Monthly Archives: January 2020

Human Behavior

Sin and the Rules of the Market | Morgan Guyton – Patheos

[Moms for Housing press conference in Oakland]A couple of weeks ago, a Calvinist bro on Twitter was talking about how liberation theologian James Cone was a heretic because he defined sin in an unbiblical way. So it got me thinking about how I define sin. And then I started thinking about the homeless mothers in Oakland who were violently evicted from a vacant investment property they had been squatting in. And the question came to mind: who was sinning? The mothers who broke into somebody elses property or the real estate company whose actions helped drive affordable housing out of Oakland? Im pretty sure that biblical Christians would answer the question differently than I would.

So what is sin? I tend to define it as any human behavior that contradicts Gods purpose of establishing perfect harmony and belonging throughout his creation (which is how I would define the biblical concept of shalom). Sin can be individual or collective. It can be intentional or the result of negligence. Its rarely the case that sin happens in a way where blame is clear-cut and easy to assign. Its usually a spider web of complicated personalities and social forces interacting in ways that can be justified but result in harm and further sin.

Many Christians define sin straightforwardly as breaking the rules, especially breaking a rule that is explicitly laid forth in scripture. The problem with this definition is that the choices we make in life usually involve deciding between different sets of rules, even between different rules that we find in scriptures. When we break one rule, its almost always because were following another rule that seems to trump it.

How would a rule-following German Christian in the early twentieth century resist the Holocaust? Often breaking rules that are unjust and harmful to humanity require trumping them with rules that seem soft, abstract, and unenforceable, like love your neighbor as yourself. What Jesus calls the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith seem open to myriad possible interpretation, which means they can be cast aside for less costly, more straightforward rules, like commands to tithe mint, dill, and cumin (Matthew 23:23).

For the apostle Paul, sin is not so much a transgression against a rule as it is a master rule-maker whose rules contradict Gods plan to establish a harmonious, loving world where everyone belongs. In Romans 6, Paul says that the greatest gift of Gods grace is that we no longer have to be slaves of sin, which is to say that we no longer have to follow the rules that sin gives us. Instead we can be obedient to the love that inspires us to live with a mercy that breaks all the rules imposed by a sin-saturated world.

In our age, the most ubiquitous rule-maker that exists is the market. The market gives us rules about every aspect of our behavior. Many of the college students on the campuses where I work are thoroughly obedient to the laws of the market. They know the rules of the ironic banter that regulate their speech, their jokes, and under what circumstances they are allowed to be extra. They know the rules for fashion combinations they are allowed to wear to class and under what circumstances they can get away with sweatpants. They know what chemicals they are expected to put in their bodies every weekend. They know the rules for how they are supposed to interact with strangers theyve slept with when they see them on the sidewalk the week after.

All the things college students do that cause the older generations to gasp are simply following rules that govern a different social propriety. It is simply not accurate to see college students as rebelling against the social rules of prior generations so much as they are obeying a different set of social rules that have been imposed on them by advertising, social media trends, and peer pressure. The college students who rebel against the rules are the ones who do things like go to art galleries on a weekend evening instead of the fraternity keg party.

My youngest son thinks its a rule that he has to finish whatever game he starts on the X-Box. This rule trumps the rule that when Dad tells you to stop, you stop right away. Its not so much that hes rebelling against my authority, but that he truly believes something about the universe will be violated if he stops before the end of the game. In some cases, this actually does involve betraying his team of fellow players on the Internet, as hes explained to me.

I used to think it was a rule that I had to consume two large glasses of wine (and sometimes a fair bit more) in order to effectively write a blog post. The wine was supposedly a necessary tool to help me relax. Nothing in the Bible told me that I couldnt or shouldnt do this (or at least whatever the Bible had to say could be easily rationalized away). But on March 16, 2016, a voice said to me, You really dont have to drink, and I accepted the invitation and have been sober ever since.

Many of the problematic rules Ive described so far are relatively innocuous, though addictive, compulsive behavior is certainly the root of all sorts of other harm. But what about the rules of the market that arent just social norms that compel obedience but the structural boundaries of our economic system and our sense of whats even possible in the real world?

What about the rule that says homeless women are trespassing when they take over a house that is a vacant investment property in a city full of vacant investment properties instead of saying that real estate companies are stealing valuable land and shelter from cities whose taxpaying, voting residents are being squeezed out into the streets?

The homeless mothers squatting the property in Oakland were arrested andviolently removed from the home (thankfully theyve since been able to negotiate an opportunity to buy the property). Wedgewood Properties, which owns the house, is a national home-flipping conglomerate, which buys thousands of foreclosed and other properties for cheap, repaints them, raises the price dramatically, and lets them sit until somebody can afford them. One of the homeless moms said there are four times as many vacant properties in Oakland as there are homeless people.

In biblical Israel, the existence of empty investment properties amidst a shortage of affordable housing would be understood as a mockery of God even if there wasnt a specific Torah commandment about affordable housing. The prophet Isaiah says, Woe to you who add house to house and join field to field till no space is left and you live alone in the land (Isaiah 5:8). But that verse is not a Thou shalt not. So it presumably doesnt have any authority to the type of Christian who talks about biblical authority but believes that the laws of the market are just the way things are, and the Bible has nothing to say about them.

So who is the sinner in the case of these homeless women? It might be easy for a biblical Christian to conclude straightforwardly the sinner is the one who trespasses and uses someone elses private property, even if that property belongs to an anonymous real estate company that has thousands of vacant investment properties. In this view, homelessness and poverty are unfortunate circumstances at best and a result of presumably irresponsible, immoral living at worst. The idea that theres any semblance of collective moral responsibility for the survival of individual citizens is understood to be secular socialist nonsense.

