All resources in OER Fundamentals Fall 2024

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The Lactose Operon: Mutant analysis worksheet

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This is a worksheet (with sample answers for instructors) that was developed to help learners get a better understanding of the nuances related to the regulation of the Lac operon, and to provide them with opportunities to practice analytical thinking. We have used it for years in the biology component of a first year university science course (for science majors).

Material Type: Data Set, Homework/Assignment

Author: Pam Kalas

Body Physics Remote Lab Manual

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This remote learning lab manual was created to guide students in 100-level physical science courses toward meeting the first outcome in the science category of the Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer Degree: Gather, comprehend, and communicate scientific and technical information in order to explore ideas, models, and solutions and generate further questions. The lab design goal was to adapt existing F2F labs (already aligned to AAOT science outcome #1) for a remote learning environment without abandoning the pedagogical advantages provided by combining guided inquiry methods with specialized physics education equipment, such as digital sensors and unique demonstration apparatus. Therefore, many of the labs contain embedded videos of experiments being performed and links to open-access Google spreadsheets containing the data produced by equipment during the experiments. In many cases overlay effects have been added to videos to provide additional experimental parameters, direct students' attention to important occurrences, or and assist with understanding of the experimental methods. The data in the spreadsheets has been edited to remove irrelevant data (e.g. acceleration data automatically collected by lab software before the release of a moving fan cart). I have found that students do require roughly 1-3 instructor interactions per lab to complete them successfully. As such, the labs current state these labs might not be amenable to a totally asynchronous learning environment.

Material Type: Activity/Lab

Author: Lawrence Davis

Build It Yourself: Satellite!

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"Build It Yourself: Satellite!" is an online Flash game hosted on the James Webb Space Telescope website. The goal of the game is to explain the decision-making process of satellite design. The user can choose to build a "small," "medium," or "large" astronomy satellite. The user then selects science goals, wavelength, instruments, and optics. The satellite is then launched on the appropriate rocket (shown via an animation). Finally, the user is shown what their satellite might look like, as well as what kind of data it might collect, via examples from similar real-life satellites. Satellites range from small X-ray missions without optics (like the Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer) to large missions with segmented mirrors (like the James Webb Space Telescope).

Material Type: Activity/Lab, Game

The Rise of Modern Science

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This subject introduces the history of science from antiquity to the present. Students consider the impact of philosophy, art, magic, social structure, and folk knowledge on the development of what has come to be called “science” in the Western tradition, including those fields today designated as physics, biology, chemistry, medicine, astronomy and the mind sciences. Topics include concepts of matter, nature, motion, body, heavens, and mind as these have been shaped over the course of history. Students read original works by Aristotle, Vesalius, Newton, Lavoisier, Darwin, Freud, and Einstein, among others.

Material Type: Full Course

Authors: Jones, David, Kaiser, David

Nutrition During Pregnancy

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In this lesson students will learn about the recommendations for nutrition during pregnancy.  There are a few videos linked for the students to watch.  The main activity is based on recommendations from the myplate.gov website.  As a closing activity, students plan a one-day menu for a pregnant woman. 

Material Type: Lesson Plan

Author: Deanna Vavak

Examining the role of autophagy in trophoblasts in recurrent pregnancy loss

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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: "Recurrent pregnancy loss – two or more losses before 24 weeks of pregnancy – affects 1-2% of pregnant women. Although some factors have been identified, in most cases the cause is unclear. Researchers are focusing on the critical balance between immune cells and the developing embryo at the maternal-fetal interface. Decidual natural killer (dNK) cells, immune cells in the uterus, must use inflammation to promote the formation of the placenta’s blood supply while also maintaining immune tolerance to prevent damaging the embryo. This delicate balance requires another cell type – trophoblasts, embryonic cells that develop into the placenta. Recently, researchers examining trophoblast-dNK crosstalk found that one important pathway was affected in patients experiencing recurrent pregnancy loss. Autophagy regulates degradation of damaged cells, clearing the way for healthy cells to form tissue..." The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

