Blogs

My summer research project has two major components. Both components use a tetracycline-controlled transcriptional activation system, a system designed to control transgene expression. The system can be designed so that the addition of tetracycline turns on expression or turns off expression, giving the systems the names Tet-On and Tet-Off, respectively. In this experiment, I will be using the Tet-On system. In a Tet system, the tetracycline transactivator (tTA) must be bound to an operator sequence on the DNA in order for transcription to occur. In the case of Tet-On, the tTA is only able to bind to the operator when also bound to tetracycline or a tetracycline derivative such as doxycycline. The addition of the doxycycline allows transcription to begin, giving very tight temporal control. 

There are many different types of modeling systems that are aimed at modeling different types of situations and observing different types of outcomes. Some are more simple than others, depending on the complexity of the system and the problem at hand. Simplest of all is the decision tree. Decision trees provide a logical and linear structure for a decision made and the event that occurs due to this decision. An example with respect to public health is a simple and easily distinguished outcome; a patient receives treatment and the outcome is they live, they do not receive treatment and they die. This model is very useful when dealing with situations in which there are a limited number of possible events, and there is a short timeline for the scenario. However, decision trees are not as useful when dealing with high variable and complex situations. Markov Models are slightly more complex simulations, which model chains of events in a “memoryless” manner, where predictions are only based on current states with no regard to past states. These models can be used to “many features present in the clinical process, such as risk of disease over time, [and] changing health states over time” (Kuntz et al. 2013). However, its disregard for past events leaves many important variables out of the equation that greatly impact future events. A final and more complex system of modeling is dynamic models, also known as infectious disease models. This type of model typically involves the simulation of interactions between humans and humans with other species. In order to simulate these interplays, complex differential equations must be used, leading to a more complex model. The transmission of disease based on spatial details and individual interactions can be be greatly detailed by this modeling system, leading to accurate quantification of impact of the disease. This data can allow simulation of interventions as well, so that transmission can be stopped. All of these modeling systems can be useful to predict and display public health issues and interventions.

The role of systems modeling in public health provides decision makers from all sectors of the health sciences with a dynamic, broad outlook at a complex system in order to make a fully informed decision based on the question at hand. The most relevant feature of systems modeling is the ability to analyze the immense number of interconnections between parts, that cannot necessarily be seen with basic models and deep thinking. This dynamic complexity of models allows for long delays between cause and effect to be seen more easily, discerning roots of problems that may have never been considered otherwise. Additionally, this feature also allows for future policies to modeled before implementation, showing all potential intended and unintended effects. These qualities allow officials and policy makers to learn exactly why past initiatives have failed when not obvious, and demonstrate an informed, calculated estimate of the of the aspects that are helpful and harmful in potential policies. This information if very useful to “troubleshoot” elements of policies, and alter certain variables of the policy in order to try and create the most effective and positive version. Factors that are considered in these dynamic models include environmental factors, risk and health factors, resource availability, economic status, and access to social and health services. Overall, the goal of systems modeling in public health is to analyze and create a rational, systematic decision under conditions leading to uncertainty. Providing a logical and transparent structure for decision making allows policy-makers and health care officials to make a sound and informed decision in the most complex of situations.

In multicellular life all of the cells must be interconnected with intricate process that keep them alive and supplied with energy and other resources. This is one of the reasons why unicellular life proliferated well before multicellular life. Shubin states: “Here’s a humbling thought for all of us worms, fish, and humans: most of life’s history is the story of single-celled creatures. Virtually everything we have talked about thus far—animals with hands, heads, sense organs, even body plans—has been around for only a small fraction of the earth’s history. Take the entire 4.5-billion-year history of the earth and scale it down to a single year… Until June, the only organisms were single-celled microbes, such as algae, bacteria, and amoebae... The first human appears on December 31(Shubin 158).” The novel obviously focuses on the evolution of the humans body. However, Shubin does a remarkable job of keeping everything in perspective and highlighting just how anthropocentric we are. It is important to highlight the sheer number of species that came before us, because we are merely a conglomerate of remarkably similar DNA and morphological features.

            Throughout decades, NASA has been trying to improve their strategies to gaining access to places within our solar system and improve their technologies to enable its capabilities in future missions and support other spaceflight activities. One project that they are in the development is the Solar Electric Propulsion, or the (SEP). This new project is a cost-effective way to lengthen and improve the capabilities of space travel to enable NASAs ability to seek new missions beyond their current capability. This project will use on-board solar arrays which will act as a solar propellant as oppose to the current chemical propulsion system, in which the solar array will be able to use 10 times less propellant with the same effect, saving cost and resources in the initial stages of getting the craft to Earth’s orbit. This new propulsion system will use high-powered solar energy from sunlight and convert it into electrical energy to the thrusters that can provide a movement force of more than 65,000 mph. In addition to its space exploration capabilities, it can also be used in other missions such as the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission which can benefit from the low-cost, high efficiency technology.

