Category Archives: Neuroscience

Neuroscience

Events this week: Managing stress through neuroscience, Yoga, and story time – mysouthborough

by beth on April 21, 2020

Above: Dont forget, SYFS is inviting you to join a special online talk Wednesday night by an expert to help manage stress

Here are highlights of whats happening around town this week. (There is one more potential event later this week, but the details are still TBD, so Im holding off on sharing.)

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

Thursday, April 23, 2020

Friday, April 24, 2020

Tagged as:southborough-events-this-week

Read the rest here:
Events this week: Managing stress through neuroscience, Yoga, and story time - mysouthborough

Neuroscience

The neuroscience of self-isolating and how technology helps us cope – The Next Web

Large numbers of people around the globe have been forced into solitude due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, social distancing is utterly at odds with our drive for social connection, the cornerstone of human evolution.

Suddenly confronted with a lack of social interactions, many of us are now experiencing more loneliness. We are missing that reassuring hug or shoulder pat from another human things we might normally expect in times of adversity. To cope, we try to fill the void with online social activities, such as synchronized Netflix viewings, games and video chat dance parties. But do these help?

When we spend quality time with another person, we experience intrinsic joy. Brain scanning studies show that subcortical brain regions, such as the ventral striatum, which plays an important role in motivation, are activated when receiving monetary and social rewards.

Loneliness can be seen in the brain. SpeedKingz/Shutterstock

When we feel lonely and rejected, brain regions associated with distress and rumination are activated instead. This may be due to evolution driving us to establish and maintain social connections to ensure survival. Lonely people also have a more negative focus and anxiously scrutinize peoples intentions. Sometimes this can become so strong that it makes us feel even more lonely creating a vicious cycle.

Not everyone relishes social connection to the same extent though. People with a more extrovert personality type seek more social activities, have access to larger social networks, and report lower perceived loneliness. People who score highly on neuroticism tend to report more perceived social isolation.

Loneliness has for some time been recognized as a significant threat to physical and mental health and has been found to be predictive of mortality.

So how can you best cope with loneliness and isolation? Analysis has suggested that the most successful interventions find ways to address the distorted thinking that loneliness creates. So if you are feeling lonely, try identifying automatic negative thoughts such as assuming people dont want to hear from you and reframing them as hypotheses rather than facts.

Another recent review of literature found that targeting coping strategies can also be beneficial. It discovered that approaches such as joining a support group to remove feelings of loneliness work particularly well. Emotion-based coping strategies, such as lowering expectations about relationships, were not as effective.

Social media is often vilified in public discourse. But many people who are self-isolating now rely on online social tools. An important aspect missing in instant messaging and social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, however, is the nonverbal cue such as a smile, gesture or glance. These allow us to gauge the tone and context of a social encounter. When this information is missing, we perceive fewer friendly cues from others.

So while online tools can be helpful during periods of isolation, embodiment and social presence are nevertheless missing. But there are ways to boost the rewards of online communication. One study used augmented reality to enable two people to interact with each others video chat images and found that they reported a higher sense of social presence and a more engaging experience. Similarly, participating in shared activities benefits the formation of close relationships with others. So whether it is a virtual pub quiz or a dance party, this may be particularly valuable during the lockdown.

Robots designed to engage us on a social level could also help isolated people feel less lonely, as they carry the benefit of embodiment. In a randomized control trial with Paro, a cuddly baby seal robot, residents in a care home who interacted with it reported reduced feelings of loneliness.

Research from our own laboratory seeks to identify how robotic features or behaviors influence our ability to feel socially connected to these machines. For example, a new study highlights that people conversationally engage with a humanoid robot to a similar extent as another person, and more so than with a voice assistant like Alexa or Siri.

New advances in mobile brain imaging technologies, along with the increasing social sophistication of some robots, provide opportunities for examining how people establish and maintain social connections with robots in real-time.

While the rise of social robots appears futuristic, they are already moving out of factories and into our homes, supermarkets, and hospitals. They even have new social roles in the coronavirus crisis for example as supermarket assistants, reminding shoppers of new health and safety rules.

Until we all have a sophisticated social robot to keep us company, perhaps the best remedy is to keep in touch with our loved ones online, especially through shared activities. And lets focus on the fact that close human contact will soon be safe again.

This article is republished from The ConversationbyEmily S. Cross, Professor of Social Robotics, Macquarie University and Anna Henschel, PhD Candidate in Psychology & Neuroscience, University of Glasgowunder a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read next: FANG's coronavirus bounce added $251 billion to their market values

Read our daily coverage on how the tech industry is responding to the coronavirus and subscribe to our weekly newsletter Coronavirus in Context.

