Blood Groups

Blood is composed of cells suspended in a liquid-like substance called plasma; these cells are red blood cells (carry oxygen), white blood cells (fight infection) and platelets (stop bleeding in injuries). Human blood is divided into various systems; these need to be matched for blood transfusions.

The ABO system: the four groups are A, B, AB and O.

• The gene on chromosome 9 can be A, B or neither (O). 
• A and B are dominant, while O is recessive.
• You inherit one gene from your mother and one from your father.
• O individuals have two copies of the O version (OO)
• AB individuals have one A and one B gene.
• A individuals have either two A versions or an AO combination
• B individuals either two B versions or a BO combination.

There is an incompatibility of O group mother and AO foetus; the mother has an anti-A which can pass across the placenta and damage an AO foetus causing miscarriage (often so early as to noticed only as a 'missed period') or severe haemolytic anaemia at birth.

The Rhesus factor: Each of the groups A, B, AB and O can be positive or negative for a specific protein, known as the Rhesus factor.

• If the mother is Rh negative and the father Rh positive, the foetus is at risk of haemolysis and jaundice, usually resulting in death (late foetal or perinatal). Surviving foetuses are often mentally retarded. Foetal red blood cells pass into the mother's blood circulation; firstborn are infrequently affected (5%) but sensitize mother for subsequent pregnancies (50% in 3rd or later births). To protect against this effect, after birth an anti-rhesus serum is now injected into the mother to destroy any foetal cells still in her blood; the serum itself is destroyed in a short time.

Blood donation

• AB can receive blood from any other blood type.
• O can donate blood to all other blood types. 
• A can receive A and O blood types but not B. 
• B can receive B and O blood types but not A.

Frequencies
Frequencies of each blood group vary between human populations. In the UK, the frequency of type A increases as you go north.

• UK: O = 48%   A = 38%   B = 10% and AB = 3%
• Southern England: O = 44%    A = 45%    B = 8% and AB = 3%

• Group B is nearly three times as common in Oriental populations as in Europeans. 
• High frequencies of group B in European gypsies (50% as opposed to 10% in Northern Europe) indicate their recent origins in India.

• A gene map of rhesus negative distribution shows a clear gradient from 25% of the West European population to 5% in the Middle East. It is thought that it may be the European norm but bred out by intermarriage with waves of settlers from the east who have a low frequency of the gene.

Rhesus negative blood group

• 2% of modern Indo-Europeans
• 4% to 8% of African Americans
• 35% of Basque people
• 15% of Caucasians of southern Russia 

Sources

• E.J. Clegg: The Study of Man.
• Walter Bodmer & Robin McKie: The Book of Man: the quest to discover our genetic heritage. Scribner, 1995.

Eat Purple

Anthocyanins are pigments in plants that give a red, blue or purple colour.

• They prevent blood-vessel damage and have been shown to repair leaking, damaged capillaries.
• They increase blood sugar metabolism and may be a useful anti-inflammatory.
• They appear to help night vision and improve overall visual acuity.

Plants rich in anthocyanins are:

• Blueberry, cranberry and bilberry; black and red raspberries and blackberry; blackcurrant, dark cherries.
• Aubergine (eggplant) peel; black rice.
• Concord grape, muscardine grape.
• Red cabbage; red onions. 
• Red-fleshed peaches and apples also contain anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are less abundant in banana, asparagus, pea, fennel, pear and potato.

Various sources

Lovage

This herb is also known as sea parsley.

• Tastes like celery, adds savoury flavour to dishes and works well with parsley.
• Easy to grow.
• May help with abdominal pain if steeped as a tea.

Various sources

Eco Tips when Shopping

It is important to be responsible in our shopping habits too.

• Look at the country of origin labels - try not to buy food that has travelled thousands of miles.
• Try not to buy food that is heavily packaged; any packaging should be as recyclable as possible.
• Buy fruit and veg loose rather than pre-packaged.
• Buy products in packaging that can be recycled - check in store before you buy.
• Use re-usable bags instead of plastic carrier bags. Reuse any plastic bags as often as you can.
• Re-use plastic wrappers from newspaper, magazine, catalogue and other mailings (e.g. as wrappers for food waste or even sandwich bags).
• Only buy the amount of food you are going to eat.
• Use local shops when you can.
• Avoid two for one food offers on fresh foods, unless you know it will be eaten before going off.
• Avoid two for one clothing purchases; you will usually wear one colourway only or mostly. 

Various sources.

Freakonomics, Superfreakonomics and Think Like a Freak

Steven D Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner's books Freakonomics, then Superfreakonomics and Think Like a Freak, give fascinating insights into the way we think, and the lessons of unintended consequences. Here is some of what I've learnt.

