Seas-On Greetings

The science party adorn festive hats. Photo by JP Isaacs.

As many of you know, we are sailing through the holidays on this research expedition. The end of the calendar year also happens to be when the weather is best at the East Pacific Rise. As we wrap up our Alvin dives and get ready to start our transit home, the lab is in the middle of our sample processing. We finished our recoveries, having put our sandwiches down two weeks ago, and we’re now picking through the animals that have settled or colonized them.

While this is the first Christmas most of us have ever worked, we are still doing our best to be festive, and had planned events to make this a memorable time at sea. It’s difficult for many of us to be missing the holidays, but we are lucky to have internet access, and enough of it to even video call all the way out in the middle of the ocean. We miss our families back home but spending nearly four weeks at sea together has created a new family we can celebrate with.

The crew on board has done an exceptional job decorating the ship and making food throughout the month to make us feel more at home this holiday season. In the galley tinsel and Christmas lights are strewn about the entryway and support poles. In the movie lounge what feels like a hundred snowflakes hang from the ceiling, with a Christmas tree and presents in the corner, and a small fireplace in front of the TV. In the main lab we created a festive scene with our own snowflakes, lights, and used red ribbon to make candy cane support poles. My favorite part is one of our SSSGs (Shipboard Science Support Group), Allison, had printed Santa hats in various sizes and placed them on all the pictures around the ship. In the galley a fish identification guide sports some very well-fitting hats.

This year is unique in that Christmas day also falls on the last day of Hannukah. One crew member, an Able-Bodied (AB) named Alex went out of her way to celebrate for those on board. As someone who celebrates both, I really appreciated her going out of the way to make sure I felt included. She made a variety of Jewish foods like matzah ball soup, latkes, and kugel. While she made enough for everyone to try, she made sure to set aside plates for the Jewish scientists. She even stopped me in the morning and had a request, that she paid for in gelt (chocolate coins).

Typically, we light candles for Hannukah, but that isn’t the safest thing to do in an enclosed space, so we had to get creative. Some of us called home to light candles with our families, and others brought LED menorahs to safely celebrate in our state rooms (although mine was so bright I hope it didn’t blind my roommates).

The Christmas festivities began the night before. After spending most of the day and some of the evening sorting, we earned a break. We spent the rest of the night watching Christmas movies and decorating Styrofoam cups to be shrunk with the Alvin dive the next day. There were passionate discussions about what is the ultimate Christmas movie. There were many votes for Die Hard, the Grinch, some for the Gremlins and the Polar Express, but for Christmas Eve we ultimately decided on watching Elf. After that we watched the Nightmare Before Christmas, and then Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Once the cups were finished, we all headed to bed, hoping Santa would visit us in the middle of the ocean.

Christmas Eve sorting. Photos by Lance Wills.
Christmas Eve movie watching.

In the morning it looked like Santa had come! In front of each of our doors were knitted hats made by the ladies of the St. John’s Bethel Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina. They came in all colors and sizes, some fit better than others, but we were grateful for gifts out at sea. The main lab is also quite cold so they will be used!

Many of us began Christmas day calling our loved ones, opening presents, and participating in our \ traditions with our families from afar. Science operations were still happening, we still had a Christmas Alvin dive. Wyatt Heimbichner Goebel (WWU) and Susan Mills (WHOI) would finish up our recoveries at Tica and Riftia Mound. As the science team approached the aft deck where the launch occurs, we were welcomed by Alvin pilot Bruce Strickrott wearing a flashing Santa hat, SSSG Allison covered in tinsel, a manta ray hat with reindeer antlers, and ornaments, and AB Mike Sessa in a full elf costume. The Alvin swimmers were also adorning their own Santa hats. This had to be one of the most unique Alvin launches, although watching the Halloween Alvin recovery where the swimmers were dressed like hotdogs may have it beat. As Santa’s helpers descended into the water on top of Alvin, they began their journey down to the seafloor.

Morning Alvin launch. Photo by Shawn Arellano.
Dexter Davis and Tanika Ladd sort samples. Photo by Shawn Arellano.
White bacterial films on settlement sandwich.

While our scientists completed their dive objectives, there was still a lot of science processing to be done back on the ship. Dressed in hats and Tanika in her Santa jumpsuit, we sorted through our sandwich deployments until the submersible returned. These sandwiches can vary in the texture and the amount of bacteria on them, and the one I was sorting through had a white, filamentous bacterial mat on it. Not quite the White Christmas I was dreaming of, but while we played Christmas music, it felt somewhat fitting. Throughout the day some Christmas presents were exchanged, ugly sweaters were prepared for the contest after dinner, and a lot of candy was eaten. Apparently, candy canes are not a thing in some European countries and while we urged our Italian and French colleagues to try them, the “toothpaste” taste was not enjoyed by all.