For tips and tricks on working remotely, check out our Growth Quarters articles here or follow us on Twitter.

Visit link:
The neuroscience of self-isolating and how technology helps us cope - The Next Web

Neuroscience

Keeping the zen in college | UDaily – UDaily

Article by Diane Stopyra Illustrations by Jeffrey C. Chase April 20, 2020

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic unfolds, there are few certainties. Among them? Netflix is a saving grace. Go ahead and binge that show about a tiger-obsessed man in Oklahoma or a money-laundering accountant in the Ozarks. Getting lost in someone elses story is a reprieve from your own. Zoning out is good for you.

But as it turns out zoning in is even better.

This is the philosophy behind mindfulness, the practice of paying close attention to the present moment. This means tuning in to external happenings say, the sound of a dog breathing at your feet or the sight of a tree branch blowing in the wind. It also means bringing attention to your internal state. Rather than trying to suppress or ignore thoughts, emotions or sensations as they arise, the goal is acknowledging these feelings and letting them pass without judgement. Research indicates the benefits are myriad: less stress, more self-compassion and greater immunity.

Escape activities like bingeing on Netflix are fine, said Amy Griffin, associate professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Science in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Delaware who specializes in mindfulness training for the 20-something demographic. Theres nothing wrong with that. But introducing a little bit of mindfulness into your day can ease some suffering longer term. Such a practice allows us to feel comfortable with being uncomfortable, so were better equipped to deal with whatever comes up.

Since the beginning of the spring semester, Griffin has been teaching a class for undergraduate neuroscience and psychology students on mindfulness and the brain. But once the coronavirus outbreak forced the UD community along with the rest of the world into quarantine, she figured more people might be craving a stress-coping mechanism, so she launched a free, four-week, virtual class on mindfulness for graduate students, happening now. She will also run a second section beginning April 30. Participants in each course will learn the benefits of two major mindfulness strategies: the body-mind integration you see with activities like yoga or deep-breathing exercises, and meditation.

People think you need to be a monk on a mountaintop to do this kind of thing, Griffin said. But if you can breathe, you can meditate.

Big caveat: Not all meditators are created equal. Take 20-somethings, for instance.

They dont respond very well to being told they need to sit on a cushion with their thoughts for 20 minutes a day, said Griffin, whose classes cater specifically to this demographic. That kind of strict sitting-with-your-thoughts thing may work for some people, but for college-aged students, graduate students and people with a lot on their plate, its good to have a variety of options.

For these individuals, Griffin, who is training as a mindfulness teacher with the North Carolina-based Koru Center, suggests guided meditation apps like the Ten percent Happier or Insight Timer options so that someone is holding your hand through the process. She also recommends a simple breath practice in which you breathe in for four counts, hold for two counts and breathe out for six counts this will trick the brain into relaxing, she said. Shoot for 10 mindful minutes per day, Griffin added, keeping in mind that consistency is more important than quantity.

But if youre finding it difficult to devote any time at all to nothing but mindfulness, dont despair. It is possible to bring such a practice to existing activities. Consider the (socially distanced) walk you are already taking around the neighborhood every afternoon. Dont spend it fretting over what happened yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. Rather, focus on the present moment by paying mind to the sensory input all around you the sound of a leaf crunching underfoot, the sight of paint chipping from a nearby fire hydrant, or the smell of barbeque coming from the house next door.

When it comes time to brush your teeth? Dont rush through the ritual while thinking about the answers to your last online quiz or that email you need to send your boss in the morning. Instead, bring attention to the circular motion of the activity or the sensation of the bristles in your mouth.

Focusing on just one thing at a time feels like a luxury, but its the way we should be conducting ourselves all the time for brain health and wellbeing, Griffin said. We love to multitask, but multitasking is actually very bad for the brain. If you can focus on just one thing at a time, youll be amazed at how much more you get out of it.

This is all easier said than done, as humans are easily hijacked by every passing notion.

We give so much credence to our thoughts, Griffin said. We take them so seriously. And theyre really just thoughts. Most of the time, we cant even verify whether theyre true.

Part of the problem is that, when a thought or feeling pops into the head of a typical human, the usual response is not to simply acknowledge it and let it go but, rather, to assign a story to it. Say, for example, you feel irritated by your spouse or your siblings during this period of national lockdown, in which families are enduring forced togetherness. The urge is rarely to feel the irritation and move on. Instead, people pile on extra feelings of guilt or anger, thinking something along the lines of: It is so selfish to feel irritated when so many people are truly suffering.

