One ton of fun at Winter Weekend – UConn Daily Campus

February 10, 2020 medical

This is my first time, Costa said. She and Levine expressed a desire to go to One Ton Sundae this year, as next year they will not be able to attend because they will be student teaching. I love ice cream.Peanut butter chocolate is my favorite Dairy Bar flavor.

As students approached the front booth before scooping their ice cream, they were handed a Winter Weekend bucket and metal spoon and directed to one of two boats filled with either nut-free ice cream for those with allergies and another with a mix of flavors.Students chosefrom Dairy Bar favorites such as toasted almond amaretto, coffee espresso crunch, black raspberry and banana chocolate chip. As the event wore on, some flavors began to run out, but most attendees were able to scoop up some delicious combinations.

I gotHuskyTracks, coffee espresso crunch, cookie dough and almond,Tiberiosaid. He had stood in line from 11 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. It was a good mix of flavors, but I didnt go for any fruit ones. My favorite flavor from the Dairy Bar has got to be the signatureHuskyTracks, and I was bummed they didnt have the banana chocolate chip flavor.

This years Senior Scoop, You Matter Cake Batter, made with cake batter ice cream, mocha fudge swirl and brownie pieces, debuted for the first time at the event. The flavor was named by Lily DeBlasio and created by BriannaKinnie, Daniel Barry, Benjamin Hood and AnushaVissapragada.

Its my last year here, so I wanted to try it, see what the hypes about,IreoluwatomiwaOpayemi,aneighth-semester molecular and cellular major, said. He hadbeenlined up for One Ton Sundae since 9a.m.with ElyssaAlber, an eighth-semester physiology and neurobiology major, and Tiffany Cheung, a physiology and neurobiology major. I dont know why its outside, its really, really cold, but the rest of its cool. You stand in line, talk with your friends, get some ice cream.

Other Winter Weekend events included Moonlight Breakfast earlier in the week, a ski trip to Butternut Mountain over the weekend and a livestream of the Oscars last night.

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One ton of fun at Winter Weekend - UConn Daily Campus

Physiology

McGill University partners with the Universit du Qubec en Outaouais to offer its Medicine Preparatory Program as of September 2020 – McGill Newsroom

February 10, 2020 medical

McGill University is partnering with the Universit du Qubec en Outaouais (UQO) to offer the McGill Faculty of Sciences Medicine Preparatory (Med-P) Program in Gatineau. In September 2020, the program will welcome its first cohort of approximately 20 CEGEP graduates. With the addition of the program, McGill and its partners now offer the full range of its medical training programs in Outaouais: Med-P, Undergraduate Medical Education and Postgraduate Medical Education in Family Medicine. All programs will be offered 100% in French.

"McGill is proud to have collaborated with its partners in the Outaouais region since 1988. We are pleased to continue this tradition with UQO," says Dr. David Eidelman, Vice-Principal (Health Affairs) and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at McGill University. "By offering our programs in Gatineau, we are training a new generation of leaders in family medicine and other specialties in Outaouais. Our goal is to create a centre of excellence in health with our partners to attract more medical students and residents who will come to Outaouais to train and then practise here."

UQO is proud to collaborate with McGill to welcome these future medical graduates and to participate in their training and integration into the region," says UQO Rector Denis Harrisson. "The arrival of this new cohort of students at UQO will bring a new dynamic to our university and is an important step in the development of our new health sciences programs.

The McGill Med-P Program consists of 10 courses (six compulsory science courses, three complementary courses and one elective), which will be taught in French at UQO. Professors from McGill's Faculty of Science will teach the life sciences courses (such as biology and physiology), and professors from UQO will teach the statistics, humanities and social sciences courses. The goal of the program is to prepare CEGEP graduates for the McGill Faculty of Medicines Undergraduate Medical Education Program at the new Campus Outaouais.

"It is gratifying to know that the Faculty of Science, in collaboration with UQO, will help CEGEP graduates on their path towards becoming McGill medical graduates," says Bruce Lennox, Dean of the Faculty of Science at McGill University. "By offering this program in French in Outaouais, our two universities are partnering to provide excellent preparatory training locally.

The launch of the preparatory year in medicine in Gatineau coincides with the start of the Undergraduate Medical Education Program at McGills Campus Outaouais, located on the site of the Hpital de Gatineau. Each year, Campus Outaouais, a partnership between McGill and the Centre intgr de sant et de services sociaux de l'Outaouais, will welcome a cohort of 24 students, for a total of 96 students over the four-year program, in addition to the students in Med-P at UQO.

