Gender gap and polarisation of physics on global courses

We extend on previous research on the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) given to first year classical mechanics students (N=66 students, over four years) pre and post score, for students on an international (global) course at Osaka University. In particular, we revisit the notion of "polarisation" in connection with the six polarisation-inducing questions in the FCI and examine its gender aspect. Our data suggest that this phenomenon is not unique to one gender. Furthermore, the extent by which it is exhibited by males may differ from that of females at the beginning (pretest) but the gap closes upon learning more about forces (posttest). These findings are for the most part, complemented by our result for the FCI as a whole. Although the differences in means for males and females suggest a gender gap, statistical analysis shows that there is no gender difference at the 95% confidence level.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figure

Polarization of physics on global courses

Since October 2010, the Chemistry-Biology Combined Major Program (CBCMP), an international course taught in English at Osaka University, has been teaching small classes (no more than 20 in size). We present data from the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) given to first year classical mechanics students (N=47 students over three years) pre and post score, for a class that predominantly uses interactive engagement (IE), such as MasteringPhysics. Our findings show a $G$-factor improved score of about $\sim$ 0.18, which is marginally about the average of a traditional based course. Furthermore, we analyse in detail a set of six questions from the FCI, involving the identification of forces acting on a body. We find that student answers tend to cluster about "polarising choices"-a pair of choices containing the correct choice and a wrong choice with the latter corresponding to a superset of forces in the former. Our results are suggestive that students have a good idea of the right set of forces acting on a given system but the inclusion of extra force(s) brings about confusion; something that may be explained by misleading ontological categorisation of forces. In an appendix we also comment on possible correlations between the pre/post score and the level of English ability on entry to the course.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, 1 table; modified the discussion to focus on polarisation; the discussion on English ability can now be found in the appendix; added reference

Logarithmic divergences in the kk-inflationary power spectra computed through the uniform approximation

We investigate a calculation method for solving the Mukhanov-Sasaki equation in slow-roll $k$-inflation based on the uniform approximation (UA) in conjunction with an expansion scheme for slow-roll parameters with respect to the number of $e$-folds about the so-called \textit{turning point}. Earlier works on this method has so far gained some promising results derived from the approximating expressions for the power spectra among others, up to second order with respect to the Hubble and sound flow parameters, when compared to other semi-analytical approaches (e.g., Green's function and WKB methods). However, a closer inspection is suggestive that there is a problem when higher-order parts of the power spectra are considered; residual logarithmic divergences may come out that can render the prediction physically inconsistent. Looking at this possibility, we map out up to what order with respect to the mentioned parameters several physical quantities can be calculated before hitting a logarithmically divergent result. It turns out that the power spectra are limited up to second order, the tensor-to-scalar ratio up to third order, and the spectral indices and running converge to all orders. This indicates that the expansion scheme is incompatible with the working equations derived from UA for the power spectra but compatible with that of the spectral indices. For those quantities that involve logarithmically divergent terms in the higher-order parts, existing results in the literature for the convergent lower-order parts calculated in the equivalent fashion should be viewed with some caution; they do not rest on solid mathematical ground.Comment: version 4 : extended Section 6 on remarks on logarithmic divergence

Adiabatic regularisation of power spectra in kk-inflation

We look at the question posed by Parker et al. about the effect of UV regularisation on the power spectrum for inflation. Focusing on the slow-roll $k$-inflation, we show that up to second order in the Hubble and sound flow parameters, the adiabatic regularisation of such model leads to no difference in the power spectrum apart from certain cases that violate near scale invariant power spectra. Furthermore, extending to non-minimal $k$-inflation, we establish the equivalence of the subtraction terms in the adiabatic regularisation of the power spectrum in Jordan and Einstein frames.Comment: 17 pages; v2, typos corrected & reference added; v3, rewrote some parts for clarit

