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Mordella batjanensis. Mordella batjanensis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae. It was described in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 batjanensis
Mordella hoanensis. Mordella hoanensis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 hoanensis
Mordella infrasignata. Mordella infrasignata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 infrasignata
Mordella javana. Mordella javana is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 javana
Mordella kannegietri. Mordella kannegietri is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 kannegietri
Mordella luteosignata. Mordella luteosignata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 luteosignata
Mordella micacea. Mordella micacea is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 micacea
Mordella niasensis. Mordella niasensis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 niasensis
Mordella nigripes. Mordella nigripes is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 nigripes
Mordella nigroapicalis. Mordella nigroapicalis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 nigroapicalis
Mordella quelpaertensis. Mordella quelpaertensis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1941. References Beetles described in 1941 quelpaertensis
Medicine Ball (TV series). Medicine Ball is an American medical drama television series that aired from March 13 until May 15, 1995. Premise Medical drama set at a hospital in Seattle where a group of young doctors are about to begin their residencies. Cast Jensen Daggett as Katie Cooper Harrison Pruett as Harley Spencer Donal Logue as Danny Macklin Kai Soremekun as Nia James Darryl Fong as Max Chang Jeffrey D. Sams as Clate Baker Vincent Ventresca as Tom Powell Timothy Omundson as Patrick Yeats Sam McMurray as Douglas McGill Episodes Court case A dispute over the actor's union contract on the show led to the U.S. Supreme Court Case, Marquez v. Screen Actors Guild Inc. References External links 1995 American television series debuts 1995 American television series endings 1990s American medical drama television series American English-language television shows Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios Television shows set in Seattle Fox Broadcasting Company television dramas
Mordella atroapicalis. Mordella atroapicalis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae. It was described in 1927. References Beetles described in 1927 atroapicalis
Mordella curta. Mordella curta is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1927. References Beetles described in 1927 curta
Mordella testaceiceps. Mordella testaceiceps is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1927. References Beetles described in 1927 testaceiceps
Mordella sinensis. Mordella sinensis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1917. References Beetles described in 1917 sinensis
Mordella rufosutralis. Mordella rufosutralis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1917. References Beetles described in 1917 rufosutralis
Mordella diversinotata. Mordella diversinotata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1936. References Beetles described in 1936 diversinotata
Mordella submaculata. Mordella submaculata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1936. References Beetles described in 1936 submaculata
Mordella auromaculata. Mordella auromaculata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae. It was described in 1935. References Beetles described in 1935 auromaculata
Mordella lottini. Mordella lottini is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1835. References Beetles described in 1835 lottini
Mordella geniculata. Mordella geniculata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1928. References Beetles described in 1928 geniculata
Mordella luteomaculata. Mordella luteomaculata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1928. References Beetles described in 1928 luteomaculata
Mordella communis. Mordella communis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1878. References Beetles described in 1878 communis
Mordella ruficollis. Mordella ruficollis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1878. References Beetles described in 1878 ruficollis
Mordella incisura. Mordella incisura is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 incisura
Mordella lachrymosa. Mordella lachrymosa is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 lachrymosa
Mordella leucopleura. Mordella leucopleura is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 leucopleura
Mordella mcnamarae. Mordella mcnamarae is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 mcnamarae
Mordella bifasciata. Mordella bifasciata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae. It was described in 1801. References Beetles described in 1801 bifasciata
Mordella decemguttata. Mordella decemguttata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1801. References Beetles described in 1801 decemguttata
Mordella haemorrhoidalis. Mordella haemorrhoidalis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1801. References Beetles described in 1801 haemorrhoidalis
Mordella scutellaris. Mordella scutellaris is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1801. References Beetles described in 1801 scutellaris
Mordella nigricolor. Mordella nigricolor is a species of beetle in the Mordella type genus of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 nigricolor
Mordella bivittata. Mordella bivittata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1930. References Beetles described in 1930 bivittata
Mordella reynoldsi. Mordella reynoldsi is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1930. References Beetles described in 1930 reynoldsi
Mordella borealis. Mordella borealis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1862. References Beetles described in 1862 borealis Taxa named by John Lawrence LeConte
Mordella bovieri. Mordella bovieri is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1920. References Beetles described in 1920 bovieri
Mordella brachyura. Mordella brachyura is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1856. References Beetles described in 1856 brachyura Taxa named by Étienne Mulsant
Mordella brevicornis. Mordella brevicornis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1946. References Beetles described in 1946 brevicornis
Mordella bribiensis. Mordella bribiensis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1921. References Beetles described in 1921 bribiensis
Mordella bruchi. Mordella bruchi is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1930. References Beetles described in 1930 bruchi
Mordella viridis. Mordella viridis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1930. References Beetles described in 1930 viridis
Mordella woodi. Mordella woodi is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1930. References Beetles described in 1930 woodi
Mordella ogloblini. Mordella ogloblini is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1930. References Beetles described in 1930 ogloblini
Mordella pauli. Mordella pauli is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was described in 1924 by Maurice Pic. References Beetles described in 1924 pauli
Mordella latejuncta. Mordella latejuncta is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1924. References Beetles described in 1924 latejuncta
Systems medicine. Systems medicine is an interdisciplinary field of study that looks at the systems of the human body as part of an integrated whole, incorporating biochemical, physiological, and environment interactions. Systems medicine draws on systems science and systems biology, and considers complex interactions within the human body in light of a patient's genomics, behavior and environment. The earliest uses of the term systems medicine appeared in 1992, in an article on systems medicine and pharmacology by T. Kamada. An important topic in systems medicine and systems biomedicine is the development of computational models that describe disease progression and the effect of therapeutic interventions. More recent approaches include the redefinition of disease phenotypes based on common mechanisms rather than symptoms. These provide then therapeutic targets including network pharmacology and drug repurposing. Since 2018, there is a dedicated scientific journal, Systems Medicine. Fundamental schools of systems medicine Essentially, the issues dealt with by systems medicine can be addressed in two basic ways, molecular (MSM) and organismal systems medicine (OSM): Molecular systems medicine (MSM) This approach relies on omics technologies (genomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, phenomics, metabolomics etc.) and tries to understand physiological processes and the evolution of disease in a bottom-up strategy, i.e. by simulating, synthesising and integrating the description of molecular processes to deliver an explanation of an organ system or even the organism in its whole. Organismal systems medicine (OSM) This branch of systems medicine, going back to the traditions of Ludwig von Bertalanffy's systems theory and biological cybernetics is a top-down strategy that starts with the description of large, complex processing structures (i.e. neural networks, feedback loops and other motifs) and tries to find sufficient and necessary conditions for the corresponding functional organisation on a molecular level. A common challenge for both schools is the translation between the molecular and the organismal level. This can be achieved e.g. by affine subspace mapping and sensitivity analysis, but also requires some preparative steps on both ends of the epistemic gap. Systems Medicine Education Georgetown University is the first in the Nation to launch a MS program in Systems Medicine. It has developed a rigorous curriculum, The programs have been developed and led by Dr. Sona Vasudevan, PhD. List of research groups See also Biocybernetics Medical cybernetics Systems biology Systems science References Clinical medicine Medicine Concepts in alternative medicine Evidence-based medicine Health care Medicine
Chronometric singularity. In theoretical physics, a chronometric singularity (also called a temporal or horological singularity) is a point at which time cannot be measured or described. An example involves a time at a coordinate singularity, e.g. a geographical pole. Since time on Earth is measured through longitudes, and no unique longitude exists at a pole, time is not defined uniquely at this point. There is a clear connection with coordinate singularities, as can be seen from this example. In relativity, similar singularities can be found in the case of Schwarzschild coordinates. Stephen Hawking once compared by a talk-show guest's question about "before the beginning of time" to asking "what's north of the North Pole". See also Coordinate singularity No-boundary proposal and imaginary time Spacetime singularity Time References Geodesy Timekeeping
Mordella canellina. Mordella canellina is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1897. References Beetles described in 1897 canellina
Mordella suturella. Mordella suturella is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1897. References Beetles described in 1897 suturella
Mordella quadrioculata. Mordella quadrioculata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1895. References Beetles described in 1895 quadrioculata
Mordella homochroa. Mordella homochroa is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1895. References Beetles described in 1895 homochroa
Virtual colony count. Virtual colony count (VCC) is a kinetic, 96-well microbiological assay originally developed to measure the activity of defensins. It has since been applied to other antimicrobial peptides including LL-37. It utilizes a method of enumerating bacteria called quantitative growth kinetics, which compares the time taken for a bacterial batch culture to reach a threshold optical density with that of a series of calibration curves. The name VCC has also been used to describe the application of quantitative growth kinetics to enumerate bacteria in cell culture infection models. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) can be done on 96-well plates by diluting the antimicrobial agent at varying concentrations in broth inoculated with bacteria and measuring the minimum inhibitory concentration that results in no growth. However, these methods cannot be used to study some membrane-active antimicrobial peptides, which are inhibited by the broth itself. The virtual colony count procedure takes advantage of this fact by first exposing bacterial cells to the active antimicrobial agent in a low-salt buffer for two hours, then simultaneously inhibiting antimicrobial activity and inducing exponential growth by adding broth. The growth kinetics of surviving cells can then be monitored using a temperature-controlled plate reader. The time taken for each growth curve to reach a threshold change in optical density is then converted into virtual survival values, which serve as a measure of antimicrobial activity. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing Methods have existed for testing the antibacterial activity of antimicrobial agents for many decades. Typically, these involve exposing bacteria to the antimicrobial agent in the presence of nutrients that would otherwise allow robust growth of the bacteria. Experiments could either be conducted on plates containing agar as a solid support, or in liquid broth without agar. Many small molecule antibiotics were developed using these methods. However, a complication arose when researchers wished to study the antibacterial activity of some antimicrobial peptides, because they are inhibited by rich media, whether supplied on an agar plate or in broth. For example, defensins are antimicrobial peptides that are part of the innate immune system of many organisms including humans. They are divided into several structural classes including alpha, beta, and theta, based on the pattern of disulfide bonding. Four human alpha defensins are found in the granules of the neutrophil, and these are known as human neutrophil peptides (HNP) 1-4. Very early in the study of defensins, it was discovered that HNPs are strongly inhibited by physiological salt concentrations. In order to measure the antimicrobial activity of HNPs, they had to be incubated with cells in a low salt buffer as a separate initial step, before rich media was added allowing the enumeration of survivors. Since there is no way to assay peptides such as the defensin HNP1 in the presence of physiologically relevant salt concentrations, any assay that measures HNP1 activity uses conditions that are different from those present in the body. Traditional colony count One method commonly employed to measure antimicrobial activity in liquid is to expose the antimicrobial agent to cells during an incubation time such as two hours, and then enumerate survivors by diluting the mixture and then spreading a portion of the liquid on an agar plate containing rich media. The incubation step is commonly done on a 96-well plate. After spreading, the agar plates are then incubated overnight and the number of colony forming units (CFU) is counted the next day. These methods have a number of drawbacks including inaccuracy introduced in the dilution step and the possibility that a large number of agar plates would be required in order to produce an acceptable number of colonies per plate. Note that in order to measure the antimicrobial activity of antimicrobial agents such as defensins, the two hour incubation step would be conducted in a low-salt buffer such as 10 mM sodium phosphate pH 7.4. Minimum inhibitory concentration Another method commonly employed to measure antimicrobial activity in liquid is to expose dilution series of the antimicrobial agent to cells in rich broth such as Mueller-Hinton broth (MHB) in a 96-well plate, and then incubate the 96-well plate at 37 °C overnight. Each well will either become turbid with bacterial growth or remain clear. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) is then reported as the lowest concentration that produces a clear well and thus inhibits growth. Standardized MIC methods using MHB are not applicable to antimicrobial agents such as defensins, because defensins must be incubated in a low salt buffer, not rich broth, in order to measure their activity. Virtual colony count The traditional colony count method could be modified to measure antimicrobial activity in the 96-well plate without the need for sampling the wells and spreading surviving cells on agar plates by simply adding an equal volume of twice-concentrated broth after the two hour incubation in the low salt buffer. There would need to be a way to determine how many cells survived at the end of the incubation period using batch cultures. Fortunately, the mathematics of exponential growth offers a way to do just that. If the turbidity, or optical density, of the batch cultures within the 96-well plate is monitored in real time, and the amount of time required for a well to reach a threshold is recorded, and the doubling time of the exponentially growing cells is known, then the number of cells originally present in the inoculum can be calculated. This starting number of cells is equal to the number of surviving cells at the end of the two hour incubation with the antimicrobial agent. Because this procedure requires no actual colony formation or colony counting, it is termed "virtual colony count". Thus far the VCC technique has been limited to antimicrobial peptides. It could potentially work with other antimicrobial agents, as long as the twice-concentrated Mueller Hinton Broth inactivates the antimicrobial activity of the agent. The VCC method can detect either bactericidal or bacteriostatic activity, but it cannot distinguish between them. However, bacteriostatic activity can be quantified by measuring the difference in threshold times between the "input" and "output" controls (see below). General laboratory procedure for use in VCC assays A 2 mL bacterial culture is inoculated from a single colony and grown overnight in Phosphate Mueller Hinton (PMH) or Phosphate Mueller Hinton Tryptic Soy Broth (PMHT) media. PMH is a 1:1 mixture of Mueller Hinton Broth and 10 mM sodium phosphate pH 7.4. Either cation-adjusted or non-cation-adjusted MHB may be used. In some experiments, 1% Tryptic Soy Broth (TSB) was present in the phosphate buffer to enhance defensin activity during the two hour incubation; in this case the analogous 1:1 mixture of buffer and broth contained 0.5% TSB and is called PMHT. 250 μl of this culture is transferred to 25 mL of PMH in a 125 mL disposable filter flask. This culture is grown at 37 °C shaking 250 rpm typically 2–3 hours until the optical density of the culture at 650 nm is between 0.45 and 0.55. Meanwhile, antimicrobial peptides are diluted on a 96-well plate (Costar 3595, which are tissue culture-treated) in 10 mM sodium phosphate pH 7.4 such that the final volume is 90 microliters. Virtual colony forming units, or CFUv, is defined in the original VCC publication and its definition is repeated here: CFUv was held constant among the six strains tested so that the turbidity, and thus the amount of cell membrane, in each experiment was roughly equal. Because CFUv was standardized to the CFU of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, CFU, not CFUv, can be reported with this strain. For the experimental portion of the assay, cells are diluted in 10 mM sodium phosphate pH 7.4 such that the final cell concentration in 10 microliters is 5x106 CFUv/mL. 10 μl of this cell suspension are pipetted beneath the 90 μl of antimicrobial peptides in solution, resulting in a cell suspension at the standard inoculum of 5x105 CFUv/mL during the exposure of cells to antimicrobial peptides. Several wells of the 96-well plate are used for controls exposed to no antimicrobial agent; these are termed the "output" controls. The 96-well plate was then incubated two hours in the plate reader, set to shake and take readings every five minutes. During this incubation time, the seed culture was kept on ice. For a calibration curve, 1 mL of seed culture was added to 1.5 mL of PMH after the two hour incubation to generate a suspension of 108 CFUv/mL. A 10-fold dilution series of this suspension was made ranging from 107 to 100 CFUv/ml in 200 μl total volume of PMH, occupying eight wells of the 96-well plate. At this time, cells exposed to no antimicrobial agent were added to several wells of the plate from the culture kept on ice; these are termed the "input" controls, since they indicate the number of cells present at the start of the two hour incubation. In the initially published VCC experiments only the internal 60 wells of the plate were used, since evaporation changed the volume of the edge wells during the 12-hour incubation. However, all 96 wells of the 96-well plate can be used for the experiment as long as the edge of the plate is wrapped with a piece of Parafilm M six squares long by one half square wide. The gas-permeable Parafilm retards evaporation while allowing cellular respiration and preventing particulate matter from being blown into the 96-well plate in the plate reader. Once the plate is wrapped with Parafilm, it is transferred from the biosafety cabinet to the plate reader. Several models of temperature-controlled plate readers have successfully been used in VCC assays, including a Molecular Devices Vmax kept in a warm room, a Molecular Devices Spectramax, and a Tecan Infinite M1000. The plate reader is set to read optical density at 650 nm every 5 minutes for 12 hours, shaking before each reading. Raw data is imported into Microsoft Excel, where the macro VCC Calculate is run to determine the time required for each growth curve to reach a threshold optical density of 0.02. Quantitative growth kinetics The method of enumeration of surviving cells used by VCC is termed quantitative growth kinetics (QGK). It relates the kinetic time taken for the turbidity of a bacterial batch microbiological culture in a well of a 96-well microplate to reach a threshold difference in turbidity to a 10-fold dilution series of calibration growth curves. Quantification of the number of viable cells is done using a process mathematically identical to quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (QPCR), except with QGK cells, rather than copies of PCR products, grow exponentially. The time taken to reach the threshold is called the "threshold time", Tt, which is equivalent to the QPCR value "cycle time" or Ct. There are at least five processes that cause delays in threshold times in VCC assays: Adhesion, causing cells to stick to the microplate and possibly form biofilms. Unless these cells happen to be directly in the light path, their growth will not affect optical density readings. Cohesion, causing cells to aggregate into clumps of various sizes instead of a homogeneous suspension of individual cells undergoing binary fission. Cohesion can cause imprecision and fluctuations in Tt. Cohesive clumps may also be adhesive, leading to both imprecision due to cohesion and inaccuracy (increased Tt) due to adhesion. Bacteriostatic activity, causing cells to become unable to enter exponential growth even though they are not killed. Transient bacteriostatic activity can cause lag times, increasing Tt. The metabolic lag phase of bacterial growth. Such a lag phase would be expected to occur in the assay as cells growing slowly or not at all during the initial exposure to antimicrobial peptides in the low-salt buffer are shifted to exponential growth upon addition of twice-concentrated rich media. If this metabolic lag phase increases in the presence of the antimicrobial peptide, it could be considered a form of transient bacteriostatic activity in category 3, above, although other sources of transient bacteriostatic activity, such as a delay due to the time required for the repair of damaged cell structures such as cell walls or cell membranes, are possible. Bactericidal activity, or killing. Fewer surviving cells cause a delay in Tt as the survivors take longer to produce the same amount of turbidity through exponential growth. If all other processes causing increases in Tt are negligible, the VCC assay becomes a bactericidal assay and Tt can be used to enumerate viable bacteria by QGK. In this simplified case, VCC "virtual survival" results are equivalent to the "survival" results of a traditional colony count bactericidal assay. Bacteria VCC was initially employed to quantify the antibacterial activity of peptides against six strains of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus cereus, and Enterobacter aerogenes. Commonly, a standard Gram-negative and Gram-positive quality control strain are compared. Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 and Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 29213 have been used as the standard Gram-negative and Gram-positive strains, respectively. VCC has also been applied to Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax. In addition, VCC has been applied to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium and Acinetobacter baumannii. Antimicrobial peptides The initial virtual colony count study measured the activity of all six human alpha defensins concurrently on the same 96-well plate: HNP1, HNP2, HNP3, HNP4, HD5, and HD6. Subsequently, mutated forms of some of those six defensins were studied by VCC. A conserved glycine in a beta bulge in HNP2 was replaced with a series of D-amino acids resulting in VCC activity proportional to side chain hydrophobicity and charge. VCC showed that N-terminally acetylated and/or C-terminally amidated HNP2 activity is proportional to electrostatic charge. VCC results were again proportional to charge for a series of salt bridge-disrupting mutants, suggesting that the salt bridge is not required for HNP2 function. VCC measured the importance of N-terminal natural and artificial pro segments of the propeptide HNP1, dramatically altering activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Enantiomer forms of HNP1, HNP4, HD5 and Beta-defensin 2 composed entirely of D-amino acids suggested differing mechanisms of defensin activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. VCC results of dimerization-impaired monomer and tethered dimer forms of HNP1 demonstrated the importance of dimerization. Replacing the conserved glycine with L-alanine resulted in subtle VCC differences. Comprehensive alanine scanning mutagenesis of HNP1 and HD5 demonstrated the importance of bulky hydrophobic residues. HD5 disulfide reduction impaired VCC activity but enhanced lipopolysaccharide binding activity against three Gram negative strains. HD5 variants with one disulfide bond or no disulfide bonds exhibited greatly decreased VCC activity against A. baumannii, whereas a simplified derivative of HD5 constructed by disulfide reduction and arginine introduction displayed potent activity against a multidrug resistant strain of A. baumannii. These studies have been expanded to include additional beta defensins, theta defensins, and the human cathelicidin LL-37 and related peptides. Virtual colony count results of a study of the mouse cryptdins showed that the killing of E. coli by cryptdins is generally independent of their tertiary and quaternary structures that are important for the killing of S. aureus, which is indicative of two distinct mechanisms of action. Inoculum effect An inoculum effect has been previously described for many antimicrobial agents, such that the agent is less effective when more bacteria are added to the assay. This effect is often observed with beta lactams when assayed against beta lactamase producing bacteria. The inoculum effect was potentially relevant to a study of HNP1, pro LL-37 and LL-37 that included both traditional colony counting and VCC side by side. In that report, it was found that traditional colony count survival values were less than virtual survival values for all peptides and strains tested. Because the inoculum of bacteria was 20-fold greater in the VCC assay compared to the standardized traditional colony count protocol used, the difference could have been due to an inoculum effect, although the effect would have been the reverse of the inoculum effect normally seen with other antimicrobial agents, since the higher inoculum showed more activity. This possibility was investigated in a series of VCC experiments mainly focusing on the defensin HNP1 and the bacterial strains E. coli, S. aureus and B. cereus. The results of six experiments demonstrated a pronounced inoculum effect of HNP1 against E. coli. Algorithms to analyze quantitative growth kinetics Complex Microsoft Excel spreadsheets used for the calculation of virtual survival and virtual lethal dose values, and a Visual Basic macro used to calculate threshold times, have been published. Safe and effective pipetting technique VCC users are cautioned to transfer cells in a small volume such as 10 microliters beneath a larger volume such as 90 microliters, similar to the QGK calibration curves shown above and the calibration curves reported in the initial VCC publication, but unlike the experimental procedure used to test defensin activity in that same paper. The improved pipetting technique was described in 2011 in the study of the biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) pathogen Bacillus anthracis. The original method published in 2005 involved the transfer of 50 microliters of cell suspensions to 50 microliters of liquid, which generates froth, bubbles and turbidity that is incompatible with a turbidimetric method when cells are transferred directly to the bottoms of the wells beneath the phosphate buffer solutions. Avoiding this problem by adding cell suspensions as droplets from above can cause aerosols that result in cross-contamination. Bioaerosols of hazardous bacteria can also pose safety risks that can be reduced by conducting experiments within a biosafety cabinet. References External links Centers for Disease Control Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories (BMBL) 6th Edition Research methods
Phosphoric. Phosphoric may refer to: Phosphoric acid Phosphoric anhydride, see phosphorus pentoxide See also Phosphorus
Aurora Borealis (painting). Aurora Borealis is an 1865 painting by the American artist Frederic Edwin Church of the aurora borealis and the Arctic expedition of Isaac Israel Hayes. The painting measures and is now owned by the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Background Aurora Borealis is based on two separate sketches. The first incident was an aurora witnessed by Church's pupil, the Arctic explorer Isaac I. Hayes. Hayes provided a sketch and description of the aurora borealis display he witnessed one January evening. Coinciding with Hayes' furthest northern movement into what he named Cape Leiber, the aurora borealis appeared over the peak. Describing the event, Hayes wrote: The light grew by degrees more and more intense, and from irregular bursts it settled into an almost steady sheet of brightness... The exhibition, at first tame and quiet, became in the end startling in its brilliancy. The broad dome above me is all ablaze... The colour of the light was chiefly red, but this was not constant, and every hue mingled in the fierce display. Blue and yellow streamers were playing in the lurid fire; and, sometimes starting side by side from the wide expanse of the illuminated arch, they melt into each other, and throw a ghostly glare of green into the face and over the landscape. Again this green overrides the red; blue and orange clasp each other in their rapid flight; violet darts tear through a broad flush of yellow, and countless tongues of white flame, formed of these uniting streams, rush aloft and lick the skies. Description and influences The iconography of the painting suggested personal and nationalistic references. The peak in the painting had been named after Church during Hayes's expedition. Aurora Borealis incorporated details of Hayes' ship, drawn from a sketch he brought back upon returning from his expedition. Contrasted with Church's earlier painting of the north, The Icebergs (1861), the intact ship highlights Hayes' achievement in navigating this space, as well as the state of the nation in navigating the contentious historical moment. Presenting the ship's safe passage through the dark Arctic environment, Church suggested optimism for the future; a tiny light shines out from the ship's window. Charles Millard describes Church's paintings as "large in scale and size, sharply horizontal in format" and "dramatic in subject, but yielding in execution, and tend[ing] to exploit both value contrast and continuous tonal transition." Church's works, including Aurora Borealis, were completed using small touches of pigment built together through thin applications, leaving the viewer unaware of fracture between strokes. These works are also built around the tones of "ochre, brown, gray going to blue or green, and green" at the expense of the full value of color. Exhibition Completed in New York that winter, Aurora Borealis was exhibited publicly in London in 1865 as a triumvirate with two paintings by Church of Ecuadoran volcanoes: Cotopaxi (his 1862 painting of an eruption) and Chimborazo (his 1864 reprise of the dormant mountain that had been the subject of his 1858 masterwork Heart of the Andes). Reception and legacy Created at the end of the American Civil War, Aurora Borealis (1865) was believed to depict the portent of a simultaneously triumphant and desolate Union victory, its meaning amplified in relation to later works, including The After Glow (1867) and other works. Aurora Borealis (1865) was associated with Rainy Season in the Tropics (1866) for two reasons. First, the two paintings marked the completion of the arctic-tropical sequence created with The Heart of the Andes (1859) and The North, also known as The Icebergs (1861). These pairings drew together popular attention on exploration of the arctic North and the tropical South. The second association between Aurora Borealis and Rainy Season in the Tropics was established through their compositions and "in their luminosity", where each suggested a "renewed optimism in natural and historic events". See also List of paintings by Frederic Edwin Church Notes External links The Smithsonian American Art Museum page offers a zoomable view of the painting and photographs of the installation. Research Notes, Smithsonian American Art Museum, December 2011. 1865 paintings Paintings by Frederic Edwin Church Paintings in the Smithsonian American Art Museum Oil on canvas paintings Maritime paintings Sky in culture Landscape paintings
