Cell Biology

Berkeley Lights Announces the Global Emerging Pathogen Antibody Discovery Consortium (GEPAD) to Attack COVID-19 and Other Viruses – P&T Community

EMERYVILLE, Calif., March 26, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Today Berkeley Lights, Inc., announced the Global Emerging Pathogen Antibody Discovery Consortium (GEPAD) with founding members Dr. James Crowe and Dr. Robert Carnahan at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Dr. Erica Ollman Saphire at La Jolla Institute for Immunology and Dr. Frances Eun-Hyung Lee at Emory University with the aim to accelerate the discovery of neutralizing antibodies from patient blood samples. Processing precious blood samples and fragile cells can be challenging with traditional technologies. The consortium will leverage Berkeley Lights' Beacon platform for antibody discovery using the blood of recovering patients as the foundation for therapeutics, with COVID-19 as a first target.

While researchers around the world are quickly characterizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the ability to screen single B cells expressing a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody remains a significant and time-consuming challenge.The body has billions of B cells. After a patient recovers from SAR-CoV-2, they generate many B cells specific for the virus; however, some B cells will make antibodies that just bind to the virus but are not protective. Hence, finding the special B cells that eliminate or neutralize the virus is exceedingly rare. It is like finding a "needle in a haystack". The existing technologies can only search for binders, not neutralizers so researchers are forced to sequence and re-express the antibody from non-specific B cells wasting significant time and resources. The Beacon system and the viral neutralization assay is designed to address this problem by directly screening single cells for neutralizing function in a single day.

The primary goal of the GEPAD Consortium is to enable the quickest therapeutic response to emerging pathogens. The GEPAD Consortium is requesting that anyone interested in this viral neutralization workflow and advancing the state of the art reach out and join them in forming a defensive barrier worldwide against diseases caused by emerging pathogens. Members will be enabled to rapidly discover potential treatments using small volume blood samples from recovering patientsboth acute and convalescent. The consortium is rapidly iterating and improving the viral neutralization workflow executing on the Berkeley Lights platform and hopes that more collaborators will come forward to participate in fighting this epidemic and be better prepared for the next one.

"We have long sought to study the antiviral capacity of antibodies secreted by single human B cells, but the instruments and protocols for doing those studies didn't exist. Partnering with Berkeley Lights on developing innovative approaches to this single-cell biology task is now becoming a reality," said Dr. James Crowe, MD, Director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center.

"We have developed a specialized survival media for plasma cells and envision the use of it for rapid upfront selection of a rare target monoclonal antibody," said Dr. Lee. "Berkeley Lights together with this consortium will make this method a reality for COVID-19 neutralizing antibodies. We hope this helps in this pandemic to save lives."

"There's an opportunity here to quickly mobilize something that could protect frontline workers or treat those who have been infected," explained Dr. Saphire. "Vaccines aren't available yet. Providing some immediate immunity using antibodies could be lifesaving for those who haven't been vaccinated or can't be vaccinated, or if the eventual vaccines aren't completely protective."

"COVID-19 is a serious threat to our health, our way of life, and the world economy," said Dr. Eric Hobbs, CEO of Berkeley Lights. "We are committed to doing our part by developing assays and workflows that researchers and therapeutic developers can use to rapidly discover antibodies that are key to treatments."

About Vanderbilt University Medical CenterVanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is one of the nation's largest academic medical centers. As part of its research enterprise, in partnership with the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center is participating in the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA's) Pandemic Protection Platform (P3) program, a five-year cooperative agreement to develop protective antibody treatments that can be rushed to health care providers within 60 days after the outbreak of viral diseases anywhere in the world.

About La Jolla Institute for Immunology La Jolla Institute for Immunology is dedicated to understanding the intricacies and power of the immune system so that we may apply that knowledge to promote human health and prevent a wide range of diseases. Since its founding in 1988 as an independent, nonprofit research organization, the Institute has made numerous advances leading towards its goal: life without disease.

