Phase Heterogeneity in Cholesterol-Containing Ternary Phospholipid Lamellar Phases

Pseudo-ternary mixtures of lamellar phase phospholipids (DPPC and brain sphingomyelin with cholesterol) were studied below T m while comparing the influence of cholesterol content, temperature, and the presence of small quantities of vitamin D binding protein (DBP) or vitamin D receptor (VDR). The measurements, conducted by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), cover a range of cholesterol concentrations (20% mol. wt to 40% mol. wt.) and physiologically relevant temperature range (294-314 K). In addition to rich intraphase behavior, data and modeling are used to approximate the lipids' headgroup location variations under the abovementioned experimental conditions

Computer Quiz Games in General Chemistry for Engineering Majors in an English as a Second Language Environment

Computer quiz games are introduced to improve teaching and learning in a freshman engineering chemistry course in an English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) environment. These quiz games are developed and implemented as a supplemental and augmentative tool to enhance traditionally delivered lectures. The paper shows an increase in students’ motivation and compare the performance between students who participated in computer quiz games, a paper-based quiz or neither activity. Assessment of the effectiveness of quiz games in learning is conducted via a proposed novel chemistry achievement test, Freshman Engineering Chemistry Aptitude Test and an attitude questionnaire. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role of game-based learning in students’ achievement in chemistry and their motivation and attitudes towards learning general chemistry at a university within an ESL environment, while the computer games developed are useful in all English based Chemistry classes

Quantification of sterol-specific response in human macrophages using automated imaged-based analysis

Abstract Background The transformation of normal macrophage cells into lipid-laden foam cells is an important step in the progression of atherosclerosis. One major contributor to foam cell formation in vivo is the intracellular accumulation of cholesterol. Methods Here, we report the effects of various combinations of low-density lipoprotein, sterols, lipids and other factors on human macrophages, using an automated image analysis program to quantitatively compare single cell properties, such as cell size and lipid content, in different conditions. Results We observed that the addition of cholesterol caused an increase in average cell lipid content across a range of conditions. All of the sterol-lipid mixtures examined were capable of inducing increases in average cell lipid content, with variations in the distribution of the response, in cytotoxicity and in how the sterol-lipid combination interacted with other activating factors. For example, cholesterol and lipopolysaccharide acted synergistically to increase cell lipid content while also increasing cell survival compared with the addition of lipopolysaccharide alone. Additionally, ergosterol and cholesteryl hemisuccinate caused similar increases in lipid content but also exhibited considerably greater cytotoxicity than cholesterol. Conclusions The use of automated image analysis enables us to assess not only changes in average cell size and content, but also to rapidly and automatically compare population distributions based on simple fluorescence images. Our observations add to increasing understanding of the complex and multifactorial nature of foam-cell formation and provide a novel approach to assessing the heterogeneity of macrophage response to a variety of factors

Computer Quiz Games in General Chemistry for Engineering Majors in an English as a Second Language Environment

Computer quiz games are introduced to improve teaching and learning in a freshman engineering chemistry course in an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) environment. These quiz games are developed and implemented as supplemental and augmentative tools to enhance traditionally delivered lectures. The paper shows an increase in students’ motivation and compares the performance among students who participated in computer quiz games, a paper-based quiz, or neither activity. An assessment of the effectiveness of quiz games in learning is conducted via a proposed novel chemistry achievement test, the Freshman Engineering Chemistry Aptitude Test, and an attitude questionnaire. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role of game-based learning in students’ achievement in chemistry and their motivation and attitudes toward learning general chemistry at a university within an ESL environment, while the computer games developed are useful in all English-based chemistry classes

Computer Quiz Games in General Chemistry for Engineering Majors in an English as a Second Language Environment

Computer quiz games are introduced to improve teaching and learning in a freshman engineering chemistry course in an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) environment. These quiz games are developed and implemented as supplemental and augmentative tools to enhance traditionally delivered lectures. The paper shows an increase in students’ motivation and compares the performance among students who participated in computer quiz games, a paper-based quiz, or neither activity. An assessment of the effectiveness of quiz games in learning is conducted via a proposed novel chemistry achievement test, the Freshman Engineering Chemistry Aptitude Test, and an attitude questionnaire. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role of game-based learning in students’ achievement in chemistry and their motivation and attitudes toward learning general chemistry at a university within an ESL environment, while the computer games developed are useful in all English-based chemistry classes

Computer Quiz Games in General Chemistry for Engineering Majors in an English as a Second Language Environment

Computer quiz games are introduced to improve teaching and learning in a freshman engineering chemistry course in an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) environment. These quiz games are developed and implemented as supplemental and augmentative tools to enhance traditionally delivered lectures. The paper shows an increase in students’ motivation and compares the performance among students who participated in computer quiz games, a paper-based quiz, or neither activity. An assessment of the effectiveness of quiz games in learning is conducted via a proposed novel chemistry achievement test, the Freshman Engineering Chemistry Aptitude Test, and an attitude questionnaire. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role of game-based learning in students’ achievement in chemistry and their motivation and attitudes toward learning general chemistry at a university within an ESL environment, while the computer games developed are useful in all English-based chemistry classes

Computer Quiz Games in General Chemistry for Engineering Majors in an English as a Second Language Environment

Computer quiz games are introduced to improve teaching and learning in a freshman engineering chemistry course in an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) environment. These quiz games are developed and implemented as supplemental and augmentative tools to enhance traditionally delivered lectures. The paper shows an increase in students’ motivation and compares the performance among students who participated in computer quiz games, a paper-based quiz, or neither activity. An assessment of the effectiveness of quiz games in learning is conducted via a proposed novel chemistry achievement test, the Freshman Engineering Chemistry Aptitude Test, and an attitude questionnaire. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role of game-based learning in students’ achievement in chemistry and their motivation and attitudes toward learning general chemistry at a university within an ESL environment, while the computer games developed are useful in all English-based chemistry classes

Computer Quiz Games in General Chemistry for Engineering Majors in an English as a Second Language Environment

Computer quiz games are introduced to improve teaching and learning in a freshman engineering chemistry course in an English-as-a-second-language (ESL) environment. These quiz games are developed and implemented as supplemental and augmentative tools to enhance traditionally delivered lectures. The paper shows an increase in students’ motivation and compares the performance among students who participated in computer quiz games, a paper-based quiz, or neither activity. An assessment of the effectiveness of quiz games in learning is conducted via a proposed novel chemistry achievement test, the Freshman Engineering Chemistry Aptitude Test, and an attitude questionnaire. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role of game-based learning in students’ achievement in chemistry and their motivation and attitudes toward learning general chemistry at a university within an ESL environment, while the computer games developed are useful in all English-based chemistry classes