An "in Silico" DNA Cloning Experiment for the Biochemistry Laboratory

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Elkins, Kelly M.

2011-01-01

This laboratory exercise introduces students to concepts in recombinant DNA technology while accommodating a major semester project in protein purification, structure, and function in a biochemistry laboratory for junior- and senior-level undergraduate students. It is also suitable for forensic science courses focused in DNA biology and advanced…

My Lifelong Passion for Biochemistry and Anaerobic Microorganisms.

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Thauer, Rudolf Kurt

2015-01-01

Early parental influence led me first to medical school, but after developing a passion for biochemistry and sensing the need for a deeper foundation, I changed to chemistry. During breaks between semesters, I worked in various biochemistry labs to acquire a feeling for the different areas of investigation. The scientific puzzle that fascinated me most was the metabolism of the anaerobic bacterium Clostridium kluyveri, which I took on in 1965 in Karl Decker's lab in Freiburg, Germany. I quickly realized that little was known about the biochemistry of strict anaerobes such as clostridia, methanogens, acetogens, and sulfate-reducing bacteria and that these were ideal model organisms to study fundamental questions of energy conservation, CO2 fixation, and the evolution of metabolic pathways. My passion for anaerobes was born then and is unabated even after 50 years of study.

Correlation of Preadmission Organic Chemistry Courses and Academic Performance in Biochemistry at a Midwest Chiropractic Doctoral Program*

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McRae, Marc P.

2010-01-01

Purpose: Organic chemistry has been shown to correlate with academic success in the preclinical years of medicine, dentistry, and graduate physiology. The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between undergraduate organic chemistry grades and first-semester biochemistry grades at a Midwest chiropractic doctoral program. Methods: Students enrolled in a first-semester biochemistry course who had completed the prerequisite courses in organic chemistry offered at this same institution were entered into the study. The total grade for each of the three courses was calculated using the midterm and final exam raw scores with a weighting of 50% each. Analysis consisted of obtaining correlation coefficients between the total grades of organic 1 with biochemistry and organic 2 with biochemistry. Using the biochemistry total grade, the students were divided into quartiles and course grades for both organic chemistry 1 and 2 were calculated. Results: For the 109 students in the study, the correlation coefficient between the biochemistry and organic chemistry 1 and biochemistry and organic chemistry 2 courses was r = 0.744 and r = 0.725, respectively. The difference in organic chemistry grades between those in the first and fourth quartiles was 63.2% and 86.9% for organic chemistry 1 (p organic chemistry 2 (p organic chemistry can be used as an indicator of future academic success in a chiropractic biochemistry course. Knowledge of such a relationship could prove useful to identify students who may potentially run into academic difficulty with first-year biochemistry PMID:20480012

Introduction to the Minireview Series on Modern Technologies for In-cell Biochemistry.

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Lutsenko, Svetlana

2016-02-19

The last decade has seen enormous progress in the exploration and understanding of the behavior of molecules in their natural cellular environments at increasingly high spatial and temporal resolution. Advances in microscopy and the development of new fluorescent reagents as well as genetic editing techniques have enabled quantitative analysis of protein interactions, intracellular trafficking, metabolic changes, and signaling. Modern biochemistry now faces new and exciting challenges. Can traditionally "in vitro" experiments, e.g. analysis of protein folding and conformational transitions, be done in cells? Can the structure and behavior of endogenous and/or non-tagged recombinant proteins be analyzed and altered within the cell or in cellular compartments? How can molecules and their actions be studied mechanistically in tissues and organs? Is personalized cellular biochemistry a reality? This thematic series summarizes recent studies that illustrate some first steps toward successfully answering these modern biochemical questions. The first minireview focuses on utilization of three-dimensional primary enteroids and organoids for mechanistic studies of intestinal biology with molecular resolution. The second minireview describes application of single chain antibodies (nanobodies) for monitoring and regulating protein dynamics in vitro and in cells. The third minireview highlights advances in using NMR spectroscopy for analysis of protein folding and assembly in cells. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Development and Implementation of a Two-Semester Introductory Organic-Bioorganic Chemistry Sequence: Conclusions from the First Six Years

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Goess, Brian C.

2014-01-01

A two-semester second-year introductory organic chemistry sequence featuring one semester of accelerated organic chemistry followed by one semester of bioorganic chemistry is described. Assessment data collected over a six-year period reveal that such a course sequence can facilitate student mastery of fundamental organic chemistry in the first…

Blended learning in biochemistry education: analysis of medical students' perceptions.

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de Fátima Wardenski, Rosilaine; de Espíndola, Marina Bazzo; Struchiner, Miriam; Giannella, Taís Rabetti

2012-07-01

The objective of this study was to analyze first-year UFRJ medical students' perceptions about the implementation of a blended learning (BL) experience in their Biochemistry I course. During the first semester of 2009, three Biochemistry professors used the Constructore course management system to develop virtual learning environments (VLEs) for complementing course Modules I, II, and IV, using different resources and activities. Forty-nine students (46%) took part in the study. Results show that, in general, students gave positive evaluations to their experiences with BL, indicating that the VLEs have not only motivated but also facilitated learning. Most of the students reported that access to resources in the three modules provided a more in-depth approach to Biochemistry education and greater study autonomy. Students suggested that the VLEs could be better used for promoting greater communication among participants. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The Views of Undergraduates about Problem-Based Learning Applications in a Biochemistry Course

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Tarhan, Leman; Ayyildiz, Yildizay

2015-01-01

The effect of problem-based learning (PBL) applications in an undergraduate biochemistry course on students' interest in this course was investigated through four modules during one semester. Students' views about active learning and improvement in social skills were also collected and evaluated. We conducted the study with 36 senior students from…

The use of multiple tools for teaching medical biochemistry.

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Sé, Alexandre B; Passos, Renato M; Ono, André H; Hermes-Lima, Marcelo

2008-03-01

In this work, we describe the use of several strategies employing the philosophies of active learning and problem-based learning (PBL) that may be used to improve the teaching of metabolic biochemistry to medical and nutritional undergraduate students. The main activities are as follows: 1) a seminar/poster system in a mini-congress format (using topics of applied biochemistry); 2) a true/false applied biochemistry exam (written by peer tutors); 3) a 9-h exam on metabolism (based in real publications); 4) the Advanced Biochemistry course (directed to peer tutors, where students learn how to read and criticize real medical papers); 5) experiments about nutrition and metabolism, using students as volunteers, and about free radicals (real science for students); 6) the BioBio blog (taking advantage of the "web age," this enhances out of class exchanges of information between the professor, students, and peer tutors); 7) student lectures on public health issues and metabolic disorders directed to the community and lay people; and 8) the BioBio quiz show. The main objective of these activities is to provide students with a more practical and interesting approach to biochemistry, such as the application of theoretical knowledge to real situations (diseases, experiments, media information, and scientific discoveries). In addition, we emphasize the importance of peer tutor activities for optimized learning of both students and peer tutors, the importance of a closer interaction between students and teaching staff, and the necessity to initiate students precociously in two broad fields of medical activity: "real" basic science and contact with the public (also helping students--future doctors and nutritionists--to be able to communicate with lay people). Most activities were evaluated by the students through written questionnaires and informal conversations, along various semesters, indicating good acceptance and approval of these methods. Good student scores in the

Are tutor-students capable of writing good biochemistry exams?

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Alexandre B., Sé; Depto. Biologia Celular, UnB, Brasília, DF, 70910-900; Passos, Renato M.; Depto. Biologia Celular, UnB, Brasília, DF, 70910-900; Hermes-Lima, Marcelo; Depto. Biologia Celular, UnB, Brasília, DF, 70910-900

2004-01-01

In a previous article we described the relevance of student seminars for the learning process of appliedbiochemistry for medical and nutrition students (Hermes-Lima et al., Biochem. Mol.Biol.Educ. 30:30-34,2002). First semester students of a basic biochemistry course (BioBio) are divided in 10 groupsof 5 members, and each group is assigned to a specic topic (diabetes, cholesterol, etc) under thesupervision of a tutor-student. The tutors have already coursed BioBio and are currently undertakin...

Exploring protein structure and dynamics through a project-oriented biochemistry laboratory module.

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Lipchock, James M; Ginther, Patrick S; Douglas, Bonnie B; Bird, Kelly E; Patrick Loria, J

2017-09-01

Here, we present a 10-week project-oriented laboratory module designed to provide a course-based undergraduate research experience in biochemistry that emphasizes the importance of biomolecular structure and dynamics in enzyme function. This module explores the impact of mutagenesis on an important active site loop for a biomedically-relevant human enzyme, protein tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B). Over the course of the semester students guide their own mutant of PTP1B from conception to characterization in a cost-effective manner and gain exposure to fundamental techniques in biochemistry, including site-directed DNA mutagenesis, bacterial recombinant protein expression, affinity column purification, protein quantitation, SDS-PAGE, and enzyme kinetics. This project-based approach allows an instructor to simulate a research setting and prepare students for productive research beyond the classroom. Potential modifications to expand or contract this module are also provided. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):403-410, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Are tutor-students capable of writing good biochemistry exams?

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Sé Alexandre B.

2004-05-01

Full Text Available In a previous article we described the relevance of student seminars for the learning process of appliedbiochemistry for medical and nutrition students (Hermes-Lima et al., Biochem. Mol.Biol.Educ. 30:30-34,2002. First semester students of a basic biochemistry course (BioBio are divided in 10 groupsof 5 members, and each group is assigned to a specic topic (diabetes, cholesterol, etc under thesupervision of a tutor-student. The tutors have already coursed BioBio and are currently undertakingan advanced biochemistry course. In order to evaluate the learning of applied biochemistry for BioBiostudents a true or false exam (TFE is performed. This exam is made of 50 questions (5 on eachtopic elaborated by the tutors under the supervision of the teacher. The TFE corresponds to 10percent of the grade of BioBio and focus on clinical and/or applied biochemistry situations. At theend of the exam, BioBio students were asked to share their opinions about TFEs (n = 401, from2001/1 to 2003/2. When asked to give a 0-to-4 score regarding (a the diculty level of the test,(b the technical quality and (c if the exam makes an appropriate evaluation of applied biochemistryknowledge, the scores were 2.9, 3.4 and 2.9, respectively. BioBio students were also asked if they ndvalid to be evaluated by a tutor-made exam and if they would like to participate in the making ofTFEs; 96 and 58 percent answered yes, respectively.In another survey, we interviewed former BioBio students from the 2nd to the 7th semesters (n=95about TFEs (since 1999-1 regarding technical aspects, which included (1 clarity of questions, (2 levelof diculty, (3 clinical application and (4 thinking (as opposed to memorizing abilities demanded;the 0-to-4 scores were 3.1, 2.9, 2.6, and 2.5, respectively. Other four questions were on the validityof tutors writing TFEs and their capacity to perform such a task; the average score was 3.2. Oursurveys show the students good acceptance of the seminar system

Biochemistry in the idea of graduation students

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D. F. Escoto et al

2015-08-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Biochemistry is an interdisciplinary area that allows us to study chemical phenomena in live organisms. That way, its study is of extreme importance, in all levels, to enlarge the comprehension of natural phenomena. However, it is barely explored in the basic education and often fragmented in the higher education, or in graduation degrees that contemplate this area. Especially in the teacher training, where the fragmentation of knowledge can contribute to form wrong concepts. Based on that, this work aims to identify the concept of Biochemistry according to the future teachers of Natural Science. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The work was developed with 3º, 5º and 9º semesters students of the natural science degree on Universidade Federal do Pampa. 50 students, from 18 to 56 years old, were interviewed. The data was obtained through a semi-structured questionnaire. The methodology of categorization and analysis of content with emergent categories of speech was chosen for the analysis. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Initially, 11 categories were chosen by content similarity. In descending order: chemical reactions in organisms, chemistry area, chemistry of life, cell metabolism, the study of living beings, origin of life, biology area, organic balance, chemical-biological study. The reports made possible to identify that most students do understand with clarity the goal of studying biochemistry. Although, we can see that there are some students that fragment the area, what means, they try to discriminate chemistry from biology. This way, they demonstrate a difficulty to comprehend biochemistry as interdisciplinary, what makes it hard to contextualize the built knowledge. It is important to develop strategies to overcome the fragmentation of knowledge, so that biochemistry can be comprehended in its fullness and help on the teaching processes that will be developed by the future teachers.

Bringing research into a first semester organic chemistry laboratory with the multistep synthesis of carbohydrate-based HIV inhibitor mimics.

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Pontrello, Jason K

2015-01-01

Benefits of incorporating research experiences into laboratory courses have been well documented, yet examples of research projects designed for the first semester introductory organic chemistry lab course are extremely rare. To address this deficiency, a Carbohydrate-Based human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) Inhibitor project consisting of a synthetic scheme of four reactions was developed for and implemented in the first semester organic lab. Students carried out the synthetic reactions during the last 6 of 10 total labs in the course, generating carbohydrate-based dimeric target molecules modeled after published dimers with application in HIV therapy. The project was designed to provide a research experience through use of literature procedures for reactions performed, exploration of variation in linker length in the target structure, and synthesis of compounds not previously reported in the scientific literature. Project assessment revealed strong student support, indicating enhanced engagement and interest in the course as a direct result of the use of scientific literature and the applications of the synthesized carbohydrate-based molecules. Regardless of discussed challenges in designing a research project for the first semester lab course, the finding from data analysis that a project implemented in the first semester lab had significantly greater student impact than a second semester project should provide motivation for development of additional research projects for a first semester organic course. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

BIOCHEMISTRY ACADEMIC MONITORING: IT’S INFLUENCE ON TEACHING BACKGROUND AS A TEACHING-LEARNING PRACTICE COMPLEMENT TOOL

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S. H.D. Ribeiro

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The monitoring process is based on a strategy which propitiates interdisciplinary and gathering theory and practice, apart from teaching assistance, easing and increasing students learning, awakening the academic discipline’s interest and importance. The developed task held over the course of two academic consecutive semesters in 2014 on Biology Science Major at Federal University of Uberlândia had as a goal the use of diverse methodological alternatives in Biochemistry such as: basic bibliography’s comprehension support, approaching and integration mechanism from the content to learner’s reality, meetings to feedback pre-assessment valuation, constructive debates, conceptual issues and questioning in order to clarify any doubts from the content discussed, besides the supervisor’s assistance in practical classes. The resources used to this approach were the student’s analysis to monitoring, their performances on the subject and the approval, retention and evasion levels at the end of the semesters. The obtained results have shown a high level of approval on both semesters, combined to decreasing level of evasion and retention. It was possible to clarify that on the discipline´s development the increasing search for monitoring as much as the complexity´s raise from some contents as the interest and curiosity in knowing certain methods used in monitoring. Improving on student´s performance and arguing on written evaluation also were noticed. The obtained results also proved that diverse methodological alternatives in Biochemistry are potential strategies in maximizing the approval levels in that discipline and bring the student close to the content in a dynamic way, supporting to a better knowledge development in the subject. Monitoring can also be a mean to stimulate the interest in teaching.

Advanced Biochemistry Course teach students how to make and criticize science

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A.B Sé

2006-07-01

Full Text Available In this work we are reporting a course of University of Brasilia called “Topics in Biochemistry”. It is offered to second semester medicine and nutrition students (around 12 who have just finished the Basic Biochemistry Course (BioBio, plus one or two third semester students, who are taking the course for the second time, as “coordinators”. This course is composed of two parallel activities: weekly meetings for scientific discussions and the peer-tutor activity.In  each  meeting,  one  student  presents  an  article.  The  topics  are  mostly  on  metabolic  biochemistry,  but  can  range from  animal  adaptability  to  Alzheimer  Disease.  The  requisite  is  that  the  article  was  published  in  a  recognized international journal (as Nature, American Journal of Physiology, New England Journal of Medicine and is adequate for group discussion. The emphasis of the discussion is greater on the methodology of science, instead of on specific details  about  particular  subjects.  What  did  the  authors  want  to  prove?  How  did  they  do  it?  Were  the  conclusions valid?  What  were  the  experimental  errors  and  omissions?  How  could  it  be  a  better  article?  Also,  it’s  a  good opportunity  to discuss statistics, methodology, and to exercise  the sense of criticism. Overall, the objective  of these discussions is to teach students how to make science and criticize science. The second attribution of the course is the peer-tutor activity. Each student is responsible for tutoring a BioBio group on a seminar/poster presentation (Hermes-Lima et al., Biochem.  Mol.Biol.Educ. 30: 30-34,2002  and is responsible for evaluating their group, always supervised by the coordinating professor. Moreover, they must elaborate a “true or false” exam (Sé et al. Are tutor-students capable of writing good biochemistry exams? SBBq 2004, abstract K-18

Predictors of performance of students in biochemistry in a doctor of chiropractic curriculum.

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Shaw, Kathy; Rabatsky, Ali; Dishman, Veronica; Meseke, Christopher

2014-01-01

Objective : This study investigated the effect of completion of course prerequisites, undergraduate grade point average (GPA), undergraduate degree, and study habits on the performance of students in the biochemistry course at Palmer College of Chiropractic Florida. Methods : Students self-reported information regarding academic preparation at the beginning of the semester using a questionnaire. Final exam grade and final course grade were noted and used as measures of performance. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to determine if number of prerequisites completed, undergraduate GPA, undergraduate degree, hours spent studying in undergraduate study, and hours spent studying in the first quarter of the chiropractic program were associated significantly with the biochemistry final exam grade or the final grade for the biochemistry course. Results : The number of prerequisites completed, undergraduate degree, hours spent studying in undergraduate study, and hours spent studying in the first quarter of the chiropractic program did not significantly affect the biochemistry final exam grade or the final grade for the biochemistry course, but undergraduate GPA did. Subsequent univariate analysis and Tukey's post hoc comparisons revealed that students with an undergraduate GPA in the 3.5 to 3.99 range earned significantly higher final course grades than students with an undergraduate GPA in the 2.5 to 2.99 range. Conclusion : No single variable was determined to be a factor that determines student success in biochemistry. The interrelationship between the factors examined warrants further investigation to understand fully how to predict the success of a student in the biochemistry course.

The development and implementation of an online applied biochemistry bridge course for a dental hygiene curriculum.

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Gadbury-Amyot, Cynthia C; Overman, Pamela R; Crain, Geralyn

2009-01-01

This article describes a curricular change project designed to improve instruction in biochemistry. After years of unsatisfactory outcomes from a dental hygiene biochemistry course, a decision was made to change the traditional lecture-based course to an online format. Using online technology and principles of educational pedagogy, a course was developed that fosters application of biomaterials principles to dental hygiene practice and provides a bridge between prerequisite chemistry coursework and biochemistry in a health professions program. Members of the dental hygiene graduating Classes of 2007 and 2008 participated in the revised course. The outcome measures used to assess the effectiveness of the revised course were student end-of-semester course evaluations, graduating senior survey results, student course performance, and National Board examination performance. While the results are based on only two classes, the positive outcomes suggest that the revision was a worthwhile endeavor. The use of technology in teaching holds the potential for solving many of the curriculum and instruction issues currently under discussion: overcrowding of the curriculum, lack of active learning methods, and basic sciences taught in isolation from the rest of the curriculum. It is hoped that the results of this change will be helpful to other faculty members seeking curricular change and innovation.

The Relevance of Student Seminars on Clinically Related Subjects in a Biochemistry Course for Medical and Nutrition Students

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Hermes-Lima, Marcelo; Muniz, Karinne C.; Coutinho, Iracema S.

2002-01-01

The aim of this study was to determine the value of a system of seminars on clinically related biochemistry topics for undergraduate students in medicine and nutrition at the University of Brasilia, Brazil. During the second semester of 1998 (1998-2), the teaching staff decided to establish new and stricter rules for the seminar method and to…

A Project-Based Biochemistry Laboratory Promoting the Understanding and Uses of Fluorescence Spectroscopy in the Study of Biomolecular Structures and Interactions

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Briese, Nicholas; Jakubowsk, Henry V.

2007-01-01

A laboratory project for a first semester biochemistry course is described, which integrates the traditional classroom study of the structure and function of biomolecules with the laboratory study of these molecules using fluorescence spectroscopy. Students are assigned a specific question addressing the stability/function of lipids, proteins, or…

THE USE OF MULTIPLE TOOLS FOR TEACHING MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY

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A.B. Sé

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The pros and cons of Problem Based Learning (PBL have been extensivelydiscussed in the literature. We describe PBL-like strategies used at UnB (some ofthem since 1999 that may be useful elsewhere to improve undergraduatebiochemistry teaching with clinical applications. The main activities are: (i aseminar/poster system, (ii a true-or-false applied biochemistry exam (prepared bypeer tutors, (iii a 9-hour-exam on metabolism (based in actual papers, (iv anAdvanced Biochemistry course (directed to peer tutors, (v pizza-and-pasta (formetabolism teaching and free radicals (real science for students experiments,(vi the BioBio blog (http://www.biobio-unb.blogspot.com, (vii student lectures onhealth issues directed to the community, and (viii the BioBio Show. The mainobjective of these activities is providing students with a more practical andentertaining approach to biochemistry using philosophic PBL principles such asthe application of basic knowledge to real situations (diseases, experiments andscientific discoveries. We also emphasize (a the importance of peer-tutor activityfor optimized learning of students and peer tutors, (b the relevance of a closerinteraction between students and professors, and (c the necessity to initiatestudents precociously in actual basic/medical science and contact with the public.Most activities have been evaluated by the students through written questionnairesand informal conversations, for several semesters, indicating good acceptanceand approval of these methods.

Game Development as Didactic Strategy for Biochemistry Teaching

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G.G. Hornink

2010-05-01

Full Text Available It is well known that students and teachers have difficulties in learning and teaching Biochemistry due to its abstract and interconnected contents. This work proposes a didactic strategy in order to facilitate teaching and learning process in Biochemistry. The strategy was implemented with biological science undergraduate students. At first, the students were divided into groups with a specific topic to develop a game. During the semester, problem based learning cases, online activities like crossword puzzle, essay questions and educational softwares were used to present the content of each topic. The groups were oriented in classroom and online, to choose and organize contents and create ways to approach them in games. At the end of the course the groups played each other games, which were evaluated by teacher and students following some criteria like: creativity, content organization, interdisciplinarity, proposal coherence, instructions clarity, specific content. The game elaboration contributed to the development of social and cognitive functions, such as teamwork and troubleshooting, providing an interesting perspective to the student about knowledge construction process. The strategy showed up students' creativity and ability to reorganize their knowledge to a different education level. In an overview, the results indicate that the proposed didactic strategy is an effective way to enhance learning and to motivate students into Biochemistry topics.

Assessing critical thinking in medical sciences students in two sequential semesters: Does it improve?

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Athari, Zeinab-Sadat; Sharif, Sayyed-Mostafa; Nasr, Ahmad Reza; Nematbakhsh, Mehdi

2013-01-01

Critical thinking is an important outcome criterion of higher education in any discipline. Medical and paramedical students always encounter with many new problems in clinical settings and medicinal laboratory, and critical thinking is an essential skill in obtaining a better approach for problem solving. We performed a pre-and post-test to evaluate the change of critical thinking skills in medical sciences students who enrolled in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran during the academic years 2008-2010. In a longitudinal design study, the critical thinking skills were compared in medical sciences students in two sequential semesters using the California Critical Thinking Skills Test. The test is divided into two parts (parts 1 and 2), including 17 items in each part. Based on proportional stratified sampling, a groups of students (group 1, n=159) were selected from the university population, who enrolled in medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and rehabilitation colleges. The students in group 1 were asked to complete the part 1 of the test (phase I). After one semester, another group (group 2, n=138) from the same population was randomly selected, and they were asked to complete the part two (phase II). The students' demographic data also were recorded. The California critical thinking skills test was translated and it validity and reliability were approved before. No significant difference was observed between the two groups in the demographic data. The students critical thinking scores in phase II significantly reduced in comparison with phase 1 (pstudents' critical thinking.

Teaching structure: student use of software tools for understanding macromolecular structure in an undergraduate biochemistry course.

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Jaswal, Sheila S; O'Hara, Patricia B; Williamson, Patrick L; Springer, Amy L

2013-01-01

Because understanding the structure of biological macromolecules is critical to understanding their function, students of biochemistry should become familiar not only with viewing, but also with generating and manipulating structural representations. We report a strategy from a one-semester undergraduate biochemistry course to integrate use of structural representation tools into both laboratory and homework activities. First, early in the course we introduce the use of readily available open-source software for visualizing protein structure, coincident with modules on amino acid and peptide bond properties. Second, we use these same software tools in lectures and incorporate images and other structure representations in homework tasks. Third, we require a capstone project in which teams of students examine a protein-nucleic acid complex and then use the software tools to illustrate for their classmates the salient features of the structure, relating how the structure helps explain biological function. To ensure engagement with a range of software and database features, we generated a detailed template file that can be used to explore any structure, and that guides students through specific applications of many of the software tools. In presentations, students demonstrate that they are successfully interpreting structural information, and using representations to illustrate particular points relevant to function. Thus, over the semester students integrate information about structural features of biological macromolecules into the larger discussion of the chemical basis of function. Together these assignments provide an accessible introduction to structural representation tools, allowing students to add these methods to their biochemical toolboxes early in their scientific development. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Semester-long inquiry-based molecular biology laboratory: Transcriptional regulation in yeast.

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Oelkers, Peter M

2017-03-04

A single semester molecular biology laboratory has been developed in which students design and execute a project examining transcriptional regulation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Three weeks of planning are allocated to developing a hypothesis through literature searches and use of bioinformatics. Common experimental plans address a cell process and how three genes that encode for proteins involved in that process are transcriptionally regulated in response to changing environmental conditions. Planning includes designing oligonucleotides to amplify the putative promoters of the three genes of interest. After the PCR, each product is cloned proximal to β-galactosidase in a yeast reporter plasmid. Techniques used include agarose electrophoresis, extraction of DNA from agarose, plasmid purification from bacteria, restriction digestion, ligation, and bacterial transformation. This promoter/reporter plasmid is then transformed into yeast. Transformed yeast are cultured in conditions prescribed in the experimental design, lysed and β-galactosidase activity is measured. The course provides an independent research experience in a group setting. Notebooks are maintained on-line with regular feedback. Projects culminate with the presentation of a poster worth 60% of the grade. Over the last three years, about 65% of students met expectations for experimental design, data acquisition, and analysis. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(2):145-151, 2017. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

A Two-Week Guided Inquiry Protein Separation and Detection Experiment for Undergraduate Biochemistry

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Carolan, James P.; Nolta, Kathleen V.

2016-01-01

A laboratory experiment for teaching protein separation and detection in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course is described. This experiment, performed in two, 4 h laboratory periods, incorporates guided inquiry principles to introduce students to the concepts behind and difficulties of protein purification. After using size-exclusion…

Effects of Guided Inquiry versus Lecture Instruction on Final Grade Distribution in a One-Semester Organic and Biochemistry Course

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Conway, Colleen J.

2014-01-01

A comprehensive guided-inquiry approach was used in a combined organic and biochemistry course for prenursing and predietetics students rather than lecture. To assess its effectiveness, exam grades and final course grades of students in three instructional techniques were compared. The three groups were the following: (i) lecture only, (ii)…

Assessment of burnout in veterinary medical students using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educational Survey: a survey during two semesters.

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Chigerwe, Munashe; Boudreaux, Karen A; Ilkiw, Jan E

2014-11-28

Burnout among veterinary students can result from known stressors in the absence of a support system. The objectives of this study were to evaluate use of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator Survey (MBI-ES) to assess burnout in veterinary students and evaluate the factors that predict the MBI-ES scores. The MBI-ES was administered to first (Class of 2016) and second year (Class of 2015) veterinary medical students during the 2012-2013 academic year in the fall and spring semesters. Factor analysis and test reliability for the survey were determined. Mean scores for the subscales determining burnout namely emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP) and lack of personal accomplishment (PA) were calculated for both classes in the 2 semesters. Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate other factors that predict the MBI-ES scores. A non-probability sampling method was implemented consisting of a voluntary sample of 170 and 123 students in the fall and spring semesters, respectively. Scores for EE, DP and PA were not different between the 2 classes within the same semester. Mean ± SD scores for EE, DP and PA for the fall semester were 22.9 ± 9.6, 5.0 ± 4.8 and 32.3 ± 6.7, respectively. Mean ± SD scores for EE, DP and PA the spring semester were 27.8 ± 10.7, 6.5 ± 6.1and 31.7 ± 6.8, respectively. The EE score was higher in spring compared to fall while DP and PA scores were not different between the 2 semesters. Living arrangements specifically as to whether or not a student lived with another veterinary medical students was the only variable significantly associated with the MBI-ES scores. Students in this study had moderate levels of burnout based on the MBI-ES scores. The MBI-ES was an acceptable instrument for assessing burnout in veterinary medical students. The EE scores were higher in the spring semester as compared to the fall semester. Thus students in the first and second years of veterinary school under the current curriculum

Diverse Assessment and Active Student Engagement Sustain Deep Learning: A Comparative Study of Outcomes in Two Parallel Introductory Biochemistry Courses

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Bevan, Samantha J.; Chan, Cecilia W. L.; Tanner, Julian A.

2014-01-01

Although there is increasing evidence for a relationship between courses that emphasize student engagement and achievement of student deep learning, there is a paucity of quantitative comparative studies in a biochemistry and molecular biology context. Here, we present a pedagogical study in two contrasting parallel biochemistry introductory…

Learning to Argue with Intermediate Macro Theory: A Semester-Long Team Writing Project

Science.gov (United States)

Strasser, Georg; Wolfe, Marketa Halova

2014-01-01

The authors describe their experience with integrating a semester-long economic analysis project into an intermediate macroeconomic theory course. Students work in teams of "economic advisors" to write a series of nested reports that analyze the current state of the economy, and propose and evaluate policies for a decision-maker. The…

[Research activity in clinical biochemistry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jorgensen, H.L.; Larsen, B.; Ingwersen, P.

2008-01-01

BACKGROUND: Quantitative bibliometric measurements of research activity are frequently used, e.g. for evaluating applicants for academic positions. The purpose of this investigation is to assess research activity within the medical speciality of Clinical Biochemistry by comparing it with a matched...... Clinical Biochemistry, 57 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Each of these 57 was matched according to medical title with two randomly chosen specialists from other specialities, totaling 114. Using Medline and the Web of Science, the number of publications and the number of citations were then ascertained....... RESULTS: 25% of the 11,691 specialists held a PhD degree or doctoral degree, DMSci, (Clinical Biochemistry: 61%). The 171 specialists included in the study had 9,823 papers in Medline and 10,140 papers in the Web of Science. The number of Medline papers per specialist was 71 for Clinical Biochemistry...

[Research activity in clinical biochemistry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jorgensen, H.L.; Larsen, B.; Ingwersen, P.

2008-01-01

Clinical Biochemistry, 57 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Each of these 57 was matched according to medical title with two randomly chosen specialists from other specialities, totaling 114. Using Medline and the Web of Science, the number of publications and the number of citations were then ascertained......BACKGROUND: Quantitative bibliometric measurements of research activity are frequently used, e.g. for evaluating applicants for academic positions. The purpose of this investigation is to assess research activity within the medical speciality of Clinical Biochemistry by comparing it with a matched....... RESULTS: 25% of the 11,691 specialists held a PhD degree or doctoral degree, DMSci, (Clinical Biochemistry: 61%). The 171 specialists included in the study had 9,823 papers in Medline and 10,140 papers in the Web of Science. The number of Medline papers per specialist was 71 for Clinical Biochemistry...

Site-Directed Mutagenesis Study of an Antibiotic-Sensing Noncoding RNA Integrated into a One-Semester Project-Based Biochemistry Lab Course

Science.gov (United States)

Gerczei, Timea

2017-01-01

A laboratory sequence is described that is suitable for upper-level biochemistry or molecular biology laboratories that combines project-based and traditional laboratory experiments. In the project-based sequence, the individual laboratory experiments are thematically linked and aim to show how a bacterial antibiotic sensing noncoding RNA (the…

[Research activity in clinical biochemistry].

Science.gov (United States)

Jørgensen, Henrik L; Larsen, Birger; Ingwersen, Peter; Rehfeld, Jens F

2008-09-01

Quantitative bibliometric measurements of research activity are frequently used, e.g. for evaluating applicants for academic positions. The purpose of this investigation is to assess research activity within the medical speciality of Clinical Biochemistry by comparing it with a matched control group from other medical specialities in Denmark. A list of all physicians registered in Denmark (23,127 persons) was drawn from the database "Laeger.dk". Of these, 5,202 were generalists (not included) while 11,691 were from other specialities. Of the 126 specialists from Clinical Biochemistry, 57 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Each of these 57 was matched according to medical title with two randomly chosen specialists from other specialities, totaling 114. Using Medline and the Web of Science, the number of publications and the number of citations were then ascertained. 25% of the 11,691 specialists held a PhD degree or doctoral degree, DMSci, (Clinical Biochemistry: 61%). The 171 specialists included in the study had 9,823 papers in Medline and 10,140 papers in the Web of Science. The number of Medline papers per specialist was 71 for Clinical Biochemistry compared to 51 for the control group. The number of citations per specialist was 1,844 for Clinical Biochemistry compared to 816 for the control group. The top ten H-indices (of which 8 were in Clinical Biochemistry) ranged from 30 to 69. Both the number of papers and the number of citations were higher for Clinical Biochemistry than for the control group. The difference was most pronounced among professors.

Symposium 19: The contributions of the Department of Biochemistry/USP towards Biochemistry teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bayardo Baptista Torres

2014-08-01

Full Text Available K-Education(Portuguese Chair: V. Trindade Bayardo Torres; Clovis Wannmacher; Denise MacedoThe contributions of the Department of Biochemistry/USP towards Biochemistry teaching.O ensino de Bioquímica nos últimos 20 anosBayardo B. TorresDepartamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, USP. São Paulo, Brazil.Among the contributions of the Department of Biochemistry/USP one must recall:1. Winter school for graduate studentsThis course, now at the ninth edition, is intended for students in the final stage of their Masters or PhD in Biochemistry or related areas from any institution of higher education.Modern and important techniques are offered as possible support to help the student’s projects.2. Summer courses for undergraduate studentsThe Department offers every year, since 1999, complementary courses for undergraduate students to extend their knowledge in biochemical subjects not ordinarily treated in introductory courses. Some examples:Plant Molecular Biology, Biochemistry and Diseases, Biochemistry of Mind, Biochemistry of Ageing, Cancer Biochemistry, Nutrition and Sports, Biochemistry of Beauty, Biochemistry of the Envenomation Response, etc.3. Summer courses for high school teachers. Some examples:Biochemistry of Nutrition, DNA – Techniques and Applications, Biochemistry in the kitchen.4. Software developmentMany software for biochemistry teaching/learning were developed and are freely available at the Biblioteca Digital de Ciências [http://www.bdc.ib.unicamp.br/bdc/index.php]. Some examples:Oxygen consumption by mitochondria, Muscle contraction, Electron transport chain and oxidative phosphorylation, Free radicals, Enzyme kinetics, cAMP signalization, Interactive study of protein structure, Leptin, Insulin and Obesity.5. A Biochemistry textbook. 

Success of the Tutorial Program in Biochemistry at The Federal University of Vi

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.C. Baracat-Pereira

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Institutionalized at UFV in 2001, the Tutorial Program in Biochemistry aims to reduce the une-venness of basic prior knowledge among the students enrolled in regular Biochemistry courses. Thework methodology has been periodically evaluated and rened in order to overcome identied pro-blems. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate the Tutorial Program based on the stu-dentsachievement, to show implemented modications and proposed alternatives to adjust methodo-logies. The student-nal-grades were obtained from UFV les. Questionnaires were applied to thePrograms students at the end of each semester. Suggestions and criticism from tutors and coordinatingprofessors were discussed at weekly meetings. Along six semesters (2001-2003, a leveling o of thetutorial students was observed with the attending students (S, minimum of 75% attendance, averagegrade 71.3 that got grades close to the average of no-tutorial students (average grade 71.5. For thetutorial students with attendance below the required minimum (N, the average grade was 58.8. Thefailure rate for grade S students (7.4% was lower then that for no-tutorial students (9.9% and forgrade N students (27.9%. Based on the lled out questionnaire from tutorial students, we observeas follows: 96.7% stated that it is eective to participate in the Program and 79.9% modied theirstudy approach. Among the modications implemented in the Program, are as folows: 1 Increase inthe number of tutorial groups (from 4 to 6; 2 Reduction in the number of volunteer-students, givingpriority to students with decient prior knowledge in pre-requisite-disciplines; and 3 Time reductionof tutorial sessions (from 3 to 2h weekly, with smaller groups and exercise classes. Thus, the observedmotivation, the leveling o and the lower failure rate of the S grade tutorial students indicated that theTutorial Program at UFV is improving and reaching its objectives.

Thermal and chemical denaturation of Bacillus circulans xylanase: A biophysical chemistry laboratory module.

Science.gov (United States)

Raabe, Richard; Gentile, Lisa

2008-11-01

A number of institutions have been, or are in the process of, modifying their biochemistry major to include some emphasis on the quantitative physical chemistry of biomolecules. Sometimes this is done as a replacement for part for the entire physical chemistry requirement, while at other institutions this is incorporated as a component into the traditional two-semester biochemistry series. The latter is the model used for biochemistry and molecular biology majors at the University of Richmond, whose second semester of biochemistry is a course entitled Proteins: Structure, Function, and Biophysics. What is described herein is a protein thermodynamics laboratory module, using the protein Bacillus circulans xylanase, which reinforces many lecture concepts, including: (i) the denatured (D) state ensemble of a protein can be different, depending on how it was populated; (ii) intermediate states may be detected by some spectroscopic techniques but not by others; (iii) the use and assumptions of the van't Hoff approach to calculate ΔH(o) , ΔS(o) , and ΔG(o) (T) for thermal protein unfolding transitions; and (iv) the use and assumptions of an approach that allows determination of the Gibb's free energy of a protein unfolding transition based on the linear dependence of ΔG(o) on the concentration of denaturant used. This module also requires students to design their own experimental protocols and spend time in the primary literature, both important parts of an upper division lab. Copyright © 2008 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

College cafeteria snack food purchases become less healthy with each passing week of the semester.

Science.gov (United States)

Wansink, Brian; Cao, Ying; Saini, Prerna; Shimizu, Mitsuru; Just, David R

2013-07-01

Snacks, stress and parties all contribute to the weight gain – the elusive ‘Freshman 15’ – that some college-goers unfortunately experience. The present study examines how a` la carte snack choice changes on a university campus during each progressing week of the academic calendar. How a` la carte snack choices change on a university campus with each progressing week of the academic calendar was examined. The data were collected from three large cafeterias (or dining halls) on Cornell University’s campus during four semesters (Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007 and Spring 2008), for 18 weeks in each semester. After the a` la carte snack items were divided into healthy snacks and unhealthy snacks, the percentage share for each food category was calculated. Within each semester, the unhealthy snack food choices increased consistently by 0?4% per week (b50?00418, P,0?01). Furthermore, a sharp (8 %) increase occurred in the final two weeks of the semester. In contrast, healthy snack food choices decreased by almost 4% (b520?0408, P,0?01) in the final two weeks during the fall semester. These results demonstrate an increased demand for hedonic, or unhealthy, snack foods as the college semester progresses and in particular at the very end of the semester. To counter this tendency towards unhealthy snacking, cafeterias and stores should make extra effort to promote healthy alternatives during the later weeks of the semester.

Improving the Instruction of Infinite Series

Science.gov (United States)

Lindaman, Brian; Gay, A. Susan

2012-01-01

Calculus instructors struggle to teach infinite series, and students have difficulty understanding series and related concepts. Four instructional strategies, prominently used during the calculus reform movement, were implemented during a 3-week unit on infinite series in one class of second-semester calculus students. A description of each…

From gene to structure: Lactobacillus bulgaricus D-lactate dehydrogenase from yogurt as an integrated curriculum model for undergraduate molecular biology and biochemistry laboratory courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawton, Jeffrey A; Prescott, Noelle A; Lawton, Ping X

2018-05-01

We have developed an integrated, project-oriented curriculum for undergraduate molecular biology and biochemistry laboratory courses spanning two semesters that is organized around the ldhA gene from the yogurt-fermenting bacterium Lactobacillus bulgaricus, which encodes the enzyme d-lactate dehydrogenase. The molecular biology module, which consists of nine experiments carried out over eleven sessions, begins with the isolation of genomic DNA from L. bulgaricus in yogurt and guides students through the process of cloning the ldhA gene into a prokaryotic expression vector, followed by mRNA isolation and characterization of recombinant gene expression levels using RT-PCR. The biochemistry module, which consists of nine experiments carried out over eight sessions, begins with overexpression of the cloned ldhA gene and guides students through the process of affinity purification, biochemical characterization of the purified LdhA protein, and analysis of enzyme kinetics using various substrates and an inhibitor, concluding with a guided inquiry investigation of structure-function relationships in the three-dimensional structure of LdhA using molecular visualization software. Students conclude by writing a paper describing their work on the project, formatted as a manuscript to be submitted for publication in a scientific journal. Overall, this curriculum, with its emphasis on experiential learning, provides hands-on training with a variety of common laboratory techniques in molecular biology and biochemistry and builds experience with the process of scientific reasoning, along with reinforcement of essential transferrable skills such as critical thinking, information literacy, and written communication, all within the framework of an extended project having the look and feel of a research experience. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(3):270-278, 2018. © 2018 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

A 9-hour biochemistry exam. An iron man competition or a good way of evaluating undergraduate students?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexandre B. Sé

2005-07-01

Full Text Available In a previous work we discus sed the capability of peer-tutors to write good true-or-fals e biochemistryexams (Sé et al. Are tutor-students capable of writing good biochemistry exams? SBBq 2004, abstractK-18. We are currently reporting the experience of 12 semesters in which a pair of peer-tutors ,coordinated by a professor, write a discursive exam. It has themes like obesity, cholesterol, diabetesand alimentation as de scribed in Passos et al, A lunch of pizza and pasta used for the learning ofmetabolic biochemistry, SBBq 2003, abstract K-10. The themes are chosen basedon 2 articles fromimportant international journals , such as the American Journal of Physiology. These articles have beenpreviously discussed in an Advanced Biochemistry class with all peer-tutors and the professor. Thequestions are base di practical situations, ac cording to what was exposed previously in a text, whichis written by the peer-tutors and base don the articles. The focus of the exam is the discussion of thesituation exposed and the development of a line of thoughts instead of just memorizing biochemic alconcepts . In order to facilitate this process, the students are divided in pairs to answer the questions(the y must have a di? erence in the previous exam grade lower than 1.3. They are allowed to bringbooks and class notes to the test to help the discussion. To avoid the rush and let the students discussand think freely, the y have 9 hours to do the exam . During this period, we evaluated the qualityof the 9-h-examby a survey at the end of it. When asked to give a 0-to- 4 score re garding (a thedi? culty level of the exam (4 m ean ve ry hard, (b if the exams makes an appropriate evaluation ofbiochemical knowledge (4 m ean it do e s (c if the exams make you re ason ab out applied biochemistry(4 me an it do es , the scores were 3.14, 3.61 and 3.82 respective ly (n=469. Our survey show thestudents good acceptance of the 9- h-e xam. The grades along 12 semesters have

Comparison of two different techniques of cooperative learning approach: Undergraduates' conceptual understanding in the context of hormone biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Mutlu, Ayfer

2018-03-01

The purpose of the research was to compare the effects of two different techniques of the cooperative learning approach, namely Team-Game Tournament and Jigsaw, on undergraduates' conceptual understanding in a Hormone Biochemistry course. Undergraduates were randomly assigned to Group 1 (N = 23) and Group 2 (N = 29). Instructions were accomplished using Team-Game Tournament in Group 1 and Jigsaw in Group 2. Before the instructions, all groups were informed about cooperative learning and techniques, their responsibilities in the learning process and accessing of resources. Instructions were conducted under the guidance of the researcher for nine weeks and the Hormone Concept Test developed by the researcher was used before and after the instructions for data collection. According to the results, while both techniques improved students' understanding, Jigsaw was more effective than Team-Game Tournament. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(2):114-120, 2018. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The Effects of Two Semesters of Secondary School Calculus on Students' First and Second Quarter Calculus Grades at the University of Utah

Science.gov (United States)

Robinson, William Baker

1970-01-01

The predicted and actual achievement in college calculus is compared for students who had studied two semesters of calculus in high school. The regression equation used for prediction was calculated from the performance data of similar students who had not had high school calculus. (CT)

STUDENTS’ DIFFICULTIES IN BIOCHEMISTRY LEARNING ANALYZED THROUGH AN ON LINE ACADEMIC DROP-IN CENTER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. Schoenmaker

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The biochemistry discipline integrates the curriculum of all graduation courses onthe Biological Area and is a basis for other disciplines. The students’ difficulties inthis discipline are already widely recognized. To investigate these difficulties, wecreated a drop-in on line service that has two purposes: (1 To give support tostudents’ learning by answering their questions and solving their problemswhenever they appear and (2 to analyze the questions presented, as a strategy todiagnose the most prevalent difficulties. After two semesters of this service on line,217 questions were received and answered. There were few conceptual questionsbeing the majority related to problems and exercises. The most frequent questionsdealt with cell metabolism (54,4%, mainly lipid metabolism and aerobicmetabolism; basic concepts (11,5% such as about amino acids and buffer, proteinstructure (8,3% and enzymes (7,8%. These percentages are correlated to thenumber of hours dedicated to each subjects in the disciplines. The main difficultiesfounded were: integration of metabolic processes in different tissues, induction ofenergy reserve oxidation, reciprocal regulation between glycolysis andgluconeogenesis. We suppose that the lack of laboratory practice difficults thelearning of basic concepts. A more in-deep analysis will be necessary toinvestigate the causes of the pointed difficulties.

The physical basis of biochemistry the foundations of molecular biophysics

CERN Document Server

Bergethon, Peter R

1998-01-01

The objective of this book is to provide a unifying approach to the study of biophysical chemistry for the advanced undergraduate who has had a year of physics, organic chem­ istry, calculus, and biology. This book began as a revised edition of Biophysical Chemistry: Molecules to Membranes, which Elizabeth Simons and I coauthored. That short volume was written in an attempt to provide a concise text for a one-semester course in biophysical chemistry at the graduate level. The experience of teaching biophysical chemistry to bi­ ologically oriented students over the last decade has made it clear that the subject requires a more fundamental text that unifies the many threads of modem science: physics, chem­ istry, biology, mathematics, and statistics. This book represents that effort. This volume is not a treatment of modem biophysical chemistry with its rich history and many contro­ versies, although a book on that topic is also needed. The Physical Basis of Biochemistry is an introduction to the philosophy...

Lecture Notes in Statistics. 3rd Semester

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The lecture note is prepared to meet the requirements for the 3rd semester course in statistics at the Aarhus School of Business. It focuses on multiple regression models, analysis of variance, and log-linear models.......The lecture note is prepared to meet the requirements for the 3rd semester course in statistics at the Aarhus School of Business. It focuses on multiple regression models, analysis of variance, and log-linear models....

The Science Semester: Cross-Disciplinary Inquiry for Prospective Elementary Teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Ford, Danielle J.; Fifield, Steve; Madsen, John; Qian, Xiaoyu

2013-10-01

We describe the Science Semester, a semester-long course block that integrates three science courses and a science education methods course for elementary teacher education majors, and examine prospective elementary teachers’ developing conceptions about inquiry, science teaching efficacy, and reflections on learning through inquiry. The Science Semester was designed to provide inquiry-oriented and problem-based learning experiences, opportunities to examine socially relevant issues through cross-disciplinary perspectives, and align with content found in elementary curricula and standards. By the end of the semester, prospective elementary teachers moved from naïve to intermediate understandings of inquiry and significantly increased self-efficacy for science teaching as measured on one subscore of the STEBI-B. Reflecting on the semester, prospective teachers understood and appreciated the goals of the course and the PBL format, but struggled with the open-ended and student-directed elements of the course.

Symposium 19: The contributions of the Department of Biochemistry/USP towards Biochemistry teaching

OpenAIRE

Baptista Torres, Bayardo; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, Universidade de São Paulo (USP)

2014-01-01

K-Education(Portuguese) Chair: V. Trindade Bayardo Torres; Clovis Wannmacher; Denise MacedoThe contributions of the Department of Biochemistry/USP towards Biochemistry teaching.O ensino de Bioquímica nos últimos 20 anosBayardo B. TorresDepartamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Química, USP. São Paulo, Brazil.Among the contributions of the Department of Biochemistry/USP one must recall:1. Winter school for graduate studentsThis course, now at the ninth edition, is intended for students in the f...

Two-Dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Structure Determination Module for Introductory Biochemistry: Synthesis and Structural Characterization of Lyso-Glycerophospholipids

Science.gov (United States)

Garrett, Teresa A.; Rose, Rebecca L.; Bell, Sidney M.

2013-01-01

In this laboratory module, introductory biochemistry students are exposed to two-dimensional [superscript 1]H-nuclear magnetic resonance of glycerophospholipids (GPLs). Working in groups of three, students enzymatically synthesized and purified a variety of 2-acyl lyso GPLs. The structure of the 2-acyl lyso GPL was verified using [superscript…

Using a Molecular-Genetic Approach to Investigate Bacterial Physiology in a Continuous, Research-Based, Semester-Long Laboratory for Undergraduates

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jeremiah Foster Ault

2011-09-01

Full Text Available Designing investigative laboratory exercises that encourage critical thinking, problem solving, and independent thought for upper-division biology courses is a difficult but worthwhile task. In an effort to do so, we developed a semester-long, continuous, research-based investigative laboratory that integrates numerous genetic and molecular biology methods into the investigation of a bacterial physiological process. In this lab, students use random Tn5 transposon mutagenesis to create prodigiosin pigment mutants in the bacterium, Serratia marcescens. This is followed by phenotypic characterization, cloning, and sequencing the Tn insertion site to identify genes involved in pigment biosynthesis. During this lab, students gain ample experience performing basic lab techniques while learning about — and applying — methods for elucidating gene function. The approach to the laboratory and the outcomes are intimately integrated into the teaching of many fundamental physiological processes underlying prodigiosin production in bacteria. The result is a cohesive course that integrates the theory and application of molecular genetic techniques with the study of bacterial physiology. Assessments of student learning objectives demonstrated that students greatly improved their understanding of both physiological processes and the genetic techniques used to investigate them. In addition, students felt that this semester-long exercise provided the necessary laboratory experience they needed and desired in preparation for careers in molecular biology, microbiology, and biochemistry.

Neglected issues concerning teaching human adrenal steroidogenesis in popular biochemistry textbooks.

