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Immunology

Meet the Black Female Scientist Paving the Way In Race to Develop COVID-19 Vaccine – Atlanta Black Star

Dozens of researchers around the world are racing to create a vaccine to eliminate the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Kizzmekia S. Corbett, a viral immunologist working with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is a front-runner in its development.

Corbett is a lead researcher with Dr. Barney Grahams coronavirus team in the Vaccine Research Center in the NIAID, which is part of the National Institutes of Health. (The NIH, an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is the federal governments main biomedical research organization.)

Corbetts team has been working in recent weeks to help test and develop An experimental vaccine invented by private biotech company Moderna Inc. Along the way, her teams role was to grow so-called spike protein, a key component of Modernas coronavirus vaccine. (The NIH describes the spikes and virus thusly: Coronaviruses are spherical and have spikes protruding from their surface, giving the particles a crown-like appearance. The spike binds to human cells, allowing the virus to gain entry.)

Years of research into similar viruses had given Corbetts Vaccine Research Center team valuable experience at growing this protein, which they did quickly and sent to Moderna. With they received the first research doses of vaccine from Moderna, Corbett and her fellow scientists immunized dozens of mice. Days later, blood samples that were collected from the mice where checked to see if the mice were producing antibodies against that all-important spike protein.

When her team sent word of the positive results, it was absolutely amazing, Corbett told The Associated Press earlier this month.

The work, which cleared the way for a new phase 1 clinical trial on March 3, couldnt have moved so quickly had it not been for years of behind-the-scenes lab testing of a possible MERS vaccine, Corbett added.

I think about it a lot, how many of the little experimental questions we did not have to belabor this time around, Corbett said. As she saw the first promising mouse tests, she told AP, I felt like there was a beginning of all of this coming full circle.

Corbett had told Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the NIAID director, it would take about 100 days to move into the trial. The group did it in 66.

Although an actual vaccine wont be ready for another 12 to 18 months, the announcement marks a new record in moving to human testing, Bloomberg reports. The NIH fellow started her work in January, when researchers first learned how infectious and contagious the virus is and how easily it spreads.

Corbett has nearly 10 years of research experience in immunology.

She received a B.S. in biological sciences, with a secondary major in sociology, from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in 2008. After one year of post-baccalaureate training at NIH, she enrolled at University of North Carolina, from where she obtained her Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology in 2014.

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Meet the Black Female Scientist Paving the Way In Race to Develop COVID-19 Vaccine - Atlanta Black Star

Physiology

What does it take to receive a National Science Foundation CAREER award? – Nevada Today

The National Science Foundations Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program sets the bar high. It is the NSFs most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty, described by the NSF as supporting those with the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Feifei Fan, assistant professor in the College of Engineering; Heather Holmes, assistant professor in the College of Science; and Robert Renden, assistant professor in the School of Medicine are the latest University of Nevada, Reno faculty to receive CAREER awards, bringing the total number of University faculty to receive the award since 2013 to 20.

Holmes wildfire-smoke research through the Department of Physics Atmospheric Sciences Program has received support from NASA, NSF and NIH and has resulted in epidemiological advancements. Her CAREER proposal, supported by a $400,000 grant, seeks to improve forecasting of wildfire smoke by improving atmospheric modeling, especially for summer atmospheric mixing over mountainous areas.

Fans research through the Department of Mechanical Engineering is set against the backdrop of the growing and critical importance of rechargeable batteries. Her CAREER proposal, supported by a $500,000 grant, focuses on the complex electrochemical cycling of batteries and, through study of the mechanics and other physical and chemical processes in electrodes, seeks to improve energy density, power density and capacity retention.

Rendens neurological research through UNR Meds Department of Physiology and Cell Biology and the Universitys Neuroscience Institute explores how brain cells maintain the energy needed to communicate at contact sites, called synapses. The prevailing view is that mitochondria supply this energy, but Rendens research data suggests other mechanisms are at play. Understanding this will inform experiments to correct systems where mitochondrial function is impaired, such as in neurodegenerative disease and aging. A $1.1 million CAREER grant will support his work.

The CAREER proposals of Holmes, Fan and Renden are in line with advice that Jamie Voyles-Ensor, associate professor of biology and 2019 CAREER awardee, received from an NSF program manager and shared during a February 2020 panel session sponsored by Research & Innovation. It should be something that can be accomplished, yet is a stretch, Voyles-Ensor said Its a tricky line to define.

