Biochemistry

Fake doctor tried to kill his family when he feared his secret would be exposed – Telegraph.co.uk

A failed medical student who spent up to a decade pretending he was a qualified doctor attempted to murder his family when he feared his secret would be exposed, a court heard yesterday.

Satya Thakor, 35, was jailed for 28 years for trying to kill his mother-in-law, wife and two other relatives during a stabbing rampage at a home in Wraysbury, Berks.

Reading Crown Court heard Thakor met his wife Nisha while studying biochemistry at a university in London. After failing his exams to qualify as a doctor, he lied by saying he had passed and kept up the pretence for up to a decade.

The court heard he visited a library every day to read medical books so that he sounded professional to his family and that he often pretended to work night shifts.

In May last year, Thakor realised his deception was about to be uncovered when his wife suggested a dream holiday to Los Angeles with their daughter and, because he had not been earning money, he could not provide the necessary funds.

He decided instead to buy some time by killing his mother-in-law, the court heard.

On May 14 last year, Thakor attacked his mother-in-law Gita Laxman with a knife while also trying to cover her head with a pillow. The woman's screams alerted Nisha who found her husband trying to attack her mother.

The court heard that Thakor then lunged at his wife and tried to stab her in the neck, successfully knifing her at least once and then again in the leg as she fell to the floor trying to kick him away.

He went on to stab his brother-in-law, Primal Laxman (corr), who tried to intervene, before going into a room where Rishika Laxman, his sister-in-law, was sleeping. He stabbed her too, Judge Dugdale was told.

In December, Thakor was convicted of three counts of attempted murder in relation to his wife, his mother-in-law and his brother-in-law. He was convicted of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in relation to Rishika Laxman.

Judge Paul Dugdale, sentencing, said: "You chose an extreme act of violence to get out of the difficulty that you were in. You could have stopped it as the madness that it was and as the idiotic decision that it was, but you chose not to."

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Fake doctor tried to kill his family when he feared his secret would be exposed - Telegraph.co.uk

Biochemistry

Preventing childhood trauma and reducing its long-term effects – Iowa Now

WhenCorinne Peek-Asawas an undergraduateatthe University of New Mexico,the idea of becoming anepidemiologist wasnton herradar.

In fact, she says,It was through a series of fortuitous events that I discovered what Iloved.

After graduating with a degree in biochemistry, Peek-Asa went to medical school thinking it would align with her interests in public health andresearch.

But duringclinical rotations,Peek-Asasoonrealizedshe didnt want to focusonpatient care.After transitioningtoforensic pathology,sheworkedin a medical examiners officecollecting tumorsfora cancer study and met a publichealth researcher whogave herthe opportunity to assist witha studyonpedestriansinNew MexicosPueblopopulation.

I didnt know it at the time, but I was really seeking something interdisciplinary,something that looks intocomplex problems thatrequirea lot of fields to solve, she says.SoI quit med school, applied foragraduateprogram in epidemiology, and it was very much afit.

Peek-Asa earneda masters in public health and a PhDfrom the University of California, Los Angeles, where she trained as an epidemiologist to investigate patterns and causes of injury.Specializingin implementing andanalyzingprevention programs and policies, Peek-Asais interested inthe larger goal of reducing thelong-termnegative health outcomesthat traumatic injuries cancause.

Anassociate dean for research in the University of Iowa College of Public Health and professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health,Peek-Asadirects IowasInjury Prevention Research Center (IPRC)and is an appointed member of the National Academy of Medicines Global Violence PreventionForum.

Peek-Asa will deliver Iowas 37th annual Presidential Lecture, Violence, Syndemics, and the Biology of Trauma, on Feb.16.

Why is childhood trauma so important to the research youll be focusing on in yourlecture?

Were learning about how trauma and violence in early childhood not only impact your development but can do so in a way that sets you up for many different health problems. So this leads to the question, if we can prevent extreme childhood adversity, traumatic stress, and abuse, can we show a lifelong trajectory of improved health? We need to look at a lot of outcomes, and the framework that takes this approach is called asyndemic.

Adverse childhood events, or ACEs, are traumatic experiences that impact brain development, causing a cascade of reactions that influence long-term health. These types of trauma can include emotional abuse and neglect, physical and sexual violence, household violence, substance abuse, mental illness, and even parental separation or divorce. Increasinglyall over the world, but especially in the U.S.ACEs are being recognized for their damaging impact on brain development. This concept is recognized as the biology of trauma. In short, the brain will organize around the most common and intense experiences, turning them into a baseline, defining what is normal. We know that people with six or more ACEs have a life expectancy 20 years shorter than those withnone.

How does a syndemic differ from an epidemic, and how does one unfold? Are we experiencing any syndemics in theU.S.?

As we know, an epidemic is a health problem affecting a large number of people that has increased beyond what was anticipated. In addition to the current opioid epidemic in our country, were also dealing with an epidemic of suicides and substance use. According to a report from the nonprofit Trust for Americas Health, this can actually be seen as a larger epidemic of despair. Were seeing increases in substance abuse, alcohol, and violence, and recognizing that theres an underlying epidemic of despair leading tothese.

A syndemic is a cluster of related epidemicssynergistic epidemicswhich are epidemics that have related causal factors and outcomes and involve larger socialdeterminants.