To me, this mindset actually illustrates the entrenched power of sin that the apostle Paul wrote about. Our greedy, sin-soaked market creates rules that establish just the way things are and our societys wealthy investors and homeowners go about their lives without an inkling of conflict in their consciences. Sin is deadly when it tells us that we cant live any differently because its too complicated and its not our fault anyway.

To my understanding, that is precisely the state of moral suffocation that the apostle Paul believes we must be liberated from. As much as we want the rules the market gives us about private property to be categorically morally distinct from the rules the market gives us about casual sex and alcohol consumption, they are all intertwined together in the same mass-engineered reality called capitalism. Being liberated from sin means to be liberated from obedience to the way things are.

This isnt to say that having a free market is innately evil. There are certainly worse ways to organize an economy. We just need to be vigilant and aware of the ways that rules are constantly being imposed on us by forces other than God that define the boundaries of what we think is possible. Its easy for many biblical Christians to bracket off economic activity as being outside the purview of moral analysis (even though there are many very explicit teachings in the Bible concerning how resources are distributed and how poor people are treated).

If our duty as Christians is not merely to secure a happy afterlife for ourselves and people we evangelize, but to work for a world in which Gods desire for harmony and belonging is manifested fully (a.k.a. living in the kingdom of God), then we need to be involved in challenging and breaking the rules of the market that hurt people. This may include squatting a house or supporting people who do, even though trespassing is still wrong in many circumstances.

Sin is not primarily rebellion against rules. Sin is primarily obedience to rules that defy Gods love. Its somewhat arbitrary for me to say that, because rebellion to one thing is always obedience to another. But I think its more productive to think of sin as an impostor rule-maker that stands in the place of God and against which God has to lead a revolt through Jesus.

There are plenty of laws and rules in our world that are good and valid; there are also laws and rules (written and unwritten) that straightjacket us into thinking the world cannot be a place of perfect harmony and belonging. I really think the rules that suffocate our imagination are the sin that Jesus died on the cross to liberate us from, whether they manifest themselves in traditionally understood immorality or the selfishness the world tells us is respectable.

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Sin and the Rules of the Market | Morgan Guyton - Patheos

Biochemistry

Casual Friday: Staben returns to the classroom, with eyes toward the future – Lewiston Morning Tribune

Chuck Staben has returned to his roots as a university professor, but its not where he wants to finish his career in higher education.

Staben, who served as president of the University of Idaho from 2014-19 before the State Board of Education opted not to renew his contract, took a semester off and recently started teaching again as a professor of biological sciences at UI.

He is enjoying spending time with students, but ultimately he believes he can do more good at the helm of a public university.

I am continuing to look for other opportunities as a president or perhaps other opportunities, Staben said. In fact, I was a ... finalist for the job recently at the University of North Dakota.

Craig Clohessy: What are you teaching this semester and how has the transition been from the presidents office back to the classroom?

Chuck Staben: Im teaching Biochemistry 2, which is Biology 454, and its cross-listed as a graduate course, 554 primarily a senior undergraduate course. Im also doing a little bit of teaching in education leadership.

The transition has been fine. I had a one-semester leave that allowed me to prepare as well as do a few other things during that time, and I enjoy being back in the classroom. I like the contact with students. I liked contact with students when I served as president as well.

CC: Do students and faculty treat you any differently now from when you were president?

CS: I have a different role, so in that respect students and faculty and others treat me somewhat differently. Generally, in a personal sense, no, I dont think they treat me differently. And I enjoy interacting with colleagues that I knew when I was president and, as I said, I enjoy interacting with students.

CC: In addition to teaching, are you doing any research work?

CS: Im not doing any sort of laboratory research. I participated on a report for the Association of Public and Land Grant Universities on what their member universities universities like the University of Idaho are doing with respect to the opioid crisis and what opportunities they might have to do additional work on the opioid crisis. So more public impact research than what I would call traditional biological research.

CC: You continue to search out professional advancements. What are you looking for? What type of opportunities would appeal to you?

CS: What Im looking for is primarily the opportunity to contribute in higher education, and I have a particular love for public higher education, for ensuring that students of all types and backgrounds, socioeconomic status, etc., can access public higher education. I think I have more to contribute to higher education and can do more as a president than I can as a professor, although I know that I can also contribute in the classroom.

CC: What did you learn during your time as president either success or failure that you think will help you in your next position?

CS: If Im fortunate enough to get another presidency, I think one of the things that became very clear to me as I served as (UI) president is just how important communication and consistency in communication are to being successful as a president. And I think that I would put even more emphasis ... on ensuring student success. That students can come to the university and access an education, but that they also will progress from freshman to sophomore to senior and on to a great career. And I think that we have to work very conscientiously on ensuring that sort of success.

CC: UI is facing serious budget challenges with a $22 million deficit, a freeze on tuition and declining state support. Do you feel fortunate not to have to be making those tough decisions that will be coming, or do you actually miss being part of finding those solutions?

CS: I think you phrased it well. I miss being part of finding those solutions. Ive never shied from tough decisions. I feel I am imaginative and capable and would be happy to be still in charge and facing these issues.

CC: Does the current president, Scott Green, seek out your advice?

CS: I met Scott when he was a member of the U of I Foundation Board early in my presidency, around 2015. And he and I had a number of conversations leading up to the time that he became president, and weve had a few conversations afterwards, but at this point we dont confer frequently. Im sure that he has assembled his leadership team and has his initiative and, you know, has the reins at this point and wants to keep moving the university forward.

CC: In your free time you love marbling paper. Explain what that is.

CS: Marbling is an old process for making unique patterns on things like paper or fabric. Basically what you do is ... take a big flat tray, and you put a viscus sort of gelatinous solution in it and you put paints on. ... You often draw through these with a stylus or with combs or other ways. But you put a unique pattern on the top of this bath, and then you take a piece of paper and you lift the pattern off the bath. Its a one-time-only printing process. It makes these beautiful patterns of colors.

