Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Osmosis Jones

Similarities: 
  • Both the Immune System and the movie, Osmosis Jones, have cells with specific jobs. The white blood cells, in this case, Osmosis Jones, kill any dangerous substance.
  • Like the Immune System, whenever a disease appears, white blood cells such as Osmosis Jones as sent to neutralize the disease.
  • Diseases, in both real life and the movie, cause harm to the body which causes the immune system to respond.
 Differences:
  • The most obvious example would be that the cells in the movie are anthropomorphic, that is they contain human characteristics and unique personalities.
  • Another difference is Drix's ability to fight the disease, Thrax, when real-life cold pills only subdue the symptoms of a cold.
  • There is also the abundance of technology in the body, such as cars and various machines that help the cells in their various jobs.

Virtual Epidemic

Using the Epidemic Stimulation, one can determine the effects of a contagious disease over a population.
The factors, distribution, contagion, and deadliness, all have a factor in this.

Out of the three, contagion appears to have the largest impact, followed by distribution and then deadliness.

Using the following:        Results in:(5th Pass)                Distribution:

H>C:80                         Healthy:291
C>S:40                         Carrier:49
S>D:30                         Sick:39                                   Towards the middle of the
S>I:20                          Dead:16                                  population
I>H:5                            Immune:5

H>C:60                         Healthy:321
C>S:50                         Carrier:24
S>D:30                         Sick:40                                    Towards the middle
S>I:20                          Dead:9

I>H:5                            Immune:6

H>C:60                         Healthy:333
C>S:40                         Carrier:28
S>D:40                         Sick:28                                     Towards the middle
S>I:20                          Dead:9 
I>H:5                            Immune:2

H>C:80                         Healthy:349
C>S:40                         Carrier:18
S>D:30                         Sick:17                                    Touching the Edge
S>I:20                          Dead:8 
I>H:5                            Immune:8

As the data displays, the position of the original carrier matters greatly as it determines how many people the carrier will come in contact with.

(The more people come in contact with the carrier, then there are more chances the disease spreads to more people) 
After the contact, how contagious the disease is will determine to how many people it spreads to.

(Likewise, the more people the disease spreads to, then there is a larger amount of chances the disease has to kill)
Finally the rate of death decides how many of the people die.

5 nutrients for your body


Proteins: 
Proteins are used for a variety of functions. They are essential for creating hormones or enzymes and help build and repair body tissues.


Carbohydrates:
The main source of energy, carbohydrates are used not because they are efficient in harnessing all potential energy, but because they provide quick, immediate energy.


Lipids (Fats):
Lipids are mainly used to store energy. They may also carry fat-soluble vitamins, such as vitamin A and D.


Vitamins:
Vitamins, due to the many kinds, have a variety of functions ranging from bodily growth to metabolic regulation.


Minerals:
Like vitamins, minerals have a variety of uses due to the different  kinds. Minerals such as potassium, shown above, help regulate body functions, while iron, another mineral, helps form hemoglobin which is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Fermentation in sour pickles



Sour picklesSOUR PICKLES

These are a favorite of many and a lot of people miss them when going on a Paleo diet, but the naturally lacto-fermented kind if perfectly healthy, crunchy and sour. This version is flavored with garlic and dill. Your garlic too will lacto-ferment and can be enjoyed afterwards as it will be packed with flavor.

Ingredients

  • 3.7854 liters pickling cucumbers, unwaxed;
  • 2 bunches fresh dill
  • 16 cloves garlic, whole and peeled
  • 3 tbsp pickling spices (peppercorns, mustard seeds, bay leaves, cloves, …)
  • 5 or 6 tbsp sea salt

Preparation

  1. Soak the cucumbers in cold water for a few hours then scrub them thoroughly to to prevent any mold from forming during the fermentation process.
  2. Place the cucumbers, dill, garlic and spices in your fermentation jar and sprinkle a bit of sea salt as you go along.
  3. Prepare a brine of 5 tablespoons sea salt to 1.9 cups water, making sure to stir well to dissolve the salt and fill the fermentation jar with the brine so it covers the cucumbers.
  4. Cover the jar place it in a warm spot in your kitchen and allow the cucumbers to ferment for 5 to 10 days.
  5. A good way to know when it’s ready is to taste it during the fermentation process. It’s ready when you’re satisfied with the taste.


  The fermentation helps cooks the pickles through a certain process.

Lactic acid is produced from the fermentation (Lactic Acid Fermentation) which makes the liquid acidic. The salt then encourages good bacteria to come, while simultaneously driving away the bad bacteria. This makes the liquid even more acidic. Once the acidity dips below 4.6 Ph, most bacteria is killed leaving the food safe to consume.