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Raman spectroscopy has revolutionized the field of chemical biology by providing detailed chemical and compositional information with minimal sample preparation. Despite its advantages, the technique suffers from low throughput due to the weak Raman effect, necessitating long acquisition times and expensive equipment. This limitation is particularly acute in time-sensitive applications like bioprocess monitoring and dynamic studies. Compressive sensing offers a promising solution by reducing the burden on measurement hardware, lowering costs, and decreasing measurement times. It allows for the collection of sparse data, which can be computationally reconstructed later. This paper explores the practical application of compressive sensing in spontaneous Raman spectroscopy across various biological samples. We demonstrate its benefits in scenarios requiring portable hardware, rapid acquisition, and minimal storage, such as skin hydration prediction and cellular studies involving drug molecules. Our findings highlight the potential of compressive sensing to overcome traditional limitations of Raman spectroscopy, paving the way for broader adoption in biological research and clinical diagnostics.

Self-organizing precipitation processes, such as chemical gardens forming biomimetic micro- and nanotubular forms, have the potential to show us new fundamental science to explore, quantify, and understand nonequilibrium physicochemical systems, and shed light on the conditions for life's emergence. The physics and chemistry of these phenomena, due to the assembly of material architectures under a flux of ions, and their exploitation in applications, have recently been termed chemobrionics. Advances in understanding in this area require a combination of expertise in physics, chemistry, mathematical modeling, biology, and nanoengineering, as well as in complex systems and nonlinear and materials sciences, giving rise to this new synergistic discipline of chemobrionics.

Model organisms are widely used in research as accessible and convenient systems to study a particular area or question in biology. Traditionally only a handful of organisms have been widely studied, but modern research tools are enabling researchers to extend the set of model organisms to include less-studied and more unusual systems. This Forum highlights a range of 'non-model model organisms' as emerging systems for tackling questions across the whole spectrum of biology (and beyond), the opportunities and challenges, and the outlook for the future.

This study reports the secondary analysis of evaluation data from an innovative high school biology curriculum focused on infectious disease (ID) to examine the health literacy implications of teaching claims evaluation, data interpretation, and risk assessment skills in the context of 21st-Century health science. The curriculum was implemented between 2010 and 2013 in Biology II classes held in four public high schools (three in Massachusetts and one in Ohio), plus a private school in Virginia. A quasi-experimental design was used in which student participants (n = 273) were compared to an age-matched, nonparticipant, peer group (N = 125). Participants in each school setting demonstrated increases in conceptual content knowledge (Cohen's d > 1.89) as well as in understanding how to apply scientific principles to health claims evaluation and risk assessment (Cohen's d > 1.76) and in self-efficacy toward learning about ID (Cohen's d > 2.27). Participants also displayed enhanced communication about ID within their social networks relative to the comparison group (p < .05). The data show that integrating the claims evaluation, data interpretation, and risk assessment skills critical for 21st-century health literacy health into high school biology classrooms is effective at fostering both the skills and self-efficacy pertinent to health literacy learning in diverse populations., (© 2015 Society for Public Health Education.)

This small-scale comparison case study evaluates the impact of an innovative approach to teacher professional development designed to promote implementation of a novel cutting edge high school neurological disorders curriculum. 'Modeling for Fidelity' (MFF) centers on an extended mentor relationship between teachers and biomedical scientists carried out in a virtual format in conjunction with extensive online educative materials. Four teachers from different diverse high schools in Massachusetts and Ohio who experienced MFF contextualized to a 6-week Neurological Disorders curriculum with the same science mentor were compared to a teacher who had experienced an intensive in-person professional development contextualized to the same curriculum with the same mentor. Fidelity of implementation was measured directly using an established metric and indirectly via student performance. The results show that teachers valued MFF, particularly the mentor relationship and were able to use it effectively to ensure critical components of the learning objectives were preserved. Moreover their students performed equivalently to those whose teacher had experienced intensive in-person professional development. Participants in all school settings demonstrated large (Cohen's d>2.0) and significant (p<0.0001 per-post) changes in conceptual knowledge as well as self-efficacy towards learning about neurological disorders (Cohen's d>1.5, p<0.0001 pre-post). The data demonstrates that the virtual mentorship format in conjunction with extensive online educative materials is an effective method of developing extended interactions between biomedical scientists and teachers that are scalable and not geographically constrained, facilitating teacher implementation of novel cutting-edge curricula.