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Zhiyong; Elliott, Mark S

2017-11-01

In the human body, the adrenal steroids collectively regulate a plethora of fundamental functions, including electrolyte and water balance, blood pressure, stress response, intermediary metabolism, inflammation, and immunity. Therefore, adrenal steroidogenesis is an important biochemistry topic for students to learn in order for them to understand health consequences caused by deficiencies of enzymes in the adrenal steroidogenic pathways. However, popular biochemistry textbooks contain insufficient information and may sometimes give students a misimpression about certain aspects of human adrenal steroidogenesis. This article highlights two neglected issues in teaching human adrenal steroidogenesis in popular biochemistry textbooks. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to these issues. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(6):469-474, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Does breast-feeding influence liver biochemistry?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, M. H.; Ott, P.; Juul, A.

2003-01-01

It is assumed that early feeding can affect liver biochemistry because breast-fed infants have a higher risk of hyperbilirubinemia than formula-fed infants. The authors sought to determine how feeding mode affected liver biochemistry in healthy term infants.......It is assumed that early feeding can affect liver biochemistry because breast-fed infants have a higher risk of hyperbilirubinemia than formula-fed infants. The authors sought to determine how feeding mode affected liver biochemistry in healthy term infants....

Biochemistry Instrumentation Core Technology Center

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The UCLA-DOE Biochemistry Instrumentation Core Facility provides the UCLA biochemistry community with easy access to sophisticated instrumentation for a wide variety...

Motivation of first semester undergraduate students

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schlichter, Bjarne; Sigvardsen, Kari; Jonsson, Sofia

in the curriculum. Method - The study is based on interpretative research (Walsham, 2006; Yin, 2003) and the method chosen was a qualitative case study (Myers, 2009). The data for this study was collected through fieldwork and semi-structured interviews. The fieldwork was conducted during the autumn semester 2010...... of first semester undergraduate students. Keywords -Motivation; first year undergraduate students; Management Information Systems; teaching assistants. Paper type - Research paper....... to the processes in a company. 2) Methods for formal modeling of processes, data and occurrences. 3) An introduction to a company's information systems and the relationship of these to business strategies. In addition to the lectures and tutorials, the students have to hand in a prescribed group assignment...

Student related determinants of the first semester academic status ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Student related determinants of the first semester academic status: the case of 2006/7 first year students at some selected faculties of Jimma university. ... This research, therefore, attempted to unfold the magnitude of academic failure and students related factors predicting academic failure in the first semester of 2006/ 07 ...

Comparison of Two Different Techniques of Cooperative Learning Approach: Undergraduates' Conceptual Understanding in the Context of Hormone Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Mutlu, Ayfer

2018-01-01

The purpose of the research was to compare the effects of two different techniques of the cooperative learning approach, namely Team-Game Tournament and Jigsaw, on undergraduates' conceptual understanding in a Hormone Biochemistry course. Undergraduates were randomly assigned to Group 1 (N = 23) and Group 2 (N = 29). Instructions were accomplished…

Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Part of the framework for effective control or management of cyst nematodes depends upon the detailed understanding of their biology. This chapter summarizes fundamental knowledge and recent discoveries about the biochemistry of cyst nematodes, particularly areas related to lipids, carbohydrates and...

Using PyMOL to Explore the Effects of pH on Noncovalent Interactions between Immunoglobulin G and Protein A: A Guided-Inquiry Biochemistry Activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Roche Allred, Zahilyn D; Tai, Heeyoung; Bretz, Stacey Lowery; Page, Richard C

2017-11-01

Students' understandings of foundational concepts such as noncovalent interactions, pH and pK a are crucial for success in undergraduate biochemistry courses. We developed a guided-inquiry activity to aid students in making connections between noncovalent interactions and pH/pK a . Students explore these concepts by examining the primary and tertiary structures of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and Protein A. Students use PyMOL, an open source molecular visualization application, to (1) identify hydrogen bonds and salt bridges between and within the proteins at physiological pH and (2) apply their knowledge of pH/pK a to association rate constant data for these proteins at pH 4 and pH 11. The laboratory activity was implemented within a one semester biochemistry laboratory for students majoring in allied health disciplines, engineering, and biological sciences. Several extensions for more advanced students are discussed. Students' overall performance highlighted their ability to successfully complete tasks such as labeling and identifying noncovalent interactions and revealed difficulties with analyzing noncovalent interactions under varying pH/pK a conditions. Students' evaluations after completing the activity indicated they felt challenged but also recognized the potential of the activity to help them gain meaningful understanding of the connections between noncovalent interactions, pH, pK a , and protein structure. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(6):528-536, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Biochemistry Facility

Data.gov (United States)

Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Biochemistry Facility provides expert services and consultation in biochemical enzyme assays and protein purification. The facility currently features 1) Liquid...

Assessment of learning gains in a flipped biochemistry classroom.

Science.gov (United States)

Ojennus, Deanna Dahlke

2016-01-01

The flipped classroom has become an increasingly popular pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. In this study, learning gains were assessed in a flipped biochemistry course and compared to gains in a traditional lecture. Although measured learning gains were not significantly different between the two courses, student perception of learning gains did differ and indicates a higher level of satisfaction with the flipped lecture format. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Perceived autonomy in the first semester of mathematics studies

OpenAIRE

Liebendörfer, Michael; Hochmuth, Reinhard

2015-01-01

International audience; We focus on the perceived autonomy of mathematics students in their first semester at university. According to self-determination theory by Deci and Ryan (1985), students have to satisfy their need for autonomy in order to develop intrinsic motivation. Using two facets of autonomy, we analyse interview data to explore which situations foster or hinder the students' perceived autonomy. The main factors affecting students' autonomy are briefly discussed.

The Biochemistry Tetrahedron and the Development of the Taxonomy of Biochemistry External Representations (TOBER)

Science.gov (United States)

Towns, Marcy H.; Raker, Jeffrey R.; Becker, Nicole; Harle, Marissa; Sutcliffe, Jonathan

2012-01-01

Visual literacy, the ability to interpret and create external representations (ERs), is essential to success in biochemistry. Studies have been conducted that describe students' abilities to use and interpret specific types of ERs. However, a framework for describing ERs derived through a naturalistic inquiry of biochemistry classrooms has not…

Studies of biochemistry and clinical biochemistry. Studies at sample medical schools in 13 EU countries regarding biochemistry and clinical biochemistry teaching.

Science.gov (United States)

Stern, Petr; Sebesta, Ivan; Trnkova, Bohuslava; Zima, Tomas

2008-07-01

The study summarizes the results obtained during personal visits to 53 medical schools in the 13 original EU countries during 2004--2006. Data from the Czech Republic is shown for comparison. The possibilities of acquiring information from the websites of the medical schools in the local language and English are assessed. The admission process to medical schools and the organization of studies of medicine, dentistry, and non-medical healthcare fields are briefly characterized. Significant attention is paid to the forms of education in biochemistry and clinical (bio)chemistry in the medical study field. The position of these subjects in the studies of dentistry and non-medical healthcare fields is also noted. In addition, the course of subject exams is described. The methods of funding and postgraduate studies at the medical schools are also briefly addressed.

American journal of biochemistry and biotechnology

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2005-01-01

.... Areas covered include: general biochemistry, patho-biochemistry, evolutionary biology, structural biology, molecular and cellular biology, molecular medicine, cancer research, virology, immunology, plant molecular biology...

Education in Medical Biochemistry in Serbia.

Science.gov (United States)

Majkic-Sing, Nada

2010-06-01

Medical biochemistry is the usual name for clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in Serbia. Medical biochemistry laboratories and medical biochemists as a profession are part of Health Care System and are regulated through: the Health Care Law and rules issued by the Chamber of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. The first continuous and organized education for Medical Biochemists in Serbia dates from 1945, when Department of Medical Biochemistry was established at Pharmaceutical Faculty in Belgrade. In 1987 at the same Faculty a five years undergraduate branch was established, educating Medical Biochemists under a special program. Since 2006 the new five year undergraduate (according to Bologna Declaration) and postgraduate program of four-year specialization according to EC4 European Syllabus for Post-Graduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been established. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health accredits the programs. There are four requirements for practicing medical biochemistry in the Health Care System: University Diploma of the Faculty of Pharmacy (Medical Biochemistry), successful completion of the profession exam at the Ministry of Health after completion of one additional year of obligatory practical training in medical laboratories, membership in the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists and licence for skilled work issued by Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists.

The Development and Nature of Problem-Solving among First-Semester Calculus Students

Science.gov (United States)

Dawkins, Paul Christian; Epperson, James A. Mendoza

2014-01-01

This study investigates interactions between calculus learning and problem-solving in the context of two first-semester undergraduate calculus courses in the USA. We assessed students' problem-solving abilities in a common US calculus course design that included traditional lecture and assessment with problem-solving-oriented labs. We investigate…

Undergraduates in a Sustainability Semester: Models of Social Change for Sustainability

Science.gov (United States)

Miller, Hannah K.

2016-01-01

Interdisciplinary sustainability programs are emerging globally, but little is known about the learning in these educational contexts. This qualitative case study examined undergraduates' experience in a Sustainability Semester, using the agency/structure dialectic as a theoretical lens. Before the semester, students' models of change for…

[Scientific and practical activity of the Department of Muscle Biochemistry of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of NAS of Ukraine].

Science.gov (United States)

Vynogradova, R P; Danilova, V M; Yurasova, S P

2017-01-01

The article focuses on scientific and practical activity of the Department of Muscle Biochemistry of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of NAS of Ukraine in the context of its foundation and development. Main findings and practical achievements in the area of muscle biochemistry are summarized and discussed.

Motivation, Academic Assessments and First-Semester Success at a Midwestern Technical College

Science.gov (United States)

Dillon, Sarah A.

2017-01-01

This study examined college admission criteria and college readiness in an effort to reduce barriers in college admission. The Academic Motivation Scale (AMS) was administered to a convenience sample of 74 participants among 503 students during their first semester at a two-year college. Scale scores were compared to demographic characteristics,…

Use of gamification in Biochemistry lessons as a tool for engagement and motivation in higher education

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuri Rafael de Oliveira Silva

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The traditional teaching methodology has been ineffective in stimulating the interest of students, a problem that gets worse when teaching biochemistry, which seems like an abstract and complex course. One strategy of didactic intervention that is being suggested in the past few years is Gamification. In this work, game concepts were used to develop a mechanic in which the students acquire points when they take specific actions during the semester, that can be spent in a shop that sells benefits which can affect their performances. The gamified course was applied to students of the Biotechnology major at Universidade Federal do Pará. The students’ motivation was analyzed using a questionnaire, which evaluated the subjective experience of participants, that considered the course interesting, pleasant and fun. This methodology is presented as a complement to other teaching methods, with simple, flexible and costless implementation.

Biochemistry for dietetic students: course content and format.

Science.gov (United States)

Sirota, L H

1984-12-01

This article presents the results of a survey of the 251 undergraduate dietetic programs for course content and level of the biochemistry course most frequently used to satisfy competencies in biochemistry under Plan IV of the ADA in 1979-80. It showed that a common core of information was stressed by all biochemistry instructors, but there was great variability in content and level of material covered and the textbook chosen, depending on whether the biochemistry course was offered to dietetic majors only, in classes with other nonchemistry majors, or in classes with chemistry majors. Variability was also seen in the time allotted for biochemistry--39 to 280 hours (total lecture and required laboratory hours); laboratory requirements--only 71%; and departmental affiliation of the instructor--17 different departments, primarily of chemistry (80%), biology (8%), and home economics (4%). Topics given greatest emphasis were descriptive ones, such as definitions, simple structures, and reactions of intermediary metabolism in general terms. Topics given least emphasis were those involving mechanistic and quantitative biochemistry, such as respiratory quotient (RQ), enzyme kinetics, calculations of energy from fat and carbohydrates, and specific structures of vitamins, ketones, and metabolic intermediates. The lack of communication between biochemistry and nutrition instructors and the great differences in the preparation of dietetic majors in biochemistry are sources of concern.

Typewriting--Less-Than-a-Semester Credit Basis

Science.gov (United States)

Schramm, Dwayne

1974-01-01

Five advantages to be gained in teaching typing in a time structure less rigid than the traditional semester are itemized. The implications for typewriting teachers as a more individualized approach is used are considered. (AG)

Some participants may be better than others: sustained attention and motivation are higher early in semester.

Science.gov (United States)

Nicholls, Michael E R; Loveless, Kellie M; Thomas, Nicole A; Loetscher, Tobias; Churches, Owen

2015-01-01

Many studies use multiexperiment designs where experiments are carried out at different times of semester. When comparing between experiments, the data may be confounded by between-participants effects related to motivation. Research indicates that course-credit participants who engage in research early in semester have different personality and performance characteristics compared to those tested late in semester. This study examined whether the semester effect is caused by internal (inherent motivation of the participant) or external (looming exams, essays) factors. To do this, sustained attention and intrinsic/extrinsic motivation was measured in groups of course-credit (n = 40) and paid (n = 40) participants early and late in semester. While there was no difference in sustained attention between the groups early in semester, the course-credit group performed significantly worse late in semester. The course-credit group also showed a significant decrease in intrinsic motivation with time whereas the paid participants showed no change. Because changes were not seen for both groups, the semester difference cannot be due to external factors. Instead, the data demonstrate that course-credit participants who engage early have high sustained attention and intrinsic motivation compared to their late counterparts, who leave their participation to the last minute. Researchers who use multiexperimental designs across semester need to control for these effects--perhaps by using paid participants who do not vary across semester.

Television Medical Dramas as Case Studies in Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Millard, Julie T.

2009-01-01

Several case studies from popular television medical dramas are described for use in an undergraduate biochemistry course. These cases, which illustrate fundamental principles of biochemistry, are used as the basis for problems that can be discussed further in small groups. Medical cases provide an interesting context for biochemistry with video…

The European Project Semester at ISEP: The Challenge of Educating Global Engineers

Science.gov (United States)

Malheiro, Benedita; Silva, Manuel; Ribeiro, Maria Cristina; Guedes, Pedro; Ferreira, Paulo

2015-01-01

Current engineering education challenges require approaches that promote scientific, technical, design and complementary skills while fostering autonomy, innovation and responsibility. The European Project Semester (EPS) at Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP) (EPS@ISEP) is a one semester project-based learning programme (30 European…

GANGGUAN CEMAS PADA MAHASISWA SEMESTER I DAN VII PROGRAM STUDI PENDIDIKAN DOKTER FAKULTAS KEDOKTERAN UNIVERSITAS UDAYANA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dyah Chandratika

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Penting untuk dilakukan penelitian mengenai gangguan cemas pada mahasiswa kedokteran karena tingginya tingkat stres mahasiswa terutama pada tahun pertama perkuliahan. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui prevalensi dan perbedaan skor  gangguan  cemas  pada mahasiswa  semester  I dan  VII serta untuk  mengetahui perbedaan skor gangguan cemas antara mahasiswa laki-laki dan perempuan di Fakultas Kedokteran Universitas Udayana. Desain penelitian ini adalah cross sectional analitik. Pengambilan sampel dilakukan secara random sampling. Sampel mengisi identitas, kuesioner L-MMPI, kuesioner Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS. Kemudian dihitung prevalensi gangguan cemas tiap kelompok serta data dianalisis menggunakan uji t-independen. Terdapat 15 orang (25,0% mahasiswa semester I dan 7 orang (11,7% mahasiswa semester VII yang mengalami gangguan cemas. Dari hasil uji t-independen antara skor gangguan cemas mahasiswa semester I dan VII diperoleh nilai p = 0,001 (<0,05. Sedangkan diperoleh p = 0,080 antara mahasiswa laki-laki dan perempuan pada semester I dan p = 0,744 antara mahasiswa laki-laki dan perempuan pada semester VII. Prevalensi gangguan cemas pada mahasiswa semester I yaitu 25,0% sedangkan 11,7% pada mahasiswa semester VII. Terdapat perbedaan bermakna antara skor gangguan cemas mahasiswa semester I dan VII. Tidak ditemukan perbedaan bermakna skor gangguan cemas antara laki-laki dan perempuan.   

Concept mapping enhances learning of biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Surapaneni, Krishna M; Tekian, Ara

2013-03-05

Teaching basic science courses is challenging in undergraduate medical education because of the ubiquitous use of didactic lectures and reward for recall of factual information during examinations. The purpose of this study is to introduce concept maps with clinical cases (the innovative program) to improve learning of biochemistry course content. Participants were first year medical students (n=150) from Saveetha Medical College and Hospital (India); they were randomly divided into two groups of 75, one group attending the traditional program, the other the innovative program. Student performance was measured using three written knowledge tests (each with a maximum score of 20). The students also evaluated the relevance of the learning process using a 12-item questionnaire. Students in the innovative program using concept mapping outperformed those in the traditional didactic program (means of 7.13-8.28 vs. 12.33-13.93, pbiochemistry to clinical practice, and to enhance their reasoning and learning skills, as well as their deeper understanding for biochemistry.

Concept mapping enhances learning of biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Surapaneni, KrishnaM; Tekian, Ara

2013-01-01

Teaching basic science courses is challenging in undergraduate medical education because of the ubiquitous use of didactic lectures and reward for recall of factual information during examinations. The purpose of this study is to introduce concept maps with clinical cases (the innovative program) to improve learning of biochemistry course content. Participants were first year medical students (n=150) from Saveetha Medical College and Hospital (India); they were randomly divided into two groups of 75, one group attending the traditional program, the other the innovative program. Student performance was measured using three written knowledge tests (each with a maximum score of 20). The students also evaluated the relevance of the learning process using a 12-item questionnaire. Students in the innovative program using concept mapping outperformed those in the traditional didactic program (means of 7.13-8.28 vs. 12.33-13.93, pbiochemistry to clinical practice, and to enhance their reasoning and learning skills, as well as their deeper understanding for biochemistry.

A national comparison of biochemistry and molecular biology capstone experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Aguanno, Ann; Mertz, Pamela; Martin, Debra; Bell, Ellis

2015-01-01

Recognizing the increasingly integrative nature of the molecular life sciences, the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) recommends that Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) programs develop curricula based on concepts, content, topics, and expected student outcomes, rather than courses. To that end, ASBMB conducted a series of regional workshops to build a BMB Concept Inventory containing validated assessment tools, based on foundational and discipline-specific knowledge and essential skills, for the community to use. A culminating activity, which integrates the educational experience, is often part of undergraduate molecular life science programs. These "capstone" experiences are commonly defined as an attempt to measure student ability to synthesize and integrate acquired knowledge. However, the format, implementation, and approach to outcome assessment of these experiences are quite varied across the nation. Here we report the results of a nation-wide survey on BMB capstone experiences and discuss this in the context of published reports about capstones and the findings of the workshops driving the development of the BMB Concept Inventory. Both the survey results and the published reports reveal that, although capstone practices do vary, certain formats for the experience are used more frequently and similarities in learning objectives were identified. The use of rubrics to measure student learning is also regularly reported, but details about these assessment instruments are sparse in the literature and were not a focus of our survey. Finally, we outline commonalities in the current practice of capstones and suggest the next steps needed to elucidate best practices. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

A biochemistry discipline designed for the nutrition course

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.A.G. Bianco

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Biochemistry is widely considered an essential background in a Nutrition Course framework. At theFaculdade de Saude Publica, USP, it is a direct requirement to eight disciplines of the syllabus and anindirect requirement to another nine disciplines. Nevertheless, a previous interview study involvingNutrition students and Nutritionists revealed a contradictory image of Biochemistry. Although stu-dents and Nutritionists admitted the important role played by Biochemistry, most of the respondentsdeclared that they could not foresee any application of Biochemical contents in their professional life.Aiming to change this situation, a deep intervention in the Biochemistry discipline was carried on.The discipline was planned in such a way that all the contents to be taught was directly derived fromsubjects or situations matching the interests of nutrition students. Instead of a classical lecture basedcourse, collaborative learning was the methodological choice, taking advantage of practical activitiesinvolving educational software and laboratory work as well. The course was carried on in 180 hoursand a variety of strategies were employed, especially small group discussion and problem solving. Thestudents were given a booklet containing all the exercises and problems, which acted as course guide.At the end of the course, an evaluation survey was carried out. It is noticeable that, according tostudents answers: 100% agreed that Biochemistry was intimately linked to Nutrition; 83% appreciatedthe didactical methodologies employed; 89% would like to continue studying Biochemistry in a furtherdiscipline; 96% declared that the discipline has raised their interest in Biochemistry. In respect tothe assessment of the students, these results are in accordance with the opinion of teachers and TAsengaged in restructuring Biochemistry courses.

Commentary: PhDs in biochemistry education-5 years later.

Science.gov (United States)

Offerdahl, Erika G; Momsen, Jennifer L; Osgood, Marcy

2014-01-01

In this commentary, the discussion of PhDs in biochemistry education research is expanded to explore a number of diverse pathways leading to a competitive research program in biochemistry education research. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Medical Biochemistry as Subdiscipline of Laboratory Medicine in Serbia.

Science.gov (United States)

Jovičić, Snežana; Majkić-Singh, Nada

2017-04-01

Medical biochemistry is the usual name for clinical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in Serbia, and medical biochemist is the official name for the clinical chemist (or clinical biochemist). This is the largest sub-discipline of the laboratory medicine in Serbia. It includes all aspects of clinical chemistry, and also laboratory hematology with coagulation, immunology, etc. Medical biochemistry laboratories in Serbia and medical biochemists as a profession are part of Health Care System and their activities are regulated through: the Health Care Law and rules issued by the Chamber of Medical Biochemists of Serbia. The first continuous and organized education for Medical Biochemists (Clinical Chemists) in Serbia dates from 1945, when the Department of Medical Biochemistry was established at the Pharmaceutical Faculty in Belgrade. In 1987 at the same Faculty a five years undergraduate study program was established, educating Medical Biochemists under a special program. Since the academic year 2006/2007 the new five year undergraduate (according to Bologna Declaration) and four-year postgraduate program according to EC4 European Syllabus for Postgraduate Training in Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine has been established. The Ministry of Education and Ministry of Public Health accredited these programs. There are four requirements for practicing medical biochemistry in the Health Care System: University Diploma of the Faculty of Pharmacy (Study of Medical Biochemistry), successful completion of the professional exam at the Ministry of Health after completion of one additional year of obligatory practical training in the medical biochemistry laboratories, membership in the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists and licence for skilled work issued by the Serbian Chamber of Medical Biochemists. In order to present laboratory medical biochemistry practice in Serbia this paper will be focused on the following: Serbian national legislation, healthcare services

Medical Biochemistry – Clinical Cases

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Henrique Cavalcante

2017-10-01

Full Text Available The presentation of situations that exemplifies the practical application of the biochemical concepts is one of the main challenges in the development of didactic materials for the teaching of biochemistry. So far, there are a small number of materials, especially in Portuguese language, that present practical situations exemplifying the application of the several biochemical concepts in the area of human health. The Medical Biochemistry-Clinical Cases app/ebook is intended to enable the integrated vision of the basic knowledge in biochemistry and its practical application in day-to-day situations of human health professionals. The biochemical concepts are presented as clinical cases, making possible the exercise of the analytical attitude and decision-making to solve problems based on real situations. The app is available on the internet for free, facilitating both, the access and the use of the material as a supplementary source.

BIOLUMINESCENCE: TEACHING BIOCHEMISTRY BEYOND THE UNIVERSITY WALLS

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Ana Paula Jesus de Almeida

2016-11-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The use of video in teaching and learning processes provides a challenging environment, able to stimulate the intellect and facilitate understanding in life science studies. Videos can be of extraordinary importance in education and dissemination of knowledge, contributing to greater learning, but is rarely used and exploited properly, especially for teaching biochemistry. Biochemistry is considered complex because it involves many molecular structures and processes, especially considering the number of events and molecules involved in the metabolism. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to introduce biochemistry for the students of basic education using the theme "Light, Science and Life" in a playful and fun way. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A video about bioluminescence was designed and prepared aiming to use it as a support for learning biochemistry by students of basic education of public schools located in Salvador, Bahia. In order to prepare the video, undergraduate students initially revised the literature in order to acquire proper knowledge, and along with their teacher advisor worked the elaboration of texts, textbook and questionnaire and applied at school. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS: Analysis the qualitative results of the experiment on the preparation and use of the video about "Bioluminescence" focused mainly on the content of biochemistry linked to theme Light, Science and Life, and demonstrated the importance of such work in the teaching-learning process. The dynamics used allowed greater interaction between students and teacher, and the teaching of biochemistry in a fun way beyond the university walls. CONCLUSION: The teaching through recreational resources, e.g. videos and other educational strategies that foster learning should be encouraged from basic education, always bearing in order to transmit through these teaching methods the main concepts covered in biochemistry.

Teaching of biochemistry: analyze of works presented in Congress the Society Brazilian Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - SBBq

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D.F. Escoto

2013-05-01

Full Text Available Introduction: In recent decades the strategies to improve science education has grown exponentially. Thus, the scientific production in the area is also growing, with the purpose of identifying parameters and methodologies that contribute to their qualification. The teaching of biochemistry is intimately linked to that context. However, it is still little explored in basic education and with character technicist in higher education. The aim of this study was identify areas that received most attention in the scientific literature about teaching and education in biochemistry that were presented at the Congress of the Brazilian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 2004 to 2012. Material and Methods: To conduct the survey were analyzed summaries available on the website of the Brazilian Journal of Education for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology published in the proceedings of the event, where they were encontrados176 summaries. For expression of results was used categorization from the content analysis. Results and Discussion: The results observed to establish nine categories based on the analysis of the titles and content of the work, which, in descending order, were: information and communication technologies, alternative methods teaching and learning, biochemistry in Elementary Education and / or Medium, experiential activities, teacher training, dissemination of science, proposition and evaluation of content and / or science curricular and History and Philosophy. It is noticed that the three most important categories were consolidated along editions. In education, however, there was a significant decrease in the number of abstracts submitted abstracts for the past five years. Conclusions: We conclude that all categories listed seeking alternatives to improve teaching practices and promote education of biochemistry in different contexts.

Hematology for Undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Navari, Rudolph M.

1972-01-01

Describes a five-week introductory medical science course designed for both science and nonscience majors through integration of physiology, organic chemistry, anatomy, and biochemistry. Suggests its use as a quarter-semester, a tri-semester, or a regular semester course for students including premed and medical technicians. (CC)

Exercises in statistics for HA & HA(dat.) & BSc(B), 3rd semester

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The booklet contains excercises to be used for the tutorials related to the 3rd semester course in statistics on the bachelors progarmme at the Aarhus School of Business.......The booklet contains excercises to be used for the tutorials related to the 3rd semester course in statistics on the bachelors progarmme at the Aarhus School of Business....

Many Labs 3 : Evaluating participant pool quality across the academic semester via replication

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ebersole, Charles R.; Atherton, Olivia E.; Belanger, Aimee L.; Skulborstad, Hayley M.; Allen, Jill M.; Banks, Jonathan B.; Baranski, Erica; Bernstein, Michael J.; Bonfiglio, Diane B. V.; Boucher, Leanne; Brown, Elizabeth R.; Budiman, Nancy I.; Cairo, Athena H.; Capaldi, Colin A.; Chartier, Christopher R.; Chung, J.M.H.; Cicero, David C.; Coleman, Jennifer A.; Conway, John G.; Davis, William E.; Devos, Thierry; Fletcher, Melody M.; German, Komi; Grahe, Jon E.; Hermann, Anthony D.; Hicks, Joshua A.; Honeycutt, Nathan; Humphrey, Brandon; Janus, Matthew; Johnson, David J.; Joy-Gaba, Jennifer A.; Juzeler, Hannah; Keres, Ashley; Kinney, Diana; Kirshenbaum, Jacqeline; Klein, Richard A.; Lucas, Richard E.; Lustgraaf, Christopher J. N.; Martin, Daniel; Menon, Madhavi; Metzger, Mitchell; Moloney, Jaclyn M.; Morse, Patrick J.; Prislin, Radmila; Razza, Timothy; Re, Daniel E.; Rule, Nicholas O.; Sacco, Tdonald F.; Sauerberger, Kyle; Shrider, Emily; Shultz, Megan; Siemsen, Courtney; Sobocko, Karin; Sternglanz, R. Weylin; Summerville, Amy; Tskhay, Konstantin O.; van Allen, Zack; Vaughn, Leigh Ann; Walker, Ryan J.; Weinberg, Ashley; Wilson, John Paul; Wirth, James H.; Wortman, Jessica; Nosek, Brian A.

2016-01-01

The university participant pool is a key resource for behavioral research, and data quality is believed to vary over the course of the academic semester. This crowdsourced project examined time of semester variation in 10 known effects, 10 individual differences, and 3 data quality indicators over

BOREAS TE-9 NSA Canopy Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Forrest G. (Editor); Curd, Shelaine (Editor); Margolis, Hank; Charest, Martin; Sy, Mikailou

2000-01-01

The BOREAS TE-9 team collected several data sets related to chemical and photosynthetic properties of leaves. This data set contains canopy biochemistry data collected in 1994 in the NSA at the YJP, OJR, OBS, UBS, and OA sites, including biochemistry lignin, nitrogen, cellulose, starch, and fiber concentrations. These data were collected to study the spatial and temporal changes in the canopy biochemistry of boreal forest cover types and how a high-resolution radiative transfer model in the mid-infrared could be applied in an effort to obtain better estimates of canopy biochemical properties using remote sensing. The data are available in tabular ASCII files. The data files are available on a CD-ROM (see document number 20010000884), or from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC).

Historic production evaluation in Biochemistry Education area during the SBBq annual meetings between 1993 and 2016

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. V.; N. N.; G. G. Pereira; Gonçalves; Hornink

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The annual meetings of the Brazilian Society Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SBBq, with the inclusion of the area of education in Biochemistry in 1993, present themselves as important spaces for the presentation and discussion of the work in the area of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology teaching. OBJECTIVES: Systematize and evaluate the historical development of abstracts in the Education in Biochemistry area, in the SBBq annual meeting, indicating quantitative and qualitative data. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 408 abstracts were evaluated, from the panels presented in the area of Education in Biochemistry, from 1993 to 2016. The quantitative evaluation was done by surveying the thematic content, institutions, regions, methods and qualitative analysis based on content analysis (Bardin of the works of the two most frequently approached themes. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The works of the southeast region (65,4% of papers presented were highlighted, with 32% of the works with qualitative methodology, 10% quantitative and 33% quali-quantitative. The most studied topics were Biochemistry teaching (107 papers and metabolism (94 papers. In the contents analysis of the two most frequently addressed themes, the constructivist and socio-interacionist foundations as the most used teaching-learning processes, as well as the use of software as the most used didactic strategy in both themes. The most used didactic resources were texts / informative in the subject of Teaching of Biochemistry (33% and games (21% in the subject of Metabolism. CONCLUSIONS: The results evidenced the major focus of the work addressing undergraduate courses, with a qualitative or quantitative method, focusing mainly on Biochemistry teaching, as well as on metabolism, with an expressive amount of activities using educational software, followed by practical classes. There has been a change in the prevailing fundamentals of the teaching-learning process with the emergence in the

Actualization and perspectives of Bachelor degree in Biochemistry from Universidade Federal de Viçosa(UFV - (Symposium SBBq Brazil

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. L. R. Fietto

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The Bachelor Degree in Biochemistry of the UFV was  created in 2001 by the Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department as a  groundbreaking initiative at Brazil. The program was an attempt to assume both academic and biotechnology sectors, preparing capable professionals for the development of new products and biochemical process. Our initial challenge came with the ingress of the first classes bringing doubts related to their formation and action profiles, sometimes confused with clinical analysts or pharmacists. Lecture series with professionals was used to demonstrate the present scenario with a growing market share, instigating discussions about the pedagogic project. The secondchallenge was the student’s pressure to recognition of under graduation programby the Brazilian Education Ministry (MEC and the biochemical professional recognition by one Regional Council. The bachelor degree was recognized by the MEC in 2004 and the Regional Council of Chemistry became our major partner. The  success of the initiative of the UFV has been giving good results such as the participation in the formation process of the Bachelor Degree in Biochemistry of the Federal University of São João Del Rei (UFSJ and stimulated the creation of another biochemistry course at State University of Maringá (UEM. The success of our students in Phd programs spread in Brazil evidences the quality of Biochemistry bachelors from UFV. Now the egresses have been recognized by biochemistry and biotechnology industry. However we still face problems with impaired recognition in many federal concourses that do not recognize the Biochemist as a chemistry and biotechnology professional. With high expectative, we wait that the biochemistry bachelordegree spreads widely in the country making possible the opening of new opportunities in all ways.

Raising environmental awareness through applied biochemistry laboratory experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Salman Ashraf, S

2013-01-01

Our environment is under constant pressure and threat from various sources of pollution. Science students, in particular chemistry students, must not only be made aware of these issues, but also be taught that chemistry (and science) can provide solutions to such real-life issues. To this end, a newly developed biochemistry laboratory experiment is described that guides students to learn about the applicability of peroxidase enzymes to degrade organic dyes (as model pollutants) in simulated waste water. In addition to showing how enzymes can potentially be used for waste water remediation, various factors than can affect enzyme-based reactions such as pH, temperature, concentration of substrates/enzymes, and denaturants can also be tested. This "applied biotechnology" experiment was successfully implemented in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course to enhance students' learning of environmental issues as well important biochemistry concepts. Student survey confirmed that this laboratory experiment was successful in achieving the objectives of raising environmental awareness in students and illustrating the usefulness of chemistry in solving real-life problems. This experiment can be easily adopted in an introductory biochemistry laboratory course and taught as an inquiry-guided exercise. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Assessment of Learning Gains in a Flipped Biochemistry Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Ojennus, Deanna Dahlke

2016-01-01

The flipped classroom has become an increasingly popular pedagogical approach to teaching and learning. In this study, learning gains were assessed in a flipped biochemistry course and compared to gains in a traditional lecture. Although measured learning gains were not significantly different between the two courses, student perception of…

Teaching Biochemistry Online at Oregon State University

Science.gov (United States)

Ahern, Kevin

2017-01-01

A strategy for growing online biochemistry courses is presented based on successes in ecampus at Oregon State University. Four free drawing cards were key to the effort--YouTube videos, iTunes U online free course content, an Open Educational Resource textbook--Biochemistry Free and Easy, and a fun set of educational songs known as the Metabolic…

Meanings for Sex and Commitment Among First Semester College Men and Women: A Mixed-Methods Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Olmstead, Spencer B; Anders, Kristin M; Conrad, Kathryn A

2017-08-01

The purpose of this study was to replicate and extend research on the meanings for sex and commitment using a sample of first semester college students (N = 268). We examined responses to a series of open-ended questions about participants' meanings for sex and how they described these meanings as connected with relationship commitment. Our qualitative analyses replicated those of Olmstead, Billen, Conrad, Pasley, and Fincham (2013). Our largest group was the Committers (sex is indicative of love and trust and occurs after commitment is developed in a relationship), followed by Flexibles (sex can hold deep personal meaning, but can also be purely for pleasure and isn't always connected with commitment), and then Recreationers (sex is a basic need or purely for pleasure and is not associated with commitment). Groups were then examined based on demographic characteristics and pre-college hookup experience. Groups were found to differ by gender, relationship status and type, religiosity, and pre-college hookup experience. For example, a greater proportion of women than men were in the Committers group, whereas a greater proportion of men than women were in the Flexibles and Recreationers groups. Those in the Committers group had fewer pre-college hookup partners than Flexibles and Recreationers; however, Flexibles and Recreationers did not differ in number of pre-college hookup partners. We then followed up (at the end of the semester) with a subsample (n = 73) of participants to examine whether meanings for sex and commitment remained stable or changed over a brief period of time. The majority (82.2 %) of participants' meanings remained stable. For those whose meanings shifted, meanings became more consistent with those of the Committers group than the other two groups. Implications for research and sexual and relationship education are discussed.

CUREs in biochemistry-where we are and where we should go.

Science.gov (United States)

Bell, Jessica K; Eckdahl, Todd T; Hecht, David A; Killion, Patrick J; Latzer, Joachim; Mans, Tamara L; Provost, Joseph J; Rakus, John F; Siebrasse, Erica A; Ellis Bell, J

2017-01-02

Integration of research experience into classroom is an important and vital experience for all undergraduates. These course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have grown from independent instructor lead projects to large consortium driven experiences. The impact and importance of CUREs on students at all levels in biochemistry was the focus of a National Science Foundation funded think tank. The state of biochemistry CUREs and suggestions for moving biochemistry forward as well as a practical guide (supplementary material) are reported here. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(1):7-12, 2017. © 2016 The Authors Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Nutritional Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Scott M.

2010-01-01

This slide presentation reviews some of the effects that space flight has on humans nutritional biochemistry. Particular attention is devoted to the study of protein breakdown, inflammation, hypercatabolism, omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin D, calcium, urine, folate and nutrient stability of certain vitamins, the fluid shift and renal stone risk, acidosis, iron/hematology, and the effects on bone of dietary protein, potassium. inflammation, and omega-3 fatty acids

In vivo imaging of human biochemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hall, L.D.

1983-01-01

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is an extremely powerful method for studying aspects of the biochemistry of defined regions of the human body, literally 'in-vivo' biochemistry. To place this technique in the broader perspective of medical diagnostic methods an introduction is given to some of the more important imaging methods which are already widely used clinically. A brief summary of the most recently developed imaging method, which is based on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectroscopy, is also included

A Comprehensive Probability Project for the Upper Division One-Semester Probability Course Using Yahtzee

Science.gov (United States)

Wilson, Jason; Lawman, Joshua; Murphy, Rachael; Nelson, Marissa

2011-01-01

This article describes a probability project used in an upper division, one-semester probability course with third-semester calculus and linear algebra prerequisites. The student learning outcome focused on developing the skills necessary for approaching project-sized math/stat application problems. These skills include appropriately defining…

Effective Laboratory Work in Biochemistry Subject: Students' and Lecturers' Perspective in Indonesia

Science.gov (United States)

Anwar, Yunita Arian Sani; Senam; Laksono F. X., Endang Widjajanti

2017-01-01

Biochemistry subject had problem in learning and teaching, especially in laboratory work. We explored laboratory learning implementation in Biochemistry subject. Participants of this research were 195 students who took biochemistry subject and 4 lecturers of biochemistry in three universities in Indonesia. We obtained data using questionnaires and…

Teaching Green and Sustainable Chemistry: A Revised One-Semester Course Based on Inspirations and Challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Marteel-Parrish, Anne E.

2014-01-01

An elective course, "Toward the Greening of Our Minds": Green and Sustainable Chemistry, has been offered at Washington College since 2005. This new course without laboratory is designed for chemistry and biology majors and minors who have previously taken two semesters of general chemistry and organic chemistry. Due to the popularity of…

Optimal Learning for Efficient Experimentation in Nanotechnology and Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

2015-12-22

AFRL-AFOSR-VA-TR-2016-0018 Optimal Learning for Efficient Experimentation in Nanotechnology, Biochemistry Warren Powell TRUSTEES OF PRINCETON... Biochemistry 5a.  CONTRACT NUMBER 5b.  GRANT NUMBER FA9550-12-1-0200 5c.  PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 61102F 6. AUTHOR(S) Warren Powell 5d.  PROJECT NUMBER 5e...scientists. 15. SUBJECT TERMS Biochemistry 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT 18. NUMBER OF 19a.  NAME OF RESPONSIBLE PERSON Warren

Commentary: PhDs in Biochemistry Education--5 Years Later

Science.gov (United States)

Offerdahl, Erika G.; Momsen, Jennifer L.; Osgood, Marcy

2014-01-01

In this commentary, the discussion of PhDs in biochemistry education research is expanded to explore a number of diverse pathways leading to a competitive research program in biochemistry education research.

Depression, stress and anxiety in medical students: A cross-sectional comparison between students from different semesters.

Science.gov (United States)

Moutinho, Ivana Lúcia Damásio; Maddalena, Natalia de Castro Pecci; Roland, Ronald Kleinsorge; Lucchetti, Alessandra Lamas Granero; Tibiriçá, Sandra Helena Cerrato; Ezequiel, Oscarina da Silva; Lucchetti, Giancarlo

2017-01-01

To compare the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and stress in medical students from all semesters of a Brazilian medical school and assess their respective associated factors. A cross-sectional study of students from the twelve semesters of a Brazilian medical school was carried out. Students filled out a questionnaire including sociodemographics, religiosity (DUREL - Duke Religion Index), and mental health (DASS-21 - Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale). The students were compared for mental health variables (Chi-squared/ANOVA). Linear regression models were employed to assess factors associated with DASS-21 scores. 761 (75.4%) students answered the questionnaire; 34.6% reported depressive symptomatology, 37.2% showed anxiety symptoms, and 47.1% stress symptoms. Significant differences were found for: anxiety - ANOVA: [F = 2.536, p=0.004] between first and tenth (p=0.048) and first and eleventh (p=0.025) semesters; depression - ANOVA: [F = 2.410, p=0.006] between first and second semesters (p=0.045); and stress - ANOVA: [F = 2.968, p=0.001] between seventh and twelfth (p=0.044), tenth and twelfth (p=0.011), and eleventh and twelfth (p=0.001) semesters. The following factors were associated with (a) stress: female gender, anxiety, and depression; (b) depression: female gender, intrinsic religiosity, anxiety, and stress; and (c) anxiety: course semester, depression, and stress. Our findings revealed high levels of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in medical students, with marked differences among course semesters. Gender and religiosity appeared to influence the mental health of the medical students.

A radiographic comparative study of two series of skeletally mature clubfeet treated by two different protocols

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ippolito, E.; Caterini, R.; Farsetti, P. [Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Rome ' ' Tor Vergata' ' , Via della Ricerca Scientifica 135, 00173, Rome (Italy); Fraracci, L.; Di Mario, M. [Department of Radiology, IRCCS Santa Lucia Institute, Via Ardeatina 306, 00179, Rome (Italy)

2003-08-01

To compare the radiographic features of two series of congenital clubfeet to determine whether a different treatment protocol may influence the radiographic results at the end of skeletal growth. Two series of patients with congenital clubfeet, treated by two different manipulative techniques and by two different complementary soft tissue release operations, were radiographically studied at skeletal maturity. Twenty-one normal feet of the unilateral cases in both series served as controls. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the feet were taken with the patient standing, and several radiographic parameters were studied. The size of the talus and calcaneus and the height of the talar trochlea were smaller than normal in all cases of clubfeet, were similar in both series and were not influenced by treatment, whereas all the other radiographic parameters studied were more or less different between the two series and seemed to be influenced by treatment. In no treated clubfoot of either series was a normal radiographic foot anatomy restored, not even in those feet that had an excellent clinical result. (orig.)

A radiographic comparative study of two series of skeletally mature clubfeet treated by two different protocols

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ippolito, E.; Caterini, R.; Farsetti, P.; Fraracci, L.; Di Mario, M.

2003-01-01

To compare the radiographic features of two series of congenital clubfeet to determine whether a different treatment protocol may influence the radiographic results at the end of skeletal growth. Two series of patients with congenital clubfeet, treated by two different manipulative techniques and by two different complementary soft tissue release operations, were radiographically studied at skeletal maturity. Twenty-one normal feet of the unilateral cases in both series served as controls. Anteroposterior and lateral radiographs of the feet were taken with the patient standing, and several radiographic parameters were studied. The size of the talus and calcaneus and the height of the talar trochlea were smaller than normal in all cases of clubfeet, were similar in both series and were not influenced by treatment, whereas all the other radiographic parameters studied were more or less different between the two series and seemed to be influenced by treatment. In no treated clubfoot of either series was a normal radiographic foot anatomy restored, not even in those feet that had an excellent clinical result. (orig.)

Effects of intensive mariculture on sediment biochemistry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pusceddu, Antonio; Fraschetti, Simonetta; Mirto, Simone

2007-01-01

The exponential growth of off-shore mariculture that has occurred worldwide over the last 10 years has raised concern about the impact of the waste produced by this industry on the ecological integrity of the sea bottom. Investigations into this potential source of impact on the biochemistry...... of the sea floor have provided contrasting results, and no compelling explanations for these discrepancies have been provided to date. To quantify the impact of fish-farm activities on the biochemistry of sediments, we have investigated the quantity and biochemical composition of sediment organic matter...... regions, with the exception of seagrass sediments in Spain, the biochemistry of the sediments showed significant differences between the control and fish-farm locations. However, the variables explaining the differences observed varied among the regions and between habitats, suggesting idiosyncratic...

Reproduction, physiology and biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

This chapter summarizes fundamental knowledge and recent discoveries about the reproduction, physiology and biochemistry of plant-parasitic nematodes. Various types of reproduction are reviewed, including sexual reproduction and mitotic and meiotic parthenogenesis. Although much is known about the p...

Enhanced Podcasts for Teaching Biochemistry to Veterinary Students

Science.gov (United States)

Gough, Kevin C.

2011-01-01

The teaching of biochemistry within medical disciplines presents certain challenges; firstly to relay a large body of complex facts and abstract concepts, and secondly to motivate students that this relatively difficult topic is worth their time to study. Here, nutrient biochemistry was taught within a multidisciplinary module as part of an…

The Biochemistry Over 20 Years In The High School Textbooks

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C. E.S. Rocha

2014-08-01

Full Text Available   The Biochemistry Over 20 Years In The High School Textbooks   Rocha, C. E. S.1; Büttenbender, M. D.1; Denardin, E.L.G.2, Roehrs, R.1,2 1Grupo Interdisciplinar de Pesquisa em Práticas de Ensino, UNIPAMPA, RS. 2Laboratório de Estudos Físico Químicos e Produtos Naturais, UNIPAMPA, RS.   INTRODUCTION: Many teachers make use of textbook to lead content in the classroom. The chemistry books introduce concepts that should relate biochemistry to students in schools. It is important that this first contact turns out into an encouraging experience for the students, because once it worked as expected it arouses interest and makes the students see themselves curious to delve into the subject. The research aims to evaluate the presence of related concepts in biochemistry textbooks in chemistry in high school, over 20 years. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to perform this study, we analyzed the following content related to biochemistry: proteins, carbohydrates, lipids and nucleic acids in the books "Chemistry - Structure of Matter and Organic Chemistry" of the year 1993 and the book "Chemistry in approach to daily life" of the year 2012 with the purpose of verifying the changes in the content of biochemistry in the last 20 years. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In the 90s, as used in the book, concepts and explanations are introduced in a very objective approach, making a total of 22 pages. The current largest is 23 pages with experiments and curiosities. Through analysis we found that current textbooks present the same issues related to biochemistry, however, a greater amount of data, bringing students to more examples and applications in everyday life. Today we see that the contents and processes are most exploited and that there is a concern on the importance of the study of issues that relate to biochemistry. CONCLUSIONS: The study of the biochemistry textbooks has been more attractive in recent years, contextualizing content with the daily life of

The Biochemistry Show: a new and fun tool for learning

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A.H Ono

2006-07-01

Full Text Available The traditional methods to teach biochemistry in most universities are based on the memorization of chemical structures,  biochemical  pathways  and  reagent  names,  which  is  many  times  dismotivating  for  the  students.  We presently describe an innovative, interactive and alternative method for teaching biochemistry to medical and nutrition undergraduate students, called the Biochemistry Show (BioBio Show.The Biobio show is based on active participation of the students. They are divided in groups and the groups face each other. One group faces another one group at a time, in a game based on true or false questions that involve subjects of applied biochemistry (exercise, obesity, diabetes, cholesterol, free radicals, among others. The questions of the Show are previously elaborated by senior students. The Biobio Show has four phases, the first one is a selection exam, and from the second to the fourth phase, eliminatory confrontations happen. On a confrontation, the first group must select a certain quantity of questions for the opponent to answer.  The group who choses the questions must know how to answer and justify the selected questions. This procedure is repeated on all phases of the show. On the last phase, the questions used are taken from an exam previously performed by the students: either the 9-hour biochemistry exam (Sé et al. A 9-hour biochemistry exam. An iron man competition or a good way of evaluating undergraduate students? SBBq 2005, abstract K-6 or the True-or-False exam (TFE (Sé et al. Are tutor-students capable of writing good biochemistry exams? SBBq 2004, abstract K-18. The winner group receives an extra 0,5 point on the final grade. Over 70% of the students informed on a questionnaire that the Biobio Show is a valuable tool for learning biochemistry.    That is a new way to enrich the discussion of biochemistry in the classroom without the students getting bored. Moreover, learning

BIOCHEMISTRY TEACHING WITH VIRTUAL DYNAMIC METABOLIC DIAGRAMS

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

G. B. Lazzarotto

2004-05-01

Full Text Available This work presents a game like educational software (courseware to study metabolic pathways, calledDiagrama Metabolico Din^amico Virtual (DMDV of Krebs Cycle. The experience acquired teachingwith the logical sequence tray games in the FFFCMPAs Biochemistry Course provides the beddingswith the use of this model as education method. With DMDV, students can assembly the sequenceof reactions that describe the desired metabolic pathway, create situational models which can guidehis/her choices, reduce the subject complexity of the scheme in knowledge construction presentingin a graphical way the current interrelations. Biochemistry teachers can use the present software inclassroom as well as distance classes. This product integrates multimedia resources extensively andis distributed in CD-ROM format. The virtual environment will make possible interaction of thestudent with the environment and with colleagues and teachers, through tools as chats and forum.Experience with the use of this method was carried through with two distinct groups of students.The rst group was composed by 11 students, who were more familiar with the content and answereda specic questionnaire to previously evaluate the software. The second group was formed by 24students regularly registered in the FFFCMPAs Biochemistry Course, who used the software as astudy method. The rst group considered DMDV of easy and pleasant navigation. The knowledgeevaluation of the second group students was made by a written test and the analysis of three conceptualmaps constructed by each one of them: one map before initiating the study with the DMDV, thesecond just after the study and the third one two months later. Every conceptual maps producedafter DMDV method showed an expansion of valid concepts if compared with the rst maps. Simplevisual comparison of maps shows that new elements where added. All students who passed throughthe experiment reached a greater than ve grade in the subjects written

Biochemistry - Open TG-GATEs | LSDB Archive [Life Science Database Archive metadata

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available tests. Data file File name: open_tggates_biochemistry.zip File URL: ftp://ftp.biosciencedbc.jp/archive/open-...tggates/LATEST/open_tggates_biochemistry.zip File size: 666 KB Simple search URL ...http://togodb.biosciencedbc.jp/togodb/view/open_tggates_biochemistry#en Data acquisition method - Data analy

Biochemistry engineering

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jang, Ho Nam

1993-01-01

This deals with biochemistry engineering with nine chapters. It explains bionics on development and prospect, basics of life science on classification and structure, enzyme and metabolism, fundamentals of chemical engineering on viscosity, shear rate, PFR, CSTR, mixing, dispersion, measurement and response, Enzyme kinetics, competitive inhibition, pH profile, temperature profile, stoichiometry and fermentation kinetics, bio-reactor on Enzyme-reactor and microorganism-reactor, measurement and processing on data acquisition and data processing, separation and purification, waste water treatment and economics of bionics process.

