Coyote Medicine and Biotech Culture: Mad Scientists, Jesus and Evil Aliens, and the Dangerous and Uncontrollable Power of Women

The author explores a dialogue between Native American religion and culture, Christianity, and science, for the purpose of determining some ways in which Native American religious tradition can offer a helpful perspective and corrective for some of the theological and ethical dilemmas that arise from historical interrelatedness of science and \"conquering \" Christianity. A kind of secular Christianity-of-conquest has been used as a justification for unreflected and ethically dubious choices in science. Working with Trickster stories and concepts, is it possible to engage the teachings of Jesus in new and subtle ways to make critical assessments of developments in biotechnology

Critical Thinking, Decision Making and Mindfullness

Everyone in an organization have experienced the act of choosing. While some members may have to choose something very minuscule, other team members have to choose options that can be beneficial or detrimental towards the organization, depending on their position, rank or title. For example, education is an organization that constantly must choose options that will advance students’ achievement. From having to choose the type of students that are placed into certain classrooms, to deciding whether the organization will use certain resources for students to use to gain success, the possibilities are endless. This process of choosing is entitled decision-making, and it serves as one of the primary factors that drives any organization to its plateau or its breaking point. This module of the handbook emphasizes how decision-making is not an easy task but with the proper training and evaluations, one will learn how to effectively make better decisions that will elevate all aspects of the organization. This module will enlighten any members of an organization on an array of topics as it pertains to decision making. There are steps that needs to be extracted before, during and after the decision-making process and this handbook will guide you on the do’s and don’ts of decision making. If you’ve ever had a question or just needed clarity on decision making, then this chapter should respond to all of your needs. This should serve as your go-to guide in formulating and executing decisions. Whether you are part of a committee of the organization, or take on a leadership role, this module is aimed to attract all members of the organization to become a better and avid decision maker

Autonomous & adaptive oceanographic front tracking on board autonomous underwater vehicles

Oceanic fronts, similar to atmospheric fronts, occur at the interface of two fluid (water) masses of varying characteristics. In regions such as these where there are quantifiable physical, chemical, or biological changes in the ocean environment, it is possible - with the proper instrumentation - to track, or map, the front boundary. In this paper, the front is approximated as an isotherm that is tracked autonomously and adaptively in 2D (horizontal) and 3D space by an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) running MOOS-IvP autonomy. The basic, 2D (constant depth) front tracking method developed in this work has three phases: detection, classification, and tracking, and results in the AUV tracing a zigzag path along and across the front. The 3D AUV front tracking method presented here results in a helical motion around a central axis that is aligned along the front in the horizontal plane, tracing a 3D path that resembles a slinky stretched out along the front. To test and evaluate these front tracking methods (implemented as autonomy behaviors), virtual experiments were conducted with simulated AUVs in a spatiotemporally dynamic MIT MSEAS ocean model environment of the Mid-Atlantic Bight region, where a distinct temperature front is present along the shelfbreak. A number of performance metrics were developed to evaluate the performance of the AUVs running these front tracking behaviors, and the results are presented herein.United States. Office of Naval Research (Awards N00014-11-1-0097 and N00014-14-1-0214

Development of high-performances monolithic CMOS detectors for space applications

This paper describes the development of a 750x750 pixels CMOS image sensor for star tracker applications. A first demonstrator of such a star tracker called SSM star tracker built around a 512x512 detector has been recently developed and proves the feasibility of such instrument. In order to take fully advantage of the CMOS image sensor step, the 750x750 device called SSM CMOS detector which will take part of the final star tracker, can be considered as a major technical breakthrough that gives a decisive advantage in terms of on satellite implementation cost and flexibility (sensor mass and power consumption minimisation, electronics and architecture flexibility). Indeed, built using the 0.5μm Alcatel Microelectronics standard CMOS technology, the SSM CMOS detector will feature on-chip temperature sensor and on-chip sequencer. In order to evaluate the radiation tolerance of such manufacturing technology, a radiation campaign that contains studies of total dose and latch-up effects has been led on a specific test vehicle

