The second coursework. I haven't finished book 3/block 4 - vision - its a pretty big subject as you might imagine.
So - what's in TMA-2?
Q1 is a research questions. It starts by asking "Can regular drug intake or exposure to chemicals increase the risk of hearing loss?". In particular drugs such as aspirin, paracetamol and the like. Can regular taking of these affect hearing? We are given a paper where there is a claim to that effect. We have to do lots of internet searching to find articles for and against the position, and to determine what we think about each source - how trustworthy it is etc.
There are three parts to the question focused around the two sub questions
1. Is there a proven link between use of either painkillers and hearing loss?
2. Is there any evidence that a particular group within the general population is more at risk or that a particular drug or chemical is any more, or less, risky?
We first have to compile our bibliography of information, together with criticism of the sources.
Then we have to argue to each of the sub question above
Finally we have to describe our search strategy - how we found the items, what we searched for etc.
For question 2, we have to write a summary of one of the detailed chapters in the hearing section. So condensing several pages and diagrams into 400 words.
Question 3 is about hearing directly. First we have to define pitch and intensity. Then we have to describe how both pitch and intensity are encoded, with two possible mechanisms for each.
I found this TMA somewhat easier, although the first question is quite open ended, depending on how much searching you want to do.
Anyway, much happier with the mark for this one, more up to my usual standard.
Wednesday, 8 June 2011
Monday, 25 April 2011
SD329: TMA-1
Time for the first piece of coursework.
There are three questions on this.
It starts with the first question - where we have to write a brief essay (600 words) on the structure and function of the neuron. It's been a while since I had to write an essay, but the format comes back to me. We have to mention things like dendrites, axons, neurotransmitters and so on. All in just 600 words. It appears conciseness is a virtue in this course.
Question 2 is a bit about sensory inputs, and how they are detected, encoded and received. We also have to describe lateral inhibition.
In question 3 we are given a paper to read all about the McGurk effect, which you can see an example of here. There is a lot of detail in the paper, and several images of brains. We are asked a number of detailed questions on the scope of the paper and the results. By the end of this, I'm beginning to find I no longer wish to hear or see the McGurk effect again!
Anyway, first TMA posted, and a rather poor score for me. If we had a cat I would probably kick it.
There are three questions on this.
It starts with the first question - where we have to write a brief essay (600 words) on the structure and function of the neuron. It's been a while since I had to write an essay, but the format comes back to me. We have to mention things like dendrites, axons, neurotransmitters and so on. All in just 600 words. It appears conciseness is a virtue in this course.
Question 2 is a bit about sensory inputs, and how they are detected, encoded and received. We also have to describe lateral inhibition.
In question 3 we are given a paper to read all about the McGurk effect, which you can see an example of here. There is a lot of detail in the paper, and several images of brains. We are asked a number of detailed questions on the scope of the paper and the results. By the end of this, I'm beginning to find I no longer wish to hear or see the McGurk effect again!
Anyway, first TMA posted, and a rather poor score for me. If we had a cat I would probably kick it.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
SD329: Book 2 - Hearing and Balance
Book 2, Block 3 is all about hearing and balance.
It starts off discussing what sound is, and how it is quantified. It looks at waveforms and analysis of sounds, and what filters do. So with the basics in place, the process of hearing can be discussed.
The next chapter discusses the structure of the ear. The three major components, outer, middle and inner. Also what are the vital parts of it, and what goes where. Several diagrams and more than a few Latin names for tissues.
Next we're on to how the sound is received and processed. How frequency is discriminated, how intensity is encoded. You have to remember that nerves only fire on or off, and so there are various schemes for encoding what you hear. Frequency or pitch can be encoded by phase locking to the signal and the nerve firing on every cycle. However this can only work for a small range, as the nerves themselves have a limited firing rate - therefore the position from cochlea to brain is preserved to allow placement to mark frequency. Similarly for intensity, although it all gets a bit complicated. Then there is the whole subject of processing - how do you know a sound is coming from the left or right, front/back, up down.
Finally as a wrap up to sound a chapter on the perception of sound.