When the submersible returned, so did the outfits, and Alvin was heroically rescued by our resident elf. These elves work hard, he kept the entire outfit on even when swimming. To make this recovery even more memorable, Vanessa Jimenez (WWU) was able to ride the small zodiac boat used to return the swimmers and attach the line that tows Alvin into recovery position.

Alvin Christmas recovery. Top left: Vanessa Jimenez after riding the zodiac. Photo by Shawn Arellano. Other photos by Vanessa Jimenez.

Once the recovery was complete, we all headed to Christmas dinner, usually a very important time for this holiday. We were not let down. Yet again, our amazing chefs had put together a feast! One filled with Christmas specials from all over including roast turkey, green bean casserole, empanadas, and many desserts like rice pudding and apple pie. In the fridge were a plethora of egg nog options to drink. While we ate and talked about our unusual Christmas, the Alvin team each handed us a present, a letter with an Alvin sticker inside, which were highly coveted.

Ugly sweater contest winners, left to right: Matt Skorina, Lauren Dykman, Randy Holt.

After dinner and our science meeting, the festivities began. The ugly sweater contest that Dr. Dykman (WHOI) had planned, was happening in the galley. While Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree played, each contest cat walked through the entrance, did a twirl in the middle of the room, and exited into the library. Targeting different predetermined categories, some put on a performance. Once all the contestants had walked, our judges discussed intensely. The categories were: most creative, most ocean-inspired, and ugliest. Our winners were clear. Matt Skorina (Alvin) won most creative with his sweater crocheted from climbing rope and ship line. Dr. Dykman won most ocean-inspired, with her sandwich sewn sweater, and Randy Holt (Alvin) won ugliest, with a bobblehead elf sweater.

To end our day, Matt and Benen from the Alvin team decided to whip up something special. Using liquid nitrogen, they made ice cream on the aft deck. In both vanilla and chocolate, it turned out more delicious than we had expected. As liquid nitrogen poured over the table, the creamy concoction quickly chilled into ice cream. Some Oreos were poured over that also turned them brittle and caused our mouths to erupt chilled air like breath on a cold day. As we enjoyed our tasty treats, we laughed and shared stories about Christmases past, a perfect end to another holiday at sea.

EPR Biofilms4Larvae project is a multi-institutional NSF grant: OCE-1948580 (Arellano), OCE-1947735 (Mullineaux), OCE-1948623 (Vetriani).

Benen ElShakhs (left) and Matt Skorina (right) make liquid nitrogen ice cream.

3 thoughts on “Seas-On Greetings

  1. We initiated and continued with the required treatment, which led
    to an enchancment in the patient’s condition. The patient was a 32-year-old male, a baker, who did not have any relevant previous medical history.
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    For the HAARLEM research, we made a qualitative stock of
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    Solely about one half of analyzed AAS samples contained the AAS type
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    In specific, IGF1 and its pathway have been noticed to be integral
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    insight into all of the processes that regulate total SM integrity.
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    required to stimulate MPS (20, 29).
    Additional tapering of testosterone dose ought to be individualized based mostly
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    Younger people appear more likely to use greater doses of
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    Those users are also prone to eat alcohol and other recreational drugs while using anabolic steroids [42] and less keen to
    interact with health professionals in case of antagonistic results [10].

    This profile of poor threat administration aligns with the
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    In the case of orally administered anabolic steroids,
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    both orally or by injection (depending on the anabolic steroid being assessed).
    Given the excessive mortality of atherosclerotic disease
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    Androgen use has turn into a serious public health concern because of the transition of
    using androgens from strictly sports to a a lot wider spectrum of the population. The
    lifetime prevalence of anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use worldwide is estimated to be 1% to 5%[1].
    This unproven follow is recognized as post-cycle remedy (PCT) and normally includes selective estrogen receptor
    modulators (SERMs) similar to tamoxifen and clomiphene, aromatase inhibitors corresponding to exemastane, letrozole
    and anastrozole, and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG).

    These compounds selectively stimulate the androgen receptor,
    providing potent effects on bone and muscle to increase bone density and lean body mass while having minimal impact on reproductive tissues.
    It outcomes from distortion of the androgen-estrogen balance during or after administration of AAS.
    As a end result, finding supraphysiological oestradiol levels in AAS abusers is not uncommon. Aromatase inhibitors and anti-estrogens similar to tamoxifen and clomiphene
    are frequently used by AAS abusers, either as PCT or to
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    After ruling out different causes, persistent breast
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    older era drugs and their use might result in critical side-effects, they still
    have medicinal worth as androgenic, anabolic, and even anti-androgenic agents.

    This review summarizes and revisits the medicinal use of compounds
    based mostly on the structure and organic activity of testosterone, with examples of particular compounds.
    Moreover, a few of the newer androgenic-anabolic compounds are mentioned such as selective androgen receptor modulators, the
    efficacy/adverse-effect profiles of which
    have not been sufficiently established and which may pose a larger danger than typical
    androgenic-anabolic agents.
    This methodology provides a method to check the androgenic and anabolic results of different steroids.
    Nevertheless, it’s essential to remember that these numerical
    ratios are extra of a guideline than an absolute measure of a bulking steroid FAQs’s
    power. It’s not so simple as a higher ratio equating to a significantly stronger steroid.

