Synapse (11.6.2014)

SynapseNewspaperThe UCSF Student

synapse.ucsf.edu | Thursday, November 6, 2014 | Volume 59, Number 3

IN THIS ISSUEEvents » PAGE 2Features » PAGE 3Columns » PAGE 4Puzzles » PAGE 6

COLUMNSRCO of the WeekRead up on the RCO activites of Remedy & Cell Hackers— the two RCOs featured in this week’s Synapse: » PAGE 4

FEATURESThe Latina Who Desegregated CAUCSF welcomes activist and advocator Sylvia Mendez on November 12. » PAGE 3

Three Minute Thesis. Finalists in the inaugural UCSF Three Minute Thesis Competition gathered on stage.

Courtesy of Hanna Starobinets

STORYTELLING » PAGE 7

The Bay Area Science Festival Highlights the Importance of StorytellingHanna StarobinetsStaff Writer

“All science is, is rigorous storytelling,” said Adam Savage, co-host of Mythbusters. His live interview with the Inquiring Minds podcast on Oct. 28 was part of the Bay Area Science Festival’s string of events that highlighted and celebrated the role of storytelling in science. When scientists conduct their research, they often refer to their phenotype and molecular mechanism as their “story.” The Bay Area Science Festival (BASF) has shown that those stories are intertwined with personal narratives, and sharing them with the public makes science personal and accessible.

Three Minute Thesis Competition“We must be able to explain why our work matters. And if we can do it in under three minutes, so much the better,” said Elizabeth Watkins, Dean of the Graduate Division

and Vice Chancellor of Student Academic Affairs at UCSF. Introducing UCSF’s first Three Minute Thesis (3MT) Competition on Oct. 29, she stood before the standing-room only Genentech Hall, which was packed with members of the UCSF community as well as BASF attendees and science communication lovers.

The nine finalists, UCSF PhD candidates chosen by a panel of preliminary judges, had the task of describing their graduate thesis in under three minutes to a “non-specialist audience” (graduate.ucsf.edu/3MT). The finalists were: Sama Ahmed (Neuroscience), Quinn Grundy (Nursing PhD), Laurens Kraal (Bioinformatics), Freeman Lan (Bioengineering), Alison Leaf (Tetrad), Isabel Nocedal (Tetrad), Laura Simpson (Biomedical Sciences), Ivan Vujkovic-

Cvijin (Biomedical Sciences), and Chuchu Zhang (Neuroscience). The final judges at the live event were: UCSF Chancellor Sam Hawgood, Dean of the UCSF School of Pharmacy Joseph Guglielmo, and science journalists Ben Lillie, Gabriela Quirós, and Indre Viskontas.

Ahmed took both first place and people’s choice prize, for a total of $3,750 in prize money, describing his work on the fruit fly’s ability to distinguish its own species from others. Deleting a single pheromone receptor, he created a fruit fly that no longer recognized species distinctions, and

performed courtship dances for other fly species several times its own size.

Every one of the finalists turned their graduate career’s work into an accessible, bite-sized vignette. “Who knows, one day you may just see a yogurt that can prevent AIDS,” said Vujkovic-Cvijin, describing his work with HIV and the gut microbiome. Simpson likened microRNA control over cell biology to playing a piano chord, Leaf described complex intracellular trafficking events in terms of mailmen, gatekeepers

UCSF students light the way for people impacted by mental health Bryne Ulmschneider Staff writer

UCSF students lit candles for those impacted by mental health as part of a California-wide event to honor, remember, and inspire all of those whose lives have been impacted by suicide or other struggles with mental health. Following the theme of the October 21st Mental Health Candle Light Event, which was “Hope by candlelight, creating a thousand lights,” each student wrote a message on a bag, lit an LED candle, and left it for others to read to make a statement of

caring, remembering, and supporting.

According to organizers, the purpose of this event was to reinforce solidarity with other University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) campuses in a message of caring, remembrance and inspiration. It also showed support for UCSF affiliates that are impacted by mental health. “I think mental

MENTAL HEALTH » PAGE 7

UCSF Pharmacy Students Compete NationallyBusiness Plan and Entrepreneurship CompetitionChris FooStaff Writer

This October, four students from the UCSF School of Pharmacy competed at the national NCPA Pruitt-Schutte Student Business Plan Competition. The annual competition fosters healthcare entrepreneurship in schools of pharmacy throughout the country.

Teams compete by writing business plans. Their plans are either based off of an existing business or are created from scratch.

Students must get creative by learning to utilize business skills based around market analyses, financial accounting, business development and critical thinking. This year, students Mariko Yokokura (P3), Nancy Wong (P3), Jay Barcelon (P2) and Chris Foo (P2) comprised the UCSF team. They were guided by faculty mentors Dr. John Kong, Dr. Kevin Rodondi and Dr. Brian Komoto.

PHARMACY » PAGE 7

2 | November 6, 2014 | synapse.ucsf.edu

Events » MUSLIM FRIDAY PRAYER SERVICESFriday, November 7, 1:30-2 p.m., Helen Diller, 160, Mission Bay & Medical Sciences, 157, ParnassusThe Muslim Community at UCSF holds regular Friday prayer services (Jum’a) every week. Come join your fellow brothers and sisters for prayer and socializing. All are welcome!

MISSION BAY RIPSFriday, November 7, 4-5 p.m., Genentech Hall Auditorium RIPS is a seminar series wherein one student and one postdoc present their current research. Talks are 15 minutes in length and are preceded by a 20-minute social. Snacks and beverages are provided.

CAMPUS EVANGELISTIC FELLOWSHIPFriday, November 7, 7-10:30 p.m., Nursing, 517, ParnassusJoin the Campus Evangelistic Fellowship for their weekly meeting with Bible study, hymn singing, and fellowship.

EXPERIMENTAL DANCE THEATRE: WEST COAST SWING WORKSHOPSunday, November 9, 6-7 p.m., Millberry Union Gym, Studio 2Join the Experimental Dance Theatre for a social dancing workshop featuring west coast swing. This is a beginner workshop. All are welcome. No partner necessary.

PARNASSUS FARMERS’ MARKETWednesday, November 12, 10 a.m.-3 p.m., ACC, 400 Parnassus Ave.Shop the Farmers’ Markets on Wednesdays to pick up locally grown produce and more. Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association

MISSION BAY FARMERS’ MARKETWednesday, November 12, 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Gene Friend Way Plaza, Mission BayShop healthy, shop fresh, shop California-grown at the UCSF Farmers’ Market, every Wednesday (rain or shine). Sponsor: Pacific Coast Farmers’ Market Association

VETERANS DAY CELEBRATIONWednesday, November 12, noon-1 p.m., Nursing, 217Join the UCSF community in celebrating the dedication and service of our nation’s veteran and military service members with musical performances by the Vocal Chords & Chamber Music Society and a presentation on military medical advancements over the past century. Reception to follow.

NURSING ALUMNI ASSOCIATION/ASSN ALUMNI LUNCH SERIESWednesday, November 12, noon-1pm, Clinical Sciences, 130Join UCSF Nursing Alumni for an engaging career lunch discussion and Q&A with Debra Vails-Qualters, RN, PNP, MSN. Ms. Vails-Qualters’ talk is titled, “My long and winding road; The Lessons I learned and barriers I overcame.” RSVP required as lunch will be provided. We welcome you to come mix and mingle with us! Please RSVP at < http://goo.gl/forms/OVTNiD57jM >.

UCSF RUN CLUB Wednesday, November 12, 5-6:15 p.m., Millberry Union Central Desk, ParnassusPlease drop by and join UCSF Fit & Rec for a run! Each Wednesday night the Run Club runs various distances (3-6 miles) at a 9-11 minute per mile.

VETERANS DAY CELEBRATION PHOTO COLLECTION: SUBMISSIONS DUE NOVEMBER 7All UCSF veteran and military service members are encouraged to submit a photo of themselves with other service members, family and/or friends for a slideshow to be included in UCSF Veteran’s Day Celebration events. UCSF students, faculty and staff are also encouraged to submit any photos of family and friends who are serving or have served. No limit on the number of photo submissions. It is recommended that in the photo there is at least one veteran or military service member in uniform. Please email photos to [email protected] by Friday, November 7.

