Science
Echoes of Deception, Threads of Hope
Echoes of Deception, Threads of Hope
In shadows of fear, a whisper takes hold,
A sinister seed, a conspiracy untold.
Whispers of a virus, man-made and vile,
Profit the motive, trust exiled.
Amidst echoes of doubt and deceit's dark dance,
A personal battle, a silent stance.
Isolation's sting, stigma's crushing weight,
The heaviness of uncertainty's relentless gait.
Michel Simonin's struggle, a fight to be heard,
Against AIDS' cruel stigma, his voice undeterred.
In letters and television, his story unfurled,
Defying the silence, refusing to be deterred.
Through tears of resilience, a choice bravely made,
To shatter the silence, to not be swayed.
Unveiling the humanity behind the disease,
Reclaiming identity, refusing to appease.
Yet in depths of sorrow's unending night,
Science illuminates, a beacon of light.
WGS and NGS unravel the viral code,
Evolution's truth, HIV's primal abode.
In sequencing's intricate art, a tale unfolds,
Of chimpanzee origins, zoonotic thresholds. Palindromes dance in the RNA's sway,
Nature's complex beauty, now on display.
Yet echoes of deception still linger and spread,
Shattering lives, filling hearts with dread.
The vulnerable bear the heaviest toll,
In fabrication's web, their innocence stole.
In this intimate war, we must take a stand,
Embracing our scars, extending a hand.
Empathy our salve, compassion our guide,
In unity and truth, our spirits reside.
From pain's crucible, we'll rise transformed,
Scars into strength, wisdom reborn.
In the symphony of survival, harmony will reign,
As we honour the journey, through sun and rain.
With science as our compass, truth as our light,
We'll navigate the landscapes of the heart's might.
Reclaiming our stories, our voices bold,
In courage and resilience, our lives we'll mould.
In the tapestry of existence, we'll find our place,
Stitching together healing, with tender grace.
Each breath a rebellion, each moment a choice,
To survive and thrive, with authentic voice.
In the echoes of resilience, hope whispers anew,
Threads of connection, strength to see us through.
Through shadows and light, we'll weave our way,
Embracing our truth, come what may.
In the alchemy of survival, transformation blooms,
Vulnerability becomes armour, silence finds its tune.
From shattered fragments, a mosaic we'll raise,
A testament to the unbreakable human spirit's blaze.
Echoes of Deception, Threads of Hope
Echoes of Deception, Threads of Hope
In shadows of fear, a whisper takes hold,
A sinister seed, a conspiracy untold.
Whispers of a virus, man-made and vile,
Profit the motive, trust exiled.
Amidst echoes of doubt and deceit's dark dance,
A personal battle, a silent stance.
Isolation's sting, stigma's crushing weight,
The heaviness of uncertainty's relentless gait.
Michel Simonin's struggle, a fight to be heard,
Against AIDS' cruel stigma, his voice undeterred.
In letters and television, his story unfurled,
Defying the silence, refusing to be deterred.
Through tears of resilience, a choice bravely made,
To shatter the silence, to not be swayed.
Unveiling the humanity behind the disease,
Reclaiming identity, refusing to appease.
Yet in depths of sorrow's unending night,
Science illuminates, a beacon of light.
WGS and NGS unravel the viral code,
Evolution's truth, HIV's primal abode.
In sequencing's intricate art, a tale unfolds,
Of chimpanzee origins, zoonotic thresholds.
Palindromes dance in the RNA's sway,
Nature's complex beauty, now on display.
Yet echoes of deception still linger and spread,
Shattering lives, filling hearts with dread.
The vulnerable bear the heaviest toll,
In fabrication's web, their innocence stole.
In this intimate war, we must take a stand,
Embracing our scars, extending a hand.
Empathy our salve, compassion our guide,
In unity and truth, our spirits reside.
From pain's crucible, we'll rise transformed,
Scars into strength, wisdom reborn.
In the symphony of survival, harmony will reign,
As we honour the journey, through sun and rain.
With science as our compass, truth as our light,
We'll navigate the landscapes of the heart's might.
Reclaiming our stories, our voices bold,
In courage and resilience, our lives we'll mould.
In the tapestry of existence, we'll find our place,
Stitching together healing, with tender grace.
Each breath a rebellion, each moment a choice,
To survive and thrive, with authentic voice.
In the echoes of resilience, hope whispers anew,
Threads of connection, strength to see us through.
Through shadows and light, we'll weave our way,
Embracing our truth, come what may.
In the alchemy of survival, transformation blooms,
Vulnerability becomes armour, silence finds its tune.
From shattered fragments, a mosaic we'll raise,
A testament to the unbreakable human spirit's blaze.
The Caduceus and the Creed: A Medical Misconception
"Primum non nocere," oft misapplied,
Not absolute, but a principle to guide.
In Hippocrates' time and modern day,
It's context and intent that hold sway.
The Greek, "ὀφελέειν ἢ μὴ βλάπτειν," rings true,
"To benefit, or at least do no harm," anew.
A nuanced approach, not black and white,
Balancing risks in healing's light.
The caduceus twined, with wings so bright,
A symbol of commerce, not healing's might.
Asclepius' staff, with serpent alone,
The true emblem of medicine, long known.
In modern clinics, where science reigns,
Ethical practice carefully maintains
A balance 'twixt benefit and potential harm,
With patient's values central to this charm.
