Christos Katsifis, Week 2
I have only lost my keys four times and gotten on the wrong tube station half as many times. Week 2 in London was very eventful outside of the lab considering my PI, who generally directs me as to where I am to help, was on vacation in Botswana for the week.
I had continued my work with Anopheles funestus, proposing solutions and generating further questions as per the faulty rearing process. Luckily, through the introduction of a sieve, the establishment of an inverse circadian rhythm, and the alteration of the water contents has lead to a decrease in larvae mortality rate from 50% in the L1 to L2 stage to 21% in the L2 to L3 stage (Generally there is higher mortality as the larvae age, so the progress has been profound). Compared to the Anopheles gambiae, which the lab successfully rears, the Anopheles funestus species prefers permanent breeding grounds, compared to the temporary, interchangeable breeding grounds of Anopheles gambiae; this is the motivation behind the sieve. The inverse circadian rhythm helps with the feeding of adult mosquitoes, as they preferably feed at night, the prior, regular rhythm had led to minimal mosquito feeding. The concentration of the water has been changed from marketed mineral water to a brand of water which I created containing high concentrations of Vitamin B, Vitamin E, phosphorus, and magnesium. It has been noted in past studies that Anopheles funestus reproduce much more efficiently when grown in ready-to-be-harvested rice patties. Considering these conditions, the water was changed to represent the same conditions as within the rice patties. I will ask next week for an additional project to the minimally demanding first project.
Monday was football day at the lab. The English men had upheld the generalization about English soccer; all of the men were not very fast, but very strong; they would administer elbows and heavy shoves whenever needed. It was also funny to see the very stern PhD's and their technicians laughing and cursing their heads off at every foul play. This was the first night of forgetting my keys.
Seeking towards being as productive as possible during my stay here in London, I had decided to join an Iranian Wrestling gym. I had taken three tubes to get there on that Tuesday; the total travel time was about forty-five minutes. It is a conservative statement to say that it was not the nicest part of London. While the area was not the best, I believe I had met some of the friendliest people in London. Upon my entry in to the well-equipped gym, besides acknowledging that I was the only person there who was not Middle Eastern, I was greeted with incredible hospitality. "Hey, my brother!", was only one of the greetings I received from everyone with handshakes and a couple of hugs. They were very enthusiastic to have a new member of their gym. They asked, "So how did you find out about us, mate?", I responded, "I searched for the best wrestling in London!" All of the men proceeded to laugh and say, "We are probably the only wrestling in London." The intensity there was very high, practically establishing the reason as to why Iran is much better than American in wrestling. This was the second night of forgetting my keys.
My weekend in London was surprisingly well-spent, considering the last one was wasted (subjective) reading in the park. I had visited the ArcelorMittel Orbit sculpture -- a sculpture built for the Olympic games in 2012 -- and Stonehenge. They were both great to visit, as I visited the Orbit statue on Saturday and Stonehenge on Sunday. The train to the first was about an hour, and the latter was three hours. I enjoyed the train, meeting some British kids studying at King's College and some American kids vacationing in London during their break from UNC. It was a lot of fun meeting the new people. Stonehenge was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen; the green rolling hills with colorful flowers made Lancaster seem dull. Of course, the stones were breathtaking considering their size and height. The Neanderthals must have been incomprehensibly strong, or else it was certainly aliens.These two day trips encompassed the other two times I had lost my keys.
Week 2 was a lot of fun, but hopefully Week 3 brings much more challenge and activity in the lab.
I had continued my work with Anopheles funestus, proposing solutions and generating further questions as per the faulty rearing process. Luckily, through the introduction of a sieve, the establishment of an inverse circadian rhythm, and the alteration of the water contents has lead to a decrease in larvae mortality rate from 50% in the L1 to L2 stage to 21% in the L2 to L3 stage (Generally there is higher mortality as the larvae age, so the progress has been profound). Compared to the Anopheles gambiae, which the lab successfully rears, the Anopheles funestus species prefers permanent breeding grounds, compared to the temporary, interchangeable breeding grounds of Anopheles gambiae; this is the motivation behind the sieve. The inverse circadian rhythm helps with the feeding of adult mosquitoes, as they preferably feed at night, the prior, regular rhythm had led to minimal mosquito feeding. The concentration of the water has been changed from marketed mineral water to a brand of water which I created containing high concentrations of Vitamin B, Vitamin E, phosphorus, and magnesium. It has been noted in past studies that Anopheles funestus reproduce much more efficiently when grown in ready-to-be-harvested rice patties. Considering these conditions, the water was changed to represent the same conditions as within the rice patties. I will ask next week for an additional project to the minimally demanding first project.
Monday was football day at the lab. The English men had upheld the generalization about English soccer; all of the men were not very fast, but very strong; they would administer elbows and heavy shoves whenever needed. It was also funny to see the very stern PhD's and their technicians laughing and cursing their heads off at every foul play. This was the first night of forgetting my keys.
Seeking towards being as productive as possible during my stay here in London, I had decided to join an Iranian Wrestling gym. I had taken three tubes to get there on that Tuesday; the total travel time was about forty-five minutes. It is a conservative statement to say that it was not the nicest part of London. While the area was not the best, I believe I had met some of the friendliest people in London. Upon my entry in to the well-equipped gym, besides acknowledging that I was the only person there who was not Middle Eastern, I was greeted with incredible hospitality. "Hey, my brother!", was only one of the greetings I received from everyone with handshakes and a couple of hugs. They were very enthusiastic to have a new member of their gym. They asked, "So how did you find out about us, mate?", I responded, "I searched for the best wrestling in London!" All of the men proceeded to laugh and say, "We are probably the only wrestling in London." The intensity there was very high, practically establishing the reason as to why Iran is much better than American in wrestling. This was the second night of forgetting my keys.
My weekend in London was surprisingly well-spent, considering the last one was wasted (subjective) reading in the park. I had visited the ArcelorMittel Orbit sculpture -- a sculpture built for the Olympic games in 2012 -- and Stonehenge. They were both great to visit, as I visited the Orbit statue on Saturday and Stonehenge on Sunday. The train to the first was about an hour, and the latter was three hours. I enjoyed the train, meeting some British kids studying at King's College and some American kids vacationing in London during their break from UNC. It was a lot of fun meeting the new people. Stonehenge was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen; the green rolling hills with colorful flowers made Lancaster seem dull. Of course, the stones were breathtaking considering their size and height. The Neanderthals must have been incomprehensibly strong, or else it was certainly aliens.These two day trips encompassed the other two times I had lost my keys.
Your ability to lose keys is impressive. It sounds like you are taking advantage of every opportunity there - keep it up!
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