Category Archives: Physiology

Physiology

Powerful drug discovery protocol for autism is accelerating the development of new treatments – UB News Center

BUFFALO, N.Y. A sensitive and reliable new protocol for assessing social deficits in animal models of autism and certain psychiatric conditions is expediting the search for effective treatments. Developed by University at Buffalo researchers, the new protocol is described in a paper published today in Nature Protocols.

The protocol we developed is facilitating studies on social behaviors and mental disorders related to social impairment, said Zhen Yan, PhD, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB and senior author on the paper.

She noted that a clinical trial for an autism treatment now underway by Oryzon, the European biopharmaceutical company, is, in part, based on preclinical studies conducted at UB with the protocol. That trial is focused on a form of autism called Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, which results from a single genetic deficiency in a gene called Shank3. The UB researchers have significantly contributed to the understanding of how that genetic mutation causes the social deficits.

Determining the effectiveness of a potential treatment for brain disorders cannot be done the way it is for many other diseases: by checking a biomarker in the blood or measuring tumor size and spread. The only way to determine how effective potential therapies for autism might be is to observe behavioral changes in preclinical models.

No biomarkers

We dont have a biomarker for autism, said Yan. Social deficits are the core symptom.

Thats why a sensitive and reliable protocol for measuring social deficits is so crucial to finding new autism treatments.

To find out whether a therapeutic strategy works or not, outcome measurements rely on behavior, Yan said. So a social preference protocol is a critical ingredient in determining the effectiveness of potential therapies in brain diseases like autism and certain mental disorders.

Social preference protocols for autism and similar conditions are based on the fact that normal animals will spend much more time interacting with a so-called social object, meaning another animal, than they will with a non-social, inanimate object, such as a block of wood.

In a mouse model of autism, this social preference will be significantly diminished, Yan said.

Assessing behavior changes

But assessing behavior changes in mouse models of autism isnt easy. A widely-used method for social preference has been a simple three-chamber assay, in which the test mouse is first habituated to an empty three-chamber apparatus. Then, one empty cup is placed in one side chamber, and another cup containing a mouse is placed in the other side chamber, and the amount of time spent interacting with either stimulus is recorded.

That type of test had an intrinsic bias, Yan explained. The social stimulus, which contains both a novel social stimulus (mouse) and a novel non-social stimulus (cup), is more salient than the non-social stimulus (cup alone), which may mask the presence of social preference deficits in autism models.

Similar protocols have produced inconsistent results, Yan said.

The protocol developed at UB is different for several reasons. The test mouse is first habituated to a three-chamber apparatus containing two empty cups in side chambers. The animal then is introduced to two identical inanimate objects (e.g. paper balls) placed within the cups. In the test phase, a social stimulus (mouse) is introduced under one cup and a novel non-social stimulus (e.g. wooden block) is placed under the other cup. The preference between social and non-social stimuli under conditions of equal salience is assessed.

Tests by Yan and her colleagues have demonstrated that this protocol successfully detects social preference deficits in several autism mouse models, and outperforms the widely-used method that differs in animal habituation and testing.

You need a measurement of the phenotype that is both sensitive and robust, and this protocol is both, said Yan.

Repeated measurements of social preference behavior using this protocol also enable longitudinal studies of therapeutic efficacy in autism models, as demonstrated by several publications from the Yan group.

Co-authors with Yan are Benjamin Rein, a doctoral candidate in neuroscience, and Kaijie Ma, research scientist, both in the Department of Physiology and Biophysics in the Jacobs School. The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation.

The rest is here:
Powerful drug discovery protocol for autism is accelerating the development of new treatments - UB News Center

Physiology

The truth about Tony Abbott – Spectator.co.uk

Last nights confirmation that Tony Abbott is joining the Board of Trade has been reported, bizarrely, with accusations that he is somehow misogynist or homophobic. There was little mention of why the British government actually headhunted him: his ability to achieve big free trade deals quickly. In his two years in office, he did more to help Australias exporters than any other leader in the countrys history, finalising free trade deals with what are (now) Australias three most important markets: Japan, China and Korea. He also initiated talks on a trade deal with the EU after his Labor predecessors lazily ignored the opportunity for years.

But as this is not very well known in Britain, its easier for critics to ignore it all and recycle these ridiculous claims. Who is there to come to his defence, given that no one really knows him in Britain? Who can give a different picture: about the nature of the man, or his qualification for the job? I was his international adviser for four years and I can tell you the British government has just recruited an eminently-qualified trade adviser. I can also tell you how little foundation there is behind those smears.

The claim that he is in some way a misogynist was most famously made by Australian Labor prime minister Julia Gillard in 2012 while Abbott was leader of the opposition. She dug up a partial quote from 1998 where he questioned why women were under-represented in positions of power. In debate, he had raised whether men are by physiology or temperament more likely to take jobs of authority.

The source? From 1998 when Abbott was at a round table that included Michael Costa, then a minister in New South Wales he wasnt making a statement but asking a question in a wide-ranging discussion.

Abbott: If its true that men have more power, generally speaking, than women, is that a bad thing?

Costa: Clearly its a bad thing.

Abbott: Why is that, Michael?

Costa: I want my daughter to have as much opportunity as my son.