More than 30 faculty members gathered for the panel session, indicating growing campus interest in the CAREER program and awards. Joining Voyles-Ensor as panelists were 2019 CAREER awardees Matteo Aureli, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Mohammed Ben-Idris, assistant professor electrical and biomedical engineering.

Aureli shared that he held off applying until he was at a place in his career where he was more confident of his research interest and had a body of work to substantiate it. As he said, Its about your career. You need to show a line that is different from the work of your mentor.

It has to be new, advised Ben-Idris. Come up with a unique research approach. Make the case in the first two pages.

Describe the work in a way that is widely understandable one that your grandmother will understand before describing it in a scientific way that your science colleagues will understand, said Voyles-Ensor. Your proposal will be reviewed by scientists, but from a range of fields and not necessarily familiar with your field.

Aureli also encouraged developing a thorough, thought-out budget. It shows you are serious and committed. It helped me get more specific and dialed in about the scope of my project, he said.

In addition to the panel session, efforts by Research & Innovation to encourage and support faculty to prepare for the CAREER award application process include proposal writing workshops, a suggested timeline and the opportunity for external review. In the months of April and May, potential applicants are encouraged to draft their full-project summary for external-review. By June 1, contact your colleges grant coordinator or, if your college doesnt have a grant coordinator, contact Proposal Capture Manager Carrie Busha or Proposal Editor Kate Dunkelberger to develop a personalized timeline for submission.

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What does it take to receive a National Science Foundation CAREER award? - Nevada Today

Physiology

Unlocking the Secrets of Brown Fat – Michigan Medicine

In recent years, brown fat has garnered attention as the so-called good fat that can protect against obesity and its associated health risks, like cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Two separate major studies, one led by Liangyou Rui, Ph.D. and one by Ling Qi, Ph.D., both with the department of molecular & integrative physiology, help explain brown fats properties.

Located in small pockets throughout the body, most mammals use brown fat (and its closely related cousin beige fat) to stay warm. In mice and humans, if you have more brown or beige fat, you are more protected from metabolic disease, says Rui, the Louis G. D'Alecy Collegiate Professor of physiology at U-M Medical School, whose lab studies the molecular and physiological mechanisms of obesity, diabetes and fatty liver disease. In a new study published in Nature Communications, Rui, first author Lin Jiang, Ph.D., and their colleagues reveal a pathway by which the hormone leptin contributes to weight loss.

Leptin regulates body weight by controlling appetite and energy expenditure, but exactly how has been a mystery. What is known, says Rui, is that leptin activates brown and beige fat. The new study elucidates a molecular accelerator of leptin action in the brain called Sh2b1. His team has found that Sh2b1 in the hypothalamus, an important brain region controlling body temperature and hunger among other functions, promotes the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system. The sympathetic nervous system sends signals to brown and beige fat to activate it, thus maintaining body weight and metabolism.

The team demonstrated this proof-of-principle by creating two mouse models. Mice that lacked the Sh2b1 gene in the leptin receptor neurons had an incredibly reduced sympathetic drive to the brown and beige fat and reduced capability to promote energy expenditure, says Rui. This reduced the ability of brown fat to be metabolized into heat, lowering the mices core body temperature. Whats more, the mice also developed obesity, insulin resistance and a fatty liver. In contrast, mice with extra expression of Sh2b1 in their brains were protected from obesity.

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No one knew that Sh2b1 in the brain controls the sympathetic nervous system or was required for leptin to activate brown fat to increase energy expenditure, notes Rui. As for how this finding could be applied to humans, he says the hope is to eventually find a way to increase expression of Sh2b1 or its ability to enhance leptin signaling and fat burning.

Other U-M authors contributing to this paper include: Haoran Su, Xiaoyin Wu, Hong Shen, Min-Hyun Kim, Yuan Li, Martin G. Myers Jr, and Chung Owyang.

Brown fat gets its color from high amounts of iron-containing mitochondria, unlike the standard white fat linked to obesity. A team led by Qi, a professor of molecular & integrative physiology and internal medicine at U-M Medical School has been studying how mitochondria, the power plant of the cell, and another cellular structure called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which is involved in the production of proteins and lipids, interact inside brown fat cells.

