caffeinepig

禮拜三早上，以就是4天前，起床時，就發現公的小魚死掉了。所以，我就告訴孤零的小紅說...
「只要你活的過星期五晚上，我就幫你找2朋友來」....
後來，小紅活的很好， 而且還很活潑呢...
所以，今天再去Pet's Mart 買了一條跟她同種的公魚（Guppy），另外還買了一對紅豆魚（Sunset），還有兩隻清潔蝦。
現在我的魚缸變的好熱鬧喔。而且，牠們都不會躲著我吃飯。都搶著吃呢...

Do you know how vocal folds work to produce voice? The following song is a good way to learn...
This song is composed and sung by one of undergraduate students currently in my advisor's class.  This is one of their group presentations for presenting the physiology of how our vocal folds vibrate to sounds. You must be so impressed if you are a speech pathologist or working in the related fields while you are listening to it. 

picture of vocal folds
Phonation Song

This is the story of two vocal folds
And the phonation process
How they move to and fro
They can vibrate fast they can vibrate slow
thats fundamental frequency don't you know
They First come together
Then the air blows them apart
Then they come back together back to the start
Repeat this over and over again
That's phonation at its heart
But vocal nodules are sure to be caused
By screaming and yelling and abuse at bars
The two little vocal folds won't be able to close
What do you do? They need some therapy
What do you do? Call 1-800-talk SLP
They First come together
Then the air blows them apart
Then they come back together back to the start
Repeat this over and over again
That's phonation at its heart

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a transitional stage between normal cognition and Alzheimer's disease, exists in two different forms, according to a study published today by researchers from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the University of California, Los Angeles in the Archives of Neurology. Using a new imaging procedure that creates 3-D maps of the brain, researchers determined specific areas that had degenerated in people with MCI. Depending on the person's symptoms, more tissue was lost in the hippocampus, a brain area critical for memory and one of the earliest to change in Alzheimer's disease, indicating two different paths of progression to Alzheimer's disease. The finding could lead to better diagnosis and treatment of patients with MCI, perhaps delaying or preventing the onset of dementia. MCI is categorized into two sub-types -- currently distinguished based solely on symptoms. Those with MCI, amnesic subtype (MCI-A) have memory impairments only, while those with MCI, multiple cognitive domain subtype (MCI-MCD) have other types of mild impairments, such as in judgment or language, but also have either mild or no memory loss. Both sub-types progress to Alzheimer's disease at the same rate. Until now it was not known if the pathologies of the two types of MCI were different, or if MCI-MCD was just a more advanced form of MCI-A. Researchers found that the hippocampus of the patients with MCI-A was 14 percent smaller than that of the healthy subjects, nearly as great as the 23 percent shrinkage seen in Alzheimer's disease. But, the hippocampus of those with MCI-MCD most resembled that of the controls, showing only 5 percent shrinkage. Using highly accurate Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data from six patients with MCI-A, 20 with MCI-MCD and 20 with Alzheimer's disease who were seen at the University of Pittsburgh's Alzheimer Disease Research Center and 20 healthy controls, researchers created 3-D mesh reconstructions of each participant's hippocampus that allowed them to see where the hippocampus had deteriorated. This study is the first to use such modeling technology to visualize changes in the brains of people with MCI. Prior studies have only been able to measure the volume of the hippocampus and estimate atrophy through noticeable volume loss. "These vibrant images produced by 3-D modeling have proven what we suspected -- there are at least two transitional states that lead to Alzheimer's disease," said James T. Becker, Ph.D., a neuropsychologist and professor of psychiatry, neurology and psychology, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "Now we can investigate these pathways and develop treatments that, we hope, may slow or stop the progression of Alzheimer's." Alzheimer's disease affects as many as 10 percent of people older than 65, and delaying or preventing the onset of dementia is an important medical priority. "We can now see the pattern of brain damage in people with MCI and we can use these new types of images to monitor how different therapies may be working," said Paul M. Thompson, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, at the University of California, Los Angeles. "By imaging the brain like this, we can explore the progression of diseases, and see if therapies are protecting the brain." Source: University of Pittsburgh Medical Center 
Date: 2006-01-17
URL: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/01/060117023837.htm
 

從台灣回來後，可能是受我媽的影響，就一直想養魚。考慮了一個禮拜，今天從Pet's Mart帶了一對孔雀魚回家。
一年前養的小綠，現在也已經蓬勃生長了許多葉子出來。所以啊，我就把它當作水草，幫我的新伙伴做個溫馨的小窩。現在只希望，他們能好好的活下去....
一年前的小綠..
現在的小綠..

