2,312 research outputs found
Development of an Information System to Enhance Students Reading Literacy
The research study at hand aims to answer the question, whether an innovative information system can be implemented that will help to enhance reading literacy of elementary pupils.
Based on predefined reading tests this web-based system evaluates the reading literacy of pupils. It consists of two primary parts; the system that creates and evaluates such reading tests and the test platform itself.
In order to assess the system a field test was conducted. Therefore it was tested in two school classes. In the course of this study reading tests were carried out and retrieved data and results were evaluated.
Despite some minor usability problems, the system performed very well. The test system delivered good estimations of the reading capabilities of single pupils and classes. Of special interest is the system’s analysis of the created reading tests since the system is capable of evaluating reading test according to their difficult
Molecular and immunological characterization of profilin from mugwort pollen
In late summer in Europe, pollen of mugwort is one of the major sources of atopic allergens. No information about the complete molecular structure of any mugwort allergen has been published so far. Here we report the isolation and characterization of mugwort pollen cDNA clones coding for two isoforms of the panallergen profilin. Thirtysix percent of the mugwort allergic patients tested displayed IgE antibodies against natural and recombinant profilin, and no significant differences were observed in the IgEbinding properties of the isoforms. One profilin isoform was purified to homogeneity and detailed structural analysis indicated that the protein exists in solution as dimers and tetramers stabilized by sulfydryl and/or ionic interactions. Profilin monomers were detectable only after exposure of multimers to harsh denaturing conditions. Dimers and tetramers did not significantly differ in their ability to bind serum IgE from mugwort pollenallergic patients. However, oligomeric forms might have a higher allergenic potential than monomers because larger molecules would have additional epitopes for IgEmediated histamine release. Profilin isolated from mugwort pollen also formed multimers. Thus, oligomerization is not an artifact resulting from the recombinant production of the allergen. Inhibition experiments showed extensive IgE crossreactivity of recombinant mugwort profilin and profilin from various pollen and food extracts
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Compressible Fluid Flow in Two-Dimensional Channels
We study compressible fluid flow in narrow two-dimensional channels using a
novel molecular dynamics simulation method. In the simulation area, an upstream
source is maintained at constant density and temperature while a downstream
reservoir is kept at vacuum. The channel is sufficiently long in the direction
of the flow that the finite length has little effect on the properties of the
fluid in the central region. The simulated system is represented by an
efficient data structure, whose internal elements are created and manipulated
dynamically in a layered fashion. Consequently the code is highly efficient and
manifests completely linear performance in simulations of large systems. We
obtain the steady-state velocity, temperature, and density distributions in the
system. The velocity distribution across the channel is very nearly a quadratic
function of the distance from the center of the channel and reveals velocity
slip at the boundaries; the temperature distribution is only approximately a
quartic function of this distance from the center to the channel. The density
distribution across the channel is non-uniform. We attribute this
non-uniformity to the relatively high Mach number, approximately 0.5, in the
fluid flow. An equation for the density distribution based on simple
compressibility arguments is proposed; its predictions agree well with the
simulation results. Validity of the concept of local dynamic temperature and
the variation of the temperature along the channel are discussed.Comment: 16 pages (in latex) + 8 figures (in a single ps file). Submitted to
the Physical Review
Magnetization Jump in a Model for Flux Lattice Melting at Low Magnetic Fields
Using a frustrated XY model on a lattice with open boundary conditions, we
numerically study the magnetization change near a flux lattice melting
transition at low fields. In both two and three dimensions, we find that the
melting transition is followed at a higher temperature by the onset of large
dissipation associated with the zero-field XY transition. It is characterized
by the proliferation of vortex-antivortex pairs (in 2D) or vortex loops (in
3D). At the upper transition, there is a sharp increase in magnetization, in
qualitative agreement with recent local Hall probe experiments.Comment: updated figures and texts. new movies available at
http://www.physics.ohio-state.edu:80/~ryu/jj.html. Accepted for publication
in Physical Review Letter
The Effect of Large Amplitude Fluctuations in the Ginzburg-Landau Phase Transition
The lattice Ginzburg-Landau model in d=3 and d=2 is simulated, for different
values of the coherence length in units of the lattice spacing , using
a Monte Carlo method. The energy, specific heat, vortex density , helicity
modulus and mean square amplitude are measured to map the phase
diagram on the plane . When amplitude fluctuations, controlled by the
parameter , become large () a proliferation of vortex
excitations occurs changing the phase transition from continuous to first
order.Comment: 4 pages, 5 postscript (eps) figure
On the theory of diamagnetism in granular superconductors
We study a highly disordered network of superconducting granules linked by
weak Josephson junctions in magnetic field and develop a mean field theory for
this problem. The diamagnetic response to a slow {\it variations} of magnetic
field is found to be analogous to the response of a type-II superconductor with
extremely strong pinning. We calculate an effective penetration depth
and critical current and find that both and
are non-zero but are strongly suppressed by frustration.Comment: REVTEX, 12 pages, two Postscript figure
Precursors of Cytochrome Oxidase in Cytochrome-Oxidase-Deficient Cells of Neurospora crassa
Three different cell types of Neurospora crassa deficient in cytochrome oxidase were studied: the nuclear mutant cni-1, the cytoplasmic mutant mi-1 and copper-depleted wild-type cells.
* 1.
The enzyme-deficient cells have retained a functioning mitochondrial protein synthesis. It accounted for 12–16% of the total protein synthesis of the cell. However, the analysis of mitochondrial translation products by gel electrophoresis revealed that different amounts of individual membrane proteins were synthesized. Especially mutant cni-1 produced large amounts of a small molecular weight translation product, which is barely detectable in wild-type.
* 2.
Mitochondrial preparations of cytochrome-oxidase-deficient cells were examined for precursors of cytochrome oxidase. The presence of polypeptide components of cytochrome oxidase in the mitochondria was established with specific antibodies. On the other hand, no significant amounts of heme a could be extracted.
* 3.
Radioactively labelled components of cytochrome oxidase were isolated by immunoprecipitation and analysed by gel electrophoresis. All three cell types contained the enzyme components 4–7, which are translated on cytoplasmic ribosomes. The mitochondrially synthesized components 1–3 were present in mi-1 mutant and in copper-depleted wild-type cells. In contrast, components 2 and 3 were not detectable in the nuclear mutant cni-1. Both relative and absolute amounts of these polypeptides in the enzyme-deficient cells were quite different from those in wild-type cells.
* 4.
The components of cytochrome oxidase found in the enzyme-deficient cells were tightly associated with the mitochondrial membranes.
* 5.
Processes, which affect and may control the production of enzyme precursors or their assembly to a functional cytochrome oxidase are discussed
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