Use of dyes to investigate migration of the chiral selector in CFFE and the impact on the chiral separations.

Continuous free flow electrophoresis was investigated as a tool for the preparative chiral separation of piperoxan enantiomers using sulfated beta-cyclodextrin (sbeta-CD) as the chiral additive. Bulk migration of sbeta-CD was confirmed using LC-MS analysis of the individual fractions collected and visualized with the addition of crystal violet to the separation buffer. In the absence of sbeta-CD, the crystal violet-containing buffer was reddish/purple and the crystal violet was deflected cathodically in the chamber. In the presence of sbeta-CD, the crystal violet-containing buffer was blue and was deflected anodically. However, formation of accumulation and depletion zones was apparent in both cases. The addition of sbeta-CD to the cathodic wash solution allowed for almost complete resolution of the piperoxan enantiomers with a processing rate of 0.45 mg/ h.

Genethics: project accountability via evaluation of teacher and student growth.

Accountability through demonstrated learning is increasingly being demanded by agencies funding science education projects. For example, the National Science Foundation requires evidence of the educational impact of programs designed to increase the scientific understanding and competencies of teachers and their students. The purpose of this paper is to share our human genetics educational experiences and accountability model with colleagues interested in serving the genetics educational needs of in-service secondary school science teachers and their students. Our accountability model is facilitated through (1) identifying the educational needs of the population of teachers to be served, (2) articulating goals and measurable objectives to meet these needs, and (3) then designing and implementing pretest/posttest questions to measure whether the objectives have been achieved. Comparison of entry and exit levels of performance on a 50-item test showed that teacher-participants learned a statistically significant amount of genetics content in our NSF-funded workshops. Teachers, in turn, administered a 25-item pretest/posttest to their secondary school students, and collective data from 121 classrooms across the United States revealed statistically significant increases in student knowledge of genetics content. Methods describing our attempts to evaluate teachers' use of pedagogical techniques and bioethical decision-making skills are briefly addressed.

The genetic associate: a career option in genetic counseling.

Eleven training programs designed to prepare genetic associates (genetic counselors) at the master's degree level are compared and contrasted. Sarah Lawrence College developed the first such program in 1969; currently, most genetic associate programs are housed in medical schools in major universities across the nation. The newest program (at the University of South Carolina) accepted its first class in the fall of 1985. Data provided herein will enable college and university faculty to advise interested students about this viable career option.

Academic origin of geneticists--a second look.

The academic and geographic origins of 1186 members of the Genetics Society of America whose biographies appear in the fourteenth edition of American Men and Women of Science were researched and the data collected compared to comparable data for 1019 GSA members studied in 1968. In general, the colleges and universities that were major producers of geneticists at both the baccalaureate and doctoral levels in the 1968 study continue to be so. The geographic regions of the United States continue to produce and employ geneticists much as they did in 1968, but in the current study, 17 percent of the geneticists were found to be foreign-born, as compared to only 5.4 percent in 1968. Of the 1186 geneticists, 167 or 14.1 percent were women vs. 12.5 percent in the 1968 study. Over 80 percent of the geneticists were employed in academia, but the percent employed in government, business, and industry was nearly twice what it was in 1968. Compared to 1968, geneticists in the current study were decidedly older, a fact that could portend a threat to the continued viability of the science of genetics in the United States.

Nursing educators: perceptions of the curricular role of human genetics/bioethics.

In recent years medical geneticists have made tremendous advances in understanding hereditary diseases. Applying this new knowledge raises serious ethical questions which have relevance to nursing practice. Nursing educators must ask themselves: (1) what effects do these advances have on nursing practice; (2) have the subjects of human genetics and bioethics been sufficiently integrated into nursing educational programs; and (3) are professional nurses prepared to help patients become scientifically literate relative to principles of human genetics? A 35-item questionnaire was prepared, and 616 copies were mailed to the chief administrators of 31 Indiana state-approved nursing programs listed by the Indiana State Board of Nurses' Registration and Nursing Education. Data obtained from the 250 questionnaire respondents led to the conclusion that Indiana nursing educators are aware of the relevance of human genetics to their work, but they need direct access to helpful information to incorporate genetics instruction as a part of nursing education programs in Indiana. To accomplish this task, the respondents favor continuing education programs in human genetics. Although the data are based on responses of Indiana nursing educators, we believe that our findings can be generalized, at least, to nursing programs throughout the midwest. On the basis of our study, we recommend that continuing education programs in human genetics be implemented with the goal of providing all practicing nurses with a better understanding of the genetic basis of disease, thereby enabling them to counsel wisely those patients entrusted to their care.

An analysis of the human genetics content of 13 general biology textbooks.

Professionals in genetics, medicine, and biology education have in recent years called for placing greater emphasis on human genetics in the education of the nation's citizenry. Since a large collegiate audience for such education is found in the general biology classroom, we elected to analyze 13 current and widely used general biology textbooks to determine their human genetics content. The analyses revealed that from 6.68 to 15.51 percent of the books' pages were devoted to genetics, but only 0.75 to 3.44 percent of the pages dealt specifically with human genetics. The number of human genetic traits discussed in the books ranged from four to 24, with a mean of 15.77. Nine different chromosome aberrations were cited, with Down, Klinefelter, and Turner syndromes being mentioned most often. Twenty autosomal dominant, fifteen autosomal recessive, and seven X-linked traits were used as examples in the various textbooks. Most frequently cited single-gene conditions were the ABO blood groups, sickle cell anemia, phenylketonuria, hemophilia, and red/green colorblindness. The books varied considerably in the emphasis given to social applications of medical genetics. Based on the findings of this study, we offer several recommendations for the improvement of the human genetics content of general biology textbooks and courses.

Biology teachers: genetics educational needs and related values stances.

A questionnaire completed by 542 secondary school biology teachers in four states in widely divergent parts of the United States reveals the genetics educational needs of the respondents. The data suggest that, although the teachers are fairly confident of their ability to teach about classical and molecular genetics, they are much less knowldgeable of the recent developments in genetics that impinge on the science/society interface. The data further imply that if teachers are to deal effectively with these current and controversial topics, they will need instruction not only in human and medical genetics, but also in the methodologies of teaching about controversial issues. Finally, the data collected and the literature reviewed suggest that if the general public is to be served effectively, college and university courses in general genetics should include a major emphasis on recent developments in human genetics.

A survey and evaluation of human genetic traits used in classroom laboratory studies.

Twenty-six selected introductory biology and genetics laboratory manuals were examined and were found to include 57 human "inherited" traits as examples for classroom study. Forty-three of these 57 traits are included in McKusick's catalog of human inherited characteristics, Mendelian Inheritance in Man. Of these 43 traits, 26 are annotated with an asterisk, indicating that their modes of inheritance are well documented, while 17 traits are not so annotated, suggesting uncertain mechanisms of inheritance. Fourteen of the 57 traits are not found in McKusick's catalog, implying that they may not be inherited traits at all or that their modes of inheritance may be polygenic. Current literature also suggest that certain traits included in the McKusick catalog may, in fact, not have a genetic basis. Notable examples of such questionable traits are handedness, hand clasping, and tongue rolling. Clearly, a need exists for reliable morphological and easily detected biochemical human genetic traits for use in classroom instruction. Authors preparing instructional manuals for introductory biology and genetics laboratory studies should carefully select the traits with which they illustrate human inheritance. A first requisite for selection of such characteristics must be conclusive evidence that the trait does, indeed, have an established genetic basis. Additional criteria for selection of such traits are also discussed.