In The Descent of Man (1871), Darwin observed "curious parallels" between the processes of biological and linguistic evolution. These parallels mean that evolutionary biologists and historical linguists seek answers to similar questions and face similar problems. As a result, the theory and methodology of the two disciplines have evolved in remarkably similar ways. In addition to Darwin's curious parallels of process, there are a number of equally curious parallels and connections between the development of methods in biology and historical linguistics. Here we briefly review the parallels between biological and linguistic evolution and contrast the historical development of phylogenetic methods in the two disciplines. We then look at a number of recent studies that have applied phylogenetic methods to language data and outline some current problems shared by the two fields.

A prototype electronic science textbook for secondary education was developed to help bridge the gap between state-of-the-art medical technology and the basic science classroom. The prototype combines the latest in radiologic imaging techniques with a user-friendly multimedia computer program to teach the anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The program includes original text, illustrations, photographs, animations, images from upper GI studies, plain radiographs, computed tomographic images, and three-dimensional reconstructions. These features are intended to create a stimulus-rich environment in which the high school science student can enjoy a variety of interactive experiences that will facilitate the learning process. The computer-based book is a new educational tool that promises to play a prominent role in the coming years. Current research suggests that computer-based books are valuable as an alternative educational medium. Although it is not yet clear what form textbooks will take in the future, computer-based books are already proving valuable as an alternative educational medium. For beginning students, they reinforce the material found in traditional textbooks and class presentations; for advanced students, they provide motivation to learn outside the traditional classroom.

Student awareness and selection of learning strategies are predictors of academic success. Yet, little is known about learning strategies of students in university preparation science courses, who are frequently mature-aged or underrepresented students. This lack of knowledge potentially hinders tailoring reflective learning experiences, specific to science contexts, supporting novice science students adopting effective learning strategies. A mixed-methods study examined self-reported learning strategies of 88 students in an online university preparation science course, analysed using a convergent parallel research approach and interpreted through a passive-active-interactive framework. The study found preferences for passive learning strategies with considerably less active and interactive strategies reported. The findings suggest, despite the strengths these students bring to their studies, a tendency for naïve and unexamined concepts of science learning, from time-poor students with little experience in collaborative learning. The study recommends embedding science-specific learning strategies in university preparation science courses and building capacity with interactive strategies.

Objective: To examine the theoretical and empirical contribution of Joe Biederman and his colleagues to the understanding of executive function (EF) and ADHD. Method: We searched PubMed for references to EF in Biederman's publications and conducted a narrative review of this literature. Results: In 50 or more papers using neuropsychological tests, rating scales and measures of mind wandering, Biederman demonstrated that EF are evident in ADHD and closely linked to its underlying neurobiological and genetic risk. He argued that EF need to be monitoring to ensure comprehensive assessment and treatment, but could not be used as a diagnostic proxy. Conclusion: Biederman built an innovative and impressive collaboration to address the issue of EF in ADHD. His work shows a commitment to understanding of EF in order to improve patient care. Biederman laid down a roadmap for research in ADHD and EF for the rest of the field to follow.

