the state of my research prospectus is good. I was able to start on my literature review with the appropiate information. I feel that there is too much information and that its hard to organize everything.

For this free write, I will talk about Panama City Beach. It is a small city northwest Florida. The city is well known for spring break. College students from all over the US go to the beach to party. MTV, two years in a row, hosted their spring break there. There are nightclubs, bars, restaurants. Club La Vela is the best known nightclub, which is the largest nightclub in America. It is several stories high, and has daytime and nighttime parties. It is apopular place to go to run away and relax from school, work, and other things in life. The beach is considered “The Spring Break Capital of The World”. Over 500,000 colleges and highschool students arrive between the months of March and April
Unfortunately, some people get so heavily intoxicated that they die. On average, spring breakers will average 18 drinks perday for guys and 10 for girls. The tourism leaders actually want to clean up the “hardcore” party image a bit. Every year a christian organization from all over the US, comes to Panama City Beach to talk with the partyers. It is helpful as some of them are letting loose, not using thier judgement in making decisions. The people from the christian organizaitons can help them and even talk with them about themselves. It seems like a lost cause, but it helps the party-goers think about things for a moment and second-guess their actions

For this open topic, I want to talk about facebook. Facebook is a world-wide website that allows you to keep in contact with old and current friends. Almost every college student has one. It is a way of communication and even keep in touch. Every event and relationship statuses, pictures everything is on facebook. It is in a way a social norm to have a facebook. Many students get distracted from their work by being on facbeook. People stalk their friends by reading their wall posts, looking at pictures, and looking at their personal information.
I then realized how much facebook is addicting when I myself, would spend hours on facebook just checking and commenting on pictures. I decided to cut down on my facebook access. I recently read an article on facebook addicts. This mother was so addicted to facebook. It isn’t a real medical diagnosis but it is very common that people cross the line from social networking to social dysfunction. There is actually a check list to see if you’re a facebook addict. It includes, lacking sleep because of facebook, spend more than an hour a day on facebook, thought of getting off facebook makes you nervous. It is surprising that people get anxiety or stress from being off facebook. This woman on her blog decided to give up going on facebook for lent. She wanted to know what she would actually miss about facebook and what she really did value. I decided to only be on facebook for 10 minutes a day. Even this has proven difficult. Especially when seeing funny pictures I want to comment on or even catching up with an old friend on facebook chat. But through the experience, I learned to actually call people to catch up instead of virtually contacting them. Its actually more intimate and better way of catching up with people. So far, ive learned that facebook is good to keep updated with people but to really keep a friendship going, is actually calling them up. I don't think most people realize the importance of calling and hanging out to keep a friendship and not just saying a friendly message with no genuine concern to see how they are doing.

The state of reserach prospectus is okay. It is hard to gather information for my literature review. I dont' know where to begin with my wiritng and what needs to be in it.

For this free write I would like to talk about the macbook spying case. The highschool gave every student a macbook to complete their work on and off school. Like any other macbooks, they had a webcam. The highschool had the ability to turn on the webcam even off school property. A student was sent a message saying he did illegal behavior and they have pictures to prove it on the webcam. I thought the highschool was creative in using the webcam to keep track of lost or stolen laptops. However, it is ridiculous that the faculty has the ability to turn on the webcam when the student is at home. Especially, when there was no suspicion that the laptop was even lost. This is an invasion of privacy, “peeping tom technology”. Sometimes people change infront of their computers while listening to music. Or even on the computer just at home. Its big invasion of privacy and the school had no reason to activate the webcam without a report of a lost or stolen laptop. The highscshool claimed they disabled the webcam feature. But students decided to slap post-it notes over the camera lens just in case.

I found a lot of good articles on MRSA. It was hard to organize all of them as they each covered issues and multiple concerns concerning MRSA. It was hard to narrow and find the articles i needed to use for my literature review. Not a lot of research has been done using honey and even PVL toxin. PVL toxin for example has issues in the sceintific community if it even helps in virulence. FInding articles and getting a good balance of what that toxin is was difficult

At first glance, and it basically looks like large iPhone, complete with a human button and glass touch.
The price is probably the most shocking, it actually cheaper than competitors.
With the iPad, Apple has attempted to blend in all the recent advancements in modern computing into one product. It brings in all the computing benefits of the iPhone . However, it will not fit into your pocket but it is still easily portable. It has an iBooks store for browsing and making a book library. It has photo features. Apple coming out with an iPad. Its reinventing a category. They are making a market that doesn’t exist. Is it going to succeed or fail. Its price is more expensive than a touch-screen keyboard. The ipad is the best tablet. It has excellent, surfing, emailing and movie watching. However, it lacks a video camera and chat capabilities and flash support. No flash means no hulu, NFL.com, et c. However, having no flash Is a benefit. Flash is slow. Without those two features, ill be using my laptop for my emailing, web-browsing and video chat needs. I can see later on in the future, that the iPad be very popular. Plus the price range will go down. Also, there is no mult-tasking. I would not want to check facebook and browse around without music playing in the background.