You judge yourself, and you try to analyze, analyze, analyze, Griffin said. But you cant think your way out of a feeling. The counterintuitive practice is to watch the feeling arise and then to watch it go away.

And remember, Griffin said, mindfulness is not meant only for some enlightened group of sherpas or transcendent yogis. People who struggle to stay in the present moment likely have the most to gain, so if thats you keep at it.

Something I hear frequently is I cant meditate, because I cant shut off my thoughts, Griffin said. But mindfulness is not about achieving a blank mind. Its about becoming familiar with what your mind is doing. Whatever strong emotion comes up, you can handle it, as long as you face it. Lean into it. Dont try to stuff it down.

Besides, if you ever do want a blank mind?

You already have Netflix for that.

Go here to read the rest:
Keeping the zen in college | UDaily - UDaily

Neuroscience

Five from UAB awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships – The Mix

Such competitive awards demonstrate that UAB provides students an exceptionally strong foundation for research success.

Such competitive awards demonstrate that UAB provides students an exceptionally strong foundation for research success.A University of Alabama at Birmingham doctoral student and four recent alumni have been awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.

The full fellowships provide up to three years of support for graduate education, including a $34,000 annual stipend plus $12,000 per year toward the cost of their graduate work. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship program receives more than 12,000 applications each year and selects about 2,000 students.

Awardees include:

Queenisha Crichlow, who is pursuing a doctorate in medical clinical psychology at UAB, works in the lab of Sylvie Mrug, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Psychology in the UAB College of Arts and Sciences. Crichlow is studying socio-cultural risk and protective factors that reduce the likelihood of poor academic achievement, substance use and delinquency among African American youth.

Niharika Loomba (18), a UAB Honors College alumna who earned a degree in neuroscience, will begin graduate studies at Vanderbilt University this fall. She researches connectivity between specific brain regions in neurodevelopmental disorders.

Beau Johnson (18), a UAB Honors College alumnus who graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering, is pursuing a doctorate at Vanderbilt University. He is conducting research in biomechanics and assistive technologies, such as exoskeletons and prostheses.

Don Long (19) completed UABs Prep Scholars Program, which prepares under-represented students in biomedical/behavioral research for graduate degrees. He is a first-year doctoral student at Cornell University studying the gut microbiome as it pertains to starch degradation.

Catherine Marie Porter (17) who graduated from UAB with a degree in biomedical engineering, is continuing her studies in the same field at the University of Pennsylvania.

Three current students and two recent alumni received honorable mentions during the application process:

Indonesia Jordan, a graduate of Alabama A&M University, is studying behavioral neuroscience at UAB. She works in the lab of David Knight, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychology, studying the impact of chronic pain on emotional learning, memory and expression processes.

Tiffany DeVaughn Tucker, a first-year doctoral student in medical/clinical psychology, is using neuroimaging and neuropsychological assessments to study risk factors of cognitive deficits in patients with sickle cell disease. Tucker works in the lab of Donna Murdaugh, Ph.D., assistant professor in the UAB School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics.

Haley Beck, a post-baccalaureate student, is completing the UAB Prep Scholars Program and working in the lab of Despina Stavrinos, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychology. She will begin a doctoral program in experimental psychology at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville this fall.

Roshan Darji (18) completed degrees in biology, mathematics and chemistry at UAB and is a graduate of the UAB Honors College. He is studying bioinformatics and computational biology at Emory University.

Anastasia Niver (18) completed dual degrees in chemistry and neuroscience and was a student in the UAB Honors Colleges University Honors Program. She is currently pursuing a doctorate in chemistry at Duke University.

NSF fellowships are highly competitive, said Ashley Kuntz, Ph.D., director of UAB National and International Fellowships and Scholarships. It speaks highly of all the UAB faculty who have trained these students and continue to invest in their success. Time spent studying at UAB obviously provides an exceptionally strong foundation for research success.

As the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship has a long history of selecting recipients who achieve high levels of success in their future academic and professional careers. The reputation of the GRFP follows recipients and often helps them become lifelong leaders who contribute significantly to both scientific innovation and teaching. Past fellows include numerous Nobel Prize winners, such as former United States Secretary of EnergySteven Chu, Google founderSergey BrinandFreakonomicsco-authorSteven Levitt.

