The Academic Minute

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Astronomy to Zoology www.academicminute.org

  1. John Yates, Scripps Research Institute - Detecting Alzheimer’s Disease Through Changes in Protein Shape

    1d ago

    John Yates, Scripps Research Institute - Detecting Alzheimer’s Disease Through Changes in Protein Shape

    What can protein shape tell us about Alzheimer’s disease? John Yates, John Lytton Young Professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at The Scripps Research Institute, discusses this question. Faculty Bio: John R. Yates III is the John Lytton Young Professor in the Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology at The Scripps Research Institute. He received a B.A in Zoology and an M.S. in Chemistry from the University of Maine at Orono. He obtained his Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Virginia in the laboratory of Donald F. Hunt with a dissertation entitled Protein Sequencing by Tandem Mass Spectrometry. He performed postdoctoral research in the laboratory of Leroy E. Hood at California Institute of Technology. At the University of Washington, he obtained the rank of Associate Professor with tenure before moving to The Scripps Research Institute in LaJolla, CA. His research interests include development of integrated methods for tandem mass spectrometry analysis of protein mixtures, bioinformatics using mass spectrometry data, and biological studies involving proteomics. He is the lead inventor of the SEQUEST software for correlating tandem mass spectrometry data to sequences in the database and developer of the shotgun proteomics technique for the analysis of protein mixtures. His laboratory has developed the use of proteomic techniques to analyze protein complexes, posttranslational modifications, organelles and quantitative analysis of protein expression for the discovery of new biology. He has received numerous awards such as the American Society for Mass Spectrometry (ASMS) research award, the Pehr Edman Award in Protein Chemistry, the ASMS Biemann Medal, the HUPO Distinguished Achievement Award in Proteomics, Herbert Sober Award from the ASBMB, and the Christian Anfinsen Award from The Protein Society, the 2015 ACS’s Analytical Chemistry award, 2015 The Ralph N. Adams Award in Bioanalytical Chemistry, the 2018 Thomson Medal from the International Mass Spectrometry Society, the 2019 John B. Fenn Distinguished Contribution to Mass Spectrometry award from the ASMS, the 2019 HUPO Award in Discovery, and the 2024 Pittsburgh Society Award in Analytical Chemistry. Dr. Yates served as an Associate Editor at Analytical Chemistry for 15 years and is currently the Editor in Chief at the Journal of Proteome Research. Transcript: Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most challenging medical problems today. By the time symptoms such as memory loss appear, damage in the brain has often been developing for years. That makes early detection one of the most important goals in Alzheimer’s research.A key feature of the disease is protein misfolding. Proteins are the molecular machines that carry out most of the work in our cells. For them to function properly, they must fold into precise three-dimensional shapes. In Alzheimer’s disease, some proteins lose their correct shape—a problem called proteostasis dysregulation.Our research asked a simple question: Could these structural changes in proteins be detected in the blood? If so, might they serve as early warning signs of Alzheimer’s disease?To investigate this, we analyzed blood plasma samples from more than 500 individuals, including healthy volunteers, people with mild cognitive impairment, and patients diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Using mass spectrometry, we measured thousands of proteins at once and examined subtle structural changes in proteins circulating in the bloodstream.We then applied machine learning to identify patterns in these protein structures associated with Alzheimer’s disease. From this analysis, we discovered a small group of proteins whose structural changes appear to signal disease progression.In particular, peptides derived from three proteins—C1QA, clusterin, and apolipoprotein B—formed a diagnostic panel capable of distinguishing healthy individuals, people with early cognitive impairment, and those with Alzheimer’s disease with more than 80% accuracy.This work suggests that structural changes in proteins circulating in the blood may serve as conformational biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease. Such tests could eventually help doctors detect the disease earlier, monitor its progression, and identify patients who may benefit most from emerging therapies.Detecting Alzheimer’s earlier could mean treating it earlier—and improving outcomes for millions of people worldwide. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min

