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Clerkships are defining experiences for medical students in which students integrate basic science knowledge with clinical information as they gain experience in diagnosing and treating patients in a variety of clinical settings. Among the basic sciences, there is broad agreement that anatomy is foundational for medical practice. Unfortunately, there are longstanding concerns that student knowledge of anatomy is below the expectations of clerkship directors and clinical faculty. Most allopathic medical schools require eight "core" clerkships: internal medicine (IM), pediatrics (PD), general surgery (GS), obstetrics and gynecology (OB), psychiatry (PS), family medicine (FM), neurology (NU), and emergency medicine (EM). A targeted needs assessment was conducted to determine the anatomy considered important for each core clerkship based on the perspective of clinicians teaching in those clerkships. A total of 525 clinical faculty were surveyed at 24 United States allopathic medical schools. Participants rated 97 anatomical structure groups across all body regions on a 1-4 Likert-type scale (1 = not important, 4 = essential). Non-parametric ANOVAs determined if differences existed between clerkships. Combining all responses, 91% of anatomical structure groups were classified as "essential" or "more important." Clinicians in FM, EM, and GS rated anatomical structures in most body regions significantly higher than at least one other clerkship (p = 0.006). This study provides an evidence-base of anatomy content that should be considered important for each core clerkship and may assist in the development and/or revision of preclinical curricula to support the clinical training of medical students.

Year 1 of the chemistry degree at the University of Leicester has been significantly changed by the integration of a problem based learning (PBL) component into the introductory inorganic/physical chemistry module, "Chemical Principles". Small groups of 5-6 students were given a series of problems with real world scenarios and were then given the responsibility of planning, researching and constructing solutions to the problem on a group wiki hosted on the University's Virtual Learning Environment (VLE). The introduction of PBL to the course was evaluated both quantitatively and qualitatively. Class test and exam results were analysed and compared with those achieved in previous years (i.e. before the introduction of PBL). It was found that student performance was at least as good as it had been before the introduction of PBL. Retention figures after PBL had risen sharply (not one PBL student dropped out of the course during the first term). Student and staff feedback was also collected for qualitative analysis of the impact of the change. Combining these findings showed that students appeared to show an improvement in, and recognition of the acquisition of, transferable skills and that group work on immediate arrival at university (representing an opportunity to use social skills within an academic exercise) led to high student retention within the PBL cohort. (Contains 3 notes, 2 tables, and 3 figures.)

Deep Eutectic Solvents (DES) can be formed between a range of quaternary ammonium salts and carboxylic acids. The physical characteristics of these DES like viscosity, conductivity and surface tension are analogous to circulating temperature ionic liquids.

The use of ephedrine-substituted quaternary ammonium binaphthyl salts as molecular receptors is demonstrated. The electrochemical oxidation of the receptor is affected by the binding of an analyte in solution. The binding site on the binaphthyl salt has been determined using computer modeling and confirmed using 1D and 2D NMR studies. It is shown that the sensitivity of the receptor is related to the size of the analyte. Axially chiral binaphthyl salts are shown to bind chiral analytes in a different manner and this is demonstrated using lactic and mandelic acid. The presence of a polar functional group on the analyte is also shown to have an effect on the guest-host interaction.

Research describes cloning and expression of amp genes encoding immunodominant proteins in two phytoplasmas to understand the role of these mollicute membrane proteins in the phytoplasmas interaction with their hosts. Data indicate that the proteins widely differ from each other, although derived from the same rRNA clade.

Research describes purification of a 32 kilodalton immunodominant protein (IDP) from the Western X-disease phytoplasma. Nucleotide base pair analysis identifies a 864 base pair fragment whose amino acid sequence show no homology with other phytoplasma IDP genes but the encoded protein recognizes the native Western X-disease phytoplasma proteins.

A study of the immunodominant membrane protein (IMP) of the apple proliferation phytoplasma (AP) from AP-infected periwinkle plants resulted in the isolation of the gene encoding the P-318B IMP. The isolated gene was expressed in Escherichia coli and the resulting protein used in the immunization of rabbits. The study resulted in the development of a novel approach to generating immunogens for the production of specific antibodies for the characterization and detection of non-culturable phytoplasmas.

meta-Substituted N-phenyl,N′-methyl and N-benzyl,N′-methyl imidazolium salts undergo acetate-assisted cyclometallation to provide mixtures of ortho and para substituted cyclometallated complexes. The effect of the substituents on the isomer ratios is discussed; steric effects are more important in the 6-membered rings derived from the N-benzyl imidazolium salts than 5-membered rings from the N-phenyl salts. Comparisons are made to steric effects with some other common directing groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reactions of substituted 2-phenylpyridines at [MCl2Cp*]2 dimers (M = Ir, Rh) in the presence of NaOAc form cyclometallated complexes Cp*M(Phpyr)Cl. H/D exchange experiments and substrate competition experiments show that kinetic selectivity favours electron donating substituents whilst substrates with electron withdrawing substituents are favoured thermodynamically. Experiments with Ir are mostly irreversible under the conditions used whilst those for Rh are more easily reversible. For meta-substituted phenylpyridines steric effects are important, larger substituents leading to formation of the para-substituted cyclometallated product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A facile and efficient Cu(I)-catalyzed cross-coupling method is described for preparing of N-alkynyl or N-bromoalkenyl heteroarenes from bromoalkynes. The studies have shown that poly(ethylene glycol) 400 (PEG400) has acted as both a Cu(I)-stabilizing ligand as well as a phase transfer solvent.

Density functional calculations are employed to probe the role of acetate and to assess various pathways for the cyclometalation of dimethylbenzylamine with palladium acetate. Results reveal that an acetate-assisted H-transfer process involving a six-membered transition state is the most accessible route.

The solubility of a range of metal oxides in a eutectic mixture of urea/choline chloride is quantified. Results demonstrated that the dissolved metals could be reclaimed from a mixed metal oxide matrix using electrodeposition.

Ionic liquids can be produced by mixing quaternary ammonium salts with zinc, tin, and iron. The complex anions formed are identified and quantified, and the viscosity of the ionic liquid is shown to be related to the ionic radii of the species.

Density functional calculations are reported that show that intramolecular hydrogen bonding to acetate can provide a low-energy pathway to C-H activation with iridium. The results show that electrophilic C-H activation is favored in [Ir(DMBA-H)(OAc)Cp*](super +), (where DMBA=dimethylbenzylamine) and that the reactivity of the {Cp*Ir} fragment can extend beyond oxidative addition based on the Ir(super +)/Ir(super 3+) and Ir(super 3+)/Ir(super 5+) couples.