Drafts

The scientific articles Smart behavior of true slime mold in a labyrinth and Monophagous leaf‐mining larvae of Stigmella (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) on birch: patterns and differentiation in exploitation of the host have many similarities and difference in their written styles. Both articles use a level 1 header and have some text before the introduction which give background information on the study. Both of the articles use level 2 headers for their sub-sections and both articles have sub-sections. These subsections explain what the following section will be about. In the Smart behavior of true slime mold article, the subsections give a basic description of what the section will be on. The Monophagous leaf‐mining article uses a traditional sub-section style consisting of an introduction, methods, etc. Both achieve a similar premise of describing what the following section is about. The sections in Smart behavior of true slime mold usually begin with an introductory sentence which gives the reader a basic overview of what will be discussed, while the Monophagous leaf‐mining article begins each section by jumping straight into the content and skipping the 'fluff'. In both articles, the sub-sections are used to introduce the new content to continue the flow of the paper. Again They both contain figures and descriptions of those figures. At the end of the articles, both papers have a reference section written in a similar fashion in alphabetical order. The way the informative paragraphs are written, in the introduction, are similar as well. Both articles begin fairly broad in the beginning and give basic information that leads the reader toward a more in-depth understanding of the subject and what the article is ultimately about. However, each article approaches this task differently. The Smart behavior of true slime mold is written in more colloquial terms and is easier to read for someone who may not be very scientifically oriented. Examples of this are the uses of the first person 'we' and how a question was asked open-endedly 'What sort of behavior could be expected?'. This style is not very common in scientific writing and not present in the Monophagous leaf‐mining article. However, this is not to say that the final product of one or the other doesn't achieve what it set out to do. They both follow logical flow schemes which lead the reader to a conclusion and are organized in their own ways from broad to precise. The Monophagous leaf‐mining article does this in a writing style many consider proper scientific writing.

All of the mutations for sickle cell disease happens at 14p15.4. (OMIM). However, there are different types of mutation that can occur in the same place, and as a result, have similar effects. For example, the most common mutation is 141900.0243. This mutation causes the HBs variant of sickle cell disease, which is common in people who have traditionally lived in a tropical climate. Another variant is the HBc disease, which occurs in children. There have also been other mutations described, such as sickle cell (SE) disease, SC(Arab) disease, and SC (Harlem) disease which all have their own mutations.

    There is a clear genotype/phenotype association. The location that the mutation occurs is essential to the hemoglobin structure, and as a result, any mutation that happens in that part of the gene is likely to have the phenotype of sickle cell disease, although there are some variants of the disease that may be different. 

There are many factors that increase and decrease the severity. For genetic modifiers, having a Bantu/CAR type or Benin type of the modifiers is more likely to have more severe symptoms and more likely to be hospitalized. This is the same with low levels of Hbf, which can mitigate the effect of HBs. a high number of alpha-globin genes is also likely to make the disease worse. Higher wind speed, humidity, and pollution such as PM are also more likely to cause the disease to be worse. In addition, a problem with access to health care is also likely to cause the disease to worsen.