ARE YOU A FIRST GENERATION TO COLLEGE STUDENT (FG2C)? Register with the First Generation Support Services Office to give you access to all of the First Generation Support Services and helps the office advocate for you! Register before April 15 to be entered to win one of 3 giveaways! http://bit.ly/firstgenregister

SCIENCE & HEALTH EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP: NOW RECRUITING FOR 2014-2015 CLASSROOM PARTNERSHIP PROGRAMSThe Science and Health Education Partnership (SEP) offers opportunities for UCSF volunteers to work with San Francisco K-12 teachers to co-plan and co-teach a series of four investigative science lessons in the teachers’ classrooms during

Announcements »

IMN MIDWEEK MEDITATION HOURWednesday, November 12, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Library, CL221, ParnassusThe Integrative Medicine Network invites everyone in the UCSF community to experience a weekly guided meditation. All are welcome, whether you are looking to combat day-to-day stress using meditation or you’d like to uncover subtle layers of your self by diving deep! No experience in meditation is necessary.

THE LATINA WHO DESEGREGATED CALIFORNIAWednesday, November 12, 5:30-7 p.m., Health Sciences West, 300In commemoration of the 60th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, UCSF welcomes Sylvia Mendez, RN, the principal catalyst for the case that made California the first state in the country to desegregate their public school system.

ENGLISH CORNERWednesday, November 12, 6-8:30 p.m., Medical Sciences, 159, ParnassusEnglish Corner is an informal Conversational English Class given as a free community service and provided on a voluntary basis by both people born and raised in the United States as well as many people who have, at one time in their lives, experienced life as a new immigrant to the US.

FOOD TRUCK THURSDAYS AT MISSION BAYThursday, November 13, 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 4th Street & Nelson Rising LaneJoin the food truck lunch party every Thursday at Mission Bay and explore the tasty culinary options to break up your routine. Each week will feature two different vendors, so there will always be something new. Grab some friends, get some food, and take your lunch experience up a notch. Rumor has it: come early and don’t miss out!

CHANCELLOR’S CONCERT SERIES: IN HONOR OF UCSF VETERANSThursday, November 13, noon-1 p.m., Cole HallTake a break from your busy workday and listen to classical music in honor of our UCSF veterans.

UC ORACLES TOASTMASTERSThursday, November 13, noon-1 p.m., Nursing, 721, ParnassusToastmasters empowers people to achieve their full potential. Through our member clubs, people throughout the world can improve their communication and leadership skills, and find the courage to change. Be the speaker and leader you want to be! Attend one of our meetings to learn more. Meetings are open to UCSF students, faculty, staff & volunteers. http://ucoraclesucsfedu.weebly.com/

CELL HACKERS INAUGURAL EVENTThursday, November 13, 5:30-7:30 p.m., Rock Hall AuditoriumCell Hackers is a brand new Student Organization aimed at facilitating interaction between programmers/computational biologist and wet lab scientists to form both scientific collaborations as well as interdisciplinary learning. Uri Lasserson, a data scientist at Cloudera, will discuss transitioning from his PhD into Big Data and how it pertains to genomics. Resources and tutorials to help students gain, improve and expand their computational skills will be provided.

CARRY THE ONE RADIOTuesday, November 18, 5-7 p.m., Student Resource Center, Mission BayCarry the One Radio is a biweekly science podcast produced entirely by UCSF students. The show has featured some of the country’s top scientists and it covers a myriad of science topics. If you are interested in community outreach or science communication come to a weekly meeting. No radio experience necessary. Visit our site to learn more: www.ctoradio.org or find us on twitter: @ctoradio

SYNAPSE MEETINGWednesday, November 19, noon-1 p.m., Multicultural Resource Center, MU123WGain valuable experience while improving your writing skills! Synapse is looking for student writers, bloggers, photographers, and designers. Come to a meeting and share your story ideas and meet students from other schools. No experience needed! Minimal time commitment. TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBRANCEThursday, November 20, noon-1 p.m., Lange Reading RoomTransgender Day of Remembrance will include a panel discussion as well as a reading of names memorializing lives we have lost as a result of transphobia. Friends, family members, and allies of transgender people who have experienced loss and/or violence are invited.Learn more: lgbt.ucsf.edu

PARENTING AND A SCIENCE CAREERMonday, November 24, noon-1:30 p.m., Genentech Hall, N114Please join WILS at a panel discussion on combining the roles of parent and scientist. Faculty, postdocs, and grad students will

share their experiences and advice from having children at different stages of their careers. Bring your questions! We’ll also hear from Family Services about UCSF resources to help parents. Lunch provided.

RESEARCH TALK CLINIC: IMPROVE YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLSMonday, December 1, 9 a.m.-noon, Byers Hall, 313Practice the skills needed to give an effective research talk. Present the first 10 minutes of your talk in a small group. Get structured feedback from your peers and facilitator. Cost: $5Sponsors: OCPDocpd-talkclinic.eventbrite.com

GRADUATE & PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ASSOCIATION MONTHLY MEETINGMonday, December 1, 5:30 p.m., Library, 220, ParnassusMeet your assembly members at the monthly GPSA meeting and be a part of the discussion on topics relating to student priorities. The agenda will include student representation on committees, the annual formal, the sweetened beverages tax, upcoming events and officer reports. Dinner provided with RSVP.

WHERE DO I FIT? BEING FIRST GENERATION COLLEGE AT UCSFWednesday, December 3, noon-1 p.m., RSVP for location, ParnassusJoin First Generation Support Services for a discussion group for first generation college students to meet, share experiences and learn to survive and thrive at UCSF.

Have an event that you would like to submit? Please email to [email protected].

Journal Club

the spring semester. The commitment is only 20 hours, flexibly scheduled from January to May. Professional students, graduate students, post-docs, research scientists and faculty are all eligible to apply! More information and applications available online: ucsf.edu/sep

UCSF GLOBAL HEALTH SCIENCES IS NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR THE FALL 2015 MASTERS DEGREE This 11 month, full-time program provides students in the health sciences and allied fields with the knowledge and skills necessary for leadership roles in global health through a multi-disciplinary curriculum and an applied global health capstone project. More than 70 faculty from UCSF, as well as from other UC universities, teach and mentor students. Graduates are prepared for careers in research, policy, organizational leadership, program management and evaluation, and academia. February 15, 2015 is the application deadline.

APPLY TO BE THE 2016-17 UC STUDENT REGENT! The student Regent is a voting member of The Regents of the University of California, attends all meetings of the Board and its Committees and serves for two years (one year as a designate and one year as a voting member) commencing July 1. All mandatory University fees and tuition are waived for the student Regent during the academic years in which he or she serves as a Regent-designate and as a member of the Board. Submit applications by February 22 at 5 p.m.

synapse.ucsf.edu | November 6, 2014 | 3

500 Parnassus Avenue, Millberry Union 108W, San Francisco, CA 94143tel: 476-2211 | fax: 502-4537

[email protected] | synapse.ucsf.edu

About Synapse is the UCSF student-run biweekly newspaper which runs on Thursdays during the academic year and publishes online in between print issues. Synapse seeks to serve as a forum for the campus community. Articles and columns represent the views of the authors and not necessarily those of the Board of Publications or the University of California.

Submissions Announcements and letters should be submitted seven days before publication. All submissions must be emailed to [email protected]. All material is subjected to editing.

Advertising Paid advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of Synapse. Synapse and its editorial board reserve the right to decline advertisements promoting false or misleading claims, known health risks, or content deemed by the editors to be antithetical to the interests of UCSF students or the UCSF community. Synapse does not accept advertisements from tobacco or alcohol manufacturers, or sexually oriented personal ads. Synapse reserves the right to run any ad with a disclaimer.

Visit synapse.ucsf.edu to view the publication schedule and to submit an ad.

StaffJenny Qi | EDITOR IN CHIEFAngela Castanieto | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Sam Lee | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Yi Lu | ASSOCIATE EDITOR Taylor LaFlam | SCIENCE EDITOR Akshay Govind | STAFF WRITER Bryne Ulmschneider | STAFF WRITER Chris Foo | STAFF WRITER Hannah Patzke | STAFF WRITER Ilka Fensen | STAFF WRITER Theresa Poulos | STAFF WRITERYarrow Madrona | STAFF WRITER Hanna Starobinets | WEB EDITOR

Synapse The UCSF Student Newspaper

Features »

Sylvia Mendez, RNThe Latina Who Desegregated CaliforniaAndrea Santos and Adrian Espinosa Contributing Writers

It is hard to believe that in the not so distant past California was a state that enforced segregation at various levels, including our education system. Sylvia Mendez was prohibited from enrolling in a school near her hometown in Orange County, California. Her parents were not only upset but took action, which resulted in the Mendez vs. Westminster case in 1947.

