Facilitation of trialogic spaces: reflections from Irish and Scottish online lesson studies

Digital innovations in teacher education have continued to evolve since the Coronavirus pandemic. As such, there has been recognition of the need to further examine the affordances and constraints of digitally mediated learning environments (Brown-Wilsher, 2021; White & Zimmerman, 2021). In response, this paper draws on the concept of trialogue (Hakkarainen, 2009), i.e. technology mediated dialogue, where digital tools are drawn on to make deliberate building and creation of knowledge accessible. Trialogue involves iterative communication and exchange of ideas in order to develop shared objects (Paavola & Hakkarainen, 2014), which can consist of artefacts, for example, lesson plans; and practices, such as pedagogical techniques. The paper focuses on two different Online Lesson Study projects facilitated by the authors, which took place in Scotland and Ireland. Insights gleaned from each project illustrating trialogue in action are shared, in order to illuminate the potential of trialogic space for enabling teachers’ collaborative learning

Anchorage of Headed Reinforcing Bars in Concrete

Headed reinforcing bars serve as a viable alternative to hooked bars for anchorage in concrete because they provide a more efficient anchorage mechanism and limit congestion of the reinforcement. This study is part of a comprehensive study of the anchorage behavior of the headed bars. The work described in this report includes tests of 32 No. 8 headed bars anchored in simulated column-foundation joints represented by bars anchored in slabs, all but two with reinforcement in the plane of the slab, and six lapped-slplice specimens without confining reinforcement containing No. 6 headed bars and an analysis of these tests along with test results from 23 studies by other researchers of 84 exterior, seven roof-level interior, and seven knee beam-column joints subjected to reversed cyclic loading. The headed bars in the column-foundation joint specimens had net bearing areas ranging from 4 to 15 times the area of the bar Ab; some of the headed bars contained large obstructions adjacent to the bearing face of the head that exceeded the dimensional limits for HA heads in ASTM A970-16; embedment lengths ranged from 6 to 8.5 in.; reinforcement in a plane perpendicular to the headed bars included combinations of bars placed symmetrically about the headed bar, parallel and close to the long edges of the specimen, bars placed symmetrically about and close to the headed bar in the short direction of the specimen, and bars oriented in both the long and short directions of the specimen; concrete compressive strengths ranged from 4,200 to 8,620 psi; and stresses in the bars at failure ranged from 49,500 to 117,000 psi. The No. 6 headed bars had a net bearing area of 4Ab and a lap length of 12 in. The center-to-center spacing between the spliced bars was 1.67, 2.33, or 3.53 bar diameters db; clear concrete cover to the bars was 2 in.; concrete compressive strengths averaged 6,360 and 10,950 psi; and stresses in the bars at failure ranged from 75,010 to 83,560 psi. For the beam-column joints subjected to reversed cyclic loading, headed bar sizes ranged between D12 (No. 4) and D36 (No. 11), net bearing areas ranged from 1.7 to 11.4Ab, and embedment lengths ranged from 8 to 22.6db; concrete compressive strengths ranged from 3,480 to 21,520 psi and steel yield strengths ranged from 53,650 to 149,930 psi; all but four specimens contained hoops, spaced at 2.2 to 6.8db (1.8 to 5.9 in.), as confining reinforcement parallel to the headed bar within the joint region; clear cover and minimum center-to-center spacing between the bars ranged from 1.4 to 9.9db and from 2 to 11.2db, respectively. Experimental anchorage strengths are compared with values based on descriptive equations for anchorage strength and design provisions for development length of headed bars for members with concrete compressive strengths up to 16,000 psi and steel yield strengths up to 120,000 psi that recognize the contribution of confining reinforcement without specifying minimum limits on bar spacing or clear cover. The descriptive equations and design provisions were developed based on tests of simulated beam-column joints under monotonic loading as part of the comprehensive study. The comparisons are used to expand the applicability of the descriptive equations to members subjected to reversed cyclic loading and develop simplified design guidelines allowing for the use of headed reinforcing bars in wide range of reinforced concrete members. Changes in the provisions of ACI 318-14 for the development length of headed bars and in ASTM A970 for head dimension requirements are also proposed. The results of this study show that reinforcement perpendicular to headed bars in columnfoundation joints does not improve the anchorage strength. Headed bars with obstructions exceeding the dimensional limits for HA heads in ASTM A970-16 provide adequate anchorage strength. Headed bars did not provide sufficient anchorage in knee beam-column joints subjected to reversed cyclic loading. The descriptive equations and proposed design provisions developed based headed bars in beam-column joint specimens tested under monotonic loading, in which the anchorage strength of the headed bar is a function of embedment length, concrete compressive strength, bar spacing, bar diameter, and confining reinforcement within the joint region, are applicable to a wide range of reinforced concrete members, including beam-column joints subjected reversed cyclic loading, lap splices, and column-foundation joints, and allow the minimum clear spacing of 3db between headed bars permitted in joints in special moment frames in accordance with Section 18.8.5.2 of ACI 318-14 to be reduced to 1db, allowing for the use of more closely spaced headed bars. The anchorage strength of the headed bars calculated using anchorage provisions of Chapter 17 of ACI 318-14 with a strength reduction factor of 1.0 provides a very conservative and highly variable estimate of anchorage strength for headed bars compared to the proposed design provisions

