Hey readers!
This week, I was given the task of dividing my topic into subtopics to make my lit review easier. At first, I couldn't think of anything to write down, and I was having some issues...
I decided to study some chess (my favorite sport and theme of this blog post) instead to clear my head. However, when I was calculating moves over the board, I realized that creating subtopics were very similar to analyzing variations over the board! Each subtopic started general and then branched out into more and more specific topics, just like when anyone calculates a bunch of possibilities for chess!
After a few minutes of thought, I began to scribble furiously on the whiteboard, creating the following concept map of ideas. I had basically outlined the sections of my lit review! As some of you may know, I love drawing maps like this to brainstorm.
The most basic subtopic in my project is Blood Diagnostics, as it provides context for HemaDrop when compared to other blood testing techniques and shows the gap in the research/current technology HemaDrop will hopefully fill. We have to look at the evolution (history) of blood diagnostics first to provide context and the purpose/significance to show people why this matters. Next, the goals of blood diagnostics will establish the criteria that HemaDrop will need to meet, as we optimize it throughout the year, and the limitations will specifically discuss the trade-off between volume and accuracy that HemaDrop aims to fill. Finally, comparing liquid (most blood tests) and solid (HemaDrop) types of blood analysis will provide more insight on the properties and potential limitations of both.
Subtopic 2: Super-hydrophilic Films
This week, I was given the task of dividing my topic into subtopics to make my lit review easier. At first, I couldn't think of anything to write down, and I was having some issues...
 |
| Subtopics = Toby |
 |
| Throwback to my days as a baller... (this picture is publicly available on Google Images) |
 |
| Look at how clear and neat it is! |
Since my writing on my whiteboard is barely recognizable as English, I decided to proofread and edit the map by making a SmartArt graphic on MS Word. Smart idea, right? I'd have a nice map to put on my blog, show to people like my teacher Mrs. Haag and my mentor Dr. Herbots, and to keep a nice outline of all my ideas throughout the year.
R-O-N-G. After pouring my heart into this flowchart for 15 hours (actually 1 hour), I realized that if I saved the whole map as a picture, a scanning electron microscope would be required to read the text. After several consecutive mental breakdowns and being "triggered" multiple times, I decided to separate each subtopic, so that I could explain them to you guys anyways. So, let's get going!
Subtopic 1: Blood Diagnostics
Subtopic 2: Super-hydrophilic Films
Next, super-hydrophilic films (SHFs), the technology that enables HemaDrop films to be uniform, should also be investigated. The technical properties of SHFs and nano-particles which create these properties have to be understood to improve the formula for HemaDrop. Additionally, looking at previous work with these films to biomedical technologies is crucial to understand the power of SHFs.
Subtopic 3: Analysis Techniques
HemaDrop can also be improved by increasing the variety of analysis techniques that can analyze the samples. Right now, we have only tried Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Particle-Induced X-Ray Emission (PIXE), which identifies elemental composition. Learning more about speectroscopic techniques (basically lasers at different energies which induce an emission of a specific energy based on the identity molecules in the sample) and microscopies will allow for more uses of HemaDrop.
Subtopic 4: Properties of Blood
Since HemaDrop involves drying blood outside of the body, I need to investigate its coagulation properties (how it clots without Heparin or other chemicals which could affect measurements) and properties that affect how it dries on our substrates. Also, the composition of blood (orders of magnitude of compounds/elements that need to be identified) is crucial to understand for optimization.
Subtopic 5: Substrates
The type of substrate (material below the film) is also a major consideration for its properties that could affect the measurements (conductivity and optical properties), and its cost for if the technology is potentially commercialized.
Subtopic 6: Key Illnesses/Conditions
One idea I had for my methods was to simulate diseases in blood samples by adding characteristic molecules/elements. To do this, I need to identify some key conditions that are prevalent and have a variety of markers/symptoms in the blood. If I learn about the illnesses in my lit review, I can choose which combination to test out.
Woah -- that was a lot of stuff, so I hope I explained them clearly enough!
Also, I've been reading the books (I got them from the Noble Library at ASU) on the history of blood diagnostics and the properties of nanoparticles. Those will provide some background, along with some articles I found on the importance of blood analysis and microliter blood analysis.
I'll leave you with a silly selfie of me at the lab:
Cheers to another great week of research!
YP
(820)
(820)
I don't even know if I'm capable of writing a coherent comment after being #triggered so many times in that post. From the Michael Scott-Toby gif, to the picture of you with the trophy, I'm laugh-crying and now I can't focus on the important scholarly topic of blood analysis.
ReplyDeleteOkay -- feedback -- I think that you're absolutely right in working from more general to more specific. In that way, you'll be able to educate the audience, while constantly guiding them towards the more nuanced, specified understanding you want them to have.
I love the flow chart, and I think it's that level of thought that will allow your literature review to be clear and helpful to a reader. It's important to think of this as a line of reasoning, and I think you've done a great job starting with that.
Geez Yash, didn’t need to get SO angry (Toby) over some subtopics! Also I loved the picture of you as a fetus!! (I mean the last picture—JUST KIDDING)
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I liked how you broke your topic down into such coherent subtopics, it made everything much easier to follow for people to read, especially because your topic is kind of confusing in the first place (no offense), and I think it will help a lot in your lit review now that you've done a lot of the work for it in terms of organization. My subtopics so far are basically just like “here are some words relevant to my topic!” I need to get on your level???
My suggestion would be to put the subtopic “properties of blood” before “superhydrolic films” and “analysis techniques” because it would be helpful to understand the composition and stuff of blood before you explain how its analyzed. And my question would be maybe you could have a subtopic talking about applications for hemadrop? Like at the end maybe? I know one of the subtopics under the subtopic for super hydrolic films was “applications to biomedical field”, I was just saying maybe you want to do the same for hemadrop?
This is awesome, Yash! But one thing that makes me a little skeptical is the idea of microliter blood analysis. Statistically, a drop or drops of blood can't be representative of an entire person's blood, much like how a sample set can't be representative of an entire population. What measures do you take to ensure that Hemadrop can infer accurate results, representative of a person's blood, from merely a few drops?
ReplyDeleteYASH!!!!! first of all, I love how adi completely misses the whole point of hemadrop. Secondly, I think your project has become much more detail oriented and complete now that you broke it down into subtopics! I love the lil flowchart you made and I am looking forward to seeing how you incorportate all of your ideas into your lit review in order to refine tour search. I had one question: instead of simulating diseases, would it be feasible for you to contact a pathologist (like Karthik's momma bear) and somehow ask for samples of pathogenic blood or something? I feel like doing so would have more real world implications and would reduce your work load as you would no longer have to create synthetic simulations of diseases.
ReplyDelete#TRIGGERED by your chess photo (i still remember tying for 1st in state in 1st grade)
(138)
Rematch?
DeleteYa... I'll play him blindfolded.
Delete-Show the connection between subtopics, like diffusion between a unsaturated phospholipid membrane
ReplyDelete-Contact pathologist to talk about blood testing as a whole and testing pathogens
-Order the subtopics correctly
-Look at potential applications for HemaDrop -- potential of the HemaDrop