Abbott: Yeah, I completely agree, but what if men are by physiology or temperament more adapted to exercise authority or to issue commands?

Costa: Well see, I dont believe that. What I do think is that we should never be in a situation where women have got to define their notions of success and self-worth by negating a traditional role. But in terms of the power structure I think its very hard to deny that there is an under-representation of women.

He was testing the fairly-common idea that men tend to chase top jobs a pretty far cry from declaring that men are best-suited for the top jobs.

Gillard also attacked him for comments he made once on a visit to the town of Queanbeyan outside Canberra, warning of higher electricity prices under her governments emissions trading scheme and trying to express that in household consumption terms. What the housewives of Australia need to understand as they do the ironing is that if they get it done commercially it's going to go up in price, and their own power bills when they switch the iron on, are going to go up, he said. Perhaps this underestimated the role of men of Queanbeyan who doubtless do a lot of ironing. But does it expose the black heart of a sexist?

Gillards characterisation of Abbotts views of womens roles was obviously dishonest. In fact the womens rights issue he was criticised for most at the time was his championing of a plan to improve the rights of working women by introducing what would have been one of the worlds most generous paid parental schemes, providing six months of leave on full wages for one parent in all couples (including those of the same sex). Gillard opposed the scheme and it was later shelved for reasons of cost.

Her charge that Abbott was somehow opposed to power being given to women is undermined by the fact that one of the major elements contributing to his losing the prime ministership was the widespread view that he had given his female chief of staff Peta Credlin too much power. Despite mounting calls for him to sack her, including from Rupert Murdoch, he remained staunchly loyal.

Gillard also liked to quote something he said speaking at Adelaide University in 2004 on the ethical role of a Christian politician. How to understand the high number of abortions, he said? Well, you can consider some of the personal circumstances. To a pregnant 14-year-old struggling to grasp whats happening, for example, a senior student with a whole life mapped out or a mother already failing to cope under difficult circumstances, abortion is the easy way out. Its hardly surprising that people should choose the most convenient exit from awkward situations. What seems to be considered far less often is avoiding situations where difficult choices might arise. So he was advocating alternatives to unwanted pregnancy in the first place. But this sentence in this speech has been truncated by his critics to six words: abortion is the easy way out.

Abbott gets on well with Boris Johnson, and shares with the British prime ministers refusal to be strait-jacketed by politically-correct language rules. Ten years ago, for example, when enumerating the qualities of one of his partys female candidates, he included sex appeal among them. This may have made him seem old-fashioned, but the woman in question found it amusing and the comment could hardly be construed as misogyny.

Abbott has also been accused of being a homophobe for two television interviews in 2010 when he was being frank about his own feelings. He said he had once felt a bit threatened, as most people do by homosexuality because there is no doubt that it challenges, if you like, orthodox notions of the right order of things. Again, there can be little doubt that these views were influenced by his Catholicism were talking about a man who once trained to be a priest. But in the same interview, he said: it's a fact of life and we have to treat people as we find them. If you bought the Emily Thornberry or Kay Burley view of Abbott, youd also be surprised to learn that when one of his longtime friends transitioned from male to female, she asked Abbott to introduce a documentary about her story. He gladly did so.

In 2017 Abbott became the de facto leader of the opposition case for legalising same-sex marriage ahead of Australias referendum on the issue, arguing that it is not homophobic to maintain that, ideally, children should have both a mother and a father. That was much more gentle than the line of Australian Labor hero, former prime minister Paul Keating, who said that two blokes and a cocker spaniel dont make a family. But as a hero of the left, unlike Abbott, Keatings never been attacked as a bigot over the issue. After Australia voted yes to legalising same sex marriage, Abbott was again pragmatic. When his lesbian sister Christine Forster married the following year, Abbott sat in the front row and commented that it was a great family occasion, that he was very happy for his sister and her spouse and that he was looking forward to having a new sister-in-law. Forster has issued a statement calling the claims of misogyny and homophobia dishonest, describing her brother as an unabashed conservative but with great compassion, respect for others and an indelible sense of doing whats right.

Beyond Abbotts undoubted achievements, all who have had the privilege of working with him know that it would be hard to find a more decent, likeable or good-humoured figure in public life. And one of the qualities his detractors would prefer was ignored is his decades-long commitment to working to improve the life of the first Australians. The left likes to claim concern for the generally disadvantaged Aborigines as its issue. But Abbott, unlike any other senior political figure, over many years has stayed at remote Aboriginal communities on a regular basis including when prime minister to explore ways in which their welfare could be improved. Britain is lucky to have him.