Continue reading here:
Five from UAB awarded National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships - The Mix

Neuroscience

Corona Virus Outbreak: NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS Market 2020 Industry Growth Analysis, Segmentation, Size, Share, Trend, Future Demand And…

NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS Players/Suppliers Profiles and Sales Data:Company, Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base and Competitors, Product Category, Application and Specification with Sales, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin, Main Business/Business Overview.

The report presents a highly comprehensive and accurate research study on the globalNEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS market. It offers PESTLE analysis, qualitative and quantitative analysis, Porters Five Forces analysis, and absolute dollar opportunity analysis to help players improve their business strategies. It also sheds light on critical NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS Marketdynamics such as trends and opportunities, drivers, restraints, and challenges to help market participants stay informed and cement a strong position in the industry. With competitive landscape analysis, the authors of the report have made a brilliant attempt to help readers understand important business tactics that leading companies use to maintainNEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS market sustainability.

Download Premium Sample Copy Of This Report:Download FREE Sample PDF!

Global NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS Market to reach USD 5.1 billion by 2025.

Global NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS Market valued approximately USD 2.1 billion in 2016 is anticipated to grow with a healthy growth rate of more than 10.3% over the forecast period 2017-2025. The increasing automation of high-throughput screening and the availability of robust data management software tools, which enable researchers to develop systemic and process-oriented approaches toward neuroscience antibodies and assays techniques are some of the factors contributing to the growth of this segment.

The objective of the study is to define market sizes of different segments & countries in recent years and to forecast the values to the coming eight years. The report is designed to incorporate both qualitative and quantitative aspects of the industry within each of the regions and countries involved in the study. Furthermore, the report also caters the detailed information about the crucial aspects such as driving factors & challenges which will define the future growth of the market. Additionally, the report shall also incorporate available opportunities in micro markets for stakeholders to invest along with the detailed analysis of competitive landscape and product offerings of key players. The detailed segments and sub-segment of the market are explained below:

By Product

oReagents

oInstruments

By Technology

oImmunoassay

oMolecular Diagnostics

By End User

oResearch Institutes

oHospitals

By Regions:

oNorth America

oU.S.

oCanada

oEurope

oUK

oGermany

oAsia Pacific

oChina

oIndia

oJapan

oRest of the World

Furthermore, years considered for the study are as follows:

Historical year 2015

Base year 2016

Forecast period 2017 to 2025

Some of the key manufacturers involved in the market are. Thermo Fisher Scientific, Abcam, Bio-Rad, Merck KGAA, Cell Signaling Technology, Genscript, Rockland Immunochemicals. Bio Legend, Santa Cruz Biotechnology, Tecan, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Siemens. Acquisitions and effective mergers are some of the strategies adopted by the key manufacturers. New product launches and continuous technological innovations are the key strategies adopted by the major players.

Target Audience of the Global NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS in Market Study:

oKey Consulting Companies & Advisors

oLarge, medium-sized, and small enterprises

oVenture capitalists

oValue-Added Resellers (VARs)

oThird-party knowledge providers

oInvestment bankers

oInvestors

Have Any Query Or Specific Requirement?Ask Our Industry Experts!

Table of Contents:

Study Coverage:It includes study objectives, years considered for the research study, growth rate and NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS market size of type and application segments, key manufacturers covered, product scope, and highlights of segmental analysis.

Executive Summary:In this section, the report focuses on analysis of macroscopic indicators, market issues, drivers, and trends, competitive landscape, CAGR of the global NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS market, and global production. Under the global production chapter, the authors of the report have included market pricing and trends, global capacity, global production, and global revenue forecasts.

NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS Market Size by Manufacturer: Here, the report concentrates on revenue and production shares of manufacturers for all the years of the forecast period. It also focuses on price by manufacturer and expansion plans and mergers and acquisitions of companies.

Production by Region:It shows how the revenue and production in the global market are distributed among different regions. Each regional market is extensively studied here on the basis of import and export, key players, revenue, and production.

About Us:

We publish market research reports & business insights produced by highly qualified and experienced industry analysts. Our research reports are available in a wide range of industry verticals including aviation, food & beverage, healthcare, ICT, Construction, Chemicals and lot more. Brand Essence Market Research report will be best fit for senior executives, business development managers, marketing managers, consultants, CEOs, CIOs, COOs, and Directors, governments, agencies, organizations and Ph.D. Students.

Top Trending Reports:

https://brandessenceresearch.com/healthcare/chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease

https://brandessenceresearch.com/healthcare/point-of-care-ultrasound-market-growth

Continued here:
Corona Virus Outbreak: NEUROSCIENCE ANTIBODIES AND ASSAYS Market 2020 Industry Growth Analysis, Segmentation, Size, Share, Trend, Future Demand And...