final exams are the most hectic time of the year. It is amazing how many cram before an exam. A whole semester worth of material crammed in two or one day prior to the exam. It is more amazing when some people recieve really good grades while the majority of people bomb the exam. As a science major, it is incredibly hard to cram before an exam. As the class level raises, the material becomes more specific and detailed. It is incredibly hard for me to cram before an exam as there is so much detailed information it is hard to retain them for a long period of time. Especially in chemistry, it is difficult as you have to memorize chemicals and the different orientations of those chemicals and how it reacts in the body. I noticed that entry level or even biology classes are easier to cram for. The information is just memorization and recall. Higher-level chemistry classes demands memorization but also application. The tests consist of application questions and real life scenarios and thorugh the class information, we have to explain why certain scenarios happen. While biology classes are mutliple choice and its mainly recall. I admit that tehre ar some hard biology classes that demand more than just memorization, but for th emost part from my experiernce, it is mostly needs good memorizing skills

On my way to school I saw a lot of trees. I pulled out of my driveway and there was a red truck in front of me. I kept driving and noticed that the grass is getting greener. U reached a four-way stop and noticed a police officer hiding in another street. I slowly sped off and reached the highway. It was rush hour, so there was a lot of cars and they were going fast. The highway had quite bit of trees. I remember seeing roadkill on the road. I passed by several shopping centers and there was a starbucks. A lot of people were at the starbucks and people coming out with their coffee. I continued to go to school, i went to the parking lot. There were signs telling students taht the parking lot would be closed for at certain dates for an event. i avoided those parking lots and parked my car. There were a lot o flowers and i could smell the fragrance. I also saw a lot of students rushing to class.

In chemistry, the chunk of writing is contained in lab reports/proposals. Lab reports are important to present and analyze data from experiments. So an essential part of the writing process is to concisely describe the significance of the data to the experiment. Lab reports should be written in present tense when analyzing data. Describing specific experimental methods, observations and citing published results can be used in past tense. A common problem in writing lab reports is using first, second or third person. When referring to results or conclusions, it is simpler and clearer to use first or second person.
The report should fully describe the experiments. So being very detailed but concise is essential. There should be quantitative or semi-quantitative analysis within in the reports. The results section should explain every figure, equation and table. For example, a table should have explanation of what it is and its significance to the results. Every data that appears in the report should be explained. Ever figure, table, or equation should be numbered in order to clearly refer back when discussing the experiment.

My strengths are organization and observation. Organization is good when writing a lab report or even writing a research paper. It is important for when porposing or just writing out a lab report, informally or formally. Even in writing down raw data from experiments. It is essential to have clear tables and numbers. Organization is key to keep all your data , notes, extra information so you can look back on your notes and actually make an observation. Organizing can even include clean notebook, smudges or chemicals can get on it and can make reading later on difficult. Observation is also important in a science field. Being able to notice details in your results can help lead to other questions and make a report more thorough. It is good in also seeing if the lab is conducted correctly. Observation is good in looking at cultures, microscopes, micorganisms, diseases, etc. The little details can actually lead to bigger discoveries and experiments.

My goal as a student in ENG 302 is to beable to write good papers. It seems like the obvious answer however, I like to see progressioin in my work. My definition of a good writer is to continue to improve on my work, especially in structure and word usage. In chemistry, we use scientific terms and words related to biology and chemistry. I would hope through this class, I can actually expand my vocabulary. Even through these freewrites, it has helped expand my thoughts and just let my thoughts go free. In my academic career, I have structure in my papers. I knoe how to organize things and let it flow and develop. However, I would like to improve on my grammar and sentence structure. Lab reports are very organized and precise, but my grammar is not too good. In my future career, my research reports on my experiments should be grammatical correct and professional. It is rather hard to do this when some of my lab classes are not strict on this. Iam hoping through this course, that I can be more aware of my grammar. For myself personally, I find the freewrites to be helpful. I have a personal blog where I put all my thoughts. It is so much easier to just flow my thoughts out but also beable to make sense. It is just helpful to let my mind free and just think about my thoughts without worrying about grammar and spelling. Of course, I will read back to edit…haha but it makes it easier to just write.

for this excercise i was in the engineering building at the afternoon. I remember listening the noise. I heard the air conditioning system turn on and off. It was hard to not turn on the music or even try to login into facebook. After the first 15 minutes passed, it was easier to stay focused. At times, I would hear the door open and footsteps. Other times, i would hear the toilet flush and then the faucet turns on and they wash their hands. I also heard distant talking of people. I even heard people in the peer advising room recieiving help and even conversations.
In this focused manner, i was able to concentrate on my studies and even more effectively complete assignments.

google chrome is one of the best google applications. I like how it saves your most viewed pages and it allows you to click on those pages and view them. It also has good addon pages that allow you to translate into other languages. this is helpful as im learning a language and sometimes its hard to read that text. its easier to just use google translator and help understand that sentence. Another helpful feature is when you get a new email on your gmail account, it pops up on your browser without going directly into gmail. It is a very helpful tool to check your email. Also another feature is the tab organizer. I tend to open up a lot of tabs and its hard to browse through those tabs. This tab organizer allows you to see all your tabs. it makes it easier to browse through them and know what tabs i opened. It also has a lock tab, that allows you to not accidentally exit a tab. It keeps it locked, so there is no accidental deletions. the only bad thing about google chrome is that it dosen't save your browser history.

