Comment on "multiconfiguration Dirac-Fock energy levels and radiative rates for Br-like tungsten" by S. Aggarwal, A.K.S. Jha, and M. Mohan [Can. J. Phys. 91, 394 (2013)]

We report calculations of energy levels and oscillator strengths for transitions in W XL, undertaken with the general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package (GRASP) and flexible atomic code (FAC). Comparisons are made with existing results and the accuracy of the data is assessed. Discrepancies with the most recent results of S. Aggarwal et al. (Can. J. Phys. 91, 394 (2013)) are up to 0.4 Ryd and up to two orders of magnitude for energy levels and oscillator strengths, respectively. Discrepancies for lifetimes are even larger, up to four orders of magnitude for some levels. Our energy levels are estimated to be accurate to better than 0.5% (i.e., 0.2 Ryd), whereas results for oscillator strengths and lifetimes should be accurate to better than 20%.

Energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in He-like Fe XXV, Co XXVI, Ni XXVII, Cu XXVIII and Zn XXIX

We report calculations of energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation cross sections and rates for transitions in He-like Fe XXV, Co XXVI, Ni XXVII, Cu XXVIII and Zn XXIX. The grasp (general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package) is adopted for calculating energy levels and radiative rates. For determining the collision strengths and subsequently the excitation rates, the Dirac atomic R-matrix code (darc) is used. Oscillator strengths, radiative rates and line strengths are reported for all E1, E2, M1 and M2 transitions among the lowest 49 levels of each ion. Additionally, theoretical lifetimes are listed for all 49 levels of the above five ions. Collision strengths are averaged over a Maxwellian velocity distribution and the effective collision strengths obtained listed over a wide temperature range up to 10 ^7.7 K. Comparisons are made with similar data obtained using the flexible atomic code (fac) to highlight the importance of resonances, included in calculations with darc, in the determination of effective collision strengths. Discrepancies between the collision strengths from darc and fac, for some transitions, are also discussed. Finally, discrepancies between the present results of effective collision strengths with the darc code and earlier semi-relativistic R-matrix data are noted over a wide range of electron temperatures for many transitions in all ions. 

Energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in He-like Ga XXX, Ge XXXI, As XXXII, Se XXXIII and Br XXXIV

We report calculations of energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation cross sections and rates for transitions in He-like Ga XXX, Ge XXXI, As XXXII, Se XXXIII and Br XXXIV. The grasp (general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package) is adopted for calculating energy levels and radiative rates. For determining the collision strengths, and subsequently the excitation rates, the Dirac atomic R-matrix code (darc) is used. Oscillator strengths, radiative rates and line strengths are reported for all E1, E2, M1 and M2 transitions among the lowest 49 levels of each ion. Additionally, theoretical lifetimes are provided for all 49 levels of the above five ions. Collision strengths are averaged over a Maxwellian velocity distribution and the effective collision strengths obtained listed over a wide temperature range up to 10⁸ K. Comparisons are made with similar data obtained using the flexible atomic code (fac) to highlight the importance of resonances, included in calculations with darc, in the determination of effective collision strengths. Discrepancies between the collision strengths from darc and fac, particularly for some forbidden transitions, are also discussed. Finally, discrepancies between the present results for effective collision strengths with the darc code and earlier semi-relativistic R-matrix data are noted over a wide range of electron temperatures for many transitions in all ions. © 2013 The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

Energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in He-like Kr XXXV

We report calculations of energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation cross sections and rates for transitions in He-like Kr XXXV. The grasp (general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package) is adopted for calculating energy levels and radiative rates. For determining the collision strengths and subsequently the excitation rates, the Dirac Atomic R-matrix Code (darc) is used. Oscillator strengths, radiative rates and line strengths are reported for all E1, E2, M1 and M2 transitions among the lowest 49 levels. Additionally, theoretical lifetimes are listed for all 49 levels. Collision strengths are averaged over a Maxwellian velocity distribution and the effective collision strengths obtained listed over a wide temperature range up to 10 ^8.1K. Comparisons are made with similar data obtained with the Flexible Atomic Code (fac) to assess the accuracy of the results and to highlight the importance of resonances, included in calculations with darc, in the determination of effective collision strengths. Differences between the collision strengths from darc and fac, particularly for forbidden transitions, are also discussed. Finally, discrepancies between the present results of effective collision strengths from the darc code and earlier semi-relativistic R-matrix data are noted over a wide range of electron temperatures for many transitions of KrXXXV. 

Energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in He-like Ti XXI, v XXII, Cr XXIII and Mn XXIV

We report calculations of energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation cross sections and rates for transitions in He-like Ti XXI, V XXII, Cr XXIII and Mn XXIV. grasp (general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package) is adopted for calculating energy levels and radiative rates. For determining the collision strengths and subsequently the excitation rates, the Dirac atomic R-matrix code (darc) is used. Oscillator strengths, radiative rates and line strengths are reported for all E1, E2, M1 and M2 transitions among the lowest 49 levels of each ion. Additionally, theoretical lifetimes are listed for all the 49 levels of the above four ions. Collision strengths are averaged over a Maxwellian velocity distribution and the effective collision strengths obtained listed over a wide temperature range up to 10 ^7.5K. Comparisons are made with similar data obtained using the flexible atomic code (fac) to highlight the importance of resonances, included in calculations with darc, in the determination of effective collision strengths. Discrepancies between the collision strengths from darc and fac, in particular for forbidden transitions, are also discussed. Finally, discrepancies between the present results for effective collision strengths with the darc code and earlier semi-relativistic R-matrix data are noted over a wide range of electron temperatures for many transitions in all ions. 

Energy levels, radiative rates, and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in Li-like ions with 12≤Z≤20

We report calculations of energy levels, radiative rates, and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in Li-like ions with 12≤Z≤20. The grasp (general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package) is adopted for calculating energy levels and radiative rates, while for determining the collision strengths and subsequently the excitation rates, the Dirac atomic R-matrix code is used. Oscillator strengths, radiative rates, and line strengths are reported for all E1, E2, M1, and M2 transitions among the lowest 24 levels of the Li-like ions considered. Collision strengths have been averaged over a Maxwellian velocity distribution, and the effective collision strengths obtained are reported over a wide temperature range up to 10^7.4 K. Additionally, lifetimes are also listed for all calculated levels of the ions. Finally, extensive comparisons are made with results available in the literature, as well as with our parallel calculations for all parameters with the Flexible Atomic Code, in order to assess the accuracy of the reported results. 

Energy levels, radiative rates and electron impact excitation rates for transitions in C III

We report energy levels, radiative rates (A-values) and lifetimes for the astrophysically important Be-like ion C III. For the calculations, 166 levels belonging to the n ≤ 5 configurations are considered and the GRASP (General-purpose Relativistic Atomic Structure Package) is adopted. Einstein A-coefficients are provided for all E1, E2, M1 and M2 transitions, while lifetimes are compared with available measurements as well as theoretical results, and no large discrepancies noted. Our energy levels are assessed to be accurate to better than 1 per cent for a majority of levels, and A-values to better than 20 per cent for most transitions. Collision strengths are also calculated, for which the Dirac Atomic R-matrix Code (DARC) is used. A wide energy range, up to 21 Ryd, is considered and resonances resolved in a fine energy mesh in the thresholds region. The collision strengths are subsequently averaged over a Maxwellian velocity distribution to determine effective collision strengths up to a temperature of 8.0 ×10[5]K, sufficient for most astrophysical applications. Our data are compared with the recent R-matrix calculations of Fernández-Menchero et al., and significant differences (up to over an order of magnitude) are noted for several transitions over the complete temperature range of the results.