  2. 2d ago

    Ross Hollett, Edith Cowan University - Cutting through Cravings in 15 Seconds

    Do you have a junk food craving? Ross Hollett, psychology lecturer at Edith Cowan University, says a brief message may be able to cut right through it. Faculty Bio: Ross Hollett is a psychological scientist whose work examines how media exposure shapes social attitudes, body image and health behaviours. Primarily using experimental methods, his research investigates how junk‑food, alcohol and public‑health advertisements influence cravings and consumption intentions in real time. He also collaborates across disciplines such as marketing and computer science to advance research on fashion imagery and body image outcomes in women. Transcript: From Netflix to social media, most of us are exposed to a steady stream of food advertising everyday. While concerns are often raised about the impact of junk food advertising, evidence about how these messages influence adults in the moment has been surprisingly mixed. My colleagues and I set out to better understand what actually happens in the minutes after people see different types of food advertisements.We showed 505 adults a single short advertisement, either a typical junk food commercial or a public health message discouraging junk food, and immediately measured their cravings and intentions to eat junk food. We also examined whether responses differed between adults with a body mass index in the normal range and adults classified as overweight or living with obesity.Across all groups, one finding was clear: seeing a single junk food advertisement did not increase immediate cravings or intentions to eat junk food, even when the ad featured foods people said they enjoyed. But the opposite was true for health focused messages. Anti junk food advertisements reduced cravings and reduced intentions to eat junk food across all BMI groups. We also discovered that the length and framing of these health messages mattered. For adults in the normal BMI range, a brief 15 second anti junk food message was more effective than a 30 second version. For adults classified as overweight or living with obesity, messages that encouraged healthy alternatives worked better than messages that criticised junk food. This suggests that short, positively framed health messages may offer a practical advantage: they cost less to air, can be shown more frequently, and may resonate with the very people who stand to benefit most.As unhealthy food marketing continues to dominate our media environment, even small, well targeted moments of positive health messaging may help tip the balance toward healthier choices. Read More: [Wiley] - Length and Framing of Anti-Junk Food Ads Impact Inclinations to Consume Junk Food Among Normal Weight, Overweight, and Adults With Obesity Google Scholar This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min
  3. Adrienne Rhodes, University of Iowa - How Companies Can Keep Their CFOs

    3d ago

    Adrienne Rhodes, University of Iowa - How Companies Can Keep Their CFOs

    Why is the turnover rate so high for CFOs, and what can we do about it? Adrienne Rhodes, assistant professor and Rocca Fellow in accounting at the Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa, examines this question. Faculty Bio: Adrienne Rhodes is assistant professor of accounting and Rocca Fellow at the University of Iowa’s Tippie College of Business. She earned her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from New Mexico State University and her PhD from Penn State. Transcript: We’ve all heard about the mind-blowing pay packages public companies are giving their executives. They typically defend these practices by pointing to the difficulty in attracting and retaining executive talent, and there seems to be some credibility to this defense. In recent years chief financial officers, or CFOs, are stepping down in record numbers, and losing a key C-suite executive is costly for corporations. They take with them a raft of institutional knowledge and replacing them can be a long and costly endeavor. The media has often speculated that high CFO turnover is due to their overwhelming responsibilities. In fact, the demands and scope of the CFO role have expanded in recent years. New regulations, put in place after a string of accounting scandals in the early 2000s, have increased the burden of financial reporting for CFOs. And in that same time, CFOs are increasingly expected to act as a strategic partner to the CEO; taking on responsibility for investor relations, cybersecurity, and other corporate risks. In a recent study, my co-authors and I investigate what factors help firms retain their CFO and we look specifically at firms that delegate financial reporting to a Chief Accounting Officer. We find that when firms have a Chief Accounting Officer take the lead on financial reporting, they are nearly 20% less likely to have their CFO step down, greatly increasing the stability of firm leadership. Importantly, the benefits of a Chief Accounting Officer don’t only accrue to the firm. While CFOs who delegate accounting stay in their role longer, when they do depart, they are more likely to become a CEO themselves. So when it comes to retaining executive talent, it’s not all about the money. Our study suggests that delegating financial reporting to a Chief Accounting Officer is a valuable resource to both the firm and the CFO. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min
  4. Francisco Polidoro, Jr., University of Texas at Austin - NASA’s 1969-71 Design Process Offers a Road Map for Today’s Breakthrough Inventions

    4d ago

    Francisco Polidoro, Jr., University of Texas at Austin - NASA’s 1969-71 Design Process Offers a Road Map for Today’s Breakthrough Inventions

