999 research outputs found

    Fostering collective intelligence education

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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

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    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 ω\omega\sim 107^7-108^8 s1^{-1}. 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

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    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

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    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

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    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 Hc1H_{c1} 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

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    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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