Human Behavior

South Tampa’s Old School Bar and Grill is fun house with exceptional corn dogs and sliders – Creative Loafing Tampa

Old School Bar and Grill's poke bowl has a mound of fresh tuna cubes upon sticky rice surrounded by thin slices of cucumber and radish topped with crispy wontons.Jenna Rimensnyder

3 out of 5 stars

2202 W. Kennedy Blvd., Tampa

Appetizers: $7-$11; entrees: $9-$14; no dessert; beer/wine/cocktails: $2-$12.

Sometimes, as I venture around the Bay area, the CL editors send me to a tasting where I feel like a cultural anthropologist. I trained in the theatre as an actor and director, where our stock-in-trade is observing human behavior and understanding and assigning motivation. I pay keen attention at each venue and look for details to report to you, our dear readers, so that you might make an informed decision about whether the location of the week is an appealing place for you to drop your hard-earned dollars.

But, CLs readership is an eclectic mix of all ages and orientations. From DINKs to grandparents, broke college students to obsessive foodies, craft beer purists to indiscriminate hedonists. A recent notable trend, from which to attempt to draw conclusions about the desires of Bay area patrons is the number of TVs in a given establishment.

Theres a continuum from no TVs (more formal/fine wine/craft cocktails) to TVs everywhere (casual/mass market beer/well spirits). One dining environment encourages intimacy and conversation, the other an energetic communal buzz fueled by maximum alcohol and the big game (or many competing games) that may even test the limits of sensual overload. One hopes not to wake up after an ill-advised hookup with a regrettable tattoo, piercing, or missing a kidney (Google it).

All of which is to say, Old School is the latter. Its a 20-plus TV fun house with live music, cornhole, Jenga, and a Golden Tee Live console for those poor souls who risk delirium tremens from golf withdrawal. The furniture is all metalshiny, swirled, and impervious to any over indulgence.

Theres no cocktail or wine list. Its standard bar fare with quaffable wine, and Yuengling, Blue Moon, and the like on tap. My Bombay Sapphire gin and tonic is just fine and hits the spot.

The menu offers a diverse bar food mix including wings, cheese fries, salads and bowls. Our quartet of deviled eggs is made with sweet citrus-truffle vinaigrette and topped with a sriracha dot for a touch of heat. Theyre served (as is most of the menu) on red and white checked paper, and divided into quadrants by criss-crossed million dollar candied baconwhich is indeed the most delicious sweet and chewy bacon Ive ever had.

The six hand-dipped mini-wagyu beef corn dogs are the size of fat skewered golf balls. Theyre sensational, if youre a corn dog fan. I didnt even care to use the house ketchup or chipotle mustard. The juicy dogs have layered beefy flavor highlighted by corn batter thats not at all grainy.

Early on a Taco Tuesday, the zoo is devoid of late night animals and is a good time to take advantage of $2 Coors and Miller Lite drafts with mix-and-match $2 tacos and sliders.

The grouper taco is fine, but not the equal of our three different sliders served on sweet, ultrasoft Hawaiian rolls. Three Little Pigs loads shreds of juicy slow roasted pork with a bit of chipotle mustard and fried shallots on that squishy bread that just melds with the yummy meat.

A slider version of the burger adds sloppy sauce on a mini house-blended patty with American cheese and crisp homemade pickles. A family recipe puts ketchup-glazed Poppys meatloaf with crispy onions on another Hawaiian sweet roll. Its hard to pick a favorite.

The poke bowl has a mound of fresh tuna cubes upon sticky rice surrounded by thin slices of cucumber and radish topped with crispy wontons. Theres Brussels wakame salad, but the spicy ponzu and black garlic aoli listed on the menu dont really register in our bowl, which seems a bit dull once we get past the fish.

The flatbread is also less interesting, mainly because of the spongy crust, but the balsamic shallots add some interest to the Margheritas marinated cherry tomatoes with ample mozzarella blanketing herb oil and torn basil.

Sadly, for a sweet-toothed food critic, there is no dessert. But thats clearly not the goal. One Yelper sums up Old Schools allure in a pithy, Hemingway-esque conclusion that tells you all you really need to know: Cold beer. Casual as hell. Pretty people.

CL Food Critic Jon Palmer Claridge is the Bay areas longest running food critic and dines anonymously when reviewing. See his list of Tampa Bays 50 best restaurants of 2019, check out the explanation of his rating system and read his new book, 'Drink.More.Wine!'

Want to know everything going on with Tampa Bay's food and drink scene? Sign up for our Bites newsletter.

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South Tampa's Old School Bar and Grill is fun house with exceptional corn dogs and sliders - Creative Loafing Tampa

Human Behavior

How to break up with your phone, explained by a phone addiction researcher – The Next Web

TNW Answers is a live Q&A platform where we invite interesting people in tech who are much smarter than us to answer questions from TNW readers and editors for an hour.

On average, people spend four hours on their phone every day, were addicted to our phones, but its not all our fault. Apps are designed to manipulate our brain chemistry to make us stay on their platform for as long as possible because thats what benefits their bottom line. Everything you see in an app is a result of a human decision and is carefully designed to keep you hooked for hours on end.

While it may not be entirely our fault, Catherine Price, the author of How to Break up with Your Phone, recently hosted a TNW Answerssession and provided some actionable advice on how to create a healthierrelationship with your phone.

[Read: Google wants to reduce your screen time with an envelope?]

Price suggests signing up for the free 7-day phone breakup challenge on Screen Life Balance. This is the introduction to a longer program outlined in How to Break up with Your Phone, which gives you daily assignments designed to jump start a new relationship including switching your phone to black and white.

For the time being, one thing you can do right now is identify a few things that you WANT to be spending time on but supposedly never have time for, such as reading, exercising, meditating, etc. Then, identify a few ways in which your phone habits are standing in the way. Your goal isnt to spend less time on your phone; its to spend more time on your LIFE. This shift in thinking can be a powerful motivator for change.

Most unhealthy phone habits are fueled by FOMO and mindless scrolling on addictive sites like Instagram and Facebook you may even notice a pattern in your own habits where you put down your phone and pick it up again, for no reason, minutes later.

To break this habit, Price suggests incorporating a speed bump, a small obstacle that snaps you out of autopilot and makes you realize that youve just reached for your phone. You could simply put a rubber band or hair tie around your phone to start. Then, when you reach for your phone on autopilot youll have a quick moment of wondering why theres a band around your phone thats the moment when you can ask yourself what you picked up your phone to and what else you could do instead.

Ever since the first picture was uploaded to Instagram, scientists have been researching the consequences of living our lives through a smartphone. In recent years, its been argued that excessive screen time among young people can have numerous negative effects such as depression and anxiety.

But among all the research comes inconsistent results, or even contradictory findings. In an op-ed published in the Nature journal last week, it was argued that screen time is too vague of a metric to truly understand human behavior.

I think that screen time can be a good starting place, but I dont love it because it lumps all time in together, and makes it seem as if any use of your phone is bad. But thats not true our phones are amazing tools.

Also, it doesnt take into account how your phone time fits into your overall screen time. For example, if I were to spend 20 minutes on my phone one day, it might seem great on Screen Time but what if I spent 13 hours on my laptop that day? Is that a healthy day? And the opposite would also be true: if I spent 5 hours on my phone, that might seem bad, but it could mean that I didnt spend any time at all in front of my computer.

As far as time trackers go, Price recommends Moment, an app that allows you to exclude particular apps so you can focus on monitoring the apps that you are actually concerned about and not worry about the rest. For example, youre probably not concerned about the amount of time you spend using Lyft or Google Maps.

Its worth noting that breaking up with your phone doesnt mean completing removing it from your life, its about learning new habits to create a healthier relationship, and providing you more time to spend less time scrolling and more time IRL.

You can read Prices entire TNW Answers session here.

Read next: This AI can perfectly dub videos in Indic languages -- and correct lip syncing

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How to break up with your phone, explained by a phone addiction researcher - The Next Web

Human Behavior

Chasing Poker Greatness: #35 Darren Elias: The ONLY 4-Time WPT Champ, $11.3 Million Online & Live Tourney Winnings, and Poker End Boss – Pokerfuse

Full Episode Description Yoooo, welcome my friend to another episode of the Chasing Poker Greatness podcast! Im your host, founder of EnhanceYourEdge.com Brad Wilson and todays guest is the only 4-time WPT champion on the planet, the one and only Darren Elias.Darren has over $7.5 million in career live cashes to go along with a pretty, pretty, pretty good $3.8 million in lifetime online career winnings all despite being a low-volume player. His career highlights include:- The aforementioned FOUR WPT titles, including: the WPT Bobby Baldwin Classic, 2017 WPT Fallsview, season 16 WPT Tournament of Champions, and (Darrens personal favorite win) the 2014 WPT Borgata Open.- Winning the 2012 World Championship of Online Poker high roller event for a cool $574k.- And a 2009 FTOPs gold medal for $126k.Our conversation covers a ton of ground from how Darren got his start playing cards in a way thats very near and dear to my own heart playing Yahoo! Hearts, to his first tournament bink and subsequent bankroll explosion to over $500k.There are too many greatness bombs to count headed your way, including:- How human beings are driven by personal interests and incentives that skew their opinions.- Darrens thoughts on the re-entry vs. freezeout debate. - Why AI is an existential, imminent threat to the present and future of online poker.- Why Darren spends most of his time studying human behavior and analyzing patterns to improve his poker game.- And much, much more!So, without any further ado, I bring to you the great Darren Elias.

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Chasing Poker Greatness: #35 Darren Elias: The ONLY 4-Time WPT Champ, $11.3 Million Online & Live Tourney Winnings, and Poker End Boss - Pokerfuse

Human Behavior

Genetic Secrets of How a Strange Marine Animal Produces Unlimited Eggs and Sperm Over Its Lifetime – SciTechDaily

Piwi1-positive spermatogonia are shown in yellow; cell nuclei are in turquoise. Germ cell induction and all stages of gametogenesis can be visualized in these clonal animals. Credit: Timothy DuBuc, Ph.D. Swarthmore College

National Human Genome Research Institute-supported research of Hydractinia could provide clues to human reproductive conditions.

A little-known ocean-dwelling creature most commonly found growing on dead hermit crab shells may sound like an unlikely study subject for researchers, but this animal has a rare ability it can make eggs and sperm for the duration of its lifetime. This animal, called Hydractinia, does so because it produces germ cells, which are precursors to eggs and sperm, nonstop throughout its life. Studying this unique ability could provide insight into the development of human reproductive system and the formation of reproductive-based conditions and diseases in humans.

By sequencing and studying the genomes of simpler organisms that are easier to manipulate in the lab, we have been able to tease out important insights regarding the biology underlying germ cell fate determination knowledge that may ultimately help us better understand the processes underlying reproductive disorders in humans, Dr. Andy Baxevanis, director of the National Human Genome Research Institutes (NHGRI) Computational Genomics Unit and co-author of the paper. NHGRI is part of the National Institutes of Health.

Piwi1-positive oocytes are shown in yellow; cell nuclei are in turquoise. Germ cell induction and all stages of gametogenesis can be visualized in these clonal animals. Credit: Timothy DuBuc, Ph.D. Swarthmore College

In a study published in the journal Science, collaborators at NHGRI, the National University of Ireland, Galway, and the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience at the University of Florida, Augustine, reported that activation of the gene Tfap2 in adult stem cells in Hydractinia can turn those cells into germ cells in a cycle that can repeat endlessly.

In comparison, humans and most other mammals generate a specific number of germ cells only once in their lifetime. Therefore, for such species, eggs and sperm from the predetermined number of germ cells may be formed over a long period of time, but their amount is restricted. An international team of researchers have been studying Hydractinias genome to understand how it comes by this special reproductive ability.

Hydractinia lives in colonies and is closely related to jellyfish and corals. Although Hydractinia is dissimilar to humans physiologically, its genome contains a surprisingly large number of genes that are like human disease genes, making it a useful animal model for studying questions related to human biology and health.

Hydractinia colonies possess feeding polyps and sexual polyps as a part of their anatomy. The specialized sexual polyps produce eggs and sperm, making them functionally similar to gonads in species like humans.

Timing of germ cell formation in Hydractinia versus most animals. Credit: Timothy DuBuc, Ph.D. Swarthmore College

During human embryonic development, a small pool of germ cells that will eventually become gametes is set aside, and all sperm or eggs that humans produce during their lives are the descendants of those original few germ cells. Loss of these germ cells for any reason results in sterility, as humans do not have the ability to replenish their original pool of germ cells.

In a separate study, Dr. Baxevanis at NHGRI and Dr. Christine Schnitzler at the Whitney Lab have completed the first-ever sequencing of the Hydractinia genome. In this study, researchers used this information to scrutinize the organisms genome for clues as to why there are such marked differences in reproductive capacity between one of our most distant animal relatives and ourselves.

Having this kind of high-quality, whole-genome sequence data in hand allowed us to quickly narrow down the search for the specific gene or genes that tell Hydractinias stem cells to become germ cells, said Dr. Baxevanis.

The researchers compared the behavior of genes in the feeding and sexual structures of Hydractinia. They found that the Tfap2 gene was much more active in the sexual polyps than in the feeding polyps in both males and females. This was a clue that the gene might be important in generating germ cells.

The scientists next confirmed that Tfap2 was indeed the switch that controls the process of perpetual germ cell production. The researchers used the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing technique to remove Tfap2 from Hydractinia and measured the resulting effects on germ cell production. They found that removing Tfap2 from Hydractinia stops germ cells from forming, bolstering the theory that Tfap2 controls the process.

The researchers also wanted to know if Tfap2 was influencing specific cells to turn into germ cells. Their analysis revealed that Tfap2 only causes adult stem cells in Hydractinia to turn into germ cells.

Interestingly, the Tfap2 gene also regulates germ cell production in humans, in addition to its involvement in myriad other processes. However, in humans, the germ cells are separated from non-germ cells early in development. Still, despite the vast evolutionary distance between Hydractinia and humans, both share a key gene that changes stem cells into germ cells.

Reference: Transcription factor AP2 controls cnidarian germ cell induction by Timothy Q. DuBuc, Christine E. Schnitzler, Eleni Chrysostomou, Emma T. McMahon, Febrimarsa, James M. Gahan, Tara Buggie, Sebastian G. Gornik, Shirley Hanley, Sofia N. Barreira, Paul Gonzalez, Andreas D. Baxevanis and Uri Frank, 14 February 2020, Science.DOI: 10.1126/science.aay6782

This article describes a basic research finding. Basic research increases our understanding of human behavior and biology, which is foundational to advancing new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat disease. Science is an unpredictable and incremental process each research advance builds on past discoveries, often in unexpected ways. Most clinical advances would not be possible without the knowledge of fundamental basic research.

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) is one of the 27 institutes and centers at the NIH, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The NHGRI Division of Intramural Research develops and implements technology to understand, diagnose and treat genomic and genetic diseases.

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Genetic Secrets of How a Strange Marine Animal Produces Unlimited Eggs and Sperm Over Its Lifetime - SciTechDaily

Human Behavior

Feed.fm Fitness And Wellness Customers Innovate With Music – PR Web

Music has the ability to affect both behavioral change, like pushing harder during a workout, and physiological change, like rewiring neural connections. - Lauren Pufpaf, COO Feed.fm

SAN FRANCISCO (PRWEB) February 14, 2020

Feed.fm today announced a new set of leading fitness and wellness brands are leveraging the platform to help customers and clients heal faster and exercise better. Feed.fm provides the know how for a wide variety of businesses to overcome difficult licensing, curation and technological challenges to integrate popular music into their brand experiences.