Learning Medical School Biochemistry Through Self-Directed Case-Oriented Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Morley, Colin G. D.; Blumberg, Phyllis

1987-01-01

Describes an alternative medical school curriculum for the first two years of preclinical basic science studies. Discusses student and faculty selection for the program. Details the format for teaching biochemistry in the Alternative Curriculum, including program structure, content organization and exams. Evaluates the success of the program. (CW)

Teaching of Biochemistry in Medical School: A Well-Trodden Pathway?

Science.gov (United States)

Mathews, Michael B.; Stagnaro-Green, Alex

2008-01-01

Biochemistry and molecular biology occupy a unique place in the medical school curriculum. They are frequently studied prior to medical school and are fundamental to the teaching of biomedical sciences in undergraduate medical education. These two circumstances, and the trend toward increased integration among the disciplines, have led to…

Academic literacy diagnostic assessment in the first semester of first year at university

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Lorinda Palmer

2014-03-01

Full Text Available One vital aspect of the first semester of the first year at university is how academic literacy expectations are made explicit though teaching and assessment practices at the disciplinary level. This paper describes how an academic literacy diagnostic process, and the MASUS tool, was used to ascertain the academic literacy profile of a cohort of undergraduate nursing students [N=569] at the beginning and end of their first semester. Key findings of this quantitative descriptive case study were that only just over half of commencing students possessed appropriate academic literacy skills in all four aspects of the diagnostic and nearly 20% scored in the lowest band—suggesting difficulty with multiple aspects of academic literacy. By the end of semester, 77% of the students who had scored in the lowest band of the MASUS at the beginning of the semester had improved their scores to the middle or highest band, and 73% of them eventually attained a pass or higher grade for the course. The findings of this study suggest that large-scale academic literacy diagnostic assessment, when embedded and contextualized within a course of study, is an effective means of providing the early feedback and targeted support that many commencing university students need.

Can biochemistry drive drug discovery beyond simple potency measurements?

Science.gov (United States)

Chène, Patrick

2012-04-01

Among the fields of expertise required to develop drugs successfully, biochemistry holds a key position in drug discovery at the interface between chemistry, structural biology and cell biology. However, taking the example of protein kinases, it appears that biochemical assays are mostly used in the pharmaceutical industry to measure compound potency and/or selectivity. This limited use of biochemistry is surprising, given that detailed biochemical analyses are commonly used in academia to unravel molecular recognition processes. In this article, I show that biochemistry can provide invaluable information on the dynamics and energetics of compound-target interactions that cannot be obtained on the basis of potency measurements and structural data. Therefore, an extensive use of biochemistry in drug discovery could facilitate the identification and/or development of new drugs. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On flipping first-semester calculus: a case study

Science.gov (United States)

Petrillo, Joseph

2016-05-01

High failure rates in calculus have plagued students, teachers, and administrators for decades, while science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programmes continue to suffer from low enrollments and high attrition. In an effort to affect this reality, some educators are 'flipping' (or inverting) their classrooms. By flipping, we mean administering course content outside of the classroom and replacing the traditional in-class lectures with discussion, practice, group work, and other elements of active learning. This paper presents the major results from a three-year study of a flipped, first-semester calculus course at a small, comprehensive, American university with a well-known engineering programme. The data we have collected help quantify the positive and substantial effects of our flipped calculus course on failure rates, scores on the common final exam, student opinion of calculus, teacher impact on measurable outcomes, and success in second-semester calculus. While flipping may not be suitable for every teacher, every student, and in every situation, this report provides some evidence that it may be a viable option for those seeking an alternative to the traditional lecture model.

Hobby with Biochemistry: Use of active learning methodology in Biochemistry at the Medical School

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S. R.T. Prado

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction and objectives: The learning of Biochemistry is generally considered difficult by the graduates, because studies the molecular level the metabolism of living and it demands a great capacity for abstraction by students. Thus, researchers have tried alternative methods to provid an alternative study method. Materials and methods: 178 students of the School of Medicine, PUC-PR, that course the disciplines of Medical Biochemistry I and II, were divided into 50 groups, each with 3-4 students, and were have to draw up a hobby activity with a specific theme of the Biochemistry. The selected topics were, amino acids and proteins, enzymes, cellular respiration, glycogen metabolism, gluconeogenesis, lipid metabolism, metabolic integration, dyslipidemia and atherogenesis, pathophysiology of diabetes mellitus and metabolic syndrome, mechanisms of diabetes mellitus complications. The hobby activities chosen were direct, duplex, self-defined, cryptogram, bugs game. Both issues such as the type of hobby was drawn between groups. The groups had to: elaborate hobby; presents it to class orally, applying the questions prepared; printing and expose the hobby at the wall in the University; answer an evaluation regarding the preparation of work; and all groups should get together and organize one titled magazine "Hobby with Biochemistry" and deliver it printed. Results and conclusions: According the groups, the greatest difficulty was the adequacy of the questions posed in the required format, once they had only one issue and restricted space for the responses. Furthermore, the formatting was also identified as a point very difficult in activity elaboration. On the topic of learning through the development of work, and/or a new skill groups assigned grades ranging between 7.0 and 10.0 and about 90% of the groups attributed note 10 on satisfaction of seeing the work done and its ability to produce it. According to the results, the activity proved to be

FACEBOOK AS A MEDIATION TOOL IN BIOCHEMISTRY DISCIPLINE

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P. X. Gomes

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: The current students generation are daily connected to the Internet, wich encourages the use of mobile tools in education. Many of the students of Biochemistry feel apprehensive about the discipline and the use of facebook may contribute, among other factors, motivating them. Objectives: It was analyzed the use of facebook as a mediator and motivator in the discipline of Biochemistry, basing on socioconstrutivist interventions. Material and methods: This work was developed in the action-research perspective, using the quali-quantitative method. An investigative questionnaire was used, using Likert scale and open questions, to investigate the facebook use, as well as the preferences of students, focusing on Biochemistry group in the Biomedicine course.  The posts were analyzed identifying: frequency of the interaction`s types (post, comment, likes;  interaction's categories (question, answer, motivational; and the content itself of the post. Results: It was highlighted students' interest to search materials, answering questions, and especially seeking information about the discipline. It was emphasized that the group was motivating for learning Biochemistry, encouragement the group to study, with quick and easy access to the professor by chat. Conclusions: The results indicate a preference for students at facebook, with a great motivational potential, is at easy access to colleagues, professor and monitor, or even the ease of obtaining the materials and ask questions in real time, indicating that this tool as a possible way, still little explored, to enhance the teaching of Biochemistry.

Consistent two-dimensional visualization of protein-ligand complex series

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Stierand Katrin

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The comparative two-dimensional graphical representation of protein-ligand complex series featuring different ligands bound to the same active site offers a quick insight in their binding mode differences. In comparison to arbitrary orientations of the residue molecules in the individual complex depictions a consistent placement improves the legibility and comparability within the series. The automatic generation of such consistent layouts offers the possibility to apply it to large data sets originating from computer-aided drug design methods. Results We developed a new approach, which automatically generates a consistent layout of interacting residues for a given series of complexes. Based on the structural three-dimensional input information, a global two-dimensional layout for all residues of the complex ensemble is computed. The algorithm incorporates the three-dimensional adjacencies of the active site residues in order to find an universally valid circular arrangement of the residues around the ligand. Subsequent to a two-dimensional ligand superimposition step, a global placement for each residue is derived from the set of already placed ligands. The method generates high-quality layouts, showing mostly overlap-free solutions with molecules which are displayed as structure diagrams providing interaction information in atomic detail. Application examples document an improved legibility compared to series of diagrams whose layouts are calculated independently from each other. Conclusions The presented method extends the field of complex series visualizations. A series of molecules binding to the same protein active site is drawn in a graphically consistent way. Compared to existing approaches these drawings substantially simplify the visual analysis of large compound series.

Holistic Wellness and Its Impact on First-Semester Grades

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Cereola, Sandy J.; Snyder, Cathleen S.; Cereola, Ronald J.; Horton, Brett W.

2014-01-01

Students enrolled in a first-semester, critical-thinking course assessed their perception of their own wellness using a 52-question survey. Within the survey, holistic wellness was measured along seven dimensions: (a) physical, (b) intellectual, (c) social, (d) occupational, (e) spiritual, (f) emotional, and (g) environmental. Individual…

Semen quality, biochemistry and mineral content of five strains of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The study was conducted to evaluate the genetic effect on semen quality, biochemistry and mineral content of three strains of Nigerian indigenous and two exotic cocks. One hundred (100) adult local breeding cocks comprising 20 normal, 20 frizzle and 20 naked necks, 20 dominant black and 20 dominant blue feather were ...

Symposium 19: Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul: its Role in the Biochemistry Teaching in the Southernmost Brazilian States

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Clóvis M.D. Wannmacher

2014-08-01

Full Text Available K-Education(Portuguese Chair: V. Trindade Bayardo Torres; Clovis Wannmacher; Denise Macedo  Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul: its Role in the Biochemistry Teaching in the Southernmost Brazilian States. Wannmacher, C.M.D. Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.   At present, most Biochemistry teaching in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina has its origin in the Department of Biochemistry of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul. In the 70’s, all the teachers of the Department wrote a book together: “Fundamental Biochemistry”. This book was always used in the classes by groups of students of different careers supervised by the respective teacher. At the same time, this methodology was not used by pharmaceutical teachers, but they recommended the Department’s book to their students. Along the next years, Biochemistry teaching was adapted according to the professional course and to the teacher’s personal characteristics. Today, there are two extremes strategies again: one traditional for the most basic biochemistry student’s formation (including theoretical, laboratorial, seminars and informatics classes and the other, experimental-clinical, for physician’s formation (including seminars of molecular approach to the most prevalent diseases, mainly, those leading to failure of organs/systems and the interaction with patients from HCPA by the interpretation of their biochemical data. On the other hand, the Post Graduation Program, at first, emphasized biochemistry teaching in a traditional form, but gradually changed the emphasis to investigation, and most classes changed to scientific paper reports. To stimulate the teaching formation, two activities were offered to post-graduation students: Biochemistry Teaching Methodology and Teaching Practice in Biochemistry. These activities promote opportunity for the students to

Biochemistry Students' Ideas about Shape and Charge in Enzyme-Substrate Interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Linenberger, Kimberly J.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2014-01-01

Biochemistry is a visual discipline that requires students to develop an understanding of numerous representations. However, there is very little known about what students actually understand about the representations that are used to communicate ideas in biochemistry. This study investigated biochemistry students' understanding of multiple…

Using augmented reality to teach and learn biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Vega Garzón, Juan Carlos; Magrini, Marcio Luiz; Galembeck, Eduardo

2017-09-01

Understanding metabolism and metabolic pathways constitutes one of the central aims for students of biological sciences. Learning metabolic pathways should be focused on the understanding of general concepts and core principles. New technologies such Augmented Reality (AR) have shown potential to improve assimilation of biochemistry abstract concepts because students can manipulate 3D molecules in real time. Here we describe an application named Augmented Reality Metabolic Pathways (ARMET), which allowed students to visualize the 3D molecular structure of substrates and products, thus perceiving changes in each molecule. The structural modification of molecules shows students the flow and exchange of compounds and energy through metabolism. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):417-420, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

3rd Semester and Master’s Thesis Ideas 2011

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The report contain a list of project ideas proposed by the scientific staff at the Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, and a number of companies. Most of the project ideas in this catalogue may form the basis for long and short candidate projects as well as regular 3rd semester...

3rd Semester and Master’s Thesis Ideas 2012

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Clausen, Johan

The report contain a list of project ideas proposed by the scientific staff at the Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, and a number of companies. Most of the project ideas in this catalogue may form the basis for long and short candidate projects as well as regular 3rd semester...

An integrated biochemistry and genetics outreach program designed for elementary school students.

Science.gov (United States)

Ross, Eric D; Lee, Sarah K; Radebaugh, Catherine A; Stargell, Laurie A

2012-02-01

Exposure to genetic and biochemical experiments typically occurs late in one's academic career. By the time students have the opportunity to select specialized courses in these areas, many have already developed negative attitudes toward the sciences. Given little or no direct experience with the fields of genetics and biochemistry, it is likely that many young people rule these out as potential areas of study or career path. To address this problem, we developed a 7-week (~1 hr/week) hands-on course to introduce fifth grade students to basic concepts in genetics and biochemistry. These young students performed a series of investigations (ranging from examining phenotypic variation, in vitro enzymatic assays, and yeast genetic experiments) to explore scientific reasoning through direct experimentation. Despite the challenging material, the vast majority of students successfully completed each experiment, and most students reported that the experience increased their interest in science. Additionally, the experiments within the 7-week program are easily performed by instructors with basic skills in biological sciences. As such, this program can be implemented by others motivated to achieve a broader impact by increasing the accessibility of their university and communicating to a young audience a positive impression of the sciences and the potential for science as a career.

Commentary: Biochemistry Re-Natured

Science.gov (United States)

White, Harold B.

2010-01-01

In his last commentary on "Biochemistry Denatured," this author dealt with his perception that college students today have spent too little of their childhood years playing outside in nature and as a consequence have not learned basic things about the world from personal experience. This "nature-deficit disorder" removes many opportunities for…

Web-Based Alcohol Intervention in First-Year College Students: Efficacy of Full-Program Administration Prior to Second Semester.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbertson, Rebecca J; Norton, Tina R; Beery, Susan H; Lee, Kassandra R

2018-05-12

Commercially available, web-based interventions for the prevention of alcohol use are being adopted for universal use with first-year college students, yet few have received empirical evaluation. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of a novel, commercially available, personalized web-based alcohol intervention, Alcohol-Wise (version 4.0, 3 rd Millennium Classrooms), on multiple measures of alcohol consumption, alcohol consequences, alcohol expectancies, academic achievement, and adaptation to college in first-year students. Participants received Alcohol-Wise either prior to first semester or were waitlisted and received the intervention second semester. As longitudinal effectiveness was of interest, follow-up surveys were conducted 10 weeks (n = 76) and 24 weeks (n = 64) following the web-based alcohol intervention. Completion of Alcohol-Wise had effects on academic achievement. Specifically, at the 24 week follow-up, academic achievement was higher in participants who received the intervention first semester of their freshman year as compared to the waitlist control. The incremental rise in heavy episodic drinking during the first semester of college was also reduced in waitlisted participants by Alcohol-Wise administration prior to second semester. Conclusion/Importance: Implications for the timing of web-based alcohol interventions to include administration prior to both first and second semesters of the freshman year are discussed.

Integrative Metabolism: An Interactive Learning Tool for Nutrition, Biochemistry, and Physiology

Science.gov (United States)

Carey, Gale

2010-01-01

Metabolism is a dynamic, simultaneous, and integrative science that cuts across nutrition, biochemistry, and physiology. Teaching this science can be a challenge. The use of a scenario-based, visually appealing, interactive, computer-animated CD may overcome the limitations of learning "one pathway at a time" and engage two- and…

Essential concepts and underlying theories from physics, chemistry, and mathematics for "biochemistry and molecular biology" majors.

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Ann; Provost, Joseph; Roecklein-Canfield, Jennifer A; Bell, Ellis

2013-01-01

Over the past two years, through an NSF RCN UBE grant, the ASBMB has held regional workshops for faculty members from around the country. The workshops have focused on developing lists of Core Principles or Foundational Concepts in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, a list of foundational skills, and foundational concepts from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics that all Biochemistry or Molecular Biology majors must understand to complete their major coursework. The allied fields working group created a survey to validate foundational concepts from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics identified from participant feedback at various workshops. One-hundred twenty participants responded to the survey and 68% of the respondents answered yes to the question: "We have identified the following as the core concepts and underlying theories from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics that Biochemistry majors or Molecular Biology majors need to understand after they complete their major courses: 1) mechanical concepts from Physics, 2) energy and thermodynamic concepts from Physics, 3) critical concepts of structure from chemistry, 4) critical concepts of reactions from Chemistry, and 5) essential Mathematics. In your opinion, is the above list complete?" Respondents also delineated subcategories they felt should be included in these broad categories. From the results of the survey and this analysis the allied fields working group constructed a consensus list of allied fields concepts, which will help inform Biochemistry and Molecular Biology educators when considering the ASBMB recommended curriculum for Biochemistry or Molecular Biology majors and in the development of appropriate assessment tools to gauge student understanding of how these concepts relate to biochemistry and molecular biology. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Using Pamphlets to Teach Biochemistry: A Service-Learning Project

Science.gov (United States)

Harrison, Melinda A.; Dunbar, David; Lopatto, David

2013-01-01

A service-learning project appropriate for a biochemistry or advanced biochemistry course was designed and implemented. The project involved students partnering with a homeless shelter to design informational pamphlets to be displayed at the shelter for the clients' use. The pamphlet topics were based on diseases studied within the course.…

Commentary: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Educators Launch National Network

Science.gov (United States)

Bailey, Cheryl; Bell, Ellis; Johnson, Margaret; Mattos, Carla; Sears, Duane; White, Harold B.

2010-01-01

The American Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) has launched an National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded 5 year project to support biochemistry and molecular biology educators learning what and how students learn. As a part of this initiative, hundreds of life scientists will plan and develop a rich central resource for…

Current research in Radiation Biology and Biochemistry Division

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tarachand, U.; Singh, B.B.

1995-01-01

The Radiation Biology and Biochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay has been engaged in research in the frontier areas of (i) radiation biology related to tumour therapy and injury caused by free radicals; (ii) molecular basis of diseases of physiological origin; (iii) molecular aspects of chemical carcinogenesis and (iv) structure of genome and genome related functions. The gist of research and development activities carried out in the Division during the last two years are documented

Current research in Radiation Biology and Biochemistry Division

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tarachand, U; Singh, B B [eds.; Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay (India). Radiation Biology and Biochemistry Div.

1996-12-31

The Radiation Biology and Biochemistry Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Bombay has been engaged in research in the frontier areas of (i) radiation biology related to tumour therapy and injury caused by free radicals; (ii) molecular basis of diseases of physiological origin; (iii) molecular aspects of chemical carcinogenesis and (iv) structure of genome and genome related functions. The gist of research and development activities carried out in the Division during the last two years are documented.

CUREs in biochemistry?where we are and where we should go

OpenAIRE

Bell, Jessica K.; Eckdahl, Todd T.; Hecht, David A.; Killion, Patrick J.; Latzer, Joachim; Mans, Tamara L.; Provost, Joseph J.; Rakus, John F.; Siebrasse, Erica A.; Ellis Bell, J.

2016-01-01

Abstract Integration of research experience into classroom is an important and vital experience for all undergraduates. These course?based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have grown from independent instructor lead projects to large consortium driven experiences. The impact and importance of CUREs on students at all levels in biochemistry was the focus of a National Science Foundation funded think tank. The state of biochemistry CUREs and suggestions for moving biochemistry forward...

Characterizing the changes in teaching practice during first semester implementation of an argument-based inquiry approach in a middle school science classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Pinney, Brian Robert John

The purpose of this study was to characterize ways in which teaching practice in classroom undergoing first semester implementation of an argument-based inquiry approach changes in whole-class discussion. Being that argument is explicitly called for in the Next Generation Science Standards and is currently a rare practice in teaching, many teachers will have to transform their teaching practice for inclusion of this feature. Most studies on Argument-Based Inquiry (ABI) agree that development of argument does not come easily and is only acquired through practice. Few studies have examined the ways in which teaching practice changes in relation to the big idea or disciplinary core idea (NGSS), the development of dialogue, and/or the development of argument during first semester implementation of an argument-based inquiry approach. To explore these areas, this study posed three primary research questions: (1) How does a teacher in his first semester of Science Writing Heuristic professional development make use of the "big idea"?, (1a) Is the indicated big idea consistent with NGSS core concepts?, (2) How did the dialogue in whole-class discussion change during the first semester of argument-based inquiry professional development?, (3) How did the argument in whole-class discussion change during the first semester of argument-based inquiry professional development? This semester-long study that took place in a middle school in a rural Midwestern city was grounded in interactive constructivism, and utilized a qualitative design to identify the ways in which the teacher utilized big ideas and how dialogue and argumentative dialogue developed over time. The purposefully selected teacher in this study provided a unique situation where he was in his first semester of professional development using the Science Writing Heuristic Approach to argument-based inquiry with 19 students who had two prior years' experience in ABI. Multiple sources of data were collected, including

AN ALTERNATIVE STRATEGY TO ANALYZE THE CONTENTS OF BIOCHEMISTRY INTRODUCTORY COURSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A.K. Miskalo

2008-05-01

Full Text Available A common problem  educators  from  different areas face  is  to  fit the increasing  amount  of information  with the maintenance  and/or,  not seldom,  a decrease in the class load of their courses. This actual situation  necessarily forces the educator  to severely select the topics to be worked out. In the cur rent scenario of most teaching institutions, this decision  is  taken by the teacher.  In order to do this, a  list of the topics considered to be essential  for an appropriate biochemistry course is necessary. Taking for granted that questions from biochemistry courses tests reflect  the topics  considered most relevant by teachers,  questions from different courses offered by Biochemistry Department of USP were analyzed. The objective of this analysis  was  to  answer two main questions, namely (1  Which is the exte nt and  depth  of the common topics  in  biochemistry  introductory courses? and (2  Are there (and ,  if  there are,  which are they?  specific topics  for  different careers?  The  method we adopted was to verify  the demanded topics  in  written tests and  to  classify  their  cognitive level according to Bloom’s Taxonomy.  The most recurring topics found are Protein Structure and Metabolism Regulation. The results indicate a strong predominance of  low-level categories  (Knowledge e Comprehension,  with little  occurrence  of high-level categories (from Application on.  It is expected, from further development of this study,  to outline  the topics considered  relevant  to  set the basis for  the discussion  on the establishment of a minimum curriculum for biochemistry courses. Key words: Bloom’s Taxonomy, minimum curriculum, written tests analysis.

The Biochemistry of Mitosis

Science.gov (United States)

Wieser, Samuel; Pines, Jonathon

2015-01-01

In this article, we will discuss the biochemistry of mitosis in eukaryotic cells. We will focus on conserved principles that, importantly, are adapted to the biology of the organism. It is vital to bear in mind that the structural requirements for division in a rapidly dividing syncytial Drosophila embryo, for example, are markedly different from those in a unicellular yeast cell. Nevertheless, division in both systems is driven by conserved modules of antagonistic protein kinases and phosphatases, underpinned by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis, which create molecular switches to drive each stage of division forward. These conserved control modules combine with the self-organizing properties of the subcellular architecture to meet the specific needs of the cell. Our discussion will draw on discoveries in several model systems that have been important in the long history of research on mitosis, and we will try to point out those principles that appear to apply to all cells, compared with those in which the biochemistry has been specifically adapted in a particular organism. PMID:25663668

Teaching Biochemistry to Medical Technology Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Gomez-Silva, Benito; And Others

1997-01-01

Describes the biochemistry component of study to become a medical technologist in a Chilean university. Provides details of program structure, course content descriptions, and teaching strategies. (DDR)

Medical biochemistry in Macedonia: a profession for physicians and natural scientists.

Science.gov (United States)

Traikovska, S; Dzhekova-Stojkova, S

2001-06-01

Medical biochemistry or clinical chemistry in its roots is an interdisciplinary science between natural sciences and medicine. The largest part of medical biochemistry is natural science (chemistry, biochemistry, biology, physics, mathematics), which is very well integrated in deduction of medical problems. Medical biochemistry throughout the world, including Macedonia, should be a professional field open to both physicians and natural scientists, according to its historical development, theoretical characteristics and applied practice. Physicians and natural scientists follow the same route in clinical chemistry during the postgraduate training of specialization in medical biochemistry/clinical chemistry. However, in Macedonia the specialization in medical biochemistry/clinical chemistry is today regulated by law only for physicians and pharmacists. The study of clinical chemistry in Europe has shown its interdisciplinary character. In most European countries different professions, such as physicians, chemists/biochemists, pharmacists, biologists and others could specialize in clinical chemistry. The question for the next generation of specialists in Macedonia is whether to accept the present conditions or to attempt to change the law to include chemists/biochemists and biologists as well. The latter used to be a practice in Macedonia 20 years ago, and still is in many European countries. Such change in law would also result in changes in the postgraduate educational program in medical biochemistry in Macedonia. The new postgraduate program has to follow the European Syllabus, recommended by EC4. To obtain sufficient knowledge in clinical chemistry, the duration of vocational training (undergraduate and postgraduate) for all trainees (physicians, pharmaceutics, chemists/biochemists and biologists) should be 8 years.

TechEdSat Nano-Satellite Series Fact Sheet

Science.gov (United States)

Murbach, Marcus; Martinez, Andres; Guarneros Luna, Ali

2014-01-01

TechEdSat-3p is the second generation in the TechEdSat-X series. The TechEdSat Series uses the CubeSat standards established by the California Polytechnic State University Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo. With typical blocks being constructed from 1-unit (1U 10x10x10 cm) increments, the TechEdSat-3p has a 3U volume with a 30 cm length. The project uniquely pairs advanced university students with NASA researchers in a rapid design-to-flight experience lasting 1-2 semesters.The TechEdSat Nano-Satellite Series provides a rapid platform for testing technologies for future NASA Earth and planetary missions, as well as providing students with an early exposure to flight hardware development and management.

The Content Analysis, Material Presentation, and Readability of Curriculum 2013 Science Textbook for 1st Semester of Junior High School 7th Grade

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Endik Deni Nugroho

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Based on the early observation by researchers of the two Science textbooks 7thGrade about biological material, 1stand 2ndsemester of curriculum 2013, there were errors in the material presentation and legibility. This study aimed to compare and find the contents suitability of the book based on standard of competence and basic competences, readability, materials presentation and supporting material in the science textbook VII grade, 1st and 2nd semester and measured student legibility. This study used a qualitative descriptive approach by using document analysis. The data resources were obtained by using purposive, the data collection was triangulation, data analysis was inductive/qualitative and the results emphasized the meaning. This research results showed that the Integrated Sciences and Sciences textbook 1st and 2nd semester meet the standards of the core competencies and basic competence on the syllabus curriculum 2013 and also meet the books standart. The results of the analysis conducted in misstatement concept and principles and material llustration in the Integrated Science textbook 1st semester were found 5 misstatement concept, for the presentation of the principles and material illustration was found no error. In the book Integrated Sciences there was no delivery errors concept, principle, and material illustration. Science textbook 1st semester found 8 concepts misstatements and 8 illustration material misstatements. In general, Integrated Sciences and Sciences textbooks 1st and 2nd semester are illegibility so not appropriate for students.

A National Comparison of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Capstone Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Aguanno, Ann; Mertz, Pamela; Martin, Debra; Bell, Ellis

2015-01-01

Recognizing the increasingly integrative nature of the molecular life sciences, the "American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology" (ASBMB) recommends that Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (BMB) programs develop curricula based on concepts, content, topics, and expected student outcomes, rather than courses. To that end,…

Clinical biochemistry education in Spain.

Science.gov (United States)

Queraltó, J M

1994-12-31

Clinical biochemistry in Spain was first established in 1978 as an independent specialty. It is one of several clinical laboratory sciences specialties, together with haematology, microbiology, immunology and general laboratory (Clinical analysis, análisis clinicos). Graduates in Medicine, Pharmacy, Chemistry and Biological Sciences can enter post-graduate training in Clinical Chemistry after a nation-wide examination. Training in an accredited Clinical Chemistry department is 4 years. A national committee for medical and pharmacist specialties advises the government on the number of trainees, program and educational units accreditation criteria. Technical staff includes nurses and specifically trained technologists. Accreditation of laboratories is developed at different regional levels. The Spanish Society for Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Pathology (SECQ), the national representative in the IFCC, has 1600 members, currently publishes a scientific journal (Química Clinica) and a newsletter. It organizes a continuous education program, a quality control program and an annual Congress.

A 13-week research-based biochemistry laboratory curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Lefurgy, Scott T; Mundorff, Emily C

2017-09-01

Here, we present a 13-week research-based biochemistry laboratory curriculum designed to provide the students with the experience of engaging in original research while introducing foundational biochemistry laboratory techniques. The laboratory experience has been developed around the directed evolution of an enzyme chosen by the instructor, with mutations designed by the students. Ideal enzymes for this curriculum are able to be structurally modeled, solubly expressed, and monitored for activity by UV/Vis spectroscopy, and an example curriculum for haloalkane dehalogenase is given. Unique to this curriculum is a successful implementation of saturation mutagenesis and high-throughput screening of enzyme function, along with bioinformatics analysis, homology modeling, structural analysis, protein expression and purification, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and enzyme kinetics. Each of these techniques is carried out using a novel student-designed mutant library or enzyme variant unique to the lab team and, importantly, not described previously in the literature. Use of a well-established set of protocols promotes student data quality. Publication may result from the original student-generated hypotheses and data, either from the class as a whole or individual students that continue their independent projects upon course completion. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(5):437-448, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Differences in serum biochemistry between breast-fed and formula-fed infants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tzee-Chung Wu

2011-11-01

Conclusion: Different sources of nutrition may result in different metabolic responses; these differences are reflected by different serum biochemistries. The reference values for serum biochemistry levels also differ according to the infant’s postnatal age.

Rendezvous with the World: Missouri Southern State University's Themed Semesters

Science.gov (United States)

Stebbins, Chad

2011-01-01

Although most universities emphasize study abroad as the primary vehicle to internationalize the campus, in reality only a small percentage of students actually participate in this endeavor. The internationally themed semesters at Missouri Southern State University (MSSU) reach virtually every student, and provide a global perspective and cultural…

Development of depression and deterioration in quality of life in German dental medical students in preclinical semesters.

Science.gov (United States)

Burger, P H M; Neumann, C; Ropohl, A; Paulsen, F; Scholz, M

2016-11-01

Early intervention to counter mental disorders during the course of studies in dentistry is indicated in view of the pronounced prevalence of burnout in this student collective. To assess the proportion of students in whom these risk states can be quantified in measurable parameters for concrete mental disorders, we conducted surveys among students of dental medicine during the first 2.5 years of their studies. We surveyed a total of 163 students of dental medicine in their first 5 semesters of study. Standardized, validated psychological questionnaires on depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory; BDI-II) and mental and physical quality of life (Short Form Survey; SF-12) were used in the survey, with per-semester participant quotas of around 90%. Regarding depression, the students were within the range of the normal populace at the beginning of the 1st semester. Symptoms of depression then became more pronounced with every succeeding semester. In the fifth semester, the average levels determined were equivalent to a depression with a clinical treatment indication. Hardly any change was registered for physical wellbeing in the quality of life questionnaire. The mental sum scores, however, reflected dramatic downturns in quality of life. Highly significant correlations between the parameters described here - depressivity and mental quality of life - were observed in all semesters. The participating students begin their course of studies at the level of the average populace for the symptoms surveyed, then develop, on average, a clinically manifest depression after 2.5 years. The personal experience of a deterioration of mental quality of life appears to be crucial in the phenomena observed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Biochemistry students' ideas about shape and charge in enzyme-substrate interactions.

Science.gov (United States)

Linenberger, Kimberly J; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2014-01-01

Biochemistry is a visual discipline that requires students to develop an understanding of numerous representations. However, there is very little known about what students actually understand about the representations that are used to communicate ideas in biochemistry. This study investigated biochemistry students' understanding of multiple representations of enzyme-substrate interactions through both student interviews (N = 25) and responses by a national sample (N = 707) to the Enzyme-Substrate Interactions Concept Inventory. This manuscript reports the findings regarding one category of misconceptions measured by the concept inventory, namely, students' understandings of shape and charge in the context of enzyme-substrate interactions. Students interpret molecular representations depicting such interactions by determining the complementarity between enzyme and substrate by focusing upon charge and hydrogen bonding, but with a disregard for stereochemistry. Copyright © 2014 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Adsorption-desorption, mobility and degradation of 14C-Glyphosate in two soil series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ismail, B. S.; Zaifah Abdul Kadir; Khairiah Jusoh; Nashriyah Mat

2002-01-01

The adsorption desorption and degradation of glyphosate (Roundup) have been studied using 14 C glyphosate in two soils, namely Serdang Series and Sungai Buloh Series. The percentage of adsorption was not significantly different (p 14 C- glyphosate was detected in 0-10 cm zone of the two soils studied. However, in Sungai Buloh Series, a significant amount of 14 C-glyphosate was detected in the 10-20 cm zone. A small amount of 14 C radioactivity was also detected in the leachate of the two soils. The percentage of degradation in the Sungai Buloh and Serdang Series soils was higher at 10 μg/ml and 50 μg/ml, concentration, respectively. At 50 μg/ml concentration the Sungai Buloh Series soil showed higher glyphosate residue (83%) as compared to Serdang Series (48%). In contrast, the glyphosate residue was found to be higher in the Serdang Series (73916) as compared to the Sungai Buloh Series (30%) at 10 μg/ml concentration. (Author)

Soil Microbiology, Ecology, and Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

The 4th edition of Soil Microbiology, Ecology, and Biochemistry Edited by Eldor Paul continues in the vein of the 3rd edition by providing an excellent, broad-reaching introduction to soil biology. The new edition improves on the previous by providing extensive supplementary materials, links to outs...

Multitracers in chemistry and biochemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambe, F.

2000-01-01

The multitracer technique using heavy-ion reactions has successfully developed in the last decade and is expected to widen its application in chemistry, biochemistry and other fields with technical improvement in future. Several examples of recent application are reviewed and development in the coming century is forecast. (author)

Poster Display as an Alternative Evaluation Method to Biochemistry Teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silas P. Rodrigues

2004-05-01

Full Text Available Biochemistry is present in dierent professional under gradation courses in which it seeks to attendseveral objectives. The discipline oered to the students of Biology Science Course at UFES is tra-ditionally organized in a series of lectures to the basic information, a laboratory class related to eachtopic and a three written tests. Our students, as many from other courses, study biochemistry justbecause they have to. The teacher can alter the student behavior by changing the way in which theyexamine them. This work describes and analyses the experience of using poster display as an assess-ment and includes feedback from the students and teachers. At the beginning of the term the activityis explained to the class and groups are formed. They are oriented to search a full research paper, with\\metabolism as a key word. During the students presentation, teachers and graduation studentsevaluate the production of a self-explanatory poster, assurance in the chosen work and involvementof all components of the group. A multiple-choice questionnaire was applied to 15-30 students fromthe ve classes that had already done the activity. The teachers and the graduation students also hadtheir opinions heard. 62.3 % of the students agreed that the activity accomplishes its objective tostimulate the integration of general knowledge and comprehension of a specic scientic work, while itpromotes the practice of presentation at seminars. 62.2 % believed that it allows the learner to showits knowledge in a better way and 51 % of the students were very much motivated within the activity.For 91.2 % of the students, they should choose the article, as it allows a better correlation betweenbiochemistry and personal anities (42.7 %. Also, 98 % believed that the activity should be carriedout in groups, because it allows a deeper discussion (53.6 %, stimulate group activities (20 % orpermits the materials costs division (22 %. Only 1.8 % of the learners thought that the

Learning Biochemistry by Chocolate

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.C Guedes

2006-07-01

Full Text Available Both sensations and biochemical reactions taken place or promoted during ingestion of chocolate were the motivation for  investigating  the  organic  compounds  present  in  this  source.  Cocoa  and  chocolate  are  composed  by  several substances , among them, aminoacids and alkaloids.The objective of this investigation was to purpose a contextured approach  of  biochemistry  through  the  sensations  and  reactions  involving  aminoacids,  theobromine  and  hormones. Methodology: 1. Theoretical part:  constituted  by theoretical  and tutorial classes  about aminoacids, theobromine and hormones  involved  at  the  metabolism;  2.  Questionary:  ten  questions  based  upon  theoretical  classes,  personal sensations  and  general  aspects  of chocolate;  3.Lecture:  Cientific  articles  searched  in  periodics  by  own  students  as well  as  newspaper  reports;  4.  Experimental:  Laboratory  experiments  including  extraction,  characterization, spectrometric quantification  after  specific reactions  and identification by  Rf  comparison with  standards  on TLC  from cocoa  almonds  and  both  powder  cocoa  and  chocolate.  The  study  was  applied  in  30  students  from  a  chemistry college. Results: The results pointed out to a higher frequency of the students and to a increased interest  from them by   biochemistry  issues  and  cientific  lectures,  as  well  as  a  satisfactory  acquirement  of  theoretical  and  practice knowledge of aminoacids and hormones, spectrometry and chromatography. Conclusion: A contextured approach is quite positive for learning biochemistry to chemists.

Serum biochemistry and morbidity among runners presenting for medical care after an Australian mountain ultramarathon.

Science.gov (United States)

Reid, Stephen A; King, M Jonathan

2007-07-01

To determine if exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) was a cause of morbidity among runners requiring medical care at an Australian mountain ultramarathon. Case series. Six Foot Track mountain ultramarathon, New South Wales, Australia, March 2006. Runners presenting to the medical facility. Serum biochemistry. No cases of exercise-associated hyponatremia were identified among 9 athletes (from 775 starters) who were treated with intravenous fluid therapy. Unwell runners had a mean serum (Na) of 143 mmol/L (range 138-147 mmol/L). All runners tested had elevated serum urea and creatinine concentrations. In this setting, EAH was not a significant cause of morbidity.

$^{31}$Mg $\\beta$-NMR applied in chemistry and biochemistry

CERN Multimedia

Magnesium ions, Mg$^{2+}$, are essential in biological systems, taking part in practically all phosphate chemistry, in photosynthesis as an integral component of chlorophyll, and they are regulated via transport through selective membrane proteins. Nonetheless, the function of magnesium ions in biochemistry is difficult to characterize, as it is practically invisible to current experimental techniques. With this proposal we aim to advance the use of $^{31}$Mg $\\beta$-NMR to liquid samples, building on the experience from the successful Letter of Intent INTC-I-088 “$\\beta$-NMR as a novel technique for biological applications”. Initially a series of experiments will be conducted aiming to characterize the coordination chemistry of Mg$^{2+}$ in ionic liquids (ILs), demonstrating that it is possible within the lifetime of the radioisotope to achieve binding of Mg$^{2+}$ to a molecule dissolved in the IL. ILs are chosen as they display a very low vapor pressure, and are thus straightforwardly compatible with t...

Medical biochemistry: Is it time to change the teaching style?

Science.gov (United States)

Palocaren, Jeeji; Pillai, Lekha S; Celine, T M

2016-01-01

The Medical Council of India (MCI) recommendations on medical education suggest a shift from didactic lectures to more interactive lectures. This study assessed the effectiveness of different pedagogical methods in biochemistry and the perceptions of students and teachers about the shift from didactic to interactive lectures. An interventional crossover study was done with the topic divided into three biochemical modules and one clinical module. The students were divided into two batches, one of which was given didactic and the other, interactive lectures. They were assessed immediately after the lecture and four months later. Anonymous feedback was obtained to gauge the students' perceptions regarding the mode of teaching. The teachers' feedback on the use of both pedagogical styles was also obtained. There was no significant difference between the performance of the two groups in either examination in three of the modules. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups' performance in the module that had clinical applications, with students from the interactive lecture group performing better. All students preferred interactive classes, irrespective of the topic taught. The teachers indicated that, although at the outset the interactive lectures were difficult to manage, both in terms of content and time, these drawbacks could be overcome with time and practice. Interactive lectures are an effective teaching method in biochemistry, especially in topics involving clinical application.

Increasing First-Semester Student Engagement: A Residential Community Retention Study

Science.gov (United States)

Briggs, Ronald

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to increase first year residential student engagement and participation in residence hall programs during the 2011 fall semester at the Downtown Phoenix Campus of Arizona State University. Six upperclassmen (Taylor Place Leaders) residing in a residence hall (Taylor Place) were matched by academic major with 17 first…

Series expansion of two-dimensional fields produced by iron-core magnets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satoh, Kotaro.

1997-02-01

This paper discusses the validity of a series expansion of two-dimensional magnetic fields with harmonic functions, and suggests that the series may not converge outside of the pole gap. It also points out that this difficulty may appear due to a slow convergence of the series near to the pole edge, even within the convergent area. (author)

Foundational Concepts and Underlying Theories for Majors in "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology"

Science.gov (United States)

Tansey, John T.; Baird, Teaster, Jr.; Cox, Michael M.; Fox, Kristin M.; Knight, Jennifer; Sears, Duane; Bell, Ellis

2013-01-01

Over the past two years, through an NSF RCN UBE grant, the ASBMB has held regional workshops for faculty members and science educators from around the country that focused on identifying: 1) core principles of biochemistry and molecular biology, 2) essential concepts and underlying theories from physics, chemistry, and mathematics, and 3)…

Identifying Opportunities for Vertical Integration of Biochemistry and Clinical Medicine.

Science.gov (United States)

Wendelberger, Karen J.; Burke, Rebecca; Haas, Arthur L.; Harenwattananon, Marisa; Simpson, Deborah

1998-01-01

Objectives: Retention of basic science knowledge, as judged by National Board of Medical Examiners' (NBME) data, suffers due to lack of apparent relevance and isolation of instruction from clinical application, especially in biochemistry. However, the literature reveals no systematic process for identifying key biochemical concepts and associated clinical conditions. This study systematically identified difficult biochemical concepts and their common clinical conditions as a critical step towards enhancing relevance and retention of biochemistry.Methods: A multi-step/ multiple stakeholder process was used to: (1) identify important biochemistry concepts; (2) determine students' perceptions of concept difficulty; (3) assess biochemistry faculty, student, and clinical teaching scholars' perceived relevance of identified concepts; and (4) identify associated common clinical conditions for relevant and difficult concepts. Surveys and a modified Delphi process were used to gather data, subsequently analyzed using SPSS for Windows.Results: Sixteen key biochemical concepts were identified. Second year medical students rated 14/16 concepts as extremely difficult while fourth year students rated nine concepts as moderately to extremely difficult. On average, each teaching scholar generated common clinical conditions for 6.2 of the 16 concepts, yielding a set of seven critical concepts and associated clinical conditions.Conclusions: Key stakeholders in the instructional process struggle to identify biochemistry concepts that are critical, difficult to learn and associated with common clinical conditions. However, through a systematic process beginning with identification of concepts and associated clinical conditions, relevance of basic science instruction can be enhanced.

Communication skills program in the first semester: An experience report

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rafaela Liberali

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Since 2001, Brazilian Guidelines for undergraduate medical education highlighted the need to include communication skills (CS in the curriculum. At the Federal University of Santa Catarina (South Brazil, CS were taught in the third year in theoretical classes as an overview of physician-patient relationships, and in a nonsystematic way in practical classes. In 2013, theory and practice were aligned, mediated by reflection, by adding three classes: CS overview; responding to strong emotions; and giving bad news. Two Portuguese translation of modules from DocCom, a web-based audiovisual learning resource on CS in Healthcare (AACH, DUCOM, 2005- 2015, were used. In 2015, we started to teach CS to the 53 students registered in the first semester of our medical course. We report on the program in the first semester of the course and students’ perceptions of it. The CS program consisted of seven 1.5-hr face-to-face sessions with all students, co-taught by the authors, a PhD student and a medical school professor. The content included CS overview and importance in healthcare; relationship-centered care, building relationships and gathering information; students’ experiences in the medical course; and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI. To encourage continuous reflection and align theory with practice, before or after theoretical brief presentations, additional resources were used: exercises to raise awareness of verbal and nonverbal communication, drawings on medical students’ life experiences, reflections about the poem “After a While” by Veronica Shoffstall and after listening to Bach’s Brandenburg concerto #1; DocCom modules #6 “Build a relationship” and #8 “Gather information” (viewed online to prepare for class followed by face-toface small group discussions (6-7 students in each about CS learned and theirs practice in role-play; peers’ and patients’ interviews; students’ MBTI identification (at distance and group dynamics

INTERACTIVE SEMINARS IN BIOCHEMISTRY DISCIPLINE FOR UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE IN BIOMEDICINE: BENEFITS AND PROBLEMS OF CARBOHYDRATES ASSOCIATED WITH MODERN LIFE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. G.G. Pessoa et al

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The present project is part of the course in biochemistry for biomedical undergraduate students of the Federal University of Pernambuco - UFPE, which comprises theoretical and practical classes and interactive seminars prepared by students on studied topics to supplement learning. The aim of this research was to encourage students to innovate their search for knowledge, presenting an interactive strategy to demonstrate the importance of carbohydrates, as well as other energy fuels, for undergraduates students attending classes of biochemistry at the first semester at the university, in order to clarify the importance of maintaining a healthy way of life. The methodology used was a field research, documented in videos in which the opinions of a few people were registered in different places, such as in a fast-food restaurant, on the importance of carbohydrates. Records acquired were associated with a slide presentation on the subject, based on scientific books and articles, which were presented to the students of the discipline. It was also developed a dynamic to illustrate the consumption of carbohydrates in daily life and in different situations. After the project exhibition, a review of the research was conducted to the audience to express innovations or additions to their pre-existing concepts, on consumption of carbohydrates. The results of our work were very promising and the main goal of the project was achieved, since 88.2% of the respondents said there was an improvement in their knowledge, both theoretical and practical, on the subject, while only 11.8% reported no improvement at all. In conclusion, there was a greater involvement of students during the presentation of the subject and a higher participation during the group dynamic on the consumption of carbohydrates.

Biochemistry Students' Ideas about How an Enzyme Interacts with a Substrate

Science.gov (United States)

Linenberger, Kimberly J.; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2015-01-01

Enzyme-substrate interactions are a fundamental concept of biochemistry that is built upon throughout multiple biochemistry courses. Central to understanding enzyme-substrate interactions is specific knowledge of exactly how an enzyme and substrate interact. Within this narrower topic, students must understand the various binding sites on an…

Semester-Long Inquiry-Based Molecular Biology Laboratory: Transcriptional Regulation in Yeast

Science.gov (United States)

Oelkers, Peter M.

2017-01-01

A single semester molecular biology laboratory has been developed in which students design and execute a project examining transcriptional regulation in "Saccharomyces cerevisiae." Three weeks of planning are allocated to developing a hypothesis through literature searches and use of bioinformatics. Common experimental plans address a…

THE USE OF MULTIPLE TOOLS FOR TEACHING MEDICAL BIOCHEMISTRY

OpenAIRE

Sé, A.B.; Oxyradical Research Group, CEL, UnB; FM-UnB, Brasília, Brazil.; Passos, R.M.; Oxyradical Research Group, CEL, UnB; 2FM-UnB, Brasília, Brazil.; Rochadel, A.D; FM-UnB, Brasília, Brazil; Ono, A.H.; FM-UnB, Brasília, Brazil; Hermes-Lima, M.; Oxyradical Research Group, CEL, UnB

2007-01-01

The pros and cons of Problem Based Learning (PBL) have been extensivelydiscussed in the literature. We describe PBL-like strategies used at UnB (some ofthem since 1999) that may be useful elsewhere to improve undergraduatebiochemistry teaching with clinical applications. The main activities are: (i) aseminar/poster system, (ii) a true-or-false applied biochemistry exam (prepared bypeer tutors), (iii) a 9-hour-exam on metabolism (based in actual papers), (iv) anAdvanced Biochemistry course (di...

Case Study of How Turkish University Students Improve Their Biochemistry Achievement

Science.gov (United States)

Sadi, Özlem

2013-01-01

Biochemistry courses have an important place as a common subject in faculties of medicine, food engineering, biology and chemistry. MSLQ, Metacognitive Awareness Inventory and Learning Approach Questionnaire were used. The study also involves repeated observations of the same instructor in a biochemistry class over eight weeks to describe…

There is No Overkill in Biochemistry

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Home; Journals; Resonance – Journal of Science Education; Volume 17; Issue 12. There is No Overkill in Biochemistry - Har Gobind Khorana, a Pioneer in Membrane Biology. Sadashiva Karnik Sriram Subramaniam. General Article Volume 17 Issue 12 December 2012 pp 1157-1164 ...

Introducing Statistical Research to Undergraduate Mathematical Statistics Students Using the Guitar Hero Video Game Series

Science.gov (United States)

Ramler, Ivan P.; Chapman, Jessica L.

2011-01-01

In this article we describe a semester-long project, based on the popular video game series Guitar Hero, designed to introduce upper-level undergraduate statistics students to statistical research. Some of the goals of this project are to help students develop statistical thinking that allows them to approach and answer open-ended research…

Lecture-free biochemistry: A Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Minderhout, Vicky; Loertscher, Jennifer

2007-05-01

Biochemistry courses at Seattle University have been taught exclusively using process oriented guided inquiry learning (POGIL) without any traditional lecture component since 1997. In these courses, students participate in a structured learning environment, which includes a preparatory assignment, an in-class activity, and a follow-up skill exercise. Instructor-designed learning activities provide the content of the course while the cooperative learning structure provides the content-free procedures that promote development of critical process skills needed for learning. This format enables students to initially explore a topic independently, work together in groups to construct and refine knowledge, and eventually develop deep understanding of the essential concepts. These stages of exploration and concept development form the foundation for application to high level biochemical problems. At the end of this course, most students report feeling confident in their knowledge of biochemistry and report substantial gains in independence, critical thinking, and respect for others. Copyright © 2007 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Use of Mushroom Tyrosinase to Introduce Michaelis-Menten Enzyme Kinetics to Biochemistry Students

Science.gov (United States)

Flurkey, William H.; Inlow, Jennifer K.

2017-01-01

An inexpensive enzyme kinetics laboratory exercise for undergraduate biochemistry students is described utilizing tyrosinase from white button mushrooms. The exercise can be completed in one or two three-hour lab sessions. The optimal amounts of enzyme, substrate (catechol), and inhibitor (kojic acid) are first determined, and then kinetic data is…

Learning styles and types of multiple intelligences in dental students in their first and tenth semester. Monterrey, Mexico, 2015.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Juan Solís-Soto

2016-04-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Nowadays the incorporation and validation of learning styles and multiple intelligences enable teachers to obtain positive results in academic performance. This new approach has allowed to appreciate personal differences in dental students and strengthen their underdeveloped aspects, improving teaching and learning skills. Objective: To compare learning styles and multiple intelligences in a sample of Mexican dental students in their first and tenth semester. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study using questionnaires on learning styles (Honey-Alonso and Gardner’s multiple intelligences was performed. The study was applied to 123 students in their first semester and 157 in their tenth semester at the School of Dentistry at Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, evaluating differences between age and sex. Results: Logical-Mathematical intelligence (p=0.044 and Kinesthetic-Corporal intelligence (p=0.042 showed significant differences between students of both semesters, with intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligences being more prevalent. Within learning styles, the prevalent were Reflexive and Theoretical, showing a significant difference between semesters (p=0.005. Conclusion: The most prevalent learning styles in both groups were Reflexive and Theoretical, with no difference between both sexes. The most prevalent types of multiple intelligences in both sexes and groups were interpersonal and intrapersonal.