Where you might have encountered it is if you have old books. The front and end papers were typically marbled papers. Thats what its used for in bookbinding. ... I think it was first devised in the 1300s in Turkey actually.

CC: How did you come to be interested in this process?

CS: I love old books. Ive always loved to be in a library and looking at the old books and journals that one has there. I spent a lot of time in libraries, especially as a young scientist, and I always wondered how these unique and beautiful patterns were made.

I read some craft books about how you did it. It seemed really hard and I never did it, and then one Christmas I decided Im going to investigate this more closely it was about 10 years ago.

I looked around on the internet, and I found some beautiful marbling examples and this guy who sold marbling supplies and the kits. Funny enough, you couldnt order them on the internet. ... There was a phone number, so I called him up. Turns out its a guy who is president of the American Marbling Association, and he wants to talk to everyone he sells a kit to, and thats why you cant find them over the internet.

The kids and I did it, and it turns out its terrifically easy to make something that is unique and beautiful. Im kind of a klutzy nonartistic guy, and so I thought, Wow, I mean its amazing that this process works so incredibly easily and well. To really control it and be a master of the process is a little different, but to make something that is cooler than you ever thought you could make is remarkably easy.

CC: You did this as a team-building exercise with your cabinet when you were president.

CS: I think it was the most popular cabinet meeting, hands down. I think you could call almost any member of the cabinet and ask them that question, and thats probably the one cabinet meeting they would remember.

CC: Anything else youd like to add?

CS: I have a deep love of higher education. I love students I like to see them succeed. Im enjoying teaching my biochemistry class. Biochemistry has changed quite a bit since the last time I taught it in 1982. Ive taught related courses, but it has been intellectually refreshing to think about what is it that todays student needs to know about biochemistry as opposed to how has biochemistry traditionally been taught.

Clohessy is managing editor of the Lewiston Tribune. He may be contacted at cclohessy@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2251.

Title/occupation: Professor of biological sciences; former president at the University of Idaho.

Family: Married to Mary Beth Staben, MD, a hospitalist practicing at St. Lukes, Boise; sons Mac Staben, an anesthesiology resident at University of Pennsylvania, and Cal Staben, emergency medicine resident, University of Louisville, who is married to Sarah Staben; daughter Rae is a medical student at Vanderbilt University.

Education: Grew up in Waukegan, Ill., and attended grade schools and public high school there; Bachelor of Science in biochemistry, University of Illinois in 1978; Ph.D. in biochemistry, University of California, Berkeley, 1984; postdoctoral research at Chiron Corp., 1985-86, on HIV virus sequence variation and at Stanford University, 1987-89, on fungal mating type genes.

Work history: Assistant professor, associate professor, professor of biology at University of Kentucky, 1989-2008; also served as chairman of the School of Biological Sciences, 2000-04, associate vice president for research, 2004-08, and as acting vice president for research, 2006-07; provost, University of South Dakota, 2008-14; president, University of Idaho, 2014-19; professor of biological sciences, UI, 2019-present.

Hobbies/interest: Family, skiing, biking, hiking, fitness, travel, bridge.

Hidden talents: I learned to marble paper and taught a couple of sessions on marbling for an arts class at the University of South Dakota and have used marbling as a group activity for the University of Idaho cabinet. I use the paper that I marble for bookbinding, gift wrapping, and for handmade notecards for our family and as special thank-you notes.

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Casual Friday: Staben returns to the classroom, with eyes toward the future - Lewiston Morning Tribune

Biochemistry

Focus: Explaining the Ruffles of Lotus Leaves – Physics

January 24, 2020• Physics 13, 8

A new theory accurately predicts a wide range of leaf shapes and explains the differences between dry lotus leaves and those that grow on water.

In many ponds in Asia, flat, circular, lotus leaves with wrinkled edges float near other elevated stems of the same plant holding cupped leaves with gently wavy borders. Theoretical work and experiments with leaflike membranes now reveal that genetically identical leaves can grow into distinctly different shapes as a result of mechanical effects, such as the support of water under a floating leaf. The researchers extended a theory for the growth of thin, elastic tissues to account for some previously unexplored mechanical aspects of the environments of lotus and other plants. The findings bolster mounting recognition of the major role that mechanical influences play alongside genes and biochemistry in determining plant shapes.

Modeling the growth of soft tissues in plants and animals has challenged scientists and engineers because these structures deform in ways that are difficult to describe mathematically. More than 25 years ago, researchers proposed a mathematical framework to describe soft tissue growth in which proliferation of new cells takes place in tandem with stretching and shifting of existing tissues [1]. In 2008. physicists in France adapted the theory to elastic membranes (see Focus: Elizabethan Geometry) [2], providing insights into some developmental patterns of algae and mushrooms.

In 2018, mechanical engineer Fan Xu of Fudan University in Shanghai saw several different lotus leaf shapes in a pond on campus, which led him to study the shapes of growing leaves. He and his colleagues now report extending the 2008 model to produce a more complete description of the growth of thin tissues, and it accurately predicts a range of complex leaf shapes. The team used some specialized numerical techniques that allowed them to solve more complicated equations than researchers could previously manage.

F. Xu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. (2020)

F. Xu et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. (2020)

Their theory incorporates two new elements: support for floating leaves from the water beneath them and the option for different leaf layers to grow at different rates, which can cause leaf bending. This second element was needed to accurately represent how leaves grow. For example, sunlight-induced growth of lotus leaves can occur faster on the side opposite the light, which tends to curve the leaf toward the sun. Related light-induced motion occurs in other plants, says Xu. Sunflowers harness this bending effect to face the Sun.