"The partnership with UQO to offer the McGill Med-P in Gatineau in September is a great accomplishment. I want to thank the UQO-McGill team who worked hard to make this project a reality," says Dr. Samuel Benaroya, Associate Vice-Principal and Vice-Dean (Health Affairs) at McGill University. "Today's announcement is great news for the region, and we are proud to be working together to train the next generation of physicians here.

About McGill University

Founded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill is a leading Canadian post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.

Physiology

Women in science honoured for their contribution to rooibos – Rising Sun Chatsworth

February 10, 2020 medical

Current research suggests that Rooibos has the potential to delay or prevent the onset and progression of type 2 diabetes, however its effect on the associated risk of type 3 diabetes and Alzheimers Disease still needs to be elucidated.

Female scientists have been at the forefront of researching rooibos- one of the countrys most treasured natural resources.The first documented scientific research on the healing properties of rooibos in the early 1990s, started a chain reaction, which hasnt let up.

Today, largely due to the vast amount of research that underpins its health claims, rooibos has become a sought-after superfood both locally and abroad, and is exported to more than 30 countries.

In the wake of International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the SA Rooibos Council (SARC) is paying tribute to specifically the female researchers for their invaluable contribution to the industry, and in doing so, also hopes to inspire young girls to pursue a career in science.

Adele du Toit, the spokesperson for the SA Rooibos Council, explained that since the industry actively started to pursue research into rooibos, it has involved more than 40 women scientists from South Africa, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Japan and Taiwan.

These incredible women are all attempting to answer some of the most pertinent questions of our time and provide solutions to life-inhibiting and life-threatening illnesses. We salute them for their dedication and commitment to science, while many of them juggle motherhood and other demands. Its unfortunate that women still account for less than 30 percent of the worlds researchers, as they have such a major role to play. The contribution that these women are making in the generation of knowledge is fuelling the exciting innovation within the sector and is giving a proudly South African product a significant competitive edge, remarked du Toit.

Some of the women scientists, who are putting rooibos on the map, include Prof Jeanine (research chair in biotechnology and director of the Applied Microbial and Health Biotechnology Institute at Cape Peninsula University of Technology), Prof Elizabeth Joubert (principal researcher at the Plant Bioactives Group of the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa and extraordinary professor in food science at Stellenbosch University), Dr Rabia Johnson (principal investigator and senior specialist scientist at the SA Medical Research Council), Prof Amanda Swart (head of the P450 Steroid Research Group, department of biochemistry at Stellenbosch University), Prof Dalene de Beer (specialist researcher at the Plant Bioactives Group of the Agricultural Research Council of South Africa and an extraordinary associate professor in food science at Stellenbosch University), Dr Hanl Sadie-Van Gijsen (principal investigator and senior researcher in the division of medical physiology at Stellenbosch University, Dr Liske Kotz-Hrstmann (post-doctoral research fellow), Dr Tandeka Magwebeba (researcher based at the Institute of Biomedical and Microbial Biotechnology at CPUT), Dr Sarah Pedretti (senior research scientist at the University of Cape Towns Lung Institute), Pamela Sithole (masters student at Stellenbosch University), Dr Sylvia Riedel-van Heerden (scientist at the Biomedical Research and Innovation Platform at the SAMRC), Prof Barbara Huisamen (based at the medical physiology faculty of health sciences at Stellenbosch University) and Dr Uljana Hesse (senior lecturer at the department of biotechnology at the University of the Western Cape).

Nearly all mainstream universities and research institutions now have departments that focus specifically on biotechnology and alternative sources of raw materials, instead of laboratory manufactured chemicals, hence the increased interest in rooibos and other natural ingredients.

For more info regarding rooibos research, visit http://www.sarooibos.co.za

Physiology

No more hands in pockets: Army scientists testing how to keep warm without gloves – ArmyTimes.com

February 10, 2020 medical

One of the most famous pet peeves of overbearing sergeants hands in pockets may be conquered by science. If early Army research is successful, there may soon be a way to keep bare hands nimble and warm even in the coldest weather conditions.

Of course, theres been an out-of-pockets solution to the cold hands problem for quite a while gloves. But even the best mittens cut down dexterity by as much as 50 to 80 percent, Army research shows.

Scientists with the Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine have conducted experiments to see if heating either the face or forearms could keep bare hands warm enough to work in cold weather without wearing gloves.

One reason fingers stiffen in cold weather is that lower temperatures impact synovial fluid the fluid in joint cavities that allows for smooth movement.

The biggest issue is lack of blood flow, Dr. John Castellani told Army Times.

Castellani has worked as a research physiologist with the institute since 1995. He focuses on cold, heat and altitude physiology for soldier performance and injury reduction.

One way to keep the blood flowing is exercise, which raises core temperature so warm blood keeps moving to the hands. But once the activity stops, the temperature lowers.

