20 Time Final Post

Overall, I thought my TED Talk went very well. I thought that we had very nice pacing throughout and were able to expand past what was on our slides. One thing that I wish I would have done differently was to add more photos to our slides, maybe of our event or some of the costumes that we collected throughout our progress.

After watching the video, I believe that overall our talk was good and I would give us an A. One thing that I could have worked on was my posture during the times that my partner was talking. I also think that I could have done a better of moving around a little more while I talked.

Preparing for and giving the talk was very fun. I was excited to share what we learned and what we did with the class. Since this topic was something that I was interested in and really liked doing, it did not seem like work.

From this experience, I believe that I will take away the importance of donations. As we said in our talk, donating the things that you are not utilizing is crucial becuase it can allow someone else to be using them. Another thing that I will take away from this is never taking my extra curricular activities for granted. I am so lucky to be able to participate in all the activites that I do and I never want to that for granted.

I have really liked listening to other presentations as well. Everyone has had different topics and so I have been engaged the entire time. I believe also that keeping the presentations to 5 minutes helped to keep me engaged and not lose focus on others presentations. As a whole, I really enjoyed the 20 Time project. I found it really interesting and I really enjoyed doing it.

This is my TED Talk!

20 Time Reflection

Katrina and I chose this topic because it was something that we have experienced and seen first hand. Doing cheer, we both know that just a custom uniform can cost about $1000 and there are other expenses to be paid. As a dancer, Katrina has also had to spend copious amounts of money on dance costumes that she has only worn a couple of times. Our goal was to promote awareness for the cause, collect costumes to donate, help others by these donations, and to work on our planning and organizational skills.

Initially, we did not have a clear vision of where we wanted to go with our idea. After multiple trial and error attempts with ideas such as Instagram, we decided that a fundraiser would be the best idea. At our fundraiser, we would teach a dance class in exchange for costumes donated by the girls that signed up.

At first, scheduling and planning the event was difficult due to our busy and conflicting schedules. We had an original date set, but at the last minute, we realized that it was Easter and so we had to reschedule for a later date. In the end, we were able to find a date that worked for both of us and the day was a success. We had a large turnout of about 25 girls ages 6-13. Each girl brought about two costumes and in the end, we had 50 costumes to donate. After the fundraiser, we began to search for a place to donate these costumes. Not wanting to do an organization such as Good Will due to the fact that they profit from the donations, we began to search for an organization that would donate the costumes right to the source. After a day or so of looking, we discovered Traveling Tutus, an organization out of Florida that donates the costumes that they receive to those who cannot comfortably afford the rising price of dance.

Through this entire process, we learned a lot about scheduling and planning an event. Additionally, we also learned about how to properly advertise and get people to show up for an event. We utilized both flyers and electronics. The flyers helped to get the word out and then people were able to sign up online. Additionally, Katrina and I were able to send an email to the parents and students of the dance classes that Katrina teaches letting the know about our event. We also learned that it is not easy to deal with 25 young girls and so it was essential to plan every minute of our event and fill it with lots of fun games and dancing in order to avoid chaos and to make it fun. This is definitely something I would like to do again. If I had to do it again, I would want to hold more fundraisers and maybe some in different areas in order to try and get the word out even further.

Next, although I will not formally be continuing this challenge, I will always be aware of this issue and will encourage those to donate their old dance costumes or cheer uniforms. In general, I will continue to donate my other clothes and shoes that I no longer wear so that others can benefit from them. It is something so simple to do, and it can make a big difference for those in need.

If I had to give myself a letter grade, it would be an A. I felt like we were always on task while in class, and were able to keep busy. If there was a class period where we could not work on something, we would make a list to plan what we were going to do when we got home or what we needed to do to prepare for the next class. We made sure to follow through with our event, and despite the fallbacks, we held a successful event. I also believe that throughout the entire 20 process we were extremely organized and made sure to have all of our blog posts done.

In our fourth blog post, we included photos and videos from our event. That post can be seen here!

TedTalk Outline

1. our idea and the importance of giving back to this cause
2. what we did
3. planning process
4. our event
5. our take away and what we learned
6. the importance of donations

Unit 8 Reflection

In this unit, we learned all about the muscular system. We began with an overview of the system and talked about some of the functions of this system. Such functions include the movement of bones or fluids and to stabilize the joints. Then we learned about some of the properties of muscle tissue, excitability, contractibility, extensibility, and elasticity. Finally, we talked about muscle classification. Muscles are categorized into four categories, prime movers, anatagonists, synergists, and fixators. We also went over the size, shape, action, number of origins, location, etc.. At the beginning of this unit, we also began a project in which we redesigned a specific joint in our body to make it "better" and help prevent this joint from injury. For example, I chose the wrist joint for my project, in order to redesign the wrist to keep it from breaking. http://hayleysanatomyblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-more-effect-joint.html

