Learning Development and Education for Sustainability: what are the links?

Learning Development (LD) is an emerging discipline developing a unique disciplinary identity. In common with many other new fields, it considers its position and relevance to other disciplines and bodies of thought, and in particular, educational development, applied linguistics and the sociology and philosophy of education. This paper considers one such area of debate: the link between Learning Development and Education for Sustainability (EfS). EfS is an area of pedagogic practice and a field of enquiry of considerable and growing importance in Higher Education (HE) and universities. Its underpinning systemic and epistemic philosophies suggest the need for integration across all facets of university activity, including LD. In this paper, we argue that there are identifiable links between LD and EfS that extend these philosophies, practices and fields of enquiry, characterised by the following: 1) commonalities surrounding the foci of their pedagogic practices, 2) shared methodologies for undertaking their practices, and 3) ways in which these methodologies are helping to situate both professions and disciplines within organisational contexts. The commonalities and possible distinctions between LD and EfS form a starting point for discussion, and raise the possibility that explicit identification of the links may encourage increased collaboration between the respective communities of practice, and the development of new ideas and innovative practice

Neutrino mass matrix with U(2) flavor symmetry and neutrino oscillations

The three neutrino mass matrices in the $SU(5)\times U(2)$ model are studied focusing on the neutrino oscillation experiments. The atmospheric neutrino anomaly could be explained by the large $\nu_{\mu} - \nu_{\tau}$ oscillation. The long baseline experiments are expected to detect signatures of the neutrino oscillation even if the atmospheric neutrino anomaly is not due to the neutrino oscillation. However, the model cannot solve the solar neutrino deficit while it could be reconciled with the LSND data.Comment: 12 pages, LaTex file, to be published in PR

Promoting Play: Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse

https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/bridging_gaps2015/1006/thumbnail.jp

Microanalytic coding versus global rating of maternal parenting behaviour

This study examined the relationship between microanalytic coding and global rating systems when coding maternal parenting behaviour in two contexts. Observational data from 55 mother-child interactions with 2-4 year old children, in either a mealtime (clinic; N=20 or control; N=20), or a playtime context (community; N=15), was coded via both microanalytic and global systems. Results from the microanalytic coding and global rating demonstrated similar results, with both scales showing adequate psychometric properties. No difference was found in the sensitivity of the two systems in the control sample, however the global method demonstrated more sensitivity in measuring behaviour in the playtime context. This finding may indicate that global ratings are more sensitive in a population with high base rates of positivity or in a playtime context. This study highlights the incongruence of different measurement methods and emphasises the importance of considering coding methodology for different types of populations

Watseka Affordable Housing

Students will design a small residential dwelling that will fit into the affordable housing development currently under consideration in Watseka.  The design will include architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical design.  Substantial completion of design documents is required

Oscillations of neutrinos and mesons in quantum field theory

This report deals with the quantum field theory of particle oscillations in vacuum. We first review the various controversies regarding quantum-mechanical derivations of the oscillation formula, as well as the different field-theoretical approaches proposed to settle them. We then clear up the contradictions between the existing field-theoretical treatments by a thorough study of the external wave packet model. In particular, we show that the latter includes stationary models as a subcase. In addition, we explicitly compute decoherence terms, which destroy interferences, in order to prove that the coherence length can be increased without bound by more accurate energy measurements. We show that decoherence originates not only in the width and in the separation of wave packets, but also in their spreading through space-time. In this review, we neither assume the relativistic limit nor the stability of oscillating particles, so that the oscillation formula derived with field-theoretical methods can be applied not only to neutrinos but also to neutral K and B mesons. Finally, we discuss oscillations of correlated particles in the same framework.Comment: v2, 124 pages, 10 figures (7 more); updated review of the literature; complete derivation of the oscillation probability at short and large distance; more details on the influence of the spreading of the amplitude on decoherence; submitted to Physics Report

Natural Neutrino Mass Matrix

Naturalness of the neutrino mass hierarchy and mixing is studied. First we select among 12 neutrino mixing patterns a few patterns, which could form the natural neutrino mass matrix. Further we show that if the Dirac neutrino mass matrix is taken as the natural one in the quark sector, then only two mixing patterns without the large mixing lead to the natural right-handed Majorana mass matrix. The rest of the chosen patterns with three degenerate mass solution lead to the unnatural right-handed Majorana mass matrix in the see-saw mechanism. Notice however, that for the chosen two natural patterns there could be a huge mass hierarchy such as ${\cal O}(10^{4\sim 6})$ in order to reproduce the inverse mass hierarchy of the light neutrinos.Comment: 31 pages, LaTex file, no figures, arguments made more clear, main conclusions unchanged, version accepted for publication in PRD Reort-no: Lund-Mph-97/14 Revise