To supplement their calculations with experiments, the Fudan team cut leaf facsimiles from sheets of a material that grows when contacted by water. They selectively wetted the material at locations where growth in real leaves was anticipated or allowed the fake leaves to float for a prescribed duration to mimic growth constrained by underlying water. This growth-like expansion produced leaf shapes in agreement with the simulations and with observations of real leaves.

Simulations using the model, validated by observations of floating lotus leaves in the wild, showed that the water-supported leaves grow flat and largely smooth except near their edges, which have short-wavelength ruffles. In contrast, lotus leaves suspended on stems assume cupped shapes with long-wavelength undulations.

In each case, the edge waves appear because the growing leaf produces more surface area than can fit in a perfectly smooth sheet. The model favors the lowest-energy configuration, and a water-bound leafs short-wavelength, low-amplitude waves minimize the energy needed to lift the water that adheres to the leafs underside, compared with long-wavelength, high-amplitude waves. But a dry, suspended leaf is free to develop longer-wavelength oscillations that are less energetically costly in the absence of water. However, leaves with more robust stems and veins have shorter wavelengths than flimsier leaves because the stiffness also imposes an energy cost to large-amplitude waves.

For suspended leaves, different growth rates in different layers leads to a bending force that can also affect leaf shape. Under some conditions, this bending force transforms flat leaves into deep, steep-sided bowls without their characteristic wavinessanother shape that has been observed in nature.

The findings by the Fudan team reflect a revival of interest in recent years in the role of mechanicsas opposed to genetics and biochemistryin determining the shapes of biological structures, according to Ellen Kuhl, a mechanical and bioengineer at Stanford University in California. In studies of brain-tissue folding, for example, people have always looked at just the cells, she says, but now theyre starting to recognize the importance of mechanical forces.

This research is published in Physical Review Letters.

Peter Weiss

Peter Weiss is a freelance science reporter and editor in Washington, D. C.

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Focus: Explaining the Ruffles of Lotus Leaves - Physics

Biochemistry

NAU professor, researcher named 2020 Emerging Scholar for dedication to helping Native Americans in and outside the lab – NAU News

Naomi Lee, an assistant professor ofchemistry and biochemistryat Northern Arizona University, received the email the night before she gave a lecture to the Maximizing Access to Research Careers students at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado. It was perfect timinggiving her a new sense of purpose to motivate the students she met the following day.

For the past 18 years,Diverse: Issues In Higher Educationhas recognized an interdisciplinary group of minority scholars who represent the best of the U.S. academy. This year is no exception.

On a daily basis, Dr. Lee is breaking down biases and stereotypes, transforming the views and potential of students, Provost Diane Stearns writes in her nomination letterthe nomination that would earn Lee the much-deserved honor of the 2020 Emerging Scholars Award.

Selected based on research, educational background, publishing record, teaching record, competitiveness of field of study and uniqueness of field of study, Lee is one of 15, hand-picked from hundreds of nominations, joining the 2020 cohort of Emerging Scholars. These professors have distinguished themselves in their various academic disciplines and have had broad impact in their universities and beyond.

I didnt even know I was nominated! Lee said. In fact, I almost ignored the email since I thought it might be spam. However, once I read it, I was completely shocked and honored.

Gabe Montao, professor and department chair in the Applied Physics and Materials Science department, spearheaded Lees nomination, and Stearns submitted the letter, highlighting her accomplishments and the impact she has on the university, NAU students, fellow faculty and surrounding communities.

In addition to being an emerging scientific leader, Dr. Lee is an education beacon, mentor and role model, Stearns writes.

Of Native American descent, Lee, who was highly recruited by several prestigious institutions in 2018, chose NAU because of its diversity and the opportunity the university provided to have the greatest impact on Native American students. One of the NAUs five strategic goals is to become the nations leading university serving Native Americans; currently, more than 1,500 Indigenous students from more than 115 tribal nations throughout the country attend.Lees dedication to Native Americansboth in research and mentoringwill only help the university further that mission.

I once heard someone say, Research is supposed to be culturally neutral, but someones culture is always influencing it, Lee said. As a Native researcher, it is my duty to serve my community in order to ensure ethical and relevant research is conducted.

Trained in chemistry, biochemistry, virology, molecular biology, ethics, epidemiology and public health, her laboratory is student-focused with students coming from all disciplines and representing diverse backgrounds, ethnicity and gender. She also is designing culturally relevant chemistry curriculum to engage early Native American and other underrepresented scholars in addition to developing research training programs aimed at reducing the attrition rates in high school and college.

She is quickly becoming one of the most highly sought-after science faculty at NAU with students requesting to work with her on a continual basis. She has already mentored 23 students at the current early stage of her career path, Stearns said. She is creating a deep and diverse student research experience that will launch many future STEM careers.

Lees research focuses on novel vaccine development. She also focuses her work on improving the health care of Indigenous populations through health disparities research and STEM education.

Scientifically, I aim to be the first Native researcher that designs a vaccine specifically for Native communities, she said. While my work may be beneficial to the general population, I strive to look at research questions through an Indigenous lens. For example, I am collaborating with colleagues at the University of New Mexico on a vaccine against opioids. We see the impact the opioid epidemic is having on a national level. However, my interest in the project was because of the impact opioids are having across our Native American communities. I want to use my skills to make healthier and happier communities.

Throughout her career, Lee has been published multiple times, including a study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases of the Oxford University Press that found American Indian and Alaska Native women are at greater risk of HPV and cervical cancer than their white counterparts; given nearly two dozen talks and presentations; and has received more than $800,000 in research funding. She also is active duty in the National Guard with multiple awards to her name, including the Army Achievement Medal.