It's about 8:25 pm and I'm in the lab now, working on the poster for Conference of Neuroscience Day tomorrow.
I actually just came out from my "official" first-class of this semester and I am in a low mood.I don't know why that I seem always to be unconfident and feel insecure every time when I am away from school for quite a while. It seems to me that my every aspect of capability was deteriorated down to like a mental retarded level. In my first class of this semester today, when the instructor wanted me to talk about my experiments of doing neuroimaging studies, I was totally blank out at that time. Instead of a bla-bla-bla , fluent and talkative fashion, I just expressed it in two or three sentences. My brain was so blank. I even didn’t have any creative topics to illustrate or develop to make the conversation flow. This really made me like a dull person. 
Where were all my ideas and ways to interact with people? Where was my energetic personality toward the future? Where was my optimistic view of the world? Gee, I must be too hungry at the time. Hopefully, time will recover and find them all back!And, one more thing, I believe it’s all about "mind." Minds manipulate all things…Remember, don’t let "mind" control you…just relax and be the way you are!

回來美國已經快一個禮拜了
精神還是很差
白天精神總是恍恍惚惚的
到了晚上，總算可以睡覺了
但是一躺下來，又沒辦法入睡

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10..9..8..7..6..5..4..3..2..1......
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"....
Oops...."HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!....."
at 永安市場 捷運站

今天早上跟我媽去礁溪洗溫泉，我休克了事情是這樣的：
洗溫泉本來是件幸福的事，今天跟我媽早上就去礁溪一家SPA洗溫泉。
因為我沒有泳衣，所以我們後來選擇單人的溫泉房。剛開始泡時，覺得好舒服，白茫茫的蒸汽，再加上淡淡的硫磺味... 哇....好幸福喔..
後來，我開始覺得很熱，一直冒汗。後來覺得有點不舒服，所以就坐在浴缸邊上，身體背對著浴缸。我媽在一旁淋浴，低低姑姑的在說話。
我開始耳鳴，四肢覺的有些無力，眼前變的有些模糊。
突然間，我聽見我媽叫我，驚慌的問我說：你是怎麼了？？
我突然醒來，我完全忘了剛剛在做什麼，突然發現自己已經泡水裡，喝了不少水。
在當時我好像做了個夢，回答我媽說：我不小心睡著了...
同時，我媽已經從水裡扶我起來，忙著幫我通風，用冷水擦我的臉。
我完全不記得，我到底是怎樣掉進浴缸裡的，只是依稀記得，我剛剛不是就坐在浴缸上休息、聽我媽在說話嗎？
後來我媽跟我說，我把她嚇死了。她就在跟我聊天啊，看我坐在那休息，不一會兒就聽到噗通一聲，我整個人後仰掉進浴缸裡。
我才突然理解：喔..原來我剛剛缺氧、休克了...
後來，被救起來的我，雖然意識清醒了，但是身體還是覺得超級不舒服。嚴重耳鳴、眼前一片漆黑，即使我已經很用力在看、全身無力到好想躺著、呼吸很淺、心微微的刺痛...
經過大約半小時的休息（坐在澡房內），體力慢慢恢復了，才離開那裡。

今天是耶誕夜。
唱吧..........

Silent Night

Silent night! Holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
round yon virgin mother and child,
Holy infant so tender and mild,
sleep in Heavenly peace!
sleep in Heavenly peace!
Silent night! Holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight;
glories stream from Heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia,
Christ, the Saviour, is born!
Christ, the Saviour, is born!