Muddiest Point

Hey everyone!
I was looking at the objectives sheet and the thing I'm probably the most confused on is how an impulse moves along a neuron and the resting potential, threshold, action potential, and myelin all relate to each other.
Thanks!

Muddiest Point

Hey guys!

I'm confused on what exactly the polar nuclei are and also all of the reflecting and absorbing stuff with the chlorophyll and other colors

If you could help that'd be great!!!

Muddiest Point

Hey everyone!

So my muddiest point is probably what it means to have radial and bilateral symmetry. I just don't understand the true meanings of them.

Thanks!!

Muddiest Point!

My muddiest points would probably be about genetic drift and gradualism. I don't really understand them completely... If you could help that'd be great!!!

Thanks!!

Muddiest Point!

Hey everyone!

So I don't really understand very clearly what a blastocyst is and why it's so important.

If someone could help me out that'd be great!

Thanks!!

Muddiest Point

Hey everyone!

So, my muddies point would probably be the pedigrees and how to figure out the different people's genotypes. I was absent on the day we learned them so if you guys could help, that'd be really great!!

Thanks!

Pachyonychia Congenita

This genetic disorder is very unique and unusual, originating from mutations in the genes KRT6A, KRT6B, KRT16, and KRT17, which supply the directions in producing keratin proteins. Keratin proteins are “tough, fibrous” proteins that give skin, hair, and nail tissues the durability and sturdiness they need. Therefore, having these mutations results in the modification of the shape of a keratin protein, which disables the proteins from building firm networks inside of the cells. These networks are essential because, without them, skin cells would be delicate and easily broken, which makes the skin not as unsusceptible to friction or slight trauma. As for the nails and hair, deformed keratins will disturb the activities and growth of cells in the nails and hair follicles. This disorder is inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. In about “half of all cases”, an “affected” person gets the mutation from just one diseased parent, while the other half of cases are produced from brand new mutation and may occur in people who have no family history of the disorder at all.

Symptoms and Diagnosis

A sure symptom of PC would be the thickened nails. Another noticeable sign would be hurting blisters and plump calluses on soles of the feet. Other symptoms would include white swelling of the tongue, a collection of cysts, and “blisters and calluses on the palms of the hands”. However, symptoms of children are different than those in adults. Symptoms that occur in children would include lumps around hair follicles and a very raspy or croaky voice. Some symptoms are shown in the picture to the left.

As for diagnosis, there are two types of PC: type 1 and type 2. The two forms of PC can be differentiated by faintly different symptoms. However, while just looking at the symptoms can be unreliable because they can fluctuate between the two types, genetic testing can verify if a person has type 1 or type 2 since different mutated keratin genes code of one type of the other (KRT6A or KRT16 codes for type 1 and KRT6B or KRT17 code for type 2).

Treatments, Life Expectancy, and Prevalence

Currently there is no treatment for Pachyonychia Congenita. However treatments are being worked on. The brand new technology incorporating “gene silencing” has the potential to be a cure for PC in the future. On the other hand, drug therapies are in short supply. People trim and file their nails to avoid infections and soaking and massaging of the hands and feet “clean off blistered skin”. Increasingly, because of the constant pain that comes with PC, some keep the sensitive areas of the skin damp and cool for relief and canes or “special shoes” can lessen the stress on the feet (as putting just a little bit of pressure, even just when walking, on those tender areas of the feet tear skin cells).

The prevalence of PC is not known, but it seems to be remarkable rare. It is estimated that there are a few thousand people in the world living with PC. Fortunately, though, Pachyonychia Congenita does not influence lifespan.

Scribe! - November 30, 2011

Hey everyone!

So, today Mrs. Stein stamped our stamp sheets for the homework that was due today, which was UP pages 29-31. We looked over the answers to that later on. Then... we took a POP quiz!! The quiz was on meiosis, but it was really helpful because we got a few minutes to talk with our group and correct anything we didn't think was right using notes, the textbook, etc.

The last half of the period was spent on the Face Lab. In this lab, we got into partners, assigning one of us as the male and one as the female, and tossed coins to see which characteristics or traits our "child" would have based on if we tossed heads or tails. It was really funny to see what our "child" came out to be and a good way to learn more about human traits.

Homework...

• Face Lab UP pages 23-28 (DON'T do the Going Further question)
• Readings- Sections 11.1 and 11.2 in the text book

And that's it!!

The next scribe will be Sam P!!

Muddiest Point!

Hey guys!

So my muddiest point would probably be exactly what kind of jobs the helper T-Cell does exactly and what the B cells do, too.

If you could help me that'd be great!! Thanks!

Muddiest Point

Hey guys! So my muddiest point would have to be what exactly eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells are and how they're different. I know we did this in like the way beginning, but I'm still kinda stuck on it.

