A Survey of University Policy Makers' Preferences and Expectations for Provincial Examinations

A survey was conducted of persons responsible for making undergraduate admission policies at Ontario universities to ascertain their preferences and expectations for provincial examinations. Fifty-eight individuals, at least two from each university, responded to a series of questions by telephone interview or questionnaire. Strong support was expressed for the reintroduction of provincial examinations for mathematics and first language (English or français) courses in the final year of the secondary school program. Most respondents rejected the use of scores on province-wide examinations for rating secondary schools and adjusting school marks. Instead, they expressed a preference for having applicants report both teacher-assigned course marks and provincial examination scores.Nous avons mené une enquête auprès des personnes responsables des règlements d'admission au premier cycle dans les universités de l'Ontario afin de connaître leurs attentes et préférences au sujet des examens provinciaux. Cinquante-huit personnes, dont au moins deux de chaque université, ont répondu à une série de questions par voie téléphonique ou par questionnaire. Les répondants ont montré une forte tendance en faveur de la ré-introduction d'examens provinciaux pour les mathématiques et la langue première (l'anglais ou le français), examens qui seraient administrés à la fin de la dernière année d'école secondaire. La plupart on rejeté l'idée de se servir des résultats de ces examens pour l'évaluation des écoles secondaires et pour le réajustement des notes scolaires. En fait, ils préféreraient que les candidats présentent les notes accordées par leurs enseignants ainsi que les résultats de leurs examens

Supersonic aircraft Patent

Design of supersonic aircraft with novel fixed, swept wing planfor

The molecular genetic analysis of the expanding pachyonychia congenita case collection

BACKGROUND: Pachyonychia congenita (PC) is a rare autosomal dominant keratinizing disorder characterized by severe, painful, palmoplantar keratoderma and nail dystrophy, often accompanied by oral leucokeratosis, cysts and follicular keratosis. It is caused by mutations in one of five keratin genes: KRT6A, KRT6B, KRT6C, KRT16 or KRT17. OBJECTIVES: To identify mutations in 84 new families with a clinical diagnosis of PC, recruited by the International Pachyonychia Congenita Research Registry during the last few years. METHODS: Genomic DNA isolated from saliva or peripheral blood leucocytes was amplified using primers specific for the PC-associated keratin genes and polymerase chain reaction products were directly sequenced. RESULTS: Mutations were identified in 84 families in the PC-associated keratin genes, comprising 46 distinct keratin mutations. Fourteen were previously unreported mutations, bringing the total number of different keratin mutations associated with PC to 105. CONCLUSIONS: By identifying mutations in KRT6A, KRT6B, KRT6C, KRT16 or KRT17, this study has confirmed, at the molecular level, the clinical diagnosis of PC in these families

ZAMJENA RIBLJEG BRAŠNA S ORGANSKIM PROTEINOM NA BAZI KVASCA U HRANI ZA PACIFIČKE BIJELE RAČIĆE (Litopenaeus vannamei): LABORATORIJSKI I PRIRODNI UVJETI

