Kitchen-Sink Enlightenment: A Review of “Grace for Amateurs”

Excerpt: Here’s an honest admission: Several times while reading Lily Burana’s new book Grace for Amateurs: Field Notes on a Journey Back to Faith, I consulted the copyright page, confirming again that Grace for Amateurs was really published by Thomas Nelson, the notoriously evangelical (and, in my mind, notoriously traditional) press. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that Thomas Nelson asked another writer to remove the word “vagina” from her book, well aware that Christian readers would balk at language so closely associated with women and S-E-X. Would this same publisher be willing to support a memoir as edgy and progressive as Burana’s

Nafld epidemiology, emerging pharmacotherapy, liver transplantation implications and the trends in the United States

© 2020 Authors. Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a hepatic mani-festation of metabolic syndrome. The spread of obesity worldwide in pandemic proportions has led to a rapid rise of NAFLD in developed and developing countries alike. There are no approved pharmacological agents to treat steatohepatitis or advanced fibrosis but obeticholic acid recently has shown some promise in phase III trial. Currently, NAFLD is the number one etiology for simultaneous liver and kidney transplantation in the USA, second most common indication for liver transplantation (LT) and projected to become number one very soon. LT for NAFLD poses unique challenges, as these patients are generally older, obese and more likely to have a number of metabolic risk factors. Bariatric surgery is an option and can be considered if a structured weight loss program does not achieve the sustained weight loss goal. Comprehensive cardiovascular risk assessment and aggres-sive management of comorbid conditions are crucial in the LT evaluation process to improve post-transplant survival. Re-current nonalcoholic steatohepatitis after LT is not uncom-mon, and thus warrants primary and secondary prevention strategies through a multidisciplinary approach. Prevalence of NAFLD in a donor population is a unique and growing concern that limits the access to quality liver grafts

Sampling Local Fungal Diversity in an Undergraduate Laboratory using DNA Barcoding

Traditional methods for fungal species identification require diagnostic morphological characters and are often limited by the availability of fresh fruiting bodies and local identification resources. DNA barcoding offers an additional method of species identification and is rapidly developing as a critical tool in fungal taxonomy. As an exercise in an undergraduate biology course, we identified 9 specimens collected from the Hendrix College campus in Conway, Arkansas, USA to the genus or species level using morphology. We report that DNA barcoding targeting the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region supported several of our taxonomic determinations and we were able to contribute 5 ITS sequences to GenBank that were supported by vouchered collection information. We suggest that small-scale barcoding projects are possible and that they have value for documenting fungal diversity

Moving lessons: teaching sociology through embodied learning in the HE classroom

This chapter outlines an approach to classroom teaching that makes use of physical movement alongside more traditional lecturing methods when delivering lessons on abstract theoretical material. It develops the notion of embodied learning as a 'physical metaphor', outlining some examples of this practice that we have used in our recent work with a class of first year undergraduates. We argue that conceptualising students as embodied subjects, whose capacity to learn extends through and beyond their physical selves, educators are able to enhance classroom delivery by diversifying teaching activities and creating opportunities for enjoyable and memorable learning experiences. We advocate the reflexive, contextually-sensitive and level- appropriate use of this method, arguing that despite some limitations it can animate students' understanding of academic ideas in uniquely personalised ways

A Crucial Role for Primary Cilia in Cortical Morphogenesis

Primary cilia are important sites of signal transduction involved in a wide range of developmental and postnatal functions. Proteolytic processing of the transcription factor Gli3, for example, occurs in primary cilia, and defects in intraflagellar transport (IFT), which is crucial for the maintenance of primary cilia, can lead to severe developmental defects and diseases. Here we report an essential role of primary cilia in forebrain development. Uncovered by N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea-mutagenesis, cobblestone is a hypomorphic allele of the IFT gene Ift88, in which Ift88 mRNA and protein levels are reduced by 70-80%. cobblestone mutants are distinguished by subpial heterotopias in the forebrain. Mutants show both severe defects in the formation of dorsomedial telencephalic structures, such as the choroid plexus, cortical hem and hippocampus, and also a relaxation of both dorsal-ventral and rostral-caudal compartmental boundaries. These defects phenocopy many of the abnormalities seen in the Gli3 mutant forebrain, and we show that Gli3 proteolytic processing is reduced, leading to an accumulation of the full-length activator isoform. In addition, we observe an upregulation of canonical Wnt signaling in the neocortex and in the caudal forebrain. Interestingly, the ultrastructure and morphology of ventricular cilia in the cobblestone mutants remains intact. Together, these results indicate a critical role for ciliary function in the developing forebrain

