A Food Microbiology Classroom Activity to Draw Connections between Microbes and Students’ Lives

Fermented foods have been prepared for millennia and every society around the world has traditional fermented foods and/or beverages that are identified with that culture. This is an excellent opportunity to help students draw connections between their everyday lives and the microbial sciences. At the same time, this is also a great way to encourage cultural awareness and acceptance. This manuscript describes an active learning approach used in a general microbiology course to encourage students to learn about fermented foods from around the world and share their discoveries with their colleagues. As a group we also spend time discussing some of the lesser known roles microbes have in food preparation such as the production of food additives or in modifying starting ingredients. At the end of the semester, students have the opportunity to sample a variety of foods associated with microbes in a “microbe lunch”. We will also describe the use of similar activities in outreach to foster dialogue between scientists and the general public

Heller and “Assault Weapons”

A discussion of how Heller has been applied to “assault weapon” bans, with special attention given to the Fourth Circuit’s en banc decision in Kolbe v. Hogan, which held that the popular AR-15 rifle and other “assault weapons” are not protected arms under the Second Amendment. Moderated by Professor E. Gregory Wallace

The Dynamical Emergence of Biology From Physics: Branching Causation via Biomolecules

Biology differs fundamentally from the physics that underlies it. This paper1 proposes that the essential difference is that while physics at its fundamental level is Hamiltonian, in biology, once life has come into existence, causation of a contextual branching nature occurs at every level of the hierarchy of emergence at each time. The key feature allowing this to happen is the way biomolecules such as voltage-gated ion channels can act to enable branching logic to arise from the underlying physics, despite that physics per se being of a deterministic nature. Much randomness occurs at the molecular level, which enables higher level functions to select lower level outcomes according to higher level needs. Intelligent causation occurs when organisms engage in deduction, enabling prediction and planning. This is possible because ion channels enable action potentials to propagate in axons. The further key feature is that such branching biological behavior acts down to cause the underlying physical interactions to also exhibit a contextual branching behavior

A PheWAS Model Of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit a wide diversity in type, number, and severity of social deficits as well as communicative and cognitive difficulties. It is a challenge to categorize the phenotypes of a particular ASD patient with their unique genetic variants. There is a need for a better understanding of the connections between genotype information and the phenotypes to sort out the heterogeneity of ASD. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and phenotype data obtained from a simplex ASD sample are combined using a PheWAS-inspired approach to construct a phenotype-phenotype network. The network is clustered, yielding groups of etiologically related phenotypes. These clusters are analyzed to identify relevant genes associated with each set of phenotypes. The results identified multiple discriminant SNPs associated with varied phenotype clusters such as ASD aberrant behavior (self-injury, compulsiveness and hyperactivity), as well as IQ and language skills. Overall, these SNPs were linked to 22 significant genes. An extensive literature search revealed that eight of these are known to have strong evidence of association with ASD. The others have been linked to related disorders such as mental conditions, cognition, and social functioning, Clinical relevance - This study further informs on connections between certain groups of ASD phenotypes and their unique genetic variants. Such insight regarding the heterogeneity of ASD would support clinicians to advance more tailored interventions and improve outcomes for ASD patients

The Grizzly, March 21, 2013

Remembering Rachel Blunt • Mental Health Resources • Diversity Committee • Ball at the Bellevue Offers Fun for All • Mock Energy Bills Sent Out • UC Students Prepare for Spring Performance • Accessibility Workshop for Disabled Museum Goers • Opinion: New President Promises Improvement; Tomb Raider Separates Itself from the Competition • Men\u27s Lacrosse Hot Entering CC Play • Women\u27s Lacrosse Looks to Build Off Spring Trip • Gymnastics Team Heads to Nationalshttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1878/thumbnail.jp

President William Howard Taft’s Trowel: spreading the cementing of unity and tolerance in public health

President William Howard Taft is remembered as being the largest US president and a Freemason. However, Taft’s work and legacy in public health are often overlooked by his predecessor, Theodore Roosevelt, and the ensuing political scuffle both held towards each other at the end of Taft’s presidency. Taft’s many chronic illnesses, most notably his obesity, made visitations and long-distance communication with over 30 physicians, including Sir William Osler, a regular occurrence through this life. Yet Taft’s struggles with his health and his beliefs as a freemason were deeply rooted in his appreciation for health care and public health measures. This article aims to explore the motivations and contributions of Taft to public health initiatives to explore the impact public health has had in the past and continues to have in the modern COVID-19 pandemic

The Under-investigated Antioxidant Potential of Thiolactic Acid

Free radicals have numerous physiological functions within the cell, ranging from cellular signaling to the immune response. However, a surge in free radicals has the potential to devastate biological macromolecules, structures, and cellular function. Current research aims to identify the mechanism, effects, and elimination of free radicals through the action of antioxidant compounds, such as vitamin C. In light of this trend, the antioxidant potential of a common industrial thiol, known as thiolactic acid (TLA), was investigated. TLA’s scavenging capability was analyzed using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay and compared with known antioxidants, such as butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), N-acetylcysteine (NAC), N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA), and uric acid, at various concentrations (200 μM-12.5 μM). The percent DPPH scavenged over time was plotted and the inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated for each compound. TLA demonstrated the fastest and greatest overall scavenging of DPPH radicals among the antioxidants tested

An interfaith dialogue with Sir William Osler: crossing the divide of COVID-19 pandemic

With the recent COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd protests, the USA (US) has become extensively polarized across social and political divides. The COVID-19 pandemic has left tens of thousands dead and several million American citizens without work. Furthermore, the months of quarantine and uncertainty with the COVID-19 virus impacted the economic stability and health of Americans. In recent weeks, the divides have only deepened with the death of George Floyd from police brutality, which ushered in worldwide protests addressing racial, social, and law enforcement issues for minority groups. Both developments have ushered in unprecedented challenges for addressing social disparities while controlling the spread and devastation of the COVID-19 pandemic. With social media and mass communication, polarization between opposing groups has only deepened the divide. An inclusive dialogue that recognizes the intellectual and interpersonal boundaries of opposing groups would provide an avenue towards mutual understanding and further collaboration towards a common goal and solution. A physician that exemplified many aspects interfaith dialogue in his clinical practice and personal life was the late Sir William Osler. This will be accomplished through a fictional dialogue between Sir William Osler and Dr. Mark Webb