As a veterinary technician one of my many jobs in the hospital is to run appointments alongside a doctor. The very first thing that I do each day is go through the entire schedule and review what each pet is coming in for and make sure that their medical record matches their appointment notes for that day. For example, if a dog has an appointment for a wellness exam and a rabies vaccine, I want to ensure that the dog is actually due for a rabies vaccine. When the client checks in for the appointment, I then walk to the reception area, obtain a clip board that has a check-in sheet on it and call out the name of the patient that is here for the appointment. I then bring the client and the pet into the exam room. I always introduce myself as “Nikki, one of the technicians here” so the owner of the pet knows who I am and what my roll is in the hospital. I then begin by confirming the patient is there for the correct thing. If the pet is there for a wellness appointment I may say “I see you’re here with your pet to get a wellness exam and up to date on vaccines.” If the owner confirms this is correct, I then ask a very open-ended question “How is (lets say fluffy) doing today? Any concerns?” This opens the floor for the owner to tell me about anything they can think of that may be of concern to them. Sometimes concerns can include that their pet has been itching a lot lately. Sometimes the owner states they have no concerns at all. I then ask a slew of detailed questions as I am searching for very particular information about the pets well being that the owner may have forgotten to mention, or possibly they didn’t realize could be a negative aspect to their pet’s health. I ask if their pet has had any coughing, sneezing, vomiting, or diarrhea. I also as if their pet has any increase in drinking or urination. I will also ask how their pet’s energy, activity and behavior has been. I want to know what their pet eats and how much. I also ask if their pet goes to boarding facilities or daycares or any other place where they are exposed to other animals. While I am asking these questions, I will be watching and accessing the pet’s behavior. A dog that is fearful may sit quietly. They may be panting, or lip smacking, which is basically licking their lips. Many people do not know that lip smacking is a sign of anxiety for dogs. Some dogs are happy to be there jumping up on me wagging their tail. Cats generally are sitting quiet with their legs tucked in underneath themselves. Their tail may be twitching at the end. Cats like that are generally not happy and possibly anxious, fearful, or stressed. Cats that are lounging around with their legs out or walking around bunting items in the exam room are comfortable and not afraid to be there. After asking questions and documenting them in the medical record I weigh the patient and record their weight. I then exit the exam room to round the doctor on how the pet is doing, what they are due for, and what the owner would like to have done. I will then draw up vaccines and get their invoice for the visit all set in the software system that we use. I enter the room with the doctor and restrain the pet for the physical exam and vaccines. If they pet is do for lab work I will then take the pet to the treatment area in our hospital while the owner discuses any questions or significant findings during the pets physical exam. I will draw blood, collect urine if needed, trim nails, then bring the pet back to the exam room. At this point the owner is usually finishing up talking to the doctor and will be heading to the reception area to then check out for their appointment. Of course, not all appointments run like this because not all appointments are just wellness visits for vaccines. Some appointments may include giving injectable medications, subcutaneous fluids, or even in extreme cases life saving procedures such as CPR.  

When setting up a participant for a sleep study, there are 3 types of electrodes that must be properly placed. The first are EEG, electroencephalogram, which are placed around the head and measure brain activity. The second are EOG, electrooculography, which are placed on the sides of the eyes and measure rapid eye movements. The third are EMG, electromyography, which are placed in certain positions on the face. The participant wears an embletta unit that all electrodes are plugged into, as well as two respiratory belts, one for the thorax and one for the abdomen. There is also a nasal cannula and thermistor that the particpant must wear that measure air flow and temperature, as well as EKG monitors for the heart and leg electrodes that will detect restless leg movements. Finally, once the participant's equipment is all set up and everything is working correctly, their head is wrapped with pre-wrap to make sure everything stays secure during the night. 

GMOs, or genetically modified organisms, are all around us, but the stigma that people have surrounded them with are misinforming the public. There is this idea that consuming or handling a genetically modified produce item could hurt you or affect your health in some way. Crops have been naturally and artificially evolving for thousands of years, and just because the most recent forms of most are due to human interference, does not mean that they are more likely to hurt you. The process through which food can be genetically modified has helped us as a society become healthier as a whole, making sure we all get the most nutrients possible. It has also led to new technologies that are still being developed but will be extremely beneficial to medicine long term. 

With this assignment in the back of my mind, I am constantly looking for more and more plants on campus that provide evidence of phytophagy. As I was walking to the gym earlier today, I noticed another tree with many leaves that had holes in them and brown discoloring. It seems like every leaf on that tree had been chewed on by insects and had a brown discoloring around the entire leaf. The more I look and stare at a plant, it seems like almost every plant I see shows some evidence of phytophagy on this campus. This specific leaf that I took a picture of was near the bottom of the tree where leaves began to grow. The tree itself was located to the right of the main entrance of Boyden Gym near the first row of parking in the lot. The holes on the leaf werent perfectly round so that shows that something was eating it and in this case it was definitely insects. 