Gap solitons in spatiotemporal photonic crystals

We generalize the concept of nonlinear periodic structures to systems that show arbitrary spacetime variations of the refractive index. Nonlinear pulse propagation through these spatiotemporal photonic crystals can be described, for shallow nonstationary gratings, by coupled mode equations which are a generalization of the traditional equations used for stationary photonic crystals. Novel gap soliton solutions are found by solving a modified massive Thirring model. They represent the missing link between the gap solitons in static photonic crystals and resonance solitons found in dynamic gratings.Comment: 3 figures, submitte

Explaining consequences of employment insecurity: The dynamics of scarring in the United Kingdom, Poland and Norway

This deliverable presents three country studies on scarring effects of early employment insecurity in the United Kingdom, Poland and Norway. Traditional analysis of scarring effects has favoured the analysis of the impact of the experience of unemployment on the experience of subsequent unemployment (state dependence) and the monetary costs of previous unemployment in terms of lower subsequent wages (see e.g. Arulampalam, Booth and Taylor 2000; Arulampalam, Gregg and Gregory 2001). The three present country studies go beyond the traditional analysis of scarring effects in order to better understand the trade-offs experienced by young female and male workers when faced with an insecure labour market integration. With national longitudinal data, original methodological designs and research focus, each study contributes in an original way to the research literature. All three studies pay special attention to gender and education as potential moderating variables of scarring effects

Theory and optimisation of 1.3 and 1.55 μm (Al)InGaAs metamorphic quantum well lasers

The use of InGaAs metamorphic buffer layers (MBLs) to facilitate the growth of lattice-mismatched heterostructures constitutes an attractive approach to developing long-wavelength semiconductor lasers on GaAs substrates, since they offer the improved carrier and optical confinement associated with GaAs-based materials. We present a theoretical study of GaAs-based 1.3 and 1.55 μm (Al)InGaAs quantum well (QW) lasers grown on InGaAs MBLs. We demonstrate that optimised 1.3 μm metamorphic devices offer low threshold current densities and high differential gain, which compare favourably with InP-based devices. Overall, our analysis highlights and quantifies the potential of metamorphic QWs for the development of GaAs-based long-wavelength semiconductor lasers, and also provides guidelines for the design of optimised devices

GaAs-based dilute bismide semiconductor lasers:Theory vs. experiment

We present a theoretical analysis of the electronic and optical properties of near-infrared dilute bismide quantum well (QW) lasers grown on GaAs substrates. Our theoretical model is based upon a 12-band k·p Hamiltonian which explicitly incorporates the strong Bi-induced modifications of the band structure in pseudomorphically strained GaBi x As 1-x alloys. We outline the impact of Bi on the gain characteristics of ideal GaBi x As 1-x /(Al)GaAs devices, compare the results of our theoretical calculations to experimental measurements of the spontaneous emission (SE) and optical gain - a first for this emerging material system - and demonstrate quantitative agreement between theory and experiment. Through our theoretical analysis we further demonstrate that this novel class of III-V semiconductor alloys has strong potential for the development of highly efficient GaAs-based semiconductor lasers which promise to deliver uncooled operation at 1.55 μm

