The Relationship Between Prior Experiences in Mathematics and Pharmacy School Success

Objective. To assess students’ pre-pharmacy math experiences, confidence in math ability, and relationship between experiences, confidence, and grades in math-based pharmacy courses. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of first year to third year pharmacy students was conducted. Students reported type of pre-pharmacy math courses taken, when they were taken [high school (HS) vs. college] and year of HS and college graduation. Students rated their confidence in math ability using the previously validated 11-item Fogerty Math Confidence Scale (Cronbach alpha=0.92). Math grade point average (GPA), Pharmacy College Admission Test quantitative (PCAT quant) scores, and grades (calculations and kinetics) were obtained from transcripts and school records. Spearman correlation and multivariate linear regression were used to compare math experiences, confidence, and grades. Results. There were 198 students who reported taking math courses 7.1 years since HS graduation and 2.9 years since their last schooling prior to pharmacy school. Students who took math courses with more time since HS/last schooling had lower calculations and kinetics grades. Students reporting having taken more HS math courses had better calculations grades. Students with higher math GPA, and PCAT quant scores also had higher calculations and kinetics grades. Greater confidence in math ability was associated with higher calculations grades. In multivariate regressions, PCAT quant scores and years since HS independently predicted calculations grades, and PCAT quant scores independently predicted kinetics grades. Conclusion. The number of pre-pharmacy math courses and time elapsed since they were taken are important factors to consider when predicting a pharmacy student’s success in math-based pharmacy school courses

Cooperation after War: International Development in Bosnia, 1995 to 1999

This paper discusses how predispositions, incentives, the number and heterogeneity of participants, and leadership (Faerman et al. 2001) jointly influenced the international effort to develop Bosnia and Herzegovina. International coalitions, task forces, and advisory groups are increasingly charged with implementing reforms following civil conflict. This requires a complex web of interorganizational relationships among NGOS, donors and host nations at both global and ‘ground’ levels. To better understand development assistance, attention must be paid to the relationships between these varied players. We find that four factors influenced relationships between policy, donor, and implementing organizations; and those strained relationships, in turn, affected development success. The paper draws on interviews, conducted in Bosnia, with 43 development professionals, observation of development meetings in Tuzla and Sarajevo, and review of related documents from international development programs.international development, interorganizational relationships and cooperation

Murine terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase: cellular distribution and response to cortisone

The mouse thymus contains two forms of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) which are distinguishable by the salt concentration necessary to elute them from a phosphocellulose column, by their distrubtion among the thymocyte subpopulations, and by their sensitivity to cortisone treatment. In the whole thymus the later eluting peak (peak II) is the predominant one with about 3-10% of the total activity appearing in peak I. Both peak I and peak II activities are most sensitively assayed by the polymerization of dGMP onto an oligo(dA) primer. The minor population of thymocytes which is less dense and cortisone-resistant contains a higher specific activity of peak I TdT. The majority of TdT activity is, however, found in the major population of thymocytes which occurs in the center region of a bovine serum albumin gradient and is cortisone-sensitive. A very low level of an activity indistinguishable from peak II TdT activity is also detected in the mouse bone marrow. Other tissues, such as spleen, liver, heart, and brain lack detectable amounts of TdT activity

Laser excitation spectroscopy of the A and B states of jet-cooled copper dimer: evidence for large electronic isotope shifts

Journal ArticleFluorescence excitation spectra recorded for the A-X system of jet-cooled Cu2 show conclusive evidence of a ?? = 0 transition, and the A state is thereby definitively assigned as ??u+. A previous assignment of the B state as ??u+ is confirmed, but the vibrational levels of this state are complicated by the presence of a perturbation at v' = 0. The perturbing state does not, however, appear to be either of the two optically accessible electronic states in this spectral region. Anomalously large electronic isotope shifts are observed for the A and B states, and this behavior is discussed in terms of the correspondingly large "specific mass shifts" observed in the optical spectra of atomic copper for transitions that couple states differing in the number of d electrons. Due to the large spin-orbit coupling constants in the "cMiole" configurations, it is proposed that the low-energy-excited molecular states of Cu2 derived from these configurations should be described by Hund's case (c) coupling. Dynamical effects observed in the gas phase and in solid matrices are briefly discussed in terms of this bonding scheme

Measuring impacts of value to patients is crucial when evaluating palliative care

The inclusion of preparation for death and managing affairs in the end-of-life instrument designed by Borreani et al.1 to elicit preferences about dying is commendable. Of note, few quality-of-life (QOL) measurement tools contain or adequately assess this patient-valued domain. Given the importance that patients place on these issues, it is possible that evaluations of palliative health care interventions, including comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness analyses, could easily misinterpret the net benefit of such interventions without inclusion of this domain as an outcome measure. Better assessment methods that incorporate preparation for death and managing affairs are needed

Cooperation after war

This paper discusses how predispositions, incentives, the number and heterogeneity of participants, and leadership (Faerman et al. 2001) jointly influenced the international effort to develop Bosnia and Herzegovina. International coalitions, task forces, and advisory groups are increasingly charged with implementing reforms following civil conflict. This requires a complex web of interorganizational relationships among NGOS, donors and host nations at both global and "ground" levels. To better understand development assistance, attention must be paid to the relationships between these varied players. We find that four factors influenced relationships between policy, donor, and implementing organizationsand those strained relationships, in turn, affected development success. The paper draws on interviews, conducted in Bosnia, with 43 development professionals, observation of development meetings in Tuzla and Sarajevo, and review of related documents from international development programs

"Isn't All of Oncology Hermeneutic?"

In this paper, we describe an event during a pediatric oncology research meeting that prompted the discussion of the ways in which hermeneutics brings a different kind of understanding to both research and practice. We claim that oncology is the practical science of handling natural science research and as such practice in oncology is deeply hermeneutic in character in its recognition of the importance, vitality, and generativity of the “individual case†even in the face of amassed, verified, and aggregate knowledge that is given from the natural science research. Oncology is always contingent, next case handling, and is not identifiable simply as something determined and guided by natural sciences alone. In the face of this, we propose that there is an obvious, profound, and natural fit of hermeneutic research in understanding the lives, relationships, suffering, and experiences that are affected by cancer.   Keywords: childhood cancer, Gadamer, hermeneutics, pediatric oncology, Robert Buckman Â

A case study of polar cap sporadic-E layer associated with TEC variations

The Sporadic-E (Es) layer is an often-observed phenomenon at high latitudes; however, our understanding of the polar cap Es layer is severely limited due to the scarce number of measurements. Here, the first comprehensive study of the polar cap Es layer associated with Global Positioning System (GPS) Total Electron Content (TEC) variations and scintillations is presented with multiple measurements at Resolute, Canada (Canadian Advanced Digital Ionosonde (CADI), Northward-looking face of Resolute Incoherent-Scatter Radar (RISR-N), and GPS receiver). According to the joint observations, the polar cap Es layer is a thin patch structure with variously high electron density, which gradually develops into the lower E region (~100 km) and horizontally extends >200 km. Moreover, the TEC variations produced by the polar cap Es layer are pulse-like enhancements with a general amplitude of ~0.5 TECu and are followed by smaller but rapid TEC perturbations. Furthermore, the possible scintillation effects likely associated with the polar cap Es layer are also discussed. As a consequence, the results widely expand our understanding on the polar cap Es layer, in particular on TEC variations