Biotechnology training at California State University, Hayward: a model program

The Biotechnology Certificate Program (BCP) at California State University, Hayward was initiated in 1986 in response to industry demands for qualified employees in the molecular life sciences. This 9-month post-baccalaureate program includes laboratory courses in recombinant DNA techniques, protein chemistry, PCR, DNA sequencing, animal cell culture as well as two lecture courses in molecular biology. Rigorous selection at both entry and exit stages of the program ensures knowledgeable graduates with a greater than 90% employment placement. Corporate participation has been a cornerstone of the BCP and we anticipate continued cooperation in the future as the program evolves to meet the expanding needs of the biotechnology industry. Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology (2000) 24, 364–366. Received 19 April 1999/ Accepted in revised form 09 November 1999     

Problem-based learning in biochemistry at Ziauddin Medical University,Karachi, Pakistan

Since its inception in 1996, Ziauddin Medical University has integrated problem-based learning (PBL) in its curriculum, a strategy introduced for the first time in Pakistan. This was aimed at overcoming various drawbacks in the traditional methods of teaching such as irrelevant subject matter and lack of integration between disciplines. The main features of new curricula and a system-integrated course are outlined. A problem is quoted from the same course and its methodology is discussed. Assessment of the program through a questionnaire given to students, showed they perceived that the PBL approach adopted consistently across the curriculum contributed to the development of their information management, critical reasoning, communication and team- linked skills. However, the challenges are information access, the role of tutor, and coping with the ambiguity of knowledge and reasoning.     

The Southern California Twin Register at the University of Southern California.

The Southern California Twin Register is the result of an effort to recruit twins of all ages in the city of Los Angeles and surrounding areas. The register currently includes an ethnically diverse sample of more than 2600 twin pairs. The most recently recruited pairs have been drawn primarily from computerized records of enrollments in local public school districts, and are comparable in sex and ethnic distributions to the general public school population. An ongoing twin study of social and moral development in children, based on 600 pairs of 9-year-old twins from this register, is also described briefly in this paper.     

Foundation and development of biochemistry at the Imperial Kharkov University

The article summarizes the biochemical researches carried out at Kharkiv Imperial University from the middle of XIX century up to the cessation of its existence in 1920 as a result of transformation into the Kharkiv Institute of National Education. Scientific activity at the Chair of Medical Chemistry at Medical Department is described in details. Information on professors who led the chair and their researches are represented. Among them a great attention is spared to the Kharkiv works of such famous scientists as A. Danilevsky and V. Gulevich, who made a great contribution to the development of Russian and world biochemistry. There are also some resordes about researches of biological and physiological chemistry carried out at other chairs of Medical Department and Department of Physics and Mathematics of the Kharkiv University. In particular, the article presents the works of well-known plant physiologists and biochemists prof. V. Palladin and V. Zalessky, and the endocrinological researches led by prof. A. Reprev.     

Medical School Graduates Who Leave California: A Study at the University of California,San Francisco

A follow-up survey of 1,087 physicians who had graduated from the University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine from 1951 through 1971 was completed in 1977. A total of 307 (28.2 percent) of these persons were found to have left California. Comparison of the 307 who left with the 780 who remained showed only slight and statistically insignificant differences on most variables, such as sex, academic performance in premedical and medical education, educational level and social class of parents, age at entry into medical school, ratings by admissions interviewers, choice of specialty and a wide variety of personality inventory measures. Among the variables that did differentiate were place of birth, location and prestige of premedical college, preferences for subjects in the sciences and the humanities, and the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) scores for quantitative ability and general information. However, attempts to combine these individual differentiators into clusters or equations from which to forecast emigration from California were unsuccessful.     

Last days in the old radiation laboratory (ORL), Berkeley,California, 1954

Govindjee, the founding editor of the Historical Corner of Photosynthesis Research, invited me 3 years ago to tell the story of why I left Melvin Calvin’s laboratory in the mid 1950s long before the 1961 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Calvin for the path of carbon in photosynthesis. I have already written my scientific perspective on this topic (see Benson (Photosynth Res 73:29–49, 2002); also see Bassham (Photosynth Res 76:35–52, 2003) as he was also a major player in this research). Here, I present my recollections of my last days in the old radiation laboratory (ORL) at Berkeley, California. References have been added by Govindjee for the benefit of the readers.     

Engineering excellence in breakthrough biomedical technologies: bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside

The Department of Bioengineering at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), was established in 2006 and is the youngest department in the Bourns College of Engineering. It is an interdisciplinary research engine that builds strength from highly recognized experts in biochemistry, biophysics, biology, and engineering, focusing on common critical themes. The range of faculty research interests is notable for its diversity, from the basic cell biology through cell function to the physiology of the whole organism, each directed at breakthroughs in biomedical devices for measurement and therapy. The department forges future leaders in bioengineering, mirroring the field in being energetic, interdisciplinary, and fast moving at the frontiers of biomedical discoveries. Our educational programs combine a solid foundation in bio logical sciences and engineering, diverse communication skills, and training in the most advanced quantitative bioengineering research. Bioengineering at UCR also includes the Bioengineering Interdepartmental Graduate (BIG) program. With its slogan Start-Grow-Be-BIG, it is already recognized for its many accomplishments, including being third in the nation in 2011 for bioengineering students receiving National Science Foundation graduate research fellowships as well as being one of the most ethnically inclusive programs in the nation.     

Prosthesis for child amputees; the program at University of California at Los Angeles

The Child Amputee Program has operated jointly for the past three years at the University of California at Los Angeles under the Department of Engineering and the School of Medicine. The following seven points have been evolved after three years of operation:1. Team effort for involved rehabilitation problems seems to be more effective than any other approach.2. Psychological effect on both the patient and family is much deeper than was realized.3. The optimum age for first fitting of a prosthesis is much earlier than had been generally believed-under one year, as opposed to age five or later.4. Training adequate for efficient and easy use of the prosthesis is absolutely essential and must be followed with periodic training in new skills.5. Comfort and function must be provided or a prosthesis will not be used.6. Scaled-down adult components are helpful, but do not supply all the needs of growing children. Special types of tools are needed for the many varied activities of childhood.7. At the outset of the program, disability was calculated in terms of the site of amputation. Now it is realized that the true determination of disability is above the ears.     

Basic directions of research of the department of lipid biochemistry

The review deals with the scientific activity of the Department of Biochemistry of Lipids of the Palladin Biochemistry Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. The estimation of the functional role of some major lipids and of the minor lipid components, namely, N-acylethanolamines (NAE), is the main problem of the scientific investigations of the Department. The role of some lipids in the pathogenesis of diseases accompanied by the oxidative stress was also studied. The Department was the first to find and identify NAE in neuroblastoma C1300 N18 cells. It was shown that NAE with long saturated acyl chains inhibited veratridine-activated fast sodium channels. NAE also activated uterine plasma membrane smooth muscle Ca2+, Mg(2+)-ATPase, and inhibited Fe(2+)-induced free radical oxidation in mitochondria. The results of these investigations served as a basis for development of pharmacological substances with membrane protective properties. It was shown that, at different diseases accompanied by the oxidative stress, a significant change in the lipid composition of cell membranes occurred. Sometimes these changes were adaptive in character, which favored the cell viability adaptation to pathological conditions. The new level of regulation of adaptive reactions can be accompanied by the development of additive injuries of cell viability, which may be caused by the altered level of biologically active cell lipid components. Based on the results of these investigations, the preparation intended for treatment of male infertility was developed. The pharmacological substances intended for treatment of morphine abuse and acute ischemia of myocardium were created.