Originally posted here:
The truth about Tony Abbott - Spectator.co.uk

Physiology

Pinning down the size of big tooth shark Megalodon – Gulf Times

If the serrated sharp teeth of a killer shark invaded the dreams of millions of movie buffs across the world 45 years ago when acclaimed director Steven Spielberg released his cult Hollywood film Jaws, the scientifically inaccurate The Meg refreshed those memories in 2018 by telling a story about a 75ft prehistoric shark, the Megalodon. So much for fiction, and now it is time to cut to reality. To date only the length of the legendary giant shark Megalodon had been estimated but, a new study led by the University of Bristol and Swansea University has revealed the size of the rest of its body, including fins as large as an adult human.There is a grim fascination in determining the size of the largest sharks, but this can be difficult for fossil forms where teeth are often all that remain. Today, the most fearsome living shark is the Great White, at over 6m (20ft) long, which bites with a force of two tonnes. Its fossil relative, the big tooth shark Megalodon, lived from 23 to around 3mn years ago, was over twice the length of a Great White and had a bite force of more than 10 tonnes. The fossils of the Megalodon are mostly huge triangular cutting teeth bigger than a human hand.Jack Cooper, who has just completed the MSc in Palaeobiology at the University of Bristols School of Earth Sciences, and colleagues from Bristol and Swansea used a number of mathematical methods to pin down the size and proportions of this monster, by making close comparisons to a diversity of living relatives with ecological and physiological similarities to Megalodon. The project was supervised by shark expert Dr Catalina Pimiento from Swansea University and Professor Mike Benton, a palaeontologist at Bristol. Dr Humberto Ferrn of Bristol also collaborated. Their findings have been published the other day in the journal Scientific Reports.Previously the fossil shark, known formally as Otodus megalodon, was only compared with the Great White. Jack and his colleagues, for the first time, expanded this analysis to include five modern sharks. Dr Pimiento said: Megalodon is not a direct ancestor of the Great White but is equally related to other macropredatory sharks such as the Makos, Salmon shark and Porbeagle shark, as well as the Great White. We pooled detailed measurements of all five to make predictions about Megalodon.Professor Benton added: Before we could do anything, we had to test whether these five modern sharks changed proportions as they grew up. If, for example, they had been like humans, where babies have big heads and short legs, we would have had some difficulties in projecting the adult proportions for such a huge extinct shark. But we were surprised, and relieved, to discover that in fact that the babies of all these modern predatory sharks start out as little adults, and they dont change in proportion as they get larger.As Jack Cooper said, this meant, the researchers could simply take the growth curves of the five modern forms and project the overall shape as they get larger and larger right up to a body length of 16m. The results suggest that a 16m long Otodus megalodon likely had a head round 4.65m long, a dorsal fin about 1.62m tall and a tail around 3.85m high. This means an adult human could stand on the back of this shark and would be about the same height as the dorsal fin.The reconstruction of the size of Megalodon body parts represents a fundamental step towards a better understanding of the physiology of this giant, and the intrinsic factors that may have made it prone to extinction.

The rest is here:
Pinning down the size of big tooth shark Megalodon - Gulf Times

Physiology

Matthew Watt – The Conversation AU

Profile Articles Activity

Professor Matthew Watt heads the Department of Physiology at the University of Melbourne. His teams innovative research program seeks to identify how defects of lipid metabolism and inter-tissue communication cause obesity-related disorders, and to use this information to discover novel targets that can be transitioned to clinical therapeutics. Professor Watt has authored >180 peer-reviewed manuscripts and contributed to the discipline through his roles as National Secretary of the Australian Physiological Society and as a reviewing editor of the American Journal of Physiology (Endocrinology & Metabolism).

Original post:
Matthew Watt - The Conversation AU

Physiology

Cell-autonomous immunity and the pathogen-mediated evolution of humans – Science Codex

Although immune responses are generated by a complex, hierarchical arrangement of immune system organs, tissues, and components, the unit of the cell has a particularly large effect on disease progression and host survival. These cell-level defense mechanisms, known as cell-autonomous immunity, are among the most important determinants of human survival, and are millions to billions of years old, inherited from our prokaryotic and single-celled ancestors.

The authors of a new paper published in the September 2020 issue of The Quarterly Review of Biology argue that understanding how cell-autonomous immunity has evolved in primates is crucial to understanding the human evolution, not only because infectious agents thought to have affected human genomic evolution are excellent manipulators of cell-autonomous immunity, but because these defenses are found in every cell in every body system.

In "Cell-Autonomous Immunity and the Pathogen-Mediated Evolution of Humans: Or How Our Prokaryotic and Single-Celled Origins Affect the Human Evolutionary Story," Jessica F. Brinkworth and Alexander S. Alvarado discuss how the ubiquity of cell-autonomous immunity highlights a biological reality not commonly addressed in human evolutionary studies - pathogens can mediate the evolution of all body cells, and therefore, all human body systems.

The article examines these ancient tactics in light of evolutionarily important human pathogens and illustrates inter-primate differences in their function. The authors posit that, often considered an independent physiological system in human evolutionary biology, the immune system is ubiquitous, integrated into every other aspect of human physiology. "We argue, therefore, that immunity and pathogen-mediated natural selection is a consideration in the examination of the evolution and function of any human physiological system or trait."

The authors show how human pathogens considered important in the evolution of the human genome manipulate cell-autonomous immunity and have shaped primate evolution, including phagosomes like Yersinia pestis (the causative bacteria of plague) and antimicrobial peptides like Toxoplasma gondii, the 1-2 million-year-old obligate intracellular feline-borne parasite.

"The ancient nature of these defenses is an important consideration in human evolutionary studies because their antiquity is both why cell-autonomous immunity exists in every cell, and the pathogens commonly considered the most pernicious and to have exerted the most stringent selective pressure on the human lineage tend to be organisms that bear microbiological innovations that manipulate these tactics," the authors write.