About Emory UniversityEmory University is one of the world's leading research universities. Its mission is to create, preserve, teach and apply knowledge in the service of humanity. The Emory effort is led by Dr. Lee of the Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care & Sleep Division, The Lowance Center for Human Immunology and the Emory Vaccine Center. She contributes culture methods developed in her lab that greatly improve the survival of B cells and plasma cells thereby facilitating the isolation of extremely rare cells producing the antibodies of interest.Dr. Lee's work is supported by NIH, the Lowance Center, Gates Foundation, and the Georgia Research Alliance.

About Berkeley LightsHere at Berkeley Lights, we think cells are awesome! Cells are capable of manufacturing cures for diseases, fibers for clothing, energy in the form of biofuels, and food proteins for nutrition. So the question is, if nature is capable of manufacturing the products we need in a scalable way, why aren't we doing more of this? Well, the answer is that with the solutions available today, it is hard. It takes a long time to find the right cell for a specific job, costs lots of money, and if you have picked a suboptimal cell line, has a very low process yield. Berkeley Lights has the complete solution to find the best cells by functionally screening and recovering individual cells for antibody discovery, cell line development, T cell analysis, and synthetic biology. Our proprietary technology, including the Beacon and Lightning platforms accelerate the rate you can discover and develop cell-based products in a fraction of the time and at a fraction of the cost of conventional, legacy research methods. Using our tools and solutions, scientists can find the best cells, the first time they look. For more information, visit http://www.berkeleylights.com.

Berkeley Lights' Beacon and Lightning systems and Culture Station instrument are:

For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.

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Cell Biology

Global Live Cell Imaging Market: Industry Analysis and Forecast (2018-2026) – Stock Market Herald

Global Live Cell Imaging Market was valued at US$ 1.5Bn in 2017 and is expected to reach US$ XX Bn by 2026, at a CAGR of XX% during a forecast period.

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Global Live Cell Imaging Market

Global live cell imaging market is majorly influenced by the growing incidence of chronic diseases and the consistent need for swift diagnostic techniques. Availability of exact and accurate live cell imaging techniques also help in accelerating drug discovery processes and other biotechnology research.

Growth in expenditure and funding for the development of advanced cell imaging is further expected to boost the live cell imaging market in the future. It is also observed that collaborations of market players with research and academic institutions to develop and introduce breakthrough products have recently gained pace. Small players are being increasingly acquired by large incumbents for procurement of breakthrough technologies to secure their stronghold in the market.

Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching is the most commonly used technique for live cell imaging. The technique has found rapid adoption in genetic targeting peptides and appropriately offers a determination of spatial proximity at a protein level that is not possible through fluorescence microscopy. Rapid introduction of FRET systems with an insight to offer better cell imaging techniques will so determine the major market trends.

Cell biology segment is leading the application owing to the increasing number of researchers working on molecular interaction networks. Innovations, for instance, filter techniques and advanced illumination devices further enable the procedure. Cell biologists use live cell imaging to understand the fundamental cellular structures and their interaction on the tissue level. Benefits are clarity of structural components and spatial heterogeneity of a cell offered by live cell imaging are expected to further boost the market.

North America dominated by market share in 2017 closely followed by Europe. Substantial investments and funding available for research in this field is the key driver in the North America region. The growing adoption of live cell imaging by research laboratories and academic institutions, particularly in the U.S. is one of the major factors driving market growth in this region.

One of the recent acquisition in the industry was done in March 2017 by Sartorius who agreed to buy Essen Bioscience in a transaction worth US$ 320Mn. Essen was energetic in developing equipment, reagents, and software.

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Nikon Corporation Company has strategic partnerships with research groups to gain professional expertise. They have established imaging centers and offer microscopes, automation, software, and support to various institutes, for instance, Harvard Medical School.

The objective of the report is to present a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, industry-validated market data and projections with a suitable set of assumptions and methodology. The report also helps in understanding Global Live Cell Imaging Market dynamics, structure by identifying and analyzing the market segments and project the global market size.