As a Native American female scientist and a highly decorated Army captain who devotes her time to advancing opportunities for all students, particularly underrepresented minorities in STEM, Dr. Lee is outstanding and truly deserving of this award, Stearns said.

Lee was recognized in the Jan. 23 Emerging Scholars edition of Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

Carly Banks | NAU Communications(928) 523-582 | Carly.Banks@nau.edu

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NAU professor, researcher named 2020 Emerging Scholar for dedication to helping Native Americans in and outside the lab - NAU News

Biochemistry

Kentwood teenager beats his cancer in every sense of the word – WZZM13.com

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich Since May 2019, Henry Dai has been in the fight of his life. It started with a bad cold and grew into the realization that he had lymphoma.

"It's a very challenging tumor because it can develop very, very quickly," said Dr. James Fahner. "It can threaten the function and structure of nearby organs and it comes on so dramatically and so suddenly that sometimes the kids are very critically ill at their initial diagnosis."

The East Kentwood High School student fought hard against cancer and recently beat it. On Friday, Jan. 24, Dai got to stick it to cancer in a big way.

Two 3D printed models were made of the tumor that once was an unwelcome guest in his chest. Dai smashed one of them with a sledge hammer while members of the media and leaders from Spectrum Health looked on. Dai's doctors signed the second model, which he'll take with him as a reminder of his victory.

Dr. James Fahner signs a 3D printed model of Henry Dai's tumor as Dai looks on.

Chris Clark/Spectrum Health Beat

"I think it's just great that I just get this experience. It's like a feeling that I really beat cancer, but literally as well," Dai said.

When Dai graduates he hopes to go to either the University of Michigan or an Ivy League school to study either biochemistry or cellular biology. With the knowledge he picks up, he hopes to help other cancer patients down the road.

"To see Henry be able to come full circle and really take control of his health and his life in this way was really gratifying," Fahner said.

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Kentwood teenager beats his cancer in every sense of the word - WZZM13.com

Biochemistry

Dispatches from Uganda: The Unknown Becomes Known – University of San Diego Website

Editor's Note: A water quality research project in Uganda has the full attention of an interdisciplinary group including USD faculty members, students, President James T. Harris and his wife, Mary all of whom are excited to show what it means to make a difference in the world. Ryan T. Blystone, editor of the USD News Center, is in Uganda to document the trip.

Three weeks ago, much was unknown. Back then, some carried doubt and the few who had a good sense of what lay ahead still needed to adjust accordingly. The trio who specifically knew their role heading in understood that it would test them professionally and produce a well of emotions, all while providing the best care possible.

Eight women between the ages of 21-29 four undergraduate students, three doctoral nurse practitioners and one 2019 behavioral neuroscience alumna arrived in Uganda to ring in 2020 with varied visions of what this trip would ask of them and how they would respond.

"I talked to Molly (Klein), my lab partner, and (Chemistry Professor) James Bolender a lot before coming on the trip. They prepped me about what I was going to see, how people would act, how we'd stand out," said Kendyl Maher, a junior biochemistry major. "What I wasn't prepared for was that there are actual cities where we're visiting. Whenever you see Africa on the news about anything going on, it's only about poverty and how the people need help. I expected to see poverty everywhere, but there are cities, there's an economy and there's so much culture here. Where we've been staying, Montfort House, is so beautiful, with all the flowers and plants."

Maher, mechanical engineering student Christina Kozlovsky, and nurse practitioners Allison Bryden, Shaylyn White and Cara Fratianni were all newcomers to Uganda. Molly Klein, Marci Strong and Natalie North-Cole were on their second trip, having been in Uganda in January 2019 for Chemistry Professor Jim Bolender's water purification techniques in the developing world Intersession class.

"Last year I didn't really know what to expect," said Klein, a junior biochemistry major and standout cross-country and track athlete. "It was all new. The purpose was to just soak it all in, experience the culture and learn how to perform the chemical tests on the water. This time it felt a little more like I knew what I was doing, but I'm still a student. Every time I come here it's a learning experience."

The 2020 trip which was again led by Bolender, though not an official USD class was a research/business trip. There was the task of gathering and studying water samples for research purposes; Kozlovsky was looking into research for her senior engineering design project; faculty members and President James T. Harris met with local officials to strengthen connections; nursing students gained exposure to providing health care in a different country by way of day shifts at nearby Holy Innocents Children's Hospital in Mbarara, giving educational presentations to nursing staff and aiding the hospital with two pop-up medical clinics that served nearly 500 children in rural areas.

Each of these moments brought out something profound in each ofthe students.

On Instagram, Fratianni visually expressed her thoughts and feelings for everything she was able to do on this trip. Just prior to joining the group in Uganda to work in the hospital, she had taken on the challenge of climbing the famed Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Combining both experiences in Africa, she credited the continent for "showing me my inner strength and power as a woman."

But moments like those were only part of it. There were the times spent gathered for three meals a day, long rides on a school bus, van or a jeep-like vehicle on the rugged roads, playing volleyball at Montfort House, dancing, singing Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" or playing Uno. Put all those moments together, mix in the hospitality and friendliness of Ugandan people and you have a recipe for a successful and memorable international experience.

"When I found out I was going to be coming to Uganda, I was very excited but also extremely nervous," Kozlovsky said. "I'd never traveled to a country in Africa before. All of the travel I've done out of the country, if not with my family, had been with a class. A research trip with people coming from all different majors was different. I didn't know anyone else but my faculty advisor, (Mechanical Engineering Professor and Chair) Dr. (Frank) Jacobitz. I was nervous to see how the interactions would go. But once I got here, the people were so welcoming. I've really held onto that; everywhere you go, you're most welcome. I feel as though I found a home here."

