2,045 research outputs found
Research of metal solidification in zero-g state
An experiment test apparatus that allows metal melting and resolidification in the three seconds available during free fall in a drop tower was built and tested in the tower. Droplets (approximately 0.05 cm) of pure nickel and 1090 steel were prepared in this fashion. The apparatus, including instrumentation, is described. As part of the instrumentation, a method for measuring temperature-time histories of the free floating metal droplets was developed. Finally, a metallurgical analysis of the specimens prepared in the apparatus is presented
EuSrMnO: a three-dimensional XY spin glass
The frequency, temperature, and dc-bias dependence of the ac-susceptibility
of a high quality single crystal of the EuSrMnO layered
manganite is investigated. EuSrMnO behaves like a XY spin
glass with a strong basal anisotropy. Dynamical and static scalings reveal a
three-dimensional phase transition near = 18 K, and yield critical
exponent values between those of Heisenberg- and Ising-like systems, albeit
slightly closer to the Ising case. Interestingly, as in the latter system, the
here observed rejuvenation effects are rather weak. The origin and nature of
the low temperature XY spin glass state is discussed.Comment: REVTeX 4 style; 5 pages, 4 figure
Modeling the functional genomics of autism using human neurons.
Human neural progenitors from a variety of sources present new opportunities to model aspects of human neuropsychiatric disease in vitro. Such in vitro models provide the advantages of a human genetic background combined with rapid and easy manipulation, making them highly useful adjuncts to animal models. Here, we examined whether a human neuronal culture system could be utilized to assess the transcriptional program involved in human neural differentiation and to model some of the molecular features of a neurodevelopmental disorder, such as autism. Primary normal human neuronal progenitors (NHNPs) were differentiated into a post-mitotic neuronal state through addition of specific growth factors and whole-genome gene expression was examined throughout a time course of neuronal differentiation. After 4 weeks of differentiation, a significant number of genes associated with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are either induced or repressed. This includes the ASD susceptibility gene neurexin 1, which showed a distinct pattern from neurexin 3 in vitro, and which we validated in vivo in fetal human brain. Using weighted gene co-expression network analysis, we visualized the network structure of transcriptional regulation, demonstrating via this unbiased analysis that a significant number of ASD candidate genes are coordinately regulated during the differentiation process. As NHNPs are genetically tractable and manipulable, they can be used to study both the effects of mutations in multiple ASD candidate genes on neuronal differentiation and gene expression in combination with the effects of potential therapeutic molecules. These data also provide a step towards better understanding of the signaling pathways disrupted in ASD
Couplet scoring for research based assessment instruments
Contemporary content-focused research-based assessment instruments typically
use instrument items (i.e., questions) as the unit of assessment for instrument
scoring, reporting, and validation. However, traditional item-based scoring has
a number of limitations, including several arising from the use of the common
assessment development conventions of single-construct items,
unidimensionality, and single-correct-answer items. Couplet scoring, introduced
in this paper, employs the couplet as an alternative unit of assessment, where
a couplet is essentially an item viewed and scored through the lens of a
specific assessment objective (AO). With couplet scoring, a single item may
have more than one AO and therefore more than one couplet. In this paper, we
outline the limitations of traditional item scoring, introduce couplet scoring
and discuss its affordances (especially as they relate to limitations of item
scoring), and use a recently developed content RBAI to ground our discussion.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure
Transcriptomic signatures of neuronal differentiation and their association with risk genes for autism spectrum and related neuropsychiatric disorders.
Genes for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are also implicated in fragile X syndrome (FXS), intellectual disabilities (ID) or schizophrenia (SCZ), and converge on neuronal function and differentiation. The SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cell line, the most widely used system to study neurodevelopment, is currently discussed for its applicability to model cortical development. We implemented an optimal neuronal differentiation protocol of this system and evaluated neurodevelopment at the transcriptomic level using the CoNTeXT framework, a machine-learning algorithm based on human post-mortem brain data estimating developmental stage and regional identity of transcriptomic signatures. Our improved model in contrast to currently used SH-SY5Y models does capture early neurodevelopmental processes with high fidelity. We applied regression modelling, dynamic time warping analysis, parallel independent component analysis and weighted gene co-expression network analysis to identify activated gene sets and networks. Finally, we tested and compared these sets for enrichment of risk genes for neuropsychiatric disorders. We confirm a significant overlap of genes implicated in ASD with FXS, ID and SCZ. However, counterintuitive to this observation, we report that risk genes affect pathways specific for each disorder during early neurodevelopment. Genes implicated in ASD, ID, FXS and SCZ were enriched among the positive regulators, but only ID-implicated genes were also negative regulators of neuronal differentiation. ASD and ID genes were involved in dendritic branching modules, but only ASD risk genes were implicated in histone modification or axonal guidance. Only ID genes were over-represented among cell cycle modules. We conclude that the underlying signatures are disorder-specific and that the shared genetic architecture results in overlaps across disorders such as ID in ASD. Thus, adding developmental network context to genetic analyses will aid differentiating the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric disorders
Survey of physics reasoning on uncertainty concepts in experiments: an assessment of measurement uncertainty for introductory physics labs
Measurement uncertainty is a critical feature of experimental research in the
physical sciences, and the concepts and practices surrounding measurement
uncertainty are important components of physics lab courses. However, there has
not been a broadly applicable, research-based assessment tool that allows
physics instructors to easily measure students' knowledge of measurement
uncertainty concepts and practices. To address this need, we employed
Evidence-Centered Design to create the Survey of Physics Reasoning on
Uncertainty Concepts in Experiments (SPRUCE). SPRUCE is a pre-post assessment
instrument intended for use in introductory (first- and second-year) physics
lab courses to help instructors and researchers identify student strengths and
challenges with measurement uncertainty. In this paper, we discuss the
development of SPRUCE's assessment items guided by Evidence-Centered Design,
focusing on how instructors' and researchers' assessment priorities were
incorporated into the assessment items and how students' reasoning from pilot
testing informed decisions around item answer options.Comment: 23 pages, 11 figures, submitted as part of the Physical Review
Physics Education Research Focused Collection on Instructional Labs:
Improving Traditions and New Direction
Signatures of Spin Glass Freezing in NiO Nanoparticles
We present a detailed study of the magnetic properties of sol-gel prepared
nickel oxide nanoparticles of different sizes. We report various measurements
such as frequency, field and temperature dependence of ac susceptibility,
temperature and field dependence of dc magnetization and time decay of
thermoremanent magnetization. Our results and analysis show that the system
behaves as a spin glass.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figure
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