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Caduceus
Newsletter: Fall 2009.17, Week of
December 13
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The Folklore of Mistletoe (See article #4).
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Table of
Contents: 1. The United States Air Force
offers 3- and 4-year scholarships for medical school. |
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1. The United
States Air Force offers 3- and 4-year scholarships for medical
school. |
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If you haven’t figured out how to pay for med school yet, you are in luck!
The
Air Force has 3 and 4 year scholarships to sponsor you’re medical school
with. These are full-ride scholarships that
pay for all tuition, book, fees and equipment, PLUS we’ll pay you more than $1,900.00 per month for
spending money. You will also earn an additional
$3,000.00 each summer. This
scholarship can exceed $150,000.00 There is no time to waste! Application deadline is 1 January,
this means we have to start now to get you qualified in time to meet the
selection board. These
are competitive positions and to qualify for consideration, you need good
MCAT scores, a solid GPA, be of high moral character and
be in good physical shape. To find out if you qualify, call: MSgt
Ray Archambo (618)
402-8491
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2. ====AAMC
STAT====: News from the
Association of American Medical Colleges, December 7, 2009 edition. |
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3. The
Tri-Institutional MD-PhD Program of Weill Cornell Medical College,
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and The Rockefeller University offers
a10-week Gateways to the Laboratory Summer Program in New York City.
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Dear
Pre-Health Advisors,
Sincerely, phone:
212-746-6023 or toll free: 1-888-U2-MD-PHD |
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4.
An invitation from the Drexel University School of
Public Health |
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During the winter quarter,
prospective students and applicants to the Drexel University School of Public
Health will have the opportunity to sit in on the public health course
Introduction to Epidemiology. The dates available for this visit opportunity
are as follows: Tuesday, January 12, 2010 9 am – 1pm Thursday, February 18, 2010 9 am – 1pm In addition to attending class,
guests will receive a tour of the campus as well as have lunch with current
MPH students. For more information and to RSVP to one of these visit days,
please email sphadmissions@drexel.edu.
If you are unable to attend these class visits, more opportunities for will
be offered during the Spring quarter. Please forward this email to any
of your students who are interested in graduate programs in public health. I
encourage you to visit our website at www.publichealth.drexel.edu.
Here you can learn more about our degree offerings, as well as register for
other on-campus events such as information sessions and open houses. Please do not hesitate to
contact me if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you. Sincerely, Colleen P.
Baillie, EdM Director
of Enrollment, Recruitment and Retention School of
Public Health Drexel
University 1505 Race
Street Philadelphia,
PA 19102 Ph:
215-762-1224 Fax:
215-762-8846/8855 http://www.publichealth.drexel.edu
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Folklore of MistletoeViscum album of Europe is the subject of much folklore, legends. Mistletoe was thought to be sent to earth by the gods, using a bird that was considered to be a messenger of the gods, the mistletoe thrush. In fact, this bird migrates from Africa to Europe in late winter. From January to March, it feeds almost exclusively on mistletoe berries. Then it evacuates the seeds intact. It serves as an effective vector. The distribution and abundance of mistletoe is thought to be determined in part by the migration patterns of the mistletoe thrush. Because it was sent by the gods, the plant was thought to have spiritual power. One aspect is medicinal. Through the middle ages and beyond, V. album has been used as medicine for all sorts of ailments. Amulets were worn to ward off illness. Leaves and teas were eaten. As pharmacology developed, research was done that suggested it could be useful in reducing high blood pressure and as a diuretic. Other benefits were claimed. Trials had mixed results though. Medicinal power was also believed in Japan, especially when the mistletoe grew on the sacred willow tree. Even Navajos used certain Arceuthobium species as medicines. Several cultures seem to associate mistletoe with fertility. In
both England and Japan, women were advised to eat mistletoe leaves to promote
conception. In England, an old practice was to feed mistletoe shoots to the
first cow to give birth each year; that would increase fruitfulness of the
herd and protect their health. In Japan, a few mistletoe leaves were crumbled
