Verywell Health, January 24, 2023.
Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by the parasite Toxoplasma gondii. This parasite is a tiny single-celled organism called a protozoan. People can acquire it from undercooked meat and exposure to cat feces.
In healthy individuals, this infection doesn’t usually do lasting damage and often shows no symptoms. But, pregnant people, their fetuses, and people with a weakened immune system are at risk of more dangerous infections. Read More >
UCSC Inquiry magazine, October 14 2021
Flowers as symbols are loaded with meaning. So, what does a flower mean when seen through the lens of Robert Mapplethorpe, the controversial photographer best known for his depictions of radical sexuality? Read More >
UCSC Inquiry magazine, October 14 2021
Assistant Professor Marcella Gomez is teaching artificial intelligence learning models to heal. With electrical and computer engineering professors Marco Rolandi and Mircea Teodorescu, Gomez co-leads a collaborative project that includes clinical researchers at UC Davis and Tufts University. Funded by a $16 million grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the project aims to develop a “smart bandage” that can speed the healing of difficult wounds, like those suffered by soldiers with battlefield injuries from explosions. “Our task is to identify where in the healing process we can intervene to accelerate wound closure,” Gomez said. Read More >
Technology Networks, May 25 2021.
COVID-19 vaccines are here, they are headed out globally and the world is faced with a giant logistical task: keeping these vaccines in their desired storage conditions to ensure stability and efficacy of every dose that goes into an arm. This is an even more complex problem because some of these vaccines have requirements to be kept frozen or refrigerated for optimal safety and efficacy.
While many places in the US have had good success in administering vaccines at local drugstores, community centers or clinics, there are many places within the US and outside of it in which these cold-storage chains are not adequate. Read More >