This case challenged racial segregation and the notion that students such as Sylvia Mendez should only be allowed to enroll in “Mexican Schools.” The Mendez’s victory served as a catalyst and a legal precedent that led to the desegregation of all Orange County facilities, as well as the rest of California. It set into motion future court proceedings, such as Brown vs. Board of Education, that abolished national segregation and fought for equal education.

Sylvia Mendez went on to obtain an Associate’s degree in nursing from Orange Community College, earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing, and a certificate in Public Health from California State University, Los Angeles. It is an honor to welcome Sylvia Mendez, an American civil rights activist, advocate of education, nurse, and Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient to UCSF. The School of Nursing, Office of Diversity and Outreach, and Voces Latinas are thrilled to have such an inspiring leader speak to our UCSF campus community. The event takes place on Wednesday, November 12th from 5:30-7:00 pm in HSW 300. We hope that you will attend.

Andrea Santos is a first-year master’s student and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner candidate.

Adrian Espinosa is a second-year master’s student and Family Nurse Practitioner candidate.

Breaking the Cycle: It Can Happen to AnyoneJulia FreimuthContributing Writer

Regardless of gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, income or other factors, domestic violence can happen to anyone and is considered one of the most pressing issues in American society. And while it mostly affects young women, 1 in 4 women will experience domestic violence during her lifetime; surveys show that also 1 in 7 men are being victimized by a person they know.

“Breaking the Cycle” is the title of this year’s UCSF domestic violence conference on November 15th that addresses this sensitive topic. The conference was founded in 1997 by Dr. Elizabeth McLoughlin and, with the exception of

2003, has been held annually since. To this date, Dr. McLoughlin still supports the organizing committee as faculty advisor that since 2001 has primarily been comprised of UCSF students. In 2006, Dr. Leigh Kimberg, a Coordinator of Domestic Violence Services at the San Francisco Department of Public Health Community Public Health Service, was invited to become a co-faculty advisor.

The full-day symposium aims to provide training for nursing, dental, medical, pharmacy, and physical therapy professionals and students. In different

DV CONFERENCE » PAGE 7

Celebrate Diwali: The Festival of LightsAnandika Aggarwal Contributing Writer

SKY FULL OF FIREWORKSMOUTH FULL OF SWEETSDiwali or Deepavali is also known as ‘Festival of Lights’. It is one of the biggest festivals celebrated in India and worldwide, and we are having our own UCSF celebration next week.

Diwali night is the most beautiful and colorful night. Religiously, it marks the victory of good over evil. Traditionally, people make massive preparations for

Diwali, and the festivities continue for five days. Lots of shopping is done, houses are cleaned and renovated, huge varieties of delicious mithai (sweets) are made. On the eve of Diwali, everyone dresses up in bright new clothes, gifts are exchanged and lavish dinners are arranged among relatives and close friends. People decorate their houses with lights and ‘diyas’ and

DIWALI » PAGE 7

Mastering Body and Mind With SwimmingRani GoelContributing Writer

Every day, rain or shine, the swimmers at the Bakar Fitness & Recreation Center are bringing their best to the pool. These individuals, serious about fitness, are part of the U.S. Masters Swim (USMS) team known as “Bay Masters” under the guidance of Coach Doug Huestis. On the second floor of the fitness center, you’ll notice a wall full of prestigious awards that the Bay Masters team has won from multiple competitions.

A variety of active adults—former competitive high school swimmers, triathletes, cancer-survivors and those who just love the water—make up this team of dedicated swimmers. Striving to improve their fitness and ability, they share the love of this gratifying sport. Some take the plunge daily as part of their training for triathlons and other competitions, while others join Masters Swim to improve their

SWIMMING » PAGE 9


Columns » Scientific Publishing Green and Gold: An Open Access Primer Anneliese TaylorContributing Writer

The landscape of scientific publishing is rapidly changing. Journals are increasingly moving to an open access model, ensuring that readers can freely access and reuse content – where content includes not just the article but the underlying data that led to the insights in the article. Many journals and funders now require the sharing of datasets on which published results are based, particularly in the field of genomics, thereby increasing opportunities for study replication and additional discoveries. And in tandem with this growing culture of openness, publishers are experimenting with more transparent peer review processes and new ways to measure the impact of the work of scientists.

In this new column, authored by scientific communication, data science, and copyright experts from the UCSF Library, we will delve into these topics and related scientific communication issues that are of interest to the UCSF community. You can look forward to future columns on data sharing, reuse of public data, and copyright issues.

For this inaugural column we’re going to focus on flavors of open access (OA) publishing. You’re probably familiar with OA journals such as PLOS ONE (http://www.plosone.org/), BioMed Central (http://www.biomedcentral.com/), and eLife (http://elifesciences.org/). These journals make all of their content available at no cost to readers immediately upon publication and assign a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY) that allows authors and consumers to share and adapt the material without asking permission, as long as appropriate credit is given.

The CC license type is important because one of the significant benefits of OA is the ability to data mine large amounts of content. While eLife does not charge authors (it is supported by three funding agencies), it’s common for the desirable open access journals such as those in the PLOS and BioMed Central families to charge authors an article processing charge to cover the costs of publishing the article and making it freely available. This model

GREEN OA » PAGE 8

RCO of the WeekCollect, Transport, SortUCSF students provide medical supplies to improve livesLily MuldoonContributing Writer

Hospitals generate millions of tons of waste each year, discarding annually over $200 million worth of usable medical equipment and costing millions in disposal fees. Remedy at UCSF, a student-led organization, collects and redistributes these supplies to under-resourced communities locally and globally.

Program Overview:U.S. regulations often deem useable medical items, those neither used nor contaminated, as medical waste. For example, items that are part of prepackaged

Emergency Department kits that are not used in a procedure, or spare gloves and instruments on surgical trays that are reusable, must be thrown out. Remedy at UCSF donates this type of equipment to partners in the developing world, where the supplies are lacking and lifesaving.

Remedy at UCSF has placed bins throughout UCSF’s Moffitt-Long Hospital where donated supplies are sorted, inventoried and stored. Students and hospital staff

REMEDY » PAGE 8

Remedy. From left to right: Joshua Bruhn (MS1), Amanda Onyewuenyi (MS1), Steffani Campbell (MS1), Daniel Novinson (MS2), Anya Desai (MS2), Hannah Obasi (MS1)

Courtesy of Nikita Sinha

RCO of the WeekUCSF Students Attempt to Bridge the Gap Between Computation and Biology Matthew DonneContributing Writer

Programming and analysis of large data sets are becoming more commonplace within research labs, hospitals, and health tech/biotech companies. Often times when a student or professor needs to analyze these data sets, they find themselves either in need of a computational biologist or they have to figure out on their own how to properly analyze the data. When faced with this new and difficult challenge, biologists don’t always know what the best ways are to attack their computational problems.

In the same light, there is and will continually be a great demand for scientists and healthcare workers who understand computer programming and data analysis. The recently launched Cell Hackers Club hopes to create an environment by which all students and faculty can join to learn more about this developing field and share their specific knowledge.

To achieve this goal, Cell Hackers is focused around three core ideas: to bring in local Bay Area companies and professors who use Big Data to answer health and science questions, to create small groups to learn how to analyze data sets, and a club webpage that we hope will facilitate interdisciplinary learning and create a space where collaborations can begin.

Currently, Cell Hackers will have one formal meeting a month in which a company or professor will give a talk on their respective field. So far these companies include Cloudera, Tide Pool, 23 and Me, Illumina, Emerald Therapeutics, and Ion Torrent. After these formal meetings, we plan to break into smaller groups to discuss needs and interests amongst the attendees.

The inaugural Cell Hackers Club meeting will be held on November 13th from 5:30-7:30 at the Mission Bay campus in the

CELL HACKERS » PAGE 8

Let’s Get Physical...Therapy!How to Get the Most Out of UCSF FitnessIlka FelsenStaff Writer

Fall is a busy time of year! UCSF’s gym certainly seems to be bustling as well, having rolled out several new programs: Motown Moves, Pre-Masters Fitness Swim, and a slew of outdoor programs.

