Limit Cycle Displacement Model of Circadian Rhythms

A mathematical model has been examined that attempts to mimic the effects of changes in environmental conditions on circadian rhythms. The basis of the model claims that for a given set of environmental conditions (e.g., light, temperature and chemical concentrations) there exists a limit cycle that has a given position. When an environmental treatment is applied that is different from the control conditions, the position of the new limit cycle changes and the oscillating parameters of the circadian system are now attracted toward this newly positioned limit cycle. If conditions are subsequently returned back to control levels, the control limit cycle again takes effect and the displaced parameters are attracted back to the postion of control limit cycle. The model provides a description of what happens as a result of a pulse of new environmental conditions as well as what happens while the new conditions are in effect. Actual results involving entrainment, phase-release, and pulse experiments are compared to modeled results and a positive correlation is seen. Equations in closed form have been developed from the model that describe release-assay curves and phase response curves (including the transition between type 1 and type 0 behavior). Presumably a change in environmental conditions changes several aspects of a circadian rhythm limit cycle, but this work suggests that most of the features of a circadian rhythm experiment can be qualitatively mimicked by simply shifting the position of the limit cycle relative to new environmental conditions

Naturalized Epistemology Considered

In order for a naturalized account of epistemology to be taken seriously by the philosophic community, it must address questions raised by the skeptic. Since W.V. Quine’s essay in 1969 entitled “Epistemology Naturalized,” the naturalized project has been marked both by bold claims that the traditional project has failed and that the problems a naturalized project potentially faces are not problems of concern. Instead of addressing these potential problems head on, attempts to advance the naturalized project since Quine have largely masked their language, consequently disguising the boldness of their separation. In an essay entitled “Against Naturalized Epistemology,” Laurence BonJour brings to light the shortcomings of the naturalized project while heavily criticizing Quine. Further, BonJour criticizes the contemporary naturalist Philip Kitcher. BonJour persuasively argues that Quine has failed to offer cogent reasons for abandoning the traditional project in favor of a naturalized project, while maintaining that Quine has also failed to offer a viable alternative. Further, BonJour argues that Kitcher’s reasons for psychologizing epistemology are innocuous. Finally, BonJour outlines an argument that concludes that the abandonment of a priori justification leads to epistemological “disaster.” While BonJour’s arguments are at times convincing, they are not wholly successful. It shall be the purpose of this paper to refute the crux of BonJour’s arguments, while at the same time attempting to resolve the problems he claims a naturalized project faces. It is only after these problems have been addressed directly that a complete naturalized epistemology can be developed

Admitting Guild by Professing Innocence: When Sentence Enhancements Bases on Alford Pleas Are Unconstitutional

A few days before Christmas in 1994, in Vineland, New Jersey, Charles Apprendi, Jr. was drunk. At 2:04 a.m., he fired several shots from a .22 caliber gun into the home of an African-American family in his neighborhood. By 3:05 a.m., he had been arrested and had admitted that he was the shooter. Apprendi was interrogated for several hours after these events. At 6:04 a.m., he apparently stated that he committed the crime because the victims were black, but he later retracted this statement. Apprendi was indicted on twenty-three counts in connection with the shooting, and eventually pleaded guilty to three of them: two counts of second-degree possession of a firearm for an unlawful purpose, and one count of third-degree unlawful possession of an antipersonnel bomb. None of the twenty-three counts included any reference to New Jersey\u27s hate crime statute, which allowed between ten and twenty years to be added onto any sentence for a crime that was racially motivated. Nor did any of the twenty-three counts even allege that Apprendi acted with a racially biased purpose. The maximum possible sentence for a single second-degree firearm possession conviction was ten years. Apprendi, however, was sentenced to twelve years on a single second-degree count. The judge found it more likely than not that Apprendi had committed the shooting because of racial bias against the victims, and imposed a two-year enhancement under New Jersey\u27s hate crime statute

Set and Spike: Mentoring a Student-Athlete in STEM for Undergraduate Engineering Education Research

It is well known that student-athletes are more diverse and higher academic achievers, on average, than their collegiate peers. However, little research has explored the mentoring relationships of student-athletes who conduct undergraduate research. Unique challenges and opportunities exist for student-athletes and faculty when it comes to mentoring undergraduate research in fields like science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Using a collaborative autoethnographic methodological approach and apprenticeship theory, our personal narratives detail how an engineering professor mentored a former engineering student-athlete for undergraduate engineering education research. We offer several findings and recommendations

Fern Reproduction at Woodman Hollow, Central Iowa: Preliminary Observations and a Consideration of the Feasibility of Studying Fern Reproductive Biology in Nature

Field observations of spore availability, gametophyte establishment and survival, and sporophyte production were made over a one-year period. Maximum spore release for most species occurred shortly after spore maturation in mid to late summer, but some spores remained on sporophyte fronds through the winter and were available for germination the following spring. Gametophytes of Cystopteris fragilis, Woodsia obtusa and Adiantum pedatum became established in late summer and fall. Production of sporophytes occurred both in fall and in the following spring. Both gametophytes and juvenile sporophytes survived the winter in relatively unchanged condition. Results indicate that it is feasible and important to correlate field studies with current laboratory studies of fern reproductive biology

Standardizing ICU Nursing Shift Notes

The purpose of this project was to see if the standardization of a nursing shift note increased the communication of important patient information between nursing and provider teams. The attending physician in the cardiothoracic intensive care unit (CTICU) stated critical patient information between shifts was missing in handoffs and inconsistent nursing notes. Providers cannot easily read all forms of nursing documentation for a summary of what is pertinent to patients. It was hypothesized a standardized note for handoff would increase the information providers could review before rounds and decrease the omission of critical data. A review of the literature was done on handoff standards in critical care. Use of standardized handoff notes reported improved communication on patients’ overall plan, decreased adverse patient events and medical errors. CTICU providers and nurses gave input on critical pieces of handoff communication. A CNS was consulted on components to make the note usable in other ICUs. A template was developed in the electronic medical record for standardized handoff information. CTICU nurses were educated to use the template instead of unformatted progress notes. Initial compliance of template use was high and early reports from the provider team included improved communication, receiving more information, and improved patient care. Nurses reported satisfaction with ease of use. A standardized note improved communication between providers and nurses with consistent handoff information. This feasibility study has future implications in expanding the use of this note to other ICUs to formally collect data on its functionality, and impact on communication and patient care.https://scholar.rochesterregional.org/nursingresearchday_2023/1008/thumbnail.jp