Another component of a syndemic is that the underlying causal factors interact with each other. So, for example, a child who falls off of their bike, then gets exposed to a cold virus at the same time is not experiencing interacting causal factors. Instead, imagine a child who is a victim of abuse: suffering from that abuse leads to having a depressed immune system, which then leads them to being susceptible to infectious disease. So, the risk factors are not just paralleltheyinteract.

Adverse childhood experiences, which have health implications so early in life, are a component of many violence syndemics. Childhood adversity, for example, is an underlying element in many of the diseases of despairsubstance use, alcohol use, and suicide. The work we do at the Injury Prevention Research Center is pushing the boundaries of how we can address some of the larger social determinants of these violence syndemics. For example, policies in the workplace can reduce the risk for homicide and suicide and can support a trauma-informed environmentone that is sensitive to the past experiences that might be predicting current health andbehavior.

What sparked your interest in syndemics, and how do you see it being most useful in your areas ofresearch?

The component of syndemics that most interests me has to do with cultural and social determinants. In other words, the nexus of adverse childhood experiences and substance use is concentrated in populations of people with limited access to health care, lower education levels, less access to resources, and fewer social connections. From a public health standpoint, its important to address these connections to social inequity and poverty. And that can include changing the way we design our studies to think about these broader contexts. For example, we have done some studies in Romania showing that when the country joined the European Union, new roads were built in ways that did not accommodate pedestrians, especially those who had some physical limitations, like the elderly; they were having challenges getting across the road. It became clear that safety had not been a priority in decisions about transportationinfrastructure.

So the syndemic framework is helpful in that it shows us were not going to solve the problem by installing lights, adding more stop signs or crosswalks, or having police do more patrols. Were only going to solve the problem by building roads that accommodate all users, and by making health and safety a priority in transportation decisions. This approach, called Health in All Policy, is becoming a higher priority everywhere from the U.S. Department of Transportation to the WorldBank.

What kinds of shifts in public health, or society at large, might be required to see more effective prevention orintervention?

We need to invest in early childhood injury intervention and prevention programs, and to think much more about health outcomes as a life trajectory. When we think about adverse childhood experiences and their ties to future substance use, we need to realize that a systems-oriented solution goes far beyond helping addicted people in rehab; a systemicapproach will prevent the adverse childhood experiences. How do we as a society think about preventing child abuse? Thats a really hard question because its such a complex issue. Abuse isoften

intergenerational. It can be hard to detect. So, while were working on answers to this question, I want us to do our work thinking more in the big picture, focus on prevention, and how it can fit into these thorny societalissues.

What does being selected for the Presidential Lecture mean toyou?

Its a wonderful opportunity to show how much of the work the UI does in this area of public health and how it truly impacts the community, how much it helps the populations not just in Iowa but all over theworld.

Academics are passionate about their research, so to have the opportunity to showcase itand that others are interested in itmeans a lot to me as well as to my team. Its really a greathonor.

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Preventing childhood trauma and reducing its long-term effects - Iowa Now

Biochemistry

‘Married at First Sight’: Which Season 10 Couple Was the First to Have Sex on Their Honeymoon? – Sahiwal Tv

The concern of whenever (and also if) to own intercourse is often asignificant subject on Lifetimes Marriedat First Sight. After all, even though the partners register with legallymarry strangers whove been hand-picked for all of them by three specialists, they dontunderstand one another after all. Many partners feel uncomfortable with each other atinitially, leaving some cast users to battle about sex,attraction, and chemistry.

The five new partners on Married at First Sight Season 10 are not any exclusion. While some partners got personal right-away on the vacation in Panama, other people had knock-down battles about getting actual. On the Jan. 29 episode, Trouble in Paradise, two partners had intercourse, whilst the various other three struggled using the concept of getting personal.

MekaJones and Michael Watson fought over intercourse significantly more than some of the various other Season10 couples. While Meka wished to develop a friendship and a difficult linkprior to getting actual, she stated Michael wasnt for a passing fancy web page.

According to Meka, Michaelgave her an ultimatum about making love prior to the end of this vacation ifshe performednt need a separation.

While soothing when you look at the resort share using the various other brides, the Marriedat First Sight star reported, So essentially, he informed my loved ones and pals,like seemed them into the attention and informed all of them, I are diligent with intercourse. Sex isinstead of my mindIm gonna allow her to make the lead. And he then actually states tomyself, If we dont have intercourse on our vacation, then Im maybe not gonna desire to be inthis marriage.

Things got so incredibly bad involving the few which they invested initial day or two of these vacation in split resort rooms, just getting collectively for some embarrassing conversations.

BrandonReid and Taylor Dunklin had plentyof problems on the Panamanian vacation. Brandon also invested the next timeof these relationship offering their partner the hushed therapy because she recorded himsnoring as a tale.

Still, their particular actual destination appeared to be truth be told there. Taylor informedone other spouses which they hadnt had intercourse yet, but she thought biochemistry. Itsjust already been kisses. Kisses and cuddles, she said.

Brandon included that, as they hadnt gotten personal however, he hoped it could occur shortly. We havent crossed that bridge yet, but were so comfortable already, the Married at First Sight star informed one other grooms. I mean, were walking around the room naked, were holding hands. I dont know, tonight might be my lucky night.