I’ve jumped on board and have tried several new classes. As a physical therapy student, I can’t resist evaluating fitness from a biomechanical-ish lens, and I have a few personal tips I recommend to get the healthiest workout.

1. Don’t leave class early. This is especially hard for clock watchers and those of us who schedule events back to back. It makes sense not to arrive late for class—jumping into the middle of a

workout without warming up is a recipe for injury, since the body gets loaded quickly without having the chance to adapt gradually. But the converse is also true: leaving class early means you skip both the cool down and working all the intended muscle groups. Instructors design classes so that opposing muscle groups are both strengthened and stretched. But heading out early means some muscle groups don’t get worked, resulting in imbalances.

2. Modify your weight as needed. You should be able to maintain gorgeous form throughout all sets of lifting. It’s more important to lift smaller weights with good form than an extra 5-10lbs with

FITNESS » PAGE 8


Columns »

UCSF Journal ClubTaylor LaFlamScience Editor

NEUROSCIENCE: Loss of mitochondrial fission depletes axonal mitochondria in midbrain dopamine neurons. Berthet, A., et al. (Nakamura). J Neurosci. 2014. 34(43):14304-14317.

Biology textbooks often depict mitochondria, those energy-producing organelles, as little pill-shaped structures scattered throughout the cytoplasm. But mitochondria are highly dynamic structures, fusing and splitting and at times forming large networks.

Recent research suggests that dysregulated mitochondria may play an important role in the development of Parkinson’s disease. In this paper, the Nakamura group reports their findings regarding the role of mitochondrial fission in neuron health.

After depleting a protein essential for this mitochondrial fission, they observed a loss of mitochondria, particularly in axons and axon terminals, where signals are sent from one neuron to another. They found that many dopamine neurons, whose disruption is central to Parkinson’s disease, were lost. Interestingly, one population of dopamine neurons located in the ventral tegmental area survived despite also showing decreased axonal mitochondria.

RADIOLOGY: A boronate-caged [(18)F]FLT probe for hydrogen peroxide detection using positron emission tomography. Carroll, V., et al. (Chang). J Am Chem Soc. 2014. 136:14742-14745.

Normal metabolism in cells always produces a limited amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS), a category that

include hydrogen peroxide and superoxide. Under stressful conditions, the amount of ROS can greatly increase, and scientists are actively investigating the role of ROS in a variety of pathological conditions, such as cancer.

The difficulty of imaging ROS in vivo has been a significant challenge in the field. In this paper, Carroll and colleagues describe the development of a tool for measuring hydrogen peroxide using positron emission tomography (PET), which can be used on whole organisms.

The authors prepared a PET-detectable probe that reacts with hydrogen peroxide. This reaction allows the probe to be taken up and retained by the cell and subsequently detected. Although so far the researchers have only demonstrated the technique successfully using isolated cells, attempts to adopt this technique to in vivo systems are sure to come.

IMMUNOLOGY: Regulatory T cells suppress muscle inflammation and injury in muscular dystrophy. Villalta, S.A., et al. (Bluestone). Sci Transl Med. 2014. 6(258):258ra142.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is an incurable, inherited disorder in which progressive muscle degeneration leads to death, usually in early adulthood. DMD is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the dystrophin gene, which is active in muscle cells, but muscle inflammation plays an important role. Indeed, suppression of the immune system has been found to slow disease progression.

JOURNAL CLUB » PAGE 9

[Exit, Pursued by Science]Hanna StarobinetsStaff Writer

Sometimes, you just have one of those weeks. Those weeks when you have to be in lab at 7 o’clock in the morning to start a 14-hour experiment one day, attend three meetings and run a flow experiment the next day, and split thirty plates of cells and run seven gels the third day. You know what I’m talking about. You’re just barely keeping up with your overextended lab schedule, so there’s no way you can keep up with STEM news on top of it all -- maybe you glance at a few abstracts on PubMed and called it a day, and I commend you for it. [Enter Messenger] But these last couple of weeks have been exploding with interesting science and tech news, and while I’m only going to catch you up on a few interesting ones, I’ll add that it was not easy to choose.

Bats and Disease: The only infectious disease making headlines lately has been Ebola. Where does it come from? Scientists have found that deadly viruses are disproportionately harbored by bats: Ebola, SARS, rabies, and others. What’s more, bats are often the predominant source of disease transmission to humans. They can pass the virus to humans indirectly

through other animals (gorillas, chimps) that encounter their droppings or directly through bites or when people eat them. What’s so special about bat biology? A 2013 publication in Science from the groups of Lin-Fa Wang and Jun Wang sought to address this through comparative genomics. They discovered evidence of positive selection of genes involved in DNA damage repair pathway and innate immunity. Elevated activity of both these processes could explain why bats can harbor deadly viruses without contracting disease as well as their low cancer rates. The authors postulated that these genetic changes were selected for during the origin of flight, which requires much higher metabolic rates and thus caused more cellular damage.

Another hypothesis, from a 2014 publication in Emerging Infectious Diseases, is that flight may generate enough heat to mimic a fever, decreasing viral load, and an article in The Washington Post this week says that a light workout when you have a head cold can be beneficial by boosting your immune

EXIT » PAGE 9

The ScoopEatwell Farm’s Ice BoxTheresa Poulos and Dawn MaxeyStaff Writers

Soft serve, the texturally challenged cousin to regular ice cream, often gets pushed to the wayside in favor of its heartier counterpart. But The Scoop team made a trip to that wayside to check out a new store on the block: Eatwell Farm’s Ice Box.

The uniquely named shop, just a short walk from Parnassus in the Upper Haight,

is the creation of Nigel Walker, a farmer who owns Eatwell Farm in Dixon, CA, and Roma Gray, a self-described ice cream connoisseur.

Ice Box began as a food truck business, selling its wares at the Ferry Plaza Farmer’s Market and Off the Grid events. It recently moved to the inside of Second

SCOOP » PAGE 10

Local Cult Hell-bent on Infuriating MotoristsStaff Humorist

Local biker Brad Undley shattered a personal record this morning when he broke no fewer than fifteen laws, caused five cars to swerve into oncoming traffic and still managed to get into work in less than twenty minutes. “I’m training harder every day to cause as much mayhem as efficiently as possible. I’m studying travel routes, traffic patterns and human psychology to piss off as many motorists as I can en route to my job.”

Undley is part of an emerging sect of commuters called Bicyclists. Under the guise of striving for a healthy lifestyle and reducing carbon emissions, this new cult of anarchists seeks to introduce havoc into what is otherwise a perfectly safe and peaceful communion of human/car

transportation. Undley says local outrage aimed at bicyclists who casually disregard stop signs and red lights means nothing to him. When asked to comment about the sentiment of non-bicyclists, Undley said, “Really, I find it quaint that pedestrians and car drivers expect me to follow rules written for a motor vechicle. Do you see a motor on my sweet-ass fixie? Nope. It’s just me, the bike and the hell-raising spirit of the commuter revolution. There’s no traffic law my bike and I can’t break!”

Undley and his fellow anarchists said those looking for further information on the Bicyclists cult need only to follow the sound of honking horns.

Staff Humorist is a contributor to the Humor column.