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People experience this when they run, Castellani said. They start off wearing gloves and then take them off as they get warmer during the run.

Castellani and other researchers put soldiers into a test chamber at the institutes site Soldier Systems Center at Natick, Massachusetts, part of the Combat Capabilities Development Command.

A total of eight volunteers participated: Two women and six men. They sat quietly in the chamber, wearing three layers of Army Extended Cold Weather Clothing Ensemble on the torso, two layers on their legs, wool socks and intermediate cold weather boots, a balaclava or fleece hat.

Their hands were bare during testing, and the chamber was set to 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Soldiers were asked to rate their comfort and tested for hand strength and dexterity through two hours of cold exposure. They were then instructed to place as many pegs, sleeves and washers together using both hands in under one minute. They also loaded a weapon magazine with as many dummy cartridges in about two minutes. Researchers took measurements.

Forearm warmers, which are intended to simulate the warming effects of exercise, required about 41 watts of electricity about what is required to power a low-light house lamp. By using a warmer wrapped around a test subjects forearm, researchers were able to raise the finger skin temperature from 50 degrees to 55 degrees. While small, that slight bump added 50 percent more dexterity.

The goal, Castellani said, is to reach about 60 degrees for finger skin temperature.

But researchers didnt only try to warm the hands that way, they also tried to increase blood flow by warming a subjects face.

The face was tested because our physiological knowledge tells us that cooling the face causes a constriction in the blood vessels supplying the periphery (hands and feet), he said.

The group tried the reverse, seeing if heating the face would also heat the hands and feet.

It didnt prove so, Castellani said.

In a scientific paper published in the Journal of Applied Physiology in 2018, Castellani and his co-authors noted that researchers have tried myriad ways to warm hands and fingers by applying heat in a variety of ways and places.

Methods included immersing a leg in hot water, torso-only heating and combined torso, arm and head heating. All demonstrated that hands and fingers can be warmed somewhat through these auxiliary approaches.

While they have had some success, they havent gotten the warmers out of the laboratory, mostly because they require too much electrical power to be effective, according to the paper. The teams research has, however, resulted in a pending patent for the device and three small business grants to industry that will work to develop their own versions, wrote Mallory Roussel, USARIEM spokeswoman.

The attempt at face heating also wasnt in vain. Previous research had showed that simply wearing goggles and a balaclava in 5 degree air temperatures helped blunt finger and hand cooling, according to the paper.

Though the results are promising, dont go tossing your mittens in the trash just yet. Further testing is needed, and Castellani said fielding is years away.

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No more hands in pockets: Army scientists testing how to keep warm without gloves - ArmyTimes.com

Cell Biology

Bacteria, bone and more: Here’s the science launching to the space station Sunday – Space.com

February 10, 2020 medical

NASA is launching a bevy of crew supplies and scientific cargo to the International Space Station Sunday (Feb. 9) from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Perched atop an Antares rocket will be a Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo spacecraft, and tucked inside will be nearly 8,000 lbs. (3,600 kilograms) of supplies and hardware. The capsule will bring supplies for the crew currently living on the space station.

Also onboard the spacecraft will be a variety of experiments and pieces of research equipment. These will support investigations on topics including tissue and cell cultures and biofuels.

In photos: Antares rocket launches Cygnus NG-12 cargo craft to space station

A new miniature biology lab is headed to the space station on the Cygnus capsule. Dubbed the Mobile SpaceLab, the system is a technology-demonstration project that scientists hope could demonstrate a new way to conduct experiments in orbit. That's because Mobile SpaceLab is a tissue- and cell-culturing facility designed to function autonomously, running an experiment for up to one month without using precious astronaut time.

Developed by HNu Photonics, a Hawaii-based engineering company, the Mobile SpaceLab will offer researchers a quick-turnaround, automated platform to conduct cutting-edge biology experiments in microgravity. The facility is remote-operated by crews on the ground, and the automation enables researchers to observe cellular functions with a technique called microscopy.

The ability to observe cell cultures in microgravity will provide the researchers with real-time data about how tissues behave in space. Microgravity better mimics how a cell behaves in the human body than any artificial environment on the ground.

During this initial mission, the team is sending up neuroblastoma cells a type of nerve-cell cancer. Specifically, the experiment will study how cells mature, which biologists call cellular differentiation, and how microgravity affects that process.

"Gravity is a fundamental force that we're all subjected to here on Earth," Devin Ridgley, chief scientist at Scorpio-V, said during a NASA news conference held on Jan. 29. "It can have a drastic effect on how a cell differentiates, which affects cellular organization and communication and can lead to cognitive decline." He added that the experiment could help scientists better understand the effects of space travel on the brain.

