Graphical Representations of Speed: Obstacles Preservice K‐8 Teachers Experience

This study examines the difficulties college students experience when creating and interpreting graphs in which speed is one of the variables. Nineteen students, all preservice elementary or middle school teachers, completed an upper‐level course exploring algebraic concepts. Although all of these preservice teachers had previously completed several mathematics courses, including calculus, they demonstrated widespread misconceptions about the variable speed. This study identifies four cognitive obstacles held by the students, provides excerpts of their graphical constructions and verbal interpretations, and discusses potential causes for the confusion. In particular, misconceptions arose when students interpreted the behavior and nature of speed within a graphical context, as well as in situations where they were required to construct a graph involving speed as a variable. The study concludes by offering implications for the teaching and learning of speed and its interpretation within a graphical setting.     

Antennal morphology, structure and sensilla distribution in Microplitis pallidipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Microplitis pallidipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is an important larval parasitoid of noctuid larval pests. In this study, we describe the morphology, ultrastructure and distribution of sensilla on the antennae of both male and female adults using scanning electron microscopy; complemented with transmission electron microscopy. Observations determined that the antennae of M. pallidipes were threadlike and the flagella were composed of 16 sub-segments. Totally, there were six types of sensilla found on the antennae. They were identified as Sensilla trichodea, Sensilla chaetica, Sensilla basiconica type I, S. basiconica type II, Sensilla coeloconicum, and elongated Sensilla placodea, respectively. The S. trichodea were the most abundant sensilla and distributed over the entire antennae, while S. basiconica I and II, S. coeloconicum, and elongated S. placodea were limited to the flagellum. S. chaetica were found on the scape and pedicle in very low numbers. The S. basiconica II and elongated S. placodea walls were full of pores as evident in transmission electron micrographs. Though the shape and structure of antennae between male and female adults were not basically different, the length and width of the antennae on male wasps were significantly greater than that of females. Also, the number, size and density of S. placodea of the male were significantly greater than those of females. The morphology and structure of these sensilla were compared with that found in other braconid wasps. Their possible functions are discussed in light of previously published literature.     

On the non-existence of perfect and nearly perfect codes

The main result of the paper is the proof of the non-existence of a class of completely regular codes in certain distance-regular graphs. Corollaries of this result establish the non-existence of perfect and nearly perfect codes in the infinite families of distance-regular graphs J(2b + 1, b) and J(2b+2,b).     

Functionalization of monofluoroallene and the synthesis of aryl-substituted conjugated fluorodienes

[reaction: see text] 4-Fluoroallenol 3a, prepared from 1, cyclized easily to 4 but preserved its fluoroallenyl integrity under oxidation and S(N)2 displacement to yield aldehyde, amine, mesylate, and halide 6. Allylic isomerization yielded 2-halo-1-fluoro-1,3-butadiene 7, which underwent a Suzuki coupling to give aryl-substituted conjugated diene 8.     

Regiospecific synthesis of bicyclo- and heterobicyclo-gem-difluorocyclobutenes using functionalized fluoroallenes and a novel Mo-catalyzed intramolecular [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction

The first synthesis of functionalized gem-difluoroallenes 4 served as platform for an unprecedented molybdenum-catalyzed intramolecular allene-alkyne [2 + 2]-cycloaddition that produced 6, a hitherto unknown class of bicyclo- and heterobicyclo-CF2-containing cyclobutenes.     

QUENCHING OF A RETINAL TRIPLET STATE BY A NITROXYL RADICAL

Abstract— The long lived triplets from all-trans retinal and 11-cis retinal are quenched by a nitroxyl radical, 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinoyl, with essentially identical rate constants. The rates vary with solvent but do not correlate with solvent polarity. The results confirm implications of earlier work with oxygen quenching and are compatible with the view that isomerization occurs in non-relaxed triplets or that the triplet (or triplets) observed spectroscopically decay by way of a single triplet state which has a small electronic energy gap to ground state isomers.     

Electron hole condensate radiation from Ge double injection devices between 1.5° and 4.2°

Carrier injection in Ge at helium temperatures produces radiation characteristic of the electron hole condensate. Time resolved spectra are used to analyze the presence of both condensate and free exciton radiation at high power levels. Device heating is indicated.     

Validation of an LC/MS method for the determination of gemfibrozil in human plasma and its application to a pharmacokinetic study

Gemfibrozil, a fibric acid hypolipidemic agent, is increasingly being used in clinical drug–drug interaction studies as an inhibitor of drug metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters. The validation of a fast, accurate and precise LC/MS method is described for the quantitative determination of gemfibrozil in an EDTA‐anticoagulated human plasma matrix. Briefly, gemfibrozil was extracted from human plasma by an acetonitrile protein precipitation method. The assay was reproducible with intra‐assay precision between 1.6 and 10.7%, and inter‐assay precision ranging from 4.4 to 7.8%. The assay also showed good accuracy, with intra‐assay concentrations within 85.6–108.7% of the expected value, and inter‐assay concentrations within 89.4–104.0% of the expected value. The linear concentration range was between 0.5 and 50 µg/mL with a lower limit of quantitation of 0.5 µg/mL when 125 µL of plasma were extracted. This LC/MS method yielded a quick, simple and reliable protocol for determining gemfibrozil concentrations in plasma and is applicable to clinical pharmacokinetic studies. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.