UNICAL to partner intellectual societies on academic excellence – NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog)

The University of Calabar (UNICAL) has restated its resolve to collaborate with intellectual societies on the promotion of academic excellence.

Vice-Chancellor of the institution, Prof Zana Akpagu stated this at the institutions Senate Chambers during the 2nd Zonal Annual Conference of the Nigerian Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (NSBMEB) with the theme: The Role of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in a Recessed Economy.

Prof Akpagu said the collaboration is one of the cardinal objectives of the institution aimed at promoting academic and intellectual excellence.

The Vice-Chancellor said the institution was already promoting academic excellence by encouraging useful and beneficial exchange of ideas through conferences, seminars and workshops.

According to him, the theme of the conference was apt following the economic recession currently bedeviling the country.

He thanked NSBMB for giving Unical the hosting rights of its 2nd Zonal conference and promised to support them.

The Vice-Chancellor, however, expressed joy that NSBMB was at the verge of assuming the status of an institute, saying it will confer on them the legal status for regulating and controlling their profession.

He also commended the local organising committee for organising the event and urged them to attract the national conference of NSBMB to Unical.

This is even as he congratulated the University of Ilorin for topping the ranks of Nigerian Universities and thanked them for providing the leadership for NSBMB.

Also speaking, National President of NSBMB, Mrs Sylvia Malomo thanked the Vice-Chancellor for providing an enabling environment for the conference.

She also applauded the Vice-Chancellor for his developmental strides in the institution, stressing that the institution has witnessed tremendous transformation since he assumed office.

Malomo commended the South-South and South-east zones of NSBMB for its consistency in promoting the activities of the society.

She said Biochemists have been at the forefront of administration in the country, adding that, we have biochemists as Vice-Chancellors, we have them as governors, we have them as lawmakers, we have them in various high positions in government and private sector.

The NSBMB President also commended the South-South Zonal Coordinator, ProfFridayUboh for working assiduously to promote the activities of the society, describing him as a go-getter.

In his remarks, South-South Zonal Coordinator of NSBMB, ProfFridayUboh thanked the Vice Chancellor for his support towards the hosting of the conference.

He also commended members of the local organizing committee, staff and members of Biochemistry Department of the University of Calabar for their tireless efforts in making the zonal event a reality

The Zonal Coordinator reminded fellow Biochemists that NSBMB is the first and primary society of their own before any other academic society hence the need for them to fight and protect their profession from oppression by other professional bodies.

Prof Uboh disclosed that the struggle to take the society to the status of an institute at the national level has become a reality, adding that it is a thing of joy that this dream is being fulfilled in their time.

He, however, appealed to all Biochemists to be committed to regular payment of dues and participation in all zonal and national conferences.

The Zonal coordinator urged senior colleagues to rise up to their expected responsibility of mentoring the younger ones to become eminent Biochemists.

He solicited for financial support from public spirited individuals and eminent scientists to help in the sustenance of the zonal event on a yearly basis.

Delivering the keynote address, National Secretary of NSBMB, Prof Musa Yakubu described Biochemistry as a unique profession which cuts across all fields of human endeavor.

Prof Yakubu who spoke on the title- the role of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in a recessed economy said Biochemists can contribute immensely in pulling Nigeria out of its present economic woes by diversifying the economy through increase in production of agric produce.

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UNICAL to partner intellectual societies on academic excellence - NIGERIAN TRIBUNE (press release) (blog)

How One Building Created a Cascade of Change – WPI News

Its been nearly a decade since the doors to WPIs Life Sciences and Bioengineering Center (LSBC) opened. The first building to rise at Gateway Park, an 11-acre mixed-use campus taking shape just north of downtown Worcester and a short walk from the main WPI campus, the LSBC, formally dedicated on September 17, 2007, represented something of a gamble. In building the 125,000-square-foot research facility, the university was betting that by making a $65 million investment in the life sciences (the cost of the building and the site clean-up), it would realize dividends down the road.

That bet has paid off, and then some, says Eric Overstrm, former professor of biology and biotechnology, who joined WPI in 2004 as head of that department. This building has produced a return on investment well beyond anything we anticipated at the time, he says.

The LSBC was the answer to a question that had been nagging at WPI since it acquired the Gateway Park property in 1999, jointly with the Worcester Business Development Corporation: How could that former industrial brownfield benefit the university? The idea of constructing a building to provide much-needed space for a growing a research enterprise emerged early on, but what kind of research would be represented was unclear.

Overstrm recalls a meeting where several faculty members described the facilities they envisioned for the new center, including fire labs and a drop tower for impact research. He and his fellow life sciences department heads, the late Chris Sotak in Biomedical Engineering and Jim Dittami in Chemistry and Biochemistry, huddled and decided to propose a more focused approach: move all of WPIs graduate research programs in the life sciences and bioengineering to the new building.

The idea had a practical motivation. The wet labs in the 115-year-old Salisbury Laboratories building, where the biologist and biomedical engineers worked, were poorly suited to modern research, while lab space in the newer Goddard Hall, home to chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering research, was running short as the WPI faculty grew.

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How One Building Created a Cascade of Change - WPI News

Spoiler Room: Scoop on Blindspot, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grey’s Anatomy, and more – EW.com (blog)

Welcome to the Spoiler Room, a safe place for spoiler addicts to come on a weekly basis to learn whats coming next on their favorite shows and, hopefully, get a few of their own questions answered. If you want scoop on a specific show, send your questions to spoilerroom@ew.com.

Anything new to tease for season 3 of Blindspot? TonyIf youre wondering what has happened to the team over the last 18 months thats the exact amount of time that has passed when we pick back up with Jane and Weller answers will come very quickly this season. Youll see flashbacks, EP Martin Gero promises. We hope to fill in a lot of it right away in the first two or three minutes of the show. No fan of the show will want to miss the opening of the season that will endeavor to fill in a lot of what the hell is going on. Why did she run away? Are Jane and Weller married? All those questions will be answered in the first few minutes.

