sworkman's blog

Many of these experiments have a similar design. They have a way of measuring diversity in the species; when the organism is a type of insect the method to measure is usually setting traps and counting the number of different species.

The different insect species in relation to their indication of different environmental factors has been studied and documented thoroughly, but the diversity of these insects has not been tested in this area. This experiment uses a well-tested method to find biodiversity to discover more about the area in which we live.    

It has been a common technique in ecology to use indicator organisms to evaluate certain aspects of an ecosystem. It is shown that certain species thrive in particular environments, so by finding what the diversity is in a location aids in answering questions about the area.

Biodiversity can be used as an indicator of environment. Aceres (2010) shows the benefit of testing multiple locations and how the wildlife diversity can reflect how recently the land was tampered with. The Winner (1980) surveyed the population differences of different insects near rivers suspected of metal pollution. Their results showed a vast difference in the species found in the polluted water versus clean. Gaufin had a similar experiment that used aquatic invertebrates to measure water pollution.

This experiment uses the diversity of insects on different parts of the UMass campus in Amherst, MA to indicate different factors about its microclimates. There has been a great deal of research focused on finding what different insect species says about the area they live. This experiment is designed so different groups can set up traps in various spots so they might be compared and conclusions can be drawn. This project would tell us a great deal about the environment in our area.

This experiment uses the diversity of insects on different parts of the UMass campus in Amherst, MA to indicate different factors about its microclimates. There has been a great deal of research focused on finding what different insect species says about the area they live. This experiment is designed so different groups can set up traps in various spots so they might be compared and conclusions can be drawn. This project would tell us a great deal about the environment in our area.

Pacemaker cells in the SA node receive direct input from the autonomic nervous system , the input can alter the frequency of action potentials which is basically the only thing that determines heart rate. Also the Sympathetic neurons project into the AV node. They influence the speed with which action potentials are conducted. This leads to a decrease in the duration of the systole which allows the diastole to be able to fill the heart with enough blood. Also the parasympathetic neurons can cause an increase in the length of the systole by decreasing the speed of conduction of the impulse.

Since Crohn’s disease is an autoimmune disease it can attack any system in the body including the enteric nervous system. Crohn’s disease causes inflammatory bowel syndrome which can cause excessive diarrhea and tissue injury due to gut inflammation. These symptoms are caused by prolonged hyperexcitability of enteric neurons caused by Crohn’s disease. When the gut is inflamed, there is breakdown of intestinal barrier function, abnormal secretion, changes in the patterns of motility, and visceral sensation, which contribute to symptoms like diarrhea, cramping, and pain. Enteric ganglia are what control all functions of the stomach and GI tract. Enteric ganglia are organized into two major ganglionated plexuses: the myenteric and submucosal plexus. They contain a variety  of functionally distinct neurons, including primary afferent neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons, synaptically linked to each other in microcircuits. Enteric neurons are known to control virtually all GI functions, including motility, secretion, blood flow, mucosal growth and aspects of the immune system. Interstitial Cells of Cajal play a major role in GI Tract function as pacemakers of smooth muscle contraction as well as stimulation of smooth muscle. This is a contributing factor to the dysmotility caused by Crohn’s disease. Secretomotor neurons also cause dysmotility by becoming hyperactive, leading to the impairment of the digestive organs. The increased activity of secretomotor neurons causes the increase in the secretion of Cl- ions, which in turn causes decreased absorption of sodium (hence the low levels of sodium ions in the blood tests of Crohn’s Disease patients).

Another rare neurological side effect of Crohn’s is the potential to develop cranial neuropathy, causing headaches, vision problems and other brain related issues. Researchers are unsure how Crohn’s leads to cranial neuropathy, but it could be due to the anti- TNF therapies causing brain lesions. It has brought up the debate of changing the recommended treatment if you develop any symptoms of cranial neuropathy.  New recent studies also seem to show that neurological symptoms are more common than originally thought, increasing the severity of this disease.

People with Crohn’s disease have trouble absorbing nutrients because the inflammation of the intestine makes it difficult for the organ to digest and absorb the nutrients from food. The patients low levels of sodium and potassium due to the lack of absorption could be what is causing her diminished sense of touch. Your nerves need a certain amount of potassium to control their function along with muscle function. Potassium and sodium help your nerves send electrical signals, via the sodium potassium pump, that are necessary for nervous system function. The patient's abnormal amounts of the two is causing irregular nerve function that is affecting her sense of touch and causing numbness.

Intrinsic hemolytic anemia develops when the red blood cells produced by your body are defective. This condition is often inherited, such as in people with sickle cell anemia or thalassemia. Some types of hemolytic anemia are hereditary-- specifically spherocytosis. This supports our diagnosis because the patient’s father also had occasional anemia. The hereditary spherocytosis is also more probable because the direct Coombs test was negative. Hemolytic anemias can have positive direct Coombs tests but hereditary spherocytosis would present a negative Coombs test. This negative test means that meaning fetus is not in danger and the mother has not developed antibiodies against fetus’s blood.

An amino acid is made out of a carboxylic acid group, a side chain and an amine group. When two amino acids approach each other the carboxylic acid’s oxygen that is not in a double bond and one of the hydrogens from the amine group to form a water molecule and break away from the molecule. Then the amino acids form a peptide bond between the Nitrogen in the amine group and the carbon in the Carboxylic acid group.