Service users as peer research interviewers: why bother?

Drawing on two studies completed within the social housing sector, this chapter asks if there are advantages to peer interviewing, whereby those currently or recently receiving services interview their peers as part of a research project. Contribution is made to the broader methodological debate of how service users should be involved in research about their lives. Along with contributions from a peer interviewer, we examine the benefits to peer interviewers themselves, and whether there are any positive differences for the people being interviewed. This chapter argues that there are clear methodological advantages to peer interviewing as it can lend vital insights from rapport with those often regarded as ‘hardest to reach’. The chapter also discusses peer interviewing in terms of strategic risk and limitations, as well as practical and ethical considerations. Ways of developing peer research in general are also suggested

Discharge transient coupling in large space power systems

Experiments have shown that plasma environments can induce discharges in solar arrays. These plasmas simulate the environments found in low earth orbits where current plans call for operation of very large power systems. The discharges could be large enough to couple into the power system and possibly disrupt operations. Here, the general concepts of the discharge mechanism and the techniques of coupling are discussed. Data from both ground and flight experiments are reviewed to obtain an expected basis for the interactions. These concepts were applied to the Space Station solar array and distribution system as an example of the large space power system. The effect of discharges was found to be a function of the discharge site. For most sites in the array discharges would not seriously impact performance. One location at the negative end of the array was identified as a position where discharges could couple to charge stored in system capacitors. This latter case could impact performance

Tension of APEL: Perceptions of higher education in further education lecturers

This article examines the perceptions of Accrediting Prior Experiential Learning (APEL) from the point of view of lecturers delivering higher education in further education institutions. Despite the fact that APEL is recognised as potentially providing a range of benefits for higher education providers, students and employers, little research has been carried out with those responsible for accreditation. Data were obtained using an online survey to collect information from lecturers about their awareness of and support for APEL. Analysis of this information reveals that confusion about the purpose and implementation remain the main barriers to APEL for this group, and that providing appropriate support for staff could be an effective mechanism for overcoming this. The implications of this study are discussed in relation to the higher education in further education context, with specific reference to the Foundation degree. © 2011 Further Education Research Association

Quantum oscillations and decoherence due to electron-electron interaction in metallic networks and hollow cylinders

We have studied the quantum oscillations of the conductance for arrays of connected mesoscopic metallic rings, in the presence of an external magnetic field. Several geometries have been considered: a linear array of rings connected with short or long wires compared to the phase coherence length, square networks and hollow cylinders. Compared to the well-known case of the isolated ring, we show that for connected rings, the winding of the Brownian trajectories around the rings is modified, leading to a different harmonics content of the quantum oscillations. We relate this harmonics content to the distribution of winding numbers. We consider the limits where coherence length $L_\varphi$ is small or large compared to the perimeter $L$ of each ring constituting the network. In the latter case, the coherent diffusive trajectories explore a region larger than $L$, whence a network dependent harmonics content. Our analysis is based on the calculation of the spectral determinant of the diffusion equation for which we have a simple expression on any network. It is also based on the hypothesis that the time dependence of the dephasing between diffusive trajectories can be described by an exponential decay with a single characteristic time $\tau_\varphi$ (model A) . At low temperature, decoherence is limited by electron-electron interaction, and can be modelled in a one-electron picture by the fluctuating electric field created by other electrons (model B). It is described by a functional of the trajectories and thus the dependence on geometry is crucial. Expressions for the magnetoconductance oscillations are derived within this model and compared to the results of model A. It is shown that they involve several temperature-dependent length scales.Comment: 35 pages, revtex4, 25 figures (34 pdf files