Read Synapse Online at synapse.ucsf.edu


Puzzles »

November 2014

Edited by Margie E. Burke

HOW TO SOLVE:

(Answer appears elsewhere

in this issue)

Solution to Sudoku

Copyright 2014 by The Puzzle Syndicate

Difficulty : Easy

November 2014

ACROSS1 Angry outburst5 Walk heavily9 Medical

discovery13 Full of zeal15 Get wind of16 October stone17 Influence

unfairly19 Pull apart20 At the ready21 Freeload23 Air bag?24 In bits and

pieces25 Cigarette brand28 Tomorrow, in

Tijuana30 Take to the

soapbox31 Swampy ground32 Ocean liner?36 Excavated37 New hire, often 67 Minstrel's strings 10 Flip over 40 Waistband stuff41 Slimy gunk 68 Minnesota 11 Cowboys' home 43 Military inductee42 In the thick of player 12 Church dignitary 46 Overdo one's 44 Conclusion 69 Fabric quantity 14 Uniform welcome45 On the lam decoration 48 Wee hour47 Player list DOWN 18 Coffee vessel 49 Look into, as a 50 Boring tool 1 Wheelchair aid 22 Witty bit cold case51 Writer's check 2 Miles away 24 Any time now 51 Like pond scum54 Right on the 3 Prime-time hour 25 Musical finale 52 Crocheted item

map? 4 One of three in 26 Lily variety 53 Bravery in battle56 Slip-on shoe a delivery room 27 Biblical trio 55 Away from the57 Sentimental 5 Smoker's 29 Go along with bow

place excess 33 Keyed up 57 Rice wine61 Coated with gold 6 Heavy metal 34 Miniscule margin 58 Insect stage62 Lack of fitness 7 Stable staple 35 Take-charge 59 Sign of spoilage64 Medicinal herb 8 Equestrian event type 60 Look after65 Finger jab 9 Beers served 38 Official edict 63 Women's org.66 Poultry buy with lime 39 Poker stake

by Margie E. Burke


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The Crossword

SOLUTIONS » PAGE 12

Student Inside Guide

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This Date in UCSF HistoryNovember 8, 1984Synapse Vol. 29, No. 10Taylor LaFlamScience Editor

Today, the most prominent divestment movement at UCSF is to withdraw from fossil-fuel companies. A generation ago, it was divestment from South Africa in protest of apartheid that was front and center.

Thirty years ago, the Synapse published two lengthy articles on this topic, both by Charles Piller. One article, “The racist policies of South Africa,” provided a wide-ranging look at the discriminatory policies of South Africa and its large disparities in health, housing, education, and economic opportunities.

The second, “Schmid’s Africa trip - pros & cons,” responded to then School of

Medicine Dean Rudi Schmid’s fifth trip to South Africa. According to the article, Schmid ardently criticized apartheid and argued that such trips were important for interacting with apartheid opponents in South Africa. Piller also presented the counterargument that boycotting South Africa, including academics refraining from traveling there, was the best course.

These articles reflect a UCSF in which apartheid was a topic of active discussion, but there was not yet the university-wide response sought by many. It would not be until 1986 that the University of California regents would agree to begin divesting from South Africa -- driven strongly by massive protests at Berkeley in the spring of 1985.

Columns »

Bay Area Science Festival’s BAHFest has audience rolling in their seatsHanna StarobinetsStaff Writer

Why do we sleep? Why do cats sprint around the room randomly? At the first BAHFest West, six scientists defended ridiculous hypotheses answering these and other questions before a panel of judges. The verdict: scientists are excellent comedians!

The BAHFest West, deciphered as the Festival of Bad Ad Hoc Hypotheses, took place the evening of Oct. 25 at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco before a sold-out crowd of popcorn-eating science lovers.

BAHFest was originally held at MIT during the Cambridge Science Festival in October 2013. In this science-comedy fusion event, several “brave speakers present well-argued and thoroughly researched but completely incorrect evolutionary theory” (www.bahfest.com). These speakers were judged on force of science, artistry, parsimony and strength of defense. The event was an immediate success, and came back this year in double force with BAHFest East and BAHFest West.

Kishore Hari, Bay Area Science Fair (BASF) director, said beforehand that this was the event he was most excited for this year. Clearly his excitement was shared by others, because the event sold out in advance. BAHFest embodies the BASF’s major themes: “blurring the lines between science and culture,” and “putting more scientists in front of an audience and just letting them interact.”

Judging by the huge turnout, buzzing energy, raucous laughter and applause, BAHFest West was a huge success and will surely return to the BASF next year. Not only did BAHFest achieve the goal of combining science and comedy, but it did so with an ease and flair as if it had been an established style of theatre. Not once during the night did any speaker feel awkward, dry, or inaccessible. This is an impressive feat for a novel genre of entertainment. The organizers, hosts, judges, and contestants were all excellent speakers, quick on their feet, and very funny, which are exactly

BAHFEST » PAGE 10

ALSO FROM 30 YEARS AGO:


Articles continued »

and docks. Zhang, who was the runner-up, depicted neuronal pain mechanisms as a color palette. “Sequencing a swarm of viruses is like trying to solve one hundred jigsaw puzzles with all their pieces mixed together,” explained Lan in reference to his novel virus barcoding technique.

Other topics covered in quick succession were microfluidic studies of microbial communities (Kraal), the effects of nurses’ interactions with industry on health practices (Grundy) and the evolution of infectious yeast biofilm (Nocedal).

The 3MT competition was first developed at the University of Queensland in Australia, which also happens to be Chancellor Hawgood’s medical alma mater. 3MT will return to UCSF again next year and will be open to all graduate students who have advanced to candidacy.

Story Collider“There is no learning at Story Collider. Science is for entertainment purposes

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Storytelling

» FROM FRONT PAGE

Mental Health

health is a serious medical condition that may be impossible to actually physically see in a person. It is different from physical pain for it may be worse than physical pain. I think it important for people suffering to realize that many people suffer from mental health issues, they are not alone, and someone will be there to help,” said Niki Arab, a second-year pharmacy student who helped organize the event.

The Mental Health Candlelight Event was started by a psychologist at San Jose State, and has since spread across the state, taking place at 18 other UCs and CSUs across the state this year. Last year, 22 different UC and CSU campuses participated in the event. At other UC campuses, this

Candlelight Event. Students left messages of hope in Saunders court.Courtesy of Niki Arab

Forty-seven schools were represented in the competition. Of these, only three were picked to deliver their “business pitch” at the NCPA national convention in Austin, Texas. For the first time in the school’s history, UCSF was selected to compete at the national level, along with the University of Arkansas and the University of Oklahoma at Tulsa.

The UCSF business plan focused on transitional care, with a business model aimed at reducing excess hospital readmissions. The model was developed with the Affordable Care Act in mind. Under the new health care law, hospitals lose Medicare funding for readmitting patients within 30 days of discharge for complications related to congestive heart failure, heart attacks or pneumonia. With this in mind, the UCSF team formulated a model aimed at saving hospitals from incurring significant losses.

UCSF’s approach was to utilize pharmacists in a transitional care role to help reduce readmission rates. These pharmacists would deliver medications using an existing closed-door pharmacy to patients discharged from hospitals. In this

way, the team hoped to reconcile patient medications while making sure the patients received their 30-day supply after leaving the hospital.

UCSF finished in third place following Arkansas and Oklahoma. They were awarded $1,000 to the school in the dean’s name and also $1,000 to their local NCPA chapter.

“The NCPA Business Plan competition was, at the end of the day, one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had here at UCSF,” stated Jay Barcelon. “It allowed me to understand the complexity and multifaceted nature of the problems we face in healthcare. The true beauty of the competition, however, really lies in the challenges of approaching a problem from several different perspectives, and creating a solution that aligns the interests of everyone involved. For me, personally, the most enjoyable part was getting a chance to play at the intersection of reality and imagination. I would definitely recommend this competition to all those looking to be entrepreneurs, agents of change and disruptive innovators.”

If you would like to learn more about the NCPA Business Competition go to http://www.NCPAnet.org.

Chris Foo is a second-year pharmacy student.

» FROM FRONT PAGE

Pharmacy

UCSF Pharmacy Students. From left to right: Chris Foo (P2), Mariko Yokokura (P3), Nancy Wong (P3), Jay Barcelon (P3), Dr. Brian Komoto (Faculty Mentor).

Courtesy of I-Chen Fong

sessions participants will be taught how to better screen for and address violence in patients. This year’s keynote speaker is Dr. Edward Machtinger, Professor of Medicine and Director of the Women’s HIV Program at UCSF. During the breakout sessions participants will have the opportunity to learn about child and elder abuse, violence prevention, shelter system and more. Survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence from within the UCSF community will be speaking about their experiences during the survivor panel.

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DV Conference

colorful decorations. At night, family members gather to do ‘Laxmi Pooja’ and offer their prayers to Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth). Firecrackers follow the puja. It is a magical sight to watch the firecrackers light up the sky with colorful sparkling stars.

To spread this positivity, brighten our lives and celebrate our culture, the Indian Student Organization has organized a Diwali Bash at UCSF. This event will give the UCSF community a taste of our rich culture and traditions. There will be entertaining Bollywood dance performances by students, a chance to get traditional Indian

» FROM PAGE 3

Diwali

In recent decades, great measures have been taken to provide safeguards designed to help abused women. These include gun restrictions for abusers, community shelters, protection orders, and the nation’s first federal anti-domestic violence legislation, the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). However, most domestic violence incidents are never reported.

