999 research outputs found
Fostering collective intelligence education
New educational models are necessary to update learning environments to the digitally shared communication and information. Collective intelligence is an emerging field that already has a significant impact in many areas and will have great implications in education, not only from the side of new methodologies but also as a challenge for education. This paper proposes an approach to a collective intelligence model of teaching using Internet to combine two strategies: idea management and real time assessment in the class. A digital tool named Fabricius has been created supporting these two elements to foster the collaboration and engagement of students in the learning process. As a result of the research we propose a list of KPI trying to measure individual and collective performance. We are conscious that this is just a first approach to define which aspects of a class following a course can be qualified and quantified.Postprint (published version
Perturbative Expansion in the Galilean Invariant Spin One-Half Chern-Simons Field Theory
A Galilean Chern-Simons field theory is formulated for the case of two
interacting spin-1/2 fields of distinct masses M and M'. A method for the
construction of states containing N particles of mass M and N' particles of
mass M' is given which is subsequently used to display equivalence to the
spin-1/2 Aharonov-Bohm effect in the N = N' =1 sector of the model. The latter
is then studied in perturbation theory to determine whether there are
divergences in the fourth order (one loop) diagram. It is found that the
contribution of that order is finite (and vanishing) for the case of parallel
spin projections while the antiparallel case displays divergences which are
known to characterize the spin zero case in field theory as well as in quantum
mechanics.Comment: 14 pages LaTeX, including 2 figures using eps
Extremely Large and Anisotropic Upper Critical Field and the Ferromagnetic Instability in UCoGe
Magnetoresistivity measurements with fine tuning of the field direction on
high quality single crystals of the ferromagnetic superconductor UCoGe show
anomalous anisotropy of the upper critical field H_c2. H_c2 for H // b-axis
(H_c2^b) in the orthorhombic crystal structure is strongly enhanced with
decreasing temperature with an S-shape and reaches nearly 20 T at 0 K. The
temperature dependence of H_c2^a shows upward curvature with a low temperature
value exceeding 30 T, while H_c2^c at 0 K is very small (~ 0.6 T). Contrary to
conventional ferromagnets, the decrease of the Curie temperature with
increasing field for H // b-axis marked by an enhancement of the effective mass
of the conduction electrons appears to be the origin of the S-shaped H_c2^b
curve. These results indicate that the field-induced ferromagnetic instability
or magnetic quantum criticality reinforces superconductivity.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in J. Phys. Soc. Jp
High-Field Superconductivity at an Electronic Topological Transition in URhGe
The emergence of superconductivity at high magnetic fields in URhGe is
regarded as a paradigm for new state formation approaching a quantum critical
point. Until now, a divergence of the quasiparticle mass at the metamagnetic
transition was considered essential for superconductivity to survive at
magnetic fields above 30 tesla. Here we report the observation of quantum
oscillations in URhGe revealing a tiny pocket of heavy quasiparticles that
shrinks continuously with increasing magnetic field, and finally disappears at
a topological Fermi surface transition close to or at the metamagnetic field.