How long will Jake and Rosa be in jail on Brooklyn Nine-Nine? JessicaIf Boyle has his way, not long! Hes determined to make sure that his friends innocence is known to the rest of the world, Joe Lo Truglio tells me. So hes doing everything he can, hes tailing Hawkins and hes trying to take advantage of her making a mistake. But expect to find a very different Boyle in Jakes absence when the show returns. Theyve got a wonderful cold open to show his depression, which rivals and dare I say surpasses him breaking up with Vivian in the Matrix leather coat cold open.

Where is the new season of Greys Anatomy picking up? KarolineRight where we left off, so everyone is still reeling in the wake of the finale explosion. But it wont be long before theres a shakeup at Grey Sloan. Theres obviously some damage to the hospital, Kelly McCreary says. But it is, in true Greys Anatomy style, a completely surmountable obstacle, because we are superhuman doctors. It serves more as a metaphor of the transformation that the show is going to go through tonally. Its lighter this season. The hospital definitely is undergoing some changes in the form of a new crop of students coming in. Itll look a bit different in certain areas, and some relationships have come to an end or are blossoming, so repairing the damage is more of a metaphor.

Any Chicago P.D. news would be great. MarAntonio is back in Intelligence, as a case in the premiere reconnects him with his former family. The suspect that theyre going after, they hit a bump in the road and they need someone to come in that this guy has never seen and can do a great job undercover, and thats where Antonio comes in, Jon Seda tells me, teasing that Antonio will bump heads with Voight over certain new policies within Intelligence this year.

Will Kuasa crossing paths with Ray on Vixen be addressed on Legends of Tomorrow? ColemanYes, and his knowledge of Kuasa just may help the Legends version of Vixen. If you go back and look at Vixen season 2, I wouldnt exactly call her fighting alongside Ray, shes always been morally questionable, EP Marc Guggenheim says. But I think thats what makes it interesting as far as Amaya is concerned is that Ray, at the appropriate moment, will accurately tell her that there were moments where Kuasa was capable of selfless good, so I think that gives Amaya a little bit of hope.

Do you know anything more about Reginas alter-ego on Once Upon a Time? BradenBar owner Roni is very, very different from Regina, so prepare yourselves. Shes given up a little bit on life, Lana Parrilla tells me. She seems a little hopeless when we first meet her, and then Henry comes to town and things start to shift a little bit. But dont expect his arrival to immediately spark Reginas memories. No, theres nothing there, and I like that. Shes just asleep. Shes not quite in touch with all that stuff yet. A few more things need to happen before she starts getting that feeling. Although, she is inspired by a character, and it shifts her a bit, at the end of the first episode.

Anything on the Hawaii Five-0 team in season 8? ElizabethI hear theres going to be another new member of the team but its definitely not who (or what!) youre expecting. There is a story thats coming up, it actually was Alex OLoughlins idea, EP Peter Lenkov says. I wanted to do a story where the victim left in the wake of a tragedy was a dog who lost its owner. Its a very emotional, really great story. Its a dog thats a drug sniffing service dog that McGarrett ends up adopting. Its a really emotional journey, but it was his idea to keep the dog, and I thought that was a great one.

Hand over some Scandal scoop! DangerWaveWith Cyrus sliding into the White House as VP to Mellies POTUS, Jake will somewhat be sidelined but his continued role in the White House will put some pressure on the dynamic between Jake and Olivia. The interesting thing for Jake is that hes still the head of the NSA, but Olivia being Chief of Staff is sort of his boss, which is a position theyve never really find themselves in and a dynamic we have yet to explore, Scott Foley says. Its going to cause some waves in the water of love.

How will Gretchen be handling Jimmys disappearing act on Youre the Worst this season? MalloyNot well. Not well at all. Believe me, Gretchen does something so shocking in the premiere and enlists Lindsay to do it, too that you will have to remind yourself of the title of the show before you fall down a rabbit hole. And it only gets worse from there. Theres some weird sh that goes down, Aya Cash says. There are so many different kinds of bad, let me put it that way. Even so, Cash has hopes that Gretchen and Jimmy will eventually reconcile. I do because this show is about them and theyre going to have to figure it out, she says. I feel like were heading toward something positive. They start to work out how to be around each other and how to engage in a healthier way. But will she get payback on Jimmy for abandoning her? Yes, Cash says with a smirk.

Any scoop on the season finale of Shadowhunters? TaylorA. lot. happens. Youll find out whether weve seen the last of Jonathan within the finales first minute, but regardless of what happens there, theres still the matter of stopping Valentine. And lets just say that battle is filled with big decisions for Clary, none of which shell be able to take back, and the consequences of which will play heavily into next season. That cryptic enough?

This week in TV: TCA is finally over! You can read all the coverage from our incredibly hard-working TV team here.

Thats a wrap on this weeks Spoiler Room. Be sure to email your questions to spoilerroom@ew.com or tweet them to @NatalieAbrams.

Additional reporting by Samantha Highfill.

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Spoiler Room: Scoop on Blindspot, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grey's Anatomy, and more - EW.com (blog)

Anatomy of a suddenly sick Obamacare insurer – CBS News

Headlines have been screaming for months about big insurers such as Aetna (AET), United Healthcare (UNH) and Humana (HUM) pulling out of the Obamacare marketplaces because they couldn't make the exchange business profitable. As a result, dozens of counties throughout the country have been left with only one or no insurance choice on their exchange.

Against that backdrop, two smaller insurers that focus primarily on the Medicaid market -- Molina Healthcare (MOH) and Centene (CNC) -- were frequently noted as companies that can successfully navigate the uncertain and complicated exchange business. Many states looked to them and small regional or local insurers to help fill the increasing gaps the big names were leaving behind.

So it came as a bit of shock when Molina announced on Aug. 2 it would exit the exchanges in Wisconsin and Utah, scale back its exchange business in Washington state and leave the door open to pull out of other exchanges in the near future.

What's more, in marketplaces where it will continue to operate, Molina has submitted an average 55 percent premium increase to state regulators, partly due to the uncertainty over the future of federal cost sharing payments.

