Size Matters

Do you think the cells of an elephant would be larger than the cells of a rat? Do you think the cisternae of an Endothelial Type II cell are bigger than those of a white blood cell?

One would think internet should be full with Electron Microscope (EM) images of COVID inside a human cell. Just several, inconclusive. I fail to see in this image the bronchitis coronavirus virions forming inside of a cisterna. Even the (sub)title of the image says: "assembling in a Golgi region"

Spent most of the morning searching for things like what type of human cells are attacked first by COVID and how COVID multiplies after taking over those cells. However i could not find EM images with those cells. All i could find was this. Here, an Endothelial Type II cell is shown sitting at the bottom (top in image) of an alveolar sack and its internal structure which includes a Golgi apparatus.

It is within this type of cell the exchange of gases between air and blood occur. Oxygen passes from air to blood and CO2 back in the air.

Current theories say COVID is packed (assembled) inside of organelles of human cells known as Golgi apparatus, more precisely in a structure of this organelle called cisterna. Prior entering the cisternae, in the intermediate endothelian reticulum or ER, ribosomes, enzyme like structures made of two proteins which normally produce proteins, one of the main functions of most cells, provides proteins for the viruses. Normally specific parts of RNA (which is the same for every cell of our body) from cell's nucleus is used by ribosomes as a blue print for cell specific proteins, then proteins made by ribosomes are evacuated when vesicles form at the end of Golgi apparatus cisternae and those vesicles are transported at the surface of the cell and evacuated in the intracellular space to do whatever.

Same theories say that in case of infection with COVID these normal functions of the ER and Golgi apparatus are hijacked to produce not only the spike protein for the virus but the whole thing, that is envelope, membrane, M and S proteins. Viruses packed inside the complex are wrapped in vesicles then evacuated delivered to the surface of the cell through the same mechanism.

While i understand that viral RNA can be used instead of nucleus RNA in ribosomes to produce proteins (though i believe each type of cell has its own unique type of ribosome, which can have a limited "range" or what type of proteins can produce), i fail to understand how the Golgi apparatus and ER functions are changed (by the virus) to also produce membranes and envelopes.

I could not find an electron microscope image of the Golgi apparatus with cisternae for an Endotelial Type II cell, all i could find was one for white cells. The scale bar show that the thickness of cisternae and vesicles are smaller than 100 nm, the average size of a coronavirus, and that without the spike protein.


Ok it wouldn't be fair if i didn't put here what i found later. Vero is a type of "standard" lab grown cell coming from a single lineage descending from the liver cells of a specific monkey. Shown is a herpes virion building up at the end of a much smaller cisterna inside a vero cell. Looking at the image makes me think the cisterna receives the virion RNA from nucleus and provides the membrane, envelope, the M, S and spike protein, like it actually had this functionality and viruses could actually play an evolutionary role. But then in the explanation i see the word "budding" (c). Then i see several virions inside a single vacuole ready to be lifted at the surface of the cell.

From now on it becomes confusing, cause if you asked google, it says viruses are assembled inside golgi, if you follow this article, it's a different story. In both cases it seems obvious to me that the virus does not contain enough information to "hijack" or "reprogram" the cell into doing all this, but the cells are already adapted to do this since billion years ago to do it, like it had this functionality and viruses could play key roles in evolutionary process. Lipid membrane, envelope is provided by the ER and golgi, which pre-exists in host's cells.

One thing to mention here. When i was thinking that the cell itself could actually have this functionality and especially when i used the word "evolutionary", the man upstairs started to yell as much as one could yell obscenities in Spanish or Portuguese. Can not say i actually got scared and stopped reading and following ideas especially because apartment is filled with smoke from the walls. Got to finish or even re-write this post later. I would imagine the catholic point of view on this. God could not have created a human being (in its own resemblance) that produces viruses to infect others. Then i remembered the logo of the management firm of the apartment complex, and its resemblance to Dominican Province of the Philippines logo.

And one more thing. Here is a crop from last EM image.

Again because of the search results i made while writing this blog post (don't have time to write a pre-version first, than read it and re-write it if necessary), the whole idea behind this post which i started thinking the cisternae of the golgi aparatus are too small for the COVID virus, has changed and it would be necesary to re-write it. But then again it took me half day to search and write. It seems there are contradicting theories about how a virus is formed inside a cell. It seems the existing theories contradict selves. It seems there is very little "fundamental" research behind how viruses are formed, etc.. All together is too much for me and the scope of a blog post.

November 14

10:11 According to current theories, unlike cells or unicellular living beings (bacteria, protozoa), viruses do not divide. They infect and commandeer cells to produce copies of themselves.