In my opinion, this is very important for future missions in space. The cost-effective and equal power of this no propulsion system will enable us to do more missions since we have the resources and money. More missions means more insight and the possibility of space missions further and further since the sun’s rays can travel for distances, meaning the space craft will not run out of fuel to travel. 

This procedure is so new that some patients feel mislead because they were under the impression that it was just as accurate as an amniocentesis. When the results from the test came back with some issues, they might think that the fetus is definitively unhealthy when that could just be the mother’s DNA interfering with the screening. Because of the rising popularity of this procedure, it is important for doctors to to familiarize both themselves and patients about this test. The companies that offer these new screenings are providing the information about their products and because there is a high demand, learning how to use the new tools is vital to providing the most accurate healthcare.

- before writing your first draft of your lab report, it is important to understand the experiment, take good notes and make good observations
- the goal of a lab report is the same regardless of structure variations: “document your findings and communicate their significance” (pg 89)
- an ideal lab report is in IMRAD format: Title page, Abstract, Intro, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, etc
- this format is supposed to represent a textual version of the scientific method: developing a hypothesis, testing it and deciding whether your findings support the hypothesis
- presenting your ideas, results, methods and background information is one thing, but it is more important to convey your understanding of the results, write a thorough discussion and show your knowledge of the why and how
- it may seem that the title is not as important as the rest of the sections however, it is the first thing that a reader sees and judges on whether or not he/she will read the article, the title needs to be 3 things: clear, succinct and complete
ex: avoid phrases such as “a study of..” and only use well-known abbreviations such as DNA or RNA, avoid general and
vague titles
ex: to make sure the title is complete, compare it to your hypothesis
- not all lab reports have title pages, so make sure to check what the requriements are for that particular report
- why is writing an Abstract one of the most important skills in science? because all of your work will be judged based on what is written in the abstract
- guidelines for writing abstract: summarize the contents of the report in one paragraph, written so that it can stand alone, include only the most important details of the paper, use as few words as possible (lab report abstract are about 50-150 words long)
- there are five things that need to be included in the Abstract paragraph: question/purpose, experimental approach, results, conclusion/implication, optional: scientific background and significance
- your abstract can end with a sentence stating an implication, etc, but is should not end with a general descriptive statement that merely hints at your results
- Introductions serve a purpose to interest your reader, to provide sufficient background info so that they can understand why youy study was performed and what specific research question/hypothesis you addressedd
ex: for lab reports, they are short, state the hypothesis, maybe the approach and contain some background info
ex: for a journal article/research paper, the introduction is longer, contain additional details and background info as
well as a very specific unknown to explain the overall purpose

"Your Inner Fish" is the first episode of a documentary series about a vertebrae paleontologist named Neil Shubin. The focus of this episode is to discuss how humans evolved from fish. It considers Darwin's common ancestor theory and talks about how the same basic structure of forelimbs exists in mammals and their fish-like ancestor that they also share with birds and reptiles. There are significant similarities between the human embryo and the fish embryo. The portion of the human embryo that corresponds to gills, or what will be gills, in the fish embryo, forms the lower jaw, middle ear, and voice box in humans, and this represents the changes that evolution has brought about. A gene called hedgehog tells cells how to things in a specific order depndeing on how close they are to a specific signal. Tiktaalik is the missing link in the line of evolution between fish and humans that paleontologists have been searching for, as it has the same forelimb pattern as humans.

Patients exhibiting a resistance to existing therapies regarding BCR-ABL inhibition which leads to cancer programmed cell death and other long-term responses. A common observed mechanism of resistance is the acquisition of a second site mutation in the BCR-ABL itself. A mutation in the ATP binding pocket at the ‘gatekeeper’ residue theorine 315.  This mutation results in the inhibition of optimal binding of inhibitors like imantinib, however, still permitting ATP hydrolysis, and this restores BCR-ABL signaling in the presence of inhibitors. Another example involves resistance to oncogene-targeted drugs which results as a mutation of alternate components of oncogene-induced signaling pathways. Mutant BRAF signal through the MAPK signaling pathways stimulates melanoma growth.  One resistance mechanism to BRAF inhibitors is the acquisition of activation mutations in other MAPK pathways components like NRAS. These types of mutations restore MAPK oncogenic pathways signals despite continued therapeutic techniques of inhibitions of mutant BRAF. We know that activated RAS activates MAPKKK by binding to it and then this leads to the activation of MAPKK by phosphorylation, and then MAPK which then proceeds to activate proteins or transcription regulators in order to change protein activity or gene expression. 

The separate category of transportation isnt the only category I could have chosen. Another category I could have chosen would been personal care, in my mind this includes personal hygiene acts, eating and other time spent to improving personal health such as going to the gym. I begin my day by showering and brushing my teeth I then began with breakfast, which included a banana and a coffee. After my two classes I went to blue wall where I ate lunch from The Deli and a glass of water. After lunch I walked over to the Rec Center beginning my workout on the second floor and ending it on the third floor on the stationary bikes. After this I went home showered, had a snack and then later on in the night I made dinner. Before bed I brushed my teeth one last time.