Next, we talked about some of the specific muscles that we have throughout the body. In the face, we have the masseter that helps to elevate the mandible. When this muscle relaxes, the jaw falls. In our chest, we have the trapezius that helps to extend the head and elevate or depress the scapula. In our arm, we have the biceps brachii or biceps as well as our triceps brachii or triceps. In our stomach area, we have the rectus abdominus which flexes the abdomen. One muscle that you may not think of is the diaphragm, which is what allows inhalation. In our leg, we have the gluteus maximas that helps to extend and rotate the thigh laterally. One lab that really helped to reinforce this lesson was the chicken lab. In this lab, we were able to dissect a whole chicken and find each of these muscles in the chicken then compare how the chicken muscular system is different from ours. http://hayleysanatomyblog.blogspot.com/2017/05/chicken-dissection-analysis.html

Then, we learned about muscle twitch and the difference between fast and slow twitch. In summary, slow twitch fibers are the ones that give athletes the immense stamina. Slow twitch fibers are very important for sports like marathons, as the muscles are slow to fatigue. However, fast twitch fibers are the muscle fibers that allow athletes to exert their energy all at once. These muscles fibers are crucial for people who do sports such as track, where they are only required to run extremely fast for up to a couple of minutes. What determines fast or slow twitch, however, is your exercise and genetics. In fact, research has shown that specific training does not affect fast or slow twitch. Overall, the key to keeping our muscles healthy relies on exercise, diet, and listening to your body. Lastly, I believe that I am still keeping to my New Years Goals. As the weather has become nicer, I find myself getting outside more and doing exercises outside, such as hiking, swimming, and just simply walking around more. In general, I think I am keeping to a pretty healthy lifestyle. As school comes to an end, I am still trying to end the year on a good note and am still giving my all towards my school work. 

What Happens When You Stretch?

Quotes
"When a muscle is stretched, some of its fibers lengthen, but other fibers may remain at rest. The current length of the entire muscle depends upon the number of stretched fibers"

"One of the reasons for holding a stretch for a prolonged period of time is that as you hold the muscle in a stretched position, the muscle spindle habituates (becomes accustomed to the new length) and reduces its signaling. Gradually, you can train your stretch receptors to allow greater lengthening of the muscles"

"Another reason for holding a stretch for a prolonged period of time is to allow this lengthening reaction to occur, thus helping the stretched muscles to relax. It is easier to stretch, or lengthen, a muscle when it is not trying to contract"

Relate and Review
After reading this article, I thought it was very interesting. In all of the sports that I have done, my coaches have always stressed the importance of stretching, before and after practice. One quote that really stood out to me was the one about why people will hold a stretch for a long period of time. People will do this because eventually, you can train the receptors "to allow greater lengthening of the muscles". For instance, I often do this in cheer. At the beginning of practice when we stretch, we have to go as far down as we can into the splits as hold it for up to five minutes. When I first began to do this, I was not able to go completely down, but the more I practiced and stretched, the farther I was able to get my splits.

Chicken Dissection Analysis

In this lab, we began by unwrapping the chicken, patting it dry and then removing the skin. We started the dissection by making an incision down the midline of the chicken. Then we identified the major muscles, such as the pectoralis major and minor. The pectoralis major is what gives the bird or chicken the power for their flight. We also looked for the tendons at their points of insertion. Next, we cut from the neck to the middle of the back in order to identify the trapezius and the latissimus dorsi. The trapezius muscle helps to pull the chicken's shoulder back, while the latissimus dorsi also extends the wing as well. Then, we extended the wing and cut it off before the shoulder joint. From there, we were able to identify muscles such as the deltoid. Finally, we cut off the thigh of chicken and identified some muscles such as the biceps femoris and the quadriceps femoris. The biceps femoris help to give the legs the power so that the chicken is able to run.

   

The insertion of the tendon is what moves with the contraction of the muscle while the origin is the physical attachment of the tendon. One difference between the muscles of a chicken is that the trapezius in humans is split into two parts. In both chicken and humans, the biceps brachii is used to bend the wing and arm. Lastly, the triceps humeralis is used to extend the arm. 

A More Effect Joint

Abstract

I began this project by choosing my joint. I chose the wrist joint due to my many injuries to the bones in my wrist. After I chose this joint, I did some general research on the what exact bones made up this joint and some of the major ligaments, blood vessels, and arteries in this joint. Once that was done, I began to research how to solve the problem of the common distal radial fracture. I looked up common treatment methods for a severe fracture and these treatments are what sparked my idea, a preventative measure to decrease the chance of a broken radius. 

Main Body

The joint I will be redesigning is the wrist joint, where the ulna and radius meet the carpals. The wrist is made up of several bones, including the distal ends of the ulna and radius, the carpal bones, and the proximal ends of the metacarpal bones. All of these contribute to a wide range of motion such as flexing or extension and pronation or supination. The ligaments in the wrist help to keep the wrist stable while still allowing mobility. Some major ligaments include the radiocarpal ligament and the ulnar collateral ligament which prevent extreme radial deviation.

A common injury to this joint is a distal radius fracture where the epiphysis of the radius sustains an incomplete or complete break. Fracturing your wrist is such a common injury due to the fact that it can happen very easily. For example, one may simply break their wrist from slipping and falling backward, landing with their hand outstretched. Although, wrist injuries can also occur during more serious accidents such as car accidents or falling from a high distance, like a ladder. Radial fractures can also occur in sports. For instance, wrist fractures are a very common injury in competitive cheerleading due to the constant pressure and strain that is put on these bones during stunting.