Lignin biochemistry and soil N determine crop residue decomposition and soil priming

Science.gov (United States)

Cropping history can affect soil properties, including available N, but little is known about the interactive effects of residue biochemistry, temperature and cropping history on residue decomposition. A laboratory incubation examined the role of residue biochemistry and temperature on the decomposi...

Changes in chemistry and biochemistry education: creative responses to medical college admissions test revisions in the age of the genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Brenner, Charles

2013-01-01

Approximately two million students matriculate into American colleges and universities per year. Almost 20% of these students begin taking a series of courses specified by advisers of health preprofessionals. The single most important influence on health profession advisers and on course selection for this huge population of learners is the Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT), which was last revised in 1991, 10 years before publication of the first draft human genome sequence. In preparation for the 2015 MCAT, there is a broad discussion among stakeholders of how best to revise undergraduate and medical education in the molecular sciences to prepare researchers and doctors to acquire, analyze and use individual genomic and metabolomic data in the coming decades. Getting these changes right is among the most important educational problems of our era. Copyright © 2012 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Biochemistry students' ideas about how an enzyme interacts with a substrate.

Science.gov (United States)

Linenberger, Kimberly J; Bretz, Stacey Lowery

2015-01-01

Enzyme-substrate interactions are a fundamental concept of biochemistry that is built upon throughout multiple biochemistry courses. Central to understanding enzyme-substrate interactions is specific knowledge of exactly how an enzyme and substrate interact. Within this narrower topic, students must understand the various binding sites on an enzyme and be able to reason from simplistic lock and key or induced fit models to the more complex energetics model of transition state theory. Learning to understand these many facets of enzyme-substrate interactions and reasoning from multiple models present challenges where students incorrectly make connections between concepts or make no connection at all. This study investigated biochemistry students' understanding of enzyme-substrate interactions through the use of clinical interviews and a national administration (N = 707) of the Enzyme-Substrate Interactions Concept Inventory. Findings include misconceptions regarding the nature of enzyme-substrate interactions, naïve ideas about the active site, a lack of energetically driven interactions, and an incomplete understanding of the specificity pocket. © 2015 by the International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Implementation of a Collaborative Series of Classroom-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Spanning Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, and Neurobiology.

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalski, Jennifer R; Hoops, Geoffrey C; Johnson, R Jeremy

2016-01-01

Classroom undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide students access to the measurable benefits of undergraduate research experiences (UREs). Herein, we describe the implementation and assessment of a novel model for cohesive CUREs focused on central research themes involving faculty research collaboration across departments. Specifically, we implemented three collaborative CUREs spanning chemical biology, biochemistry, and neurobiology that incorporated faculty members' research interests and revolved around the central theme of visualizing biological processes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme activity and neural signaling using fluorescent molecules. Each CURE laboratory involved multiple experimental phases and culminated in novel, open-ended, and reiterative student-driven research projects. Course assessments showed CURE participation increased students' experimental design skills, attitudes and confidence about research, perceived understanding of the scientific process, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. More than 75% of CURE students also engaged in independent scientific research projects, and faculty CURE contributors saw substantial increases in research productivity, including increased undergraduate student involvement and academic outputs. Our collaborative CUREs demonstrate the advantages of multicourse CUREs for achieving increased faculty research productivity and traditional CURE-associated student learning and attitude gains. Our collaborative CURE design represents a novel CURE model for ongoing laboratory reform that benefits both faculty and students. © 2016 J. R. Kowalski et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

The Oxygen Dissociation Curve of Hemoglobin: Bridging the Gap between Biochemistry and Physiology

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez-Cambronero, Julian

2001-06-01

Cooperativity is a very difficult concept for biochemistry students in the health sciences. An analogy between breaking salt bonds and tearing apart a block of four stamps has been proposed for hemoglobin (Hb). However, since tearing is equated to binding of molecules, two intrinsically contradictory terms, students still have difficulty. I apply the pictorial analogy to the releasing of oxygen instead of the binding, thus bridging biochemistry (cooperativity) with physiology (oxygen dissociation). I embark on an imaginary journey from the lungs (saturation at 100 mmHg) to the oxygen-starved tissues. The stamps represent fully loaded Hb. By making two cuts the first "oxygen" is released. For the second, only one cut is needed. With one final cut, the last two stamps are separated. This means that less energy is needed to unload oxygen: just small drops in partial pressure do the trick in the right place (tissues) but not in the wrong one (lungs). In doing this, I use the three main models of learning: association, discovery and mentoring. Additionally, by guiding students to discover the truth by themselves, I can use hemoglobin as a wonderful excuse to apply the "Socratic method" in the classroom.

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Research Report 1996-1997

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

Scientific interests of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences have evolved from classical biochemistry, biophysics and physiological chemistry to up-to-date molecular biology. Research interests are focussed on replication, mutagenesis and repair of DNA; regulation of gene expression at various levels; biosynthesis and post-translational modifications of proteins; gene sequencing and functional analysis of open reading frames; structure, function and regulation of enzymes; conformation of proteins and peptides; modelling of structures and prediction of functions of proteins; mechanisms of electron transfer in polypeptides

Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics. Research Report 1996-1997

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-07-01

Scientific interests of the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics of the Polish Academy of Sciences have evolved from classical biochemistry, biophysics and physiological chemistry to up-to-date molecular biology. Research interests are focussed on replication, mutagenesis and repair of DNA; regulation of gene expression at various levels; biosynthesis and post-translational modifications of proteins; gene sequencing and functional analysis of open reading frames; structure, function and regulation of enzymes; conformation of proteins and peptides; modelling of structures and prediction of functions of proteins; mechanisms of electron transfer in polypeptides.

Impact of e-resources on learning in biochemistry: first-year medical students' perceptions.

Science.gov (United States)

Varghese, Joe; Faith, Minnie; Jacob, Molly

2012-05-16

E-learning resources (e-resources) have been widely used to facilitate self-directed learning among medical students. The Department of Biochemistry at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, India, has made available e-resources to first-year medical students to supplement conventional lecture-based teaching in the subject. This study was designed to assess students' perceptions of the impact of these e-resources on various aspects of their learning in biochemistry. Sixty first-year medical students were the subjects of this study. At the end of the one-year course in biochemistry, the students were administered a questionnaire that asked them to assess the impact of the e-resources on various aspects of their learning in biochemistry. Ninety-eight percent of students had used the e-resources provided to varying extents. Most of them found the e-resources provided useful and of a high quality. The majority of them used these resources to prepare for periodic formative and final summative assessments in the course. The use of these resources increased steadily as the academic year progressed. Students said that the extent to which they understood the subject (83%) and their ability to answer questions in assessments (86%) had improved as a result of using these resources. They also said that they found biochemistry interesting (73%) and felt motivated to study the subject (59%). We found that first-year medical students extensively used the e-resources in biochemistry that were provided. They perceived that these resources had made a positive impact on various aspects of their learning in biochemistry. We conclude that e-resources are a useful supplement to conventional lecture-based teaching in the medical curriculum.

Known structure, unknown function: An inquiry?based undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course

OpenAIRE

Gray, Cynthia; Price, Carol W.; Lee, Christopher T.; Dewald, Alison H.; Cline, Matthew A.; McAnany, Charles E.; Columbus, Linda; Mura, Cameron

2015-01-01

Abstract Undergraduate biochemistry laboratory courses often do not provide students with an authentic research experience, particularly when the express purpose of the laboratory is purely instructional. However, an instructional laboratory course that is inquiry? and research?based could simultaneously impart scientific knowledge and foster a student's research expertise and confidence. We have developed a year?long undergraduate biochemistry laboratory curriculum wherein students determine...

Third Semester and Master’s Thesis Ideas 2017

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The following pages contain a list of project ideas proposed by the scientific staff at the Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, and a number of companies. The project ideas in this catalogue may form the basis for long and short master projects as well as regular 3rd semester...... as supervisors. Questions regarding details about each proposed project should be directed at the contact persons. The contact details can be found via a person search on the university home page. Furthermore, other ideas for projects may be discussed with a potential supervisor. In this aspect the proposals...

Identification of Threshold Concepts for Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Loertscher, Jennifer; Green, David; Lewis, Jennifer E.; Lin, Sara; Minderhout, Vicky

2014-01-01

Threshold concepts (TCs) are concepts that, when mastered, represent a transformed understanding of a discipline without which the learner cannot progress. We have undertaken a process involving more than 75 faculty members and 50 undergraduate students to identify a working list of TCs for biochemistry. The process of identifying TCs for…

Combining Content and Elements of Communication into an Upper-Level Biochemistry Course

Science.gov (United States)

Whittington, Carli P.; Pellock, Samuel J.; Cunningham, Rebecca L.; Cox, James R.

2014-01-01

This report describes how a science communication module was incorporated into an advanced biochemistry course. Elements of communication were taught synergistically with biochemistry content in this course in an effort to expose students to a variety of effective oral communication strategies. Students were trained to use these established…

A course director's perspectives on problem-based learning curricula in biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Smith, Harold C

2002-12-01

Knowledge of the applications of biochemistry, molecular biology, and genetics in the practice of medicine has been and continues to be a vital part of medical students' and continuing education. The technical background and the rapid expansion of information and new applications have made it an arduous task to learn and teach this material within the already crowded medical school curriculum. Problem-based learning (PBL) formats are rapidly being adopted at all levels of education as not only a major paradigm shift in education but also a solution for the instruction of biochemistry in medical school. Designing an effective biochemistry curriculum with PBL-based or lecture-based formats requires an appreciation for their strengths and weakness. The author's experiences in the Double Helix Curriculum at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry (which employs PBL cases and complementing lectures) has shown that students are excited about learning in the PBL environment and explore in depth ways of integrating biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, and molecular biology into the practice of medicine. At the same time, complementary lectures greatly enhance uniformity in the quality and, importantly, the accuracy of the students' learning.

Impact of e-resources on learning in biochemistry: first-year medical students’ perceptions

Science.gov (United States)

2012-01-01

Background E-learning resources (e-resources) have been widely used to facilitate self-directed learning among medical students. The Department of Biochemistry at Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, India, has made available e-resources to first-year medical students to supplement conventional lecture-based teaching in the subject. This study was designed to assess students’ perceptions of the impact of these e-resources on various aspects of their learning in biochemistry. Methods Sixty first-year medical students were the subjects of this study. At the end of the one-year course in biochemistry, the students were administered a questionnaire that asked them to assess the impact of the e-resources on various aspects of their learning in biochemistry. Results Ninety-eight percent of students had used the e-resources provided to varying extents. Most of them found the e-resources provided useful and of a high quality. The majority of them used these resources to prepare for periodic formative and final summative assessments in the course. The use of these resources increased steadily as the academic year progressed. Students said that the extent to which they understood the subject (83%) and their ability to answer questions in assessments (86%) had improved as a result of using these resources. They also said that they found biochemistry interesting (73%) and felt motivated to study the subject (59%). Conclusions We found that first-year medical students extensively used the e-resources in biochemistry that were provided. They perceived that these resources had made a positive impact on various aspects of their learning in biochemistry. We conclude that e-resources are a useful supplement to conventional lecture-based teaching in the medical curriculum. PMID:22510159

Modern trends in biochemistry and biotechnology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

On the conference 'Modern trends in biochemistry and biotechnology' several lectures concerned influence of ionizing radiation on the animal cells. Changes in the cell division caused by radiation induced DNA damage were discussed. Application of single cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) in assessment of DNA damages was the subject of dedicated session

Haematology and Plasma Biochemistry of Wild Black Flying-Foxes, (Pteropus alecto in Queensland, Australia.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lee McMichael

Full Text Available This paper establishes reference ranges for hematologic and plasma biochemistry values in wild Black flying-foxes (Pteropus alecto captured in South East Queensland, Australia. Values were found to be consistent with those of other Pteropus species. Four hundred and forty-seven animals were sampled over 12 months and significant differences were found between age, sex, reproductive and body condition cohorts in the sample population. Mean values for each cohort fell within the determined normal adult reference range, with the exception of elevated levels of alkaline phosphatase in juvenile animals. Hematologic and biochemistry parameters of injured animals showed little or no deviation from the normal reference values for minor injuries, while two animals with more severe injury or abscessation showed leucocytosis, anaemia, thrombocytosis, hyperglobulinemia and hypoalbuminemia.

Solutions of diffusion equations in two-dimensional cylindrical geometry by series expansions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ohtani, Nobuo

1976-01-01

A solution of the multi-group multi-regional diffusion equation in two-dimensional cylindrical (rho-z) geometry is obtained in the form of a regionwise double series composed of Bessel and trigonometrical functions. The diffusion equation is multiplied by weighting functions, which satisfy the homogeneous part of the diffusion equation, and the products are integrated over the region for obtaining the equations to determine the fluxes and their normal derivatives at the region boundaries. Multiplying the diffusion equation by each function of the set used for the flux expansion, then integrating the products, the coefficients of the double series of the flux inside each region are calculated using the boundary values obtained above. Since the convergence of the series thus obtained is slow especially near the region boundaries, a method for improving the convergence has been developed. The double series of the flux is separated into two parts. The normal derivative at the region boundary of the first part is zero, and that of the second part takes the value which is obtained in the first stage of this method. The second part is replaced by a continuous function, and the flux is represented by the sum of the continuous function and the double series. A sample critical problem of a two-group two-region system is numerically studied. The results show that the present method yields very accurately the flux integrals in each region with only a small number of expansion terms. (auth.)

Forecasting long memory series subject to structural change: A two-stage approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Papailias, Fotis; Dias, Gustavo Fruet

2015-01-01

A two-stage forecasting approach for long memory time series is introduced. In the first step, we estimate the fractional exponent and, by applying the fractional differencing operator, obtain the underlying weakly dependent series. In the second step, we produce multi-step-ahead forecasts...... for the weakly dependent series and obtain their long memory counterparts by applying the fractional cumulation operator. The methodology applies to both stationary and nonstationary cases. Simulations and an application to seven time series provide evidence that the new methodology is more robust to structural...

Improving Student Understanding of Lipids Concepts in a Biochemistry Course Using Test-Enhanced Learning

Science.gov (United States)

Horn, Savannah; Hernick, Marcy

2015-01-01

Test-enhanced learning has successfully been used as a means to enhance learning and promote knowledge retention in students. We have examined whether this approach could be used in a biochemistry course to enhance student learning about lipids-related concepts. Students were provided access to two optional learning modules with questions related…

Biochemistry and radiopharmacy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendoza de G, M.

1989-01-01

The article reviews the historical development of the nuclear medicine in Colombia and the primordial role of the IAN in this field. The main objective of the Biochemistry and Radiopharmacy Area is go to give technical support for the application of the nuclear energy in the human and veterinary medicine. The department has laboratories for the production of radiopharmaceuticals to be labelled with Tc-99m and quality control of the same human and veterinary RIA. Each one of the laboratories develops its work in three different areas: research and development, production, training and teaching. An actualization of the programs, results and publications are analyzed in this review also. Some of these programs have the support of the IAEA

The biochemistry of hematopoietic stem cell development.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaimakis, P; Crisan, M; Dzierzak, E

2013-02-01

The cornerstone of the adult hematopoietic system and clinical treatments for blood-related disease is the cohort of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) that is harbored in the adult bone marrow microenvironment. Interestingly, this cohort of HSCs is generated only during a short window of developmental time. In mammalian embryos, hematopoietic progenitor and HSC generation occurs within several extra- and intraembryonic microenvironments, most notably from 'hemogenic' endothelial cells lining the major vasculature. HSCs are made through a remarkable transdifferentiation of endothelial cells to a hematopoietic fate that is long-lived and self-renewable. Recent studies are beginning to provide an understanding of the biochemical signaling pathways and transcription factors/complexes that promote their generation. The focus of this review is on the biochemistry behind the generation of these potent long-lived self-renewing stem cells of the blood system. Both the intrinsic (master transcription factors) and extrinsic regulators (morphogens and growth factors) that affect the generation, maintenance and expansion of HSCs in the embryo will be discussed. The generation of HSCs is a stepwise process involving many developmental signaling pathways, morphogens and cytokines. Pivotal hematopoietic transcription factors are required for their generation. Interestingly, whereas these factors are necessary for HSC generation, their expression in adult bone marrow HSCs is oftentimes not required. Thus, the biochemistry and molecular regulation of HSC development in the embryo are overlapping, but differ significantly from the regulation of HSCs in the adult. HSC numbers for clinical use are limiting, and despite much research into the molecular basis of HSC regulation in the adult bone marrow, no panel of growth factors, interleukins and/or morphogens has been found to sufficiently increase the number of these important stem cells. An understanding of the biochemistry of HSC

Combining content and elements of communication into an upper-level biochemistry course.

Science.gov (United States)

Whittington, Carli P; Pellock, Samuel J; Cunningham, Rebecca L; Cox, James R

2014-01-01

This report describes how a science communication module was incorporated into an advanced biochemistry course. Elements of communication were taught synergistically with biochemistry content in this course in an effort to expose students to a variety of effective oral communication strategies. Students were trained to use these established techniques and incorporated them into various presentations throughout the course. Three students describe their use of specific resources and how the skills learned relate to their future career. The importance and relevance of science communication are receiving unprecedented national attention. The academic scientific community must respond by incorporating more communication-centered instruction and opportunities in the classroom and laboratory. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Teaching biochemistry to medical students in Singapore--from organic chemistry to problem-based learning.

Science.gov (United States)

Khoo, H E

2005-07-01

The medical faculty in the National University of Singapore started in 1905 but the Chair in Biochemistry was only established in 1927. For many years the biochemistry course consisted of the teaching of the organic chemistry of substances of physiological importance, nutrition, metabolism and hormones. In 1961, clinical biochemistry was introduced and in the 1980s, genetics and molecular biology were included. By then, most of the organic chemistry content had been removed as greater emphasis was placed on clinical correlation. Laboratory classes consisted of mock glucose tolerance tests and the measurement of various enzymes. By the 1990s, students were no longer interested in such practical classes, so a bold decision was made around 1995 to remove laboratory classes from the curriculum. Unfortunately, this meant that the medical students who might have been interested in laboratory work could no longer do such work. However, the new curriculum in 1999 gave the department an opportunity to offer a laboratory course as an elective for interested students. This new curriculum adopted an integrated approach with Genetics being taught as part of Paediatrics, and a new module (Structural and Cell Biology) comprising aspects of cell biology and biochemistry was introduced. This module is currently taught by staff from Anatomy, Physiology and Biochemistry. Some biochemistry content is now incorporated into the clinical problem scenarios of problem-based learning such as jaundice, diabetes mellitus, anorexia nervosa, etc. So the evolution of teaching biochemistry to medical students in Singapore has paralleled worldwide trends and moved from the didactic teaching of organic chemistry of biomolecules to problem-based learning using clinical cases.

Biochemistry: from supermarket to laboratory

OpenAIRE

F. R. Freitas-Rego; M. G. Pereira; S. O. Loureiro; M. T. de Santana; R.G. Garrido; F. de S.R.G Garrido

2007-01-01

After new campi as Instituto Multidisciplinar em Saúde (IMS/UFBA) startedworking, it was necessary to develop practical classes using domestic reagents atBiochemistry to Pharmacy (IMS078). Firstly, students visited a supermarket to readnutritional information at label and select possible products to be used in class. Moreover,chemical processes and fermentation were discussed as different foods and drinks wereanalysed. Some food were token to laboratories so that biomole cules qualitative ana...

Reference intervals for selected serum biochemistry analytes in cheetahs Acinonyx jubatus.

Science.gov (United States)

Hudson-Lamb, Gavin C; Schoeman, Johan P; Hooijberg, Emma H; Heinrich, Sonja K; Tordiffe, Adrian S W

2016-02-26

Published haematologic and serum biochemistry reference intervals are very scarce for captive cheetahs and even more for free-ranging cheetahs. The current study was performed to establish reference intervals for selected serum biochemistry analytes in cheetahs. Baseline serum biochemistry analytes were analysed from 66 healthy Namibian cheetahs. Samples were collected from 30 captive cheetahs at the AfriCat Foundation and 36 free-ranging cheetahs from central Namibia. The effects of captivity-status, age, sex and haemolysis score on the tested serum analytes were investigated. The biochemistry analytes that were measured were sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, urea and creatinine. The 90% confidence interval of the reference limits was obtained using the non-parametric bootstrap method. Reference intervals were preferentially determined by the non-parametric method and were as follows: sodium (128 mmol/L - 166 mmol/L), potassium (3.9 mmol/L - 5.2 mmol/L), magnesium (0.8 mmol/L - 1.2 mmol/L), chloride (97 mmol/L - 130 mmol/L), urea (8.2 mmol/L - 25.1 mmol/L) and creatinine (88 µmol/L - 288 µmol/L). Reference intervals from the current study were compared with International Species Information System values for cheetahs and found to be narrower. Moreover, age, sex and haemolysis score had no significant effect on the serum analytes in this study. Separate reference intervals for captive and free-ranging cheetahs were also determined. Captive cheetahs had higher urea values, most likely due to dietary factors. This study is the first to establish reference intervals for serum biochemistry analytes in cheetahs according to international guidelines. These results can be used for future health and disease assessments in both captive and free-ranging cheetahs.

Developments during the first semester 2001; Les developpements au premier semestre 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

This document gives a panorama of the nuclear energy situation at the end of the first 2001 semester. The energy policy concerning the nuclear industry development, is discussed for many countries: USA, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, China, India, Korea, Taiwan, Africa and south America, Russia and east Europe. (A.L.B.)

The Use and Evaluation of Scaffolding, Student Centered-Learning, Behaviorism, and Constructivism to Teach Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and IR Spectroscopy in a Two-Semester Organic Chemistry Course

Science.gov (United States)

Livengood, Kimberly; Lewallen, Denver W.; Leatherman, Jennifer; Maxwell, Janet L.

2012-01-01

Since 2002, infrared spectroscopy (IR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry have been introduced at the beginning of the first-semester organic chemistry lab course at this university. Starting in 2008, each individual student was given 20 unique homework problems that consisted of multiple-choice [superscript 1]H NMR and IR problems…

Comparisons between two wavelet functions in extracting coherent structures from solar wind time series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bolzani, M.J.A.; Guarnieri, F.L.; Vieira, Paulo Cesar

2009-01-01

Nowadays, wavelet analysis of turbulent flows have become increasingly popular. However, the study of geometric characteristics from wavelet functions is still poorly explored. In this work we compare the performance of two wavelet functions in extracting the coherent structures from solar wind velocity time series. The data series are from years 1996 to 2002 (except 1998 and 1999). The wavelet algorithm decomposes the annual time-series in two components: the coherent part and non-coherent one, using the daubechies-4 and haar wavelet function. The threshold assumed is based on a percentage of maximum variance found in each dyadic scale. After the extracting procedure, we applied the power spectral density on the original time series and coherent time series to obtain spectral indices. The results from spectral indices show higher values for the coherent part obtained by daubechies-4 than those obtained by the haar wavelet function. Using the kurtosis statistical parameter, on coherent and non-coherent time series, it was possible to conjecture that the differences found between two wavelet functions may be associated with their geometric forms. (author)

A Kinetic Experiment for the Biochemistry Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Palmer, Richard E.

1986-01-01

Discusses the use of specific reactions of metabolic pathways to make measurements in the laboratory. Describes an adaptation of an experiment used in undergraduate biochemistry laboratories involving the induction of an enzyme in E. coli, as well as its partial purification and characterization. (TW)

Markov transition probability-based network from time series for characterizing experimental two-phase flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gao Zhong-Ke; Hu Li-Dan; Jin Ning-De

2013-01-01

We generate a directed weighted complex network by a method based on Markov transition probability to represent an experimental two-phase flow. We first systematically carry out gas—liquid two-phase flow experiments for measuring the time series of flow signals. Then we construct directed weighted complex networks from various time series in terms of a network generation method based on Markov transition probability. We find that the generated network inherits the main features of the time series in the network structure. In particular, the networks from time series with different dynamics exhibit distinct topological properties. Finally, we construct two-phase flow directed weighted networks from experimental signals and associate the dynamic behavior of gas-liquid two-phase flow with the topological statistics of the generated networks. The results suggest that the topological statistics of two-phase flow networks allow quantitative characterization of the dynamic flow behavior in the transitions among different gas—liquid flow patterns. (general)

Reactivity II: A Second Foundation-Level Course in Integrated Organic, Inorganic, and Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Schaller, Chris P.; Graham, Kate J.; McIntee, Edward J.; Jones, T. Nicholas; Johnson, Brian J.

2016-01-01

A foundation-level course is described that integrates material related to reactivity in organic, inorganic, and biochemistry. Designed for second-year students, the course serves majors in chemistry, biochemistry, and biology, as well as prehealth-professions students. Building on an earlier course that developed concepts of nucleophiles and…

Haematology, serum biochemistry and growth performance of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

High performing does have the tendency of producing healthy kids with reasonable weight at birth compared to least performing does. A study was conducted to investigate the haematology, serum biochemistry and growth performance of grazing pregnant Kalahari Red does fed concentrate diets at three protein levels.

Thiol biochemistry of prokaryotes

Science.gov (United States)

Fahey, Robert C.

1986-01-01

The present studies have shown that GSH metabolism arose in the purple bacteria and cyanobacteria where it functions to protect against oxygen toxicity. Evidence was obtained indicating that GSH metabolism was incorporated into eucaryotes via the endosymbiosis giving rise to mitochrondria and chloroplasts. Aerobic bacteria lacking GSH utilize other thiols for apparently similar functions, the thiol being coenzyme A in Gram positive bacteria and chi-glutamylcysteine in the halobacteria. The thiol biochemistry of prokaryotes is thus seen to be much more highly diversified than that of eucaryotes and much remains to be learned about this subject.

[Modeling and implementation method for the automatic biochemistry analyzer control system].

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Dong; Ge, Wan-cheng; Song, Chun-lin; Wang, Yun-guang

2009-03-01

In this paper the system structure The automatic biochemistry analyzer is a necessary instrument for clinical diagnostics. First of is analyzed. The system problems description and the fundamental principles for dispatch are brought forward. Then this text puts emphasis on the modeling for the automatic biochemistry analyzer control system. The objects model and the communications model are put forward. Finally, the implementation method is designed. It indicates that the system based on the model has good performance.

Socializing the European Semester? Economic governance and social policy coordination in Europe 2020

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Zeitlin, J.; Vanhercke, B.

2014-01-01

The European Semester of policy coordination, which is the core of EU’s new institutional architecture for economic and social governance, introduced since the beginning of the Euro crisis, has prompted questions about the nature and dynamics of the EU’s emerging socio-economic governance

Uncovering protein–protein interactions through a team-based undergraduate biochemistry course

Science.gov (United States)

Cookmeyer, David L.; Winesett, Emily S.; Kokona, Bashkim; Huff, Adam R.; Aliev, Sabina; Bloch, Noah B.; Bulos, Joshua A.; Evans, Irene L.; Fagre, Christian R.; Godbe, Kerilyn N.; Khromava, Maryna; Konstantinovsky, Daniel M.; Lafrance, Alexander E.; Lamacki, Alexandra J.; Parry, Robert C.; Quinn, Jeanne M.; Thurston, Alana M.; Tsai, Kathleen J. S.; Mollo, Aurelio; Cryle, Max J.; Fairman, Robert

2017-01-01

How can we provide fertile ground for students to simultaneously explore a breadth of foundational knowledge, develop cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills, gain resiliency, and learn to work as a member of a team? One way is to integrate original research in the context of an undergraduate biochemistry course. In this Community Page, we discuss the development and execution of an interdisciplinary and cross-departmental undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course. We present a template for how a similar course can be replicated at other institutions and provide pedagogical and research results from a sample module in which we challenged our students to study the binding interface between 2 important biosynthetic proteins. Finally, we address the community and invite others to join us in making a larger impact on undergraduate education and the field of biochemistry by coordinating efforts to integrate research and teaching across campuses. PMID:29091712

Uncovering protein-protein interactions through a team-based undergraduate biochemistry course.

Science.gov (United States)

Cookmeyer, David L; Winesett, Emily S; Kokona, Bashkim; Huff, Adam R; Aliev, Sabina; Bloch, Noah B; Bulos, Joshua A; Evans, Irene L; Fagre, Christian R; Godbe, Kerilyn N; Khromava, Maryna; Konstantinovsky, Daniel M; Lafrance, Alexander E; Lamacki, Alexandra J; Parry, Robert C; Quinn, Jeanne M; Thurston, Alana M; Tsai, Kathleen J S; Mollo, Aurelio; Cryle, Max J; Fairman, Robert; Charkoudian, Louise K

2017-11-01

How can we provide fertile ground for students to simultaneously explore a breadth of foundational knowledge, develop cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills, gain resiliency, and learn to work as a member of a team? One way is to integrate original research in the context of an undergraduate biochemistry course. In this Community Page, we discuss the development and execution of an interdisciplinary and cross-departmental undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course. We present a template for how a similar course can be replicated at other institutions and provide pedagogical and research results from a sample module in which we challenged our students to study the binding interface between 2 important biosynthetic proteins. Finally, we address the community and invite others to join us in making a larger impact on undergraduate education and the field of biochemistry by coordinating efforts to integrate research and teaching across campuses.

Uncovering protein-protein interactions through a team-based undergraduate biochemistry course.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David L Cookmeyer

2017-11-01

Full Text Available How can we provide fertile ground for students to simultaneously explore a breadth of foundational knowledge, develop cross-disciplinary problem-solving skills, gain resiliency, and learn to work as a member of a team? One way is to integrate original research in the context of an undergraduate biochemistry course. In this Community Page, we discuss the development and execution of an interdisciplinary and cross-departmental undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course. We present a template for how a similar course can be replicated at other institutions and provide pedagogical and research results from a sample module in which we challenged our students to study the binding interface between 2 important biosynthetic proteins. Finally, we address the community and invite others to join us in making a larger impact on undergraduate education and the field of biochemistry by coordinating efforts to integrate research and teaching across campuses.

Vertical Integration of Biochemistry and Clinical Medicine Using a Near-Peer Learning Model

Science.gov (United States)

Gallan, Alexander J.; Offner, Gwynneth D.; Symes, Karen

2016-01-01

Vertical integration has been extensively implemented across medical school curricula but has not been widely attempted in the field of biochemistry. We describe a novel curricular innovation in which a near-peer learning model was used to implement vertical integration in our medical school biochemistry course. Senior medical students developed…

Team-Based Learning Reduces Attrition in a First-Semester General Chemistry Course

Science.gov (United States)

Comeford, Lorrie

2016-01-01

Team-based learning (TBL) is an instructional method that has been shown to reduce attrition and increase student learning in a number of disciplines. TBL was implemented in a first-semester general chemistry course, and its effect on attrition was assessed. Attrition from sections before implementing TBL (fall 2008 to fall 2009) was compared with…

Reference intervals for selected serum biochemistry analytes in cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gavin C. Hudson-Lamb

2016-02-01

Full Text Available Published haematologic and serum biochemistry reference intervals are very scarce for captive cheetahs and even more for free-ranging cheetahs. The current study was performed to establish reference intervals for selected serum biochemistry analytes in cheetahs. Baseline serum biochemistry analytes were analysed from 66 healthy Namibian cheetahs. Samples were collected from 30 captive cheetahs at the AfriCat Foundation and 36 free-ranging cheetahs from central Namibia. The effects of captivity-status, age, sex and haemolysis score on the tested serum analytes were investigated. The biochemistry analytes that were measured were sodium, potassium, magnesium, chloride, urea and creatinine. The 90% confidence interval of the reference limits was obtained using the non-parametric bootstrap method. Reference intervals were preferentially determined by the non-parametric method and were as follows: sodium (128 mmol/L – 166 mmol/L, potassium (3.9 mmol/L – 5.2 mmol/L, magnesium (0.8 mmol/L – 1.2 mmol/L, chloride (97 mmol/L – 130 mmol/L, urea (8.2 mmol/L – 25.1 mmol/L and creatinine (88 µmol/L – 288 µmol/L. Reference intervals from the current study were compared with International Species Information System values for cheetahs and found to be narrower. Moreover, age, sex and haemolysis score had no significant effect on the serum analytes in this study. Separate reference intervals for captive and free-ranging cheetahs were also determined. Captive cheetahs had higher urea values, most likely due to dietary factors. This study is the first to establish reference intervals for serum biochemistry analytes in cheetahs according to international guidelines. These results can be used for future health and disease assessments in both captive and free-ranging cheetahs.

A biochemistry laboratory course designed to enhance students autonomy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Silva

2015-08-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Laboratory sessions are responsible for promoting instrumentation skills desirable in biochemistry and biochemistry related careers. They are traditionally based on experimental protocols that lead to the expected results, and students usually have not autonomy to plan and execute their experiments. GOALS: This work aimed to enhance a traditional biochemistry lab course, applying pre-lab quizzes on protein biochemistry and lab techniques in order to have students better prepared to plan, execute and interpret experiments. This approach also aims to bring the laboratory sessions into an inquiry-based environment capable to improve students’ independent capabilities in 2 autonomy domains: learning and communication. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Online quizzes are delivered one week before each laboratory session, containing questions regarding the experimental techniques and theoretical basis related to them. Laboratory activities are presented in an inquiry-based approach where the first class of each activity is dedicated to plan experiments in order to answer the research questions presented by instructors. Activities are also organized in order to enhance students’ autonomy. The first activity is the simplest and more instructor-controlled and the last one is the most complex and less driven, transferring gradually to students the responsibility for their decisions in laboratory, supporting students’ autonomy. RESULTS: Online quizzes allowed instructors to identify students’ difficulties and to timely intervene. Scientific reports presented by students at the end of each activity showed that they performed better on less driven activities in which autonomy support were more complex than in the instructor controlled activities. CONCLUSIONS: Scientific reports analysis reveals students capabilities related to different scopes of autonomy, such as: discuss different strategies; find multiple solutions to solve problems; make their

Blood biochemistry responses of chickens experimentally infected ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the blood biochemistry responses of cockerels experimentally infected with a velogenic Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strain, KUDU 113. One hundred Isa white cockerels were used for the study. The cockerels were obtained at day-old and randomly divided into groups A- vaccinated and infected, ...

The development and nature of problem-solving among first-semester calculus students

Science.gov (United States)

Dawkins, Paul Christian; Mendoza Epperson, James A.

2014-08-01

This study investigates interactions between calculus learning and problem-solving in the context of two first-semester undergraduate calculus courses in the USA. We assessed students' problem-solving abilities in a common US calculus course design that included traditional lecture and assessment with problem-solving-oriented labs. We investigate this blended instruction as a local representative of the US calculus reform movements that helped foster it. These reform movements tended to emphasize problem-solving as well as multiple mathematical registers and quantitative modelling. Our statistical analysis reveals the influence of the blended traditional/reform calculus instruction on students' ability to solve calculus-related, non-routine problems through repeated measures over the semester. The calculus instruction in this study significantly improved students' performance on non-routine problems, though performance improved more regarding strategies and accuracy than it did for drawing conclusions and providing justifications. We identified problem-solving behaviours that characterized top performance or attrition in the course. Top-performing students displayed greater algebraic proficiency, calculus skills, and more general heuristics than their peers, but overused algebraic techniques even when they proved cumbersome or inappropriate. Students who subsequently withdrew from calculus often lacked algebraic fluency and understanding of the graphical register. The majority of participants, when given a choice, relied upon less sophisticated trial-and-error approaches in the numerical register and rarely used the graphical register, contrary to the goals of US calculus reform. We provide explanations for these patterns in students' problem-solving performance in view of both their preparation for university calculus and the courses' assessment structure, which preferentially rewarded algebraic reasoning. While instruction improved students' problem

Biochemistry and biology: heart-to-heart to investigate cardiac progenitor cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Chimenti, Isotta; Forte, Elvira; Angelini, Francesco; Messina, Elisa; Giacomello, Alessandro

2013-02-01

Cardiac regenerative medicine is a rapidly evolving field, with promising future developments for effective personalized treatments. Several stem/progenitor cells are candidates for cardiac cell therapy, and emerging evidence suggests how multiple metabolic and biochemical pathways strictly regulate their fate and renewal. In this review, we will explore a selection of areas of common interest for biology and biochemistry concerning stem/progenitor cells, and in particular cardiac progenitor cells. Numerous regulatory mechanisms have been identified that link stem cell signaling and functions to the modulation of metabolic pathways, and vice versa. Pharmacological treatments and culture requirements may be exploited to modulate stem cell pluripotency and self-renewal, possibly boosting their regenerative potential for cell therapy. Mitochondria and their many related metabolites and messengers, such as oxygen, ROS, calcium and glucose, have a crucial role in regulating stem cell fate and the balance of their functions, together with many metabolic enzymes. Furthermore, protein biochemistry and proteomics can provide precious clues on the definition of different progenitor cell populations, their physiology and their autocrine/paracrine regulatory/signaling networks. Interdisciplinary approaches between biology and biochemistry can provide productive insights on stem/progenitor cells, allowing the development of novel strategies and protocols for effective cardiac cell therapy clinical translation. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Biochemistry of Stem Cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biochemistry Instructors' Views toward Developing and Assessing Visual Literacy in Their Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Linenberger, Kimberly J.; Holme, Thomas A.

2015-01-01

Biochemistry instructors are inundated with various representations from which to choose to depict biochemical phenomena. Because of the immense amount of visual know-how needed to be an expert biochemist in the 21st century, there have been calls for instructors to develop biochemistry students' visual literacy. However, visual literacy has…

Chemical Structure and Properties: A Modified Atoms-First, One-Semester Introductory Chemistry Course

Science.gov (United States)

Schaller, Chris P.; Graham, Kate J.; Johnson, Brian J.; Jakubowski, Henry V.; McKenna, Anna G.; McIntee, Edward J.; Jones, T. Nicholas; Fazal, M. A.; Peterson, Alicia A.

2015-01-01

A one-semester, introductory chemistry course is described that develops a primarily qualitative understanding of structure-property relationships. Starting from an atoms-first approach, the course examines the properties and three-dimensional structure of metallic and ionic solids before expanding into a thorough investigation of molecules. In…

The Impact of Structural Competence towards Speaking Competence of the Fourth Semester Students of English Department

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Muhammad Nafi Annury

2013-11-01

Full Text Available This paper tries to define any impact of structural competence towards speaking competence. In this research, the writer used descriptive co-relational method. It was used to describe whether there was an impact between two variables, i.e. structural competence (X as independent variable and speaking competence (Y as dependent variable. The subject of study was the fourth semester students of English department of Tarbiyah Faculty IAIN Walisongo Semarang. After the data had been analyzed, it was found that there was significant impact of structural competence especially in appropriateness. It helped students to arrange words into sentences that they utter.

Fourier series, Fourier transform and their applications to mathematical physics

CERN Document Server

Serov, Valery

2017-01-01

This text serves as an introduction to the modern theory of analysis and differential equations with applications in mathematical physics and engineering sciences.  Having outgrown from a series of half-semester courses given at University of Oulu, this book consists of four self-contained parts. The first part, Fourier Series and the Discrete Fourier Transform, is devoted to the classical one-dimensional trigonometric Fourier series with some applications to PDEs and signal processing.  The second part, Fourier Transform and Distributions, is concerned with distribution theory of L. Schwartz and its applications to the Schrödinger and magnetic Schrödinger operations.  The third part, Operator Theory and Integral Equations, is devoted mostly to the self-adjoint but unbounded operators in Hilbert spaces and their applications to integral equations in such spaces. The fourth and final part, Introduction to Partial Differential Equations, serves as an introduction to modern methods for classical theory o...

Relationship Between the Perception Curriculum Credit Semester System (Sks) with Academic Achievement Motivation in Students of Sman 78 Jakarta

OpenAIRE

Nurhidayah, Fajriati; Widodo, Prasetyo Budi; Desiningrum, Dinie Ratri

2012-01-01

School education has a major role in improving the quality of eduvation ,00aitems through the students academic achievement motivation. Students academic achievement motivation can be seen by the student perception of the curriculum semester credit system is applied in schools. This research was conducted to determine the relationship between perceptions of curriculum semester credit system with academic achievement motivation in students of SMAN 78 Jakarta. The population was 324 students w...

Impact of One-Semester Outdoor Education Programs on Adolescent Perceptions of Self-Authorship

Science.gov (United States)

McGowan, Amanda L.

2016-01-01

This study investigated one-semester outdoor education program impact on adolescents' perceived self-authorship--the ability to form our identity independently from the expectations of external individuals and the capacity to invent our beliefs, identity, and relationships (Baxter Magolda, 1998; Kegan, 1982)--as measured by the Self-Authorship…

The genome sequence of Barbarea vulgaris facilitates the study of ecological biochemistry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Byrne, Stephen L.; Erthmann, Pernille Østerbye; Agerbirk, Niels

2017-01-01

The genus Barbarea has emerged as a model for evolution and ecology of plant defense compounds, due to its unusual glucosinolate profile and production of saponins, unique to the Brassicaceae. One species, B. vulgaris, includes two ‘types’, G-type and P-type that differ in trichome density, and t...... deter larvae to the extent that they die. The B. vulgaris genome will promote the study of mechanisms in ecological biochemistry to benefit crop resistance breeding....

Blood Biochemistry and Plasma Corticosterone Concentration in Broiler Chickens Under Heat Stress

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Elvis Alexander Díaz López

2014-07-01

Full Text Available High ambient temperatures cause susceptibility to heat stress in broiler chickens, generating metabolic changes. This paper seeks to determine the changes in blood biochemistry and plasma corticosterone concentration, as well as in glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, sodium, chlorine, potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium in broiler chickens under chronic heat stress and at ambient temperature conditions at the Colombian Amazonian piedmont. 21-days-old male chickens of two lines were studied, distributed in an unrestricted random design, in a two-factor scheme, with four treatments. Five repetitions per treatment were performed, and 25 animals per experimental unit examined. Broilers were fed a basic diet of corn and soybean meal with 3,100 kcal ME and 19.5% protein until they reached 42 days of age. The line factor had no effect on the evaluated variables (p ≥ 0.05. However, there was statistically significant difference (p ≤ 0.05 in all variables when concentrations of metabolites in broilers under chronic heat stress were compared to those of chickens exposed to ambient temperatures at the Colombian Amazon piedmont. In conclusion, blood biochemistry suffered significant changes under both experimental temperatures, with more physiological detriment in broilers under chronic heat stress. Concentration of corticosterone became the most sensitive and consistent indicator of the physiological condition of chronic heat stress.

Computer Series, 98. Electronics for Scientists: A Computer-Intensive Approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheeline, Alexander; Mork, Brian J.

1988-01-01

Reports the design for a principles-before-details presentation of electronics for an instrumental analysis class. Uses computers for data collection and simulations. Requires one semester with two 2.5-hour periods and two lectures per week. Includes lab and lecture syllabi. (MVL)

USING THINK-PAIR-SHARE TO IMPROVE SPEAKING ACHIEVEMENT OF THE SECOND SEMESTER ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM OF TRIDINANTI UNIVERSITY PALEMBANG

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Elvinna Manurung

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The study aimed at improving the speaking achievement of the second semester students of Tridinanti Palembang by using Think-Pair-Share strategy (TPR. This study was an action research study. The steps in conducting the study were planning, actions and observation of action and reflections. The population of the study was all of the second semester students of Tridinanti University in the academic year 2016/2017. The sample used one class (10students. The data collections used by the researcher were tests and observation. The learning improvement indicators included in two things; (1 learning achievement, (2 teaching and learning process. In the study, the implementation was conducted into two cycles. The results showed that the average score of students’ speaking achievement was 66 in cycle I and the observation result was 62.82. The result had not been reached the target yet that was >70. At least more than 85% students could achieve the score above 70. Thus, cycle II was necessary to be implemented. In cycle II, the average score of speaking test was 81and the observation result was 81.06. The students had reached the target and the cycle was stopped. In conclusion, the implementation of TPR had brought significant improvement to the students’ speaking achievement.

Analysis of physical activity in emmetropic and myopic university students during semester and holiday periods: a pilot study.

Science.gov (United States)

Battersby, Katherine; Koy, Linda; Phillips, Nicola; Sim, Joanna; Wilk, Jay; Schmid, Katrina L

2015-11-01

Previous studies (mostly questionnaire-based in children) suggest that outdoor activity is protective against myopia. There are few studies on young adults investigating both the impact of simply being outdoors versus performing physical activity. The aim was to study the relationship between the refractive error of young adults and their physical activity patterns. Twenty-seven university students, aged 18 to 25 years, wore a pedometer (Omron HJ720ITE) for seven days both during the semester and holiday periods. They simultaneously recorded the type of activity performed, its duration, the number of steps taken (from the pedometer) and their location (indoors/outdoors) in a logbook. Mean spherical refractive error was used to divide participants into three groups (emmetropes: +1.00 to -0.50 D, low myopes: -0.62 to -3.00 D, higher myopes: -3.12 D or greater myopia). There were no significant differences between the refractive groups during the semester or holiday periods; the average daily times spent outdoors, the duration of physical activity, the ratio of physical activity performed outdoors to indoors and amount of near work performed were similar. The peak exercise intensity was similar across all groups: approximately 100 steps per minute, a brisk walk. Up to one-third of all physical activity was performed outdoors. There were some significant differences in activities performed during semester and holiday times. For example, low myopes spent significantly less time outside (49 ± 47 versus 74 ± 41 minutes, p = 0.005) and performed less physical activity (6,388 ± 1,747 versus 6,779 ± 2,746 steps per day; p = 0.03) during the holidays compared to during semester. The fact that all groups had similar low exercise intensity but many were not myopic suggests that physical activity levels are not critical. There were differences in the activity patterns of low myopes during semester and holiday periods. This study highlights the need for a larger longitudinal

Developing and Supporting Students' Autonomy to Plan, Perform, and Interpret Inquiry-Based Biochemistry Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Silva, Thanuci; Galembeck, Eduardo

2017-01-01

Laboratory sessions are designed to develop the experimental skills and the acquaintance with instruments that may contribute to a successful career in Biochemistry and associated fields. This study is a report on improving a traditional Biochemistry course by devising the laboratory sessions as an inquiry-based environment to develop the…

75 FR 8147 - Notice of Consideration of Amendment Request for Decommissioning of Analytical Bio-Chemistry...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-02-23

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 030-05154; NRC-2010-0056] Notice of Consideration of Amendment Request for Decommissioning of Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories, Inc. Sanitary Lagoon... license amendment to Byproduct Material License No. 24- 13365-01 issued to Analytical Bio-Chemistry...

Frequency and Content of Chat Questions by Time of Semester at the University of Central Florida: Implications for Training, Staffing and Marketing

Science.gov (United States)

Goda, Donna; Bishop, Corinne

2008-01-01

The more than 4,000 "chats" received by the University of Central Florida's (UCF) Ask-A-Librarian digital reference service are the subject of this practitioner-based, descriptive case study. Question content from chats received during four semesters between January 2005 and May 2006 are categorized and plotted, by semester, to show the…

Phosphinic acid compounds in biochemistry, biology and medicine

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Collinsová, Michaela; Jiráček, Jiří

2000-01-01

Roč. 7, - (2000), s. 629-647 ISSN 0929-8673 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA203/97/0039; GA AV ČR KSK2055603 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z4055905 Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry Impact factor: 4.909, year: 2000

Baseline hematology and serum biochemistry results for Indian leopards (Panthera pardus fusca

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Arun Attur Shanmugam

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Aim: The aim of the study was to establish the baseline hematology and serum biochemistry values for Indian leopards (Panthera pardus fusca, and to assess the possible variations in these parameters based on age and gender. Materials and Methods: Hemato-biochemical test reports from a total of 83 healthy leopards, carried out as part of routine health evaluation in Bannerghatta Biological Park and Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center, were used to establish baseline hematology and serum biochemistry parameters for the subspecies. The hematological parameters considered for the analysis included hemoglobin (Hb, packed cell volume, total erythrocyte count (TEC, total leukocyte count (TLC, mean corpuscular volume (MCV, mean corpuscular Hb (MCH, and MCH concentration. The serum biochemistry parameters considered included total protein (TP, albumin, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglycerides, calcium, and phosphorus. Results: Even though few differences were observed in hematologic and biochemistry values between male and female Indian leopards, the differences were statistically not significant. Effects of age, however, were evident in relation to many hematologic and biochemical parameters. Sub-adults had significantly greater values for Hb, TEC, and TLC compared to adults and geriatric group, whereas they had significantly lower MCV and MCH compared to adults and geriatric group. Among, serum biochemistry parameters the sub-adult age group was observed to have significantly lower values for TP and ALT than adult and geriatric leopards. Conclusion: The study provides a comprehensive analysis of hematologic and biochemical parameters for Indian leopards. Baselines established here will permit better captive management of the subspecies, serve as a guide to assess the health and physiological status of the free ranging leopards, and may contribute valuable information for making

Baseline hematology and serum biochemistry results for Indian leopards (Panthera pardus fusca)

Science.gov (United States)

Shanmugam, Arun Attur; Muliya, Sanath Krishna; Deshmukh, Ajay; Suresh, Sujay; Nath, Anukul; Kalaignan, Pa; Venkataravanappa, Manjunath; Jose, Lyju

2017-01-01

Aim: The aim of the study was to establish the baseline hematology and serum biochemistry values for Indian leopards (Panthera pardus fusca), and to assess the possible variations in these parameters based on age and gender. Materials and Methods: Hemato-biochemical test reports from a total of 83 healthy leopards, carried out as part of routine health evaluation in Bannerghatta Biological Park and Manikdoh Leopard Rescue Center, were used to establish baseline hematology and serum biochemistry parameters for the subspecies. The hematological parameters considered for the analysis included hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume, total erythrocyte count (TEC), total leukocyte count (TLC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular Hb (MCH), and MCH concentration. The serum biochemistry parameters considered included total protein (TP), albumin, globulin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, triglycerides, calcium, and phosphorus. Results: Even though few differences were observed in hematologic and biochemistry values between male and female Indian leopards, the differences were statistically not significant. Effects of age, however, were evident in relation to many hematologic and biochemical parameters. Sub-adults had significantly greater values for Hb, TEC, and TLC compared to adults and geriatric group, whereas they had significantly lower MCV and MCH compared to adults and geriatric group. Among, serum biochemistry parameters the sub-adult age group was observed to have significantly lower values for TP and ALT than adult and geriatric leopards. Conclusion: The study provides a comprehensive analysis of hematologic and biochemical parameters for Indian leopards. Baselines established here will permit better captive management of the subspecies, serve as a guide to assess the health and physiological status of the free ranging leopards, and may contribute valuable information for making effective

Abstraction to Implementation: A Two Stage Introduction to Computer Science.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolz, Ursula; Conjura, Edward

A three-semester core curriculum for undergraduate computer science is proposed and described. Both functional and imperative programming styles are taught. The curriculum particularly addresses the problem of effectively presenting both abstraction and implementation. Two courses in the first semester emphasize abstraction. The next courses…

Teaching Arrangements of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Biochemistry Curriculum in Peking University Health Science Center

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hao; Ni, Ju-Hua

2013-01-01

Biochemistry occupies a unique place in the medical school curricula, but the teaching of biochemistry presents certain challenges. One of these challenges is facilitating students' interest in and mastery of metabolism. The many pathways and modes of regulation can be overwhelming for students to learn and difficult for professors to teach in an…

Impact of the second semester University Modeling Instruction course on students’ representation choices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Daryl McPadden

2017-11-01

Full Text Available Representation use is a critical skill for learning, problem solving, and communicating in science, especially in physics where multiple representations often scaffold the understanding of a phenomenon. University Modeling Instruction, which is an active-learning, research-based introductory physics curriculum centered on students’ use of scientific models, has made representation use a primary learning goal with explicit class time devoted to introducing and coordinating representations as part of the model building process. However, because of the semester break, the second semester course, Modeling Instruction-Electricity and Magnetism (MI-EM, contains a mixture of students who are returning from the Modeling Instruction-mechanics course (to whom we refer to as “returning students” and students who are new to Modeling Instruction with the MI-EM course (to whom we refer to as “new students”. In this study, we analyze the impact of MI-EM on students’ representation choices across the introductory physics content for these different groups of students by examining both what individual representations students choose and their average number of representations on a modified card-sort survey with a variety of mechanics and EM questions. Using Wilcoxon-signed-rank tests, Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests, Cliff’s delta effect sizes, and box plots, we compare students’ representation choices from pre- to postsemester, from new and returning students, and from mechanics and EM content. We find that there is a significant difference between returning and new students’ representation choices, which serves as a baseline comparison between Modeling Instruction and traditional lecture-based physics classes. We also find that returning students maintain a high representation use across the MI-EM semester, while new students see significant growth in their representation use regardless of content.