The paper also illustrates that these defenses are diverging in primate immune cells, and present evidence that they are also changing in "nonimmune" tissues. "For decades, it has been understood that microorganisms and cell-autonomous immune responses to them alter human behavior and vice versa. Incorporation of the same biological relationships between pathogens, cell-autonomous defenses, and body system X extended to other physiological systems or traits at the center of the classic questions of human evolutionary biology (e.g., why does skin color vary in humans, why do primate placentae vary in shape and size, how did human bipedal locomotion evolve, how does primate bone and dental microstructure vary) can enrich and improve our understanding of why such features evolved."

For this kind of information to contribute to a better understanding of the gross features of human evolution, however, the authors say researchers in this area must increase integration of molecular and morphological methods or findings in human evolutionary studies. "Any examination of human evolutionary biology, regardless of physiological system and when possible, should consider autonomous immunity of the cells in that system and how microorganisms have shaped them."

Visit link:
Cell-autonomous immunity and the pathogen-mediated evolution of humans - Science Codex

Physiology

U.S. Soccer hires USWNT Head of Performance and Sports Scientist – Soccerwire.com

CHICAGO Ellie Maybury has been named the Head of Performance for the U.S. Womens National Team while Julian Haigh has been named the USWNT Sports Scientist.

Maybury and Haigh, who have been overseeing the USWNTs fitness since the latter part of 2019, will now be full-time members of U.S. head coach Vlatko Andonovskis staff.

Maybury will be responsible for creating and executing the overall day-to-day sport science and performance plan for the USWNT, which includes the athletic development of players, optimal preparation of players for competition, monitoring of players training/match loads, maintaining optimal recoveries for post-training/competition, injury prevention strategies, nutritional strategies and prescription of strength and conditioning training programs.

Haigh will assist Maybury in all aspects of the sports science and performance for the USWNT.

Ellie and Julian are highly-motivated professionals with a passion for sports science and both have several years of experience working their way up through our Youth National Teams and the NWSL, respectively, said U.S. WNT general manager Kate Markgraf. The physical training and monitoring of our players is tremendously important to how we play and paramount to maintaining our players health and well-being; especially coming out of the pandemic when most of the players will have played significantly less games at the club and international level. With their individual and collective experience, they are vital in navigating the physical needs of our players to compete for world titles. We are privileged to add Ellie and Julian as full-time members of the senior National Team staff.

Maybury joined U.S. Soccer full time in January of 2016 as the lead sport scientist for all of the Youth Womens National Teams, overseeing the sports science and physiological aspects of the USAs eight youth teams with specific emphasis on the U-17 and U-20 WNTs during their World Cup cycles.

In 2016, she was with the U.S. teams for both the FIFA Under-17 Womens World Cup in Jordan and the FIFA U-20 Womens World Cup in Papua New Guinea, and in 2018 she was on the staff for the FIFA U-17 Womens World Cup in Uruguay.

Maybury has a BSc (Hons) in Sport Science and Materials Technology from the University of Birmingham and an MSc in Exercise Physiology from Loughborough University. She is currently working on developing her research portfolio in order to enhance her applied skills of working with female youth and senior players at the elite level. Maybury is also a certified paramedic in England and worked as a paramedic for two years in the West Midlands.

Additionally, Maybury is an AAAS IF/THEN Ambassador, one of 125 women selected nationwide from a variety of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics careers and brought together to serve as high-profile role models for young girls. U.S. Soccer is a partner of IF/THEN, an initiative of Lyda Hill Philanthropies, promoting and supporting women in STEM roles who directly impact U.S. Soccers ability to develop world-class players within the U.S. National Team program.

Haigh has served three years working for U.S. Soccer as a sports scientist, overseeing all the NWSL clubs as well as the U.S. Under-23 Womens National Team while helping gather and analyze fitness and performance data of every player in the pro league. He will continue in his role working with the NWSL and sports scientists for the clubs while also working with Maybury and the USWNT.

Prior to coming to U.S. Soccer, Haigh worked a season and half in the NWSL as the sports scientist for the Boston Breakers. Before that, he worked five seasons in sports science and strength and conditioning with the Widnes Vikings in Englands professional rugby Super League.

Haigh graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in sports and exercise science before going on to complete his Masters at LJMU, also in sport and exercise science. He also did an internship at Everton Football Club in the English Premier League and worked briefly with the Liverpool Ladies Football Club.

Haigh was born in Boston, Mass., before moving to England as a young child.

Read the original post:
U.S. Soccer hires USWNT Head of Performance and Sports Scientist - Soccerwire.com

Physiology

University subject profile: sports science – The Guardian

What youll learnWhether you dream of managing your favourite football club or want to get more local people involved in sport, a sports science degree could help you achieve those dreams.

Sports science degrees take a behind-the-scenes look at sport, exercise and health, coaching, management, and how the body works. These courses arent just for athletes you dont need to be good at sport.

Both bachelor of science and arts qualifications are available, as courses can cover anything from exercise physiology to the relationship between sport and the media.

Youll develop an understanding of human responses to sport and exercise. You should know how performance can be enhanced, monitored and analysed, and about the health benefits of physical activity, as well as the impact on the body. You will understand coaching processes and sports management.