A team from the University of Alaska will be sending a batch of genetically engineered E. coli bacteria to the space station. Here on Earth, the organisms can produce a compound called isobutene, which is a precursor to plastic and rubber and can be used on its own as a biofuel.

These bacteria can produce isobutene by feeding on wastewater, manure and the mess left over from corn harvests. So, using bacteria to make the material would sharply contrast with current methods of making isobutene, which require high-energy chemical reactions and petroleum-heavy ingredients.

But the bacteria make only very small quantities of the compound, so researchers want to identify how the organisms produce isobutene, in hopes of genetically increasing production rates. To better understand how this process works, the researchers will look at a group of genetically enhanced E. coli and study how effectively the bacteria produce isobutene compared to their terrestrial counterparts.

The bacterias metabolic activity changes in microgravity, so the researchers are trying to test whether the bacteria make more or less isobutene in space. If the scientists understand how the bacteria produce isobutene, they can genetically engineer bacteria that are more efficient, reducing the need for energy-intensive, chemical processes. This will ultimately cut down on environmental pollution, the researchers have said.

Millions of Americans lose bone mass each year due to an imbalance of bone remodeling, when the body doesnt make new bone as quickly as it absorbs older bone. The disease, called osteopenia, is the beginning of osteoporosis. Our bones have a process by which they naturally form and dissolve bone matter equally, but sometimes this process gets out of whack.

Imbalances can occur when the body is stressed, like what happens in microgravity. So, scientists want to use the space station to develop treatments to mitigate these effects, both on Earth and in space.

"Astronauts lose 1 to 2.5% of their bone mass per month," Louis Kidder, a bone biologist at the University of Minnesota and co-investigator on the project, said during the news conference. "That would take a year with osteoporosis."

He added that the microgravity environment of the space station allows for a better understanding of how bone cells respond to varying amounts of gravitational force. The group will send up osteoblasts (bone cells) to study how they react to microgravity, comparing that result to a ground-based group's behavior.

The ground-based cells will be in a magnetic levitation device that will simulate the conditions of space. If it proves to be an effective simulator, it could help researchers here on Earth better understand bone loss and enable them to develop more therapies to mitigate loss without the need for a rocket.

"The loss of bone in microgravity is accelerated compared to Earth," Bruce Hammer, a radiologist at the University of Minnesota and co-investigator on the project, said during the news conference. "With this [experiment], we can look at the mechanisms and possible therapies."

That's only a sampling of the research investigations launching aboard Cygnus. A new plant-growth experiment will look at how cowpeas, also known as black-eyed peas, and common beans grow in microgravity, as part of NASA's continuing efforts to grow food in space.

Another new study will test how radiation and microgravity affect the relationship of a virus and the bacterium it infects. The researchers hope that this study will lead to new antibacterial treatments.

Cygnus will also carry a new fire experiment, called Saffire IV, which will study how flames grow and react in a variety of pressures and oxygen concentrations. Previous iterations of this experiment have looked at how flames spread across specific materials that would likely be found on a spacecraft. This experiment will take that further by testing flammability at lower pressures and higher oxygen concentrations, to most closely mimic space conditions. The experiment will also test methods for detecting fires and for cleaning up their aftermath.

This is the second Cygnus flight under Northrop Grumman's Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract and is the first cargo delivery to the space station this year. You can watch the launch here at Space.com Sunday (Feb. 9), with blastoff targeted for 5:39 p.m. EST (2239 GMT).

Follow Amy Thompson on Twitter @astrogingersnap. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.

Biochemistry

CSU-Pueblo to offer cannabis degree program beginning this fall – FOX 31 Denver

February 10, 2020 medical

(CNN) Students on Colorado State Universitys Pueblo campus will have the option to study cannabis beginning this fall.

State officials on Friday approved a bachelors of science degree program in Cannabis Biology and Chemistry,according to the Colorado Department of Higher Education, which said it was one of the first such programs in the country.

The new major is a pro-active response to a rapidly changing national scene regarding the cannabis plant, a proposal for the program by CSU-Pueblo officials says, citing shifting attitudes toward cannabis and its legalization for recreational use in numerous states, including Colorado.

The program will be part of CSU-Pueblos department of chemistry and consist mainly of chemistry and biology coursework with some classes in math and physics, the proposal says.

Students could choose one of two tracks either a natural products track focused on biology, or an analytical track that focuses on chemistry.

Graduates could begin careers either in the cannabis and hemp industries or in the government.But they could also be competitive in a wide variety of businesses outside of the cannabis industry, it said, such as agriculture, food science, biochemistry and environmental sciences.