KatieConrad and Derek Sherman had great biochemistry on the wedding, plus theyrapidly became initial Married at First Sight Season 10 few to ownintercourse on the vacation.

Weve made progress, Katie stated slyly to another spousesfrom the 2nd days the vacation. We came really, very near. Wereincrease the strain.

We havent had sex yet. But you will find certainly some powerfulcuddles, theres some PDA, you know? Derek told one other grooms through theexact same discussion. Going forward the rest of the week, I hope it happens.

It looks like Derek rapidly got their desire, while he ready candle lights,rose petals, wine and dessert for Katies 26th birthday. As they fed one anotherduring sex, Derektold Katie, Im happy it was you that walked down the aisle.

Romance, it appears, performed the secret. The MAFS couple wokeup on time four of these relationship and launched theyd had intercourse. So we did athing, they said. Id intercourse with my hubby. Im experiencing very good aboutit. Yep, feeling good! Katie uncovered.

At dinner using the various other partners, Katie joked about her birthday sex with Derek, declaring, Happy birthday to me! A happy man right there, Taylor laughed because they toasted initial couples consummation of these relationship. I was wondering why you were glowing today, Brandon joked.

JessicaStuder and Austin Hurd appeared drawn to one another right from the start,therefore its perhaps not astonishing that the Married at First Sight couple had intercourse ontheir particular vacation.

The other wives gushed to Jessica that she and Austin wereadorable together. Still, Jessica reported on the 3rd days marriage that shedjust had kisses and cuddles together with her spouse to date. But youve got such a grinon the face, reveal about these kisses and cuddles! Mindy joked, hintingthat the few had significant biochemistry.

The next day, however, Austin and Jessica stated that they had consummated the relationship. Were adults. Were married. Things happen, Jessica stated coyly over one cup of wine. Austin informed Lifetime manufacturers that they had already been personal together with a powerful destination to one another.

Meanwhile, MindyShiben and Zach Justice werent nearly since happy. Zach accepted to Mindywhich he performednt feel biochemistry or a spark together with her, leaving her heartbrokenabout their not enough actual destination to her.

While Mindy and Zach fundamentally kissed, Zach informed one othergrooms from the 2nd days the vacation which they hadnt also come near toperforming a great deal more.

I cant utilize intercourse as a response to generate a destination, and I alsocant put it to use as a method to bridging a space to some thing, the Married atFirst Sight celebrity informed their fellow MAFS husbands. At this aspect, wehave actuallynt crossed that connection after all.

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'Married at First Sight': Which Season 10 Couple Was the First to Have Sex on Their Honeymoon? - Sahiwal Tv

Biochemistry

Coronavirus outbreak brings work of Flinn-Brown Fellow Jessica Rigler into the public eye – Flinn Foundation

By Brian PowellFlinn Foundation

Amember of the Arizona State University communitylast monthbecamethe first confirmed caseof the2019NovelCoronavirusinArizona and one of the first in the United Statesas theoutbreakexpanded beyond central China.

The state agency at the forefrontof thisidentificationand responseisthe Arizona Department of Health Services,whose assistant director overseeing the division of public health preparednessisFlinn-Brown FellowJessica Rigler.Rigler,who has worked at ADHS since 2008 and in her current role since 2018,is responsible for leading the states preparedness fora possibleinfectious diseaseoutbreakandsharing critical information with the public.

One of the most exciting aspects ofmy jobis the ability to work with our public health team to respond to disease outbreaks, Rigler says. Its incredibly fulfilling to have a role in protecting Arizonans from infectious diseases and to provide them with information they need to know to stay healthy.

In thismost recentinstance,shes shared informationwith the mediaabout thelocal2019NovelCoronaviruscaseand how Arizonans can help prevent the spread of all respiratory viruses.She has previouslyledpublichealthresponsesand public messagingpertainingto theZika virus, opioid prevention,the 2014 Ebola outbreak,vaccines,the West Nile virus,andthe recentHepatitis Aoutbreakin Arizona.

As a state-agency executive, Rigler serves in one of theintendeddestinations for Flinn-Brown Fellows, who arecompetitivelyselectedeach yearby the Flinn FoundationsArizona Center for Civic Leadershipfor its flagshipFlinn-Brown Academy.

My heart has been on the policy side and Im really passionate about continuing to further our policy goals to improve the health of Arizona, Rigler says. Im working to promote the fact that we needto incorporatehealth intoall of ourpoliciesandI feel working at the state levelisthe best place to do that.

As part of her role, Rigler providespublic healthinformation to the Arizona Legislature,helpsinformADHS policy direction, andchampionspublic health issues such asimproving vaccination coverage to counteractthe impact ofrisingvaccine exemptions.

Thedivision ofpublichealthpreparednessthat Rigler manages, with approximately 300 employees and an annual budget of more than $75 million,overseespublic healthemergencypreparedness,epidemiology anddisease control, state laboratory services for newborn screeningand identification of infectious diseases and chemical contaminants, the certification of first respondersand ambulance services,public healthstatistics,and the statesimmunizationprogram.

I know how Im going to start the day, but I never know how its going to end, Rigler says.

Rigler, an Arizona native, has a biochemistry degree from University of California, San Diego,and a masters degree in public health from Emory UniversityinAtlanta,and iscertifiedin infection control andprevention.Rigler considered working as a lab scientist, butinstead chose public health because shewanted to impact health while interacting with people.

Riglersaid shewas encouraged to apply forthe Flinn-Brown AcademybyDiana Gomez,theYuma Countydirector of public health.

Rigler said her selection hasled to new connectionswithhealth expertsas well asleaders oforganizations that could result in future partnerships.She alsolearnedhow the states public health agency fits intothe broader statewide policy landscape.

It was a fantastic experience for me, and I was able to get a broader view of key topics that impact policy-making in the stateand I better understood how we are competing against a number of different priorities,Rigler says.Service in an executiverole at astate agency or university, like Rigler,is one of the five destinations for Flinn-Brown Fellows as they expand theircivic leadership. The others arepublicservice asastate-level elected official, policy advisor, state board or commission member, andstatewide organization executive.More than 350 Fellows, from both urban and rural communities,are members of theFlinn-Brown Network.

The Arizona Center for Civic Leadershipat theFlinn Foundationcompetitively selectsabout 25 Fellows for each Flinn-Brown cohort. The 2020 Flinn-Brown Academy, featuring 14 full-day seminars including theannualFlinn-Brown Convention, will begin in August.

Theapplicationfor the 2020 Flinn-Brown Civic Leadership Academy will open in early April.

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Coronavirus outbreak brings work of Flinn-Brown Fellow Jessica Rigler into the public eye - Flinn Foundation

Biochemistry

Journal Highlight: The separation and identification of the residual antigenic fragments in soy protein hydrolysates – Ezine – separationsNOW.com

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The separation and identification of the residual antigenic fragments in soy protein hydrolysates

Journal of Food Biochemistry (Article in Press)Guanhao Bu, Ting Huang, Tanghao Li

Abstract: Soybean is one of the major food allergens. In this study, soy protein isolate was hydrolyzed by Neutrase and Flavourzyme. The hydrolysates were separated by ultrafiltration and ionexchange chromatography. The antigenicity of proteins was determined by indirect competitive ELISA. The molecular weight distribution was characterized by SDSPAGE. The amino acid sequence of chromatography fractions was analyzed by LCMS. The results showed that proteins with >50kDa in hydrolysates had the highest antigenicity and were further separated into F1F5 fragments by ionexchange chromatography. Fragment F4, which was the most antigenic, was analyzed by LCMS. The results of mass spectrometry showed that most of the peptides that contained antigen epitopes in chromatography fraction F4 belonged to glycinin subunits. The antigenicity of soy protein was reduced by enzymatic hydrolysis, but glycinin showed resistance to enzymatic hydrolysis.

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Journal Highlight: The separation and identification of the residual antigenic fragments in soy protein hydrolysates - Ezine - separationsNOW.com

Biochemistry

Nebraska in the national news: January 2020 – IANR News

University of NebraskaLincoln faculty members shared their expertise on Iran and fermented foods with prominent media outlets in January. The stories were among 35-plus featuring Husker faculty, staff, students, centers and programs during the month.

Rupal Mehta, assistant professor of political science, was interviewed for a Jan. 4 New York Times article on the United States drone-strike assassination of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, Irans top military leader, and what it might mean for the Middle East. Mehta said the strike could send a message to the surviving members of Suleimanis network. But when the U.S. has killed high-ranking members of terrorist organizations, she said, their replacements have tended to be more extreme not less.

Mehta also participated in a live interview on the topic Jan. 6 on BBC Radios Up All Night. (The interview begins at 2:35:05.) She said she thought it was too early to tell whether the assassination would impact Irans nuclear ambitions or whether the killing strengthened or weakened Tehran.

From what weve been able to gather, both from intelligence sources and from the ripple effects including U.S. troops being asked to leave Iraq, the suspension of U.S. coalition against ISIS forces and a relatively robust response from the Iranian population in support of the Iranian government this has potentially strengthened Iran , she said.

Robert Hutkins, Khem Shahani Professor of Food Science, was interviewed for a Jan. 8 Washington Post article on fermented foods being trendy but not necessarily probiotics. He said that most microbes including fungi and bacteria in fermented foods have not been characterized or defined, let alone tested in clinical trials to see if they offer probiotic health benefits.

However, fermented foods offer plenty of other benefits. Fermentation helps preserve food by suppressing microbes that might make people sick. Cheese and yogurt are among the best sources of calcium in the human diet, Hutkins said, and fermented vegetables such as kimchi and sauerkraut contain B vitamins and vitamin C.

Even when there are no live microbes left in a finished food, Hutkins said, dead microbes can still boost the foods nutritional value such is the case with sourdough bread. Fermentation also enhances the digestibility of some foods.

For example, lactose-intolerant individuals can consume yogurt, even though it contains lactose, because the yogurt microbes provide the lactase enzyme needed to digest that lactose, Hutkins said. Lactose-intolerant individuals can usually also consume aged cheese, because the lactose is removed during fermentation.

More coverage:

Matt Spangler, animal science, wrote a recent column offering advice for bull sale season. The High Plains Journal and Western Livestock Journal ran the column.

Chigozie Obiomas second novel, An Orchestra of Minorities, was named a top-20 book to read in 2020 by E! News on Jan. 3. Obioma is an assistant professor of English at Nebraska.

