A Vision for Change in Bioscience Education: Building on Knowledge from the Past

High quality undergraduate education is central to the success of all life scientists. Several major bioscience educational issues are the targets of much debate, research, funding, publications, and reports (e.g. Vision and Change). Surprisingly, these issues are considered by modern bioscience instructors as unresolved despite historical reports that claim the contrary. Here we illustrate with evidence how, more than 50 years ago, Sam Postlethwait successfully instituted strategies to address several issues in plant biology education with his audio-­‐tutorials. These strategies succeeded in individualizing instruction of students with diverse educational backgrounds in large classes, incorporating authentic and active learning, integrating lab and lecture to teach about research, developing science competencies, and advancing curriculum and faculty change informed by empirical data. We contend that modern educators could greatly benefit by building on the historical advancements of the past, to ensure they do not waste their efforts re-­‐ inventing the wheel

Cattle Handling Facilities: Planning, Components, and Layouts

Cattle handling facilities are used to confine cattle safely and efficiently for close observation and to perform routine health and management procedures. Adequate facilities are an essential part of an efficient cattle operation for any producer who wants to improve marketing, cattle health, and production. A well-planned handling facility can help you save money by making easier practices such as preventive health management, pregnancy testing, implanting, controlling parasites, vaccinating, castrating, and dehorning

The Pioneer Anomaly and a Machian Universe

We discuss astronomical and astrophysical evidence, which we relate to the principle of zero-total energy of the Universe, that imply several relations among the mass M, the radius R and the angular momentum L of a "large" sphere representing a Machian Universe. By calculating the angular speed, we find a peculiar centripetal acceleration for the Universe. This is an ubiquituous property that relates one observer to any observable. It turns out that this is exactly the anomalous acceleration observed on the Pioneers spaceships. We have thus, shown that this anomaly is to be considered a property of the Machian Universe. We discuss several possible arguments against our proposal.Comment: 6 pages including front page. Publishe

An RVB phase in the triangular lattice quantum dimer model

We study the quantum dimer model on the triangular lattice, which is expected to describe the singlet dynamics of frustrated Heisenberg models in phases where valence bond configurations dominate their physics. We find, in contrast to the square lattice, that there is a truly short ranged resonating valence bond (RVB) phase with no gapless collective excitations and with deconfined, gapped, spinons for a {\it finite} range of parameters. We also establish the presence of three crystalline phases in this system.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, Revtex 3.

catena-Poly[[(18-crown-6-κ6 O)potassium]-μ-chlorido-[(1H-benzotriazol-1-ol-κN 3)chloridoplatinum(II)]-μ-(benzotriazol-1-olato-κ2 N 3:O)]

In the structure of the title compound, [KPt(C6H4N3O)Cl2(C6H5N3O)(C12H24O6)], the PtII atom is in a distorted square-planar geometry. The crystal structure is consolidated by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The measured crystal was a non-merohedral twin with four components

Paraspinal Muscle Health is Related to Fibrogenic, Adipogenic, and Myogenic Gene Expression in Patients with Lumbar Spine Pathology

BACKGROUND Lumbar spine pathology is a common feature of lower back and/or lower extremity pain and is associated with observable degenerative changes in the lumbar paraspinal muscles that are associated with poor clinical prognosis. Despite the commonly observed phenotype of muscle degeneration in this patient population, its underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships between groups of genes within the atrophic, myogenic, fibrogenic, adipogenic, and inflammatory pathways and multifidus muscle health in individuals undergoing surgery for lumbar spine pathology. METHODS Multifidus muscle biopsies were obtained from patients (n = 59) undergoing surgery for lumbar spine pathology to analyze 42 genes from relevant adipogenic/metabolic, atrophic, fibrogenic, inflammatory, and myogenic gene pathways using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Multifidus muscle morphology was examined preoperatively in these patients at the level and side of biopsy using T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging to determine whole muscle compartment area, lean muscle area, fat cross-sectional areas, and proportion of fat within the muscle compartment. These measures were used to investigate the relationships between gene expression patterns and muscle size and quality. RESULTS Relationships between gene expression and imaging revealed significant associations between decreased expression of adipogenic/metabolic gene (PPARD), increased expression of fibrogenic gene (COL3A1), and lower fat fraction on MRI (r = -0.346, p = 0.018, and r = 0.386, p = 0.047 respectively). Decreased expression of myogenic gene (mTOR) was related to greater lean muscle cross-sectional area (r = 0.388, p = 0.045). CONCLUSION Fibrogenic and adipogenic/metabolic genes were related to pre-operative muscle quality, and myogenic genes were related to pre-operative muscle size. These findings provide insight into molecular pathways associated with muscle health in the presence of lumbar spine pathology, establishing a foundation for future research that addresses how these changes impact outcomes in this patient population