Eskimos, Reindeer, and Land

The following report is based on an interdisciplinary research study undertaken to investigate the social, economic, and cultural aspects of reindeer herding in northwestern Alaska. The primary purpose of the research project was to gather data on the past and present reindeer herding practices of the region, but also to seek information on herding and land uses, the future potential of this essentially Native industry, and its impacts on the people and economy of the area.National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, and carried out by staff of the University of Alaska, Fairbanks

A global perspective on food systems

https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fss2014/1005/thumbnail.jp

Epidemiology of Fracture in Adults with Kidney Disease

Fractures are a global health concern, leading to morbidity and mortality. Individuals with reduced kidney function experience bone mineral metabolism changes which can increase fracture risk. Yet, there is little consensus on the fundamentals: prediction, incidence, risk factors, and screening of fractures in kidney disease patients. This thesis addressed these critical areas helping decrease the health burden of fracture in this unique population. This research used data from the Canadian Multicentre Osteoporosis Study (CaMos) to examine individuals with chronic kidney disease (CKD) (n=320). CaMos is a national longitudinal study designed to collect information on fractures. To examine kidney transplant recipients data from Ontario administrative healthcare databases was used (n=4821). The predictive ability of the Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) in individuals with CKD was evaluated using area under the receiver operator characteristic curves and survival analyses. The incidence and risk factors for fracture in kidney transplant recipients were assessed using incidence rates and Cox hazard regression analysis. The first manuscript systematically summarized the incidence and risk factors for fracture in kidney transplant recipients; fracture incidence and risk factors were variable across studies. The second manuscript examined the predictive value of FRAX in individuals with CKD compared to individuals with normal kidney function. The discriminative ability of FRAX for fracture prediction was comparable in both groups. The third manuscript examined the incidence of fracture in kidney transplant recipients. The cumulative incidence of fracture was low with approximately 2% sustaining a hip fracture over 10-years. The fourth manuscript examined risk factors for fracture in kidney transplant recipients. Transplant-specific risk factors (i.e., diabetes or cystic kidney disease as the cause of end-stage renal disease and donor age) and general risk factors (i.e., older recipient age and female sex) were significantly associated with fractures. The fifth manuscript examined the frequency and variability in bone mineral density (BMD) testing across Ontario transplant centres. Over half of kidney transplant recipients received at least one BMD and the ordering of BMD tests varied widely by centre – from 15% to 92%. Results can be used to improve prognostication, advance clinical guidelines, clarify fracture incidence, and guide informed consent

Fermion excitations of a tense brane black hole

By finding the spinor eigenvalues for a single deficit angle (d-2)-sphere, we derive the radial potential for fermions on a d-dimensional black hole background that is embedded on a codimension two brane with conical singularity, where the deficit angle is related to the brane tension. From this we obtain the quasi-normal mode spectrum for bulk fermions on such a background. As a byproduct of our method, this also gives a rigorous proof for integer spin fields on the deficit 2-sphere.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

A new mass-ratio for the X-ray Binary X2127+119 in M15?

The luminous low-mass X-ray binary X2127+119 in the core of the globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078), which has an orbital period of 17 hours, has long been assumed to contain a donor star evolving off the main sequence, with a mass of 0.8 solar masses (the main-sequence turn-off mass for M15). We present orbital-phase-resolved spectroscopy of X2127+119 in the H-alpha and He I 6678 spectral region, obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope. We show that these data are incompatible with the assumed masses of X2127+119's component stars. The continuum eclipse is too shallow, indicating that much of the accretion disc remains visible during eclipse, and therefore that the size of the donor star relative to the disc is much smaller in this high-inclination system than the assumed mass-ratio allows. Furthermore, the flux of X2127+119's He I 6678 emission, which has a velocity that implies an association with the stream-disc impact region, remains unchanged through eclipse, implying that material from the impact region is always visible. This should not be possible if the previously-assumed mass ratio is correct. In addition, we do not detect any spectral features from the donor star, which is unexpected for a 0.8 solar-mass sub-giant in a system with a 17-hour period.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, accepted by A&