Measuring order in the isotropic packing of elastic rods

The packing of elastic bodies has emerged as a paradigm for the study of macroscopic disordered systems. However, progress is hampered by the lack of controlled experiments. Here we consider a model experiment for the isotropic two-dimensional confinement of a rod by a central force. We seek to measure how ordered is a folded configuration and we identify two key quantities. A geometrical characterization is given by the number of superposed layers in the configuration. Using temporal modulations of the confining force, we probe the mechanical properties of the configuration and we define and measure its effective compressibility. These two quantities may be used to build a statistical framework for packed elastic systems.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

Secondary literacy across the curriculum: Challenges and possibilities

This paper discusses the challenges and possibilities attendant upon successfully implementing literacy across the curriculum initiatives – or ‘school language policies’ as they have come to be known - particularly at the secondary or high school level. It provides a theoretical background to these issues, exploring previous academic discussions of school language policies, and highlights key areas of concern as well as opportunity with respect to school implementation of such policies. As such, it provides a necessary conceptual background to the subsequent papers in this special issue, which focus upon the Secondary Schools’ Literacy Initiative (SSLI) – a New Zealand funded programme that aims to establish cross-curricular language and literacy policies in secondary schools

The mass of the graviton and the cosmological constant

We show that the graviton acquires a mass in a de Sitter background given by $m_{g}^{2}=-{2/3}\Lambda.$ This is precisely the fine-tuning value required for the perturbed gravitational field to mantain its two degrees of freedom.Comment: Title changed and few details added, without any changes in the conclusio

A Comparison of the Ovulation Method With the CUE Ovulation Predictor in Determining the Fertile Period

The purpose of this study was to compare the CUE Ovulation Predictor with the ovulation method in determining the fertile period. Eleven regularly ovulating women measured their salivary and vaginal electrical resistance (ER) with the CUE, observed their cervical-vaginal mucus, and measured their urine for a luteinizing hormone (LH) surge on a daily basis. Data from 21 menstrual cycles showed no statistical difference (T= 0.33, p= 0.63) between the CUE fertile period, which ranged from 5 to 10 days (mean = 6.7 days, SD = 1.6), and the fertile period of the ovulation method, which ranged from 4 to 9 days (mean = 6.5 days, SD = 2.0). The CUE has potential as an adjunctive device in the learning and use of natural family planning methods

The Dirac-Dowker Oscillator

The oscillator-like interaction is introduced in the equation for the particle of arbitrary spin, given by Dirac and re-written to a matrix form by Dowker.Comment: LaTeX file, 4pp. Preprint EFUAZ 94-0

Conductivity Due to Classical Phase Fluctuations in a Model For High-T_c Superconductors

We consider the real part of the conductivity, \sigma_1(\omega), arising from classical phase fluctuations in a model for high-T_c superconductors. We show that the frequency integral of that conductivity, \int_0^\infty \sigma_1 d\omega, is non-zero below the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$, provided there is some quenched disorder in the system. Furthermore, for a fixed amount of quenched disorder, this integral at low temperatures is proportional to the zero-temperature superfluid density, in agreement with experiment. We calculate \sigma_1(\omega) explicitly for a model of overdamped phase fluctuations.Comment: 4pages, 2figures, submitted to Phys.Rev.

Transport properties of heterogeneous materials derived from Gaussian random fields: Bounds and Simulation

We investigate the effective conductivity ($\sigma_e$) of a class of amorphous media defined by the level-cut of a Gaussian random field. The three point solid-solid correlation function is derived and utilised in the evaluation of the Beran-Milton bounds. Simulations are used to calculate $\sigma_e$ for a variety of fields and volume fractions at several different conductivity contrasts. Relatively large differences in $\sigma_e$ are observed between the Gaussian media and the identical overlapping sphere model used previously as a `model' amorphous medium. In contrast $\sigma_e$ shows little variability between different Gaussian media.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figure

The Role of the Safeguarder in the Children's Hearings System : Executive Summary

This publication summarises the key findings of the research report on The Role of the Safeguarder in the Children’s Hearings System published by the Scottish Government in November 201

Massive relativistic particle model with spin from free two-twistor dynamics and its quantization

We consider a relativistic particle model in an enlarged relativistic phase space M^{18} = (X_\mu, P_\mu, \eta_\alpha, \oeta_\dalpha, \sigma_\alpha, \osigma_\dalpha, e, \phi), which is derived from the free two-twistor dynamics. The spin sector variables (\eta_\alpha, \oeta_\dalpha, \sigma_\alpha,\ osigma_\dalpha) satisfy two second class constraints and account for the relativistic spin structure, and the pair (e,\phi) describes the electric charge sector. After introducing the Liouville one-form on M^{18}, derived by a non-linear transformation of the canonical Liouville one-form on the two-twistor space, we analyze the dynamics described by the first and second class constraints. We use a composite orthogonal basis in four-momentum space to obtain the scalars defining the invariant spin projections. The first-quantized theory provides a consistent set of wave equations, determining the mass, spin, invariant spin projection and electric charge of the relativistic particle. The wavefunction provides a generating functional for free, massive higher spin fields.Comment: FTUV-05-0919, IFIC-05-46, IFT UWr 0110/05. Plain latex file, no macros, 22 pages. A comment and references added. To appear in PRD1

Primary reading exercises for use with the Durrell Analysis of Reading Difficulty

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit