lgarneau's blog

I do not have a very clear understanding of my personal genetic ancestry but am very curious about finding out more. My family has always said that I am a “mut” meaning my family comes from all over the world. Also, none of my family members have ever done any genetic testing (that we know of) so we aren’t completely sure on anything. My dad’s side of the family is easier to trace he has some Irish in him, along with French Canadian, and Swedish. There is probably a lot more to his side of the family but those are the ones we are more sure about (but not completely confident). My mom’s side of the family is a big guess because her family was displaced when issues with people of the Jewish religion arose. My nana believes that she is from Lithuania, but she only started mentioning this recently, it may be skewed because of her old age. When she had a better memory, she used to say that her family was from either Russia or Ukraine. I’m sure this will become more clear when I take the genetic tests and actually see where it can be traced, I convinced both my mother and father to do it too so we can see more clear information.

In my lab, I am researching how reactivation of specific memories during sleep can be modulated using external stimulation. We will be releasing an odor into a subject's nose while they sleep and see if affects their ability to remember and recall certain information. So far we have not found anything significant however, there has not been a lot of work done. We believe that this odor could affect the ability to remember things because there is a lot of evidence that points to the idea that it could. Usually, recent memories are replayed during sleep. Since we will be showing our subjects images right before they go to sleep that they were supposed to memorize, this idea can apply to our study. This study has been performed in animals before. It’s important to note too that it has been observed that matching a sensory stimulus with information and an odor facilitates things such as coordination of sleep spindles.

It is a fact that older adults do not sleep as well as younger adults. The question is, do older adults simply need less sleep or are they unable to generate the sleep that is needed? As we age, sleep duration, sleep stages, and quantity/quality of sleep oscillations change. REM sleep in older adults reportedly reduce however are minimal compared to the big reduction in NREM sleep. Also, the number of daytime naps increase by 10% in adults 55-64 and 25% of adults ages 75-84. It is also important to note that these naps, especially the naps in the 75-84 age group, are unplanned. These are not a universal feature of old age though and older adults don’t all suffer from sleep deprivation at the same degree. This information is vital for me to consider in the lab I am working in this semester, the Somneuro Lab.

Simple species counting is not enough when accounting for our ecosystem, it is too simplistic. It is argued that biodiversity is much more than counting a number of species within a system that allow it to function to produce ecosystem services. It was found that the equivalent of millions of years of pollinator evolution was lost. This data was lost in highly altered agricultural environments. These environments decreased pollination services above and beyond what would have been expected from simple species counting. Filling this knowledge gap is vital to our evolutionary history and our future. The species count may fail to protect ecosystem functions and the full diversity of life from which they are derived. Information taken from report titled “Agriculturally dominated landscapes reduce bee phylogenetic diversity and pollination services” in Science.

A french fry follows a certain track to be digested. The french fry starts in the mouth when the person eats the fry. The teeth digest the french fry by cutting it into smaller pieces. The saliva is also working to break down the starches in the fry. In the esophagus, peristalsis is used to push the fry down to the stomach. In the stomach, the muscles churn the fry and mix the fry with pepsin and hydrochloric acid and make it into a liquid. The small intestine then mixes the french fry with enzymes and bile. The large intestine is where the leftover water is absorbed. Then finally comes the rectum and anus where the french fry is able to leave the body.

Figure 1. Metaphase 1 of Lily Ovulary Cell. Metaphase 1 is the second step in Meiosis where homologous chromosomes move to the middle of the cell. Photo by Carolina Biological Supply Company available at: https://flic.kr/p/avx1Fb under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 license.

Multiple studies have come to the conclusion that post-learning sleep enhances the consolidation of memories. Specific memories post-learning sleep consolidates are declarative, procedural and emotional. Additionally, memory function can be divided into three categories including encoding, consolidation, and retrieval. Encoding refers to writing new learning material to the brain that has been experienced throughout the previous day. These newly acquired memories are then brought through the process of consolidation. These fresh memories are strengthened and adapted into a stable and more permanent form that is then able to be integrated into already developed knowledge networks. Consolidated memories then remain dormant and easily accessible for later retrieval when they needed to be recalled.

There is a new study that show that a sleep-deprived brain is more likely to have excess amounts of two proteins which lead to Alzheimer’s. These proteins are called Tau, which is tied to nerve cell death can tangle and spread throughout the brain when one has Alzheimer’s. There is also mention of another protein A-beta that has a negative impact on sleep. This is important in that treating sleep disorders may be vital to prevent Alzheimer’s. Both of these proteins do not show a direct link to getting Alzheimer’s but indirectly they point to it. They are sure to note that sleep deprivation seems to impact Tau more than A-beta, where Tau is the more dangerous of the two proteins. They may set the stage for later problems and it is important to be aware of this for the future.

Transpiration is the process by which moisture is carried through plants. Water is carried from the roots to small pores (stomata), where it changes to vapor and is released to the atmosphere. In simpler terms, it is the process by which water evaporates from plant leaves. Transpiration is a regulated process and it offers insight into how much water is needed for an individual plant to survive. Transpiration can be calculated by multiplying the conductance by the force. Conductance is 1/resistance, where resistance is the sum of resistance from the stomata and boundary layer. The force, represented by deltaC/deltaX is the change in the concentration gradient. Factors such as wind can impact the boundary layer resistance and will make the transpiration rate increase.

With a basic understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of diagnosing in psychology, I do think diagnosing people is a good idea but to be cautious when doing it. Diagnosing someone is a serious thing to do because when someone is diagnosed, it can consume their life. Being sure the diagnosis is accurate is so important. Considering things such as family history, substance usage, side effects of drugs, and their health is all so important. Also, using different techniques for diagnosis such as clinical interviews, questionnaires, etc are helpful and important. People like to receive help (in most circumstances) when they are diagnosed and diagnosing them can overall be beneficial for them. In conclusion, I do think diagnosing people is important but to be cautious when going about it.