A stroll down Kármán street

The Kármán vortex street is an exquisite flow pattern that can be seen in a variety of flow situations. In this article, we present some of the main features of the phenomenon starting from its interesting history, and also show why it is important in a number of engineering situations. Raghuraman N Govardhan is in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the Indian Institute of Science. He works in the areas of separated flow, fluid-structure interaction and micro-flows. O N Ramesh is at the Department of Aerospace Engineering, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. His research interests include transitional and turbulent flows, vortex dynamics and separated flows.     

聚合物/无机纳米复合材料的应用及其制备研究

聚合物和无机物在纳米及分子级水平上的复合,将充分发挥各自的优势。聚合物/无机纳米复合材料的研究已成为当今化学、物理和材料等许多学科的前沿领域,显示出重要的科学意义和良好的应用前景。简要综述了聚合物/无机纳米复合材料的应用及其制备研究的现状。     

Box 1. Polymer/Clay nanocomposites

Conclusion Novel polymer/clay nanocomposites can be prepared by varying two parameters; first by optimizing polymer to clay ratio and second by varying the processing techniques. An exploration in making the polymer/clay nanocomposites with different clays, surfactants and polymers is a continuing subject of research and interest to both academia and industry.     

Mathematics in engineering—Part II

In this part of the article I begin with somewhat more advanced mathematics as compared to the first part. I then move on to discuss insights, hierarchies of models, levels of approximation, models that are plain bad, and finally the role of truth. Anindya Chatterjee is in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, IISc. His interests are in dynamics, in particular non-linear dynamics.     

Improving Campus Climate to Support Faculty Diversity and Retention: A Pilot Program for New Faculty

We report on a series of pilot programs that we developed and carried out to support the success and satisfaction of new faculty, particularly faculty of color. We hope that others committed to retaining and supporting underrepresented faculty can apply our learning from this pilot project, as a whole or in part.Fred P. Piercy, Ph.D. (University of Florida), M.Ed. (University of South Carolina), B.A. (Wake Forest University) is the Department Head of the Department of Human Development at Virginia Tech. His professional interests include family therapy education, HIV social science research and prevention, and family intervention for adolescent drug abusers. Valerie Giddings, Ph.D., M.S. (Virginia Tech), B.S. (Bennett College) is the Associate Vice Chancellor for Lifelong Learning at Winston-Salem State University. Her professional interests include anthropometry and apparel fit, cultural aesthetics for apparel, and diversity issues in higher education. Katherine R. Allen, Ph.D., M.A. (Syracuse University), B.S. (University of Connecticut) is a Professor in Human Development at Virginia Tech. Her interests include family diversity over the life course, adult sibling ties in transition, and persistence of women and minorities in IT majors. Benjamin Dixon, Ed.D. (University of Massachusetts), M.A.T. (Harvard University), B.Mus.Ed. (Howard University) is the Vice President for Multicultural Affairs at Virginia Tech. His interests include diversity, multicultural education, ethical pluralism, and equity and inclusion issues related to organizational management and development. Peggy S. Meszaros, Ph.D. (University of Maryland), M.S. (University of Kentucky), B.S. (Austin Peay State University) is the William E. Lavery Professor of Human Development and the Director of the Center for Information Technology Impacts on Children, Youth, and Families at Virginia Tech. Her interests include positive youth development, leadership issues, female career transitions, and mother/daughter communication. Karen Joest, Ph.D. (Virginia Tech), M.S. (Chaminade University), B.S. (Indiana State University) is an Assistant Professor of Child and Family Studies at the State University of New York, College at Oneonta. Her interests include adolescents exposed to domestic violence, use of qualitative research, and use of technology and feminist pedagogy     

Mayer-Jensen shell model and magic numbers

Many nuclear models have been put forward since 1932. Among them the collective model proposed by Aage Niels Bohr and Ben Roy Mottelson and the nuclear shell model proposed by Maria Goeppert Mayer and Johannes Hans D Jensen are the two most successful models. A number of experimental facts like the existence of magic numbers compiled by Maria Mayer led to the discovery of the nuclear shell model. The addition of a nuclear spin-orbit coupling force to the mean field of the nucleons successfully predicted the nuclear magic numbers and many other properties of nuclei. R Velusamy is the Head of the PG Department of Physics, Ayya Nadar Janaki Ammal College, Sivakasi, Tamilnadu. His current interests are in quantum dots and wave packet dynamics.     