Further, the report also focuses on the competitive analysis of key players by product, price, financial position, product portfolio, growth strategies, and regional presence. The report also provides PEST analysis, PORTERs analysis, SWOT analysis to address the question of shareholders to prioritizing the efforts and investment in the near future to the emerging segment in the Global Live Cell Imaging Market.Scope of Global Live Cell Imaging Market

Global Live Cell Imaging Market, by Product & Service

Instruments Consumables Software ServicesGlobal Live Cell Imaging Market, by Application

Cell Biology Stem Cells Developmental Biology Drug DiscoverGlobal Live Cell Imaging Market, by End User

Pharmaceutical & Biotechnology Companies Academic & Research Institutes Contract Research OrganizationsGlobal Live Cell Imaging Market, by Region

North America Europe Asia Pacific Middle East and Africa South AmericaKey players operating in Global Live Cell Imaging Market

Danaher Corporation Carl Zeiss AG Nikon Corporation Olympus Corporation Perkinelmer GE Healthcare Bruker Thermo Fisher Scientific Sartorius AG Biotek Instruments Etaluma Cytosmart Technologies Nanoentek

MAJOR TOC OF THE REPORT

Chapter One: Live Cell Imaging Market Overview

Chapter Two: Manufacturers Profiles

Chapter Three: Global Live Cell Imaging Market Competition, by Players

Chapter Four: Global Live Cell Imaging Market Size by Regions

Chapter Five: North America Live Cell Imaging Revenue by Countries

Chapter Six: Europe Live Cell Imaging Revenue by Countries

Chapter Seven: Asia-Pacific Live Cell Imaging Revenue by Countries

Chapter Eight: South America Live Cell Imaging Revenue by Countries

Chapter Nine: Middle East and Africa Revenue Live Cell Imaging by Countries

Chapter Ten: Global Live Cell Imaging Market Segment by Type

Chapter Eleven: Global Live Cell Imaging Market Segment by Application

Chapter Twelve: Global Live Cell Imaging Market Size Forecast (2019-2026)

Browse Full Report with Facts and Figures of Live Cell Imaging Market Report at: https://www.maximizemarketresearch.com/market-report/global-live-cell-imaging-market/28816/

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Neuroscience

MIVI Neuroscience Promotes Bob Colloton to CEO and Appoints Robert Stern to Board of Directors – Yahoo Finance

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn., March 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --MIVI Neuroscience announced today that Bob Colloton has been promoted to the role of Chief Executive Officer effective March 30, 2020, following the resignation of MIVI's current CEO, Jim McCollum.

The Company also announced that Robert Stern, an experienced medical device executive and investor, has accepted the role of Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.

Mr. Colloton is currently the company's Chief Commercial Officer whose career in fostering innovative medical devices spans 35 years. Before joining MIVI in January 2018, Bob was the Vice President US for Neuravi Inc. (acquired by Johnson and Johnson), Vice President of Marketing and Sales at Revision Optics, and prior to that Vice President Marketing and Sales at Micrus Endovascular (acquired by Johnson and Johnson). Bob holds an MS in Marketing from Miami of Ohio in Oxford, Ohio.

Mr. Stern currently serves as an advisor for several innovative medical device companies and is and has been a board member of multiple Neurovascular-focused companies including Flexible Stenting Solutions, Reverse Medical, and Neuravi LTD., all of which were sold to strategic investors.

"We are excited about Bob Colloton's promotion to CEO here at MIVI Neuroscience," said Dr. Fred Moll, MIVI's Chairman of the Board. "Bob has been an integral part of the MIVI team and has broad commercial relationships in the neurovascular field, making him the logical choice to succeed Jim as we continue toward approval and commercialization of our Q Catheter System and DAISE Clot Management Device. We are also excited to welcome Bob Stern to the Board as Vice Chairman, and believe his capabilities and experience will be instrumental in accomplishing MIVI's ambitious commercial goals." Moll added, "We would like to also thank Jim McCollum for his contributions to MIVI over the past two years and wish him the best in his new endeavors."

