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Every year, members of the Swedish royal family gather for Nobel Prize Award Ceremony and banquet, honoring the 2019 Nobel laureates awarded the prizes in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and literature in Stockholm, Sweden. (The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway, and the Norwegian royal family hosts that ceremony).

The Swedish royal family goes all-out for the occasion with King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia in attendance, along with Crown Princess Victoria and her husband Prince Daniel, Princess Madeleine, and Prince Carl Philip with Princess Sofia. The royal ladies traditionally wear sparkling tiaras and formal gowns fo the event, for added dazzle.

Last year, Silvia wore one of her favorite tiaras, the stunning Queen Sophia tiara, with a diamond and emerald necklace that perfectly coordinated with her green gown. Crown Princess Victoria, who is the heir to the Swedish throne, made a statement in the Connaught 'Forget-me-not" tiara, a diamond topper with circular detailing. Sofia went with pearls for her jewelry look, wearing the diamond and pearl Palmette tiara with a matching pearl choker.

Here, we've rounded up the standout tiaras as seen at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony in Stockholm today:

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Queen Silvia and Crown Princess Victoria

Silvia chose a gown with intricate gold detailing, while Victoria opted for a black off-the-shoulder style. Both royals wore tiaras.

Queen Silvia

Silvia wore one of her favorite tiaras, the Queen Sophia tiara, which is also called the Nine Prong tiara,. Silvia also wore it to last year's Nobel Prize ceremony.

Crown Princess Victoria

Victoria wore the sparkling Baden fringe diamond tiara, paired with a diamond necklace and the Braganza Rose diamond brooch.

Princess Sofia and Princess Madeleine

Princess Sofia arrives at the ceremony with Princess Madeleine. Madeleine, who did not attend the Nobel Prize ceremony last year, wore a pink gown and an aquamarine tiara.

Princess Sofia

Sofia went for an all-blue ensemble, wearing a blue off-the-shoulder gown with her diamond wedding tiara, which was accented by new blue stones. The stones appear to be turquoises.

Princess Sofia

On her wedding day, Sofia's tiara was set with emeralds, but she has swapped out those stones on a few occasions. The Princess has replaced the stones with pearls in the past, like at the Nobel Prize ceremony in 2017 and 2018.

Princess Sofia

Another look at Sofia's tiara.

Princess Madeleine

Madeleine chose the Swedish Aquamarine Kokoshnik tiara, which once belonged to Princess Margaretha. The stunning diamond piece has been worn by Madeleine before, and by Crown Princess Victoria wore the tiara to the 2017 Nobel Prize Awards, per the Court Jeweller.

Princess Madeleine

A full look at her pink ensemble.

Princess Madeleine

Madeleine also wore dazzling diamond earrings and a matching bracelet with her tiara and sash.

Princess Madeleine

Another view of Madeleine's tiara at the Nobel Prize banquet.

Queen Silvia

Silvia's stunning brooch is on display as she arrives at the Nobel Prize banquet.

Princess Sofia

A look at Sofia's coordinating turquoise earrings, which perfectly match her tiara.

Princess Sofia

The new blue stones on the top of Sofia's diamond tiara were front and center as the royal sat during the Nobel Prize banquet.

Princess Madeleine

Another look at Madeleine's tiara.

Crown Princess Victoria

Victoria dazzled in the Baden fringe tiara.

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The Swedish Royal Family Wore Dazzling Tiaras to the Nobel Prize Ceremony - TownandCountrymag.com

Images of monkeys undergoing experiments in a German laboratory stirred a wave of public outrage recently, prompting questions whether such barbaric procedures are necessary in the 21st century. Technology exists today that could replace animal testing in the future, but how far is it from practical use?

In 2018, a team of Oxford University researchers announced that their computer models of human heart cells were able to predict side effects of various medications on the heart more accurately than animal studies.

While studies done on animals assessed the risk of arrythmias in human users with the accuracy of 75-85 per cent, the computer model of actual human heart cells made a correct prediction in 89-96 per cent of cases. That means that drugs could pass the animal tests but still later cause dangerous heart problems in patients, while this risk is lower when using computer models.

We took 62 drugs such as painkillers, antihistamines or antibiotics, many of which are on the market, and we looked for biomarkers indicating the risk of arrhythmias in our simulations, says Elisa Passini, a senior researcher in the Computational Cardiovascular Science team at the University of Oxford and the lead author of the paper published in the journal Frontiers in Physiology. Then we compared our results with what is known about these drugs. For example, there are reports of patients who have had a cardiac episode while taking these drugs. We compared our results with these reports and thats how we calculated the accuracy.

Passini says the difference in favour of the human heart cells computer model might arise because animal cells and organs, while having been widely used in drug development for decades, are in many ways similar to but by no means identical to human organs and cells.

