While mindfulness meditation has been associated with enhanced attentional abilities, the consequences of loving-kindness meditation for attention have not previously been investigated. We examined the trait and state effects of 8 weeks of training in loving-kindness meditation (LKM) on the attentional blink. The attentional blink is a period of time in which a target stimulus is less likely to be detected if it follows too quickly (approximately 500 ms) after a previously detected target. For the two experiments reported here, a group of participants trained in LKM by meditating for approximately 15 min per day, four days per week, for 8 weeks. Experiment 1 utilized a pre-post design, with a non-meditating control group, to examine whether this training reduced the attentional blink. No differences were found. However, in an exploratory analysis, meditators did exhibit increases in two facets of mindfulness measured by the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire: observation and descriptiveness. In experiment 2, we tested for a state effect of LKM by having trained meditators practice LKM immediately prior to the attentional blink task. Here, meditators had a significantly reduced blink size compared to control participants. To establish that this reduction was caused by the combination of LKM training with pre-task meditation, we analyzed the data in experiment 2 with respect to one of our previous works, which reported that the practice of LKM immediately prior to the attentional blink task in those without meditation training did not reduce the blink magnitude. This analysis also revealed a significant difference. Therefore, training in LKM, coupled with its practice immediately prior to an attention task, caused a state reduction in the attentional blink. These results are the first to demonstrate that LKM, an emotion-focused practice, influences cognitive processing.

The life cycle of herpes simplex virus (HSV) has the potential to be further manipulated to yield novel, more effective therapeutic treatments. Recent research has demonstrated that HSV-1 can increase telomerase activity and that expression of the catalytic component of telomerase, telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT), alters sensitivity to HSV-dependent apoptosis. Telomerase is a cellular enzyme that synthesizes nucleotide repeats at the ends of chromosomes (telomeres), which prevents shortening of the 3= ends of DNA with each cell division. Once telomeres reach a critical length, cells undergo senescence and apoptosis. Here, we used a cell-permeable, reversible inhibitor of the telomerase enzyme, MST-312, to investigate telomerase activity during HSV infection. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) is well known as the causative agent of cold sores and genital herpes (reviewed in reference 1). When the virus infects tissues other than the oral or genital mucosa, such as ocular and brain tissues, much more serious diseases occur. Initial HSV-1 infections generally occur in toddlers and young children, and over two-thirds of the U.S. population is infected by adulthood (2). Primary infections may be asymptomatic or lead to the formation of characteristic blistering lesions (e.g., on or around the oral mucosa). The host immune system is usually able to clear the virus from infected epithelial tissues. However, HSV-1 establishes a latent infection in neuronal ganglia servicing the site of initial infection and persists there for the lifetime of the infected individual. HSV-1 may then reactivate from its latent state, which leads to recurrent viral replication in the epithelium and the formation of new lesions. Although currently available antiviral agents that act against HSV polymerase (Pol) can limit lytic replication in epithelial tissues, they are unable to eliminate latent HSV infections. Improvement of treatment for HSV disease relies heavily on a better understanding of cellular factors controlling HSV-1 replication in general.One such cellular factor is telomerase. Increased telomerase activity has been detected in cells infected with a variety of herpesviruses (3-11). There is evidence that HSV can mediate elevated telomerase activity during infection. Telomerase activity was found to be between 4 and 8 times greater in cells infected with a replication-defective mutant of HSV than in uninfected counterparts (3). This increase in activity was accompanied by enhanced telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter activity.Previously, we determined that the levels of TERT could determine the sensitivity to HSV-dependent apoptosis (HDAP). Specifically, when tumor suppressor pathways were restored in HeLa cells, expression of TERT sensitized the cells to HDAP (12). This finding suggested that telomerase activation was sufficient to confer sensitivity to HDAP in HeLa cells. The initial goal of this study was to determine whether telomerase was necessary for HDAP. To do this, we utilized a small-molecule in...

Complex systems are fascinating because emergent phenomena are often unpredictable and appear to arise ex nihilo. The other side of this fascination, however, is a certain difficulty in comprehending complex systems, particularly for students. To help students more fully understand emergence and self-organization, a course on complexity theory was designed to not only be about these two concepts, but itself embody them. The principal design tool was a course wiki. Here, we quantitatively demonstrate that this course wiki selforganized into a scale-free network. This is particularly notable given the small size of the network. We conclude by noting a few qualitative examples of emergence, as well as offering recommendations for the future use of wikis in teaching complexity theory.

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Method • The wiki constituted 45% of a student's grade for the course.-A wiki rubric outlined six grading dimensions: Quality and comprehensiveness of content, Evidence of critical thinking, Appropriate citations, Organization, Visual appeal, Level of contribution. In addition, an "A" wiki grade required that the student go above and beyond the posts required as part of their presentations, labs, and Wiki Days.