Neuroscience

Virtual Dance Marathon 2020 highlights intersection of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 – Daily Bruin

Dance Marathon brought participants together in a time when everyone is meant to be apart.

The event, which took place Saturday on Zoom, united over 300 dancers on the virtual platform for four hours. Balancing educational content with bursts of upbeat activities like a drag performance, the annual event preserved its aim to illuminate the stories of those affected by HIV/AIDS and bring awareness to the cause. The Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA, which hosts the event, hoped to highlight the commonalities of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 by showing how these conditions are exacerbated by each other, said PAC president and fourth-year neuroscience and Spanish student Sophie Ahmad.

We want to talk about how it intersects with COVID-19 just because they are similar in their history, the stigma surrounding people and the fear that broke out when this unknown infection was spreading around, Ahmad said.

The gathering began with opening statements from Ahmad detailing Dance Marathons goal of defeating the stigma against HIV/AIDS. Decked in PACs bright yellow Unite T-shirt, the organizations president introduced the a cappella group Medleys A Cappella to sing the national anthem. Then, with a screen split into a multitude of windows, viewers could see each of the singers faces as they sang a rendition of John Lennons Imagine.

Transitioning from song to dance, PACs leadership urged the audience to join them in the 2020 morale dance, traditionally taught at the beginning of every Dance Marathon. This years morale dance drew inspiration from daily life in quarantine, with moves inspired by mundane tasks like washing your feet or taking cereal off the shelf. Accentuated by quick shoulder shimmies and hip twirls, the morale dance was set to Diana Rosss disco classic Im Coming Out and was repeated three times throughout the event.

After the morale dance portion, PACs leaders introduced the team captains and their colors ranging from a tie-dyed orange shirt to green gym shorts followed by speaker Ben Banks and his experience with pediatric HIV/AIDS. After Banks story concluded, the cause education committee gave an educational presentation touching upon HIV/AIDS myths and the effects its stigma leaves upon those with it. One member of the committee, second-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student Sam Joslyn, discussed the impact of stigma in relation to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, including the physical assault of an Asian man in London.

The effect of this stigma is in all aspects of life, Joslyn said. Theres been a rise in verbal and physical hate crimes all around the world, and this type of scapegoating has a long history.

After taking questions about the presentation from the audience, the event transitioned into a performance by drag queen Lorelai. Strutting to Billie Eilishs bad guy in a skintight velvet suit and coiffed mustache, Lorelai used the online platform to her advantage by utilizing a split-screen to project two versions of herself at once. Once the drag queen walked off the screen, PAC leaders facilitated the morale dance once again before beginning the events vigil to honor those with HIV/AIDS.

During the vigil, several UCLA-affiliated musicians performed, including Izzy Escobar, Mad, Akshay Anand, Shivan, Dark Dazey and Taxi. Escobar, lit by a hazy pink rose projected onto her, performed a song of hope that described how the light always comes when you stop looking.

Mad followed with a stripped-down ukulele song about the idealism of youth and teenage cliches, while Anand sang maybe Ive been alone too long, drawing attention to the looming uncertainty of the current climate. Later, former Spring Sing contestants Dark Dazey and Taxi lightened the mood with upbeat, rock-infused dance tracks, while Shivan looped his guitar for a Michael Jackson cover.

Interspersed between musical performances, representatives from beneficiaries like Camp Laurel spoke about their experiences with HIV/AIDS. Alumna Kelly Gluckman discussed her experience contracting the virus from her boyfriend, touching upon the utility of poetry and creative writing as an outlet to express her feelings. Others spoke about their experiences at Camp Laurel as counselors finding a sense of community for the first time.

After the live speakers concluded, Appurva Goel, PACs executive director of outreach and fourth-year economics and communication student, asked the participants to join another bout of random dancing before announcing how much had been fundraised. The grand total was $143,288.59 and served as a representation of the communitys dedication to bringing awareness to HIV/AIDS, particularly in the uncertainty of todays climate, Goel said.

A movement is not constructed of figures and facts, but people willing to take a stand against injustice and suffering, Goel said.

Read more here:
Virtual Dance Marathon 2020 highlights intersection of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 - Daily Bruin

Neuroscience

Nearly two-thirds of students enrolled in four courses – The Dartmouth

by Andrew Sasser | 4/20/20 2:30am

With the transition to remote learning and credit/no credit grading for the spring term, 63 percent of students are taking four courses rather than three this term, according to a survey conducted by The Dartmouth.