My proposed solution to this very common injury is to add additional ligaments behind the radius in order to prevent a fracture. Adding these ligaments would give more support to the bones and would also help to keep the bones aligned. If you were to fall and land with your hand outstretched, these extra ligaments would help to absorb the shock of the fall and would take some of the weight off of the bone. This solution mirrors the technique used to set major fractures. When the bone is so broken that it cannot be realigned without surgery, doctors go into the part of the wrist that is broken and must attach plates and metal screws and pins to keep the bone together. The additional ligaments would be a preventative measure for the extreme fracture. These ligaments would receive their blood from the radial artery and vein. Due to the thicker and more protective nature of the ligaments, some, but a very little range of motion would be lost.

Before After

Discussion

I found my inspiration for the redesign of the wrist joint after multiple breaks to both my ulna and my radius. I arrived at the idea for my design after researching what is done to treat a severe fracture to the radius. From my own personal experience, and from the help of the internet, I learned that in an extreme fracture, a surgery must be done where doctors reattach the bone with metal pins, screws, and plates. At that point, I tried to think how the fracture could be prevented in the first place. For my solution, I proposed that ligaments should be added in place of where the screws and plates would be if the bone were to be broken. The ligaments would act as a preventative measure that would help the radius from breaking by absorbing some of the shock and helping to keep the bones aligned.  

As I created my “better joint” a problems that came to mind with my idea was the change in the range of motion. With the addition of ligaments, this could possibly limit the range of motion as the wrist would lose some of the mobility that it had before. For example, the wrist may not be able to bend as far backward as it was able to without the extra ligaments.

Since this treatment is not possible and we cannot create a more effective joint, there are a couple things that you can do to prevent a wrist fracture. On a dietary level, make sure that you are consuming enough calcium as well as vitamin D since both are crucial for healthy and strong bones. Both vitamins are easy to get. An easy source of calcium is milk and vitamin D can easily be received from the sun. If you are a more clumsy person, it is important that you make sure to wear sensible shoes that will not cause you to slip and make sure to avoid slippery surfaces. Finally, if you have had fractures in the past or have a history of osteoporosis in your family, you may want to tape your wrists or wear a brace while doing sports or exercise that may put excessive strain on your wrist.

Works Cited

http://uconnsportsmed.uchc.edu/injury/handwrist/distal_radius.html

http://www.assh.org/handcare/Anatomy/Tendons#Wrist

http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00412

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1899456-overview?pa=HYIFKVOLQFwElrttBO7jyQusMRppSPOP1UrlqAUgZwW4dKA2GBG3IifckPzL49GOW9AeYsJObVsqaa3

Introduction to the Human Body: The Essentials of Anatomy and Physiology

by Gerard J. Tortora and Bryan Derrickson

Unit 7 Reflection

In this unit, we learned all about the skeletal system. We began by learning a brief overview of the system. Next, we talked about many possible disorders of the skeletal system. Then, we talked about bone remodeling. After, we talked about all the different types of fractures that can occur in bones. Finally, we learned about joints and how our bones are connected.

In our overview of the skeletal system, we talked about the different parts of the skeletal system, bones, joints, cartilages, and ligaments and how these are divided into two different skeletons, the axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton. The axial skeleton can be thought of as the bones straight down the body, the skull, hyoid bone, rib cage, and vertebrae column. The appendicular skeleton, however, is the skeleton that supports the appendages such as your arms and legs. We also talked about the basic functions of bones, such as support of the body, protection of soft organs, and so on. Then, more specifically, we talked about the bones of the human body. We learned that the human body has 206 bones and that there are two basic types of bone tissue, spongy and compact. Then, we talked about the Haverisan System (Osteon) which is an organized system of interconnecting canals. Finally, we talked about the different types of bones. Bones are classified into four different types based on size. First you have the long bone, then the short bone, next you have the flat bone, and finally, you have the irregular bone. At the start of this unit, we did two labs to help us better understand the skeletal system. The first one we did was the Skeletal System Lab, which essentially helped us to begin to understand how the system worked and where each of the bones was located. We also did the Owl Pellet Lab http://hayleysanatomyblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/owl-pellet-lab.html  that helped us to identify bones as well as try and figure out what type of animal our animal ate based on bone type and shape.

Next, we learned about some of the disorders of the skeleton system. We began by talking about arthritis, which is inflammation of the joints due to age, trauma, or infection to the joints. Then, we talked about osteoporosis, a condition in which bones have lost minerals, especially calcium, causing them to become weaker and more brittle and in turn makes them more susceptible to fractures. The most common places that people with osteoporosis break their bones in their hip, wrist, or spine. After, we talked about scoliosis which is a disorder in which there is an abnormal curvature of the spine. The cause of this is unknown but it is known that it occurs more often in girls rather than boys. We learned next about kyphosis which is a disease in which your spine can look completely normal or you may develop a hump on the top of your back. This disorder is something that can affect children, adolescents, and adults. We also talked about lordosis which is the excess curvature of the lumbar spine which in turn causes a forward pelvic tilt and swayed back appearance. Finally, we talked about rickets, a disorder that occurs in children, usually due to a vitamin D deficiency, that causes the softening and weakening of bones. 

