Strongarch Academic Services
Education – Research – Consultancy
Applying traditional academic values to:
– Continuing professional education for health practitioners, biomedical engineers and scientists
– Independent systematic and numeric analysis, reports and advice for institutions, business, the community and media
– Research to expand knowledge
Strongarch Free Educational Material
Short Educational Videos
Rabbits and the Plague
An Introduction to Key Concepts in the Evolution of Immunity
Using the spread of rabbits as an introduced species through Australia, and the deadly effect of biological controls against rabbits, I explore the significance of minor genetic variations in establishing the diversity needed for evolution to mediate survival of populations through repeated pandemics.
Topics outlined in this video are: antigens; haptens; Major Histocompatibility Antigens, T Cell Receptors and Antibody molecules and the molecular basis for specific immune diversity; the roles and evolutionary relationship between the specific and non-specific immune systems; inflammation; cytokines; polymorphisms and the effect of cytokine polymorphisms on COVID 19 susceptibility.
What Killed Old Tom the Killer Whale?
An Exploration of Partnership with Whales and of Dental Infection
A skeleton in the Eden Killer Whale museum sets the scene for exploration of an ancient hunting partnership between the people of the South Coast of NSW and killer whales.
The skeleton is of a particular killer whale, ‘Old Tom’, who was found floating dead. Features in Old Tom’s skeleton form the basis for my speculation that a combination of: occupational dental wear; dental trauma; chronic infection; the specificity of oral microbial ecologies unique for each animal species; patterns of killer whale feeding; and a lack of immunity against foreign bacterial species, may have conspired to kill Old Tom.
Carbonic Acid – Caves, Blood and Teeth
Key Concepts in Enzyme Biology
The generation of carbonic acid by the reaction of carbon dioxide with water is described, as is the role of carbonic acid in the formation of the limestone landscape of South Eastern South Australia.
Carbonic acid is discussed as important in a wide range of important biological processes, mediated by the enzyme carbonic anhydrase. The detailed role of carbonic anhydrase in facilitating oxygen transport and release from haemoglobin via the Bohr effect, as well as in transport of carbon dioxide in the blood and protecting against decay, is discussed. Important concepts in protein and enzyme biology explained are: enzyme catalysis, the enzyme-substrate complex; product inhibition; enzyme reversibility; isoenzymes; and allosteric protein effects.
Mining, Lead and Detecting Metal Toxicity
Environmental Metal Pollution and Scientific Efforts to Improve Laboratory Detection
The environmental spread of lead by dust from the Broken Hill mine is described, and the effects of this on population health are briefly outlined. Difficulties interpreting traditional blood tests for lead are discussed, as is the work in our laboratory of Dr Manish Arora developing nuanced new methods for detecting environmental exposure of children to potentially toxic metals.
More recent work from our laboratory by another research student, Dr Morgan Wishney is also discussed, in which he used a novel single-cell tracking approach to demonstrate subtle toxic effects of metals leached out of orthodontic brackets on cultured cells. I outline my conception of the proper role of an academic scientific laboratory, exploring risky projects with potential to advance knowledge and benefit the community.
Written Notes
Student Notes on Writing Scientific Reports
Advice for Theses and Professional Publications
These notes detail accepted conventions for scientific writing, and clarify differences between scientific reports written for journals, and those written by students for purposes of examination such as theses.
Explicit explanation for what should appear in each section of a written report is given, including for the: Abstract; Introduction; Materials and Methods; Results and Discussion.
Examples are given to illustrate the proper preparation and presentation of tables and figures.
Student Notes on Oral Slide Presentations
A Lifetime of Experience Boiled Into a Short Document
A lifetime of experience giving scientific presentations as well as lectures to students and the public, is distilled into these few pages.
Advice includes with regard to: the preparation of presentation slides; practicing for an oral presentation; how to address and engage the audience; and dealing with difficult questions.
An example is given of Powerpoint slides that I recently prepared for a 25 minute presentation.
