Using problem-based learning in a chemistry practical class for pharmacy students and engaging them with feedback

Objective: To introduce a new approach to problem based learning (PBL) used in the context of medicinal chemistry practical class teaching pharmacy students. Design: The described chemistry practical is based on independent studies by small groups of undergraduate students (4-5), who design their own practical work taking relevant professional standards into account. Students are carefully guided by feedback and acquire a set of skills important to their future profession as healthcare professionals. This model has been tailored to the application of PBL in a chemistry practical class setting for a large student cohort (150 students). Assessment: The achievement of learning outcomes is based on the submission of relevant documentation including a certificate of analysis, in addition to peer assessment. Some of the learning outcomes are also assessed in the final written examination at the end of the academic year. Conclusion: The described design of a novel PBL chemistry laboratory course for pharmacy students has been found to be successful. Self-reflective learning and engagement with feedback were encouraged, and students enjoyed the challenging learning experience. Skills that are highly essential for the students’ future careers as healthcare professionals are promoted.

Schatten class Toeplitz operators on generalized Fock spaces

In this paper we characterize the Schatten p class membership of Toeplitz operators with positive measure symbols acting on generalized Fock spaces for the full range p>0.

Cupreines and cupreidines: an established class of bifunctional cinchona organocatalysts

Cinchona alkaloids with a free 6'-OH functionality are being increasingly used within asymmetric organocatalysis. This fascinating class of bifunctional catalyst offers a genuine alternative to the more commonly used thiourea systems and because of the different spacing between the functional groups, can control enantioselectivity where other organocatalysts have failed. In the main, this review covers the highlights from the last five years and attempts to show the diversity of reactions that these systems can control. It is hoped that chemists developing asymmetric methodologies will see the value in adding these easily accessible, but underused organocatalysts to their screens.

Emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae carrying the novel extended-spectrum beta-lactamase gene variants bla(SHV-40), bla(TEM-116) and the class 1 integron-associated bla(GES-7) in Brazil

A clinical Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate carrying the extended-spectrum beta-lactamase gene variants bla(SHV-40), bla(TEM-116) and bla(GES-7) was recovered. Cefoxitin and ceftazidime activity was most affected by the presence of these genes and an additional resistance to trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole was observed. The bla(GES-7) gene was found to be inserted into a class 1 integron. These results show the emergence of novel bla(TEM) and bla(SHV) genes in Brazil. Moreover, the presence of class 1 integrons suggests a great potential for dissemination of bla(GES) genes into diverse nosocomial pathogens. Indeed, the bla(GES-7) gene was originally discovered in Enterobacter cloacae in Greece and, to our knowledge, has not been reported elsewhere.

Nd : YAG laser clinical assisted in class II furcation treatment

The Nd:YAG laser efficacy associated with conventional treatment for bacterial reduction has been investigated throughout literature. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the bacterial reduction after Nd:YAG laser irradiation associated with scaling and root planning in class II furcation defects in patients with chronic periodontitis. Thirty-four furcation lesions were selected from 17 subjects. The control group received conventional treatment, and the experimental group received the same treatment followed by Nd:YAG laser irradiation (100 mJ/pulse; 15 Hz; 1.5 W, 60 s, 141.5 J/cm(2)). Both treatments resulted in improvements of most clinical parameters. A significant reduction of colony forming unit (CFU) of total bacteria number was observed in both groups. The highest reduction was noted in the experimental group immediately after the treatment. The number of dark pigmented bacteria and the percentage of patients with Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia, and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans reduced immediately after the treatment and returned to values close to the initial ones 6 weeks after the baseline for both groups. The Nd:YAG laser associated with conventional treatment promoted significant bacterial reduction in class II furcation immediately after irradiation, although this reduction was not observed 6 weeks after the baseline.

Molecular analysis of a mutant Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMNPV) shows an interruption of an inhibitor of apoptosis gene (iap-3) by a new class-II piggyBac-related insect transposon

A new piggyBac-related transposable element (TE) was found in the genome of a mutant Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus interrupting an inhibitor of apoptosis gene. This mutant virus induces apoptosis upon infection of an Anticarsia gemmatalis cell line, but not in a Trichoplusia ni cell line. The sequence of the new TE (which was named IDT for iap disruptor transposon) has 2531 bp with two DNA sequences flanking a putative Transposase (Tpase) ORF of 1719 bp coding for a protein with 572 amino acids. These structural features are similar to the piggyBac TE, also reported for the first time in the genome of a baculovirus. We have also isolated variants of this new TE from different lepidopteran insect cells and compared their Tpase sequences.