Using the comparative approach, researchers draw inferences about the evolution of cognition. Psychologists have postulated several hypotheses to explain why certain species are cognitively more flexible than others, and these hypotheses assume that certain cognitive skills are linked together to create a generally "smart" species. However, empirical findings suggest that several animal species are highly specialized, showing exceptional skills in single cognitive domains while performing poorly in others. Although some cognitive skills may indeed overlap, we cannot a priori assume that they do across species. We argue that the term "cognition" has often been used by applying an anthropocentric viewpoint rather than a biocentric one. As a result, researchers tend to overrate cognitive skills that are human-like and assume that certain skills cluster together in other animals as they do in our own species. In this paper, we emphasize that specific physical and social environments create selection pressures that lead to the evolution of certain cognitive adaptations. Skills such as following the pointing gesture, tool-use, perspective-taking, or the ability to cooperate evolve "independently" from each other as a concrete result of specific selection pressures, and thus have appeared in distantly related species. Thus, there is not "one cognition". Our argument is founded upon traditional Darwinian thinking, which--although always at the forefront of biology--has sometimes been neglected in animal cognition research. In accordance with the biocentric approach, we advocate a broader empirical perspective as we are convinced that to better understand animal minds, comparative researchers should focus much more on questions and experiments that are ecologically valid. We should investigate nonhuman cognition for its own sake, not only in comparison to the human model.

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the confidence levels of School-based Agricultural Education (SBAE) teachers to integrate biology concepts in plant and animal science courses. The researchers also sought to describe the demographic characteristics of New Mexico SBAE teachers. This study used a descriptive-correlational research design. Teachers were asked to identify their confidence levels to teach the state standards of the animal science and plant science course that matched course objectives in biology and life science. The teachers had an average age of 39 and reported having an average of 13 years of teaching experience. The majority of New Mexico SBAE teachers received secondary science teacher certification and over 70% had obtained a master's degree. Teachers felt the least confident to teach the processes of cell division, including binary fission, mitosis, and meiosis. Teachers felt the most confident integrating biology concepts within lessons dealing with the nutrients required by plants, how they obtain and transport those nutrients, as well as teaching the evolution of plants from green algae. The findings suggest that there are some relationships between years of teaching experience, school size, and teachers receiving the science certification.

Senior secondary students were tasked with generating slowmation representations of biological processes they had already learned about during Year 11 VCE biology. The slowmation task therefore connects work with representations to review of course material. Results indicate that students negotiated between the textbook (and some teacher-specific direction) and their representations to clarify the processes and to ensure accuracy. In a two-hour class, students remained fully engaged and developed skills in digital capture, representation construction, and knowledge of the biological process. We argue that slowmation is an effective pedagogical strategy for engaging students in the review process, which results in deepening learning.

Can success rates in a gateway course be improved by linking it to a college success course? This article describes the results of a pilot study that linked a first-year biology course that had a high drop-out and failure rate to a college success course that included study skills. The proposal to link courses came from the work of a faculty learning community aimed at sharing strategies for increasing engagement in first year courses. Faculty involved in the link worked closely together. The college success course used biology content to provide hands-on study skills applications for students. The results illustrate that students in the pilot program did significantly better in the biology course as well as in their overall fall GPA than students in the same biology course who were not in the learning community. [This article originally published in: "Journal of Learning Communities Research," 4(2). (August 2009).]

The aim of this article is to investigate students' meaning-making processes of multiple representations during a teaching sequence about the human body in lower secondary school. Two main influences are brought together to accomplish the analysis: on the one hand, theories on signs and representations as scaffoldings for learning and, on the other hand, pragmatist theories on how continuity between the purposes of different inquiry activities can be sustained. Data consist of 10 videotaped and transcribed lessons with 14-year-old students (N = 26) in Sweden. The analysis focused instances where meaning of representations was negotiated. Findings indicate that continuity is established in multiple ways, for example, as the use of metaphors articulated as an interlanguage expression that enables the students (and the teacher) to maintain the conversation and explain pressing issues in ways that support of the end-in-view of the immediate action. Continuity is also established between every day and scientific registers and between organisation levels as well as between the smaller parts and the whole system.

E-textbooks are more prevalent in college courses, but much recent research still shows that students prefer paper textbooks and have difficulty regulating their learning with digital course materials. Still, college instructors--especially in lower-division STEM courses--often adopt digital course materials with e-textbooks that include a variety of metacognitive supports that students may not use. The purpose of this study was to test whether an intervention that drew upon the principles of the Technology Acceptance Model could facilitate better adoption of an interactive e-textbook in a large, introductory biology course. Participants included 239 undergraduate students from laboratory sections that were randomly assigned to a treatment or control group. The treatment group viewed a video detailing the most beneficial ways to interact with an e-textbook. A pre- and post-test were administered to the participants in both groups. The treatment group had higher overall satisfaction, on average, with the e-textbook than the control group but did not report using the interactive tools more often. The implications for instruction with digital course materials are discussed.