Why is externally-facilitated regulated learning more effective than self-regulated learning with hypermedia?

We examined how self-regulated learning (SRL) and externally-facilitated self-regulated learning (ERL) differentially affected adolescents’ learning about the circulatory system while using hypermedia. A total of 128 middle-school and high school students with little prior knowledge of the topic were randomly assigned to either the SRL or ERL condition. Learners in the SRL condition regulated their own learning, while learners in the ERL condition had access to a human tutor who facilitated their self-regulated learning. We converged product (pretest-posttest shifts in students’ mental models and declarative knowledge measures) with process (think-aloud protocols) data to examine the effectiveness of self- versus externally-facilitated regulated learning. Findings revealed that learners in the ERL condition gained statistically significantly more declarative knowledge and that a greater number of participants in this condition displayed a more advanced mental model on the posttest. Verbal protocol data indicated that learners in the ERL condition regulated their learning by activating prior knowledge, engaging in several monitoring activities, deploying several effective strategies, and engaging in adaptive help-seeking. By contrast, learners in the SRL condition used ineffective strategies and engaged in fewer monitoring activities. Based on these findings, we present design principles for adaptive hypermedia learning environments, engineered to foster students’ self-regulated learning about complex and challenging science topics.

Fe3O4/PPy纳米复合材料制备的研究进展

Fe3O4/PPy纳米复合材料是一种兼有无机纳米磁性材料与导电聚合物两者优异性能于一体且极具应用潜力的新材料,在传感器、电磁屏蔽、生物医药、离子交换树脂等领域普遍关注。本文综述了Fe3O4与聚吡咯纳米复合材料的制备方法,包括溶胶-凝胶法、原位聚合法、电化学合成法、自组装法以及超声法,分析了各种制备工艺的优劣,并指出了Fe3O4/PPy纳米复合材料的发展趋势。     

Oral Insulin—Fact or Fiction?

Insulin is a major protein hormone secreted by the β-cells of the pancreas and is important for the control of diabetes. Insulin is usually administered to diabetic patients through subcutaneous injection. This mode of therapy has certain inherent disadvantages such as local pain, itching and insulin lipodystrophy around the injection site. Hence, pharmaceutical scientists have been trying to design an oral delivery system for insulin. Many challenges are associated with the oral delivery of insulin, relating to the physical and chemical stability of the hormone, and its absorption and metabolism in the human body. Here we discuss various strategies for the oral delivery of insulin that are being tried out, as well as methods used to improve the absorption of orally consumed insulin and to reduce its degradation by digestive enzymes. K Gowthamarajan is on the faculty of the Department of Pharmaceutics in JSS College of Pharmacy, Ootacamund. His research interests are in the area of designing drug delivery systems for peptides and proteins. He is currently involved in research on pharmaceutical applications of plant polysaccharides. Giriraj T Kulkarni is on the faculty of the Department of Pharmaceutics in JSS College of Pharmacy, Ootacamund. Currently, he is involved in research on pharmaceutical and biotechnological applications of plant polysaccharides. He has authored a book ‘Biotechnology and its Applications in Pharmacy’ for undergraduate and postgraduate students of pharmacy.     