Case based learning: a method for better understanding of biochemistry in medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Nair, Sandhya Pillai; Shah, Trushna; Seth, Shruti; Pandit, Niraj; Shah, G V

2013-08-01

Health professionals need to develop analytic and diagnostic thinking skills and not just a mere accumulation of large amount of facts. Hence, Case Based Learning (CBL) has been used in the medical curriculum for this reason, so that the students are exposed to the real medical problems, which helps them in develop analysing abilities. This also helps them in interpreting and solving the problems and in the course of doing this, they develop interest. In addition to didactic lectures, CBL was used as a learning method. This study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry, S.B.K.S.M.I and R.C, Sumandeep Vidyapeeth ,Piparia, Gujarat, India. A group of 100 students were selected and they were divided into two groups as the control group and the study group. A total of 50 students were introduced to case based learning, which formed the study group and 50 students who attended didactic lectures formed the control group. A very significant improvement (pmedical curriculum for a better understanding of Biochemistry among the medical students.

[Inventive activity of the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry of Enzymes, and Protein Structure and Function of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of NAS of Ukraine. Part III. Diagnostic test-systems for analysis of fibrinolysis blood system and novel approaches to thrombosis treatment].

Science.gov (United States)

Danilova, V M; Vynogradova, R P; Chernysh, I Yu

2016-01-01

This article continues analysis of scientific achievements of the Institute of Biochemistry in the study of hemostasis system. Two previous articles were focused on the studies of blood coagulation proteins and development of the immune-enzyme test-systems for evaluation of the risk of thrombosis upon various pathologies. This article highlights the research on the blood fibrinolysis system and new approaches to thrombosis treatment, which were developed (and are under development) in the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of the NAS of Ukraine, in particular, in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry of Enzymes headed previously by Dr.Sci.(Biol.) S. O. Kudinov and now by Dr.Sci.(Biol.) T .V. Grinenko, and also in the Department of Protein Structure and Function headed by Dr.Biol.Sci. E. M. Makogonenko. The fundamental knowledge of protein molecule functions and mechanisms of regulation of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis opens up new opportunities to diagnose hemostasis disorders and control the effectiveness of the cardiovascular disease treatment and also contributes to development of new techniques for isolation of new proteins – promising therapeutic agents.

Principles of Marketing. A One-Semester Cluster Course for Marketing Education. Curriculum Guide.

Science.gov (United States)

Cockrum, Jim

This curriculum guide was developed to help teachers use the new textbook adopted by Texas in 1991-92 for teaching the 1-semester Principles of Marketing course. The guide is organized in four sections. The first section contains information on using the curriculum guide, including an overview, sample lesson plans and other worksheets, suggestions…

Approaches to enhance the teaching quality of experimental biochemistry for MBBS students in TSMU, China.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Lijuan; Yi, Shuying; Zhai, Jing; Wang, Zhaojin

2017-07-08

With the internationalization of medical education in China, the importance of international students' education in medical schools is also increasing. Except foreign students majoring in Chinese language, English Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBSS) students are the largest group of international students. Based on problems in the teaching process for experimental biochemistry, we designed teaching models adapted to the background of international students and strengthened teachers' teaching ability at Taishan Medical University. Several approaches were used in combination to promote teaching effects and increase the benefit of teaching to teachers. The primary data showed an increased passion for basic medical biochemistry and an improved theoretical background for MBSS students, which will be helpful for their later clinical medicine studies. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(4):360-364, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Impact of Virtual Patients as Optional Learning Material in Veterinary Biochemistry Education.

Science.gov (United States)

Kleinsorgen, Christin; von Köckritz-Blickwede, Maren; Naim, Hassan Y; Branitzki-Heinemann, Katja; Kankofer, Marta; Mándoki, Míra; Adler, Martin; Tipold, Andrea; Ehlers, Jan P

2018-01-01

Biochemistry and physiology teachers from veterinary faculties in Hannover, Budapest, and Lublin prepared innovative, computer-based, integrative clinical case scenarios as optional learning materials for teaching and learning in basic sciences. These learning materials were designed to enhance attention and increase interest and intrinsic motivation for learning, thus strengthening autonomous, active, and self-directed learning. We investigated learning progress and success by administering a pre-test before exposure to the virtual patients (vetVIP) cases, offered vetVIP cases alongside regular biochemistry courses, and then administered a complementary post-test. We analyzed improvement in cohort performance and level of confidence in rating questions. Results of the performance in biochemistry examinations in 2014, 2015, and 2016 were correlated with the use of and performance in vetVIP cases throughout biochemistry courses in Hannover. Surveys of students reflected that interactive cases helped them understand the relevance of basic sciences in veterinary education. Differences between identical pre- and post-tests revealed knowledge improvement (correct answers: +28% in Hannover, +9% in Lublin) and enhanced confidence in decision making ("I don't know" answers: -20% in Hannover, -7.5% in Lublin). High case usage and voluntary participation (use of vetVIP cases in Hannover and Lublin >70%, Budapest learning could be extended and generated cases should be shared across veterinary faculties.

Biochemistry graduate student selected to meet with Nobel Laureates

OpenAIRE

Trulove, Susan

2006-01-01

January Haile of Athens, Tenn., a Ph.D. student in biochemistry at Virginia Tech has been selected by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) to attend a meeting of Nobel Laureates in Lindau, Germany, in June.

Using Augmented Reality to Teach and Learn Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Vega Garzón, Juan Carlos; Magrini, Marcio Luiz; Galembeck, Eduardo

2017-01-01

Understanding metabolism and metabolic pathways constitutes one of the central aims for students of biological sciences. Learning metabolic pathways should be focused on the understanding of general concepts and core principles. New technologies such Augmented Reality (AR) have shown potential to improve assimilation of biochemistry abstract…

Essential Concepts and Underlying Theories from Physics, Chemistry, and Mathematics for "Biochemistry and Molecular Biology" Majors

Science.gov (United States)

Wright, Ann; Provost, Joseph; Roecklein-Canfield, Jennifer A.; Bell, Ellis

2013-01-01

Over the past two years, through an NSF RCN UBE grant, the ASBMB has held regional workshops for faculty members from around the country. The workshops have focused on developing lists of Core Principles or Foundational Concepts in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, a list of foundational skills, and foundational concepts from Physics, Chemistry,…

The Analysis Of Personality Disorder On Two Characters In The Animation Series Black Rock Shooter

OpenAIRE

Ramadhana, Rizki Andrian

2015-01-01

The title of this thesis is The Analysis of Personality Disorder on Two Characters in the Animation Series “Black Rock Shooter” which discusses about the personality disorder of two characters from this series; they are Kagari Izuriha and Yomi Takanashi. The animation series Black Rock Shooter is chosen as the source of data because this animation has psychological genre and represents the complexity of human relationship, especially when build up a friendship. It is because human is a social...

Lactation performance and serum biochemistry of dairy cows fed ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Serum biochemistry concentrations (serum glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, and cortisol and insulin concentration) and blood hematology (red blood cell, hematocrit, hemoglobin concentration and percentage neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, basophiles, eosinophils and ratio of neutrophils to ...

Two correlated quasiparticles states in the principal series approximation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dukelsky, J.; Dussel, G.G.; Sofia, H.M.

1983-01-01

The principal series approximation is extended to the description of two correlated quasiparticles states, enabling a treatment of these states that takes into account the coupling among the two particle Green's function and the particle-hole one. This description is related to a random phase approximation treatment of collective states in open shell nuclei that includes simultaneously the particle-particle and particle-hole versions of the nuclear residual Hamiltonian. Using separable interactions it is found that the inclusion of the particle-particle part of the Hamiltonians greatly changes the properties of the 2 + states in the Sn isotopes

Time Series in Education: The Analysis of Daily Attendance in Two High Schools

Science.gov (United States)

Koopmans, Matthijs

2011-01-01

This presentation discusses the use of a time series approach to the analysis of daily attendance in two urban high schools over the course of one school year (2009-10). After establishing that the series for both schools were stationary, they were examined for moving average processes, autoregression, seasonal dependencies (weekly cycles),…

a novel two – factor high order fuzzy time series with applications to ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

HOD

objectively with multiple – factor fuzzy time series, recurrent number of fuzzy relationships, and assigning weights to elements of fuzzy forecasting rules. In this paper, a novel two – factor high – order fuzzy time series forecasting method based on fuzzy C-means clustering and particle swarm optimization is proposed to ...

HOW DO STUDENTS PERCIEVE AND APPRECIATE “FAILURE” DURING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S. Rowland

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Since 2011 we have conducted Authentic Large-scale Undergraduate Research Experiences (ALURES with our Sophomore and Junior biochemistry cohorts - so far over 1000 students have participated.The students in 2011-2014 wrote reflections about their experiences mid-semester and/or at the end of semester. Their writing indicates a growing awareness of the value of failure and struggle, as well as a healthy respect for the power of peer support and interaction.We asked the question “what do our students see as a “failure”, and does their understanding of the value of struggle change as a result of the ALURE experience?In 2015 we are conducting a longitudinal study of our ALURE students as they progress through the semester – the students have completed a series of five semi-structured interviews and the URSSA survey. We are examining their development of research and scientific literacy through the lens of productive failure.Our results indicate that although we feel we are designing productive failure into our undergraduate research experiences, we do not appear to be providing a high enough sense of risk or responsibility. This means that the students do not experience a sense of struggle or project ownership with the authenticity we desire. This is causing us to redesign our ALURE offerings.

Haematology, serum biochemistry and organ weight changes of ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

A total of fifty Wistar albino rats weighing 50-60g were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments in a completely randomized design to investigate the haematology, serum biochemistry and organ weight changes on diets containing processed dehulled jack bean. Four diets containing 10% crude protein were formulated ...

Fostering internationalization: an American-Danish semester-long undergraduate nursing student exchange program.

Science.gov (United States)

Baernholdt, M; Drake, E; Maron, F; Neymark, K

2013-06-01

This paper describes the development, implementation and evaluation of a semester-long exchange program between two Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in the USA and Denmark. Nurses globally need to provide culturally sensitive care for an ethnically diverse population. Competencies on how to do so should start in basic nursing programs. A useful strategy is through immersion into another culture through an exchange program. Little is known about successful strategies for two-way or 360° exchange programs between schools from different countries. Guided by experiential learning theory, we developed an exchange program with the objective of enhancing nursing students' cultural competence through knowledge building, attitudes and behaviour development. Lessons learned and implications for educational institutions and policy are discussed. In internationalization of nursing education, an awareness of underlying cultural values regarding nursing competence and taking appropriate action are important for success. Other areas for a successful exchange program include matching of courses or content across schools, clear objectives and evaluation plans. Finally, flexibility and open communication are key components when setting up a 360° exchange program. © 2013 The Authors. International Nursing Review © 2013 International Council of Nurses.

The Use of PDB database as a Tool for Biochemistry Active Learning of Undergraduate Students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T.M.F. Günther et al.

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Traditional Biochemistry teaching-learning is still an ongoing practice at UFSC. There are few published reports about innovative pedagogical practices of this discipline at this University. To ensure motivation through active learning of Basic Biochemistry we started to apply new methodologies back to 2005. This approach intended to stimulate undergraduate students in learning Biochemistry proactively. Objectives: Use PDB as a tool to improve skills related to Biochemistry education, while using specific information available; provide virtual data in order to stimulate student autonomy in active teaching-learning processes through methodologies based on the use of safe and suitable scientific information. Material and Methods: At the beginning, students were exposed to Biochemistry of Proteins content through traditional lectures. On the following stage, an introduction to PDB was made at the digital environment (http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/home/home.do depicting scientific information. Students received a model-instruction describing myoglobin characteristics at PDB (https://pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/1. This Powerpoint™ presentation gave clues on how the work was to be done. A lottery was made and each pair of students was allowed to select a protein and then developed Powerpoint™ presentations. Proteins were chosen from the PDB categories and obtained from the academic educational plan for Basic Biochemistry related to the Nutrition-Course. The Moodle plataform provided virtual materials, allowing full interactivity to all student presentations. Results and Discussion: There was total adherence to the pedagogical proposal. The student presentations in Powerpoint™ were adequate and made available to the attendees in the Moodle platform. Items surveyed in the presented script with the highest hit rates (grade ten were: biological importance (100%, amino acid composition (92.30%, structural information (89.75%, occurrence (89.74%, URL cited (79

Small Laccase from "Streptomyces Coelicolor"--An Ideal Model Protein/Enzyme for Undergraduate Laboratory Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, Ryan; Hannon, Drew; Southard, Jonathan N.; Majumdar, Sudipta

2018-01-01

A one semester undergraduate biochemistry laboratory experience is described for an understanding of recombinant technology from gene cloning to protein characterization. An integrated experimental design includes three sequential modules: molecular cloning, protein expression and purification, and protein analysis and characterization. Students…

Myoglobin structure and function: A multiweek biochemistry laboratory project.

Science.gov (United States)

Silverstein, Todd P; Kirk, Sarah R; Meyer, Scott C; Holman, Karen L McFarlane

2015-01-01

We have developed a multiweek laboratory project in which students isolate myoglobin and characterize its structure, function, and redox state. The important laboratory techniques covered in this project include size-exclusion chromatography, electrophoresis, spectrophotometric titration, and FTIR spectroscopy. Regarding protein structure, students work with computer modeling and visualization of myoglobin and its homologues, after which they spectroscopically characterize its thermal denaturation. Students also study protein function (ligand binding equilibrium) and are instructed on topics in data analysis (calibration curves, nonlinear vs. linear regression). This upper division biochemistry laboratory project is a challenging and rewarding one that not only exposes students to a wide variety of important biochemical laboratory techniques but also ties those techniques together to work with a single readily available and easily characterized protein, myoglobin. © 2015 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The Biochemistry and Physiology of Mitochondrial Fatty Acid β-Oxidation and Its Genetic Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Houten, Sander M; Violante, Sara; Ventura, Fatima V; Wanders, Ronald J A

2016-01-01

Mitochondrial fatty acid β-oxidation (FAO) is the major pathway for the degradation of fatty acids and is essential for maintaining energy homeostasis in the human body. Fatty acids are a crucial energy source in the postabsorptive and fasted states when glucose supply is limiting. But even when glucose is abundantly available, FAO is a main energy source for the heart, skeletal muscle, and kidney. A series of enzymes, transporters, and other facilitating proteins are involved in FAO. Recessively inherited defects are known for most of the genes encoding these proteins. The clinical presentation of these disorders may include hypoketotic hypoglycemia, (cardio)myopathy, arrhythmia, and rhabdomyolysis and illustrates the importance of FAO during fasting and in hepatic and (cardio)muscular function. In this review, we present the current state of knowledge on the biochemistry and physiological functions of FAO and discuss the pathophysiological processes associated with FAO disorders.

A real CDIO mechanical engineering project in 4th semester

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lauritsen, Aage Birkkjær

In the past 6 years at the mechanical engineering study at the Engineering College of Aarhus we have been practicing project work on 4th Semester in the design of energy technology systems. In my presentation, I will give a description of the project, and the thoughts behind; pedagogic......-6 students, and will partly support the general theory being taught in the courses, but will also provide students with skills in teamwork, project work and system building. The pedagogical considerations behind the development of the project are quite simply that students learn best through active work...

Undergraduate Performance in Solving Ill-Defined Biochemistry Problems

Science.gov (United States)

Sensibaugh, Cheryl A.; Madrid, Nathaniel J.; Choi, Hye-Jeong; Anderson, William L.; Osgood, Marcy P.

2017-01-01

With growing interest in promoting skills related to the scientific process, we studied performance in solving ill-defined problems demonstrated by graduating biochemistry majors at a public, minority-serving university. As adoption of techniques for facilitating the attainment of higher-order learning objectives broadens, so too does the need to…

Imaging spectroscopy of foliar biochemistry in forestry environments ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Remote sensing estimates of leaf biochemicals provide valuable information on ecosystem functioning, vitality and state at local to global spatial scales. This paper aims to give an overview of the state of the art of foliar biochemistry assessment in general and, where possible, attention is given to: (1) Eucalyptus forest ...

Beyond the Tourist Gaze? Cultural Learning on an American "Semester Abroad" Programme in London

Science.gov (United States)

Janes, Dominic

2008-01-01

Is the short-term study abroad experience, particularly when undertaken with a self-contained group of international students such as on a "semester abroad programme" accredited by a US university, little more than glorified tourism? This study investigates some of the ways in which a group of American students developed their…

Designing and Evaluating an Interprofessional Experiential Course Series Involving Medical and Pharmacy Students

Science.gov (United States)

Dueñas, Gladys G.; Zanoni, Aileen; Grover, Anisha B.

2016-01-01

Objective. To prepare first-year and second-year pharmacy and medical students to build effective collaborative health care teams by participating in an interprofessional experiential 6-semester course series. Design. An interprofessional experiential course series was designed using a variety of teaching methods to achieve both interprofessional and experiential learning outcomes. A standardized objective behavioral assessment was developed to measure team performance of interprofessional communication and teamwork. In addition, student perceptions were measured using a validated instrument. Assessment. A majority of teams demonstrated appropriate competence with respect to interprofessional communication and teamwork. Additionally, a majority of students expressed positive perceptions of interprofessional collaboration with respect to teamwork, roles and responsibilities, and patient outcomes. Conclusion. An interprofessional experiential course series can be successfully implemented to achieve both interprofessional and experiential learning outcomes. Highly collaborative teams and positive student perceptions provide evidence of achievement of interprofessional education learning outcomes. PMID:27402988

Learning Effectiveness and Satisfaction of International Medical Students: Introducing a Hybrid-PBL Curriculum in Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Yan, Qiu; Ma, Li; Zhu, Lina; Zhang, Wenli

2017-01-01

A biochemistry course is a fundamental but important subject in medical education in China. In recent years, the number of international medical students has increased. Curriculum reform in biochemistry teaching is needed because of the knowledge limitations of students, a close linkage of biochemical content with clinics, the shortcomings of…

Chapter IV: ultrafast biochemistry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chergui, M. [Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), Lausanne (Switzerland); Kjelstrup, S. [Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim (Norway); Meuwly, M. [Universitaet Basel, Basel (Switzerland); Schuler, B. [University of Zuerich (ETH), Zurich (Switzerland); Thor, J. van [Imperial College London (IC), London (United Kingdom)

2009-09-15

The whole report issued by the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Switzerland takes a look at the scientific opportunities offered by the institute's SwissFEL X-ray Laser facility. In this sixth part, initial events and fluctuations in biochemical processes at the atomic scale are discussed. Sub-nanosecond processes are fundamental to biochemistry and will be accessible to the ultra-short pulses of the SwissFEL. Time and length scales of biochemical reactions are discussed, as is the photo-initiation of biochemical processes. Time-resolved measurement techniques are looked at. Fluorescence resonant energy transfer is discussed. As an example, the photo cycle of bacteriorhodopsin is examined. The dynamics of protein folding and catalytic action are also looked at. Mesoscopic non-equilibrium thermodynamics is discussed

The experimental teaching reform in biochemistry and molecular biology for undergraduate students in Peking University Health Science Center.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Xiaohan; Sun, Luyang; Zhao, Ying; Yi, Xia; Zhu, Bin; Wang, Pu; Lin, Hong; Ni, Juhua

2015-01-01

Since 2010, second-year undergraduate students of an eight-year training program leading to a Doctor of Medicine degree or Doctor of Philosophy degree in Peking University Health Science Center (PKUHSC) have been required to enter the "Innovative talent training project." During that time, the students joined a research lab and participated in some original research work. There is a critical educational need to prepare these students for the increasing accessibility of research experience. The redesigned experimental curriculum of biochemistry and molecular biology was developed to fulfill such a requirement, which keeps two original biochemistry experiments (Gel filtration and Enzyme kinetics) and adds a new two-experiment component called "Analysis of anti-tumor drug induced apoptosis." The additional component, also known as the "project-oriented experiment" or the "comprehensive experiment," consists of Western blotting and a DNA laddering assay to assess the effects of etoposide (VP16) on the apoptosis signaling pathways. This reformed laboratory teaching system aims to enhance the participating students overall understanding of important biological research techniques and the instrumentation involved, and to foster a better understanding of the research process all within a classroom setting. Student feedback indicated that the updated curriculum helped them improve their operational and self-learning capability, and helped to increase their understanding of theoretical knowledge and actual research processes, which laid the groundwork for their future research work. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Implementation of a Collaborative Series of Classroom-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences Spanning Chemical Biology, Biochemistry, and Neurobiology

Science.gov (United States)

Kowalski, Jennifer R.; Hoops, Geoffrey C.; Johnson, R. Jeremy

2016-01-01

Classroom undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) provide students access to the measurable benefits of undergraduate research experiences (UREs). Herein, we describe the implementation and assessment of a novel model for cohesive CUREs focused on central research themes involving faculty research collaboration across departments. Specifically, we implemented three collaborative CUREs spanning chemical biology, biochemistry, and neurobiology that incorporated faculty members’ research interests and revolved around the central theme of visualizing biological processes like Mycobacterium tuberculosis enzyme activity and neural signaling using fluorescent molecules. Each CURE laboratory involved multiple experimental phases and culminated in novel, open-ended, and reiterative student-driven research projects. Course assessments showed CURE participation increased students’ experimental design skills, attitudes and confidence about research, perceived understanding of the scientific process, and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. More than 75% of CURE students also engaged in independent scientific research projects, and faculty CURE contributors saw substantial increases in research productivity, including increased undergraduate student involvement and academic outputs. Our collaborative CUREs demonstrate the advantages of multicourse CUREs for achieving increased faculty research productivity and traditional CURE-associated student learning and attitude gains. Our collaborative CURE design represents a novel CURE model for ongoing laboratory reform that benefits both faculty and students. PMID:27810870

Multiple (Two) Met Bel 601 In Series Ultimate Vacuum Testing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Restivo, M. [Savannah River Site (SRS), Aiken, SC (United States). Savannah River National Lab. (SRNL)

2016-09-30

SRNL Environmental and Chemical Process Technology (E&CPT) was requested to perform testing of vacuum pumps per a verbal request from the Customer, SRNL Hydrogen Processing Technology. Tritium Operations is currently having difficulties procuring the Normetex™® Model 15 m³/hr (9 CFM) vacuum pump (formerly Normetex Pompes, now Eumeca_SARL). One possible solution proposed by Hydrogen Processing Technology personnel is to use two Senior Aerospace Metal Bellows MB-601 vacuum pumps piped with the heads in series, and the pumps in series (Figure 1 below). This memorandum documents the ultimate vacuum testing that was performed to determine if this concept was a viable alternate vacuum pump strategy. This testing dovetails with previous pump evaluations documented in references 1 and 2.

Raising Environmental Awareness through Applied Biochemistry Laboratory Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Salman Ashraf, S.

2013-01-01

Our environment is under constant pressure and threat from various sources of pollution. Science students, in particular chemistry students, must not only be made aware of these issues, but also be taught that chemistry (and science) can provide solutions to such real-life issues. To this end, a newly developed biochemistry laboratory experiment…

Third Semester and Master’s Thesis Ideas 2016

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

The following pages contain a list of project ideas proposed by the scientific staff at the Department of Civil Engineering, Aalborg University, and a number of companies. The project ideas in this catalogue may form the basis for long and short master projects as well as regular 3rd semester...... overview of the purpose as well as the main activities. Further, a weighting between theoretical analysis, experimental work and computer modelling has been proposed. Usually, this weighting can be changed slightly in accordance with the wishes of the students. The contact persons listed will usually act...... in this catalogue can reveal the expertise and research areas of the different supervisors. Many private engineering companies have a homepage on which they state that they would like to collaborate with students on a master project. Find out more on the individual company home pages....

Protein Science by DNA Sequencing: How Advances in Molecular Biology Are Accelerating Biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins, Sean A; Savage, David F

2018-01-09

A fundamental goal of protein biochemistry is to determine the sequence-function relationship, but the vastness of sequence space makes comprehensive evaluation of this landscape difficult. However, advances in DNA synthesis and sequencing now allow researchers to assess the functional impact of every single mutation in many proteins, but challenges remain in library construction and the development of general assays applicable to a diverse range of protein functions. This Perspective briefly outlines the technical innovations in DNA manipulation that allow massively parallel protein biochemistry and then summarizes the methods currently available for library construction and the functional assays of protein variants. Areas in need of future innovation are highlighted with a particular focus on assay development and the use of computational analysis with machine learning to effectively traverse the sequence-function landscape. Finally, applications in the fundamentals of protein biochemistry, disease prediction, and protein engineering are presented.

Biochemistry Instructors' Perceptions of Analogies and Their Classroom Use

Science.gov (United States)

Orgill, MaryKay; Bussey, Thomas J.; Bodner, George M.

2015-01-01

Biochemistry education relies heavily on students' abilities to conceptualize abstract cellular and molecular processes, mechanisms, and components. From a constructivist standpoint, students build their understandings of these abstract processes by connecting, expanding, or revising their prior conceptions and experiences. As such, biochemistry…

Over the counter drugs (and dietary supplement) exercise: a team-based introduction to biochemistry for health professional students.

Science.gov (United States)

Phadtare, Sangita; Abali, Emine; Brodsky, Barbara

2013-01-01

For successful delivery of basic science topics for health-professional students, it is critical to reduce apprehension and illustrate relevance to clinical settings and everyday life. At the beginning of the Biochemistry course for Physician Assistants, a team-based assignment was designed to develop an understanding of the mechanism of action, effectiveness, and toxicity of five common over the counter (OTC) drugs and dietary supplements, and place these familiar medicines in a political and historical context. The objectives of this exercise were to stimulate interest in biochemistry; to provide basic information on enzymes and enzyme inhibitors related to these drugs to be expanded upon later in the course; and to encourage active and interactive learning. Teams of five students were formed, and each student was given an information sheet on aspirin, alpha-galactosidase, orlistat, dextromethorphan, or simvastatin, a low dose statin, which was previously available without prescription at pharmacies in the UK. After each member of the team acquired information on one OTC drug/dietary supplement by reading an assigned information sheet, the team was asked to go through a series of questions, and then submit answers to a quiz as a group. A high rate of success on the quiz, an overwhelmingly positive response on formal course evaluations, and enthusiastic exchanges during class suggested this team-based session accomplished its goals. Copyright © 2013 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Mapping and industrial IT project to a 2nd semester design-build project

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nyborg, Mads; Høgh, Stig

2010-01-01

CDIO means bringing the engineer's daily life and working practice into the educational system. In our opinion this is best done by selecting an appropriate project from industry. In this paper we describe how we have mapped an industrial IT project to a 2nd semester design-build project in the D......CDIO means bringing the engineer's daily life and working practice into the educational system. In our opinion this is best done by selecting an appropriate project from industry. In this paper we describe how we have mapped an industrial IT project to a 2nd semester design-build project...... in the Diploma IT program at the Technical University of Denmark. The system in question is a weighing system operating in a LAN environment. The system is used in the medical industry for producing tablets. We present the design of a curriculum to support the development of major components of the weighing...... system. A simple teaching model for software engineering is presented which combines technical disciplines with disciplines from section 2-4 in the CDIO syllabus. The implementation of a joint project involving several courses supports the CDIO perspective. Already the traditional IT-diploma education...

METABOLIC WAR: A VARIATION FOR METABOLIC BIOCHEMISTRY LEARNING OF A WORLDLY KNOWN BOARD GAME

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. M. Anjos

2008-05-01

Full Text Available Biomedical careers are highly wished by young students in Brazil. Although future jobs,  academic knowledge and higher earnings  are tempting reasons for this life choice, few of them are aware  of  the difficult path through the  basic classes. Advanced and specific disciplines  are easier to associate with the professional career itself, but few students can identify the importance  of the basic knowledge for their future work. Biochemistry is one of the most difficult  disciplines  for Brazilian students, probably due to the level of abstraction needed to fully learn and understand the topics. Some recent experimental tools, such as bioinformatics, are now helping students with the learning process, providing visual data for understanding biomolecule structure.  In addition to this, biochemical reactions  could be even tougher because of the many variables involved.  To facilitate the learning process for metabolic biochemistry, we created a game based on the board game WAR®,  using Photoshop software. Named Metabolic War, it keeps the same basic rules of WAR®, but with some minor changes. The continents are metabolic pathways (citric acid cycle, glycolysis, beta-oxidation, etc and the countries are metabolic intermediates. Similarly to the original game, players must conquer an objective (one or more metabolic pathways by dominating intermediates. But the desired intermediate must be a possible product from an intermediate the player already owns. This  and other  games were produced by Biomedicine  undergraduate  students  in Metabolic Biochemistry classes. It was presented to other students, who tested and acknowledged it as a great help in understanding metabolic biochemistry,  giving a great understanding of integrative metabolism. Keywords: game; Biochemistry; Metabolic Biochemistry learning; science learning; playful learning.

Retraction 2 | Shafik | Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Value of co-peptin/ plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 axis in early diagnosis of preterm labor risk among pre-eclamptic Egyptian women. Noha M. Shafik1, Soha S. Zakaria1, Ahmed M. Hagras2 and Ghada M. Abou-Fard3 Departments of Medical Biochemistry1, Gynecology2 and Physiology3, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta ...

Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology - Vol 32, No ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Egyptian Journal of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. ... Therapeutic Impacts of Almond Oil and Olive Oil on Cholesterol Dynamics and ... Multidrug Resistance Proteins in Pancreatic Carcinoma · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT

Identification of the students' critical thinking skills through biochemistry laboratory work report

Science.gov (United States)

Anwar, Yunita Arian Sani; Senam, Laksono, Endang W.

2017-08-01

This work aims to (1) identify the critical thinking skills of student based on their ability to set up laboratory work reports, and (2) analyze the implementation of biochemistry laboratory work. The method of quantitative content analysis was employed. Quantitative data were in the form of critical thinking skills through the assessment of students' laboratory work reports and questionnaire data. Hoyo rubric was used to measure critical thinking skills with 10 indicators, namely clarity, accuracy, precision, consistency, relevance, evidence, reason, depth, breadth, and fairness. The research sample consisted of 105 students (35 male, 70 female) of Mataram University who took a Biochemistry course and 2 lecturers of Biochemistry course. The results showed students' critical thinking skills through laboratory work reports were still weak. Analysis of the questionnaire showed that three indicators become the biggest problems during the laboratory work implementation, namely, lecturers' involved in laboratory work implementation, the integration of laboratory work implementation of learning in the classroom has not been done optimally and laboratory work implementation as an effort to train critical thinking skills is not optimal yet.

Podcast Effectiveness as Scaffolding Support for Students Enrolled in First-Semester General Chemistry Laboratories

Science.gov (United States)

Powell, Mary Cynthia Barton

2010-01-01

Podcasts covering essential first-semester general chemistry laboratory techniques and central concepts that aid in experimental design or data processing were prepared and made available for students to access on an as-needed basis on iPhones [arrow right] or iPod touches [arrow right]. Research focused in three areas: the extent of podcast…

Two Classes of Power Series and Applications

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Hongwei

2002-01-01

In this note, using the method of undetermined coefficients, we obtain the power series for exp ( f ( x )) and ln ( f ( x )) by means of a simple recursion. As applications, we show how those power series can be used to reproduce and improve some well-known results in analysis. These results may be used as enrichment material in an advanced…

A one-semester course in modeling of VSLI interconnections

CERN Document Server

Goel, Ashok

2015-01-01

Quantitative understanding of the parasitic capacitances and inductances, and the resultant propagation delays and crosstalk phenomena associated with the metallic interconnections on the very large scale integrated (VLSI) circuits has become extremely important for the optimum design of the state-of-the-art integrated circuits. More than 65 percent of the delays on the integrated circuit chip occur in the interconnections and not in the transistors on the chip. Mathematical techniques to model the parasitic capacitances, inductances, propagation delays, crosstalk noise, and electromigration-induced failure associated with the interconnections in the realistic high-density environment on a chip will be discussed. A One-Semester Course in Modeling of VLSI Interconnections also includes an overview of the future interconnection technologies for the nanotechnology circuits.

An Integrated Approach to Teaching Biochemistry for Pharmacy Students.

Science.gov (United States)

Poirier, Therese I.; Borke, Mitchell L.

1982-01-01

A Duquesne course integrating biochemistry lectures, clinical applications lectures, and laboratory sessions has the objectives of (1) making the course more relevant to students' perceived needs; (2) enhancing the learning process; (3) introducing clinical applications early in the students' program; and (4) demonstrating additional…

Medialogi (Dansk informations brochure om Medialogi-uddannelsen, 1. til 10. semester (B.Sc. & Cand.Scient))

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nordahl, Rolf; Andersen, Hans Jørgen

2006-01-01

Informationsbrochure, 28 sider, om Medialogi uddannelsen (Cand. Scient.), der udbydes af Aalborg Universitet i Aalborg, Esbjerg og København. Brochuren beskriver 1. til 10. semester af uddannelsen (B.Sc. og M.Sc.). Informationen er primært rettet mod potentielle ansøgere til Medialogi uddannelsen...

Predicting College Success: Achievement, Demographic, and Psychosocial Predictors of First-Semester College Grade Point Average

Science.gov (United States)

Saltonstall, Margot

2013-01-01

This study seeks to advance and expand research on college student success. Using multinomial logistic regression analysis, the study investigates the contribution of psychosocial variables above and beyond traditional achievement and demographic measures to predicting first-semester college grade point average (GPA). It also investigates if…

Order of draw practices in venous blood sampling at clinical biochemistry departments in the Danish health care system

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jacobsen, Katja Kemp; Brandt, Ida; Christensen, Anne Vindahl

2018-01-01

the procedures in venous blood sampling among clinical biochemistry departments to assess the uniformity of order of blood draw and adherence to international guidelines in the Danish health care system. METHODS: We collected venous order of draw procedures from 49 clinical biochemistry departments at 22 public...... 15189:2012 accreditation (p = .57). CONCLUSIONS: Venous order of draw procedures is diverse at Danish clinical biochemistry departments and show moderate adherence to international guidelines....

Differentiating Biochemistry Course Laboratories Based on Student Experience

Science.gov (United States)

Jakubowski, Henry V.

2011-01-01

Content and emphases in undergraduate biochemistry courses can be readily tailored to accommodate the standards of the department in which they are housed, as well as the backgrounds of the students in the courses. A more challenging issue is how to construct laboratory experiences for a class with both chemistry majors, who usually have little or…

Special Semester titled Geometric mechanics : variational and stochastic methods : CIB, Lausanne, Switzerland, January-June 2015

CERN Document Server

Cruzeiro, Ana; Holm, Darryl

2017-01-01

Collecting together contributed lectures and mini-courses, this book details the research presented in a special semester titled “Geometric mechanics – variational and stochastic methods” run in the first half of 2015 at the Centre Interfacultaire Bernoulli (CIB) of the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne. The aim of the semester was to develop a common language needed to handle the wide variety of problems and phenomena occurring in stochastic geometric mechanics. It gathered mathematicians and scientists from several different areas of mathematics (from analysis, probability, numerical analysis and statistics, to algebra, geometry, topology, representation theory, and dynamical systems theory) and also areas of mathematical physics, control theory, robotics, and the life sciences, with the aim of developing the new research area in a concentrated joint effort, both from the theoretical and applied points of view. The lectures were given by leading specialists in different areas of mathematics a...

Optimal control of two queues in series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moustafa, M.S.; Mohammed, R.M.

1994-08-01

In this paper we give a fairly complete survey of the available results on the control of arrival and service rates for both single queue and networks of queues. We also study two M/M/1 queues in series. At the first queue, the arrival and the service rates are chosen in pair from a finite set whenever the queue lengths at both queues change. Each choice has a switching cost depending on the chosen rates and the queue lengths. At the second queue, the arrival and the service rates are fixed. Our objective is to find a policy for dynamically choosing rates, based on the current rates and queues lengths that minimizes the expected total discounted cost over a finite horizon, numerical results are given. (author). 8 refs, 1 fig

Self-Assessment and Reflection in a 1st Semester Course for Software Engineering Students

Science.gov (United States)

Nielsen, Jacob; Majgaard, Gunver; Sørensen, Erik

2013-01-01

How can student self-assessment be used as a tool and become beneficial for both lecturers and students? We used a simple self-assessment tool for pre- and post-testing on a first-semester engineering course. The students graded their knowledge on human-computer interaction based on their ability to understand and explain specific concepts. The…

Integrating bio-inorganic and analytical chemistry into an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Erasmus, Daniel J; Brewer, Sharon E; Cinel, Bruno

2015-01-01

Undergraduate laboratories expose students to a wide variety of topics and techniques in a limited amount of time. This can be a challenge and lead to less exposure to concepts and activities in bio-inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are closely-related to biochemistry. To address this, we incorporated a new iron determination by atomic absorption spectroscopy exercise as part of a five-week long laboratory-based project on the purification of myoglobin from beef. Students were required to prepare samples for chemical analysis, operate an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, critically evaluate their iron data, and integrate these data into a study of myoglobin. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Organising and learning experiences of the first semester MA Program ePedagogy / Visual Knowledge Building

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jaap Jansen

2006-01-01

This paper will discuss the process of the MA program ePedagogy / Visual Knowledge Building during the first semester of the academic year 2005 – 2006. This MA program is a joint venture between the Universities of Helsinki, Hamburg and INHOLLAND. This publication will discuss and evaluate the

Computer-Mediated Communication with Distant Friends: Relations with Adjustment during Students' First Semester in College

Science.gov (United States)

Ranney, John D.; Troop-Gordon, Wendy

2012-01-01

Because of recent technological innovations, college freshmen can readily communicate with friends who they see infrequently (e.g., friends from home). The current study addressed whether computer-mediated communication with these distant friends can compensate for a lack of high-quality on-campus friendships during students' first semester of…

Haematology and Clinical Biochemistry Findings Associated with Equine Diseases - a Review

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Onyinyechukwu A. AGINA

2017-03-01

Full Text Available The course and outcome of a disease process is dependent upon factors such as the disease-causing agent and its cell tropism, defense mechanisms of the host, genetic resistance of the species or breed affected, as well as the age, nutritional status and hormonal levels of the affected animal. When haematology, clinical biochemistry and cytology test results are combined with other laboratory procedures, complete physical examination and also with the history of the patient, a veterinarian is well armed to arrive at a definitive diagnosis, make a certain prognosis (good, poor or guarded and can also make a concluding statement on the efficacy of the instituted therapy. In clinical biochemistry, demonstration of specific enzyme activity and concentration of analytes in serum/plasma facilitates the disease diagnosis. Also, evaluation of haematology, clinical biochemistry and diagnostic cytology tests can help establish the presence or absence of diseases of internal organs, and by serial performance of these tests, may help to determine whether a disease process remains static, progressive or regressive. This review therefore provides the haematological, serum biochemical and cytological characteristics of diseases caused by the main bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, helminths, arthropods, nutritional deficiencies, endocrine disturbances, neoplasm, allergy, toxins (phytoxins and zootoxins and inorganic poisons in horses.

Radioactive isotopes in biochemistry (historical essay)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blanko, M.A.; Shamin, A.N.

1988-01-01

A large volume of facts, including little-known biobibliographic data on the the first reserchers who applied the method, are used in the study. The main attention is paid to the use of the method of labelled atoms, when considering intermediate exchange of substances and creating metabolic ways maps (the end of 30-ies - beginning of 50-ies). Using as an example the history of creation of the labelled atom method and its introduction into biochemistry, the problem of the research methods transfer from one branch of science to another is considered

Comprehensive experiment-clinical biochemistry: determination of blood glucose and triglycerides in normal and diabetic rats.

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Li; Xiujuan, Shi; Juan, Wang; Song, Jia; Lei, Xu; Guotong, Xu; Lixia, Lu

2015-01-01

For second year medical students, we redesigned an original laboratory experiment and developed a combined research-teaching clinical biochemistry experiment. Using an established diabetic rat model to detect blood glucose and triglycerides, the students participate in the entire experimental process, which is not normally experienced during a standard clinical biochemistry exercise. The students are not only exposed to techniques and equipment but are also inspired to think more about the biochemical mechanisms of diseases. When linked with lecture topics about the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, the students obtain a better understanding of the relevance of abnormal metabolism in relation to diseases. Such understanding provides a solid foundation for the medical students' future research and for other clinical applications. © 2014 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education.

Using Assessment to Improve Learning in the Biochemistry Classroom

Science.gov (United States)

Loertscher, Jennifer

2010-01-01

In recent years, major drivers of undergraduate science education reform including the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) have called on college and university instructors to take a more scientific approach to their teaching. Although many biochemistry instructors are gaining confidence in using…

Aspects of the serum biochemistry, carcass quality and organoleptic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The effects of feeding alkaline treated date pits (TDP) on serum biochemistry, carcass quality and organoleptic characteristics were investigated in 396 commercial broiler chicks of the Hybro strain. The values of glucose, albumin, protein, calcium, pH and GPT and GOT showed no significance difference when compared ...

Drug Synthesis and Analysis on a Dime: A Capstone Medicinal Chemistry Experience for the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Streu, Craig N.; Reif, Randall D.; Neiles, Kelly Y.; Schech, Amanda J.; Mertz, Pamela S.

2016-01-01

Integrative, research-based experiences have shown tremendous potential as effective pedagogical approaches. Pharmaceutical development is an exciting field that draws heavily on organic chemistry and biochemistry techniques. A capstone drug synthesis/analysis laboratory is described where biochemistry students synthesize azo-stilbenoid compounds…

The Use of Information and CommunicationTechnologies in Biochemistry Teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. Munford

2011-04-01

Full Text Available The gap between traditional tools for teaching and the modern multimedia languages leads us to search for new methodologies of teaching. Using the Moodlesoftware as a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE, we give the students the opportunity to exchange experiences and research results, participate on debates and see animations. This work  was meant to createa VLE and investigate its impact  on the Biochemistry teaching-learning process. Besides observing students’ perception and attitude towards the VLE with questionnaires and Moodle’s statistical data, quantitative and qualitative studies were developed to understand the contribution of animations available in the VLE for the understanding of Biochemistry topics. The results showed that undergraduate students improved their academic results. Students mentioned that the biggest contribution of the VLE and animations was to make the study content more interesting and dynamic, motivating them tostudy harder. Moreover, students using only animations to study can achieve levels of knowledge similar to the ones obtained in traditional classes. Interestingly, our analysis also showed that watching animations and then attending to a traditional class makes students reach a level of knowledge that is impossible to reach only in classroom. This work demonstrates that the use of Information andCommunication Technologies (ICTs can be positive in the pedagogical processesinvolved in Biochemistry teaching, and they should be better spread amongst teaching institutions.

Design and Evaluation of a One-Semester General Chemistry Course for Undergraduate Life Science Majors

Science.gov (United States)

Schnoebelen, Carly; Towns, Marcy H.; Chmielewski, Jean; Hrycyna, Christine A.

2018-01-01

The chemistry curriculum for undergraduate life science majors at Purdue University has been transformed to better meet the needs of this student population and prepare them for future success. The curriculum, called the 1-2-1 curriculum, includes four consecutive and integrated semesters of instruction in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and…

Personalized System of Instruction (Keller Method) for Medical School Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Weisman, Robert A.; Shapiro, David M.

1973-01-01

The Keller Method requires abolishing lectures as a vehicle of information transfer in favor of a study guide and breaking the biochemistry course into a number of units each to be mastered at the student's own pace. (Editor)

LLUSTRATION OF AMINO ACIDS REACTIONS AND PROTEINS CHARACTERIZATION FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOCHEMISTRY CLASSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. Parreira

2008-05-01

Full Text Available New teaching methodologies have been developed to facilitate the learning of biochemistry concepts. A new  approach to Biochemistry  teaching  has become more frequent,  one that does not  require reagents but use photos, videos, softwares etc. Experimental Biochemistry classes, i.e. covering characterization of amino acids and proteins,  might be more productive with the use of complementary didactic material.  Furthermore,  if experiments cannot be implemented, classes may  be well illustrated with complementary didactic material covering from the simplest to the most  complex experiments.  In order to  aid Biochemistry classes without practical experiments, some tests and reactions were documented in our laboratory through digital photos, for  instance: (1 the biuret reaction wherein the blue reagent turns violet in the presence of proteins and changes to pink when combined with short-chain polypeptides; (2 the ninhydrin test used in amino acid analysis of proteins: most of the amino acids are hydrolyzed and react with ninhydrin; when reacting with these free amines, a deep blue or purple color appears; (3 methods for detecting proteins wherein spectrophotometry is used, that deals with the relationship between absorbance, concentration and path length, which constitute the Beer-Lambert Law. A didactic material constituted by texts, schemes and illustrated by photos has been created for each class topic. This material can be used either as a teacher script or in a presentation form to illustrate classes without experimental activities. Financial Support: Pro-Reitoria Graduação-USP, CNPq.

Enhancing Predictive Accuracy of Cardiac Autonomic Neuropathy Using Blood Biochemistry Features and Iterative Multitier Ensembles.

Science.gov (United States)

Abawajy, Jemal; Kelarev, Andrei; Chowdhury, Morshed U; Jelinek, Herbert F

2016-01-01

Blood biochemistry attributes form an important class of tests, routinely collected several times per year for many patients with diabetes. The objective of this study is to investigate the role of blood biochemistry for improving the predictive accuracy of the diagnosis of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) progression. Blood biochemistry contributes to CAN, and so it is a causative factor that can provide additional power for the diagnosis of CAN especially in the absence of a complete set of Ewing tests. We introduce automated iterative multitier ensembles (AIME) and investigate their performance in comparison to base classifiers and standard ensemble classifiers for blood biochemistry attributes. AIME incorporate diverse ensembles into several tiers simultaneously and combine them into one automatically generated integrated system so that one ensemble acts as an integral part of another ensemble. We carried out extensive experimental analysis using large datasets from the diabetes screening research initiative (DiScRi) project. The results of our experiments show that several blood biochemistry attributes can be used to supplement the Ewing battery for the detection of CAN in situations where one or more of the Ewing tests cannot be completed because of the individual difficulties faced by each patient in performing the tests. The results show that AIME provide higher accuracy as a multitier CAN classification paradigm. The best predictive accuracy of 99.57% has been obtained by the AIME combining decorate on top tier with bagging on middle tier based on random forest. Practitioners can use these findings to increase the accuracy of CAN diagnosis.

Two-pass imputation algorithm for missing value estimation in gene expression time series.

Science.gov (United States)

Tsiporkova, Elena; Boeva, Veselka

2007-10-01

Gene expression microarray experiments frequently generate datasets with multiple values missing. However, most of the analysis, mining, and classification methods for gene expression data require a complete matrix of gene array values. Therefore, the accurate estimation of missing values in such datasets has been recognized as an important issue, and several imputation algorithms have already been proposed to the biological community. Most of these approaches, however, are not particularly suitable for time series expression profiles. In view of this, we propose a novel imputation algorithm, which is specially suited for the estimation of missing values in gene expression time series data. The algorithm utilizes Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) distance in order to measure the similarity between time expression profiles, and subsequently selects for each gene expression profile with missing values a dedicated set of candidate profiles for estimation. Three different DTW-based imputation (DTWimpute) algorithms have been considered: position-wise, neighborhood-wise, and two-pass imputation. These have initially been prototyped in Perl, and their accuracy has been evaluated on yeast expression time series data using several different parameter settings. The experiments have shown that the two-pass algorithm consistently outperforms, in particular for datasets with a higher level of missing entries, the neighborhood-wise and the position-wise algorithms. The performance of the two-pass DTWimpute algorithm has further been benchmarked against the weighted K-Nearest Neighbors algorithm, which is widely used in the biological community; the former algorithm has appeared superior to the latter one. Motivated by these findings, indicating clearly the added value of the DTW techniques for missing value estimation in time series data, we have built an optimized C++ implementation of the two-pass DTWimpute algorithm. The software also provides for a choice between three different

An Assessment of the Effects of Two Experimental Arrangements on the Classroom Behavior of Student Teachers as Measured By IOTA.

