Negative Feedback Loops...Bad for us?

Simply the negative feedback loop is an occurrence, wether positive or negative, that will change the current stable levels but will ultimately end right back at homeostasis. For example, blood sugar will increase with the amount of sweets eaten, but after a certain period of time the blood sugar will return to its stable level that it has always been at.

The reason for the return to homeostasis is due to insulin and glucagon. If there is a spike in glucose in the blood then the pancreas receptors will release more insulin and targets the liver. The liver will then store the glucose as glycogen for later use. If there is a decrease in glucose the pancreas receptors release glucagon and tells the liver to use the glycogen stored, and turn it into glucose.  The chart above shows Dr. Rood's blood glucose level rising as he ate the snickers and drank the can of sprite. His blood glucose spiked but his body's natural response was to release insulin to control the extra glucose and store it in the liver for later use and returned his blood glucose level back to normal which was 104 mg/dL. It was an interesting experiment watching him prick himself and continuously check his blood levels haha.

12 Soil Types Of The WORLD! Plus Lab!

Easy Acronym to remember...

I.H.A.S.M.O.V.E.G.A.U.A

Inceptisol- soils with weakly developed subsurface horizons


Histosol- organic soils


Andisol- soils formed in volcanic ash


Spodosol- acid forest soils with a subsurface accumulation of metal-humus complexes


Mollisol- grassland soils with high base status


Oxisol- intensely weathered soils of tropical and subtropical environments


Vertisol-  clayey soils with high shrink/swell capacity


Entisol-  soils with little or no morphological development


Gelisol-  soils with permafrost within 2 m of the surface


Aridisol-  CaCO₃-containing soils of arid environments with subsurface horizon development


Ultisol- strongly leached soils with a subsurface zone of clay accumulation and <35% base saturation


Alfisol-  moderately leached soils with a subsurface zone of clay accumulation and >35% base saturation


All descriptions were taken from this website. All credit is given the University of Idaho. =)


http://soils.cals.uidaho.edu/soilorders/orders.htm


GELISOLS!
I found gelisols interesting because there are only about 9% of it on the Earth. They show very little morphological change. Most gelisols store large quantities of organic carbon. The frozen condition of some gelisol landscapes make it hard for human interactions.


LAB!

We had a pretty fun time with Dr. Rood. He destroyed a lot of ant colonies but we dug into the land and found a new adjective to describe some levels of soil as Clayey. We used a sieve, which had several levels of fine mesh in order to separate the dirt. But since the dirt was so moist it was hard to get past the 2nd or 3rd level. In some picture you could see Joshua and Leslie using the tools we would use in order to get solid samples. We also went to the public garden and observed all the plants including certain bugs that were in the vicinity, such as spiders, ants, and grubs. We all had a fun time playing in the mud as well and had a mud fight with Dr. Rood. It was pretty Awesome.

Shrub, Plants, and TREEESSSS!!!!!!!

Plants

Species: Chrysanthemum indicum

Genus: Chrysanthemum

Species: Green Onion

Genus: Allium

Species: Mexican Petunia

Genus: Petunia

Species: Tradescantia pallida

Genus: Tradescantia

Species: Zinnia elegans

Genus: Zinnia

Shrubs

Species: Aloe vera

Genus: Aloe

Species: Brugmansia arborea

Genus: Brugmansia

Species: Japonica

Genus: Camellia

Species: Ilex aquifolium

Genus: Ilex

Species: Ligustrum japonicum

Genus: Ligustrum

Trees

Species: Birch

Genus: Betula papyrifera

Species: Crape Myrtle

Genus: Lagerstroemia Indica

Species: Dogwood

Genus: Cornus sanguinea

Species: Gingko Biloba 

Genus: Gingko

 

Species: Magnolia grandiflora

Genus: Magnolia


Plant of Choice:
I chose to describe the Angel's Trumpet. It contains a high level of toxicity, contact with eyes could cause pupil dilation.The name Angel's Trumpet refers to the large, very dramatic, pendulous trumpet-shaped flowers, 14–50 cm to 20 inches long and 10–35 cm across at the wide end. They are white, yellow, pink, orange or red, and have a delicate, attractive scent with light, lemony overtones, most noticeable in early evening. Very attractive... but very dangerous! DO NOT INGEST!

River Lab!

The red indicates where the recorded clams are located(The red oval is a cluster of clams in the area). The blue indicates are where the current is fast and the depth of the water gets deeper. The yellow is a reference point of location. The yellow thumb tack expresses the high foliage. I was not sure of what to actually do but I assumed this would suffice and explain the cool adventures of lab that day =). It seems the closer to get to land the more we would find clams but the deeper into the river we go we would not find much. The currents were faster the deeper into the river we went. We found cans in the river and there was a little catfish in one and it made me realize the impact we had on wildlife and the new habitats our trash becomes... which is not good at all. I also put my arm up into the sides of the river and there we nice air pockets for animals to live.

I found an unburnt piece of coal in the deep part of the river, and Dr. Rood pointed out that it was very rare for someone to find that. I kept it and also chipped it a little to see what it would look like inside. I would've never expected the inside of the coal to look like that. Overall I had an amazing time walking in the river and seeing all the minnows and learn new things I've never experienced before. This lab kind of set the bar for the rest of the labs. Can't wait! =D

Tomato Plant....

IT's NOT GROWING. I feel like I'm stressing but I also let it dry on accident... well I was at a boat competition and left it on my window sill and I came back to it and it looked like it was in the desert for a few weeks. I tried to rejuvenate it, but I made sure I didn't drown it. I hope it grows =/... askdfj;ashluehflushdkjhelsuhfdkjhfalkjsd anyone else coming across this problem with tomato plants?

3 Sprouts!! =D

I assumed since tomatoes grow on vines... I got some wooden chopsticks from the UC to let them grow up them.

Lab 1: Cartography

Isarithmic Maps

Isarithmic maps are normally used to display information that is common to a certain area, such as precipitation and voting regions. In the map above it shows precipitation over areas of Georgia.

Proportional Symbol Map

Proportional Symbol maps uses shapes to show common occurrences of data in a certain location. It uses different sized shapes to show the different amounts of data in the area. In the map above it shows the amount of ethanol facilities as well the capacity of them.


Choropleth Map

A Choropleth map is used to show data by concentrations of colors and different shades in specific areas. As an example of this map, it shows the density of urban living in the United States. These maps can easily show a subject that is common throughout a specific area.


Dot Distribution Map

Dot distribution maps show specific data over a vast region. It will typically show a common point such as farms over the United States. The dots accurately represent data as points and the size of the points do not matter in this case. The more dense the data is in the area then the more dots will be in that area as well.


My Happy Place... =D

My Happy Place begins in a country called Vietnam, my native country. Every time I visit I find a new piece of myself and new family members to add to the endless list. I really don't have a happy path because we travel all across the country to visit new cities and meet new family. I believe the happiness comes from the lack of technology and worry about society such as robbery, violence, etc. The lack of technology helped me realize my appreciation for life, but ever since I started high school I never had a chance to go back. My happy place is truly a place where I can be myself and be around people that I love and cherish.