Paraspinal muscle gene expression across different aetiologies in individuals undergoing surgery for lumbar spine pathology

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to understand potential baseline transcriptional expression differences in paraspinal skeletal muscle from patients with different underlying lumbar pathologies by comparing multifidus gene expression profiles across individuals with either disc herniation, facet arthropathy, or degenerative spondylolisthesis. METHODS Multifidus biopsies were obtained from patients (n = 44) undergoing lumbar surgery for either disc herniation, facet arthropathy, or degenerative spondylolisthesis. Diagnostic categories were based on magnetic resonance images, radiology reports, and intraoperative reports. Gene expression for 42 genes was analysed using qPCR. A one-way analysis of variance was performed for each gene to determine differences in expression across diagnostic groups. Corrections for multiple comparisons across genes (Benjamini-Hochberg) and for between-group post hoc comparisons (Sidak) were applied. RESULTS Adipogenic gene (ADIPOQ) expression was higher in the disc herniation group when compared to the facet arthropathy group (p = 0.032). Adipogenic gene (PPARD) expression was higher in the degenerative spondylolisthesis group when compared to the disc herniation group (p = 0.013), although absolute gene expression levels for all groups was low. Fibrogenic gene (COL3A1) had significantly higher expression in the disc herniation group and facet arthropathy group when compared to the degenerative spondylolisthesis group (p < 0.001 and p = 0.038, respectively). When adjusted for multiple comparisons, only COL3A1 remained significant (p = 0.012). CONCLUSION Individuals with disc herniation and facet arthropathy demonstrate higher COL3A1 gene expression compared to those with degenerative spondylolisthesis. Future research is required to further understand the biological relevance of these transcriptional differences

Interacting tonal processes in Susu

Susu, like a number of other Mande languages, displays tonal melody neutralization in some nominal constructions. This paper illustrates that in addition to the lexical tonal melody of input elements playing a key role in the outcomes of neutralization, prosodic structure and interactions between multiple tonal processes are also important factors driving observed surface forms. We present novel data on a wide variety of compounds containing complex word shapes; tonal outcomes in such compounds offer a deeper look at factors influencing neutralization. We posit that tones in Susu nominal compounds are subject to Neutralization-by-Copy, which subsequently interacts with analogous, more generalized processes that further smooth the overall tonal contours of a given word.Le soussou, comme certaines autres langues mandé, manifeste la neutralisation tonale dans quelques constructions nominales. Cet article cherche à montrer qu’à part le schéma tonal lexical des éléments dont le rôle est principal pour la neutralisation, la structure prosodique et l’interaction entre des nombreux processus tonals sont également des facteurs importants pour la production des formes de surface. Nous présentons de nouveaux données sur la grande variété des mots composés comportant des formes complexes ; les schémas tonales de ces mots composés donnent une vision plus profonde des facteurs qui exercent l’influence sur la neutralisation. Nous supposons que les tons dans les mots composés en soussou subissent la règle de neutralisation par copie, et ensuite ils se soumettent aux processus généraux qui aplatissent les contours tonals des mots.В сусу, как и в некоторых других языках манде, имеет место нейтрализация тональных контуров в некоторых именных конструкциях. В статье показано, что на результат нейтрализации и на поверхностные тональные реализации, помимо исходного тона элемента, влияет также просодическая структура и взаимодействие между многочисленными тональными процессами. Мы вводим новые данные по многочисленным типам составных слов, включающих в себя сложные формы; тональные реализации таких сложных слов позволяют более глубоко взглянуть на факторы, обуславливающие нейтрализацию. Мы считаем, что тоны сложных слов в сусу подчиняются правилу нейтрализации через копирование, которое взаимодействует с аналогическими более общими процессами, результатом чего является сглаживание тональных контуров слов

Biola Hour Highlights, 1976 - 02

A New Year\u27s Message by Richard Chase Death-No Respecter of Humans by Charles Swindoll An Address to the Biola College Student Body by Clyde Narramore Facing the Law of God by Joseph Cooke Revelation by Lloyd Anderson Panel Discussions by Richard Chase, Charles Feinberg, and Samuel Sutherlandhttps://digitalcommons.biola.edu/bhhs/1024/thumbnail.jp