The International Space Station: Apex Of International Collaboration

tag yourself: note takers edition

Takes digital notes: tries to keep up with notetaking but eventually falls behind after 5 lectures, drinks coffee only to stay awake, tries the aesthetic of drinking hot tea while taking notes but fails, wakes up early once in a century and thinks they’ve reached their peak, wants a better organisation system but is too tired, worries about studyspo for 2 mins before saying fuck it

Takes handwritten notes: have really nice handwriting but they don’t realise it themselves, headers!! are!! everything!!, have a love-hate relationship with taking notes, studying only when they feel like it, only writes key points as notes because everything else is too much, drifts off a lot while notetaking to daydream

Doesn’t take notes: wears hoodies like 90% of the time, tries really hard to take care of themselves but it’s hard™, hair in a bun because hairstyles?? too much work, yells “fuck the system” as they study more than anyone else, studies straight from books and Knows what to study, can’t study for more than 45 mins at a time, is productive nonetheless, kinda exhausted but still carrying on

Takes notes only in class: take! notes! in! class! save! your! time! fuckers!, in a constant state of chaos but they’ll never admit, have a great relationship with the professors, raises eyebrows at everything it’s a Brand, likes lunch dates a lot, hates people who talk during lectures, wants a vacation already

Is still rotating between handwriting and typed notes: “did we have any homework” at the beginning of every lecture, is really friendly but tired of everything, likes laughing at stupid jokes, hates studying but is still doing it anyway, Major Chaos™, everyone loves them but they don’t have a lot of close friends, will fight for their friends to death, the mood: they’re just being their ball of anxiety, let them live thnx

Lmao what did Ariana do that means she needs to get booed at Manchester?

google is free and this article does a good job of explaining but because i dont want anyone to continue to give this girl money for being shit person, here we go.

besides being a cishet white woman HEADING a PRIDE EVENT (Which is something i shouldnt need to explain why its bad.. pride is by and for lgbt people and should not be HEADLINING a cishet.) 

Racism

this is her like 5 years ago vs her now. she is a white girl wearing blackface.  and before you go “thats not blackface! thats just a tan!!!” 

this is her on stage next to nicki minaj, a black woman. she is darker than nicki minaj. this is what a tan looks like

a tan is supposed to give you a more golden sun touched look, NOT MAKE YOU LOOK LIKE A DIFFERENT RACE! (also tan is a golden/yellow brown, not a deep brown… this is not an accident)

her hair, by the way, is in fact exensions. again, making her hair thicker and darker in order to pass as a poc… she steals from black musicians too… like its not news that white people steal culture from poc then market it as a new trend but… she really takes it to a whole new level and acts as if her new look is some fucking brand she made. 

remember shen she got a tattoo for 7 rings but didnt finish it and said “oh thats just fine :)” ? 

transmisogyny

in her video “thank you next” she has a man in a dress stereotype for a trans girl, then painted said person as desperate for a date.  this is a transmisogynist caracature. she is a cishet girl. this is transphobic. end of discussion.

homophobia

shouldnt have to explain why a het girl using sexualized lesbians that look like they came out of a porno for men in a music video for views isnt ok.

etc

she ignores when everyone first tried to tell her NICELY that what she was doing is wrong but as soon as people got less than kind about it, got all guilt trippy like a 3 yr old and went “why cant we just all get along its so sd to see people hating like this :(((((( be nice :(( “ 

she is friends with Pierce Morgan (known facist) and is QUITE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS, she constantly preaches the “we should just sit down and talk to people who are flaming bigots. their bigotry is just a difference of opinions ❤️❤️❤️” which is propaganda created by, surprise, the very bigots it refers to. if we dont fight or get upset then they can continue to be horrible people without consequence. 

she is now INSISTING on headlining pride, and i have seen more homophobic people than i can count say theyre going to buy tickets to pride just to see her. let me repeat that. homophobes are going to pride to see a homophobic artist. this is disgusting. this puts every gay and trans person there in danger. actually, it puts everyone there in danger because it is a pride event and any homophobes will see you there and assume youre gay anyhow so! 

tldr: ariana grande is a racist, transphobic, homophobic white girl parading around in blackface and appropriates black, latino, and asian cultures for $$$ and uses lgbt people for views.

so I got into grad school today with my shitty 2.8 gpa and the moral of the story is reblog those good luck posts for the love of god

If you're tired, read this. Please.

Hey, amigo.

It’s hard, isn’t it?

I know. Sometimes, it’s painful too.

Sometimes you really wanna give up, throw the books, hide in a corner and never take any action again.

I understand. I really do.

But I’m not here to collaborate on the pity party. I’m not going to join in on the groaning challenge, or complain about how hard it is.

First, get this though. It is hard. I won’t lie. It is worth groaning upon. Maybe one or two pity parties are affordable too.

Yet, there’s a pact we’ve make together, and I’d like to remind you of it, before we talk further. New here? We call it the Shush Pact.

Don’t do it. Don’t complain. Don’t whine. Don’t give in so easily. Don’t.

Go ahead. Make the pact. Now.

Go on! Do it.

Tell yourself, today’s hard. Tiring. But, I won’t give in to this. Nor will I complain and moan about it, and waste my energy. Not today, Amelia! Today’s not that day.

Done?

Sure?

Okay. Let’s go.

If you’re tired.

If you’re tired, exhausted of the hustle, and almost at your breaking point, I want you to remember how MUCH this means to you.

I don’t know what’s driving you nuts. Maybe it’s a math problem you just can’t crack. The presentation due next week that isn’t up to the mark. Maybe it’s 3 gigantic books you have to read up on before your next theology class. Perhaps your business has come at a standstill, and you can’t get it to grow. Or maybe you hate your job, and have finally, bravely, taken the step to work the 6 hours after you come home on building the art portfolio of your dreams, because in your heart, you’ve always been an artist. Maybe you’re juggling three jobs and working late nights to save enough money to catch the dream bus.

I don’t know. But I do know that it means a lot to you.

I know how passionate you’re about this, and how much it means to you.

And yet, you’re tired.

You’re tired of it!

You’re tired of studying so much. You’re tired of DMing every business in town, to have none reply back. You’re tired of working so much, handling so much, and you feel like you haven’t had a break since you were a kid. You’re tired of the pressure, you’re tired of the hustle and you just… wanna quit.

Don’t.

Please.

It’s hard to be positive in this dark, numb time and you’re starting to work mechanically, questioning your existence with every hour, but I have to make you understand! You’re worth this! You’re so worthy of this, my love.

Please don’t quit.

Don’t give up. It’s hard, but seal those lips, and trust your gut. I know you can make it. You’ve worked so hard for this! You’ve struggled so much, invested in so many weeks of work, and right now, at your breaking point, I want you to realise that you’re worthy. Of getting that grade, that degree, finding a job you love, your crazy ambitions of opening a flower shop… everything! All of it!

You deserve the world.

Listen to me. Open your ear and listen: you’re tired, yes. But here’s the truth. You’re not done yet.

You’ve got so much to prove to yourself. So many identities to identify yourself with. Exams to slay, jobs to get, money to make, dreams to build, people to meet and love to spread.

Listen. There’s more to this. There’s more to YOU.

Don’t give up now.

Not today.

You’re not done yet.

Tiredness will pass, and I want you to just try pushing through this. Just try. You’ll see you’re so capable of winning and it’ll blow your mind when you look back and realise the strength you truly possessed because you were able to push through.

Winning is your blood. It’s your oxygen.

Tiredness is a toxic. A poison. You’re not tired, you just think you are. When the human brain says it’s done, it’s actually got 70% more to give.

Don’t forget. Your legacy awaits. If this truly means everything to you, if you’ve already put in hundreds of hours of work into this, PUSH THROUGH! You’ve got to, because your future self deserves a better life! Don’t let them tell you that you need a break. A Hawaii vacation. They’ll say you’re getting nowhere and urge you to take a break.

You and me, we both know you don’t need one. You just needed a reminder of your capabilities.

And I’ve given you that now.

Just remember, you’re not done yet.

So fuck tiredness.

Go win.

I’m so happy for you!

guys… I don’t know if you know this but… if you wake up early… there’s so many more hours in the day

The Night Before a Big Exam.

long time no text post huh?

For all my new followers, hello I’m Nadine I’m 23 years old and I’m finishing my fifth year in medschool where I go it’s six years right after high school. And a few days ago y’all probably saw me freaking out the night before a big test.

I was panicking so much because that teacher is notorious for his larger than life exams and surgery really isn’t my forte here but I just got my results back, they were very interesting and they led me to an important conclusion that I wanna share with you. Let me break it down first

I had all of my guides ready (here is a post on how I make them) and for the week before my exam I was studying consistently (so reading my guides in the morning and doing some MCQs at night). Mind you I usually only do one study session per day but I’d really pushed myself this time and as I was going to bed 2 days before my test I had finished 19 out of the 25 topics I needed to get done.

So when I woke up the next day (24 hours till major squashfest test) I felt literally sick, my head was hurting really bad, I believe it was a tension headache, self diagnosis I mean I’m almost a doctor right, and I got my period and we all know how awful that first day is. My original plan was to go over the 6 VERY little chapters I had left (as I mentioned in my how to study for finals post I usually start with what I know least/the hardest chapters and leave the easier and shorter stuff towards the end, a strategy I fucking swear by) so my plan was to get these done in 4 hours or so and then revise for the whole day.

Obviously things did not go according to plan because I was having a terrible headache + all of your standard first day of period shit and I was only able to get these 6 little chapters done by 12 am that night (so 8 hours till the godforsaken test).