Objectives: Educational practitioners play an important role in the referral and treatment of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to explore how educational practitioners conceptualise their beliefs about the causes of symptoms of ADHD. Method: Forty-one educational practitioners from schools in the United Kingdom participated in focus groups or individual interviews. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results: Practitioners' beliefs fell into two categories: biological and environmental. Practitioners conceptualised the causes of ADHD in lay-theoretical models: a "True" ADHD model considered that symptoms of ADHD in many cases were due to adverse environments; and a model whereby a biological predisposition is the root of the cause of the child's symptoms. Conclusion: Differential beliefs about the causes of ADHD may lead to practitioners blaming parents for a child's behaviour and discounting ADHD as a valid condition. This has implications for the effective support of children with ADHD in schools.

Arne Duncan, US Secretary of State for Education, tweeted in 2013: "let teens sleep, start school later". This paper examines early starts and their negative consequences in the light of key research in the last 30 years in sleep medicine and circadian neuroscience. An overview of the circadian timing system in adolescence leading to changes in sleep patterns is given and underpins the conclusion that altering education times can both improve learning and reduce health risks. Further research is considered from education, sleep medicine and neuroscience studies illustrating these improvements. The implementation of later starts is briefly considered in light of other education interventions to improve learning. Finally, the impact of introducing research-based later starts synchronized to adolescent biology is considered in practical and policy terms.

In this article, we describe a project on reasoning about socio-scientific issues (SSIs), involving French and Australian pre-service science teachers engaged in on-line discussion and development of a wiki. In the research, we developed frameworks for looking at the quality of reasoning about "socially acute" sustainability questions. We found the level of reasoning was enhanced by the cross-cultural exchange, and identified the importance of context in framing reasoning quality. We argue that science teachers could effectively adapt this approach to develop students' scientific literacy and embed the 'science as a human endeavour' strand of the Australian Curriculum in their practice.

Fascinated by the diversity of composition in effective work groups in Further Education (FE) classrooms, I studied group formation and composition in level 3 Biology classes over an academic year. Using information from the class teacher, observers and students, the importance of effective work groups (defining effectiveness in terms of "workability") in the life of the class became clear. As suggested in the literature, group composition was impatient of formulae, trial and error and an informed subjectivity was recommended. Relational issues were seen as key features in group composition by teachers and students alike. Students themselves, though seldom consulted, held distinct and often considered and mature views on effective work groups. The need to give work group composition a higher profile in classroom management, and for staff and students to acquire the skills needed to form and maintain effective work groups, should be reflected in both policy and practice. (Contains 11 tables.)

Objective: The study examined whether cortisol measures are associated with the clinical course of depression in adolescents. Furthermore, the study evaluated whether the relationship between cortisol and clinical course is moderated by environmental stress and/or social support. Method: Fifty-five adolescents with depression (age range 13-18 years) were recruited. In addition to a systematic diagnostic assessment, information was obtained on environmental stress and social support. Urinary free cortisol measures were collected on three consecutive nights during the index episode. Clinical follow-up evaluations were conducted at regular intervals over a 5-year period, documenting recovery from the index depressive episode and recurrent episodes. Information on environmental stress and social support also was gathered during each follow-up assessment. Results: Consistent with prior reports, the majority of adolescents (92.2%) recovered from the initial depressive episode. A substantial proportion of the recovered youth (42.6%) experienced a subsequent episode during the follow-up period. Higher cortisol levels were associated with a longer time to recovery from the index depressive episode. The effect of cortisol on recovery was moderated by social support. The combination of elevated cortisol and recent stressful experiences predicted recurrence, whereas a higher level of social support was protective against recurrence. Conclusions: These data, in conjunction with prior literature, suggest that depression reflects an underlying neurobiological vulnerability that may predispose individuals with high vulnerability to chronic, recurrent episodes. Psychosocial factors, independently or in combination with an underlying neurobiological vulnerability, also play an important role in determining the clinical course of depression. (Contains 4 figures and 4 tables.)