Mountain Partnership. The Mountain Partnership is an official United Nations partnership and international voluntary alliance dedicated to improving the lives of mountain peoples and protecting mountain environments around the world. History During the preparatory process of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesberg, South Africa, in 2002, the governments of Italy and Switzerland, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) embarked on an effort to organize a new partnership to strengthen cooperation and more effectively address the needs of mountain peoples and environments around the world. As a result, the International Partnership for Sustainable Development of Mountain Regions, known as the Mountain Partnership, was launched. Membership The Mountain Partnership currently has over 550 members, comprising governments, intergovernmental organizations and major groups from civil society, NGOs and the private sector. The following governments are currently members of the Mountain Partnership. Afghanistan Algeria Andorra Argentina Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Bangladesh Bhutan Bolivia Burundi Cameroon Chile Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Democratic Republic of Congo Dominican Republic Ecuador Eswatini Ethiopia France Georgia Ghana Guatemala Guinea India Indonesia Iran Italy Jamaica Jordan Kenya Kyrgyzstan Lesotho Liechtenstein Madagascar Malawi Mexico Monaco Montenegro Morocco Nepal Nigeria North Macedonia Pakistan Panama Papua New Guinea Peru Philippines Republic of Korea Romania Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sri Lanka Sudan Switzerland Tajikistan Togo Tunisia Turkey Uganda Ukraine Uzbekistan Venezuela Yemen Secretariat The Mountain Partnership is supported by a secretariat based at FAO Headquarters in Rome, Italy. The Mountain Partnership Secretariat plays a facilitating role, connecting institutions and helping members develop joint activities to protect mountain regions. It is also responsible for coordinating the annual observance of International Mountain Day and for preparing the United Nations Secretary-General report on sustainable mountain development every three years. The Mountain Partnership Secretariat is funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Sustainability of Andorra, FAO, the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kyrgyzstan. The current Coordinator of the Mountain Partnership Secretariat is Rosalaura Romeo. Past coordinators include Thomas Hofer, Yuka Makino, and Doug McGuire. Work The work of the Mountain Partnership is spread out among four pillars, namely: advocacy, communications, brokering initiatives and capacity development. The Mountain Partnership works to bring global attention to achieving sustainable development in mountain regions and to promote the inclusion of mountain issues in United Nations declarations and other international documents. Members also engage in disseminating awareness with regards to challenges faced by mountain peoples and environments. Furthermore, the Mountain Partnership’s role is to "facilitate contacts between countries and institutions and creating conditions for partnerships, technical cooperation and resource mobilization at all levels". The scope of the Mountain Partnership is for members to cooperate in order to facilitate, promote and implement initiatives at all levels. The Mountain Partnership’s main principles are "participation of all members, accountability, responsiveness, consensus, transparency and flexibility". Its Secretariat is crucial for the creation of an enabling environment for main actors to cooperate towards the obtainment of common aims. In 2012, its members lobbied for sustainable mountain development to be included in The Future We Want, the final outcome document of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, resulting in the inclusion of three paragraphs relating to mountains. The partnership also encourages the development of policies and laws that give local mountain communities a voice in decision-making and organizes conferences, training sessions, workshops and communications materials on sustainable development in mountain areas worldwide. Thanks to advocacy efforts of the Mountain Partnership members, mountains are mentioned in three targets under two of the 17 goals issued by the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals in its outcome document. By 2020 protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes By 2020 ensure conservation, restoration and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services, in particular forests, wetlands, mountains and drylands, in line with obligations under international agreements By 2030 ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, to enhance their capacity to provide benefits which are essential for sustainable development. The Sixth Global Meeting of the Mountain Partnership was convened in Aspen, Colorado, on 27–29 September 2022, with over 200 participants attending. It was the main event of the United Nations International Year of Sustainable Mountain Development 2022. Delegates elected a new Steering Committee for the Mountain Partnership, updated several of the Mountain Partnership’s strategy documents, and endorsed the Aspen Declaration. Selected publications Mountain Partnership Secretariat: Annual report 2023 Restoring mountain ecosystems - Challenges, case studies and recommendations for implementing the UN Decade Principles for Mountain Ecosystem Restoration Understanding and Quantifying Mountain Tourism Mountain women of the world – Challenges, resilience and collective power Mountain farming systems – seeds for the future Vulnerability of mountain peoples to food insecurity: updated data and analysis of drivers 15 years of Mountain Partnership See also International Mountain Society References External links Mountain Partnership website International sustainability organizations Mountains
Ethanium. In chemistry, ethanium or protonated ethane is a highly reactive positive ion with formula . It can be described as a molecule of ethane () with one extra proton (hydrogen nucleus), that gives it a +1 electric charge. Ethanium is one of the simplest carbonium ions (after methanium ). It was first detected as a rarefied gas in 1960 by S. Wexler and N. Jesse. It easily dissociates into ethenium and molecular hydrogen . Production Ethanium was first detected by infrared spectroscopy among the ions produced by electrical discharges in rarefied methane or ethane gas. Ethanium can also be produced by irradiating methane containing traces of ethane with an electron beam at low pressure (about 2 mmHg). The electron beam first creates methanium and methenium ions. The former rapidly transfer their proton to ethane: + → + The latter reaction is also observed when , or ions are injected into ethane at somewhat lower pressure. Stability and reactions At about 1 mmHg and 30 °C, ethanium dissociates very slowly to ethenium and , across an energy barrier of about 10 kcal/mol; the decomposition is considerably faster at 92 °C. The decomposition has been claimed to be nearly athermal but with 8 kcal/mol of free energy due to increase of entropy. Structure Like its "unsaturated" relatives ethenium and ethynium , the ethanium ion was conjectured to have (at least momentarily) a proton bound simultaneously to the two carbon atoms, and the electrical charge evenly spread between them, as in other non-classical ions. The alternative "classical" structure would have the charge and the extra hydrogen bound to only one of the two atoms, i.e. a methylated methanium ion. Earlier calculations had predicted that the energies of the two forms should be 4 to 12 kcal/mol lower than the dissociated state + , and they should be separated by a slightly positive energy barrier. Gas-phase infrared spectroscopy by Yeh and others (1989) has shown that both forms are stable. The bridged structure has the lowest energy, 4 to 8 kcal/mol lower than the classical one. Refined calculations by Obata and Hirao (1993) predict that the most stable form has three orthogonal planes of symmetry (C2v) with the two subgroups in the eclipsed configuration (unlike ethane, whose ground state has the staggered configuration). Four "bottom" H atoms lie on a plane opposite to the bridging H atom and the other two "top" H atoms. The approximate computed distances are C–C 0.211 nm, C–H 0.124 nm (bridging), 0.107 nm (bottom) and 0.108 nm (top); the C–H–C angle at the bridge is about 116 degrees, the H–C–H angles are 116 degrees (bottom-bottom) and 114 degrees (bottom-top). However, there are other configurations with near-minimum energy, including one where the two subgroups are slightly staggered (with Cs symmetry), another where one of the carbons of a ion is loosely bound to an molecule 0.250 nm away. See also Doubly protonated ethane References Carbocations
Veterinary College Admission Test. The Veterinary College Admission Test, often called the VCAT, was a former veterinary school admissions examination. Depending on the school, pre-veterinary students usually take the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) or the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) for entrance to schools now. References Entrance examinations Standardized tests in the United States
La Sagra Observatory. La Sagra Observatory (; OLS; observatory code: L98) is an astronomical observatory located in the province of Granada, Spain. It uses four robotic telescopes both designed and built (hardware and software) by the scientists of the Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca (OAM) who operate them remotely by telecontrol daily, discharging data from Mallorca using the Internet, to process them by means of algorithms designed "in house" which helped to detect asteroid 367943 Duende. among the other 1706 asteroids, with a 12th place in the ranking of asteroid discoveries. Its activities include, as part of its La Sagra Sky Survey, tracking small Solar System bodies, particularly near-Earth objects, and space debris. Duende Among the asteroids discovered and tracked by Observatorio Astronómico de Mallorca thanks to its four remotely operated telescopes and to the clear skies of Sierra de la Sagra, on 15 February 2012, a team coordinated by Jaume Nomen, astronomer at OAM located the asteroid Duende, and calculated that the following year, more specifically on 15 February 2013, it would pass from Earth, the closest known distance an asteroid of that absolute magnitude has come to the planet, and well within the geosynchronous orbit, of the geosynchronous satellites at . La Sagra Sky Survey The La Sagra Sky Survey (LSSS) was an astronomical survey conducted at La Sagra Observatory. The numbered comets 233P/La Sagra, 279P/La Sagra and 324P/La Sagra were discovered by LSSS. See also Miguel Hurtado References External links Collados de la Sagra Web site Minor Planets.org Astronomical observatories in Spain Robotic telescopes Buildings and structures in the Province of Granada
Stemcell Technologies. StemCell Technologies Canada Inc. (formerly known as StemCell Technologies Inc.) is a Canadian biotechnology company that develops and manufactures cell culture media and cell separation technologies for use in stem cell, immunology, and cancer research. The company has offices in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia with the headquarter being in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Allen Eaves, the founder, currently serves as the President and CEO. History Allen Eaves, a hematologist and cancer researcher, co-founded the Terry Fox Laboratory (TFL) in Vancouver with his wife, hematologist and cancer researcher Connie Eaves, in 1981. Allen Eaves’ research group at the TFL made their own standardized cell culture medium for growing hematopoietic stem cells in the lab. To help fund his blood cancer research program at the TFL, Eaves started selling this medium—named MethoCult—to other research groups around the world. Eaves purchased the business from TFL and launched Stemcell Technologies Inc. in 1993. In 2018, Stemcell received a $45 million grant from the Canadian and British Columbian governments toward building an advanced biologicals manufacturing facility in Burnaby, British Columbia. In 2021, Stemcell launched "The Immunology Podcast" about current scientific advances in the field of immunology with interviews of immunologists. References External links Biotechnology companies of Canada
Red Deer Regional Hospital. Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre is a district general hospital is located in Red Deer, Alberta. Alberta Health Services is responsible for the operations of the hospital. Services Cardiac rehab Diabetes clinic Diagnostic imaging (CT, MRI and Ultrasound) Emergency General Surgery Intensive Care Mental health Pediatric mental health Obstetrics Medical Oncology Orthopedic surgery Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Palliative care Pediatrics Plastic surgery Radiation Oncology Respiratory Therapy Urology The hospital is a Level 3 trauma center which allows for care of most severe trauma patients but have transfer protocols if the trauma is above their level of care they can provide. They will stabilize these patients and then take the patient to a level 1 trauma center in Edmonton or Calgary by STARS. Transport The hospital is located within a 1-hour service radius of the STARS air ambulance service from both the Calgary and Edmonton base sites. Education The hospital serves as a training centre for multiple professions. The University of Alberta trains residents in their Rural Alberta North family medicine program and rotate medical students on elective. It is also a site for pharmacy resident training and nursing student training from the Red Deer College. Funding Philanthropic funding is directed by the Red Deer Regional Health Foundation. History Red Deer Memorial Hospital The Red Deer Memorial Hospital was constructed in 1904 as a memorial to three local men who had participated in the Boer War. Financial assistance was provided to purchase property at Red Deer Regional Hospital's current location. At the time it was the only hospital between Calgary and Edmonton. The original hospital was torn down for an auxiliary hospital in 1961. Name changes Red Deer Memorial Red Deer Municipal Red Deer General Red Deer Regional Hospital Centre References Hospital buildings completed in 1904 Hospitals in Alberta Buildings and structures in Red Deer, Alberta Heliports in Canada Certified airports in Alberta
Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences. The Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS) is a department of the Free University of Berlin established in June 2009. The department supports the Botanical Garden Berlin-Dahlem, a large botanical garden and collection. Members of the DCPS are involved in teaching plant biology at different levels, including programs for the general public. Overview The Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences (DCPS) is a modern center for plant sciences at Freie Universität Berlin. As a Freie Universität Berlin research department, it is supported by funds from the university's future development strategy. Fields include a wide spectrum of plant sciences such as molecular and cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, plant physiology, developmental biology, systematics and taxonomy, phytogeography, ecology and pharmaceutical biology. The Berlin-Dahlem location was already the site of a plant science center in the early 1900s. Research aims is to investigate the evolution and function of plant diversity and to design strategies for a prospective sustainable use of natural plant resources. Themes arch from the investigation of diverse cellular processes to protection of the environment and crop improvement. Main research areas DCPS projects focus on two major research areas: “Function and Diversity” and “Plant and Environment”. The research findings from both areas are transferred to practices supporting sustainable use and the protection of plant diversity. This involves the development of genetic resources (Applied Plant Sciences) to the management of varied ecosystems. Function and Diversity Function and Diversity research aims to produce new insights into the evolutionary development of the morphological and functional diversity of plants. The evolution of new traits and the mechanisms of genome evolutions are studied by combining comparative genomics with phylogenetic, biochemical and molecular techniques. The topics addressed include the evolution and function of signal transfer processes in plant cells, the role of the numerous plant secondary metabolites, the uptake and use of nutrients as well as the development of morphological features. This work is based on the rapidly growing information available from genome sequencing. These projects explore organisms beyond the model plant Arabidopsis to improve understanding of gene functions and the evolution of biological diversity. Plant and Environment In the Plant and Environment field of research, the focus is on plant functions and adaptive reactions in the context of constantly changing environmental conditions. The study concentrates on plant reactions to such abiotic stress factors as light intensity, extremes of temperature, lack of water and nutrients, as well as plant biotic interactions with other organisms, for example, insects or fungi. The research groups are working on the responses of plants to pathogens, plants’ cellular memory for environmental stress, the role of root architecture in fungi colonization and its significance for crop yields and the mechanisms of communication between neighboring plants. References External links Official website Homepage of the doctoral program Plant Sciences Free University of Berlin
Mordella immaculata. Mordella immaculata is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1883. References Beetles described in 1883 immaculata
Mordella conjuncta. Mordella conjuncta is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 conjuncta
Mordella ruficornis. Mordella ruficornis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 ruficornis
Mordella subbasalis. Mordella subbasalis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 subbasalis
Mordella nigricornis. Mordella nigricornis is a species of beetle in the genus Mordella of the family Mordellidae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. It was discovered in 1931. References Beetles described in 1931 nigricornis
