2,414 research outputs found
Educational aspirations in inner city schools
The research aimed to assess the nature and level of pupilsâ educational aspirations and to elucidate the factors that influence these aspirations. A sample of five inner city comprehensive secondary schools were selected by their Local Authority because of poor pupil attendance, below average examination results and low rates of continuing in full-time education after the age of 16. Schools were all ethnically mixed and co-educational. Over 800 pupils aged 12-14 completed a questionnaire assessing pupilsâ experience of home, school and their peers. A sub-sample of 48 pupils selected by teachers to reflect ethnicity and ability levels in individual schools also participated in detailed focus group interviews. There were no significant differences in aspirations by gender or year group, but differences between ethnic groups were marked. Black African, Asian Other and Pakistani groups had significantly higher educational aspirations than the White British group, who had the lowest aspirations. The results suggest the high aspirations of Black African, Asian Other and Pakistani pupils are mediated through strong academic self-concept, positive peer support, a commitment to schooling and high educational aspirations in the home. They also suggest that low educational aspirations may have different mediating influences in different ethnic groups. The low aspirations of White British pupils seem to relate most strongly to poor academic self-concept and low educational aspirations in the home, while for Black Caribbean pupils disaffection, negative peers and low commitment to schooling appear more relevant. Interviews with pupils corroborated the above findings and further illuminated the factors students described as important in their educational aspirations. The results are discussed in relation to theories of aspiration which stress its nature as a cultural capacity
The neural correlates of subjectively perceived and passively matched loudness perception in auditory phantom perception
International audienceIntroduction: A fundamental question in phantom perception is determining whether the brain creates a network that represents the sound intensity of the auditory phantom as measured by tinnitus matching (in dB), or whether the phantom perception is actually only a representation of the subjectively perceived loudness. Methods: In tinnitus patients, tinnitus loudness was tested in two ways, by a numeric rating scale for subjectively perceived loudness and a more objective tinnitus-matching test, albeit it is still a subjective measure. Results: Passively matched tinnitus does not correlate with subjective numeric rating scale, and has no electrophysiological correlates. Subjective loudness, in a whole-brain analysis, is correlated with activity in the left anterior insula (alpha), the rostral/dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (beta), and the left parahip-pocampus (gamma). A ROI analysis finds correlations with the auditory cortex (high beta and gamma) as well. The theta band links gamma band activity in the auditory cortex and parahippocampus via thetaâgamma nesting. Conclusions: Apparently the brain generates a network that represents subjectively perceived tinnitus loudness only, which is context dependent. The subjective loudness network consists of the anterior cingulate/insula, the parahippocam-pus, and the auditory cortex. The gamma band activity in the parahippocampus and the auditory cortex is functionally linked via thetaâgamma nested lagged phase synchronization
The Initial Mass Function of Low-Mass Stars and Brown Dwarfs in Young Clusters
We have obtained images of the Trapezium Cluster (140" x 140"; 0.3 pc x 0.3
pc) with the Hubble Space Telescope Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object
Spectrometer (NICMOS). Combining these data with new ground-based K-band
spectra (R=800) and existing spectral types and photometry and the models of
D'Antona & Mazzitelli, we find that the distributions of ages of comparable
samples of stars in the Trapezium, rho Oph, and IC 348 indicate median ages of
\~0.4 Myr for the first two regions and ~1-2 Myr for the latter. The low-mass
IMFs in these sites of clustered star formation are similar over a wide range
of stellar densities and other environmental conditions. With current data, we
cannot rule out modest variations in the substellar mass functions among these
clusters. We then make the best estimate of the true form of the IMF in the
Trapezium by using the evolutionary models of Baraffe et al. and an empirically
adjusted temperature scale and compare this mass function to recent results for
the Pleiades and the field. All of these data are consistent with an IMF that
is flat or rises slowly from the substellar regime to about 0.6 Msun, and then
rolls over into a power law that continues from about 1 Msun to higher masses
with a slope similar to or somewhat larger than the Salpeter value of 1.35. For
the Trapezium, this behavior holds from our completeness limit of ~0.02 Msun
and probably, after a modest completeness correction, even from 0.01-0.02 Msun.
These data include ~50 likely brown dwarfs. We test the predictions of theories
of the IMF against various properties of the observed IMF.Comment: 34 pages, 13 figures, for color image see
http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/~kluhman/trap/colorimage.jp
"Open Innovation" and "Triple Helix" Models of Innovation: Can Synergy in Innovation Systems Be Measured?