Educating students who are capable of understanding cannabis science is required for the industry in all its aspects to be effective and safe for the consumer, it said.

Between 2014 and June 2019, marijuana sales in Colorado exceeded $6.56 billion, according to the states Department of Revenue. With taxes, license and fee revenue, the states revenue reached more than $1 billion.

CSU-Pueblo anticipates a strong demand for the program, its proposal said, and believe as many 60 students could be enrolled in the major after four years.

The Colorado Department of Higher Education believes it could be the first of several cannabis-focused degrees that pop up at Colorado colleges in the near future.

CSU-Pueblos program will not be the first of its kind. Its proposal cited Northern Michigan Universitys bachelor program in medicinal plant chemistry that it said was primarily tailored to those wanting to enter the cannabis field.

CNN has reached out to CSU-Pueblo for comment.

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CSU-Pueblo to offer cannabis degree program beginning this fall - FOX 31 Denver

Biochemistry

New study sheds ‘far-red’ light on the mysteries of photosynthesis – Arizona State University

February 10, 2020 medical

February 5, 2020

Some 3 billion years ago, tiny organisms known as cyanobacteria helped create an oxygen-rich atmosphere on Earth. Their activities, which continue to the present day, provide an essential ingredient for all advanced life. Such organisms convert radiant sunlight into useable energy through photosynthesis, yet scientists are still sketchy on the details of this vital process.

In a new study, Penn State joins colleagues from Arizona State Universitys Biodesign Institute. Their investigations of photosynthesis demonstrate that certain types of cyanobacteria are able to acclimate to faint, long-wavelength light (known as far-red light) not normally captured by plants and other species of cyanobacteria. This remarkable ability gives these living forms an adaptive edge in environments where direct sunlight is limited. Some species of cyanobacteria can perform a surprising feat. When deprived of direct sunlight, they are able to use long-wavelength light to carry out photosynthesis. Such organisms acclimate to the far-red light by switching from their normal form of chlorophyl known as chlorophyll a to an alternate form, chlorophyll f. This allows absorption of light with wavelengths above 680nm. The behavior highlights the plasticity of processes in nature and may one day be harnessed to engineer plants and other photosynthesizers that can be grown under shaded conditions. Graphic by Shireen Dooling for the Biodesign Institute at ASU Download Full Image

Many species of cyanobacteria are common in both aquatic and terrestrial environments. When they find themselves obscured by other organisms, for example, beneath a pond surface or on a forest floor, some are able to acclimate, harvesting the weaker sunlight filtering down to them and using it to drive photosynthesis.

The talent of cyanobacteria for modifying their own architecture and gathering far red light from their environment highlights the remarkable adaptive and acclimation mechanisms present throughout nature. This newly discovered ability in some microorganisms could one day be harnessed to engineer crops that thrive under shaded conditions and may inspire innovations in sustainable energy.

The groups findings appear in the current issue of the journal Science Advances.

Cyanobacteria are a diverse group of photosynthetic bacteria, flourishing in moist soils and aquatic environments, living freely or in symbiotic relationships with other life forms. Chris Gisriel, formerly a researcher at ASUs Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery and currently a postdoctoral associate at Yale, is the lead author of the new study. He emphasizes the critical importance of these microbes for humans and all other life.

Cyanobacteria make a huge contribution to the total amount of photosynthesis that's occuring on Earth, which means, the oxygen that we breathe, Gisriel said.

It also produces the primary biomaterials upon which all life on Earth depends.

Indeed, cyanobacteria represent about 50% of all earthly photosynthetic activity or primary production supplying an oxygen-rich atmosphere conducive to life and a rich food supply for aquatic life. Cyanobacteria are so plentiful and ubiquitous across the earth that they reign above all existing plant life in terms of generating oxygen, making them the most important primary producers on the planet. Their ability to thrive in virtually any environmental niche and their simple growth requirements allow them to flourish in astonishing abundance.

As a postdoctoral researcher in the 1970s, I studied a similar type of acclimation of a different part of the photosynthetic apparatus in cyanobacteria, a process known as complementary chromatic acclimation, which affects light-harvesting proteins that do not contain chlorophyll, said Don Bryant, Ernest C. Pollard Professor at Penn State. Forty years later, one of my students serendipitiously discovers a chlorophyll-based version of a similar phenomenon, and I am back to the future studying something I had worked on with a much more limited biochemical toolkit than my lab has now. What comes around goes around even in science sometimes.

The current study focuses on Fischerella thermalis, a terrestrial cyanobacterium that has been used in the past as a model organism for the study of photosynthesis. When such cyanobacteria are deprived of the white light most conducive to their growth and photosynthetic activities, they shift gears in order to process far-red light.

