The Controversial "Tiger Mother " -- Draft

Everyone has an interest in education, especially who are already parents. In this context, Amy Chua’s article on Wall Street Journal was like stone thrown to the pond and raised a big discussion on family education. “Tiger Mom” turned to be a popular name entitled to parents who nurture their children with strict disciplines and high academic expectations. This article recalled a lot of my childhood memory since I came from a stereotyped Chinese family. Many previous rules in my family were similar to those applied to Amy’s daughters. Such as, I had very limited access to TV and computer games and I was not allowed to take extracurricular drawing classes. Instead I had to practice piano at least an hour everyday. In addition, my summer break was the time to learn the textbooks that were two to three grades in advance.

I cannot agree more with Amy Chua that Chinese parents indeed “care about their children...They would give up anything for their children”. The reason behind Chinese parents’ manipulation over their Children’s life is that “they know what is best for their children”. Parents at their age have experienced more, heard more and knew more about the competence and cruelty of realistic world. They also have guideline or maxim concluded from their own successes and failures. Thus, they are preparing their children from a young age and use the most of their golden study time by sacrificing the playtime. I also support Amy Chau’s parenting model from the perspective of children development theory. Children during age 6 to 11 years old have magnificent ability to understand the world and perceive the world from their own eyes. Comparing a kid learning mathematics and playing music instrument, and another kid watching TV, numbers and music trained the former one to be more intelligent while the later one lost sharpness in his mind and might fall in love with fast food. Parents have the responsibility to help their children to establish good learning habits, which will benefit their whole life. Another important feature of children at this stage is the big impact from progress and awards.  When a kid learns a new skill through hours of training, or gets an A in an exam, he will feel superior among the group and work more diligently to achieve higher. “Ego-inflating parental praise” works in the same way too. That explains why, after the fight between Lulu and “Tiger Mom”, Lulu was still willing to hug her mother and exhibited great affection.

The article gave many examples of words used by Chinese parents to blame their children, such as “garbage”and “fatty”. I do not agree the use of insulting words in children education, especially in public. I don’t believe that any parent will inflict any indignity on their children on purpose. Most of the time, a harsh word is popped out from a parent in terrible mood, maybe from a bad day work or impatience in tutoring the kid. Word hurts and causes a worse result on children because they only understand the superficial meaning but do not correlate it with the context. It is more apparent on Chinese parents, which is understandable because “Chinese parents spend approximately 10 times as long every day drilling academic activities with their children”. Kids need encouragement and support from their caregivers to go through all kinds of predicaments along with their growth.

Click here to see the original WSJ article

If you can read Chinese...

I have been an amateur translator recently. 
And I found translation of latest articles and discoveries deepened my understanding on author's ideas and also examined myself in the crossroad of Eastern and Western values. 

I would hope you enjoy reading my translated articles, ranging from life to politics, tech to history. Feel free to leave your comments. 
And here is the link:  
http://space.yeeyan.org/u/347546

DNA extraction

Unlike clean laboratory samples, biological materials collected at the scene would carry-over all kinds of the substrates in the environment.  These contamination may interfere the PCR in 3 areas:
1. interference with the cell lysis
2. interference by degrading nucleic acid
3. inhibition of polymerase activity during the PCR amplification
And the third one is usually the major problem leading to failure of target DNA amplification.

Let's take a look what compounds are in this category:
various body fluid component (haemoglobin, melanin, erea, etc.)
chemical reagents(heparin, formalin, Ca ion, etc)
The compounds used in cell lysis and DNA purification (proteolytic enzymes or denaturants, phenolic compounds)
polysaccharides, urea, humic acids, haemoglobin, melanin in hair samples, indigo dyes from denim and a very spread-used supplementary in skin care products, EDTA.



Gladly, forensic scientists have worked out several methods to remove these contaminants
If it is regular samples, three primary techniques will be used: the phemol-chloroform extraction method (the gold sandard to judge new methods), Chelox 100 extraction (Bio-Rad),and magnetic affinity solid-phase extraction.