A 2017 study by Bruce Johnson, emeritus professor of agricultural economics at Nebraska, and Anil Giri, assistant professor of agribusiness management at the University of Central Missouri, was cited in a Jan. 6 Rapid City Journal article on retail sales in South Dakota. The study showed that a towns population is the biggest factor affecting retail draw.

New research by Melanie Trenhaile-Granneman, animal science graduate student, suggests that sows undergo changes in structure over time. Farm Journals Pork magazine highlighted the research in a Jan. 7 article.

Justin Gus Hurwitz, law, testified Jan. 8 during a U.S. House Energy and Commerce subcommittee hearing on dark patterns or deceptive internet practices. He suggested that the Federal Trade Commission could have untapped abilities to address misinformation that harms consumers. "If we already have an agency that has power, let's see what it's capable of," he said. CNET published a Jan. 8 article on the hearing.

Amy Schmidt, biological systems engineering, has developed a program called the iAMResponsible Project, aimed at educating consumers, agricultural producers and others on the risks associated with antimicrobial resistance and strategies to mitigate those risks. Scientia published a Jan. 8 article on the program.

Dana Fritz, art, was interviewed about her photo series Views Removed for a Jan. 8 Lenscratch article.

A team of researchers from the U.S. Department of Agricultures Meat Animal Research Center in Clay Center and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have identified two major genes associated with bovine congestive heart failure in beef feedlot cattle. The study is the first to confirm genetic risk factors associated with BCHF. A Business Wire story on the research appeared in more than 120 media outlets. Brian Vander Ley, assistant professor and veterinary epidemiologist at Nebraska, and co-principal investigator on the project, was interviewed for the story.

Xiao Cheng Zeng, chemistry, and colleagues at Peking University have discovered surprising quirks in Nebraska Ices normally hexagonal configuration. Physics World published a Jan. 14 article on the research.

Dave Annis, dining director at the university, was interviewed for a Jan. 15 Food Management article on food-service operators struggling to find labor to fill open positions. He said he now has 40% more students working for him than he did 10 years ago because they each work fewer hours.

Stephen Baenziger, agronomy and horticulture, has been awarded a research grant from the Brewers Association a not-for-profit trade association dedicated to small and independent American brewers. Baenzigers project is titled Building a Winter Malting Barley Market for the Great Plains. A GlobeNewswire story on the associations 2020 grant recipients appeared in about a dozen media outlets.

Peter Sutter, electrical and computer engineering; Eli Sutter, mechanical and materials engineering; and colleagues have developed a nano-engineering technique that could aid in the exploration and scalability of next-gen electronics. Technology.org ran a Jan. 16 article on the research.

John Wunder, emeritus professor of history, was interviewed for a Jan. 17 NBCNews.com article on a new monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico, commemorating a 19th century landmark civil rights case that allowed Chinese individuals to testify in an American court for the first time. Wunder is the author of the book Gold Mountain Turned to Dust: Essays on the Legal History of the Chinese in the Nineteenth-Century American West, which details the case.

Peter Wagner, Earth and atmospheric sciences and biological sciences, was quoted in a Jan. 18 Nature article on a new supercomputer analysis of Earths fossil record. The analysis shows a clearer history of life during the early Palaeozoic era, allowing researchers to pinpoint the rise and fall of species during diversifications and mass extinctions to within about 26,000 years. Wagner was not involved in the work, but wrote an essay accompanying the study.

Frans von der Dunk, space law, was interviewed for a Jan. 18 Civilized article on whether people can legally smoke cannabis on the moon. He said the legality would depend on the origin of the spacecraft. "Space isnt part of any country, but there is a concept that allows states to exercise control over registered spaceships, which almost qualify as a floating territory of the flag state, he said.

Von der Dunk was also the featured guest on the Jan. 29 episode of the Spacewalks, Money Talks podcast. He discussed his work and the current state of space law.

The universitys Outdoor Adventure Center is now offering hunting equipment rentals to the public. USA Today highlighted the program in its 50-states feature Jan. 20.

Nebraska Extensions On-Farm Research Network has earned a $1.2 million On-Farm Conservation Innovation Trials grant from the U.S. Department of Agricultures Natural Resource Conservation Service to help corn and wheat growers across Nebraska use new technologies to more precisely apply nitrogen fertilizer to their crops. Stories on the grant appeared in the Fence Post, Growing America, High Plains Journal and Rural Radio Network.

Aaron Berger, Nebraska Extension educator, was interviewed for a Jan. 21 Beef magazine article on the cattle birthing process. He said it is a complex process. Weather conditions, the environment the cattle are in and the disposition of the cow can all contribute or take away from the success of the event," he said.

A new study co-authored by Kalu Osiri, international business, suggests that using Facebook at work can have a negative effect on project success, whereas LinkedIn has a positive effect. Tech Xplore published a Jan. 21 article on the research.

Bill Moos, Nebraska athletic director, and Josephine Potuto, Larson Professor of Constitutional Law and faculty athletic representative at Nebraska, discussed the dynamics between an AD and FAR for the Jan. 21 AthleticDirectorU podcast.

Matt Joeckel, Nebraska state geologist, director of the Conservation and Survey Division and senior associate director of the School of Natural Resources, was interviewed for a Jan. 22 Outdoor Enthusiast Lifestyle blog entry on the Dakota Formation. Joeckel said the formation has yielded some of the earliest fossil flowers and fructifications from angiosperms.