In particular, theyve studied the role of a protein complex involved in a process called ER-associated protein degradation, or ERAD. Simply put, ERAD is the process of removing and destroying misfolded proteins, like taking out the trash out of the ER.

Everyone thought that ERAD was just part of the general cellular response when cells are undergoing ER stress, says Qi. Weve shown over the past six years that it plays a fundamental role in health and disease.

In a new study, published in Science, Qi along with first authors Zhangsen Zhou, Ph.D., Mauricio Torres, Ph.D., and their colleagues demonstrate how an ERAD protein complex affects the proper function of mitochondria.

Typically, the ER and mitochondria have ongoing interaction at touch points called mitochondria-associated membranes. These points of contact mark areas for mitochondria to divide for the production of new mitochondria and for the exchange of other molecules such as lipids and calcium. The ER forms tubules that surround the mitochondria to get them ready for division.

Using state of the art 3D imaging, the researchers discovered what happens to mitochondria in brown fat that are missing part of an ERAD protein complex, called Sel1L-Hrd1, when exposed to cold.

When you delete this complex in brown adipocytes, the mitochondria become elongated and enlarged, says Qi. The 3D image enabled them to view a previously unrecognized interaction between the mitochondria and the ER, with the mitochondria wrapping in a U-shape around the ER tubules.

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When the mice were placed in a cold environment, the ends of the outer membrane of the mitochondria folded back on itself, eventually fusing and completely enveloping the ER tubules. The result, says Qi, are abnormally large, misshapen, dysfunctional mitochondria.

We showed that these mitochondria dont function normally and the mice become cold sensitive, their body temperature dropping very quickly, says Qi. In other words, without this ERAD protein complex, the brown fat is not being used to generate heat. Under a microscope, this dysfunctional brown fat had larger droplets of lipids than brown fat from mice with the protein complex intact.

This is highly unexpected. The results here fundamentally change our understanding of ER-mitochondrial communication and further demonstrate the importance of an ER degradation complex in cell biology.

This paper also includes contributions from the following U-M authors: Christopher Halbrook, Franoise Van den Bergh, Rachel B. Reinert, Siwen Wang, Yingying Luo, Allen H. Hunter, Thomas H. Sanderson, Aaron Taylor, Costas A. Lyssiotis, Jun Wu and Daniel A. Beard.

Papers cited:

Leptin receptor-expressing neuron Sh2b1 supports sympathetic nervous system and protects against obesity and metabolic disease, Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15328-3

Endoplasmic reticulumassociated degradation regulates mitochondrial dynamics in brown adipocytes, Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.aay2494

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Unlocking the Secrets of Brown Fat - Michigan Medicine

Physiology

Stress Theory in Nursing – CNBCAfrica.com

The relationships between the development of coping expertise, well being, and resilience in nursing are examined.

In basic, you can find four elements to a persons physiology that play a role in their ability to cope and adapt in numerous circumstances. The very first element is resilience, which is defined as an individuals ability to cope with life adversity and obtain emotional balance.

Resilience may be created via many processes which includes optimistic thinking, social assistance, robust relationships, and sense of meaning. Its the foundation for health-related education.

Adaptability, on the other hand, is definitely the capacity to alter with new info, and to adopt alterations because the predicament adjustments. Adaptability might be seen because the capability to focus on studying within a changing environment. This is vital for nurses who must remain up-to-date on changing trends in healthcare practices and interventions.

Adaptation and Resilience will be the big concepts inside the use in the Adaptation Model and Strain Theory in Nursing Expertise. This tool helps nurses to turn out to be far more powerful, empathetic, and compassionate.

The second concept is Personal Strength, which addresses the patients perceived capability to cope with their illness and the nurses role in help. It can be this feeling of strength that tends to make a difference involving the best outcomes and poor outcomes. The strength of someone is what college homework helper tends to make them superior in a position to handle stressors and outcomes inside a higher high-quality of care.

Adapting and coping can each happen with little or no pressure. An adaptive response takes spot when there is a transform in the situation from the person, plus a coping response occurs when there is a modify in the atmosphere. When the anxiety is one-sided, it is actually called Situational Stress and happens when an individual feels that there is absolutely nothing that can be accomplished.