Learn how to break the cycle. Speak up, speak out, and make a difference. It can happen to anyone.

Register: http://tinyurl.com/DVConference Location: UCSF Parnassus Campus, HSW-300

event even inspired some students to seek counseling and treatment after they realized their mental health struggles were not unique to them.

This year was the first year that UCSF also participated in the event. As members of a health-focused campus, mental health impacts many UCSF students, and it is also an important component of overall health. The candles lit the way for the launch of Student Health and Counseling mental health awareness week which showcased a variety of events aimed at stigma reduction related to taking care of mental health. Hopefully, the 20-30 candles shining in Saunders Court helped light the way for students at UCSF to recognize that they are not alone in having been impacted by mental health issues.

Bryne Ulmschneider is a fourth-year Tetrad student.

only,” said Erin Barker, co-host of Story Collider, a live science storytelling event. Referring to herself as not a scientist, but “a civilian,” Barker recounted how she went from skepticism to excitement as she watched her co-host, Dr. Ben Lillie, first create this event in New York.

Lillie, a theoretical physicist, wanted to combine his love for science and telling stories. In these live events, speakers tell stories of how science has touched their lives: applying science skills to life, and life skills to science. Normally hosted in New York and Boston, Story Collider was brought to the Bay Area for the first time as a part of this year’s BASF.

The stories ranged from funny (applying algorithms to dating), to poignant (coming to terms with the death of a parent at an archaeological dig), to adventurous (recovering from a near-death experience with malaria in an African pygmy village), to raw and personal (coming out as transgender during marine field work in the Philippines).

Hanna Starobinets is a fourth-year BMS student.

henna tattoos, enjoy mouthwatering Indian food and try your luck at Raffle prices.

Please join us to celebrate this Indian holiday and have a grand time!

This event will take place in HSW 302 on Nov. 13, 2014 from 5:30-8:30 pm.

Anandika Aggarwal is a third-year IDP student.



of OA publishing is often referred to as “gold open access”.

A companion version is “green open access”. Green OA is the process of making a version of a published article available in an OA repository. A repository may be discipline specific, such as arXiv, or institution based, and it provides free access to documents uploaded from authorized sources. UC runs an OA platform called eScholarship (http://escholarship.org/) that serves as the institutional repository for “previously published works” by any UC author. Are you motivated to share your works? Check it out!

There is no payment required to practice green OA publishing. If you’ve read through the copyright transfer agreement required for publishing in a subscription journal, you may have seen green OA rights outlined. Publishers typically only allow the final manuscript--post peer-review but pre-publisher typesetting and copyediting--to be deposited in a non-commercial repository or website. And they might specify an “embargo” period of six to twelve months after publication before you can make the manuscript available. Examples of journals that provide green OA rights include JBC, Nature Publishing, and NEJM. It’s best to read the specific rights outlined in each publication’s agreement, or search the publication in the SHERPA/RoMEO database ( http://www.sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/).

In May 2012, UCSF Academic Senate faculty declared their commitment to disseminating their research and scholarship as widely as possible by voting unanimously in favor of an Open Access Policy. This is a green OA policy for scholarly articles. It outlines the rights of faculty authors to reserve copyrights and to

» FROM PAGE 4

Green OA assert broader control their work. Faculty continue to publish in whichever journal they choose but have granted a prior license that allows them to deposit a final version of their papers in eScholarship or another OA repository immediately upon publication. This policy differs from the NIH Public Access Policy in that there is no 12-month embargo period before papers can be read openly (though it doesn’t change the NIH’s requirements). It also allows faculty to maintain control over sharing their works without having to ask for publisher permission. Learn more at http://www.library.ucsf.edu/services/scholpub/oa/policy.

UCSF’s movement sparked the passing of an almost identical policy across the UC Academic Senate in July 2013. (Two minor differences are UCSF’s requirement to deposit a paper for archival purposes even if opting out and a strictly non-commercial license for content). UCSF is one of three campuses, along with UCLA and UC Irvine, that implemented a publication management system to help faculty track their publications and upload their papers into eScholarship using a single interface. The system went live Oct. 20, and faculty will receive email notifications alerting them when new publications are identified. Moving beyond faculty, there is a proposed Presidential Policy on Open Access that will extend the same license to all employees of the UC system who author scholarly articles but who are not members of the Academic Senate. Students, postdocs, and research staff will be affected by this policy, so it’s important for these groups to review the details of the proposed policy at http://bit.ly/1wTI5cU. Comments will be accepted by [email protected] until January 15, 2015.

For comments or questions about the UCSF Open Access Policy, email [email protected].

Anneliese Taylor is assistant director, scholarly communications and collections, at the UCSF Library.

work collaboratively to constantly monitor which materials can be safely recycled from unused surplus. The program is now expanding into the emergency departments of Highland General Hospital and San Francisco General Hospital.

UCSF medical professionals and students take supplies to clinics while volunteering locally and abroad. Over the past year, the program collected 1,9000 pounds of supplies and has fielded a record number of requests for Remedy supplies for UCSF projects. Recently, Remedy has supported projects in Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Kenya, India, Indonesia, Nicaragua, the Philippines and Tanzania and local projects including the UCSF Homeless Clinic and the Berkeley Free Clinic.

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Remedy

Rock Hall Auditorium. Our first featured speaker will be Uri Laserson. Uri is a data scientist at Cloudera who previously received his PhD from MIT developing applications of high-throughput DNA sequencing to immunology. During that time, he co-founded Good Start Genetics, a next-generation diagnostics company focused on genetic carrier screening. In 2012 he was selected to Forbes’s list of

» FROM PAGE 4

Cell Hackers

Cell Hackers. From left to right: Nick Strauli (BMS/4); Matthew Donne (DSCB 4); Bryne Ulmschneider (Tetrad/4).

Courtesy of Sarah Utley

30 under 30. His talk will focus on his transition from his PhD into Big Data and how it pertains to genomics. We will be providing food and refreshments after the talk.

This club was founded by Matthew Donne, Nick Strauli, Melissa McCreery, Bryne Ulmschneider, and Ian Driver out of their own personal interest to learn more about coding as well as their desire to educate other students in learning to code.

Matthew Donne is a fourth-year Developmental and Stem Cell Biology student.

form breakdown. Some clues that things are falling by the wayside: arching of the back to provide momentum (most common during bicep curls), unable to maintain a steady, slow descent of the weight, wrist flexion or extension with lifting rather than staying neutral, knees pointing inwards instead of forwards during a squat, and neck muscles tensing with overhead lifts.

3. If you have an injury, speak up! Not all versions of an exercise are appropriate for you. Avoid inappropriate stresses by telling the instructor before the class starts, so you will not be expected to push yourself to potentially more harmful movements. Specific example: some yoga classes involve repeated forward bending of the back (which could be a risk factor for a herniated disk, if you already hunch over a computer for most hours of the day). Instead, opt for more cobras!

» FROM PAGE 4

Fitness

How you can be involved?One of the greatest strengths of Remedy is that getting involved is easy and does not require a big time investment. Here are a few simple ways you can help:

• (1) Remedy at UCSF is always looking for volunteers to help collect and organize supplies.

• (2) Remedy depends on supply donations from UCSF hospitals. If there is not a bin where you work, we can set one up and make weekly collections.

• (3) If you are working with resource-poor populations, in the Bay Area or across the globe, you can contact us for medical supplies.

If you would like to be involved with Remedy, please contact the Remedy leadership at [email protected].

Lily Muldoon is a fourth-year medical student.

4. Condition for outdoor programs. Did you know that for $69 you can hike Yosemite, camp in Big Sur, paddleboard and kayak your way around the bay? Many of us weekend warriors sign up for outdoor trips without accounting for the physicality involved. Some pointers: do lots of calf raises and calf stretching in the weeks prior to hiking, engage your core and flex your abdomen while kayaking (it will prevent an arm injury!), and stretch your butt and hip muscles after stand up paddle boarding.

5. Watch out for cleans, deep squats, and tricep dips! Cleans are the classic bar maneuver, but also a classic shoulder impingement position. Deep squats put high loads on the knees even in the best of situations, and tricep dips push the humeral head forward, thereby stretching out the anterior shoulder capsule and contributing to shoulder instability. If any of these moves sound familiar to you, back off!

