Determining the efficacy of a nanotechnology media product in enhancing children’s engagement with nanotechnology

Public engagement in nanotechnology media products can lead to a greater interest in understanding of nanotechnology. A study was undertaken to determine middle school student engagement in Nanooze, a magazine featuring nanotechnology research that has been developed for a young adult audience. Teachers at 116 Detroit middle schools distributed two issues of the magazine to their students, and surveys were collected from 870 students after reading the magazines. Results suggest that the majority of students liked reading the magazine and learned something about nanotechnology. Engagement in nanotechnology led to understanding of nanotechnology. The Nanooze magazine was an effective medium for engaging middle school students in learning about nanotechnology.     

Computing orthogonal polynomials on a triangle by degree raising

We give an algorithm for computing orthogonal polynomials over triangular domains in Bernstein–Bézier form which uses only the operator of degree raising and its adjoint. This completely avoids the need to choose an orthogonal basis (or tight frame) for the orthogonal polynomials of a given degree, and hence the difficulties inherent in that approach. The results are valid for Jacobi polynomials on a simplex, and show the close relationship between the Bernstein form of Jacobi polynomials, Hahn polynomials and degree raising.     

A cellobiohydrolase from a thermophilic actinomycete,Microbispora bispora

A screening for thermophilic cellulolytic microbes from the soils of volcanic areas yielded several potentially useful bacteria. Of these,Microbispora bispora was the most useful. The enzyme complex was stable at 60–65‡C. Analysis of the complex indicated the presence of endoglucanase, cellobiohydrolase, and Β-glucosidase components. The two former enzymes were secreted, whereas the Β-glucosidase was cell-associated. The cellobiohydrolase was of particular interest, since this type of enzyme has rarely been reported from bacteria, and therefore was characterized in greater detail. Its mechanism of action was clarified through its action pattern towards soluble (and reduced) oligosaccharides. Synergism was observed between the cellobiohydrolase and endoglucanases during attack on crystalline cellulose (cotton and Avicel). This represents one of the first demonstrations of synergism in a procaryotic cellulase system.     

Nonlinear spin current and magnetoresistance of molecular tunnel junctions

We report on a theoretical study of spin-polarized quantum transport through a Ni-bezenedithiol(BDT)-Ni molecular magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ). Our study is based on carrying out density functional theory within the Keldysh nonequilibrium Green's function formalism, so that microscopic details of the molecular MTJ are taken into account from first principles. A magnetoresistance ratio of approximately 27% is found for the Ni-BDT-Ni MTJ which declines toward zero as bias voltage is increased. The spin currents are nonlinear functions of bias voltage, even changing sign at certain voltages due to specific features of the coupling between molecular states and magnetic leads.     

Pseudometrics, distances and multivariate polynomial inequalities

We discuss three natural pseudodistances and pseudometrics on a bounded domain in based on polynomial inequalities.     

SOME CENTRAL LIMIT THEOREMS FOR SUPER BROWNIAN MOTION

The author proves a central limit theorem for the critical super Brownian motion, which leads to a Gaussian random field. In the transient case the limitingfield is the same as that obtained by Dawson (1977). In the recurrent case it is aspatially uniform field. The author also give a central limit theorem for the weightedoccupation time of the super Brownian motion with underlying dimension numberd 3, completing the results of Iscoe (1986).     

L p -Error Bounds for Hermite Interpolation and the Associated Wirtinger Inequalities

The B-spline representation for divided differences is used, for the first time, to provide L _p -bounds for the error in Hermite interpolation, and its derivatives, thereby simplifying and improving the results to be found in the extensive literature on the problem. These bounds are equivalent to certain Wirtinger inequalities. The major result is the inequality where H_Θ f is the Hermite interpolant to f at the multiset of n points Θ, and is the diameter of . This inequality significantly improves upon Beesack's inequality, on which almost all the bounds given over the last 30 years have been based. Date received: June 24, 1994 Date revised: February 4, 1996.     

Integral error formulæ for the scale of mean value interpolations which includes Kergin and Hakopian interpolation

Summary. In this paper, we provide an integral error formula for a certain scale of mean value interpolations which includes the multivariate polynomial interpolation schemes of Kergin and Hakopian. This formula involves only derivatives of order one higher than the degree of the interpolating polynomial space, and from it we can obtain sharp -estimates. These -estimates are precisely those that numerical analysts want, to guarantee that a scheme based on such an interpolation has the maximum possible order. Received July 11, 1994 / Revised version received February 12, 1996     

Miniaturized protein microsequencer with PTH amino acid identification by capillary electrophoresis II. A syringe-pump-based system for covalent sequencing

A miniaturized protein and peptide microsequencer consisting of a fused silica capillary reaction chamber is described. Extremely small volumes of reagents, 2 mul or less, were delivered directly to the reaction chamber through individual fused silica capillary lines using low pressure syringe pumps. Other than an argon gas controller, no values were used in the delivery system. The short flow path and very low dead volume were achieved by directly connecting the narrow-bore capillaries to the reaction chamber. This configuration minimized side reactions. The elimination of valves, as well as the use of capillaries for the reaction chamber and delivery lines, greatly simplified the construction of the sequencer. The performance of the sequencer was evaluated by sequencing 8-33 picomoles of myoglobin and insulin chain B that were covalently attached to Sequelon-DITC and Sequelon-AA membranes.     

Ethanol production usingZymomonas mobilis in a cross-linked immobilized cell reactor

The bacteriumZymomonas mobilis may be utilized to produce ethanol from glucose in a cross-linked immobilized cell reactor. Reactor startup is much more rapid with cross-linkedZymomonas than with the yeastSaccharomyces cerevisiae. Volumetric ethanol productivities (based on liquid holdup) three times those obtained with cross-linked yeast, and comparable to those obtained withZymomonas immobilized by other methods, are possible.