A Model General Education Science Course Involving Humanities and Sciences, Education, and Medical School Collaboration

This article described an innovative general education biology course for non-science majors, BIOL 102-Science of Heredity (SOH), stressing active student learning and collaboration [1]. The course has three components. The lecture is taught by J. P. Chinnici and several undergraduate teacher apprentices ; students receive a classnotes packet, take in-class quizzes, and interact to work on genetic worksheets; incentives include reviewing books, visiting a science museum, and finding albino squirrels. Recitations are taught by graduate students in the Department of Human Genetics; student activities include preparing a family pedigree, writing a term paper, reporting orally and in writing on several media articles they find, and class debates on topics of societal importance. Laboratory exercises include working with flightless fruit flies to determine the mode of inheritance of a mutant trait, isolating and analyzing DNA using gel electrophoresis, and a forensics exercise using genetic clues to identify a suspect. Results of the Virginia Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (VCEPT) assessment of the course are given and briefly discussed

Integration of Technology in Math and Science Education – A Model for Teaching Elementary and Middle School Pre-Service Teachers

This paper describes the development and implementation of a course, Integration of Technology in Math and Science Education, to introduce elementary and middle school pre-service teachers to real technology skills that they can use in their future classrooms. Activities allowed the students to learn technology skills while using the Internet to enrich their content skills and share information with their fellow students. The course was designed to allow students to master a variety of technology skills, and see how these skills can be used appropriately in their future classrooms, while also increasing their comfort level to use the technology and reduce their resistance and anxiety to use it later in their real-time classrooms. During the class hands-on activities, the students became fluent at using the Internet for enrichment and communication, and at developing strategies for using their new skills to present SOL-relevant lesson plans. Students enter this course with very little in the way of educational technology skills, but leave with a teaching toolbox filled with new skills

Attitudes in Physics Education: An Alternative Approach to Teaching Physics to Non-Science College Students

In this article, we present an alternative way of teaching conceptual physics for non-science majors by depicting the role of physics in today\u27s technology. The goal of this approach is to increase in the minds of non-science students the acceptance of physics as a useful component in general education, and as a major tool in comprehending the present-day technological world experienced by students outside the classroom

A Theoretical Review of Rotating Detonation Engines

Rotating detonation engines are a novel device for generating thrust from combustion, in a highly efficient, yet mechanically simple form. This chapter presents a detailed literature review of rotating detonation engines. Particular focus is placed on the theoretical aspects and the fundamental operating principles of these engines. The review covers both experimental and computational studies, in order to identify gaps in current understanding. This will allow the identification of future work that is required to further develop rotating detonation engines

Downstream evolution of n-heptane/toluene flames in hot and vitiated coflows

The scenario of fuel injected into hot surrounds is found in a range of practical combustion applica- tions. These flame conditions have been emulated using a jet-in-hot-coflow-burner using prevaporised n -heptane and mixtures of n -heptane and toluene, relevant to gasoline and diesel fuel surrogates. This paper reports measurements of six lifted, turbulent flames, with a constant jet flow of a prevaporised fuel/N 2 mixture at 380 K into various hot and vitiated coflow conditions. Five of these flames issued into coflows generated by the combustion of different mixtures of ethylene/air and one had a coflow from a natural gas/air flame. Two n -heptane/toluene fuel blends were also measured to study the effect of soot propensity. Gas sampling, non-linear excitation regime two-line atomic fluorescence (NTLAF) and laser- induced incandescence (LII) were used to characterise the flames, investigate the mixing between the hot coflow and the surrounding air, and measure the flame temperature for the different coflow config- urations. A comparison of results of the flames issuing into hot coflows is presented, indicating that the hottest flame is not associated with the coflow containing the highest concentration of O 2 , but with the minimum soot loading and, consequently, the minimum radiative heat loss. Subsequent numerical simu- lations of canonical opposed-flow flames demonstrate that the soot loading in the downstream region of the flames is strongly dependent on PAH formation in the hot coflow region and further analyses reveal the chemical pathways which are most impacted by small variations in hot coflow composition.Michael J. Evans, Paul R. Medwell, Zhiwei Sun, Alfonso Chinnici, Jingjing Ye, Qing N. Chan, Bassam B. Dall