The secret to their success, as Gisriel explains, is in their light-harvesting apparatus, specifically, proteins containing chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll is what makes plants green. Its also what does the light harvesting its the antenna, Gisriel said. When chlorophylls in a cyanobacteriums protein structure absorb light, they convert it into the metabolic driving source powering the cell.

The complex machinery of photosynthesis is carried out in two primary reaction centers, known as photosystem I and photosystem II, (PSI and PSII). The current study focuses on PSI, teasing out the alterations in F. thermalis that permit it to access and use far red-light for photosynthesis.

Understanding how photosynthesis has evolved in different flavors and in different environments is what we're really interested in, Gisriel said. The ability to absorb far-red light is what this paper is about. Like all species of cyanobacteria, F. thermlis is rich in chlorophyll.

But not all molecules of chlorophyll are created equal. In the case of F. thermalis, its usual complement of chlorophyll, known as chlorophyll a, is partially replaced under far-red light conditions with a closely related yet chemically distinct form of the molecule, known as chlorophyll f. It is this alternate form of chlorophyll that enables F. thermalis to harvest and use far-red light to continue photosynthetic activities. By synthesizing and incorporating around 8% chlorophyll f into their photosystem I (PSI) complexes, F. thermalis is able to carry out photosynthesis using far-red light of up to nearly 800 nm.

If you put these organisms in white light, they only use chlorophyll a and they're just like all the other cyanobacteria, Gisriel said. But if you move them to the shade, where they have more of this lower energy, far-red light, they actually switch out some of the chlorophyll a's for chlorophyll f, and that allows them to absorb far-red light. Thats a testament to the plasticity of photosynthesis it can adapt to many environments, which I think is a pretty incredible mechanism. This process is controlled by a protein that senses the incident light wavelength, and activates the production of the modified photosynthetic apparatus only when far-red light is predominant over visible light.

Research suggests that perhaps 25% of all cyanobacteria can access and use far-red light for photosynthesis. This would imply that a significant portion of net primary production on Earth is a direct result of this unusual adaptation.

Examining the structural makeup of protein complexes like PSI requires researchers to peer into natural phenomena occurring at the nanometer scale (i.e., billionths of a meter). One of two methods are usually used. The first, known as X-ray crystallography, produces detailed structural information by striking crystalized samples with high intensity X-ray light, producing a series of diffraction patterns that can be computer-assembled into high resolution images.

The second method and the one applied in the current study, is a powerful new microscopy technique, known as Cryo-EM (for cryogenic electron microscopy). Here, instead of crystallizing samples for study, they are cooled to very low temperatures and embedded in ice. The method allows for structural determination without the need for crystallization and can determine biomolecular structures with near-atomic scale resolution. The technique has proven so powerful, its invention was honored with the2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Cryo-EM involves gathering thousands of images of sample particles in various orientations and using computer algorithms to re-assemble the images into a detailed, three-dimensional composite, known as a density map. Using the method, the researchers were able to solve the structure of PSI, revealing the locations of chlorophyll f molecules present in F. thermalis responsible for far-red light acclimation. Cryo-EM is a particularly powerful technology for solving the structure of large, complex proteins and complexes like PSI, which have been challenging targets for X-ray crystallography.

Petra Fromme, director of the Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery and co-author of the new study elaborates: Isolating PSI a huge million-atom complex and keeping it stable until you can determine its structure is very challenging. It took us over a decade to solve the first ever PSI structure using powerful X-rays two decades ago. With Chriss leadership, we were able to solve the structure of PSI from a completely new organism in just one year using ASUs state-of-the-art Cryo-EM, which is quite remarkable.

Scientists would like to know more about the evolutionary underpinnings of far-red light exploitation by photosynthetic organisms. Presumably, when population numbers caused cyanobacteria to be in fierce competition for the visible light component of direct sunlight, strong selective pressure caused some to find an alternate means of carrying out photosynthetic operations essential to their survival. For this reason, it is believed that such organisms first developed chlorophyll a and that chlorophyll f likely evolved later, though no one is sure.

The work offers only tentative steps in the direction of understanding far-red light photosynthesis. Nevertheless, the findings suggest exciting possibilities for future applications. Crops could potentially be tweaked to control their light absorption properties depending on ambient light conditions. Perhaps two crops could be grown in conjunction, with shorter crops like alfalfa extracting far-red light from their shaded location beneath a taller crop like corn. Such an arrangement would allow double the crop yield per unit area. The process is also not limited to crops but could theoretically be applied to any useful photosynthetic organisms.

Further afield, a better understanding of far-red light acclimation in cyanobacteria could also inform a new generation of synthetic light-harvesting technologies like photovoltaics, potentially increasing their versatility under varying sunlight conditions.