The third idea in the Tension Theory is Social Help. The emotional and cognitive benefits of being surrounded by individuals who have an understanding of and help their feelings and behaviors give a fantastic atmosphere in which to flourish.

Another crucial notion in the Adaptation Model and Tension Theory in Nursing Abilities is that there is no one particular size fits all approach to treating the illnesses and injuries that occur in our everyday lives. Which is why there is a need for nurses to be versatile, caring, and caring so that you can cater towards the desires of every patient. This is a crucial skill, as we cant place a bow on anything that occurs.

The Health Care Nurses carries out the every day activities of caring for patients, but they also study, create, and educate themselves as a way to improved care for patients. This can be how they make a difference inside the lives of other individuals. They cant assistance but discover about various illnesses and situations and how they affect people today.

These are just a number of the lots of valuable and relevant concepts that may be discovered by nursing students and faculty so as to make their work less complicated. It is also vital for them to come into https://english.yale.edu/courses/medieval-literature-movies the program armed with a superior working know-how of those concepts so that they are able to apply what they have discovered essaycompany com to their practice around the job.

The thought that you will discover no single principles to life and that there are normally several relevant ideas that a nurse need to know is very critical inside the stress theory in nursing theories and empirical practice. Nursing is usually a science, plus a nurses function in society will be to care for other folks, generating a difference in their lives.

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Stress Theory in Nursing - CNBCAfrica.com

Physiology

SPANX-A/D protein subfamily plays a key role in nuclear organisation, metabolism and flagellar motility of human spermatozoa. – Physician’s Weekly

Human sperm protein associated with the nucleus on the X chromosome (SPANX) genes encode a protein family (SPANX-A, -B, -C and -D), whose expression is limited to the testis and spermatozoa in normal tissues and to a wide variety of tumour cells. Present only in hominids, SPANX-A/D is exclusively expressed in post-meiotic spermatids and mature spermatozoa. However, the biological role of the protein family in human spermatozoa is largely unknown. Combining proteomics and molecular approaches, the present work describes the presence of all isoforms of SPANX-A/D in human spermatozoa and novel phosphorylation sites of this protein family. In addition, we identify 307 potential SPANX-A/D interactors related to nuclear envelop, chromatin organisation, metabolism and cilia movement. Specifically, SPANX-A/D interacts with fumarate hydratase and colocalises with both fumarate hydratase and Tektin 1 proteins, involved in meeting energy demands for sperm motility, and with nuclear pore complex nucleoporins. We provide insights into the molecular features of sperm physiology describing for the first time a multifunctional role of SPANX-A/D protein family in nuclear envelope, sperm movement and metabolism, considered key functions for human spermatozoa. SPANX-A/D family members, therefore, might be promising targets for sperm fertility management.

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SPANX-A/D protein subfamily plays a key role in nuclear organisation, metabolism and flagellar motility of human spermatozoa. - Physician's Weekly

Physiology

Hearing from Huskies: What you miss about UConn – UConn Daily Campus

Some people, like Andrew Mora said on Instagram, miss good ol Homer Babbidge (hopefully not the stress that often accompanies library sessions), while others talked about classic UConn features that we love to hate.

Instagram user @thezajac responded to the prompt with The wind that blows both ways, while @eric.sturt said The wind knocking me over. @marausha13 said Walking over a mile to get to my class, referring to the rather large size of campus that always helps us accomplish our step limit.

I missed when you walked outside and it decided to start misting even though the weather app said it wasnt going to rain, Berry said.

I miss the terrible wi-fi, Sruthi Takillapati, a fourth-semester physiology and neurobiology major, said, reminding us all of the divide between networks UConn Secure and UConn Guest, but also acknowledging whats really important: I miss seeing all the doggies!

Sofia Rodriguez, a fourth-semester women, gender and sexuality studies major, made sure to acknowledge everyones favorite dog, commenting with Jonathan the Huskys Instagram handle on our Instagram post.

Huskies made sure not to forget UConns successful sports teams. On Instagram, @moirajude said March Madness, while on Facebook, Arica Nicole commented, UConn womens basketball.

Unsurprisingly, many students and other members of the communities mentioned missing the people that made UConn home, with Madison Busick commenting on Facebook about student organizations.

I miss the lunch dates with my friend group at the U, Paula Norato said on Facebook, while Sarah Fletcher similarly commented, I miss running into my friends while walking around on campus and having random conversations.

