Undergraduate programs across the nation are increasingly offering interdisciplinary study programs as markers of their commitment to educate individuals for the demands of contemporary life. Yet, as students engage in interdisciplinary learning projects, an unaddressed question looms large: how to adequately assess student interdisciplinary work.…

We have devised and implemented a DNA fingerprinting module for an upper division undergraduate laboratory based on the amplification and analysis of three of the 13 short tandem repeat loci that are required by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Combined DNA Index System (FBI CODIS) data base. Students first collect human epithelial (cheek)…

Despite the fact that knowledge of the major biochemical metabolic pathways is essential to understanding the pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of many human diseases, there is disagreement among medical educators regarding the relevance of intermediary metabolism to the practicing physician and the expectations for medical…

We describe a simple undergraduate exercise involving the titration of a weak acid by a strong base using a pH meter and a micropipette. Students then use their data and carry out graphical analyses with a spreadsheet. The analyses involve using mathematical concepts such as first-derivative and semi-log plots and provide an opportunity for…

In departure from the standard approach of using several problems to cover specific topics in a class, I use a single problem to cover the contents of the entire semester-equivalent biochemistry classes. I have developed a problem-based service-learning (PBSL) problem on HIV/AIDS to cover nucleic acid concepts that are typically taught in the…

The main objective of this class experiment is to show the influence of carbon source and of different fluoride concentrations on the biofilm formation by the bacterium "Streptococcus mutans." The observation of different biofilm morphology as a function of carbon source and fluoride concentration allows an interesting discussion regarding the…

The main objective of this class experiment is to measure the activity of two metabolic enzymes in crude extract from bird pectoral muscle and to relate the differences to their mode of locomotion and ecology. The laboratory is adapted to stimulate the interest of wildlife management students to biochemistry. The enzymatic activities of cytochrome…

This article reports the results of a recent study to evaluate the usefulness of physical models of molecular structures as a new tool with which to teach concepts of molecular structure and function. Of seven different learning tools used by students in this introductory biochemistry class, the use of the physical models in a laboratory was rated…

A practical experiment on the PCR is described that has been used over several years as part of an undergraduate biochemistry and molecular biology course for chemistry students. In the first experimental session, students prepare their own DNA samples from epithelial cells of the mouth and use them as templates in the PCR. In the second session,…

An HPLC and a UV-visible spectrophotometer are identified as instruments that helps to incorporate more biologically-relevant experiments into the course, in order to increase the students understanding of selected biochemistry topics and enhances their ability to apply an analytical approach to biochemical problems. The experiment teaches…

The Chemistry and Biochemistry Department at Texas Tech University (TTU) administered an in-house written chemistry placement examination (CPE) to determine whether students were prepared for Chem 1307, or whether a remedial course, Chem 1301, was required. The results indicate that the placement remediation program as implemented at TTU is…

This short article was written in response to a proposed practical featured in the Spring 2002 issue of the "Journal of Biological Education." Beaumont, Cotterill and Williams described a system representing a useful way by which the deleterious effects of free radical attack on enzymes can be demonstrated to undergraduate bioscience students,…

A simple multidisciplinary and inexpensive laboratory exercise is proposed, in which the undergraduate student may correlate biochemical and anatomical findings. The entire practical session can be completed in one 2.5-3 hour laboratory period, and consists of the quantification of collagen and total protein content from tissue sections--without…

Paraphilic disorders are psychiatric syndromes primarily characterized by deviant sexual thoughts, cravings, urges, and/or behaviors. Paraphilic men may engage in inappropriate sexual behaviors when cravings for socially unacceptable sexual acts become overpowering. These often chronic disorders may not only cause emotional distress and social…

CF-1 male mice were trained in an inhibitory avoidance task using a high footshock (1,2 mA, 50 Hz, 1 sec) in order to reduce the influence of extinction on retention performance. At 2, 7, 14, or 30 d after training, the first retention test was performed and hemicholinium (HC-3, 1.0 microgram/mice), a specific inhibitor of high-affinity choline…