Ilka Felsen is a third-year physical therapy student.

Let’s Get Physical. The author’s best attempt at triangle pose.Courtesy of Ilka Felsen



overall well-being and gain rewarding friendships. (Participation in competitive events is optional for all team members.) Not only are these individuals committed to fitness, but they also share a loyalty to the team.

“Swimming is the best workout that I know for both the body and the mind. Physically, it challenges both your aerobic and anaerobic capacities. Mentally, it gives you the chance to both find and push against your limits,” says Clayton Jones, member of the Fitness & Recreation Center at UCSF, and Bay Masters team swimmer since 2005. “Being a part of a Masters team also provides a wonderful opportunity to meet a very interesting, diverse set of people. The friendships and camaraderie with my teammates keeps me from hitting the snooze button and pushes me a little bit harder at the end of a workout.”

Coach Doug Huestis, who founded the Bay Masters Swim Team at Bakar Fitness & Recreation Center at UCSF Mission Bay in 2005, has been a life-long competitive swimmer and has coached numerous teams since 1967. When asked what he enjoys most about coaching his team, without hesitation he says, “To help people achieve what they didn’t think they could.” With a Masters in Exercise Physiology, 60 years of his own swimming mastery and a passion for developing effective training techniques, Coach Doug brings his winning formula to the team at UC San Francisco. He knows without a doubt that anyone can achieve a higher level of fitness if they have the desire to excel and just show up and try.

Bay Masters Swimmer Julia Pak, who’s been on the team since 2008, says, “It’s

simply impossible to name a single benefit to something that becomes so integral to your daily life… Coach Doug is exceptional in his knowledge of the sport and coaching experience. If you are already driven, he will provide you with the means to achieve your goals. If you are not, he will help you find that drive.”

The team’s oldest member, Ralph Brott, has been swimming with Coach Doug since 2000 and has won multiple competitions regionally and was ranked No. 1 in the nation in the 1500 meter freestyle event. That swim also set a Pacific Masters Swimming record for that event (in the 70-74 age group). He was a daily runner from his 20’s through late 40’s, until a combination of air pollution and nerve damage took a toll on his ability to run and his daily practice of swimming began.

“When I moved back to San Francisco and was teaching high school, swimming every morning was how I would manage stress and stay focused. Then in 1999, I joined Masters Swim. What I like about Coach Doug is that he’s a very hands-on, strong kind of coach who stays actively interested in my practice.”

Beyond the awards and competitive aspects of swimming, Ralph says swimming is what keeps him in shape and healthy. Having survived cancer, he attributes his swim practice to being one of the most effective means of managing the stress. His doctor tells him to keep swimming and he says he’s “addicted” to it. “I feel good. I’m active. Being on the Masters Swim team provides tremendous rewards and I’m around good, healthy people. If anyone is thinking about joining a Masters Swim team, don’t think too much about it. Just give it a try. ”

To learn more about Masters Swim at Bakar Fitness & Recreation at UCSF Mission Bay, please visit: http://bit.ly/UCSFMastersFall2014 or call Aquatics Manager Danski Perez at 415.502.4446.

» FROM PAGE 3

Swimming

UCSF Swimmers. Members of the Master Swim Team.Courtesy of Rani Goel

In this paper, the Bluestone group investigated the role of regulatory T cells (T regs), which are immunosuppressive, in a mouse model of DMD. They found T regs in the muscles of these mice; these cells partially restrained muscle inflammation.

They showed that administration of a regulatory T cell-promoting therapy led to increased T regs in the muscles and decreased muscle injury. They speculate that T reg-enhancing agents might be effective DMD therapeutics.

CELL BIOLOGY: A protein-tagging system for signal amplification in gene expression and fluorescence imaging. Tanenbaum, M.E., et al. (Vale). Cell. 2014. 159(3):635-646.

In biology, less can be more. But sometimes, more is more: easier signal

» FROM PAGE 5

Journal Club detection, stronger transcription, and so forth.

In this recent article, the authors reported the development of a versatile method for associating a large number of proteins at a single place, and showed two different potential uses. The technology involves a protein scaffold that can be encoded to be a part of any protein. This scaffold can bind up to 24 antibody-fusion proteins, in which a protein of the scientists’ choice is joined to the antibody portion.

The authors demonstrated using this scaffold to recruit large numbers of fluorescent proteins, sufficient for the imaging of a single scaffold-tagged protein. They also used the system to recruit large numbers of transcriptional activators, allowing the targeted activation of a particular gene.

Taylor LaFlam is a sixth-year MSTP and fourth-year BMS student.

system, so maybe bat evolution can be their proof of concept. The bottom line is that bats have unintentionally developed super powers, and we either need to evolve human flight to keep up, or stay well away from them. References: Wired, Slate, Science.

Exosomes and Cancer: So, about exosomes. At one time, they were thought to be vesicles passively sloughed off from cells, with no special purpose. Recently we’ve come to appreciate that they are in fact a mechanism of intercellular communication, an active secretory mechanism that delivers protected cargo to other cells. It’s also known that cancer patients have elevated levels of exosomes, but research is only starting to address the implications. In an exciting ahead-of-print publication in Cancer Cell, the Kalluri lab showed that when they mixed exosomes from cancer patients with normal human mammary epithelial cells and injected them into mice, they formed tumors.

Just in time for Halloween, I’d say. I mean, you mix cargo-carrying vesicles and cells that shouldn’t give rise to cancer, and all of a sudden you get cancer? And the source of exosomes is key, because they didn’t get tumors when mixing those cells with healthy donor exosomes. The mechanism is through specific microRNA cargo in cancer patient exosomes. References: Cancer Cell, Nature News & Comment

Birds of the Bay Bridge: To finish off on a lighter note, I’d like to touch on Bay Area ecology. Living in a city, we often forget about our interface with the natural world. However, this area has a natural ecology

that we’re constantly butting up against. In recent news, there’s been some struggling with cormorants.

“Cormorants don’t get a lot of love,” says my friend Kate Wyman, graduate student in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. They like to live in human environments, they eat a ton of fish, and they’re not the prettiest of birds. “As migratory birds, cormorants receive federal protection under the Migratory Treaty Act. Some of those protections have been relaxed in recent years… so they don’t come into conflict with other natural resources or economic interests.”

The problem for San Francisco is that double-breasted cormorants have been living on the Bay Bridge since 1984. . . and it is being demolished. Caltrans needs to lure those cormorants from the old bridge to the new bridge before mating season starts again in April; if the birds lay eggs on the old bridge, Caltrans will have to halt demolition until mating season is over in August. The cost of speeding up efforts has cost Caltrans millions: they’ve built special bird condos with nests on the new bridge, used bird decoys and recordings, and thrown nets over sections of the old bridge. So when you’re driving on the new bridge and look over at the half-disassembled old bridge, keep in mind that there are many forces at play – and do some fast-paced bird watching while you’re at it! I’ll leave you with a fun fact about cormorants: due to differences in their oil-producing uropygial gland, their feathers are less waterproof than other birds, so they have to stretch out their wings to dry out after every fishing dive. References: SFGate, Gizmodo, Kate Wyman.


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Exit

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Act on Haight Street – a public gathering space and small collection of food shops. The establishment sells four flavors at a time, one of which is a rotating seasonal flavor made of fruits harvested from Eatwell Farm. The place is especially popular on weekends, as evidenced by the steady supply of children carefully balancing their cones towering with soft serve. On a sunny Fall day, The Scoop team decided to follow their lead.

Up for tasting were Classic Vanilla, Stoneground Chocolate, Goat Cheese, and seasonal Spiced Pumpkin. Theresa first opted to sample a twist of the Chocolate and Vanilla, and was pretty much sold. The texture and flavor were spot on and—dare she say—even better than the ever-popular Bi-Rite’s soft serve (yes, she said it). Other tasters agreed—the Vanilla was exceptionally creamy and smooth, the texture rivaling even Smitten’s liquid nitrogen frozen ice cream in Hayes Valley. Theresa was so enamored of her first sample that she nearly committed ice cream taster sacrilege and considered foregoing a second free sample. But curiosity got the best of her, and she asked to try the Goat Cheese.