and sown with crop seeds to promote fertility. Southwestern Indians made a
tea out of Phoradendron juniperinum in order to relax muscles for
childbirth. In parts of Europe, other sorts of
spiritual power were associated with mistletoe, Viscum album. To the
Druids, the oak tree represented God, and the mistletoe in the oak
represented human dependence on God. In America, the mystical power and symbolism has been vested in Phoradendron flavescens. This is sometimes sold as Christmas mistletoe; most of it collected in Texas. |
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6. Still having trouble finding that special gift for your
significant other? Here are some
suggestions! |
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DNA Necklace from the MoMA (Museum of Modern Art) e-gift store:
base pair earrings - choose your favorite DNA and RNA nucleotide bases, from http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=35768380
Description
Added on Dec 01, 2009 ************************************************************************************************************************** From Vael Designs: http://www.vaeldesigns.com/products/coprolite-and-garnet-silver-pendant-p-421.html
Amber with insect, from The Evolution Store, http://theevolutionstore.com/store/amber-with-insect-kg1010 :
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7. Traditional workshops go electronic for Christmas, from the R&D Daily, Tuesday, December 8, 2009 edition. |
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Tuesday, December 8, 2009 Mary and Joseph, the angels, the manger – at Christmas time, lots of people still decorate their homes with high-quality wooden figures depicting the nativity scene. Now, the wood carvers of South Tyrol are moving over to high-tech production methods. A South Tyrolean craftsman wearing ear protection carefully guides a tool arm over a master figure, producing forty or more mini-copies of the original at the cutting machine next to him. This kind of pantograph machine has long been the traditional means of manufacturing wooden figures in many of South Tyrol’s valleys.
“Pantographs are often given away in children’s magazines and comics. Kids love them. With just a pencil and paper, they can reproduce their favorite characters on whatever scale they like, and then hang the posters on their wall. The same principle applies here, too – only in this case, we’re talking about producing high-quality wooden carvings,” explains group manager Jürgen Goetz of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA. “First, an artist produces Mary or Joseph by hand, perhaps cast in bronze or brass. Then a colleague at the pantograph traces the figure and the carving machine produces copies.” This traditional way of working has its disadvantages: It’s loud, dusty, and the unenclosed machines are a hazard to workers. Additionally, it often takes several months before even a small production batch is ready for dispatch. The artist must first produce a design, then create a master figure; only after that can manufacturing begin. On behalf of the company 3D Wood, Goetz’ s team of scientists have now developed a new workflow for this traditional branch of woodworking. First, a 3D scanner traces the original, or else data is input from a CAD program. Then a software package processes up to 50,000 scanner data sets of the design model, producing the basis for a CNC program which controls the milling machine. Goetz reels off the technical details: “The 3 meter by 3 meter by 8 meter machine is fully automated, has five simultaneous axes, operates at up to 40,000 revolutions per minute, automatically swops tools, and stops immediately if any malfunction occurs. It produces 42 extremely high-quality copies simultaneously, and their size can vary anywhere between 10 and 600 millimeters.” Using this automated process, figures can be turned out in less than half the previous time – and their quality is better too. This new way of working cuts the time between design of the master and manufacture of the end product from several months to just a few weeks. The artist can even make the master out of soft wood or wax, which is in turn much quicker than casting a figure in bronze and enables work to begin sooner on new contracts. And let’s not forget another happy side-effect: workers no longer need to be exposed to high levels of noise and dust. |
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8. Living the Christmas spirit… |
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9. Marginalia 1: Researcher explains science behind St. Nick’s Christmas magic. Reprinted from The R&D Daily, December 7, 2009 edition. |
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Monday, December 7, 2009