The model of "Open Innovations" (OI) can be compared with the "Triple Helix
of University-Industry-Government Relations" (TH) as attempts to find surplus
value in bringing industrial innovation closer to public R&D. Whereas the firm
is central in the model of OI, the TH adds multi-centeredness: in addition to
firms, universities and (e.g., regional) governments can take leading roles in
innovation eco-systems. In addition to the (transversal) technology transfer at
each moment of time, one can focus on the dynamics in the feedback loops. Under
specifiable conditions, feedback loops can be turned into feedforward ones that
drive innovation eco-systems towards self-organization and the auto-catalytic
generation of new options. The generation of options can be more important than
historical realizations ("best practices") for the longer-term viability of
knowledge-based innovation systems. A system without sufficient options, for
example, is locked-in. The generation of redundancy -- the Triple Helix
indicator -- can be used as a measure of unrealized but technologically
feasible options given a historical configuration. Different coordination
mechanisms (markets, policies, knowledge) provide different perspectives on the
same information and thus generate redundancy. Increased redundancy not only
stimulates innovation in an eco-system by reducing the prevailing uncertainty;
it also enhances the synergy in and innovativeness of an innovation system.Comment: Journal of Open Innovations: Technology, Market and Complexity, 2(1)
(2016) 1-12; doi:10.1186/s40852-016-0039-
The influence of anthropogenic aerosol on multi-decadal variations of historical global climate
Analysis of single forcing runs from CMIP5 (the fifth Coupled Model Intercomparison Project) simulations shows that the mid-twentieth century temperature hiatus, and the coincident decrease in precipitation, is likely to have been influenced strongly by anthropogenic aerosol forcing. Models that include a representation of the indirect effect of aerosol better reproduce inter-decadal variability in historical global-mean near-surface temperatures, particularly the cooling in the 1950s and 1960s, compared to models with representation of the aerosol direct effect only. Models with the indirect effect also show a more pronounced decrease in precipitation during this period, which is in better agreement with observations, and greater inter-decadal variability in the inter-hemispheric temperature difference. This study demonstrates the importance of representing aerosols, and their indirect effects, in general circulation models, and suggests that inter-model diversity in aerosol burden and representation of aerosolâcloud interaction can produce substantial variation in simulations of climate variability on multi decadal timescales
Electronic structure of nuclear-spin-polarization-induced quantum dots
We study a system in which electrons in a two-dimensional electron gas are
confined by a nonhomogeneous nuclear spin polarization. The system consists of
a heterostructure that has non-zero nuclei spins. We show that in this system
electrons can be confined into a dot region through a local nuclear spin
polarization. The nuclear-spin-polarization-induced quantum dot has interesting
properties indicating that electron energy levels are time-dependent because of
the nuclear spin relaxation and diffusion processes. Electron confining
potential is a solution of diffusion equation with relaxation. Experimental
investigations of the time-dependence of electron energy levels will result in
more information about nuclear spin interactions in solids
Quantum Computation with Quantum Dots and Terahertz Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics
A quantum computer is proposed in which information is stored in the two
lowest electronic states of doped quantum dots (QDs). Many QDs are located in a
microcavity. A pair of gates controls the energy levels in each QD. A
Controlled Not (CNOT) operation involving any pair of QDs can be effected by a
sequence of gate-voltage pulses which tune the QD energy levels into resonance
with frequencies of the cavity or a laser. The duration of a CNOT operation is
estimated to be much shorter than the time for an electron to decohere by
emitting an acoustic phonon.Comment: Revtex 6 pages, 3 postscript figures, minor typos correcte
Do Children Who Move Home and School Frequently Have Poorer Educational Outcomes in Their Early Years at School? An Anonymised Cohort Study
Frequent mobility has been linked to poorer educational attainment. We investigated the association between moving
home and moving school frequently and the early childhood formal educational achievement. We carried out a cohort
analysis of 121,422 children with anonymised linked records. Our exposure measures were: 1) the number of residential
moves registered with a health care provider, and 2) number of school moves. Our outcome was the formal educational
assessment at age 6â7. Binary regression modeling was used to examine residential moves within the three time periods: 0
â ,1 year; 1 â ,4 years and 4 â ,6 years. School moves were examined from age 4 to age 6. We adjusted for demographics,
residential moves at different times, school moves and birth related variables. Children who moved home frequently were
more likely not to achieve in formal assessments compared with children not moving. Adjusted odds ratios were significant
for 3 or more moves within the time period 1 â,4 years and for any number of residential moves within the time period 4â
,6 years. There was a dose response relationship, with increased odds ratios with increased frequency of residential moves
(2 or more moves at 4â,6 years, adjusted odds ratio 1.16 (1.03, 1.29). The most marked effect was seen with frequent
school moves where 2 or more moves resulted in an adjusted odds ratio of 2.33 (1.82, 2.98). This is the first study to examine
the relationship between residential and school moves in early childhood and the effect on educational attainment.
Children experiencing frequent mobility may be disadvantaged and should be closely monitored. Additional educational
support services should be afforded to children, particularly those who frequently change school, in order to help them
achieve the expected educational standards
Spin-Rotation Symmetry Breaking in the Superconducting State of CuxBi2Se3
Spontaneous symmetry breaking is an important concept for understanding
physics ranging from the elementary particles to states of matter. For example,
the superconducting state breaks global gauge symmetry, and unconventional
superconductors can break additional symmetries. In particular, spin rotational
symmetry is expected to be broken in spin-triplet superconductors. However,
experimental evidence for such symmetry breaking has not been conclusively
obtained so far in any candidate compounds. Here, by 77Se nuclear magnetic
resonance measurements, we show that spin rotation symmetry is spontaneously
broken in the hexagonal plane of the electron-doped topological insulator
Cu0.3Bi2Se3 below the superconducting transition temperature Tc=3.4 K. Our
results not only establish spin-triplet superconductivity in this compound, but
may also serve to lay a foundation for the research of topological
superconductivity
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