Potential Benefits and Barriers to Integration

The rhetoric surrounding integration of mathematics and science abounds. Professional organizations’ standards and recommendations for reform in mathematics and science education each point out the need to make connections among various disciplines. However, some remain unconvinced, citing a lack of research supporting the assertion that integration improves student achievement. This article examines the current situation, discusses the growing body of related research, and examines the implementation issues related to integrated curriculum projects. The conclusion calls for mathematics and science educators to work collaboratively to address implementation issues surrounding reform of any kind and to explore further the possibilities of integration.     

Unusually sharp dependence of water exchange rate versus lanthanide ionic radii for a series of tetraamide complexes

The tetraamide ligand, DOTA-tetra(glycine ethyl ester), forms complexes with the lanthanide(III) cations that exist in solution predominantly as the square antiprism structure with single, slowly exchanging inner-sphere water molecule. Variable-temperature 1H and 17O NMR studies revealed that the bound water lifetimes in these complexes were sharply dependent upon the ionic radius of Ln3+ cation. A novel lanthanide-induced shift technique was used to unmask the bound water 17O resonance of SmL3+ and YL3+ complexes from the bulk water resonance. The bound water lifetime (tauM298) was approximately 800 mus in the EuL3+ complex but became much shorter (several microseconds) for Ln3+ cations with larger and smaller ionic radii. This demonstrates that water exchange is exquisitely fine-tuned in this macrocyclic tetraamide system and that a variety of Ln3+ complexes meet with the exchange requirement, Deltaomega*tauM >/= 1, necessary for an efficient MT agent.     

A Novel pH-Sensitive MRI Contrast Agent

A tetrasubstituted derivative of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane with amide coordinating groups and extended noncoordinating phosphonate groups forms a complex with gadolinium(III) (shown in the picture) which contains one slowly exchanging inner-sphere water molecule (tau(M)=21 μs). The 20-MHz water proton relaxivity of the complex was found to be highly pH dependent. Protonation of the noncoordinating phosphonate groups appears to catalyze prototropic exchange of the bound water protons, thereby providing a mechanism for enhanced water contrast below pH 7.     

Solution dynamics and stability of lanthanide(III) (S)-2-(p-nitrobenzyl)DOTA complexes

Addition of a benzyl substituent to the macrocyclic ring of DOTA has a substantial impact on the conformational ring flipping motion of the macrocycle in the resulting LnDOTA complexes. The p-NO2-benzyl substituent in the Ln(p-NO2-Bn-DOTA)- complexes lies in an equatorial position and effectively "locks" the conformation of the ring into the deltadeltadeltadelta configuration. The presence of the p-NO2-benzyl group also increases the population of the square antiprismatic (SAP) coordination isomer for all Ln(p-NO2-Bn-DOTA)- complexes relative to that seen for the respective LnDOTA- complexes. Despite this increase in SAP isomer population, the rate of water exchange in these complexes remains comparatively fast. The kinetic and thermodynamic stabilities of the Ln(p-NO2-Bn-DOTA)- complexes are also slightly lower than the corresponding LnDOTA- complexes but appear to be sufficiently high for in vivo use.     

Path integral evaluation of the Eta function

In a three-dimensional model in which the gauge group does not commute with the Lorentz group, we demonstrate how the phase associated with the one-loop effective action (the function) can be computed by considering a quantum mechanical path integral.     

Crystal engineering of novel cocrystals of a triazole drug with 1,4-dicarboxylic acids

Cocrystals of the poorly soluble antifungal drug cis-itraconazole (1) with 1,4-dicarboxylic acids have been prepared. The crystal structure of the succinic acid cocrystal with 1 was determined to be a trimer by single-crystal X-ray. The trimer is comprised of two molecules of 1 oriented in antiparallel fashion to form a pocket with a triazole at either end. The extended succinic acid molecule fills the pocket, bridging the triazole groups through hydrogen-bonding interactions rather than interacting with the more basic piperazine nitrogens. The solubility and dissolution rate of some of the cocrystals are approximately the same as those of the amorphous drug in the commercial formulation and are much higher than those for the crystalline free base. The results suggest that cocrystals of drug molecules have the possibility of achieving the higher oral bioavailability common for amorphous forms of water-insoluble drugs while maintaining the long-term chemical and physical stability that crystal forms provide.     

Comparison of combustion sources for sulfur chemiluminescence detection

Three different types of SCD combustion source have been evaluated for use in the chromatographic analysis of atmospheric sulfur compounds. The conventional FID source and the newer inverted burner source were found to be less sensitive and less stable than the flameless design. Overall, the flameless source was superior for use with HRGC-SCD.     

Simultaneous quantification of terpenelactones and flavonol aglycones in hydrolyzed ginkgo biloba extract by liquid chromatography with inline ultraviolet and evaporative light scattering detection

We report here a liquid chromatography (LC) method with inline ultraviolet/evaporative light scattering (UV/ELS) detection for the simultaneous quantification of the terpenelactones and flavonol aglycones in a single sample of hydrolyzed Ginkgo biloba extract (GBE). The sample is hydrolyzed by a rapid and convenient oven heating method for 1 h at 90 degrees C with 10% hydrochloric acid. The 1 h hydrolysis was found to be equivalent to the 2.25 h reflux treatment for dry powder extract, where total flavonol glycosides were 28.4 and 28.1%, respectively. Acceptable precision was achieved for total terpenelactones [relative standard deviation (RSD) = 4.8%] by ELS detection, and total flavonol aglycones (RSD = 2.3%) by UV detection. The analytical range was 1.5 to 7.3% (w/w) for the individual terpenelactones (ELS) and 2.5 to 15.0% (w/w) for the individual glycosides (UV) calculated from the aglycones quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin. This improved method allows for the first time high throughput sample preparation coupled with the quantification of the predominant compounds generally used for quality control of GBE in a single assay.