Cut it out: Out-of-plane stresses in cell sheet folding of Volvox embryos

The folding of cellular monolayers pervades embryonic development and disease. It results from stresses out of the plane of the tissue, often caused by cell shape changes including cell wedging via apical constriction. These local cellular changes need not however be compatible with the global shape of the tissue. Such geometric incompatibilities lead to residual stresses that have out-of-plane components in curved tissues, but the mechanics and function of these out-of-plane stresses are poorly understood, perhaps because their quantification has proved challenging. Here, we overcome this difficulty by combining laser ablation experiments and a mechanical model to reveal that such out-of-plane residual stresses exist and also persist during the inversion of the spherical embryos of the green alga Volvox. We show how to quantify the mechanical properties of the curved tissue from its unfurling on ablation, and reproduce the tissue shape sequence at different developmental timepoints quantitatively by our mechanical model. Strikingly, this reveals not only clear mechanical signatures of out-of-plane stresses associated with cell shape changes away from those regions where cell wedging bends the tissue, but also indicates an adaptive response of the tissue to these stresses. Our results thus suggest that cell sheet folding is guided mechanically not only by cell wedging, but also by out-of-plane stresses from these additional cell shape changes.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures; Supporting Information: 10 pages, 2 figure

Error Probability Bound Considering Beat Noise in 2-D OCDMA Systems

Considering a 2-Dimensional Optical Code Division Multiple Access (2-D OCDMA) system using spreading codes in both time and wavelength domains, we study in this paper the impact on the performance of one of the most predominant performance limitation which is beat noise due to the photo detection. The beat noise impact is correlated with the wellknown OCDMA limitation named Multiple Access Interference (MAI). Our contribution is to assess, through a theoretical analysis, an error probability bound of a system working in incoherent or partially coherent optical regime. Thanks to the theoretical error probability expression we have developed, the specifications and requirements needed to neglect beat noise effect in a 2-D OCDMA system with a conventional receiver are easily obtained. For a targeted Bit Error Rate (BER), and a given number of active users, one can determine from our results, the 2-D code family parameters, the available data rate and the optical source characteristics, required to be free of beat noise impact

Electron microscopy analysis of FcRγ localization after its capture by T cells by trogocytosis

T cells acquire various proteins from their cellular partners by the process of trogocytosis. We recently demonstrated that the FcγRIIIA receptor and its associated FcRγ are captured by T cells during their co-culture with FcγR-expressing target cells upon both antigen- or antibody-mediated stimulation. Interestingly, we found that FcR captured by T cells could bind ligands but did not transmit detectable intracellular signals or signaling-depending functions upon ligand binding suggesting their improper integration in the recipient T cell membrane. In this study, we provide morphological data in support of this hypothesis. Indeed, we show that the FcRγ-subunit, which we used as a fusion to GFP, was clearly present at the plasma membrane of donor cells, but was detected within structures that were in close contact of, but apparently not integrated in, the plasma membrane of recipient T cells

Localized adherence and microcolony formation by nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae [abstract]

Abstract only availableFaculty Mentor: Dr. Miriam Golomb, Biological SciencesHaemophilus influenzae is a gram-negative bacterium that resides in the upper respiratory tract of most humans.  Nontypeable strains of H. influenzae (NTHi) cause many upper respiratory infections, including otitis media, bronchitis, sinusitis, conjunctivitis, pneumonia, and complications of cystic fibrosis and COPD.  We are investigating early stages of the process by which NTHi colonize the respiratory epithelium. When NTHi strain R2866 is allowed to adhere to a human lung cancer cell line (H292), binding increases in efficiency over a 4h period (a higher proportion of input bacteria bind per unit time). The autotransporter protein Lav, although not a primary adhesin, improves adherence approximately 2-fold in the 4h assay. Adherence is  localized, with microcolonies of 50+ bacteria forming at discrete sites. In preliminary experiments, adherence sites appear to colocalize with structures formed by polymerized actin. We want to test the hypothesis that bacteria cause the actin structures to form and thereby facilitate their binding, and to investigate the role of Lav in facilitated binding. In particular, we wanted to mix diluted fluorescent red and green bacteria to see whether microcolonies grow clonally from one adherent bacterium, or are polyclonal in origin, suggesting recruitment to specific sites.  Initially, we introduced GFP and RFP plasmids into our strains; however, expression of fluorescent proteins such as mCherry was relatively weak in NTHi. We therefore stained the surface of living bacteria with FITC and TRITC. Stained bacteria retained viability and the ability to adhere to H292. Confocal fluorescence microscopy showed colocalization of FITC-strained R2866 with polymerized actin structures at 30 minutes after infection.  Even at 30 min after infection, before bacteria have replicated, clusters of bacteria are seen at sites of actin polymerization. Since the actin structures are rare in uninfected controls, this suggests that bacteria have induced them and that they in turn facilitate binding