How youll learnThe ratio of theory to practice depends on the course. Sports technology, exercise physiology and sports psychology courses have a heavy emphasis on science. Those which mention management, sports development or coaching in their titles will have a more vocational leaning. All courses will, however, have a science bit expect to study biomechanics, physiology and psychology. Some courses will involve professional placements and provide you with invaluable practical experience.

Entry requirementsMany courses will expect you to have biology, chemistry, maths or physics at A-level (or equivalent). A physical education or psychology A-level could help your application.

What job can you get?You will be qualified for a career in sports coaching, management and administration, maybe as a fitness instructor, personal trainer or leisure centre manager.

An increasing number of graduates are being recruited to provide sport science support for professional athletes, are employed by national governing bodies for sport, or are working in the commercial leisure sector, in particular within marketing and the promotion of sports goods and events. There is the option of further study and research, or you could teach sports in schools.

You may learn business skills that will benefit freelance work as, for example, a nutritionist or events manager.

Here is the original post:
University subject profile: sports science - The Guardian

Physiology

ZoneMaster Inc. is Launching FitTrakker App the Most Advanced Fitness Tracker App in the World – PRUnderground

Experts agree, having access to a fitness tracker can be a remarkable resource when it comes to following a fitness program and getting optimal results. Unfortunately, not all devices or apps on the market today are first-class choices. The good news is the whole fitness tracker space is changing for the better. Enter ZoneMaster Inc. and the companys new release the eye-opening FitTrakker app, which will be launched this weekend on the App Store for Apple cell phones and smartwatches. FitTrakker is integrated with Apples Health Kit and is already being called The Best Fitness Tracking App in the World, delivering a long list of features and benefits unmatched by its competitors. With a 30-day free trial, users can check it out and see the big difference first-hand.

Only you are your body master! Thats why we created the FitTrakker!, one of the FitTrakker teams motoes, reflects their principle of individualized fitness profile. Their initial idea was to invent a reliable tool to determine individual physiology zones and provide accurate information to users. Architects of the app are internationally recognized professionals in their respective fields. Miro Zeravica, CEO, Milica Okicic, MD, VP of Research & Development, and Srecko Mavrek, VP of Marketing & Business Development. We look forward to the response to the app. We predict that users and fitness enthusiasts will love it, they said.

Currently there is no other app that customizes training and monitors workload per individual based on specific individuals data such as their physiology zones. This is combined with the details of their own personal profile and several training parameters including training start time, medium, conditions and medium temperature. A powerful Energymeter gives details on calories spent through exercise, something that can be a huge benefit when it comes to weight loss or dieting. Charts covering energy and training details are easily accessed, along with powerful GPS/HR features and wonderful graphics.

All-in-all FitTrakker is the most advanced fitness app on the market today.

For more information and to download the new app be sure to visit http://www.fittrakker.com.

#FitTrakker #bestfitnesstrackingapp #fitnessds

About FitTrakker

We formed an international research team to invent a reliable tool to determine an individual physiology zone. Currently there is no device or tool that customizes training and monitors workload per individual based on specific individuals data such as their physiology zones. However, there are devices with limited functionalities. Our idea is new, unique, and hasnt been developed in the past. It targets a variety of athletes at the professional, recreational, collegiate and school levels. Welcome to FitTrakker.

Link:
ZoneMaster Inc. is Launching FitTrakker App the Most Advanced Fitness Tracker App in the World - PRUnderground

Physiology

What’s the Physiological Relevance? A Profile of Oded Rechavi – Technology Networks

As a Professor in Molecular Biology at Tel Aviv University in Israel, it would be easy to assume that Oded Rechavi's career in science was written in his biology his entire family are scientists or clinicians. His father, Gidi Rechavi, a well-regarded professor of hematology, won the Israel Prize 2020 in the field of medicine. But this was not the case.Growing up, Rechavi always thought of his father as a medical doctor rather than a scientist. As such, research was not a regular topic at the dinner table in his household: "We didn't really talk about experiments, research or journals, so I didn't know that research existed as a profession." As he puts it, he was raised in an environment to produce scientists, but it affected him indirectly: "I couldn't control it."

Rechavi's first love was art and he speaks of it with fervour. After completing military service mandatory for Israeli citizens he traveled to Paris, immersing himself in the Parisian culture and exploring the local art galleries for six months. Upon returning to Israel, he was prompted by family members to consider studying at university.

During an undergraduate project, Rechavi found himself in the lab of the highly-regarded biochemist Prof. Yoel Kloog, where he also became acquainted with Dr Barak Rotblat. Rotblat says that, despite being at an early stage in his career, Rechavi was ambitious and did not shy away from proposing research ideas to the team: "I remember one of the first meetings Oded and I had with Yoel. Oded had an idea that the protein we were studying (RAS) can move from one cell to the other, and to use the interaction between immune cells and their targets as a system to test this idea. Yoel and I looked at each other and laughed because we were thinking that RAS might travel between cells, but we did not know how to test this!". Rechavi says that Kloog, who sadly passed away last year, was his role model a true friend that treated him like he was his son.