Science.gov (United States)

Kelly, Donald Edward

This study found no significant difference in classroom teaching performance between participants enrolled in the three semester on-site teacher preparation sequence and participants enrolled in a one semester on-campus and two semester on-site sequence. Subjects were 39 volunteer undergraduate students enrolled in the Department of Secondary…

Construction of concept maps as tool for Biochemistry learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvia Lopes de Menezes

2006-07-01

Full Text Available The use of concept maps on the teaching of sciences has been object of worldwide research with different purposes: to detect the previous knowledge of the students on certain topics or to evaluate learning, among others. Based on Ausubel´s cognitive psychology, concept maps assume that the learning is accomplished by assimilation of new concepts and propositions to the students´ cognitive structure, contributing to establish links between the previous and new knowledge. It is especially interesting on the approach of interdisciplinary issues, as many studied in Biochemistry.The relevance of the use of concept maps on biochemistry learning was evaluated on a thirty-hour undergraduation optional course, with interdisciplinary topics, which are not usually included on introductory Biochemistry courses. The course Biochemistry of Animal Venoms was structured in seven module where the biochemical action mechanisms of the venoms of Crotalus sp (south american rattlesnake, Bothrops sp (jararaca, Loxosceles sp (brown spider, Tityus sp (yellow scorpion, Phoneutria sp (armed spider, Apis mellifera (honey bee and Latrodectus sp (black widowwere discussed. The students worked in small groups and, at each module, there were (1 an oriented study, guided by questions, texts and schemes, supervised by the teachers, (2 the construction of individual concept maps, where the local and systemic effects of the venoms should be predicted by their biochemical composition and (3 the construction of a new map by the group, incorporating the information of the individual maps. The difficulty level of these tasks was gradually increased throughout the course, with lesser time to carry out the tasks, lesser assistance during the oriented study and even lesser information on the venom effects.The course assessment was given by the number, quality and correction of the concepts relationship present in the concept maps, through a questionnaire and by the

History of Biochemistry at the University of Geneva From the Boulevard des Philosophes to Quai Ernest-Ansermet.

Science.gov (United States)

Deshusses, Jacques; Riezman, Howard

2009-12-01

A brief account of the developments in biochemistry at the Faculty of Science of the University of Geneva is given from its emergence from organic chemistry at the Ancienne Ecole de chimie to today's Department of Biochemistry at the Section de chimie et biochimie.

Blood and serum biochemistry of omentopexed West African Dwarf ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigated the blood and serum biochemistry following peritoneum sutured and not sutured techniques of laparotomy sutures in omentopexed WAD goats. Twentyfive male WAD goats were randomly divided into 5 groups (A – E). In group A, peritoneum was not sutured, while in group B, the peritoneum was ...

Adjusting a biochemistry course for physical education majors: A case study.

Science.gov (United States)

da Costa, Caetano; Torres, Bayardo B

2004-03-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze the events responsible for curricular characteristics that lead to positive outcomes in university teaching using a biochemistry course taught to physical education students as a model. The research was carried out as a case study, supported by questionnaires, classroom observation, document analysis, and interviews. The overall analyses of obtained data were validated by means of triangulation protocols, which proved the following reasons for the course achievements: 1) teaching staff deeply committed to the course; 2) contents adaptation to students' careers; 3) gradual adjustment of the teaching strategies and evaluation tools; 4) valorization of formative evaluation; and 5) providing a suitable affective milieu. Copyright © 2004 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Gender Disparities in Second-Semester College Physics: The Incremental Effects of a "Smog of Bias"

Science.gov (United States)

Kost-Smith, Lauren E.; Pollock, Steven J.; Finkelstein, Noah D.

2010-01-01

Our previous research [Kost et al., Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 5, 010101 (2009)] examined gender differences in the first-semester, introductory physics class at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We found that: (1) there were gender differences in several aspects of the course, including conceptual survey performance, (2) these…

Enhancing Student Performance in First-Semester General Chemistry Using Active Feedback through the World Wide Web

Science.gov (United States)

Chambers, Kent A.; Blake, Bob

2007-01-01

The World Wide Web recently launched a new interactive feedback system for the instructors, so that can better understanding about their students and their problems. The feedback, in combination with tailored lectures is expected to enhance student performance in the first semester of general chemistry.

Integrating Chemical Information Instruction into the Chemistry Curriculum on Borrowed Time: A Multiyear Case Study of a Capstone Research Report for Organic Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Jacobs, Danielle L.; Dalal, Heather A.; Dawson, Patricia H.

2016-01-01

To develop information literacy skills in chemistry and biochemistry majors at a primarily undergraduate institution, a multiyear collaboration between chemistry faculty and librarians has resulted in the establishment of a semester-long capstone project for Organic Chemistry II. Information literacy skills were instilled via a progressive…

Is DNA Alive? a Study of Conceptual Change through Targeted Instruction

Science.gov (United States)

Witzig, Stephen B.; Freyermuth, Sharyn K.; Siegel, Marcelle A.; Izci, Kemal; Pires, J. Chris

2013-01-01

We are involved in a project to incorporate innovative assessments within a reform-based large-lecture biochemistry course for nonmajors. We not only assessed misconceptions but purposefully changed instruction throughout the semester to confront student ideas. Our research questions targeted student conceptions of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)…

Students misconceptions on chemical equilibrium and their consequences to biochemistry learning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Montagna

2011-04-01

Full Text Available It is well documented that misconceptions onchemical equilibrium (CE are widespread among students in  higher education. Nevertheless CE concept is critical for biochemistry topics development such as buffer solutions, enzymekinetics, allosteric enzymes, metabolic networks, among others. In the present work weperformed tests in order to diagnose howstudents use the concepts of CE acquired inother courses. We tested high school andundergraduate students from two courses intwo institutions, in four moments of their course: a. freshmen; b. after basic general chemistry courses; c. along the biochemistrycourse and d. after physical chemistry courses. The tests dealt with: 1. tasks containing current terms, keywords and concepts about CE; 2. tests that exclusively use symbolic representations of CE and 3. application of elementary concepts of CE in biochemistry. The resultsshow that among thestudents: 1. more than 95% correctly answer questions of group1; 2. more than 50% fail in questions of group 2, and; 3. morethan 50% fail in questions of the group 3. We conclude that students solve tests  on CE without really understand the concepts involved; consequently studentsare unable to work CE concepts without mathematical tools or conventional formulas.Finally, the results show that students are restricted to use CE concept only in the context in which it was learned and this certainly impairs the significant learning of the forthcoming biochemical contents.

TASK BASED APPROACH IN WRITING ARTICLE (A Field Study: The Seventh Semester Students of PBI 2008 D of STKIP Ponorogo in Academic Year 2011/2012

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tintin Susilowati

2012-06-01

Full Text Available Abstrak: Menulis adalah salah satu skill dari keterampilan bahasa yang masih menjadi masalah serius  bagi mahasiswa secara umum bahkan bagi mahasiswa semester tujuh jurusan pendidikan bahasa Inggris. Berdasarkan data ditemukan bahwa banyak mahasiswa semester tujuh memiliki keterbatasan pengetahuan tentang struktur paragrap terkait dengan esensi dan proposi dalam penulisan pendahuluan, tubuh dari paragrap untuk mengembangkan ide, serta kesimpulan bahkan mereka juga masih mengalami kesulitan dalam menulis sebuah paragrap. Paragrap seharusnya telah dikuasai oleh mahasiswa semester atas. Sebagai mahasiswa semester tujuh, mereka seharusnya telah mampu untuk menghasilkan tulisan jurnalistik seperti artikel. Penulisan artikel artikel, diterapkan dalam pembelajaran di kelas  menulis. Dalam materi menulis, diuraikan melalui serangkaian kegiatan dari langkah awal sampai produk akhir secara sisematis menggunakan “Task-Based Approach”. Implementasi dari pembelajaran ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif. Data diambil dari hasil tulisan mahasiswa dan di analisa menggunakan skala rubrik. Dengan Task-Based Approach, mahasiswa diarahkan untuk mampu menulis artikel. Pembelajaran dilakukan berbasis tugas dengan fokus yang berbeda untuk tiap pertemuan namun tujuan akhirnya mahasiswa mampu menulis artikel secara utuh setelah melakukan  tugas-tugas yang diberikan.

AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ SPEAKING ABILITY IN ENGLISH CONVERSATION CLUB (ECC PROGRAM AT THE 3rd SEMESTER

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M. Fadhly Farhy Abbas

2017-07-01

Full Text Available This research is based on students’ speaking ability who had followed the EnglishConversation Club (ECC program especially for the third semester of English Department. Thepurpose of this study was to analyze the students’ speaking ability at the 3rd semester in the EnglishConversation Club FKIP UNILAK Pekanbaru. The type of the research was mixed method in typeof explanatory design. The number of participant was 53 students. The researcher used twoinstruments, those were test and interview. In analyzing the data, it used in descriptive statistics.The result of the analysis showed that the average score of 3rd semester students’ speaking abilitywas 45.42. It can be concluded that the students’ speaking ability was categorized into failed . Thescore of Standard Deviation was 7.02, Variance was 49.30, and Range was 36 points . It meansthat the students’ speaking ability was homogeneous. According to the Z-Score, it can be seen that49.06% students’ ability was higher than average and 50.94% students ability was below theaverage. In conclusion, the students’ ability in learning speaking English was failed, it had beenaffected by some factors, those were lack of vocabulary, grammar and motivation. It was supportedby the interview, eventhough the students’ perception to English Conversation Club (ECCprogram was positive, but in fact, the students’ frequency to speak English was seldom, they wereless practice speaking English everyday.Keywords : Speaking , English Conversation Club (ECC

Using Adobe Flash animations of electron transport chain to teach and learn biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Teplá, Milada; Klímová, Helena

2015-01-01

Teaching the subject of the electron transport chain is one of the most challenging aspects of the chemistry curriculum at the high school level. This article presents an educational program called "Electron Transport Chain" which consists of 14 visual animations including a biochemistry quiz. The program was created in the Adobe Flash CS3 Professional animation program and is designed for high school chemistry students. Our goal is to develop educational materials that facilitate the comprehension of this complex subject through dynamic animations which show the course of the electron transport chain and simultaneously explain its nature. We record the process of the electron transport chain, including connections with oxidative phosphorylation, in such a way as to minimize the occurrence of discrepancies in interpretation. The educational program was evaluated in high schools through the administration of a questionnaire, which contained 12 opened-ended items and which required participants to evaluate the graphics of the animations, chemical content, student preferences, and its suitability for high school biochemistry teaching. © 2015 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

HEMATOLOGY, SERUM BIOCHEMISTRY, AND URINALYSIS VALUES IN THE ADULT GIANT PANDA ( AILUROPODA MELANOLEUCA).

Science.gov (United States)

Burrell, Caitlin; Zhang, Hemin; Li, Desheng; Wang, Chengdong; Li, Caiwu; Aitken-Palmer, Copper

2017-12-01

The giant panda ( Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is a high-profile threatened species with individuals in captivity worldwide. As a result of advances in captive animal management and veterinary medicine, the ex situ giant panda population is aging, and improved understanding of age-related changes is necessary. Urine and blood samples were collected in April and July 2015 and analyzed for complete blood count, serum biochemistry, and biochemical and microscopic urine analysis for all individuals sampled ( n = 7, 7-16 yr of age) from giant panda housed at the China Research and Conservation Centre for the Giant Panda in Bifengxia, Sichuan Province, China. Hematology and serum biochemistry values were similar to those previously reported for giant panda aged 2-20 yr and to Species360 (formerly International Species Information System) values. Urine was overall dilute (urine specific gravity range: 1.001-1.021), acellular, and acidic (pH range: 6-7). This is the first report of hematologic and serum biochemistry, with associated urinalysis values, in the giant panda aged 7-16 yr.

The New Biochemistry: Blending the Traditional with the Other.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyer, Rodney

2000-01-01

Points out the difficulties in designing and presenting a modern chemistry course with an overabundance of topics to cover in a limited amount of class time. Presents a model syllabi for biochemistry majors and the shorter survey course for non-majors, usually consisting of health professionals and biological science majors. (Contains 24…

From Idea to Action: Promoting Responsible Management Education through a Semester-Long Academic Integrity Learning Project

Science.gov (United States)

Lavine, Marc H.; Roussin, Christopher J.

2012-01-01

The authors describe a semester-long action-learning project where undergraduate or graduate management students learn about ethics, responsibility, and organizational behavior by examining the policy of their college or university that addresses academic integrity. Working in teams, students adopt a stakeholder management approach as they make…

Development of a virtual classroom to teach biochemistry

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R.S. Rodrigues

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Knowing  the  difficulties to  teach  some biochemistry concepts  because  of their  dynamic  and  spatial characteristics, computers  have been adopted  to help in these  visualizations.  Pictures, three  dimen- sional structures and animations were built and used to display in classes and distributed to students. Behind  these  specific illustrations, an  informatics  environment has  been  developed  to  support bio- chemistry  teaching.    Based  in  free software,  it fits  in  a single CD  that works  independent of any software installed  on the computer, even the operating  system, and is compatible  with most hardware configurations.This technique is called live-CD. It is based on Linux architecture, which is not only free software but also more flexible to be configured.  After some tests with Linux distributions, Slackware has been chosen because of its easy manipulation and  because it makes the  best use of the hardware  allowing to be installed  in old or limited  equipments. It has been configured to make the best optimization of the computer  and have all software needed for most biochemistry classrooms.It  was installed:   an  Internet browser  compatible  with  a 3D molecule visualization plug-in,  text editor,  presentation editor,  picture  editor  and  some didactic  material  specific for biochemistry.  The interface was configured for people with no experience in the Linux environment.The  system  can  also work in an  intranet, where  a computer  would  be operated  by the  teacher and it would have some special control configurations  as: web site access control, power control of the others  machines  and  even an option  that would bring  the  desktop  of other  machine  to the  teacher´s what  allows him to make a straight orientation for a student from his screen.This new system,  which is a common platform  for other �

Identification of two-phase flow regimes by time-series modeling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

King, C.H.; Ouyang, M.S.; Pei, B.S.

1987-01-01

The identification of two-phase flow patterns in pipes or ducts is important to the design and operation of thermal-hydraulic systems, especially in the nuclear reactor cores of boiling water reactors or in the steam generators of pressurized water reactors. Basically, two-phase flow shows some fluctuating characteristics even at steady-state conditions. These fluctuating characteristics can be analyzed by statistical methods for obtaining flow signatures. There have been a number of experimental studies conducted that are concerned with the statistical properties of void fraction or pressure pulsation in two-phase flow. In this study, the authors propose a new technique of identifying the patterns of air-water two-phase flow in a vertical pipe. This technique is based on analyzing the statistic characteristics of the pressure signals of the test loop by time-series modeling

A character network study of two Sci-Fi TV series

Science.gov (United States)

Tan, M. S. A.; Ujum, E. A.; Ratnavelu, K.

2014-03-01

This work is an analysis of the character networks in two science fiction television series: Stargate and Star Trek. These networks are constructed on the basis of scene co-occurrence between characters to indicate the presence of a connection. Global network structure measures such as the average path length, graph density, network diameter, average degree, median degree, maximum degree, and average clustering coefficient are computed as well as individual node centrality scores. The two fictional networks constructed are found to be quite similar in structure which is astonishing given that Stargate only ran for 18 years in comparison to the 48 years for Star Trek.

A Two-Dimensional Solar Tracking Stationary Guidance Method Based on Feature-Based Time Series

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Keke Zhang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available The amount of satellite energy acquired has a direct impact on operational capacities of the satellite. As for practical high functional density microsatellites, solar tracking guidance design of solar panels plays an extremely important role. Targeted at stationary tracking problems incurred in a new system that utilizes panels mounted in the two-dimensional turntable to acquire energies to the greatest extent, a two-dimensional solar tracking stationary guidance method based on feature-based time series was proposed under the constraint of limited satellite attitude coupling control capability. By analyzing solar vector variation characteristics within an orbit period and solar vector changes within the whole life cycle, such a method could be adopted to establish a two-dimensional solar tracking guidance model based on the feature-based time series to realize automatic switching of feature-based time series and stationary guidance under the circumstance of different β angles and the maximum angular velocity control, which was applicable to near-earth orbits of all orbital inclination. It was employed to design a two-dimensional solar tracking stationary guidance system, and a mathematical simulation for guidance performance was carried out in diverse conditions under the background of in-orbit application. The simulation results show that the solar tracking accuracy of two-dimensional stationary guidance reaches 10∘ and below under the integrated constraints, which meet engineering application requirements.

Comparative analysis of the biochemistry undergraduate courses in Brazil

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P. A. Granjeiro

2014-08-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The economic and social development of Brazil during the recent decades has contributed to the installation of several new undergraduate and graduate study programs, as is the case of the undergraduate biochemistry programs at UFV, UFSJ and UEM. The new biochemical professionals are being prepared to work mainly in Industries, research Institutes, government agencies and Universities in all fields that involve Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. The aim of this study was to conduct a comparative analysis of the courses in Biochemistry in Brazil. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Comparative analysis of the course units of the UFV, UFSJ and UEM programs, centered on the curricula contents and organization and on the profiles of the students in terms of parameters such as the number of admissions and the graduation completion rates. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The UFV and UEM programs present a very similar distribution of workload over the biological, exact sciences, humanities, biochemical specialties and technological applications. The UFSJ program presents higher workloads in the areas of biological sciences and technological applications. No significant differences in the distribution of the workloads of mandatory and optional disciplines, complementary activities and supervised activities were detected. Over the past five years there was a decrease in the number of students that abandoned the programs, despite the increased retention time in the three courses. Most graduated students at both UFV and UFSJ continue their academic career toward the Master or Doctor degrees. CONCLUSION: Little difference between the study programs analyzed. This is somewhat surprising if one considers the fact that individual conception of each program was based on different local conditions and needs, which indeed justify small differences. The similarity of the programs, on the other hand, reflects the universality of the biochemical sciences and their broad

The Use of Multiple Tools for Teaching Medical Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Se, Alexandre B.; Passos, Renato M.; Ono, Andre H.; Hermes-Lima, Marcelo

2008-01-01

In this work, we describe the use of several strategies employing the philosophies of active learning and problem-based learning (PBL) that may be used to improve the teaching of metabolic biochemistry to medical and nutritional undergraduate students. The main activities are as follows: 1) a seminar/poster system in a mini-congress format (using…

BIOCHEMISTRYGUIDE: A GUIDE TO STUDY BIOCHEMISTRY IN THE PALM OF YOUR HAND

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M. L.C. Zago

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The new generation has grown driven by the digital technologies. Nowadays, the access to information has extended to the mobile technologies, like cell phones and tablets, increasing the technological resources for use in education. Educational institutions are opening more and more space to technologies, which have a new teaching, and learning methodology. The internet is an inexhaustible source of knowledge. With so much available material, the student finds difficulties in choosing the best source to study. Develop a cell phone app that works as a biochemistry study guide, providing materials from safe source and easy access. The app was developed at the website "Factory of apps", for free, and available for all the operational systems (Android, IOS, windows, enabling the download in any device. Were inserted in it materials like: summaries of the main subjects dealt in the discipline with clear and objective language, scientific articles to complementary reading, video-classes and exercises. Offering fast and practical access to the material, facilitating the process of studying and learning. The student does not have to let his mobile phone in preference of studying and does not find difficulties to filter available information in the internet. After the app's use, was applied a questionnaire to the participating students for this tool's assessment, such as layout, quality of the available material, access facilities. All the participants have approved the listed aspects and have said that the use of the tool can help at the biochemistry study, by the reliable material and by being available in a mobile device providing quick and immediate access, at any time in the palm of the hand. The use of this tool can be applied in the classroom to help the professor in getting materials and to help the students by its practicality.Acknowledgements: CnpQ, Unipampa. Keywords: App, BiochemistryGuide, Biochemistry

CROSAT: A digital computer program for statistical-spectral analysis of two discrete time series

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antonopoulos Domis, M.

1978-03-01

The program CROSAT computes directly from two discrete time series auto- and cross-spectra, transfer and coherence functions, using a Fast Fourier Transform subroutine. Statistical analysis of the time series is optional. While of general use the program is constructed to be immediately compatible with the ICL 4-70 and H316 computers at AEE Winfrith, and perhaps with minor modifications, with any other hardware system. (author)

Promoting active learning of graduate student by deep reading in biochemistry and microbiology pharmacy curriculum.

Science.gov (United States)

Peng, Ren

2017-07-08

To promote graduate students' active learning, deep reading of high quality papers was done by graduate students enrolled in biochemistry and microbiology pharmacy curriculum offered by college of life science, Jiangxi Normal University from 2013 to 2015. The number of graduate students, who participated in the course in 2013, 2014, and 2015 were eleven, thirteen and fifteen, respectively. Through deep reading of papers, presentation, and group discussion in the lecture, these graduate students have improved their academic performances effectively, such as literature search, PPT document production, presentation management, specialty document reading, academic inquiry, and analytical and comprehensive ability. The graduate students also have increased their understanding level of frontier research, scientific research methods, and experimental methods. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 45(4):305-312, 2017. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Clinical biochemistry and MRI follow up study in postpartum pituitary enlargement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Weipeng; Huang Shaoqiang; Lu Xiaofan; Cai Baimang; Liu Xuguang

2004-01-01

Objective: To investigate the relationship between enlargement of pituitary in postpartum females and the clinical biochemistry. Methods: In total 6 postpartum women were studied by MRI of pituitary and clinical biochemistry assessment, the data was collected especially in puerperium period. Results: Enlargement of pituitary gland was most remarkable in the first week of puerperium period, while endocrine changes including HCG, Progesterone, E 2 also reached considerable high peak in the same time especially the first and second day after labor. Prolactin also increased. βHCG, Progesterone, and E 2 rapidly decreased after the first week of puerperium period and the size of pituitary gland recovered to normal size. Conclusion: Postpartum enlargement of pituitary gland is physiological and related with internal environment change in gravitation, which is not to be misdiagnosed as a lesion

Estimating foliar biochemistry from hyperspectral data in mixed forest canopy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Huber Gharib, Silvia; Kneubühler, Mathias; Psomas, Achilleas

2008-01-01

data to estimate the foliar concentration of nitrogen, carbon and water in three mixed forest canopies in Switzerland. With multiple linear regression models, continuum-removed and normalized HyMap spectra were related to foliar biochemistry on an individual tree level. The six spectral wavebands used...

Titration of Alanine Monitored by NMR Spectroscopy: A Biochemistry Laboratory Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Waller, Francis J.; And Others

1977-01-01

The experiment described here involves simultaneous monitoring of pH and NMR chemical shifts during an aqueous titration of alpha- and beta-alanine. This experiment is designed for use in an undergraduate biochemistry course. (MR)

Reactivity I: A Foundation-Level Course for Both Majors and Nonmajors in Integrated Organic, Inorganic, and Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Schaller, Chris P.; Graham, Kate J.; Johnson, Brian J.; Jones, T. Nicholas; McIntee, Edward J.

2015-01-01

A foundation level course is presented that integrates aspects of organic, inorganic and biochemistry in the context of reactivity. The course was designed to serve majors in chemistry and other sciences (biochemistry, biology, nutrition), as well as nursing and pre-health professions students. Themes of the course were designed to highlight a…

A Course in Critical Thinking for PhD Students in Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology: Classical Experiments in Biochemistry

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Carlos B. Hirschberg

2016-03-01

Full Text Available This essay presents and discusses an eight-session seminar course designed to develop critical thinking skills in doctoral biochemistry students by exposing them to classical experiments in biochemistry. During each 2.5 session, different key topics of the discovery and development of biochemical concepts are discussed. Before each session, students are required to read the one or two classical papers. The size of the seminar course and the seating of the students are critical to make this a highly interactive environment for all students to participate in the critique and re-designing of key experiments, including control experiments, which helped formulate these classical concepts. Final student evaluation of the course’s goals has two equal components: Course participation and a final take home exam due two weeks after the course is completed. Together with the take home exam students are also required to write an evaluation of the course, preferably no longer than half a page. Students’ comments of the course have been uniformly positive. The author notes the sooner students are exposed to this manner of thinking, the better they will be equipped to choose an appropriate mentor and contribute creatively to attempt to solve the scientific problem of their PhD thesis.

A Guide to Using Case-Based Learning in Biochemistry Education

Science.gov (United States)

Kulak, Verena; Newton, Genevieve

2014-01-01

Studies indicate that the majority of students in undergraduate biochemistry take a surface approach to learning, associated with rote memorization of material, rather than a deep approach, which implies higher cognitive processing. This behavior relates to poorer outcomes, including impaired course performance and reduced knowledge retention. The…

Creation and implementation of a flipped jigsaw activity to stimulate interest in biochemistry among medical students.

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Charlene; Perlis, Susan; Gaughan, John; Phadtare, Sangita

2018-05-06

Learner-centered pedagogical methods that are based on clinical application of basic science concepts through active learning and problem solving are shown to be effective for improving knowledge retention. As the clinical relevance of biochemistry is not always apparent to health-profession students, effective teaching of medical biochemistry should highlight the implications of biochemical concepts in pathology, minimize memorization, and make the concepts memorable for long-term retention. Here, we report the creation and successful implementation of a flipped jigsaw activity that was developed to stimulate interest in learning biochemistry among medical students. The activity combined the elements of a flipped classroom for learning concepts followed by a jigsaw activity to retrieve these concepts by solving clinical cases, answering case-based questions, and creating concept maps. The students' reception of the activity was very positive. They commented that the activity provided them an opportunity to review and synthesize information, helped to gage their learning by applying this information and work with peers. Students' improved performance especially for answering the comprehension-based questions correctly in the postquiz as well as the depth of information included in the postquiz concept maps suggested that the activity helped them to understand how different clinical scenarios develop owing to deviations in basic biochemical pathways. Although this activity was created for medical students, the format of this activity can also be useful for other health-professional students as well as undergraduate and graduate students. © 2018 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2018. © 2018 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

A Survey on Faculty Perspectives on the Transition to a Biochemistry Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Craig, Paul A.

2017-01-01

It will always remain a goal of an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory course to engage students hands-on in a wide range of biochemistry laboratory experiences. In 2006, our research group initiated a project for "in silico" prediction of enzyme function based only on the 3D coordinates of the more than 3800 proteins "of unknown…

How to Search for Life by the Detection of Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, C. P.; Davila, A.; Sun, H. J.

2013-12-01

We consider how to search for life by the detection of biochemistry in three relevance case: 1) in samples returned to Earth, 2) In situ in the organic rich plume of Enceladus, and 3) On Mars, following the discovery of organics. A search for organic biomarkers can address several questions including: 1) Evidence for present or past life, 2) Evidence for a second genesis of life, 3) Hazard assessment for human explorers and sample return and 4) Detection of bioload from Earth. Some useful analogs for the search for organic biomarkers on other worlds include 1) Ancient Earth sediment record, an example of a poorly preserved ancient biochemistry, 2) Modern environments including anoxic Antarctic sediments 3)Extreme cold desert surfaces in the High Antarctic Dry Valleys 4) Extremely dry soils such as the Atacama Desert 5) Evaporites. Sample preparation is a key issue, often unappreciated in past. Illustrated by the interference of perchlorate with organic detection on Viking and SAM.

Online Communication Tools in Biochemistry Teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. O. Ferreira

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The  online  communication  tools  enable  new  ways  of  learning, especially  the  forums  in the context of online courses, and the understanding of interactions and collaborations in the  forums  can  improve  them.  The  study  aimed  to  analyze  the  online relationships,  as well  as  obtaining  evidence  of  the  use of  other  learning  tools in  a  biochemistry  subject, focusing on how students use the tool forum and its contribution to learning. The study was  carried  out  from  data  pre  and  post  course  questionnaires  as  well  as  log  of environment  access  and  discussion  forum.  The  forums  have  been  restructured  and systematized  for  analysis  and  creating  discursive  flows  between  statements.  The questionnaires showed the central role of forum and wiki for learning,  the importance of interactions, which was highlighted by the forum analysis. The results indicate that one of the ways to improve online biochemistry teaching is to stimulate interactive activities, participatory  moderation  and  pedagogical  support  by  tutors  and  mentors,  also encouraging  and  creating  strategies  to  collaboration  of  students  to  solve problems  and to collaborative knowledge construction.

Hematologic and biochemistry values for black-faced spoonbills (Platalea minor) with and recovering from botulism.

Science.gov (United States)

Chou, Shih-Jen; Shieh, Yao-Ching; Yu, Chang-You

2008-07-01

Type C1 botulism outbreaks in Black-faced Spoonbills (Platalea minor) occurred in Taiwan from 2002 to 2003, and hematologic and biochemistry parameters from botulism-paralyzed birds and recovered birds were compared. Values for creatinine and uric acid were higher (Pbirds with botulism than in recovered birds. Lower white blood cell counts (Pbirds. Based on these observations, we suggest that hematologic and biochemistry analyses should be performed to assess the health condition of birds recovering from botulism.

Introductory lecture series for first-year radiology residents: implementation, investment and assessment.

Science.gov (United States)

Chapman, Teresa; Chew, Felix S

2013-03-01

A lecture series aimed at providing new radiology residents a rapid course on the fundamental concepts of professionalism, safety, and interpretation of diagnostic imaging was established. Evaluation of the course's educational value was attempted through surveys. Twenty-six live 45-minute lectures presented by 16 or 17 faculty members were organized exclusively for the first class of radiology residents, held over a 2-month period at the beginning of certain weekdays. Online surveys were conducted after the course to gather feedback from residents. Average resident rotation evaluation scores were measured over the first semester for the two classes before and after this new course implementation. The lecture series was successfully organized and implemented. A total of 33 residents sat through the course over three summers. Faculty reported a reasonable number of preparation hours, and 100% of residents indicated they valued the course. Comparison of class average evaluation scores before and after the existence of this 2-month course did not significantly change. This collection of introductory lectures on professionalism, safety, and diagnostic imaging, delivered early in the first year of the radiology residency, requires a reasonable number of invested preparation hours by the faculty but results in a universal increase in resident confidence. However, we were unable to demonstrate an objective improvement in resident performance on clinical rotations. Copyright © 2013 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Performance of first-year health sciences students in a large, diverse, multidisciplinary, first-semester, physiology service module.

Science.gov (United States)

Higgins-Opitz, Susan B; Tufts, Mark

2014-06-01

Health Science students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal perform better in their professional modules compared with their physiology modules. The pass rates of physiology service modules have steadily declined over the years. While a system is in place to identify "at-risk" students, it is only activated after the first semester. As a result, it is only from the second semester of their first year studies onward that at-risk students can be formally assisted. The challenge is thus to devise an appropriate strategy to identify struggling students earlier in the semester. Using questionnaires, students were asked about attendance, financing of their studies, and relevance of physiology. After the first class test, failing students were invited to complete a second questionnaire. In addition, demographic data were also collected and analyzed. Correlation analyses were undertaken of performance indicators based on the demographical data collected. The 2011 class comprised mainly sport science students (57%). The pass rate of sport science students was lower than the pass rates of other students (42% vs. 70%, P physiology and recognized its relevance. Key issues identified were problems understanding concepts and terminology, poor study environment and skills, and lack of matriculation biology. The results of the first class test and final module marks correlated well. It is clear from this study that student performance in the first class test is a valuable tool to identify struggling students and that appropriate testing should be held as early as possible. Copyright © 2014 The American Physiological Society.

Planning an objective and need based curriculum: the logistics with reference to the undergraduate medical education in biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ramasamy, Ramesh; Gopal, Niranjan; Srinivasan, A R; Murugaiyan, Sathish Babu

2013-03-01

The medical education is recently being transformed into several domains in order to adapt to the need and the value based academics which is required for the quality doctors who serve the community. Presently, the biochemistry curricula for the graduate students of medicine have been questioned by as many experts, because of their multiple lacunae. In this review, we would like to highlight the scenario which is related to the existing biochemistry curricula for graduate medical students, which have been followed in several medical schools and universities and we also hope to share our ideas for implementing objective and pragmatic curricula. Evidence based research, wherein the articles which are related to innovative teaching-learning tools are collected and the pros and cons which are related to the different methods analyzed in biochemistry point of view. Rapid changes in the content of the curriculum may not be required, but a gradual introduction of the novel approach and the methods of teaching biochemistry can be adopted into the curriculum.

Trends in the use of stable isotopes in biochemistry and pharmacology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matwiyoff, N.A.; Walker, T.E.

1977-01-01

Recent trends in the use of the stable isotopes 13 C, 15 N and 18 O in biochemistry and pharmacology are reviewed with emphasis on the studies that have employed nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry as analytical techniques. Pharmacological studies with drugs and other compounds labelled with stable isotopes have developed in parallel with the rapid progress in the enhancement of sensitivity and selectivity of gas chromatography - mass spectrometric analyses, and have been directed largely to an evaluation of pharmako-kinetics and drug metabolic pathways. In these studies, illustrated with selected samples, isotopically labelled compounds have been used to advantage as internal standards for the mass spectrometric analyses and as in vivo tracers for metabolites. In the broader discipline of biochemistry, stable isotopes and isotopically labelled compounds have been used increasingly in conjuction with both nmr spectroscopy and mass spectrometry in tracer and structural studies. The more recent trends in the use of stable isotopes in these biochemical studies are discussed in the context of the improvements in analytical techniques. Specific examples will be drawn from investigations of the biosynthesis of natural products by micro-organisms; the protein, fat and carbohydrate fluxes in humans; and the structure and function of enzymes, membranes and other macro-molecular assemblages. The potential for the future development of stable isotopes in biochemistry and pharmacology are considered briefly, together with some of the problems that must be solved if their considerable potential is to be realized. (author)

A Laboratory Course in Clinical Biochemistry Emphasizing Interest and Relevance

Science.gov (United States)

Schwartz, Peter L.

1975-01-01

Ten laboratory experiments are described which are used in a successful clinical biochemistry laboratory course (e.g. blood alcohol, glucose tolerance, plasma triglycerides, coronary risk index, gastric analysis, vitamin C and E). Most of the experiments are performed on the students themselves using simple equipment with emphasis on useful…

Evaluating performance in sweat testing in medical biochemistry laboratories in Croatia.

Science.gov (United States)

Aralica, Merica; Krleza, Jasna Lenicek

2017-02-15

Sweat test has a diagnostic role in evaluation of cystic fibrosis. Its performance includes sweat stimulation, collection and analysis. All listed may be sources of inconsistencies in everyday practice. The aim of this study was an evaluation of external quality assessment (EQA) of sweat chloride measurement including sweat test performance in medical biochemistry laboratories in Croatia. EQA for sweat chloride measurement was provided by Croatian Centre for Quality Assessment in Laboratory Medicine (CROQALM) in five consecutive exercises to medical biochemistry laboratories (MBL) that offered sweat testing. A questionnaire regarding all phases of testing was mailed to involved MBL (N = 10). Survey results were compared to current guidelines for sweat test performance. Reported results of EQA in 2015 exercises showed coefficients of variation (CV) from 28.9%, 29.0% to 35.3%, respectively. An introduction of uniform sweat chloride measurement protocol resulted in CV of 15.5% and 14.7% reported in following two exercises in 2016. All MBL included in this study replied to the questionnaire. Results reported by MBL indicated: lack of patient information policy (7/10), use of unacceptable electrodes (6/9), misuse of minimum of acceptable sweat weight (6/9), lack of internal quality assessment (5/9) and recommended reference ranges (5/9 and 4/9). Agreements to guidelines were found in approach to unsuitable patients (9/10) and sweat collection (8/9). Presented results indicate major weak points of current practice in sweat test performance in Croatian MBL and stress the need for its standardization on a national level.

50 years of comparative biochemistry: The legacy of Peter Hochachka.

Science.gov (United States)

Buck, L T; Burness, G; Campbell, K L; Darveau, C-A; Driedzic, W; Guderley, H; McClelland, G B; Moon, T W; Moyes, C D; Schulte, P M

2018-02-28

Peter Hochachka was an early pioneer in the field of comparative biochemistry. He passed away in 2002 after 4 decades of research in the discipline. To celebrate his contributions and to coincide with what would have been his 80th birthday, a group of his former students organized a symposium that ran as a satellite to the 2017 Canadian Society of Zoologists annual meeting in Winnipeg, Manitoba (Canada). This Special Issue of CBP brings together manuscripts from symposium attendees and other authors who recognize the role Peter played in the evolution of the discipline. In this article, the symposium organizers and guest editors look back on his career, celebrating his many contributions to research, acknowledging his role in training of generations of graduate students and post-doctoral fellows in comparative biochemistry and physiology. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Bulletin KSNU. Natural science series, no. 1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mansurov, Z.A.

1997-01-01

This is the first issue of natural sciences series of Bulletin of Kazak State National University published in English. The objective of the publication is to make scientific ideas and pratical experience of scientists of the University available for the world wide scientific community. This set of articles reflects the curriculum of the University and includes papers on Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geography. More specifically the papers deal with various aspects of relativity theory, gravitation and quantum mechanics; heat-mass transfer phenomena; physics of plasma; solid state physics and material sciences; theoretical and nuclear physics and physics of cosmic rays; chemistry of polymers; medical materials; oil chemistry and processing; physiology and biochemistry, genetics and biotechnology; assessment of anthroprogenic impact on environment and landscapes; environment friendly industry and agriculture, wise use of natural resources

Bulletin KSNU. Natural science series, no. 1

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mansurov, Z A [ed.

1998-12-31

This is the first issue of natural sciences series of Bulletin of Kazak State National University published in English. The objective of the publication is to make scientific ideas and pratical experience of scientists of the University available for the world wide scientific community. This set of articles reflects the curriculum of the University and includes papers on Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Geography. More specifically the papers deal with various aspects of relativity theory, gravitation and quantum mechanics; heat-mass transfer phenomena; physics of plasma; solid state physics and material sciences; theoretical and nuclear physics and physics of cosmic rays; chemistry of polymers; medical materials; oil chemistry and processing; physiology and biochemistry, genetics and biotechnology; assessment of anthroprogenic impact on environment and landscapes; environment friendly industry and agriculture, wise use of natural resources

NEW TWO-YEAR RESTRICTION APPLICABLE TO VEHICLES REGISTERED IN THE FRENCH'431 K' AND '431 CD' SERIES

CERN Multimedia

Relations with the Host States Service

2002-01-01

The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recently informed CERN that, with effect from 1st January 2002, owners of vehicles registered in the '431 K' and '431 CD' special series will not be able to change them for other vehicles in these series until two years have elapsed. The Ministry has also reminded us that members of the personnel with diplomatic status who are neither French nor permanent residents are entitled to register one vehicle in the '431 CD' series if they are single and two if they are married. However, irrespective of their marital status, members of the personnel holding an FI or AT carte spéciale, may register only one vehicle in the '431 K' series. CERN has requested the Ministry to clarify certain issues relating to the above and to arrange a transition period for the two-year restriction. Further information on this subject will be published shortly. Relations with the Host States Service http://www.cern.ch/relations/ Tel. 72848

An Experiment Using Sucrose Density Gradients in the Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory.

Science.gov (United States)

Turchi, Sandra L.; Weiss, Monica

1988-01-01

Describes an experiment to be performed in an undergraduate biochemistry laboratory that is based on a gradient centrifugation system employing a simple bench top centrifuge, a freezer, and frozen surcose gradient solution to separate macromolecules and subcellular components. (CW)

A survey validation and analysis of undergraduate medical biochemistry practical curriculum in maharashtra, India.

Science.gov (United States)

Dandekar, Sucheta P; Maksane, Shalini N; McKinley, Danette

2012-01-01

In order to review the strengths and weaknesses of medical biochemistry practical curriculum for undergraduates and to generate ideas to improve it, a questionnaire was sent to 50 biochemistry faculty members selected (through simple random sampling method) from 42 medical colleges of Maharashtra, India. 39 responded to the questionnaire, representing a 78% response rate. The internal consistency of the questionnaire sections was found to be satisfactory (>0.7). The respondents did not agree that the ongoing curriculum was in alignment with learning outcomes (8%), that it encouraged active learning (28%), helped to apply knowledge to clinical situations (18%) and promoted critical thinking and problem solving skills (28%). There were a number of qualitative experiments that were rated 'irrelevant'. Qualitative and quantitative experiments related to recent advances were suggested to be introduced by the respondents. Checklists for the practicals and new curriculum objectives provided in the questionnaire were also approved. The results of the curriculum evaluation suggest a need for re-structuring of practical biochemistry curriculum and introduction of a modified curriculum with more clinical relevance.

Effects of age and sex on haematological and serum biochemistry in ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

haematology and serum biochemistry) at different ages (in weeks) in male and female Japanese quails. A total of hundred (100) unsexed day-old quail chicks were purchased and sorted based on sex at the third week. Blood samples were collected ...

Testing independence between two Poisson-generated multinomial variables in case-series and cohort studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Hocine, Mounia; Guillemot, Didier; Tubert-Bitter, Pascale; Moreau, Thierry

2005-12-30

In case-series or cohort studies, we propose a test of independence between the occurrences of two types of recurrent events (such as two repeated infections) related to an intermittent exposure (such as an antibiotic treatment). The test relies upon an extension of a recent method for analysing case-series data, in the presence of one type of recurrent event. The test statistic is derived from a bivariate Poisson generated-multinomial distribution. Simulations for checking the validity of the test concerning the type I error and the power properties are presented. The test is illustrated using data from a cohort on antibiotics bacterial resistance in schoolchildren. Copyright 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Social Modeling Influences and Alcohol Consumption during the First Semester of College: A Natural History Study

Science.gov (United States)

Talbott, Laura L.; Moore, Charity G.; Usdan, Stuart L.

2012-01-01

The authors examine both the alcohol consumption pattern of freshmen students during their first semester and the degree to which social modeling of peer behavior impacts consumption. A total of 534 students, residing on campus, were prospectively examined at four 30-day intervals. Data were evaluated on the basis of age, gender, and the effects…

Burn and earn: a randomized controlled trial incentivizing exercise during fall semester for college first-year students.

Science.gov (United States)

Pope, Lizzy; Harvey-Berino, Jean

2013-03-01

To examine the viability of monetary incentives to increase fitness-center use and maintain/improve the Body Mass Indexes (BMIs) of first-year students over the fall semester. Randomized-controlled trial with no-treatment and incentive conditions involving 117 first-year students. For 12 weeks, students in the incentive condition received monetary payments ranging from $10 to $38.75 for meeting researcher-set fitness-center use goals that were identical across conditions. Fitness-center use was monitored through electronic ID-card check-in and check-out records at the campus fitness center. 63% of incentive-condition participants met the weekly fitness-center use goals on average compared to only 13% of control-condition participants, a significant difference, pstudents meeting weekly fitness-center use goals. However, the increased fitness-center use by the incentive condition did not prevent an increase in BMI during fall semester. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Application of indices Cp and Cpk to improve quality control capability in clinical biochemistry laboratories.

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Ming-Shu; Wu, Ming-Hsun; Lin, Chih-Ming

2014-04-30

The traditional criteria for acceptability of analytic quality may not be objective in clinical laboratories. To establish quality control procedures intended to enhance Westgard multi-rules for improving the quality of clinical biochemistry tests, we applied the Cp and Cpk quality-control indices to monitor tolerance fitting and systematic variation of clinical biochemistry test results. Daily quality-control data of a large Taiwanese hospital in 2009 were analyzed. The test items were selected based on an Olympus biochemistry machine and included serum albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, cholesterol, glucose and potassium levels. Cp and Cpk values were calculated for normal and abnormal levels, respectively. The tolerance range was estimated with data from 50 laboratories using the same instruments and reagents. The results showed a monthly trend of variation for the five items under investigation. The index values of glucose were lower than those of the other items, and their values were usually quality control, but also for revealing inter-laboratory qualitycontrol capability differences.

Thematic Minireview Series: The State of the Cytoskeleton in 2015.

Science.gov (United States)

Fischer, Robert S; Fowler, Velia M

2015-07-10

The study of cytoskeletal polymers has been an active area of research for more than 70 years. However, despite decades of pioneering work by some of the brightest scientists in biochemistry, cell biology, and physiology, many central questions regarding the polymers themselves are only now starting to be answered. For example, although it has long been appreciated that the actin cytoskeleton provides contractility and couples biochemical responses with mechanical stresses in cells, only recently have we begun to understand how the actin polymer itself responds to mechanical loads. Likewise, although it has long been appreciated that the microtubule cytoskeleton can be post-translationally modified, only recently have the enzymes responsible for these modifications been characterized, so that we can now begin to understand how these modifications alter the polymerization and regulation of microtubule structures. Even the septins in eukaryotes and the cytoskeletal polymers of prokaryotes have yielded new insights due to recent advances in microscopy techniques. In this thematic series of minireviews, these topics are covered by some of the very same scientists who generated these recent insights, thereby providing us with an overview of the State of the Cytoskeleton in 2015. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

INTEGRATING GEOSPATIAL TECHNOLOGIES AND SECONDARY STUDENT PROJECTS: THE GEOSPATIAL SEMESTER

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bob Kolvoord

2012-12-01

Full Text Available Resumen:El Semestre Geoespacial es una actividad de educación geográfica centrada en que los estudiantes del último curso de secundaria en los institutos norteamericanos, adquieran competencias y habilidades específicas en sistemas de información geográfica, GPS y teledetección. A través de una metodología de aprendizaje basado en proyectos, los alumnos se motivan e implican en la realización de trabajos de investigación en los que analizan, e incluso proponen soluciones, diferentes procesos, problemas o cuestiones de naturaleza espacial. El proyecto está coordinado por la Universidad James Madison y lleva siete años implantándose en diferentes institutos del Estado de Virginia, implicando a más de 20 centros educativos y 1.500 alumnos. Los alumnos que superan esta asignatura de la enseñanza secundaria obtienen la convalidación de determinados créditos académicos de la Universidad de referencia.Palabras clave:Sistemas de información geográfica, enseñanza, didáctica de la geografía, semestre geoespacial.Abstract:The Geospatial Semester is a geographical education activity focused on students in their final year of secondary schools in the U.S., acquiring specific skills in GIS, GPS and remote sensing. Through a methodology for project-based learning, students are motivated and involved in conducting research using geographic information systems and analyze, and even propose solutions, different processes, problems or issues spatial in nature. The Geospatial Semester university management not only ensures proper coaching, guidance and GIS training for teachers of colleges, but has established a system whereby students who pass this course of secondary education gain the recognition of certain credits from the University.Key words:Geographic information system, teaching, geographic education, geospatial semester. Résumé:Le semestre géospatial est une activité axée sur l'éducation géographique des étudiants en derni

Fluorescence quantum yield measurements of fluorescent proteins: a laboratory experiment for a biochemistry or molecular biophysics laboratory course.

Science.gov (United States)

Wall, Kathryn P; Dillon, Rebecca; Knowles, Michelle K

2015-01-01

Fluorescent proteins are commonly used in cell biology to assess where proteins are within a cell as a function of time and provide insight into intracellular protein function. However, the usefulness of a fluorescent protein depends directly on the quantum yield. The quantum yield relates the efficiency at which a fluorescent molecule converts absorbed photons into emitted photons and it is necessary to know for assessing what fluorescent protein is the most appropriate for a particular application. In this work, we have designed an upper-level, biochemistry laboratory experiment where students measure the fluorescence quantum yields of fluorescent proteins relative to a standard organic dye. Four fluorescent protein variants, enhanced cyan fluorescent protein (ECFP), enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP), mCitrine, and mCherry, were used, however the methods described are useful for the characterization of any fluorescent protein or could be expanded to fluorescent quantum yield measurements of organic dye molecules. The laboratory is designed as a guided inquiry project and takes two, 4 hr laboratory periods. During the first day students design the experiment by selecting the excitation wavelength, choosing the standard, and determining the concentration needed for the quantum yield experiment that takes place in the second laboratory period. Overall, this laboratory provides students with a guided inquiry learning experience and introduces concepts of fluorescence biophysics into a biochemistry laboratory curriculum. © 2014 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Biochemistry of cellulose degradation and cellulose utilization for feeds and for protein

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sadara, J C; Lachke, A H; Shewale, J G

1979-01-01

A review discussing production of single-cell protein, fuel, and glucose from cellulose decomposition; surface or solid fermentations of single-cell protein; production of cellulases; and the biochemistry of cellulose degradation was presented.

Design of a Comprehensive Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Experiment: Phase Variation Caused by Recombinational Regulation of Bacterial Gene Expression

Science.gov (United States)

Sheng, Xiumei; Xu, Shungao; Lu, Renyun; Isaac, Dadzie; Zhang, Xueyi; Zhang, Haifang; Wang, Huifang; Qiao, Zheng; Huang, Xinxiang

2014-01-01

Scientific experiments are indispensable parts of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. In this study, a comprehensive Biochemistry and Molecular Biology experiment about "Salmonella enterica" serovar Typhi Flagellar phase variation has been designed. It consisted of three parts, namely, inducement of bacterial Flagellar phase variation,…

Haematology and serum biochemistry of laying hens fed red pepper ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The hematology and serum biochemistry of ISA brown laying hens fed red pepper (Capsicum annum. L.) as feed additive in their diet was studied. Sixty (60) laying birds (in their 32nd week) were randomly allotted to four different dietary treatments with graded levels of red pepper (Capsicum annum. L.) as additive.

STUDENTS’ MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE NATURE OF MATTER AND HOW IT IMPAIRS BIOCHEMISTRY LEARNING

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

E. Montagna

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Introduction: It is widely known that misconceptions impairs student’s learning. IUBMB proposed a concept inventory which defines biochemistry’s teaching scope. Even though it is known that many of them are subject of misconceptions by students, we collected informal data suggesting a deeper and most pervasive misconception related to the students’ perceptions about what is and is not a molecule through their classroom statements and tests. We hypothesize that students’ impairments on biochemistry learning possibly come from failure to assume that names are related to well defined molecules indicating lack of matter’s representative levels of integration. Objectives The present work aims to detect in freshmen students’ misconceptions about the chemical nature of main small and macromolecules which potentialy impairs biochemistry learning. Materials and methods: A list of assertions about real life situations involving and citing main biomolecules – ATP, DNA, protein, lipid, carbohydrate, enzyme, hormon, vitamin – were mixed with other containing vague common terms – toxin, transgenic, healthy, unwanted elements, chemical compound – not suggesting hazardous situations in order to capture students’ impressions. More than 150 students from five courses in three different higher education institutions answered true or false on 35 assertions. Results and discussion: More than 70% of students had more than 80% error in this task designed to be not tricky, misleading or with unpreviously studied concepts. Results suggests students do not understand compounds as molecules but as entities unrelated to real life situations; on the other hand vague terms triggers a negative perception not necessarily related to harm or hazardous situations. We suggest that it is originated by poor scientific literacy from previous scholarity as well as lack of criteria on media vehicles about the topics here cited. Conclusion: We conclude that many

Learning-oriented assessment increases performance and written skills in a second year metabolic biochemistry course.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderlelie, Jessica J; Alexander, Heather G

2016-07-08

Assessment plays a critical role in learning and teaching and its power to enhance engagement and student outcomes is still underestimated in tertiary education. The current project considers the impact of a staged redesign of an assessment strategy that emphasized relevance of learning, formative assessment, student engagement, and feedback on student performance, failure rates and overall engagement in the course. Significant improvements in final grades (p Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(4):412-420, 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

The potential of fluorinated surfactants in membrane biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Shepherd, F H; Holzenburg, A

1995-01-01

Detergents are important reagents in membrane biochemistry. Since each membrane system studied places different demands on the detergent in terms of desirous physicochemical properties, detergents new to biochemistry must continuously be sought. Ammonium perfluorooctanoate (APFO) was investigated, as representative of fluorinated surfactants, in terms of its suitability as a "biological detergent." It did not interfere with the Markwell modification of the Lowry procedure at detergent concentrations of up to 2% (w/v). Critical micellization concentration (cmc) values (0.013-0.0275 M) for this detergent were determined in a number of buffers of biological interest. It was demonstrated that the detergent can be removed by dialysis, albeit slowly. This slow removal may be particularly useful for reconstitution/crystallization studies. Solubilization studies on several membrane systems containing the proteins listed (the major protein of the membrane sector of the vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (16 kDa protein); photosystem II; equine herpes virus (EHV) envelope proteins) indicate that it is a potent solubilizing agent, likely to enhance the yield in cases where solubilization has already been demonstrated, and, in other cases, to solubilize proteins formerly recalcitrant to solubilization. The removal of APFO from solubilized 16-kDa protein by means of Extracti-Gel D resin as a means of exchanging detergents quickly and with a minimum requirement for second detergent was investigated.