Optical properties of MgH2 measured in situ in a novel gas cell for ellipsometry/spectrophotometry

The dielectric properties of alpha-MgH2 are investigated in the photon energy range between 1 and 6.5 eV. For this purpose, a novel sample configuration and experimental setup are developed that allow both optical transmission and ellipsometric measurements of a transparent thin film in equilibrium with hydrogen. We show that alpha-MgH2 is a transparent, colour neutral insulator with a band gap of 5.6 +/- 0.1 eV. It has an intrinsic transparency of about 80% over the whole visible spectrum. The dielectric function found in this work confirms very recent band structure calculations using the GW approximation by Alford and Chou [J.A. Alford and M.Y. Chou (unpublished)]. As Pd is used as a cap layer we report also the optical properties of PdHx thin films.Comment: REVTeX4, 15 pages, 12 figures, 5 table

Actin Fusion Proteins Alter the Dynamics of Mechanically Induced Cytoskeleton Rearrangement

Mechanical forces can regulate various functions in living cells. The cytoskeleton is a crucial element for the transduction of forces in cell-internal signals and subsequent biological responses. Accordingly, many studies in cellular biomechanics have been focused on the role of the contractile acto-myosin system in such processes. A widely used method to observe the dynamic actin network in living cells is the transgenic expression of fluorescent proteins fused to actin. However, adverse effects of GFP-actin fusion proteins on cell spreading, migration and cell adhesion strength have been reported. These shortcomings were shown to be partly overcome by fusions of actin binding peptides to fluorescent proteins. Nevertheless, it is not understood whether direct labeling by actin fusion proteins or indirect labeling via these chimaeras alters biomechanical responses of cells and the cytoskeleton to forces. We investigated the dynamic reorganization of actin stress fibers in cells under cyclic mechanical loading by transiently expressing either egfp-Lifeact or eyfp-actin in rat embryonic fibroblasts and observing them by means of live cell microscopy. Our results demonstrate that mechanically-induced actin stress fiber reorganization exhibits very different kinetics in EYFP-actin cells and EGFP-Lifeact cells, the latter showing a remarkable agreement with the reorganization kinetics of non-transfected cells under the same experimental conditions

Nanoscale surface topography reshapes neuronal growth in culture

International audienceNeurons are sensitive to topographical cues provided either by in vivo or in vitro environments on the micrometric scale. We have explored the role of randomly distributed silicon nanopillars on primary hippocampal neurite elongation and axonal differentiation. We observed that neurons adhere on the upper part of nanopillars with a typical distance between adhesion points of about 500 nm. These neurons produce fewer neurites, elongate faster, and differentiate an axon earlier than those grown on flat silicon surfaces. Moreover, when confronted with a differential surface topography, neurons specify an axon preferentially on nanopillars. As a whole, these results highlight the influence of the physical environment in many aspects of neuronal growth

Implementing mentor mothers in family practice to support abused mothers: Study protocol

Contains fulltext : 97988.pdf (postprint version ) (Open Access)ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Intimate partner violence is highly prevalent and mostly affects women with negative consequences for their physical and mental health. Children often witness the violence which has negative consequences for their well-being too. Care offered by family physicians is often rejected because abused women experience a too high threshold. Mentor mother support, a low threshold intervention for abused mothers in family practice, proved to be feasible and effective in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The primary aim of this study is to investigate which factors facilitate or hinder the implementation of mentor mother support in family practice. Besides we evaluate the effect of mentor mother support in a different region. METHODS/DESIGN: An observational study with pre- and posttests will be performed. Mothers with home living children or pregnant women who are victims of intimate partner violence will be offered mentor mother support by the participating family physicians. The implementation process evaluation consists of focus groups, interviews and questionnaires. In the effect evaluation intimate partner violence, the general health of the abused mother, the mother-child relationship, social support, and acceptance of professional help will be measured twice (t = 0 and t = 6 months) by questionnaires, reporting forms, medical records and interviews with the abused mothers. Qualitative coding will be used to analyze the data from the reporting forms, medical records, focus groups, interviews, and questionnaires. Quantitative data will be analyzed with descriptive statistics, chi square test and t-test matched pairs. DISCUSSION: While other intervention studies only evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of the intervention, our primary aim is to evaluate the implementation process and thereby investigate which factors facilitate or hinder implementation of mentor mother support in family practice.6 p