Rechavi had been in love with New York City (NYC) since he was a teenager, and the idea of living there had been a longstanding dream: "I used to go to NYC with my family fantasizing about jogging in Central Park and going to Knicks games." He chose to do his postdoc in NYC because, as the song goes, "if you make it there, you'll make it anywhere". Rechavi and his wife, who is a designer, loved their time in the city that never sleeps: "Its a tough city to work in, but its worth it. The atmosphere, and the scientific scene, are incomparable.

When the opportunity arose for Rechavi to start his own laboratory at Tel Aviv University in 2012, he decided to paint outside of the lines. He wanted to create something unique and "radical" quite literally his lab is headlined as "the laboratory for radical science".

Bruce Springsteen's lyrics from Dancing in the Dark: "You can't start a fire without a spark" are displayed on the research section of the lab's website. Fire in your belly a true craving for discovery are the prerequisites for thriving here it seems.

Acquired traits are not coded in your DNA (as most inherited traits are) they are developed during your lifetime. Theoretically speaking, we should not be able to inherit acquired traits. Say you burnt your arm on the hob and it caused a scar to form on your skin. Your offspring would not be born sporting the same scar. That's because the scar has caused a change in the somatic cells, and only germline cells are able to transmit DNA to future generations. This is the Second Law of Biology.

Rechavi's interest lies not with DNA but with its cousin small RNA. Small RNAs are non-coding RNA molecules that regulate gene activity via an array of different mechanisms in both the nucleus and the cytoplasm in response to changes in environmental stimuli.1 The transgenerational epigenetic inheritance theory posits that the methods by which genes are turned "on" or turned "off" in this manner could perhaps be passed on to the next generation.

It's a phenomenon that is inexplicably tricky to study in humans, but a number of interesting occurrences throughout history have given weight to the idea. L.H Lumey's Dutch Hunger Winter Families Study found that descendants of the Dutch population that survived the famine of 19441945 had higher levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, higher rates of obesity, schizophrenia and diabetes in adult life.2 The famine had ended long before their time, but did the descendants still carry the scars in their biological makeup?

Rechavi's research on transgenerational inheritance focuses on the Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) worm model, which he finds "irresistible", and is suitable for such experiments because of its short lifetime and the large number of genetically identical offspring each mother produces. Over the last decade, his laboratory has demonstrated that a number of different events, experienced by a C. elegans worm, can impact the physiology of their offspring.

Through a series of genetic experiments, the scientists discovered that inducing expression of the Flock House virus in C. elegans results in the production of small-interfering RNA molecules that essentially silence the viral genome. These molecules are extragenetic, and yet they are transmitted to the next generation of the worm, providing "vaccination" against the virus in the offspring.3 When starved, a number of small RNAs are induced in C. elegans that regulate genes implicated in nutrition, and these small RNAs are also expressed in the progeny for at least three generations.4 These studies are the first direct evidence that an acquired trait can indeed be inherited.

Video credit: TEDx talks.

"There's a feedback mechanism that shuts down the inheritance after three to five generations. This feedback mechanism is small RNA-based, but there are genes that modulate the inheritance of these small RNAs that function as a timer. We named them MOTEK genes, which stands for modified transgenerational epigenetic kinetics, and means sweetheart in Hebrew that was a sort of a joke that only Hebrew speakers would understand," Rechavi explains. In mutant worms where these genes are engineered to be defective, the transgenerational responses last for different periods of time, with some being present for hundreds of generations.

He likens the third and final rule to the "hot hand" phenomenon. If you want to assess whether an inheritance response will continue or stop at the individual level, you look at the history of the lineage. Lineages in which responses have been silenced for multiple generations are more likely to continue the silencing, whereas shorter lineages are more likely to stop the response."

Caption: Dr Leah Houri-Zeevi, the paper's first author, creatively describes the key study findings in a Twitter thread.

He had been researching the remnants of the Dead Sea Scrolls, 25,000 fragments of parchment that were discovered mainly in caves around the archaeological site Qumran in the Judean Desert, trying to piece them together. Among the scrolls are the oldest copies of biblical texts which shed light on the history of Judaism and Christianity, containing collections of hymns, prayers and the earliest version of the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately, their historical significance was not a factor of consideration for the worms that made a meal from the scrolls, creating holes in the parchment, part of what makes their reconstruction a phenomenal challenge.

On the bus journey, Rechavi and Mizrahi pondered on how they could join forces and use modern biological techniques to piece the fragments together. The parchments are written on animal skin, and so they hypothesized that, should they be able to extract the ancient animals' DNA, they could apply next-generation sequencing methods to deduce which fragment came from which animal, creating a "genotype" fingerprint, and in turn, piece together the ancient puzzle.

And so, by complete chance, a project that would unite ancient history and modern biology was born. It would take a total of seven years to reach publication, and as Rechavi explains, required a lot of energy: "We needed funding and to convince the authorities that this experiment would be possible without causing damage to the scrolls. It took more than two years to convince them and to conduct calibration studies amongst other experiments to demonstrate that it was possible to extract DNA from very small amounts of the scrolls."