For the article on the behavior of slime mold in a labyrinth, the article only had level one headings, which divided the paper into separate topics that the author wanted to cover. The article on monophagous leaf-mining larvae, on the other hand, had a level one headings that divided the paper into a traditional introduction, method, result, and Discussion, but also further divided each section into level two headings, each covering a slightly different part of the experiment that was done.

The CRISPR-Cas9 system of gene editing seems to be quite a promising treatment for genetic disorders among humans. There are still many roadblocks in the way of this method becoming an actual treatment method anytime soon. Firstly, the accuracy of affected DNA sequences is not entirely precise. Off target edits utilizing CRISPR-Cas9 have plummeted, certainly, but are still not accurate enough for actual human treatment. Additionally, new research has shown that the human body initiates immune responses towards Cas9. This greatly lowers the efficacy of CRISPR-Cas9 treatment, and may delay this treatment's entry into medical treatment even further. With all the fervor currently about this method of gene editing, it is important to assess the challenges associated with CRISPR-Cas9 and to ensure that these treatments are safe and effective when brought to market.
 

Professor Sarah Pallas gave a seminar lecture earlier this week I believe on Monday, and I unfortuately did not attend, but coworkers of mine did and described to me the study she presented to discuss. She works in zoology and neuroscience, and so her topic was the canibalistic behaviors of hamsters. In short, female hamsters often eat their mates, cohabitating hamsters will eat each other, and mothers often eat their young. As a biology major who has studied the evolution and psychology, this had me baffled; A mother hamster eats her offspring. Evolutionarily, typically organisms form behaviors that benefit their own survival and the survival of their progeny. In complex organisms, children will be prioritized: A mother will give her life for a baby. Paternally its a different story because its not such a guarentee that the offspring is genetically theirs. Anyway, so the offspring should be valued above self because that is the ultimate goal of life. If the progeny don't survive, then the individual's genetics will never live beyond their own live, and all lives being finite, it will not pass on its genes to the species population. This all goes completely out the window when considering the canibalism of a mother eating her kids. She has put in her physical energy into these beings for them to expand her genetic outreach in the species and live past her own generation, but she turns around and consumes her fruit to be of seemingly no evolutionary benefit. Its much more worth your time to find food than grow a child for dinner. I begin to wonder the short-term benefits of this that may drive this behavior. A food source, less competition for one offspring if the others are killed, and thats it. The take aways are significant: no futured genetic line. Without offspring it diminishes the point to continue living to simply staying alive for oneself. This would be worth it if the mother had significant fertility remaining, but the offspring that are on the cusp of pubescence are going to be more fertile and have far more chance to reproduce than an already-parent would, and considering that the offspring would pass on the genes of the parents to yet another generation seems like the children should be spared when food is scarce. This question of "Why" extends far beyond hamsters though, considering the news articles and horror stories written about human behaviors of parents killing their own kids. One specific one comes to mind: Casey Anthony. This case involved the extreme addiction of the mother to drugs, alcohol, and partying, so much that it came before her daughter's life. This psychology, unfortunately, happens a lot. Addiction can overrule many a benefitial behavior and there are endless examples party to that statement. This case with the hamster however is driven by the need to basic survival, not a rewiring of the brain to demand one thing over the hard-wired other, but an organized behavior built-in. Its very interesting, and I still don't get why it happens, so I should have gone to the seminar. 

Monophagous Leaf-Mining Larvae of Stigmella (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) on Birch and Behavior of True Slime Mold in a Labyrinth share relatively similar level 1 headings. Although Monophagous Leaf-Mining Larvae of Stigmella gives a more descriptive title than the other document. In addition,  Monophagous Leaf-Mining Larvae of Stigmella (Lepidoptera: Nepticulidae) on Birch has more traditional level 2 headings, outlining the introduction, methods, results, and discussion. Smart Behavior of True Slime Mold in a Labyrinth, however, has level 2 headings that reflect the progression of thought rather than following the traditional scientific paper set up.