Complementing theoretical biochemistry with the uso of computer aids (Symposium

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R Herrera

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Teaching  biochemistry  in  the  current  state  of  science  and  society  requires  a  special motivation for learning, especially for students where Biochemistry is one of the courses on  their  careers.  The  traditional  way  of  teaching,  based  on  the  teacher-student relationship,  mostly  unidirectional,  does  not  fulfil  the  needs  imposed  in  this  era. Considering  the  current  situation,  University  students  require  new  abilities  in  their training  and  the  use  of  computers  can  be  a  facility  for  discovering  and  research, enabling the experience of new and  diverse situations. The design of teaching material for undergraduate students who take biochemistry as complementary course should be seen  as  an  opportunity  to  complement  theoretical  aspect  on  the  current  courses.  We have used three different approaches: (I Modelling proteins indicating key motifs at the three-dimensional structure and residues where inhibitors can be attach. (II Generation of  activities  by  the  use  of  sensors.  And  (III  elaborating  active  quizzes  where  students can  be  drive  on  their  learning.  Building  knowledge  based  on  practical  experience  can improve  student’s  competence  on  basic  science  and  the  learning  process  can  be complemented in the use of dynamics models.

A study of depression and anxiety, general health, and academic performance in three cohorts of veterinary medical students across the first three semesters of veterinary school.

Science.gov (United States)

Reisbig, Allison M J; Danielson, Jared A; Wu, Tsui-Feng; Hafen, McArthur; Krienert, Ashley; Girard, Destiny; Garlock, Jessica

2012-01-01

This study builds on previous research on predictors of depression and anxiety in veterinary medical students and reports data on three veterinary cohorts from two universities through their first three semesters of study. Across all three semesters, 49%, 65%, and 69% of the participants reported depression levels at or above the clinical cut-off, suggesting a remarkably high percentage of students experiencing significant levels of depression symptoms. Further, this study investigated the relationship between common stressors experienced by veterinary students and mental health, general health, and academic performance. A factor analysis revealed four factors among stressors common to veterinary students: academic stress, transitional stress, family-health stress, and relationship stress. The results indicated that both academic stress and transitional stress had a robust impact on veterinary medical students' well-being during their first three semesters of study. As well, academic stress negatively impacted students in the areas of depression and anxiety symptoms, life satisfaction, general health, perception of academic performance, and grade point average (GPA). Transitional stress predicted increased depression and anxiety symptoms and decreased life satisfaction. This study helped to further illuminate the magnitude of the problem of depression and anxiety symptoms in veterinary medical students and identified factors most predictive of poor outcomes in the areas of mental health, general health, and academic performance. The discussion provides recommendations for considering structural changes to veterinary educational curricula to reduce the magnitude of academic stressors. Concurrently, recommendations are suggested for mental health interventions to help increase students' resistance to environmental stressors.

On Sums of Numerical Series and Fourier Series

Science.gov (United States)

Pavao, H. Germano; de Oliveira, E. Capelas

2008-01-01

We discuss a class of trigonometric functions whose corresponding Fourier series, on a conveniently chosen interval, can be used to calculate several numerical series. Particular cases are presented and two recent results involving numerical series are recovered. (Contains 1 note.)

Reflections on the Value of Mapping the Final Theory Examination in a Molecular Biochemistry Unit †

OpenAIRE

Eri, Rajaraman; Cook, Anthony; Brown, Natalie

2014-01-01

This article assesses the impact of examination mapping as a tool to enhancing assessment and teaching quality in a second-year biochemistry unit for undergraduates. Examination mapping is a process where all questions in a written examination paper are assessed for links to the unit’s intended learning outcomes. We describe how mapping a final written examination helped visualise the impact of the assessment task on intended learning outcomes and skills for that biochemistry unit. The method...

Training on Radioisotopes Techniques and Radioprotection Aspects at The School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the Buenos Aires University (Argentina)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergoc, R. M.; Rivera, E. S.; Bomba, A. M.

2004-01-01

The use of ionizing radiation sources and radioisotopes in Argentina takes place at more than 1700 facilities, which operate in Nuclear Medicine, in telecobaltherapy, in Industry, in Biochemistry, and in research. All of these centers have one or more professional trained in the specific field of radioprotection and they have been authorized by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority. At the School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the Buenos Aires University, Argentina, we consider of great interest to teach radioisotopes methodology at different levels, to harmonize the use of these methodologies with environmental preservation and to provide education and training on radioprotection. Currently, the school offers five different courses in all of which the radioprotection is one of the most important subjects: 1) Course on Methodology of Radioisotopes for students at the undergraduate level, in the Biochemistry Career (140 hrs). Since 1960, more than 6000 students have passed their examinations. 2) Course on Methodology of Radioisotopes for post-Graduates in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemists or other related disciplines. 3) Course for Graduates in Medicine. Since 1962, the School delivers every year these two courses. Their syllabus (212 hrs) dedicates a 50% of the time schedule to subjects related to radioprotection aspects. More than 1800 professional have passed their examinations, many of them from different Latin American countries. 4) Up-date on Methodology of Radioisotopes (100 hrs) a course delivered since 1992 for professionals wishing to up-date their knowledge. 5) Course for Technicians in Nuclear Medicine (more than 200 hrs). At present, this course is the basic level of the Technicians in Nuclear Medicine Career. At the present paper it will be presented statistics regarding the different courses and the experience that has been gathered for the last 40 years organizing courses and carrying out research activity on radiobiology, radioimmunoanalysis

Training on radioisotopes techniques and radioprotection aspects at the School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the Buenos Aires University (Argentina)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergoc, R.M.; Rivera, E.S.

2005-01-01

The use of ionizing radiation sources and radioisotopes in Argentina takes place at more than 1700 facilities, which operate in Nuclear Medicine, in Telecobaltherapy, in Industry, in Biochemistry, and in Research. All of these centers have one or more professional trained in the specific field of radioprotection and they have been authorized by the Nuclear Regulatory Authority. At the School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry of the Buenos Aires University, Argentina, we consider of great interest to teach radioisotopes methodology at different levels, to harmonize the use of these methodologies with environmental preservation and to provide education and training on radioprotection. Currently, the school offers five different courses in all of which the radioprotection is one of the most important subjects: 1) Course on Methodology of Radioisotopes for students at the undergraduate level, in the Biochemistry Career (140 hs). Since 1960, more than 6000 students have passed their examinations. 2) Course on Methodology of Radioisotopes for post-Graduates in Biochemistry, Biology, Chemists or other related disciplines. 3) Course for Graduates in Medicine. Since 1962, the School delivers every year these two courses. Their syllabus (212 hs) dedicates a 50% of the time schedule to subjects related to radioprotection aspects. More than 1800 professional have passed their examinations, many of them from different Latin American countries. 4) Up-date on Methodology of Radioisotopes (100 hs) a course delivered since 1992 for professionals wishing to up-date their knowledge. 5) Course for Technicians in Nuclear Medicine (more than 200 hs). At present, this course is the basic level of the Technicians in Nuclear Medicine Career. At the present paper it will be presented statistics regarding the different courses and the experience that has been gathered for the last 40 years organizing courses and carrying out research activity on radiobiology, radioimmunoanalysis, radioreceptors

Wanderings in biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Lengyel, Peter

2014-07-11

My Ph.D. thesis in the laboratory of Severo Ochoa at New York University School of Medicine in 1962 included the determination of the nucleotide compositions of codons specifying amino acids. The experiments were based on the use of random copolyribonucleotides (synthesized by polynucleotide phosphorylase) as messenger RNA in a cell-free protein-synthesizing system. At Yale University, where I joined the faculty, my co-workers and I first studied the mechanisms of protein synthesis. Thereafter, we explored the interferons (IFNs), which were discovered as antiviral defense agents but were revealed to be components of a highly complex multifunctional system. We isolated pure IFNs and characterized IFN-activated genes, the proteins they encode, and their functions. We concentrated on a cluster of IFN-activated genes, the p200 cluster, which arose by repeated gene duplications and which encodes a large family of highly multifunctional proteins. For example, the murine protein p204 can be activated in numerous tissues by distinct transcription factors. It modulates cell proliferation and the differentiation of a variety of tissues by binding to many proteins. p204 also inhibits the activities of wild-type Ras proteins and Ras oncoproteins. © 2014 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Known Structure, Unknown Function: An Inquiry-Based Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory Course

Science.gov (United States)

Gray, Cynthia; Price, Carol W.; Lee, Christopher T.; Dewald, Alison H.; Cline, Matthew A.; McAnany, Charles E.; Columbus, Linda; Mura, Cameron

2015-01-01

Undergraduate biochemistry laboratory courses often do not provide students with an authentic research experience, particularly when the express purpose of the laboratory is purely instructional. However, an instructional laboratory course that is inquiry- and research-based could simultaneously impart scientific knowledge and foster a student's…

Neglected Issues Concerning Teaching Human Adrenal Steroidogenesis in Popular Biochemistry Textbooks

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Zhiyong; Elliott, Mark S.

2017-01-01

In the human body, the adrenal steroids collectively regulate a plethora of fundamental functions, including electrolyte and water balance, blood pressure, stress response, intermediary metabolism, inflammation, and immunity. Therefore, adrenal steroidogenesis is an important biochemistry topic for students to learn in order for them to understand…

Empirical study of classification process for two-stage turbo air classifier in series

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Yuan; Liu, Jiaxiang; Li, Gang

2013-05-01

The suitable process parameters for a two-stage turbo air classifier are important for obtaining the ultrafine powder that has a narrow particle-size distribution, however little has been published internationally on the classification process for the two-stage turbo air classifier in series. The influence of the process parameters of a two-stage turbo air classifier in series on classification performance is empirically studied by using aluminum oxide powders as the experimental material. The experimental results show the following: 1) When the rotor cage rotary speed of the first-stage classifier is increased from 2 300 r/min to 2 500 r/min with a constant rotor cage rotary speed of the second-stage classifier, classification precision is increased from 0.64 to 0.67. However, in this case, the final ultrafine powder yield is decreased from 79% to 74%, which means the classification precision and the final ultrafine powder yield can be regulated through adjusting the rotor cage rotary speed of the first-stage classifier. 2) When the rotor cage rotary speed of the second-stage classifier is increased from 2 500 r/min to 3 100 r/min with a constant rotor cage rotary speed of the first-stage classifier, the cut size is decreased from 13.16 μm to 8.76 μm, which means the cut size of the ultrafine powder can be regulated through adjusting the rotor cage rotary speed of the second-stage classifier. 3) When the feeding speed is increased from 35 kg/h to 50 kg/h, the "fish-hook" effect is strengthened, which makes the ultrafine powder yield decrease. 4) To weaken the "fish-hook" effect, the equalization of the two-stage wind speeds or the combination of a high first-stage wind speed with a low second-stage wind speed should be selected. This empirical study provides a criterion of process parameter configurations for a two-stage or multi-stage classifier in series, which offers a theoretical basis for practical production.

Theories of the Universe: A One Semester Course for Honors Undergraduates

Science.gov (United States)

Dimmock, John O.; Adams, Mitzi; Sever, Tom

1999-01-01

For the last two years The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has delivered a one semester course entitled Theories of The Universe as a seminar for undergraduate honors students. The enrollment is limited to fifteen students to encourage a maximum amount of interaction and discussion. The course has been team-taught enlisting the support of four scientists from the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center as well as UAH faculty from the history, philosophy, biology and physics departments. The course mixes history, mythology, philosophy, religion, and, of course, science and astronomy. The course traces mankind's view of the universe and how that has changed from about 30,000 years BCE to the current observations and models. Starting with a brief history of mankind we trace the evolution of ideas including Prehistoric European, Babylonian, Egyptian, Asian, North, Central and South American, African, Chinese, Greek, Middle Ages, Copernican, Galileo, Kepler, the Renaissance and Enlightenment, Newton, Einstein, and Hawking etc. Namely, we try to touch on just about every different view to puzzles of quantum cosmology, missing mass and the cosmological constant. By the end of the course, students should have a good understanding of: (1) the human desire and need for understanding; (2) the interplay between observations, modeling and theory development, and the need for revisions based on further observations; (3) the role of developing technology in advancing knowledge; (4) the evolution of our views of the universe and our relation to it; and (5) where we are today in our quest. Students are required to write two term papers and present them to the class. The final exam is a open discussion on our views of what we have learned.

Student Conceptions about Energy Transformations: Progression from General Chemistry to Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Wolfson, Adele J.; Rowland, Susan L.; Lawrie, Gwendolyn A.; Wright, Anthony H.

2014-01-01

Students commencing studies in biochemistry must transfer and build on concepts they learned in chemistry and biology classes. It is well established, however, that students have difficulties in transferring critical concepts from general chemistry courses; one key concept is "energy." Most previous work on students' conception of energy…

Students' Preferred Teaching Techniques for Biochemistry in Biomedicine and Medicine Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Novelli, Ethel L.B.; Fernandes, Ana Angelica H.

2007-01-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the students' preferred teaching techniques, such as traditional blackboard, power-point, or slide-projection, for biochemistry discipline in biomedicine and medicine courses from Sao Paulo State University, UNESP, Botucatu, Sao Paulo, Brazil. Preferences for specific topic and teaching techniques were…

Performance of First-Year Health Sciences Students in a Large, Diverse, Multidisciplinary, First-Semester, Physiology Service Module

Science.gov (United States)

Tufts, Mark; Higgins-Opitz, Susan B.

2014-01-01

Health Science students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal perform better in their professional modules compared with their physiology modules. The pass rates of physiology service modules have steadily declined over the years. While a system is in place to identify "at-risk" students, it is only activated after the first semester. As a…

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in biochemistry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, J.K.M.; Jardetzky, O.

1985-01-01

This chapter aims to provide an orienting overview of the main directions in which the field of biological application of NMR has developed, the kinds of biochemical or biological questions which can be studied by NMR, and the major specific NMR techniques useful for this purpose. This discussion is preceded by a brief exposition of the elementary concepts of NMR and supplemented by references to the literature that treats each topic in greater depth. Applications of NMR of interest in biochemistry are treated in three major categories: (1) determination of the structure of biologically active compounds - especially new natural products; (2) studies of biochemical reactions, or processes, especially in vivo; and (3) studies of macromolecular structure and dynamics. 122 refs.; 35 figs.; 3 tabs

Panel 4: Recent Advances in Otitis Media in Molecular Biology, Biochemistry, Genetics, and Animal Models

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Jian-Dong; Hermansson, Ann; Ryan, Allen F.; Bakaletz, Lauren O.; Brown, Steve D.; Cheeseman, Michael T.; Juhn, Steven K.; Jung, Timothy T. K.; Lim, David J.; Lim, Jae Hyang; Lin, Jizhen; Moon, Sung-Kyun; Post, J. Christopher

2014-01-01

Background Otitis media (OM) is the most common childhood bacterial infection and also the leading cause of conductive hearing loss in children. Currently, there is an urgent need for developing novel therapeutic agents for treating OM based on full understanding of molecular pathogenesis in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies in OM. Objective To provide a state-of-the-art review concerning recent advances in OM in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies and to discuss the future directions of OM studies in these areas. Data Sources and Review Methods A structured search of the current literature (since June 2007). The authors searched PubMed for published literature in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies in OM. Results Over the past 4 years, significant progress has been made in the areas of molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and animal model studies in OM. These studies brought new insights into our understanding of the molecular and biochemical mechanisms underlying the molecular pathogenesis of OM and helped identify novel therapeutic targets for OM. Conclusions and Implications for Practice Our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of OM has been significantly advanced, particularly in the areas of inflammation, innate immunity, mucus overproduction, mucosal hyperplasia, middle ear and inner ear interaction, genetics, genome sequencing, and animal model studies. Although these studies are still in their experimental stages, they help identify new potential therapeutic targets. Future preclinical and clinical studies will help to translate these exciting experimental research findings into clinical applications. PMID:23536532

Protein Biochemistry and Expression Regulation of Cadmium/Zinc Pumping ATPases in the Hyperaccumulator Plants Arabidopsis halleri and Noccaea caerulescens

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Mishra, S.; Mishra, Archana; Küpper, Hendrik

2017-01-01

Roč. 8, May 22 (2017), č. článku 835. ISSN 1664-462X R&D Projects: GA MŠk EF15_003/0000336 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : cellular compartmentation * zinc homeostasis * cadmium * metal hyperaccumulator plants Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry OBOR OECD: Biochemistry and molecular biology Impact factor: 4.298, year: 2016

Implementing an Active Learning Environment to Influence Students' Motivation in Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Cicuto, Camila Aparecida Tolentino; Torres, Bayardo Baptista

2016-01-01

The Biochemistry: Biomolecules Structure and Metabolism course's goal is to promote meaningful learning through an active learning environment. Thus, study periods (SP) and discussion groups (DG) are used as a substitute for lecture classes. The goal of this study was to evaluate how this learning environment influences students' motivation (n =…

Motivating Active Learning of Biochemistry through Artistic Representation of Scientific Concepts

Science.gov (United States)

Bruna, Carola

2013-01-01

First-year students often feel discouraged, especially with courses that require complex thinking and involve establishing relations between different subjects such as biochemistry. It has been proposed that student-centred pedagogy can achieve motivation and improve learning. In this context, this case study reports the use of art as a strategy…

Gender disparities in second-semester college physics: The incremental effects of a “smog of bias”

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lauren E. Kost-Smith

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Our previous research [Kost et al., Phys. Rev. ST Phys. Educ. Res. 5, 010101 (2009] examined gender differences in the first-semester, introductory physics class at the University of Colorado at Boulder. We found that: (1 there were gender differences in several aspects of the course, including conceptual survey performance, (2 these differences persisted despite the use of interactive engagement techniques, and (3 the post-test gender differences could largely be attributed to differences in males’ and females’ prior physics and math performance and their incoming attitudes and beliefs. In the current study, we continue to characterize gender differences in our physics courses by examining the second-semester, electricity and magnetism course. We analyze three factors: student retention from Physics 1 to Physics 2, student performance, and students’ attitudes and beliefs about physics, and find gender differences in all three of these areas. Specifically, females are less likely to stay in the physics major than males. Despite males and females performing about equally on the conceptual pretest, we find that females score about 6 percentage points lower than males on the conceptual post-test. In most semesters, females outperform males on homework and participation, and males outperform females on exams, resulting in course grades of males and females that are not significantly different. In terms of students’ attitudes and beliefs, we find that both males and females shift toward less expertlike beliefs over the course of Physics 2. Shifts are statistically equal for all categories except for the Personal Interest category, where females have more negative shifts than males. A large fraction of the conceptual post-test gender gap (up to 60% can be accounted for by differences in males’ and females’ prior physics and math performance and their pre-Physics 2 attitudes and beliefs. Taken together, the results of this study suggest

Two-fractal overlap time series: Earthquakes and market crashes

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

velocity over the other and time series of stock prices. An anticipation method for some of the crashes have been proposed here, based on these observations. Keywords. Cantor set; time series; earthquake; market crash. PACS Nos 05.00; 02.50.-r; 64.60; 89.65.Gh; 95.75.Wx. 1. Introduction. Capturing dynamical patterns of ...

A study of the effectiveness of a four semester preservice Secondary Science Teacher Education program regarding changes in teacher perceptions and practices

Science.gov (United States)

Yakar, Zeha

The purpose of this study was to investigate the development and change in constructivist behaviors of preservice science teachers of the Iowa-Secondary Science Teacher Education Program (SSTEP) over the four semester sequence. Constructivist behaviors were investigated from four perspectives; including actual classroom performances as viewed from videotapes, teacher perceptions of teacher use of constructivist teaching practices, and teacher beliefs as gained from open-ended questions, and written artifacts. The participants of the study included a total of 41 secondary science preservice teachers in four different semesters of their teacher preparation program. Three instruments were used to generate the main data to answer the research questions. The three instruments were: (1) Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES), (2) Philosophy of Teaching and Learning (PTL), and (3) videotape portfolio evaluated with the Reformed Teaching Observation Protocol (RTOP). Major findings include the following: (1) Preservice teachers' perceptions regarding constructivist approaches become significantly and increasingly more student-centered in terms of Personal Relevance, Critical Voice, Shared Control, and Student Negotiation as they prepare through the four semester sequence. (2) Preservice teachers' conceptions concerning teaching and learning become significantly and increasingly more student-centered in terms of what students need to do to improve their understanding of science concepts. (3) Preservice teachers conceptions and their perceptions about actual classroom practices rarely align with observed teaching practices in their classrooms. Although preservice teachers hold student-centered beliefs and perceptions, their actual classroom teaching practices were "transitional constructivist". (4) Preservice teachers' constructivist practices of teaching and learning began to decline in the third semester with preservice teachers moving towards more teacher

[Blood volume for biochemistry determinations--laboratory needs and everyday practice].

Science.gov (United States)

Sztefko, Krystyna; Mamica, Katarzyna; Bugajska, Jolanta; Maziarz, Barbara; Tomasik, Przemysław

2014-01-01

Blood loss due to diagnostic phlebotomy jest a very serious problem, especially for newborn, infants and critically ill patients on intensive care units. Although single blood loss can be easily tolerated in adults, in small babies and in patients who are frequently monitored based on laboratory tests iatrogenic anaemia can occur. To evaluate the blood volume drawn for routine biochemistry tests in relation to patient age and the number of parameters requested. Blood volume drawn for routine biochemistry measurements from patients hospitalized in University Children's Hospital (N = 2980, children age from one day to 18 years) and in University Hospital (N = 859, adults, aged > 1.8 years) in Cracow has been analyzed. Blood volume was calculated based on regular tube diameter and blood heights in the tube. In case of microvettes the blood volume was 0.2 ml. Statistical analysis has been performed by using PRISM 5.0. The statistical significance was set at p nurses and doctors should include the information about current laboratory automation and methods miniaturization; 2) The amount of blood volume needed by laboratory for the requested number of tests should always be taken into account when diagnostic phlebotomy is necessary.

Senior Seminar Focusing on Societal Issues Related to Chemistry and Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

White, Harold B., III; Johnston, Murray V.; Panar, Manuel

2000-12-01

The lack of a clearly defined content or structure provided the opportunity to transform a one-credit, pass-fail senior seminar course into a meaningful capstone experience for chemistry and biochemistry majors. In addition to individual and class exercises associated with employment, graduate school, communication skills, and professional ethics, small groups of students worked together to create informative Web sites that took positions on important societal issues related to chemistry. Each group presented a seminar and responded to questions from their peers and two or more unannounced visitors, "wild cards" who often had expertise in the seminar topic. Throughout the course, the instructors placed particular emphasis on developing students' ability to work cooperatively, locate and evaluate information, make informed judgments based on available information, and logically develop and defend their positions. Input from a retired industrial chemist helped define these skill elements.

Symposium 20 - PABMB: Teaching biochemistry in a connected world: Hands-on inquiry-based biochemistry courses for improving scientific literacy of school teachers and students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andrea T. da Poian

2015-08-01

Full Text Available Wednesday – August 26th, 2015 - 3:30 to 5:30 pm – Room: Iguaçu II – 5th floorSymposium 20 - PABMB: Teaching biochemistry in a connected world Chair: Miguel Castanho, Universidade de Lisboa, PortugalAbstract:In the last decades, Brazil has reached a prominent position in the world rank of scientific production. Despite this progress, the establishment of a scientific culture in Brazilian society is still challenging. Our group has been offering hands-on inquiry-based courses to primary and secondary students, which aim to introduce them to the scientific method and improve their interest in science. More recently, we started new initiatives focused on the improvement of the scientific literacy of school science teachers. Here we describe two intensive short-term courses designed in different formats. One consists in a discipline offered to a Master Program to school science teachers, in which the main objective was to work with core disciplinary concepts through an active teachers engagement in “doing science”. The discipline, named “Energy transformation in the living organisms”, intends to deal with the main Biochemistry subjects that take part of the high-school science curriculum, namely, fermentation, photosynthesis and cellular respiration processes. The other initiative was developed in Urucureá, a small community with about 600 residents, located on the banks of the River Arapiuns, in Amazonia region. We trained the local school teachers to act as tutors in the course offered to 40 students of the community, ages 10 to 17. The theme we chose to address was the properties and effects of snakes´ poisons, since poisoning events are a problem with which the local community frequently deal with. Another important point was that we adapted a number of experiments to make them feasible with very limited laboratory resources. Our results show that the activities that we have developed offer real opportunity of scientific training

Losing Sleep over It: Daily Variation in Sleep Quantity and Quality in Canadian Students' First Semester of University

Science.gov (United States)

Galambos, Nancy L.; Dalton, Andrea L.; Maggs, Jennifer L.

2009-01-01

Daily covariation of sleep quantity and quality with affective, stressful, academic, and social experiences were observed in a sample of Canadian 17-19-year-olds in their first year of university. Participants (N = 191) completed web-based checklists for 14 consecutive days during their first semester. Multilevel models predicting sleep quantity…

Reactivity III: An Advanced Course in Integrated Organic, Inorganic, and Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Schaller, Chris P.; Graham, Kate J.; Jakubowski, Henry V.

2017-01-01

Reactivity III is a new course that presents chemical reactions from the domains of organic, inorganic, and biochemistry that are not readily categorized by electrophile-nucleophile interactions. Many of these reactions involve the transfer of a single electron, in either an intermolecular fashion in the case of oxidation/reduction reactions or an…

Why should biochemistry students be introduced to molecular dynamics simulations--and how can we introduce them?

Science.gov (United States)

Elmore, Donald E

2016-01-01

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations play an increasingly important role in many aspects of biochemical research but are often not part of the biochemistry curricula at the undergraduate level. This article discusses the pedagogical value of exposing students to MD simulations and provides information to help instructors consider what software and hardware resources are necessary to successfully introduce these simulations into their courses. In addition, a brief review of the MD-based activities in this issue and other sources are provided. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

HRPT2- (CDC73) RELATED HEREDITARY HYPERPARATHYROIDISM: A CASE SERIES FROM WESTERN INDIA.

Science.gov (United States)

Khadilkar, Kranti S; Budyal, Sweta R; Kasliwal, Rajiv; Lila, Anurag R; Bandgar, Tushar; Shah, Nalini S

2015-09-01

To describe a case series of HRPT2- (CDC73) related hereditary primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) from western India. We present a case series of 4 families (7 patients) with PHPT caused by CDC73 gene mutations. The mean age of presentation of the 4 index cases was 27.25 ± 9.8 years. Two family members were identified through biochemical screening (Cases 1b and 2b), while 1 mutation-positive family member did not manifest any features of PHPT or hyperparathyroidism jaw tumor syndrome (HPT-JT) syndrome (Case 2c). Biochemistry showed increased serum calcium (mean: 13.21 ± 1.24 mg/dL), low serum phosphorus (mean: 1.78 ± 0.44 mg/dL), and high parathyroid hormone (PTH, mean: 936 ± 586.9 pg/mL). All patients had a uniglandular presentation and underwent single adenoma excision initially except Cases 2a and 2b, who underwent subtotal parathyroidectomy at baseline. Two cases experienced PHPT recurrence (Cases 3 and 4), while 1 remained uncured due to parathyroid carcinoma (Case 1a). Other associated syndromic features like ossifying jaw fibromas were present in 2 patients, renal cysts in 3 patients, and uterine involvement in 2 patients. Two families had novel germline CDC73 mutations (Families 1 and 3), while the other 2 had reported mutations. Family 2 had familial isolated PHPT without any other features of HPT-JT syndrome. Our findings reaffirm the need for genetic analysis of patients with PHPT, especially those with younger age of disease onset; recurrent disease; and associated features like polycystic kidneys, endometrial involvement, ossifying jaw tumors, or parathyroid carcinoma.

The Proteomics Stock Market Project. A Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration in Biochemistry and Business Education

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Heath; Cox, James R.

2004-04-01

Students taking courses in different disciplines can work together to add unique elements to their educational experience. A model for this type of pedagogical approach has been established in the Proteomics Stock Market Project, a collaborative effort between instructors and students in the Department of Chemistry and Department of Management, Marketing, and Business Administration at Murray State University. Stage I involved biochemistry students investigating the topic of proteomics and choosing companies for potential investment based only on scientific investigation. Marketing and management students completed Stage II and provided an investment analysis on the companies selected in Stage I. In Stage III, the biochemistry students focused on a particular company and investigated a protein-based therapeutic product. Blackboard software was utilized in each stage of the project to facilitate the exchange of information and electronic documents. This project was designed to give biochemistry students an appreciation for the emerging field of proteomics and the marketing and management students a flavor for real-world applications of business principles. During the project, students were exposed to ideas and concepts not typically covered in their courses. With this involvement, the students had the opportunity to gain a broader perspective of course content compared to a more traditional curriculum.

A proposal of collaborative education for biochemistry and cell biology teaching

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

A. A. Souza-Júnior

2015-08-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Currently students grow up in a world of digital tools that allow you to connect instantly with the world. At the same time, teachers face several challenges to increase student interest and learning efficiency. One such challenge is the pedagogical commitment of the density of biochemistry and cell biology contents, producing a conflict scenario, between meeting content and maintain the class quality. OBJECTIVES: From this perspective, this study aimed to evaluate the learning biochemistry and cell biology contents in high school classes of IFRN, using collaborative and digital tools in the Moodle. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The contents were offered using various tools such as video lectures, forums, questionnaires, portfolios, glossaries and electronic books. Then these tools were evaluated using an electronic form.  In addition to the tools, we evaluated the platform interaction, the performance of activities and the content gamification. RESULTS: The quantitative results revealed directly proportional relationship of the interaction of Moodle with the performance of activities. The content gamification was also assessed positively, with 61% of students considered good, very good or excellent. The best evaluated tools were video lectures, with 31% preference, and questionnaires, with 24%; followed by electronic book, with 10%, and portfolio, with 5.5%. The other tools totaled 30% of the preference. Qualitative results revealed an educational gain of content, because the student lived the experience of teaching and learning collaboratively. In addition, these tools decreased conflicts between content and schedule. CONCLUSION: Thus, the use of information and communication technology (ICT in a collaborative learning provides relevant results, bringing the reality of the world connected to the classroom. In addition, it assists in defining the content and creative development of a strategy for the construction of the concepts applied

Integrating Bio-Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry into an Undergraduate Biochemistry Laboratory

Science.gov (United States)

Erasmus, Daniel J.; Brewer, Sharon E.; Cinel, Bruno

2015-01-01

Undergraduate laboratories expose students to a wide variety of topics and techniques in a limited amount of time. This can be a challenge and lead to less exposure to concepts and activities in bio-inorganic chemistry and analytical chemistry that are closely-related to biochemistry. To address this, we incorporated a new iron determination by…

In memory of Professor Leonor Michaelis in Nagoya: great contributions to biochemistry in Japan in the first half of the 20th century.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagatsu, Toshiharu Toshi

2013-09-02

Leonor Michaelis spent the years of 1922-1926 as Professor of Biochemistry of the Aichi Medical College (now Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University) in Nagoya, Japan. Michaelis succeeded in gathering many bright young biochemists from all over Japan into his laboratory, and made tremendous contributions to the promotion of biochemistry in Japan. Michaelis was invited to many places in Japan to present lectures over those years. Kunio Yagi, who was Professor of Biochemistry at Nagoya University in the second half of the 20th century, succeeded in crystallizing the "Michaelis" enzyme-substrate complex. Historically, Michelis has had an enormous impact on biochemistry in Japan. Copyright © 2013 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The understanding of core pharmacological concepts among health care students in their final semester.

Science.gov (United States)

Aronsson, Patrik; Booth, Shirley; Hägg, Staffan; Kjellgren, Karin; Zetterqvist, Ann; Tobin, Gunnar; Reis, Margareta

2015-12-29

The overall aim of the study was to explore health care students´ understanding of core concepts in pharmacology. An interview study was conducted among twelve students in their final semester of the medical program (n = 4), the nursing program (n = 4), and the specialist nursing program in primary health care (n = 4) from two Swedish universities. The participants were individually presented with two pharmacological clinically relevant written patient cases, which they were to analyze and propose a solution to. Participants were allowed to use the Swedish national drug formulary. Immediately thereafter the students were interviewed about their assessments. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A thematic analysis was used to identify units of meaning in each interview. The units were organized into three clusters: pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics, and drug interactions. Subsequent procedure consisted of scoring the quality of students´ understanding of core concepts. Non-parametric statistics were employed. The study participants were in general able to define pharmacological concepts, but showed less ability to discuss the meaning of the concepts in depth and to implement these in a clinical context. The participants found it easier to grasp concepts related to pharmacodynamics than pharmacokinetics and drug interactions. These results indicate that education aiming to prepare future health care professionals for understanding of more complex pharmacological reasoning and decision-making needs to be more focused and effective.

Development and use of an application as a tool in biochemistry teaching: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and nucleic acids

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nayra Rodrigues de Alcântara

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This study aimed to produce an app with information contextualized and creative on the biomolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids for can be used as a support tool to professor of biochemistry, biology and science. The research was divided into three stages: the first stage questionnaires were applied to verify the level of knowledge of participants; the second stage was the preparation of the app and, after contact of the students with the app, the same questionnaire was completed again to verify the effectiveness of the methodology; the third stage was to analyze the result.. The application has ratings of biomolecules, definitions, functions and curiosities to the peoples to use the app and can relate biochemistry with their daily lives. The BQB Tech application was efficient to be used as tools in biochemistry teaching.

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics research report 1994-1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-31

Scientific interests of Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences are focused on DNA replication and repair, gene expression, gene sequencing and molecular biophysics. The work reviews research projects of the Institute in 1994-1995.

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics research report 1994-1995

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1996-01-01

Scientific interests of Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences are focused on DNA replication and repair, gene expression, gene sequencing and molecular biophysics. The work reviews research projects of the Institute in 1994-1995

Polish Academy of Sciences Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics research report 1994-1995

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1996-12-31

Scientific interests of Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences are focused on DNA replication and repair, gene expression, gene sequencing and molecular biophysics. The work reviews research projects of the Institute in 1994-1995.

PENINGKATAN KETERAMPILAN BERBICARA BAHASA INGGRIS DENGAN METODE SUGGESTOPEDIA PADA MAHASISWA SEMESTER II-E TBI STAIN PAMEKASAN

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sumihatul Ummah

2015-11-01

Full Text Available There are two problems in the result of research that will be discussed in this article. They are (1 how are the steps of the implementation of suggestopedia method in learning speaking English at the second semester students of E class TBI STAIN Pamekasan and (2 How are the increasing of speaking English skill for the second semester students of E class TBI STAIN Pamekasan in learning speaking English by using the suggestopedia method. The research method is classroom action research by using research strategy of Kemmis and Mc Taggert Model which consist of four (4 steps, namely planning, acting, observing, and reflecting. The result of research provided that classically for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd cycle indicated the increasing of students learning completeness scores, each of them are 38.23%, 67.54%, and 82.35%. While the students performance for each aspects are increasing from the 1st cycle up to 3rd cycle. The students performance of speaking English activities in the classroom from each aspects that more appear was grammar with score 85.2%. for the 2nd cycle was comprehensibility with score 88.2% and vocabulary with score 88.2%, and for the 3rd  cycle that more appear was fluency with score 91.2%.  Besides, for the frequency percentage of students performance from each cycles are more increasing, by the 1st  cycle 55% (enough, the 2nd cycle 70% (good, and the 3rd cycle 85% (very good. Finally, the suggestopedia method in learning speaking English can increase the result of students learning. In fact, the students look like be enthusiastic in learning speaking English. The students were active to joint with this subject from each cycle. By the good atmosphere, conducive situation of the classroom, and soft music made the students to be relax in learning the subject. It also was increase imagination, concentration, and liveliness for the students.

Clinical haematology and biochemistry profiles of cattle naturally infected with Theileria orientalis Ikeda type in New Zealand.

Science.gov (United States)

Lawrence, K E; Forsyth, S F; Vaatstra, B L; McFadden, Amj; Pulford, D J; Govindaraju, K; Pomroy, W E

2018-01-01

To present the haematology and biochemistry profiles for cattle in New Zealand naturally infected with Theileria orientalis Ikeda type and investigate if the results differed between adult dairy cattle and calves aged cattle which tested positive for T. orientalis Ikeda type by PCR, that were submitted to veterinary laboratories in New Zealand between October 2012 and November 2014. Data sets for haematology and biochemistry results were prepared for adult dairy cattle (n=62 and 28, respectively) and calves aged cattle and calves cattle than for beef or dairy calves, for both haematology (pcattle and calves aged cattle infected with T. orientalis Ikeda type were consistent with extravascular haemolytic anaemia. Adult dairy cattle were more likely to be severely anaemic than calves. There were differences in haematology and biochemistry profiles between adult dairy cattle and calves, but most of these differences likely had a physiological rather than pathological basis. Overall, the haematological changes in calves aged cattle.

Dyslipidemias as generating issue in Biochemistry classes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. M. Lima

2015-08-01

Full Text Available The traditional didactic model is based on the transmission of the teacher's encyclopedic knowledge. In this model, the teaching of Science aims at the transmission of dominant values, regarded as absolute truths. The teacher is seen is an expert on scientific contents who transmits them to students without motivating them, and without taking into consideration their previous ideas and life experience. This model contributes to the formation of professionals who accept those values uncritically. An effective approach to break up this traditional teaching model in Biochemistry is the use of a generating issue. A Generating Issue is the starting point to the knowledge construction process which, in turn, replaces traditional models. Thus, this study aimed at developing a lesson for a 12th grade class at IF Fluminense on the following content: alcohol, carboxylic acid, ester, and esterification reaction, using dyslipidemias as the Generating Issue. To verify the value of such methodology in Biochemistry classroom, data was collected by applying a questionnaire and images with texts produced by students. In addition, they had a class based on the methodology known as Three Pedagogical Moments, proposed by Delizoicov et al. (2007. Several didactic resources designed by the authors were used, such as slide presentation, tridimensional molecular models, and a roulette game named “Bioquimicados”, based on the Facebook game “Perguntados” ("Trivia Crack". After this, students developed more grounded scientific concepts, making use of terms common in scientific language. This suggests that the use of the Generating Issue in a lesson based on problematization, and supported by a ludic activity, provided a meaningful contribution to improve the students' understanding of the scientific content. This type of non-traditional class promotes greater student motivation, resulting in meaningful learning.

An interactive computer lab of the galvanic cell for students in biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahlstrand, Emma; Buetti-Dinh, Antoine; Friedman, Ran

2018-01-01

We describe an interactive module that can be used to teach basic concepts in electrochemistry and thermodynamics to first year natural science students. The module is used together with an experimental laboratory and improves the students' understanding of thermodynamic quantities such as Δ r G, Δ r H, and Δ r S that are calculated but not directly measured in the lab. We also discuss how new technologies can substitute some parts of experimental chemistry courses, and improve accessibility to course material. Cloud computing platforms such as CoCalc facilitate the distribution of computer codes and allow students to access and apply interactive course tools beyond the course's scope. Despite some limitations imposed by cloud computing, the students appreciated the approach and the enhanced opportunities to discuss study questions with their classmates and instructor as facilitated by the interactive tools. © 2017 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 46(1):58-65, 2018. © 2017 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

An Integrated Biochemistry Laboratory, Including Molecular Modeling

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Adele J. Wolfson Mona L.; Branham, Thomas R.

1996-11-01

purity of the final preparation. Using mini-gels (BioRad Mini-Protean II apparatus), each group can pour, run, and stain their own 8 7.3-cm gel within the lab period; destaining can be carried out at any time afterward. The main contaminating band observed is ovalbumin, at a molecular weight of 46,000. Computer Modeling Using the program Quanta (MSI, Burlington, MA) on Indigo workstations (Silicon Graphics, Hudson, MA), the students retrieve coordinates from an MSI version of the Protein Data Bank, display the structure, and rationalize what changes would occur with a mutated form of the protein. Even for those who do not have Quanta or analogous programs, structural coordinates are available through the Internet. Students are prepared for their independent use of the molecular modeling workstations through a series of tutorials during the course of the semester. These exercises require that the students become familiar with specific applications of Quanta, including setting secondary conformation and hydrogen bonds, energy calculations, selectively displaying parts of molecules, measuring interatomic distances, and editing existing proteins. This introduction to macromolecular modeling is comparable to that suggested by Harvey and Tan (17) as a brief introduction to the field. Peer Review For each writing assignment (short paper and grant proposal), one week of lab is devoted to the peer review process. Students are to come to lab with a draft of their paper and a cover letter to their reviewers, which states how far they believe they are in the writing process; what they like and don't like about their work at this stage; and in what specific areas they need help (e.g., audience level, organization, use of references). They exchange papers, reading two or three during the course of the lab period. For each paper, they fill out a peer review form, which requires that they summarize the paper; look for clarity of presentation, appropriate citations, and use of others

Numerical time-dependent partial differential equations for scientists and engineers

CERN Document Server

Brio, Moysey; Zakharian, Aramais R

2010-01-01

It is the first text that in addition to standard convergence theory treats other necessary ingredients for successful numerical simulations of physical systems encountered by every practitioner. The book is aimed at users with interests ranging from application modeling to numerical analysis and scientific software development. It is strongly influenced by the authors research in in space physics, electrical and optical engineering, applied mathematics, numerical analysis and professional software development. The material is based on a year-long graduate course taught at the University of Arizona since 1989. The book covers the first two-semesters of a three semester series. The second semester is based on a semester-long project, while the third semester requirement consists of a particular methods course in specific disciplines like computational fluid dynamics, finite element method in mechanical engineering, computational physics, biology, chemistry, photonics, etc. The first three chapters focus on bas...

A guide on instrument of biochemistry and molecular biology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-10-01

This book is about instrument on biochemistry and molecular biology, which consists of six chapters. It deals with introduction of advanced bio-instrument, common utilization and maintain, explanation of each instrument like capillary electrophoresis, interactive laser cytometer, personal computer and software, an electron microscope and DNA/RNS synthesis instrument, large equipment and special system like information system and network, analysis system for genome and large spectro graph, outside donation, examples for common utilization and appendix on data like application form for use.

General chemistry: expanding the learning outcomes and promoting interdisciplinary connections through the use of a semester-long project.

Science.gov (United States)

Wenzel, Thomas J

2006-01-01

The laboratory component of a first-semester general chemistry course for science majors is described. The laboratory involves a semester-long project undertaken in a small-group format. Students are asked to examine whether plants grown in soil contaminated with lead take up more lead than those grown in uncontaminated soil. They are also asked to examine whether the acidity of the rainwater affects the amount of lead taken up by the plants. Groups are then given considerable independence in the design and implementation of the experiment. Once the seeds are planted, which takes about 4 wk into the term, several shorter experiments are integrated in before it is time to harvest and analyze the plants. The use of a project and small working groups allows for the development of a broader range of learning outcomes than occurs in a "traditional" general chemistry laboratory. The nature of these outcomes and some of the student responses to the laboratory experience are described. This particular project also works well at demonstrating the connections among chemistry, biology, geology, and environmental studies.

Detrended partial cross-correlation analysis of two nonstationary time series influenced by common external forces

Science.gov (United States)

Qian, Xi-Yuan; Liu, Ya-Min; Jiang, Zhi-Qiang; Podobnik, Boris; Zhou, Wei-Xing; Stanley, H. Eugene

2015-06-01

When common factors strongly influence two power-law cross-correlated time series recorded in complex natural or social systems, using detrended cross-correlation analysis (DCCA) without considering these common factors will bias the results. We use detrended partial cross-correlation analysis (DPXA) to uncover the intrinsic power-law cross correlations between two simultaneously recorded time series in the presence of nonstationarity after removing the effects of other time series acting as common forces. The DPXA method is a generalization of the detrended cross-correlation analysis that takes into account partial correlation analysis. We demonstrate the method by using bivariate fractional Brownian motions contaminated with a fractional Brownian motion. We find that the DPXA is able to recover the analytical cross Hurst indices, and thus the multiscale DPXA coefficients are a viable alternative to the conventional cross-correlation coefficient. We demonstrate the advantage of the DPXA coefficients over the DCCA coefficients by analyzing contaminated bivariate fractional Brownian motions. We calculate the DPXA coefficients and use them to extract the intrinsic cross correlation between crude oil and gold futures by taking into consideration the impact of the U.S. dollar index. We develop the multifractal DPXA (MF-DPXA) method in order to generalize the DPXA method and investigate multifractal time series. We analyze multifractal binomial measures masked with strong white noises and find that the MF-DPXA method quantifies the hidden multifractal nature while the multifractal DCCA method fails.

The use of software in Biochemistry teaching classes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M.B. Büttenbender

2013-05-01

Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: The rising of new technologies meant  to improve education could be considered a high advance to pedagogic methodologies. Software is defined as computer programs and may be considered educative when they present a methodology which assists and contextualizes the teaching-learning process. Specifically regarding Biochemistry, a knowledge area which explains physiological and pathological phenomena that occur in human beings, applying the use of software would turn out an easy way to observe suchphenomena. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In order to carry out this work, two free software designed to be used in Biochemistry area and developed at Universidade Estadual de Campinas (“Síntese Proteica” (Protein Synthesisand “A cinética da reação enzimática” (Kinetics of enzymatic reaction, were compared. Interface, how to work contents, advantages and disadvantages in the use of such kind of technology inside classroom were some of the evaluated parameters. DISCUSSION AND RESULTS: Both programs present a fine graphic design, allowing easy command comprehension. At the beginning the objectives of the programs and the contents they hold are presented, showing also a brief introduction to the topic. The programs also  present instruction manuals that explain how the experiments work. They are small basic and simple programs that run easily where they are placed, not needing internet access after their download. “Kinetics of enzymatic reaction” presented more interactive options than the other, and its operation could be considered more intuitive. CONCLUSION: We considered “Kinetics of enzymatic reaction” a better software,cause it allows the student to observe the experiment and perform the calculationsproposed, improving the learning process in a significantly way. The use ofnew technologies inside classrooms should be encouraged as a way to attractthe attention and interest of students, since they are

Teaching Biochemistry at a Medical Faculty with a Problem-Based Learning System.

Science.gov (United States)

Rosing, Jan

1997-01-01

Highlights the differences between classical teaching methods and problem-based learning. Describes the curriculum and problem-based approach of the Faculty of Medicine at the Maastricht University and gives an overview of the implementation of biochemistry in the medical curriculum. Discusses the procedure for student assessment and presents…

Three-Phase Cascaded Multilevel Inverter Using Power Cells With Two Inverter Legs in Series

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Waltrich, G.; Barbi, I.

2010-01-01

In this paper, a modular three-phase multilevel inverter specially suited for electrical drive applications is proposed. Unlike the cascaded H-bridge inverter, this topology is based on power cells connected in cascade using two inverter legs in series. A detailed analysis of the structure and the

Thematic minireview series: cell biology of G protein signaling.

Science.gov (United States)

Dohlman, Henrik G

2015-03-13

This thematic series is on the topic of cell signaling from a cell biology perspective, with a particular focus on G proteins. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs, also known as seven-transmembrane receptors) are typically found at the cell surface. Upon agonist binding, these receptors will activate a GTP-binding G protein at the cytoplasmic face of the plasma membrane. Additionally, there is growing evidence that G proteins can also be activated by non-receptor binding partners, and they can signal from non-plasma membrane compartments. The production of second messengers at multiple, spatially distinct locations represents a type of signal encoding that has been largely neglected. The first minireview in the series describes biosensors that are being used to monitor G protein signaling events in live cells. The second describes the implementation of antibody-based biosensors to dissect endosome signaling by G proteins and their receptors. The third describes the function of a non-receptor, cytoplasmic activator of G protein signaling, called GIV (Girdin). Collectively, the advances described in these articles provide a deeper understanding and emerging opportunities for new pharmacology. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

The Teaching of Biochemistry: An Innovative Course Sequence Based on the Logic of Chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Jakubowski, Henry V.; Owen, Whyte G.

1998-06-01

An innovative course sequence for the teaching of biochemistry is offered, which more truly reflects the common philosophy found in biochemistry texts: that the foundation of biological phenomena can best be understood through the logic of chemistry. Topic order is chosen to develop an emerging understanding that is based on chemical principles. Preeminent biological questions serve as a framework for the course. Lipid and lipid-aggregate structures are introduced first, since it is more logical to discuss the intermolecular association of simple amphiphiles to form micelle and bilayer formations than to discuss the complexities of protein structure/folding. Protein, nucleic acid, and carbohydrate structures are studied next. Binding, a noncovalent process and the simplest expression of macromolecular function, follows. The physical (noncovalent) transport of solute molecules across a biological membrane is studied next, followed by the chemical transformation of substrates by enzymes. These are logical extensions of the expression of molecular function, first involving a simpler (physical transport) and second, a more complex (covalent transformation) process. The final sequence involves energy and signal transduction. This unique course sequence emerges naturally when chemical logic is used as an organizing paradigm for structuring a biochemistry course. Traditional order, which seems to reflect historic trends in research, or even an order derived from the central dogma of biology can not provide this logical framework.

[Inventive activity of the Department of Molecular Immunology of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of NAS of Ukraine].