Another string of accidents led to several collaborators joining the team, including Prof. Mattias Jakobsson of Uppsala University, an expert on ancient DNA analysis, who Rechavi happened to be introduced to whilst giving a talk in Uppsala University. "It was like in the film Ocean's Eleven, we collected people that could contribute their own strengths which is really a beautiful thing," Rechavi says.

The team generated over 2.6 billion sequencing reads, and in doing so, learnt a lot about the scrolls and their history. The genetic evidence allowed the researchers to distinguish between fragments that originated from different animals of the same species. If the fragments belonged to the same scroll, the likelihood is that they were from two different sheets. Furthermore, two of the fragments found were genetically different from all the other samples, indicating that they are unrelated to the scrolls.

Rechavi explains that, for him, the major highlight of this work was proving their hypothesis was true: "You can extract enough authentic DNA from pieces that are over 2000 years old and use it to learn about the relationships of the different fragments. Aside from the fact that it's cool, it shows how interdisciplinary science can have real value."

This was just the beginning of Rechavi's exploration into ancient history. The team sampled only a selection of the 25,000 fragments, so there is still a lot of work left to be done. In the short period of time since the paper was published, he has been contacted by a variety of researchers that are keen to collaborate on future studies to further unearth the secrets of the Dead Sea Scrolls, and learn more about the extracted ancient animal DNA. "I could never write a grant eight years ago explaining what we are going to do. This project is a living thing sometimes you just can't plan," says Rechavi.

In 2014, Nature conducted a survey of over 3,500 researchers across 95 different countries to enquire about their social media use. Twitter was used regularly by 13% of the survey respondents, with over half of those individuals stating that they utilized it to follow conversations relating to research. Fast forward six years online communities such as Academic Chatter and Open Academics are thriving, connecting scientific researchers from across the globe.

Rechavi also believes Twitter presents a solution to a prominent issue in the scientific community cliques. "When you go to scientific meetings and you don't know anyone, you just meet with the same people that have been attending for years. I think that the new connections people form on Twitter are really breaking down hierarchies and allowing science to be free and more enjoyable," he says.

It was this love of new connections and forming friendships that led to Rechavi adding conference producer to his resume, after he organized "The Woodstock of Biology" event earlier this year.

"On a Friday night, I posted a tweet saying that I would be happy to organize a conference for the people that I like on Twitter. I thought it would be nice to know these people in person, and I have a lot of friends on Twitter that I have never met.

When he awoke the next morning, Rechavi was greeted with hundreds of positive responses and decided that he would pursue organizing the conference. The Woodstock of Biology was born, and it was to be "different" from a traditional scientific meeting, he says, "I wanted no hierarchy, I wanted no selection everyone who wanted to present and signed up on time was allowed to. You were also only allowed to present unpublished work, which is very unusual."

Talks were restricted to 10-minute slots, and rather than having a strict agenda, each presenter had to choose a "walk up" song that would be selected at random and, when played, would signal to the scientist that it was their turn to present. "We wanted to surprise them and keep the speakers on their toes, so that they wouldn't disappear or go drink coffee," Rechavi says.

He adds, "It was like a big party. I enjoyed it tremendously, and I think others did too." If Twitter testimonies are anything to go by, The Woodstock of Biology conference was very well received.

Deep emotion is apparent in his voice when he discusses one attendee's story who is kept anonymous for the purpose of this article. "He spoke of how he was sick of some aspects in science, of the usual hustle, trying to get funded, being forced to publish and stay focused. He had lost interest and wanted to quit or make a change. Whilst on stage he said that the conference had saved him. He now saw the light, and it gave him the energy and motivation to continue in science. It was an unbelievable moment."

The COVID-19 global pandemic has not impeded Rechavi's plans to run a second The Woodstock of Biology conference sometime in the future, when it is safe to do so. If anything, the apparent success of online conferences during this time adds further credence to his philosophy that there are other perhaps better ways of sharing and interacting with research than tradition tells us.

Oded Rechavi was speaking to Molly Campbell, Science Writer for Technology Networks.*Correct as of September 3 2020.

References:

1. Stuwe E, Tth KF, Aravin AA. Small but sturdy: small RNAs in cellular memory and epigenetics.Genes Dev. 2014;28(5):423-431. doi:10.1101/gad.236414.113

2. Lumey L, Stein AD, Kahn HS, et al. Cohort Profile: The Dutch Hunger Winter Families Study. International Journal of Epidemiology. 2007;36(6):1196-1204. doi:10.1093/ije/dym126

3. Rechavi O, Minevich G, Hobert O. Transgenerational Inheritance of an Acquired Small RNA-Based Antiviral Response in C.elegans. Cell. 2011;147(6):1248-1256. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2011.10.042.

4. Rechavi O, Houri-Zeevi L, Anava S, et al. Starvation-Induced Transgenerational Inheritance of Small RNAs in C.elegans. Cell. 2014;158(2):277-287. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2014.06.020.

5. Anava S, Neuhof M, Gingold H, et al. Illuminating Genetic Mysteries of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Cell. 2020;181(6):1218-1231.e27. doi:10.1016/j.cell.2020.04.046.