Research or diagnosis is something I want to do. I do like learning about the proteins in the body and how it relates to our bodies function and metabolism. It could relate to the fact that I like a challenge in figuring out a problem. It can be very frustrating but at the same time, it is fun. After college it is unclear what I will be doing as a career. I have several career choices which includes research at NIH, or even a different country. Iam interested in medical missions or even going to a place in the US that is low in research or hospital labs. I would love to work with people and also beable to be in the science field. Being able to that would bring me great joy. I love interacting with people and not just help them medically but also beable to be a friend and supporter. Which is what medical missions entails. However, this might not be possible. I think working at NIH would also bring me joy. It is located near home and iam able to still be in my community. It would still give me the opportunity to work in the research/medical field but also still beable to have my community. I love being involved in my church, so Iam still able to help and mentor people. I guess I wouldn’t say I love my major or what im specifically doing. But I love how it gives me the opportunity to help other people. Not just by trying to create a cure or help heal people, but the ability to be a part of people’s lives. That is the part that gives me great joy in doing this major. Research demands other masters degrees but I wouldn’t mind going that route. I still have a year left to decide what I will do, but I know whatever I decide, it will atleast deal with people.

The most vivid dream I remember was a scary dream I had a few years ago. I was driving on a road I normally drive on. It was really dark and trees were everywhere. There are no lights. I was driving a volkswagon beetle, and the car stopped in the middle of the road. There were cars driving by but none of them stopped to help me. It was compelely dark. I walked out of the car to start walking. But a man started following me, he had a hat on. I couldn’t see his face cearly, and he wore all black. He had a vicious dog with him. I started running and the dog started running after me. I kept on running until I reached a house. It was a two story house and it was white and ancient looking. I ran to the door and started banging on the door. But it wouldn’t open and I kept on banging on the door and trying to open the door. The dog soon caught up with me and I was trying to fight the dog off. He bit my hand and then I woke up

MRSA
How does MRSA become so severe?
How does MRSA lead to other serious infections?
Is there any special genetic or biological difference that makes the bacteria potent?
How come MRSA is common in hospital settings?
Does the contribution of PVL in different species vary?
Is PVL a factor in CA-MRSA?
How does PVL cause inflammation?
How does PVL make a big immune response and recruit so many leukocytes?
Does MRSA have other virulent factors?
Some of the mechanism is how does CA-MRSA spread?
How does Staph acquire resistance from other bacteria?
What are antibiotics or synthetic antibioitics to combat the bacteria?
Is PVL a contributer to the spread and severity of CA-MRSA?
How does MRSA infect healthy individuals?
How did MRSA become so prominent in community?
Vancomyocin is the only treatment for MRSA, what happens when MRSA becomes resistant to that?

VACCINIA
How does Vaccinia change protein production?
How does the virus “bump” off other viruses?
Why is the virus not harmful in humans?
What is vaccinia pathogenesis?
What are the research findings?
Is there any known inection associated with the virus?

RETINA
How will the information rely to the brain?
Some ganglion can work, but what if there is limited amount of functional ganglion neurons, how will the signal relay to the brain?
How will the retina be implanted into the eye?
Improvements on the vision that it can give
In producing this, how will the intpretation of color be? Will it will be black and white?
Will other parts of the eye have to be adjusted, such as the lens?

MRSA is a community and hospital acquired disease. It is most prominent in the hospital settings. Usually from individuals with weak immunaity or post-surgery, an infection occurs. Health care providers are sometimes carriers if they don’t wash their hands or disinfectant themselves. Recently, the community acquired MRSA is more prominent. MRSA is becoming a great concern because of its ability to gain resistance to antiobiotics. More specifically, antibiotics that are beta-lactam. These drugs are most commonly used for gram positive bacteria. MRSA is resistant to most of these beta-lactam drugs. Typically, vancomyocin is the last resort drug to treat MRSA. However, there are a few MRSA bacteria that are resistant to vancomyocin. These bacteria are not common but it has raised alarm to health care providers, as they need to make new antibiotics to counteract the increasing antibiotic resistance of MRSA. It is important to discover other antibiotics or even synthetic drugs to keep up with raising antibiotic resistance.
Vaccinia is a virus that was used for small pox vaccination because the two viruses look similar. The virus has the ability to alter protein production on the cell membrane surface. A long protein flagella like knocks off any virus trying to invade the cell. Vaccinia is not harmful to humans and does not cause disease. Viruses that can invade a cell and bump out other viruses. Scientists have been trying to utilize its mechanisms to try to cure other viruses. There are other viruses with a similar invasion method such as herpes. If Scientists can understand this concept better and iutilize it, it can be used to cure or surpress the disease.
Artificial retina is important for people who have lost sight. These synthetic retinas should beable to reflect light and rely it to the brain. Eyesight requires ganglion and bipolar neurons to fire an actionpotential to the brain for intergration. I don’t know a lot about artificial retina production.