About MIVI Neuroscience MIVI Neuroscience, Inc. is focused on developing and commercializing superior clinical solutions for neurointerventional procedures. Adoption of endovascular stroke therapy procedures is growing significantly worldwide since compelling data from multiple large-scale randomized trials in 2015 and 2016 confirmed the value to rapidly clear occlusive clot from large cerebral vessels. MIVI's innovative product portfolio provides physicians with unique devices designed to improve patient outcomes in these procedures by reducing complications, shortening procedure times and expanding treatment to more patients. More information about MIVI can be found on the website, http://www.mivineuro.com

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MIVI Neuroscience Promotes Bob Colloton to CEO and Appoints Robert Stern to Board of Directors - Yahoo Finance

Neuroscience

The Virus Diaries: ‘I felt the rug was pulled out from me’ – Press Herald

Editors note: The Virus Diaries is a series in which Mainers talk about how they are affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

Like other college seniors across the nation, Gina Pardi was looking forward to the final months of her time at Wheaton College in Norton, Massachusetts.

Then, while on spring break in Miami, Pardi got a message that the college was closing and shifting to remote learning for the rest of the academic year because of the coronavirus outbreak. A neuroscience major, she is now back home in Falmouth with her family, trying to adjust to online classes.

It hasnt been an easy adjustment for Pardi or her classmates.

We are missing out on so many end-of-the-year celebrations, she said, and I did not have a chance to say goodbye to many of my friends in college.

To make matters even worse, I am a runner and my very last outdoor track season was canceled, so this has been a very tough adjustment for me all around.

For Pardi, the hardest part was not being able to see many of her friends one last time before everyone went home.

They gave us a week to come and get our stuff so I wasnt able to see a lot of people, she said. I saw some of my main friends, but there were a lot of others, people that you didnt see all the time, but were acquaintances who you met and made a difference in your life. I missed the chance to say goodbye to them.

Its kind of a lot to process. I felt the rug was pulled out from me. I didnt have closure. College has been the four greatest, and challenging, years of my life. And I felt it was a very abrupt and sad way to end it.

She was a distance runner for the Wheaton womens track team, competing in events from the 800 meters to the 5,000.

Running is just such a big part of my life, its where I made my best friends, it helped me mature as a person in college, said Pardi. It made me a more confident and capable person, and I had great relationships with teammates and coaches.

Thats part of the reason this has been upsetting. I felt college was going really well academically and socially. I felt everything was clicking and then all of a sudden it was gone.

Do you have a story to share about how you are affected by the coronavirus outbreak? Email us at [emailprotected]

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Neuroscience

The dos and donts of sex in the time of social distancing – Scroll.in

Lately, the one topic the entire world is concerned about is the novel coronavirus. In line with that, as a sex positive neuroscience sex researcher, I am writing this article with a couple of goals: to inform readers how sex relates to the current pandemic, and to prevent the spread of myths and misinformation in an agitated social environment.

Given the common modes of transmission of respiratory viruses, engaging in certain types of sexual activities may risk spreading the virus. However, expecting people to abstain from sex during times of isolation is unrealistic.

In the current situation, since sex is not a priority as a topic of discussion, misinformation can be easily fostered. People could unwillingly exacerbate the spread of the virus if they do not take the necessary precautions.

So after washing our hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, lets get down to business!

Can the coronavirus be transmitted sexually? The answer is simple: we do not know. At the moment, there is no reliable research, official communication or scientific report from trusted authorities. Sexual transmission is not the same as contracting the virus from your sexual partner. You can easily contract the virus from an infected sexual partner by activities like kissing just not through sexual transmission. That term is defined as transmission through sexual contact and fluids including vaginal, oral and anal sex.

Christian Lindmeier, a spokesperson for the World Health Organisation told the New York Times that coronaviruses are not typically sexually transmitted. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are seven types of coronaviruses, all of which typically affect the respiratory tract in humans.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Other infectious disease experts support these observations. But the coronavirus may not be limited to the respiratory tract. There is some evidence that it has been found in the feces of infected patients, although the Center for Disease Control and Prevention expects the risk of transmission is low.

The novel coronavirus spreads via droplets that are expelled when infected people exhale, cough or sneeze. Others become infected by inhaling these droplets, or touching them on a surface and then touching their face. Thus, chances of getting the virus through sexual activities with an infected person is almost certain.

Since the virus is present in respiratory secretions, it is easy to assume almost any sexual practice would lead to its transmission due to close contact. This is not the time to have that sexy social gathering. The executive director of the American adult industry workers coalition, Michelle L LeBlanc, called for a voluntary shutdown of all adult entertainment productions during the pandemic to help prevent the spread of the virus.