These methods work well on regular samples. However,  some forensic samples could be pose special challenges, such as sperm and skeletal remains.
On a semen-contaminated vagina swab, female cells are predominant. How can we identify the cells specific to the male suspect?A special differential lysis treatment for forensic samples from sexual assault cases can separate epithelial cells from sperm cells, called differential extraction. Sperm nuclei are resistant to the usual SDS method, but can be lysed with DTT so as to breakdown sperm nuclear membranes

To extract DNA from an individual bone sample, two steps are need: pulverization and decalcification (EDTA).
I visited the 911 memorial. The pools and building debris remind people the mass disaster.
To identify the victims in the World Trade Center attack, a high-throughput bone-fragment-based DNA identiication is necessary. After pulverization, Guanidinum thiocyanate and detergent Triton X-100 is used for cell lysis instead of decalcification.

Large forensic labs are using manufactured robot machine to do these tedious work. That's why engineering major are easily to find a job. Think from another way, it is important for science students to stay at the edge and push forward the technology.


Reference:
Molecular Foensics. Ralph Rapley, David Whitehouse

Happy Holiday!

As an unresponsible blogger, I haven't posted for a long time. 
However, I will not miss to greet every visitor at this special season.


The wish I gave most to others when I was a kid was:
Hope all of you dream will come true. 


Life taught me not every dream will be realized. 
Then, hold your dream and work for it at least once!


And if it is a must to relate to forensics, let's find out who bit the pumpkin pie before it is served

Case Study: State v. Jascalevich

Dr. Mario Jascalevich was accused of murdering a number of his patients by administering lethal dose of curare.  Thus the detection of curare from embalmed and interred human bodies  turned out to be determining in the trial.  (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mario_Jascalevich)
In 1976, the New York State medical examinor claimed that curare was detected in 5 bodies. Dr. Jascalvech was indicated of murders.
A little more than a year later, both defense and state experts tried to settle the question of detection of curare in human body with the wide application of new methods, including radioimmunoassay, high-performance liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry.
Because it was the first time that these analytical methods used in human issue, the judge ruled a hearing that the analytical evidence was admmissible.
The result was that curare was "possible" detected in the human tissue.  All these techniques gave indication but not absolute conclusion of the trace of curare, even though if scientist got similar result in research , they would put in the paper without doubt.
. But in this case, the court would not verdict of guilty by a possible positive lab report.
Finally, Dr. Mario Jascalevich was free.

It was a little pity that we don't know the truth. It was still a mystery.
While I was reading the case, I was wondering that curare, as a poison was very little known about its metobolism and degradation in human tissue. Even if no trace of curare was found, but it may change to another compound in the body. That would be a toxiological issue.
The nature of the techniques would not give a yes or no answer. Judges may have their personal bias towards them, which would affect the verdict. What can we do about it?

I LLLove Rainy Days

Bringing an umbrella all the time is not a waste.
Sun cream is no longer necessary.
The street is cleared, and gains the rare quietness.
Most important, rain washes the world.

So let it pour,
To wet the earthworms and salamanders in the spring;
To disperse the sear and desiccated air in the summer;
To fill the fruits with richer juice in the autumn.
To  indicate a warmer day in the  winter.

Locard's Exchange Principle

This principle has repeatedly mentioned in CSI,when the investigators go nowhere but determined to find the criminal.
The exchange principle is postulated by 20th century Edmond Locard. He was a legend. His techniques were instrumental to the French secret service during World War I.
Here is the excerpt from his publication.

	Wherever he steps, whatever he touches, whatever he leaves, even unconsciously, will serve as a silent witness against him. Not only his fingerprints or his footprints, but his hair, the fibers from his clothes, the glass he breaks, the tool mark he leaves, the paint he scratches, the blood or semen he deposits or collects. All of these and more, bear mute witness against him. This is evidence that does not forget. It is not confused by the excitement of the moment. It is not absent because human witnesses are. It is factual evidence. Physical evidence cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, it cannot be wholly absent. Only human failure to find it, study and understand it, can diminish its value.
To simplify, when 2 objects touch, there must be a material exchange between them. The typical case is Locard found a metal piece on one victim's apparent,  and the metal was identical to the material of a coin at the crime scene. How bad made was the coin at that time!  With the surge of criminals' talent,  their exquisite design leaves the least trace at the scene, and destroy any DNA evidence with bleach.  Here comes a diploma: if molecule level of evidence is found, is it sufficient to be a legal proof to point out the criminal? because the exchange may happen before the crime or be caused by contamination in the lab.