Sometimes you dont see an effect in animals and then, if you give the drug to a human being, you will see an adverse effect on the heart, she adds.

In fact, according to a 2009 paper by Yale University epidemiologist Michael B Bracken, which was published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, there have been many cases in the past when drugs deemed safe in animal studies in fact caused serious harm once introduced to humans.

For example, thalidomide, a drug sold in the late 1950s and early 1960s as a sedative and treatment for morning sickness for pregnant women caused the foetuses to develop serious defects. Such side effects were not observed in animal studies.

A 2006 UK-based phase I clinical study of am immunomodulatory drug called TGN1412 (theralizumab), designed to alleviate symptoms of autoimmune diseases, caused life-threatening side-effects to all of the six previously healthy human volunteers enrolled in the study who were given the drug. Although they received doses 500 times lower than what had been found safe in animal studies, the human subjects quickly developed multi-organ failures and required lengthy hospitalisation. The drug had previously successfully passed tests not only in mice but also in rhesus monkeys, which up until then had been considered very similar to humans in their physiology.

Hazel Screen, a professor of biomedical engineering at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), says that despite decades of use and refinement, the success rate in drug development based on the current animal models is extremely low.

Today, if something goes into clinical trials because it worked in animal models, the likelihood of it coming off is terrible, says Screen, who co-leads a project developing organ-on-a-chip technology another alternative that could replace animal tests in the future.

It currently takes approximately 14 years to develop a drug and only about 5 per cent of drugs actually end up being used to treat patients, she says.

Screen agrees with Passinis statement that one of the reasons for such a poor outcome is the fact that the cells, bodies and physiological processes of animals, while in many ways similar, simply do not perfectly match those of humans.

Screens colleague Professor Martin Knight says big pharma companies, hoping to improve this abysmal success rate, are looking for alternative technologies to at least partially replace animal tests.

Big pharma companies are primarily interested in increasing profits by getting better benefits for patients, rather than reducing animal testing per se, Knight says. They want to be able to predict more accurately whether these drugs are going to work and make sure that they progress more efficiently through the development pipeline.

According to the UK Home Office, 3.52 million scientific procedures were carried out in 2018 in the UK involving living animals, with mice, rats and fish making up 93 per cent of the total number.

The amount, the Home Office said, decreased by 7 per cent compared to 2017. Of the total amount, 1.80 million procedures were for experimental purposes, focusing on basic research, the development of new treatments, safety testing of pharmaceuticals, surgical training and education. The rest focused on the creation and breeding of genetically altered animals.

The cost of these experiments is substantial, especially since regulators, pressured by the 21st-century animal-rights-conscious public, require the scientists to improve conditions and minimise pain and suffering of the creatures used.

Many pharma companies are interested in the in-silico simulations of the Oxford University team, according to Passini. The team, which is part of the EU-funded Compbiomed initiative, has developed a software called Virtual Assay, which can run on a regular laptop and complete a simulation of 100 human heart cells interacting with a certain drug in about five minutes.

Our models are built on data from human patients, says Passini. Its usually patients that have gone through some surgery during which the doctors removed some cells, which were further studied. We also use data from healthy hearts that were not suitable for transplantations. The models are based on a large number of equations that represent what we know about the cardiac cells, their behaviour, their membranes, and the transport of ions in and out of cells.

These models, Passini says, are now quite ready to replace the early stage so-called in-vitro experiments experiments conducted on animal cells or small tissue samples.

We hope that our technology could in the not so distant future replace most of the in-vitro experiments, she adds. That would already make a huge difference because very large numbers of animals are used for these early stage experiments. The scientists kill the animals and take their cells. A much smaller number of animals is used for the later-stage in-vivo experiments.

The Oxford team can already run 3D simulations of an entire human heart. The availability of computational power, or lack thereof, is, however, the major stumbling block for this type of complex simulation.

We have access to some of the most powerful supercomputers in Europe, but it still takes hours to simulate a single heartbeat in 3D, Passini adds. We can afford to do this for scientific purposes, but the availability of such computer power is still limiting the use of these simulations by the industry. We are exploring alternatives, such as GPUs, which might make it more affordable in the future.

The Compbiomed project, which has recently concluded its first stage, has the ultimate goal of creating the entire human organism in silico that could be used for drug testing and simulations of various health conditions.

QMULs Knight says that the organ-on-a-chip technology could in the future reduce the number of mice, the most commonly used animal species in medical research, needed at certain stages of the drug development process. But for that to happen, the alternative technologies have to be validated and proved as reliable (if not more) as the currently used animal models.

The regulatory authorities are understandably going to be nervous about accepting results entirely from a completely new technology compared to using a set of well-established, if not always very accurate, animal models, Knight declares.