Read more:
What's the Physiological Relevance? A Profile of Oded Rechavi - Technology Networks

Physiology

The Honorable Dr. Dale Layman, Founder of Robowatch, LLC, is Recognized as the 2020 Humanitarian of the Year by Top 100 Registry, Inc. – IT News…

PR.com2020-09-03

Joliet, IL, September 03, 2020 --(PR.com)-- The Honorable Dr. Dale Pierre Layman, A.S., B.S., M.S., Ed.S., Ph.D. #1, Ph.D. #2, Grand Ph.D. in Medicine, MOIF, FABI, DG, DDG, LPIBA, IOM, AdVMed, AGE, is the Founder and President of Robowatch, L.L.C. (www.robowatch.info.) Robowatch is an international non-profit group aiming to keep a watchful human eye on the fast-moving developments occurring in the fields of robotics, computing, and Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) industries. As the first person in his family to attend college in 1968, he earned an Associate of Science (A.S.) in Life Science from Lake Michigan College. The same year, he won a Michigan Public Junior College Transfer Scholarship to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. In 1971, he received an Interdepartmental B.S. with Distinction, in Anthropology - Zoology, from the University of Michigan. From 1971 to 1972, Dr. Layman served as a Histological Technician in the Department of Neuropathology at the University of Michigan Medical School. From 1972 to 1974, he attended the U of M Medical School, Physiology department, and was a Teaching Fellow of Human Physiology. He completed his M.S. in Physiology from the University of Michigan in 1974.

From 1974 to 1975, Dr. Layman served as an Instructor in the Biology Department at Lake Superior State College. In 1975, he became a full-time, permanent Instructor in the Natural Science Department of Joliet Junior College (J.J.C.) and taught Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Medical Terminology to Nursing & Allied Health students. Appointed to the Governing Board of Text & Academic Authors, he authored several textbooks, including but not limited to the Terminology of Anatomy & Physiology and Anatomy Demystified. In 2003, Dr. Layman wrote the Foreword to the Concise Encyclopedia of Robotics, Stan Gibilisco.

As a renowned scholar and book author, Dr. Layman proposed The Faculty Ranking Initiative in the State of Illinois to increase the credibility of faculty members in the States two-year colleges, which will help with research grants or publications. In 1994, the State of Illinois accepted this proposal. J.J.C. adapted the change in 2000, and Dr. Layman taught full-time from 1975 until his retirement in 2007. He returned and taught part-time from 2008 to 2010. Dr. Layman received an Ed.S. (Educational Specialist) in Physiology and Health Science from Ball State University in 1979. Then, in 1986, Dr. Layman received his first Ph.D. from the University of Illinois, in Health and Safety Studies. In 2003, Dr. Layman received a second Ph.D. and a Grand Ph.D. in Medicine, from the Academie Europeenne D Informatisation (A.E.I.) and the World Information Distributed University (WIDU). He is the first American to receive the Grand Doctor of Philosophy in Medicine.

In 1999, Dr. Layman delivered a groundbreaking speech at the National Convention of Text and Academic Authors, Park City, Utah. Here, he first publicly explained his unique concept: Compu-Think, a contraction for computer-like modes or ways of human thinking. This reflects the dire need for humans to develop more computer-like modes or ways of Natural Human thinking. This concept has important practical applications to Human Health and Well-being. In 2000, Dr. Layman gave several major talks and received top-level awards. In May of 2000, he participated in a two-week faculty exchange program with Professor Harrie van Liebergen of the Health Care Division of Koning Willem I College, Netherlands.

In 2001, after attending an open lecture on neural implants at the University of Reading, England, Dr. Layman created Robowatch. The London Diplomatic Academy published several articles about his work, such as Robowatch (2001) and Robowatch 2002: Mankind at the Brink (2002). The article Half-human and half-computer, Andrej Kikelj (2003) discussed the far-flung implications of Dr. Laymans work. Using the base of half-human, half-computer, Dr. Layman coined the name of a new disease, Psychosomatic Technophilic, which translates as an abnormal love or attraction for technology [that replaces] the body and mind. Notably, Dr. Layman was cited several times in the article Transhumanism, (Wikipedia, 2009). Further in 2009, several debates about Transhumanism were published in Wikipedia, and they identified Dr. Layman as an anti-transhumanist who first coined the phrase, Terminator argument.

In 2018, Dr. Layman was featured in the cover of Pro-Files Magazine, 8th Edition, by Marquis Whos Who. He was the Executive Spotlight in Robotics, Computers and Artificial Intelligence, in the 2018 Edition of the Top 101 Industry Experts, by Worldwide Publishing. He also appeared on the cover of the July 2018 issue of T.I.P. (Top Industry Professionals) magazine, the International Association of Top Professionals. Dr. Layman was also the recipient of the prestigious Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award (2017-2018). Ever a Lifelong Student and taking classes for the past few years at J.J.C., Dr. Layman was recently inducted (2019) to his second formal induction into the worlds largest honor society for community college students, Phi Theta Kappa.

Contact Information:

Top 100 Registry Inc.

David Lerner

855-785-2514

Contact via Email

http://www.top100registry.com

Read the full story here: https://www.pr.com/press-release/820338

Press Release Distributed by PR.com

The rest is here:
The Honorable Dr. Dale Layman, Founder of Robowatch, LLC, is Recognized as the 2020 Humanitarian of the Year by Top 100 Registry, Inc. - IT News...