cfellrath's blog

In the article, Movement Intention After Parietal Cortex, the hypothesis that is discussed is whether or not direct stimulation of either the parietal or premotor cortex in the brain would result in direct movement of different regions of the body. The study was conducted by using seven human patients that either had a tumor in anterior or posterior of the central sulcus. In order to find specific sites for stimulation, an MRI was used to find 57 sites. Patients were under local anesthesia and as specific regions were stimulated the patients were asked whether they felt something or moved a body part. The results of the study showed that premotor cortex stimulation resulted in movement while parietal stimulation resulted in the intentions of movement. At higher intensity of stimulation the parietal stimulation lead to the patients believing the movement was accomplished. Overall, the study showed that before people perform a movement there in an intention of conscious movement in the parietal. 

In the article, Movement Intention After Parietal Cortex, the hypothesis that is discussed is whether or not the direct stimulation of either the parietal or premotor cortex would cause direct movement of other regions of the body. The study was conducted by using seven human patients that either had anterior or posterior tumors of the central sulcus. In order to find specific sites for stimulation, an MRI was used to find a significant amount of localized sites. Patients were under local anesthesia and as the specific regions were stimulated the patients were asked whether they felt something or moved a body part. The results of the study showed that premotor stimulation resulted in movement while parietal stimulation resulted in the intentions of movement. At higher intensity of stimulation the parietal stimulation lead to the patients believing the movement was accomplished. Overall the study showed that before people perform a movement there in an intention of conscious movement in the parietal. 

The beak depth had the best value of 14 mm and an intermediate value of selection strength. It only took about 20 years for the beak depth to reach the best value of 14 mm. The beak width had a low selection strength compared to beak depth, the result lead to the beak width taking longer to get to its best value. Although both beak depth and width would reach its best best value. At 104 years the average beak depth was 14,2 mm and the average beak width was 6.89mm. 

Mutation rate is an important parameter to obtain a bimodal distribution because a higher mutation rate allows for finches on each side of the mountain to mutate so that there are varying beak sizes without a mutation rate then on each side of the mountain there would be a fixed beak side, and for genes to be lost but random mutation allows for alleles to be present in the populations. Mate selectivity and mate distance are two important parameters to obtain and maintain a bimodal distribution. A larger mate distance caused a bell curve therefore indicating that a finch’s beak size is influenced by the distance of mating. Also a higher mate selectivity showed that the beak size is influenced by how finches mate with other finches with similar looking traits. When these two parameters work together there is a greater selection of beak sizes.  

I predict that Biome 2 is most similar to the data of the Temperate Evergreen Forest climate diagrams. I base this prediction on that there climate diagrams are similar. Although not exactly the same both Biome 2 and Temperate Evergreen Forest have around the same annual precipitation with Biome 2 having 691mm and the Temperate Evergreen Forest having 672mm. The average annual temperature for the Temperate Evergreen Forest is 17.5 ^oC, while the average annual temperature for Biome 2 is 19.5^oC. I believe the data of Biome 2 is from the part of the Temperate Evergreen Forest that is located between 45^o and 50^o, also known as “the temperate rainforests.” Although all Temperate Evergreen Forests are found between 30^o and 50^o N/S.   

I predict that Biome 1 is most similar to the Temperate Deciduous Forest. I base my prediction off the fact that both climate diagrams are similar in both Temperature and Precipitation. The Temperate Deciduous Forests can have 500mm-2500mm of rainfall annually, which is what led me to the conclusion that Biome 1 was the Temperate Deciduous Forest. Along with the Temperatures going below freezing at certain months. The average annual temperate for Temperate Deciduous Forests are 7.6^oC, while Biome 1 has an average annual temperature of 9^oC.  The latitude Biome 1 would be in is 30^o to 50^oN. In the Temperate Deciduous Forests needs the amount of rainfall seen in both climate diagrams to support tree growth. 

Every single day people use elevators to bring them up and down in a building. I especially use the elevators during my Thursday schedule. After I finish my morning routine, I walk to the elevator and hit the down button because I need to leave my building to go to class. After classes I come back to my building, and hit the up arrow to go to my dorm on the 22^nd floor. I also use the elevator to go to dinner by hitting the down arrow in order to exit the building. When I come back to my building after having dinner with friends and going to my extracurricular activities, I use the elevator again to return to the 22^nd floor. Overall, I use the elevator multiple times a day to get from my dorm to the lobby of my building or to get from the lobby of my building to my dorm. 

Canis lupus familiaris (dogs), Canis lupus (wolves), and Canis latrans (coyote) are very similar animals, and often a topic of conversation if the species are under one species or separate. Although, these animals are different species, and should never be considered the same species.  Those who are in favor of the three animals being considered the same species, base that assumption because these three animals are able to interbred with each and produce viable offspring, which in past years was a sign that organisms are considered to be part of the same species. However, in an article Yes, eastern coyotes are hybrids, but the ‘coywolf’ is not a thing, the author points out that different species do not have to be completely reproductively isolated, as that notion is now disregarded by zoologists in present time. The article points out that in times when both the species of Canis lupus and Canis latrans were underpopulated and endangered that the different species would mate with each other along with the other species Canis lupus familiaris. Although, when each species is not in endangered they choose to mate with their respective species instead of interbreeding with other species. Therefore, because the animals choose to mate within their own type when there is no risk of extinction, shows that each animal is in different species. 

The two articles, Origin matter: widely distributed native and non-native species benefit from different functional traits and Non-native species and rates of spread: lessons from the brackish Baltic Sea, both are similarly structured. The level one heading for each article is the title of the article and the authors who wrote the article. The level two heading are the different parts of the article such as the abstract, introduction, etc. Each section of the articles have an introduction into what the authors will be discussing in that section. At the end of each section there is transition sentence that leads into a new section. Overall, the flow of ideas is smooth and each section is connected even though the paragraphs present different information. The information in each paragraph help present all the points the author is trying to present to the reader. The way each paragraph is constructed is concise with precise language that presents the experiment and the findings of the experiment. 

One can determine an ancestral or derived trait based on the outgroup. The outgroup has a character state of zero for all traits listed in the data. The traits that are given the zero state are the ancestral traits which are present in the outgroup and used to disguise the morphology of the different animals. In the case of non-retractable and retractable claws, non-retractable claws was given the state of zero therefore in the out-group and ancestral.