Bottom-up assembly of functional intracellular synthetic organelles by droplet-based microfluidics

Bottom-up synthetic biology has directed most efforts toward the construction of artificial compartmentalized systems that recreate living cell functions in their mechanical, morphological, or metabolic characteristics. However, bottom-up synthetic biology also offers great potential to study subcellular structures like organelles. Because of their intricate and complex structure, these key elements of eukaryotic life forms remain poorly understood. Here, the controlled assembly of lipid enclosed, organelle-like architectures is explored by droplet-based microfluidics. Three types of giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs)-based synthetic organelles (SOs) functioning within natural living cells are procedured: (A) synthetic peroxisomes supporting cellular stress-management, mimicking an organelle innate to the host cell by using analogous enzymatic modules; (B) synthetic endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as intracellular light-responsive calcium stores involved in intercellular calcium signalling, mimicking an organelle innate to the host cell but utilizing a fundamentally different mechanism; and (C) synthetic magnetosomes providing eukaryotic cells with a magnetotactic sense, mimicking an organelle that is not natural to the host cell but transplanting its functionality from other branches of the phylogenetic tree. Microfluidic assembly of functional SOs paves the way for high-throughput generation of versatile intracellular structures implantable into living cells. This in-droplet SO design may support or expand cellular functionalities in translational nanomedicine

Evaluation of neural network pattern classifiers for a remote sensing application

This paper evaluates the classification accuracy of three neural network classifiers on a satellite image-based pattern classification problem. The neural network classifiers used include two types of the Multi-Layer-Perceptron (MLP) and the Radial Basis Function Network. A normal (conventional) classifier is used as a benchmark to evaluate the performance of neural network classifiers. The satellite image consists of 2,460 pixels selected from a section (270 x 360) of a Landsat-5 TM scene from the city of Vienna and its northern surroundings. In addition to evaluation of classification accuracy, the neural classifiers are analysed for generalization capability and stability of results. Best overall results (in terms of accuracy and convergence time) are provided by the MLP-1 classifier with weight elimination. It has a small number of parameters and requires no problem-specific system of initial weight values. Its in-sample classification error is 7.87% and its out-of-sample classification error is 10.24% for the problem at hand. Four classes of simulations serve to illustrate the properties of the classifier in general and the stability of the result with respect to control parameters, and on the training time, the gradient descent control term, initial parameter conditions, and different training and testing setshttps://ssrn.com/abstract=1523788%20or%20http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1523788Published versio

Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs: a Systematic Review of Effects On Pregnancy Rates

Teen pregnancy is responsible for numerous negative outcomes for adolescent mothers, their offspring, and society. Myriad programs exist to address this problem; however, many programs administered do not monitor pregnancy rates. A systematic review was performed to assess programs that use pregnancy rates as an outcome measure. For primary prevention programs, components that address life skills and provide contraception information were found to be the most effective. For secondary prevention programs, successful programs provided immediate access to contraceptives

The Unifying Strands: Formalism and Gestalt Theory Span Centuries of Music Philosophy

In every age, musicians and philosophers deal with inquiries concerning musical meaning and the effect of music on the listener. Musical formalism and Gestalt theory—two theories in musical aesthetics—demonstrate that aspects of musical perception and experience are enduring and comprehensive. Musical formalism is the theory that music’s nature is innate, self-evident, able to be systematically deduced, and rational. According to formalism, musical meaning is defined by things objectively ‘there’ in the music, musical experience relies on cognition, and music is less a matter of sense than of mind. Gestalt Theory holds that music is a unified totality—the whole gives meaning to the parts. Using the two criteria of formalism and Gestalt, this project systematically connects the philosophies of Aristoxenus of Tarentum, René Descartes, and Leonard Meyer from ancient, Enlightenment, and modern times. Although these theories reach different conclusions about musical meaning, they all prefigure or include the same fundamental principles of musical experience and interpretation. In the research process, this project utilizes documentary evidence. Ultimately, the strands of formalism and Gestalt theory in significant philosophies from ancient times to the present demonstrate that musical perception and experience can be universal and timeless