The ASU team included faculty working at the Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery and the School of Molecular Sciences including Center Director Petra Fromme. The researchers include first author Chris Gisriel, with support from Shangji Zhang and Dewight Williams. Gisriel conducted these experiments while a postdoctoral associate in the Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery at ASU and since has joined the group of Gary Brudvig at Yale University as a postdoctoral associate.

Other authors on the paper include Gaozhong Shen, associate research professor in biochemistry and molecular biology; Vasily Kurashov, assistant research professor in biochemistry and molecular biology; and John Golbeck, professor of biochemistry and biophysics and of chemistry, all at Penn State. Author Ming-Yang Ho was a graduate student in biochemistry and molecular biology at Penn State when he participated in the research and is now an assistant professor of life science at National Taiwan University.

This work was supported by the National Science Foundation and the Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery at Arizona State University. Some of this research was also conducted under the auspices of the Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the Department of Energy. The work made use of the FEI Titan Krios (NSF 1531991) at Arizona State University.

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New study sheds 'far-red' light on the mysteries of photosynthesis - Arizona State University

Human Behavior

Human Behavior, My Brain Made Me do It? – Dealing with …

February 10, 2020 medical

Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. was in private practice for more than thirty years. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states...Read More

Science has made huge strides in understanding the human brain and how it functions. For example, we know that the frontal lobes are the center of rational thinking and of self control. It is also understood that neurotransmitters, or brain chemicals, are responsible for our moods and of the general state that we are in. It is also known that severe mental illnesses, such as Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder, are diseases of the brain. Lesions or damage to the frontal lobes and to other parts of the brain can and affect impulses and impulsive behaviors. All of this knowledge raises disturbing questions. Does any of this mean that we are not responsible for our behavior? Does it mean that we have no free will because my brain made me do it? It its true that my brain made me do it then, as a result, anything I do is a result of the way my brain works. In other words, I didnt choose to steal that item, my brain did?

In criminal trials something called the insanity defense is used when the defendant claims they are not responsible for their actions because of mental health problems. Another defense is called diminished capacity. The diminished capacity plea differs in important ways from not guilty by reason of insanity. In a successful plea of insanity the result is a verdict of not guilty. In this case the judge sends the defendant to a mental institution until it is determined that they are sane. At such time they are discharged from the hospital. Remember, they have been found not guilty. On the other hand, a successful plea of diminished capacity results in the defendant being convicted of a lesser offense and a lesser prison sentence than if they were guilty with full capacity.

So, does this mean that people who commit crimes do so because of the way their brain works? In fact, cant it be said that, even with full capacity, a person should not be held responsible for their crimes because their brain made them do it?

Of course, there is the argument that behavior results from environmental influences. In this case, if some was physically, emotionally and verbally abused during childhood, it explains and forgives their decisions as adults. From time to time I have heard this said about some of the rudest people I have met. For example, rudeness is excused because someone had a tough childhood. In another example, a surly and nasty department store clerk is forgiven because they have a boring job. In these cases it is not their brain that made them do it. Instead, their environment made them do it>

In reality, human behavior and psychology are complicated. It is most likely that our behaviors result from a complex interplay between each of our genetic make-up, brain chemistry and functioning and the economic, social and psychological environments in which we grew up and live.

The basic question remains: Are we responsible for our decisions and behaviors?

I will provide my opinion but I would like to hear from my readers about this issue.

In my opinion, we are responsible for our behaviors. If may boss yelled at me, my wife did not make dinner for me for when I got home from work and I kicked the cat and yelled at the kids, I am responsible for my bad behavior. Simply stated, there is no excuse for kicking the cat and yelling at the kids. In a similar way, this latest mass murderer in Colorado is responsible for his decisions and actions.

What is your opinion?

Allan N. Schwartz, PhD.

Keep Reading By Author Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D.

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Human Behavior

20 Interesting Facts You Didnt Know about Human Behavior …

February 10, 2020 medical

1. People with high levels of testosterone get pleasure from the anger of others.2. People with low self-esteem tend to humiliate others. Subjects who were told that the results of their IQ test were poor expressed more national and religious prejudices, than those who reported higher results.3. People sincerely believe that their negative opinions about others are truthful and have no connection with them and their self-confidence. In fact, the humiliation of others helps them restore their own self-esteem.

4. The behavior of people is affected by bodily sensations. For example, there is a strong association between heaviness and such features as importance and seriousness. A person is assessed as more serious and sustained, if his CV was applied in a heavy folder, and vice versa.

5. Similarly, the feeling of rigidity and hardness makes people inflexible. People sitting on hard chairs were more uncompromising in the negotiations. Feeling a rough surface causes in people a sense of the complexity of human relations, and cold is tightly connected with the feeling of loneliness.