11:25/9:25 Una este prin rotație.

Ninja (Noongari) smoke

Woke up with a congested nose and after a while the place filled more with smoke. I went outside and again found some tiny one inch tall volcanoes under the siding. After i flattened those, tried to air the room but i think dirty socks smell comes from the wind's direction. After about ten minutes, smoke (different, probably kratom) is again filling the room. Going to the park. Hospital alleys. Whatever.

9:28 They speculate differences in perception. To me it's obvious what's happening. To most, they don't understand what i'm saying. What tiny volcanoes? Have he lost his mind this morning, again?

Everybody living in a house in the US has at least on bathroom fan. Ever wondered where the air sucked from the bathroom goes? Behind the fan, inside the ceiling (upstairs floor) there is a 3 or 4 inch flexible pipe or hose (flexible during installation, actually it never moves, for decades after) that goes through an (empty) wall all the way to the top of the roof. Made of a thin aluminum foil, with a coiled wire to make the shape, or something similar. It is not one piece from bathroom to roof. Pieces are joined with duct tape. Tape in time becomes hard and sometimes most of the times the pipe will leak at joints, inside walls. More or less. In time it also builds inside about half inch of dust on the thin foil. That may backflow in your bathroom, depending. Vibration, air flow. Airflow leaking from other pipes from other apartments, building pressure inside walls and inside your pipe. And had lots of that. Until:

I put on top of the regular bathroom fan a tiny computer fan that works continuously at lower than normal voltage (about 6 volts instead of 12) and ensures at least it does not backflow as it did. When the big fan starts, air flows through the small one, accelerating it. When it doesn't the small fan pushes constantly a small amount of air. But even if it didn't, due to regular thermal flow (warmer air goes up), some air will bypass the one way valve in the fan's box and flow upwards.

During drying. Vast amounts of air are being sucked from inside the room and pumped outside. Regular houses have driers installed in garages or other special rooms. But if it's not the garages, will suck air from where inside the house.

Believe it or not. Main fresh air supply inside a house comes from under main or back or garage door, washing the sills of those doors, one of the dirties places inside a home.

But there is another source. Walls are not sealed in most American houses. There is a big half inch gap between the "drywall" and the floor, other gaps and cracks, around windows, appliances, cabinets, etc..

Air goes in and out the wall depending. Some air from outside will bypass the siding (especially at bottom or where the siding starts) and cracks inside the walls.

And here comes the diagram of thermal air flow around a house. Cold weather here includes during night, evening and mornings, where house walls temperature is higher than outside air. All passive, high science, low teck, ancient knowledge.It's all self explanatory. If you stick (during let's say a casual dog walking) something burning inside the ground close enough to the building (most of the "recipes" in Basenshukai, or the book of  ninja, contain saltpeter, that has oxygen in the formula, other oxygen locking chemicals, saltpeter was not available in Japan when the book was written, and burns underground) the smoke, due to the pressure created by the laminar thermal flow will bypass the siding and the walls and get inside. Most of it will not get inside, but flow upwards around  the building and up in the sky and will not be perceived by bypassers. Since build up of concentration inside is gradual, the occupants will get used and after a while will start to change mood, feel happy, worry free, forget things, take weird decisions, etc..

And if you open the main door, smoke will come out, exactly like if the occupants themselves where using it, for all bypassers to smell. You will have it in you system, clothes, etc..

I apologize if the post is not 100 well formulated and concise, i am under influence, big time this morning, cause they are behind and getting really mad as more of their secrets (and deeds) are being revealed, everyday and pushing it big time on me.

Had plans for this morning, wanted to order online OEM axles for the car, can't do anything, can't concentrate, afraid not to order the wrong ones.

November 13

12:11/10:11 Adio și n-am cuvinte...

11:59 Look like the manager at Autozone store on Dartmouth St where i bought the second shaft and returned it yesterday (she had a mask and not easy to guess, but the eys). He looks like the customer with bass voice and of course mask.

1:13 Another hour of my life. I can't sing like that. You can't sing like that. Nobody can sing like that without decades of professional voice training.

1:14 I noticed lately lots of people rushing me to do things. Sometimes just by example. Sometimes just a rushed smile. I called it rush entraining. Beautiful bullies who teach us to follow impulses. In that day or the day after, two train related accidents happened, one in Britain and one in Japan.

1:23/11:23 Urmând "dezvăluirii" secretelor din legea plafoanelor, adică mărimea bugetului (400 miliarde), numărul de bugetari (peste un milion), salariile acestora (109 miliarde), alte informații preluate din această lege, un număr de publicații din România promovează un zvon. Nu se poate fiindcă marea majoritate a bugetarilor sunt profesori, medici, polițiști și militari.