Active-learning labs for two topics in high school biology were developed through the collaboration of high school teachers and university faculty and staff and were administered to 408 high school students in six classrooms. The content of instruction and testing was guided by State of Texas science objectives. Detailed teacher records describing daily classroom activities were used to operationalize two types of instruction: active learning, which used the labs; and traditional, which used the teaching resources ordinarily available to the teacher. Teacher records indicated that they used less independent work and fewer worksheets, and more collaborative and lab-based activities, with active-learning labs compared to traditional instruction. In-class test data show that students gained significantly more content knowledge and knowledge of process skills using the labs compared to traditional instruction. Questionnaire data revealed that students perceived greater learning gains after completing the labs compared to covering the same content through traditional methods. An independent questionnaire administered to a larger sample of teachers who used the lab-based curriculum indicated that they perceived changing their behaviors as intended by the student-centered principles of the labs. The major implication of this study is that active-learning-based laboratory units designed and developed collaboratively by high school teachers and university faculty, and then used by high school teachers in their classrooms, can lead to increased use of student-centered instructional practices as well as enhanced content knowledge and process learning for students. (Contains 8 tables.)

Though difficult to implement in large courses, undergraduate science writing and peer reviews are valuable learning experiences for students and valid mechanisms for student evaluation. This study describes improved writing and reviewing skills of students in introductory biology lecture classes that incorporate a web-based instructional tool, which requires only modest instructor involvement. (Contains 4 tables and 2 figures.)

This study focuses on 11 African American undergraduate seniors in a biology degree program at a predominantly white research institution in the southeastern United States. These 11 respondents shared their journeys throughout the high school and college science pipeline. Participants described similar precollege factors and experiences that contributed to their academic success and persistence at a predominantly white institution. One of the most critical factors in their academic persistence was participation in advanced science and mathematics courses as part of their high school college preparatory program. Additional factors that had a significant impact on their persistence and academic success were family support, teacher encouragement, intrinsic motivation, and perseverance.

Photosynthesis is a central topic in biology education. It remains one of the most challenging, largely because of a) its conceptual difficulty, leading to lack of interest and misconceptions among students; b) the difficulties students have in visualising the process, or relating it to things they can see, especially when the topic is presented purely as a molecular process; and c) limitations to the practical demonstration of photosynthesis because equipment is either cheap, unreliable and antiquated or prohibitively expensive. In response, we have combined expertise in photosynthesis research and education, and in graphic design, to produce an interactive, multimedia package, available on CD-ROM, containing two practical modules and three theoretical modules, for tertiary level students. Features include an animation of photosynthetic electron transport, suitable for a lecture presentation or for self-paced learning by students, and experimental simulations of photosynthetic gas exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence which can be used either as stand-alone packages or, where equipment is available, to supplement and enrich a laboratory demonstration/experiment. As well as improving learning outcomes through the documented advantages of computer-based learning, this set of modules provides students with access to the latest experimental techniques and theory, improving their understanding, updating their skills and switching them on to the amazing process that brings energy into our biosphere. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

The Arizona Collaborative for Excellence in the Preparation of Teachers (ACEPT) Program is one of several reform efforts supported by the National Science Foundation. The primary ACEPT reform mechanism has been month-long summer workshops in which university and community college science and mathematics faculty learn about instructional reforms and then attempt to apply them in their courses. Previous ACEPT evaluation efforts suggest that, when implemented, the reforms boost undergraduate student achievement. The initial purpose of the present study was to discover whether enrollment of preservice teachers in one or more of these reformed undergraduate courses is linked to the way they teach after they graduate and become in-service teachers. Assuming that a link is found, a second purpose was to discover whether the presumed positive effect is in turn linked to their students' achievement. In short, the answer appears to be yes, at least among the biology teachers and students surveyed. Compared with controls, the biology teachers who had enrolled in one or more ACEPT reformed course during their teacher preparation program demonstrated significantly higher scores on the measure of reformed instruction and their students demonstrated significantly higher achievement in terms of scientific reasoning, nature of science, and biology concepts. These results support the hypothesis that teachers teach as they have been taught. Furthermore, it appears that instructional reform in teacher preparation programs including both methods and major's courses can improve secondary school student achievement. (Contains 1 note, 2 tables, and 4 figures.)