DC Energy Data Measurement and Analysis for Productivity and Waste Energy Assessment

The study and analysis of energy efficiency in Data Centers (DCs), through a set of globally accepted metrics, is an ongoing challenge. In particular, the area of productivity metrics is not completely explored, and there is no existing proposed metrics, which provides a direct measurement of the useful work in a DC. This paper proposes a methodology that addresses the problem of measurement, calculating, and evaluating the energy productivity assessment in Data Center (DC), which encompasses both the portion of energy employed for computing and energy wasted during computational work. It involves the estimation of productive energy consumption by a DC cluster based on the following: statistical data collection and interpretation, software for energy data analysis, and mathematical formulation. This current work is based on available data extracted through experiments conducted on the cluster “CRESCO4” from ENEA Data Center facilities. The dataset covers the power and job schedule characteristics running on the cluster for one year. This paper shows how to advance beyond state of the art for productivity metrics (e.g. useful work). It will also help enhance server performance and power management since the appropriate statistical data analysis provides a profile on server energy consumption behavior. Additionally, we make recommendations on how the productivity assessment could driver a new power efficiency management strategy, which is specifically targeted at DC manager and/or operators, and end-users of the facilities

Knockout of 5-Lipoxygenase Results in Age-Dependent Anxiety-Like Behavior in Female Mice

The enzyme 5-lipoxygenase (5LO) has been implicated in a variety of neurological and psychiatric disorders including anxiety. Knockout of 5LO has previously been shown to alter anxiety-like behavior in mice at a young age but the effect of 5LO knockout on older animals has not been characterized.Here we used the elevated plus maze behavioral paradigm to measure anxiety-like behavior in female mice lacking 5LO (5LO-KO) at three different ages. Adolescent 5LO-KO animals did not significantly differ from wild-type (WT) animals in anxiety-like behavior. However, adult and older mice exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior compared to WT controls.These results indicate that 5LO plays a role in the development of the anxiety-like phenotype in an age-dependent manner in female mice. Future work should further investigate this interaction as 5LO may prove to be an important molecular target for the development of novel anxiolytic therapies

Lipoxygenases and Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase in Amyloid Beta Cytotoxicity

The 12/15-lipoxygenase(s) (LOX), poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP-1) activity and mitochondrial apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) protein in the amyloid β (Aβ) toxicity were investigated in PC12 cells that express either wild-type (APPwt) or double Swedish mutation (APPsw) forms of human Aβ precursor protein. Different levels of Aβ secretion and free radicals formation characterize these cells. The results demonstrated a relationship between the Aβ levels and LOX protein expression and activity. High Aβ concentration in APPsw cells correlated with a significant increase in free radicals and LOX activation, which leads to translocation of p65/NF-κB into the nucleus. An increase in AIF expression in mitochondria was observed concurrently with inhibition of PARP-1 activity in the nuclear fraction of APPsw cells. We suggested that AIF accumulation in mitochondria may be involved in adaptive/protective processes. However, inhibition of PARP-1 may be responsible for the disturbances in transcription and DNA repair as well as the degeneration of APP cells. Under conditions of increased nitrosative stress, evoked by the nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 0.5 mM), 70–80% of all cells types died after 24 h, significantly more in APPsw cells. There was no further significant change in mitochondrial AIF level and PARP-1 activity compared to corresponding non-treated cells. Only one exception was observed in PC12 control, where SNP significantly inhibits PARP-1 activity. Moreover, SNP significantly activated gene expression for 12/15-LOX in all types of investigated cells. Inhibitors of all LOX isoforms and specific inhibitor of 12-LOX enhanced the survival of cells that were subjected to SNP. We conclude that the LOX pathways may play a role in Aβ toxicity and in nitrosative-stress-induced cell death and that inhibition of these pathways offers novel protective strategies