An electronic proton-trapping ion pump for selective drug delivery.

The organic electronic ion pump (OEIP) delivers ions and charged drugs from a source electrolyte, through a charge-selective membrane, to a target electrolyte upon an electric bias. OEIPs have successfully delivered γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that reduces neuronal excitations, in vitro, and in brain tissue to terminate induced epileptic seizures. However, during pumping, protons (H+), which exhibit higher ionic mobility than GABA, are also delivered and may potentially cause side effects due to large local changes in pH. To reduce the proton transfer, we introduced proton traps along the selective channel membrane. The traps are based on palladium (Pd) electrodes, which selectively absorb protons into their structure. The proton-trapping Pd-OEIP improves the overall performance of the current state-of-the-art OEIP, namely, its temporal resolution, efficiency, selectivity, and dosage precision.

Problem-based learning in a health sciences librarianship course.

Problem-based learning (PBL) has been adopted by many medical schools in North America. Because problem solving, information seeking, and lifelong learning skills are central to the PBL curriculum, health sciences librarians have been actively involved in the PBL process at these medical schools. The introduction of PBL in a library and information science curriculum may be appropriate to consider at this time. PBL techniques have been incorporated into a health sciences librarianship course at the School of Library and Information Science (LIS) at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee to explore the use of this method in an advanced Library and Information Science course. After completion of the course, the use of PBL has been evaluated by the students and the instructor. The modified PBL course design is presented and the perceptions of the students and the instructor are discussed.