dfmiller's blog

Immunotherapy is typically a treatment associated with cancer, but this therapy can actually be applied to many more ailments. Immunotherapy is essentially the activation, or suppression, of the immune system in order to help combat disease. Specifically, the reprogramming of CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor T cells) to attack specific targets in the body holds many uses. In patients with autoimmune disorders, these CAR-Ts can be engineered to attack and destroy human immune cells that produce self-attacking antibodies. Other uses include combating inflammation, and even as treatments against donated organ rejection. The ability to tweak our immune systems manually, and either amplify or nullify responses, is an advance in medicine that cannot be overstated.

In figure 28, the two images appear to be very much alike. First of all, the color between the two diagrams appear to be different. The second figure features pictures that seem to be a bit more washed out than the first. Secondly, in comparing example A between the two figures, the second figure seems to be at a different angle to the tree than the first. Finally, the lettering among the two figures is different. When compared to the first, the second figure features slightly smaller lettering and a larger black background to the letter than the first figure.

Outline:

1. Image Quality
   1. Second figure appears to be much more blue in tone; washed out
   2. This color range decreases the quality of the overall figure
   3. Less contrast in 2nd figure, less detail
2. Camera Position
   1. Figure 2 features a different camera angle for panel A
   2. Figure 2 features a further camera distance for panel B
   3. Figure 2 features a lower camera angle for panel C
3. Formatting of Figure
   1. Lettering for each figure is different
   2. Figure 2 features smaller lettering and a widening of black background square behind text than figure 1

    In trees, phytophagy can be observed in a sturdy, long lasting structure. In my research, I seeked out this specific variety of plant for that very reason. I was walking back to my dorm room from class northbound along Thatcher Way, when I reached the southern side of Lewis Hall. Parallel with the southern wall of the building, the closest wall to Thatcher hall, I looked to my right and I observed a tree with a large central gash in the trunk. The tree was in between the road and the building along a row of garden area. This particular tree is located directly to an asphalt ramp that leads to Thatcher Way. Upon further inspection, I observed a small pile of wood shavings at the base of the tree, indicating possible insect predation on the organism. 

The idea of a gay gene has been long debated and sought after among geneticists. After years of persecution and discrimination, some members of the LGBT community support such a search, in the hopes of scrapping the argument that their way of life is unnatural. Others vehemently oppose it, however, since they claim that it will only open up a worse form of discrimination. Those who oppose same-sex relationships may be able to alter their children's genetic makeup if it is revealed they have a homosexual predisposition. In a recent international study, however, a single genetic marker for homosexuality now seems rather unlikely. What seems more likely, however, is partial polygenic predisposition in conjunction with environmental factors. As with most genetic conditions, a cut and clear SNP, indel, etc are usually not responsible for an entire phenotype, but rather a group of genes working together for that expression. While this polygenic expression of phenotype allows for more diversity, it of course results in a much more difficult time deciphering the genetic origins of human and animal behavior.

Antibiotics have fundamentally changed medicine for the better. The onset of penicillin and other antibiotics seemed to spell the end for many bacteria-related illnesses. What medical professionals did not realize was that they were putting these bacteria under extreme artificial selection. This selection chose for antibiotic resistance, which has now surged into a public health epidemic. Due to this, researchers are actively seeking alternatives to these drugs. Bacteriophages-viruses that attack bacteria-are one such contender. Their specificity for bacterial cells and their ability to evolve alongside evolving bacterial defenses are ideal in a treatment that will stand the test of time. Another possibility are bacteriocins. These toxins are released by competing bacteria to inhibit growth. Research is pending on both these solutions in human treatment, but the future for fighting bacterial infections seems bright.

The pursuit of green energy is a necessity to combat climate change; this much is certain. However, the way we are approaching this transition to renewable energy needs to be reevaluated. Green initiatives across the world tout wind, solar, and a distancing from fossil fuel-based energy production as goals not only in their respective countries, but globally. One green source of energy seems to be missing from this conversation, and that is nuclear. Nuclear energy has become unfavorable in the eyes of climate activists for several reasons, mainly their association to nuclear weapons and the possibility of meltdowns. What these activists have not been studying, however, is new progress in liquid fluoride thorium reactors (LFTR). These reactors are meltdown-resistant via new safety features. LFTRs feature a dump tank sealed off by a salt plug that melts in the case of an emergency. These reactors also cannot meltdown, since the core reaction is already in the molten state. Obtaining weapons-grade uranium from an LFTR is difficult, since these products are in solution with molten salt in the reactor. In addition, these reactors do not produce as much long-lived nuclear waste as traditional uranium-based reactors. Nuclear energy is the only real, efficient solution to our energy crisis, and therefore deserves a front and center place in global discussion.

Figure 1. Micriscopic image of allium root tip. Root cap (bottom) surrounding apical maristem (center) in allium onion root tip. "Apical Meristem in Allium Root Tip" flickr photo by bccoer https://flickr.com/photos/146824358@N03/34886440510 shared into the public domain using (CC0)

The pursuit of green energy is a necessity to combat climate change; this much is certain. However, the way we are approaching this transition to renewable energy needs to be reevaluated. Green initiatives across the world tout wind, solar, and a distancing from fossil fuel-based energy production as goals not only in their respective countries, but globally. One green source of energy seems to be missing from this list, and that is nuclear. Nuclear energy has become unfavorable in the eyes of climate activists due to two factors; an association to nuclear weapons and the possibility of a meltdown. What these activists have not been studying, however, is new progress in liquid fluoride thorium reactors (LFTR). These reactors are meltdown-resistant via new safety features, and produce contaminated radioactive products which are not ideal for weapons manufacture. In addition, these reactors do not produce as much nuclear waste in general as traditional uranium-based reactors. What results from the implementation of LFTRs is a sustainable, safe, and efficient method of energy production that can out-produce any other form of green energy. Their acceptance by the public will assuredly result in a positive trend for carbon emissions globally.

Public health is a relatively new concern in the history of mankind. This is not due to people simply not caring, but rather their inability to understand how illnesses are spread. Germ theory was essential in order to help contain and prevent transferrable disease. Before this advancement in microbiology, medical professionals had to theorize the cause of illnesses. These doctors proposed humoral and subsequently miasma theory. Humoral theory proposed that imbalances of phlegm, red bile, black bile, and blood. Miasma theory suggested that illness was caused by miasma, or bad air, usually emanating from rotten organic matter. As wrong as miasma theory was, it certainly was a better explanation than humoral theory. The idea that filth, rotten material, and stenches harbored illnesses is still something expressed by people today, and therefore must have some truth.