I woke up the day of the test, got ready and went to uni and I kid you not I have never been so fucking terrified in my life over an exam because I usually take comfort in the fact that I had done my best and literally for those past 24 hours I had only gotten in 3.5 hours of very mediocre studying and there were some things that I had last went over a week ago (!!), how the hell am I gonna remember them was the only thing on my mind the entire day. I was so exhausted from pushing myself so hard all week plus my period and it was all too much.

Fast forward a few hours later, exam done, I felt horrible afterwards, I thought I was going to fail so I just took a looooong ass nap and then woke up and got myself a chocolate frap. Then I got my results and I actually had done pretty well. 87% is not my best but it’s a fucking good grade and I was so proud.

So where’s the lesson here

IT IS NOT JUST ABOUT THAT ONE NIGHT BEFORE AN EXAM. It’s honestly something I’ve believed in my entire life, the night before a big test you just revise revise revise until you go to bed, you wake up and revise revise revise until you’re inside the exam hall, that’s just how it’s been for me my entire life and this experience taught me that it’s okay if you don’t get a chance to go over everything the night before a test and as long as you’ve put in the work at some point and get plenty of sleep you should be good to go. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again all nighters are THE DEVIL they do not work they just fuck you up. So yeah, let’s all try and not be so hard on ourselves the night before an exam, take it from me if you’ve put in the work just get enough sleep and you’re good. One night did not cancel out a week of hard work for me and I’m sure it won’t for you. Take it from someone who’s been there, just go to bed.

“If we break up, I want closure. None of this bitter high school mentality that usually follows after someone leaves. I want a long talk about what went wrong, why we couldn’t fix it, and how we’ll move on afterward. I want to know how I made you feel and what thought-process led you to the decision that you’re making. Because if I spent a fraction of my life devoted to loving you, you can’t expect me to let you go without any explanation as to why you’re going in the first place. If I love you, there will always be a piece of me that loves you. So let’s talk it through and forgive each other, neither of us are perfect and we’re both still learning how to love. And that’s okay, it is. But instead of seeing each other the next day and awkwardly pretending we weren’t ever anything at all, let’s forgive each other now and move on. Make peace.”

— Car thoughts #150

Antimicrobial Agents - Inhibition of DNA and Protein Synthesis

Bacterial chromosome replication

DNA replication

Bacterial Topoisomerases 

maintain DNA in appropriate state of supercoiling 

cut and reseal DNA

DNA gyrase (topoisomerase II) introduces negative supercoils 

Topoisomerase IV decatenates circular chromosomes 

these are the targets of the quinolone antibacterial agents 

Quinolones

bind to bacterial DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV after DNA strand breakage 

prevent resealing of DNA 

disrupt DNA replication and repair 

bactericidal (kill bacteria)

Fluoroquinolone is particularly useful against

Gram +ves: Staphylococcus aureus, streptococci 

Gram -ves: Enterobacteriacea; Pseudomonas aeruginosa 

Anaerobes: e.g. Bacteroides fragilis 

many applications e.g. UTIs, prostatitis, gastroenteritis, STIs 

Adverse effects

Relatively well tolerated

GI upset in ~ 5% of patients 

allergic reactions (rash, photosensitivity) in 1 - 2% of patients 

Inhibition of Bacterial Protein Synthesis 

Macrolides 

in 1952: Erythromycin was isolated as the first macrolide (Streptomyces erythreus) 

Newer macrolides: clarithromycin, azithromycin 

Structurally they consist of a lactone ring (14- to 16-membered) + two attached deoxy sugars 

Mode of action 

bind reversibly to bacterial 50S ribosomal subunit 

causes growing peptide chain to dissociate from ribosome → inhibiting protein synthesis 

bacteriostatic (stops reproduction)

Macrolides’ spectrum of activity

good antistaphylococcal and antistreptococcal activity 

treatment of respiratory & soft tissue infections and sensitive intracellular pathogens • e.g. Chlamydia, Legionella 

Adverse effects

Generally well tolerated

nausea 

vomiting 

diarrhoea 

rash 

Aminoglycosides

large family of antibiotics produced by various species of Streptomyces (“mycin”) and Micromonospora (“micin”) 

include: streptomycin, neomycin, kanamycin, gentamicins, tobramycin 

Structure = linked ring system composed of aminosugars and an aminosubstituted cyclic polyalcohol 

Mode of action of aminoglycosides

Bind irreversibly to 30S ribosomal subunit 

disrupt elongation of nascent peptide chain 

translational inaccuracy → defective proteins 

bactericidal 

Spectrum of activity 

broad spectrum; mainly aerobic G-ve bacilli (e.g. P. aeruginosa) 

used to treat serious nosocomial infections (hospital acquired infections)

First TB antibiotic

Used for cystic fibrosis 

Adverse effects

all aminoglycosides have low Therapeutic Index (only a small amount needed to become toxic)

renal damage, ototoxicity, loss of balance, nausea