4:51

5:29 Wandjina, wadget, djin, nagas, whatever...

The New Car Story

It looks like i got no other choice but write the car story. In the first day or 10/13 when i went to see the car, i tried to drive it @ to see if there's anything wrong with it on a total distance of maybe a quart of a mile. There was a splash guard touching the tire on the front left side, or where the wheel has been hit. There was a clunking sound on the right side. I briefly put the car on a jack with the help of the guy in the body shop who gave me tools and i looked and saw the right CV shaft (passenger, longer) was bent, in the rush of events at first i thought it was just wobbling (knew it was not hit on that side in the recent accident) from articulations when turning the hub by hand, only realized it was bent weeks after or on 11-08, when i also realized there is nothing on my car that could have caused those abrasions.

Went the next morning at AutoZone on Dartmouth St and picked one for 150. It seemed a good deal, but when i put it on i saw it was 30% thinner then OEM one. One of the consequences of being thin is it twists maybe half turn when i put the car in drive or rear. Also when i drove it a few days ago on I5 to Wilsonville to test the mpg, i heard a vibration. I raised the car on the jack and saw the newly installed Autozone shaft got a big play at both ends. First i tried to order a used one at B&R for 65 bucks and Wednesday i went to North Portland to pick it, but was damaged and rusted and refused it and asked for a refund. In the same day i ordered another one at Autozone, similar with the one that's on on the right, just to measure it. With a cheap caliper, by comparison only, it seemed smaller than my bent OEM (they probably use looser tolerances than OE manufacturer), both the outer diameter in the splines area and distance between 5 teeth. I measured it like 20 times just to make sure and returned it though there was this annoying music in the store, people talking aloud, overwhelmingly overly polite, etc.. Now i'm trying really hard to find both shaft online as OEM parts. I found them on a site for 250 each but now i sit and wonder if the site is legit (here at dealerships is between 380 and 400 a piece, it is true, on the same site the Korean built ones are 330+shipping, my car is US built). On driver side again there is a badly rusted one which could not have been only 4 years old with no other rusted parts on the vehicle. Now i remembered i asked the guy at the store (who is not a mechanic but did some struts replacement in the past why the shock absorber is not in the middle of the spring, he said because the car is on a jack and spring is extended all the way, can't wait to go and take a picture now that the car is on wheels.

Never touched the left shorter rusted axle.

It is for the first time that i realize that the strut is also bend towards the end.

By comparison with the one on the passanger side, with the much thinner (Autozone) shaft which is still on the car, is seems this one is bent

Today i got called again by the guy at B&R (the same voice as the 855 number) and he told me the part (again right shaft, OEM, used) is waiting for me in North Portland, i told him i went there two days ago and refused it, again for being rusted and one of the boots popped in and making a sound when rotating that end.

Got the number for B&R from a guy from Hillsboro Auto Wrecking. I went there for a hub (at the time i believed the noise coming from the front wheels is from a bearing). The bearings had too much of a play and the hub was rusted so i just drove back there and returned it. In that day i drove more than 100 miles for that hub.

11:00 13 On November 4 in the evening i went to pick the car. Drove it here, took Angela with me (both had very little sleep the night before), drove back over there to pick the truck. Both in the car, we agreed that there was a weird smell. We stopped at an Autozone store and bought an engine air filter and a cabin air filter. I replaced the engine air filter in the parking lot, but when i tried to pull the cabin air filter (the one on top of the fan), a couple of pounds or more of rancid dog food came with the filter, some falling on the car's floor, most in the fan. So we went to a carwash (a mile away next to O'Reillys), tried to vacuum but the hose would not go in the place where filter was. Finally vacuumed enough of those for the fan to work. Went to pick the truck, Angela drove the car home. Next morning, after i wrote about the whole story i went to Lowes to pick a dishwasher drain hose to adapt to the vacuum cleaner. I dropped the blower fan and with one more shorter flexible hose on top of that, i went and picked the remaining pellets from the heater core housing.

The only way that dog food could have gotten in there was by removing the grill (between hood and windshield) from outside. I felt that smell in the first day i went to see the car or when i discovered the CV shaft on right side was bent. While i was vacuuming, the guy upstairs came and parked in his spot next to me. It was then when i asked him if he ever cleaned the filter of his drier and he seemed puzzled. I explained to him how to do it. After that he stopped using the drier altogether but he started again and i looked and the flow of the steam from the vent is very low and he just restarted drying the same load.