning as the “scientific study of how people learn” (p. 3). The science of instruction (Mayer 2011), informed in part by the science of learning, is also on display throughout the book. Mayer defined the science of instruction as the “scientific study of how to help people learn” (p. 3). Finally, the assessment of student learning (e.g., learning, remembering, transferring knowledge) during and after instruction helps us determine the effectiveness of our instructional methods. Mayer defined the science of assessment as the “scientific study of how to determine what people know” (p.3). Most of the research and applications presented in this book are completed within a science of learning framework. Researchers first conducted research to understand how people learn in certain controlled contexts (i.e., in the laboratory) and then they, or others, began to consider how these understandings could be applied in educational settings. Work on the cognitive load theory of learning, which is discussed in depth in several chapters of this book (e.g., Chew; Lee and Kalyuga; Mayer; Renkl), provides an excellent example that documents how science of learning has led to valuable work on the science of instruction. Most of the work described in this book is based on theory and research in cognitive psychology. We might have selected other topics (and, thus, other authors) that have their research base in behavior analysis, computational modeling and computer science, neuroscience, etc. We made the selections we did because the work of our authors ties together nicely and seemed to us to have direct applicability in academic settings

Investigating the relationship of EFL learners’ willingness to communicate and learner Identity:a case study

Abstract. Interaction and communication have received remarkable attention within SLA research in recent years. The sociocultural learning approach implemented in Finnish comprehensive schools through the national curriculum also emphasises interaction and communication as key concepts in all learning. Thus, this qualitative, empirical case study investigates what role van Lier’s Interaction Types (1988) have in EFL learners’ willingness to communicate (WTC) in the language of the lesson, as well as EFL learners’ WTC in relation to the learners’ identities. The latter will be studied applying Zimmerman’s identity categories (1998). The participants of this study were two groups of 9th-graders in a Finnish comprehensive school, and the data was collected during two, 75-minute English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lessons using non-participatory observation. The analysis showed that WTC varies depending on the interaction type, but also that a variety of situational aspects within these categories, such as access to vocabulary in the second language and problematic situations, influence learners’ WTC. In addition, the analysis showed that when learners identify themselves as pupils, they show WTC in the language of the lesson, whereas if the learners communicate as themselves, they show WTC in their first language. It appears that the pupils’ selves are thus separate from their pupil and language learner identities. Possible practical implications stemming from this are encouraging the pupils to use English as themselves, with the language skills they have, but also providing them with appropriate tools to practice the language, such as providing access to appropriate vocabulary and giving enough time to prepare for tasks to come.Tiivistelmä. Vuorovaikutus ja kommunikaatio ovat saaneet merkittävää huomiota toisen kielen oppimista tutkivilla tieteenaloilla. Osana valtakunnallista opetussuunnitelmaa Suomen peruskouluissa noudatetaan sosiokulttuurista oppimiskäsitystä, joka painottaa vuorovaikutuksen ja kommunikoinnin merkitystä oppimisessa. Tämä laadullinen, empiirinen tapaustutkimus tutkiikin englantia vieraana kielenä opiskelevien oppilaiden kielenkäyttöä oppitunneilla, erityisesti sitä, minkälainen yhteys on oppilaiden halukkuudella kommunikoida oppitunnin kielellä (WTC) ja van Lierin vuorovaikutustyypeillä (1988). Tämän lisäksi tutkimus pyrkii Zimmermanin identiteettityyppejä (1998) hyödyntämällä selvittämään, onko oppilaiden muuttuvilla identiteeteillä yhteys heidän halukkuuteensa kommunikoida. Tutkimukseen osallistui kaksi yhdeksäsluokkalaista ryhmää Suomalaisesta peruskoulusta, ja tutkimusaineisto kerättiin kahden 75-minuuttisen englanninkielen oppitunnin aikana havainnoimalla, osallistumatta oppitunnin kulkuun. Analyysissa ilmeni, että oppilaiden halukkuus kommunikoida vaihteli riippuen vuorovaikutustyypistä. Vuorovaikutustyyppien sisällä ilmeni lisäksi tekijöitä, kuten sanalistan käyttö ja ongelmalliset tilanteet, jotka vaikuttivat kommunikointikieleen. Tämän lisäksi havaittiin, että oppilaat osoittivat halukkuutta kommunikoida tunnin kielellä, jos he identifioivat itsensä oppilaiksi, kun taas kommunikoidessaan omina itsenään oppilaat kommunikoivat äidinkielellään. Vaikuttaa siis siltä, että oppilaiden minä on erillään heidän oppilas- ja kielenoppijan identiteeteistään. Mahdollisia käytännön seuraamuksia tästä on rohkaista oppilaita käyttämään englannin kieltä omina itsenään hyödyntäen juuri sitä kielitasoa, joka heillä on, sekä tarjota heille sopivat välineet kielen harjoittamiseen. Tällaisia välineitä tämän tutkimuksen perusteella ovat esimerkiksi sopivien sanalistojen tarjoaminen oppilaiden käyttöön sekä riittävä aika valmistautua tuleviin aktiviteetteihin

An ``outside-in'' outburst of Aql X--1

We present optical spectroscopy and optical and infrared photometry of the neutron star soft X-ray transient Aql X--1 during its X-ray outburst of August 1997. By modelling the X-ray, optical, and IR light curves, we find a 3 day delay between the IR and X-ray rise times, analogous to the UV-optical delay seen in dwarf novae outbursts and black hole X-ray transients. We interpret this delay as the signature of an ``outside-in'' outburst, in which a thermal instability in the outer disc propagates inward. This outburst is the first of this type definitively identified in a neutron star X-ray transient.Comment: 6 pages latex, 2 figures, Accepted by MNRA