I would like to further study MRSA and finding a vaccine for it. It is becoming more prevalent in our society. There is no cure and most vaccines don’t work on the bacteria.
Another interesting topic is this virus that “bumps” off other viruses that goes near a host cell. The virus is not viral to humans but it invades the cell. It alters its proteins and maybe the cell membrane. So when another virus tries to latch on, it extends a protein string and bumps it off. Other viruses have ta similar invasion method. It would be interesting to study how the virus affects the cell. This could protentially help in finding ways to prevent those viral infections. Such as herpes.
Another interesting research topic is studying retina substitute. I found an article about it but the articfical retina would provide minimal vision. This would be good to studying for those who can’t see well. They still have functional eye receptors to help factilate function.

My current career goal is to do research. I would like to study the proteins in the body or even how bacteria use proteins to invade the body. Right now, I would like to do research on a disease or bacteria or a virus. I would like to study more about MRSA, which is becoming prevalent in our society. It is in hospitals and society. This is not good because it is resistant to most antibiotics. This is bad because patients cannot recover and could potentially spread it to other people. It could also lead to death. This bacteria is still being studied and trying to make a vaccine to stop the bacteria.
My major is biochemistry and my minor is software engineering. Biochemistry is helpful in my career goal. Biochemistry is the study of metabolic activity in the body. It more specifically studies the various proteins in the body. This is important because bacteria use proteins or alter a cells protein to help its own survival. Software engineering complements this major. In research in any science field, programming is vital. In some careers, software engineers or CS majors are needed to make programs for the company. Making a program could help organize data and help in research.
In the future, im not sure where I will be. I atleast know that if im marired and could potentially have kids, I would like to work part time. I would like to take care of my kids. Im not sure where I will be career wise. Im not sure if I can do research part time. I could go back to school and teach general chemistry in highschool. Or even teach AP chemistry in hgihschool. My far future is unclear for now, but I just know I would like to be with my future family.

My first event or incident was in my AP biology class. My teacher would comment on my lab reports and say how detailed my lab reports were. I went detailed and went straight to the point. My close family friends, I use to make them edit my English papers. They would comment on the same thing. But in these papers, they noted I was straight forward, organized, and concentrated on giving the facts. At first, I thought this wasn’t being a writer. But as I thought about it, I really liked science and later on this could be helpful. I was observing details which is helpful in research. I thought it was something that came naturally and I should probably utilize it in a career.
The second event was also in my AP biology class. We went on a field trip to heart surgery at the Fairfax hospital. I m ay not want to be a doctor but it inspired be to do go in science. The patient had a huge heart. The typical healthy heart is the size of your fist. This persons heart is bigger and had noticeable amounts of fat around it. I was really amazed at watching this surgery. At that moment, I wanted to research on the cause of how heart disease affected the metabolic activities of the body. This is the study of biochemistry. The study of metabolic activity and proteins. Even the different instruments they used to open the heart and used the suction of the heart in once place. It also made me remember my father. He also had bypass surgery like the patient. Right now, Im not sure if I would want to study heart disease. But it helped me search for other research in the medical field. It allowed me to look at other research topics and opportunities.
I don’t have another significant event.

My father made a big impact on my career choice. He originally wanted me to be a doctor. There weren’t a lot of families who were doctors, so he wanted me to be successful and make money. When I was younger, my father had a mustache. His hair was like jet black. He would always have a suit on because when I saw him he came from work.
The second person to make an impact was my AP biology teacher. She was a biochemistry major and I was inspired by her one day as I discussed about my work. She described her education and occupations she obtained. She even described her thesis in graduate school and the problems she faced. She talked about how having a career in biochemistry, depending on the field, could affect if one day you are pregnant. She told methe different options of career choices I had. I remember she had yellow blonde hair. She had blue eyes and usually had on red lipsticks. She was goofy in class and always had a smile on her face. She was small in height, probably 5’2. I remember she would always be willing to help and gave encouragement remarks on our work.
The third person was my biochemistry teacher. He inspisred me on the ttype of research I would like to concentrate in. His research was on proteins, so a lot of our class lectures went in depth with proteins. He even gave examples of current research in studying proteins. Even talking to him in his office hours, he was very helpful on the course schedule and classes I should take if I wanted to do research. I remember he had blue eyes and blonde hair. He was balding. He would always have a diet coke with him in class and would occasional stop to drink it. During his lectures, he would always give a visual example and it was usually funny. It helped me understand the material. Through talking to him, I wanted to study proteins and how its affected in diseases and disorders.