For them to accept new technologies, such as organ-on-a-chip, you have to prove that your liver, lung or gut model works in every imaginable set-up. Thats a lot of science and validation and confirmation before you reach that point.

Organ-on-a-chip systems use living human cells in a 3D device to mimic how human organs function. These devices can be used to test both the safety and efficacy of new medicines and other products, reducing the dependency on animal experiments. Usually the size of a 50-pence coin, chips already exist simulating human liver, lung and intestine.

Creating an environment that would simulate, as closely as possible, the environment in which the cells exist in the human body is the greatest engineering challenge facing the researchers.

Its become clear recently that mechanical forces have a huge impact on cell biology and therefore on how drugs behave, says Knight. Therefore, we need to make sure that the model systems that are being developed incorporate the right mechanical forces that the different tissues experience. For example, a model of the lung has to incorporate stretching as you inflate your lung; it has to incorporate the flow of air over the surface of the cells of the lung and the flow of blood in the blood vessels. And only by incorporating these key mechanical stimuli can we hope to generate a model that is truly predictive of how a drug is to behave in a body.

Last year, QMUL received a grant from Research Councils UK to lead a network that aims to bring together the UK research community in order to advance organ-on-a-chip development and cooperate with regulators and industry on validating the technology so that it can be rolled out on a larger scale.

While the complete end of animal experiments in medical science may be decades away, the researchers are positive that with the introduction of already existing technologies, their validation and further improvement, the numbers of animals required for the advancement of science will be gradually but significantly reduced over the coming decades.

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Is the end of animal testing in sight? - E&T Magazine

The three University of Virginia professors named 2020 Outstanding Faculty Award winners Friday by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia push the boundaries of the typical classroom and of their academic disciplines, employing hands-on experiences for students and conducting game-changing scholarship to aid humanity.

Arthur Weltman, professor and founding chair of the Department of Kinesiology in the Curry School of Education and Human Development, also holds UVAs 2019-21 Cavaliers Distinguished Teaching Professorship. Kirsten Gelsdorf, a professor of practice in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy, came to UVA after working for the United Nations for two decades. Ryan Huish, an associate professor of biology at UVAs College at Wise, takes students of all ages outside, making the surrounding natural world their classroom and market.

Since 1987, the SCHEV awards have recognized faculty at Virginias institutions of higher learning who exemplify the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service.Among the 12 awardees from Virginias colleges and universities, UVAs trio will be recognized for exemplifying the highest standards of teaching, scholarship and service at a March 9 ceremony in Richmond. Each will receive $7,500 from Dominion Energy, co-sponsor of the faculty awards.

A closer look at the awardees:

Gelsdorf was one of two professors SCHEV recognized as a Rising Star for early career achievements. Although she has only been on UVAs faculty for 3 years, she has already won teaching awards from Batten and from the University, as well as received perfect course-evaluation ratings from students.

The demand for her class, Global Humanitarian Crises, a 40-student seminar, skyrocketed to more than 200 students. She also piloted Battens first remote synchronous learning course to include students from UVAs College at Wise.

One student mentioned that Gelsdorfs weekend-long humanitarian crisis simulation required a higher level of thinking than any other college assignment he had undertaken. This experience encapsulates Professor Gelsdorfs desire to push us as students, to help bridge the gap between the theoretical and the practical, the student wrote.

As a professor of practice, Gelsdorf brings two decades of professional experience in United Nations programs to the University to bridge the academic-practitioner divide and influence policy change, activities that have operated on isolated tracks for too long, she wrote.

The field of global humanitarian aid, which has defined my lifes work, rests on the principle of the humanitarian imperative that people have the right to give and receive aid, she wrote. Through her scholarship and teaching, Gelsdorf aims to help expand and strengthen research and partnerships on Grounds and around the world that can influence policy change.

It is my clear responsibility to bring the questions of global humanity to this next generation.

- Kirsten Gelsdorf

The world will increasingly face unanswered questions and intractable challenges that result from conflict and disasters happening around the world. That is why I am so thankful that Batten and its leadership and public policy mission give me the unique opportunity to combine research and policy engagement into a portfolio where I can build partnerships between incredible faculty, students and external organizations to work on the humanitarian issues I care so deeply about, Gelsdorf wrote in an email after hearing she had won the award.

As Battens director of humanitarian policy, she has undertaken numerous high-level research and policy projects with organizations like the Red Cross, Global Emergency Groupand United Nations.

Together with other Batten faculty, she is now launching a series of research and policy labs that include work on early childhood education in crisis contexts and predictive analytics for migration that are being launched this month in London and at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva.

This year, she also published with Daniel G. Maxwell, a colleague at Tufts University, Understanding the Humanitarian World, a book that traces the development of the modern humanitarian aid system and has already been adopted by numerous universities and international organizations.