Musics power to heal and motivate has been known for millennia, but were only recently seeing a broader understanding of the wide range of benefits, said Lauren Pufpaf, COO of Feed.fm. Music has the ability to affect both behavioral change, like pushing harder during a workout, and physiological change, like rewiring neural connections. Were excited to make music work for our latest fitness and wellness partners as they seek to improve their customers mental and physical wellbeing.

New partners on the platform include:

Commercial-Grade Fitness Equipment Paired with Expert CoachingMyxFitness- Positioned as the Un-Peloton, Myx Fitness is designed to meet users wherever they are on their personal wellness journeys. Myx Fitness offers hundreds of classes ranging from cycling, HIIT, cardio dance and barre to yoga, mindful movement, meditation and everything in between. With commercial-grade equipment and a 21.5 HD touchscreen, the company aims for a truly immersive home training experience.

High Quality Video WorkoutsFitOn - Employing unique, innovative technology, FitOn boosts motivation and accountability through a one-of-a-kind social experience that allows users to interact and compete with friends inside and outside of class. FitOn has a roster of top trainers and recently added celebrity partners Jonathan Van Ness and Gabrielle Union.

Community and Wellness99 walks - While 90% of moms want to lose weight and improve fitness, the company also found that 73% of moms feel lonely and isolated. Their simple but powerful mission is create community, improve wellness and inspire happiness through the simple act of walking together.

Innovating Health CareMayo Clinic The number one hospital in America is dedicated to inspiring hope and providing the best care to every patient. With the addition of Feed.fm powered in-room music, the team continues to innovate on behalf of the patient.

A.I. Improvements to Re-envision Home WorkoutsNeuralx World-class technologists, scientists, physiologists and fitness experts are creating a revolutionary, remote workout experience. More to come soon.

Regardless of the health, wellness or fitness experience, Feed.fm is able to help any brand avoid legal gray areas thanks to the companys expertise and commitment to music licensing simplification. Feed.fms team of curators use a proprietary blend of algorithms combined with human expertise to curate music that best matches a brands experience. They understand the nuances of how music impacts human behavior, and have amassed millions of points of proprietary metadata to take a scientific approach to create the best possible soundtrack for users.

About Feed.fmFeed.fm is a technology platform that makes it easy for brands to legally and seamlessly harness the power of music to engage and retain their customers. Feed.fms team handles the licensing and technical integration of curated music stations to help brands increase key growth and customer retention metrics. Based in San Francisco, Feed.fm was co-founded by Jeff Yasuda (CEO), Lauren Pufpaf (COO) and Eric Lambrecht (CTO), and is backed by investors that include Crunchfund, Core Ventures Group, KEC Ventures, and Fyrfly. For more information, visit https://feed.fm/.

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Human Behavior

Last Call: What do you feed a very good boy or girl? – The Takeout

Joe, a very good boyPhoto: Aimee Levitt

I have very mixed feelings about the Westminster Kennel Club Show. The other night, I was reading the coverage online and was trying to explain it to my dog Joe, a puppy who is still learning all the ways of the world. (He sometimes still stands and watches in wonder as the el train rolls by.) Its a contest, Joe, I said. Theyre trying to determine the best dog... He was napping with his head on my lap, fighting for space with the laptop, but as soon as I said that, he opened one big brown eye and looked at me in a way I might have said was resentful, except that Joe is still pure of heart and hasnt learned about resentment yet. I know, youre the best dog. And also the best-looking dog. I thought for a moment. Joe closed his eyes and shoved the computer a few inches. Okay, Joe, I said. Theyre trying to figure out which dog fulfills some arbitrary standards of dog beauty and behavior, which is really dumb because all dogs are beautiful and perfect, especially you, and, yes, yes, youre right, lets go back to looking at things that are more important, like Bachelor recaps. (Not that Joe is very interested in any human behavior that doesnt involve either food or himself, but at least The Bachelor doesnt question one of his core life beliefs, e.g., that he is the best dog in the world. And some of these recaps are works of comic genius.)