The news came amid Molina's report of a steep second-quarter earnings loss of $4.10 a share, compared to a 58 cent per share gain during the same period a year earlier. It also followed the ouster in May of Chief Executive Mario Molina and Chief Financial Officer John Molina, brothers who are sons of company founder David Molina. In the earnings report, Molina also announced a major restructuring, which includes about 1,500 layoffs, approximately 7 percent of its workforce.

Until all this bad news broke, Molina was one of the prime examples of an insurer that could actually make the exchanges work. (Centene still does and is expanding its exchange business.) Major insurers like Aetna and United Health, accustomed to the more stable employer-sponsored health insurance market, racked up losses in the exchange business in part because they were surprised by the large number of high-cost patients who signed up.

Molina's business focuseson administering Medicaid health plans for low-income and disabled patients. As a result, the company has experience with managing narrow networks of lower-cost health care providers. "The idea is to arbitrage low-reimbursement providers into exchanges where the competition is paying a lot more," explained Robert Laszewski, president of consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates. "There's an opportunity for profit there."

Molina found it could compete for the no-frills end of the exchange market and enjoy a robust volumne of patient sign-ups. According to Laszewski's estimates, Molina had a track record of enrolling as much as 70 percent of eligible participants in the various markets it participated in. A pool that big offers enough healthy individuals to help stabilize risk, he added.

What went wrong?

According to Joseph White, interim CEO of Molina, the company became overwhelmed with its ACA business, including unexpected increases in medical costs and claims. "We did not adjust for growth in the ACA marketplace," White told analysts in a conference call last week. He explained that the company focused resources on existing processes and technologies instead of a full redesign that would have helped it better deal with ACA growth.

"That was a mistake," said White. "The marketplace shares fundamentals of the Medicaid market, but it's also very different," he added.

In addition, speculated Laszewski, as Molina expanded into new markets and became a more dominant player in others, it may have strayed from its core base of low-income customers, adding costs and risks it couldn't deal with.

"Every company has to analyze every market to make sure they're making money in every market," said Dan Mendelson, chief executive of Avalere Health. Say a plan with bad risk drops out of the market, he added. "You may get saddled with that risk as you pick up those customers."

Molina's bad news leaves exchange consumers with even less choice and more uncertainty than they were already facing in light of failed GOP efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare and the Trump administration's threats to discontinue support for the system.

As commitment deadlines for insurers approach, state insurance commissioners are working hard to convince them to stay in the exchanges and keep at least a bare minimum of coverage. In addition, small, local, often nonprofit players such as L.A. Care Health Plan are trying to fill gaps where they can, while heeding the lessons from Molina's recent mess.

Will these efforts be enough? Consumers may have to wait until open enrollment begins on Nov. 1 to find out.

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Anatomy of a suddenly sick Obamacare insurer - CBS News

Grey’s Anatomy introduces a ‘controversial’ new doc – EW.com

To celebrate Fall TV and our huge Fall TV Preview issue hitting stands on Sept. 15 EW is bringing you 50 scoops in 50 days, a daily dish on some of your favorite shows. Follow the hashtag #50Scoops50Days on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest, and check EW.com/50-Scoops for all the news and surprises.

Grey Sloan will be rocked by even more family drama when Greys Anatomy returns this fall.

EW has learned exclusively that Italian actress Stefania Spampinato has booked a multi-episode arc as the sister of Giacomo Gianniottis Andrew DeLuca.

Carina DeLuca will actually take up residence as a new doc at Grey Sloan, which becomes a bit of a nightmare situation of Andrew. This year, were going to definitely have DeLucas character a little more fleshed out with the arrival of his sister from Italy, Gianniotti tells EW. Were going to see a new dynamic in the hospital as his sister arrives, and its not exactly good news; hes frustrated by it.

She has a very interesting and controversial some would say profession within the medical field, which makes him uncomfortable, Gianniotti continues. Its a thorn in his side, her being there, but everybody else is quite fond of her. She will be working [at the hospital], and shes going to help tell the story of DeLuca and how he comes from Italy. Theyre going to speak a little bit of Italian, which will be nice for the Italian fans, because [the shows] so big in Italy.

The news comes on the heels of Abigail Spencer joining the cast for a multi-episode arc, replacing Bridget Regan as Owens sister Megan Hunt, who has been presumed dead for the last decade.

Greys Anatomy will return with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Grey's Anatomy introduces a 'controversial' new doc - EW.com

Study Aims to Develop Hybrid Gross Anatomy Curriculum – UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences News

Stuart D. Inglis, PhD, left, and Scott T. Doyle, PhD, are developing a model for a hybrid gross anatomy curriculum that integrates digital scans with cadaveric dissection.

Published August 10, 2017

Department ofPathology and Anatomical Sciences researchers are studying waysto develop a hybrid gross anatomy curriculum that fuses digitizedCT scans with actual cadaveric dissection.

Hybrid Program Offers Best of Both Worlds

Gross anatomy programs are expensive and extremelyresource-intensive, requiring a lot of infrastructure to set up andoperate.

The Jacobs School of Medicineand Biomedical Sciences is fortunate to have a productive andgenerous AnatomicalGift Program, but many institutions do not have the necessaryresources and are looking at replacing their cadaver programs withan entire digital way of learning using standard CT datasets or downloads from the Internet as a way of learning humangross anatomy.

Students benefit from a tactile and kinesthetic mode oflearning, says ScottT. Doyle, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and anatomicalsciences. Dissection, the process of learning through doing,is really important and we think its critical for studentsto learn that while they are going through theirtraining.

The amount of raw data that digital scans provide can be used tobuild upon the inherent value that exists in cadaveric dissection,he says.

Scans Help Students Learn About Human Variation

Doyle and StuartD. Inglis, PhD, instructor of pathology and anatomicalsciences, are co-principal investigators on a 2017 SeedGrant for Promoting Pedagogical Innovation through the Center for EducationInnovation, that will study the best ways to integrate the datafrom CT scans into a gross anatomy curriculum.

The medical school receives about 600 donations a year throughits anatomical donation gifts program, and initiated a CT scanproject in 2014 in order to create a database.

