Quantum teardrops

Algebras of functions on quantum weighted projective spaces are introduced, and the structure of quantum weighted projective lines or quantum teardrops are described in detail. In particular the presentation of the coordinate algebra of the quantum teardrop in terms of generators and relations and classification of irreducible *-representations are derived. The algebras are then analysed from the point of view of Hopf-Galois theory or the theory of quantum principal bundles. Fredholm modules and associated traces are constructed. C*-algebras of continuous functions on quantum weighted projective lines are described and their K-groups computed.Comment: 18 page

Determination of the cyanobacterial toxin cylindrospermopsin in algal food supplements

For the analysis of blue–green algal food supplements for cylindrospermopsin (CYN), a C18 solid-phase extraction column and a polygraphitized carbon solid-phase extraction column in series was an effective procedure for the clean-up of extracts. Determination of CYN was by liquid chromatography with ultraviolet light detection. At extract spiking levels of CYN equivalent to 25–500 μg g−1, blue–green algal supplement recoveries were in the range 70–90%. CYN was not detected in ten samples of food supplements and one chocolate product, all containing blue–green algae. The limit of detection for the method was 16 μg g−1, and the limit of quantification was 52 μg g−1

Dissolved Phosphorus Retention in Buffer Strips: Influence of Slope and Soil Type

Phosphorus (P) contributes to eutrophication of surface waters and buffer strips may be implemented to reduce its transfer from agricultural sources to watercourses. This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that soil type and slope influence the retention of dissolved organic P and inorganic orthophosphate in agricultural runoff in 2-m-wide buffer strip soils. A solution, comprised of dissolved orthophosphate and the organic P compounds glucose-1-phosphate, RNA, and inositol hexakisphosphate (1.8 mg L−1 total P) and a chloride tracer, was applied as simulated overland flow to grassland soil blocks (2 m long × 0.5 m wide × 0.35 m deep), containing intact clay or loam soils, at slope angles of 2, 5, and 10°. Phosphorus forms were determined in the surface and subsurface flow from the soil blocks. Slope had no significant effect on the hydrological behavior of the soil blocks or on the retention of any form of P at the water application rate tested. The clay soil retained 60% of the unreactive P and 21% of the reactive P applied. The loam soil retained 74% of the unreactive P applied but was a net source of reactive P (the load increased by 61%). This indicates leaching of native soil P or hydrolysis of organic compounds and complicates our understanding of P retention in buffer strip soils. Our results suggest that a 2-m buffer strip may be more effective for reducing dissolved unreactive P transfers to surface waters than for reducing the eutrophication risk posed by dissolved reactive P

ESRC/SFC Scoping Study into Quantitative Methods Capacity Building in Scotland

Final report for the following ITT: "The ESRC and the Funding Councils recognise that there is a growing body of evidence that highlights the need to develop quantitative skills amongst the social science population. In particular, this needs to take place during the earliest stages of career development, to ensure that there is a sufficient supply of quantitatively trained social science researchers entering the academic, public and voluntary sectors. To meet this need the ESRC is working with the Funding Councils to develop an integrated strategy which aims to improve the supply of quantitatively trained social scientists. To inform the development of this strategy the ESRC and SFC wish to commission a scoping study to identify the particular quantitative capacity building needs in Scotland. Tenders are currently being sought from individuals or teams interested in undertaking the study."There has been widespread concern about a UK-wide deficit in quantitative skills amongst social scientists since the 1960s, especially in relation to the rapid pace of change within the industry and the lack of adequately trained computing scientists. • Despite experiencing a relatively industrious period in the late 1960s and 1970s, Scotland’s provision of quantitative methods within social science is now extremely patchy and as bad, if not worse, than that in the rest of the UK. • Scotland has a similar demographic profile to the rest of the UK in terms of social sciences; but Scottish Higher Educational Institutions (HEI) are under-represented in other respects (e.g. representation at the Essex Summer School). • In Scotland, disciplines such as Economics, Accountancy, Business Studies and Psychology, which already have a quantitative reputation, have better resources for assessment, training and improvement of mathematical, statistical and general quantitative skills of their graduate students than other disciplines. • Undergraduate courses are mainly focused around generic rather than specialised quantitative methods teaching, although there is more specialist provision at postgraduate level, but this again is centred around the ‘usual’ disciplines. • Most teaching and research involves fairly general methods and statistical techniques, although there are a few people experienced in more ‘advanced’ methods. There is a widespread need for continuing professional development training in Scotland across all sectors, mainly at the more advanced level. There are a few, small-scale centres of expertise in Scotland, but most quantitative researchers are spread across a range of institutions and disciplines. There are no large-scale networks or centres, and this is viewed as key to building capacity. • There are three general barriers to developing quantitative methods capacity in Scotland. In order of importance, these are ‘antipathy’ (reluctance by students, staff and HEI colleagues to engage with quantitative methods); ‘accessibility’ (availability of/time for training); and ‘enabling’ (lack of funding, collaborative opportunities and data access). • Scotland is a relatively ‘data rich’ country, with a proliferation in recent years of Government funded surveys. However, self-reported usage of Scottish datasets is low and there is a general failure to make the most of available data in Scotland. • Computing and library support services are not well tuned to the needs of quantitative capacity building. Basic levels of support, such as finding resources on the web and offering assistance to access these, are provided; however, students get little extensive user support or instruction in use of datasets and staff do not get support for statistical consultancy or teaching data analysis skills in computer labs. Greater communication and collaboration between support and research staff is needed. • There is support in Scotland for a long-term, strategic approach to building capacity and there are good reasons for developing a specifically Scottish strategy. • A national strategy must include a variety of activities at a range of different levels, such as: boosting numeracy in secondary schools; better engagement with both undergraduate and graduate students; strengthening links between academia and potential employers; more training through continuing professional development; and mentoring for early career researchers. Boosting capacity will require cultural and structural changes within many institutions and disciplinary areas. Universities and funding bodies must provide strategic investment in order to build a strong infrastructure capable of supporting a critical mass of quantitative trained researchers in Scotland. The recommendations from this study include creating a Scottish Centre for Social Science Research Methods and establishing a Scottish Summer School

