Dynamics of living cells in a cytomorphological state space.

Cells are nonequilibrium systems that exchange matter and energy with the environment to sustain their metabolic needs. The nonequilibrium nature of this system presents considerable challenges to developing a general theory describing its behavior; however, when studied at appropriate spatiotemporal scales, the behavior of ensembles of nonequilibrium systems can resemble that of a system at equilibrium. Here we apply this principle to a population of cells within a cytomorphological state space and demonstrate that cellular transition dynamics within this space can be described using equilibrium formalisms. We use this framework to map the effective energy landscape underlying the cytomorphological state space of a population of mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and identify topographical nonuniformity in this space, indicating nonuniform occupation of cytomorphological states within an isogenic population. The introduction of exogenous apoptotic agents fundamentally altered this energy landscape, inducing formation of additional energy minima that correlated directly with changes in sensitivity to apoptosis induction. An equilibrium framework allows us to describe the behavior of an ensemble of single cells, suggesting that although cells are complex nonequilibrium systems, the application of formalisms derived from equilibrium thermodynamics can provide insight into the basis of nongenetic heterogeneities within cell populations, as well as the relationship between cytomorphological and functional heterogeneity

Cyberspace back to the Classroom: Taking Lessons Learned from Teaching Street Law during the Pandemic Back to in-Person Instruction

In spring 2020, when schools around the world were compelled to close their physical doors, educators, administrators and students were forced to re-invent what it meant to teach and to learn. For fifty years, Street Law programs have been dedicated to hands-on, student centered, interactive teaching strategies. Law students, lawyers and teachers have devoted countless hours to creating fun, practical lessons designed to teach young people about practical law that affects their daily lives and also develop the skills they need to use their newly found legal knowledge to improve their lives and their communities. Remote learning upended all the best practices Street Law practitioners had spent half a century building. We had no choice but to adapt and so we did. Law students and Street Law professors re-imagined their programs. Some practitioners immediately converted their programs to distance learning. That fall, I wrote a practice report detailing the experiences of my law students teaching high school asynchronously in spring 2020 and synchronously during that summer and fall and asking whether it was possible to teach interactive Street Law lessons remotely. In that article, I included the best practices that we had developed for our programs in New York City. I wanted to know if practitioners in other parts of the United States and abroad were having similar experiences and results. This paper examines comprehensive reflections from eight law school-based Street Law programs teaching remotely during the pandemic. The reflections include which suggestions worked for them in practice and which ones did not. In addition, as we look to a return to in-person instruction in the fall of 2021, this paper will examine whether there is anything we have learned from emergency remote instruction that we may want to keep. Is it possible that some of our virtual teaching experiences will strengthen our return to the classroom

The Exclusion of Public Legal Education from Mandatory and Aspirational State Pro Bono Service Requirements

Pro bono service is embedded in legal education and practice. Every year, lawyers and law students across the United States engage in countless hours of pro bono service. There are over 1.3 million lawyers in the country and more than one hundred thousand law students enrolled in law school. Lawyers perform an average of thirty-seven hours of pro bono work each year. They reference several factors that motivate them to perform this work but the desire to help people in need ranks highest. Professional duty is also listed as an important factor for lawyers choosing to perform pro bono work. The moral obligation to help those who do not have access to the legal profession is captured in the mandatory and aspirational pro bono requirements codified in virtually every state. The state standards all include the most essential direct legal services needed to address the urgent needs of those who cannot afford legal representation. The critical importance of direct pro bono legal representation cannot be overstated. Most states also include other voluntary legal activities lawyers can perform to assist their communities. Public legal education projects are programs where law students and lawyers teach community members about the law. These programs inform community members about their legal rights and empower them to be more involved and civically engaged. Public legal education programs are designed to help people avoid potential legal problems in the future. However, some states myopically exclude public legal education programs from the qualifying work law students and lawyers can do to satisfy pro bono service requirements. In these states, lawyers and law students may be discouraged from participating in public legal education because it does not meet the mandatory or aspirational standards in those states, thus depriving them and the community of valuable opportunities to improve the legal system. The article examines the aspirational pro bono service rules in all fifty states, and the mandatory preadmission pro bono service requirements in New York as well as efforts to include preadmission rules in four other states. In addition, the article identifies the benefits for both community members who participate in public legal education programs and the legal professionals who facilitate them

Information Literacy and the Academic Library: One Stop on a Life-Long Journey

Information literacy is often linked to life-long learning, but few colleges and universities reach out to the institutions that supply their students or admit their graduates.  For this reason, Ventura County (California) educational institutions organized a summit to examine the state of information literacy, identify information literacy gaps within and across educational institutions, identify potential information literacy collaborations within and across educational institutions, and identify needed educational opportunities in the area of information literacy for educational institutions.  Summit participants included librarians, faculty, teachers, and administrators from high schools, community colleges, and universities.  The article focuses on summit content, format, activities, and outcomes.  The summit’s unique format to stimulate dialogue, rather than just show participants how to do information literacy, was extremely informative.  It was clear that expectations did not match what was actually being taught, or even believed to be taught, at other institutions.  It was also clear that particular participants were doing some great things, but had never stopped to talk about them with their colleagues let alone others outside their institution.  As a result, the event has led to several successful collaborations as well as some unexpected benefits for the academic library that hosted it

Counterbalancing Teen Reliance on Social Media News: The Importance of Using Street Law Methodology to Teach About Current Events

Globally, civic engagement of young people lags behind the general population. There is some evidence that young people are becoming more interested and engaged in world events. The pandemic and social justice movements addressing the environment, racial injustice, women’s issues, and LGBTQ rights have especially mobilized young people.Social media has been key to the success of many grassroots movements (#MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and Greta Thunberg). Increasingly young people are also using social media as a source of news. Teachers and professionals who work with young people have noticed a dramatic surge in awareness and interest in current events. They are hopeful this will translate into greater civic engagement and higher youth voter turnout.Students may be accessing news more frequently, but they are increasingly obtaining news via social media. In addition, young people are often obtaining news from celebrities and social media influencers. These unchecked sources for news raise serious questions about the reliability of the information. Additionally, social media algorithms, which deliver content based on previous usage, can lead to increased polarization. These issues underscore the importance of addressing current events in the classroom using balanced, reliable information. Street Law lessons are designed to encourage students to critically examine legal issues from multiple perspectives. Using the Street Law teaching methodology to examine current events in the classroom is a strong antidote to teen use of social media as a source of news

Peeling Back the Onion of Cyber Espionage after Tallinn 2.0

Tallinn 2.0 represents an important advancement in the understanding of international law’s application to cyber operations below the threshold of force. Its provisions on cyber espionage will be instrumental to states in grappling with complex legal problems in the area of digital spying. The law of cyber espionage as outlined by Tallinn 2.0, however, is substantially based on rules that have evolved outside of the digital context, and there exist serious ambiguities and limitations in its framework. This Article will explore gaps in the legal structure and consider future options available to states in light of this underlying mismatch