An associate professor of biology at UVAs College at Wise, Huish specifically focuses on ethnobotany, the study of human-plant interactions.

He encourages student-centered learning in the classroom in novel ways. For example, in his General Botany course, he has asked his students to choreograph and perform an interpretive dance on the process of photosynthesis, one of the most important biochemical reactions to life on Earth, yet a very complex and difficult process to grasp.

Writing about his love for plants, which he links to his earliest memories, Huish wrote in a teaching statement, The beautiful complexity of photosynthetic organisms is what originally filled our early atmosphere with life-sustaining oxygen by splitting water molecules; sparked the dawn of modern human civilization in the Fertile Crescent with agriculture; initiated globalization with the spice trade; solicited trade wars; manufactured compounds that humans converted to pharmaceuticals and the list of connections goes on.

His passion for plants and dedication to teaching everyone to love and respect plants was so inspiring it changed my whole career path, wrote Jenni Gilliam, a former student whos an intern at the Center for Appalachian Studies.

He doesnt just teach the biology of plants to undergraduate students; he also teaches younger students and adult community members about local edible plants, plus medicinal or economic possibilities with plants.

He learns from them, too, and is currently interviewing community members to preserve not only Appalachian traditional uses and folklore, but also to work toward preserving the native plants and their habitats.

He has conducted medical botany research in the South Pacific Islands, working with local people of the Tonga islands. In addition, he leads a UVA-Wise team working with a Tongan plant that potentially could prevent the effects of MRSA, an antibiotic-resistant super bug becoming more common in hospitals.

My passion is to help others comprehend at even some small level, the vast beauty, potential and complexity of these humble yet magnificent organisms.

- Ryan Huish

Closer to home, Huish is also researching the potential of hemp to replace tobacco farming and the development of maple syrup as a product. He and his students share their knowledge with the community, and he has led a tour of his own farm to show methods of woodland management. He is collaborating with the regional nonprofit organization Appalachian Sustainable Development and Virginia Tech in the Appalachian Beginning Forest Farmer Coalition.

I am grateful and honored to have received this award, Huish wrote in an email. I feel that this award reflects the greater good and the strengths of UVA-Wise, which espouses the liberal arts paradigm of applying deep interdisciplinary collaboration and societal connections to problem-solving. I am proud that we emphasize the well-rounded development of these skills in our students and faculty for real and meaningful progress.

Arthur Weltman was awarded the 2019-21 Cavaliers Distinguished Teaching Professorship earlier this year, an endowed chair that recognizes an eminent scholar for outstanding and enduring excellence in the teaching of undergraduates.

During his 35 years at UVAs Curry School of Education and Human Development, he has led its exercise physiology program. Curry School Dean Robert Pianta appointed him the founding chair of the new Department of Kinesiology in 2013.

He also founded and directs the Exercise Physiology Core Laboratory, funded by the National Institutes of Health for 30 years, and holds a joint appointment in the School of Medicine. Weltmans research focuses on the role of intense and regular exercise in health and disease. He and his collaborators have contributed to understanding how exercise affects individuals from children to older adults.

Through his exercise physiology courses, he has influenced thousands of graduate and undergraduate students and trained scientists in exercise intervention. His students engage in the exercise research as participants as well as investigators. They have written about how much they learn in his challenging classes and how much they appreciate his laid-back approach and availability.

Weltman also helped to initiate both peer and alumni mentoring programs, and he continues to serve as a resource for students long after they graduate. Many have gone on to academic careers and point to his mentorship for influencing their success.

Recognized by the Seven Society and the Z Society for his passion and devotion to teaching at the University, Weltman wrote that the opportunity to teach and learn from students in and outside of the classroom is one of the joys of my job and among the most rewarding experiences of my career.

The opportunity to teach and learn from students in and outside of the classroom is one of the joys of my job and among the most rewarding experiences of my career.

- Arthur Weltman

He added that he is both honored and humbled to be named a recipient of this prestigious award. From my perspective, this award is a testament to the talented students, faculty and staff who I have had the pleasure of working with over the last 35 years at UVA, he wrote in an email about the SCHEV award.

His research is known nationally and internationally. The NIH has funded his research projects, many with cross-disciplinary collaborators and students, for more than 30 years. He has published 246 papers in refereed journals at last count, many with student co-authors, and his work has an exceptionally high rate of citation by other researchers.

Some of the topics he and colleagues have studied include whether strength training is safe and effective for prepubescent children, and how high-intensity exercise affects growth hormone release or cardiometabolic risk in older adults.

He has served as an exercise physiology adviser for the Department of Athletics at UVA since 1990, as well as for a number of professional sports teams.

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UVA, UVA-Wise Land Three Professors Among State's Top 12 for 2020 - University of Virginia