Physically based animation. Physically based animation is an area of interest within computer graphics concerned with the simulation of physically plausible behaviors at interactive rates. Advances in physically based animation are often motivated by the need to include complex, physically inspired behaviors in video games, interactive simulations, and movies. Although off-line simulation methods exist to solve most all of the problems studied in physically-based animation, these methods are intended for applications that necessitate physical accuracy and slow, detailed computations. In contrast to methods common in offline simulation, techniques in physically based animation are concerned with physical plausibility, numerical stability, and visual appeal over physical accuracy. Physically based animation is often limited to loose approximations of physical behaviors because of the strict time constraints imposed by interactive applications. The target frame rate for interactive applications such as games and simulations is often 25-60 hertz, with only a small fraction of the time allotted to an individual frame remaining for physical simulation. Simplified models of physical behaviors are generally preferred if they are more efficient, easier to accelerate (through pre-computation, clever data structures, or SIMD/GPGPU), or satisfy desirable mathematical properties (such as unconditional stability or volume conservation when a soft body undergoes deformation). Fine details are not important when the overriding goal of a visualization is aesthetic appeal or the maintenance of player immersion since these details are often difficult for humans to notice or are otherwise impossible to distinguish at human scales. History Physically based animation is now common in movies and video games, and many techniques were pioneered during the development of early special effects scenes and game engines. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan famously used particle systems in the Genesis explosion scene to create the visual effect of a flaming shockwave engulfing a planet. Despite being released before physics engines were a common feature in games, System Shock incorporated rigid body physics in its engine and was widely considered innovative for this feature and the novel sense of interaction it afforded players. Valve later developed Half-Life and used rigid body physics to create environmental puzzles for the player, such as obstacles that could not be reached without stacking boxes. Half-Life 2 featured a more advanced physics engine that incorporated constrained systems such as pulleys or levers with more environmental puzzles to showcase these features. Physics engines are now much more common in games, and their frequent appearance has motivated research in physically based animation by companies such as Nvidia. Physically based animation in games and simulations Physically based animation is common in games and simulations where users have the expectation of interaction with the environment. Physics engines such as Havok, PhysX, and Bullet exist as separately developed products to be licensed and included in games. In games such as Angry Birds or World of Goo, physically based animation is itself the primary game mechanic and players are expected to interact with or create physically simulated systems in order to achieve goals. Aspects of physics puzzle games exist in many games that belong to other genres but feature physically based simulation. Allowing physical interaction with the environment through physically based animation promotes non-linear solutions to puzzles by players, and can sometimes results in solutions to problems presented in games that were not deliberately included by level designers. Simulations used for purposes other than entertainment, such as military simulations, also make use of physically based animation to portray realistic situations and maintain the immersion of users. Many techniques in physically based animation are designed with GPGPU implementations in mind or can otherwise be extended to benefit from graphics hardware, which can be used to make physically based simulations fast enough for gaming. GPU time is often reserved for rendering, however, and frequent data transfers between the host and device can easily become a bottleneck to performance. Physically based animation in movies Simulations can be performed offline (as in apart from when they are viewed) in the development of special effects for movies. Speed is therefore not strictly a necessity in the production of special effects but is still desirable for reasonably responsive feedback and because the hardware required for slower methods is more expensive. However, physically based animation is still preferred because slower, more accurate methods can be costly and limiting. The physical accuracy of small details in a special effect are not meaningful to their visual appeal, restrict the amount of control that artists and directors can exert over behavior, and increase the monetary cost and time required to achieve results. It is necessary to be able to dictate the high level behavior of physically inspired effects in movies in order to achieve a desired artistic direction, but scripting physical behaviors on the level of small details can be unfeasible when fluids, smoke, or many individual objects are involved. Physically based animation generally affords more artist control over the appearance of simulated results and is also more convenient when desired effects might bend or defy physics. Sub Topics Rigid Body Simulation Simplified rigid body physics is relatively cheap and easy to implement, which is why it appeared in interactive games and simulations earlier than most other techniques. Rigid bodies are assumed to undergo no deformation during simulation so that rigid body motion between time steps can be described as a translation and rotation, traditionally using affine transformations stored as 4x4 matrices. Alternatively, quaternions can be used to store rotations and vectors can be used to store the objects offset from the origin. The most computationally expensive aspects of rigid body dynamics are collision detection, correcting interpenetration between bodies and the environment, and handling resting contact. Rigid bodies are commonly simulated iteratively, with back-tracking to correct error using smaller timesteps. Resting contact between multiple rigid bodies (as is the case when rigid bodies fall into piles or are stacked) can be particularly difficult to handle efficiently and may require complex contact and shock propagation graphs in order to resolve using impulse-based methods. When simulating large numbers of rigid bodies, simplified geometries or convex hulls are often used to represent their boundaries for the purpose of collision detection and response (since this is generally the bottleneck in simulation). Soft Body Simulation Soft bodies can easily be implemented using spring-mesh systems. Spring mesh systems are composed of individually simulated particles that are attracted to each other by simulated spring forces and experience resistance from simulated dampeners. Arbitrary geometries can be more easily simulated by applying spring and dampener forces to the nodes of a lattice and deforming the object with the lattice. However, explicit solutions to these systems are not very numerically stable and are extremely difficult to control the behavior of through spring parameters. Techniques that allow for physically plausible and visually appealing soft bodies, are numerically stable, and can be configured well by artists were prohibitively expensive in early gaming history, which is why soft bodies were not as common as rigid bodies. Integration using Runge-Kutta methods can be used to increase the numerical stability of unstable techniques such as spring meshes or finer time steps can be used for simulation (although this is more costly and cannot make spring meshes stable for arbitrarily large forces). Techniques such as shape matching and position based dynamics address these problems with interactive games and simulations in mind. Position based dynamics is used in mainstream game engines such as Bullet (software), Havok, and PhysX. Unconditional stability and ease of configuration are particularly desirable properties of soft body simulations that can be difficult to achieve with spring-mesh systems, although they are still often used in games because of their simplicity and speed. Fluid Simulation Computational fluid dynamics can be expensive, and interactions between multiple fluid bodies or with external objects/forces can require complex logic to evaluate. Fluid simulation is generally achieved in video games by simulating only the height of bodies of water to create the effect of waves, ripples, or other surface features. For relatively free bodies of liquid, Lagrangian or semi-Lagrangian methods are often used to speed up the simulation by treating particles as finite elements of fluid (or carriers of physical properties) and approximating the Navier-Stokes equations . It is uncommon to simulate bodies of fluid in games, although surface features may be simulated using similar methods and fluid simulations may be used to generate textures or height-fields to render water in real-time without real-time simulation (this is commonly done for large bodies of water in games). Fluid simulations can be computed using commodity graphics hardware through GPGPU, and height fields can be efficiently computed that result in wave-like behavior using Lattice Boltzmann methods. Alternatively, surface features and waves can be simulated as particles and a height field generated from the simulated particles in real-time. This also allows for efficient two way interaction between the fluid and floating objects. Particle Systems Particle systems are an extremely popular technique for creating visual effects in movies and games because of their ease of implementation, efficiency, extensibility, and artist control. The update cycle of particle systems usually consists of the three phases: generation, simulation, and extinction. These phases respectively consist of the introduction of new particles, simulating them through the next timestep, and removing particles that have exceeded their life-span. The physical and visual attributes of particles are usually randomized on generation with the range and distribution of attributes controlled by the artist. Particle systems can further be made to generate particle systems themselves to create more complex and dynamic effects, and their high-level behavior can be choreographed through a framework of operators as in the canonical Sims paper. Early games that rendered systems of particles suffered from clipping artifacts when particles partially intersected geometry in the environment, and this artifact was especially noticeable for large particles (which were often used to stand in for smoke). Soft particles address these artifacts through careful shading and manipulation of the transparency of particles, such that particles become more transparent as they approach surfaces. Flocking In physically based animation, flocking refers to a technique that models the complex behavior of birds, schools of fish, and swarms of insects using virtual forces. These virtual forces simulate the tendency for flocks to center their velocities, avoid collisions and crowding, and move toward the group. In these simulations, individual members of the flock (sometimes called boids, short for bird-oid) act without collaboration using only information about the position and velocity of their peers to create the illusion of synchronized, group behavior efficiently. Flocking can be used to efficiently approximate the behavior of crowds of humans as well, and methods based on flocking are often used for crowds of NPCs in gaming. Unreal and Half-Life were among the first games to implement flocking, which was used to model the behavior of birds and flying creatures present in outdoor levels. Physically Based Character Animation Characters in games and simulations are traditionally animated through methods such as keyframing that define animations through compositions of smaller, static motions sequenced to convey more complex behavior. Visually, these static methods cannot easily convey complex interactions with the environment and make lifelike character motion difficult to accomplish. Techniques in physically based character animation achieve dynamic animations that respond to user interaction, external events, and the environment by optimizing motions toward specified goals given physically based constraints such as energy minimization. The adoption of physically based character animation, as opposed to more static methods, has been slow in the gaming industry due to the increased cost and complexity associated with its use. Physically based character animation has been used in the Skate (video game) series of video games, and in the independently developed first-person shooter StarForge. References Computer graphics
HTVC010P. HTVC010P is a virus which was discovered by Stephen Giovannoni and colleagues at Oregon State University. The Economist reports that a February 2013 paper in Nature says that "it probably really is the commonest organism on the planet". It is a bacteriophage that infects the extremely abundant bacteria Pelagibacter ubique in the Pelagibacterales order. References Bacteriophages
Methenium. In organic chemistry, methenium (also called methylium, carbenium, methyl cation, or protonated methylene) is a cation with the formula . It can be viewed as a methylene radical (:) with an added proton (), or as a methyl radical (•) with one electron removed. It is a carbocation and an enium ion, making it the simplest of the carbenium ions. Structure Experiments and calculations generally agree that the methenium ion is planar, with threefold symmetry. The carbon atom is a prototypical (and exact) example of sp2 hybridization. Preparation and reactions For mass spectrometry studies at low pressure, methenium can be obtained by ultraviolet photoionization of methyl radical, or by collisions of monatomic cations such as and with neutral methane. In such conditions, it will react with acetonitrile to form the ion . Upon capture of a low-energy electron (less than ), it will spontaneously dissociate. It is seldom encountered as an intermediate in the condensed phase. It is proposed as a reactive intermediate that forms upon protonation or hydride abstraction of methane with FSO3H-SbF5. The methenium ion is very reactive, even towards alkanes. Detection Origins of life In June 2023, astronomers detected, for the first time outside the Solar System, methyl cation, CH3+ (and/or carbon cation, C+), the known basic ingredients of life, in interstellar space. See also Ammonium Ethanium Methanium References Carbocations Ions Organic chemistry
Bioinformatics workflow management system. A bioinformatics workflow management system is a specialized form of workflow management system designed specifically to compose and execute a series of computational or data manipulation steps, or a workflow, that relate to bioinformatics. There are currently many different workflow systems. Some have been developed more generally as scientific workflow systems for use by scientists from many different disciplines like astronomy and earth science. All such systems are based on an abstract representation of how a computation proceeds in the form of a directed graph, where each node represents a task to be executed and edges represent either data flow or execution dependencies between different tasks. Each system typically provides a visual front-end, allowing the user to build and modify complex applications with little or no programming expertise. Examples In alphabetical order, some examples of bioinformatics workflow management systems include: Anduril bioinformatics and image analysis BioBIKE: a Web-based, programmable, integrated biological knowledge base CLC bio, a bioinformatics analysis and workflow management platform from QIAGEN Digital Insights. Clone Manager from Sci-Ed. Cuneiform: A functional workflow language for large-scale data analysis Discovery Net: one of the earliest examples of a scientific workflow system, later commercialized as InforSense which was then acquired by IDBS. Galaxy: initially targeted at genomics GenePattern: A powerful scientific workflow system that provides access to hundreds of genomic analysis tools. KNIME the Konstanz Information Miner OnlineHPC Online workflow designer based on Taverna Playbook Workflow Builder Flexible workflow builder for bioinformatics applications based on API services. Initially developed for the NIH CFDE Common Fund program UGENE provides a workflow management system that is installed on a local computer VisTrails Comparisons between workflow systems With a large number of bioinformatics workflow systems to choose from, it becomes difficult to understand and compare the features of the different workflow systems. There has been little work conducted in evaluating and comparing the systems from a bioinformatician's perspective, especially when it comes to comparing the data types they can deal with, the in-built functionalities that are provided to the user or even their performance or usability. Examples of existing comparisons include: The paper "Scientific workflow systems-can one size fit all?", which provides a high-level framework for comparing workflow systems based on their control flow and data flow properties. The systems compared include Discovery Net, Taverna, Triana, Kepler as well as Yawl and BPEL. The paper "Meta-workflows: pattern-based interoperability between Galaxy and Taverna" which provides a more user-oriented comparison between Taverna and Galaxy in the context of enabling interoperability between both systems. The infrastructure paper "Delivering ICT Infrastructure for Biomedical Research" compares two workflow systems, Anduril and Chipster, in terms of infrastructure requirements in a cloud-delivery model. The paper "A review of bioinformatic pipeline frameworks" attempts to classify workflow management systems based on three dimensions: "using an implicit or explicit syntax, using a configuration, convention or class-based design paradigm and offering a command line or workbench interface". References Bioinformatics software Workflow applications
Sculptor in Chinese astronomy. The modern constellation Sculptor is not included in the Three Enclosures and Twenty-Eight Mansions system of traditional Chinese uranography because its stars are too far south for observers in China to know about them prior to the introduction of Western star charts. Based on the work of Xu Guangqi and the German Jesuit missionary Johann Adam Schall von Bell in the late Ming Dynasty, this constellation has been classified as one of the 23 Southern Asterisms (近南極星區, Jìnnánjíxīngōu) under the name Firebird (火鳥, Huōdiǎo), together with the stars in Phoenix. The name of the western constellation in modern Chinese is 玉夫座 (yù fū zuò), meaning "jade worker constellation". Stars The map of Chinese constellation in constellation Sculptor area consists of : See also Chinese astronomy Traditional Chinese star names Chinese constellations References Astronomy in China Sculptor (constellation)
Beiträge zur Kenntniss des Russischen Reiches und der angrenzenden Länder Asiens. Beiträge zur Kenntniss des Russischen Reiches und der angränzenden Länder Asiens (Contributions to Knowledge of the Russian Empire and Neighboring Countries of Asia; est. 1839) was a scholarly periodical published by the Imperial Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences in Russia. Editors included Karl Ernst von Baer and Gregor von Helmersen. References Further reading v.1, 1839 v.7, 1845 v.10, 1844 v.12, 1847 v.13, 1849 v.17, 1852 v.18, 1856 v.20, 1856 v.23, 1861 Defunct journals Publications established in 1839 Russian Academy of Sciences academic journals German-language journals
