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Introduction: Concept maps can display network of relationships between concepts and by integrating aspects of pathophysiology, concept maps encourage a multidisciplinary approach to learning. The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of construction of concept map on short essay question scores among undergraduate medical students and to investigate students’ perceptions on concept mapping as a learning tool. Methods: 29 second-year undergraduate medical students, undergoing urinary system module at a medical college in Malaysia were involved in this study. Students were randomly divided into four groups for the construction of a concept map on a topic. Each group were asked to create a concept map on “factors affecting glomerular filtration rate” topic. All students attended face to face lectures on all the topics covered in the module and completed the concept map on the topic after the lecture. At the end of the module in the summative assessment, two short essay questions (SEQ) were assessed. One SEQ (SEQ 2) was on the topic covered through face-to-face lecture and one SEQ (SEQ 1) was on the topic covered through face-to-face lecture with concept mapping. Online feedback questionnaires were collected to compare students’ perspectives on the effectiveness of concept map as a learning tool. Results: A significant increase in the mean short essay question scores was observed in the short essay question which was from the topic covered by face-to-face lecture with concept mapping. (P-value= 0.00016063*). Discussion: The majority of the students agreed that concept mapping improves critical thinking skills, helps to visualize concepts, helps to understand concepts and construction of concept map was an appropriate learning strategy. Conclusion: The new concept-mapping construction on a topic resulted in a higher SEQ score compared to the SEQ score on topics without concept mapping and construction of concept map was perceived favorably by the students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The evaluation of human cognitive abilities and limitations is necessary in engineering-oriented analyses of industrial manual assembly tasks. This helps to identify the areas of difficulty and also demonstrates how the task content causes the problems. The information analyses reveal the problematic areas but not the content of individual steps causing the problem. It also fails to find any qualitative relationship between steps in varied assembly tasks. The task content models identify the task demands, training requirements and transfer possibilities.

A solid phase synthesis of a cyclic peptoid bearing (1 H-tetrazol-5-yl)methyl as N-substituent has been developed employing the monomer approach. The requisite monomeric Nosyl-protected N-(1-trityl-1 H-tetrazol-5-yl)methyl substituted glycine was accessed by a convenient synthesis involving Click reaction of Nosyl-protected N-(cyanomethyl)glycine methyl ester and sodium azide as a key step. This building block was then employed in the solid phase synthesis of a tetramer peptoid. The linear tetramer was subjected to macrocyclization using PyBOP to obtain a cyclic peptoid with (1 H-tetrazol-5-yl)methyl pendants in good yield. Graphical Abstract: [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A one-pot protocol for the preparation of symmetrical dibenzyl diselenides and disulfides from the corresponding benzyl alcohols employing NaBH2Se3 and NaBH2S3 as selenium-transfer and sulfurtransfer reagent, respectively, is described. Structurally diverse substituted benzyl alcohols afforded the corresponding diselenides and disulfides in good to excellent yields. The protocol is simple and mild, and the products were obtained within a short reaction time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cis-amide bond isostere, 1,5-disubstituted tetrazole,has been introduced in the peptide backbone by a simple route starting from the thiopeptide. The desired 1,5-disubstituted tetrazole peptidomimetics were synthesized by the desulfurization of thiopeptides by using HgCl2 in the presence of NaN3/TEA in DMF in good yields. Various other thiophilic reagents including hypervalent iodine reagents failed to deliver the tetrazole product with the exception of CBr4/PPh3, which resulted in moderate yields. The advantage of the present protocol over previous methods has been demonstrated by the selective insertion of tetrazole into peptide-thiopeptide hybrids. Also, the protocol is compatible with commonly employed urethane protecting groups (Fmoc, Boc, and Cbz) in peptide chemistry. Thiopeptide Boc-Pro-ψ[CSNH]-Val-OMe ( 2 i) and two tetrazole peptidomimetics Cbz-Ala-ψ[CN4]-Phe-OMe ( 3 d) and Boc-Pro-ψ[CN4]-Val-OMe ( 3 i) were obtained as single crystals and their molecular structures have been confirmed by X-ray crystallography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Synthesis of 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives of Nα-Cbz(benzyloxycarbonyl)/Boc-protected amino/peptide acids under is described. The conditions involved in the present protocol are simple, mild, and free. The utility of 2-amino group in the substituted oxadiazoles for the incorporation of peptide and ureido bonds to obtain hybrid peptidomimetics is also delineated. The 2-amino-1,3,4-oxadiazole 3b was obtained as a single crystal, and its molecular structure has been confirmed through X-ray crystallographic study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]