Facilitating Classroom Economics Experiments with an Emerging Technology: The Case of Clickers

The authors discuss how they used the audience response system (ARS) to facilitate pit market trading in an applied microeconomics class and report the efficacy of the approach. Using the ARS to facilitate active learning by engaging students in economics experiments has pedagogical advantages over both the labor-intensive approach of pencil-and-paper and the capital-intensive route of relying on networked or on-line computer labs which oftentimes preclude or restrict face-to-face student interactions. Thus, the new method of conducting experiments represents an added advantage on top of such conventional functions as taking attendance and administering quizzes of this increasingly popular classroom technology.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Facilitating Classroom Economics Experiments with an Emerging Technology: The Case of Clickers

The audience response system (ARS) has increasingly been used to engage students by eliciting and analyzing responses to questions posed by instructors. The authors discuss how they used the system to facilitate pit market trading in a microeconomics class, report the efficacy of the approach and provide suggestions extending the use of ARS to other experiments. Using the ARS to facilitate active learning by engaging students in economics experiments has pedagogical advantages over both the labor-intensive approach of pencil-and-paper and the capital-intensive route of relying on networked or on-line computer labs which oftentimes preclude or restrict face-to-face student interactions. Thus, the new method represents an added advantage on top of such conventional functions as taking attendance and administering quizzes of this increasingly popular classroom technology.Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession,

Microarray study of gene expression in uterine leiomyoma

Uterine leiomyoma is a most common benign neoplasm in women of reproductive age. It arises from the myometrial compartment of the uterus and may transform in some cases to a malignant phenotype. Aim: To identify the genes involved in pathogenesis of uterine leiomyoma. Methods: We have studied differential gene expression in matched tissue samples of leiomyoma and normal myometrium from the very same people utilizing a cDNA microarray screening method. We also compared our results with previously published microarray data to identify the overlapping gene alterations. Results: Based on this comparison we can divide genes deregulated in our study into two groups. The first group comprises genes that to our knowledge have not been previously reported as deregulated in fibroids: CLDN1, FGF7 (KGF), HNRPM, ISOC1, MAGEC1 (CT7), MAPK12, RFC, TIE1, TNFRSF21 (DR6). The second group consists of genes identified also in previous studies: CCND1 (BCL1), CDKN1A (P21), CRABP2, FN1 and SOX4 (EVI16). In our study FN1 was the most up-regulated gene, occupying the place between the myometrium and fibroids ranging from 2.07 to 3.64, depending of the probe molecule used for detection. Conclusions: Newly identified genes may be regarded as potential diagnostic or prognostic markers of uterine leiomyoma and thus may be very useful as new therapeutic candidates.Лейомиома матки является одним из наиболее распространенных доброкачественных новообразований женской репродуктивной сферы. В некоторых случаях отмечают злокачественную трансформацию данного новообразования. Цель: идентификация генов, вовлеченных в патогенез лейомиомы. Методы: проведен анализ дифференциальной экспрессии генов в образцах лейомиомы и нормального миометрия одних и тех же пациентов методом ДНК-биочип-гибридизации и проведено сравнение полученных результатов с данными, опубликованными ранее. Результаты: выявлены различия в экспрессии ряда генов, которые можно разделить на две группы. Впервые выявлена повышенная экспрессия генов CLDN1, FGF7 (KGF), HNRPM, ISOC1, MAGEC1 (CT7), MAPK12, RFC, TIE1 и TNFRSF21 (DR6) в ткани лейомиомы по сравнению с нормальным миометрием. Ко второй группе можно отнести гены CCND1 (BCL1), CDKN1A (P21), CRABP2, FN1 и SOX4 (EVI16), уже упоминавшиеся в связи с патогенезом лейомиомы в ряде предыдущих исследований. Наибольшим изменением уровня экспрессии (в 2,07–3,64 раз в зависимости от зонда) характеризовался ген фибронектина FN1. Выводы: идентифицированные гены могут рассматриваться в качестве потенциальных диагностических и прогностических маркеров лейомиомы матки

Challenges for Optimization of Reverse Shoulder Arthroplasty Part I: External Rotation, Extension and Internal Rotation.

