C-diff epidemic in USA and Europe hits home. (Personal update)

Your help is needed to battle super germs (Yes, You...Your help)

What you can do to help stop the epidemic:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water frequently. (Alcohol scrubs don't kill, "C. diff,"a spore former.)
2. Do not use antibacterial soaps.
3. Be sure you re-test for the causal agent after any course of antibiotics.
4. Use probiotics (Unsweetened yogurt with live cultures (Add fruit and sugar at home if desired., raw fermented cabbage, kimchee, raw sauerkraut (homemade)), or tablets).
5. Post the list of what should be cleaned in your hospital room if you go to the hospital.  (Don't believe naively that it is because the patient's resistance is down...).
6. Note that alcohol (including the convenient foam scrubs) doesn't kill spore formers.  Use soap and water... the old-fashioned bar soaps.
7. Encourage others you know to join the fight against super germs.  Get antibiotics out of our meats and dish detergents, soaps and laundry detergents.  Was your hands with soap and water often.  When you need to take a prescribed antibiotic, follow the directions, do what your medical doctor says, and also, get re-tested after you finish the prescribed course of antibiotics, if possible.

You can get a chart for current recommended cleaning at the CDC:  TERMINAL CLEANING

http://www.cdc.gov/HAI/toolkits/Environmental-Cleaning-Eval-Worksheet-10-6-2010.xls
Just having a copy of this evaluation worksheet lets hospital personnel know you are savvy about important medical issues.  Being savvy may get you better medical care.

The worksheet is an Excel (R) spreadsheet that keeps data  for each surface on the check list for every room monitored. It uses the following symbols for marking:
O = NOT CLEAN,    X = CLEAN,   LEAVE BLANK = NOT EVALUABLE     NOTE - USE CAP LETTERS "X" AND "O"

What is cleaned in each room?  (Or, what should be cleaned in each room?)
Bathroom Surfaces
Equipment Surfaces
Surfaces Cleaned for Each Room
Bed rails
Tray table
IV pole
Call box / button
Telephone Bedside table handle
Chair
Room sink
Room light switch
Room inner doorknob
BR(Bathroom) inner doorknob
BR light switch
BR handrails
BR sink
Toilet seat
Toilet flush handle
Toilet bedpan cleaner
IV pump control
Monitor controls
Monitor touch screen
Monitor cables
Ventilator pane

Add....stethoscopes and similar equipment...  Dr. J

Alcohol is not sufficient to kill the super germs. 
Earlier post, which still contains useful information:
I haven't written in a while because my mother was in the hospital for an elective procedure (The medical people incorrectly thought it would give my Dad a rest) where she contracted a hospital super germ Clostridium difficile. This super germ causes a serious infection of the colon and can kill you. She is 89 and survived, thank God. To avoid or lessen such disasters, soap and water and chlorine bleach should be used for cleaning at hospitals.

To help stop the epidemic:

1. Wash your hands with soap and water frequently. (Alcohol scrubs don't kill, "C. diff,"a spore former.)
2. Do not use antibacterial soaps.
3. Be sure you re-test for the causal agent after any course of antibiotics.
4. Use probiotics (Unsweetened yogurt with live cultures (Add fruit and sugar at home if desired., raw fermented cabbage, kimchee, raw sauerkraut (homemade)), or tablets).

For more information on Clostridium difficile and other super germs, check out the CDC web sites (Center for Disease Control):  http://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/cdiff/Cdiff_settings.html.

I am preparing for the Botanical Society Meetings which will be held in Vancouver this year, jointly with other societies. I will be writing more soon.


Originally published on 29 June 2008 10:44 AM Pacific Standard Time
Revised 5 March 2014 to include the following:

Birds, birds, birds...

Winter Birds...

Project FeederWatch

Bird Guide

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/birds/

http://www.whatbird.com/

http://www.pbs.org/lifeofbirds/

http://www.savingcranes.org/

[Under Development: Bird resources are added periodically. Feel free to add some others in the comments.]

Finance, Integrity, Energy Solutions, and, Botany all in one great film

Frank Capra's 1938 film, You Can't Take It with You, staring, among others, James Stewart, Jean Arthur, and Lionel Barrymore, foreshadows sustainability.

Tony Kirby (James Stewart) dreams of finding out how the, "green stuff," in plants can solve the World's energy needs. While the film has a touch of romance, covers family values, and, and provides social commentary on finance, the film could serve as a unique introduction to the study of photosynthesis, or, to how film can contribute to scientific reality, or, to the overlap of finance and science.

Use the film to jump-start an inspiring study of global energy, starting with the producers, the, "green," plants. You know, energy leads to money and money being called, "green," could have been providing a huge hint all these years to solving the energy problems of the world. Use your ideas. Go back through the critical and higher order thinking skills as you study. Relate the science knowledge you discover to the choices you make in your life, to public policy, to how you vote, how you choose your food. You make a positive difference by wise choices. Thank you.

Dr. J

P.S. I recently found this link: http://www.sciencedebate2008.com/www/index.php?id=42 which might help with Americans wanting to use science knowledge to help decide their choices for the upcoming election. I haven't reviewed all of the points on the site, however, so, use your own judgment.
(c)2008 J S Shipman

Solar power leads to sustainability... What do you think?

Watch this video and think about it. Compare and contrast your life to what you see in this video. Evaluate it based on what you know of science of solar power and on your own value system. Try writing about it. Do you know of other ways to use science to improve sustainability of the Earth and concurrently end poverty? Does charity overlap with science? Reflection using your science skills helps make informed decisions...


###
I have added another video that I found later:

Sometimes it is fun to start science with a story.

The Tortoise and the Hares run from Sydney to Melbourne
ia a story you will treasure.

Now, let's link it to science and use it as an example of how you could develop a science fair project.

The story has a literature side and a sports side. You might be a literary or sports fan, but, you have to do science. How can you use your interests to your benefit? Can you think of some possible ways?

Does the story help you think up a "do-able" experiment?

Here are some hints:
control vs experimental
rules for animal experiments
physiology
turtles
tortoises
speed of different animals
data
repeatability
aerobic exercise and blood oxygen content
blood oxygen in people of all ages
sports medicine
exercise and health
when being slow wins, health=wise
results
drawings, photos, charts
...
Add your own brainstorm and then write an experimental design. Post any questions.

(c)2008 J. S. Shipman. All rights reserved

If a tree had no leaves...

could you tell what tree it was?

Trees in Winter

Post under development...more later...

In winter, deciduous trees have already lost their leaves. You remember the autumn foliage season, when the leaves fell, don't you? So, how can you tell trees in winter?

Surprisingly, witch hazel flowers in winter, so that one is easy to tell...but, others? But, especially on a warm winter day...when snow is melting, but, it's not yet spring... you might like to take students for a walk. In preparing lessons, you might consider a walk where you use a key to identify trees. Cornell has a booklet for children 8 to 12 that adults will also find helpful: http://srb.npaci.edu/cgi-bin/nsdl.cgi?uid=/2007-05-23T18:23:11Z/D6C24D0D88B737E70B034467BBB04500/treeswinter.pdf

Winter, well, that's when a "twig key" comes in handy.

A site that can help you learn the vocabulary of "twigs" is: http://www.epa.gov/superfund/students/clas_act/winter/dressup.htm

Branching patterns and bark are also useful for identification.

If you are more interested in computers than walks outside, but, still want to work on winter trees, try: branching and computers...

More tree links can be found at: http://ddc.hampshire.edu/simforest/links/link_descriptions.html

Tennessee trees

physiology

Cool: You go to MIT!

Build up your math, science and engineering skills!!!

http://ocw.mit.edu/OcwWeb/web/home/home/index.htm

Botany/Geography/Research: Highlighting Zaidi!

Mudassir Asrar Zaidi is a botanist in Pakistan. Can you find Pakistan on a map? Click on her name and read about her research.

• Zaidi has written a book entitled, Fresh water algae from Balochistan, and has organized more than 40 seminars/workshops on biodiversity and plant sciences in Quetta.
• Zaidi has received three of the world’s most prestigious research fellowships: Fulbright, Commonwealth and Alexander von Humboldt.
  
• As a Fulbright Post Doctorate, Zaidi worked with Dr. Sidney Crow at Georgia State University in Atlanta, Georgia.
  
• At the University of London, the Commonwealth fellowship enabled Dr. Zaidi to work with Dr. Simon Gibbons in the School of Pharmacy.
  
• In London, Dr. Zaidi was also honored and elected as a fellow of Linnaean Society of London (FLS).
  
• Dr. Zaidi studied indigenous medicinal plants of Pakistan. These plants hold great potential of holding a cure for various diseases.
  

Dr. Zaidi says, "In my research on medicinal plants, I examine the bioactive plant extracts and purify, isolate and identify the biologically active compounds." Botanists like Zaidi help find new medicines to cure diseases. She has published her research results. Do you know how to use Google Scholar to find her papers?

Leading Scientists and Educators

Women Scientists in botany, agriculture, biotechnology, and, other areas of science are profiled on this site. Take a look and see what they have done and what they do. You will read many things that you don't find in many science text books.

Neuroscience for Children: Writing Contest

Get creative. Write for science.

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/writing8.pdf

Another Garden, in Montreal...

Edit 11-29-07...In response to comments:
http://read-about-it.blogspot.com/2007/11/helsea-physic-garden-home-of-original-u.html

Even more virtual botanical tours

Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden:



Daniel Stowe Botanical Garden:



Vacratot Botanical Garden:


Jasabet's Botanical Garden:


Villa Hanbury Ventimiglia Italy Liguria Botanical Garden:



Jardin Marco Polo:


Jardin des Plantes:

http://www.aviewoncities.com/paris/jardindesplantes.htm
,

More Virtual Tours of Botanic Gardens

Hakgala Botanical Gardens:


Toronto Botanic Garden:


Batumi Botanical Gardens:


Bucaresti Botanical Gardens:

Vote!

Voting and science do overlap. Want clean air and water? Safe food supply? Peace? Then, vote. Thanks. J

Visit a botanical garden on line

New York Botanical Garden:


Missouri Botanical Garden:

http://www004.upp.so-net.ne.jp/jissen/english.htm#cong


Kyoto Botanical Garden:


EGE University Botanical Garden:


Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens:


Brooklyn Botanic Garden:
http://www.bbg.org/

And You thought Plants couldn't move

One of the characteristics of living things that helps to define them is that they respond to the environment. Usually people think that plants are passive. Looking at them moving gives quite another idea. Remember that plants do respond to their environments and do move. Note that other things move, such as water in a brook, and that movement in itself is not enough to define life. Take a look at this video on plant kinematics though and you will see that movement is part of the life characteristics found in plants:
Plant Kinematics

Colorful science: leaves

Read more: http://scifun.chem.wisc.edu/chemweek/fallcolr/fallcolr.html

Cinnamon

Background Information:
Cinnamon Images found on Google Search

Reading:
http://neilgaiman.net/cinnamon/page1.htm

Art:
Can you draw or paint a picture with Cinnamon in it?


Writing: Can you write a, "cinnamon," story of your own. It can be non-fiction or fiction.

Stocks and Options and Science?

You know, banks would have us believe that stocks and options are dangerous. To some extent they are. Like driving a car, you need to know what you are doing. Stocks and options share with science that they have their own vocabulary. The jargon of the finance world, like that of the science world, is worth learning. The rewards are many.

I am not recommending that you go out and get into stocks and options any more than I would recommend driving a car without knowing what you are doing. Even when you know, you must stay ever vigilant. Yet, if you "safely" keep your money in the bank at 1 or 1.5, or even 3%, the inflation monster will eat you (and your money) alive. And while you are safely at 1.5%, the bank is using stocks and options to make 12-35% with your money and then keeps the difference between that percentage and what they give you. With a portion of your money, you could risk, lose half, and come out ahead of where you'd be if you stay safely at the bank. You need to learn the jargon (http://tradeoptioned.blogspot.com/2007/08/some-new-changes.html), understand math and charts, and, know what you are doing. Do not risk borrowed money, or your house, or college fund, insurance,nor retirement. These are other aspects of your financial house that you need in order.

So, where does science fit in? The analytical skills and chart reading skills are critical in science. Practice reading financial charts and graphs can synergistically improve your interpretation of data in science, strengthening your science abilities. Enjoy the overlap in these seemingly different fields and grow in both.

Dr. J

(c)2007 J S Shipman

Catching bees in the Mum Garden...

With British laughs...