Engineering Drugs from Marine Mollusks

Engineering Drugs from Marine Mollusks Engineering Drugs from Marine Mollusks With a well-earned reputation for damaging wooden ships and poisoning scuba divers, ocean-dwelling mollusks have had a precarious relationship with human beings for centuries. But their public relations problems may soon be over if kriegsmarine biologists and bioengineers have their way.Researchers have found that this humble category of invertebtarifs which includes some 85,000 different species of marine and freshwater clams, snails, squids, mussels, and octopods actually harbors a secret that could help humans stay healthy and pain-free. Mollusks, as it turns out, have guts. And, more importantly, those guts contain unique micro-organisms that might save human lives.Over millions of years of evolution, mollusks have co-existed with ancient forms of bacteria that reside harmlessly in their digestive tracts. In symbiotic return for their accommodations, the bacteria have learned to express agents that su pport the mollusks body functions and help it ward off disease. Studies have revealed compelling, drug-like molecular properties that could have eignung as antibiotic or neurological treatments in humans.Medicinal MollusksThis line of research is absolutely critical considering the serious human health threat posed by antibiotic resistance, says Dr. Margo Haygood, Ph.D., a professor of science and engineering at Oregon Health Science University, Portland,and a member of the universitys multidisciplinary Like the shipworm, cone snails have the intestinal bacteriological fortitude it takes to inspire new drugs.But mollusk-based medicines have potential beyond antibiotics, Haygood says. Recent breakthroughs have also shown therapeutic activity in the brain, which creates opportunity for powerful, non-narcotic pain control medicines of the future.Haygood and her colleagues are leaders in this new scientific niche linking bioengineering with marine microbiology. She has recently contrib uted to two major breakthroughs involving two mollusk species that, ironically, are historically some of the most dangerous or destructive to humans shipworms and cone snails.Shipworms AhoyFirst off, shipworms are not even worms. They are more like elongated clams or geoducks that are mostly unprotected by shells. But they do possess shells tiny ones on their anterior ends, which they use with devastating effectiveness to bore deeply into their favorite food source, wood. These termites of the sea are best known for burrowing deeply into to wooden marine docks, piers and ship hulls, resulting in severe damage over time.Haygood says scientists first wanted to know how shipworms are able to survive on an all-wood diet, considering that wood offers them no proteins or nitrogen. They learned that the bacteria present in the animals gut plays a crucial role in converting the wood fibers into an acceptable food source. In effect, the mollusks gut bacteria have evolved so that the animal can derive double benefit from wood they can eat it, and they can live in the burrows they carve.One form of shipworm gut bacteria was found to secrete a strong antibiotic, Haygood says, which creates great excitement among the community of scientists concerned that modern infectious organisms are developing resistance to drugs at a rate that is outpacing our discovery efforts.Antibiotics have helped humans battle infectious diseases for over 70 years. However, the dangerous organisms these medications were designed to protect us against have adapted due to widespread use. Without a new class of improved antibiotics, older medications are becoming less and less effective and we need to locate new antibiotics to keep these diseases at bay, Haygood adds.The Scoop on Cone ShellsCone snails are carnivorous predators found in a vast array of sizes and with an infinite variety of colorful shell colors and patterns that make them highly collectible. They are also highly toxic even to huma ns. They paralyze small fish or other mollusks with a sting from a barbed, hypodermic-like tooth extending from the mouth, then engulf and devour the prey. For a human, a jab from a small cone snail feel like a bee sting, but the bigger snails can pierce a wet suit and are toxic enough to kill.Until recently scientists havent spent much time looking for potential cures in cone snails. For one thing, they are toxic the larger ones can kill a human. For another thing, they have tough shells that can protect them from almost any predator. Scientists assumed that these strong protections would make it unlikely that the organism would have needed to develop additional chemical or bacterial defenses against danger, such as those used by the shipworm.Not the case. Haygood worked with a team of researchers at the University of Utah and the University of the Philippines on a recently published study revealing that cone snails, too, have the intestinal bacteriological fortitude it takes to i nspire new drugs.She said the research demonstrated how bacteria carried by cone snails produce a neuroactive chemical that has great promise in the treatment of severe pain. For patients with conditions that cause chronic pain, the need for a non-narcotic, non-addictive palliative drug is urgent.Not only did we learn that mollusks with external shells, like the cone snail, really do have potential use in the search for new medications, Haygood says, we also learned an important and surprising new direction for such drugs in neurology.Michael MacRae is an independent writer.This line of research is absolutely critical considering the serious human health threat posed by antibiotic resistance.Margo Haygood, Oregon Health & Science University

Senior Software Engineer Job Description

Senior Software Engineer Job DescriptionSenior Software Engineer Job DescriptionSenior Software Engineer Job DescriptionThis senior software engineer sample job description can assist in your creating a job application that will attract job candidates who are qualified for the job. Feel free to revise this job description to meet your specific job duties and job requirements.Senior Software Engineer Job ResponsibilitiesDevelops information systems by studying operations designing, developing, and installing software solutions supports and develops software team.Senior Software Engineer Job DutiesDevelops software solutions by studying information needs conferring with users studying systems flow, data usage, and work processes investigating problem areas following the software development lifecycle.Determines operational feasibility by evaluating analysis, problem definition, requirements, solution development, and proposed solutions.Documents and demonstrates solutions by developing documentation, flowcharts, layouts, diagrams, charts, code comments and clear code.Prepares and installs solutions by determining and designing system specifications, standards, and programming.Improves operations by conducting systems analysis recommending changes in policies and procedures.Updates job knowledge by studying state-of-the-art development tools, programming techniques, and computing equipment participating in educational opportunities reading professional publications maintaining personal networks participating in professional organizations.Protects operations by keeping information confidential.Provides information by collecting, analyzing, and summarizing development and service issues.Accomplishes engineering and organization mission by completing related results as needed.Supports and develops software engineers by providing advice, coaching and educational opportunities.Senior Software Engineer Skills and QualificationsAnalyzing Information, Software Design, Sof tware Documentation, Software Testing, Teamwork, General Programming Skills, Software Development Fundamentals, Software Development Process, Software Requirements, Software Architecture, CoachingEmployers Post a job in minutes to reach candidates everywhere. Job Seekers Search Senior Software Engineer Jobs and apply on now. Find outmore abouthow to hireResume Search Spotting Exceptional TalentEvaluate a Job Candidates Social SkillsSample Interview Questions How to Interview

