Helping struggling students in introductory biology: a peer-tutoring approach that improves performance, perception, and retention.

The high attrition rate among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) majors has long been an area of concern for institutions and educational researchers. The transition from introductory to advanced courses has been identified as a particularly "leaky" point along the STEM pipeline, and students who struggle early in an introductory STEM course are predominantly at risk. Peer-tutoring programs offered to all students in a course have been widely found to help STEM students during this critical transition, but hiring a sufficient number of tutors may not be an option for some institutions.

A DNA-based assay identifies Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in amphibians.

Chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Chytridiomycota) has been implicated in declines of amphibian populations on four continents. We have developed a sensitive and specific polymerase chain reaction-based assay to detect this pathogen. We isolated B.

Cloning, sequencing, and oxygen regulation of the Rhodobacter capsulatus alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase operon.

The Rhodobacter capsulatus sucA, sucB, and lpd genes, which encode the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (E1o), the dihydrolipoamide succinyltransferase (E2o), and the dihydrolipoamide dehydrogenase (E3) components of the alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex (KGD), respectively, were cloned, sequenced, and used for regulatory analyses. The KGD enzymatic activity was greater in cells grown under aerobic, respiratory growth conditions than under anaerobic, photosynthetic conditions. Similarly, the sucA gene was transcribed differentially, leading to a greater accumulation of sucA mRNAs under respiratory growth conditions than under photosynthetic conditions, although differential rates of mRNA decay could also contribute to the different amounts of sucA mRNAs under these two growth conditions.

Side effects of diazoxide.

Diazoxide given for hypertensive crises caused severe complications in two patients. Hypotension, anginal syndrome, cerebral ischemia, and right hemiplegia developed in one patient, and myocardial infarction in the other.