Three weeks later, closing in on 11 p.m. in the Entebbe, Uganda airport's Crest Cafe, goodbye hugs were exchanged. A few watery eyes were noticeable among the USD students and staff. Theyd become fast friends and experienced something together that will always bond them. Despite varying flight paths home, the chemistry that brought them together will remain on a What's App group chat, as a hashtag #uganda and via countless photos and videos.

These lasting memories are something special, which will forever be well known.

Ryan T. Blystone

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Dispatches from Uganda: The Unknown Becomes Known - University of San Diego Website

Biochemistry

Innovative CBD system balancing with Dr Meletis – Chiropractic Economics

All cannabidiol (CBD) is not created equal in clinical practice in terms of implementation. The most frustrating thing for clinicians and also for patients is when an intended protocol doesnt work. As I discuss later under the With treatment, start low section of this article, there are ways to use CBD most effectively.

You probably werent taught this in medical school, but CBD works on the endocannabinoid system (ECS). The ECS contains CB1 and CB2 receptors, in addition to other receptors that are activated by the naturally occurring endocannabinoids made in our bodies, called anandamide and 2-AG. We all have CB1 or CB2 receptors within our body if you have a cat or dog, they have these receptors too. All mammals do. How could it be that we did not even know of the predominance of the ECS until 1992?

Patients coming in worn out can be a sign of endocannabinoid deficiency and the inability to support their pathways optimally, much like adrenal fatigue. Phytocannabinoids like CBD obtained from hemp products can act on the same receptors as endocannabinoids made in the body. CBD receptors, much like opioid receptors, control pain, but via a different mechanism.

Patients arrive at our clinical practices fatigued, anxious, in pain, inflamed, and lots reach a point of adrenal burnout, adrenal fatigue. Indeed, that is often the case because they are suffering from an endocannabinoid deficiency. We see people who have low adrenal function at noon, and in the evening, they are tired, dragging, eat lunch, get a little spike, and then they start free falling again. Theyre flat-lining. How is it that we wake up each morning anticipating with trepidation and run with go, go, go pace and finish the day glad to have survived another day? Life is meant for more than that; it is time to shift our goals from merely surviving to thriving mode!

Researchers observed approximately six years ago that people were more anxious and depressed in the middle of the summer than ever before, a new phenomenon. This goes against what we previously believed, that depression spiked mostly in the holiday season and Thanksgiving and after the winter solstice. But now were seeing people are worn out even in summer. Indeed, the endocannabinoid system plays a role here.

Anandamide is one of our endocannabinoids. When it becomes lower, patients are more anxious. There is less healing of the brain, less neurogenesis, and the hypothalamic-pituitary axis is triggered, causing a whole cascade of events to occur. What we now know is that the endocannabinoid system naturally, or with the use of CBD, alters our microbiome in our gut, beneficially affecting the gut-brain axis. The GI tract is the site of many receptors. We make about 70% of our serotonin, the happy-brain chemical, in the GI tract. About 70-80% of our immune system is in our GI tract, so is it any surprise that we have CB1, CB2 regulatory pathways in our GI tract that work via the endocannabinoid system to control inflammation? These same pathways can be regulated using an innovative CBD strategy.

With endocannabinoid deficiency symptoms patients can get migraines. We thought migraines were just triggered by tyramine-rich foods, such as cheese, fermented foods, and salami and other such foods; along with other triggers as well.

However, the endocannabinoid pathway is designed to control pain and inflammation and also regulate the immune system to a large degree. I have found in my clinical practice that innovative CBD strategies can be useful in supporting the health of migraine sufferers.

The body is designed with innate intelligence to sustain optimal performance. People ask, Well, how is CBD metabolized? Its primarily metabolized through the liver, and as a result, it goes through the cytochrome 450 and other pathways.Wellness is ultimately about homeostasis. We all know the term entropy, the tendency for the universe to move toward chaos. But our body exerts a phenomenal amount of energy to maintain order and wellness. However, if the endocannabinoid system becomes deficient, this will adversely affect wellness. This endocannabinoid deficiency, in turn, affects the microbiome, contributing to a less healthy endocannabinoidome.

CBD can conserve anandamide that is made by the body, and CBD can support anandamide conservation in an attempt to bring the body back into homeostasis. The endocannabinoid system supports brain health. By treating the brain, it addresses the pain, because if we didnt have a brain, we wouldnt feel the pain from a perception perspective.

Anxiety also is a biochemical process. Its real. A lot of people say, Its all in my head. No, stress is real because its a physiological effect. There is biochemistry involved in anxiety. We want to use innovative CBD strategies to support calming pathways and bring peace and harmony into the brain.

If a patient has brain inflammation, neuroplasticity is not going to be as healthy or robust. And the fact is, on a typical day, we lose about 86,400 brain cells. CBD is an anti-inflammatory application. And from a neuropathic perspective, activation of cannabinoid receptors is essential. Ive looked at research involving the endocannabinoid system relative to cancer medications and so forth. Not being an oncologist, I am not suggesting this is a treatment for cancer, but there are pain, stress and immune challenges that often need to be associated with this disease state, so visiting with ones provider in this arena is vital.

We can start manifesting symptoms of migraines, fatigue, irritable bowel, whatever it might be, as a result of being subpar, insufficient or deficient of endocannabinoids. An endocannabinoid deficiency manifests itself as simply that the body has gotten worn down, much like low adrenal function, often called adrenal fatigue. So we need to support that pathway to bring it back on track like we would any other functional biochemistry, which our body is designed to do. And since were designed to make endocannabinoids, we need to bring those levels back up to par.

The goal is to start low and go slow, as a little bit can go a long way for many patients. More is not always better, as each person responds differently based on genetics, biochemistry and individual need.

