2,248 research outputs found
Patterns in Illinois Educational School Data
We examine Illinois educational data from standardized exams and analyze
primary factors affecting the achievement of public school students. We focus
on the simplest possible models: representation of data through visualizations
and regressions on single variables. Exam scores are shown to depend on school
type, location, and poverty concentration. For most schools in Illinois,
student test scores decline linearly with poverty concentration. However
Chicago must be treated separately. Selective schools in Chicago, as well as
some traditional and charter schools, deviate from this pattern based on
poverty. For any poverty level, Chicago schools perform better than those in
the rest of Illinois. Selective programs for gifted students show high
performance at each grade level, most notably at the high school level, when
compared to other Illinois school types. The case of Chicago charter schools is
more complex. In the last six years, their students' scores overtook those of
students in traditional Chicago high schools.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figure
2008 Progress Report on Brain Research
Highlights new research on various disorders, nervous system injuries, neuroethics, neuroimmunology, pain, sense and body function, stem cells and neurogenesis, and thought and memory. Includes essays on arts and cognition and on deep brain stimulation
Fat residue and use-wear found on Acheulian biface and scraper associated with butchered elephant remains at the site of Revadim, Israel
The archaeological record indicates that elephants must have played a significant role in early human diet and culture during Palaeolithic times in the Old World. However, the nature of interactions between early humans and elephants is still under discussion. Elephant remains are found in Palaeolithic sites, both open-air and cave sites, in Europe, Asia, the Levant, and Africa. In some cases elephant and mammoth remains indicate evidence for butchering and marrow extraction performed by humans. Revadim Quarry (Israel) is a Late Acheulian site where elephant remains were found in association with characteristic Lower Palaeolithic flint tools. In this paper we present results regarding the use of Palaeolithic tools in processing animal carcasses and rare identification of fat residue preserved on Lower Palaeolithic tools. Our results shed new light on the use of Palaeolithic stone tools and provide, for the first time, direct evidence (residue) of animal exploitation through the use of an Acheulian biface and a scraper. The association of an elephant rib bearing cut marks with these tools may reinforce the view suggesting the use of Palaeolithic stone tools in the consumption of large game
Third-order optical autocorrelator for time-domain operation at telecommunication wavelengths
We report on amorphous organic thin films that exhibit efficient third-harmonic generation at telecommunication wavelengths. At 1550 nm, micrometer-thick samples generate up to 17 µW of green light with input power of 250 mW delivered by an optical parametric oscillator. This high conversion efficiency is achieved without phase matching or cascading of quadratic nonlinear effects. With these films, we demonstrate a low-cost, sensitive third-order autocorrelator that can be used in the time-frequency domain
Dynamical stability of the crack front line
Dynamical stability of the crack front line that propagates between two
plates is studied numerically using the simple two-dimensional mass-spring
model. It is demonstrated that the straight front line is unstable for low
speed while it becomes stable for high speed. For the uniform model, the
roughness exponent in the slower speed region is fairly constant around 0.4 and
there seems to be a rough-smooth transition at a certain speed. For the
inhomogeneous case with quenched randomness, the transition is gradual.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Ultrafast-pulse diagnostic using third-order frequency-resolved optical gating in organic films
We report on the diagnostic of ultrafast pulses by frequency-resolved optical gating (FROG) based on strong third-harmonic generation (THG) in amorphous organic thin films. The high THG conversion efficiency of these films allows for the characterization of sub-nanojoule short pulses emitting at telecommunication wavelengths using a low cost portable fiber spectrometer
Transillumination imaging through scattering media by use of photorefractive polymers
We demonstrate the use of a near-infrared-sensitive photorefractive polymer with high efficiency for imaging through scattering media, using an all-optical holographic time gate. Imaging through nine scattering mean free paths is performed at 800 nm with a mode-locked continuous-wave Ti:sapphire laser
Two-photon absorption and broadband optical limiting with bis-donor stilbenes
Large two-photon absorptivities are reported for symmetrical bis-donor stilbene derivatives with dialkylamino or diphenylamino groups. These molecules exhibit strong optical limiting of nanosecond pulses over a broad spectral range in the visible. Relative to bis(di-n-butylamino)stilbene, bis(diphenylamino)stilbene exhibits a 90-nm red shift of its optical limiting band but only a minimal shift of ~13 nm of its lowest one-photon electronic absorption band. Mixtures of these compounds offer an unprecedented combination of broad optical limiting bandwidth and high linear transparency
Magnetism in one-dimensional quantum dot arrays
We employ the density functional Kohn-Sham method in the local spin-density
approximation to study the electronic structure and magnetism of quasi
one-dimensional periodic arrays of few-electron quantum dots. At small values
of the lattice constant, the single dots overlap, forming a non-magnetic
quantum wire with nearly homogenous density. As the confinement perpendicular
to the wire is increased, i.e. as the wire is squeezed to become more
one-dimensional, it undergoes a spin-Peierls transition. Magnetism sets in as
the quantum dots are placed further apart. It is determined by the electronic
shell filling of the individual quantum dots. At larger values of the lattice
constant, the band structure for odd numbers of electrons per dot indicates
that the array could support spin-polarized transport and therefore act as a
spin filter.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figure
Nonlinear optical properties of push–pull polyenes for electro-optics
Improved nonlinear organic chromophores of varying conjugation length with either thiobarbituric acid or 3-dicyanomethylene-2,3-dihydrobenzothiophene-1,1-dioxide (FORON® Blue) acceptors have been synthesized and investigated for their nonlinear optical properties. Very large quadratic hyperpolarizabilities β(−2ω; ω, ω) have been found, up to 25,700×10^(−48) esu at λ=1.91 μm. In a guest–host polymer very high electro-optic (EO) coefficients, of up to 55 pm/V, have been determined at λ=1.31 μm with 20-wt % chromophore loading. We find good agreement between molecular parameters evaluated by electric-field-induced second-harmonic generation (EFISH) and the measurements of guest–host solid–solid solutions. The latter method is well suited to the determination of the product of dipole moment μ and hyperpolarizability β quickly and reliably at the wavelength of interest for EO applications without the complications associated with EFISH measurements
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