Sexual behaviour is a realm where variety is highly valued. Although it is practically impossible to ask people not to have sex, perhaps we could help by suggesting simple and small experimenting?

Since you can be infected with the virus and not have symptoms, the only reliable way to know if you or your partner are infected is through testing. If you and your partner have no symptoms and have stayed at home, then sex likely poses no risk.

We can contribute to the control of the Covid-19 pandemic by taking a few precautions. We can also learn to thrive differently in times of sexual need. Here are a few general recommendations to keep in mind that can reduce the risk of transmission.

First and foremost, wash your hands thoroughly for at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water before and after you do anything. Think of it as the new foreplay in the time of isolation!

If you think you need a face mask, most likely you dont. Mask use is recommended by the World Health Organisation only in specific cases. There is evidence that some women in Japan have worn face masks as a way to increase their attractiveness by hiding their faces when not wearing makeup. However, a study of this practice showed that for some, face masks decrease facial attractiveness.

You can further minimise the risk of contagion by using condoms, dental dams or latex gloves. These may not be your cup of tea, but desperate times calls for fun measures.

Acts associated with sexual intimacy can have as many variations and alternatives as the imagination can conceive. Instead of kissing and sexual intercourse, try erotic massage, chat rooms, spooning, mutual masturbation, watching or reading erotica, or watching your partner pleasure themselves. Rimming, or mouth-to-anus, should be out of the picture completely.

Engaging in any form of sexual intercourse involves an unnecessary risk, especially when there is still no vaccine or medicine available to treat or prevent the disease. Everybody knows we like what we cannot get. Refraining or abstaining from your favourite activities to minimise risk will only make them sweeter at the end, once the storm has passed.

It is essential to stay in tune with your partner, especially if you dont feel well or simply do not want to engage in any sexual activity. For the singles out there, just like some businesses are taking a toll due to the curfew, the dating pool may be hurt, too.

It is definitely not the best time to go on a Tinder date or expose yourself to unnecessary risks from new partners. If they really like you, they will wait. If you already have started engaging with people, keeping track of whom you have been with, where and when, is a good idea. There is no evidence that kissing through a mask is a safe practice.

The novel coronavirus is no joke, and it has already taken thousands of lives around the world and several lives in Canada. We all can do something to prevent the spread and keep those at risk safe.Read reliable information. Do not panic. Stay indoors for now. Fear, rumours and misinformation spread quickly. Crucially, we need to trust the recommendations of scientists.

With appropriate efforts from our governments, scientists and our fellow humans, along with the right amount of patience, we will overcome this pandemic and hopefully will be able to go back to our regular lives. Maybe then, we can resume our more so-called dirty practices.

Gonzalo R Quintana Zunino, PhD, Behavioural Neuroscience, Concordia University.

This article first appeared on The Conversation.

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The dos and donts of sex in the time of social distancing - Scroll.in

Neuroscience

SingHealth institutions to start issuing digital MCs from tomorrow – The Straits Times

Patients visiting hospitals, polyclinics and most national speciality centres under SingHealth will receive digital medical certificates (MC) instead of hard-copy versions from tomorrow.

The new DigiMC system that was developed by the Government Technology Agency (GovTech) will also be used at private institutions such as Raffles Medical and Mount Alvernia Hospital.

"Digital MCs offer patients greater convenience, streamline clinical and administrative workflows and are environmentally-friendly," said Dr Goh Min Liong, SingHealth's group chief medical informatics officer.

Raffles Medical launched a DigiMC pilot this month and aims to roll out the system fully by June, barring delays arising from the coronavirus situation, a spokesman told The Straits Times.

Mount Alvernia also plans to roll out the system in a few months.

But the system will not be implemented at the National Neuroscience Institute, which is also under SingHealth, from tomorrow, ST understands. This is because it is located at the Tan Tock Seng Hospital campus under the National Healthcare Group (NHG), another public healthcare cluster.

NHG said it intends to use the DigiMC system in the future, and has initiated discussions with GovTech.

Private healthcare provider Parkway Shenton, which is upgrading its electronic medical records system, will also review how its system can interface with DigiMC.