A recent study by Husker political scientists was cited in a Jan. 23 USA Today opinion piece about engaging in tough conversations. According to the study, nearly 40% of Americans said politics had caused them stress, while one in five reported that a friendship had been damaged as a result of a political argument. The study was authored by Kevin Smith and John Hibbing, both political science, and Matthew Hibbing, associate professor of political science at the University of California, Merced.

The study was also cited in a Jan. 23 Mens Health article titled How to stay sane in a crazy election year. According to the study, about one in five people reported doing or saying something they regretted as a result of feelings related to politics; another 20% said politics had negatively affected their relationships with friends and family.

Researchers from the University of NebraskaLincoln, Stanford University, Puerto Rico and Germany recently used record-intense X-rays to capture dynamics of isocyanide hydratase that were previously only hypothesized, a feat that could point the way to doing the same with other enzymes. Husker researchers involved with the study included Mark Wilson, Javier Seravalli and Peter Madzelan, all biochemistry; Medhanjali Dasgupta, biochemistry graduate student; David Berkowitz and Virendra Tiwari, both chemistry; and doctoral alumnus Gregory Applegate, chemistry. Technology.org ran a Jan. 23 article on the research. Technology.org ran a Jan. 23 article on the research.

Steven Barlow, special education and communication disorders; Greg Bashford, biological systems engineering; and graduate students have created a device that opens new circulatory pathways in the critical few minutes after a stroke has occurred. BTN.com published a Jan. 24 article on the new technology.

Michael Sealy, mechanical and materials engineering, is using 3D printers to develop dissolvable surgical implants. The research was mentioned in a Jan. 24 3DPrint.com article.

Preliminary research from the University of NebraskaLincoln suggests a connection between the spread of trees in the Great Plains and an increase in the size and frequency of large wildfires. The research was highlighted in a Jan. 27 Lawrence (Kansas) Journal-World article. Victoria Donovan, a postdoctoral research associate in agronomy and horticulture, was interviewed for the story.

Elham Tavakoli and Shayan Kaviani, graduate students in chemical and biomolecular engineering, and colleagues have developed a new approach for synthesizing organic Legos that can be easily connected to make new materials. Stories on the research appeared on Phys.org, Science Codex and a few other websites.

The U.S. Drought Monitor produced jointly by the university's National Drought Mitigation Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture was cited in a Jan. 30 Associated Press story on Californias winter snowpack being below average after a dry January. The Jan. 30 monitor showed more than 34% of California as abnormally dry, up from less than 4% a week earlier. The AP story was picked up by Bakersfield.com, the SF Gate and several other media outlets.

Faculty, administration, student and staff appearances in the national media are logged at http://newsroom.unl.edu/inthenews. If you have additions to this list, contact Sean Hagewood at shagewood2@unl.edu or 402-472-8514. If you have suggestions for national news stories, contact Leslie Reed at lreed5@unl.edu or 402-472-2059.

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Nebraska in the national news: January 2020 - IANR News

Human Behavior

Valve is looking to hire a psychologist to help shape gameplay – VG247

Valve is on the lookout for economists, statisticians, and a psychologist to help shape gameplay.

The games company is currently advertising for a number of academic positions, in particular a research psychologist with experience in experimental psychology. According to the job listing, Valve hopes to know more about human behavior and about the motivations and influences underlying how and why people do what they do.

We believe that all game designers are, in a sense, experimental psychologists. That is why were looking for an experimental psychologist with superior research skills to apply knowledge and methodologies from psychology to game design and all aspects of Valves operations. We want to leverage your experience with experimental design, research methods, statistics, and human behavior to help craft even more compelling gameplay experiences for future Valve titles. Wed also expect you to research and weigh in on any and all topics that are relevant to improving the experiences of our customers, partners, and employees.

The role requires someone with a graduate degree in psychology and a minimum of four years experience in experimental design and research methods to provide relevant insight into human behavior in order to shape gameplay and customer experience. The listing also mentions researching new hardware technology.

During GDC last year, Valves Principal Experimental Psychologist Mike Ambinder spoke about speculative technologies like brain-computer interfaces in his session Brain-Computer Interfaces: One Possible Future for How We Play.

[W]hile current interaction patterns are restricted to interpretations of mouse, keyboard, gamepad, and gestural controls, future generations of interfaces may include the ability to interpret neurological signals in ways that promise quicker and more sensitive actions, much wider arrays of possible inputs, real-time adaptation of game state to a players internal state, and qualitatively different kinds of gameplay experiences, reads the talks description.

Valve is also on the lookout for a statistician to mine through data and create statistical models to explain past behavior and to predict future behavior across all Valve products. Similarly, the role for an economist seeks someone to develop economic models to identify what leads to fun and rewards experiences in games and on Steam.

Valve is hiring for a total of 14 positions, including a software engineer with esports experience and two writing positions. You can check those out on the official Valve Software website.