Just like if youre performing an adjustment, a little bit of a movement might get the job done. Work with gentle modulation of the endocannabinoid system. Youre working within the innate ability of the body.

Fifteen to 25 milligrams per day is what I start my patients on. In a week or two, if I need to move them up to 25 mg two to three times a day, I will. Once again, if a little bit gets the job done, why more? It is of paramount importance to respect the innate delicate balance physiology of the body. Some patients will need much higher doses because of their endocannabinoid insufficiency or potential genetic polymorphisms. Youre going to encounter genetic polymorphisms, or what I termed mutations of the CBD receptors and the CBD pathway.

I never go to high-milligram doses, especially on patients taking pharmaceutical drugs, without working with their pharmacists, because CBD can affect similar liver detoxification, as well as other biochemical pathways of how drugs are metabolized, much like grapefruit juice, can impact many of the same medications. We want to also support those drug-metabolizing pathways with diet and lifestyle.

CBD, when dosed properly, can positively supplement a health-promoting diet and lifestyle. Its not a substitute for these things. So, we want to ensure were taking steps to support the body at a foundational level. Additionally, we always want to ensure the THC levels in the CBD you are using are less than 0.3%, or that the CBD contains no THC, when targeting hemp-derived CBD.

Endocannabinoid deficiency is associated with low cortisol, stress and adrenal fatigue. Were all getting older. Our mitochondria are wearing down. Our nitric oxide levels arent as robust as they used to be, and we need support at a fundamental level. In regards to the 65 potential molecular targets that are currently known for CBD, there is a lot of untapped potential here relative to stress and aging. Innovative CBD use is a new area; it can be a scary area, but remember, our bodies have been producing endocannabinoids for millennia. All were doing is supporting a natural pathway.

CHRIS D. MELETIS, ND, is an educator, international author and lecturer. His mission is Changing Worlds Health, One Person at a Time. He believes that when people become educated about their bodies is the moment positive change begins. He is widely recognized as a world-renowned expert on the science of CBD and has authored 16 books and over 200 national scientific articles in such journals and magazines as Natural Health, Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Townsend Letter for Doctors and Patients, Life Extension and The Journal of Restorative Medicine. He served as dean of naturopathic medicine and chief medical officer for seven years at NUNM, the oldest naturopathic medical school in North America. He has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Physician of the Year Award by the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians; Excellence Award for his work in treating and advocating for the medically underserved; and most recently, the NUNM Hall of Fame Award. He represents TruGen3 and can be contacted at DrMeletis.com.

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Biochemistry

Forbes 30 Under 30 Recognizes Alumni for Innovations in Healthcare – Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

A Cornell education combined with an entrepreneurial passion for science helped a pair of alumni land a spot on Forbes 30 Under 30 List. Lauded for their early achievements in medicine and artificial intelligence, Erica Barnell 13 and Sharon Li Ph.D. 17 were named last month to the magazines annual list, which recognizes the work of individuals who have made innovations to their field at a young age.

Barnell, who is currently enrolled in the Medical Scientist Training Program at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, was recognized for her biotechnology startup, Geneoscopy a firm that has developed a more convenient and accessible method of detecting gastrointestinal diseases by using stool samples.

According to Barnell, her interest in genetics first began on campus, where an appreciation for lab work and biochemistry courses pushed her to pursue a career in the field. This interest, in turn, led her to a summer internship at Washington University, where she went on to conduct work that would eventually develop into the groundwork of her company.

I started developing this technology to isolate human cells from stool samples, that was our approach to diagnosing these children. After we were incredibly successful at this diagnostic development, I recognized it was a platform technology, Barnell said.

It was at this point that Barnell teamed up with her fellow Cornell graduate, and older brother Andrew Barnell 11 to found Geneoscopy.

I loved that process of thinking about technology that silos into academic institutions and creating something for patients, Barnell said. Ive hoped and dreamed that I would be able to apply my academic education to something in business and something in medicine, and Geneoscopy was the first step in that direction.

The company went on to develop a three stage process to screen for gastrointestinal diseases, such as colorectal cancer. First, patients receive a collection kit in the mail, in which they deposit a stool sample and send it back to the company. The company then extracts the bodys cells from this sample and removes RNA, which is then analyzed for certain biomarkers.

To date, the startup has raised $8 million dollars to fund clinical trials, and has conducted two rounds of clinical trials involving 275 and 1,200 patients, respectively. Going forward, Barnell hopes to use this funding to market its detection product to gastroenterologists, obstetricians and gynecologists.

While receiving the news that she had been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list was surreal and gave Geneoscopy exposure, according to Barnell, it doesnt change what were doing, I still wipe the floors in the lab, I still do inventory, theres nothing special, its just surreal I am among some incredible people.

Like Barnell, Li, who studied electrical and computer engineering at Cornell, found her way to the list as a result of the work that began with her time in Ithaca. Inspired by her courses, Li first became interested in studying deep neural networks, an artificial system that takes inputs and processes them through several layers to create an output.

I got really excited not only about the possibility of building this intelligent machine that could learn from this massive data, but more importantly answer questions such as understanding how they work, Li said on her time spent at Cornell.

After graduating, Li worked at several technology companies, including Google and Facebook, where she worked on algorithms that analyzed visuals on websites in order to better categorize and sort this data.

My time in industry has shaped my view on research. Being in industry means I had access to people exploring academic research questions as well as actually driving real world impact, Li said. This is super useful to help mey think and formulate research questions that are going to be useful and benefit a wider range of people.

Currently, Li is working with machine learning in order to aid in decision making in the healthcare industry. Having a physician look over medical test results and images can be time consuming and costly, which means any advancement we make will result in improved and more cost effective healthcare, Li said.

As the first person in her family to earn a Ph.D., Li was honored to be named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list, having never expected to achieve such success.