• Incentives are the cornerstone of modern life.
• Knowing what to measure and how to measure it can make a complicated world less so.
• The conventional wisdom is often wrong.
• Correlation does not equal causality.

• Data shows that past the first generation, a family business does better to bring in an outside manager. 
• While free, unlimited, lifetime healthcare is praiseworthy, the economics are tricky. When people do nto pay the true cost of something, they tend to consume it inefficiently. The worried well crowd out the truly sick, waiting times increase and a massive share of the costs go to the final months of elderly patients' lives, often without real advantage. (They did not come up with the answer to the conundrum, though.)

We say something even if we don't know because we don't want to look stupid or inferior. Learn to say 'I don't know'. Our beliefs can be influenced by political or religious views. Expert predictions can be wrong. People who are very bad at predicting are dogmatic, and often over-confident in their predictions. While we all develop a moral compass, when it comes to solving problems it is good to start by forgetting it and looking at the issue open-mindedly. The key to learning is feedback - in some situations you may need to run experiments to get this.

Violent crime in the US suddenly climbed in 1960; the  homicide rate doubled but in the early 1990s it began to fall and kept falling. Why? Data shows tough new gun laws had no effect; there is a weak relationship between economic cycles and violent crime. While it helped that there were more police, more people in prison and a decline in the crack heroin market, Levitt and Dubner identified the legalization of abortion as a key factor - fewer children grew up in difficult circumstances. [My note: There is also evidence that violence and violent crime has decreased since the banning of lead in petrol.]

Heart disease is far more common in black people. A possible explanation is that slave traders looked for slaves who could more easily withstand the risks of dehydration (people who could retain more salt and therefore more water). By selecting for one trait, there can be unintended consequences on other aspects of health - in this case hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Americans are bad at saving money but spend a lot on lottery tickets which typically pay put only about 60% of the take. A prize-linked savings account (PLS) allows you to deposit $100 in a bank account with a deposit rate of say 1%. A quarter of that interest is pooled with the same amount from fellow PLS depositors, and then periodically paid to a randomly chosen winner. Even if you never win the PLS lottery, you keep your original deposit and your 0.75% interest. While some states are experimenting with such accounts, most US state law allows only the state to run a lottery and federal law prohibits banks from operating lotteries.

Incentives can backfire, so find out what matters to people. Types of incentive: financial, moral, social and 'herd mentality'. An experiment in getting people to use less electricity showed that a notice hung on doorknobs saying 'join your neighbours' (herd mentality, which also influences what we buy, where we eat and how we vote) was the most effective. Moral incentives don't work as well as might be imagined. Notices warning people not to steal petrified wood from forest trails in the US actually increased the thefts; people thought 'there's not much around so I'd better get my bit now'.

Charity fund-raising - getting new donors is difficult and expensive. Donating makes people feel good, but they also feel bullied by being asked. A charity used  'once-and-done' mailing acknowledging how people might feel and asked donors to tick one of (a) this is my only gift, please do not contact me again, (b) please contact me only twice a year or (c) please keep me updated with regular communications. Result, only a third opted out of future mailings, and the others raised overall donations by 46%.

Helping business. Zappos clothing and shoe store made its customer service 24/7, and posted its phone number prominently on the website. Call-centre work is often poorly paid, so Zappos offered its customer reps fun and power. Company meetings might be held in a bar, work cubicles can be decorated, there is no dress code, reps are encouraged to talk to customers for as long as they want and there is no script, they can settle problems without reference to a supervisor, and can 'fire' a customerwho makes trouble. Result - the company never lacks applicants for call centre work.

Some countries have tried easing traffic congestion by restricting the days each person can use their car. Result: some people buy a second, older car, streets remain congested, no increase in use of public transport, and more pollution from the older cars. A UN incentive plan financially rewarded manufacturers who destroyed stocks of waste greenhouse gas HFC-23; factories world-wide produced more gas to get the credits. Changing the rules meant that the extra HFC-23 produced will likely be released into the atmosphere.

Incentives. (1) What do people really care about (not what they say). (2) Use incentives that are cheap to you but valuable to them. (3) Note if they respond not as you meant - learn and try again. (4) Make incentives co-operative not adversarial. (5) People respond because it is the 'right' thing to do. (6) Some people will always find ways to manipulate the system to their advantage.

