Jessica's Celiac Tat

Jessica Pikul's Tattoo

She explains her pertinant history and tattoo here:

I am a Chemistry PhD student at University of Washington. My research is in bioinorganic chemistry, specifically modeling non-heme iron-sulfur metalloenzymes. I am also a Celiac (autoimmune disorder triggered by ingesting gluten). The tattoo on my leg is one of the segments of the gluten protein that I can not digest. The ball and stick molecule is of a Proline-Serine-Glutamine-Glutamine peptide that I can't break down which then stimulates T-cells to start the fun chain reaction that ends in my small intestine villi being attacked by antibodies. The background to the molecule is an artsy spacescape. I chose this to speak to the universality of the physical laws that govern the microscopic and macroscopic, an idea that has kept me excited about chemistry and in the lab to this day (and hopefully longer).

The wife also suffers from Celiac (and whatever else is causing her to react violently to all starches, even those that contain no gluten), hence my interest.


From Carl Zimmer's The Loom.

Big Red Buttons of Doom

In the electric vehicle community, there is probably no topic discussed more than the comparative advantages between different types of electric drive and control systems. Off the top of my head I can think of about 5 or 6 different types. Some motors can use different types of motor controllers, others are custom-fitted to only one drive system, still others are a hodge-podge of leftover scraps jerry-rigged just enough to get the rig rolling a bit at a time. Still, all of these systems can be very generally categorized as either direct current or alternating current, DC or ac.

( I'll now do my best to introduce you to the main differences between the two types, and vote for my favorite. )