Looking back, when I came to this country six years ago, I never thought I would make it this far so this honor means that all of my hard work has been recognized and valued, Li said. I see this as a reward and recognition to a heart full of dreams.

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Forbes 30 Under 30 Recognizes Alumni for Innovations in Healthcare - Cornell University The Cornell Daily Sun

Biochemistry

Global Warming Potentially Impacts Processes Responsible for Biodiversity – AZoCleantech

Written by AZoCleantechJan 24 2020

Considering the present situation of climate change, an international research team has performed a new study that highlights the adverse, potential impact of global warming on processes responsible for biodiversity.

This was one of the conclusions of the international study, led by scientists from the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM) and Pablo de Olavide University (UPO).

The study explores the mechanisms that contribute to the evolutionary success of Carexone of the three largest genera of flowering plants in the world. The outcomes indicate that this evolutionary success is associated with the planets comparatively cold climate during the last 10 million years. This climatic condition favored the colonization of novel ecosystems and territories.

Carex is a class of herbs that belong to the sedge family (Cyperaceae), a family that also features popular species like tiger nut or papyrus. So far, over 2000 Carex species have been found throughout the world, inhabiting an extensive range of ecosystems. These species can be found from the coasts to the highest mountains and to the poles of the tropics, even though they are invariably connected to regions with cold and temperate climatic conditions.

In a majority of the areas, particularly in the northern hemisphere, the Carex species belong to a part of specific types of dominant vegetation and play an important ecological role in habitats as diverse as peat bogs, wetlands, grasslands, tundra, forest understories, or lake and river borders. These plants are also a vital source of food for various herbivorous mammals and waterfowl, and a few of them have nutritional or medicinal properties that are leveraged by human beings.

The research looked at the analysis of the causes that contributed to the huge diversity of the Carex species and eventually concluded that climate cooling was the major factor behind their speciation.

The study is the first to deal with global distribution patterns and diversification of a megadiverse genus of plants and suggests that not only is climate warming causing the extinction of species, but also could negatively affect the processes that generate them.

Santiago Martn-Bravo, Study Main Co-Author and Researcher, Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry Engineering, Universidad Pablo De Olavide

In this research, a combination of fossil and genetic data was used to expose the causes of the global diversification of Carex species. The study demonstrated that this kind of genus evolved in Asia, from where it was able to colonize areas worldwide and also different ecological niches, which is indeed remarkable. While this process was ongoing, Carex species have been evidently favored by the cold global climate that persisted for the last 10 million years.

This can be seen by the harmony of regional cooling events like Pleistocene glaciations or the freezing of Antarctica, and the large emergence of Carex species in areas impacted by these climatic changes, for example, New Zealand or North America.

The studys conclusions offer a wide general interest to figure out when, why, and how species were produced. Such conclusions can also help in understanding the causes of the non-uniform distribution of species, and particularly the role played by the global climate as a driver of the genesis of biodiversity.

These questions are particularly significant in the current context of climate crisis and mass extinction of species, which emphasizes the need to know and understand how nature responds to the climate if we are to preserve and manage it in a sustainable way.

Pedro Jimnez-Mejas, Study Main Co-Author and Researcher, Department of Biology, University of Madrid

The research appeared on the cover of the November issue of the Journal of Systematics and Evolution, an international scientific journal.

The study indicates the culmination of over 10 years of work that started with the postdoctoral project of Jimnez-Meja. Developed in the United States, this project has allowed international association between a group of evolutionary botanists and biologists from institutions located in 10 countries, among which the United States and Spain (with scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Madrid, Autonomous of Madrid and Seville, and Pablo de Olavide universities) stand out.

Source: https://www.upo.es/portal/impe/web/portada?lang=en

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Global Warming Potentially Impacts Processes Responsible for Biodiversity - AZoCleantech

Biochemistry

Aliens could be living with us, says an astrobiologist – MENAFN.COM

(MENAFN - NewsBytes) A few weeks back, Helen Sharman, the first British astronaut, made the bold claim that aliens exist and could be living among us - completely undetected.

The remark drew widespread attention (given that it is ALIENS we are talking about), leading many to wonder how species from other worlds could survive without getting noticed.

Now, an astrobiologist has explained how that could be possible!

In an interview with The Observer, Sharman had said that "Aliens exist" and "there's no two ways about it."

She justified the assertion by saying, "There are so many billions of stars...that there must be all sorts of different forms of life . Will they be like you and me? Maybe not. It's possible they are here right now and we simply can't see them."

Following Sharman's remarks, Samantha Rolfe, from UK's Bayfordbury Observatory, published an editorial in The Conversation explaining how invisible alien life can actually exist on Earth.

Basically, the astrobiologist claimed that there is no fixed/complete definition of life (apart from what we see on Earth), which practically opens the possible form of an alien creature to thousands of interpretations, including the invisible one.

Most of the movies depicting aliens show them as humanoids or human-like creatures, which is enough in itself to explain that humans mostly limit alien life forms "to geocentric, possibly even anthropocentric, ideas of what life looks like," Rolfe added.

Rolfe added that if aliens are here on Earth, like Sharman said, they could be living in a microscopic "shadow biosphere" - which Earthlings can not see.

"By that, I don't mean a ghost realm, but undiscovered creatures probably with a different biochemistry," Rolfe wrote, adding that "we can't study or even notice them because they are outside of our comprehension."

In the same op-ed, Rolfe also suggested that microscopic alien life with silicon-based biochemistry, which is different from our carbon-and-nitrogen-based one, could have landed on Earth via a meteorite.

"[W]e do have evidence for life-forming, carbon-based molecules having arrived on Earth on meteorites," she wrote while implying that this could have also happened for "more unfamiliar life forms."

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