A person who is lying or cheating will often respond differently to an honest person. Use their behaviour to identify them. Employers make job application processes easier but often get lots of interest but few with real interest. Colleges and universities make the process hard, weeding out the less committed in the process. Zappos offer new employees after training the option of quitting with a bonus of 1 month's wage, if they have an exit interview and commit to never working for Zappos again. Fewer than 1% of new hires currently accept this offer. Nigerian scammers make their emails so unbelievable that they weed out all but the most gullible.

Persuading people of anything is difficult if they already have a firmly held belief on something. So how can you change behaviour? (1) It's not me; it's you. Your view may be scientifically proved but does not resonate with them. (2) Don't pretend your argument is perfect. Ignore or paper over shortcomings and they will doubt all of it. (3) Acknowledge strengths in their argument. Most people don't take criticism very well and there may be something in their views that strengthens yours. (4) Tell stories (not anecdotes). Stories that are not true can be persuasive, eg. the MMR vaccine caused autism (co-incidence that symptoms start showing around the time of the vaccine administration) or the EU banned overly curved bananas (dreamt up by Boris Johnson.) A US government official needed to create a document setting out what employees were and were not allowed to do. He created The encyclopedia of ethical failure, as a catalogue of screw-ups in the past, with chapters on abuse of position, bribery, conflicts of interest and political activity violation. The stories lodge the rule in your mind.

There is an upside to quitting. People refuse to quit because of (b) being thought a failure, (b) sunk costs (time, money or energy that cannot be recovered) and (c) pay too little attention to opportunity costs. Quitting can be positive. In science, failed experiments identify areas to avoid. Succesful innovation needs to identify the ideas that have potential and those that don't (including good ideas that are simply too expensive at present). Anonymous premortem asks people (e.g. employees, experts) whether a project will be completed in a set time, be a safety hazard, and so on. Their views are likely to be more accurate than those of team leaders or project managers who have a vested interest (financial or prestige) in delivering the project successfully.

Think like a freak by Steven D Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, Allen Lane, 2014.

Eco Tips for the Home Office

With more of us working from home, either for an employer, freelancing or self-employed, here are some tips to reduce waste and electricity usage.

• Think before printing - don't print everything.
• Re-use paper for printing if possible or cut into smaller pieces to make notepads.
• Recycle print cartridges from the printer or get them refilled.
• Don't power up the printer unless you are going to use it.
• Don't put your mobile phone on permanent recharge.
• Turn lights off when you leave the room. 
• Sign up to the Mailing Preference Service and reduce your junk mail.
• Get bills online to reduce mail even further.
• Organise plugs so it is easier to switch things off at the wall socket.
• Use strip plugs and multiway adaptors with individual switches.

Various sources.

END

Adjectival Order in English

It seems that though we never formally learn it, we always use the same order of adjectives in a sentence. I came across an article on this on the web and didn't bookmark it, so this list combines the information on three websites. The first eight are listed on the British Council website, while two more are on the Cambridge Dictionary website.

1. General opinion (nice)
2. Specific opinion (tasty)
3. Size (big, tiny)
4. Shape (round, square)
5. Age (young, 8-week-old)
6. Colour (red)
7. Nationality/origin (American)
8. Material (leather, silver) 
9. Type (U-shaped, 4-sided)
10. Purpose (cleaning, cooking, general-purpose)

E.g. I had a nice, shiny, big, round, multi-coloured, balloon for my birthday.
 
But also note that the order can change the meaning: "Scottish smoked salmon" is not the same as "Smoked Scottish salmon"

END

Lutein and Zeaxanthin for Eye Health

Long and short-sight are due to the length and shape of our eyeball and the thickness of our lens at the front. But at the back of our eyeball are all the light-sensitive cells – the retina – essential to our eyesight.

The macula, a specialized part of the retina responsible for central vision, is protected by a kind of natural sunscreen to prevent the sensitive vision cells from being damaged by the energy from blue or UV light. This natural sunscreen is made up of a yellowish ‘macular pigment’ – a mixture of three light-absorbing compounds; lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin.

Our bodies cannot make these three compounds, which are made by plants to absorb light in order to carry out photosynthesis, so we have to eat them. Lutein and zeaxanthin are found commonly in dark green leafy veg such as kale and spinach, and also bell peppers, corn and saffron. Meso-zeaxanthin is generally not found in plants – it is thought to be made in our bodies from lutein (although it is also present in some fish, especially in their skins, so we may be able to get some from our diet too). These pigments, once we eat them, appear to be important in our vision and in helping keep the macula healthy.

Experiment 1 saw Michael Mosley taking supplements containing the three macular pigments every day for 12 weeks. His blood levels of the chemicals, the amount of macular pigments in his eyes, and his eyesight were thoroughly tested before and after taking the pills. Overall, there was an improvement in many aspects of his vision – but especially his perception of yellow/blue colours and his night vision), and increase in his macular pigment density and an increase in these compounds in his blood.