Kaylee Grace, a fourth-semester physics and women, gender and sexualities studies double major, said, Having communities to turn to for support, in person, whenever I need it, while Instagram user @rigel.wachtmann said, Running into people I know on campus spontaneously. UConn English professor Rebecca Rumbo commented Being in the classroom with my students. Marisa Liliana commented about missing the people and the commotion.

I miss being able to walk around campus and never know which friend you might run into, and the random chances to catch up with them and meet strangers, Stephanie Reitz, university spokesperson, commented on Facebook.

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Hearing from Huskies: What you miss about UConn - UConn Daily Campus

Physiology

Kitzman Receives National Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Neurologic Therapy – UKNow

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 31, 2020) Patrick Kitzman, associate dean for research in the University of Kentucky College of Health Sciences, received the Outstanding Advocacy in Neurologic Physical Therapy Award from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) at their annual conference last month. This prestigious honor is given to those in the field of physical therapy who have made an extraordinary impact on advocacy for neurologic physical therapy.

Kitzman has committed his career to advocacy and selfless service through his work in physical therapy and with the Kentucky Appalachian Rural Rehabilitation Network (KARRN), which he established in 2008.KARRNs collaborative team, spanning across Kentucky, has touched countless lives in their mission to empower communities impacted by disability.

I cant advocate for someone unless Im working with them. Its presumptuous to say, I know what you need, Kitzman said. The moment we at KARRN start working with someone, we agree to be their advocate and do whatever it takes to find resources for them.

Tony English, chair of the department of physical therapy, praised Kitzmans dedication to bringing life-changing physical therapy to underserved populations.

KARRN has established a network of resources, multiple educational materials, a team of experts in the many disciplines that deal with spinal cord injury, stroke, and brain injury, and centralized these in one location, he said. They ensure that after injury and formal rehabilitation people can return to their homes with confidence and the necessary resources to function at the highest possible level.

Kitzmans calling to serve others extends across UKs campus and beyond as shown by the many partnerships and interdisciplinary collaborations he has fostered over the years.

Under Dr. Kitzmans patience and guidance, KARRN has directly influenced the successes of the Kentucky Congress on Spinal Cord Injury (KCSCI) throughout our six years of existence, said Alexander G. Rabchevsky, professor of physiology and endowed chair at the UK College of Medicine. His efforts have united individuals with spinal cord injuries in the greater Lexington area and beyond to bring legislative changes. Virtually all of the programs that the KCSCI undertakes are sponsored by KARRN, and the combined registries have expanded the community outreach to help those living with disabilities in underserved regions of the Commonwealth.

One of Kitzmans more recent initiatives is Project CARAT (Coordinating and Assisting the Reuse of Assistive Technology). This project is in collaboration with the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at the UK College of Health Sciences and allows students to experience hands-on education by refurbishing assistive technology and redistributing items to underserved individuals.

Dr. Kitzman is passionate about advancing the neurologic therapy field and improving the quality of life for individuals living with neurologic impairments, said Frances J. Feltner, director of the UK Center of Excellence in Rural Health, which houses manyKARRNinitiatives. His consistency in engaging students and contributions to the profession are truly remarkable.

Dedication to research, advocacy, and delivery of compassionate care are all hallmarks of Kitzmans character. And, its these traits hes passing on to every student who comes across his path.

When I first started UK, it had been years since I had sat in a research methods class. I wasnt even sure if I was really qualified to be there, said Kathleen Sutton, one of Kitzmans former students. Pat reassured me time and again that research is about knowing how to ask a question, and the confidence I now have in myself as a researcher is a direct reflection of his mentorship. I know that when I graduate, I can be an effective agent of change in whatever community I work in because of the time Ive spent learning in his lab.

When asked about receiving such a distinguished award, Kitzman is quick to recognize others for their support of his career.

I am humbled to receive this award. But, when you do advocacy work, its a group effort, he said. It takes all of us to make a change. Its my pleasure to represent all the wonderful people I work with. This award encompasses the core of what my entire team does every day.