Fermi Surface of Alpha-Uranium at Ambient Pressure

We have performed de Haas-van Alphen measurements of the Fermi surface of alpha-uranium single crystals at ambient pressure within the alpha-3 charge density wave (CDW) state from 0.020 K - 10 K and magnetic fields to 35 T using torque magnetometry. The angular dependence of the resulting frequencies is described. Effective masses were measured and the Dingle temperature was determined to be 0.74 K +/- 0.04 K. The observation of quantum oscillations within the alpha-3 CDW state gives new insight into the effect of the charge density waves on the Fermi surface. In addition we observed no signature of superconductivity in either transport or magnetization down to 0.020 K indicating the possibility of a pressure-induced quantum critical point that separates the superconducting dome from the normal CDW phase.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figures, 3 table

Quantum Hall Effects in Graphene-Based Two-Dimensional Electron Systems

In this article we review the quantum Hall physics of graphene based two-dimensional electron systems, with a special focus on recent experimental and theoretical developments. We explain why graphene and bilayer graphene can be viewed respectively as J=1 and J=2 chiral two-dimensional electron gases (C2DEGs), and why this property frames their quantum Hall physics. The current status of experimental and theoretical work on the role of electron-electron interactions is reviewed at length with an emphasis on unresolved issues in the field, including assessing the role of disorder in current experimental results. Special attention is given to the interesting low magnetic field limit and to the relationship between quantum Hall effects and the spontaneous anomalous Hall effects that might occur in bilayer graphene systems in the absence of a magnetic field

The complete 1/N expansion of colored tensor models in arbitrary dimension

In this paper we generalize the results of [1,2] and derive the full 1/N expansion of colored tensor models in arbitrary dimensions. We detail the expansion for the independent identically distributed model and the topological Boulatov Ooguri model

Transport Spectroscopy of Symmetry-Broken Insulating States in Bilayer Graphene

The flat bands in bilayer graphene(BLG) are sensitive to electric fields E\bot directed between the layers, and magnify the electron-electron interaction effects, thus making BLG an attractive platform for new two-dimensional (2D) electron physics[1-5]. Theories[6-16] have suggested the possibility of a variety of interesting broken symmetry states, some characterized by spontaneous mass gaps, when the electron-density is at the carrier neutrality point (CNP). The theoretically proposed gaps[6,7,10] in bilayer graphene are analogous[17,18] to the masses generated by broken symmetries in particle physics and give rise to large momentum-space Berry curvatures[8,19] accompanied by spontaneous quantum Hall effects[7-9]. Though recent experiments[20-23] have provided convincing evidence of strong electronic correlations near the CNP in BLG, the presence of gaps is difficult to establish because of the lack of direct spectroscopic measurements. Here we present transport measurements in ultra-clean double-gated BLG, using source-drain bias as a spectroscopic tool to resolve a gap of ~2 meV at the CNP. The gap can be closed by an electric field E\bot \sim13 mV/nm but increases monotonically with a magnetic field B, with an apparent particle-hole asymmetry above the gap, thus providing the first mapping of the ground states in BLG.Comment: 4 figure

A Burgessian critique of nominalistic tendencies in contemporary mathematics and its historiography

We analyze the developments in mathematical rigor from the viewpoint of a Burgessian critique of nominalistic reconstructions. We apply such a critique to the reconstruction of infinitesimal analysis accomplished through the efforts of Cantor, Dedekind, and Weierstrass; to the reconstruction of Cauchy's foundational work associated with the work of Boyer and Grabiner; and to Bishop's constructivist reconstruction of classical analysis. We examine the effects of a nominalist disposition on historiography, teaching, and research.Comment: 57 pages; 3 figures. Corrected misprint

Last Men Standing: Chlamydatus Portraits and Public Life in Late Antique Corinth

Notable among the marble sculptures excavated at Corinth are seven portraits of men wearing the long chlamys of Late Antique imperial office. This unusual costume, contemporary portrait heads, and inscribed statue bases all help confirm that new public statuary was created and erected at Corinth during the 4th and 5th centuries. These chlamydatus portraits, published together here for the first time, are likely to represent the Governor of Achaia in his capital city, in the company of local benefactors. Among the last works of the ancient sculptural tradition, they form a valuable source of information on public life in Late Antique Corinth