Tele-Supervised FES-Assisted Exercise for Hemiplegic Upper Limb

Stroke survivors often have upper limb (UL) hemiparesis, limiting their ability to perform activities of daily life (ADLs). Intensive, task-oriented exercise therapy (ET) can improve UL function, but motivation to perform sufficient ET is difficult to maintain. Here we report on a trial in which a workstation was deployed in the homes of chronic stroke survivors to enable tele-coaching of ET in the guise of computer games. Participants performed 6 weeks of 1 hour/day, 5 days/week ET. Hand opening and grasp were assisted with functional electrical stimulation (FES). The primary outcome measure was the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT). Secondary outcome measures included a quantitative test of UL function performed on the workstation, grasp force measurements and transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Improvements were seen in the functional tests, but surprisingly, not in the TMS responses. An important finding was that participants commencing with intermediate functional scores improved the most.

CONCLUSIONS: 1) Daily, tele-supervised FES-ET in chronic stroke survivors is feasible with commercially-available technology. 2) The intervention can significantly improve UL function, particularly in people who start with an intermediate level of function. 3) Significant improvements in UL function can occur in the absence of changes in TMS responses.

Strange, But True? Object-oriented Programming Is Best Taught, And Learnt, While Sitting On The Floor.

There is a perception amongst some of those learning computer programming that the principles of object-oriented programming (where behaviour is often encapsulated across multiple class files) can be difficult to grasp, especially when taught through a traditional, didactic ‘talk-and-chalk’ method or in a lecture-based environment.
We propose a non-traditional teaching method, developed for a government funded teaching training project delivered by Queen’s University, we call it bigCode. In this scenario, learners are provided with many printed, poster-sized fragments of code (in this case either Java or C#). The learners sit on the floor in groups and assemble these fragments into the many classes which make-up an object-oriented program.
Early trials indicate that bigCode is an effective method for teaching object-orientation. The requirement to physically organise the code fragments imitates closely the thought processes of a good software developer when developing object-oriented code.
Furthermore, in addition to teaching the principles involved in object-orientation, bigCode is also an extremely useful technique for teaching learners the organisation and structure of individual classes in Java or C# (as well as the organisation of procedural code). The mechanics of organising fragments of code into complete, correct computer programs give the users first-hand practice of this important skill, and as a result they subsequently find it much easier to develop well-structured code on a computer.
Yet, open questions remain. Is bigCode successful only because we have unknowingly predominantly targeted kinesthetic learners? Is bigCode also an effective teaching approach for other forms of learners, such as visual learners? How scalable is bigCode: in its current form can it be used with large class sizes, or outside the classroom?

Equipping young people to engage with media driven science experiences: beyond science knowledge to science literacy and discerning consumers of news.

This paper reports on a study of a curricular intervention for pupils (age 10-13 years) in the UK aimed at supporting critical engagement with science based media reports. In particular the study focused on core elements of knowledge, skills and attitudes identified in previous studies that characterize critical consumers of science presented as news. This was an empirical study based on classroom observation. Data included responses from individual pupils, in addition video recording of group activity and intentional conversations between pupils and teachers were scrutinised. Analysis focused on core tasks relating to different elements of critical reading. Pupils demonstrated a grasp of questioning and evaluating text, however the capacity to translate this experience in support of a critical response to a media report with a science component is limited in assessing the credibility of text and as an element in critical reading.

Streaming Italian horror cinema in the UK: Lovefilm Instant.

This article investigates the distribution of Italian horror cinema in the age of video streaming, analyzing its presence and categorization on the platform Lovefilm Instant UK, in order to investigate the importance of ‘niche’ in what is known as the long tail of online distribution and the online availability of exploitation films. I argue that looking at the streaming presence of Italian horror and comparing it to its prior distribution on home video formats (in particular VHS and DVD) we can grasp how distribution and access have shaped the understanding of the genre. In particular, I address the question of the categorization of the films made by the S-VOD services and the limits of streaming distribution, such as lack of persistency in availability and the need of enhanced curatorship.