RaymondP. Dannenhoffer, PhD, director of the anatomical gift program,felt that high-resolution scans of some of the cadavers comingthrough the gross anatomy program would be useful for teachingstudents not only about the human form, but also about humanvariation.

That often doesnt come through if you are using aclassic textbook example because in that instance you get oneexample of what the human form is like and you dont reallyget an appreciation for all the things you might see in clinicalpractice or the real world, Doyle says.

Digital Images Provide Useful Roadmaps

As part of their gross anatomy lab, medical students are givenCT scans on USB drives to refer back to throughout the course.

Inglis notes there are several advantages to using CT scans in agross anatomy setting.

Being able to look at scans prior to dissection, studentscan identify some interesting pathologies, he says.They can see kidney stones, pacemaker units or jointreplacements. When they are about to dissect, it gives them abetter perspective on what they are about to find.

Inglis says it also allows students to start to make directcomparisons between the dissected body and the radiologicalimages.

Its one experience to dissect, but as they move onin their careers they will be looking at digital representations ofproblems they see in MRIs and CT scans, he adds.

Visualizing Data in 3-D Space Extremely Useful

In its gross anatomy labs, the medical school utilizes a devicecalled a visualization table that is manufactured by Sectra, aSwedish company.

It has a giant touchscreen, a computer inside it and USBports on the side. Students can plug in a USB drive and uploadtheir scan, Doyle says. It allows you to visualizethe CT scans in 3-D. It takes a certain range of CT values andmakes them look solid, and then renders them, so you can spin itaround and zoom in and look at the data that way.

Inglis says the best analogy is thinking of the CT scans asslices of bread and the visualization table putting them togetherto present the whole picture.

When you look at the literature on replacing cadavericdissection with digital models, you see the students find thedigital models more convenient because they dont have tocome to a physical lab and deal with all of the technicalities ofperforming a dissection, but they value the education they get fromactual dissection, Doyle says.

There is inherent value in both of these modes ofteaching and that is why we are thinking about this as a hybridprogram that uses traditional cadaveric dissection as well asdigital modeling of the CT scans.

For this project I am interested in looking at thevariation structure from a quantitative standpoint, Doyleadds. From an engineering standpoint, all the data for these3-D models is contained in these grayscale images and the questionis how best to represent them in 3-D space.

User Feedback Key Component of Study

As part of the study, the researchers plan to seek studentfeedback, Doyle says.

We definitely want to know how they are using it.Students are very good at prioritizing what they are going to spendtheir time on, he says. They want to excel in thecourse so they are going to find the most efficient way of usingthe data.

One of the big concerns we have is to make sure we aredoing this in a way that is not going to inconvenience them or notgoing to hamper their ability to learn.

Diverse Data Set Most Desirable

Inglis notes that many institutions that are thinking aboutadopting the digital-only model intend to use a single, unifiedbody for teaching purposes.

In recent years, there have been scans of two bodies thathave been used from school to school, but it has been documented inthe literature that in those cases, there have been a number ofanatomical variations identified in these bodies that are now beingpresented as the norm, which is problematic.

In some cases, there are advantages to all medicalstudents from around the country learning from the same sort ofcontent map, but at the same time there are also some very seriousissues with that, he says.

Whereas, if a more diverse data set were available, studentscould gain a better sense of appreciation for variation, Inglissays.

3-D Models Aid in Finding Anatomical Landmarks

Looking at the human body in 3-D form is extremely helpful forstudents trying to find different anatomical landmarks oranatomical structures they need to know, Doyle says.

A good example that is a problem for students are cranialnerves, which tend to have loops and insert into the skull indifferent ways so they are often difficult to see, both on a flatCT scan and during dissection, he adds.

Having a 3-D model where they can identify those nervesand where they enter the skull and how they move is going to bevery useful.

Potential Applications in Surgical Planning Procedures

While the grant is focused on the educational side of theequation, Doyle notes other researchers working in areas such as3-D printing and surgical planning are interested in the study.

In the course of figuring out how to work with this data,we anticipate there are different directions this could go from aresearch standpoint, he says.

One example is a project they are undertaking with a hepaticsurgeon who is interested in the biliary tree that lies between thegallbladder and the liver.

The way in which the ducts connect the gallbladder to the maintrunk of the biliary tree can have implications for how a surgeongoes in to remove a tumor.

In about two-thirds of individuals, the artery to thegallbladder lies behind the duct that needs to be cut, which meansthat in one-third it lies in front, Inglis says.

If you go in and are not precise as to where it is and ifthe artery is severed first, that becomes a medical emergencybecause that creates a massive internal hemorrhage.

Being able to take a scan of a patient and reconstructing a 3-Dstructure before printing it out to provide to a surgeon is goingto be very useful in terms of planning, Doyle says.

At the end of the day, what we are trying to do isimprove patient care by making better doctors on the education sideor by using the data in a way to help practicing physicians treattheir patients better, he says.

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Study Aims to Develop Hybrid Gross Anatomy Curriculum - UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences News

When our favourite TV couples first met – NEWS.com.au

Meredith confesses her love for Derek asking him to love and choose her over Addison. Courtesy: Grey's Anatomy/abc

Jennifer Aniston with David Schwimmer in a scene from Friends.

AS the saying goes: every great love story has a beginning.

But how did our favourite TV couples, such as Ross and Rachel or Seth and Summer, first meet? Prepare for a trip down memory lane as Decider takes a look back at the first encounters of nine classic TV couples.

FYI To clarify, these are the first encounters we watched these characters have on their shows. We know Ross and Rachel knew each other in high school, but were focusing on their initial interaction on the series.

ROSS AND RACHEL (FRIENDS)

Whats the situation? So no one told Ross and Rachel that life was going to be this wayyyyy. As were introduced to the Central Perk 6, Ross is getting divorced and Rachel just pulled a Runaway Bride on her wedding day. While the two knew each other in high school, this scene is the future couples first encounter on the series.

First encounter:

Monica: You remember my brother Ross?

