Pol Neri

Flap endonucleases (FENs) isolated from archaea are shown to recognize and cleave a structure formed when two overlapping oligonucleotides hybridize to a target DNA strand. The downstream oligonucleotide probe is cleaved, and the precise site of cleavage is dependent on the amount of overlap with the upstream oligonucleotide. We have demonstrated that use of thermostable archaeal FENs allows the reaction to be performed at temperatures that promote probe turnover without the need for temperature cycling. The resulting amplification of the cleavage signal enables the detection of specific DNA targets at sub-attomole levels within complex mixtures. Moreover, we provide evidence that this cleavage is sufficiently specific to enable discrimination of single-base differences and can differentiate homozygotes from heterozygotes in single-copy genes in genomic DNA.

Using 214 fb-1 of data recorded by the Babar detector at the PEPII electron-positron collider, we study the decay Ds+ --> K+ K- e+ nu. Except for a small S-wave contribution, the events with K+K- masses in the range 1.01-1.03 GeV/c2 correspond to phi mesons. For Ds+ --> phi e+ nu decays, we measure the relative normalization of the Lorentz invariant form factors at q2=0, rV=V(0)/A1(0)=1.849 +/- 0.060 +/- 0.095, r2=A2(0)/A1(0)=0.763 +/- 0.071 +/- 0.065 and the pol e mass of the axial-vector form factors mA=(2.28^{+0.23}_{-0.18}+/- 0.18) GeV/c2. Within the same K+K- mass range, we also measure the relative branching fraction B(Ds+ --> K + K- e+ nu)/B(Ds+ --> K+ K- pi+)=0.558 +/- 0.007 +/- 0.016, from which we obtain the total branching fraction B(Ds+ --> phi e+ nu) = (2.61 +/- 0.03 +/- 0.08 +/- 0.15)* 10^{-2}. By comparing this value with the predicted decay rate, we extract A1(0) = 0.607 +/- 0.011 +/- 0.019 +/- 0.018. The stated uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and from external inputs.

Active learning is an educational strategy that promotes the development of the students' critical and creative thinking through carefully designed activities. Collaborative learning techniques such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Project-Oriented Learning (POL) are useful tools to achieve effective active learning. However, teachers often face important challenges promoting, monitoring and ensuring a well-balanced collaboration so both - workload and learning are significant and also as equitable as possible among team members. With the advent of new social software, virtual collaborative environments have become an important part of our lives. Nevertheless file sharing and e-mail communication alone do not necessarily promote learning. It is necessary to combine the learning methodologies with the appropriate software tools to create a virtual collaborative space that promotes active learning. The paper reviews related work on active learning, problem based learning (PBL), project oriented learning (POL), social software tools, and collaborative virtual environments. Hence, a virtual collaborative space that integrates distributed web interactivity tools with learning methodologies is the focus of this paper. A virtual collaborative space using the collaborative elements in Blackboard 9.1 applied to PBL and POL is also presented.