    Some of the structural modifications which have
    been introduced into the testosterone in an attempt to maximize
    the anabolic effect and minimize the androgenic are shown in Figure 2,
    and examples of anabolic steroids are given in Figure three.
    Many of those steroids have been withdrawn as licensed merchandise in quite a
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    preparations in others, for instance, methandienone, methyltestosterone, oxandrolone and stanozolol.
    The solely preparations presently obtainable as licensed products for human use inside the Uk are testosterone and its esters, nandrolone
    (as the decanoate ester), mesterolone and oxymetholone (named affected person foundation only).
    Boldenone and trenbolone are restricted to veterinary purposes only in some countries, but, nonetheless, sports activities competitors and bodybuilders have been identified
    to administer these anabolic steroids. When used in supraphysiological doses, the mechanism of motion of anabolic-androgenic steroids
    (AASs) is marked by a disruption in testosterone biosynthesis inside tissues.
    Corticosteroids discuss with a category of drugs used to deal with inflammatory arthritis and different inflammatory circumstances.

  2. It is the efficiency enhancer that may really discover understanding here to be a little extra worthwhile as quality stacks and cycles
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    instances larger than doses prescribed by medical
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    All anabolic steroids are Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) schedule 3 drugs 24, 25,
    26. Using anabolic steroids this way, without a prescription from a doctor, just isn’t
    authorized or secure.
    Users who frequently administer toxic anabolic steroids corresponding to Winstrol, with inadequate day
    with no work in between cycles, are at higher risk of testosterone
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    trenbolone as a cutting steroid to speed up fats loss while maintaining muscle on fewer calories.
    Anabolic steroids usually are abused by athletes for increasing muscle mass and performance.
    Non-athletes and non-competitive body builders also abuse anabolic steroids
    for beauty causes.
    Because continual anabolic steroid use suppresses spermatogenesis
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    to prevent testicular shrinkage. Many men who use anabolic steroids report decreased libido
    or erectile function. This sexual dysfunction might be due to lack of estrogen impact on the brain. In regular men, testosterone is aromatized
    to estradiol, and estradiol results on the brain are essential for normal libido
    and total sexual operate. Dromostanolone is a synthetic anabolic steroid with anti-estrogenic properties and
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    This is a cycle you can run for up to 12 weeks,
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    Enanthate is mostly utilized in a high-dose cycle.
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    This dehydrating effect is the antithesis of Deca Durabolin and may be disadvantageous for bodybuilders who carry heavy weights.

    To put trenbolone’s androgenicity into perspective, its androgen ranking is
    500, which is 5 occasions greater than that
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    aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT).

    “More research must be done to know more about SARMs’ effects and their long-term effects, however the preliminary analysis has raised numerous issues,” Dr.
    Sanyal shares. The remaining authors declare that the
    analysis was carried out in the absence of any industrial or monetary relationships that might
    be construed as a potential battle of interest. Whereas it’s exhausting to advocate general echocardiographic screening on this group of sufferers due to lack of evidence,
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    the patient to stop using AAS. Gynecomastia is the benign enlargement of the glandular tissue of the breast
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    This is the place getting the dosage right could
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    T3 is a thyroid hormone that is naturally produced by the pituitary gland.
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    Cypionate and enanthate injections can be less irritating to the skin than other testosterone variations, primarily based on our experience.
    If you suffer from hypogonadism and require testosterone for medicinal functions,
    we advocate Olympus Males’s testosterone replacement remedy (TRT) program.
    Legal options like D-Bal or Testo-Max are available
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    In The Meantime, some international locations enable extra lenient access beneath regulated situations.
    In locations like Mexico, Thailand, and parts of Eastern Europe, steroids could additionally be available over-the-counter,
    however that doesn’t guarantee high quality or security.

    This substance was first listed in the IOC doping record on 1 January 2003 as part of oxygen supply enhancement.
    This methodology was first listed within the IOC doping listing
    on 1 January 2003 under oxygen switch enhancement. Refers to the usage of agents that increase oxygen absorption into
    the blood.
    If this does happen, the syringe should be completely withdrawn from that area and injected elsewhere.
    The examine found that blood was aspirated, indicating a vein was pierced by the needle; however, the person continued to inject.
    Inside one minute, shortness of breath was skilled as a result of oil within the bloodstream.
    After all, we are merely utilizing medical provides when administering steroids.
    Being acquainted with the required supplies and numerous terminology referring
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    proceed with injecting. Far too many individuals make mistakes that may
    put them off injecting forever. Injecting might seem simple at first, but there’s a lot
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    References:

    Calorie Deficit Meal Planning

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