Review of the Supply of and Demand for Further Education in Scotland

These documents provide are an Executive Summary and Full Report of the background to, methodology for, and overall conclusions and recommendations of a review of the supply of and demand for Further Education (FE) provision in Scottish Further Education colleges in 2000. The review was commissioned by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC), and carried out between November 1999 and June 2000 by a team of researchers drawn from the Scottish Further Education Unit (SFEU), the Centre for Research in Lifelong Learning, Glasgow Caledonian University/University of Stirling, and the Applied Statistics Group, Napier University

Nonclassical Correlation of Polarization Entangled Photons in a Biexciton-Exciton Cascade

We develop a theoretical model to study the Intensity-Intensity correlation of polarization entangled photons emitted in a biexciton-exciton cascade. We calculate the degree of correlation and show how polarization correlation are affected by the presence of dephasing and energy level splitting of the excitonic states. Our theoretical calculations are in agreement with the recent observation of polarization dependent Intensity-Intensity correlations from a single semiconductor quantum dot [R. M. Stevenson et. al., Nature 439, 179 (2006)] . Our model can be extended to study polarization entangled photon emission in coupled quantum dot systems

Red Crossbill Invasion of Northwestern Arkansas during 2012-2013

An irruption of Red Crossbills (Loxia curvirostra) occurred in primarily northwestern Arkansas starting in November of 2012 and lasting to the end of May of 2013. Based on recordings of call notes, most birds around Fayetteville were Type 2, the large-billed ponderosa pine crossbill, associated with a variety of conifer species. Birds recorded in Carroll County were Type 3, the small-billed western hemlock crossbill, and they were associated with small cones on shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata). One recording was obtained in Fayetteville of Type 5, the lodgepole pine crossbill, only the third recording east of the Great Plains. Crossbills at the Fayetteville Country Club were observed eating algae (Cladophora sp.) during the months of December and January, a behavior rarely reported for passerines. During March, crossbills appeared at sunflower bird feeders, which is a relatively recent phenomenon associated with low conifer seed abundance. The first two Arkansas specimens of crossbills (probably Type 3) were obtained from birds that struck windows near feeders. This is only the third recorded irruption of crossbills in Arkansas in the last 43 years, suggesting that crossbills rarely travel this far south in search of cone crops

Influence of human pressures on large river structure and function

A large river study was conducted as part of the Cross Departmental Research Pool (CDRP) ecological integrity project to (i) provide an overview of the macroinvertebrate faunas of large rivers, including those in deep-water habitats, and (ii) to elucidate links between these faunas, river function and anthropogenic stressors. Eleven sites on 6th-order or 7th-order rivers were sampled; four in the South Island and seven in the North Island. We measured (i) macroinvertebrate communities colonising wood, riffles (where present), littoral habitats (1.5 m deep) (ii) ecosystem metabolism using a single-station open-channel approach based on natural changes in dissolved oxygen concentration over a 24-hour period, and (iii) wood and cellulose breakdown. Relationships were investigated between these response variables and reach-scale assessments of habitat quality, underlying upstream and segment environmental variables provided in the Freshwater Environments of New Zealand (FWENZ) database, and anthropogenic pressure variables provided by the Waters of National Importance (WONI) database

Role of IAC in large space systems thermal analysis

Computer analysis programs to evaluate critical coupling effects that can significantly influence spacecraft system performance are described. These coupling effects arise from the varied parameters of the spacecraft systems, environments, and forcing functions associated with disciplines such as thermal, structures, and controls. Adverse effects can be expected to significantly impact system design aspects such as structural integrity, controllability, and mission performance. One such needed design analysis capability is a software system that can integrate individual discipline computer codes into a highly user-oriented/interactive-graphics-based analysis capability. The integrated analysis capability (IAC) system can be viewed as: a core framework system which serves as an integrating base whereby users can readily add desired analysis modules and as a self-contained interdisciplinary system analysis capability having a specific set of fully integrated multidisciplinary analysis programs that deal with the coupling of thermal, structures, controls, antenna radiation performance, and instrument optical performance disciplines

Generating entanglement with low Q-factor microcavities

We propose a method of generating entanglement using single photons and electron spins in the regime of resonance scattering. The technique involves matching the spontaneous emission rate of the spin dipole transition in bulk dielectric to the modified rate of spontaneous emission of the dipole coupled to the fundamental mode of an optical microcavity. We call this regime resonance scattering where interference between the input photons and those scattered by the resonantly coupled dipole transition result in a reflectivity of zero. The contrast between this and the unit reflectivity when the cavity is empty allow us to perform a non demolition measurement of the spin and to non deterministically generate entanglement between photons and spins. The chief advantage of working in the regime of resonance scattering is that the required cavity quality factors are orders of magnitude lower than is required for strong coupling, or Purcell enhancement. This makes engineering a suitable cavity much easier particularly in materials such as diamond where etching high quality factor cavities remains a significant challenge

A comment on "Amplification of endpoint structure for new particle mass measurement at the LHC"

We present a comment on the kinematic variable $m_{CT2}$ recently proposed in "Amplification of endpoint structure for new particle mass measurement at the LHC". The variable is designed to be applied to models such as R-parity conserving Supersymmetry (SUSY) when there is pair production of new heavy particles each of which decays to a single massless visible and a massive invisible component. It was proposed in "Amplification of endpoint structure for new particle mass measurement at the LHC" that a measurement of the peak of the $m_{CT2}$ distribution could be used to precisely constrain the masses of the SUSY particles. We show that when Standard Model backgrounds are included in simulations, the sensitivity of the $m_{CT2}$ variable to the SUSY particle masses is more seriously impacted for $m_{CT2}$ than for other previously proposed variables.Comment: 5 page

Changes in the polar vortex: Effects on Antarctic total ozone observations at various stations

October mean total column ozone data from four Antarctic stations form the basis for understanding the evolution of the ozone hole since 1960. While these stations show similar emergence of the ozone hole from 1960 to 1980, the records are divergent in the last two decades. The effects of long-term changes in vortex shape and location are considered by gridding the measurements by equivalent latitude. A clear eastward shift of the mean position of the vortex in October with time is revealed, which changes the fraction of ozone measurements taken inside/outside the vortex for stations in the vortex collar region. After including only those measurements made inside the vortex, ozone behavior in the last two decades at the four stations is very similar. This suggests that dynamical influence must be considered when interpreting and intercomparing ozone measurements from Antarctic stations for detecting ozone recovery and ozone-related changes in Antarctic climate