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Kitzman Receives National Award for Outstanding Advocacy in Neurologic Therapy - UKNow

Physiology

D.I.Y. Coronavirus Solutions Are Gaining Steam – The New York Times

Mr. Oliver reached out to local distillers to follow Oregons lead and join forces. In the past week, several have stepped up, including OOLA Distillery, which quickly collected all the raw materials, from alcohol to storage bottles. The distillery is ramping up to churn out thousands and thousands of liters of bottles as early as next week, said Kirby Kallas-Lewis, the founder of OOLA. It will distribute the sanitizer to emergency medical workers, hospital staff and local community members; it also plans to sell it both to individuals and various businesses.

The need is now, Mr. Kallas-Lewis said.

Trevor Smale, an illustrator in Toronto, posted an early illustration of his ventilator design to the Facebook group. The responses prompted him to set up a GitHub page for his project, which he called OpenLung. He is now working with OpenSource Ventilator Ireland, a volunteer organization focused on developing low-cost and open-source ventilators.

Colin Keogh, a co-founder of OpenSource Ventilator Ireland, said that as thrilling as this challenge has been from an engineering and innovation standpoint, he hoped that hospitals would never have to use the equipment they were developing.

Its seen as an emergency intervention, he said. We hope well be able to cope.

Outside of the Facebook group, others are organizing efforts to find open-source solutions to the shortage. In Boston, a team of anesthesiology residents at Massachusetts General Hospital grew concerned that it might only be a matter of time before the United States ran out of ventilator machines.

Together, the residents founded the CoVent-19 Challenge, a virtual global contest to increase the capacity of hospitals to provide mechanical ventilation.

We want people to come with great ideas, and we want to provide them the support that they need to develop something that is compatible with the physiology of the human body, said Diana Barragan-Bradford, co-director of the challenge.

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D.I.Y. Coronavirus Solutions Are Gaining Steam - The New York Times

Physiology

The Chronicle of the Horse – The Chronicle of the Horse

In the Chronicles new series, we follow various equine professionalsthroughout a typical day. In this installment, Jennifer Gates took us through her day on March 12, prior to the mass cancellation of equestrian events.

Gates started riding at a young age and moved up the hunter/jumper ranks as a junior. She competed at the Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships three times, earning team gold and silver and an individual bronze medal. In 2017 she piloted Alex to the $30,000 USEF Under-25 National Championship at the National Horse Show (Kentucky). She graduated from Stanford University (California) in 2018 and took a year to pursue riding before starting medical school at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (New York).

March 12, 2020: With the precautions being taken nationwide around the coronavirus, I am studying remotely from Florida, and all of my medical school classes have temporarily been moved online. Between studying and going to class from home and having family in town for the weekend, it ended up being a busier day than normal. I try to incorporate some days with fewer planned activities and time to rest as well, but this day was particularly packed with fun and exciting things.

8:30 a.m. Wake up! I generally start my morning with some meditation or breathing exercises after some cuddling with Earl before getting ready for the day.

10 11:30 a.m. Rode Alex and twinned with Adrienne Sternlicht, one of my closest friends! Then rode [Pumped Up Kicks], who loves to go up on the hill and look around the farm. I also listened to The Daily podcast on the latest coronavirus news.

11:30 12 p.m. Did a Peloton workout, something I have really been enjoying lately!

12 4 p.m. Lunch, then a few hours of study time and online classes. 4:30-5:30 p.m. Pilatesone of my favorite exercise routines that I feel has helped so much with riding. Since Ive been studying from home, and all of my classes are online, I have found incorporating fitness breaks throughout my day to be extremely beneficial!

I dont generally work out twice a day unless I feel particularly inspired or want to take a break from studying. Its all about balance and finding activities that you enjoy doing. 5:30 6 p.m. Had a call with mental coach Peter Crone, on my way home from Pilates. I have been working with Peter for the past two years, and he has been instrumental in my mindset both in the competition ring and in life in general. Mental health and mindset are both super important to me, and I encourage everyone to learn more about yourself and prioritize this. I also meditate and journal regularlythese practices help me to center myself when I experience anxiety.

I have been fortunate to work with various practitioners over the course of my life and have learned that mental health is paramount to success in whatever you are pursuing.

6 8 p.m. Had dinner with my fiance Nayel Nassar and his mom, Iman, and then we went for a walk!

8 10 p.m. More studying! This time, I had a video conference with a friend to study pulmonary physiology.