The rest is here:
Valve is looking to hire a psychologist to help shape gameplay - VG247

Human Behavior

AgeX Therapeutics to Collaborate with University of California, Irvine on Neural Stem Cell Research Program for Huntingtons Disease and Other…

Program will utilize AgeXs proprietary PureStem cell derivation and manufacturing technology platform

Goal of developing cellular therapies for Huntingtons disease and potentially Parkinsons, Alzheimers and other neurological conditions

Builds on Universitys research in neural stem cell transplantation for Huntingtons disease, including safety and efficacy animal data that may support an IND submission as early as 2021

AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. ("AgeX"; NYSE American: AGE), a biotechnology company focused on developing therapeutics for human aging and regeneration, announced a research collaboration with the University of California, Irvine (UCI) using AgeXs PureStem technology to derive neural stem cells, with the goal of developing cellular therapies to treat neurological disorders and diseases for which there are no cures. The collaborations initial R&D work, expected to take approximately one year, will be conducted in the UCI laboratory of Leslie Thompson, PhD, Chancellors Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Neurobiology & Behavior, a leading researcher in the field of Huntingtons disease and other neurological disorders, under a Sponsored Research Agreement handled by the Industry Sponsored Research team at UCI Beall Applied Innovation. The initial focus will be on Huntingtons disease, while other potential targets may include Parkinsons, Alzheimers, and stroke.

The primary goal of the research will be to develop a robust method of deriving neural stem cells from pluripotent stem cells in sufficient quantity and with sufficient purity and identity for use in cell-based therapy. Professor Thompsons laboratory has already accumulated safety and efficacy animal data that may support an IND submission to the FDA as early as 2021 for the commencement of clinical trials to treat Huntingtons disease.

"We look forward to utilizing AgeXs cell derivation and manufacturing PureStem technology, with its many potential advantages, including industrial scalable manufacturing, lower cost of goods, and clonal cells with high purity and identity. Our goal is to have an improved neural stem cell production method ready within a year to move into clinical development," said Professor Thompson.

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"We are absolutely delighted to start this exciting collaboration with Professor Thompson, who has worked tirelessly over her career to develop a neural stem cell product candidate for Huntingtons disease and who has already generated preclinical animal data that may support the initiation of clinical studies," said Dr. Nafees Malik, Chief Operating Officer of AgeX. "Moreover, we are very excited to be entering the field of neurology, which has huge clinical and commercial potential. Neural stem cells may be very useful in other neurological disorders that are common in aging demographics, such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers and stroke."

"This is an example of the kind of collaboration we will be seeking under our newly-unveiled collaboration and licensing strategy, which is to run parallel to our in-house product development," said Dr. Greg Bailey, Chair of AgeX. "We will be collaborating with a world leader in their field on a research project which is close to the clinic."

The collaboration includes an opportunity for AgeX to organize a company to be jointly owned with Professor Thompson and other researchers to pursue clinical development and commercialization of cell therapies derived using licensed inventions arising from the research program, as well as certain patent pending technology for neural stem cell derivation, and certain technical data, including animal data, to support IND submissions.

About AgeX Therapeutics

AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: AGE) is focused on developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics for human aging. Its PureStem and UniverCyte manufacturing and immunotolerance technologies are designed to work together to generate highly-defined, universal, allogeneic, off-the-shelf pluripotent stem cell-derived young cells of any type for application in a variety of diseases with a high unmet medical need. AgeX has two preclinical cell therapy programs: AGEX-VASC1 (vascular progenitor cells) for tissue ischemia and AGEX-BAT1 (brown fat cells) for Type II diabetes. AgeXs revolutionary longevity platform induced Tissue Regeneration (iTR) aims to unlock cellular immortality and regenerative capacity to reverse age-related changes within tissues. AGEX-iTR1547 is an iTR-based formulation in preclinical development. HyStem is AgeXs delivery technology to stably engraft PureStem cell therapies in the body. AgeX is developing its core product pipeline for use in the clinic to extend human healthspan and is seeking opportunities to establish licensing and collaboration agreements around its broad IP estate and proprietary technology platforms.

For more information, please visit http://www.agexinc.com or connect with the company on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements that are not historical fact including, but not limited to statements that contain words such as "will," "believes," "plans," "anticipates," "expects," "estimates" should also be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from the results anticipated in these forward-looking statements and as such should be evaluated together with the many uncertainties that affect the business of AgeX Therapeutics, Inc. and its subsidiaries particularly those mentioned in the cautionary statements found in more detail in the "Risk Factors" section of AgeXs Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commissions (copies of which may be obtained at http://www.sec.gov). Further, in the case of AgeXs new neural stem cell program there can be no assurance that: (i) any new cell derivation methods will be invented in the sponsored research program, (ii) any derivation methods that may be developed will be sufficient to derive neural stem cells in quantities and of purity suitable for clinical use and commercialization, (iii) that any new inventions or existing technology will be licensed on commercially favorable terms, (iv) that any neural stem cells derived for therapeutic use will be shown to be safe and effective in clinical trials, and (v) that any neural stem cells derived for therapeutic use will be successfully commercialized even if clinical trials are successful. Subsequent events and developments may cause these forward-looking statements to change. AgeX specifically disclaims any obligation or intention to update or revise these forward-looking statements as a result of changed events or circumstances that occur after the date of this release, except as required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200203005261/en/

Contacts

Media Contact for AgeX: Bill Douglass Gotham Communications, LLC bill@gothamcomm.com (646) 504-0890

Continued here:
AgeX Therapeutics to Collaborate with University of California, Irvine on Neural Stem Cell Research Program for Huntingtons Disease and Other...