The furthest memory memory I have was when I was in Houston, Texas. I remember two of my houses. I remember this one incident where my sister was running and I ran with her. We had a brick wall that could be sued for pictures. I was very small, so when she ran her hip kknc=ked my head on the corner of the brick wall. I remember the brick wall was my height and had several of our family photos on top of it. A few feet from it was our white couch in front of a fireplace. I don’t remember feeling the pain but I remember falling to the ground and everyone surrounded me.
The next memory I had was also in Houston. Our Pomeranian dog had babies. In our kitchem, we had a small indoor fence to keep the pups from running around. There were about 5 of them. With newspaper everywhere. I remember the distinct dog smell. They were all black and very yappy. Also in the kitchen, was my box full of ponys. I would play with them on our small kitchen table as the puppies would play. I remember the kitchen was small. Our living room connected to the kitchen. The kitchen floor was white tiles.

Students'-eye view of Webcam spy case

Students at Herriton High School in Lower Merion School District are given Apple MacBook laptops to use both at school and at home. The ones issued to the students have a Webcam. Not only can the students take pictures but the school district can also use it to take photographs of whoever is using the computer. A student filed a civil complaint under the federal court. Blake Robbins received a notice that he was engaging in improper behavior in his own home. They had photographs from the webcam to prove it. In an interview with CBS Evening News, plaintiff Blake Robbins said he was unaware that the camera could be activated at his house. The district defended themselves and stated that the webcam was used in case of stolen or missing laptops. The tracking-security feature was limited to that and not used for any other purposes. As a result of the case, the district Superintendent of Schools Christopher W. McGinley sent a letter to parents stating that the security tracking feature is being disabled and that there will be "a thorough review of the existing policies for student laptop use."
On the CBS Early Show, Harriton High sophomore Savannah Williams said she keeps the laptop in her bedroom and says that its on while she is "getting changed, doing my homework, taking a shower, everything." Some students see it as an invasion of privacy.
No judge has yet ruled on the plaintiff's claim and the school has denied that it has used the cameras for anything other than help recover missing laptops. However, the fact remains that staff members had the ability to turn on the camera is problematic.


L. Magid. "Students'-eye view of Webcam spy case." CNET Review, 2/17/2010. 2/20/2010 <http://news.cnet.com/8301-30977_3-10457077-10347072.html?tag=rtcol;pop>.

New virus-detecting lab on a chip gets even Better

Some chemists and engineers at Brigham Young University (BYU) recently created a silicon microchip.  They claim that the microchip can detect certain proteins and viruses from samples of low concentrations.  The microchip scans particles solely by their size by trapping them, thus making detection of viruses and proteins earlier.   Researches claim that capturing these particles can also advance the pace of research.  This can allow Scientists to continually obtain pure samples for research of viruses and their behavior.

Production of this chip is not cheap, it costs in the millions.   The team in BYU has found a way around this by using a more simple machine.   The team is currently working on making smaller slots.  This will allow for single samples can be separated by varying sizes. 

E. Moore. "New virus-detecting lab on a chip gets even Better." CNET News, 2/3/2010. 2/15/2010. <http://news.cnet.com/8301-27083_3-10447052-247.html>

More 'turnkey' options for thermal solar

eSolar, which was created by Idealab, makes utility-scale thermal solar systems.  It uses solar panels to transform light into electricity.  These solar plants have heliostats that reflect sunlight to its centralized tower.   The sunlight produces heat and creates steam, thus rotating the turbine that generates electricity.  eSolar already has a significant list of projects in China and the Southwest of the U.S. But eSolar is not the only company using "turnkey" solar thermal option for utilities. In August 2009,  Solar Trust acquired rights to about 726 megawatts worth of solar projects for Southern California Edison.  It is designing, building, and installing the solar thermal plants.  The two thermal plants are similar. Both Solar Trust and eSolar offer thermal solar solutions.  However, a key different is that Solar Trust uses parabolic troughs to reflect sunlight and heat liquid for steam instead of heliostats.



C. Lombardi. "More 'turnkey' options for thermal solar." CNET News, 2/18/2010. 2/20/2010 <http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10455666-54.html>.

Brain Imaging Lets Vegetative Patient Communicate

In the New England Journal of Medicine, a study has found that people once thought to be lost in a vegetative state are now being re-diagnosed. The problem in determining awareness to those who lack controllable motor skills has for years left even doctors to believe most of these patient are in fact vegetative. However, according to this breakthrough study, Five out of Fifty Four patients thought to be vegetative were found to have the ability to answer simple yes or no questions thanks to Instant-MIR technology. This technology scans the brain looking for certain areas to light up that correspond to those of a healthy person if asked the same question. Instant MRI technology is time consuming and requires zero movement; the hope is that future research will quickly yield methods of testing using Electroencephalography (EEG) devices, which are both portable, and relatively inexpensive.