MULTIPLICITY OF POSITIVE SOLUTIONS FOR A CLASS OF NONLINEAR SCHRODINGER EQUATIONS

This paper proves the multiplicity of positive solutions for the following class of quasilinear problems: {-epsilon(p)Delta(p)u+(lambda A(x) + 1)vertical bar u vertical bar(p-2)u = f(u), R(N) u(x)>0 in R(N), where Delta(p) is the p-Laplacian operator, N > p >= 2, lambda and epsilon are positive parameters, A is a nonnegative continuous function and f is a continuous function with subcritical growth. Here, we use variational methods to get multiplicity of positive solutions involving the Lusternick-Schnirelman category of intA(-1)(0) for all sufficiently large lambda and small epsilon.

C(k)-solvability near the characteristic set for a class of planar complex vector fields of infinite type

This paper deals with semi-global C(k)-solvability of complex vector fields of the form L = partial derivative/partial derivative t + x(r) (a(x) + ib(x))partial derivative/partial derivative x, r >= 1, defined on Omega(epsilon) = (-epsilon, epsilon) x S(1), epsilon > 0, where a and b are C(infinity) real-valued functions in (-epsilon, epsilon). It is shown that the interplay between the order of vanishing of the functions a and b at x = 0 influences the C(k)-solvability at Sigma = {0} x S(1). When r = 1, it is permitted that the functions a and b of L depend on the x and t variables, that is, L = partial derivative/partial derivative t + x(a(x, t) + ib(x, t))partial derivative/partial derivative x, where (x, t) is an element of Omega(epsilon).

Existence of Solution for a Class of Quasilinear Systems

This paper proves the existence of nontrivial solution for a class of quasilinear systems oil bounded domains in R(N), N >= 2, whose nonlinearity has a double criticality. The proof is based oil a linking theorem without the Palais-Smale condition.

Nonexistence of global solutions for a class of complex vector fields on two-torus

The goal of this paper is study the global solvability of a class of complex vector fields of the special form L = partial derivative/partial derivative t + (a + ib)(x)partial derivative/partial derivative x, a, b epsilon C(infinity) (S(1) ; R), defined on two-torus T(2) congruent to R(2)/2 pi Z(2). The kernel of transpose operator L is described and the solvability near the characteristic set is also studied. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gevrey solvability near the characteristic set for a class of planar complex vector fields of infinite type

We study the Gevrey solvability of a class of complex vector fields, defined on Omega(epsilon) = (-epsilon, epsilon) x S(1), given by L = partial derivative/partial derivative t + (a(x) + ib(x))partial derivative/partial derivative x, b not equivalent to 0, near the characteristic set Sigma = {0} x S(1). We show that the interplay between the order of vanishing of the functions a and b at x = 0 plays a role in the Gevrey solvability. (C) 2008 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Permanence of stability for a class of system of differential equations with two delays

The paper studies a class of a system of linear retarded differential difference equations with several parameters. It presents some sufficient conditions under which no stability changes for an equilibrium point occurs. Application of these results is given. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamics of a class of ODEs more general than almost periodic

A temporally global solution, if it exists, of a nonautonomous ordinary differential equation need not be periodic, almost periodic or almost automorphic when the forcing term is periodic, almost periodic or almost automorphic, respectively. An alternative class of functions extending periodic and almost periodic functions which has the property that a bounded temporally global solution solution of a nonautonomous ordinary differential equation belongs to this class when the forcing term does is introduced here. Specifically, the class of functions consists of uniformly continuous functions, defined on the real line and taking values in a Banach space, which have pre-compact ranges. Besides periodic and almost periodic functions, this class also includes many nonrecurrent functions. Assuming a hyperbolic structure for the unperturbed linear equation and certain properties for the linear and nonlinear parts, the existence of a special bounded entire solution, as well the existence of stable and unstable manifolds of this solution are established. Moreover, it is shown that this solution and these manifolds inherit the temporal behaviour of the vector field equation. In the stable case it is shown that this special solution is the pullback attractor of the system. A class of infinite dimensional examples involving a linear operator consisting of a time independent part which generates a C(0)-semigroup plus a small time dependent part is presented and applied to systems of coupled heat and beam equations. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A note on the eigenvalues of a special class of matrices

In the analysis of stability of a variant of the Crank-Nicolson (C-N) method for the heat equation on a staggered grid a class of non-symmetric matrices appear that have an interesting property: their eigenvalues are all real and lie within the unit circle. In this note we shall show how this class of matrices is derived from the C-N method and prove that their eigenvalues are inside [-1, 1] for all values of m (the order of the matrix) and all values of a positive parameter a, the stability parameter sigma. As the order of the matrix is general, and the parameter sigma lies on the positive real line this class of matrices turns out to be quite general and could be of interest as a test set for eigenvalue solvers, especially as examples of very large matrices. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.