Describes a simple laboratory activity illustrating the chemiosmotic principles of active transport in yeast cells. Demonstrates the energy coupling mechanism of active a-glucoside uptake by Saccaromyces cerevisiae cells with a colorimetric transport assay using very simple equipment. (Contains 22 references.) (Author/YDS)

Describes an experiment on the use of problem-based learning. (Author/YDS)

Explains a physics experiment on the dynamics of impact cratering. Measures the spreading velocity of the impact wave and the acoustic signal. (YDS)

Describes a laboratory experiment on surface tension. (Contains 14 references.) (YDS)

Objective: The pattern of dopamine antagonism by metoclopramide suggests benefits in the treatment of tic disorders. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of metoclopramide in the treatment of children and adolescents with tic disorders. Method: Twenty-seven medication-free patients (age 11.9 [+ or -] 2.7 years) with…

Background: Laboratory studies have consistently found that competition induces performance goals and affects learning motivation. However, the ecological validity of these results is yet to be established. There is a need for investigation of whether the results hold in both the classroom context and non-Western culture. Aim: The study…

A wine analysis for most is: take a sip, and either like it or don't. Not so for the students taking wine analysis courses at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, California. In the college's new Wine Analysis Laboratory, students learn how to run chemical analyses of wines and compare chemical profiles of wines. Professor…

Educators need to think about pedagogical as well as ethical issues when asking if dissection has a role in contemporary K-12 science education. I consider some arguments for and against dissection as a way to teach students the biological concepts of form and function.

Gases present something of a paradox for the casual observer--they are everywhere and yet, it remains difficult to see them anywhere. The instructional sequence described in this article is an approach that the authors use with middle school students to help enhance their conceptual understanding of gases. Research has shown that these ideas can…

The feeding of Diarmis proboscis is an exciting outdoor laboratory activity that demonstrates a single concept of adaptations--cryptic colorations. The students are "transformed" into D. proboscis (no Harry Potter magic needed) in order to learn how adaptations work in the natural world. Prior to beginning this activity, students should have a…

In recent years, interest has been growing in policy applications of different auction systems. This paper reports a series of experiments that were used to design and implement an auction in a unique policymaking environment. In April 2000, the Georgia legislature passed a law that mandated that the state hold an auction in drought years to pay…

How do groups of 3 people establish common ground in problem-solving interactions differently from groups of 2? Do they do this differently when they are supported by videoconferencing technologies? The laboratory experiment reported here manipulated group size and video mediation for participants carrying out a laboratory map task that allowed…

This article describes a practical experiment for teaching basic spectroscopic techniques to introduce the topic of protein conformational change to students in the field of molecular biology, biochemistry, or structural biology. The spectroscopic methods employed in the experiment are absorbance, for protein concentration measurements, and…

Good quality scientific teaching depends on the ability of researchers to translate laboratory experiments into high school and undergraduate classes, bridging the advanced and basic science with common knowledge. A fast-growing field in biomedical sciences is oxidative stress, which has been associated to several diseases, including cancer and…

Human salivary [alpha]-amylase is used in this experimental approach to introduce biology high school students to the concept of enzyme activity in a dynamic way. Through a series of five easy, rapid, and inexpensive laboratory experiments students learn what the activity of an enzyme consists of: first in a qualitative then in a semi-quantitative…