Background: Depressive symptoms and stress are common in adults with intellectual disabilities. Our aim was to explore long-term biological stress levels, assessed by hair cortisol (HairF) and cortisone (HairE) concentrations, in adults with intellectual disabilities and depressive symptoms and to investigate the effects of bright light therapy…

Individuals with ASD have been shown to have different pattern of functional connectivity. In this study, brain activity of participants with many and few autistic traits, was recorded using an fNIRS device, as participants preformed an interpersonal synchronization task. This type of task involves synchronization and functional connectivity of…

Polymerization reaction media can have a profound effect on the physical properties of the resultant polymer. This phenomenon is showcased in a new experiment for the organic chemistry and polymer science teaching laboratories wherein the radical copolymerization of biobased [beta]-myrcene and dibutyl itaconate is performed using a nonhazardous…

A laboratory experiment is described in which students synthesize silver nanospheres and transform them into other anisotropic morphologies (decahedral and disks) through a photochemical process. The photochemical transformation was followed by visible spectroscopy, and the resulting morphologies were analyzed using scanning electron microscopy.…

How do cultural heritage scientists and art conservators identify pigments and other painting media in a decorated object or painting, preferably without taking samples that could potentially damage the artwork? A major emphasis in the characterization, authentication, and conservation of works of art and cultural heritage objects is the use of…

A method for the synthesis of flufenamic acid, a nonstereoidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) of the anthranilate family (fenams), is described as an experiment for the upper-division undergraduate organic chemistry laboratory. The key step is the formation of the diarylamine moiety of flufenamic acid by a novel reaction consisting of the coupling…

An upper-division undergraduate- or graduate-level laboratory experiment, challenging students to identify bovine serum albumin, equine myoglobin, bovine calmodulin, and bovine cytochrome c, uses four methods of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS): linear positive, in-source decay, peptide…

Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and computational chemistry are used in concert to evaluate the thermal decomposition of calcium acetate monohydrate, Ca(C[subscript 2]H[subscript 3]O[subscript 2])[subscript 2]·H[subscript 2]O, and to engage students in high-level thinking as they synthesize results…

The attractive photophysical properties of luminescent nanoparticles have prompted numerous studies on their synthesis and biological applications. Due to the complexity of components, sizes, morphologies, and strong light scattering of the nanoparticles the absorption spectrum alone is not enough for characterising and analysing the real…

The toddler and preschool years are a time of significant development in both expressive and receptive communication abilities. However, little is known about the neurobiological underpinnings of language development during this period, likely due to difficulties acquiring functional neuroimaging data. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS)…

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is vital to synthesis and provides rich problem-solving opportunities to organic chemistry students. Using the theories of scaffolding, interleaving, and blocking, our research systematically explores how textbooks introduce and reinforce spectral features when teaching students to solve [superscript…

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has become a cornerstone tool for studying a variety of molecular features in advanced chemistry laboratories. In this experiment, students prepare a pyrrole-[beta]-amide via a one-pot, three-step synthesis and use NMR spectroscopy to confirm its molecular structure. In addition, variable temperature…

Introducing chemical equilibrium concepts in undergraduate general chemistry promotes improved understanding of chemical reactions. We have developed an engaging laboratory experiment exploring the equilibrium of cobalt complexation in alcohols using UV-vis spectroscopy and successfully implemented in a large general chemistry class of 378…

Structure determination via NMR spectroscopy is a fundamental topic taught in many advanced level chemistry courses. Despite its importance as an analytical instrument, many students find the principle behind NMR-facilitated structure determination difficult to embrace. To this end, an artificial intelligence (AI) software package, namely,…

A dual-function student-crafted instrument is described as part of a laboratory activity aimed to teach both the principles and practical aspects of absorption spectroscopy to secondary and introductory undergraduate students. Using minimal changes in an arrangement that is based on interlocking bricks and low-cost components, both a fluorometer…