After talking about skeletal disorders, we learned about the process of bone remodeling. We first talked about ossification, which is the process by which bones forms. Minerals are deposited and are able to turn cartilage into bone. This occurs 6-7 months into pregnancy all the way till adulthood, approximately 25 years old. When the ossification process is complete, that means you are done growing. We also talked about the bone cells that are responsible for bone remodeling. It begins with the osteogenic cells which are dividing cells that eventually develop into osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are the cells found on the surface of the bone that is responsible for bone building. These cells then develop into osteocytes which are mature bone cells that help to carry out daily activities of bone tissue. Lastly, we have osteoclasts which are the cells that break down bone tissue and are necessary for development, growth, maintenance, and repair of bone. In this lecture, we also talked about some crucial vitamins such as vitamin D, which is needed to absorb calcium, vitamin C, which is critical to making collagen, and finally calcium, which is necessary for heart function, muscle contraction, nerve function, blood clotting, and much more. 

Then, we learned about fractures. We learned about many different types of fractures, such as the closed fracture, where the broken bone pieces stay in the skin. We also learned about compound fractures where the broken bone pierces through the skin. Other types of fracture types we discussed were transverse, oblique, and greenstick. We also talked about the bone repair process. This process being with bleeding and inflammation and the bleeding produce a blood clot. Then, after 24 hours, the clot softens and produces a mass of protein fibers called a procallus. Next, fibroblasts arrive and secrete dense connective tissue to replace the procallus. Finally, chrondroblasts and osteoblasts arrive next. 

Lastly, we talked about joints. We first talked about the classification of joints, specifically the functional classification. Synarthroses are immovable joints, amphiarthroses are slightly movable joints and diarthroses are freely movable joints. There is also the structural classification of joints known as the fibrous, cartilagenous, and synovial joints. One lab that we did during this section was the Mini Joint Lab which helped us to understand the different types of joint classification. 

I believe that this has been a very strong unit for me. All the labs have really helped me to better understand the skeletal system. In particular, the first lab really helped me to begin to understand where all the bones were located in the body. Being able to understand that really helped me later on in the unit when we began to learn about joints. The joints section was something that I found a little more difficult to understand but was made much easier with the lab and previous knowledge from other sections.

My New Years Goals are still going well. I have still been making sure to put in my best effort at school and maintain a healthy lifestyle in all aspects of my life. Although that last part may be difficult at times, I have been able to be pretty healthy, making sure to balance school, sleep, and my social life as well as eat healthy and workout. 

Owl Pellet Lab

Summary:
We started this lab by weighing the owl pellet sample and taking the measurements of the length and width. Then we started to pull apart the pellet and separating the bones from the mass of fur. Once we had the majority of the bones separated, we located the skull in order to identify the type of animal we had.

CER:
From our skull findings, my partner and I concluded that our animal was a vole. The skull length of 20mm and the mandible length of 20mm as well fell perfectly within the range of that of a vole. In addition, the teeth also helped use to identify the animal as a vole.

Similarities and Differences:

Similarities: One similarity between the skeleton of the vole and that of a human is that they have all the same leg bones as a human, fibula, tibia, and femur. Another similarity is that both humans and voles have 24 ribs and 12 pairs of ribs. Lastly, human and vole skeleton's both have distinct vertebrates. 

Differences: One difference between the human skeleton and the vole skeleton is the skull. The skull of the vole appeared to be more pointed while the human skull is a rounded shape. Another difference between the two is the teeth. Voles have large front teeth that point out from their skull, in order for them to be able to dig for food in the ground. The last difference between the two is eye socket location. Since the skull of a vole had a very small width, the location of the eyes is on the sides of the head, while human eyes are placed in the center of the face. 

                                                               

Unit 6 Reflection

What was this unit about?
We began this unit by learning about the brain. In the "Brain Vodcast", we learned about the basic anatomy and physiology of the brain. Specifically, we talked about parts such as the frontal lobe, which is the executive function or the "boss" of the brain, and the occipital lobe, which is responsible for vision. In our first lecture, we talked more about the brain and how it a specialized and adaptable organ. The brain divides the labor as the left side is controlled by the right side of the brain and the right side is controlled by the left. In order to better understand the anatomy and physiology of the brain, we did a brain dissection lab where we were able to dissect and identify the different parts of the brain. http://hayleysanatomyblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/brain-dissection.html
Next, we talked about the different senses we have. We talked about sensation and perception. While the two are related, they are not the same. Sensation is the process by which the brain interprets and organizes the sensory information while perception is the process by which the central nervous system receives input from the environment via sensory neurons. Next, in the lecture, we talked about the receptors that are involved in all the different senses. Thermoreceptors for temperature, photoreceptors for vision, and so on. Finally, we talked about some of the sensory organs and how they function. These included the eyes, ear, nose, and mouth. Additionally, we also did a dissection of a sheep eye to better understand the complicated anatomy and physiology of the eye. I found this dissection, in particular, to be very beneficial in understanding the path of light and all the different structures of the eye. http://hayleysanatomyblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/sheep-eye-dissection-analysis.html The next lecture we had was all about neurons. We discussed the difference between the central and peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord and acts as a command center to interpret sensory information, as well as to provide "instructions". The peripheral nervous system, on the other hand, has two parts. The sensory division, which carries nerve impulses from the body to the brain or spinal cord, and the motor division, which carries nerve impulses from the brain or spinal cord to the muscles and glands. We then talked about the different types of neurons, such as the proprioceptors which send messages to your muscles and tendons. Finally, we discussed reflexes and some of the different ones that we have. To see each of our reflexes, we did a lab testing a multitude of different reflexes.
http://hayleysanatomyblog.blogspot.com/2017/03/reflex-lab.html
Finally, we finished off this unit by talking about disorders that can occur in our Central or Peripheral Nervous Systems. One CNS disorder that we talked about was epilepsy, which is a condition of the brain that causes seizures. This disorder can be brought about by a serious infection or stroke, although you can also be born with this disorder as it depends on genetics as well. One PNS disorder that we talked about was shingles. Shingles is often seen in adults who had the chicken pox when they were young as it is a reactivation of the virus. This virus attacks your dematotomes and causes a painful rash.
 

Supplemental Readings
The first reading that we were assigned in the unit was "How to Become a 'Superager'". This reading talked about people older than 65 who were able to remain mentally sharp and were mentally on par with healthy 25 year olds. Essentially, these people were able to become like this due to frequent use of their brain and by working hard at something, whether is was physical or mental. In summary, "All brain tissue gets thinner from disuse. If you don't use it, you lose it". This can be related back to our lectures talking about the brain. It shows how physical and mental exercise is what keeps the anatomy and physiology working right in our brain. The next article that we read was "Fit Body, Fit Brain and Other Fitness Trends". This article was very similar to the superager article in that it stressed the importance of mental and physical exercise and how that all can help the brain to function properly. One quote that really stood out to me from this article was "... the aerobically fit older men's brains used fewer resources during thinking than the brains of out-of-shapte men of the same age, much as a fit body ca use less energy to perform the same physical task as one that is less fit". This reading can be related back to the same idea as the superager article, taking proper care of your brain is key to getting it to function properly. The last reading that we did was on "How We Get Addicted". This article talked all about addiction and how chemically, some people are more likely to become addicted than others. This entire reading can be related back to the last lecture we did on CNS and PNS disorders. At the end of that lecture, we talked all about the addiction cycle and how essentially an addiciton is a disease and should be treated as such.

Strengths and Weaknesses
I believe that this unit had gone very well for me. If I had to choose one strenth from this unit, it would be the eye dissection. Since it was a partner dissection, I was really able to be hands on in the dissection which, although was a little gross at first, helped me to better under the different structures and functions of the eye. One weakness of mine was learning about the different neurons. Upon first watching the vodcast and taking notes, I was slightly confused as their were many concepts to grasp, but after reading over my notes and having an in class disscussion, I was able to better understand what was going on.

An Update on My New Years Goals
It is now the middle of March and believe that I am still working hard towards my New Year's resolutions. I am constantly focusing on living a healthy lifestyle, both mentally and physically. As my time in high school is coming to an end, things have gotten less stressful and I have been able to get more sleep, which is definetly a bonus. Additionally, I do feel like I have been keeping focused on my school work and not slacking off too much, despite the senioritis that I and all my classmates have seem to have been getting.

Reflex Lab

Relate and Review:
In this lab, we tested all our different reflexes. We started with our photo pupillary reflex and tested this by covering our eye for an extended period of time and then revealing it to the light. When we did this the pupil expanded to allow more light to enter the eye. This reflex most likely evolved because early humans used to live in caves and when they had to go outside, they needed to be able to adjust from total darkness to light very quickly in order to be alert in case of danger. Next, we tested our patellar reflex by using a reflex hammer and lightly hitting the person under the knee. Their leg would immediately kick out when this was done correctly. This reflex most likely occurs to help people maintain their balance and catch themselves if they begin to fall. Then, we tested the same reflex, but after the person had done 30 air squats. When we did our experiment, we found that the reflex was more vigorous. We hypothesized that this was most likely because the squats simulated the body being off balance so the reaction was more intense. Next, we tested the plantar reflex by running a pen cap up the care bottom of a foot. When I did this, my partner's toes curled and got closer together. This was a normal response. Lastly, we did an experiment to test our response time. One person stood with their hand out and the other stood next to them and held the ruler above their hand. When the person was not expecting it, the person holding the ruler would drop it and the other person would catch it. Each distance correlated to specific time and we were able to calculate our average reaction time. Then, we did the same experiment, but this time, the person who was supposed to catch the ruler was texting. When we calculated the average time for this experiment, we found that the reaction time was significantly slower.
Claims, Evidence, Reasoning:
I. The reflex tested in part one was the photo pupillary reflex. This is the reflex that allows the pupil to increase or decrease in diameter depending on the amount of light entering the eye at the time. In our experiment, you see clear evidence that this reflex is functioning as we watched the pupil expand as the eye was revealed to light after time in the dark. We believed that this reflex was developed as a way of quickly adapting from dark to light or vice versa.
II. The reflex that we tested in this section of the lab was the patellar reflex. This is the reflex that causes your leg to kick when your knee is hit below the kneecap. My partner and I's patellar reflexes are working well as we both kicked our legs out when we were tapped. We believe that this reflex occurs as a way of keeping oneself balanced or to help us catch ourselves if we begin to fall.
III. The next reflex was the blink reflex. This is reflex is a result of our natural reaction to blink when something gets too close to our eyes. We saw that this reflex is very active as the person blinked almost immediately as the cotton ball was thrown. People have the blink reflex in order to protect their eyes from any debris or objects that get too close.
IV. In this section of the lab, we tested the plantar reflex. The plantar reflex is an important test to determine neurological health. When your toes flex and move close together, that is an indication of a healthy nervous system and is also the typical response for people. But, if your toes spread apart and point upward, that could be an indication of a more serious condition called Babinski's sign. In our experiment, my partner's reflex was perfectly normal as her toes flexed, moved close together, and pointed downward. This all occurred due to the healthy condition of the myelinated fibers.
V. The last reflex that we tested was our reaction time. This specific reflex measures how fast it takes the visual information to travel to your brain and then for your brain to send a motor command to the muscles in your arm and hand to grab the ruler. My experiment showed that every trial, my reflexes improved. However, when I did the same experiment while texting, the results were completely different. It took a much longer time for me to react while texting. This reveals how immense the danger of texting and driving can be. This specific reflex occurs as a prevention method. For example, when you are driving and the car in front of you suddenly breaks, you will break your car in response in order to avoid a car accident.
                                           