E. Singer. "Brain Imaging Lets Vegetative Patient Communicate." Technology Review, 2/4/2010. 2/18/2010
<http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24475/page1/>.

Guilt Free Plastic for Composting in Your Yard.

A team of scientists and engineers are making a innovative degradable material from a new sugar-based polymer. At the Imperial College Londom, these sugars are derived from the breakdown of lignocellulosic biomass, which is the biomass produced by cellulose, hemicelluloses and lignin found in agricultural waste. The most significant is that the plastic cup can absorb water and breakdown quickly. Most plastics are harmful, these innovative plastics leave no harmful products. In addition, it can safely degrade within the human body without harm. This can make changes in the medical field; this biodegrable polymer is a candidate for stitches or as a vehicle for medicine delivery.
This is a big break through because about 99% of plastics are made from fossil fuels.

C. Lombardi. “Guilt free Plastic for Composting in your Yard.” CNET Review, 2/19/2010. 2/19/2010 <http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-10456612-54.html?tag=mncol;title>.

Busting Blood Clots with Sound Waves

InSightec's high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) device is lined with more than 1,000 ultrasound transducers. Each transducer can be focused and can converge on a spot only four millimeters wide, accurate enough to hit an artery-blocking clot and dissolve it in under a minute. It can be used without damaging the skull. One day, it might be used to break stroke-causing blood clots in the brain. So far, it has only been tested on animals, but researchers want to start human testing by the end of 2011. In studies in rabbits, it has been shown that the InSightec system can break clots in the brain without harming healthy tissue. Today, only two proven methods are in use to destroy clots. A drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), which dissolves clots. It must be administered within three hours of the stroke. The second method is physically removal of the clot from a blood vessel, but few hospitals practice this technique. There are many questions about this technique, including how radiologists will be able to pinpoint the clot's exact location in the brain.


L. Gravitz. “Busting Blood Clots with Sound Waves.” Technology Review, 2/17/2010. 2/17/2010 <http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/24548/>.

A Form-fitting Photovoltaic Artificial Retina

Loss of photoreceptor cells has caught Scientist’s attention for a while. Scientists and engineers have attempted to produce retina artificial retina. A problem is how to get the power and data into a retinal chip, which is implanted to the back of a person’s eye. A team from Stanford University has worked on engineering a device. The device includes a video camera that captures images, a pocket PC that processes the video feed, and a bright near-infrared LCD display built into video goggles. The 900-nanometer-wavelength image can produce electricity in the chip. Some patients might still have a few functional photoreceptors that could be stimulated by visible light. The array is a series of pixels, each formed from a three photovoltaic cells of three different sizes. The purpose of the multiple sub-pixels, say the Stanford researchers, is to increase the amount of current sent to the functional photoreceptors. Recently, the Stanford researchers are trying to improve the system but allowing it to fit the curvature of the eye. They used flexures that allow the array to curve along with the natural shape of the retina. Despite how advanced this is the vision it provides is limited. Based on its size, it would give a visual acuity of about 20/200. In the best-case scenario, it would have a visual acuity of 20/100. That would allow face recognition and for reading large fonts.


W. Jones, “A Form-fitting Photovoltaic Artificial Retina,” IEEE Spectrum, 12/22/2009. 2/18/2010 <http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/bionics/a-formfitting-photovoltaic-artificial-retina>.

NASA Engineers Bring the Internet to Astronauts


“Hello Twitterverse...”

Astronaut TJ Creamer sent the first live tweet from space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Engineers used the station’s communication link, which heavily relies on the Ku radio band. The Ku band is the most common frequency spectrum used for satellite communication. A software modification was simply needed to transform the communication network to personal internet use. “The system will provide astronauts with direct private communications to enhance their quality of life during long-duration missions by helping to ease the isolation associated with life in a closed environment,” NASA stated. This is one step closer to creating vast communication in space. Vinton Cerf, one of the co-inventors of the TCP/IP internet protocol, has been working on a protocol that could integrate various communication devices in space. He has been working alongside NASA for over a decade attempting to make these devices work together like on Earth. However, this has many obstacles. Transmission scrambling solar storms, periodical blackouts and the enormous distances could add up to a large amount of corrupted or lost data. Overcoming these obstacles outside of Earth’s atmosphere is a challenge. “It’s great that astronauts can tweet from space, update their Facebook accounts and browse a friend’s Flickr album, but this personal internet upgrade is not exactly a revolution in communication.”



