Dao Gives Birth to Lots of Killing: Violence in the Daoist Tradition

Violence in Daoism takes on political and/or cosmological significance. The earliest texts, including Daodejing, argue for defensive war that must be conducted appropriately by rulers. Myths and rituals that developed later in the tradition portray gods and spirits subduing demons. The latter are either killed or enlisted into the armies of the gods. Rituals include the role of humans, particularly Daoist priests/ritual specialists who call upon the gods to fight demons who inflict maladies upon people. This paper also examines the role of martial arts and physical violence. Martial arts are often imbued with religious hues in Daoism, as is seen with Taijiquan, Xingyiquan, and Baguazhang. The styles carry combat effectiveness with different methods such as wrestling, striking, grappling, and the use of weapons. Physical violence in Daoism took the form of overturning dynastic regimes, namely the Han, Yuan, and Qing dynasties. There are possibilities that Daoist monks fought in 20th century China. There is too little to confirm this currently. The paper ends with an analysis of the book trilogy, Chronicles of Tao. It portrays the actions of Huashan monk Guan Shihung who acted violently. The book is examined for what it can tell us about the Daoist view of killing

Testing Promising Drug-like Compounds Against Rare but Fatal Parasitic Amoeba, Naegleria

Naegleria fowleri is a parasitic amoeba that resides in warm freshwater and causes meningoencephalitis in humans. While infection is rare, the mortality rate is 97% as the current recommended treatment regimens are unreliable and have proven ineffective. There have even been fatalities in Nebraska and Iowa in recent years. Our aim is to find novel compounds or repurposed drugs with promise to be effective in treating the amoeba. While in vitro studies can help to identify potential lead compounds, little work has been done further – such as in animal models - thus impeding the progress of promising compounds. Here we will present several promising compounds with potency in vitro and discuss the path towards clinical development and approval

Formas variables en la expresión del pasado en aprendices del español: los efectos de la L1

Los resultados de muchas investigaciones apoyan la hipótesis del aspecto léxico (Andersen & Shirai, 1994; 1996; Andersen 2002; Bardovi-Harlig, 1999; 2000, Bardovi-Harlig & Comajoan-Colomé, 2020; Comajoan-Colomé, 2014; Salaberry, 1999; 2000; 2008); sin embargo, estas investigaciones no consideran las restricciones o efectos del aspecto léxico en el primer idioma (L1) de los participantes. Además, estas investigaciones no consideran las restricciones o efectos del aspecto léxico en el primer idioma (L1) de los participantes. Esto es importante, ya que, en ciertas construcciones en otras lenguas, el aspecto gramatical perfecto tiene restricciones que se relacionan al aspecto léxico del verbo principal; como -te iru del japonés, (Tsujimura, 2014) o el pretérito perfeito composto del portugués, (Amaral & Howe, 2010). La investigación actual pretende tomar en cuenta estas restricciones del L1 y su relación a la adquisición de expresiones con referencia hacia el pasado. Se extrajeron 1.374 muestras de tareas escritas por 151 participantes del Corpus de aprendices del español (CAES; Rojo & Palacios, 2022). Los participantes se diferenciaron por variables sociales, como la L1 (japonés, inglés y portugués) y variables lingüísticas, las cuales incluyen la forma expresada con referencia al pasado, uso de adverbio temporal y aspecto léxico del verbo, entre otras. Basado en dos ANOVAS unidireccionales, se pudo ver que la L1 tuvo una relación significativa con el uso del pretérito. Los resultados de doce regresiones multivariadas de efectos mixtos muestran efectos significativos de proficiencia y L1, entre variables lingüísticas como el aspecto léxico. Es más, según nueve otras regresiones multivariadas de efectos mixtos, los efectos más significativos se ven en los hablantes de nivel B2. Los datos sugieren que la L1 de un aprendiz tiene una influencia más profunda de lo que se había reportado en investigaciones previas

Fallen Leaves

This is a film review of Fallen Leaves (2023), directed by Aki Kaurismäki

You Were Never Really Here

This is a film review of You Were Never Really Here (2023), directed by Flor Portieri