Functional degradable polymers by radical ring-opening copolymerization of MDO and vinyl bromobutanoate : synthesis, degradability and post-polymerization modification

The synthesis of vinyl bromobutanoate (VBr), a new vinyl acetate monomer derivative obtained by the palladium-catalyzed vinyl exchange reaction between vinyl acetate (VAc) and 4-bromobutyric acid is reported. The homopolymerization of this new monomer using the RAFT/MADIX polymerization technique leads to the formation of novel well-defined and controlled polymers containing pendent bromine functional groups able to be modified via postpolymerization modification. Furthermore, the copolymerization of vinyl bromobutanoate with 2-methylene-1,3-dioxepane (MDO) was also performed to deliver a range of novel functional degradable copolymers, poly(MDO-co-VBr). The copolymer composition was shown to be able to be tuned to vary the amount of ester repeat units in the polymer backbone, and hence determine the degradability, while maintaining a control of the final copolymers’ molar masses. The addition of functionalities via simple postpolymerization modifications such as azidation and the 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition of a PEG alkyne to an azide is also reported and proven by 1H NMR spectroscopy, FTIR spectroscopy, and SEC analyses. These studies enable the formation of a novel class of hydrophilic functional degradable copolymers using versatile radical polymerization methods

Polarization Response in InAs Quantum Dots: Theoretical Correlation between Composition and Electronic Properties

III-V growth and surface conditions strongly influence the physical structure and resulting optical properties of self-assembled quantum dots (QDs). Beyond the design of a desired active optical wavelength, the polarization response of QDs is of particular interest for optical communications and quantum information science. Previous theoretical studies based on a pure InAs QD model failed to reproduce experimentally observed polarization properties. In this work, multi-million atom simulations are performed to understand the correlation between chemical composition and polarization properties of QDs. A systematic analysis of QD structural parameters leads us to propose a two layer composition model, mimicking In segregation and In-Ga intermixing effects. This model, consistent with mostly accepted compositional findings, allows to accurately fit the experimental PL spectra. The detailed study of QD morphology parameters presented here serves as a tool for using growth dynamics to engineer the strain field inside and around the QD structures, allowing tuning of the polarization response.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures; accepted for publication in IOP Nanotechnology journa

Theory and design of Inx_{x}Ga1−x_{1-x}As1−y_{1-y}Biy_{y} mid-infrared semiconductor lasers: type-I quantum wells for emission beyond 3 μ\mum on InP substrates

We present a theoretical analysis and optimisation of the properties and performance of mid-infrared semiconductor lasers based on the dilute bismide alloy In$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$As$_{1-y}$Bi$_{y}$, grown on conventional (001) InP substrates. The ability to independently vary the epitaxial strain and emission wavelength in this quaternary alloy provides significant scope for band structure engineering. Our calculations demonstrate that structures based on compressively strained In$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$As$_{1-y}$Bi$_{y}$ quantum wells (QWs) can readily achieve emission wavelengths in the 3 -- 5 $\mu$m range, and that these QWs have large type-I band offsets. As such, these structures have the potential to overcome a number of limitations commonly associated with this application-rich but technologically challenging wavelength range. By considering structures having (i) fixed QW thickness and variable strain, and (ii) fixed strain and variable QW thickness, we quantify key trends in the properties and performance as functions of the alloy composition, structural properties, and emission wavelength, and on this basis identify routes towards the realisation of optimised devices for practical applications. Our analysis suggests that simple laser structures -- incorporating In$_{x}$Ga$_{1-x}$As$_{1-y}$Bi$_{y}$ QWs and unstrained ternary In$_{0.53}$Ga$_{0.47}$As barriers -- which are compatible with established epitaxial growth, provide a route to realising InP-based mid-infrared diode lasers.Comment: Submitted versio