    The creation of NASA’s space shuttle years ago may still spark innovation today. Francisco Polidoro, Jr., professor of management at the University of Texas at Austin, looks at the design to learn more. Faculty Bio: Francisco Polidoro Jr. is a professor of management at The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business. Polidoro has taught courses on technology strategy, technology transfer in the global economy, general management and strategy, and special issues in strategic management. Before working at McCombs, he taught corporate strategy and special issues in strategy at the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.Polidoro has established himself as an esteemed researcher of strategic management, having won many international awards and honors for his work on technology strategy, technology and innovation management, entrepreneurship and innovation, social networks, and corporate venture capital. His research has appeared in the most prestigious management journals, including Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Administrative Science Quarterly, Organization Science, and Strategic Management Journal. In addition to being invited to speak in major international conferences in the field of strategic management, he has also been invited to present his research at numerous institutions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia, including Cornell University, Imperial College London, INSEAD, Johns Hopkins University, the London Business School, Seoul National University, Singapore National University, Stanford University, and the University of Pennsylvania.Along with his academic interests in strategic management, Polidoro has an extensive history in the field of biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, as well as sociology in drug discovery and development. His expertise has been noted in research media such as Lab Manager, Pharmafile, and Big Think. Before his career in research and teaching, Polidoro gained extensive managerial experience in the automotive industry, where he worked for 13 years. During that time, he had several senior management positions at Mercedes-Benz and DaimlerChrysler and a variety of assignments in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.Polidoro received a Ph.D. in business administration from the University of Michigan. He also earned an MBA from Henley Business School in England, a postgraduate diploma in general management and industrial relations from Fundação Getulio Vargas in Brazil, and a diploma in French literature and civilization from the Université de Nancy II in France. Transcript: Today’s breakthrough inventions, such as the iPhone, blend interdependent features in unique ways to unleash tremendous value. But creating them is challenging. Improving one feature can worsen others, and it may not be feasible to explore all possible combinations. So, how does an organization design a complex product for which there is no template? To gain insight into this question, we studied the creation of NASA’s space shuttle. The reusable spacecraft required integrating new solutions to many different features, such as fuel composition and payload capacity. We analyzed more than 7,000 pages from archives, including books, papers, and technical documents by NASA engineers. We uncovered two interrelated processes that supported the creation of this breakthrough ––oscillation and accumulation: • With oscillation, engineers focused on getting a specific feature and then stepped back from that solution to explore alternatives. They later returned to the initial solution with new insights. For example, in early iterations, they worked with liquid hydrogen and oxygen. Later, they reverted temporarily to an older fuel, kerosene, while they made progress on other features, such as payload capacity. • With accumulation, they increased the number of features meeting expectations. For example, they gradually combined the fuel composition of early iterations with the desired payload capacity.It sounds counterintuitive, but letting go of a solution for one feature creates the space for improving others. These insights can extend to many other settings, such as pharmaceuticals, in which creating breakthroughs requires masterful combination of interdependent features. For example, a researcher might identify a new compound that targets a disease pathway but set it aside temporarily due to side effects. After resolving those issues, the researcher returns to the compound. Raja Roy of the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Minyoung Kim of The Ohio State University, and Curba Morris Lampert of Florida International University also participated in this research. Read More: [ScienceDirect] - Creating a breakthrough invention: NASA’s internal knowledge generation for the Space Shuttle This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min
  5. Carol Ritter, Cedar Crest College - A Solution to a Frustrating Dilemma for Crime-Scene Investigators

    5d ago

    Carol Ritter, Cedar Crest College - A Solution to a Frustrating Dilemma for Crime-Scene Investigators