Experiment 2 tried increasing intake through diet. Drinking a specially designed green smoothie daily nearly doubled the volunteers' lutein levels in their blood but zeaxanthin levels did not increase, and there was no change in the levels of macular pigments or improvements in their eyesight, perhaps because these pigments take a while to get in to different tissues in the body, including the eye, so taking these foods for longer could show more of an effect. It may also be that the recipe needs tweaking.

Green smoothie recipe. Add 125g cooked kale, 1 tbsp almond butter, ½ tsp wheat germ oil, and a small amount of 80ml milk ( 2% with DHA) to a food processor or high-powered blender; blend until a smooth paste forms. Add remaining ingredients: ½ small (6”) banana, 125g kiwi (cut in pieces), 125g pineapple chunks canned in water, ½ medium apple (peeled), ¼ cup fresh mint leaves (for flavouring), ½ lime (squeezed ) and the remaining milk and continue to blend until smooth.

Good food sources. Kale and other leafy greens, kiwi fruit, bell (sweet) peppers, saffron, sweetcorn, saffron. Also egg yolks - with milk and wheatgerm oil to help absorption. [This paragraph is probably from the Lifespan magazine.]

Conclusion: The strongest evidence at the moment is for supplements containing all three of the macular compounds, though many researchers believe that simply eating a diet rich in leafy green vegetables should be enough to keep your levels healthy. (Be aware, though, that carrots do NOT contain particularly high levels of any of these compounds.)

Can I Improve my Eyesight on Trust Me, I'm a Doctor, BBC2 

Poor Eyesight Forecast

By 2025 researchers predict that half of the world's population will be short-sighted and need glasses to see properly. The number of short-sighted children in the UK has doubled since 1960.

Recent research shows that the usually cited culprits - TV and computers - are almost certainly not to blame. The true cause is almost certainly lack of sunshine. In Singapore, 29% of children are short sighted and only play outside for three hours a week. In Australia only around 3% of children have myopia and play outside for 13 hours a week.

Time in sunlight appears to be crucial in keeping eyes healthy, especially in children. Time in the sun triggers the release of a substance called dopamine from the back of the eye, which seems to help the eye grow normally. So get children playing outside more often.

Interestingly, dopamine is a chemical that is lacking in Parkinsons disease.

Dr. Stuart Farrimond in Wiltshire Times issue Friday 16 September 2016, p.45. You can read his blog at www.realdoctorstu.com

Haiku Microsoft Error Messages

To brighten up your day?

Go placidly amidst the noise and haste, and remember what peace there may be in the silence of a dead computer ...

Japanese Haiku are short poems with only 17 syllables, in three lines (five syllables in the first line, seven in the second and five in the third).

A file that big? It might be very useful. But now it is gone.

Windows NT crashed. I am the Blue Screen of Death. No one hears your screams.

The Tao that is seen ... Is not the true Tao until ... You bring fresh toner.

Aborted effort. Close all that you have worked on. You ask far too much.

With searching comes loss ... and the presence of absence:  My novel? not found.

A crash reduces ... your expensive computer ... to a simple stone.

Out of memory. We wish to hold the whole sky ... but we never will.

Having been erased ... the document you are seeking ... must now be retyped.

Chaos reigns within. Reflect, repent and reboot. Order shall return.

First snow, then silence. This thousand dollar screen dies ... so beatifully.

The Web site you seek ... cannot be located but ... countless more exist.

Yesterday it worked. Today it is not working. Windows is like that.

Stay the patient course. Of little worth is your ire. The network is down.

You step in the stream. But the water has moved on. This page is not here.

Three things are certain: ... death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred.

Serious error. All shortcuts have disappeared. ... Screen. Mind. Both are blank.

Unknown original source, seen in a staff newsletter, suggesting that in Japan these messages replace the standard Microsoft error messages.

Good Plant Companions

Scientific experiments have shown that plants can be affected by others nearby and there is now some evidence that companion planting helps growth and may even give some protection against pests and diseases.

• Tomatoes - try alongside parsley, onions, plants of the cabbage family, or celeriac.
• Lettuces - near radishes, beans, cucumber, beet, carrots or strawberries.
• Onions - near lettuces.
• Peas - near cabbages and celery.
• Celery - good mixed with all types of leafy plants, dwarf beans, tomatoes and leeks.
• Potatoes - good with cabbages, peas and sweetcorn.
• Gooseberries near tomatoes seem to keep free from insects.