The quasiparticle mass decreases and remains finite, implying that the Fermi
velocity vanishes due to the collapse of the Fermi wavevector. This offers a
novel explanation for the re-emergence of superconductivity at extreme magnetic
fields and makes URhGe the first proven example of a material where magnetic
field-tuning of the Fermi surface, rather than quantum criticality alone,
governs quantum phase formation.Comment: A revised version has been accepted for publication in Nature Physic
Solitons in cavity-QED arrays containing interacting qubits
We reveal the existence of polariton soliton solutions in the array of weakly
coupled optical cavities, each containing an ensemble of interacting qubits. An
effective complex Ginzburg-Landau equation is derived in the continuum limit
taking into account the effects of cavity field dissipation and qubit
dephasing. We have shown that an enhancement of the induced nonlinearity can be
achieved by two order of the magnitude with a negative interaction strength
which implies a large negative qubit-field detuning as well. Bright solitons
are found to be supported under perturbations only in the upper (optical)
branch of polaritons, for which the corresponding group velocity is controlled
by tuning the interacting strength. With the help of perturbation theory for
solitons, we also demonstrate that the group velocity of these polariton
solitons is suppressed by the diffusion process
Non-Equilibrium Magnetization in a Ballistic Quantum Dot
We show that Aharonov-Bohm (AB) oscillations in the magnetic moment of an
integrable ballistic quantum dot can be destroyed by a time dependent magnetic
flux. The effect is due to a nonequilibrium population of perfectly coherent
electronic states. For real ballistic systems the equilibrization process,
which involves a special type of inelastic electron backscattering, can be so
ineffective, that AB oscillations are suppressed when the flux varies with
frequency 10-10 s. The effect can be used to
measure relaxation times for inelastic backscattering.Comment: 11 pages LaTeX v3.14 with RevTeX v3.0, 3 post script figures
available on request, APR 93-X2
Impact of free on-site vaccine and/or healthcare workers training on hepatitis B vaccination acceptability in high-risk subjects: a pre-post cluster randomized study
AbstractDespite recommendations for adults at high-risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, HBV vaccine uptake remains low in this population. A pre-post randomized cluster study was conducted to evaluate the impact of on-site free HBV vaccine availability and/or healthcare worker training on HBV vaccination acceptability in high-risk adults consulting in 12 free and anonymous HIV and hepatitis B/C testing centres (FATC). The FATC were randomly allocated into three groups receiving a different intervention: training on HBV epidemiology, risk factors and vaccination (Group A), free vaccination in the FATC (Group B), both interventions (Group C). The main outcomes were the increase in HBV vaccination acceptability (receipt of at least one dose of vaccine) and vaccine coverage (receipt of at least two doses of vaccine) after intervention. Respectively, 872 and 809 HBV-seronegative adults at high-risk for HBV infection were included in the pre- and post-intervention assessments. HBV vaccination acceptability increased from 14.0% to 75.6% (p <0.001) in Group B and from 17.1% to 85.8% (p <0.001) in Group C and HBV vaccine coverage increased from 9.4% to 48.8% (p <0.001) in Group B and from 11.2% to 41.0% (p <0.001) in Group C. The association of training and free on-site vaccine availability was more effective than free on-site vaccine availability alone to increase vaccination acceptability (ratio 1.14; from 1.02 to 1.26; p 0.017). No effect of training alone was observed. These results support the policy of making HBV vaccine available in health structures attended by high-risk individuals. Updating healthcare workers’ knowledge on HBV virus and its prevention brings an additional benefit to vaccination acceptability
Galilei invariant theories. I. Constructions of indecomposable finite-dimensional representations of the homogeneous Galilei group: directly and via contractions
All indecomposable finite-dimensional representations of the homogeneous
Galilei group which when restricted to the rotation subgroup are decomposed to
spin 0, 1/2 and 1 representations are constructed and classified. These
representations are also obtained via contractions of the corresponding
representations of the Lorentz group. Finally the obtained representations are
used to derive a general Pauli anomalous interaction term and Darwin and
spin-orbit couplings of a Galilean particle interacting with an external
electric field.Comment: 23 pages, 2 table
Meissner effect in a bosonic ladder
We investigate the effect of a magnetic field on a bosonic ladder. We show
that such a system leads to the one dimensional equivalent of a vortex lattice
in a superconductor. We investigate the physical properties of the vortex
phase, such as vortex density and vortex correlation functions and show that
magnetization has plateaus for some commensurate values of the mag netic field.
The lowest plateau corresponds to a true Meissner to vortex transition at a
critical field that exists although the system has no long range
superconducting order. Implications for experimental realizations such as
Josephson junction arrays are discussed.Comment: 4 pages, 2 Encapsulated Postscript figures, RevTe
Extreme value statistics from the Real Space Renormalization Group: Brownian Motion, Bessel Processes and Continuous Time Random Walks
We use the Real Space Renormalization Group (RSRG) method to study extreme
value statistics for a variety of Brownian motions, free or constrained such as
the Brownian bridge, excursion, meander and reflected bridge, recovering some
standard results, and extending others. We apply the same method to compute the
distribution of extrema of Bessel processes. We briefly show how the continuous
time random walk (CTRW) corresponds to a non standard fixed point of the RSRG
transformation.Comment: 24 pages, 5 figure
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