“Santa is using technologies that we are not yet able to recreate in our own labs,” explains North Carolina State Univ.’s Dr. Larry Silverberg, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering who just completed a six month visiting-scholar program at Santa’s Workshop-North Pole Labs (SW-NPL). “As the first scholar to participate in the SW-NPL program, I learned that we have a long way to go to catch up with Santa in fields ranging from aerodynamics and thermodynamics to materials science.” For example, Silverberg says that Santa’s sleigh is far more advanced than any modern form of air transportation (see graphic below). “The truss of the sleigh, including the runners, are made of a honeycombed titanium alloy that is very lightweight and 10 to 20 times stronger than anything we can make today,” Silverberg says. The truss can also morph, Silverberg adds, altering its shape slightly to improve its aerodynamics and “allowing it to cut through the air more efficiently. The runners on the sleigh, for example, have some flexure. This allows them to tuck in to be more aerodynamic during flight, and then spread out to provide stability for landing on various surfaces – such as steeply pitched roofs.” The sleigh is equipped with state of the art electronics, including laser sensors that can detect upcoming thermals and wind conditions to find the optimal path. “This makes the flight smoother and more energy efficient,” Silverberg says. “Efficiency is key, because a lot of the ongoing research at SW-NPL focuses on whether magic is a renewable resource.” The focus on efficiency and a smooth ride has also led to the development of a nanostructured “skin” for the sleigh that is porous and contains its own low-pressure system, which holds the air flowing around the airborne sled onto the body, reducing drag by as much as 90%. A key finding from Silverberg’s visit to the North Pole is that Santa uses a reversible thermodynamic processor – a sort of nano-toymaker known as the “magic sack” – that creates toys for good girls and boys on site, significantly cutting down on the overall weight of the sleigh. The magic sack uses carbon-based soot from chimneys, together with other local materials, to make the toys. The magic sack works by applying high-precision electromagnetic fields to reverse thermodynamic processes previously thought to be irreversible. The sleigh is driven by Santa’s well-known team of reindeer, which is equipped with side-mounted jetpacks. The reindeer and jetpacks, which are powered by cold fusion, “are arrayed in such a way as to create a stable reindeer-sleigh system,” Silverberg says. “The sleigh’s reins are used to not only direct the heads of the reindeer, but to direct the orientation of the jetpacks for precision flight.” Silverberg explains that the sleigh is also equipped to make use of so-called “relativity clouds” to help ensure Santa and his reindeer can travel approximately 200 million square miles, making stops in some 80 million homes, in one night. “Based on his advanced knowledge of the theory of relativity, Santa recognizes that time can be stretched like a rubber band, space can be squeezed like an orange and light can be bent,” Silverberg says. “Relativity clouds are controllable domains – rips in time – that allow him months to deliver presents while only a few minutes pass on Earth. The presents are truly delivered in a wink of an eye.” Silverberg says the experience was “an eye-opener. I appreciate the opportunity Santa has given me to visit his sleighport and work alongside the elves at SW-NPL. It was a unique learning experience and a tremendous honor.” He notes that the principles of cold fusion are still a closely guarded secret. |
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10. Marginalia 2: Jeff Foxworthy and Ron White would be proud
of this fellow. |
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From: Sent:
Wednesday, December 09, 2009 6:40 AM
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In
Germany, mistletoe could be brought into a haunted house. It was thought that
ghosts and other evil spirits would be forced to come out of hiding
and answer any questions the peasants had. Generally, it was thought to bring
good fortune, so it was hung over doorways, especially in midwinter.
It seems reasonable that people would hang an evergreen plant indoors in
winter just for the summery feeling it gives. The power is just a bonus. We
don't know how the custom of kissing under mistletoe originated, but
one connection is that Vikings associated mistletoe with their goddess of
love, Frigga. It makes sense that if mistletoe is hanging up around Christmas
time and has the power of good fortune and fertility, that getting two lovers
together would be evidence of its power. Supposedly a man should remove one
berry from the plant for each kiss he steals from the woman beneath it. When
the berries are gone, so is the opportunity for kissing! 
Santa skeptics have
long considered St. Nick’s ability to deliver toys to the world’s good girls and
boys in the course of one night a scientific impossibility. But new research
shows that Santa is able to make his appointed rounds through the pioneering
use of cutting-edge science and technology.
Dr. Stan Eisen,
650
E-mail: seisen@cbu.edu
http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/
Caduceus Newsletter Archives: http://www.cbu.edu/~seisen/Caduceus.html