I was a bit disappointed by the level of surprise in class today about the test on Friday. I hand out the monthly syllabus for a reason: For you to know what is happening in class. I expect you to use the schedule, and not rely on me to tell you when things are happening. There should be no surprises when it comes to tests, quizzes, labs, or any other class activity.
I want you to use the syllabus for a few reasons. One, it makes it easier for me to plan. It should also make it easier for you to study, since you have a few week's notice of tests and quizzes. If you are absent from class, you can look at the schedule and see what we are going over that day. One of the most important reasons I do this is that this is what happens in a college course. You will get a syllabus at the beginning of the semester that lists all the tests. You will be expected to know when they are. The professor/instructor may not remind you that they are coming.
Please use the syllabus. There is one posted in the classroom, and I can get you another copy if you lost yours. There are two more quizzes on the syllabus for this month. Make sure you know when they are. I may not remind you in class about them.
Anyway, here is the complete PowerPoint for Chapter 22. I will be moderating comments till 10.30 tonight.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Why do we yawn?
New research into 
the biological basis of yawning will be published soon in the journal Animal Behaviour (news summary can be found here). Researchers at Binghamton University used a species of parakeet as a model organism, since they have relatively large brains, and do not exhibit contagious yawning, as has been seen in humans and other animals.
In their study, they subjected the birds to three different temperature conditions: Warm, normal (control) and slowly increasing. They found that only the third condition had a significant effect on yawning frequency. Their conclusion is that yawning functions as a brain-cooling mechanism, much like a cooling fan on a laptop. When the environment is cooler than the body/brain temperature, taking air in quickly will function to cool the facial blood, which in turn will cool the brain. This leads to an increase in arousal, so those early morning yawns may function similar to a cup of coffee in providing a jolt of energy.
This explains the most common occurrences of yawning. Exhaustion and sleep-deprivation have been shown to increase brain temperature, so yawning in these states would make sense. In addition, yawning may be able to be used as signs of brain cooling problems, which occur in diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
The authors also point out that yawning should no longer be viewed as a sign of boredom, but as an indication of attentiveness. I will try to remember that during my next PowerPoint lecture.
the biological basis of yawning will be published soon in the journal Animal Behaviour (news summary can be found here). Researchers at Binghamton University used a species of parakeet as a model organism, since they have relatively large brains, and do not exhibit contagious yawning, as has been seen in humans and other animals.In their study, they subjected the birds to three different temperature conditions: Warm, normal (control) and slowly increasing. They found that only the third condition had a significant effect on yawning frequency. Their conclusion is that yawning functions as a brain-cooling mechanism, much like a cooling fan on a laptop. When the environment is cooler than the body/brain temperature, taking air in quickly will function to cool the facial blood, which in turn will cool the brain. This leads to an increase in arousal, so those early morning yawns may function similar to a cup of coffee in providing a jolt of energy.
This explains the most common occurrences of yawning. Exhaustion and sleep-deprivation have been shown to increase brain temperature, so yawning in these states would make sense. In addition, yawning may be able to be used as signs of brain cooling problems, which occur in diseases such as multiple sclerosis.
The authors also point out that yawning should no longer be viewed as a sign of boredom, but as an indication of attentiveness. I will try to remember that during my next PowerPoint lecture.
Friday, December 5, 2008
Chapter 16 review packet answers
Here are the answers to the answers to chapter 16 review packet. If you need more explanation for any of the answers, leave a comment and I will respond.
Interactive question 16.5
a. helicase.....................................................h. DNA polymerase
b. Single-strand binding potein.................i. RNA primer
c. DNA polymerase.....................................j. primase
d. leading strand.........................................k. replication fork
e. lagging strand......................................l. 3' end of parental strand
f. ligase..............................................m. 5' end of parental strand
g. Okazaki fragments
Multiple choice
1. c....................................12. d
2. a...................................13. e
3. b.................................. 14. a
4. a...................................15. d
5. b...................................16. e
6. a...................................17. c
7. b...................................18. d
8. e...................................19. e
9. e...................................20. c
10. a.................................21. a
11. e
Interactive question 16.5
a. helicase.....................................................h. DNA polymerase
b. Single-strand binding potein.................i. RNA primer
c. DNA polymerase.....................................j. primase
d. leading strand.........................................k. replication fork
e. lagging strand......................................l. 3' end of parental strand
f. ligase..............................................m. 5' end of parental strand
g. Okazaki fragments
Multiple choice
1. c....................................12. d
2. a...................................13. e
3. b.................................. 14. a
4. a...................................15. d
5. b...................................16. e
6. a...................................17. c
7. b...................................18. d
8. e...................................19. e
9. e...................................20. c
10. a.................................21. a
11. e
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)