Brain Dissection

Questions

1. 

                                      

My personal drawing and picture of our brain, showing the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the brainstem. 

2. Cerebrum: Responsible for sensory and neural functions, also the initiation and coordination of voluntary actions

Cerebellum: Functions to coordinate and regulate the activity of the muscles

Brainstem: Consists of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain. It continues downwards to form the spinal cord

3. The function of the myelin in a neuron is to act as a fatty covering on the dendrites of the neuron in order to speed up processing of the information. It occurs in places such as the eyes, where information needs to be processed quickly.

4. 

                                                 

A drawing of the cross-section and a photo. The pins in the brain represent the thalamus, optic nerve, medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, corpus callosum, and hypothalamus. 

5. Thalamus (yellow pin): relays sensory info and acts as "center" for pain perception

Optic nerve (white pin): transmits impulse from the retina to the brain

Medulla oblongata (red pin): the lowest part of the brainstem, it contains the control center for the heart and lungs

Pons (blue pin): the area of the brainstem that connects the medulla oblongata and the thalamus

Midbrain (black pin): a part of the central nervous system that is associated with vision, hearing, and motor control

Corpus callosum (green): allows for communication between the two hemispheres of the brain

Hypothalamus (white pin): regulates the nervous system and connects it to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland

6.

                                       

A sketch and a photo to show the difference between white and gray matter. 

Relate and Review 

We started this lab my examining the outside of the brain. We located the meninges, the shiny covering on the outside of the brain. Next, we identified the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem (as seen in pictures above). Then, we cut the brain in half longitudinally. From there we were able to locate the thalamus, optic nerve, medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain, corpus callosum, and the hypothalamus. Lastly, we made a cross sectional cut of the cerebrum and identified the gray matter and white matter. This related to what we have done so far as it helped to give us an actual visual of the parts of the brain we are learning about. It also helped us to see how all of the parts of the brain are connected and reinforced our understanding about each of the part's functions. 

Sheep Eye Dissection Analysis

In this lab, my partner and I dissected a sheep eye and were able to identify all internal and external structures of the eye. On the outside, we were able to identify the cornea, which appeared cloudy and is the first structure that light passes through. It is also the protective layer of the eye. We also identified the sclera, the very hard exterior of the eye, this is also the white of the eye. Next, we located the optic nerve, which is the second to last step in the path of light as it sends the information to the brain and the brain is able to process it into vision. Then we found the external eye muscle that allows our eye to move up, down, left, and right. Finally, we identified the fatty tissue. This was white and yellow in color and gives the eye cushioning.

For the second part of the lab, we cut into the eye to identify the interior anatomy of the eye. Cutting through the sclera was difficult, as it was quite tough. When we finally cut all around the eye, we identified the vitreous humor that resembled a jelly like substance. There is also the aqueous humor, which is located behind the cornea. Both the vitreous humor and aqueous humor help to maintain the shape of the eye. When we removed the retina, it revealed the choroid layer which was a thin black layer found in-between the sclera and the retina. In one place, the retina is firmly attached to the choroid. This part is known as the blind spot. Next, we removed the choroid which revealed the tapetum lucidum, that helps animals with their night vision as it functions to reflect light onto the retina.

Finally, we removed the vitreous humor and the lens to reveal the ciliary body. The ciliary body appears ridged. We then identified the lens. When the lens appears cloudy, that means it has a condition called a cataract. A cataract prevents or reduces the amount of light that reaches the retina. Then, we identified the pupil which is the opening in the center of the iris. Pupil size increases with decreased light intensity and decreases with increased light intensity. Lastly, we removed the cornea from the front of the eye and made small cuts in it. We noted that it was very thick, mostly likely to act as protection for the eye.

                                           

"A Women Perpetually Falling..."