Fractals and the large-scale structure in the Universe

During the last decade it has been argued by some investigators that the distribution of galaxies in the Universe is a fractal. This is contrary to the standard view that the Universe is homogeneous and isotropic on large scales. In this article, the basic concepts of fractals and their characterization are introduced with the help of simple examples. The applications of these concepts in the context of cosmology will be discussed in the second part. A K Mittal is currently a visiting scientist at Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad, on leave from the University of Allahabad. His research interests include chaos, fractals and their applications, partleularly in cosmology and in weather prodiction. T H Seshadri is at the Department of Physics and Astrophysics, University of Delhi. He is presently on lien from Harish-Chandra Research Institute, Allahabad. Areas of his interest include cosmic microwave background radiation, large scale structures in the Universe and application of fractals in these.     

Giant magnetoresistance

The 2007 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Albert Fert and Peter Grünberg for the discovery of giant magnetoresistance (GMR). GMR is achieved in metallic multilayers, where the resistance of the multilayer changes considerably by the application of a magnetic field. This has paved the way for high density data storage in magnetic media. (left) Debakanata Samal is a research scholar at the Deaprtment of Physics at IISc, Bangalore. His research interests are in magnetotransport in oxide multilayers, spintronics. (right) P S Anil Kumar is an Asst. Professor at the Department of Physics, IISc Bangalore. His research interests are in spintronics, magnetic nano-structures, surface-and thin-film magnetism, magnetotransport in metallic multilayers and oxides, and spin-polarized electron scattering.     

Zoopharmacognosy

The study of parasites and their likely influence on optimal foraging and mate-selection in animals has attracted much attention in recent times. The possible effects of parasites on the host include the manipulation of host behaviour by parasites and the emergence of host behavioural adaptations for protecting against parasitism. Self-medication in wild animals is believed to be the behavioural adaptation evolved primarily against parasites and associated diseases. In this article, we have briefly reviewed some types of unusual behaviour observed inmammals, birds and insectswhich can be considered as self-medication. Rajasekar Raman is a PhD student in the Department of Animal Behaviour and Physiology, Madurai Kamaraj University. His research interests include behavioural ecology and conservation of bats. Presently he is studying the roosting ecology of the tentmaking fruit bat Cynopterus sphinx. Sripathi Kandula is a Professor in Neurophysiology, Department of Animal Behaviour and Physiology, School of Biological Sciences, Madurai Kamaraj University. His research interests are in the fileds of echolocation, social organization, mating system, population genetics and conservation of bats.     

Fascinating world of shock waves

This article introduces the reader to the exhilarating world of Shock Waves. With their unique ability to enhance the pressure and temperature instantaneously in any medium of propagation, shock waves are now being used for many innovative applications in the industry. The origin of shock waves, their characteristics, laboratory tools used in their study, along with a few interesting industrial applications of shock waves developed at the Indian Institute of Science are described. G Jagadeesh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering, IISc, Bangalore. His areas of interest include hypersonic flows, biomedical and industrial applications of shock waves. He has five international patents on various discoveries on industrial applications of shock waves.     

磁性纳米材料的制备及应用新进展

综述了磁性纳米材料的制备方法,如机械球磨法、水热法、微乳液法、超声波法等,归纳了各种制备方法的优缺点.对磁性纳米材料当前的应用热点进行了概述,并对其研究前景进行了展望.     

Does Educational Preparation Match Professional Practice: The Case of Higher Education Policy Analysts

This study compares the extent to which higher education policy analysts and master’s and doctoral faculty of higher education and public affairs programs match on a set of competencies thought to be important to higher education policy analysis. Analysts matched master’s faculty in three competencies while analysts and doctoral faculty matched in five competencies. The findings suggest possible reasons why analysts and graduate faculty agree or differ on various competencies. Also, the findings raise important questions regarding the preparation of higher education policy analysts and the graduate programs that educate them. This study is an addition to the body of competency literature. Eduardo C. Arellano  obtained a B.A. in Political Science and an M.P.A from the University of Texas at El Paso, and he holds the Ph.D. in Educational Administration from New Mexico State University. He is an assistant professor at New Mexico State University in the Department of Educational Management and Development. His special interests are interactional diversity, competency, and US–Mexico border studies. Mario C. Martinez  has a B.A. in Electrical Engineering from New Mexico State University, an M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from Arizona State University. He is an associate professor at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the department of Educational Leadership. His special interests are higher education policy, governance, finance, competency modeling, and strategy.     

