Click here for a link to our abstract, materials, hypothesis, and conclusion.
Our entire poster:
Treadmill Data (raw data & percentages of change):
Zumba Data (raw data & percentages of change):
A better view of the numbers:
The Heart
Click HERE to see a Prezi I created about:
- EKG
- Heart Sounds
- Blood Pressure
- Heart Reduction Surgery (LVR- Left Ventricle Reduction)
EKG Lab
Another thing we did as a class to study the heart was we measured EKG (Electrocardiogram spelled with a K because in German it is spelled Elektrokardiogramm) levels. In a group of four we tested a few different people and below is my EKG. The sensors were placed on the arm, two on the right arm and one on the left. We noticed a few things while testing the EKG levels. The sensors were placed on the arms and when the arms were no laying in a resting position the EKG levels would vary so that was one variable. We also noticed that comparatively my heart rate seen below was slow. This could be due to perspiration on the skin and other variables.
The “bump” before the big rise is called the P Wave. The P Wave is the Atrial Contraction. The big rise altogether is the QRS Wave. The QRS Wave is the Ventricular Contraction. The T Wave is the rise after the QRS rise. The T Wave is the Ventricular Repolarization. My heart rate above is fairly normal even though it doesn’t have a large dip downwards in the QRS Wave. There are many things that can be diagnosed by just a simple EKG Analysis.
There are many things that can be assessed by analyzing the EKG and more specifically the T Wave. What may cause an abnormality in the T Wave?
- slight strain accompanied by left or right ventricular hypertrophy.
- A condition known as ‘Digoxin effect’, can also be detected as a variation on the ECG reader. This is a condition in which the contractions of the heart occur at an abnormal rate.
- Hemorrhage or a disease of the central nervous system may also cause the abnormality, resulting in prolonged interval in the waveform generated.
- A complete inversion of the T Wave may be a result of Cardiovascular Disease.
Each wave abnormality can signify a different disease. It is also important to look at the timing and occurrence of the waves. Checking your own heart rate via pulse per minute is important so that you know if your heart is health. Want a healthier heart rate? Try staying away from tobacco, reducing stress, and exercising more.
Sources:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/causes-of-t-wave-abnormality.html
I break open hearts on Valentine’s Day! (:
T order to begin studying the circulatory system we dissected hearts on Valentine’s day. Really, we just cut the heart horizontally to cut it in half. After opening the heart we looked at the different parts of the heart and measured certain parts. We cut open a sheep heart, pig heart, and a cow heart. The cow heart is much larger and the pig heart or the sheep heart which can be identified by the fact that it’s covered in white (fat).The pictures below are of the three and it includes the different measurements of the parts we identified.
To study the circulatory system we also took a quiz labeling the heart where I made a 100%!! Below is an image of a heart I labeled to study for the quiz! Click the image to view it at a larger size.
Sheep Heart
Right Atrium: Diameter 4 cm
Valve: Diameter .5 cm
Right Outer Wall: Thickness 1.2 cm
Aorta: 1.6 cm
Left Atrium: Diameter 4 cm
Left Outer Wall: Thickness 2 cm
Left Ventricle: Diameter 1.3 cm
Pig Heart
Right Atrium: Diameter 3 cm
Right Outer Wall: Thickness .5 cm
Aorta: 2.5 cm
Left Atrium: Diameter 5 cm
Left Ventricle: Diameter 5.7 cm
Left Outer Wall: Thickness 1 1/4 cm
Cow Heart
Right Atrium: Diameter 3.1 cm
Right Ventricle: 2.9 cm
Right Outer Wall: Thickness 1.6 cm
Aorta: 2.3 cm
Pulmonary Trunk: 3.1 cm
Left Atrium: Diameter 4.7 cm
Left Ventricle: Diameter 3.1 cm
Left Outer Wall: Thickness 3.3 cm
To further my research on the heart I will compare the ventricle size to the outer wall size of each heart.
Sheep Heart: Left Ventricle:Left Outer Wall- 1.3:2
Pig Heart: Left Ventricle: Left Outer Wall- 5.7: 1.25
Cow Heart: Left Ventricle: Left Outer Wall- 3.1: 3.3
The cow heart has a large outer wall while the rest of the walls vs. ventricles have a close number. So what does it mean as a human if your outer walls become to thick? There is a disease called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM). This disease can occur in men, women, and children. Anyone can be affected. In site by the Texas Heart Institute they explain the disease well.
“In most patients with HCM, the septum, which separates the left and right sides of the heart, bulges into the lower left chamber of the heart (the left ventricle). The muscles in both of the lower chambers often become larger. These thickened muscle walls may partly block the flow of blood through the aortic valve or prevent the heart from relaxing between beats and filling with blood.”
Eventually it blocks the blood flow completely in the heart. It is always important to look at the size of the heart and the different parts of the heart as they can be related to diseases such as the terrible and life threatening HCM.