Energy levels and radiative rates for transitions in Cr-like Co IV and Ni V

We report calculations of energy levels and radiative rates (A-values) for transitions in Cr-like Co IV and Ni V. The quasi-relativistic Hartree-Fock (QRHF) code is adopted for calculating the data although grasp (general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package) and flexible atomic code (fac) have also been employed for comparison purposes. No radiative rates are available in the literature to compare with our results, but our calculated energies are in close agreement with those compiled by NIST for a majority of the levels. However, there are discrepancies for a few levels of up to 3%. The A-values are listed for all significantly contributing E1, E2 and M1 transitions, and the corresponding lifetimes reported, although unfortunately no previous theoretical or experimental results exist to compare with our data.

Radiative rates for E1, E2, M1, and M2 transitions in S-like to F-like tungsten ions (W LIX to W LXVI)

Calculations of energy levels, radiative rates and lifetimes are reported for eight ions of tungsten, i.e. S-like (W LIX) to F-like (W LXVI). A large number of levels have been considered for each ion and extensive configuration interaction has been included among a range of configurations. For the calculations, the general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package (. grasp) has been adopted, and radiative rates (as well as oscillator strengths and line strengths) are listed for all E1, E2, M1, and M2 transitions of the ions. Comparisons have been made with earlier available experimental and theoretical energies, although these are limited to only a few levels for most ions. Therefore for additional accuracy assessments, particularly for energy levels, analogous calculations have been performed with the flexible atomic code (. fac).

Radiative rates for E1, E2, M1, and M2 transitions in Br-like ions with 43≤Z≤50

Energies and lifetimes are reported for the eight Br-like ions with 43≤Z≤50, namely Tc IX, Ru X, Rh XI, Pd XII, Ag XIII, Cd XIV, In XV, and Sn XVI. Results are listed for the lowest 375 levels, which mostly belong to the 4s²4p⁵, 4s²4p⁴4ℓ, 4s4p⁶,4s²4p⁴5ℓ, 4s²4p³4d², 4s4p⁵4ℓ, and 4s4p⁵5ℓ configurations. Extensive configuration interaction among 39 configurations (generating 3990 levels) has been considered and the general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package (grasp) has been adopted for the calculations. Radiative rates are listed for all E1, E2, M1, and M2 transitions involving the lowest 375 levels. Previous experimental and theoretical energies are available for only a few levels of three, namely Ru X, Rh XI and Pd XII. Differences with the measured energies are up to 4% but the present results are an improvement (by up to 0.3 Ryd) in comparison to other recently reported theoretical data. Similarly for radiative rates and lifetimes, prior results are limited to those involving only 31 levels of the 4s²4p⁵, 4s²4p⁴4d, and 4s4p⁶ configurations for the last four ions. Moreover, there are generally no discrepancies with our results, although the larger calculations reported here differ by up to two orders of magnitude for a few transitions.

Radiative rates for E1, E2, M1, and M2 transitions in F-like ions with 37≤Z≤53

Calculations of energy levels, radiative rates and lifetimes are reported for 17 F-like ions with 37≤Z≤53. For brevity, results are only presented among the lowest 113 levels of the 2s²2p⁵, 2s2p⁶, 2s²2p⁴3ℓ, 2s2p⁵3ℓ, and 2p⁶3ℓ configurations, although the calculations have been performed for up to 501 levels in each ion. The general-purpose relativistic atomic structure package (grasp) has been adopted for the calculations, and radiative rates (along with oscillator strengths and line strengths) are listed for all E1, E2, M1, and M2 transitions of the ions. Comparisons are made with earlier available experimental and theoretical energies, although these are limited to only a few levels for most ions. Therefore for additional accuracy assessments, particularly for energy levels, analogous calculations have been performed with the Flexible Atomic Code (fac), for up to 72 259 levels. Limited previous results are available for radiative rates for comparison purposes, and no large discrepancy is observed for any transition and/or ion.