The signed loop approach to the Ising model: foundations and critical point

The signed loop method is a beautiful way to rigorously study the two-dimensional Ising model with no external field. In this paper, we explore the foundations of the method, including details that have so far been neglected or overlooked in the literature. We demonstrate how the method can be applied to the Ising model on the square lattice to derive explicit formal expressions for the free energy density and two-point functions in terms of sums over loops, valid all the way up to the self-dual point. As a corollary, it follows that the self-dual point is critical both for the behaviour of the free energy density, and for the decay of the two-point functions.Comment: 38 pages, 7 figures, with an improved Introduction. The final publication is available at link.springer.co

Assessment, feedback and technology: contexts and case studies in Bloomsbury

Contents Introduction (L Havemann & S Sherman) 1 Section 1: Contexts Chapter 1: Contextualising the Electronic Management of Assessment Lifecycle in Bloomsbury (L Havemann & S Sherman) 5 Chapter 2: Electronic Management of Assessment — Administrative Perspectives (L Havemann & S Sherman) 15 Chapter 3: Assessment, Technology and Innovation in Distance Learning in the Bloomsbury Learning Environment Institutions (N Weitz & K Seddon) Section 2: Case Studies — Alternative Tasks and Formats Chapter 4: Blogging and Social Media for Formative Assessment in Marketing and PR Modules (D Grange & W Hein) 38 Chapter 5: Blogging for Summative Assessment in Postgraduate Education (T Neumann) 41 Chapter 6: Using Journals in the SOAS International Human Rights Clinic (L Welchman) 44 Chapter 7: Running a Group Assessment in Mahara (M Vogel) 46 Chapter 8: Assessing Veterinary Students Using Posters and Online Lectures (S Powney & N Short) 49 Chapter 9: Formative Assessment for Postgraduate Academic Skills Development in Arts (L Havemann) Section 3: Case studies — Students Feeding Back Chapter 10: Peer Reviewing Summative Assignments (S Sherman & S Channon) 55 Chapter 11: Using WebPA for Summative Peer Assessment (H Croall, B Cobb, C Lawson & A Spark) 57 Chapter 12: Peer Feedback with Moodle Workshop (M Vogel) 59 Chapter 13: Using Forums in Moodle to Provide Peer Feedback (S Sherman & J S Rofe) 61 Chapter 14: Academic Blogging with Peer Feedback (L Guetcherian) 63 Chapter 15: Improving Feedback In Online Assessments (S Powney) 67 Section 4: Case Studies — Assessing at Scale Chapter 16: Assessing at Scale in a Global Health MOOC (J Stroud) 70 Chapter 17: Assessment in MOOCs for Continuing Professional Development (T Neumann) 72 Chapter 18: Self-Assessment and Self-Monitoring Tools in Professional Accountancy (S Ogden) 76 Section 5: Case Studies — Multimedia Approaches Chapter 19: Student Presentations at a Distance (T Neumann) 80 Chapter 20: Using Online Communication Tools to Provide Live Feedback to Students (S Sherman & S Pullen) 84 Chapter 21: Providing Audio Feedback to SOAS Chinese Competition Contestants (S Wadud & Z Pang) 87 Chapter 22: Moving from an Assessed Presentation during Class Time to a Video-based Assessment in a Spanish Culture Module (D Grange & M Paz Balibrea Enriquez) 89 Chapter 23: Using Panopto for Formative Assessment in Earth Science (D Grange & S Hirons) 91 Chapter 24: Assessment and Feedback Video (S Wadud & V Janev) 94 Section 6: Case Studies — Technical Developments Chapter 25: SOAS Assignment Creation and Results Tracking (L O'Sullivan & A Leedham) 97 Chapter 26: My Feedback Report Plugin for Moodle (J Gramp) 100 Chapter 27: Coursework Module for Moodle (S Sherman & A Spark) 101 Acknowledgements 103 About the Editors 10

Asymptotic expansions for a remarkable class of random walks

This paper extends the research of Wiegel (J. Math. Phys. 21 (1980) 2111) on random walks which differ from free random walks through the occurrence of an extra weightfactor (−1) at every crossing of a half-line. Starting from a new closed-form expression for the weight distribution of these walks, we derive various integral representations and asymptotic expansions for the total weight of all walks

Combinatorial formulation of Ising model revisited

In 1952, Kac and Ward developed a combinatorial formulation for the two dimensional Ising model which is another method of obtaining Onsager's formula for the free energy per site in the thermodynamic limit of the model. Feynman gave an important contribution to this formulation conjecturing a crucial mathematical relation which completed Kac and Ward ideas. In this paper, the method of Kac, Ward and Feynman for the free field Ising model in two dimensions is reviewed in a selfcontained way.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figure

Why Universities Need Institutional Researchers More Than They Realize?

This paper discusses the benefits of universities maintaining and utilizing institutional researchers, citing specific examples of invaluable research conducted that proved instrumental in providing data and surveys for key papers and discussions by faculty at other institutions, as well as the importance in using offices of institutional research to guide decision-making at universities

A systematic review of weight-related communication trainings for physicians: What do we know and how can we inform future development of training programs?

It is reported that physicians lack training to address weight-related concerns with patients. To overcome this, training programs have been implemented in medical settings to prepare physicians to have conversations with patients. However, it is unclear the degree of consistency among existing training programs and factors associated with better outcomes. The objective of this study was to systematically review the existing literature in this area to determine differences in content, outcomes, and implementation of existing studies that test weight-related communication training programs for physicians. A systematic literature review of online databases including PubMed, PsycINFO, and Proquest was conducted with the assistance of a librarian. Search terms included: health communication, training, physician training, weight, and obesity. Studies were selected based on the following inclusion criteria: physicians are post-graduate medical doctors; trainings encompassed weight-related communication; and outcomes were tied to physician uptake of skills, knowledge, and self-efficacy, or patient-related outcomes. Two coders reviewed studies using detailed inclusion criteria. Disagreements were resolved by consensus among authors. Half of studies assessed outcomes in both patients and physicians. Trainings including motivational interviewing (MI) assessing patient outcomes found increases in patient knowledge, satisfaction, motivation, and weight loss, respectively. Whereas, non-MI trainings assessing patient outcomes found an increase in patient weight loss, confidence and motivation, or no changes in patient outcomes. This review was the first to examine programs aimed to teach physicians to communicate with patients about weight. Future studies should examine the effect of physician communication on BMI.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/gradposters/1025/thumbnail.jp