The Veg-Fruit

Wed, 01/16/2013 - 9:39pm by nfocha Tags:

Week 1

My diet is the sun and moon; when I eat well (about 95% of the time), I am a bit health-crazy. However, if I decide to take a leisurely retreat from my healthy habits, I enjoy my break thoroughly. My diet most days can be termed a vegetarian diet. A loose definition of vegetarianism is a diet that excludes meat, fish, and poultry. Therefore, meals can be expected to consist of vegetables, fruits, nuts, grains, etc. Of course, this is excluding that 5% of the time when I ache for a steak. Anyway, the main reason I became a vegetarian was that I wanted to be just like Tina Turner, also a vegetarian. No, just joking. Actually it was a decision made during my years at community college. A boy handed me a flyer with a website on it that, out of sheer curiosity, I looked up.

Tina Turner singing "Simply the Best"

For twenty minutes I watched blood drain from animals while they were still alive and I saw animals beaten, kicked, cursed, and tortured. After that, it did not really matter whether it was a gimmick or not; I just could not go back to meat. I later learned that 18% of the worlds pollution was due to animal production and that the overconsumption of meat in American was leading to our populations increase of obesity, cancer, and heart attacks (Bittman). Although I believe that vegetarianism was a wonderful decision for me, it did require me to find new edible favorites. One of these discoveries was olives, which do not just have interesting origins, but delicious and amazingly healthy benefits. Olives are fruits of the Olea europea tree (a remarkable tree that typically lives for hundreds of years). As just-picked olives are too bitter to eat, curing methods depending on the olive variety, region cultivated, and desired taste, texture, and color are used to reduce their intrinsic bitterness before they are consumed. Contrary to belief, olive color does not always correlate to olive maturity. Some olives start green and remain green or

end up black, while others start black and remain so or turn green. For instance, the California Mission Olive, which is the olive that is particularly unique in the

United States, are typically picked green and un-ripened, lye-cured, and exposed to air to trigger the oxidation and conversion to a black outer coat (Slevkoff). In addition to the olives scrumptious taste, they are known to promote numerous health-protection nutrients. Most recognized are the olives considerable antioxidant and anti-flammatory properties. On another note, diets containing olives also decrease the risk of osteoporosis in estrogen lacking individuals; a health benefit discovered by French researchers testing the effects of olive rich diets on ovary-less rats (Olives). As olives are a delectable treat and remarkable source of antioxidant and antiinflammatory phytonutrients that have the potential to protect from diseases in the cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, musculoskeletal, immune, inflammatory, and digestive systems, I think we all have a perfect excuse to eat these black and green treats daily.

Bibliography Shifko, Robert. Nutritional Benefits of Black Olives. LIVESTRONG.COM The

Limitless Potential of You. 17 October 2010. eHow Health. 16 January 2013.

< http://www.livestrong.com/article/281836-nutritional-benefits-of-black-o.... California Mission Olive. Slow Food USA Supporting Good, Clean, and Fair Food. Mission Olive Preservation, Restoration and Education Project (MOPREP). 16 January 2013. < http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/programs/ark_product_detail/califor.... Slevkoff, Jack. How I Cure: Olives Using a solution of water and lye. GemWorld. 16 January 2013. < http://www.cureolives.com>. Vegetarianism in a Nutshell. The Vegetarian Resource Group: Vegetarianism in a Nutshell. The Vegetarian Resource Group. 16 January 2013. < http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm#what>.

Olives. The Worlds Healthiest Foods. The George Mateljan Foundation. 16 January 2013. < http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=46>.

Fried Cats and Human Dogs

Tue, 01/22/2013 - 4:12pm by nfocha Tags:

Week 2

I did not have a furry friend to cuddle up with during my years living at home; however, it was not for the usual reason that parents provide their children. My mum, whose wacky sense of humor I inherited, told me that in Vietnam, my mums home country, dogs are eaten and not kept as pets. I dont really remember, but I believe I was shocked. I can say that I had a vivid image of my mum serving up my would-be-cat on a platter, so I withdrew my plea for a black, fat, and selfish feline. Of course, soon after I realized that my mum would not actually fry a mammal in her frying pan; however, by then I was used to the no pets rule in our house. Even though I had a happy pet-less childhood, I improvised as much as I could with spiders, rolly-pollies, furry orange catapillers, and a very large mouse which kept me fairly busy. For fun, I would like to ask you what would be your ideal pet. Mine would be the gluttonous and loyal Garfield as he always makes me laugh.

