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 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

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

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 $\xi$ in units of the lattice spacing $a$, using a Monte Carlo method. The energy, specific heat, vortex density $v$, helicity modulus $\Gamma_\mu$ and mean square amplitude are measured to map the phase diagram on the plane $T-\xi$. When amplitude fluctuations, controlled by the parameter $\xi$, become large ($\xi \sim 1$) a proliferation of vortex excitations occurs changing the phase transition from continuous to first order.Comment: 4 pages, 5 postscript (eps) figure

High-temperature Hydrogen Permeation in Nickel Alloys

In gas cooled Very High Temperature Reactor concepts, tritium is produced as a tertiary fission product and by activation of graphite core contaminants, such as lithium; of the helium isotope, He-3, that is naturally present in the He gas coolant; and the boron in the B4C burnable poison. Because of its high mobility at the reactor outlet temperatures, tritium poses a risk of permeating through the walls of the intermediate heat exchanger (IHX) or steam generator (SG) systems, potentially contaminating the environment and in particular the hydrogen product when the reactor heat is utilized in connection with a hydrogen generation plant. An experiment to measure tritium permeation in structural materials at temperatures up to 1000 C has been constructed at the Idaho National Laboratory Safety and Tritium Applied Research (STAR) facility within the Next Generation Nuclear Plant program. The design is based on two counter flowing helium loops to represent heat exchanger conditions and was optimized to allow control of the materials surface condition and the investigation of the effects of thermal fatigue. In the ongoing campaign three nickel alloys are being considered because of their high-temperature creep properties, alloy 617, 800H and 230. This paper introduces the general issues related to tritium in the on-going assessment of gas cooled VHTR systems fission product transport and outlines the planned research activities in this area; outlines the features and capabilities of the experimental facility being operated at INL; presents and discusses the initial results of hydrogen permeability measurements in two of the selected alloys and compares them with the available database from previous studies