Gregorio Y. Zara. Gregorio Ynciong Zara (8 March 1902 – 15 October 1978) was a Filipino engineer, physicist, a National Scientist, and inventor. He was known as the father of videoconferencing for having invented the first two-way videophone. He was also one of the country's pioneer aeronautical engineer having invented an airplane engine that ran on plain alcohol as fuel. Among his other notable inventions include a solar-powered water heater,, the discovery of the physical law of electrical kinetic resistance called the Zara effect,, and a propeller-cutting machine, among others. Education A native of Lipa, Batangas, Zara finished primary schooling at Lipa Elementary School, where he graduated as valedictorian in 1918. In 1922, he again graduated valedictorian in Batangas High School, an accolade which warranted him a grant to study abroad. With full support from his parents he then enrolled at the University of the Philippines in Manila. Zara then enrolled at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, and graduated with a degree of BS in Mechanical Engineering in 1926. After that he obtained a Master of Science in Engineering (Aeronautical Engineering) at the University of Michigan in 1927, where he graduated as summa cum laude. In 1930, Zara then sailed to France to take up advanced studies in physics at the Sorbonne University in Paris. He graduated summa cum laude with a degree of Doctor of Science in Physics, with "Tres Honorable," the highest honor conferred to graduate students. Career Upon his return to the Philippines, Zara was appointed Technical Assistant on aviation matters in the office of the Secretary of Department of Public Works and Communications (DPWC). Subsequently, he became Chief of the aeronautical division of the DPWC. In 1936, he was assistant director and chief aeronautical engineer in the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Department of National Defense. For 21 years, he was director of aeronautical board, a position he held and confirmed by the Congress of the Philippines up to 1952. Considered expert in the field, he was chosen to be the technical editor of Aviation Monthly and at various times. In November 28, 1958, he was appointed as a Member, and subsequently as Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the National Science Development Board, where a number of science projects were impetus, including the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission. While busy in government positions, Zara also was an educator. He was an instructor of aeronautics at the Valeriano Aviation School, at the American Far Eastern School of Aviation (1933) and at the Far Eastern University (1937–41). After his retirement from the government service in 1946, he joined the Far Eastern Air Transport Incorporated (FEATI). In 1945–1946, he served as President of FEATI Enterprises, Inc. Other positions he held were: Executive Vice President and Dean of Engineering and Technology at FEATI University (1946–); President of FEATI Scientific and Manufacturing Corp., Inc. (1956); 1st Vice President and Director, FEATI Industries, Inc. (1956–); Dean of the Institute of Science, Director of Research, and Director, Graduate School (1959–); and Director of FEATI Bank and Trust Co. (1961–). He also became the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of FEATI University (1946–). He was also a member of the board of directors of the National Shipyards and Steel Corporation and of the Civil Aeronautics Board. Marriage and children On September 1, 1934, he married the former Miss Philippines and Queen of the 1933 Philippine Carnival, Engracia Laconico, and had four children: Antonio, Pacita, Josefina, and Lourdes. Death On October 15, 1978, at the age of 76, Zara died of heart failure. The Philippine government accorded him a state funeral at the Libingan ng mga Bayani. Awards and Recognitions During his lifetime he received several awards, which include the following: In 1978 he was conferred the Order of National Scientist by President Ferdinand Marcos. References 20th-century Filipino engineers National Scientists of the Philippines 1902 births 1978 deaths University of Michigan College of Engineering alumni Filipino physicists Filipino inventors University of the Philippines Manila alumni MIT School of Engineering alumni University of Paris alumni People from Lipa, Batangas Burials at the Libingan ng mga Bayani 20th-century inventors
Global Oncology. Global Oncology (GO) is an American 501(c)(3) community-based global health organization. The organization was initially established at Harvard University in 2012 and now operates out of the Bay Area. Background Global Oncology was founded in 2012, by Drs. Ami S. Bhatt and Franklin W. Huang when they were oncology fellows at Harvard and are now faculty at Stanford and UCSF, respectively. The organization is composed of physicians, staff, students, and members of the oncology community and other skilled professional volunteers. The mission of the organization is to improve cancer care and research in resource-limited settings through a variety of programs and efforts, including the development of training and research opportunities in global oncology. The organization collaborates with other leading organizations working in global oncology and cancer care. The steering committee that advises the organization is composed of academic and faculty experts in cancer care and oncology drawn from Harvard-affiliated institutions and hospitals, including Harvard Medical School, Harvard School of Public Health, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Children's Hospital Boston, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital. Programming An initial primary effort of GO was to raise awareness of cancer in resource-constrained settings through the GO! Talks, a bi-monthly Global Oncology seminar series that sought to educate the larger community on global oncology issues and catalyze collaborations in the field. Speakers included Paul Farmer and Eric Krakauer. Global Oncology developed a first-of-its-kind Global Oncology Map that launched in 2015 as a resource for the global cancer community to identify projects and needs in global cancer work. The organization also developed "Cancer and You", a booklet of cancer educational materials designed specifically for cancer patients in resource-constrained settings and has been translated into over a dozen languages. Global Oncology designed and distributed the first comic book in Nigeria aimed at educating youth on cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine and also developed an animated comic with it. The organization helped launch Belize's first public oncology treatment program based at Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital in Belize City, Belize. References External links Cancer organizations based in the United States International medical and health organizations Stanford University University of California, San Francisco Harvard University
Collonista rubricincta. Collonista rubricincta is a species of small sea snail with calcareous opercula, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Colloniidae. Description The shell is minute with a shell size of 2.2 mm. It has a depressed-globose shape and is perforate. The spire is short. The apex is obtuse. There are four convex whorls, encircled by coarse white spiral ribs. The interstices are deep red. The base of the shell is smooth, with concentric red stripes. The large aperture is rounded and oblique. The umbilicus is narrow. Some specimens are beaded below the sutures, and there is some variation in the width of the umbilical perforation. The revolving ribs are sometimes obsolete. There are usually eight ribs to double that number on the body whorl. Distribution This marine species occurs in the Indo-West Pacific References Huang S.-I, Fu I-F. & Poppe G.T. (2016). Taiwanese and Philippine Colloniidae. Nomenclatural remarks and the description of 17 new species (Gastropoda: Colloniidae). Visaya. 4(5): 4-42. External links Biodiversity Heritage Library (3 publications) ITIS World Register of Marine Species rubricincta Gastropods described in 1845
Formalist–substantivist debate. The opposition between substantivist and formalist economic models was first proposed by Karl Polanyi in his work The Great Transformation (1944). Overview Polanyi argued that the term economics has two meanings: the formal meaning refers to economics as the logic of rational action and decision-making, as a rational choice between the alternative uses of limited (scarce) means. The second, substantive meaning, however, presupposes neither rational decision-making nor conditions of scarcity. It simply refers to the study of how humans make a living from their social and natural environment. A society's livelihood strategy is seen as an adaptation to its environment and material conditions, a process that may or may not involve utility maximisation. The substantive meaning of economics is seen in the broader sense of provisioning. Economics is simply the way society meets its material needs. Anthropologists embraced the substantive position as empirically oriented as they believed it did not impose western cultural assumptions on other societies where they might not be warranted. The formalist vs. substantivist debate was not between anthropologists and economists, however, but a disciplinary debate largely confined to the journal Research in Economic Anthropology. In many ways, it reflects the common debates between etic and emic explanations as defined by Marvin Harris in cultural anthropology of the period. The principal proponents of the substantivist model were George Dalton and Paul Bohannan. Formalists such as Raymond Firth and Harold K. Schneider asserted that the neoclassical model of economics could be applied to any society if appropriate modifications are made, arguing that its principles have universal validity. The formalist position The formalist model is closely linked to neoclassical economics, defining economics as the study of choice under conditions of scarcity. All societies are therefore a collection of "choice making individuals whose every action involves conscious or unconscious selections among alternative means to alternative ends" or culturally defined goals. (Burling, 1962, quoted from Prattis, 1982:207). Goals refer not only to economic value or financial gain but to anything that is valued by the individual, be it leisure, solidarity or prestige. Since a formalist model usually states what is to be maximized in terms of preferences, which often but not necessarily include culturally expressed value goals, it is deemed to be sufficiently abstract to explain human behavior in any context. A traditional assumption many formalists borrow from neoclassical economics is that the individual will make rational choices based on full information, or information that is incomplete in a specific way, in order to maximize whatever that individual considers being of value. While preferences may vary or change, and information about choices may or may not be complete, the principles of economising and maximising still apply. The role of the anthropologist may then be to analyse each culture in regards to its culturally appropriate means of attaining culturally recognized and valued goals. Individual preferences may differ from culturally recognized goals, and under economic rationality assumptions individual decisions are guided by individual preferences in an environment constrained by culture, including the preferences of others. Such an analysis should uncover the culturally specific principles that underlie the rational decision-making process. In this way, economic theory has been applied by anthropologists to societies without price-regulating markets (e.g. Firth, 1961; Laughlin, 1973). The substantivist position Polanyi's term, "the great transformation," refers to the divide between modern, market-dominated societies and non-Western, non-capitalist pre-industrial societies. Polanyi argues that only the substantive meaning of economics is appropriate for analysing the latter. According to Polanyi, in modern capitalist economies the concepts of formalism and substantivism coincide since people organise their livelihoods based on the principle of rational choice. However, in non-Capitalist, pre-industrial economies this assumption does not hold. Unlike their Western capitalist counterparts, their livelihoods are not based on market exchange but on redistribution and reciprocity. Reciprocity is defined as the mutual exchange of goods or services as part of long-term relationships. Redistribution implies the existence of a strong political centre such as kinship-based leadership, which receives and then redistributes subsistence goods according to culturally specific principles. In societies that are not market-based, reciprocity and redistribution usually occur together. Conversely, market exchange is seen as the dominant mode of integration in modern industrial societies, while reciprocity may continue in family and inter-household relations, and some redistribution is undertaken by the state or by charitable institutions. Each of these three systems of distribution requires a separate set of analytical concepts. Without a system of price-making markets formal economic analysis does not apply, as for example, in centrally planned economies or preindustrial societies. Economic decision-making in such places is not so much based on individual choice, but rather on social relationships, cultural values, moral concerns, politics, religion or the fear instilled by authoritarian leadership. Production in most peasant and tribal societies is for the producers, also called 'production for use' or subsistence production, as opposed to 'production for exchange' which has profit maximisation as its chief aim. These types differ so radically that no single theory can describe them all. This difference in types of economy is explained by the 'embeddedness' of economic (i.e. provisioning) activities in other social institutions such as kinship in non-market economies. Rather than being a separate and distinct sphere, the economy is embedded in both economic and non-economic institutions. Exchange takes place within and is regulated by society rather than being located in a social vacuum. For example, religion and government can be just as important to economics as economic institutions themselves. Socio-cultural obligations, norms and values play a significant role in people's livelihood strategies. Consequently, any analysis of economics as an analytically distinct entity isolated from its socio-cultural and political context is flawed from the outset. A substantivist analysis of economics will therefore focus on the study of the various social institutions on which people's livelihoods are based. The market is only one amongst many institutions that determine the nature of economic transactions. Polanyi's central argument is that institutions are the primary organisers of economic processes. The substantive economy is an "instituted process of interaction between man and his environment, which results in a continuous supply of want satisfying material means" (1968:126). Course of the debate Critics of the formalist position question its central assumptions, in particular that the universality of rational choice and utility maximization can be assumed across all cultures, including its reductionism to explain even modern Western economies. Prattis noted that the premise of utility maximization is tautological; whatever a person does, may it be work or leisure, is declared to be utility maximization, a premise that can never be contradicted or disproven. If he or she does not maximize money then it must be pleasure or some other value. To quote: "This post hoc reasoning back to a priori assumptions has minimal scientific value as it is not readily subject to falsification." (1989:212). For example, a person may sacrifice their own time, finances, or even health to help others. Formalists would then pronounce that they do so because they value helping others, and so sacrifice other goals in order to maximize this value (e.g. meaning, satisfaction of having helped, approval from others etc.) Similarly, Gudeman argued that Western economic anthropologists will invariably find the people they study behave "rationally" since that is what their model leads them to do. Conversely, formalism will consider any behavior that does not maximize utility based on available means as irrational even though such "non-maximising acts" may seem perfectly rational and logical to the individual whose actions may have been motivated by a completely different set of meanings and understandings. Finally, there is the substantivist point that both economic institutions and individual economic activities are embedded in social and cultural institutions and can therefore not be analysed in isolation. Social relationships play an essential role in people's livelihood strategies; consequently, a narrow focus on atomised individual behavior to the exclusion of his or her socio-cultural context is bound to be flawed. Substantivism has also had its critics. Prattis (1982) argued that the strict distinction between primitive and modern economies in substantivism is problematic. He implies that substantivism focuses on social structures at the expense of analyzing individual agency. Non-maximizing adaptation strategies occur in all societies, not just in "primitive" ones. Similarly, Plattner (1989) argues that generalization across different societies is still possible, meaning that Western and non-Western economics are not entirely different. In an age of globalization there are no "pure" preindustrial societies left. Conditions of resource scarcity exist everywhere in the world. Anthropological fieldwork has demonstrated rational behavior and complex economic choices amongst peasants (cf. Plattner, 1989:15). For example, individuals in communist societies can still engage in rational utility maximizing behavior by building relationships with bureaucrats who control distribution, or by using small plots of land in their garden to supplement official food rations. Cook observed that there are significant conceptual problems with substantivists’ theories: "They define economics as an aspect of everything that provisions society but nothing that provisions society is defined as economic." (1973:809). References Economic anthropology
