Got Reflexes?

This reflexes lab tested reaction times, and also how our body reacts to certain stimuli such as a knee-jerk reflex that many of us experience with our physicians. For reflexes, unlike our normal reaction, our brain does not actually process these, instead the reflex arc is a shorter faster process. Reflexes are rapid, and involuntary responses to stimuli.

The first test was a photopupillary Reflex.

Claim: the pupil that was covered during the "dark" period, expands and shifts to adjust to the new light. 

E: My partner did this one twice and both times we did not note any difference besides twitching. 

R: This could be due to the amount of time put in the "dark" period covering one eye, next time we would cover it longer. 

Knee Jerk Reflex(Patellar Reflex)

C: after doing squats the reflex does not work. 

E: The muscles are fatigued and do not slide across each other as easily. 

R: Although it did work, my leg still kicked out pretty far meaning that I was not as fatigued because my muscles slides past each other

Blink Reflex 

C: Our eyes blink even if we know that an object won't hit us. 

E: Blinking protects our eyes which are very sensitive. Humans blink on average 14,400 times each day. 

R: I blinked without question haha, I may have even flinched 

Babe what's your sign? 

C: When dragging a pen across the bottom on ones foot, he or she should flex her toes and move closer together. 

E: Our feet move in response to the nerves, If one did not experience the flexing, then they may have nerve damage. 

R: My partner's feet moved and responded fine proving that she still has the nerves in her feet. Her toes went straight up and flexed. 

How Fast are You?

C: texting will make our reaction times slower and therefore more dangerous to text and drive. 

E: Our brains cannot physically multi-task, but rather switch between task quickly. The more tasks we take, the longer the brain takes to switch.

R: From collected class data both guys and girls had slower reaction times to the ruler drop which proves that texting and driving is infact very dangerous. My time dropped from a .35 reaction to .58 almost a fourth of a second.

Ruler reaction time without texting

20 time reflection

Throughout 20 time this year, I challenged myself to be more persistent than I ever had been before. I casually start many things, but won't finish them due to a lack of ambition and drive. I wanted a success story. Coming off a small setback before track, I urgently needed to jump back in shape, and after a little research I thought jumping rope would do the job. Jumproping burn fat fast, and increases stamina. While getting in shape, I wanted to add a little fun and mix it up but doing tricks and different routines. I hoped to build jumproping skills that I can use in my training for not just this period of time. I started by mapping out a basic agenda requiring me to learn and repeat basic movements over and over so I could quickly build a decent foundation and move onto harder skills. After every other week, I would test my increase in stamina by running a timed mile and then calculating my v02 max through a online calculator. Although I didn't really "fail" my challenge, I was not able to reach my end goal due to another pull in my hamstring forcing me to step back and recover. I actually went all the way to therapy and still am seeing a physical therapist. I view this as more of a life-long goal because, as I learned, jumproping is not as easy as it looks, and moves can take more than a week to be able to be consistently performed. I feel half remorse and half grief about my own project, because I did perform enough, and I got hurt in the process. Looking back, if I was given a second chance to start over, I would not start until I have 99% of my details sorted out and had a solid idea of what it would look like. I do see myself rumping rope in the future for exercise and to increase my speed; it can take my training to a new level.


For my TED talk outline I want to start with maybe a quick video of either running(which was my end goal: to run faster) or buddy lee jump roping. In the middle I'll fill in with muscle movement, V02max, therapy, pillars of health, and basic points we learned this school year; however, I'm still a little shaky on how I want to end it.

Brains (dissection)

In our brain dissection we used a sheep brain to look deeper into the anatomy and physiology. In the first birds-eye-view picture, you can see the red pin on the brain-stem, and all the other pins in their respective areas. The brain stem we learned was very fragile. After Kian grabbed it, it became half severed, which made it hard to distinguish some parts later on.

name	function
B-stem	Connecting neurons
cerebrum	Voluntary movements
Cerebellum	Regulates muscle activity

In the brain itself, it is shown clearly where the myelin is present and where it is not. Myelin wraps around axons and help the impulse travel smoothing through. In the picture right above or below, myelinated areas are whitter, compared to the darker grey that represents grey matter. After slicing the brain into two halves, we were able to identify many more structures.