A DigiMC pilot was carried out at all SingHealth institutions in December, the public healthcare cluster said yesterday.

More than 400,000 digital MCs have been issued since the pilot started and over 80 per cent of the more than 17,700 patients surveyed were satisfied with the initiative, said SingHealth.

A digital MC, which can be accessed via a URL and sent to a patient in an SMS, eliminates the need to submit a hard copy to the employer or request a replacement if it was misplaced.

Patients get the digital MC via SMS within five minutes of the doctor issuing it during a clinic visit or hospital stay.

Number of digital MCs that have been issued since the DigiMC pilot started at SingHealth institutions in December last year. Over 80 per cent of the more than 17,700 patients surveyed were satisfied with the initiative, said SingHealth.

BENEFITS OF GOING DIGITAL

Digital MCs offer patients greater convenience, streamline clinical and administrative workflows, and are environmentally friendly.

DR GOH MIN LIONG, SingHealth's group chief medical informatics officer.

A patient unlocks the MC by keying in his date of birth. Once unlocked, patients can forward the SMS or the URL to their employers or relevant parties.

The URL will not expire and patients can access the MC whenever they need it. They can also download and share or print the MC.

As these digital MCs are hosted and displayed on a government domain, employers are better able to determine if the documents received from employees are legitimate.

During the pilot, patients received a digital MC alongside a hard-copy version. Now they will get only a digital one by default, although they can still request a paper version on the same day of their clinic visit or hospital discharge at no charge.

Paper MCs will still be provided for those who do not own mobile phones or do not have mobile numbers registered with the healthcare institution.

Quality technician Malathi Vasudevan, 23, who received a digital MC from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) in January, said that it was a fuss-free process.

"I had accidentally misplaced my paper MC, which was due for submission to my employer," she added. "Thankfully, SGH had given me the digital version of it, which I could easily retrieve online and print. It saved me a lot of trouble."

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SingHealth institutions to start issuing digital MCs from tomorrow - The Straits Times

Physiology

Prejean: Recent days remind us that gratitude is a gift – Herald-Mail Media

While practicing social distancing and working at home for the last two weeks, I have come to one conclusion.

Gratitude is a gift. We learn to appreciate the simple things in life when they arent so simple anymore.

The banana I ate for breakfast on a recent morning tasted so good. On the last two trips to the store, there were no bananas, so it was nice to finally have one.

Our WiFi is slow, and I cant download all the files I need from shared Dropboxes at work, but my co-workers can email them to me. We have a great team.

It takes longer to do my job remotely, but at least I have a job and I can do it remotely.

Our house, which seemed so quiet and empty before, is now filled with our college-aged daughters laughter and conversations about physics, biomechanics, physiology of aging and sport for development as campus is closed and she works on her classes remotely at home. My husband brushed off his college physics books, and I think hes rather enjoying his evenings filled with math. Ive appreciated the discussions weve had about the papers shes writing.

We wonder if shell study us for her physiology of aging projects. What a blessing to have two roommates who are living examples of what shes learning in her class! She wouldnt have access to that in her college apartment building.

The family togetherness has been so nice. Weve played board games, taken walks together and spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking and eating homemade food.

In last weeks column, I included one of the recipes weve made twice in the last two weeks, Egg Casserole. Several of you noticed that the oven temperature was not included. That certainly would help if you are planning to make the recipe. Sorry about that. The recipe calls for setting the oven at 375, but my casserole got a little brown, so you might want to try 350. Im sharing the recipe in its entirety again, in case youd like to cut it out of the newspaper or screenshot it, if youre reading online.

This recipe was shared with me years ago by Diane Pryor, a former Herald-Mail Lifestyle reporter. I reached out to her recently to ask if I could share the recipe, and she says she still makes it occasionally.

I thought you might like to try it, too, especially now that the oven temperature is included.

pound bacon (7-10 slices)

cup shredded cheddar or Swiss cheese

Cut bacon into small pieces. Cook until almost crisp. Add onion. Cook until onion is tender. Spread bacon and onion in bottom of greased 1 -quart casserole. (Drain off fat from bacon first.)