10 p.m. 12 a.m. Since in-person classes have been canceled, I caught up on watching (and synthesizing) lectures on renal physiology before getting ready for bed! I try to take some time to catch up on the day and review study notes at the end of the day.

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The Chronicle of the Horse - The Chronicle of the Horse

Human Behavior

The Three Laws of Human Behavior | behavioraleconomics.com …

By Aline Holzwarth

When Isaac Newton put forth the three laws of motion more than three hundred years ago, he did something radical.

It wasnt his theories or the computations behind them that were so revolutionary in fact, Newtons first law is a mere reiteration of Galileos theory of inertia, formulated 50 or so years earlier. What was radical about Newtons three laws was that he was able to distill such an incredible volume and complexity of advances in the physical sciences (see below for a refresher, in case its been a few years). These three simple laws have not only been the basis of countless lab and field experiments and a precursor to Einsteins theory of relativity, but were also used to inform the inventions and innovations of the industrial revolution and beyond.

But theres no equivalent of Newtons laws of motion in the behavioral sciences, and unfortunately Newtons work in math and physics doesnt provide much information about human behavior. Theres no direct translation of F = ma to the methods of our human madness. Fortunately, there do exist some general tendencies underlying much of our behavior.

In the spirit of Newtons three laws of motion, this article presents the Three Laws of Human Behavior.

Lets consider them one at a time.

Humans are creatures of least resistance. We take the road most traveled, or the road best paved. So much of our behavior runs on autopilot that it takes a significant degree of effort to take simple actions outside of our normal routine even when we have the best of intentions for changing our behavior. Think of how many times youve resolved to start biking to work, and how many times youve actually done so. Theres a bias we share that describes why were so bad at this, and its called the status quo bias. The status quo is a powerful force in human behavior, directly analogous to the inertia described by Newtons first law of motion: force is necessary for a change in motion to occur.

There are two primary types of forces in the context of human behavior, just as there are in physics: forces that get in the way of performing a behavior are called friction from the feeling of exhaustion when its time to exercise to the application form to set up a health savings account. Or the barriers encountered trying to make a routine doctors appointment. Fuel is the second type of force, representing anything that makes a behavior more appealing from the gamification of un-fun procedures to delivering incentives contingent on good behavior. Like the challenge of competition as reward substitution to encourage exercise.

Friction slows you down, and fuel pushes you forward. Unless there are changes in friction or fuel, you tend to stick to the status quo. But by the same principle, changes in behavior can occur through changes in fuel and friction. (For more on fuel and friction, check out this article.)

Behavior is not something that lives in a vacuum. Its the combination of a person with all their intentions, beliefs, knowledge, motivation, personality, history and so on and their environment including everything from the choice architecture of a grocery store checkout line to the lights, smells, and friends or foes surrounding them. It is a special mixture of these two types of ingredients, the person and their environment, that leads to a particular behavior being exhibited at a particular time and place.

Kurt Lewin is famous for pinning human behavior down to these two essential elements: the individual characteristics or state of a person, and the environment in which they are situated. His universal equation B = (P,E) goes way back to 1936 and is no less relevant today.

This law is more complex than it may appear at first glance, going beyond the independent observations that behavior is dependent on the person, and that behavior is also influenced by the environment. In other words, Lewins equation doesnt imply that behavior is a function of the person, or B=(P) and separately that behavior is also a function of the environment, B=(E). There is, of course, a great deal of research examining the person and the environment separately. We might observe that when someone (lets call her Emma) is stressed, she may be less likely to order a salad at her work cafeteria and instead opts for a less healthy alternative. And separately if we put up a sign encouraging salads in the cafeteria, we might see an increase in salad uptake among lunch-eaters overall. But knowing each of these on their own will not get us much closer to knowing whether Emma will order a salad today.

What B=(P,E) contributes is the interaction between these elements. It is the acknowledgment that you cant fully understand (or predict) Emmas behavior if you only understand Emma who she is or how she feels or what she thinks nor if you only understand the environment she is in. You need both.

The chart below demonstrates how Emmas lunch choice (to order a salad or not) is affected by the interaction between her state of mind (her stress level) and her environment (whether or not there is a sign advertising salad in the cafeteria).