In an email to The Dartmouth, College registrar Meredith Braz confirmed that more students than usual are currently enrolled in four courses. She added that students can drop courses until May 11 and withdraw from courses until May 20, so specific numbers are likely to change.

By class year, just 33 percent of survey respondents in the Class of 2020 indicated that they were taking four classes this term, compared to an average of 72 percent across juniors, sophomores and freshmen. A total of almost 570 people responded to the survey between April 14 and 18.

In a survey question asking whether the circumstances including credit/no credit, remote classes and personal or family situation of COVID-19 affected course selection, 41 percent said that they chose to take more classes due to the terms circumstances, while 17 percent said that the changes to term had no impact on their course selection. Additionally, nine percent said that at least one of their classes was canceled due to COVID-19 circumstances.

Grace Lu 23 said that she chose to take four courses to further explore her academic interests. She said that she chose to take an extra course because she thought that she was going to be bored at home, and she also wanted to use the time to figure out what she wants to major in.

I was thinking about majoring in cognitive science, neuroscience or psychology, Lu said. I decided to add on a psychology course this term so I can figure out what Im interested in, maybe even by the end of the term.

Twenty-five percent of survey respondents said that due to the terms format, they enrolled in more difficult courses. Anahita Kodali 23 said that because classes this term are being graded on a credit/no credit scale, she decided to take ECON 1, The Price System: Analysis, Problems and Policies a class that she said would have otherwise killed her grade point average.

Student opinions varied when surveyed about the difficulty of their classes this term: 40 percent of students indicated that their classes this term required the same amount of effort compared to an on-campus term, while 33 percent indicated that they required more effort and 27 percent indicated that their courses required less effort.

Some students have found their workloads to require a larger time commitment. Nicole Evans 22, who is taking four classes, said that despite the transition to remote learning, all of her classes are very time-consuming.

Even for pass/fail, it almost feels like my classes are more work, Evans said, adding that [i]ts been a little hard to find motivation when Im at home.

Additionally, some students had to adjust their course schedule due to class cancellations. Nik Morgan 23 said that she struggled to find classes that interested her after a class that she had originally planned to take, HIST 8.01, Body Parts, Body Wholes: An Introduction to the Comparative History of Medicine, was canceled.

Since add/drop crashed and every class filled up, I am stuck in classes I did not want to take, Morgan said. I was boxed out of being able to fulfill major prerequisites.

In response to student demand, some classes expanded their enrollment caps this term. Computer science professor Devin Balkcom said that his COSC 1, Introduction to Programming and Computation course expanded its enrollment cap from 190 to 300 students in light of the transition to remote learning. Balkcom added that in response to increased enrollment, he also increased the number of student section leaders in his class.

Because the term is so unusual, I wanted to reduce the ratio of section leaders to students, so we now have 60 section leaders, Balkcom said. Its an army to organize, but this way we can maintain the same degree of hands-on help like in a normal term.

Similarly, biological sciences department chair Thomas Jack said that a number of courses in the biology department saw their enrollments go up fairly dramatically.

Jack said that most courses especially introduction and intermediate level courses removed or increased enrollment caps. Some upper-level seminar courses chose to maintain caps because professors felt [size] was important with how they taught their courses.

In contrast, economics department chair Nina Pavcnik said that most economics courses maintained their enrollment caps in spite of increased demand. She said that while additional students wanted to enroll in economics courses after credit/no credit grading was announced, the department was not willing to increase most enrollment caps, as they wanted to maintain the same level of interaction between faculty and students.

From April 14 to April 18, The Dartmouth fielded an online survey of Dartmouth undergraduate students asking about their course-load for the spring term. The survey was sent out to 4655 students through their Dartmouth email addresses. Five hundred and sixty nine responses were recorded, resulting in an 12.2 percent response rate with a margin of error of +/- 3.8 percentage points. Using administrative data from the Colleges Office of Institutional Research, responses were weighted by race/ethnicity, gender and graduation year. Weighting was done through iterative post-stratification (raking).

See the rest here:
Nearly two-thirds of students enrolled in four courses - The Dartmouth

Neuroscience

Report on neuroscience trends to aid researchers – Taipei Times

By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

Clarivate Analytics and the Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center on Friday published a report showcasing neuroscience research to help Taiwanese researchers keep up with trends in the field.

The report, titled Analysis of Neuroscience Research Fronts, shows that the global trend for neuroscience research is focused on clinical neuroscience and nerve-related diseases, neurogenetics and cognitive neuroscience.