Beat Bisquick, eggs, milk, salt and pepper, until smooth. Slowly pour egg mixture over bacon/onions.

Sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees until knife inserted in center comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Serves 6.

(If doubled, use a 13 X 9 rectangle baking dish.)

Enjoy this time with your family, in the kitchen, or whichever room you happen to be in while working at home.

Lisa Tedrick Prejean writes a weekly column for The Herald-Mail's Family page. Send email to her at lprejean@herald-mail.com. Follow her on Twitter @Lisa_Prejean.

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Prejean: Recent days remind us that gratitude is a gift - Herald-Mail Media

Physiology

Olim friends from CA sworn into IDF with family watching via video – The Jerusalem Post

Two olim childhood friends from California made aliyah and graduated last week from the same IDF course for training IDF combat-soldiers as their parents watched via Facebook live due to the coronavirus crisis.The families of both women, Omer Levi and Oria Zisso, had intended on flying in from the US for the induction ceremony until the coronavirus crisis made parents attending the ceremony, let alone international travel, impossible.However, even in the shadow of this global pandemic, the families and their daughters were able to unite via live video feeds for the ceremony as the IDF tried to facilitate as much family unity as possible given the difficult circumstances.Levi and Zisso grew up together in California and then jointly decided after high school to make aliyah and join the same course for becoming fitness trainers for IDF combat-soldiers.They made aliyah in July 2019 and joined the IDF in December 2019, completing their intense three-month course as fitness trainers last week. Levi said that the course was, the most intense and challenging course I ever undertook. I learned a lot about myself, about my unique abilities and responsibility.She also noted that her Hebrew had improved a lot and that she bonded with many new friends who can help her start her new life in Israel.Remarking about the difficulty of her parents being unable to attend, Levi said, my parents were supposed to come and surprise me, but they could not come in the end because of the [coronavirus] situation. Also, I cannot visit them.Yet, even though my parents could not come. My commanders tried to make the ceremony the best it could be and to look after me as much as possible. I was thrilled also that my parents saw the ceremony via a live feed. They are physically far away, but always in my heart. Omer Levi chats with her family over Facebook.(Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)Levi added that it was really special that her parents watched, even if remotely, in real-time as her commander awarded her with her insignia for completing the course.Likewise, Zisso said, it was a bit hard for me without my family there since I wanted them with me at that emotional moment.Oria Zisso is seen video chatting with her family. (Credit: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)In addition to the live video that connected her and her family in the US during the ceremony and the frequent conversations by phone during the course, Zisso also said she pulled through the difficulty with the support of her fellow cadets.She said she felt, tremendous satisfaction that I passed for the course.Course commander Lt. Shahar Gluzman said that, to enable families to take part in this emotional ceremony during a time in which coronavirus regulations would not permit families to be physically present, we broadcast it on Facebook live with families in Israel and overseas following.Gluzman said that the commanders promised their cadets that just as they had been family throughout the difficult and trying course, they would also be family for them at the ceremony.The lieutenant said the cadets had, undergone a long journey full of fitness drills and tests learning aspects of physiology relevant to fitness to arrive at the ceremony and that they would perform their duties at the highest level.

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Human Behavior

Human Behavior Quotes (143 quotes) – goodreads.com

It is often said that what sets Shakespeare apart is his ability to illuminate the workings of the soul and so on, and he does that superbly, goodness knows, but what really characterizes his work - every bit of it, in poems and plays and even dedications, throughout every portion of his career - is a positive and palpable appreciation of the transfixing power of language. A Midsummer Night's Dream remains an enchanting work after four hundred years, but few could argue that it cuts to the very heart of human behaviour. What it does is take, and give, a positive satisfaction in the joyous possibilities of verbal expression. Bill Bryson, Shakespeare: The World as Stage

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Human Behavior Quotes (143 quotes) - goodreads.com

Human Behavior

Coronavirus Question: What’s the Psychology Behind Our Tendency to Hoard? – The National Interest

The media is replete with COVID-19 stories about people clearing supermarket shelves and the backlash against them. Have people gone mad? How can one individual be overfilling his own cart, while shaming others who are doing the same?