Still, theres something about Westminster that gets to me every year, and this year I am very pissed that Daniel the golden retriever got beat out by Siba, the standard poodle. (Sibas haircut also disturbs me. Its a real villain haircut.) But I also cant stop thinking about how Siba refused to eat her ceremonial victory dinner at Sardis because it was steak and she will only eat chicken, even if its in McChicken sandwich form. But Siba was hand-fed that chicken from a silver platter! I guess thats a pretty good reward.

Joes more of a bacon dog himself. I think thats what I would feed him if he won something very important like Westminster, or, lets be honest, just for existing for another day, because we all know that we dont deserve dogs and one of the reasons they put up with our idiocy is because we feed them.

What do you feed your dog for being a very good girl or boy?

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Last Call: What do you feed a very good boy or girl? - The Takeout

Neuroscience

Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction – Chemistry World

Judith GriselScribe2019 | 256pp | 9.99ISBN 978-1912854578

Buy this book on Amazon.co.uk

Judith Grisel started drinking alcohol at the age of 13, and spent her teens and early twenties consuming a range of addictive substances in a bid to escape from the constraints and anxieties of her life. Soon after a friend commented that there would never be enough cocaine for us, Grisel got clean, motivated by a plan to find a cure for the addiction that had consumed her and ended the lives of many of her friends. She is now a professor of psychology and neuroscience, researching the underlying mechanisms of addiction though, as this book makes clear, that cure remains elusive.

In Never Enough, Grisel weaves together her personal experiences both as an addict and a researcher with the neurobiology behind addiction, historical details about the drugs and comments on the (often counterproductive) policies that governments have implemented to fight against drug abuse. Covering all that in 200 pages might sound like it would make for a tough read. However, Grisels writing has a light touch that, while it doesnt shy away from the stark reality of addiction, calls for compassion for those struggling with drug dependence. The mixture of anecdote, opinion and science is well balanced, and the short chapters make it easy to dip in and out of the text.

With the exception of the first two chapters, which introduce the brain adaptation processes that underlie addiction, the book doesnt need to be read in order. You also dont need to know much neurobiology to follow the scientific explanations, though a PhD may help you to appreciate the jokes about the similarities of living through addiction and grad school.

I liked that many of the chapters were devoted to a single class of drug, which gave a comprehensive feel to the book. While much of the focus is on illegal drugs, the effects of legal substances like alcohol and coffee are also examined. Indeed, one of my most vivid memories of the book is Grisels description of her desperate efforts to feed her coffee addiction in the middle of a desert, which in some ways was as discomforting as her tales of illicit drug taking.

While the book presents a negative view of addiction, this is not an anti-drug book. You also wont find tips for getting high or for quitting your addiction. What you will get is a reasoned, friendly and authoritative look into the complex social and biological issues that cause people to reach for a chemical fix.

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Never Enough: The Neuroscience and Experience of Addiction - Chemistry World

Neuroscience

Children’s National Hospital welcomes Tarik F. Haydar, Ph.D., as incoming Director of the Center for Neuroscience Research – Yahoo Finance

Haydar thinks of translational research as a two-way flow of expertise from the bench to the bedside

WASHINGTON, Feb. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Tarik F. Haydar, Ph.D., an award-winning neurobiologist whose research teases out how brain development differs in people with typical cognitive function compared with people with developmental disabilities, like Down syndrome, has been named incoming Director of the Center for Neuroscience Researchat Children's National Hospital. Haydar, a professor in the department of Anatomy and Neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine, will join Children's National on Sept. 1, 2020.

As Director of the Center for Neuroscience Research, Haydar will oversee teams whose bench research informs clinical efforts to prevent or treat neurological, developmental and behavioral disorders that manifest during childhood but often have their origin within the womb.

"I am thrilled that our nationwide search identified Dr. Haydar as the premier candidate for this important position," says Vittorio Gallo, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer at Children's National. "We were impressed with his vision for our future and inspired by his enthusiasm in fulfilling the promise of additional research collaborations as we open and build out the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus," Gallo adds.

