We continue our investigation of the phenomenological implications of the ''deformed'' commutation relations ͓x i ,p j ͔ϭiប͓(1ϩ␤ p 2 )␦ i j ϩ␤Јp i p j ͔. These commutation relations are motivated by the fact that they lead to the minimal length uncertainty relation which appears in perturbative string theory. In this paper, we consider the effects of the deformation on the classical orbits of particles in a central force potential. Comparison with observation places severe constraints on the value of the minimum length.

In previous studies we found that models with flavor-universal suppression of the neutrino-gauge couplings are compatible with NuTeV and Z-pole data. In this paper we expand our analysis to obtain constraints on flavor-dependent coupling suppression by including lepton universality data from W, , and K decays in fits to model parameters. We find that the data are consistent with a variety of patterns of coupling suppression. In particular, in scenarios in which the suppression arises from the mixing of light neutrinos with heavy gauge singlet states (neutrissimos), we find patterns of flavor-dependent coupling suppression which are also consistent with constraints from ! e. 1 Note that this restriction applies only to seesaw models with equal numbers of sterile and active neutrinos.

Since Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) started to become part of the scene of Higher Education (HE), many institutions have joined the race of MOOC creation. However, producing MOOCs has shown to be a cumbersome and expensive activity for HE institutions. For this reason, many universities have started to explore and experiment with hybrid initiatives in which locally produced and third-party MOOCs are reused and integrated into traditional courses. Most of the hybrid initiatives described in the literature so far focus on flipped classroom experiences, although there are some other possibilities for integrating MOOCs in the curriculum. Moreover, few studies have reported on the institutional support required for implementing hybrid initiatives, and their benefits from a curriculum perspective. In order to shed some light on the opportunities that arise from the reuse of MOOCs, this paper presents H-MOOC, a framework that describes hybrid MOOC-based initiatives as a continuum of two factors: (1) institutional support to reuse an existing MOOC, and (2) curricular content alignment between the MOOC and the program, or the course hybridized. In addition, H-MOOC proposes indicators to measure the impact of these initiatives at both educational and institutional levels. Examples of actual hybrid initiatives and a set of guiding questions are presented to show how to apply the H-MOOC framework in different contexts.

In a recent paper we pointed out that the mixing of the light neutrinos with heavy gauge singlet states could reconcile the Z-pole data from e ϩ e Ϫ colliders and the ( ) scattering data from the NuTeV experiment at Fermilab. We further noted that the mixing angle required to fit the data is much larger than what would be expected from the conventional seesaw mechanism. In this paper, we show how such mixings can be arranged by a judicious choice of the neutrino mass texture. We also argue that by invoking the unification of the Dirac mass matrix for the up-type quarks and the neutrinos, the mass of the heavy states can naturally be expected to lie in the few TeV range. The model is strongly constrained by the lepton flavor changing process →e␥ which requires lepton universality to be violated in the charged channel.

We describe three iterations of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) developed from online preparation materials for a reformed introductory physics classroom at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in which the teaching staff interact with small groups of students doing problems using an expert problem‐solving pedagogy. The MOOC contains an e‐text, simple checkpoint problems and homework. We show how certain course design aspects affect student behaviour: (a) frequent quizzes correlated with students reading a large fraction of the e‐text, and (b) When homework sets are arranged by increasing (instructor‐estimated) difficulty, we found strong correlations between difficulty and time to solution, but weak correlations with percent correct. Modifications to the second offering of the course resulted in higher retention. These modifications included targeting physics teachers and posting materials well in advance. We define retention as certificates earned relative to participants who make a significant effort on the second assignment. Retention measured this way varied between 44% and 72%, being highest in the course aimed at teachers. We show that there is significant learning among MOOC participants. Applying item response theory to common homework problems showed that the MOOC participants had significantly higher ability than students in a Massachusetts Institute of Technology course and that they maintained this advantage over the duration of the MOOC.