Oramed. Oramed Pharmaceuticals Inc. (), is a publicly traded company engaged in the development of oral drug delivery systems – most notably an oral insulin capsule for treating type 2 diabetes. The company was founded in 2006 and is headquartered in Jerusalem. Its shares are listed on the NASDAQ Capital Market and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. History Oramed Pharmaceuticals was founded in 2006 by Miriam Kidron, a scientist at the Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem, and her son Nadav Kidron. Product pipeline Oramed considers its flagship product to be an oral insulin capsule developed to treat sufferers of type 2 diabetes. The Company is currently conducting Phase 3 trials, under the FDA, for oral insulin in Type 2 diabetes. In addition to the oral insulin capsule, Oramed is developing an exenatide-based capsule designed to balance blood sugar levels and control appetite, and is conducting clinical trials for the treatment of NASH with oral insulin. In 2021, Oramed created a subsidiary, Oravax Medical, to bring an oral Covid-19 vaccine to market. In January 2023, Phase 3 trial of Oramed's orally administered insulin for Type 2 diabetes patients failed thus causing the share price to plunge. In May 2023, Ben Shapiro invested $4.7 million and was named to the board of directors. See also Avram Hershko List of companies of Israel List of Israeli companies quoted on the Nasdaq References Biotechnology companies of Israel Companies listed on the Nasdaq Pharmaceutical companies of Israel Pharmaceutical companies established in 2006 2006 establishments in Israel
Pain and Suffering. Pain and suffering is the legal term for the physical and emotional stress caused from an injury. Pain and Suffering may also refer to: Pain & Suffering, a 2007 album by American rock band Rhino Bucket Azab dan Sengsara, a 1920 Indonesian novel by Merari Siregar "Pain and Suffering", a 1982 song from Iggy Pop's album Zombie Birdhouse See also Pain Suffering
Maida Vale Hospital for Nervous Diseases. The Maida Vale Hospital for Nervous Diseases was a hospital that existed in west London from 1867 to 1993. History The hospital was founded as the London Infirmary for Epilepsy and Paralysis by the German physician Julius Althaus (1833-1900) in 1867. In its first incarnation, it was based at Blandford Place in Marylebone. It moved to Portland Terrace in 1872, becoming the Hospital for Diseases of the Nervous System in 1873 and the Hospital for Epilepsy and Paralysis in 1876. It moved to a new building in Maida Vale, designed by the architects Young & Hall, opened by the Duchess of Argyll in 1903. At that time it became the Hospital for Epilepsy and Paralysis and Other Diseases of the Nervous System, Maida Vale. It became the Maida Vale Hospital for Nervous Diseases (including Epilepsy and Paralysis) in 1937. The facility joined the National Health Service as the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases, Maida Vale, at which time it also became part of the National Hospitals for Nervous Diseases, now the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. The site at 4 Maida Vale (the main road) was closed in 1993 and sold for development. Notable staff A series of nurses who trained at The London Hospital under Eva Luckes were Matron of Maida Vale Hospital for over 25 years. Mary Louisa Pollett, (1865–1963), Matron from 1906 to 1907. She trained between 1893 and 1895. Pollett was matron of the Royal London Ophthalmic Hospital, City Road, London from 1907 to 1927. Rose 'Stella' Weston (1867–1945), Matron 1907 to July 1932. Weston trained between 1897 and 1899. She was assistant matron of The London Chest Hospital, and Matron of the Central London Ophthalmic Hospital before moving to Maida Vale. Ellen Kathleen Robson, (1890– ), Matron from 1932, left by 1939. She trained between 1919-1922. See also Leonard Guthrie References Defunct hospitals in London 1867 establishments in England 1993 disestablishments in England Hospitals established in 1867
Alexander Kordyuk. Alexander A. Kordyuk (born December 9, 1967) is a Ukrainian experimental physicist, known mainly for invention of the Method of frozen images and several experimental techniques based on magnetic levitation, and for contribution to the field of high temperature superconductivity. Born in Kyiv, Ukraine, Alexander Kordyuk graduated from Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology (MIPT) in 1991, PhD in solid state physics in 1994 and habilitated (DSc in superconductivity) in 2000. Since 2001 he is working at the Institute of Metal Physics, Kyiv, Ukraine, as leading scientist, and since 2012 as head of department of superconductivity. Since 2006, Professor at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Worked as guest scientist at the IFW Dresden, IPHT Jena, and University of Amsterdam, as visiting professor at the University of Wollongong. Since 2012, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. As of January 2013, Kordyuk authored over 100 scientific papers, h-index = 28. References 1967 births Living people 21st-century Ukrainian physicists Experimental physicists Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology alumni
Satish Pande. Satish Pande is an Indian medical doctor, conservationist and researcher from Pune. He is an interventional radiologist at KEM Hospital, Pune. He also is the founder of the Ela Foundation, which works on nature education and conservation. He is a Fellow of the Maharashtra Academy of Sciences and the Linnean Society of London, and has published numerous studies on wild birds. Works Study of impact of wind farms on birds at the Bhambarwadi Plateau in the Northwestern Ghats References External links Satish Pande at Google Scholar Co nserving Mother Earth: Science and Hearts \| Satish Pande \| TEDxPICT Haunting Hoots of Indian Owls: Ela Foundation Story with Dr. Satish Pande Living people Indian ornithologists Scientists from Pune Year of birth missing (living people) Indian radiologists Indian conservationists Fellows of the Linnean Society of London
Bangalore Astronomical Society. The Bangalore Astronomical Society (BAS) is a society of amateur astronomers and other interested individuals, headquartered in Bangalore. The primary objective of the BAS is to promote and popularize Astronomy as a hobby and science. History The society was founded in 2006 and registered as not-for-profit organization. In the initial days, members used to meet virtually over Orkut and then eventually they decided to form a not-for-profit organization. BAS today is an informal volunteer-run group and is active through the BAS Google Group, a Telegram group, and through its star parties. Working Philosophy Most of BAS Administrative tasks and its activities are handled by its volunteers. Volunteers hail from different walks of life, most being working professionals or students. BAS neither employs nor provides stipends for anybody involved in its activities or administration. Activities BAS's activities broadly fall under Observing, Instrumentation, Outreach, Workshops and Meetings respectively. BAS Activities are normally open to one and all. BAS organizes, motivates and encourages its members to volunteer in Astronomy popularization and outreach initiatives. BAS Activities are normally announced and promoted solely on the web and sometimes with voluntary intervention from the media. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, BAS organized many virtual talks and webinars in year 2020 to help keep enthusiasts engaged during the lockdown phases. The talks were recorded and uploaded to the official YouTube Channel. In September 2022, BAS joined hands with the Indian Institute of Astrophysics to organize a joint star party at the Hanle Dark Sky Reserve in the Himalayas. Over the recent years, BAS has organized many star parties, usually in the winter time and in the Western Ghats of Karnataka, owing to the dark skies the location offers. See also List of astronomical societies References External links Astronomy organizations Scientific organizations established in 2006 Non-profit organisations based in India Astronomy in India 2006 establishments in Karnataka
Stephon Alexander. Stephon Haigh-Solomon Alexander (born March 30, 1971) is a theoretical physicist, cosmologist, musician and author. Personal life and education Alexander was born in Trinidad and moved to the United States when he was eight. He grew up in the Bronx, New York City and attended DeWitt Clinton High School where his physics teacher Daniel Kaplan inspired him to study physics. Alexander is a scientist and a jazz saxophonist who ponders links, including sound, between small and big things in the universe that go beyond Einstein's curved space-time and big bang theory. Einstein's field equation being his favorite equation, his publication The Jazz of Physics is an autobiographical reflection of his research and theories. Involved with cosmology as a professional physicist, he is also a jazz saxophonist and a student of the works of John Coltrane, among other musicians interested in cosmology. At DeWitt Clinton High School in 10th grade, Alexander's mentor was his physics teacher Daniel Kaplan, who was the reason behind diverting Alexander's mind towards physics when discussing velocity and friction. In 2006, Alexander was named as one of the eight National Geographic inquisitive experimenters and explorers. In 2023 the American Humanist Association gave Alexander their 2023 Isaac Asimov award. Career After receiving his doctoral degree, Alexander was a research physicist at Imperial College, London, as well as at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, Stanford University. Alexander has held faculty positions at Penn State, Haverford College, and Dartmouth College before joining the faculty at Brown University. Alexander was the president of the National Society of Black Physicists. He is also the executive director of Science and Arts Engagement New York Inc. (SAENY). Academic life Alexander started his academic career as a postdoctoral researcher at Imperial College, London, (2000-2002) and later on went to be a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University's SLAC and Institute for Theoretical Physics (2002-2005). In 2005, he became an assistant professor of physics at Penn State University. In 2008, he served at Haverford College as an associate professor of physics leading to his positions of Ernest Everett Just 1907 Associate Professor of Natural Sciences and associate professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth College. Alexander also works as a professor at Brown University and has spent much of his career as a first generation advocate. He also advocates for historically under-represented groups in the sciences. He is a member of the editorial board of Universe. Research In June 2012, Alexander co-authored a paper that reinterpreted Hořava–Lifshitz gravity. The paper, Hořava-Lifshitz theory as a fermionic aether in Ashtekar gravity described how the HL theory could be naturally occurring. The authors also theorized that HL gravity could be interpreted as a time-like current that fills space-time. In December 2012, Alexander was the co-author of the paper "Gravitational origin of the weak interaction's chirality". Focusing on the Lorentz group, the authors studied the unification of the electroweak and gravitational interactions and the space-time connection. The authors theorized, in ways similar to Plebanski and Ashtekar, how those weak interactions on the right-handed chiral half in space-time connection could explain the weak interaction. The theory devised by Alexander and his co-authors was broken down into two phases. The first is a parity symmetric phase, similar to the studies and workings of Speziale. The next phase depends on whether the parity is broken or not. Under the breaking, it shows a Dirac fermion expressing itself as a chiral neutrino. Around the same time, Alexander co-authored another paper that focused on the study of electric time in quantum cosmology. The paper formulated and studied new possibilities of the quantum behavior of space-time. Alexander has mainly worked to extend Einstein's general theory of relativity curved space-time, taking it to extremes in the connection between the smallest and largest entities in the universe. Alexander has worked as the director of Dartmouth College's EE Just STEM Scholars Program, volunteered for public speaking in inner city schools, taught mathematics in prisons and monitors activities relevant to his scholarship. Media In February 2013, Alexander wrote in The New York Times about the need for black academics to set a positive trend for the next generation. In the article, he called upon a number of personal experiences from his own education and life. Alexander has been interviewed or quoted in media sources such as the Tavis Smiley Show, Forbes Magazine, NPR, Brian Lehrer Show, Science Salon/Skeptic Society, Downbeat Magazine, and Mercury News. Music His album with Rioux was Here Comes Now. Alexander and bassist Melvin Gibbs formed a group that they named God Particle. Alexander is also the author of The Jazz of Physics, a book that discusses the link between music and the structure of the universe. On a Nova documentary, Alexander was featured discussing his life as a jazz saxophonist, while also working as a physicist during the day. See also Through the Wormhole#Season 3 (2012) Publications 2016 The Jazz of Physics: The Secret Link Between Music and the Structure of the Universe. 2021 Fear of a Black Universe: An Outsider's Guide to the Future of Physics. Awards 2006 National Geographic Emerging Explorers 2008 NSF Career Award. 2010 AAAS John Wesley Powell Memorial Award. 2013 APS E. BOUCHET AWARD. 2022 Fellow of the American Physical Society 2023 Isaac Asimov Science Award References External links Official website Oral History Interview of Stephon Alexander by David Zierler on June 7, 2021, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, American Institute of Physics, College Park, MD USA. American cosmologists American physicists American writers about music American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists Brown University alumni Haverford College alumni American male jazz musicians Brown University faculty Fellows of the American Physical Society African-American physicists
L. V. Vaidyanathan. L. V. Vaidyanathan ("Vaidy", 31 May 1928) was a soil scientist. He obtained a first class degree from Government Victoria College, Palakkad, and then spent three years lecturing in chemistry at St. Mary's College, Thrissur, before joining the India Coffee Board at their Central Coffee Research Institute as an advisor. He had also training association with Central Food Technology Research Institute (CFTRI), Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). He went to England in 1959 to take up a postgraduate studentship at Rothamsted Experimental Station and obtained a PhD on soil phosphorus under the supervision of O. Talibudeen. He also had a brief stint at the Isotope School, UKAERE, Wantage. He then joined P. Nye at Oxford to work on ion diffusion in soils. He did research and teaching at Soil Science Section of the School of Agriculture, University of Oxford. He was also a guest worker at the EURATOM-ITAL, Wageningen, Netherlands. He also worked for a year as a consultant at the Seibersdorf Laboratory of the FAO-IAEA Joint Division for Agriculture, Vienna, Austria with responsibility for training of scientists from member countries in isotopic trace use. This included teaching assignments at the University of Tehran. He returned to the United Kingdom in 1970 to join the Agricultural Development and Advisory Service (ADAS). He was the Secretary of ADAS social science pollution and waste products committee and was the National Specialist in Soil Crop Water relationship. He was a visiting professor in the Department of Biological and Chemical Sciences, University of Essex and in the Chemistry of Soil Colloids Group, School of Chemistry, University of Birmingham. After retirement from the ADAS, he served as an honorary research professor at the University of Birmingham where he died on 13 November 2000. Publications The supply of nutrient ions by diffusion to plant roots in soil Modelling and measurement of the effects of fertilizer‐N and crop residue incorporation on N‐dynamics in vegetable cropping References External links http://www.journalogy.net/Author/36339534/l-v-vaidyanathan Soil scientists 1928 births 2000 deaths Scientists from Palakkad Government Victoria College, Palakkad alumni Soil science in India 20th-century Indian botanists
Q Scorpii. Q Scorpii, also designated as HD 159433, is an astrometric binary (100% chance) located in the southern zodiac constellation Scorpius. It has an apparent magnitude of 4.27, making it readily visible to the naked eye under ideal conditions. It lies in the tail of Scorpius, between the stars λ Scorpii and μ Scorpii and is located away from the faint globular cluster Tonantzintla 2. Based on parallax measurements from Gaia DR3, the system is estimated to be 158 light years distant, but is approaching the Solar System with a heliocentric radial velocity of . The visible component is a red giant with a stellar classification of K0 IIIb. The IIIb luminosity class indicates that it is a lower luminosity giant star. Q Scorpii is a red clump star located on the cool end of the horizontal branch, fusing helium at its core. It has 110% the mass of the Sun but has expanded to 12.4 times its girth. It radiates 62 times the luminosity of the Sun from its photosphere at an effective temperature of , giving it an orange hue. Q Scorpii has an iron abundance half of the Sun's, making it metal deficient. Like most giant stars, it spins slowly, having a projected rotational velocity lower than . References K-type giants Horizontal-branch stars Scorpius Scorpii, Q CD-38 12044 159433 086170 6546 Scorpii, 159