Name	Function
Pons	Relays info from cortex and cerebrum
Medulla Oblongata	Helps with homeostasis and regulates respiration
Thalamus	Sensory, motor signal relay, and sleep
hypothalamus	Maintains homeostasis, creates essential hormones
Corpus collum	Relays information back and forth from both hemispheres
Optic nerve	Relays all the impulse to the b
midbrain	Motor control and hearing senses

.The brain in pictures are very "neat" and all the parts are clearly shown, but during the sheep brian dissection we found ourselves second guessing a lot besides what was grey and white matter.

sheep eye dissection

The sheep eye was extremely interesting when compared to the human eye. Surprisingly, my sheep eye had lots of fat surrounding it which cushions the eye and keeps it in place. There amount of fat was almost as big as the eye itself. The first thing I noticed was the cornea, which is the big black round circle; it's the transparent layer on top of the eye. It stood out to me because the cornea was like the size of a whole human eye. If you look on the side what looks like water is actually the vitreous humor which a jello-like substance that stabilizes the shape and makes sure it doesn't become deformed. Here in the 2nd picture on the bottom left, right in the middle is the lens. Although the lens is normally clear, because the sheep eye is dead, the lens becomes cloudy. Surrounding the lens is the backside of the iris and the ciliary body. The very last picture on the middle, you can see the shinny blue with black which is the choroid. It's a thin layer between the retina and sclera. The retina takes lights from the lens, and the sclera is like the armor plating for the eye. In the center lies the curled optic disc where all the neurons sensors lie and connect to the optic nerve!

 

Nolonger in the loop

Sadly, I have fallen out of the loop. I've had a history of hamstring pulls, tears, strain, you name it, and a little more than a week ago I suffered yet another hamstring tear running in my 300 hurdles event at track. Its devastating because it honestly ruined any hopes of getting running or getting faster. That might sound silly or obvious, but for me I've been battling these injuries for a few years now on and off. I'm not sure if I will or can even continue jumproping; it's a pretty big setback not only physically, but also mentally because I love running. I am seeing a physical therapist (PT), who I hope can be my key to recovery.

I'm a really active person and love moving around; to be unable to use my lower body is like sitting around in jail rotting. Rehab is truely a patience test, but just know, if your life ever hits a bumpy patch, every setback is a set up for a comeback

No Brain No Gain?

Article here

A woman lived her life until the age of 24 no knowing that she didn't have a cerebellum. Growing up, she was unable to talk until the age of 6, and unable to walk until the age of 7. This is because the cerebellum controls voluntary movements and also balance is After doctors used a CAT scan to see, the doctors noticed that the area where a cerebrum should be was filled with cerebrospinal fluid, something the brain uses to fight against diseases. Although she doesn't have a cerebellum, the rest of her brain took over the cerebellum's functions through brain plasticity. Because of this she was able to eventually walk, talk and be like anyone else.

In my own research, I looked deeper into another part of the brain, the pons. The pons are used in controlling breathing, and using our senses, such as hearing, touch, and balance. It also deals with one of the five pillars of health, sleep. Pons are crucial in REM sleep. If damage were to be done to our pons, chances of survival are low because they are linked to key functions such as respiration that all humans need to perform in order to survive. That being said, it's unlikely for other parts of the brain to takeover its function because without pons we would have a low chance of survival.

Brain review

In anatomy today, our table groups created clay models of the brain. we color coded each section to represent the different parts along with their functions. Mapping the brain out gives us a better understanding of how the brain works with the nervous system.

Unit 7 reflection

Transitioning for our last unit on bones, this unit hit on major muscle, how they function, and how our bodies can be influenced by substances. A few of my favorite muscles we learned include the latissimus dorsi which is located along the side of the rib cage, and triceps brachialis which is the antagonist of the biceps, because I do many bodyweight exercises. I’ve been trying to learn how to muscle-up which requires both strong lats, and strong triceps. All movement requires muscle contractions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuIFXY2uwaM&feature=youtu.be.This unit also targeted what our muscles can do. What I remember the most is stretching our muscles and how flexibility is key. Our muscles can move and stretch, but some more than others. As we get older, our muscles become less flexible. Stretching our muscles aligns the collagen fibers in the connective tissue with the tension. Each sarcomere is being pulled to its limit, and the the connective tissue are pulled as well. I think of ballerina dancers and how they are so agile and flexible. I wonder what kind of mental dedication and strength they have to reach such high levels of flexibility and to maintain it. I really related to this subtopic because of my injuries with my hamstrings and how I rehabbed to gain my flexibility and strength back. To further our knowledge muscles and where they are located, we did a chicken dissection which ran smoothly. Group work is a big aspect of the class, and I’ve really began to understand how to make things work. Flexibility is not only important for your muscles but also as a person; If someone else wants the same position, we have to learn to step aside at times. On the topic of stepping aside, I do believe that my orginal new year's goal will have to be alternated due to my schedule with track. I don't have much time to lift on my own, so I highly doubt I will be reaching my deadlift goal, but as for my grades I’m doing well. Through this unit and 20 time I have learned a great deal about management. Juggling my time with various activities and duties makes it hard during the week to balance everything. The more I took on the more lost I felt; however, I came across a quote that reads “Do not pray for an easy life,pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.” -Bruce Lee