    Choosing between collecting fingerprints or the DNA is often a decision crime-scene investigators must make; but why can they not get both? Carol Ritter, senior instructor in the Forensic Science Program at Cedar Crest College, says a new method may help fix this problem. Faculty Bio: Carol Ritter is a full-time senior instructor in Forensic Science Program in the Chemical, Physical, and Forensic Sciences Department at Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she also serves as the assistant director of the college’s Joni Berner Expert Witness Training Center and Crime Scene Lab. Ritter teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses in pattern evidence, DNA analysis, forensic biology, bloodstain pattern reconstruction and crime scene reconstruction. She began her career in 1997 with the Pennsylvania State Police Crime Laboratory, analyzing controlled substances, sexual assault, homicide cases, and bloodstain patterns. Certified by the American Board of Criminalistics, Ritter has testified over 50 times at the state and federal levels. She previously served as technical coordinator for the PSP serology section, auditing state labs and training law enforcement personnel. Since joining the Berner Center, she as mentored students and taught courses in forensic pattern analysis, DNA analysis, and crime scene reconstruction. Her applied research focuses on bloodstain patterns, firearm-related patterns, and DNA analysis, bridging laboratory science with real-world forensic practice.Cedar Crest College’s Joni Berner, Esq. ’75 Expert Witness Training Center and Crime Scene Lab provides real-world environments where first responders, legal professionals, and community partners can strengthen their skills in evidence preservation, courtroom testimony, and crime-scene investigation. The state-of-the-art facility features realistic spaces for training, practice, and collaboration, and has been designed to meet a critical justice-system need: preparing professionals to handle crime scenes and deliver courtroom testimony with confidence, accuracy, and integrity. Transcript: Anyone who has watched a crime-scene investigation on TV understands the importance of obtaining fingerprints and DNA when gathering evidence. What doesn’t often make it to the screen are some behind-the-scenes dilemmas about how to approach evidence containing both fingerprinting and DNA collection. That’s because once fingerprint analysis is complete, DNA is typically collected from fingerprints by swabbing with water —but when Super Glue is used to enhance a print, the result is an excellent fingerprint, but DNA is trapped under the glue so swabbing with water often results in little to no DNA. In my lab, we are developing a chemical reagent that will help crime-scene investigators have it both ways – they would be able to perform a fingerprint and DNA comparison to help solve crimes more effectively.DNA is considered to be the holy grail of crime-scene evidence. But that’s not always true--because, to have your DNA available in a database, usually you have to be charged with a felony. That’s not the case with fingerprints, which can be more widely available. Investigators usually get more hits or more understanding of who committed a crime based on a fingerprint database. Our research explores a new method to cut through the glue with a reagent we’ve developed, enabling you to get a full DNA profile along with the fingerprint.Choosing whether to collect DNA from a fingerprint or to just go for the print—and risk losing evidence during collection--represents a frustrating compromise for crime-scene investigators and labs. And it can limit the scope of an investigation. As a forensic investigator, do you want to analyze the fingerprint or do you want to be able to do DNA analysis?When our work is complete, investigators may no longer need to make that choice. Read More: Expert Witness Training Center Cedar Crest Forensic Science Facebook This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min

  6. Jun 5

    Christine Constantinople, New York University - How Animals Make Inferences

    On New York University Week: How do animals make inferences? Christine Constantinople, assistant professor of neural science, tests rats with juice rewards. Faculty Bio: Christine Constantinople is an Assistant Professor in Neural Science at NYU. After obtaining a PhD in neurobiology from Columbia University, and postdoctoral research at the Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Dr. Constantinople joined NYU in 2019. Her lab studies the mechanisms by which neural circuits compute and represent cognitive variables for decision-making. Transcript: To survive in a changing and unpredictable world, animals cannot simply react to stimuli theyencounter, but must make inferences that help them predict future outcomes, like when theymight encounter food or predators. This process is among the most important cognitiveoperations that brains perform. To study how brains perform inference, we trained laboratoryrats on a task in which they revealed how much they valued different amounts of juice rewardsbased on how long they were willing to wait for them. The task had hidden reward states withdifferent average rewards. In high reward states, rats were offered 3-5 drops of juice, and threedrops was disappointing. But in low reward states, rats could only expect 1-3 drops of juice, sothree drops was a big win. Indeed, rats waited less time for three drops in high versus lowreward states. We showed that rats inferred the reward state when deciding how long to wait:for instance, they immediately changed their wait times following a single reward that revealed a state transition.We trained hundreds of rats to perform this task using a high-throughput training facilitydeveloped in my lab. The facility, which I call the “rat factory,” uses computers to train about 100rats per day. A major goal is statistical power and rigor.We found that inactivating a part of the brain called the orbitofrontal cortex or OFC made rats worse at inferring the reward state. We used state-of-the-art silicon probe technology to record electrical signals from thousands of neurons in OFC, and identified neural correlates of single trial inferences. These results show that OFC supports inference based on prior knowledge, and lay the groundwork for figuring out how the OFC interacts with other brain regions to mechanistically implement inference. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min

  7. Jun 4

    Joe Salvatore, New York University - Could You Match Inaugural Address Quotes to the Presidents Who Spoke Them?