Open communication, a cornerstone strong,
Where patient and doctor, together belong.
In shared decisions, they navigate
The complex paths that health dictate.
Some may twist ethics for selfish gain,
But true healers strive to ease pain.
With evidence-based practice as their guide,
They stand against misinformation's tide.
"To benefit, or at least do no harm," evolves still,
Not perfection, but good faith's will.
From rigorous study, and trials so keen,
True healing emerges, complex yet clean.
In healing's art, there's no guarantee,
But ethical practice sets conscience free.
With care and skill, and wisdom's light,
We navigate health's day and night.
Intelligence Vs Wisdom: Or why can’t we have both?
Intelligence Vs Wisdom: Or why can’t we have both?
Prelude: On May 7th 2021, someone brutally murdered my beautiful Miss Millie. It was so horrid they wouldn’t let me see her body. Just so you can appreciate the horror, I couldn’t retrieve her collar and tag as I was told it was “too confronting” for both me and the staff. I had to weep and mourn over her semi-frozen corpse. On the RSPCA’s recommendation, I ordered a necropsy. I was told by the vet who conducted the necropsy, for my own sanity, not to read the results. They were correct. I shouldn’t have. But, of course, I did.
Skip forward to today. I am still mourning the death of my almost 17-year-old rescue cat, Mr Kitty, after a battle with cancer. I am also trying to deal with my other rescue cat, Boudica, a Tonkinese, who turned suddenly anorexic on Friday. Is it depression from losing Mr Kitty, or is it a relapse of the acute kidney injury (AKI) [previously known as acute renal failure] that almost took her life at Christmas/New Year?
Mr Kitty holding the remote while we waited for Boudica to be cleared from the veterinary hospital.
Using a combination of Nutripet and a high-energy nutrient gel that stimulates appetite, Hill’s Science kd wet food, there has been some improvement. She showed signs of her normal self when she waited outside the shower door to get wet skritches, then returned to my bed after having a good drink. Unfortunately, still nothing in any of the litter boxes other than pawprints.
Boudica in the Veterinary Hospital a few days before she was able to come home.
So this afternoon, suffering from exhaustion, depression and huge anxiety, I decided to spend the day in bed with Boudica. As we cuddle, I keep hearing footsteps. To me, they sound so much like that of Miss Millie when she would quietly creep into the bedroom and join all the cats and me for a group snuggle.
As carefully as I can to not disturb Boudica, I lift and turn my head and see, of course, nothing.
Intelligence would be recognising that the “footsteps” I hear are merely a product of thermal expansion and contraction.
Thermal expansion and contraction are thermodynamic phenomena governed by the principles of kinetic theory and molecular interactions. When a material experiences a temperature increase, the kinetic energy of its constituent particles rises, leading to greater amplitude vibrations and, subsequently, an increase in the average distance between particles. This is a macroscopic result of microscopic behaviours, where the lattice structures of solids expand; hence, we observe dimensional changes in the material.
In scenarios involving solid surfaces or mediums, such as a floor, thermal expansion can alter the structural integrity and integrity of the interface with other materials, such as air or footfalls. When a foot strikes the ground, the downward force causes localised stress, affecting the material’s microstructure. This stress can generate compression waves in the solid, propagating as longitudinal waves through the medium.
From a mathematical standpoint, the relationship between temperature variation and dimensional change can be expressed through the linear expansion formula:
ΔL=αΔTLo⇒Lf−Lo=αΔTLo⇒Lf=Lo(1+αΔT)
where ΔL is the change in length, α is the material’s coefficient of linear expansion, Lo is the original length, and ΔT denotes the change in temperature.
Moreover, thermodynamics can also address the specific heat capacity of materials, which necessitates energy transfer to increase the thermal agitation and lead to expansion. The propagation of sound originating from the footsteps is then modelled via the wave equation, considering parameters such as density, modulus of elasticity, and the speed of sound in the material medium.
In terms of thermodynamics, specific heat capacity (c) quantifies the amount of energy (Q) required to raise the temperature of a unit mass (m) of a material by one degree (ΔT). This relationship is described by the equation:
Q=mcΔT
This concept relates to the microscopic behaviour of particles, where energy transfer increases the thermal agitation of the material. This can be expressed through internal energy (U) or enthalpy (H) variations, depending on the system’s constraints. Additionally, sound wave propagation from footsteps can be modelled using the wave equation, typically expressed as:
∂²u/∂t² = c²∇ ²u
where u is the displacement field, c is the speed of sound in the medium, and ∇² represents the Laplacian operator, reflecting spatial variations in the medium’s displacement. The speed of sound (c) in a material is influenced by factors such as the material’s density (ρ) and its modulus of elasticity (E), with the relationship defined by:
c = sqrt E/ρ
Footsteps create pressure waves that travel through solids and air, allowing sound perception at varying distances depending on factors like temperature gradients, medium properties, and acoustic impedance mismatches. Consequently, the auditory perception of footsteps arises from a multifaceted interaction of thermal dynamics, material properties, and acoustic wave propagation.
Yet, perhaps wisdom lies in the choice to believe those footsteps belong to my cherished Millie, gently coming to check on me because I long for her comforting love in this moment of need.
Think Viral, Not Antimicrobial
Their noses are red
And their throats hurt too
90% of all colds are viral
Don’t prescribe antimicrobials boo!