Find Fortitude

Find FortitudeFind FortitudeHow do you find the hausintern fortitude to get up one more day and try again, even when the world kicks you in the shin with a golf shoe?Im sick and tired of people saying, This, too, shall pass.Worst. Consolation. Ever.Dont get me wrong. Its a nice clich and everything.But it doesnt change the fact that for a lot of people right now, life sucks. And the last thing they need is another marginally helpful, fluffy aphorism that sounds like the title of a heartwarming miniseries on Lifetime Television.People might know that this, too, shall pass but what they need is a game plan for how to successfully navigate life as its passing. Where do you find the fortitude to do that every day, even when the world kicks you in the shin with a golf shoe?The following are the some of the tips that have helped me find the fortitude to keep going during trying timesEmploy the diversity of the human spirit. I volunteer at an organization, the Go Network, which provides job search resources and education to displaced workforce professionals. The cool parte is, unlike other organizations that support unemployed workers, this groups spirit is exceptional. Every time I host a workshop for them, Im overwhelmed by their massive optimism, bottomless faith and respectful camaraderie - not just in themselves, but in each other. Its not a misery-loves-company pity party. Its a weekly pep rally. Its a West Texas high school football game. And the collective and diverse human spirit of the group is the very oxygen that fuels each members inner fortitude to get up one more day and try again. My question is, what kind of company do you keep people who drag you into the pit or people who drive you into the stratosphere?Compare yourself to the best in yourself. Although many of our readers are unemployed, Im constantly amazed at their ability to endure harrowing times. Its inspiring, really. Instead of being excessively preoccupied with how devastating the economy is, these guys invite a constant stream of excitement. They dig more into their hearts and, as one woman wrote me, Think back to their finest hours. Killer suggestion. What better way to find the inner fortitude to get up one more day than to think back to the last time getting up one more day wasnt a struggle? By regularly replaying mental reruns, you bolster your self-confidence and stimulate your self-belief. Do you remember what you were like as the best, highest version of yourself?Attribute important meaning to your pain. First, by changing your relationship with your pain from confrontation to infatuation. Thats right Im telling you to fall in love with your pain. Its amazing how little power something has over you when you love it. Second, by recognizing that whatever pain youre enduring is a regular part of the life experience. And undergoing such feelings is what makes you feel human, what makes you feel alive. Finally, by thanking your pain for showing up to teach you som ething. After all, we rarely discover things when were comfortable. You might as well platzdeckchen up the learning moment, right? Ultimately, inner fortitude is a function of befriending your discomfort and cooperating with things that are bigger than you. Are you brave enough to welcome the sting?Force an opening and enter into the spiral of acceleration. In The Ninety Percent Solution, author David Rogers writes, Lasting change rarely occurs when we ease our way into the future it comes when we leap. Lesson learned Hop down off your horse and pursue the beast on foot. Thats what movie heroes do. They enter into the territory their noble steeds wont even look at. I will die before my conviction does, they think. And they act as proactively as humanly possible. For example, anytime I give a presentation to people who are looking for work, I remind them Until you find a job, looking for a job is your job. Thats the winning mind-set. Thats what gets you hired. Remember Never underes timate the importance of sustained movement. How will you outweigh the drag?Relax into the reality of your life. Denial is a drug more addictive than crack and crystal meth put together. I know this because I used to be a heavy user. For me, pretending that something wasnt really a problem was ten times easier than confronting the result of my own immature decisions. Too bad the aftermath of such denial was taking its toll on my body, my attitude and my relationships. If only Id been smart enough to relax into my realities and face them head-on. Fortunately, making that mistake over and over taught me to continually ask the question What am I pretending not to know? This courageous inquiry makes denial melt under the stare of self-awareness. And thats where inner fortitude grows from your willingness to stand up to yourself. Dont avert your eyes. Confront your truth. Ease your way into it. And remember that all trouble carries with it the capacity to be conquered. What are you prete nding not to know?Lay some pavement. Hypothetically, lets say your life sucks. Understood. Instead of trying to camouflage your agony, try sending your breath to where it hurts. Thats what my yoga instructor, Natalie, would tell you Thread your breath through every action. The cool part is You dont have to sit in a smelly, sweaty room for two hours with a bunch of half-naked strangers to make this practice work. You just need to find something to pave yourself with. Prayer. Affirmation. Meditation. Whatever helps maintain a sense of inner control in the midst of outer chaos. Whatever cultivates a state of mind that entails equanimity and forbearance. Personally, I use all three simultaneously. My daily practice combines meditation, affirmation and breathing, and its helped me find the inner fortitude to navigate even the most devastating storms. What paves you?Whether or not this, too, shall pass is irrelevant.What matters is how you navigate life until this passes.Remember that, an d youll find the inner fortitude to get up one more day and try again, even when the world kicks you in the shin with a golf shoe.LET ME ASK YA THISWhere does your fortitude come from?