Molecular mechanism of heterogeneous catalysis

Gerhard Ertl, the German physical chemist, was awarded the Nobel Prize in chemistry for the year 2007, for his contributions in the area of surface science. His painstaking work led to a microscopic understanding of heterogeneous catalysis in industrially important chemical reactions. These include the Haber-Bosch process for the production of ammonia, and the catalytic oxidation of carbon monoxide. (left) R S Swathi is a Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, working with Prof. K L Sebastian. Her research interests include theoretical study of resonance energy transfer involving various donor-acceptor systems. (right) K L Sebastian is a Professor at the Department of Inorganic and Physical Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science. His area of interest is theoretical chemistry.     

The Concept of Readiness in the Academic Department: A Case Study of Undergraduate Education Reform

While there has been emphasis on the institution and individual classroom as loci of learning and reform, less attention has been paid to the academic department. However, precisely because its structure is so endemic to institutions of higher education, the academic department may be the most logical and potent site for change. Using a case study approach, this paper examines the conditions under which change in undergraduate education takes hold and flourishes in the academic department, advances the concept of readiness, and explores its implications for those who wish to promote change in the department. Virginia S. Lee  is managing member and consultant, Virginia S. Lee & Associates, LLC, a consulting firm specializing in teaching, learning, and assessment in higher education. She received her B.A. from Smith College, her M.B.A. from New York University, and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Special interests include the design and implementation of institution-wide curriculum reform efforts, course and curriculum design, inquiry-guided learning, intensive learning, outcomes-based assessment, and the scholarship of teaching and learning. Michael R. Hyman  is Director of Graduate Programs and Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. He received his B.S. from University College, London, his M.B.A. from Oregon State University, and his Ph.D. from Bristol University. His major research interest is the biodegradation of environmental pollutants. Geraldine Luginbuhl  is Interim Department Head and Professor in the Department of Microbiology at North Carolina State University. She received her B.S. from Stanford University and her Ph.D. from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has a longstanding interest in undergraduate education and, recently, inquiry-guided learning.     

The acquisition and transfer of knowledge of electrokinetic-hydrodynamics (EKHD) fundamentals: an introductory graduate-level course

Relevant engineering applications, such as bioseparation of proteins and DNA, soil-cleaning, motion of colloidal particles in different media, electrical field-based cancer treatments, and the cleaning of surfaces and coating flows, belongs to the family of ‘Applied Field Sensitive Process Technologies’ requiring an external field to move solutes in a fluid within a fibrous (or porous) domain. This field incorporates an additional variable that makes the analysis very challenging and can create for the student a number of new problems to solve. A graduate-level course, based on active-learning approaches and High Performance Learning Environments, where transfer of knowledge plays a key role, was designed by the Chemical Engineering Department at Tennessee Technological University. This course, where the fundamentals principles of EKHD were taught to science, engineering and technology students was designed by the Chemical Engineering Department at the Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville, TN. An important number of these students were able to grasp the tools required to advance their research projects that led to numerous technical presentations in professional society meetings and publications in peered-reviewed journals.     

Unit ball in high dimensions

In this article, we compute the volume V _n of the unit ball in an n-dimensional space. For n = 1, 2, 3, the volumes are respectively 2, π 4π /3, which are the length of interval [−1,1], area of a unit circle and volume of the unit sphere. The numbers V _n ‘appear’ to increase. But in fact this not so. In fact V _n tends to zero as n tends to infinity! K B Athreya is a Visiting Professor at IMI, Mathematics Department, IISc, Bangalore. He is a professor in the Mathematics Department of the Iowa State University, USA. His research interests include mathematical analysis, probability theory and its applications and statistics. His spare time is spent listening to Indian classical music.