This article was all about Cheryl Schiltz, a woman who feels like she is perpetually falling. She feels this way because of the vestibular apparatus, which is essentially the balance system, is no longer working. Following an incorrect dosage of gentamicin, Cheryl has lost her balance. "Now that her vestibular system is damaged, Cheryl has as much chance of regaining her balance as a person whose retina has been damaged". Despite all odds, Cheryl was able to regain her balance by using a device called an accelerometer to retrain her brain to balance. This device works by sending balance signals to her brain from her tongue. Eventually, the residual effect of the device could last for months at a time. I found the quote above very interesting because it shows just how small the chances were of recovery, but due to the brain's adaptability, Cheryl was able to make a full recovery. 

Later in the article, it talked about localization and how each of our senses has a receptor cell that specializes in detecting each of these senses. However, Paul Bach-y-Rita rejected these claims saying that "Our senses have an unexpectedly plastic nature, he discovered, and if one is damaged, another can sometimes take over for it, a process he calls 'sensory substitution'". This quote reminded me much of the "Women With a Hole in Her Brain" assignment. In that homework assignment, I learned that many parts of the brain can actually be absent and other parts of the brain will compensate. 

Another quote that I found especially interesting was "When Cheryl's brain developed a renewed vestibular sense... these changes were not the mysterious exception to the rule but the rule: the sensory cortex is plastic and adaptable". I believe this quote brought the article together nicely. It states that the rule is that the "sensory cortex is plastic and adaptable". I also believe that this quote also relates very nicely when talking about other parts of the body. Experiments talked about throughout this article have shown almost complete recovery from a man who suffered a life-threatening stroke and people who have been blind since birth that are now able to make out faces and see different shapes. 

Overall I found this article to be extremely interesting. The fact that the human body is so adaptable is amazing.

 

The Clay Brain

In this lab, we constructed the brain out of play-doh. We showed the brain from two different views, the left hemisphere along the sagittal plane, and the right cerebral hemisphere. This lab was a good way to interactively learn about the anatomy of the brain. It was also very helpful to see two different views of the brain. This was a little tricky at first, but after a while, we got the hang of it.

   

"The Women With a Hole in Her Brain"

I found this article extremely interesting. It is absolutely amazing that this woman was able to go about so much of her life normally when her entire cerebellum was missing. Despite the lack of the cerebellum, her brain was still able to fill that spot with cerebrospinal fluid in order to protect the brain against disease and act as a sort of cushion. There has never been a report of someone living through their adult life because people with the lack of a cerebellum die young and this missing part is only discovered in the autopsy. Since the cerebellum controls motor functions and the ability to speak, it is amazing that how even without it, this woman was still able to learn how to walk and talk. That just goes to show how adaptable the brain is.

Without the pons, the person would not be able to control their facial muscles, look from side to side, hear, and much more. Without all of those things, a person could still survive. However, sections of the lower pons help to control and stimulate the intensity of breathing while sections of the upper pons decrease depth and frequency of breaths. A person would not be able to survive without their pons. If there was damage to the pons, the person may find an effect on their sleeping patterns and habits as the pons has control of the sleep cycle.

Unit 5 Reflection

The first thing that we learned about in this unit was the digestive system. The digestive system all begins in the mouth, where the food you chew forms a bolus. The bolus then moves to the pharynx, which is the passageway from the mouth to the esophagus. When the bolus reaches the esophagus, peristalsis moves the food into the stomach. Once the food has entered the stomach, the food is "mashed up" and covered with digestive enzymes. When the food leaves the stomach, it is then called chyme. From the stomach, chyme travels to the small intestine where absorption of the nutrients and digestion takes place. Your pancreas is located in the small intestine and is imperative for digestion as it produces many of the digestive enzymes, such as lactase which works to digest lactose. The small intestine is also lined with microvilli in order to increase absorption. The food is then moved to the large intestine, which extends from the ileocecal valve all the way to the anus. In the large intestine, the indigestible food is dried out and water is absorbed. Your large intestine also secretes large amounts of mucous in order to lubricate the sides of the intestine. During this unit, youwe did a lab that measured the length of our digestive tract. It is amazing to think that your digestive tract stretched out could be taller than you. Digestive System Lab

The next thing that we discussed was all about metabolism. We learned that there are three states. The first is the fed state. In the fed state, the sugars are absorbed by the intestine and travel directly to the liver while the pancreas releases insulin. In addition, the majority of glucose taken in by the liver is converted to glycogen. Next is the fasting state. In the fasting state, all glucose is used by cells so the body must continue to make glucose available in order to maintain blood glucose levels. During this state, your insulin levels drop while glucagon levels rise. Gluconeogenesis also occurs and the liver synthesizes glucose from amino acids and glycerol. Your liver then converts fatty acids in ketone bodies. Ketone bodies happen when carbs are low and fatty acids need to be broken down for energy. The next state is the starvation state. During the starvation state, your muscles rely solely on adipose tissue for fuel. The brain also switches ketone bodies for fuel in order to conserve protein. How long you survive during this state is dependent on how much fat you have stored. We then talked about organ specialization and how the liver is the "master of the metabolism". The liver's main job is to maintain proper blood glucose levels. We then discussed the major hormones, insulin, glucagon, cortisol, noradrenaline/adrenaline. Insulin will signal high glucose levels while glucagon will signal low glucose level. In conclusion, metabolism essentially depends upon your genetic makeup, the enzymes you produce, hormones, and if you have a good nutritional balance and live a healthy life. In the article "Does Your Metabolism Need an Overhaul" I learned that building muscle is an essential part of maintaining a healthy metabolism as well as preventing diabetes. I found that article very interesting and it definitely got me to do much more than cardio when I am working out.

