888 research outputs found
Exploring the attitudes, experiences and dynamics of interaction in online groups
The aim of this research was to improve understanding of the attitudes, experiences and dynamics of interaction of students working in online groups. This was achieved through a case study of postgraduate Information Studies students using the WebCT discussion board at City University in the academic year 2004-2005. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in combination including questionnaires, interviews, document analysis and discussion board analysis. The latter method involved adapting an existing content analysis framework. The findings highlight the significance of group member participation, collegiality and familiarity among group members. Students enjoyed working in online groups and found the discussion board useful, but often gave preference to other communication methods. Lecturer presence in online groups was found to be important to students, but interaction on the group discussion board was mostly student-centred. Provision of non-referential topic-related information, opinion and solidarity were the most common types of interaction
Integrability and Conformal Symmetry in the BCS model
The exactly solvable BCS Hamiltonian of superconductivity is considered from
several viewpoints: Richardson's ansatz, conformal field theory, integrable
inhomogenous vertex models and Chern-Simons theory.Comment: Latex with macros included, 12 pages, Proceedings of the NATO
Advanced Research Workshop on Statistical Field Theories, Como 18-23 June
2001. Editors: Andrea Cappelli and Giuseppe Mussardo. to be published by
Kluwer, Academic Publishers. Corrected some typos and further acknowledgment
Exploring athletes’ perceptions of coach stress in elite sport environments
The present study aimed to extend research that has focused on the identification of
stressors associated with coaching practice by systematically evaluating how such stressors effect athletes, and more broadly, the coach-athlete relationship. A total of 13 professional and national level athletes were interviewed to address the three study aims: how they detect when a coach is encountering stressors; how coach experiences of stress effects them as an athlete; and, how effective the coach is when experiencing stress. Following content analysis, the data suggested athletes were able to detect
when a coach was experiencing stress and this was typically via a variety of verbal and behavioural cues. Despite some positive effects of the coach experiencing stress, the majority were negative and varied across a range of personal influences on the athlete, and effects on the general coaching environment. It was also the broad view of the athletes that coaches were less effective when stressed, and this was reflected in performance expectations, perceptions of competence, and lack of awareness. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing theory and with reference to their implications for applied practice, future research, and development of the coach athlete relationship
Exploring athletes’ perceptions of coach stress in elite sport environments
The present study aimed to extend research that has focused on the identification of
stressors associated with coaching practice by systematically evaluating how such stressors effect athletes, and more broadly, the coach-athlete relationship. A total of 13 professional and national level athletes were interviewed to address the three study aims: how they detect when a coach is encountering stressors; how coach experiences of stress effects them as an athlete; and, how effective the coach is when experiencing stress. Following content analysis, the data suggested athletes were able to detect
when a coach was experiencing stress and this was typically via a variety of verbal and behavioural cues. Despite some positive effects of the coach experiencing stress, the majority were negative and varied across a range of personal influences on the athlete, and effects on the general coaching environment. It was also the broad view of the athletes that coaches were less effective when stressed, and this was reflected in performance expectations, perceptions of competence, and lack of awareness. The findings are discussed in relation to the existing theory and with reference to their implications for applied practice, future research, and development of the coach athlete relationship
Natural Theories of Ultra-Low Mass PNGB's: Axions and Quintessence
We consider the Wilson Line PNGB which arises in a U(1)^N gauge theory,
abstracted from a latticized, periodically compactified extra dimension U(1).