Handling the Undead

This is a film review of Handling the Undead (2024), directed by Thea Hvistendahl

HUMAN BLOOD CELL ISOLATION: THE CRITICAL FIRST STEP IN OUR LABORATORY’S IMMUNOBIOLOGY EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCALS

HUMAN BLOOD CELL ISOLATION: THE CRITICAL FIRST STEP IN OUR LABORATORY’S IMMUNOBIOLOGY EXPERIMENTAL PROTOCALS Victor Rivero1 Paul W. Denton1, [email protected] 1Department of Biology, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE The Denton Immunobiology Laboratory focuses on enhancing human natural killer (NK) cell killing capabilities, particularly in the context of combating cancer. NK cells are immune cells that have the ability to kill diseased cells via two mechanisms: direct killing, and antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). We recently published our novel approach to testing both methods of killing by using NK cells derived from the same human donor. Our testing approach allows us to evaluate the impacts on human NK cell functions by any number of immunotherapeutic strategies. To do any of this work, we need human NK cells. Therefore, we obtain blood products from anonymized healthy human donors via a procurement service. From these products, we isolate a subset of white blood cells, called peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which includes the desired NK cells. Because this PBMC isolation process is so critical to the eventual success of any NK cell experiment in our laboratory, we put a strong emphasis on cross training each lab member to perform this task. This presentation will focus on the major steps of the PBMC isolation process up to, but not including the NK cell enrichment aspects of the laboratory’s research efforts. The presentation will also detail the key outcomes of the PBMC isolation process. The project described was supported by an Institutional Development Award (IDeA) from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Grant # 5P20GM10342

Policy Creation for Racial Equity in State Government: Case Study of Vermont

Public organizations have faced longstanding challenges in addressing social equity issues. Public administrators and policy leaders continue to be called to focus on social equity when delivering public goods (Soni, 2000). Because of the demands from the public and the technical skills needed to answer issues about social equity in public policy contexts, state governments have moved to hire executive-level positions to mitigate their challenges. This presentation explores this topic by answering the question: What are the criteria and reasons for a state government to form a racial equity-focused administrator position? Using Vermont as a case study, this research investigates the reasons behind a racial equity-focused administrator role in Vermont. The state was selected because Vermont has employed a unique strategy that created an administrator position at their governor\u27s cabinet level through a bill passed by the state\u27s legislative branch. A qualitative case study was conducted using secondary data, including media reports, legislative records, official press releases, and passed legislation bills, to uncover the narrative and reasons behind the creation of the position. Findings suggest that shared outcomes of the legislators are crucial to informing the formulation of policy that created a race-conscious role. This research provides an in-depth examination of the use of a race-conscious administrative process to answer the call for social equity in public policy and administration

Interfacing Neuroscience with Superheroes, Zombies, Cyborgs and Droids: The Story of PowerWoman

I took a Neuroscience class called Superheroes, Zombies, Cyborgs & Droids where I designed an original superhero character and explained the character’s abilities using neuroscience principles. I designed a superhero named PowerWoman and I wrote her story describing every ability in detail. Her real name is Dr. Serena Smith. She was once a brilliant neuroscientist who was driven by her passion to understand the mysteries of the human brain. Serena dedicated most of her time in a hidden laboratory in the basement of her house and researching information on how the brain functions and to understand the theories of a human brain connected to life. One night an experiment went awry, and as a result she gained superpowers. Her abilities include telepathic reach, enhanced neurosensory perceptions, and cognitive ability to manipulate the neural pathways of others. I created my superhero as a woman because our fictional entertainment media lacks female representation. This project was a new experience for me. It allowed me to explore my creativity and thoughts. This course taught me neuroscience concepts related to nervous system structure and function. It impacted me as a student by allowing me to combine neuroscience hypotheses to explain fictional character’s powers and behaviors. This course was a meaningful experience that expanded my knowledge. It is a wonderful opportunity for other students to take this course in the future to showcase how creativity, innovation, and science are interconnected