The feasibility of totally replacing the fishmeal component of marine shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) diets was examined both in the laboratory setting and during a full–scale commercial trial. Animals were fed either a traditional fishmeal–based diet or one in which complete replacement of fishmeal, on a per protein basis, was manufactured using a yeast–based product, NuPro®. Laboratory studies determined that irrespective of diet fed, no difference in shrimp performance (weight gain, survival and SGR) occurred. A field trial was thus activated to determine whether lab–scale studies were transferable to the commercial setting. Trials were conducted in earthen ponds from mid–June to early November 2005. Ponds were initially stocked with PL12–16 shrimp at a rate of 100,000 per hectare. At trial end, ponds receiving the NuPro®–based feed had equivalent growth to that of shrimp fed the traditional, fishmeal–based diet. Percent increase in weight from initial values and survival for the NuPro® ponds was 296, 269 and 275%, and 78, 76 and 85% respectively, whereas that for the fishmeal–based diet was 305% and 80% respectively. Noteworthy was that within pond size variation of L. vannamei was lower in NuPro® fed animals (±2.3 g) when compared against animals receiving the traditional feed (±4.1 g). Overall observations from the field trial indicate the importance of the »bioreactor« pond with respect to the supply of energy to sustain shrimp growth potential.Mogućnost potpune zamjene ribljega brašna u prehrani morskih račića (Litopenaeus vannamei) istraživana je u laboratorijskim i komercijalnim uvjetima. Životinje su bile hranjene uobičajenom hranom s ribljim brašnom i hranom u kojoj je riblje brašno u potpunosti zamijenjeno proteinom na bazi kvasca NuPro®. U laboratorijskim uvjetima nije zapažena razlika kod račića glede prirasta, preživljenja i dnevnoga prirasta. Pokusi u prirodnim uvjetima provedeni su da bi se rezultati dobiveni u pokusnim uvjetima mogli potvrditi u komercijalnom uzgoju. Pokus je postavljen u zemljanim ribnjacima od sredine lipnja do ranoga studenoga godine 2005. Ribnjaci su nasađeni s PL12–16 račića u gustoći od 100 000 komada/hektaru. Na kraju pokusa rast račića hranjenih objema hranama bio je jednak. Postotak povećanja te‘ine od početnih vrijednosti i preživljenje račića hranjenih s NuPro® bio je 296, 269 i 275%, odnosno 78, 76 i 85%, dok je u onih hranjenih ribljim brašnom bio 305%, odnosno 80%

K-Band Spectroscopy of an Obscured Massive Stellar Cluster in the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/4039) with NIRSPEC

We present infrared spectroscopy of the Antennae Galaxies (NGC 4038/4039) with NIRSPEC at the W. M. Keck Observatory. We imaged the star clusters in the vicinity of the southern nucleus (NGC 4039) in 0.39" seeing in K-band using NIRSPEC's slit-viewing camera. The brightest star cluster revealed in the near-IR (M_K(0) = -17.9) is insignificant optically, but coincident with the highest surface brightness peak in the mid-IR (12-18 um) ISO image presented by Mirabel et al (1998). We obtained high signal-to-noise 2.03-2.45 um spectra of the nucleus and the obscured star cluster at R = 1900. The cluster is very young (age ~ 4 Myr), massive (M ~ 16E6 M_sun), and compact (density ~ 115 M_sun pc^(-3) within a 32 pc half-light radius), assuming a Salpeter IMF (0.1-100 M_sun). Its hot stars have a radiation field characterized by T_eff ~ 39,000 K, and they ionize a compact HII region with n_e ~ 10^4 cm^(-3). The stars are deeply embedded in gas and dust (A_V = 9-10 mag), and their strong FUV field powers a clumpy photodissociation region with densities n_H > 10^5 cm^(-3) on scales of ~ 200 pc, radiating L{H_2 1-0 S(1)}= 9600 L_sun.Comment: 4 pages, 4 embedded figures, uses emulateapj.sty. To appear in ApJL. Also available at http://astro.berkeley.edu/~agilber

Analysis of direct segregated boundary-domain integral equations for variable-coefficient mixed bvps in exterior domains

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2013 World Scientific Publishing.Direct segregated systems of boundary-domain integral equations are formulated for the mixed (Dirichlet–Neumann) boundary value problems for a scalar second-order divergent elliptic partial differential equation with a variable coefficient in an exterior three-dimensional domain. The boundary-domain integral equation system equivalence to the original boundary value problems and the Fredholm properties and invertibility of the corresponding boundary-domain integral operators are analyzed in weighted Sobolev spaces suitable for infinite domains. This analysis is based on the corresponding properties of the BVPs in weighted Sobolev spaces that are proved as well.The work was supported by the grant EP/H020497/1 \Mathematical analysis of localised boundary-domain integral equations for BVPs with variable coefficients" of the EPSRC, UK