Planck scale breaking of the PNGB's global symmetry is suppressed, providing
natural candidates for the axion and quintessence. We construct an explicit
model in which the axion may be viewed as the 5th component of the U(1)_Y gauge
field in a 1+4 latticized periodically compactified extra dimension. We also
construct a quintessence PNGB model where the ultra-low mass arises from
Planck-scale suppressed physics itself.Comment: 20 pages, fixed typo and reference
On the fourth-order accurate compact ADI scheme for solving the unsteady Nonlinear Coupled Burgers' Equations
The two-dimensional unsteady coupled Burgers' equations with moderate to
severe gradients, are solved numerically using higher-order accurate finite
difference schemes; namely the fourth-order accurate compact ADI scheme, and
the fourth-order accurate Du Fort Frankel scheme. The question of numerical
stability and convergence are presented. Comparisons are made between the
present schemes in terms of accuracy and computational efficiency for solving
problems with severe internal and boundary gradients. The present study shows
that the fourth-order compact ADI scheme is stable and efficient
Prognosis research strategy (PROGRESS) 1: a framework for researching clinical outcomes.
The PROGRESS series (www.progress-partnership.org) sets out a framework of four interlinked prognosis research themes and provides examples from several disease fields to show why evidence from prognosis research is crucial to inform all points in the translation of biomedical and health related research into better patient outcomes. Recommendations are made in each of the four papers to improve current research standards What is prognosis research? Prognosis research seeks to understand and improve future outcomes in people with a given disease or health condition. However, there is increasing evidence that prognosis research standards need to be improved Why is prognosis research important? More people now live with disease and conditions that impair health than at any other time in history; prognosis research provides crucial evidence for translating findings from the laboratory to humans, and from clinical research to clinical practice This first article introduces the framework of four interlinked prognosis research themes and then focuses on the first of the themes - fundamental prognosis research, studies that aim to describe and explain future outcomes in relation to current diagnostic and treatment practices, often in relation to quality of care Fundamental prognosis research provides evidence informing healthcare and public health policy, the design and interpretation of randomised trials, and the impact of diagnostic tests on future outcome. It can inform new definitions of disease, may identify unanticipated benefits or harms of interventions, and clarify where new interventions are required to improve prognosis
Neutron EDM from Electric and Chromoelectric Dipole Moments of Quarks
Using QCD sum rules, we calculate the electric dipole moment of the neutron
d_n induced by all CP violating operators up to dimension five. We find that
the chromoelectric dipole moments of quarks \tilde d_i, including that of the
strange quark, provide significant contributions comparable in magnitude to
those induced by the quark electric dipole moments d_i. When the theta term is
removed via the Peccei-Quinn symmetry, the strange quark contribution is also
suppressed and d_n =(1\pm 0.5)[1.1e(\tilde d_d + 0.5\tilde
d_u)+1.4(d_d-0.25d_u)].Comment: 4 pages, revtex, v2: missing overall factor of two reinstate
Unitarity Bounds for Gauged Axionic Interactions and the Green-Schwarz Mechanism
We analyze the effective actions of anomalous models in which a
four-dimensional version of the Green-Schwarz mechanism is invoked for the
cancellation of the anomalies, and we compare it with those models in which
gauge invariance is restored by the presence of a Wess-Zumino term. Some issues
concerning an apparent violation of unitarity of the mechanism, which requires
Dolgov-Zakharov poles, are carefully examined, using a class of amplitudes
studied in the past by Bouchiat-Iliopoulos-Meyer (BIM), and elaborating on
previous studies. In the Wess-Zumino case we determine explicitly the unitarity
bound using a realistic model of intersecting branes (the Madrid model) by
studying the corresponding BIM amplitudes. This is shown to depend
significantly on the St\"uckelberg mass and on the coupling of the extra
anomalous gauge bosons and allows one to identify Standard-Model-like regions
(which are anomaly-free) from regions where the growth of certain amplitudes is
dominated by the anomaly, separated by an inflection point which could be
studied at the LHC. The bound can even be around 5-10 TeV's for a mass
around 1 TeV and varies sensitively with the anomalous coupling. The results
for the WZ case are quite general and apply to all the models in which an
axion-like interaction is introduced as a generalization of the Peccei-Quinn
mechanism, with a gauged axion.Comment: 50 pages, 28 figure
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