The next thing we spoke about was diabetes, as it is a disruption in your fuel metabolism. An important hormone when talking about diabetes is insulin. Insulin is the "key" that "unlocks" cells allowing glucose to enter. When a person is diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, that means that your body is experiencing an auto-immune disorder. In this case, your body does not make insulin all and you are considered "insulin-dependent". For type 1 diabetes, you must take insulin shots daily. Type 2 diabetes is more common than type 1 as is occurs mostly in adults. Type 2 diabetes is a resistance to insulin as the body does not respond to insulin properly. In order to manage diabetes, people must try to keep their blood glucose levels as close to normal as possible. In addition, a proper diet and exercise are essential.

Next, we talked all about the Endocrine System. The endocrine system controls the processes involved in movement and physiological equilibrium and hormones are critical for this. One important hormone are steroid hormones. Steroid hormones pass through the cell membrane and then bind to specific receptors. They then enter the nucleus and bind to the cells DNA which then activates certain genes. From there, mRNA is synthesized in the nucleus and enters the cytoplasm and promotes protein synthesis for things such as tissue growth and repair and regulation of enzyme function. Homeostasis is maintained in the endocrine system by negative feedback, secretion of a specific hormone is turned on or off by a specific physiological change.

The last thing that we talked about was the lymphatic system. The major functions of the lymphatic system are immunity, lipid absorption, and fluid recovery. Lymph is the fluid that flows within the lymphatic vessels. Lymphatic tissue is specialized connective tissue that contains lymphocytes. Lymph capillaries are located everywhere in the body, except bone marrow, cornea, and the cartilage. Another major part of the lymphatic system in lymph nodes which help to filter lymph by trapping foreign substances and then are destroyed by immune cells.

Since I came up with my new year goals, I believe that I have been following them pretty well. Now that we are into February, I want to continue the momentum that I have going. A lot of times, as the year goes on I tend to lose motivation so I hope to continue the motivation that I have right now. 

The Digestive System Lab

1. In this lab, we used different colored yarn and measured some of the parts that make up our digestive system. It was very interesting to be able to see a visual of just how long our digestive tract is. When looking at how long all of the yarn and string was together, it was so amazing to think that that's about how long all of our digestive tracts would be. Through reading the instructions while doing the lab, I reinforced what I learned from the lecture with the function of each part of the digestive system being explained. It was a very fun and interesting lab to do.

2. I am 5 feet and 7 inches and in meters, I am 1.7018. When I did the calculations to find out how long my digestive tract was in meters, I found out it was 9.04 meters. My digestive tract would clearly be much taller than me. The abdomen appears very small and so I believe that the digestive system is able to fit inside of it because it is very compacted. Although your small intestine is very long, about 16 feet in length, it is able to fit into the abdomen because it tightly compacted.

3. I believe that it would take about an hour to two hours for food to move through your entire digestive system. After looking up how long it takes, most sources showed that it takes about 30-40 hours (WOW I was off). One factor that I believe would have a great impact on digestion time is what kind of food that you have consumed. If it a fibrous and nutritious food, then I imagine that it would take less time for the food to be digested. However, if you have consumed a junk food such as chips or candy, I believe that it would not be as easy to digest.

4. Digestion is when the food is being broken down, while absorption is when the nutrients are absorbed from the food you have eaten. Most chemical digestion and absorption occur in the small intestine. Your liver helps to produce bile for large fats while the pancreas produces enzymes. These enzymes are critical in digestive, as they help to break the food down. Each enzyme has a different part that is trying to break down. For example, the enzymes peptidase is used to break down proteins in the digestive system.

5. I would like to gather more of an understanding of how absorption works in the digestive system. I have learned that it occurs mostly in the small intestine but I would like to know more of the specific organs involved and how the process works specifically. I would also like to know more factors that affect digestion time and specific foods that are harder to digest than others.

New Years Goals

1. I will improve my general health. I will do this by working to eat healthier and more well-balanced meals, making sure to minimize my intake of sweets and other junk food. In addition, I will also work to improve my general health by making sure I get an adequate amount of sleep. These have always been goals I have tried to work towards, but due to the stress of college applications and a hectic Senior year schedule, I find myself often neglecting these things. For the rest of the school year, I will make it my priority to improve my eating habits as well as get a sufficient amount of sleep each night. I will strive to do maintain this lifestyle through the rest of the school year but ideally, make it something I do for the rest of my life.

2. As I finish out my last semester of high school (YAY), I will continue to give my best effort at school, on my homework, and in preparation for tests. I will do this by being an active participant in class, making sure I get my homework completed in a timely manner, and prepare properly and give myself enough time to study for my tests. As many may tend to slack off in the last semester, I will strive to still put forth my all.