283 research outputs found
Teaching Music with Mathematics: A Pilot Study
We detail a recently conducted teaching intervention involving the use of mathematics and associated software to teach rhythm and meter to Year 9 pupils. This intervention served as a feasibility and pilot study within a broader project related to the mutual teaching of mathematics and music. Causal conclusions cannot be made due to the lack of a control group, but questionnaires show that 81% of the pupils found interacting with software helped them to understand and visualize mathematical theories of rhythm and meter, and the same percentage think that mathematics and music are related. The two teachers who delivered the program enjoyed the experience and felt the software was beneficial.Andrew J. Milne, B, and Andrea M. Calilhann
Communicating the uncertainty in estimated greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture
In an effort to mitigate anthropogenic effects on the global climate system, industrialised countries are required to quantify and report, for various economic sectors, the annual emissions of greenhouse gases from their several sources and the absorption of the same in different sinks. These estimates are uncertain, and this uncertainty must be communicated effectively, if government bodies, research scientists or members of the public are to draw sound conclusions. Our interest is in communicating the uncertainty in estimates of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture to those who might directly use the results from the inventory. We tested six methods of communication. These were: a verbal scale using the IPCC calibrated phrases such as ‘likely’ and ‘very unlikely’; probabilities that emissions are within a defined range of values; confidence intervals for the expected value; histograms; box plots; and shaded arrays that depict the probability density of the uncertain quantity. In a formal trial we used these methods to communicate uncertainty about four specific inferences about greenhouse gas emissions in the UK. Sixty four individuals who use results from the greenhouse gas inventory professionally participated in the trial, and we tested how effectively the uncertainty about these inferences was communicated by means of a questionnaire. Our results showed differences in the efficacy of the methods of communication, and interactions with the nature of the target audience. We found that, although the verbal scale was thought to be a good method of communication it did not convey enough information and was open to misinterpretation. Shaded arrays were similarly criticised for being open to misinterpretation, but proved to give the best impression of uncertainty when participants were asked to interpret results from the greenhouse gas inventory. Box plots were most favoured by our participants largely because they were particularly favoured by those who worked in research or had a stronger mathematical background. We propose a combination of methods should be used to convey uncertainty in emissions and that this combination should be tailored to the professional grou
An assessment of the strength of knots and splices used as eye terminations in a sailing environment
Research into knots, splices and other methods of forming an eye termination has been limited, despite the fact that they are essential and strongly affect the performance of a rope. The aim of this study was to carry out a comprehensive initial assessment of the breaking strength of eye terminations commonly used in a sailing environment, thereby providing direction for further work in the field. Supports for use in a regular tensile testing machine were specially developed to allow individual testing of each sample and a realistic spread of statistical data to be obtained. Over 180 break tests were carried out on four knots (the bowline, double bowline, figure-of-eight loop and perfection loop) and two splices (three-strand eye splice and braid-on-braid splice). The factors affecting their strength were investigated. A statistical approach to the analysis of the results was adopted. The type of knot was found to have a significant effect on the strength. This same effect was seen in both types of rope construction (three-strand and braid-on-braid). Conclusions were also drawn as to the effect of splice length, eye size, manufacturer and rope diameter on the breaking strength of splices. Areas of development and further investigation were identified
Local probing of the field emission stability of vertically aligned multiwalled carbon nanotubes
Metallic cantilever in high vacuum atomic force microscope has been used as
anode for field emission experiments from densely packed vertically aligned
multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The high spatial resolution provided by the
scanning probe technique allowed precise setting of the tip-sample distance in
the submicron region. The dimension of the probe (curvature radius below 50nm)
allowed to measure current contribution from sample areas smaller than 1um^2.
The study of long-term stability evidenced that on these small areas the field
emission current remains stable (within 10% fluctuations) several hours (at
least up to 72 hours) at current intensities between 10-5A and 10-8A.
Improvement of the current stability has been observed after performing
long-time Joule heating conditioning to completely remove possible adsorbates
on the nanotubes.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure
Virus diseases of vegetable crops in southern Bulgaria
Virus diseases of vegetable crops (mainly tomato, cucumber, pepper and phaseolus bean) were surveyed
in 1999 in south-eastern Bulgaria. The most widespread viruses were Tomato mosaic virus (ToMV), Cucumber mosaic
virus (CMV) and Pepper mild mottle virus 1.2 (PMMV 1.2) for pepper; ToMV, CMV and Tomato spotted wilt virus
for tomato; CMV for cucumber; Bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) for bean. Using differential cultivars as well as
ELISA and PCR, the viruses were classified into pathotypes, strains and subgroups. The CMV isolates were of
subgroup I, Iγ and II. The BCMV isolates were identified as temperature-dependent necrotic strains. Bean common
mosaic necrosis virus was found in only two samples. PMMV 1.2 was detected in pepper. Clover yellow vein virus in
bean and Cucumber leaf spot virus in cucumber are here reported for the first time in Bulgaria. A cucumovirus,
different from CMV, was detected in bean. Two unidentified viruses (one with capillovirus-like particles from pepper,
and one with 30 nm spherical particles from cucumber) are currently under investigation
Magnetic fields in cosmic particle acceleration sources
We review here some magnetic phenomena in astrophysical particle accelerators
associated with collisionless shocks in supernova remnants, radio galaxies and
clusters of galaxies. A specific feature is that the accelerated particles can
play an important role in magnetic field evolution in the objects. We discuss a
number of CR-driven, magnetic field amplification processes that are likely to
operate when diffusive shock acceleration (DSA) becomes efficient and
nonlinear. The turbulent magnetic fields produced by these processes determine
the maximum energies of accelerated particles and result in specific features
in the observed photon radiation of the sources. Equally important, magnetic
field amplification by the CR currents and pressure anisotropies may affect the
shocked gas temperatures and compression, both in the shock precursor and in
the downstream flow, if the shock is an efficient CR accelerator. Strong
fluctuations of the magnetic field on scales above the radiation formation
length in the shock vicinity result in intermittent structures observable in
synchrotron emission images. Resonant and non-resonant CR streaming
instabilities in the shock precursor can generate mesoscale magnetic fields
with scale-sizes comparable to supernova remnants and even superbubbles. This
opens the possibility that magnetic fields in the earliest galaxies were
produced by the first generation Population III supernova remnants and by
clustered supernovae in star forming regions.Comment: 30 pages, Space Science Review
Factors Influencing the Participation of Older People in Clinical Trials : Data Analysis from the MAVIS Trial
Peer reviewedPostprin
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