E, Ortlip. “NASA Engineers Bring the Internet to Astronauts.” IEEE Spectrum. 2/3/2010. 2/17/10 <http://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/aerospace/space-flight/nasa-engineers-bring-the-internet-to-astronauts>

A Form-fitting Photovoltaic Artificial Retina

Telomeres act as protective caps on chromosomes, which keep the DNA stable. It prevents the DNA from unraveling.  As we age and as cells replicate, these telomeres shorten.  Thus, the cell becomes more prone to death. US research suggests that physical or emotional abuse during childhood could speed up this aging process. Previous studies have shown that telomeres shorten at a faster rate when exposed to toxins.  This includes radiation and cigarette smoking.  In the same way, psychiatric problems and stress can have a similar effect. This has raised concerns because shorter telomeres can be linked to certain diseases and aging.  In this study, scientists looked at 22 women and 9 men.   This sample size had a mix of happy childhoods, emotional, physical or sexual abuse or neglect.  There are many different factors that could have explained their reduced telomeres such as cigarettes, obesity, lack of exercise etc.  The small sample size is not sufficient enough to link abuse with shorter telomeres, however, it could be a contributing factor.



W. Jones. “A Form-fitting Photovoltaic Artificial Retina.” IEEE Spectrum, 12/22/2009.  2/18/2010 <http://spectrum.ieee.org/biomedical/bionics/a-formfitting-photovoltaic-artificial-retina>

Prion Protein Keeps Nerves Happy

Prions (misshapen proteins) are notorious to wreak havoc in the brain when let loose, such as in mad cow disease. Believe it or not, Prions start life off as normal, healthy proteins called PrP. PrP is everywhere in the brain, which some scientists now say plays an important role in maintaining myelin. Eleven years ago, a Japanese group published a paper claiming that mice without PrP had damage to their peripheral nerves. Adriano Aguzzi, a neuropathologist was intrigued by this finding. First, his team examined five strains of mice missing the PrP gene. He found that all the mice showed this peripheral nerve damage by 10 weeks of age. Then, they studied mice that lacked PrP to see what caused the demyelination. When PrP was present only in axons, it prevented disease. But when it was lacking in axons but present in the Schwann cells the mice got sick. Aguzzi theorizes that PrP is a signaling molecule in axons that's needed to "keep Schwann cells happy." Aguzzi is now interested in learning if PrP might be part in human demyelinating diseases. Other human diseases "look very similar to what we see in these mice," notes Aguzzi.


J. Couzin-Frankel, “Prion Protein Keeps Nerves Happy,” Science, Jan 25, 2010. Retrieved on Feb 18, 2010: http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/01/25-04.html .

 Greedy Virus Helps Spread Disease

The vaccinia virus seems to have an interesting invasion method. “‘Mine, all mine!’ That's what the vaccinia virus seems to be saying after it invades a cell and prevents its companions from following suit.” The strategy actually helps the virus spread. This discovery may give raise to innovative ways to combat viral infections. Vaccinia doesn't cause diseases in humans but it has actually aided us in fighting viral infections. It has a resemblance to the smallpox virus. Researchers were able to use it as a vaccine for the small pox virus until it was eradicated in the late 1970’s. Vaccinia is continually researched in hope of developing other vaccines. Virologist Geoffrey Smith of Imperial College London noticed that vaccinia spread four times faster than its replication cycle. "No one seemed to have done the arithmetic," Smith says. So, Smith and his colleagues decided to research this more. They discovered that vaccinia produces two proteins after it infects a cell. This result in a superinfection; the vaccinia proteins form a complex on the cell's surface that inhibits other vaccinia virus from entering the cell. As a vaccinia viruses come closer, long projections of actin, shoot out from the cell membrane. This shoos the virus away. Many other viruses, such as herpes simplex virus, have a similar infection strategy. If researchers could utilize the same protein complex as vaccinia, it could help in fighting these infections by blocking the interaction of the two proteins.

S. Lundin, “Greedy Virus Helps Spread Disease,” Science, 1/22/2010. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/01/22-02.html, [2/19/2010].

Artificial Platelets Catalyze Clotting

Researchers reported they have designed a synthetic platelet that can potentially help in fatal hemorrhaging. Naturally, platelets can quickly stop the bleeding from a small cut, but the hemorrhaging caused by a car crash or a battlefield wound might overwhelm the cell fragments. After an injury, platelets attach to the walls of the damaged vessels and to each other creating a plug. Platelet transfusions can increase clotting in wounded patients, wounded soldiers, and patients with low platelet counts. However, donated platelets have its limitations. It has a shelf life of only 5 days--versus 6 weeks for red blood cells--and a risk of bacterial infections. Six years ago, James Bertram, then a graduate student at Yale University, started developing a substitute for platelets. His design used spheres “about one-tenth the diameter of a platelet and composed of the same biodegradable polyester used in absorbable sutures.” The spheres carry molecules of polyethylene glycol with RGD (3-sequence amino acid). The idea is that the spheres will attach to the platelets and help create a clot. It was tested on rats that had a cut in a large vessel in their hind leg. An injection of the synthetic platelets, given right after the cut, reduced the bleeding time by 23%.The team now wants to use the synthetic platelets in larger animals, such as pigs, that are more similar to humans. Some experts see the results as promising but some say it isn’t. John Hess, a hematologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, argued that patients with severe bleeding are losing large amounts of platelets, so an approach that relies on recruiting platelets might not work.