HIIT the perfect spot

Like many others, picking up the jumprope was influenced by my desire for greater fat loss. I had previously heard about programs and how they could “transform” you in 30 days. After jumping for a few weeks and trying a variety of workouts, I found the perfect HIIT. HIIT(high intensity interval training) is found to be more effective in burning fat than standard steady-rate cardio. It works by quickly alternating from high intensity to low intensity (i.e. sprinting for 30 seconds then jogging for 15 seconds) which can even burn fat hours after the workout. HIIT workouts aren’t long, so you get a little pain for a lot of gain. Through this type of training, I have seen an increase of my v02max from 49.18 ml/kg/min to a current 53.37 ml/kg/min; I hope to continue increasing my v02max, and to have a better performance on the track. For my jump roping, I’ll be showing tricks and routines that I have learned in the upcoming weeks. Getting better at any skill isn’t easy, so remind yourself keep going and push through the days where you don’t want to put in work.

Just Do(pe) it! performance enhancing

Some people believe that steroids don't cause "roid rage" or that they aren't addictive, but both of those facts are true. Infact steroids are so commonly used that in highschool, 2.1-6.1% (1991-2011) of students are using steroids. Although people use performance enhancing drugs, they are banned in sports and some are illegal. Depending on the substance there can be a wide range of negative effects, such as shrinking testes and breast enlargement in men. It is shocking and concerning how even in major league sports, steroids are still illegally used. Some common methods can be dangerous such as gene doping, while others can be almost harmless such as carboloading.

TIme to hop in (20 time)

Its been a few weeks, and I'm trying to find a balance of not too much jumpropping so I'm not dead sore, but also enough so that I'm improving my skills. Jumpropping may seem like one of the easiest skills that anyone can do, but when you continuously jump for 10 minutes, it can be hard, and I'm just trying to get the basics. While it has been a little rainy recently, jumping rope is something I can do basically anywhere, so that helped me greatly. I am trying to jump more everyday, so I can learn more complicated skills and tricks(crossing, or backwards jumping), while boosting my stamina and increasing my V02max; however, I cannot jump as much as I would like to everyday since I'm also in track. My body physically can't sustain so much impact and exercise daily without rest days, and on top of that I also have to keep my legs healthy. Balance is the biggest issue and that's something we all face everyday, such as balancing our time. Sometimes we wish we could go back in time, or have more, but instead, we just need to learn how to manage the time we get.

Chicken Dissection Analysis

In our chicken dissection, we dissected a chicken and identified its muscles while comparing them to our own muscles. In the chicken, when we moved the wings we noticed that the latissimus dorsi was contracting, and so we can tell that the movement of the wings is partly controlled by the lats. At the pectoralis major, it connects to a tendon near the gluteus maximus. There the color changes from white to tan, and also the muscles moves from the origin and not the insertion. The human pectoralis major is proportionally a lot smaller than the chicken’s pectoralis major. Another size difference was the heart; while the heart is about the size of our fist, a chicken’s heart is even smaller. For its legs, the chicken was very similar to a human in that the muscle groups such as hamstrings, biceps femoris, and semimembranosus were all very close and connected.

What happens when you stretch?

What Happens When You Stretch

Author: NA

Relate and Review

Everytime you stretch a muscle, it starts with  the sacromeres. Within each individual sacromere, the myosin and actin are pulling further apart until they can no longer elongate, then the tension moves onto connective tissue. When stretching it is harder to get full effects of stretching the muscle if it is contracting, and so to combat this for example, if you are stretching the calf, you want to contract the antagonists, which would be the shins, by flexing the foot. But by flexing the foot, this also works the hamstring, and so to relax the hamstring you flex the quadriceps. To reach the end goal of stretching your calf, you would have to flex the foot and contract the quads by keeping the leg straight. So much of movement is related to stretching that flexibility is a pretty big deal, and that related to posture. Bent over backs from working at a desk at day over time not only builds bad posture obviously, but also builds muscle tightness. The body becomes stiff and loses important range of motion. Although this is just one connection, anatomy and physiology is really about the whole body itself, and almost everything is relevant to many other parts or functions.


inspiring quotes/ phrases

1.(the lengthening reaction) is powerful enough to overcome the signaling of the muscle spindles telling the muscle to contract.