Sources:
http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/HIC/Topics/Cond/hypertro.cfm
Reflexes Lab
Procedure:
To study reflexes and the reaction time to reach from the leg to the spinal cord we carried out a reflexes lab. For the reflexes lab there were two main parts. The first part we did was we placed sensors on the mid thigh, above the knee, and on the shin to measure the power of the kick. Before we actually started hitting on the knee we tested the reaction time for a person hearing the sound of the mallet on the desk to the time that they kicked their leg. As soon as they heard the noise they were to kick. (There eyes remained shut throughout all of these tests.) On the graphs and tables labeled below the hearing to leg test is labeled the Voluntary test.
After that we actually started hitting the test subject with a mallet right below the knee. This kick was all reflexes. The reflexes of the kick and timing were no longer dependent on sound. This is like a reflexes test that a doctor would give at an annual check up. On the graphs and tables below this test is labeled as involuntary.
In the second part of the lab we did the same two things; testing reaction time from the brain and from the knee itself but we changed one variable. Instead of the test subject just sitting there with her eyes close we also made her tense her arms. By tense I mean she has to place her palms together fingers locked in a “praying position” and exert equal force. These are separated from the other data with the label “tensed arms”.
Logger Pro Graphed Data:
Voluntary Leg Test
Involuntary Leg Test
Voluntary Arm Test
Involuntary Arm Test
Comparison of Data:
The tables below correspond with the graphs above. My hypothesis on this test is that the reaction time from the mallet on the desk by hearing it to the kick would take longer than tapping the mallet on the knee. I felt that this was a reasonable hypothesis because hammering on the nerves themselves are a more direct way of reaching the brain.
The distance of right below the knee cap to the bottom of the spinal cord on our test subject was 2ft 3inches. This means that the tens of seconds that it took for the brain to respond in the involuntary tests the signals were traveling 2ft 3inches. This is a great example of just how fast your body reacts. When I feel a burn I used to think that I moved my hand of the stove that was burning in at that exact instance. Instead, when I feel a burn it is take me between a tenth and two tenths of a second for me to remove my hand. Remember that this example only works with proper pain receptors.
| Voluntary Leg | |||||
| Kick 1 | Kick 2 | Kick 3 | Kick 4 | Kick 5 | |
| Time (s) of Stimulus | .38 | 3.19 | 5.0 | 6.35 | 23.41 |
| Time (s) of Muscle Contraction | .79 | 3.63 | 5.43 | 7.0 | 24.10 |
^Avg .52 seconds of reaction time
|
Involuntary Leg |
|||||
| Kick 1 | Kick 2 | Kick 3 | Kick 4 | Kick 5 | |
| Time (s) of Stimulus |
.99 |
4.83 | 6.34 | 9.27 |
13.63 |
| Time (s) of Muscle Contraction |
1.13 |
4.98 | 6.55 | 9.46 | 13.74 |
^Avg .16 seconds of reaction time
|
Voluntary with tensed Arm |
|||||
| Kick 1 | Kick 2 | Kick 3 | Kick 4 | Kick 5 | |
| Time (s) of Stimulus | 5.19 | 6.80 | 8.34 | 9.88 | 11.77 |
| Time (s) of Muscle Contraction | 5.73 | 7.30 | 8.93 | 10.36 | 12.40 |
^Avg .55 seconds of reaction time
|
Involuntary with tensed Arm |
|||||
| Kick 1 | Kick 2 | Kick 3 | Kick 4 | Kick 5 | |
| Time (s) of Stimulus | .52 | 1.58 | 2.48 | 3.53 | 13.45 |
| Time (s) of Muscle Contraction | .62 | 1.68 | 2.58 | 3.61 | 13.56 |
^Avg .10 seconds of reaction time
Looking above there are many things one can analyze from this data. With all of the voluntary tests it took .4 seconds or longer for the brain to hear it and then send the information to the spinal cord which would send it to the knee. On the other hand by actually tapping the mallet on the knee it took around a tenth of a second for the leg to to kick (muscle contraction.) *See average time for reactions below each table.
In conclusion, my hypothesis was right. Reaction time is quicker when it touches the skin directly rather than your brain having to tell your muscles what to do. It is also crazy to know that no matter what your body needs about a tenth of a second for reaction time even after it touches the skin.
SHEEP BRAINS!
In class we dissected sheep brains to further understand the nervous system. As a group Cullen and I took pictures of the steps and different parts. To show the pictures with explanations I created a VuVox. VuVox is a site that makes it possible to create slideshows that are like collages with information in them too! To view the VuVox I made please click here!
Senses (Touch)
In order to explain touch, as a group Jocelyn, Shelby, and I created a Prezi.
Also to explain the concept of proprioception which is the ability of the body to sense its parts without having to watch them we carried out a demonstration. We used massagers to massage the tendon found underneath and above the elbow. The massagers would make the tendon go numb. After the tendon had gone numb we closed our eyes and tried to move our finger to our nose. We had lost the sense of proprioception with the lack of that tendon. With the tendon fully working it is easy to have your eyes closed and touch your nose. We also did the same thing on both tendons found on the back side of the leg a little below the ankle. Our test subjects had their arms crossed and head back and all of them seemed to lose their balance, at different degrees of course. Some of the subjects would have to be nudged a little to see the lack of balance, some of them were falling over without a push. This demonstration made our presentation hands on and showed the class the importance of proprioception!