    On New York University Week: Think you can match inaugural address quotes to the presidents who spoke them? Think again. Joe Salvatore, clinical professor and director of educational theatre, says it may be harder than you think. Faculty Bio: Joe Salvatore is a Clinical Professor and Director of Educational Theatre at New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, where he teaches courses in ethnodrama, verbatim performance, community-engaged theatre, and new play development, and co-leads the MA in Theatre for Social and Civic Engagement. He also serves as the Vice Chair for Academic Affairs for the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions. In 2017, Joe founded the Verbatim Performance Lab (VPL), which, under his direction, has created over 30 video and live performance projects exploring a range of political, cultural, and social topics and facilitated outreach and education programs throughout the United States. Current projects include an international research collaboration examining how interview-based verbatim performance interventions can disrupt discrimination in healthcare delivery; an ethnodrama exploring the impact of clergy sexual abuse on survivors’ spirituality and health; and an interview project examining perceptions of migration in the United States. Joe is the author of Creating Ethnodrama: A Theatrical Approach to Research (Guilford Press).. Transcript: In the Verbatim Performance Lab, we ask actors to replicate the exact speech and gestural patterns of individuals in an original recording, such as a political speech or a public hearing, to investigate how the speaker’s gender, race and ethnicity might contribute to what a listener hears.Our most recent experiment, The Inauguration Project, focused on how audiences engage with a president’s inauguration speech when the president’s identity is unknown. We took excerpts from five inaugurals since 1969 and had actors who are different-bodied than the presidents who delivered them perform them verbatim for an audience. We then invited the audience to guess which president was speaking. We conducted this performance experiment in New York City, Washington, DC, and Austin, Texas, with slight variations each time. One theme emerged: the decoupling of the president’s identity from the speech allowed the audience to hear the similarities between the presidents and their messages rather than their partisan differences. One young woman remarked, with surprise, that she would have voted for Ronald Reagan based on a passage from his second inaugural address delivered by a young Black woman. When another audience heard the same excerpt performed by a mixed-race woman, 34% believed it was Joe Biden’s address. An excerpt from Bill Clinton’s second inaugural, delivered by a white woman, was attributed to George W. Bush by 42% of another audience. One audience member was slightly irritated at the similarities exposed by the anonymity, saying she listened to the speeches differently because they lacked the personalities behind them, which was precisely the point of the experiment. When an audience hears an inaugural address in someone else’s voice and body, it prompts them to question why they perceive things the way they do. This critical engagement makes verbatim performance a powerful tool for understanding that *how* a message is delivered can be just as important as the message itself. Read More: Verbatim Performance Lab This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min

  8. Jun 3

    Sewin Chan, New York University - Boomeranging Back to Parents Can Mean Moving Away From Opportunity

    On New York University Week: Boomeranging back to live with your parents may be necessary, but not helpful in the long term. Sewin Chan, associate professor of public policy, explores why. Faculty Bio: Sewin Chan is an economist whose research focuses on economic and financial risks faced by households as they interact with housing, labor and credit markets. She has studied mortgages and housing market risk, consumer credit behavior, pensions, work and retirement decisions, job loss, geographic mobility, and accessible housing. Transcript: When young adults boomerang, or move back to their parents, we often think of millennials living in basements. To move beyond this stereotype and get a granular look at who these young adults actually are, my colleagues and I developed a new method to identify boomerangers. We used the American Community Survey that’s conducted each year by the Census Bureau. By tapping into this enormous dataset, we could finally link personal demographics to the actual geography of where boomerangers are moving to. What we found is that for young adults who’ve already left home, the option to boomerang acts like insurance. When there’s a major life event—like a job loss, a break-up, or a new baby—the parental home can serve as a vital safety net. But as we dug into the geographic data, we found a troubling spatial trend. Usually, in a healthy economy, people move toward opportunity. If you lose your job in a struggling town, you head to a thriving city. But boomerangers often do the exact opposite. Because they’re moving back to their parents, their destination is determined by where Mom and Dad happen to live, and not by job prospects. We found that young adults are frequently staying in weaker labor markets, or moving away from higher-opportunity places towards weaker ones. And the data shows this burden isn’t shared equally. Black and Hispanic young adults, and those from lower-income backgrounds, are much more likely to boomerang back to areas with higher unemployment and lower wages. Moving home might provide immediate help—like free housing or childcare—but it can also damage their longer-term career prospects. By identifying these patterns, we’ve revealed another channel through which disadvantage can be passed down from one generation to the next. Read More: [Taylor & Francis Online] - Moving back: Spatial and demographic differences in boomeranging to parents This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.academicminute.org

    3 min
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