Multiplex assays for biomarker research and clinical application: translational science coming of age

Over the last decade, translational science has come into the focus of academic medicine, and significant intellectual and financial efforts have been made to initiate a multitude of bench-to-bedside projects. The quest for suitable biomarkers that will significantly change clinical practice has become one of the biggest challenges in translational medicine. Quantitative measurement of proteins is a critical step in biomarker discovery. Assessing a large number of potential protein biomarkers in a statistically significant number of samples and controls still constitutes a major technical hurdle. Multiplexed analysis offers significant advantages regarding time, reagent cost, sample requirements and the amount of data that can be generated. The two contemporary approaches in multiplexed and quantitative biomarker validation, antibody-based immunoassays and MS-based multiple (or selected) reaction monitoring, are based on different assay principles and instrument requirements. Both approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages and therefore have complementary roles in the multi-staged biomarker verification and validation process. In this review, we discuss quantitative immunoassay and multiple reaction monitoring/selected reaction monitoring assay principles and development. We also discuss choosing an appropriate platform, judging the performance of assays, obtaining reliable, quantitative results for translational research and clinical applications in the biomarker field.

Global Change and the World's Mountain. Where are we coming from, and where are we going to?

The history of mountain research is most fascinating. Three names for 3 centuries may give an idea of the growing knowledge about the world's mountains: Horace Bénédict de Saussure, who climbed and studied the Mont Blanc in 1787; Alexander von Humboldt, ever investigating the environment during his attempt to ascend the Chimborazo in 1802; and Carl Troll, who founded the International Geographical Union's Commission on High-altitude Geoecology in 1968. Awareness of the growing impact of human activities on the environment led to scientific and political initiatives at the global level, beginning in the 1970s. The Perth conference in 2010 has offered an opportunity to both look back on these developments and explore the future of the world's mountains in a time of rapidly growing “global change” problems and processes.

The Stink Coming Through the Revolving Door

A Montana Public Radio Commentary by Evan Barrett.

Big Change Coming: Gov. Forrest Anderson’s Unprecedented Preparation for Bringing Change to Montana – Newell Anderson & Brian Shovers “In the Crucible of Change”

Abstract to be posted.

Marine Spatial Planning is coming to an ocean near you

There are too many conflicting uses of the ocean in a time where resources are rapidly dwindling. Marine Spatial Planning is catching on globally, and may soon come to Long Island Sound, but it may be difficult to decide who gets to do what, where.

Women in Eighteenth Century London: Female Coming of Age in Frances Burney’s Evelina, Cecilia, and The Witlings

The late eighteenth-century author Frances Burney is best known for popularizing the “comedy of manners,” a literary style later adopted by Jane Austen. Burney’s novels, journals, and plays offer an intriguing commentary on contemporary social customs and etiquette. In particular, she voices the concerns and desires of women, leading scholars to focus on the feminist overtones of her writing. Although she carefully examined female roles in the household and family structure, Burney also provided an insider’s perspective into London high life. As an acclaimed author and member of the royal court, Burney offers a rare insight into the lives of the urban elite. For these reasons, I have chosen to examine three of her works within the context of their London setting. In Evelina, Cecilia, and The Witlings, Burney examines women’s struggle for independence against the backdrop of the city. These works offer a new interpretation of the female Bildungsroman, or coming of age story. Burney shows how London life influences her heroines’ expectations, ambitions and desires. Evelina’s coming of age centers around the quest for family and social acceptance, while the two Cecilias of Cecilia and The Witlings confront the financial pressures that accompany their inheritance. Ultimately, the three protagonists learn important lessons that are specific to city life. Although Burney concludes each story with the heroine’s marriage, her focus is not on romance, as has been suggested, but on the cultural landscape of the city. Coming of age in her stories is inextricably connected to the diverse challenges and opportunities presented to urban women.

Coming Soon to John Dempsey Hospital: Schwartz Center Rounds®

SCHWARTZ CENTER ROUNDS® at John Dempsey Hospital Schwartz Center Rounds were created to provide a multidisciplinary forum where clinical caregivers have the opportunity to discuss their experiences, thoughts and feelings. The Rounds, which differ from medical or ethics Rounds, offer caregivers a safe, open and relaxed place where they can share their concerns and fears, both for their patients and themselves. The premise is that caregivers are better able to make personal connections with patients when they have greater awareness of, and insight into, their own responses and feelings. The Rounds provide a scheduled time and place where caregivers focus on the social, emotional and personal aspects of patient care.

Covered in Dust: Coming of Age in a Gazebo Factory

This memoir chronicles the three summers I spent working in the factories at Chestnut Hill Gazebos. It focuses on three narrative strands: the day-to-day life of a factory worker, the struggles within and eventual breakdown of my relationship with my girlfriend, and how my job at Chestnut Hill helped me critique my fundamentalist Christian roots by forcing me into a deeper understanding of my faith and its relationship to the world outside the confines of my upbringing. The critical afterword uses essays by Leona Toker and other theorists as a framework for understanding how I approached several different problems when writing my memoir, such as how to present incomplete memories of events, whether or not to condense events for the sake of a more streamlined narrative, and whether or not a memoirist should use composite characters. I explain how various practitioners and critics influenced my decisions, and I also compare my approach to the practices of other memoirists.