"I'm really excited. It almost feels like fate," Haydar says. "Children's National is where I established my first lab as a new assistant professor way back in 2002. It's like coming home. One of the things I have been remembering and recommitting myself to is what translational research really means and the opportunity that a place like the Children's National Research Institute (CNRI) enables: Being responsive to the clinical needs of patients and leveraging the power of CNRI and the Center for Neuroscience Research to investigate the underlying causes of neurodevelopmental disorders and working towards potential solutions," he says.

On either side of that translational work, Haydar thinks of "superheroes" working together on vexing questions, such as how Zika viral infection leads to an arrest in brain development best understood in the lab. And, once the mechanics are understood at a micro level, collaborating on innovative therapies and treatments to be used in the clinic.

"We hear a lot about 'bench to bedside,' which means basic research in the lab eventually making its way into the clinic and being applied as medicine for people," he adds. "But it is also crucial to support that flow in the other direction, to start with needs or observations in the clinic and then engage basic research to provide insights that inform an improved standard of patient care."

The timing of Haydar's appointment enables him to be intimately involved with the opening of the hospital's new regional innovation hub. Children's National Research & Innovation Campus is the first of its kind dedicated to pediatric health care innovation. It is scheduled to open in December 2020 and will be anchored by the Center for Genetic Medicine Research and the Rare Disease Institute on a nearly 12-acre portion of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center campus.

In addition to its strategic mid-Atlantic location, the new campus is physically close to federal research partners, especially the National Institutes of Health, with whom Children's National has fruitful research collaborations.

"I am looking forward to being in that environment with our academic affiliate, the George Washington University, as well as the University of Maryland and now, Virginia Tech, as research partners," he says. "Having the new campus as the epicenter for these public-private research collaborations opens the potential to improve medicine for the benefit of not only Children's National patients but for all kids."

Tweets:Tarik F. Haydar, Ph.D., an award-winning neurobiologist currently at Boston University,named incoming Director of the Center for Neuroscience Researchat Children's National Hospital

Tarik Haydar: We hear a lot about 'bench to bedside,' but it is also crucial to support that flow in the other direction, going from the clinic to engage basic research

About Children's National HospitalChildren's National Hospital, based in Washington, D.C., celebrates150yearsof pediatric care, research and commitment to the community. Volunteers opened the hospital in 1870 with 12 beds to care for Civil War orphans. Today, 150 years stronger, it is the nation's No. 6 children's hospital. It is ranked No. 1 fornewborn carefor the third straight year and ranked in all specialties evaluated by "U.S. News & World Report." Children's National is transforming pediatric medicine for all children. In 2020, it will open the Children's National Research & Innovation Campus, the first in the nation dedicated to pediatric research. It has been designated twice as a Magnethospital, demonstrating the highest standards of nursing and patient care delivery. This pediatric academic health system offers expert care through a convenient, community-based primary care network and specialty outpatient centers in the D.C., metropolitan area, including the Maryland and Northern Virginia suburbs. Children's National is home to theChildren's National Research InstituteandSheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovationand is the nation's seventh-highest NIH-funded children's hospital. It is recognized for its expertise and innovation in pediatric care and as a strong voice for children through advocacy at the local, regional and national levels.

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Children's National Hospital welcomes Tarik F. Haydar, Ph.D., as incoming Director of the Center for Neuroscience Research - Yahoo Finance

Neuroscience

Two from UAB lauded as among 100 inspiring black scientists in America – UAB News

Two UAB neuroscientists have been included in a listing of 100 of the most inspiring black scientists in the nation.

Farah Lubin, Ph.D., and Michelle Gray, Ph.D.Two scientists on the faculty at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have been named to a list of 100 inspiring black scientists in America by Cross Talk, the official blog of Cell Press, a leading publisher of cutting-edge biomedical and physical science research and reviews.

Farah Lubin, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurobiology, and Michelle Gray, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Neurology, made the list.

The blogs guest author is Antentor O. Hinton Jr., Ph.D., a Ford Foundation and Burroughs Wellcome Fund postdoctoral fellow at the University of Iowa.

Theres a plethora of black scientists who make significant contributions to science, but many of them are unknown to the masses, Hinton said. Its imperative that young black scientists know about the myriad accomplished scientists from African, Afro-Caribbean, Afro-Latinx, and African American backgrounds in the fields of life sciences, chemistry, engineering and physics.