Thanks!

Scribe 10/10/11

Hey everyone!!

Today we took lots of notes on what exactly we saw while doing the plasmolysis lab and the enzyme lab. Here they are...

Plasmolysis Lab

• So imagine that inside of the cell, there is 99% water and 1% salt.
  
• Then, you put that cell into a pool of water, which is 99% water and 1% salt, too. What would happen?? Well, since the combination of water on the inside is the same as the outside, the equilibrium is already reached. However, the cells will still be moving, but evenly (or with no net movement).
• But.... if that cell is in a pool of water with 6% salt and 94% water, water will move from the inside to the outside of the cell because...

THINGS MOVE FROM HIGH (concentration) TO LOW (concentration)!

• Because of that phrase, water will move out of the cell, causing the cell membrane to shrink since when things lose water they tend to shrivel up like you can see in this picture to the right.
• Now, in class we used the red blood cell as an example. What if the cell had 99% water and 1% salt while the pool of water the whole cell is in is 100% water? Water would go into the cell because THINGS MOVE FROM HIGH TO LOW.
• BUT... this time is different. The water will go into the cell and so the cell will expand and since the don't have a cell wall, they'll BURST, which can be deadly.
• That process by which a cell explodes when it is in a higher concentration of water is called cytolysis (cyto-cell, lysis-break open).

Enzyme Lab

• Catalase is most usually found in the blood.
• We would expect catalase to work best, or have the largest amount of activity, at 37ºC (our body temperature, since they are usually found in our bodies).
• Enzymes are NOT ALIVE
• Enzymes are made of proteins, which are also not living and at extreme temperature they get denatured (or broken down).
• What should have happened... The graph for the whole class data should have started off really low and increased so the highest point was at 37ºC and then it would have decreased again... kinda like a hill.

Homework: Finish Enzyme and Plasmolysis labs for tomorrow, finish UP pg 55 and Cancer Survey for tomorrow, and read section 10.2 and do a flow chart for Wednesday.

The next scribe will be: Kasia

Comment

This is my comment for Ereni. It won't let me post a comment on her muddiest point.

Pyramids of biomass show the amount of living organic matter at each level in an ecosystem. (Biomass is the total amount of living things in a trophic level)
The primary producers tend to have more mass.
As you go up the pyramid, the numbers decrease.
A pyramid of numbers shows the number of individual organisms at each level in an ecosystem.

Hope this helps!
-Kaitlyn

Muddiest Point!!!

Hey guys!

So, a lot of you have mentioned the things that I'm confused on, which would probably be the pyramids of biomass and numbers... If someone could help me with that it'd be awesome!

Thanks!!

First Unit Reflection

With entering high school and all of that, this first unit was really great to start off with. We went over the things we learned last year and in middle school (which we might have forgotten over the summer) that got us back on our feet. I got to get to know the microscopes a little bit more in detail just because I didn't have that much experience with it in years past and exactly why we need to learn about science and where it comes from. All in all, the first unit was an excellent way to start off the school year on a positive note and to know what to except for the rest of our freshman year, which is sure to be a blast in bio!

Pretty Little Liars~ Ereni K's First Post!

It's a secret... can you keep it? ABC Family's hit show, Pretty Little Liars, premiered in the summer of 2010 with an overwhelming 2.5 million viewers. This show, based on the fabulous book series written by Sara Shepard, catches these 2.5 million viewers with it's mystery/thriller theme that leaves you hanging on at the end of each and every episode anticipating and predicting just what will happen next. So, what is this show all about?? Well, you are about to find out...

It all started out with the friendship of 5 middle school girls living in Rosewood, Virginia. Everything was nearly happy- happy joy- joy for Alison, Spencer, Emily, Hannah, and Aria until Alison goes missing. Da. Da. Daaaaa... With the "queen bee" and the one and only person that knew each of the girls' secrets GONE, the four girls quickly grow apart until they come back together again when Alison's body is found and the funeral service is held. On this day, something unusual happens, something called a text message.

"I'm still here, b****es, and I know everything

-A"

Who could this mysterious "A" person be? Is Alison really alive? All they know is, A is trying to ruin their lives... no matter what it takes. Now, the show has taken and is continuing to make its many unexpected twists and turns. I assure you, if you follow these four perfectly imperfect girls: Aria (the one who has fallen in love with her English teacher), Hannah (the one who has suffered with weight issues since she was a little girl), Emily (a lesbian with a disapproving mother), and Spencer (who has hit on all of her sister's boyfriends) you will be obsessed (in a good way)....

Tune into this hour long captivating thriller every night at 7 PM on ABC Family!

What am I most excited about?

~Making new friends.

What am I least excited about?

~All of the homework!