Rachel: Sure. Hi ... ah!

*An awkward Ross opens an umbrella into Rachel*

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? Considering all the future shenanigans these two would go through, Ross opening an umbrella on Rachel is quite indicative of future calamity.

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green and David Schwimmer as Ross Geller.Source:Getty Images

SETH AND SUMMER (THE O.C.)

Whats the situation? Long before Seth and Summer were declaring their undying love for one another on various coffee carts, the two had an icy connection that can best be described as, well, non-existent. Moments before the now infamous Welcome to the O.C., bitch! quip, Summer was trying to hook up with Ryan, which in hindsight, ew, because that just seems all types of wrong. A heartbroken Seth, who has harboured a longtime crush on Ms. Roberts, catches her in the act.

First encounter:

Seth (to Ryan): What are you doing? I named my boat after her.

Summer: What? Eww. Who are you?

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? No, but Adam Brody and Rachel Bilsons chemistry was undeniable as their relationship would be a pillar of the classic Fox series.

Seth and Summer from The O.C.Source:Supplied

BUFFY AND ANGEL (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER)

Whats the situation? Sensing shes being followed, Buffy acrobatically swings down from a bar and kicks Angel in the back, which is kinda foreplay for these two.

First encounter:

Angel: Is there a problem, maam?

Buffy: Yeah, theres a problem. Why are you following me?

Angel: I know what youre thinking, but dont worry. I dont bite. Truth is I thought youd be taller. Or bigger muscles and all that. Youre pretty spry though.

Buffy: What do you want?

Angel: The same thing you do.

Buffy: Okay, what do I want?

Angel: To kill them. To kill them all.

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? Definitely. Violence, flirting, banter? Its Buffy and Angel in a nutshell.

Angel and Buffy, what a couple.Source:News Corp Australia

MITCH AND CAM (MODERN FAMILY)

Whats the situation? Mitch and Cam are on a flight and theyre bringing Lilly home for the very first time.

First encounter:

Lady: Honey, honey, look at those babies with those cream puffs.

Mitchell: Okay, excuse me. (stands up to give speech) Excuse me, but this baby wouldve grown up in a crowded orphanage if it wasnt for us cream puffs. And you know what? No, to all of you who judge. Hear this: Love knows no race, creed, or gender. And shame on you, you small-minded, ignorant few ...

Cameron: Mitchell!

Mitchell: What?!

Cameron: (motions to cream puffs in Lilys hands) Shes got the cream puffs.

Mitchell: Oh.

Cameron: We would like to pay for everyones headsets.

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? I cant possibly think of a better way to introduce this couple.

Mitch and Cam from Modern Family.Source:Supplied

JOSH AND DONNA (WEST WING)

Whats the situation? Fearing that Josh might be fired, Donna brings him coffee, which would be normal if it wasnt the first time shes done so in two and a half years.

First encounter:

Donna: You shouldnt have worn that tie on television. It bleeds.

Josh: I dont think the tie was what got me in trouble.

Donna: Yeah, but Ive told you a zillion times.

Josh: Whats that?

Donna: Its coffee.

Josh: I thought so.

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? Yep! Rapid fire banter and hidden depth wrapped up in conversational gymnastics is a Sorkin staple.

Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman and Janel Maloney as Donna Moss.Source:Getty Images

MEREDITH AND DEREK (GREYS ANATOMY)

Whats the situation? Meredith attempts to kick Derek out after a one-night stand.

First encounter:

Derek: This is, um.

Meredith: Humiliating on so many levels. You have to go.

Derek: Why dont you just come back down here and well pick up where we left off?

Meredith: No, seriously. You have to go. Im late, which isnt what you want to be on your first day of work.

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? Adorableness? No. The couples sexual escapades? Definitely.

Derek and Meredith from Greys Anatomy.Source:News Corp Australia

LUKE AND LORELAI (GILMORE GIRLS)

Whats the situation? Lorelai. Luke. Coffee. Enough said.

First encounter:

Lorelai: Please, Luke. Please, please, please.

Luke: How many cups have you had this morning?

Lorelai: None. Five, but yours is better.

Luke: You have a problem.

Lorelai: Yes, I do.

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? Banter and copious amounts of coffee within the first minute of the series? The answer is obvious.

Lorelai and Luke from Gilmore Girls.Source:Supplied

JOEY AND PACEY (DAWSONS CREEK)

Whats the situation? Steven Spielberg fanatic Dawson Leery is shooting a horror film that stars his two best friends, Joey Potter and Pacey Witter. Despite the scorching snap, crackle, and pop banter between Joshua Jackson and Katie Holmes, the will they/wont they tension emanating from this particular creek is initially between Dawson and Joey. But the chemistry between Pacey and Joey couldnt be denied and one of the most memorable love triangles of the WB era was formed. In their first encounter, Pacey, dressed as a sea monster, attacks Joey and pulls her into the water.

First encounter:

Joey: He did it again. He grabbed my ass.

Pacey: Like you even have one.

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? Kind of. The sizzling repartee between the two is a Dawsons Creek staple. These two had that ineffable it-factor from the get-go.

Joey was played by Joshua Jackson and Pacey was played by Katie Holmes.Source:News Corp Australia

MONICA AND CHANDLER (FRIENDS)

Whats the situation? The series begins with Monica and the gang (minus Ross and Rachel) debating if an upcoming hangout is actually a date, which goes to show you that 1994 and 2017 may not be as dissimilar as we think. Chandlers first words to Monica are So does he have a hump? A hump and a hairpiece? but their first encounter is below.

First encounter:

Monica: Okay, everybody relax. This is not a date. Its two people going out to dinner and not having sex.

Chandler: Sounds like a date to me.

Is this scene predictive of future adorableness? I mean, could that be any more of a Chandler Bing kinda thing to say?

Monica was played by Courteney Cox Arquette and Chandler was played by Matthew Perry.Source:News Corp Australia

This article was originally published on the Decider

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When our favourite TV couples first met - NEWS.com.au

Everything We Know About ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Season 14 (PHOTOS) – Wetpaint

Whats the prognosis for Greys Anatomy Season 14? Drama, of course.

