As currently taught in the United States, introductory courses in analytical chemistryemphasize quantitative (and sometimes qualitative) methods of analysis along with a heavydose of equilibrium chemistry. Analytical chemistry, however, is much more than a collection ofanalytical methods and an understanding of equilibrium chemistry; it is an approach to solvingchemical problems. Although equilibrium chemistry and analytical methods are important, theircoverage should not come at the expense of other equally important topics.

The introductory course in analytical chemistry is the ideal place in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum forexploring topics such as experimental design, sampling, calibration strategies, standardization,optimization, statistics, and the validation of experimental results. Analytical methods comeand go, but best practices for designing and validating analytical methods are universal. Becausechemistry is an experimental science it is essential that all chemistry students understand theimportance of making good measurements.

My goal in preparing this textbook is to find a more appropriate balance between theoryand practice, between “classical” and “modern” analytical methods, between analyzing samplesand collecting samples and preparing them for analysis, and between analytical methods anddata analysis. There is more material here than anyone can cover in one semester; it is myhope that the diversity of topics will meet the needs of different instructors, while, perhaps,suggesting some new topics to cover.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Metagenomic analysis frequently plays an important role in development pipelines for human fecal microbiome-related products, but validation and standardization of the methods used to extract DNA and assemble sequence libraries for these studies is currently lacking. To close this gap, researchers recently characterized existing protocols for accuracy and precision. First, they tested the quantification accuracy by using a defined mock community of bacteria. Then, the protocols that performed as expected were evaluated for both within- and inter-laboratory precision metrics. The protocols were also tested against the MOSAIC Standards Challenge samples. Lastly, they defined performance metrics for the recommended protocols to provide best-practice guidance. The uptake of the recommendations generated here should improve reproducibility in human metagenomic research and therefore facilitate development and commercialization of human microbiome-related products..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Exosomes are small membrane-bound vesicles that facilitate cell-to-cell communication by transporting biomolecules like proteins, RNA, and lipids. Due to their ubiquity and cargo-carrying abilities, exosomes have many potential uses in clinical medicine. First, they can be found in many biofluids like blood, urine, cerebrospinal fluid, saliva, and milk. This means they’re easy to collect and could be used in diagnostic testing as biomarkers. Beyond that, exosomes can be used to deliver cargo to key cells, either using naturally occurring exosomes or fashioning them into drug delivery vehicles. There are even promising results for exosome-based vaccines, not only for infectious diseases but anti-tumor vaccines as well. While the field has developed rapidly in recent decades, there is much more work to do. Specifically, researchers still need to elucidate the mechanisms of exosome transfer within the body..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The laboratory and computational tools available to microbiome researchers have greatly improved in recent years, especially in assembling genomes from complex communities. Most of the research to date has focused on macrodiversity, which is classical ecology metrics like population abundance, α-diversity, and β-diversity. But microdiversity — population genetics metrics like single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and selective pressures — is important to consider. There are several technical and accessibility issues that hinder widespread analysis of microdiversity in metagenomic datasets, but the recently developed open-access software tool MetaPop is designed to close this gap. MetaPop provides a user-friendly interface to analyze both the macro- and microdiversity of microbial and viral community metagenomes. For small datasets, MetaPop can be run on a laptop, making it a practical choice for non-bioinformaticians or labs without access to high-powered computing..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Microbiome research has consistently been placed in the spotlight over the past two decades, and has shown tremendous promise in the fields of medicine, environmental science, food production, and agriculture. Life on Earth does not exist without microbes, and we may benefit from learning more about them. Yet, there is no common understanding amongst researchers of what a 'microbiome’ actually is. Researchers are now proposing a common definition of ‘microbiome’ to ensure better, more robust research across different disciplines. The authors build on the historical definition offered by Whipps and colleagues in 1988 using new research insights. Additionally, they highlight the importance of microbiomes as drivers for the health of many eukaryotic hosts, including humans and plants. The proposed amendments to the definition specify the elements of microbiome composition and their interactions..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Psychology is designed to meet scope and sequence requirements for the single-semester introduction to psychology course. The book offers a comprehensive treatment of core concepts, grounded in both classic studies and current and emerging research. The text also includes coverage of the DSM-5 in examinations of psychological disorders. Psychology incorporates discussions that reflect the diversity within the discipline, as well as the diversity of cultures and communities across the globe.Senior Contributing AuthorsRose M. Spielman, Formerly of Quinnipiac UniversityContributing AuthorsKathryn Dumper, Bainbridge State CollegeWilliam Jenkins, Mercer UniversityArlene Lacombe, Saint Joseph's UniversityMarilyn Lovett, Livingstone CollegeMarion Perlmutter, University of Michigan

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain how intelligence tests are developedDescribe the history of the use of IQ testsDescribe the purposes and benefits of intelligence testing

 U.S. History is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of most introductory courses. The text provides a balanced approach to U.S. history, considering the people, events, and ideas that have shaped the United States from both the top down (politics, economics, diplomacy) and bottom up (eyewitness accounts, lived experience). U.S. History covers key forces that form the American experience, with particular attention to issues of race, class, and gender.Senior Contributing AuthorsP. Scott Corbett, Ventura CollegeVolker Janssen, California State University, FullertonJohn M. Lund, Keene State CollegeTodd Pfannestiel, Clarion UniversityPaul Vickery, Oral Roberts UniversitySylvie Waskiewicz

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Identify specific examples of grassroots Progressivism relating to the spread of democracy, efficiency in government, and social justiceDescribe the more radical movements associated with the Progressive Era

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The rapid expansion of microbiome science has revealed much about the roles of microbes in health and disease. But the diversity of experimental tools available has made the reproducibility of microbiome studies a serious issue. To minimize bias during DNA extraction, researchers recently developed and tested WC-Gut RR—a whole-cell reference reagent specific to the gut microbiome. Built using 20 strains commonly found in the human gut, WC-Gut RR was designed to evaluate DNA extraction protocols used in microbiome pipelines. Researchers tested WC-Gut RR using 8 commercial DNA extraction kits, which revealed significant differences in, among other things, DNA yield, integrity, and purity. In addition, findings revealed that less complex reagents that do not feature anaerobic and hard-to-lyse strains can inflate the performance of microbiome DNA extraction kits..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.