The US, the UK and Germany issued the most papers that were frequently cited, it said.

The University of California, Harvard University and the University of London were the top three institutes that issued papers, the report said.

Papers published by the University of Toronto have the highest average citation and the institute is considered the most influential, it added.

Center director-general Joung Yuh-jzer () said that nations are injecting cash into neuroscience research, while private funds and venture capital are also investing heavily in new companies in the field.

Neuroscience research from Taiwan is concentrated on neuromodulation, nerve injuries and neurodevelopment disorders, Joung said.

Over the past five years, Taiwan has published nearly 650 papers per year, Joung added.

The report said that Taipei Veterans General Hospital, National Taiwan University and National Yang Ming University regularly publish quality papers.

While mostly consistent with the direction of international research in the same field, Taiwans focus centers on migraines, sleep apnea, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, depression and stroke, a direction perhaps influenced by the number of clinical studies in the nation, the center said.

Some experts said that Taiwan should find a localized subject of research, the report said, adding that while Taiwan benefits from National Health Insurance archive data, it lacks a more systematic integration of the data to give researchers better understanding of diseases.

Taiwan could consider extending its research toward medical materials, such as nerve conduits used to regenerate or repair the nervous systems, or skin dressing that would enhance nerve regeneration, the report said.

Comments will be moderated. Keep comments relevant to the article. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks of any kind or promotion will be removed and the user banned. Final decision will be at the discretion of the Taipei Times.

The rest is here:
Report on neuroscience trends to aid researchers - Taipei Times

Neuroscience

Grant clears way for up to 440-bed COVID-19 overflow hospital in Lincoln Park – Southgate News Herald

A vacant hospital in Lincoln Park will soon serve as an 80-bed overflow hospital amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Tuesday, the Wayne County Commission approved Executive Warren Evans recommendations to provide $500,000 in Community Development Block Grant funds that responds to an immediate need.

Click here and then look to the right side for the sign up to the morning newsletter for The News Herald, and you can get the top headlines de

The approval clears the way for Insight Surgical Hospital to overhaul Vibra Hospital (formerly Outer Drive Hospital) with the capacity to grow from an 80-bed overflow hospital to 440 beds as needed to deal with the crisis.

Many hospitals are at capacity, we must continue to act quickly amid this crisis to support our health care system, Evans said. Insight Surgical Hospital can provide immediate relief in Wayne County through increased beds and help decrease the chance of COVID-19 exceeding overall capacity. Over the long-term, there is also great potential here as a state-of-the-art neuroscience center in Lincoln Park.

After its usage for COVID-19, the facility would potentially be converted into a state-of-the-art surgical specialty center with a focus on neuroscience. Insight Surgical Hospital plans to invest $1.5 million in short-term renovations and $20 million over the long-term, and expects to create more than 300 jobs at the facility.

The COVID-19 crisis of 2020 is an existential threat to our community, said Jawad Shah, a renowned board-certified neurosurgeon and the CEO OF Insight, and chairman of the Board of Directors of Insight Surgical Hospital. It has consumed the collective resources of our country, the repercussions of which will be felt for generations. Time is of the essence for all in the health care community to respond to this unprecedented challenge to save precious lives. We hope that Insight, through Gods grace, can participate in the mosaic of care needed to respond to the urgent needs of our community.

Insight Surgical Hospital is part of the Insight Institute of Neurosurgery and Neuroscience, which has medical facilities in the cities of Warren and Flint. IINN will convert the vacant hospital in Lincoln Park and use its existing Certificate of Need to quickly open with an 80-bed capacity as soon as April 17. The facility has the potential to grow into a 440-bed facility as needed to help accommodate COVID-19 patients during this crisis.

It is critical that we bring every resource we can to bear as we fight the devastating impact of COVID-19, Wayne County Commission Chair Alisha Bell (D-Detroit) said. Through todays action, we are putting an important resource back into use at this very important time in everyones life.

Insight Surgical Hospital plans to overhaul the Vibra Hospital in Lincoln Park with the capacity to grow from 80 to 440 beds as needed to deal with the COVID-19 crisis.

The 128,000 square-foot Vibra Hospital is located on a 14-acre site on West Outer Drive in Lincoln Park. The $500,000 is part of the CDBG funds allocated to Wayne County under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020.

This facility has been underutilized for years, said Lincoln Park Mayor Thomas Karnes. Located on Outer Drive, it is ideally positioned to create hospital space for patients from Downriver and Detroit as COVID-19 cases surge. Beyond serving an important role in the regional response to COVID-19, we are excited for the long-term prospects at this site. Having a functioning hospital there again would spur other investment and also provide a boost to some of the important development underway in that area of Lincoln Park.