M. Leslie, “ Artificial Platelets Catalyze Clotting,” Science, 12/16/2009. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/12/16-02.html
, [02/17/2010].

New Source of an Isotope in Medicine Is Found

Technetium 99 (tech 99m) is a very important and valuable isotope in the medical field. It is used to measure blood flow in the heart and help in diagnosing bone and breast cancers. Tech 99m is a product of rapid decay of another radioactive isotope, molybdenum 9, which is from the spilt atoms of uranium 235. Tech 99m emits gamma rays that are easy to spot in a patient’s body. However, the isotope also decays rather quickly. As a result, doctors have to schedule procedures late at night and on weekends to make use of the isotope before it vanishes. About two thirds of the world’s supply comes from two reactors. The reactor in Onatrio, which has been shut down for repairs for 9 months, and the other reactor is in the Netherlands, which has closed for 6 months. This has raised enormous alarms among the medical community. Some patients have been forced to revert to inferior materials and techniques that have stopped usage 20 years ago for treatment. The US has increasingly looked abroad for radioactive materials. The inspector general of the Energy Department reported those supplies were sometimes unreliable. It either was delivered late or did not meet specifications. Covidien, a company in St Louis, announced they signed a contract with the operators at the Maria reactor, near Warsaw. The Maria rector is one of the world’s most powerful research reactors. However, the Maria will only fill a small fraction of the wide gap left from the shutdown other two reactors. Anrzej Strupczweski, chairman of the nuclear safety commission in Polish institute of Atomic energy, stated it would be tricky to produce tech 99m at the Maria reactor. He said that it lacked a force-air system to cool the uranium but a recent test went well.

M. Walid, “New Source of an Istope in Medicine Is Found,” NYTimes, 2/16/2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/17/health/17isotope.html?ref=science
, [2/18/2010].

Blood Test Developed for Deadly Transplant Complication


Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is a deadly complication among bone marrow transplant patients. This is similar to the body rejecting an organ donation. Scientists are finding blood sample tests to diagnose and extent of this disease in patients. What causes the disease? An immune cell in the donated bone marrow identifies the patient’s cells as a foreign invader and launches an immune attack. This attack most commonly results in a visible skin rash. The immune response can progress and damage internal organs (30% to 40% of the cases prove to be fatal.)

In response, clinicians begin treatment with high doses of steroids. Steroids can suppress the body’s immune response. This strategy can be dangerous and deadly. It raises the risk of infection and can potentially cause a relapse in cancer patients. Scientists found a potential blood sample test. Elafin is an anti-inflammatory protein that is produced by the body in response to skin GVHD. The protein is in relatively high amounts in GVHD victims. James Ferrara, a coauthor of study at the University of Michigan, and his team took weekly blood samples from patients who received bone marrow transplants. The team compared the levels of elafin in 10 patients who have developed GVHD and 20 patients who didn’t. On average, the elafin level in patients who developed skin GVHD were three times higher than those who didn’t develop GVHD. Next, 159 patients with the disease were separated into two groups; those with higher elafin and those who have lower than average, and followed each groups long term survival. After 12 months, three times as many patients died in the high-elafin group from GVHD and its complications than in the low-elafin group. If elafin levels rise before GVHD symptoms develop, it might be possible to identify patients at risk.



 T. Wogan, “Blood Test Developed for Deadly Transplant Complication, “ Science, 1/5/2010. http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2010/01/06-04.html, [2/15/10]

In the Case of Droplets, Opposites Repel

Coulomb’s law states that an opposite electric charges--positive and negative--attract each other. According to this law, oppositely charged water droplets mutually attract each other. This attraction pulls the droplets together, deforming them and forming a shape called a Taylor cone on its surface. Usually the cones touch to form a bridge between the droplets, which then merge. A recent discovery showed a different result than expected from Coulomb’s law. Droplets with a whole lot of charge bounce off each other. In 2005, chemical engineer William Ristenpart was studying the effects of electric charge on droplets of water in oil. His team discovered that if the droplets are carrying low or moderate charges then the cones are short and wide, with a large angle at the top. The surface tension pulls the drops together into one big droplet. However, if the droplets are highly charged, then they pull on each other so strongly that the cones become tall and skinny, with a small angle at their tips. The high surface tension causes the bridge to break, thus making the electric field become virtually negligible. There is no electric charge between them, so they rebound each other. The researchers’ state there is a “critical” angle which droplets do not merge. This finding could cause a rethinking on some important industrial processes, such as the electrostatic separation of water from crude oil.


 P. Berardelli. “In the Case of Droplets, Opposites Repel .” Science, 10/16/2009. 2/18/10  http://news.sciencemag.org/sciencenow/2009/09/16-02.html.