Seth Darst. Seth A. Darst is a Jack Fishman Professor of molecular biophysics at the Rockefeller University. He was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences in 2008. Life and career Darst earned his B.S. in chemical engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1982. He continued his education with advisor Channing Robertson at Stanford University, where he earned both M.S. (1984) and Ph.D. (1987) degrees in chemical engineering. Darst completed postdoctoral training, also at Stanford, as an American Cancer Society Postdoctoral Fellow and a Lucille P. Markley Postdoctoral Scholar in the laboratory of Roger D. Kornberg. He joined the faculty at the Rockefeller University in 1992. Darst's research centers on the structural basis of transcription by exploring the enzymes involved in the process. Honors and awards 2008 – Elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences 1995 – Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences 1994 – Irma T. Hirschl Charitable Trust Career Scientist References External links Microbe World audio interview with Dr. Seth Darst Living people Members of the United States National Academy of Sciences 21st-century American chemists Rockefeller University faculty University of Colorado Boulder alumni Stanford University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Fellows of the American Academy of Microbiology
List of nature centers in Georgia (U.S. state). This is a list of nature centers and environmental education centers in the state of Georgia. To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order. Resources Environmental Education in Georgia Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia External links Map of nature centers and environmental education centers in Georgia Nature centers Georgia
Donald Prothero. Donald Ross Prothero (February 21, 1954) is an American geologist, paleontologist, and author who specializes in mammalian paleontology and magnetostratigraphy, a technique to date rock layers of the Cenozoic era and its use to date the climate changes which occurred 30–40 million years ago. He is the author or editor of more than 30 books and over 300 scientific papers, including at least 5 geology textbooks. Stephen Jay Gould cited Prothero's research on the lack of response to climate change in mammals from the Eocene, Oligocene and Pleistocene epochs to support the punctuated equilibrium model of evolution. He called Prothero "the best punctuated equilibrium researcher on the West Coast". Biography Prothero grew up in the Glendale, California area, the son of Clifford R. Prothero (1920–2004), a technical illustrator for Lockheed, and Shirley M. (McDonald) Prothero (1924–2016), an artist and homemaker. He attended the University of California, Riverside where he studied paleontology under Dr. Michael O. Woodburne and Dr. Michael Murphy and earned Phi Beta Kappa during his junior year. He received his Ph.D. in geological sciences in 1982 from Columbia University, New York. In 1991, he appeared on the television game show Jeopardy! and defeated Ben Stein on the show Win Ben Stein's Money in 1999. He was also featured in the Mr. Deity and the Flood episode of the video series Mr. Deity. Further, he debated the Young Earth creationist Duane Gish early in his career. For 27 years, he was a member of the faculty at Occidental College and he previously taught at California Institute of Technology, Knox College, Vassar College and Columbia University where he led many undergraduate paleontological and geological field trips. He is currently a research associate in vertebrate paleontology at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Work Evolution Prothero was one of the earliest paleontologists to use the concept of palaeomagnetism in the study of continental rocks. Palaeomagnetism uses the microscopic iron within sedimentary rock to read the alignment of the magnetic field and correlate that with the known history of the polarity reversals of the Earth's magnetic field. The magnetic reversals are precisely dated and consistent worldwide which allows these rocks to be studied in climate science and evolution. In addition to his research in magnetostratigraphy, another area of Prothero's research is the evolution of hoofed mammals, especially rhinos, camels, peccaries, and horses. Prothero's work on documenting evolutionary history of fossil vertebrates was cited by Richard Dawkins in his book The Greatest Show on Earth: the Evidence of Evolution. Skeptic Society founder Michael Shermer called Prothero's 2007 book, Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why It Matters, "the best book ever produced on the subject." He has also been featured as a scientific consultant and was interviewed on several television documentaries, including the Are Rhinos Dinos? episode of TLC's Paleoworld, the History Channel's Prehistoric Monsters Revealed, the episodes of National Geographic's Prehistoric Predators covering the entelodon and hyaenodon, the series Walking with Prehistoric Beasts on BBC, and the amphicyon or Bear Dog episode of Monsters Resurrected. In October 2012, Prothero appeared in his capacity as a paleontologist on Conspiracy Road Trip, a BBC television documentary in which five individuals who self-identified as Creationists participated in a road trip along the western coast of the United States, meeting with various experts on the topic, exchanging views and questions with people holding differing views. Cryptozoology Prothero has frequently written about the topic of cryptozoology, a pseudoscience and subculture, which he categorizes along with Holocaust denial and UFO abductions claims as aspects of American culture that are "clearly baloney". Prothero's 2013 book with Daniel Loxton, Abominable Science: The Origin of Yeti, Nessie, and Other Cryptids discusses the subculture in depth. In a review by Adrienne Mayor of Stanford University, she describes the book as "An entertaining, educational, passionate, and valuable handbook for readers interested getting a scientific perspective on the field of cryptozoology. With marvelous artwork and deeply researched histories of the various creatures, this is an impressive and authoritative book." Anthropogenic global warming Prothero looks at the evidence regarding global warming and the role humans have had on it. In his book Greenhouse of the Dinosaurs, Prothero states "geologists and paleoclimatologists know a lot about past greenhouse worlds, and the icehouse planet that has existed for the past 33 million years. We have a good understanding of how and why the Antarctic ice sheet first appeared at that time, and how the Arctic froze over about 3.5 million years ago, beginning the 24 glacial and interglacial episodes of the 'Ice Ages' that have occurred since then." In his article in eSkeptic, Prothero details carbon dioxide increases, melting polar icecaps, melting glaciers and sea level rise as some of the more important areas that point to anthropogenic global warming. He also goes into details to outline climate change deniers' arguments and rebuttals to those arguments and finally talks about why people deny climate change. Skepticism Prothero grew up in a Presbyterian household, but eventually became an atheist. He became involved in the skeptical movement in the mid-1990s, when Michael Shermer invited him to join the editorial board of The Skeptics Society. His first appearance as a panelist at The Amazing Meeting was in 2010. As a result of Prothero's books about evolution in 2007 and climate change in 2009, he recognized that "those same people who were denying evolution are often the exact same people who deny climate [change]." This realization led him to research and author "Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten Our Future" in 2013 as he explained during an interview on the podcast Skepticality: In 2015, Prothero was elected a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Selected publications Vertebrate Evolution: From Origins to Dinosaurs and Beyond, CRC Press, 2022, When Humans Nearly Vanished: The Catastrophic Explosion of the Toba Volcano, Smithsonian, 2018, Rhinoceros Giants: The Paleobiology of Indricotheres, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 2013, Abominable Science: The Origin of Yeti, Nessie, and Other Cryptids, with Daniel Loxton, Columbia Univ. Press, New York, 2013, Reality Check: How Science Deniers Threaten our Future, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 2013, Catastrophes!: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, and Other Earth-Shattering Disasters, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2011, Greenhouse of the Dinosaurs: Evolution, Extinction, and the Future of Our Planet, Columbia University Press, New York, 2009 Evolution: What the Fossils Say And Why It Matters, Columbia University Press, New York, 2007, After the Dinosaurs: The Age of Mammals, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, Indiana, 2006, The Eocene-Oligocene Transition: Paradise Lost, Columbia University Press, New York, 1993, Textbooks Evolution of the Earth, McGraw-Hill, 2003, Bringing Fossils To Life: An Introduction To Paleobiology, McGraw-Hill Science/Engineering/Math, 2003, Sedimentary Geology, W.H. Freeman, Interpreting the Stratigraphic Record, W.H. Freeman & Co., New York, 1990, Earth: Portrait of a Planet (first edition), W.W. Norton & Company, New York, 2001, California's Amazing Geology, CRC Press, 2017 Boards Prothero is on the editorial board of Skeptic magazine, and in the past has served as an associate or technical editor for such scientific journals as Geology, Paleobiology, and Journal of Paleontology. His fellowships include the Geological Society of America, the Paleontological Society, the Linnean Society of London (1987), the Guggenheim Foundation (1988), the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and the National Science Foundation. He served as the president and vice president of the Pacific Section of Society for Sedimentary Geology, and five years as the program chair for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. He has also been a member of Society for the Study of Mammalian Evolution since 2005. Critical reception Prothero's 2005 work The Evolution of North American Rhinoceroses received critical attention in the Journal of Paleontology, where Professor David Froehlich lauded the book's comprehensive coverage of North American rhinoceros species, but noted that the work would be less likely to appeal to nonspecialists, for whom the "bulk of the book" is likely to be "more than most would like to know about North American rhinos." However, Froehlich wrote that for those "who need this kind of detail, this book is virtually unmatched and indispensable," noting that his "one real quibble" was the "lack of an overall discussion of rhinoceros evolution" that was geographically comprehensive, which Froehlich thought would "put these organisms in a global context for the nonspecialist." A May 2009 Reports of the National Center for Science Education review of Prothero's Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters described Prothero as "equal to his task" of providing resources for evaluating the fossil record, and praised the book's breadth of coverage of its topic. Although the reviewer criticized Prothero's treatment of creationist claims for the book's "polemical tone" and "contempt" for religion-based opponents of the biological sciences, he also noted that Prothero "is well versed in the history of science and religion and makes it clear that he sees no necessary conflict between science and religion." In a review of Prothero's 2011 book Catastrophes!: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Tornadoes, and Other Earth-Shattering Disasters for the American Library Association, Prothero is described as "seiz[ing] teaching opportunities" to explain the methods involved with taking metrics of the types of disasters discussed. While the reviewer praised Prothero for his approach to these topics and "recommended" the work, Prothero's "presentation becomes more complex" as the book discusses ice ages and global warming according to the reviewer, who states that "with all scientists convinced that warming is occurring as a result of human action, [...] he disparages the denialists." Awards and honors Prothero has received a number of honors for his research as well as his lectures and books. In 1991, he received the Charles Schuchert Award of the Paleontological Society for the outstanding paleontologist under the age of 40. His book Evolution: What the Fossils Say and Why it Matters received the 2007 PSP award for excellence in earth science from the Association of American Publishers. In 2013 he received the Diamond Award for Distinguished Achievement in Science and Technology from the Glendale Unified School District. The National Association of Geoscience Teachers selected him for the 2013 James Shea Award. His lectures on topics like evolution, fossil mammals and climate change have been featured at the Skeptic Society Lecture Series and at The Amaz!ng Meeting as well as the Paleontological Society where he was named a Distinguished Speaker in 1993–1994. Prothero was awarded the 2015 Joseph T Gregory Service Award honoring his outstanding service to the welfare of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. In 2016 he was awarded the Friend of Darwin award from the National Center for Science Education, with NCSE's executive director Ann Reid saying "it would be hard to think of anyone who has contributed as much to the public understanding of the paleontological evidence for evolution and against creationism as Don Prothero." He was also named a fellow of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry citing his "distinguished contributions to science and skepticism." The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) awarded Tim Callahan and Prothero the Robert P. Balles Annual Prize in Critical Thinking for their book UFOs, Chemtrails, and Aliens. CSI stated this book "not only refute(s) false claims and misguided beliefs ... but more importantly they also arm readers with the tools they will need to fairly evaluate any extraordinary claim they come across". The $2,500 prize will be awarded at the CSICon conference in Las Vegas, October 2018. References External links http://www.skepticblog.org SkepticBlog.org 1954 births American paleontologists American science writers American skeptics American atheists Columbia University faculty Occidental College faculty California Institute of Technology faculty Vassar College faculty Columbia University alumni Writers from Glendale, California Fellows of the Linnean Society of London American critics of creationism Critics of cryptozoology Living people Punctuated equilibrium Contestants on American game shows Fellows of the Geological Society of America Former Presbyterians
Dennis Harris. Dennis Harris may refer to: Dennis Harris (alternative medicine) (born 1938), medical doctor known for selling alternative medicine remedies Dennis Harris (cricketer) (1911–1959), English cricketer Dennis Harris (rugby league), rugby league footballer of the 1960s and 1970s for Castleford Dennis Harris (musician), Philadelphia session musician and arranger
Haken-Kelso-Bunz model. The Haken-Kelso-Bunz (HKB) is a theoretical model of motor coordination originally formulated by Hermann Haken, J. A. Scott Kelso and H. Bunz. The model attempts to provide the framework for understanding coordinated behavior in living things. It accounts for experimental observations on human bimanual coordination that revealed fundamental features of self-organization: multistability, and phase transitions (switching). HKB is one of the most extensively tested quantitative models in the field of human movement behavior. Phase Transitions ('Switches') The HKB model differs from other motor coordination models with the addition of phase transitions (‘switches’). Kelso initially observed this phenomenon while conducting an experiment looking at subjects’ finger movements. Subjects oscillated their fingers rhythmically in the transverse plane (i.e., abduction-adduction) in one of two patterns, parallel or anti-parallel. In the parallel pattern, the finger muscles contract in an alternating fashion; in the anti-parallel pattern, the homologous finger muscles contract simultaneously. Kelso's study observed that when the subject begins in the parallel mode and increases the speed of movement, a spontaneous switch to symmetrical, anti-parallel movement occurs. This transition happens swiftly at a certain critical frequency. Surprisingly, after the switch has occurred and the movement rate decreases, Kelso's subjects remain in the symmetrical model (did not switch back). Kelso's study indicates that while humans are able to produce two patterns at low frequency values, only one—the symmetrical, anti-parallel mode remains stable as frequency is scaled beyond a critical value. Prediction The HKB model states that dynamic instability causes switching to occur. HKB measures stability in the following ways: 1. Critical slowing down. If a perturbation is applied to a system that takes it away from its stationary state, the time for a system to return to the stationary state (local relaxation time) is a measure of the system's stability. The less stable the pattern, the longer it should take to return to the established pattern. HKB predicts critical slowing down. As the parallel pattern loses stability as frequency is increased, the local relaxation time should increase as the system approaches the critical point. 2. Critical fluctuations. If switching patterns of behavior is due to loss of stability, direct measures of fluctuations of the order parameter should be detectable as the critical point approaches. Equation In the HKB model ϕ is the relative phase or phase relation between the fingers. The parameter k in the model has a correspondence to the cycle-to-cycle period of the finger movements, or, the inverse of the movement rate or oscillation frequency in the experiment. The equation: The equation predicts that for k > 0.25 relative phase values of 0 ±π are both stable, a condition coined as bistability. An increase in movement rate, starting in parallel-phase, leads to a switch to anti-parallel phase at a critical frequency. Starting with a large k and decreasing k leads to a destabilization of the fixed point at π which becomes unstable at the value kc=0.25. Uses The HKB model has had a profound effect on many conceptual, methodological, and practical models since its inception. HKB has been able to model task context, biomechanical factors, perception, cognitive demands, learning and memory. The latest noninvasive neuroimaging methods such as fMRI, MEG and high density EEG arrays are increasingly being used along with behavioral recordings and analysis to identify the neural circuitry and mechanisms of pattern stability and switching. See also Excitator model References Motor control