Type 1 diabetes modifies gut microbiome during pregnancy

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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 community of microorganisms that colonize our gut is an adaptive one. It changes with environment, disease, and major life events. But one life event that has remained underexplored by microbiome science is pregnancy, especially in women with type 1 diabetes, which poses a health risk to both mother and fetus. To address this gap, researchers recently examined gut microbiome composition across 70 pregnancies, 36 of them involving women with type 1 diabetes. Women with diabetes demonstrated a shift towards a more pro-inflammatory gut microbiome during pregnancy, showing an increase in bacteria that produce lipopolysaccharides, which promote inflammation; decreased concentrations of short-chain fatty acids, which protect against inflammation; and increased serum levels of the protein I-FABP, an indicator of organ wall damage. These changes could contribute to pregnancy complications in women with type 1 diabetes, but might be modified through the diet..." The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

Remodeling of the maternal gut microbiome during pregnancy is shaped by parity

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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: "In mammals, the maternal microbiome influences both mother and infant health and can be used to predict the likelihood of preterm birth. The mother’s number of previous pregnancies, or parity, can also affect preterm birth risk, but whether parity influences the maternal or infant microbiome is unclear. A recent study used marker gene sequencing and metagenomics analyses of stool samples to investigate the microbiomes of pregnant pigs of different parities and their offspring. Microbiome “maturity index” and Dirichlet multinomial mixtures (DMM) model analyses indicated that the sow microbiome changed in predictable ways throughout pregnancy and that the changes occurred more rapidly in sows with higher numbers of previous pregnancies. Parity (high vs. zero) was linked to the levels of specific types of bacteria in the maternal gut at the end of pregnancy. Sow parity also affected the abundances of certain metabolism-related bacteria in the piglet gut 10 days after birth..." The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

Exosomes in pregnancy and their potential as new diagnostic markers and therapeutics targets

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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: "Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are small membrane-bound particles that facilitate communication between cells. They do this by carrying cargo such as proteins, microRNAs, and other signaling molecules between cells. EVs come in a variety of sizes, the smallest of which are called exosomes. Many essential physiological functions are mediated by EVs, including pregnancy. The umbilical cord, placenta, amniotic fluid, and amniotic membranes can all release exosomes. Exosomes play roles in egg implantation, embryo formation, and fetal-maternal communication and can even influence both male and female fertility. Angiogenesis — or the formation of new blood vessels — during pregnancy is also largely regulated by exosomes. The contents of exosomes influence pregnancy-related disorders including gestational diabetes mellitus, preterm birth, and fetal growth restriction..." The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

Pathology Case Study: Kidd Alloimmunization During Pregnancy

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(This case study was added to OER Commons as one of a batch of over 700. It has relevant information which may include medical imagery, lab results, and history where relevant. A link to the final diagnosis can be found at the end of the case study for review. The first paragraph of the case study -- typically, but not always the clinical presentation -- is provided below.) A 20-30 year old female, gravida 2, para 1 who presented for follow up of an established pregnancy. The patient denied any symptoms, and has no history of prior blood transfusion or other significant medical history. She has one healthy child from the same marriage. The husband is healthy. Upon current pregnancy workups, including routine blood type and screen, the mother's blood group was found to be AB Rh positive with a positive antibody screen. Anti-Jka antibodies were identified with antihuman globulin (AHG) phase titers of 1:8. The mother was phenotyped and she is Jka negative. The father of the baby (FOB) was phenotyped and he is homozygous for Jka (Jka+Jkb-). The predicted phenotype of the baby is Jka+Jkb+.

Material Type: Case Study, Diagram/Illustration

Authors: Alesia Kaplan, Raniah Al Amri

Category:Pregnancy and Parturition

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This page has links to information about pregnancy and parturation; including sperm in the female tract, fertilisation, sexual differentiation, genital development, gestation lengths in different species, maternal recognition of pregnancy, litter sizes, placenta and its endocrine function, fetal circulation, puerperium, and reproductive disorders.

Material Type: Diagram/Illustration, Reading

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