Various sources

Some Declutter Tips

Here's a link to a Blissful Mind blog post ( http://theblissfulmind.com/2015/10/28/tips-to-declutter-your-home-free-workbook/ ) In case the blog disappears, I've summarised the tips here.

3 questions to ask when decluttering are (1) does it make my life simpler or more pleasant?, (2) do I have more than one? and (3) is it easily replaceable and/or can I borrow it?

The 5-step process: (1) Choose an area to de-clutter and gather everything from that room into a pile so you can see all of your stuff at once. Yes, it will look a mess! (2) For every item, ask the three questions. (3) Sort things into three piles - Toss, Donate and Keep (including repairs). (4) If keeping an item, choose its home and make sure you put it back every time you use it. If you have something to repair, make plans to do so right away instead of leaving these items in a cluttered pile. (5) If something is to be tossed, do so as soon as possible but also see if there are options to avoid dumping it in a landfill - e.g. a recycling facility. (If you can't decide whether to keep something or not, put it out of sight and set a notification on your calendar in three months’ time. If you haven’t needed it or you completely forgot about it, it’s time to get rid of it.)

Bedroom

Closet
# Get rid of anything that still has a tag on it
# When you take clothes out of your closet, put them back as soon as you decide not to wear them instead of leaving a pile on your bed
# Follow the ‘goes with three other items’ rule

Drawers
# Get drawer dividers to help keep your underwear and socks organized
# Fold clothes and store them vertically instead of on top of each other
Bedside Table
#Keep a tray or bowl on your bedside table to hold loose ends like chapstick and lotion

The Office
Desk
# Get rid of pens as soon as they run out instead of putting them back into the pen pile
# Keep cords and cables organized in a pouch or drawer
# Use one notebook until it’s full before writing in a new one
Paperwork
# Opt for paperless bills + receipts
# Scan everything and recycle the originals
# Keep one file folder for papers that need attention
Computer
# Store documents in the cloud
# Keep your desktop organized with this free wallpaper
# Use unroll.me to unsubscribe from junk mail

The Bathroom
Beauty Products
# Get a makeup organizer unit so you don’t have to rummage through a bag to find your mascara
# Use something up before buying a new product
# Try to stick to one of each type of product (one daily moisturizer, one eyeliner, etc)
Tools + Extras
# Store your hair dryer and styling tools in a fabric bin or try this awesome Bamboo Organizer
# Keep cotton balls and Q-Tips in glass jars for easy access.Cleaning Supplies
# Use multi-tasking products for the kitchen + bathroom to reduce clutter under sinks
# Dedicate a cupboard for all cleaning supplies instead of keeping them in different parts of your home

The Living Room
Books + DVDs
# Get rid of anything you haven’t read or watched yet
# If you wouldn’t read or watch it again, donate it
# Make a habit of reserving books from the library or get a kindle for books
Coffee / Side Table
# Consider getting a side table that doubles as a DVD holder
# Leave a tray or bowl on top to collect random things like bobby pins that often end up in random places
Misc.
# Add a wastebasket to the room if trash seems to accumulate (most people don’t have one in their living room)
# Utilize a basket for storing miscellaneous items like blankets
# Keep a tray near your entryway for holding keys to avoid misplacing them
The Pantry
Pantry
# Store grains, pasta, etc. in mason jars (American brand glassjars) to eliminate bulky packaging
# Dedicate separate shelves for breakfast foods (cereal, oatmeal), lunch and dinner options (pasta, legumes), baking goods (flour, sugar), and snacks
Cupboards
# Store tupperware lids in a hanging pouch on a cupboard door
# Store spices in a spice rack for added cupboard space

Fridge
# Keep soon-to-expire food on the top shelf so you reach for those first
# Take a fridge inventory before grocery shopping to avoid buying multiples
Miscellaneous
Hobbies
# Dedicate a room or space for hobbies or exercise, and keep related tools in their own drawer or cupboard in the same space
Junk Drawer
# If you have no idea what a cord or button goes to, you might as well get rid of it
# Don’t worry about organizing too much – everyone needs a junk drawer!
Sentimental Items
# Scan photos to an online album or start working on that photo album you’ve been meaning to put together
# Don’t feel too bad about getting rid of unwanted gifts. Let people know that you’d appreciate gift cards or a donation to charity in the future
# Try to sell expensive items so you can at least make a little bit of money

It’s important to avoid letting clutter creep back in and all the tips above will help as will the one in, one out policy. If you find yourself wanting to buy something new, you have to donate something you already own. This makes it easier to resist impulse purchases because you have to pause and ask yourself if there’s anything you can get rid of to make room for it.

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