But its also going to be a lighter, sexier season, the stars say with new faces joining the show and familiar faces coming back for more action.

The season is still weeks away, though, so our prescription for you is to click through the slides of this gallery. Just be warned: Side effects include spoilers.

Greys Anatomy Season 14 premieres on Thursday, September 28, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Season 14 premieres on September 28.

Thats Thursday, September 28, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC, to be exact.

In fact, the last time a season of Greys premiered any time other than the week of September 21-28 was Season 1.

Were getting a two-hour premiere

Twice the episode for twice the fun! Shonda knows how to treat us.

The first episode is titled Break Down the House

It was written by new showrunner Krista Vernoff, whos returning to the show for the first time since Season 7, and directed by exec producer/star Debbie Allen.

Season 14 pick up right where Season 13 left off

The docs will still be reeling from the hospital explosion and from now-departed doc Stephanies brush with death.

Theres obviously some damage to the hospital, Kelly McCreary tells Entertainment Weekly.

But it is, in true Greys Anatomy style, a completely surmountable obstacle, because we are superhuman doctors.

It serves more as a metaphor of the transformation that the show is going to go through tonally.

Season 14 wont be as dark as Season 13

Its lighter this season, Kelly McCreary continues.

The hospital definitely is undergoing some changes in the form of a new crop of students coming in.

Itll look a bit different in certain areas, and some relationships have come to an end or are blossoming, so repairing the damage is more of a metaphor.

Season 14 will introduce a spin-off

This spin-off, as of yet untitled, will focus on the firefighters of Seattle and will premiere in early 2018. (Heres everything we know about that show.)

Owens sister will be back, with a new face

Well see more of Megan Hunt now that shes been found, though shell be played by Timeless star Abigail Spencer.

(Bridget Regan, who played Megan last season, couldnt return because shes filming The Last Ship.)

Teddy Altman will be back, too

We last saw the cardiothoracic surgeon in Season 8, when Owen generously fired her so that she could pursue her dream job at MEDCOM in Germany which happens to be the army facility to which Megan Hunt, Owens sis, was transferreden route to Seattle.

Kim Raver is bringing the character back for multiple episodes in Season 14, and we imagine Teddy will help Megan in her recovery and her acclimation to Seattle.

The cast and crew have been filming in Seattle

Its the first time in a decade Greys Anatomy has filmed where its actually based instead of, yknow, a Hollywood soundstage and these exterior scenes will be interspersed throughout Season 14, Entertainment Weekly reports.

Cast members have filmed scenes on a ferry you know how much Greys loves its ferries! and at the real-life house that plays Merediths house.

Camilla Luddington promises a sexy season

Especially because the Alex-Jo-DeLuca love triangle is still a thing, as Camilla tells TV Guide:

This seasons going to be very sexy I can imagine [Jo] maybe feeling a little bit jealous if DeLuca started dating someone else.

But I think she's at a time in her life right now where she has to deal with her own emotional journey and what shes going through in her past ... before she really jumps straight into a relationship with someone else.

Theres some stuff that she has to work through.

Spoiler alert: Alex and Jo will get back together

Footage from the Seattle set shows Alex playfully chasing Jo in a park, and once he catches up to her, they embrace and kiss.

Paul Stadler, Jos abusive ex, will be back

Alex and Jo better watch out!

Glee alum Matthew Morrison said hell be reprising his Greys role.

I have a big role in Greys Anatomy coming up, he told The Argonaut in an interview published on August 2.

Jo is advancing in her career

We will absolutely explore Jos story more, Camilla Luddington told TVLine.

In fact, Camilla heard rumblings that Jo will take her board examinations and find another mentor

This season Jo may feel inspired by someone again, she says.

Well meet DeLucas sister, another medical professional

We are bringing my sister [in] as a new character, Giacomo Gianniotti told ETOnline.

She is going to be a new presence at the hospital. She comes from Italy, as my character is Italian, and you get to see us exchanging some blows in Italian, which will be very interesting

Her profession, although we cant disclose it, is a very interesting one. Its going to keep a lot of the doctors on their toes, make some doctors uncomfortable, [and] some people will be glad about [her coming on]. Shell stir things up with a European background and take on medicine.

Carina DeLuca will be played by Stefania Spampinato

The 35-year-old actress and dancer is Sicilian and had a two-episode arc on USAs Satisfaction in 2015.

Eliza Minnick wont be back

Were one step closer to a Calzona reunion, people!

Eliza, the education consultant that wooed Arizona was fired in the Season 13 finale, and TVLine confirms that Marika Domiczyk wont be returning for Season 14.

Whats the prognosis for Greys Anatomy Season 14? Drama, of course.

But its also going to be a lighter, sexier season, the stars say with new faces joining the show and familiar faces coming back for more action.

The season is still weeks away, though, so our prescription for you is to click through the slides of this gallery. Just be warned: Side effects include spoilers.

Greys Anatomy Season 14 premieres on Thursday, September 28, at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Read more from the original source:
Everything We Know About 'Grey's Anatomy' Season 14 (PHOTOS) - Wetpaint

Spin infection enables efficient gene delivery to muscle stem cells – BioTechniques.com

Yusaku Kodaka1,2, 3, Yoko Asakura1,2, 3, and Atsushi Asakura1,2, 3

1Stem Cell Institute2Paul and Sheila Wellstone Muscular Dystrophy Center3Department of Neurology, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, MN

BioTechniques, Vol. 63, No. 2, August 2017, pp. 7276

Supplementary Material

Abstract

Viral vectormediated foreign gene expression in cultured cells has been extensively used in stem cell studies to explore gene function. However, it is difficult to obtain high-quality stem cells and primary cells after viral vector infection. Here, we describe a new protocol for high-efficiency retroviral infection of primary muscle stem cell (satellite cell) cultures. We compared multiple commercially available transfection reagents to determine which was optimal for retroviral infections of primary myoblasts. Centrifugation force was also tested, and a spin infection protocol with centrifugation at 2800 g for 90 min had the highest infection efficiency for primary myoblasts. We confirmed that infected muscle stem cells maintain cell proliferation and the capacity for in vitro and in vivo myogenic differentiation. Our new, efficient retroviral infection protocol for muscle stem cells can be applied to molecular biology experiments as well as translational studies.

