Discussion Behaviors and Quiz Performance as a Function of Points for Discussion

22 leaves. Advisor: Earle L. CanfieldThe Problem: Social and point-token reinforcement were implemented to increase student question-asking and discussion behaviors. Procedure: Three groups of university college students in small discussion classes were the participants in this study. Baseline data was collected on frequency of student discussion behaviors and on accuracy scores on both an immediate and delayed review quiz. Findings: Results demonstrate that social and point-token reinforcement were highly effective for increasing the rate of discussion behaviors. In addition, increased accuracy scores on the immediate review quiz following discussion of material to be contained in those quizzes were noted. No improvement on the delayed review quiz was observed. Conclusion: Implications are that student interaction with academic material in the form of discussion can increase academic performance. Recommendations: It would appear that efforts should be made to promote as much of this interaction as possible in the classroom

Heat flow, weighted Bergman spaces, and real analytic Lipschitz approximation

We show that, for f any uniformly continuous (UC) complex-valued function on real Euclidean n-space ℝn, the heat flow f˜(t) is Lipschitz for all t > 0 and f˜(t) converges uniformly to f as t → 0. Analogously, let Ω be any irreducible bounded symmetric (Cartan) domain in complex n-space ℂn and consider the Bergman metric β(·,·) on Ω. For f any β-uniformly continuous function Ω, we show that there is a Berezin-Harish-Chandra flow of real analytic functions Bλf which is β-Lipschitz for each λ ≥ p (p, the genus of Ω) and Bλf converges uniformly to f as λ → ∞. For a certain subspace of UC we obtain stronger approximation results and we study the asymptotic behaviour of the Lipschitz constants. © 2015 by De Gruyter

New direction for gamma-rays

The origin of energetic gamma-ray bursts is still unknown. But the detection of polarization of gamma-rays provides fresh insight into the mechanism driving these powerful explosions.Comment: Nature "News & Views", RE Coburn & Boggs (astro-ph/0305377

Completing the puzzle of the 2004-2005 outburst in V0332+53: the brightening phase included

Analysis of the data obtained with the RXTE observatory during a powerful outburst of the X-ray pulsar V0332+53 in 2004-2005 is presented. Observational data covering the outburst brightening phase are analysed in detail for the first time. A comparison of source parameters and their evolution during the brightening and fading phases shows no evidence for any hysteresis behaviour. It is found that the dependences of the energy of the cyclotron absorption line on the luminosity during the brightening and fading phases are almost identical. The complete data sequence including the outburst brightening and fading phases makes it possible to impose the more stringent constraints on the magnetic field in the source. The pulse profile and pulsed fraction are studied as functions of the luminosity and photon energy.Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Multiple Cyclotron Lines in the Spectrum of 4U 0115+63

We report phase resolved spectroscopy of the transient accreting pulsar, 4U0115+63. For the first time, more than two cylotron resonance scattering features are detected in the spectrum of an X-ray pulsar. The shape of the fundamental line appears to be complex, and this is in agreement with predictions of Monte-Carlo models. As in other pulsars, the line energies and optical depths are strong functions of pulse phase. One possible model for this is an offset of the dipole of the neutron star magnetic field.Comment: 5 pages. To appear in "Proceedings of the 5th Compton Symposium

First results from TOO observations of the Aql X-1 field with INTEGRAL

We present results of observations of the Aql X-1 field performed in March-April 2003 with the INTEGRAL observatory. This TOO (Target Of Opportunity) INTEGRAL observations was initiated upon receiving an indication from the ASM/RXTE that the source started an outburst. Thirteen X-ray sources were detected by the INTEGRAL imagers, JEM-X and IBIS, during these observations. We present a preliminary spectral and timing analysis for several bright sources in the field, Aql X-1, X1901+03, 4U1907+097, XTE J1908+094 and X1908+075. We also detected two X-ray bursts from Aql X-1 near the end of the general outburst episode.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in the A&

Longitudinal study of local authority child and family social workers (wave 1) Findings from a 5 year study of local authority child and family social workers in England.

The longitudinal study investigates recruitment, retention and career progression in local authority child and family social work over 5 years. This is the first of 5 reports. It provides workforce information for employers and policy makers. Topics covered in this report include: •entry routes into local authority child and family social work •current employment and career history •workplace wellbeing •management, supervision and working environment •job satisfaction •career progression and future career plan

Toeplitz quantization on Fock space

For Toeplitz operators $T_f^{(t)}$ acting on the weighted Fock space $H_t^2$, we consider the semi-commutator $T_f^{(t)}T_g^{(t)} - T_{fg}^{(t)}$, where $t > 0$ is a certain weight parameter that may be interpreted as Planck's constant $\hbar$ in Rieffel's deformation quantization. In particular, we are interested in the semi-classical limit \begin{equation}\tag{$*$} \lim\limits_{t \to 0} \|T_f^{(t)}T_g^{(t)} - T_{fg}^{(t)}\|_t. \end{equation} It is well-known that $\|T_f^{(t)}T_g^{(t)} - T_{fg}^{(t)}\|_t$ tends to $0$ under certain smoothness assumptions imposed on $f$ and $g$. This result was recently extended to f,g \in \textup{BUC}(\C^n) by Bauer and Coburn. We now further generalize $(*)$ to (not necessarily bounded) uniformly continuous functions and symbols in the algebra $\textup{VMO}\cap L^{\infty}$ of bounded functions having vanishing mean oscillation on $\mathbb{C}^n$. Our approach is based on the algebraic identity $T_f^{(t)}T_g^{(t)} - T_{fg}^{(t)} = -(H_{\bar{f}}^{(t)})^*H_g^{(t)}$, where $H_g^{(t)}$ denotes the Hankel operator corresponding to the symbol $g$, and norm estimates in terms of the (weighted) heat transform. As a consequence, only $f$ (or likewise only $g$) has to be contained in one of the above classes for $(*)$ to vanish. For $g$ we only have to impose $\limsup_{t \to 0} \|H_g^{(t)}\|_t < \infty$, e.g.~g \in L^{\infty}(\C^n). We prove that the set of all symbols $f\in L^{\infty} (\mathbb{C}^n)$ with the property that $\lim_{t \rightarrow 0}\|T^{(t)}_fT^{(t)}_g-T^{(t)}_{fg}\|_t= \lim_{t \rightarrow 0} \| T_g^{(t)}T_f^{(t)}-T_{gf}^{(t)}\|_t=0$ for all $g\in L^{\infty}(\mathbb{C}^n)$ coincides with $\textup{VMO}\cap L^{\infty}$. Additionally, we show that $\lim\limits_{t \to 0} \|T_f^{(t)}\|_t = \|f\|_{\infty}$ holds for all f \in L^{\infty}(\C^n). Finally, we present new examples, including bounded smooth functions, where $(*)$ does not vanish

Local Index Formula on the Equatorial Podles Sphere

We discuss spectral properties of the equatorial Podles sphere. As a preparation we also study the `degenerate' (i.e. $q=0$) case (related to the quantum disk). We consider two different spectral triples: one related to the Fock representation of the Toeplitz algebra and the isopectral one. After the identification of the smooth pre-$C^*$-algebra we compute the dimension spectrum and residues. We check the nontriviality of the (noncommutative) Chern character of the associated Fredholm modules by computing the pairing with the fundamental projector of the $C^*$-algebra (the nontrivial generator of the $K_0$-group) as well as the pairing with the $q$-analogue of the Bott projector. Finally, we show that the local index formula is trivially satisfied.Comment: 18 pages, no figures; minor correction