That stuck with me because I'm also in ap bio and we learned about cell signalling. Our bodies have crazy functions at the molecular level that are incredibly specific, and hard to learn.

2. (stretching/ realignment) is what helps to rehabilitate scarred tissue back to health.


I've been injured so many times in the leg, I've had dreams about getting prosthetics. I've been through the process a few times now of getting equal range of motion on both legs before strengthening. It's incredibly frustrating and slow. It has truly taught me the patience is key.

3. (flexing muscles with little to no contraction) provides the opportunity for the greatest gains in flexibility, it also provides the greatest risk of injury if used improperly.


I am flexible and I had the flexibility to do the splits both ways except down the middle. I no wonder after coming back from injury if I even desire to be overly flexible.

Owl Pallet Lab

Today we dissected owl pallets in anatomy class. Our pallet was relatively small compared to others, and consequently had less bones. It weighed 3.47 grams, had a length of 4.5cm and a width of 3cm.

In the owl pallet, there was either a single animal or possible multiple, but it was hard to tell due to the lack of bones. In the pile of bones that are sorted out, there is no skull, and not really any bones with easy give aways to what the owl had eaten. There was multiple tibulas and fibula present as well as some ribs and vertebrae. The owl may have regurgitated the skull in another owl pallet, and therefore there was no skull in this one. Having a bigger pallet is nicer because there's a higher chance for one to see more bones. Although a complete skeleton was unable to be constructed, the bones did differ from that of a human body because they were much smaller in comparison to human bones. Another notable difference is the arrangement around the hip area; for many small rodents they had a tail coming out. A third difference is that humans walk on two feet, while the small creatures move on fours. They were similar in that they both have a ribcage, have a humerus, and have a

fibula.

Unit 5 reflection

Unit 5 was about the endocrine, lymphatic, and digestive system. Organs overlap in the different systems. We learned about the lymphocytes in the cell mediated and humoral responses, and they came up again in the lymphatic system. The most influential topic I learned about this unit was the diabetes section. It really stuck to me because we can all get diabete if we do not take care of our bodies. Living with diabetes is extremely stressful, and you are constantly on the edge; diabetes is the number one endocrine system disease and 90% of the people who have the disorder are type 2. That 90% is extremely high shows the world is lacking attention to health and oes not understand the severity of the disorder. Just by learning more about the effects of type 2 diabetes, I have become more cautious when it comes to eating unhealthy foods. This unit went by fairly quickly and covered some subjects I am still not solid at. I understand certain parts of certain structures, but have a hard time putting them all together in the big picture. We had very detailed readings on metabolism which went deeper that we were required to know. While I did learn more, it also confused me as well. How come our metabolism becomes less efficient when we stop eating?

My new years goal was to maintain a B- or higher in all classes and so far it's going pretty well since the new semester just started. My other goal was to make CCS for track which starts right around the corner in february. Although I am currently out with a hamstring injury, I have high hopes for this season and look forward to competing.

Digestive system lab

In class we cut pieces of ribbon to represent the lengths of different parts in the  digestive system. I am roughly 5' 8" which is 1.72 meters. That means that my digestive system, which is 9.37 meters, is 5.5 times longer than my height. My body can hold all 9.37meters of my digestive system because it coils up and and utilizes space efficiently. The organs such as the stomach, large intestines, and small intestines, can all stretch and expand when needed. As a guess I'd say that food takes 4 hours to move through the entire digestive system, but I found out that it takes roughly 6-8 hours. Factors that can affect the the time taken include gender and age. Digestion differs from absorption because digestion breaks down the bolus while absorption takes in the minerals and vitamins. About the digestive system I'd like to learn how it knows what our body needs and how our body responds when there is a failure in the system.

New Year's Goals

I have two new year's goals,

1). I will maintain a B- grade or higher in all my classes.

Last semester I did not do well in a particular class and I wasn't prod of it. I will be more present in class where the information is taught. For studying I will prepare for tests more efficiently by starting multiple days ahead.

2). I will make CCS for track. 

Always met with injuries, I was never able to perform well, and I use that as an excuse, but I know I can do it. I have trained hard this year squatting, and getting my strength up in the weight room, and I hope to see the results on the field. During the season I will do my best to take care of my body, and keep it in top shape. Its not really a fight against any other runner, but rather a fight against myself.