As expected, Emma is generally more likely to order a salad when she is not stressed overall (compared to when she is stressed), just as she is generally more likely to order a salad when there is a sign about salads present (compared to no sign). But something interesting happens when she is both stressed and there is a sign. In this case, when Emma is stressed, the sign actually backfires and leads to a lower likelihood of Emma getting a salad than if there were no sign present. We might suspect that when shes stressed, seeing a sign promoting salads could come off as patronizing, leading Emma to exhibit reactance which triggers a rebellion against the salads. While this is just one fictitious and simplified example, it demonstrates the importance of considering both the person and the environment when trying to understand behavior.

There are costs and benefits attached to every decision. We may actively weigh the pros and cons of a decision at times, and other times we may not. But regardless of our attention to the tradeoffs inherent to any decision, there are often losses suffered in one area when gains are made in another. For example, say you are considering starting a multivitamin. You might say: Sure, it may very well be a placebo, but whats the downside? What cons could there be to taking a vitamin? To start, theres the fact that you have to pay for it. Vitamins may not be exorbitantly expensive, but for every dollar that is spent on vitamins, that same dollar cannot be spent on something else. Say you spend $15 for 150 3-a-day gummies, so one bottle lasts 50 days, and you have to buy ~7 a year (7*$15=$105 a year). Ten years of vitamins means giving up $1,050 that you could spend on a really nice new bike, or 235 pumpkin spice lattes or nine days at Disneyland.

This concept of what are all the things I am giving up if I do X? is known as the opportunity cost, and its a type of tradeoff that we often ignore. One way to weigh tradeoffs like these is to classify the potential pros and cons of a decision and then weigh them (a method called signal detection theory; see this article written with Dan Ariely for a deep dive). When situations are complex and involve a degree of uncertainty, we can use this method to consider the tradeoffs of a particular decision. Because our time and resources are limited, we have to choose how to spend them wisely.

Unintended consequences are related to tradeoffs. Just like the pros and cons of every decision that we dont see, there may be some unanticipated effects caused by the decision. When making a decision, we may not predict future effects that negate or undermine the positive aspects of that decision. A classic example of this is the crowding out or overjustification effect, where a positive behavior (like exercise) is initially boosted with an extrinsic incentive (e.g., financial reward), but the positive effect disappears (and may even retreat to a level lower than before the incentive was introduced!) as soon as the incentive is discontinued. Rewards like this can increase a behavior in the short term, but undermine motivation in the long term.

Often times, our actions have effects that go beyond the impact on ourselves. These types of effects on third parties are called externalities, and externalities can range from the pollution produced by cars or coal-burning factories to your decision to play outrageously loud music, which your neighbors might not appreciate very much as they attempt to have a romantic evening at home. The tragedy of the commons is a classic example of negative externalities: when each individual acts in their own interest, its not their intention to deplete the pool of resources so that everyone else suffers but thats exactly what can happen when shared resources are abused. Unintended consequences can be highly complex, as in the case of plastic bag bans actually being harmful to the environment despite the good intentions behind the policy.

When Isaac Newton proposed the three laws of motion in 1687, the physical sciences were undergoing a considerable flurry of advancement so much so that both the Industrial Revolution (~1760-1820) and the philosophical Age of Enlightenment (~1715-1789) were spurred soon after. The advances made during these two landmark historical eras (that you surely remember from your high school history class) were made possible, in part, because of a newfound enthusiasm for leveraging scientific advances to industrial applications.

Only now in the twenty-first century are practitioners beginning to take seriously the findings and methods of behavioral science to harness them within industry. Behavioral science has graduated from being a popular buzzword to a workforce necessity at innovative companies, and the understanding of human behavior is being applied to industry in ways like never before not only for marketing purposes, but in decision-making across domains as broad as banking, consumer products, and healthcare.

Like the physical properties of the universe, human behavior is complicated. And just as Newtons Laws describe the motion of physical objects, these Laws of Human Behavior aim to provide a general model for how humans behave. People tend to stick to the status quo unless the forces of friction or fuel push us off of our path; behavior is a function of the person and their environment; every decision includes tradeoffs and the potential for unintended consequences. If we keep these three laws in mind, we should be able to design better products for people to help them behave better not only in the labs of universities but in the private sector, from your savings account to your fitness app.

Illustrations by Matt Trower

Table design by Martina Diyanova

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The Three Laws of Human Behavior | behavioraleconomics.com ...