Answers

The next two weeks promised to be quite a whirlwind ride with so many activities decorating my bursting calender. So if I don't get back to you, be understanding...otherwise you will be unnecessarily frustrated

Mon-Wed - cca leader camp. on the day of return I will also have to head down to yishun scs for volunteer work as as all will gather to wash car to raise funds.
Thurs (Vesak Day) - meeting my 2 student leaders for an impt briefing for a recce trip the very next day (0600hrs). Pack pack. make sure everything is in order.
Friday (wee hours in morning) - fly off to Chiangmai for recce trip which will end on 4 Jun (Mon)
4 Jun (Mon) - upon landing, if there is a need to, will have to go back to school to help out with the sci camp starting on the 5th.
5-8 Jun (Tues - Thurs) - Science Camp which I am heavily involved in.
9 Jun (Fri) - debrief for Sci Camp and the finally arrived break!
Whoosh! It is going to be an amazing n challenging two weeks.

When will I be ready for consultation?
If you are ready, you can come down on the second wk during the period of the science camp because I am not involved in the workshops so if you let me know, I can set up a timing for both of us (or more). But beyond that....

looking at my calendar(as of current status)
: 11-12-13 looks good (mon-wed of third wk)
so does 18-19-20 (mon-wed of last wk)
But then again, you might catch me on other days too so let me know if you are planning to come down to school. I already promised some of you I will be here.

maybe i will post up a google calendar later or something...
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As promised, the answers to my mcqs:




Ok, I need to find out who has the answers ready for that huge stack of mcqs.

And JC, I thought a vague sequel was up or am I missing something? :)

CMI or not?

you can continue making excuses for their bad grades but when they are not even making the effort, it is frustrating. when is late too late?

Where Do We Go From Here?

My eyes are so weary that I can barely keep them focused today- I think I had stared at the computer screen for too long when doing my research on some conceptual inconsistency. So I simply let the tide of time washed me over and carried me through the day as I dealt with piles of work to be settled before the holidays slip in.
But I thought before I end my day of meetings, I could share some thought, just an itsy bitsy bite after a thought by a student.
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Within less than a year, we will have to make an important decision. A decision that can easily carved out your life in the next 10 years to come and are we ready to make such a decision?

This crossroad is ruthless with many things at stake: pride, glory, stability, peer pressure & maybe the taste of freedom.

I was at this junction once and I understand the struggle just a little bit. But I was slightly more lucky because I get two years to think about what I may want but it is not so for the ladies. In the end, after my two and a half yrs stint with the NS, I applied for a teaching scholarship and was offered one, which ironically, considering where I am now, rejected it after the briefing when we are supposed to sign the contract and sealed our fate.

Why did I apply for it and why did I reject it?
I always thought I want to be teacher but when I come to that decision moment, which I pondered for days, I just have to reject it, I long understood that having an interest alone sometimes is not enough. Can I or will I be the teacher I envisioned myself to be? If I screwed up, who will take the fall? Also, the scholarship did not allow me to take biochemistry (then) but only pure biology - not that I think they will offer to me anyway. So, after checking on the financial status of my family, I rejected the offer although I still pursue the same dream but at my own accord. When I entered Uni, I rejected the offer to play varsity Softball but decided to devote my time to social work to understand my comfort zone in dealing with youths and to really know if I am estrangled from the new generations. I wanted to know if it is still realistic to pursue my dream with my character because this job entails a lot from one. So somehow, I ended up working with youths for 7 years, abused and traumatised by them. Sometimes, it is very tiring and you burnt a hole in your heart because the relationships you handle can be very fragile and there may not be any reciprocity and sometimes I wonder how long can I hold out - I need a decent break every now and then to recharge.
NO need to say, I eventually the plunge to enter this profession (I was quite worried that I might get rejected by the ministry bcos of the less than amiable issue in the past). It actually took me courage because when you really take the plunge into a dream, it can either shatter or embrace you but I took the cue from Paulo Coehl's The Alchemist.
Despite all that, even now, I am not sure if I am doing the right thing or have made the right decision. I only know that I will always do my best even if I cannot be the teacher I envision to be.
Do I regret my choice? I don't because I knew the consequences when I made my decision although I must admit that I am not immune to a fleeting sense of envy when teaching scholars appeared. But only for that fleeting moment because I also know that without the scholarship I was then able to really explore my choices, face my challenges and inner demons, overcome many odds which only made me stronger. The person you see now is very different from what he used to be.

My friends and I always laughed at my predicament now. how lugi I am compared to my peers who took up the scholarship but they also respected and admired my beliefs and stood by me all this time when I ran headlong with all the potential obstacles and depressions. I guess I was never the conventional one, ready to be a rebel and fights for my own beliefs and ever-ready to take chances and get hurt.
But I must admit that I am lucky in path I walked so far.

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Can we make a decision now?
It is not a question which I can answer for you. I have seen both the extremes. Of friends in comfort of where they are and others hating every working day. I have heard of lost chances and frustration and also acceptance of their callings.
If you are willing, I can only offer an ear and bring some perspectives into your contemplation.


Enuff. I cannot make it already...

Questions of the week_18 May 07

Back in business.

Immune Response and Timing
We discussed about this in class but i think some are still a bit lost and I need to clarify something so here is it again in a more structured form:

Apologies to the Fleas but the amount of antibody in the serum can drop to zero but not the population of B-cells producting it! (I was thinking of the B-cells then)

Anyway, in a similar fashion, the number of a particular subset of B-cells will increase with the invasion of a foreign body (there will be a time lag of course)and increased secretion of antibodies. But the no of B-cells will subside subsequently when apoptotic mechanism is triggered in most while the rest remained with memory of the antigen they have fought against.
So while the B-cell may be around, they may not produce antibodies (especially after the primary immune response)

For the secondary response, it will be greater+faster (because the B-cells have a good memory or what we called primed and there is a larger population compared to when the antigen first strike) and the production then can last a longer time with persistent levels for months or even years.

Gene Therapy

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_therapy:

On September 14, 1990 at the U.S. National Institutes of Health Brandon Rogers performed the first approved gene therapy procedure on four-year old Ashanthi DeSilva. Born with a rare genetic disease called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), she lacked a healthy immune system, and was vulnerable to every passing germ. Children with this illness usually develop overwhelming infections and rarely survive to adulthood; a common childhood illness like chickenpox is life-threatening. Ashanthi led a cloistered existence — avoiding contact with people outside her family, remaining in the sterile environment of her home, and battling frequent illnesses with massive amounts of antibiotics.

In Ashanthi's gene therapy procedure, doctors removed white blood cells from the child's body, let the cells grow in the lab, inserted the missing gene into the cells, and then infused the genetically modified blood cells back into the patient's bloodstream. Laboratory tests have shown that the therapy strengthened Ashanthi's immune system; she no longer has recurrent colds, she has been allowed to attend school, and she was immunized against whooping cough. This procedure was not a cure; the white blood cells treated genetically only work for a few months, after which, the process must be repeated (VII, Thompson [First] 1993).

As discussed in class so note that the solution provided in your notes is only a suggestion which I felt can be improved on.
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This article talks about the promise and fall of gene therapy in clinical trials.
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v435/n7041/full/nj7041-530a.html