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Scoop As many people will attest, Theresa’s knee-jerk reaction to most cheeses is a disgusted gag, but she kept an open mind, given Eatwell’s exceptional Vanilla and Chocolate flavors. With the first tangy taste of Eatwell’s Goat Cheese soft serve, Theresa’s eyes widened and jaw dropped; so much so, that the lady working behind the counter wasn’t sure whether to dial for help or to serve her another sample. Theresa assured her that the reaction was positive, described the flavor as “life changing,” and proceeded to order a whole serving.

Dawn saw a fresh batch of pumpkin soft serve batter being cooked on site and opted to try the frozen version of the seasonal flavor. It was nicely spiced, with hints of cinnamon – a great festive option. She rounded out the sampling with a taste of the Stoneground Chocolate and happily noted that it was bereft of the artificial plastic flavor and syrupy sweetness that plagues many other chocolate soft serves.A cup of the creamy stuff runs at the steep price of $5, with the option of adding a homemade butter waffle cone for an additional $1 (which garnered high praise for tasting “fresh, crispy, and resistant to sogginess”). The price is one of the few downsides of Eatwell Farm’s Ice Box – or perhaps its saving grace. If it was any cheaper, we would go far too often!

Eatwell. A creamy tower of vanilla chocolate swirl soft serve is made fresh on site and costs $5.

Courtesy of Dawn Maxey

the qualities needed to make science more accessible to the public. In the words of co-host Zach Weinersmith: “We like your terrible ideas. We hope they turn into real ones.”

The energetic hosts of BAHFest West were Zach Weinersmith, cartoonist of Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC), and his wife, Kelly Weinersmith, a graduate student in parasitology at UC Davis. The three judges were Phil Plait, a popular science blogger also known as The Bad Astronomer; Dr. Elizabeth Iorns, an assistant professor at the University of Miami studying breast cancer; and Dr. Andrew Sih, a professor at UC Davis studying behavioral ecology.

The night began with a keynote address from Matt Inman, cartoonist of The Oatmeal, who used a cartoon presentation on Jibbers Crabst, a fictional God living among Saturn’s rings, to claim that “trying to use science to prove the existence of god is like trying to find your car keys using Bing.” At times R-rated, his presentation was an opening act that set the mood for a night of side-splitting and clever humor.

A shout-out is also in order for the two American Sign Language translators, who at several points during the evening received separate applause from the audience for their comic gestures.

The first presenter was Terry Johnson, a bioengineering lecturer at UC Berkeley. He proposed the hypothesis that dietary deception is a behavior that evolved as a selective advantage. Using differential equations, he showed that the human population can be divided into “cheaters” and “suckers.” The cheaters generate anxiety about certain foods, deceiving the population into avoiding them through dieting, thus increasing their availability.

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BAHFest Furthermore, the cheaters have evolved a self-deceptive behavior that results in their eating more than they perceive. With more calorie intake, they have an evolutionary advantage and are more reproductively fit.

In response to Johnson being asked how he is self-deceptive, he said, “I have been a vegetarian for about twenty years… I think.” At this point, the audience’s raucous cheering and applause drowned out any further explanation.

Up next was Catherine Hofler, Director of Research at Emerald Therapeutics. Her research question: “Why do cats randomly sprint around the room with no apparent reason?” She presented an elaborate hypothesis involving heartbeats, coevolution with humans, crazy cat ladies and human reproductive rates, all leading to the conclusion that if cats lived too long, there would be a “cat-astrophe.” Thus, cats have evolved a behavior that purposefully increases heart rate and limits their “Goldilocks” lifespan to 12-15 years, keeping both human and cat populations in check.

Alex Lee, a scientist for the state of California and a docent at the Cal Academy of Sciences, presented another coevolution hypothesis: that goldfish evolved to teach mortality to human children. He claimed that goldfish have the optimal level of charisma – a range from naked mole rat to fluffy kitten – that allows them to impress on human children their own mortality

without traumatizing them. This ability makes goldfish an important pet, and has allowed them to spread to all the continents of the world except Antarctica. He further claimed that his hypothesis could save endangered species: for example, lowering the panda’s high level of charisma could improve their reproductive success.

In a stroke of improvisational genius, Plait took issue with a graph that Lee presented in which the spread of goldfish around the 17th century marked an increase in human population: “I’m concerned about confounding factors… have you considered the effect of Pepperidge Farm Goldfish crackers, and if not, have you gone to them to sponsor this research?”

Indre Viskontas, who has a PhD in neuroscience and Master of Music in opera and is affiliated with both UCSF and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, asked, “Have you ever wondered why your hand is shaped like a turkey?” Under her Handshake Hypothesis, humans evolved opposable thumbs but not opposable toes, as other primates have, in order to create the perfect interlocking handshake. The microbiome of the human palm is transferred during handshakes, she continued, and thus this seemingly friendly gesture is actually our most aggressive weapon. “What my theory lacks in data, I make up for in terms of the breadth with which it explains all of our different behaviors.” One such behavior is the tendency to pick one’s nose or ears, and the tendency to be secretive about it – one wouldn’t want one’s enemies to see that one was colonizing one’s hands with bacteria in preparation for a handshake. The rest of the evening involved several fist bumps in place of handshakes.

Shamus Roeder, an undergraduate student at the University of Iowa, outlined the Smelly Grandfather Hypothesis. He claimed that the smell associated with older humans is in fact an evolutionary mimicry

of the striped polecat’s smell, which repels predators.

The last speaker was Sarah Hird, a postdoctoral fellow at UC Davis studying phylogenomics, who addressed the question: “Why do mammals sleep?” Hird proposed that sleep is needed to deal with stressors, in particular, “Our thoughts, and our feelings, and definitely our personalities, cannot be tolerated 24 hours a day. So my hypothesis is that sleep evolved as a mechanism to remove us from these stressors that we cannot otherwise escape from: our lives, and ourselves” (wild applause).

Hird’s Model of Basic Satisfaction, or “how satisfied an organism is with its life,” ranged from self-acceptance to self-hatred, and accounts for the number of hours a mammal must “allocate of their day to being unconscious.” The giraffe and elephant, who sleep the least, are mammals with the highest levels of self-acceptance as a result of their quality of life; they live on the beautiful African Serengeti and their diets consist of organic foods. As for the koala, who lives in beautiful eucalyptus forests but sleeps 22 hours a day: “their diet is exclusively poison and poop” – referring to eucalyptus toxicity and koala mothers feeding their offspring feces to counteract that toxicity. At the end, Sih responded, “Wow. That is genius.”

Combining their scores with decibel meter measurements of audience applause, the judges ruled Hird and her model of mammalian sleep patterns as this year’s BAHFest winner. Her prize included $500 in a briefcase, a signed SMBC Science book, and a 3D-printed statue of a shrugging Charles Darwin.

The entire competition was recorded and can be viewed on the BAHFest YouTube channel.


Theresa Poulos and Dawn Maxey are fourth-year medical students.


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November 13, 2014, Golden State Warriors vs Brooklyn Nets - $30*February 4, 2015, Golden State Warriors vs Dallas Mavericks - $30*

Both games at 7:30 p.m. at Oracle Arena, Oakland*Includes $2 service charge. Your purchase helps support Arts & Events - creative arts,

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Veterans Day CelebrationWednesday, November 12noon-1 p.m.Nursing 217, Parnassus

Enjoy musical performances by the Vocal Chords & Chamber Music Society and a presentation on military medical advancements over the past century. Reception to follow.

Chancellor’s Concert SeriesThursday, November 13noon-1 p.m.Cole Hall, Parnassus

Take a break from your busy workday and listen to classical music in honor of our UCSF Veterans.

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2014

Veterans Day HONORING THOSE WHO SERVED

Join the UCSF community in celebrating the dedication and service of our nation’s veteran and military service members. Students, staff, faculty and friends of UCSF are welcome!

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Solutions »

November 2014

Edited by Margie E. Burke

HOW TO SOLVE:

(Answer appears elsewhere

in this issue)

Solution to Sudoku


Difficulty : Easy

November 2014

Solution to Crossword:

R A N T P L O D C U R EA F I R E H E A R O P A LM A N I P U L A T E R E N DP R E P A R E D S P O N G E

L U N G A S U N D E RC A M E L M A N A N AO R A T E B O G S A N DD U G T R A I N E E G O OA M I D E N D L O O S E

R O S T E R A U G E RA D V A N C E E A S TL O A F E R S O F T S P O TG I L T I N A P T I T U D EA L O E P O K E C A P O NL Y R E T W I N Y A R D

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