Skeletal muscle regeneration is mediated by muscle stem cells called satellite cells (1), which are normally mitotically quiescent in adult muscle. After muscle injury or exercise, quiescent satellite cells undergo activation, followed by proliferation. Proliferating satellite cells, which are myogenic precursor cells, eventually exit the cell cycle and fuse with each other to form multinucleated myotubes. Isolated satellite cells from skeletal muscle can be cultured in vitro as satellite cellderived primary myoblasts (2,3). These primary myoblasts are used for in vitro models of skeletal muscle cell differentiation, self-renewal of satellite cells (4), in vivo satellite cell transplantation (5), and multi-lineage differentiation (6). As opposed to immortalized myoblast cell lines such as C2C12 cells, animal or human primary myoblasts can be utilized for cell transplantation as well as studies of stem cell biology (4,7).

METHOD SUMMARY

Here, we compared multiple commercially available transfection reagents with different infection protocols and determined that a spin infection protocol with centrifugation had the highest infection efficiency for primary myoblasts. The infected cells continued to proliferate and retained the capacity for in vitro and in vivo myogenic differentiation.

One drawback of primary myoblasts is that they need more complex culture conditions to maintain their proliferation and differentiation abilities. The use of high serum conditions for cell growth is an example of this. Furthermore, the efficiency of DNA transfection and viral infection for primary myoblasts is lower than for C2C12 cells (8,9). Retroviral or lentiviral infection has been used for obtaining stable foreign gene expression that enables long-term experiments, including in vivo cell transplantation of myogenic cells (2,10-12). However, the viral supernatant normally contains low levels of nutrients and growth factors, which inevitably induces cell cycle exit followed by myogenic differentiation. Therefore, a method for high-efficiency viral infection without the need for culturing with the viral supernatant is critical for maintaining the ability of primary myoblasts to proliferate and differentiate (13).

For efficient retroviral infection, a spin infection protocol has been established for several cell types, including hematopoietic progenitor cells (14-17). To adapt the spin infection method to primary myoblasts, we identified optimal conditions for both transfection reagents and centrifugation time and force.

All animal experimental protocols were approved by Institutional Animal Care and the Use Committee of the University of Minnesota. Satellite cellderived primary myoblasts such as CD31(-), CD45(-), Sca-1(-), and integrin 7(+) cells were isolated from skeletal muscles of 2 month-old mice (C57BL6, Charles River Laboratories, Wilmington, MA) by MACS separation (Miltenyi Biotec, San Diego, CA) as described previously (3). Myoblasts were maintained on collagen-coated dishes in growth medium (GM) [Hams/F10 (Sigma- Aldrich, St., Louis, MO), 20% FBS, 20 ng/ mL basic FGF (R&D Systems, Minneapolis, MN), and 1% penicillin/streptomycin (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA)] (7). Proliferating myoblasts in GM were defined as Day 0. Myogenic differentiation was induced by replacing GM with differentiation medium (DM) [DMEM (Sigma-Aldrich), 5% horse serum, and 1% penicillin/streptomycin] for 3 days.

Retroviral supernatants were produced by transfection of pMX-GFP (Cell Biolabs, San Diego, CA) or a pMX-mCherry retroviral vector into a 293T Platinum-E Retroviral Packaging Cell Line (Plat-E) (Cell Biolabs). One day before transfection, Plat-E cells were cultured in DMEM with 10% FBS and without antibiotics until they reached 70%90% confluency. Various transfection reagents were used: Lipofectamine (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA), Lipofectamine 2000 (Thermo Fisher Scientific), Lipofectamine LTX (Thermo Fisher Scientific), TransIT-293 (Mirus Bio LLC, Madison, WI), TransIT-2020 (Mirus Bio LLC), TransIT-LT1 (Mirus Bio LLC), PolyJet (SignaGen Laboratories, Rockville, MD), and LipoJet (SignaGen Laboratories). Five microliters of each transfection reagent was suspended in 200 l DMEM without FBS and with 5 g of pMX-GFP or pMX-mCherry plasmid DNA for 20 min at room temperature (RT). PlatE cells (6 105) were plated on collagen-coated 3 cm dishes 1 day before transfection. The next day, the medium was replaced with 800 ml DMEM with 10% FBS and 200 ml DMEM using the transfection complex described above. After incubation for 24 h, the medium was changed to 1 mL new DMEM with 10% FBS. Retroviral supernatants were then harvested 24 h after the medium change. Syringe filters (0.45 mm) (Millipore Sigma, Billerica, MA) were used to remove any cells from the retroviral supernatants. Primary myoblasts (1 105) were plated on collagen-coated 3 cm dishes for 24 h before the viral plating infection. Retroviral supernatants were used for viral infection of primary myoblasts with 10 g/mL polybrene (Millipore Sigma) for 4 h, and cells were then cultured in GM for 48 h. For the spin infection, myoblasts were treated with 0.25% trypsin-EDTA (Thermo Fisher Scientific), and 1 105 myoblasts were then transferred into 1.5 mL microcentrifuge tubes. The cells were centrifuged and then resuspended with the retroviral supernatant with 10 g/ mL polybrene. After the myoblast spin infection was performed at RT under appropriate centrifugation conditions, the cell pellets were resuspended with GM and plated on collagen-coated 3 cm dishes. GFP expression was examined 2 days after spin infection. Dead cells were counted by trypan blue (Thermo Fisher Scientific) staining. 5-ethynyl-2-deoxyuridine (EdU) was added to culture plates 3 h before fixation of the cells. EdU staining was performed using the Click-iT EdU Alexa Fluor 488 Imaging Kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific). Immunostaining was performed with anti-GFP (AB3080; Millipore Sigma; RRID:AB_91337), anti-myosin heavy chain (MHC) (MF 20; Developmental Study Hybridoma Bank, Iowa City, IA; RRID:AB_2147781), anti-myogenin antibody (F5D; Developmental Study Hybridoma Bank; RRID:AB_2146602), or anti-phospho-histone H3 antibody (pHisH3) (D2C8; Cell Signaling, Danvers, MA; RRID:AB_10694226), followed by Alexa 488-conjugated anti-rabbit IgG (A-21206; Thermo Fisher Scientific; RRID:AB_2535792) and Alexa 568-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (A10037; Thermo Fisher Scientific; RRID:AB_2534013) or Alexa 488-conjugated anti-mouse IgG (A-21202; Thermo Fisher Scientific; RRID:AB_141607). DAPI (Sigma-Aldrich) was used for counterstaining of nuclei.

