ComWeb: An electronic classroom for teaching computer literacy

We have developed an electronic classroom environment based on an analog/digital hybrid network, ComWeb. This environment supplements traditional methods of presentation by providing powerful communication tools between the students and the teacher directed from the instructor's workstation. The instructor can access every student's workstation at any time to monitor the student's work or to transmit information from any source. ComWeb has facilities for individual and group supervision. It can be adapted for teaching deaf or hard of hearing students in a mainstream environment. We describe the implementation of a ComWeb-based classroom at our site. The performance of students in conventional sections of a computer literacy course is compared with that in a section using ComWeb. For most of the material, performance of students in the ComWeb based section was markedly superior.     

Volume functions of historical texts and the amplitude correlation principle

A new empirico-statistical model is suggested to distinguish dependent narrative texts from independent narrative texts by means of their volume functions. A regard for information principle and an amplitude correlation principle are formulated. The model and both principles are examined experimentally using specific historical texts.Anatoliy T. Fomenko (Dr. Sci. in mathematics, Lomonosov State University) is a Professor at Lomonosov State University, Moscow. He is author of twelve monographs and textbooks, and is co-author of the two-volume Modern Geometry (Springer-Verlag). He is also artist and historian.Svetlozar T. Rachev (Dr. Sci., Steklov Mathematical Institute) is a Professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He has published more than seventy papers and is co-author of the monographMathematical Models for Construction of Queuing Models (Moscow, 1988). His main interests are: stability of stochastic models, theory of probability metrics, queuing theory and survival models.     

Automated bank cheque verification using image processing and deep learning methods

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Automated bank cheque verification using image processing is an attempt to complement the present cheque truncation system, as well as to provide an alternate...     

Investigation of the structure of supersonic nitrogen microjets

Results of research on microjets escaping into an ambient space from nozzles with diameters of 341–10.4 μm are described. A special Pitot microtube is used for studying the structure of supersonic microjets. The main feature of this microtube is a small diameter of the intake hole (12 μm). The main parameters of supersonic underexpanded microjets are identified, including the size of shock cells and the supersonic core length of the microjet. The results show a significant increase in the supersonic core length of microjets compared to macrojets. The Reynolds numbers of the laminar–turbulent transition in microjets are found to be in the range of 1,100–2,100. In addition, a classification of supersonic underexpanded axisymmetric microjets escaping into the ambient space is proposed.     

Basic properties of free stratified flows

Results of analytical studies of the governing equations of stratified rotating fluids based on the unification of theories of continuous and discrete groups, perturbations and modern numerical visualizations are described. Symmetries of basic systems and their simplified versions, different approximations and constitutive turbulent models are compared. A new method to calculate discrete groups analytically, which does not need a preliminary search for continuous groups, is developed. As an example of the practical use of the developed algorithm, a complete classification of cellular and roll structures of Bénard convection is presented. A complete classification of 3D periodic motions in compressible viscous stratified and rotating fluids, including regular (wave) and singular elements, is performed by perturbation methods. In all cases, in a viscous fluid, besides waves there are two different periodic boundary layers. In a homogeneous fluid the split boundary layers are merged, thus forming a joint doubly-degenerate structure. Stratification and rotation reduce the degeneration of the 3D periodic boundary layers. Calculations of a 3D periodic wave beam emitted by an oscillating part of a sloping plane are visualized by a computer-graphics method. The existence of thin extended components on the edges of the 3D wave cone is demonstrated.     

Monitoring of ethylene by a pulsed quantum cascade laser

We report on the development and performance of a gas sensor based on a quantum cascade laser operating at a wavelength of approximately 10 microns to measure ethylene (C2H4) concentrations by use of a rotational component of the fundamental nu 7 band. The laser is thermoelectrically cooled and operates in a pulsed mode. The influence of pulse-to-pulse fluctuations is minimized by use of a reference beam and a single detector with time discriminating electronics. Gas absorption is recorded in a 100-m optical path-length astigmatic Herriott cell. With a 10-kHz pulse repetition rate and an 80-s total acquisition time, a noise equivalent sensitivity of 30 parts per billion has been demonstrated. The sensor has been applied to monitor C2H4 in vehicle exhaust as well as in air collected in a high-traffic urban tunnel.     

Effect of temperature and water availability during late maturation of the soybean seed on germ and cotyledon isoflavone content and composition

BACKGROUND: Isoflavone content in soybean seeds is strongly influenced by both environment and genotype. However, little is known about the effect of environment and genotype on isoflavones in germ versus cotyledons. To determine the effect of temperature and soil moisture status during soybean seed development on seed isoflavone concentration and composition, a set of two French and three US cultivars of similar maturity were grown in the greenhouse. At the R6 growth stage, plants were subjected to one of three night/day temperature regimes (13/23°, 18/28° or 23/33 °C) in either optimal or sub‐optimal soil water conditions. RESULTS: In cotyledons, a three‐ to six‐fold variation in total isoflavone content was observed between the high and low temperature treatments, whereas the germ contents had less than a two‐fold variation. Soil water supply had less effect than temperature on the isoflavone contents and compositions. In both seed parts, the isoflavone concentrations were highly dependent on the cultivar. CONCLUSION: These results show that isoflavone content and composition in cotyledon and germ are unrelated and it should be possible to independently manipulate these seed traits through plant breeding and crop management systems. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Modified track membranes with antibacterial properties

Microbiological contamination of polymeric membranes in the process of their exploitation is an essential problem of membrane technology. It results in the increase of manufacturing costs, destruction of membranes, operating life reduction and secondary contamination of water by the metabolism products of microorganisms. For the purpose of reduction of membrane biofouling and biodegradation investigation of adsorption of the guanidine containing oligomers on the surface of PET track membranes was conducted and their influence on the selectivity and antibacterial properties of the membranes was investigated. It was established that modified membranes have substantially higher resistance to biofouling.