A detailed overview of the basic science and clinical literature reporting on the challenges for the optimization of reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is presented in two review articles. Part I looks at (I) external rotation and extension, (II) internal rotation and the analysis and discussion of the interplay of different factors influencing these challenges. In part II, we focus on (III) the conservation of sufficient subacromial and coracohumeral space, (IV) scapular posture and (V) moment arms and muscle tensioning. There is a need to define the criteria and algorithms for planning and execution of optimized, balanced RSA to improve the range of motion, function and longevity whilst minimizing complications. For an optimized RSA with the highest function, it is important not to overlook any of these challenges. This summary may be used as an aide memoire for RSA planning

Interplay of Soft and Hard Interactions in Nuclear Shadowing at High Q2Q^2 and Low x

Nuclear shadowing corrections are dominated by soft interaction and grow as function of $1/x$ more slowly than the single scattering term, which has an essential contribution from hard interaction. Therefore, we predict vanishing nuclear shadowing at very low $x$ provided that $Q^2$ is high and fixed. At the same time, at medium and low $Q^2$, nuclear shadowing grows with $1/x$ as is well known for soft hadronic interactions.Comment: Latex file, 8 pages including 4 Postscript figures. To appear in the Proceedings of the Workshop on Future Physics at HERA, DESY, September 25, 1995 -- May 31, 199

Dynamical surface structures in multi-particle-correlated surface growths

We investigate the scaling properties of the interface fluctuation width for the $Q$-mer and $Q$-particle-correlated deposition-evaporation models. These models are constrained with a global conservation law that the particle number at each height is conserved modulo $Q$. In equilibrium, the stationary roughness is anomalous but universal with roughness exponent $\alpha=1/3$, while the early time evolution shows nonuniversal behavior with growth exponent $\beta$ varying with models and $Q$. Nonequilibrium surfaces display diverse growing/stationary behavior. The $Q$-mer model shows a faceted structure, while the $Q$-particle-correlated model a macroscopically grooved structure.Comment: 16 pages, 10 figures, revte

Filtering out the cosmological constant in the Palatini formalism of modified gravity

According to theoretical physics the cosmological constant (CC) is expected to be much larger in magnitude than other energy densities in the universe, which is in stark contrast to the observed Big Bang evolution. We address this old CC problem not by introducing an extremely fine-tuned counterterm, but in the context of modified gravity in the Palatini formalism. In our model the large CC term is filtered out, and it does not prevent a standard cosmological evolution. We discuss the filter effect in the epochs of radiation and matter domination as well as in the asymptotic de Sitter future. The final expansion rate can be much lower than inferred from the large CC without using a fine-tuned counterterm. Finally, we show that the CC filter works also in the Kottler (Schwarzschild-de Sitter) metric describing a black hole environment with a CC compatible to the future de Sitter cosmos.Comment: 22 pages, 1 figure, discussion extended, references added, accepted by Gen.Rel.Gra

Nonmesonic weak decay spectra of Λ4^4_\LambdaHe

To comprehend the recent Brookhaven National Laboratory experiment E788 on $^4_\Lambda$He, we have outlined a simple theoretical framework, based on the independent-particle shell model, for the one-nucleon-induced nonmesonic weak decay spectra. Basically, the shapes of all the spectra are tailored by the kinematics of the corresponding phase space, depending very weakly on the dynamics, which is gauged here by the one-meson-exchange-potential. In spite of the straightforwardness of the approach a good agreement with data is acheived. This might be an indication that the final-state-interactions and the two-nucleon induced processes are not very important in the decay of this hypernucleus. We have also found that the $\pi+K$ exchange potential with soft vertex-form-factor cutoffs $(\Lambda_\pi \approx 0.7$ GeV, $\Lambda_K \approx 0.9$ GeV), is able to account simultaneously for the available experimental data related to $\Gamma_p$ and $\Gamma_n$ for $^4_\Lambda$H, $^4_\Lambda$He, and $^5_\Lambda$He.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, submitted for publication; v2: major revision, 18 pages, one author added, table, figures and bibliography change

Decay of Classical Chaotic Systems - the Case of the Bunimovich Stadium

The escape of an ensemble of particles from the Bunimovich stadium via a small hole has been studied numerically. The decay probability starts out exponentially but has an algebraic tail. The weight of the algebraic decay tends to zero for vanishing hole size. This behaviour is explained by the slow transport of the particles close to the marginally stable bouncing ball orbits. It is contrasted with the decay function of the corresponding quantum system.Comment: 16 pages, RevTex, 3 figures are available upon request from [email protected], to be published in Phys.Rev.