Racial disparities in special and gifted education cannot be understood independently of a broad legacy of racial inequity woven into American public education. The results of a qualitative study illustrate the context within which minority disproportionality occurs. School respondents agreed with the NRC panel's conclusion that poverty makes an important contribution to disproportionality; yet the data suggest that the effect of poverty is by no means linear. Respondents identified a number of contextual factors contributing to racial disparities in special education placement, including high-stakes testing. In particular, we were struck by the difficulty some respondents exhibited in discussing issues of race. To ensure implementation of the panel's recommendations, it becomes highly important to address broader socio-political issues, especially denial of the existence of racial disparities in the schools.

Reports on a study of participation, achievement, and attitude in cookbook and inquiry-based introductory biology laboratories through observations, interviews, and attitude/knowledge surveys. Participation differences between men and women disappeared in the inquiry-based laboratory. (Author/MM)

Extends prior theory and research by postulating the existence of an intermediate class of concepts called 'hypothetical'. Investigates the hypothesis that three kinds of scientific concepts exist by constructing and administering a test on concepts introduced in a college biology course. Supports the hypothesis that intellectual development continues beyond the formal stage during college years. (Contains 60 references.) (Author/YDS)

Describes an online searching and scientific process component taught as part of the laboratory for a general zoology course. The activities were designed to be gradually more challenging, culminating in a student-developed final research project. Student evaluations were positive, and faculty indicated that student research skills transferred to advanced classes. (MSE)

PurposeAlpelisib is a PI3K alpha (PI3Kα)-selective inhibitor approved for the treatment of hormone receptor-positive/HER2-negative (HR+/HER2-) PIK3CA-mutated advanced breast cancer (ABC) based on the SOLAR-1 trial, which defined 11 substitutions in exons 7, 9, and 20 in PIK3CA (SOLAR1m). We report alpelisib effectiveness for ABC harboring SOLAR1m, as well as other pathogenic PIK3CA mutations (OTHERm) using comprehensive genomic profiling (CGP).Experimental designA total of 33,977 tissue and 1,587 liquid biopsies were analyzed using hybrid capture-based CGP covering the entire coding sequence of PIK3CA. Clinical characteristics and treatment history were available for 10,750 patients with ABC in the deidentified Flatiron Health-Foundation Medicine clinico-genomic database (FH-FMI CGDB).ResultsPIK3CAm were detected in 11,767/33,977 (35%) of tissue biopsies, including 2,300 (7%) samples with OTHERm and no SOLAR1m. Liquid biopsy had 77% sensitivity detecting PIK3CAm, increasing to 95% with circulating tumor DNA fraction ≥2%. In patients with HR+/HER2- ABC and PIK3CAm receiving alpelisib/fulvestrant (ALP+FUL; n = 182) or fulvestrant alone (FUL; n = 119), median real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) was 5.9 months on ALP+FUL [95% confidence interval (CI): 5.1-7.4] versus 3.1 months on FUL (95% CI: 2.7-3.7; P < 0.0001). In patients with OTHERm, median rwPFS was 4.0 months on ALP+FUL (95% CI: 2.8-10.1) versus 2.5 months on FUL (95% CI: 2.2-3.7; P = 0.0054).ConclusionsCGP detects diverse PIK3CAm in a greater number of patients with ABC than PCR hotspot testing; 20% of patients with PIK3CAm do not have SOLAR1m. These patients may derive benefit from alpelisib. See related commentary by Tau and Miller, p. 989.

Understanding tropical biology is important for solving complex problems such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and zoonotic pandemics, but biology curricula view research mostly via a temperate-zone lens. Integrating tropical research into biology education is urgently needed to tackle these issues.