Calcific band keratopathy (CBK) is a degenerative condition resulting in the deposition of calcium salts in the superficial layers of the cornea and causing significant visual disturbance and pain of the affected eye. Unfortunately, the amount of CBK precipitates recovered from the affected eye is very small therefore; it would be beneficial to prepare a synthetic material mimicking CBK material to further the development of therapeutics. Analyses of biological samples recovered from patients show the presence of silicon in addition to calcium, as well as a distinctive fused spherical morphology. This prompted us to study the reaction of various sources of silicon (fumed silica, silicic acid, and silicone oil) with CaCO(3) under a range of reaction conditions to gain an understanding of the formation of CBK. A silicon source alone was not found to be responsible for the fused spherical morphology, and a third component, a polar surfactant-like molecule such as sodium dodecyl sulfate or tetradecylphosphonic acid, was also required. The effects of silicon:calcium ratio and reaction time have been studied. The reaction of fumed silica with CaCO(3) in presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate results in the formation of spherical shapes resembling the structures and chemical composition observed in the eye samples, while no such structures were observed in the absence of silicon. Samples closely resembling human samples were also formed from the reaction of silicone oil with CaCO(3) in the presence of tetradecylphosphonic acid. Samples were characterized by SEM, XRD, and XPS and Raman spectroscopy.

Objective: We compared first-year cumulative grade point average and a composite score on part I of the National Board of Chiropractic Examiners (NBCE) exam for first-year alternative admission track program (AATP) students who did and did not take three specific undergraduate courses: general chemistry, organic chemistry, and anatomy and physiology. Methods: All AATP students in 2015 ( n = 50) were evaluated for the course history of general chemistry and anatomy and physiology compared to their first-year cumulative grade point average and NBCE part 1 scores using independent t-tests. Results: Students in the AATP who took general chemistry tended to score higher overall on the NBCE exams ( p = .038, r = .229). Organic chemistry and anatomy and physiology had no statistical effect on improving board scores. First-year cumulative grade point average seemed to be unaffected by any of the undergraduate courses evaluated. Conclusion: There was a statistically significant difference in composite NBCE part 1 score between AATP students who had and had not taken general chemistry 1 before admission. There were no differences in first-year GPA between AATP students who had and had not taken undergraduate chemistry and A&P courses.

This report describes two symposia convened to address the process of implementing the recently published Texas College and Career Readiness Standards, which are intended to help educators aid students in bridging the gap between high school and college classroom expectations. In 2009 and 2010, these two symposia for chemistry education professionals focused on understanding what is expected of chemistry students from various high school settings (e.g., small and large schools; rural, suburban, and urban locales) in order for students to succeed in first-year college-level lecture and laboratory courses. The first symposium was attended by 45 secondary school teachers and many representatives of universities, junior colleges, technical colleges, and private colleges. This symposium began a dialogue on how graduating high school seniors could become successful first-year students in college. The goals were to begin recognizing how the new standards evolved and to acknowledge the gaps between high school and college chemistry curricula. The first symposium also discussed what it means for students to be ready for postsecondary experiences and raised awareness of developments underway in high schools, including dual-credit courses, early college programs, and how colleagues in mathematics support efforts to improve chemistry education in Texas. The second symposium, which brought together more than 120 chemistry teachers in two locations via a teleconference, continued the dialogue established in the first symposium. Mathematics colleagues were invited to join the chemistry teachers in the second symposium so that the alignment issues between the disciplines could be addressed.