Diverse biological data may be used to create illustrations of molecules in their cellular context. I describe the scientific results that support a recent textbook illustration of an "Escherichia coli cell". The image magnifies a portion of the bacterium at one million times, showing the location and form of individual macromolecules. Results…

Many adolescents and adults with Down syndrome have reduced speech intelligibility. Reasons for this reduction may relate to differences in anatomy and physiology, both of which are important for creating an intelligible speech signal. The purpose of this study was to document acoustic vowel space and articulatory working space for two adult…

In this paper, we present a laboratory activity in computed tomography (CT) primarily composed of a photogate and a rotary motion sensor that can be assembled quickly and partially automates data collection and analysis. We use an enclosure made with a light filter that is largely opaque in the visible spectrum but mostly transparent to the near…

Previous studies have demonstrated a dual-target cost in visual search. In the current study, the relationship between search for one and search for two targets was investigated to examine the effects of target prevalence and practice. Color-shape conjunction stimuli were used with response time, accuracy and signal detection measures. Performance…

Nature is a well-recognized source of compounds of interest, but access is often an issue. One pertinent example is the cinchona alkaloids from the bark of "Cinchona calisaya." In this experiment, students at the third-year undergraduate level undertake the selective isolation and characterization of two of the four main alkaloids present in the…

A functional analysis was conducted to identify the role environmental variables had on the maintenance of self-injury and aggression. At the outset of the evaluation, an abdominal x-ray showed a moderate to large amount of stool throughout the colon (i.e., constipation). Consequently, medication was administered to promote bowel emptying. Initial…

A method is described for teaching the analysis of X-ray diffraction of DNA through a series of steps utilizing the original methods used by James Watson, Francis Crick, Maurice Wilkins and Rosalind Franklin. The X-ray diffraction pattern led to the conclusion of the basic helical structure of DNA and its dimensions while basic chemical principles…

By using the Rasch model, much detailed diagnostic information is available to developers of survey and assessment instruments and to the researchers who use them. We outline an approach to the analysis of data obtained from the administration of survey instruments that can enable researchers to recognise and diagnose difficulties with those…

A laboratory exercise was developed by using variable temperature powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine [alpha] for MgO (periclase)and was tested in the Applied Physical Chemistry and Materials Characterization Laboratories at James Madison University. The experiment which was originally designed to provide undergraduate students with a…

Sampling experiments utilizing field portable instruments are instructional since students collect data following regulatory protocols, evaluate it, and begin to recognize their civic responsibilities upon collecting useful data. A lead-in-soil experiment educated students on a prevalent exposure pathway. The experimental site was a pre-1950…

In this paper we describe and discuss simple, inexpensive optical experiments used to simulate x-ray and electron diffraction according to the Debye-Scherrer theory. The experiment can be used to address, at the high school level, important subjects related to fundamental quantum and solid-state physics.

An innovative teaching and research partnership was developed in collaboration with public high school chemistry teachers from the Talawanda (Ohio) School District and faculty, staff, and students from Miami University. With the involvement of high school teachers, chemistry faculty, postdoctoral associates, and several graduate and undergraduate…

A-DNA and B-DNA are two secondary molecular conformations (among other allomorphs) that double-stranded DNA drawn into a fiber can assume, depending on the relative water content and other chemical parameters of the fiber. They were the first two forms to be observed by X-ray fiber diffraction in the early 1950s, respectively by Wilkins and…

This thesis outlines how meV-resolution inelastic x-ray scattering and causality-enforcing mathematics can be used to measure the dynamical density-density linear response function for liquid water with Angstrom spatial resolution and 50fs temporal resolution. The results are compared to high-resolution spectroscopic and scattering experiments and…

In the aftermath of the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, people across the country are asking if schools in their communities are safe. School psychologists not only play a pivotal role in answering that question, but they can also provide leadership in helping to ensure a safe school climate. A critical component to answering…