Search for squarks and gluinos with the ATLAS detector in final states with jets and missing transverse momentum using √s=8 TeV proton-proton collision data

A search for squarks and gluinos in final states containing high-p T jets, missing transverse momentum and no electrons or muons is presented. The data were recorded in 2012 by the ATLAS experiment in s√=8 TeV proton-proton collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, with a total integrated luminosity of 20.3 fb−1. Results are interpreted in a variety of simplified and specific supersymmetry-breaking models assuming that R-parity is conserved and that the lightest neutralino is the lightest supersymmetric particle. An exclusion limit at the 95% confidence level on the mass of the gluino is set at 1330 GeV for a simplified model incorporating only a gluino and the lightest neutralino. For a simplified model involving the strong production of first- and second-generation squarks, squark masses below 850 GeV (440 GeV) are excluded for a massless lightest neutralino, assuming mass degenerate (single light-flavour) squarks. In mSUGRA/CMSSM models with tan β = 30, A 0 = −2m 0 and μ > 0, squarks and gluinos of equal mass are excluded for masses below 1700 GeV. Additional limits are set for non-universal Higgs mass models with gaugino mediation and for simplified models involving the pair production of gluinos, each decaying to a top squark and a top quark, with the top squark decaying to a charm quark and a neutralino. These limits extend the region of supersymmetric parameter space excluded by previous searches with the ATLAS detector

Aerobic Method for the Synthesis of Nearly Size-Monodisperse Bismuth Nanoparticles from a Redox Non-Innocent Precursor

Herein, we report an aerobic synthesis method to produce bismuth nanoparticles (Bi NPs) with average diameters in the range 40-80 nm using commercially available bismuth triiodide (BiI3) as starting material; the method uses only readily available chemicals and conventional laboratory equipment. Furthermore, size data from replicates of the synthesis under standard reaction conditions indicate that this method is highly reproducible in achieving Bi NP populations with low standard deviations in the mean diameters. We also investigated the mechanism of the reaction, which we determined results from the reduction of a soluble alkylammonium iodobismuthate precursor species formed in situ. Under appropriate concentration conditions of iodobismuthate anion, we demonstrate that burst nucleation of Bi NPs results from reduction of Bi3+ by the coordinated, redox non-innocent iodide ligands when a threshold temperature is exceeded. Finally, we demonstrate phase transfer and silica coating of the Bi NPs, which results in stable aqueous colloids with retention of size, morphology, and colloidal stability. The resultant, high atomic number, hydrophilic Bi NPs prepared using this synthesis method have potential for application in emerging X-ray contrast and X-ray therapeutic applications

Evidence for the Rare Decay B -> K*ll and Measurement of the B -> Kll Branching Fraction

We present evidence for the flavor-changing neutral current decay $B\to K^*\ell^+\ell^-$ and a measurement of the branching fraction for the related process $B\to K\ell^+\ell^-$, where $\ell^+\ell^-$ is either an $e^+e^-$ or $\mu^+\mu^-$ pair. These decays are highly suppressed in the Standard Model, and they are sensitive to contributions from new particles in the intermediate state. The data sample comprises $123\times 10^6$ $\Upsilon(4S)\to B\bar{B}$ decays collected with the Babar detector at the PEP-II $e^+e^-$ storage ring. Averaging over $K^{(*)}$ isospin and lepton flavor, we obtain the branching fractions ${\mathcal B}(B\to K\ell^+\ell^-)=(0.65^{+0.14}_{-0.13}\pm 0.04)\times 10^{-6}$ and ${\mathcal B}(B\to K^*\ell^+\ell^-)=(0.88^{+0.33}_{-0.29}\pm 0.10)\times 10^{-6}$, where the uncertainties are statistical and systematic, respectively. The significance of the $B\to K\ell^+\ell^-$ signal is over $8\sigma$, while for $B\to K^*\ell^+\ell^-$ it is $3.3\sigma$.Comment: 7 pages, 2 postscript figues, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let