6. People tend to commit immoral acts or do not fulfill someones request for help, if no effort is needed and they do not have to refuse a person directly.

7. However, more people behave as expected if they have to take a moral decision in front of someone.

8. Lying requires a lot of mental effort. A person who is lying has to keep in mind at the same time the lie that it to say, and the truth in order to hide it. As a result, he uses simple sentences and finds it more difficult to cope with mental tasks.

9. When people are being watched, they behave better. And the illusion of being watched works, too. It was enough to hang a picture of human eyes in a self-service cafeteria, so that more people began to collect their dishes.

10. Behavior affects morality. People who lied, betrayed someone or committed other immoral act begin to perceive what is good or bad in another way.

11. Attractive and honest appearance can easily be misleading. People tend to trust appearance more than sincerity.

12. Appearance plays an important role even when voting during elections. Maturity and physical attractiveness of politicians were mostly important for voters choice (unconsciously, of course).

13. More successful and rich people are considered to be more intelligent and wise, and vice versa. Often, people tend to think that those who are successful or those who suffer deserve it.

14. Happier is not the one who has a lot of money, but the one who has more than his neighbor does. People constantly compare themselves with others and feel satisfied if they are superior in some respect.

15. Anger increases the desire of possession in people. People make more efforts to obtain the object that is associated with angry faces.

16. The more complex the decision to be taken is, the more people tend to leave things as they are. If the store has too much choice and people cannot immediately find out which of the products is better, most probably they will leave without buying.

17. When people feel they have no control over what is happening, they tend to see non-existent patterns in unrelated pictures and believe in conspiracy theories.

18. People regret quick decisions, even if the results are satisfying. Not the actual time allotted for the decision matters, but the feeling that the time was enough.

19. Not all risks are the same. The same person can fearlessly jump with a parachute, but be afraid of his boss. Or to train tigers, but feel embarrassed when talking to a pretty woman.

20. Boredom has a bright side. Bored people are often looking for ways to do good things as the entertainment bores them and does not bring meaning to their lives.

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Human Behavior

What Jobs Can I Get With a PhD in Human Behavior? | Career …

February 10, 2020 medical

Doctorates in human behavior are usually granted by university psychology and education departments to students working in a specialty known as applied behavior analysis. This specialty looks at how negative behaviors can be weakened and replaced with positive behaviors. Charts are created to monitor behaviors to determine which interventions are working. Behavior analysis doctoral programs frequently offer two possible tracks: One track prepares students to become college professors and the other trains students who want to become licensed behavior analysts.

Applied behavior analysis began as a specialization within psychology called "behavior modification," by B. F. Skinner, a research psychologist, in 1938. Skinner's first experiments trained rats to press levers for food pellets and to switch off unpleasant electric currents. Skinner's research on positive and negative reinforcements was later applied to human behaviors and is now known as applied behavior analysis. As of 2013, the two wings of the profession -- the psychologists devoted to research and the licensed behavior analysts -- have split into two separate professional groups, the Association for Behavior Analysis International for researchers and the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts for therapists.

Doctoral students entering the teaching and research track take classes in applied behavior analysis and research study design. Students are expected to carry out their own behavior analysis research projects and write a dissertation. While the academic job market is crowded, a 2011 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) report forecast that jobs for psychology professors are expected to grow by 10 to 19 percent between 2010 and 2020, an average rate of job growth. Applied behavior faculty positions also exist in university schools of education. Master's degree and doctoral-level psychology professors earned an average annual salary of $68,020 in 2011, according to the BLS.

Doctoral programs currently offer future behavior analysts training leading to independent practices or work with clients in organizations. A newly graduated Ph.D. takes a national examination to become a board certified behavior analyst. As of 2011, more than 9,000 behavior analysts holding bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees passed behavior analyst certification exams. In 2013 an estimated 35 states required future behavior analysts to comply with licensing or certification requirements.

Licensed behavior analysts work in a variety of settings. Behavior analysts treating autistic children teach them communication and socializing skills. A behavior analyst who specializes in school psychology may design and oversee behavior support treatment plans for children coping with emotional problems. Some behavior analysts form their own businesses and consult on behavior changes for families, schools and clinics. A 2009 survey by the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts showed that the majority of behavior analysts with master's and doctoral degrees earned between $40,000 and $80,000 per year. The survey indicated that most behavior analysts were treating children with autism or other developmental disabilities. Continuing growth in autism diagnoses will likely fuel ongoing increases in employment for licensed behavior analysts.

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What Jobs Can I Get With a PhD in Human Behavior? | Career ...