Continued here:
Spin infection enables efficient gene delivery to muscle stem cells - BioTechniques.com

Saving Haeckel: Why Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny Isn’t so Wrong – Patheos (blog)

Ernst Haeckel was an influential German scientist who supported Charles Darwins theory of evolution. He published his influential theory of embryology, distilled as ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny in 1866, seven years after Darwins On the Origin of Species. Haeckels theory fell out of favor and hasnt been part of evolutionary theory for many decades, but its still cited today as a cause of mischief by modern Creationists.

Haeckels theory

The similarities between embryos of different animal species were noted decades before Darwin: while adults of different species are easy to tell apart, their embryos are not. Haeckel took this further and is most known for his 1874 drawing (above) of the development of various animal embryosfish, chicken, human, and so onto illustrate his point.

Ontogeny is the development of an embryo, and phylogeny is an organisms evolutionary history. So by ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny, Haeckel was saying that you can watch through an organisms development as an embryo a replay of its development through hundreds of million years of evolution. For example, a human embryo first looks like a fish (notice the gill-like structure), then like a reptile (four limbs and a tail), and finally like a mammal, which is the evolutionary path that humans took.

But it doesnt work like that.

What embryology actually tells us

Lets put Haeckel aside for now and look for clues to evolution within embryology. Whats fascinating is how embryonic structures that developed in animals that preceded humans, like fish and reptiles, have been repurposed by evolution for humans.

Pharyngeal arches or folds (often improperly called gill slits) are the double-chin-like folds under the head in the early embryo stage. This striking visual commonality is found in all vertebrate embryos.

The arches that develop into gills in fish become various cartilages, glands, muscles, and other tissue in the human neck and face.

These arches explain the strange path of the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Pharyngeal arches four, five, and six (arch one is closest to the head) fuse early in the development of mammal embryos. The recurrent laryngeal nerve comes from the fourth arch, and after the fusion, it is near an artery from the sixth arch. This creates a straightforward layout in fish, but in mammals the neck takes the brain and larynx (connected by this nerve) away from the heart. The problem is that the nerve is hooked around that artery. That means that in all mammalsyes, even the long-necked giraffethe nerve goes from the brain, down around this artery, and back up to the larynx. No perfect designer would create this, but it is nicely explained by evolution.

Another example of repurposing (technically, exaptation) is the mammalian ear. Structures that develop into a multi-bone jaw in reptiles have been repurposed to become ear bones in mammals. In fact, it was embryology, not fossils, that provided the first clues of this evolution.

The Creationists

Creationists respond that the perfect designer was making variations on a theme. If youve got a great design, why design everything from scratch? Why not simply tweak it for various environments? This designer is like a car company that makes small cars (shrews, mice) and big ones (elephants, whales), cars that are beautiful (peacock, gazelle) and cars for tough environments (camel, yak).

In the first place, the supernatural assumption adds nothing when we have a natural theory that explains evolution just fine. God is a solution looking for a problem, and we dont have a problem here.

And second, if land animals are like cars, why do they begin life looking like submarines? (h/t Troy Britain)

See also: Argument from Design BUSTED!

Another obvious similarity across early embryos is the tail. Human embryonic tails are absorbed later in development. The hind limbs of cetaceans like whales also appear in embryos and are likewise absorbed.

If you saw the movie Avatar, did you catch the evolution mistake it makes? The land animals had six limbs and breathed through a second mouth on their shoulders. The winged creatures also had six limbsfour legs and two wings. But the Navi people had four limbs and no shoulder mouths. If they had a common ancestor with the other animals of their world, like people on earth, you would see these fundamental characteristics shared.

Ah, wellHollywood.

Creationisms failure

Why do adult animals differ in appearance but look similar as embryos? Why should the same basic embryonic components become gills in fish but faces in mammals? Why do human embryos have a tail that is later reabsorbed? The common beginning as early embryos and later divergence to satisfy different body plans points to common ancestry, not design. Evolution explains all this nicely, while Creationism has no explanation.

The Creationist play book is to attack evolution, usually by asking questions that are important but already answered. Biologists have a ready answer, but these questions stump the average person, which is the target audience.

Even if Creationisms questions were new and insightful (they never are), Creationism doesnt become the dominant scientific paradigm by showing flaws in evolution; it could only do that by explaining the evidence better. But since Creationists are only pretending to be scientific, playing by sciences rules is never the goal. Creationists dont participate in the domain of regular biology, which includes conferences, journals, and laboratories. Theyve already lost there, and thats been true for a century. So they peddle their message exclusively to the public, another admission that they arent doing science.

Yes, Haeckel was wrong, and his error, like any popular wrong turn, delayed progress. But evolution was never built with this as part of its foundation. Turn back humans evolutionary clock and we see the tail grows back (as in other mammals), the ear bones become jaws (as in reptiles), and the throat becomes gills (as in fish). Haeckel got a lot wrong, but he was right that embryology holds clues to where we came from.

(h/t commenter MR for links to articles)

Acknowledgements: these excellent articles were helpful in writing this post.

Somebodys gotta stand up to experts. Don McLeroy, Texas board of education,speaking against evolution in public schools

Image credit: Wikimedia

Read more from the original source:
Saving Haeckel: Why Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny Isn't so Wrong - Patheos (blog)