Human Behavior

Union County Means Business Networking Breakfast to Showcase Renowned Leadership Coach Tony Chatman – TAPinto.net

Union County, NJ -- The Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders is pleased to welcome internationally known leadership coach Tony Chatman as keynote speaker for the fourth annual Union County Means Business Networking Breakfast.

The event will be held on Wednesday, February 19 at 8:30 a.m. at the Kean University STEM Building, 1075 Morris Avenue in Union Township and is open to all Union County business owners, managers and entrepreneurs. Breakfast is included and preregistration is required online atucnj.org/ucmb.

Mr. Chatman is well known for his ability to connect people with practical, usable knowledge that helps them achieve their goals in business and in life. His focus on diversity and inclusion is especially relevant to our business community, and his background in science and human behavior provides him with unique insights into relationships between people, said Freeholder Chairman Alexander Mirabella.

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Tony Chatmanhas worked with hundreds of corporations and government agencies including the U.S. Secret Service, Chase Bank, Estee Lauder, NOAA and NASA. As a keynote speaker he is known for his passion, stage presence and intensity.

Tony was only the second African American to receive a bachelors degree from Western Michigan Universitys prestigious Paper Science and Technology School. While working as a chemical engineer for a Fortune 500 company, he had a life changing interaction with an at-risk youth that inspired him to embrace a new career in the non-profit sector. His work in counseling led him to study human behavior with the intent to understand what makes people tick, excel, and change.

Mr. Chatman delivered his first TEDx talk in 2018 and recently completed his first book,The Force Multiplier: How to Lead Teams Where Everyone Wins.

Union County Means Business is an initiative of the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders, designed to connect the local business community with hands-on guidance and resources for growth. It began as an initiative of Chairman Mirabella in 2012, and has grown since then to include additional programs.

For more information about the Networking Breakfast and other Union County Means Business programs, visitucnj.org/ucmbor contact Deana Mesaros by phone at 908-659-7412 or by email atdmesaros@ucnj.org.

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Union County Means Business Networking Breakfast to Showcase Renowned Leadership Coach Tony Chatman - TAPinto.net

Human Behavior

Where are you most likely to be in a crash in the Triangle? – WRAL.com

By Cullen Browder, WRAL anchor/reporter, & Randall Kerr, WRAL Investigates producer

Raleigh, N.C. As the Triangle continues to grow, so does the number of crashes on area roads. But crashes are rising at a disproportionate rate.

Over the past 10 years, Wake Countys population has grown by 26 percent. During that same time, vehicle crashes in the county soared a whopping 45 percent.

WRAL Investigates went through North Carolina Department of Transportations raw data on crashes along state-owned roads and highlighted the areas where defensive driving should be top priority.

The most recent DOT data, reflecting crash numbers from 2014 to 2018, shows dozens interchanges and intersections in Raleigh that experienced at least 100 crashes during that period. High-volume roads like Capital Boulevard, Wake Forest Road and Western Boulevard inside the Interstate 440 Beltline are littered with high-crash-rate spots.

But it was highway interchanges that grabbed the top five spots where the crash frequency was high. No. 1 on the list was the Capital Boulevard interchange with I-440 in north Raleigh, with 484 crashes. The nearby I-440 interchange at Wake Forest Road was a close second, with 470 crashes. Interstate 40 at South Saunders Street in south Raleigh was third, followed by the I-440 interchange with New Bern Avenue in east Raleigh and the I-440 interchange with Glenwood Avenue, near Crabtree Valley Mall.

"All crashes are not created equal," said Jed Niffenegger, Raleigh's traffic engineer.

While the DOT data provides raw numbers on crashes, his unit ranks intersections based on the severity of the crashes, injuries and traffic volume.

"You would expect high-volume intersections to have a lot of crashes," Niffenegger said. "We try to find locations where the crashes are severe."

The intersection at Corporation Parkway and New Hope Road in east Raleigh is tops on the citys most dangerous list, followed by Dawson Street at South Street downtown and Falls of Neuse Road at Common Oaks Drive in north Raleigh.

When those intersections are identified, the city will look at all of the options to make it safer for drivers, Niffenegger said.

"We'll go out, do field investigations, do crash diagrams to look for patterns, look for issues that might be causing it because, a lot of times, its human behavior," he said.

Raleigh crash mitigation efforts include more visible stop lights, restricting turn lanes and, when it comes to areas with a high number of T-bone crashes, red light cameras have a huge impact.

When it comes to simple crash frequency, however, the intersection of Blue Ridge Road and Glenwood Avenue at Crabtree Valley Mall had more crashes than every other non-interstate interchange 330 between 2014 and 2018.

Drivers said theyre not surprised. Prentice Herring said she experienced a close call there a couple of weeks ago.

"I turned right there at that intersection, and there was a dangerous move by a driver that could have been an accident," Herring said. "[He] cut across traffic without any warning.

The most crash-prone intersection in Durham was I-40 at Fayetteville Road, followed by I-40 at N.C. Highway 55 and Interstate 85 and Guess Road.

In Fayetteville, U.S. Highway 401 at Morganton Road grabbed the top spot, followed by the intersection of Skibo and Raeford roads and South Reilly and Cliffdale roads.

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Where are you most likely to be in a crash in the Triangle? - WRAL.com