As a behavioral neuroscientist who has studied hoarding behavior for 25 years, I can tell you that this is all normal and expected. People are acting the way evolution has wired them.

The word hoarding might bring to mind relatives or neighbors whose houses are overfilled with junk. A small percentage of people do suffer from what psychologists call hoarding disorder, keeping excessive goods to the point of distress and impairment.

But hoarding is actually a totally normal and adaptive behavior that kicks in any time there is an uneven supply of resources. Everyone hoards, even during the best of times, without even thinking about it. People like to have beans in the pantry, money in savings and chocolates hidden from the children. These are all hoards.

Most Americans have had so much, for so long. People forget that, not so long ago, survival often depended on working tirelessly all year to fill root cellars so a family could last through a long, cold winter and still many died.

Similarly, squirrels work all fall to hide nuts to eat for the rest of the year. Kangaroo rats in the desert hide seeds the few times it rains and then remember where they put them to dig them back up later. A Clarks nutcracker can hoard over 10,000 pine seeds per fall and even remember where it put them.

Similarities between human behavior and these animals are not just analogies. They reflect a deeply ingrained capacity for brains to motivate us to acquire and save resources that may not always be there. Suffering from hoarding disorder, stockpiling in a pandemic or hiding nuts in the fall all of these behaviors are motivated less by logic and more by a deeply felt drive to feel safer.

My colleagues and I have found that stress seems to signal the brain to switch into get hoarding mode. For example, a kangaroo rat will act very lazy if fed regularly. But if its weight starts to drop, its brain signals to release stress hormones that incite the fastidious hiding of seeds all over the cage.

Kangaroo rats will also increase their hoarding if a neighboring animal steals from them. Once, I returned to the lab to find the victim of theft with all his remaining food stuffed into his cheek pouches the only safe place.

People do the same. If in our lab studies my colleagues and I make them feel anxious, our study subjects want to take more stuff home with them afterward.

Demonstrating this shared inheritance, the same brain areas are active when people decide to take home toilet paper, bottled water or granola bars, as when rats store lab chow under their bedding the orbitofrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens, regions that generally help organize goals and motivations to satisfy needs and desires.

Damage to this system can even induce abnormal hoarding. One man who suffered frontal lobe damage had a sudden urge to hoard bullets. Another could not stop borrowing others cars. Brains across species use these ancient neural systems to ensure access to needed items or ones that feel necessary.

So, when the news induces a panic that stores are running out of food, or that residents will be trapped in place for weeks, the brain is programmed to stock up. It makes you feel safer, less stressed, and actually protects you in an emergency.

At the same time theyre organizing their own stockpiles, people get upset about those who are taking too much. That is a legitimate concern; its a version of the tragedy of the commons, wherein a public resource might be sustainable, but peoples tendency to take a little extra for themselves degrades the resource to the point where it can no longer help anyone.

By shaming others on social media, for instance, people exert what little influence they have to ensure cooperation with the group. As a social species, human beings thrive when they work together, and have employed shaming even punishment for millennia to ensure that everyone acts in the best interest of the group.

And it works. Twitter users went after a guy reported to have hoarded 17,700 bottles of hand sanitizer in the hopes of turning a profit; he ended up donating all of it and is under investigation for price gouging. Who wouldnt pause before grabbing those last few rolls of TP when the mob is watching?

People will continue to hoard to the extent that they are worried. They will also continue to shame others who take more than what they consider a fair share. Both are normal and adaptive behaviors that evolved to balance one another out, in the long run.

But thats cold comfort for someone on the losing end of a temporary imbalance like a health care worker who did not have protective gear when they encountered a sick patient. The survival of the group hardly matters to the person who dies, or to their parent, child or friend.

One thing to remember is that the news selectively depicts stockpiling stories, presenting audiences with the most shocking cases. Most people are not charging $400 for a mask. Most are just trying to protect themselves and their families, the best way they know how, while also offering aid wherever they can. Thats how the human species evolved, to get through challenges like this together.

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Stephanie Preston, Professor of Psychology, University of Michigan

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Image: Reuters.

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Coronavirus Question: What's the Psychology Behind Our Tendency to Hoard? - The National Interest