Garfield's Snack Attack

In any case, the artwork that interested me most was the Hox Zodiac project created by our professor Victoria Vesna and Siddharth Ramakrishnan, who is a Neurosience and Integrated Applied Science researcher at Columbia University. This project especially interested me because even though, as a senior at UCLA, most of my schooling has been focused on the sciences, I have always been awed by the beauty, individuality, and variety of art. The Hox Zodiac project combines the fascinating medical potential of the Hox gene with the mysterious Zodiac system developed to help maintain health and balance. Discussing about this project in class reminded me of the Vietnamese Zodiac, called Tu Vi, based on the Eastern Zodiac system. Basically, each year in the zodiac system is represented by a yearly animal sign and its personality attributes (there are

twelve animals). Slight differences in the animal representations set Tu Vi apart from the Chinese Zodiac (i.e. the ox and rabbit are replaced by the buffalo and cat). Instead of repeating only every twelve years, however, the five earthly signs (Wood, Fire, Metal, Water, and Earth) are combined with the twelve animals to create a cycle of 60 years. To look up your own horoscope, please go to this website: http://www.viethoroscope.com/. I, myself, was born in 1994 and therefore I am a wood dog and should be loyal, dependable, unselfish, intelligent, open-minded, stubborn, lazy, and cynical. I very much hope that I am not lazy or cynical, but the others sound better than I expected. Anyway, I close with a link to a trailer of a very cute Japanese manga series that I used to watch that builds its storyline around the legend of the zodiac. I hope you have fun watching it and if you would like to watch the full series, there is always Hulu! Japanese Manga (Fruits Basket) link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtyj2o5CNyY. Bibliography

Cohen, Barbara; Ngoc, Huu. The Vietnamese Zodiac. ThingsAsian: Experience Asia Through the Eyes of Travelers. 1 March 1998. Global Directions, Inc. 22 January 2013. < http://www.thingsasian.com/stories-photos/1198>. Fruits Basket. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 22 January 2013. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 22 January 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fruits_Basket>. People: Lab Member Profile: Siddharth Ramakrishnan. Bioelectronic Systems Lab. 22 January 2013. <http://www.bioee.ee.columbia.edu/~siddhur/>. Ramakrishnan, Siddarth; Vesna, Victoria; Yoldas, Pinar. Hox Zodiac. 22 January 2013. UCLA Art/Sci Center. <http://artsci.ucla.edu/hox/#body>.

VietHoroscope: Your #1 source for Vietnamese horoscopes and zodiac signs. VIET horoscope. 22 January 2013. <http://www.viethoroscope.com/>.

Bloody BatsFake DNA?

Thu, 01/31/2013 - 3:27pm by nfocha Tags:

Week 3

Last Thursdays class, Romie Littrel conducted a fun and enlightening workshop that utilized polymerase chain reaction or PCR to find those in the class who have the gene that encodes for bitter taste perception. I have always been curious about PCR because, even though I learned about it theoretically from my community college in biology and organic chemistry, my lab experience in replicating DNA was by using bacteria (i.e. the old way). PCR is quite fascinating in that it speeds up what usually takes days, in to just about two hours. In those two hours, the PCR enables researchers to produce millions of copies of a specific DNA sequence through cycles that consist of heated denaturation, annealing left and right primers, and Taq polymerase (a thermostable DNA polymerase enzyme that synthesizes DNA molecules from its nucleotide building blocks) synthesizing new DNA. Using PCR in class brought to mind an application of PCR that, being a murder-mystery fanatic when I am not pounding away at my textbooks, I encountered in the past: fabricating DNA evidence. In 2009, Israeli scientists developed a means of fabricating blood and saliva samples containing DNA from a person other than the donor of the blood and saliva. In addition, they even found the method of using a DNA database profile to construct a sample of DNA to match without obtaining any tissue from the profiled person.

New use for pig's blood...planting evidence.

There are two methods to obtain fabricated DNA. The first method is the most simplistic and requires a real, if small, sample of DNA which can be then amplified into a large quantity of DNA using whole genome amplification. The concept of whole genome amplification, also known as WGA, arose as PCR was adapted to replicated regions of genomes that are of biological interest. WGA is the process where genomic DNA is copied multiple times over to produce larger amounts DNA; basically an akin process to PCR. A sample of blood is then obtained from one person and centrifuged to remove the white blood cells. The leftover red blood cells (RBCs) that lack genetic material are injected with another persons DNA, thus giving the blood type of the first person along with the DNA of the second. The second method requires access to DNA profiles,

usually found in law enforcement databases. These databases contain libraries of genomes from which the scientists can clone tiny DNA snippets represntng the common variants at 13 spots in a persons genome. To prepare a DNA sample matching any chosen profile, researchers mix the proper DNA snippets together (they believe that about 425 different DNA snippets would be enough to put together every conceivable profile). All in all, even though fabricated DNA has the potential to lead to faux evidence and is a potential invasion of personal privacy to others, it is an extraordinary use of PCR and makes for a very twisted plot in a thriller. Bibliography 1) http://molecular.roche.com/About/pcr/Pages/ApplicationsofPCR.aspx 2) http://www.lgcgenomics.com/whole-genome-amplification 3) http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-08/scientists-prove-dna-evidencecan-be-fabricated

Love Is In the Neurochemicals

Tue, 02/19/2013 - 1:26pm by nfocha Tags:

Week 6

The lovely workshop last Thursday on Valentines Day with Christina centered on aphrodisiacs and the controversial disembodied cuisine and cultured meat. Aphrodisiacs are substances (in this case foods) that increase sexual desire. The term aphrodisiac originates from the greek goddess of love and beauty, Aphrodite. There have been many foods and drinks alleged to help Aphrodite accomplish her claim to creating love and sexuality. However, these allegations may just have a placebo effect, i.e. they create love and sexual feelings because those who eat them believe that they will, or there may be actual sound

science. Researching some foods that have claims to being aphrodisiacs, I found several that may actually promote attraction. For instance, watermelon is rumored to act similar to Viagra but not in the sense that it directly boosts libido or treat erectile dysfunction, but because it relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow increasing chances of romantic feelings. Other examples of these kinds of foods are oysters (which are said to increase testosterone) and chocolate (which increases release of tiny molecules called neurotransmitters in the brain like serotonin). As you can see, most of these foods do not directly promote attraction between individuals but increase chemicals in the brain (neurochemicals), block receptors (molecules on the surfaces of cells that receive neurochemicals or signals).

A chocolate love.
Learning about these foods abilities to play with molecules in our bodies reminded me of studies done on prairie voles, a small vole found in central North America that looks a bit like a mouse but the size of a rabbit, and the monogamous love that they and only about 5% of mammals experience. Scientists studying these cute creatures found that oxytocin in female voles

promote the mother and child bound during their pregnancy; the curious thing is that oxytocin (a hormone that acts as a modulator in the brain) also creates the pair bond between voles after mating for twenty-four hours.

Just had to share this picture...

Since male voles cannot undergo pregnancy, vasopressin (a hormone found in most mammals) receptors were significantly higher in male voles lateral septum to create the same parent-child bound and vasopressin release in the hypothalamus causes pair-bonding, monogamy, displays of jealousy, and preference for one partner. All in all, food may be the cause of our happiness, but neurochemicals are the reasons we love and attract. Sources: 1) http://www.sciencemag.org/content/322/5903/900.full 2) http://science.howstuffworks.com/aphrodisiac3.htm 3) http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/sexual-and-reproducti... 4) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aphrodisiac 5) http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/18/health/18real.html?_r=0 6) http://www.dnalc.org/view/2376-Love-Pair-Bonding-and-Prairie-Voles.html

Event - Female Competition and Dispersal Patterns in Chimpanzees Seminar

Sat, 03/23/2013 - 1:54am by nfocha Tags:

Week 10

I attended the Female Competition and Dispersal Patterns in Chimpanzees seminar on Monday, February 25th where Anne Pussy, a professor Evolutionary Anthropology at Duke University presented her research on mother-infant relationships and effects of maternal conditions on behavior of young chimps. Most interesting in her lecture was that mothers on a high fiber diet lose about 10% of their body weight and show a significantly higher rejection factor to their offspring than do mothers on a lower fiber diet (and therefore, I suppose a higher weight). To compensate for this mother aversion, progeny will increase their attempts at contact. Further trials have revealed that the lower the mothers weight, the more rejecting she would be.

A mother chimp and her child...

Other important findings of Professor Pussys research was that infants are not passive recipients of maternal care decisions and that infants have adapted to respond to variations in maternal behavior. I have usually found studies of chimps interesting because of their highly intelligent behavior compared to rats or mice that I usually use in my lab studies. I am happy to say that I found the correlation between weight and rejection of mothers to be astounding, as I would have thought that the lower the females weight, the healthier she would be and the more she would be willing to take care of her progeny. Also the discovery that young chimps adjust their behavior depending on their mothers reactions and behaviors is very human-like and an impressive find.

Event - LASER (March 7th)

Sat, 03/23/2013 - 1:30am by nfocha Tags:

Week 10

To the left, Marepe's amplifying head and to the right is Tschape's Transmogrification of the Woman.
On March 7th, 2013, I went to the Leonardo Art Science Evening Rendezvous (LASER) event and listened to several of the most inventive and exciting artists, authors, researchers, and so on. Some of these people include Madeline Schwartzman, Amisha Gadani, Seri Robinson, Blanka Buic, Allison Carruth, and more. One of the projects that captured my interest was Madeline Schwartzmans, an artist and author, book called See Yourself Sesing: Redefining Human Perception. Schwartzmans book explores the relationship between design, the body, technology, and the sensations over the last fifty years. Some of these innovative ideas that she includes in her books are seeing with your tongue and plugging your nervous system directly in a computer. My favorite in her book is the Acoustic Head by Marepe which is designed to amplify singing and the Transmogrification of the Woman by Janaina Tschape.

Defensive Procupine

Detaching-Skink-Tail Dress
Another favorite presenter of mine was Amisha Gadani, an artist, who designed defensive dresses. One such dress was a porcupine dress with quills that stand erect when the wearer hunches over in a protective position. Another fascinating dress is a mimic of the skinks ability to detach its tail when captured by a predator. Listening to these presentations was a wonderful opportunity and made me curious enough to explore fields and ideas that I would never had known about.