Wayne County Commissioner Ilona Varga (D-Lincoln Park) said the grant shows county officials are unified in their desire to help patients and health care providers.

If this pandemic has shown us anything, its that we must all join together to find ways to meet the needs of those affected by COVID-19 and those who care for them, she said. The community is so deserving to have this hospital functioning again and that is why we moved so quickly on this issue. I am grateful to those who have come together to make this happen.

See the original post here:
Grant clears way for up to 440-bed COVID-19 overflow hospital in Lincoln Park - Southgate News Herald

Neuroscience

Dance Marathon 2020 moves online with a focus on themes of unity and awareness – Daily Bruin

Dance Marathon has traditionally lasted 26 hours this year, it will be four.

The annual event, usually held in Pauley Pavilion, will transition to a virtual platform in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The constraints of Zoom and YouTube Live, where the event will be held this year, pose challenges for such a large-scale gathering, such as navigating potential technical issues. Despite these difficulties, organizers from the Pediatric AIDS Coalition at UCLA have attempted to preserve as many elements from the physical event as possible, said PAC president and fourth-year neuroscience and Spanish student Sophie Ahmad.

Being held Saturday to honor the original event, Dance Marathon will aim to destigmatize HIV/AIDS by bringing awareness to the UCLA and broader Los Angeles community, Ahmad said. She added that the virtual experience will also address the intersectionality of HIV/AIDS in relation to COVID-19, emphasizing how the latest pandemic affects those with other conditions.

Were encouraging everyone to stand the entire time like we normally would we know that its not 26 hours, but we hope people still get a little taste of what it feels like, Ahmad said. This also allows people who have never been able to come to watch like my grandmas going to be able to come for the first time.

This year, encouraging participants to Unite, Dance Marathon will be divided into three sections to account for the shorter time period: Learn, Remember and Unite. The Learn section will introduce the events mission of raising awareness for HIV/AIDS, while Remember will serve as a stand-in for the annual vigil held to honor the victims of the condition, Ahmad said. During the vigil, child ambassadors from the beneficiary Camp Laurel will share their stories with the audience. She said the last portion, Unite, will be the most upbeat portion of the event, featuring performers and a reveal of how much the organization has raised for the cause.

[Related: Student musicians support AIDS awareness in waning hours of Dance Marathon]

Because of the technical challenges of gathering a large number of speakers and performers, Dance Marathon will have a combination of live speakers from both UCLA Health and PACs primary beneficiary, the Pediatric AIDS Foundation, and prerecorded content largely from performers. Appurva Goel, PACs executive director of outreach and fourth-year economics and communication student, said the organizations goal is to retain the spirit of the physical event by balancing the way content is transmitted for Dance Marathon. She said the virtual event also provides an opportunity to bring in speakers from outside the LA area and will feature speakers from New York and Oregon.

We have essentially pulled together this event in three to four weeks, as opposed to usually a year of planning, Goel said. One way we worked with this was finding the perfect balance between prerecorded videos and speakers.

The events performers, which will consist primarily of UCLA students and alumni, will be a mix of a cappella, bands, solo artists and dance groups, Ahmad said. Drag queen Lorelei a staple of Dance Marathon in the past will also return to perform and provide LGBTQ+ representation. Third-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student Akshay Anand will perform his original song Cherry, written specifically for the event, during the vigil. He said the song is based on the looming feeling of uncertainty that has characterized the past month.

[Related: Dance Marathon 2020 cancelled following COVID-19 concerns]

I wrote this song about being stuck at home and being afraid of losing the memories that I made, (and) not being able to share with people the stories that fade away, Anand said. Its about being alone in a time when you want to be surrounded by people and appreciating the time you have with others, which I thought fit well with this period.

Beyond uniting students over shared feelings of isolation and loss, Goel said this years Dance Marathon aims to highlight the continued existence of HIV/AIDS in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly given the potentially adverse effects of COVID-19 upon those already suffering from the immunodeficiency virus. She said she hopes the event will act as a reminder that the pandemic exacerbates existing issues like HIV/AIDS by drawing attention to the intersectionality of the viruses.

We want this event to be a break for students and participants to break beyond the four walls of their house and do something different to try to bring some normalcy into our corner, Goel said. But we also want to show that the pandemic has a very tangible impact on a lot of other things right now as well.

See the original post here:
Dance Marathon 2020 moves online with a focus on themes of unity and awareness - Daily Bruin