29 April 2006

Bio Exam III and Final

I just took two exams; you get 10 questions. As per a reader's request, I will not post the answers in the comments, you can :)

Q1. What is anhydrobiosys?
Q2. What is parthenogenesis? (hint: check a previous post)
Q3. What is necessary for the activation of a cytotoxic T cell?
Q4. Name the three phases of the uterine cycle and the corresponding phases of the ovarian cycle.
Q5. What are Leydig cells and what stimulate them/ do they secrete?
Q6. Name, in order, the regions of the stomach, small intestine, large intestine and their sphincters.
Q7. What is the common name for Nematoda? Nemertea? Which is segmented?
Q8. Name one difference between bacteria and archea. Which is more closely related to eukaryotes?
Q9. Name, in order, the parts of a nephron.
Q10. What hormones does the adrenal medulla secrete? The adrenal cortex?

Extra Credit: Write the bicarb buffer equation.

25 April 2006

Sunday funnies...

... on Tuesday.

As the elevator car left our floor
Big Sue caught her tits in the door
She yelled a good deal
But had they been real
She'd have yelled considerably more

Nymphomanaic Alice
Used a dynamite stick for a phallus
They found her vagina
In North Carolina
And her asshole in Buckingham Palace

23 April 2006

Proof that girls are evil

A gem I found while cleaning my desk... procrastinating during chemistry revision...

Proof that Girls are Evil

Girls = Time x Money
but... Time = Money
so... Girls = Money ^2
but... Money = rt(evil)
and... Money ^2 = [ rt(evil) ]^2
substitute and reduce to get...
Girls = Evil

Lab Practical

The lab exam was not nearly as fearsome as I had, well, feared. Two questions per station (some with four parts), 20 stations, with a mixture of anatomy and theory. Rather than describe what was going though my head... here's your very own, mini lab quiz:



Q1. The two organs clearly visible in the above dissected shark are...?



Q2. Name the phylum of the animal above and two shared derived characters of that phyla.



Q3. The red tube above the white globules in the above dissected rat are? Is this rat male or female?

Q4. Mitochondrial DNA IS/IS NOT highly conserved and is this useful for exploring evolutionary relationships between RECENTLY/DISTANTLY diverging species?



Q5. The dull blue feather looking organ in the squid above is the ______? What phylum is this animal and what kind of circulatory system does it have?

Q6. If ANF was being released in your system, you would have (choose as many as apply):
a. highly concentrated urine
b. inhibited ADH
c. increaed urine volume
d. increased Cl- in the urine

If you want the answers, check the comments.

20 April 2006

Finals

Yes, we've hit that wonderful time in the semester when the sun is finally out and the whole school is holed up in the library cramming as much information into their heads as possible. I am reasonably lucky, no back to back exams this time through... but there are a lot of points in the air and well, I could use them all.

We have a bio lab practical this Saturday, which involved such ridiculousness as looking at a 16 hour old frog embryo and naming the number of cells and their configuration. Or looking at a dissected fetal pig and finding the salivary glands (harder than you might think). A week later is the third exam and final (together)... Why are the antibodies passed through breast milk (IgA) temporary? What's the difference between Nemertea and Nematoda? Anyone... anyone?

I'm not even thinking about chem yet (which may or may not prove harmful)...

I got my starting date (May 9) for the weekly hospital gig though... hopefully that will provide some amusing anecdotes.

17 April 2006

15 April 2006

Dissection VI & Urine

This was a quickie dissection, a kidney, done in the midst of a renal function lab. What this entailed was urinating at 30 minute intervals and measuring the chloride concentration, specific gravity, and volume at each urination. Groups of five people each participated in a different "treatment" condition (salt, caffiene, 1000mL water) and the idea was to see what different effects these would have against a control (200mL water). Unfortunately our control group (myself included) was a complete mess so our results were essentially "we knew what should have happened..."

If anyone should be under the impression that "oh, you did something remotely medical", well, you're wrong. What we did was play with our own urine for three hours in a warm room next to preserved kidneys that reek of formalin having not eaten for several hours (requirement for the lab) while watching a beautiful sunny Saturday float by our lab room window. There was no diagnosis, no puzzle to solve, and I'm pretty sure we violated HIPAA (lab results being considered protected health information).

Normally I love lab, but this is one of those things that sounded better in someone's head than in real life.

09 April 2006

Desert Hydration

Our most recent biology lecture was on the always thrilling topic of renal function, which means kidneys and peeing. Now, our professor is welll-known for her eccentric stories; the one about catching frogs to feed the ducks was a gem. So was the frozen snakes for curtain rods. Well, during renal function she discussed potty training and how she made a bet with her husband that she could have their son trained by his first birthday. That didn't quite happen. Since she lost the bet, she had to drink urine, not only that, but drink it in front of her class. So yes, my biology professor whipped out a bottle of yellow fluid, told us she lost the bet, and took a few sips. If it was anyone else I would assume it was apple juice, but no, with Dr. W, it was definately urine. Wow. I mean ick.

07 April 2006

Procrastination II

Oompa Loompa Doompety Doo
Here comes neutralization part deux
Oompa Loompa Doompety Dee
A chapter about soluability...

What do you get when you stir in a salt?
At K s p dissociation halts
Use the a + b root to find the s
Get K e q with help from Hess
It's just another M R A...

Oompa Loompa Doompety Da
Use M R A and you will go far
Now you can find the I P too
Like the Oompa Loompa Doompety Doo!

06 April 2006

Procrastination

Oompa Loompa Doompety Do
I've got a neutralization for you.
Oompa Loompa Doompety Dee
If you like chemistry listen to me...

What's the p H mixing acid and base?
How much H F reacts with the O H?
Neutralize half, it's a buffer you'll get
Now p H is pretty much set
Oh! But it's still basic...

Oompa Loompa Doompety Da
Strong acid strong base with moles on par
It will have p H seven too
Like the Oompa Loompa Doompety Do!

The originals.