Disparate MgII Absorption Statistics towards Quasars and Gamma-Ray Bursts : A Possible Explanation

We examine the recent report by Prochter et al. (2006) that gamma-ray burst (GRB) sight lines have a much higher incidence of strong MgII absorption than quasar sight lines. We propose that the discrepancy is due to the different beam sizes of GRBs and quasars, and that the intervening MgII systems are clumpy with the dense part of each cloudlet of a similar size as the quasars, i.e. < 10^16 cm, but bigger than GRBs. We also discuss observational predictions of our proposed model. Most notably, in some cases the intervening MgII absorbers in GRB spectra should be seen varying, and quasars with smaller sizes should show an increased rate of strong MgII absorbers. In fact, our prediction of variable MgII lines in the GRB spectra has been now confirmed by Hao et al. (2007), who observed intervening FeII and MgII lines at z=1.48 to be strongly variable in the multi-epoch spectra of z=4.05 GRB060206.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figures; substantially revised model calculation; accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Science as a Lette

Towards ‘languages for all’ in England: the state of the debate

Whether the study of languages should be a core element of a balanced and broadly based curriculum for all pupils in England’s 11–16 state-funded secondary schools is also part of a wider debate concerning how to harness England’s rich linguistic and cultural diversity and improve the quality and range of language skills of the country. While learning a second language throughout compulsory schooling is increasingly the norm across the world, fewer than 50% of 14–16 year olds in state-funded schools in England gained a modern language qualification (General Certification of Secondary Education or GCSE) in 2015. From 2015, recent government education policy has required the majority of pupils commencing secondary school to study a language to GCSE level, suggesting that schools who do not comply will be unable to gain the top inspection grade. This paper reviews the state of the debate examining divergent and contradictory perspectives within education policy and in the literature. It concludes by setting out six conditions for achieving this policy goal for enabling secondary schools to successfully implement a coherent and relevant languages curriculum for all young people, such that they can develop the linguistic and intercultural competencies needed to contribute to and thrive in increasingly diverse local and global communities

Jet size dependence of single jet suppression in lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s(NN)) = 2.76 TeV with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

Measurements of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions at the LHC provide direct sensitivity to the physics of jet quenching. In a sample of lead-lead collisions at sqrt(s) = 2.76 TeV corresponding to an integrated luminosity of approximately 7 inverse microbarns, ATLAS has measured jets with a calorimeter over the pseudorapidity interval |eta| < 2.1 and over the transverse momentum range 38 < pT < 210 GeV. Jets were reconstructed using the anti-kt algorithm with values for the distance parameter that determines the nominal jet radius of R = 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and 0.5. The centrality dependence of the jet yield is characterized by the jet "central-to-peripheral ratio," Rcp. Jet production is found to be suppressed by approximately a factor of two in the 10% most central collisions relative to peripheral collisions. Rcp varies smoothly with centrality as characterized by the number of participating nucleons. The observed suppression is only weakly dependent on jet radius and transverse momentum. These results provide the first direct measurement of inclusive jet suppression in heavy ion collisions and complement previous measurements of dijet transverse energy imbalance at the LHC.Comment: 15 pages plus author list (30 pages total), 8 figures, 2 tables, submitted to Physics Letters B. All figures including auxiliary figures are available at http://atlas.web.cern.ch/Atlas/GROUPS/PHYSICS/PAPERS/HION-2011-02