Science.gov (United States)

Danilova, V M; Vynogradova, R P; Torkhova, S G

2016-01-01

The article is devoted to the inventive activity of the Department of Molecular Immunology of the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry of NAS of Ukraine in the context of the history of its inception, development and in the context of scholarly and organizational activities of Sergii Vasyl’ovych Komisarenko. This autumn marks 50th anniversary since young Sergii Komisarenko (now – Academician of NAS and NAMS of Ukraine, Dr. Biol. Sci., Professor) has joined the Palladin Institute of Biochemistry, has completed all stages of the academic carrier from PhD student to Head of the Institute. He is the first in Ukraine who started the new branch of research – molecular immunology, created a strong scientific school, which earned worldwide acclaim and made significant contribution to finding solutions to current problems in human health sciences. S.V. Komisarenko was among those, who were first in the USSR to use immunoenzyme and flow cytofluometric assays, hybridoma technology for producing monoclonal antibodies and immunochemical assay of proteins, which became the basis for development of highly sensitive and highly specific immunodiagnostic systems, which are of high necessity in medicine, veterinary, development of immunotechnologies, environment monitoring, etc. Under his leadership the Department has made a series of important discoveries and developments including relating to antitumour immunotoxins, effects of low dose radiation on the immune system of Chernobyl liquidators, immunochemical structure of neurotoxin apamine, cytochrom c, fibrinogen and fibrin molecules at different stages of polymerization, diphtheria toxin and its receptor, tuberculosis causing micobacterium, roles of protease-activated receptors (PARs) and nicotinic acetylcholine receptors of lymphocytes, nature of polyreactive immunoglobulins (PRIGs), among other important scientific contributions. S.V. Komisarenko and his colleagues also hold numerous (more than 80) author’s certificates

Typical Periods for Two-Stage Synthesis by Time-Series Aggregation with Bounded Error in Objective Function

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bahl, Björn; Söhler, Theo; Hennen, Maike; Bardow, André, E-mail: andre.bardow@ltt.rwth-aachen.de [Institute of Technical Thermodynamics, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (Germany)

2018-01-08

Two-stage synthesis problems simultaneously consider here-and-now decisions (e.g., optimal investment) and wait-and-see decisions (e.g., optimal operation). The optimal synthesis of energy systems reveals such a two-stage character. The synthesis of energy systems involves multiple large time series such as energy demands and energy prices. Since problem size increases with the size of the time series, synthesis of energy systems leads to complex optimization problems. To reduce the problem size without loosing solution quality, we propose a method for time-series aggregation to identify typical periods. Typical periods retain the chronology of time steps, which enables modeling of energy systems, e.g., with storage units or start-up cost. The aim of the proposed method is to obtain few typical periods with few time steps per period, while accurately representing the objective function of the full time series, e.g., cost. Thus, we determine the error of time-series aggregation as the cost difference between operating the optimal design for the aggregated time series and for the full time series. Thereby, we rigorously bound the maximum performance loss of the optimal energy system design. In an initial step, the proposed method identifies the best length of typical periods by autocorrelation analysis. Subsequently, an adaptive procedure determines aggregated typical periods employing the clustering algorithm k-medoids, which groups similar periods into clusters and selects one representative period per cluster. Moreover, the number of time steps per period is aggregated by a novel clustering algorithm maintaining chronology of the time steps in the periods. The method is iteratively repeated until the error falls below a threshold value. A case study based on a real-world synthesis problem of an energy system shows that time-series aggregation from 8,760 time steps to 2 typical periods with each 2 time steps results in an error smaller than the optimality gap of

On the Application of the Fourier Series Solution to the Hydromagnetic Buoyant Two-Dimensional Laminar Vertical Jet

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marco Rosales-Vera

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The problem of a hydromagnetic hot two-dimensional laminar jet issuing vertically into an otherwise quiescent fluid of a lower temperature is studied. We propose solutions to the boundary layer equations using the classical Fourier series. The method is essentiall to transform the boundary layer equations to a coupled set of nonlinear first-order ordinary differential equations through the Fourier series. The accuracy of the results has been tested by the comparison of the velocity distributions obtained by the Fourier series with those calculated by finite difference method. The results show that the present method, based on the Fourier series, is an efficient method, suitable to solve boundary layer equations applied to plane jet flows with high accuracy.

On the pedagogy of pharmacological communication: a study of final semester health science students.

Science.gov (United States)

Zetterqvist, Ann; Aronsson, Patrik; Hägg, Staffan; Kjellgren, Karin; Reis, Margareta; Tobin, Gunnar; Booth, Shirley

2015-10-26

There is a need to improve design in educational programmes for the health sciences in general and in pharmacology specifically. The objective of this study was to investigate and problematize pharmacological communication in educational programmes for the health sciences. An interview study was carried out where final semester students from programmes for the medical, nursing and specialist nursing in primary health care professions were asked to discuss the pharmacological aspects of two written case descriptions of the kind they would meet in their everyday work. The study focused on the communication they envisaged taking place on the concerns the patients were voicing, in terms of two features: how communication would take place and what would be the content of the communication. A phenomenographic research approach was used. The results are presented as outcome spaces, sets of categories that describe the variation of ways in which the students voiced their understanding of communication in the two case descriptions and showed the qualitatively distinct ways in which the features of communication were experienced. The results offer a base of understanding the students' perspectives on communication that they will take with them into their professional lives. We indicate that there is room for strengthening communication skills in the field of pharmacology, integrating them into programmes of education, by more widely implementing a problem-based, a case-oriented or role-playing pedagogy where final year students work across specialisations and there is a deliberate effort to evoke and assess advanced conceptions and skills.

Fundamentals on the biochemistry of peroxynitrite and protein tyrosine nitration

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvina Bartesaghi

2018-04-01

Full Text Available In this review we provide an analysis of the biochemistry of peroxynitrite and tyrosine nitration. Peroxynitrite is the product of the diffusion-controlled reaction between superoxide (O2•- and nitric oxide (•NO. This process is in competition with the enzymatic dismutation of O2•- and the diffusion of •NO across cells and tissues and its reaction with molecular targets (e.g. guanylate cyclase. Understanding the kinetics and compartmentalization of the O2•- / •NO interplay is critical to rationalize the shift of •NO from a physiological mediator to a cytotoxic intermediate. Once formed, peroxynitrite (ONOO- and ONOOH; pKa = 6,8 behaves as a strong one and two-electron oxidant towards a series of biomolecules including transition metal centers and thiols. In addition, peroxynitrite anion can secondarily evolve to secondary radicals either via its fast reaction with CO2 or through proton-catalyzed homolysis. Thus, peroxynitrite can participate in direct (bimolecular and indirect (through secondary radical intermediates oxidation reactions; through these processes peroxynitrite can participate as cytotoxic effector molecule against invading pathogens and/or as an endogenous pathogenic mediator. Peroxynitrite can cause protein tyrosine nitration in vitro and in vivo. Indeed, tyrosine nitration is a hallmark of the reactions of •NO-derived oxidants in cells and tissues and serves as a biomarker of oxidative damage. Protein tyrosine nitration can mediate changes in protein structure and function that affect cell homeostasis. Tyrosine nitration in biological systems is a free radical process that can be promoted either by peroxynitrite-derived radicals or by other related •NO-dependent oxidative processes. Recently, mechanisms responsible of tyrosine nitration in hydrophobic biostructures such as membranes and lipoproteins have been assessed and involve the parallel occurrence and connection with lipid

Application of radioisotopes in biochemistry of proteins, hydrocarbons and lipids of viruses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Budarkov, V.A.; Bakulov, I.A.; Makarov, V.V.; Chumak, R.M.

1990-01-01

The article desribes the methods of radioisotope application in biochemistry of proteins, hydrocarbons and lipids of viruses: - radionuclide analysis of immunocompetent cell surface components; - technique of radionuclide introduction into viruse and cell proteins; - method of investigating of viruse glycoproteins; - method of measuring viruse ferment activity. 383 refs.; 2 figs.; 4 tabs

Exploring Protein Structure and Dynamics through a Project-Oriented Biochemistry Laboratory Module

Science.gov (United States)

Lipchock, James M.; Ginther, Patrick S.; Douglas, Bonnie B.; Bird, Kelly E.; Loria, J. Patrick

2017-01-01

Here, we present a 10-week project-oriented laboratory module designed to provide a course-based undergraduate research experience in biochemistry that emphasizes the importance of biomolecular structure and dynamics in enzyme function. This module explores the impact of mutagenesis on an important active site loop for a biomedically-relevant…

Construction of Hypertexts in a Biochemistry Pos- Graduation Discipline

OpenAIRE

W.B. Maia; B.S. dos Santos; J.M. Martins; B.C. Araujo; A.A. Pimenta Filho; T.G. Araújo; M.C. Martins; C.R.F.C. Mota; A.L. Castro- Neto; V.L.M. Lima,

2009-01-01

Virtual reality is an innovating manner of comprehending and acting on how the world is and, also, considered a new way of intellectual exercise.  This work took place in a  biochemistry masters discipline (Advanced Formation in ScientificEducation) and had as its observation context the forum (on-line tool) viability, intending the construction of hypertexts (active  collaborative writing ) by the 15 registered students in the  discipline in 2008. The discipline was available on the web, in ...

Effect of irradiation on biochemistry properties of shrimp allergen

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gu Kefei; Gao Meixu; Li Chunhong; Li Shurong; Pan Jiarong

2007-01-01

Study on the effects of 60 Co γ-rays irradiation at the dose of 0,3,5,7,10 kGy on shrimp allergen biochemistry properties was conducted. The results indicated that the allergen protein molecule can be broken down to smaller molecules or coagulated to larger molecules by irradiation. The hydrophobicity and turbidity of irradiated allergen increased with the increase of absorbed dose. The results also show that allergen solution is more sensitive to irradiation than allergen in solid state or in the whole shrimp. (authors)

Agreement of serum potassium measured by blood gas and biochemistry analyzer in patients with moderate to severe hyperkalemia.

Science.gov (United States)

Acikgoz, Seyyid Bilal; Genc, Ahmet Bilal; Sipahi, Savas; Yildirim, Mehmet; Cinemre, Behice; Tamer, Ali; Solak, Yalcin

2016-05-01

Several studies investigated the agreement between central laboratory biochemistry analyzers and blood gas analyzers for potassium measurements. However, data are scarce when the potassium level is moderate to severely high. We aimed to evaluate the agreement between central laboratory biochemistry analyzers and blood gas analyzer in terms of serum potassium level measurement because differences in potassium at this level translate into very different clinical actions. This was a retrospective medical record review study in which patients who presented to the emergency department and had serum potassium levels ≥6mmol/L were included. Patients who did not have simultaneous potassium measurement by blood gas analyzer were excluded. We included all patients meeting potassium criteria irrespective of their underlying disease or comorbidities. We evaluated agreement between the measurement methods with Pearson correlation, Bland-Altman plot, and Sign test. A total of 118 blood sample pairs were included. The mean serum potassium level measured by biochemistry analyzer was 6.78±0.79mmol/L, whereas it was 6.16±0.86mmol/L by blood gas analyzer (Pbiochemistry analyzer. The mean difference between the methods was 0.62±0.43mmol/L. In patients with moderate to severe hyperkalemia, blood gas analyzer and biochemistry analyzer gives significantly different serum potassium results which may be clinically important. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fostering Distance Training Programme (DTP) Students' Access to Semester Examination Results via SMS at University of Rwanda-College of Education

Science.gov (United States)

Nizeyimana, Gerard; Yonah, Zaipuna O.; Nduwingoma, Mathias

2015-01-01

This paper presents a situation analysis and implementation of Distance Training Programme (DTP) Semester Examination Results Access (SERA) through Short Message Service (SMS) available anytime and anywhere. "Texting" or SMS mobile phone messaging is rapidly increasing communication in business and community service. The prompting…

Abstracts of the 27. Annual meeting of the Brazilian Society on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-01-01

This meeting was about biochemistry and molecular biology. It was discussed topics related to bio energetic, channels, transports, biotechnology, metabolism, cellular biology, immunology, toxicology, photobiology and pharmacology

Abstracts of the 26. Annual meeting of the Brazilian Society on Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

This meeting was about biochemistry and molecular biology. It was discussed topics related to bio energetic, channels, transports, biotechnology, metabolism, cellular biology, immunology, toxicology, photobiology and pharmacology

Dealing with the challenge of building a Biochemistry Program in an integrated Medical curriculum. The need for new didactics, new focal interests, and new connections to other disciplines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miguel A. R. B. Castanho

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Teaching in Health Sciences is rapidly evolving. Medical schools, for instance, are increasingly opting for integrated curricula. Biochemistry no longer is considered a discipline by itself; instead, Biochemistry is a part of a wider universe of knowledge integrated in modulus. These modulus often relate to physiological human body systems or the concept of Organic and Functional Systems. In either case, the bridging between Biochemistry, Histology, Anatomy, Physiology, and Pharmacology is largely explored. This bridging is a challenge in Biochemistry teaching. A second challenge adds to this: the way new generations of students perceive communication is much different than the way knowledge is communicated in classrooms. Modern forms of information exchange are multimedia, fast and interactive; lectures are traditionally descriptive, use classical expositive didactics and highlight detailed disciplinary matters. How to cope with the new challenges in the Biochemistry classroom will be addressed. A new biochemistry textbook, totally conceived for a Biochemistry Program in an integrated curriculum in health sciences at present will be taken as example. The choice of core contents, illustrative examples and the approach to teaching were carefully addressed in light of the new challenges identified above.

Technical and didactic problems of virtual lab exercises in biochemistry and biotechnology education

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

May, Michael; Skriver, Karen; Dandanell, Gert

from a lack of conceptual analysis of what actually constitutes virtual labs. A clarification of these conceptual issues is suggested as part of a Danish research and development project on virtual lab exercises in biochemistry, molecular biology and biotechnology education. The main outcome...

Proficiency in radiation protection, nuclear medicine and biomedicine in the Faculty of Biochemistry and Pharmaceutics, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bergoc, Rosa M.; Caro, Ricardo A.; Rivera, Elena S.

2001-01-01

The School of Pharmacy and Biochemistry (Buenos Aires University) offers four annual courses on Methodology of Radioisotopes (which focus on different aspect of the Radiological Protection according to whom they are aimed: 1) Course for students in the Biochemistry Cycle; 2) Course for post-Graduate in Medicine, Biochemistry, Biology, Chemists; 3) Course to up-date the knowledge; 4) Course for Technicians in Nuclear Medicine. From 1960, 5000 biochemistry students have approved Methodology of Radioisotopes. The syllabus includes aspect related to the students' future professional activities. Since 1962, 1513 (?) graduates have approved it. Training (222 h) include: dosimetric magnitudes, units, internal and external dosimetry; working conditions, contamination barriers, radioprotection philosophy and principles; limits; radioactive wastes; legal aspects, national and international legislation. Uses of commonest isotopes in Nuclear Medicine and Biomedicine are under deep analysis. Since 1992 the graduates who wish to up-date their knowledge can follow this course organized in modules to suit their needs. Since 1997 this course emphasizes the operational aspects such as: columns elution, injection of radioactive drugs to patients, decontamination of areas. The increasing in the application of radioisotopes makes necessary to encourage their use in harmony with the environmental. (author)

The Indirect Effect of Alcohol Use on GPA in First-Semester College Students: The Mediating Role of Academic Effort

Science.gov (United States)

Conway, James M.; DiPlacido, Joanne

2015-01-01

This study focused on first-semester college students, investigating (a) indirect effects of aggregate alcohol use on grade point average (GPA) through academic effort (skipping class and time on schoolwork) and (b) daily effects of alcohol use on reduced effort. Eighty students reported daily alcohol use and academic effort (skipping class and…

Clinical roles in clinical biochemistry: a national survey of practice in the UK.

Science.gov (United States)

Choudhury, Sirazum M; Williams, Emma L; Barnes, Sophie C; Alaghband-Zadeh, Jamshid; Tan, Tricia M; Cegla, Jaimini

2017-05-01

Background Using an online survey, we collected data to present a picture of how clinical authorization is performed in the UK. Methods A 21-question survey was uploaded to www.surveymonkey.com , and responses were invited via the mail base of the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. The questionnaire examined the intensity and function of the duty biochemist role and how different types of authorization are used to handle and release results. Results Of 70 responses received, 60 were suitable for analysis. Responses were received from every region of the UK. A typical duty biochemist shift started on average at 8:50, and finished at 17:25. The mean duration was 8 h 58 min. Clinical scientists are the most abundantly represented group on duty biochemist rotas. Higher banded clinical scientists and chemical pathologists covered out-of-hours shifts. Results were handled differently depending on the level of abnormality and the requesting area. Normal results tended to be released either directly from the analyser or after technical then autoauthorization (90%). A greater preference for clinical authorization was seen for abnormal and critical results originating from outpatients (49% and 69%, respectively) or general practice (51% and 71%) than for inpatients (33% and 53%) or A&E (25% and 37%). Conclusions The handling and authorization of biochemistry results varies greatly between laboratories. The role is clearly heterogeneous in the UK. Guidance from the Association for Clinical Biochemistry and Royal College of Pathologists may help to clarify the essential roles of the duty biochemist.

Two-Year Community: Tools for Success--A Study of the Resources and Study Habits of General Chemistry I Students at Two Community Colleges

Science.gov (United States)

Bruck, Laura B.; Bruck, Aaron D.

2018-01-01

Recruitment and retention in the sciences is both difficult and crucial, especially in the community college setting. In this study, the resources used by General Chemistry I students at two different public, predominantly two-year colleges in two states were studied via surveys for a semester. Data were analyzed with respect to student attitudes…

Nanofluidic Devices with Two Pores in Series for Resistive-Pulse Sensing of Single Virus Capsids

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Harms, Zachary D.; Mogensen, Klaus Bo; Rodrigues de Sousa Nunes, Pedro André

2011-01-01

We report fabrication and characterization of nanochannel devices with two nanopores in series for resistive-pulse sensing of hepatitis B virus (HBV) capsids. The nanochannel and two pores are patterned by electron beam lithography between two microchannels and etched by reactive ion etching....... The two nanopores are 50-nm wide, 50-nm deep, and 40-nm long and are spaced 2.0-μm apart. The nanochannel that brackets the two pores is 20 wider (1 μm) to reduce the electrical resistance adjacent to the two pores and to ensure the current returns to its baseline value between resistive-pulse events...

Learning Biochemistry through Manga--Helping Students Learn and Remember, and Making Lectures More Exciting.

Science.gov (United States)

Nagata, Ryoichi

1999-01-01

Uses panels taken from manga, Japanese comics and cartoons, to supplement explanations of biochemical terms and topics in biochemistry classes. Results indicate that the use of manga helped students remember what they had learned. (Author/CCM)

Cell complexes of transition metals in biochemistry and medicine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voloshin, Ya.Z.; Varzatskij, O.A.; Bubnov, Yu.N.

2007-01-01

Basic directions and prospects of use of cell complexes of transition metals in medicine and biochemistry are considered: incapsulation of radioactive metal ions for radiotherapy and diagnostics; preparation of contrast compounds for magnetic resonance tomography, antidotes and pharmaceutical preparation of prolonged effect, preparations for boron-neutron-capture therapy of neoplasms, antioxidants; membrane transport of metal ions; study of interaction of cell metal complexes with nucleic acids; possibility of use of self-assembly of cell complexes for imitation of ligases and use of clathrochelates as linkers; design of inhibitors of viruses for AIDS therapy [ru

EDUCACIONAL GAME OF LEARNING AS DIDATIC SUPPORT IN INTRODUCTION TO BIOCHEMISTRY DISCIPLINE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. S. Vasconcelos

2012-05-01

Full Text Available The cellular respiration process is a crucial subject in biochemistry learning. The use of ludic tools appears to be a good strategy in education intensifying the teach and learning process. The aim of this work was to create and introduce a game as educational tool helping the students to construct the knowledge.  This work was accomplished in UFC involving three groups of 5 students of Introduction to Biochemistry discipline from Food Engineering course.  It was developed a board game  entitled:  The dynamics OXI-REDOXI in Respiratory Chain. The game consisted in a board with the scheme of the respiratory chain, chips to complete the gaps and 12 question cards. The students had previous classes about the subject and a survey right before  playing the game. The monitor explained the rules and the wrong answers of the students to question cards. During the game it was observed mistakes in the answers of the students to  question cards  and either  regarding placing the chips representing the reactions of the respiratory chain. The monitor stimulated the discussion among them and elucidated the doubts. The students demonstrated motivation and interest during the game.  The majority of the students found it easy to play and confirmed that it facilitate the learning process.  The application of the same survey after the game showed that they understood the  respiratory chain and the grades were at least 50% higher after the game.  This game reveals itself a dynamic and constructive tool for the learning  process in biochemistry.

A SOFTWARE TO PROMOTE INTERACTIVE TEACHING OF WATER PROPERTIES IN BIOCHEMISTRY CLASSES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.M.M. Lapouble

2005-07-01

Full Text Available The improvement and  development of new tools in design and  informatics  helped the  creation  of biochemistry teaching  material. Many molecules, metabolic  pathways, reactions,  and interactions are best  explained  and  understood when  shown  in three  dimensions  and  allowing interactivity.  Water is, usually,  the first topic to be presented  during  basic biochemistry courses.  Importance, properties, ionization,  pH, buffering and  titration curves,  are frequently  presented  subjects,  but  static graphics don´t show to  students the  interactions between water molecules,  interactions with  the  solutes  and buffer titration in a clear way.  In this  work, Flash  software  from Macromedia,  was used to produce the llustrations, animations, and ActionScript programming was used to simulate  the titration of some buffers and correlate  the molecular  concept  to the graphic  charts.With  this  work,  we are trying  to improve  the  quality  of biochemistry teaching  material, and  to show, in a clear way, subjects  that are difficult to explain by static  graphics limitation. This material could be used in regular classes, to be projected  or showed in computers  and could be used by students in self-guided study because it allows optional  visualization of texts.  An assisted navigation tool could suggest to students, a sequence of topics but still allowing the freedom of choice of any available topic.

Biochemistry for Medical Students: A Flexible Student-Oriented Approach. AMEE Case Study No. 3

Science.gov (United States)

Macqueen, D.; And Others

1976-01-01

A personalized account of some experiences in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Dundee during a radical revision of the course for medical students is offered. Innovations of the course are described in detail. (LBH)

Magnetic Field Emission Comparison for Series-Parallel and Series-Series Wireless Power Transfer to Vehicles – PART 2/2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Batra, Tushar; Schaltz, Erik

2014-01-01

Series-series and series-parallel topologies are the most favored topologies for design of wireless power transfer system for vehicle applications. The series-series topology has the advantage of reflecting only the resistive part on the primary side. On the other hand, the current source output...... characteristics of the series-parallel topology are more suited for the battery of the vehicle. This paper compares the two topologies in terms of magnetic emissions to the surroundings for the same input power, primary current, quality factor and inductors. Theoretical and simulation results show that the series...

NEW MATERIALS FOR PEDAGOGICAL TEACHING-LEARNING IN BIOCHEMISTRY: MONITORING PARTICIPATION

OpenAIRE

Campos, R. S.; Fernandes, I. L.; Andrade, G. P.V.; Matta, L. D.M.; Filgueira, L. G.A.

2015-01-01

This summary consists of an experience report about actions taken by biochemical monitors with pharmacy students. The reason of our work was the intention to both improve the process of teaching and also learning and invalidate the labels owned by biochemistry of hard and high-level-failure subject. The three actors: teachers, students and monitor could act on an integrated basis for the construction of an articulated  pedagogical process between theory/practice and learning signification. Ou...

Novel study guides for biochemistry meaningful learning in biology: a design-based research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Caetano da Costa

2017-12-01

Full Text Available To address the usually decontextualized transmission of information in biochemistry teaching, three interventions in a discipline (Metabolism for Biology majors were applied as innovative study guides. We describe the development, application, and evaluation of two study guides, contextualized with a real problem or an integrative view, using broad themes like evolution and metabolic adaptation. In order to evaluate the impact of both interventions on interest, motivation, and learning of the metabolic pathways, a design-based research with cycles of application and assessment was carried out, by means of classroom observation, grade analysis in written exams, and students’ interviews. Analysis and interpretation of the results point to benefits for teaching and learning, with helpful information to guide elaboration and refinement of new teaching materials and to make active learning more meaningful.

Comprehensive Experiment—Clinical Biochemistry: Determination of Blood Glucose and Triglycerides in Normal and Diabetic Rats

Science.gov (United States)

Jiao, Li; Xiujuan, Shi; Juan, Wang; Song, Jia; Lei, Xu; Guotong, Xu; Lixia, Lu

2015-01-01

For second year medical students, we redesigned an original laboratory experiment and developed a combined research-teaching clinical biochemistry experiment. Using an established diabetic rat model to detect blood glucose and triglycerides, the students participate in the entire experimental process, which is not normally experienced during a standard clinical biochemistry exercise. The students are not only exposed to techniques and equipment but are also inspired to think more about the biochemical mechanisms of diseases. When linked with lecture topics about the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, the students obtain a better understanding of the relevance of abnormal metabolism in relation to diseases. Such understanding provides a solid foundation for the medical students' future research and for other clinical applications. PMID:25521692

Green Fluorescent Protein-Focused Bioinformatics Laboratory Experiment Suitable for Undergraduates in Biochemistry Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Laura

2017-01-01

An introductory bioinformatics laboratory experiment focused on protein analysis has been developed that is suitable for undergraduate students in introductory biochemistry courses. The laboratory experiment is designed to be potentially used as a "stand-alone" activity in which students are introduced to basic bioinformatics tools and…

Cooperative learning combined with short periods of lecturing: A good alternative in teaching biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Fernández-Santander, Ana

2008-01-01

The informal activities of cooperative learning and short periods of lecturing has been combined and used in the university teaching of biochemistry as part of the first year course of Optics and Optometry in the academic years 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. The lessons were previously elaborated by the teacher and included all that is necessary to understand the topic (text, figures, graphics, diagrams, pictures, etc.). Additionally, a questionnaire was prepared for every chapter. All lessons contained three parts: objectives, approach and development, and the assessment of the topic. Team work, responsibility, and communication skills were some of the abilities developed with this new methodology. Students worked collaboratively in small groups of two or three following the teacher's instructions with short periods of lecturing that clarified misunderstood concepts. Homework was minimized. On comparing this combined methodology with the traditional one (only lecture), students were found to exhibit a higher satisfaction with the new method. They were more involved in the learning process and had a better attitude toward the subject. The use of this new methodology showed a significant increase in the mean score of the students' academic results. The rate of students who failed the subject was significantly inferior in comparison with those who failed in the previous years when only lecturing was applied. This combined methodology helped the teacher to observe the apprenticeship process of students better and to act as a facilitator in the process of building students' knowledge. Copyright © 2008 International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

A ten-week biochemistry lab project studying wild-type and mutant bacterial alkaline phosphatase.

Science.gov (United States)

Witherow, D Scott

2016-11-12

This work describes a 10-week laboratory project studying wild-type and mutant bacterial alkaline phosphatase, in which students purify, quantitate, and perform kinetic assays on wild-type and selected mutants of the enzyme. Students also perform plasmid DNA purification, digestion, and gel analysis. In addition to simply learning important techniques, students acquire novel biochemical data in their kinetic analysis of mutant enzymes. The experiments are designed to build on students' work from week to week in a way that requires them to apply quantitative analysis and reasoning skills, reinforcing traditional textbook biochemical concepts. Students are assessed through lab reports focused on journal style writing, quantitative and conceptual question sheets, and traditional exams. © 2016 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 44(6):555-564, 2016. © 2016 The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Exact series solution to the two flavor neutrino oscillation problem in matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Blennow, Mattias; Ohlsson, Tommy

2004-01-01

In this paper, we present a real nonlinear differential equation for the two flavor neutrino oscillation problem in matter with an arbitrary density profile. We also present an exact series solution to this nonlinear differential equation. In addition, we investigate numerically the convergence of this solution for different matter density profiles such as constant and linear profiles as well as the Preliminary Reference Earth Model describing the Earth's matter density profile. Finally, we discuss other methods used for solving the neutrino flavor evolution problem

The Changing Motivations of Students' Use of Lecture Podcasts across a Semester: An Extended Theory of Planned Behaviour Approach

Science.gov (United States)

Moss, Nathan D.; Hamilton, Kyra; White, Katherine M.; Hansen, Julie

2015-01-01

We extended the previous work of Moss, O'Connor and White, to include a measure of group norms within the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), to examine the influences on students' decisions to use lecture podcasts as part of their learning. Participants (N?=?90) completed the extended TPB predictors before semester began (Time 1) and mid-semester…

Defining Legal Writing: An Empirical Analysis of the Legal Memorandum. LSAC Research Report Series.

Science.gov (United States)

Breland, Hunter M.; Hart, Frederick M.

This study examined legal writing as it was represented in legal memoranda prepared by first-semester law students at 12 different law schools. The study was based on the cumulative judgments of the instructors and professors of law in those institutions, humanities specialists at the Educational Testing Service, and two legal consultants. A…

Grey-grey separate spatial soliton pairs in a biased series two-photon centrosymmetric photorefractive crystals circuit

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji, Xuanmang; Wang, Jinlai; Jiang, Qichang; Liu, Jinsong

2012-01-01

Grey-grey separate spatial soliton pairs are predicted in a biased series circuit consisting of two centrosymmetric photorefractive (PR) crystals with the two-photon PR effect. The numerical results show that two grey solitons in a soliton pair can affect each other by the light-induced current. The effects of the intensity of solitary waves and gating lights on the normalized profiles and the dynamical evolutions of solitons are discussed.

Dealing with Complex and Ill-Structured Problems: Results of a Plan-Do-Check-Act Experiment in a Business Engineering Semester

Science.gov (United States)

Riis, Jens Ove; Achenbach, Marlies; Israelsen, Poul; Kyvsgaard Hansen, Poul; Johansen, John; Deuse, Jochen

2017-01-01

Challenged by increased globalisation and fast technological development, we carried out an experiment in the third semester of a global business engineering programme aimed at identifying conditions for training students in dealing with complex and ill-structured problems of forming a new business. As this includes a fuzzy front end, learning…

Magnetic Field Emission Comparison for Series-Parallel and Series-Series Wireless Power Transfer to Vehicles – PART 1/2

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Batra, Tushar; Schaltz, Erik

2014-01-01

Resonant circuits of wireless power transfer system can be designed in four possible ways by placing the primary and secondary capacitor in a series or parallel order with respect to the corresponding inductor. The two topologies series-parallel and series-series under investigation have been...... already compared in terms of their output behavior (current or voltage source) and reflection of the secondary impedance on the primary side. In this paper it is shown that for the same power rating series-parallel topology emits lesser magnetic fields to the surroundings than its series...

Equilibrium: An Investigative Game Based On Biomedical Evidences Of Crimes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

W. L. Santos

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Investigation and laboratory analyses are the major working areas of graduates from Biomedicine. Studying and recognizing medical symptoms, developing and interpreti ng clinical exams are some of the desired routines of these young students to their future professional lives. Recent TV series about hospitals daily work and challenges, criminal investigations and modern techniques of scientists from intelligence agencies bring out fantasies of job (impossibilities. But also, it creates a desire for more study so as to reach the characters brilliance. Based on these interests, we prepared a game based on the classic Scotland Yard®game, which is developed over the resolv ing of crimes. In our version of the game, which was called Equilibrium, the clues hidden on specific sites of the game board are not the common ones, but clinical results or objects that can be related to the medical cause of the death. One can also reach the laboratory on the board and get specific exams to help solving the mystery. The game was developed after a whole semester of Basic Biochemistry classes and was used by the professor as a method of testing students learnings.Developing this showed ho w much the ludic activities can enhance students’ experience with biochemistry and its relation to physiology, pathology and other areas. This game was presented to a Biomedicine class and a board ofbiochemistry teachers of our college. All the spectatorsacknowledged the usefulness of this tool to the teaching -learning process in medical biochemistry.

A semester-long soil mapping project for an undergraduate pedology course

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, David J.

2015-04-01

Most students taking a pedology course will never work as soil mappers. But many will use soil maps at some point in their careers. At Montana State University, students spent 3 "lab" hours a week, complementing two lectures a week, in the field learning how to study soils literally from the ground up. The only prerequisites for enrollment were completion of an introductory soil science class and 3rd year standing at the university. The area to be mapped, just a km from campus, included a steep mountain backslope, and a complex footslope-toeslope area with diverse soils. Students were divided into teams of 3-4, with approximately 40 students altogether split over two sections that overlapped in the field by one hour. In the first lab session, groups completed a very basic description of just one soil profile. In subsequent weeks, they rotated through multiple pits excavated in a small area, and expanded their soil profile descriptions and interpretations. As students developed proficiency, they were assigned more dispersed locations to study, working for the most part independently as I hiked between pits. Throughout this process, every pit was geolocated using a GPS unit, and every profile description was copied and retained in a designated class file. Student groups delineated map units using stereo air photography, then used these delineations to guide the selection of their final locations to describe. At the end of the course, groups used all of the combined and georeferenced profile descriptions to construct a soil map of the study area complete with map unit descriptions. Most students struggled to make sense of the substantial variability within their map units, but through this struggle -- and their semester of field work -- they gained an appreciation for the value and limitations of a soil map that could not be obtained from even the most entertaining lecture. Both the class and particularly the field sessions received consistently high student reviews

Creating a Cell Map as an Active-Learning Tool in a Biochemistry Course

Science.gov (United States)

Del Bianco, Cristina

2010-01-01

Teaching metabolism to a biochemistry class with diverse academic backgrounds is a challenging task. Often students lack the global perspective that is needed to understand how different metabolic pathways are reciprocally regulated. The classroom activity presented in this article is designed to facilitate the learning of metabolism by having the…

Modeling commodity salam contract between two parties for discrete and continuous time series

Science.gov (United States)

Hisham, Azie Farhani Badrol; Jaffar, Maheran Mohd

2017-08-01

In order for Islamic finance to remain competitive as the conventional, there needs a new development of Islamic compliance product such as Islamic derivative that can be used to manage the risk. However, under syariah principles and regulations, all financial instruments must not be conflicting with five syariah elements which are riba (interest paid), rishwah (corruption), gharar (uncertainty or unnecessary risk), maysir (speculation or gambling) and jahl (taking advantage of the counterparty's ignorance). This study has proposed a traditional Islamic contract namely salam that can be built as an Islamic derivative product. Although a lot of studies has been done on discussing and proposing the implementation of salam contract as the Islamic product however they are more into qualitative and law issues. Since there is lack of quantitative study of salam contract being developed, this study introduces mathematical models that can value the appropriate salam price for a commodity salam contract between two parties. In modeling the commodity salam contract, this study has modified the existing conventional derivative model and come out with some adjustments to comply with syariah rules and regulations. The cost of carry model has been chosen as the foundation to develop the commodity salam model between two parties for discrete and continuous time series. However, the conventional time value of money results from the concept of interest that is prohibited in Islam. Therefore, this study has adopted the idea of Islamic time value of money which is known as the positive time preference, in modeling the commodity salam contract between two parties for discrete and continuous time series.

Thermodynamic Exploration of Eosin-Lysozyme Binding: A Physical Chemistry and Biochemistry Laboratory Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Huisman, Andrew J.; Hartsell, Lydia R.; Krueger, Brent P.; Pikaart, Michael J.

2010-01-01

We developed a modular pair of experiments for use in the undergraduate physical chemistry and biochemistry laboratories. Both experiments examine the thermodynamics of the binding of a small molecule, eosin Y, to the protein lysozyme. The assay for binding is the quenching of lysozyme fluorescence by eosin through resonant energy transfer. In…

Using Adobe Flash Animations of Electron Transport Chain to Teach and Learn Biochemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Teplá, Milada; Klímová, Helena

2015-01-01

Teaching the subject of the electron transport chain is one of the most challenging aspects of the chemistry curriculum at the high school level. This article presents an educational program called "Electron Transport Chain" which consists of 14 visual animations including a biochemistry quiz. The program was created in the Adobe Flash…

A new series of two-ring-based side chain liquid crystalline polymers: synthesis and mesophase characterization

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Reddy, GSM

2013-05-01

Full Text Available A new series of side chain liquid crystalline polymers containing a core, a butamethylenoxy spacer, ester groups, and terminal alkoxy groups were synthesised and their structures were confirmed. The core was constructed with two phenyl rings...

Dealing with complex and ill-structured problems: results of a Plan-Do-Check-Act experiment in a business engineering semester

Science.gov (United States)

Riis, Jens Ove; Achenbach, Marlies; Israelsen, Poul; Kyvsgaard Hansen, Poul; Johansen, John; Deuse, Jochen

2017-07-01

Challenged by increased globalisation and fast technological development, we carried out an experiment in the third semester of a global business engineering programme aimed at identifying conditions for training student in dealing with complex and ill-structured problems of forming a new business. As this includes a fuzzy front end, learning cannot be measured in traditional, quantitative terms; therefore, we have explored the use of reflection to convert tacit knowledge to explicit knowledge. The experiment adopted a Plan-Do-Check-Act approach and concluded with developing a plan for new learning initiatives in the subsequent year's semester. The findings conclude that (1) problem-based learning develops more competencies than ordinarily measured at the examination, especially, the social/communication and personal competencies are developed; (2) students are capable of dealing with a complex and ambiguous problem, if properly guided. Four conditions were identified; (3) most students are not conscious of their learning, but are able to reflect if properly encouraged; and (4) improving engineering education should be considered as an organisational learning process.

Novel Study Guides for Biochemistry Meaningful Learning in Biology: a Design-Based Research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Costa, C ; Galembeck, E. Costa, C ; Galembeck, E.

2017-07-01

Full Text Available One of the difficulties for biochemistry learning is the persistence of traditional teaching methods, based on transmission and memorization of abstract and detailed information, usually in a decontextualized way. Such scenario results in surface learning and content reproduction. In order to address these problems, three interventions in a discipline (Metabolism for Biology majors were applied, in the form of innovative teaching tools (study guides. OBJECTIVES: The main goal is to evaluate the impact of these interventions on interest, motivation, and learning of the metabolic pathways. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We describe the development, application, and evaluation of two study guides – one created from a problem used as a contextual connection for glycogen metabolism study and another embedding an integrative view based on glutamate metabolism. Both materials were guided by broad themes like evolution, metabolic adaptation, and comparative biochemistry. The development of the study guides combined submicroscopic (molecular and macroscopic (body, environment levels, aiming to motivate reading and discussion. A design-based research with cycles of application and assessment was carried out, by means of classroom observation, grade analysis in written exams, and students’ interviews. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: In general, based on in-class student feedback to professors and to the researcher in the interviews, the study guides arouse curiosity and fostered peer discussion. Final average grades indicate a good global performance in all proposed activities. Whole data from study guides’ application in classroom evidenced their impact on interest, motivation, and learning. The strategy of developing problem or integrative situation linking molecular (micro and contextual (macro levels were helpful to foster critical thinking and to value topics of scientific literacy. CONCLUSIONS: Analysis and interpretation of the results point to benefits for

Biochemical Pathways: An Atlas of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (edited by Gerhard Michal)

Science.gov (United States)

Voige, Reviewed By William H.

2000-02-01

For decades, a wall chart detailing living organisms' metabolic pathways has been a fixture in many classrooms and laboratories where biochemistry is taught. One of the most popular of those charts first appeared 30 years ago. Now its editor, Gerhard Michal, has produced a book that summarizes metabolism (broadly defined) in graphical and textual formats. The book retains the elegance of the chart. Names of molecules are printed in a crisp, easy-to-read font, and structural formulas are shown with exemplary clarity. Color coding serves multiple purposes: to differentiate enzymes, substrates, cofactors, and effector molecules; to indicate in which group or groups of organisms a reaction has been observed; and to distinguish enzymatic reactions from regulatory effects. The primary advantage of presenting this information in book format is immediately apparent. A typical metabolic chart covers about 2 m2; the book has a total surface area nearly 10 times greater. The extra space is used to add explanatory text to the figures and to include many topics not covered by the traditional definition of metabolism. Examples include replication, transcription, translation, reaction mechanisms for proteolytic enzymes, and the role of chaperones in protein folding. Illustrating these topics is not as straightforward as delineating a metabolic pathway, but the author has done an admirable job of designing figures that clarify these and other aspects of biochemistry and complement the accompanying text. A potential deficiency of book format is the inability to clearly show links between different realms of metabolism: carbohydrate and amino acid pathways, for example. The book overcomes this problem in two ways. A diagrammatic overview of metabolism (with references to applicable sections of the book) is printed inside its front cover, and key compounds (pyruvate, for example) have a distinctive green background to provide a visual link between pathways. (The author compares this

In search of mitochondrial mechanisms: interfield excursions between cell biology and biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Bechtel, William; Abrahamsen, Adele

2007-01-01

Developing models of biological mechanisms, such as those involved in respiration in cells, often requires collaborative effort drawing upon techniques developed and information generated in different disciplines. Biochemists in the early decades of the 20th century uncovered all but the most elusive chemical operations involved in cellular respiration, but were unable to align the reaction pathways with particular structures in the cell. During the period 1940-1965 cell biology was emerging as a new discipline and made distinctive contributions to understanding the role of the mitochondrion and its component parts in cellular respiration. In particular, by developing techniques for localizing enzymes or enzyme systems in specific cellular components, cell biologists provided crucial information about the organized structures in which the biochemical reactions occurred. Although the idea that biochemical operations are intimately related to and depend on cell structures was at odds with the then-dominant emphasis on systems of soluble enzymes in biochemistry, a reconceptualization of energetic processes in the 1960s and 1970s made it clear why cell structure was critical to the biochemical account. This paper examines how numerous excursions between biochemistry and cell biology contributed a new understanding of the mechanism of cellular respiration.

Biochemistry of Microbial Degradation of Hexachlorocyclohexane and Prospects for Bioremediation

Science.gov (United States)

Lal, Rup; Pandey, Gunjan; Sharma, Pooja; Kumari, Kirti; Malhotra, Shweta; Pandey, Rinku; Raina, Vishakha; Kohler, Hans-Peter E.; Holliger, Christof; Jackson, Colin; Oakeshott, John G.

2010-01-01

Summary: Lindane, the γ-isomer of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH), is a potent insecticide. Purified lindane or unpurified mixtures of this and α-, β-, and δ-isomers of HCH were widely used as commercial insecticides in the last half of the 20th century. Large dumps of unused HCH isomers now constitute a major hazard because of their long residence times in soil and high nontarget toxicities. The major pathway for the aerobic degradation of HCH isomers in soil is the Lin pathway, and variants of this pathway will degrade all four of the HCH isomers although only slowly. Sequence differences in the primary LinA and LinB enzymes in the pathway play a key role in determining their ability to degrade the different isomers. LinA is a dehydrochlorinase, but little is known of its biochemistry. LinB is a hydrolytic dechlorinase that has been heterologously expressed and crystallized, and there is some understanding of the sequence-structure-function relationships underlying its substrate specificity and kinetics, although there are also some significant anomalies. The kinetics of some LinB variants are reported to be slow even for their preferred isomers. It is important to develop a better understanding of the biochemistries of the LinA and LinB variants and to use that knowledge to build better variants, because field trials of some bioremediation strategies based on the Lin pathway have yielded promising results but would not yet achieve economic levels of remediation. PMID:20197499

The Metabolic Effects of Low-Carbohydrate Diets and Incorporation into a Biochemistry Course

Science.gov (United States)

Pogozelski, Wendy; Arpaia, Nicholas; Priore, Salvatore

2005-01-01

One of the challenges in teaching biochemistry is facilitating students' interest in and mastery of metabolism. The many pathways and modes of regulation can be overwhelming for students to learn and difficult for professors to teach in an engaging manner. We have found it useful to take advantage of prevailing interest in popular yet…

A QUALITATIVE EVALUATION OF THE DIDACTIC ACTING OF THE TUTORS INVOLVED IN THE PROGRAM OF TUTORIA IN BIOCHEMISTRY AT UFV

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.D. Damasceno

2007-05-01

Full Text Available The Tutorial Program in Biochemistry is part of a Program of Didactic Support atUFV that intends to give academic-pedagogic support to students that arrived tothe UFV with deficiency of previous knowledge in basic areas of the sciences. Thetutors are under-graduated students chosen by public selection. The present workseeks to evaluate the tutors of the biochemistry area as for the aspects publicspeaking, didacticism and satisfaction of the tutor and of the students assisted bythe program. Two questionnaires were applied, one to the tutors and one to theunder-graduated assisted-students. The totality of the tutors answered that theparticipation in this program contributes professionally by increasing the capacityof relationship in group, dynamism, decisions and organization, helped them to bemore extroverted and they felt satisfied to help other people, which characteristicsthat are more and more appraised in the job market. The evaluation showed alsothat the ability to express in public developed positively and improved the diction,presenting safety when speaking in public. The tutors also opened your vision onthe teaching form in the University, a positive result, considering their positions ofstudent in one public university.

Care and Feeding of Transfer Students: a First-Semester Seminar Helps Students Thrive

Science.gov (United States)

Rosser, S.; Sparks, D. W.; Newman, J.

2016-12-01

Transfer students from community colleges make up a large and increasingly important part of undergraduate geology majors. These students transferring into a large university are regarded upperclassmen by themselves and the University, but in many ways their development stage is similar to freshmen. These students are also isolated because they are taking classes out of sequence, and not in a cohort. Difficulties in their first semester will affect the rest of their academic career, or even cut it short. The Department of Geology and Geophysics developed a mandatory seminar for transfer students in their first semester. The goals of this seminar are to develop relationships between students in the cohort and with faculty and staff, develop academic success skills and learn how to prepare for and pursue a career in geology and geophysics. Each class meeting starts with a family-style meal, during which academic advisor inquires about their week, encourages them to share any issues or questions that have arisen, and informs them about department events. Then the advisor, a member of the G&G faculty or a representative from campus resources (such as Academic Honor Council, Career Center, Center for Teaching Excellence, Academic Success Center) leads a discussion or gives a presentation. Topics include time management, tutor availability, academic coaching, career paths, research opportunities in the department, and employer expectations. Finally students write a short reflection about that week's meeting and their own experiences. There is also a geological field trip to introduce students to rocks in the field and to the build their relationships with each other and to create a strong transfer cohort. The transfer seminar has been a low-cost and effective strategy to help students thrive. Retention of transfer students beyond the first year has increased, GPA's increased, and significantly more students got involved in undergraduate research projects. Several

Pseudomonas putida as a functional chassis for industrial biocatalysis: From native biochemistry to trans-metabolism

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Nikel, Pablo I.; de Lorenzo, Víctor

2018-01-01

are presented for substantiating the worth of P. putida as one of the favorite workhorses for sustainable manufacturing of fine and bulk chemicals in the current times of the 4th Industrial Revolution. The potential of P. putida to extend its rich native biochemistry beyond existing boundaries is discussed...... biochemistry is naturally geared to generate reductive currency [i.e., NAD(P)H] that makes this bacterium a phenomenal host for redox-intensive reactions. In some cases, genetic editing of the indigenous biochemical network of P. putida (cis-metabolism) has sufficed to obtain target compounds of industrial...... stresses. Over the years, these properties have been capitalized biotechnologically owing to the expanding wealth of genetic tools designed for deep-editing the P. putida genome. A suite of dedicated vectors inspired in the core tenets of synthetic biology have enabled to suppress many of the naturally...

Notable Expressions: Transcriptional Regulation from Biochemistry to Immunology | Center for Cancer Research

Science.gov (United States)

Dinah Singer, Ph.D., came to NCI in 1975 as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Laboratory of Biochemistry, but soon created a career for herself in the Experimental Immunology Branch. Her interest in how genes are regulated to control biological function led her to focus on major histocompatibility complex class I genes (MHC Class I)—molecules critical to immune system function—as a

Is there flexibility in the European Semester process? : Exploring interactions between the EU and member states within post-crisis socio-economic governance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bekker, Sonja

The consequences of the Eurozone crisis has spurred increased coordination of member state public finances at European level. This also entails the scrutiny of socio-economic issues within the framework of the European semester. However, this process also includes aspects of negotiation in which the

Navigating New Worlds: A Real-Time Look at How Successful and Non-Successful First-Generation College Students Negotiate Their First Semesters

Science.gov (United States)

Morales, Erik E.

2012-01-01

This study of fifteen first generation American college freshmen documents their initial semester with a focus on factors and dispositions contributing to eventual success or failure. Students were identified prior to campus arrival, allowing for immediate and real-time data collection as they were experiencing the beginning of their college…

Collaborating with Undergraduates To Contribute to Biochemistry Community Resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Haas, Kathryn L; Heemstra, Jennifer M; Medema, Marnix H; Charkoudian, Louise K

2018-01-30

Course-based undergraduate research experiences (CUREs) have gained traction as effective ways to expand the impact of undergraduate research while fulfilling pedagogical goals. In this Perspective, we present innovative ways to incorporate fundamental benefits and principles of CUREs into a classroom environment through information/technology-based research projects that lead to student-generated contributions to digital community resources (CoRes). These projects represent an attractive class of CUREs because they are less resource-intensive than laboratory-based CUREs, and the projects align with the expectations of today's students to create rapid and publicly accessible contributions to society. We provide a detailed discussion of two example types of CoRe projects that can be implemented in courses to impact research and education at the chemistry-biology interface: bioinformatics annotations and development of educational tools. Finally, we present current resources available for faculty interested in incorporating CUREs or CoRe projects into their pedagogical practices. In sharing these stories and resources, we hope to lower the barrier for widespread adoption of CURE and CoRe approaches and generate discussions about how to utilize the classroom experience to make a positive impact on our students and the future of the field of biochemistry.

Hartmut Lichtenthaler: an authority on chloroplast structure and isoprenoid biochemistry.

Science.gov (United States)

Sharkey, Thomas D; Govindjee

2016-05-01

We pay tribute to Hartmut Lichtenthaler for making important contributions to the field of photosynthesis research. He was recently recognized for ground-breaking discoveries in chloroplast structure and isoprenoid biochemistry by the Rebeiz Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR; http://vlpbp.org/ ), receiving a 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award for Photosynthesis. The ceremony, held in Champaign, Illinois, was attended by many prominent researchers in the photosynthesis field. We provide below a brief note on his education, and then describe some of the areas in which Hartmut Lichtenthaler has been a pioneer.

What Did You Try Last Semester? How Did It Work?

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, John W.

1999-02-01

As I write this, the end of the semester is less than a week away. This is a good time to reflect on what I tried this time that I had not done before, how well it worked, and how that applies to the process of change and reform in chemical education. Nearly a year ago, a good friend gave me a copy of a brief note by the Executive Director of the National Science Teachers Association, Gerald Wheeler (1). Its title was "Why doesn't change stick?" Quoting the Red Queen from Alice in Wonderland, Wheeler suggested that it might be taking all the running we could do just to maintain the status quo. He asked readers to look systematically at "the failed reform efforts begun in the 1960s" and questioned whether those efforts had actually changed anything. Although the reform efforts Wheeler questioned were aimed at the pre-college level, his point is a good one for college as well as high school teachers to consider, especially at a time when new projects are aiming to reform science education systemically. (See pages 158-160 and page 163 for more information on these projects.) If reform efforts are typically meteoric, burning brightly for but a short time and then disappearing, what might we do to make them less so? I think that the power to make reform less meteoric lies within all of us. It involves incremental, rather than revolutionary, change. My model for reform is one in which each of us continually experiments with manageable changes in courses and pedagogy, evaluating their effectiveness, casting out the less than successful ones, retaining and refining those that help students learn more effectively, and keeping the rest of the community informed about what works and what does not. This model requires continual work and dedication from all of us, but not superhuman effort that is impossible to sustain over the long term. A meteor shower definitely gets our attention, but far more light is shed by the fixed stars, and they'll still be there next week. The