The Dynamic Impact of Monetary Policy on Regional Housing Prices in the United States

This paper uses a factor-augmented vector autoregressive model to examine the impact of monetary policy shocks on housing prices. To simultaneously estimate the model parameters and unobserved factors we rely on Bayesian estimation and inference. Policy shocks are identified using high-frequency surprises around policy announcements as an external instrument. Impulse response functions reveal differences in regional housing price responses, which in some cases are substantial. The heterogeneity in policy responses is found to be significantly related to local regulatory environments and housing supply elasticities. Moreover, housing prices responses tend to be similar within states and adjacent regions in neighboring states

The Bad Side of Bacon: Industrial Hog Farming and Antibiotic Resistance

(from the introduction) Antibiotic use in the rearing of livestock is a practice that is decades old, starting after World War Two. It vastly improved the lifespan and health of the animals, which in turn greatly benefitted farmers who raised and sold them. It also allowed farmers opportunities to raise more animals than before with greater efficiency. However, in the 1990s, this practice started to be exploited as natural additives and yearly antibiotics were replaced with growth hormones and antibiotic use at the subtherapeutic level to promote unprecedented – and unnatural – growth (Jackson 2016). This use of antibiotics also comes with a much more serious consequence – the rise of antibiotic resistance in bacteria, which can leave animals, and eventually humans, susceptible to infections and diseases that could otherwise have been prevented with proper antibiotic usage (Sancheza et al. 2016)

A Christian Response to the Impact of Nietzschean Philosophy on Richard Strauss\u27s \u3cem\u3eAlso sprach Zarathustra\u3c/em\u3e

This article explores the way Friedrich Nietzsche’s worldview influenced the compositions of Richard Strauss, specifically Strauss’s most famous work—a tone poem called Also sprach Zarathustra. This tone poem is a fascinating piece of music because it reflects Strauss’s philosophical inquiries into the nature and meaning of life. Although Strauss left relatively limited explanations of Also sprach Zarathustra, his few words regarding the tone poem reveal his intention to convey in music an idea of man’s evolution from his original state up to Nietzsche’s idea of a superman. First, this article surveys the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche as it is displayed in his book Thus Spake Zarathustra. Secondly, this article explains the way Nietzsche’s worldview and writings influenced Richard Strauss’s personal life and consequent compositions. As Strauss stated explicitly, he did not intend to put Nietzsche’s book to music, yet the tone poem still bears the marks of a philosophical journey investigating the nature and purpose of human life. Finally, this article suggests a thoughtful Christian response to music which reflects an anti-God worldview

The Unifying Strands: Formalism and Gestalt Theory in the Musical Philosophies of Aristoxenus, Descartes, and Meyer

In every age, philosophers deal with inquiries concerning musical meaning and the effect of music on the listener. Instead of answering the formidable question of musical meaning, this essay demonstrates the parallel aspects of three musical theories from ancient, Enlightenment, and modern times. Using the two criteria of musical formalism and Gestalt Theory, this essay systematically connects the philosophies of Aristoxenus of Tarentum, René Descartes, and Leonard Meyer. Musical formalism holds that music’s nature is innate, self-evident, able to be systematically deduced, and rational. According to formalism, musical meaning is defined by things objectively ‘there’ in the music, musical experience relies on cognition, and music is less a matter of sense than of mind. Gestalt Theory asserts that music is a unified totality—the whole gives meaning to the parts. This project demonstrates that three seemingly dissimilar musical philosophies include and prefigure the same foundational principles, although the theories reach different conclusions about musical meaning. In the research process, this essay utilizes documentary evidence. This essay concludes that the philosophies of Aristoxenus, Descartes, and Meyer are united by tendencies toward musical formalism and strands of the Gestalt view of music