HD 161840. HD 161840 is a single, blue-white hued star in the southern zodiac constellation of Scorpius. It is faintly visible to the naked eye with an apparent visual magnitude of 4.79. With an annual parallax shift of it is located roughly 500 light years from the Sun. It is moving closer with a heliocentric radial velocity of −13 km/s. There has been some uncertainty as to the classification of this stage. Houk (1979) lists a stellar class of B8 Ib/II for HD 161840, which corresponds to a B-type bright giant/lesser supergiant mix. Multiple studies still use an older classification of B8 V, suggesting instead this is a B-type main-sequence star. Garrison and Gray (1994) assigned it a class of B8 III-IV, which would put it on the subgiant/giant star track. It has an estimated 3.93 times the mass of the Sun and 3.2 times the Sun's radius. The star is radiating 565 times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 11,066 K. References B-type main-sequence stars B-type bright giants Scorpius Durchmusterung objects 161840 087220 6628
HD 146624. HD 146624 (d Scorpii) is a single, white-hued star in the southern zodiac constellation of Scorpius. It is faintly visible to the naked eye, having an apparent visual magnitude of 4.80. The distance to HD 146624 can be estimated from its annual parallax shift of , yielding a separation of 142 light years. At that distance, the visual magnitude is reduced by an extinction of 0.17 due to interstellar dust. It is a member of the Beta Pictoris moving group, a set of ~12 million year old stars that share a common motion through space. This is an A-type main-sequence star with a stellar classification of A0 V, and is suspected to be chemically peculiar. It is a young star, just 10 million years old, with a projected rotational velocity of 39 km/s. The mass of the star is greater than the Sun's, with De Rosa et al. (2014) estimating 1.49 times the mass of the Sun, while Zorec and Royer (2012) gives a multiplier of . It has 1.60 times the Sun's radius and shines with 21 times the Sun's luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 9,441 K. The star displays an infrared excess, suggesting a circumstellar disk of orbiting material. This has a mean temperature of 280 K, matching a disk radius of . References A-type main-sequence stars Circumstellar disks Beta Pictoris moving group Scorpius Scorpii, d Durchmusterung objects 146624 079881 6070
Ryan's Four. Ryan's Four is an American medical drama television series that aired from April 5 until April 27, 1983. Premise A doctor acts as a guide for four interns at a medical center. Cast Tom Skerritt as Dr. Thomas Ryan Lisa Eilbacher as Dr. Ingrid Sorenson Tim Daly as Dr. Edward Gillian Albert Hall as Dr. Terry Wilson Dirk Blocker as Dr. Norman Rostov Nicolas Coster as Dr. Morris Whitford US television ratings Episodes References External links TV Guide 1983 American television series debuts 1983 American television series endings 1980s American medical drama television series American English-language television shows Television series by CBS Studios Television shows set in Baltimore American Broadcasting Company television dramas
Alexander von Gabain. Alexander von Gabain is a microbiologist, academic, founder of several biotech firms and board member of venture capital firms. He has worked at the intersection of the healthcare industry, academia and research throughout his career. He was one of the founding board members of EIT in 2008 and began his involvement in EIT Health in 2015. His passion for biomedical research and innovation, particularly in the fields of microbiology, immunology and vaccines, has been well-documented through numerous publications; and his achievements in these fields have been well-recognised through industrial awards, academic prizes and honourable memberships. Academic background von Gabain obtained his PhD in Genetics at the University of Heidelberg and held a post-doctorate position at Stanford University from 1979 to 1982. In the 1980s and 1990s, he was Professor at the University of Umeå and at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, as well as an advisor to pharmaceutical and biotech companies. From 1993 to 1999, he was chair of Microbiology of the University of Vienna and engaged in building the public-private partnership between the Vienna-based universities and Boehringer Ingelheim known as Vienna Biocenter. His current academic appointments include as a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA), a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences and a Professor Emeritus for Microbiology at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories, a center established by the University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna. He also serves as Vice-President Emeritus at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, having served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Innovation and Commercial Outreach between 2014 and 2017. Intercell and other innovation work von Gabain co-founded Intercell AG in 1998, led the company until it was successfully floated on the Vienna Stock Exchange in 2005[1] and continued as Chief Scientific Officer in the Executive Board until 2009. In 2011, he was appointed to the company's Supervisory Board and continues to hold this position after it Intercell and Vivalis merged into the trans-European biotech enterprise, Valneva, listed on Euronext Paris since 2013 and on Nasdaq since 2021. Valneva has today two global vaccines on the market, more than 600 employees and three major vaccines in late clinical development. Additionally, he has supported other biotech enterprises and related VC firms in various functions. His entrepreneurial and scientific knowledge in the innovation arena has been highly sought after by organisations fostering entrepreneurial innovation. Between 2007 and 2019, he was Chair of INiTS, the technology seed fund and incubator of the University of Vienna and the Technical University of Vienna, initiating more than 300 start-ups and ranking amongst the top ten of university incubators globally. He is currently a member of the Supervisory Board of Eveliqure- an innovative biotech company developing novel vaccines for the prevention of diarrhoeal disease, a member of the Supervisory Board of Biocopy- whose patented biomolecule copier is used for the production and replication of all kinds of different microarrays. EIT and EIT Health In 2008, he was appointed as a founding member of the Governing Board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) and in 2011 was elected to become its Chairman for a period ending in 2014. During this time, the first three of EIT's Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KICs) were established and EIT evolved into a multi-billion dollar organisation. In 2015, he joined the Supervisory Board of EIT Health - an innovation consortium with more than 150 leading organisations and institutions from the European healthcare space. In 2017, he was appointed Chair of the organisations Supervisory Board, a position he held until 2021. References Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people Heidelberg University alumni Academic staff of the Karolinska Institute Swedish biologists Academic staff of Umeå University Academic staff of the University of Vienna
Alfons Baiker. Alfons Baiker (born April 14, 1945 in Zürich) is a Swiss Chemist specializing in Catalysis. Baiker studied chemistry at ETH Zurich. After obtaining his PhD in 1974 he followed several post-doctoral stays at various universities. In 1989 he became a full professor in catalysis and reaction engineering at ETH where he worked until his retirement in 2010. Research Dr. Baiker's research covers a wide range of topics, including: Asymmetric catalysis, chiral surfaces, catalytic oxidation, utilization of carbon dioxide in catalytic synthesis, environmental catalysis, reactions in supercritical fluids, flame synthesis of catalysts and in situ spectroscopy of catalytic surface processes. References External links Biography at ETH Zürich home page Group's Home page Alfons Baiker's Festschrift. J. Phys. Chem. C 115(4), 841-1374 1945 births Living people Swiss chemists ETH Zurich alumni Academic staff of ETH Zurich
List of computer-assisted organic synthesis software. Computer-assisted organic synthesis software is a type of application software used in organic chemistry in tandem with computational chemistry to help facilitate the tasks of designing, predicting, and producing chemical reactions. CAOS aims to identify a series of chemical reactions which, from a starting compound, can produce a desired molecule. CAOS algorithms typically use two databases: a first one of known chemical reactions and a second one of known starting materials (i.e., typically molecules available commercially). Desirable synthetic plans cost less, have high yield, and avoid using hazardous reactions and intermediates. Typically cast as a planning problem, significant progress has been made in CAOS. CAOS programs Syntheseus - Spaya - Retrosynthesis planning tool freely accessible provided by Iktos IBM Rxn - AiZynthFinder - A freely accessible open source retrosynthetic planning tool developed as a collaboration between AstraZeneca and the University of Bern. AiZynthFinder predicts synthetic routes to a given target compound, and can be retrained on a users own dataset whether from public or proprietary sources. Manifold - Compound searching and retrosynthesis planning tool freely accessible to academic users, developed by PostEra WODCA – no trial version; proprietary software Organic Synthesis Exploration Tool (OSET) – open-source software, abandoned CHIRON – no trial version; proprietary software SynGen – demo version; proprietary software; a unique program for automatic organic synthesis generation; focuses on generating the shortest, lowest cost synthetic routes for a given target organic compound, and is thus a useful tool for synthesis planning LHASA – demo available but not linked (?); proprietary software SYLVIA – demo version; proprietary software; rapidly evaluates the ease of synthesis of organic compounds; can prioritize thousands of structures (e.g., generated by de novo design experiments or retrieved from large virtual compound libraries) according to their synthetic complexity ChemPlanner (formerly ARChem – Route Designer) - is an expert system to help chemists design viable synthetic routes for their target molecules; the knowledge base of reaction rules is algorithmically derived from reaction databases, and commercially available starting materials are used as termination points for the retrosynthetic search ICSYNTH – demo available; proprietary software; A computer aided synthesis design tool that enables chemists to generate synthetic pathways for a target molecule, and a multistep interactive synthesis tree; at its core is an algorithmic chemical knowledge base of transform libraries that are automatically generated from reaction databases. Chematica (Now known as Synthia) ASKCOS – Open-source suite of synthesis planning and computational chemistry tools. See also Comparison of software for molecular mechanics modeling Molecular design software Molecule editor Molecular modeling on GPU List of software for nanostructures modeling Semi-empirical quantum chemistry methods Computational chemical methods in solid state physics, with periodic boundary conditions Valence bond programs References Organic chemistry Computational chemistry software Molecular modelling software Physics software Lists of software
Karl Marx's Theory of History. Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence is a 1978 book by the philosopher G. A. Cohen, the culmination of his attempts to reformulate Karl Marx's doctrines of alienation, exploitation, and historical materialism. Cohen, who interprets Marxism as a scientific theory of history, applies the techniques of analytic philosophy to the elucidation and defence of Marx's materialist conception of history. The work for which Cohen is best known, Karl Marx's Theory of History helped to establish analytical Marxism and was awarded the Isaac Deutscher memorial prize. Cohen's interpretation of Marx runs counter to most forms of twentieth-century Marxism, and has been criticised as a form of technological determinism. Summary Cohen maintains that the technological determinism of Marx's summary of his science of history in the preface to A Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy defines his real views on the subject, a view with which other scholars have disagreed. He defends technological determinism by arguing for two theses, which he calls the "development thesis" and the "primacy thesis." The development thesis rests upon three presuppositions: that human beings are "somewhat rational", that their historical situation is one of scarcity, and that they "possess intelligence of a kind and degree which enables them to improve their situation." The existence of scarcity ensures a struggle for survival, the existence of intelligence ensures that scarcity-reducing innovations will occur, and the existence of rationality ensures that there will be a tendency to adopt them. Cohen seeks to establish the primacy thesis by arguing that different relations of production have differential capabilities for generating growth in the productive forces at different stages of development. Cohen proposes that explanation in Marx’s theory is functional, by which he means roughly that the character of what is explained is determined by its effect on what explains it, so that "production relations profoundly affect productive forces, and superstructures strongly condition foundations." Functional explanation provides a way of recognizing the vital influence of the legal-political superstructure on the economic structure, while still assigning explanatory primacy to the latter. Thus the superstructure stabilizes its economic base, but in the other direction the economic relations determine the character of the superstructure, so that in this sense the economic base is primary and the superstructure secondary. It is precisely because the superstructure strongly affects the base that the base selects that superstructure. The relation between forces and relations of production is also explained functionally: the level of development of society’s productive forces (i.e., society’s technological powers, including tools, machinery, raw materials, and labour power) determines society’s economic structure, in the sense that it selects a structure of economic relations that tends best to facilitate further technological growth. As Charles Taylor puts it, "These two directions of influence are so far from being rivals that they are actually complementary. The functional explanation requires that the secondary factor tend to have a causal effect on the primary, for this dispositional fact is the key feature of the explanation." Influence and scholarly evaluation Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence helped establish analytical Marxism as a school of thought, and came to be seen as a classic. The book was praised by the historian G. E. M. de Ste. Croix, and was also commended by the political scientist David McLellan. According to the philosopher Peter Singer, Cohen, in contrast to some more Hegelian interpretations of Marx's thought, "argues brilliantly for a more old-fashioned interpretation of Marxism as a scientific theory of history, an interpretation often known – disparagingly – as 'technological determinism'." The political theorist Norman Geras described Karl Marx's Theory of History as the leading philosophical discussion of the way in which the character of human beings in any setting depends upon the nature of the prevailing social relations. The philosopher Roger Scruton, though finding Cohen's attempt to present historical materialism as a scientific hypothesis impressive, states that it shows how difficult it is to develop the necessary concepts. M. C. Howard and J. E. King note that Cohen's ideas have played no role in the debate on underdevelopment. They find this surprising, given their relevance to it. They believe that Cohen's analysis is of higher quality than that of the main protagonists in the debate, reinforcing their critical view of the work of Paul Baran, Andre Gunder Frank, and Immanuel Wallerstein. The critic Terry Eagleton, who understands Cohen to be espousing a determinist theory in which productive forces automatically produce certain social relations, finds Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence to be a skillful defense of a "wrongheaded" idea. Nicolas Vrousalis summarizes the criticisms against Cohen's determinism, and concludes that technological materialism requires a sharp distinction between material and social properties, which Cohen's theory does not provide. The productive forces therefore cannot be distinguished from the relations of production in the way that technological determinism requires. See also Karl Marx: His Life and Environment References External links Karl Marx's Theory of History: A Defence as available for loan (free with registration) at Internet Archive 1978 non-fiction books Books about Karl Marx Books by G. A. Cohen Communist books English-language non-fiction books Marxist books Princeton University Press books
List of nature centers in Colorado. This is a list of nature centers and environmental education centers in the U.S. State of Colorado. Nature centers To use the sortable tables: click on the icons at the top of each column to sort that column in alphabetical order; click again for reverse alphabetical order. See also List of nature centers in the United States Bibliography of Colorado Geography of Colorado History of Colorado Index of Colorado-related articles List of Colorado-related lists Outline of Colorado Notes References External links Colorado Alliance for Environmental Education Map of nature centers and environmental education centers in Colorado Colorado geography-related lists Colorado, List of nature centers in

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