Lubin is the director of the NINDS-funded Neuroscience Roadmap Scholar Program. She is also a scientist in the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center, the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, and the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute. Her research focuses on learning, memory and synaptic plasticity, epigenetics, non-coding RNAs gene transcription, epilepsy disorders, neurodevelopment, and developmental disabilities.

Gray is the Dixon Scholar in Neuroscience in the Center for Neurodegeneration and Experimental Therapeutics, a scientist in the Comprehensive Neuroscience Center and the Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Institute, and co-director for the School of Medicines Summer in Biomedical Sciences Undergraduate Research Program. Her research focuses on the pathogenesis of Huntingtons disease with a specific interest in astrocytes, as well as cardiac abnormalities in Huntingtons disease and X-linked dystonia Parkinsonism.

The list includes 75 established investigators, including Lubin and Gray, who range from tenure track assistant professors to full professors and 25 scientists whom the author labels as rising stars.

Visit Cross Talk to see the list in its entirety.

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Two from UAB lauded as among 100 inspiring black scientists in America - UAB News

Neuroscience

Love By the Neuroscience – Doing Life Together – Beliefnet

Ahhhh, love.You see him across the crowded room. Your eyes meet and you feel drawn to him. As you move towards him, your adrenaline rises, your heart races, your mouth is drycan I even speak?Then, something amazing happens. Your brain is saturated with a love cocktail. Dopamine floods you like a rush of cocaine. You feel giddy. Serotonin activates and you cant take your eyes off the person. It is like you are obsessed. Actually you are, as that serotonin release is very similar to Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Yes, we focus on love this time of the year, but most of us want loving feelings for more than one day of the year. In other words, lets keep the love going.Perhaps a few tips from neuroscience can help inform our behavior when it comes to love.

Music stimulates neurochemical systems in the brain: A Japanese study looked at the impact music had on the impressions formed foropposite sex conversation partners during a first encounter. When music was part of the background of the conversations, participants rated their conversation partners significantly more favorably than those in pairs with no music in the background. The researchers concluded that music may have made the conversationalistsmore charming! Positive impressionscan be increased. And character traits such as friendliness and openness were rated higher when music was playing in the background. So, if you want to make a good first impression, have music playing in the background. It might make the attraction stronger! Music just might be the aphrodisiac of love!

Touch stimulates oxytocin, a bonding hormone known as the love or cuddle hormone: Hold hands, softly kiss a cheek, rub your partners back and you will release a small amount of oxytocin. This not only signal trust, but builds bonding. Of all touching, sex is the most intimate. It triggers oxytocin as well. So do not ignore the importance of it in your marriage. It activates the brains reward system and brings on desire.

And back tomusic to help create feelings of love and bonding.Join your church choir or a singing group. When you sing in a group, oxytocin pulses through the brain and those feelings of trust, love and acceptance start to flow. This is why you hear choir members talk so lovingly about each other and feel bonded to their group. Oxytocin is leading the way. The brain is increasing its production of oxytocin when you are belting out those choir numbers together. And the benefit to you is the positive feelings of trust and love, not to mention the beauty of worship.So if you want to feel bonded and accepted, join a choir or singing group. Or think about playing music with othersit does the same thing.

Do novel things to stimulate dopamine: Dopamine is associated with the desires to pursue your loved one. It can be stimulated in a relationship by doing novel things. Keep it flowing by getting out of your routine. Create surprises, try something new and be creative as a couple. The reward system in your brain will activate and you will see your partner with new excitement.

So here is your chance to boost love. Have soft music playing in the background or sing. Try a new intimate setting. Touch and show affection. Your brain chemicals will thank you by boosting those loving feelings.

Source:Sumi Shigeno.Effects of background music on young Japanese adults impressions of opposite-sex conversation partnersPsychology of Music0305735614561816,first published onDecember 15, 2014doi:10.1177/0305735614561816

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Love By the Neuroscience - Doing Life Together - Beliefnet