On the K^+D Interaction at Low Energies

The Kd reactions are considered in the impulse approximation with NN final-state interactions (NN FSI) taken into account. The realistic parameters for the KN phase shifts are used. The "quasi-elastic" energy region, in which the elementary KN interaction is predominantly elastic, is considered. The theoretical predictions are compared with the data on the K^+d->K^+pn, K^+d->K^0pp, K^+d->K^+d and K^+d total cross sections. The NN FSI effect in the reaction K^+d->K^+pn has been found to be large. The predictions for the Kd cross sections are also given for slow kaons, produced from phi(1020) decays, as the functions of the isoscalar KN scattering length a_0. These predictions can be used to extract the value of a_0 from the data.Comment: 22 pages, 5 figure

Perturbative Computation of the Gluonic Effective Action via Polyaokov's World-Line Path Integral

The Polyakov world-line path integral describing the propagation of gluon field quanta is constructed by employing the background gauge fixing method and is subsequently applied to analytically compute the divergent terms of the one (gluonic) loop effective action to fourth order in perturbation theory. The merits of the proposed approach is that, to a given order, it reduces to performing two integrations, one over a set of Grassmann and one over a set of Feynman-type parameters through which one manages to accomodate all Feynman diagrams entering the computation at once.Comment: 21 page

Secondary education reform in Lesotho and Zimbabwe and the needs of rural girls: Pronouncements, policy and practice

Analysis of the educational needs of rural girls in Lesotho and Zimbabwe suggests a number of shortcomings in the current form of secondary education, and ways in which it might be modified so as to serve this sizeable group of students better. Several of the shortcomings, notably in relation to curricular irrelevance and excessive focus on examinations, have long been recognised, including by politicians. Yet political pronouncements are seldom translated into policy, and even where policy is formulated, reforms are seldom implemented in schools. This paper makes use of interviews with educational decision-makers in the two southern African countries and a range of documentary sources to explore why, despite the considerable differences between the two contexts, much needed educational reforms have been implemented in neither

An Analysis of Teacher Nominations and Student Performance in Gifted Programs

This study evaluated the relationship of teacher nomination instruments to later performance of students in a gifted program. Teacher nominations were based on two instruments, an instrument designed specifically to assess gifted behaviors of students from culturally divergent and/or low income populations and an instrument designed to assess gifted behaviors in the general population. Separate canonical correlation analyses between these two instruments and a gifted teacher rating of student performance resulted in significant findings indicating relationships between the teacher nominations and later school performance. Structure correlations showed nominations based on thinking abilities, general gifted behaviors, and special learning skills were related to later performance on creativity, group skills, and language abilities