All this is supplemented by another book full of essays about each topic that you are directed to read at the appropriate time, which go into far more depth on the subject.
The last chapter looks at the sense of balance, and how that works. Detection of being the right way up, and acceleration and how that is linked to other senses, such as turning your head towards a sound (very useful if you are potential dinner). It will come up again linked to vision where there is a special circuit to keep your eyes focused on something despite moving your head.
A very interesting book and topic.
It starts off discussing what sound is, and how it is quantified. It looks at waveforms and analysis of sounds, and what filters do. So with the basics in place, the process of hearing can be discussed.
The next chapter discusses the structure of the ear. The three major components, outer, middle and inner. Also what are the vital parts of it, and what goes where. Several diagrams and more than a few Latin names for tissues.
Next we're on to how the sound is received and processed. How frequency is discriminated, how intensity is encoded. You have to remember that nerves only fire on or off, and so there are various schemes for encoding what you hear. Frequency or pitch can be encoded by phase locking to the signal and the nerve firing on every cycle. However this can only work for a small range, as the nerves themselves have a limited firing rate - therefore the position from cochlea to brain is preserved to allow placement to mark frequency. Similarly for intensity, although it all gets a bit complicated. Then there is the whole subject of processing - how do you know a sound is coming from the left or right, front/back, up down.
Finally as a wrap up to sound a chapter on the perception of sound.
All this is supplemented by another book full of essays about each topic that you are directed to read at the appropriate time, which go into far more depth on the subject.
The last chapter looks at the sense of balance, and how that works. Detection of being the right way up, and acceleration and how that is linked to other senses, such as turning your head towards a sound (very useful if you are potential dinner). It will come up again linked to vision where there is a special circuit to keep your eyes focused on something despite moving your head.
A very interesting book and topic.
Sunday, 20 March 2011
SD329: Book 1
Book 1 actually contains the first two blocks. That is:
Block 1 - Introduction to the sensesand
Block 2 - The sensory nervous system.
The first block is a general introduction to the senses, it goes through the senses in overview and gives a taste of what will be coming up in the course. It coves a number of optical and other illusions that show how our senses can be fooled, a theme that reoccurs throughout the course.
Block 2 is more detailed, and goes into how the nervous system works. From the basic functioning of nerves and neurons, to the sensory apparatus that triggers things like touch and pain. It also covers the general layout of nerves in the body, what goes where, how they are interconnected. Afferent and efferent, which I'm destined to get mixed up through the rest of the course.
It then finishes with a chapter devoted to imaging the brain, which takes us through the basics of EEG, SQUIDS, PET and fMRI. So Not a bad introduction, and a taste of what's to come.
Friday, 18 March 2011
SXR208: Day 7
Day 7 - wrap up
Nothing special today except for a wrap up meeting in the hotel at 2pm. So a chance to catch up on sleep until then with no project reading to be done. I think by now we were all pretty tired, so the chance of sleeping in until late was good. We ventured out for some breakfast/lunch at about midday, I can't remember what we had.
Then we went to the bar area to meet up for the final briefing. Here we had to get the final details, and also let them know what project we were going to write up.
Finally a photo by the swimming pool - I don't think anyone had ventured into it, but it made a nice foredrop.
I could go on to tell you about the drinks in the local bar that night, the um slightly odd "live" music they had in the bar, and those people who stayed there till 4am and nearly missed their flight, but I won't bother.
Nothing special today except for a wrap up meeting in the hotel at 2pm. So a chance to catch up on sleep until then with no project reading to be done. I think by now we were all pretty tired, so the chance of sleeping in until late was good. We ventured out for some breakfast/lunch at about midday, I can't remember what we had.
Then we went to the bar area to meet up for the final briefing. Here we had to get the final details, and also let them know what project we were going to write up.
Finally a photo by the swimming pool - I don't think anyone had ventured into it, but it made a nice foredrop.
I could go on to tell you about the drinks in the local bar that night, the um slightly odd "live" music they had in the bar, and those people who stayed there till 4am and nearly missed their flight, but I won't bother.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
SXR208: Day 6
Day 6 - CMD of clusters
The last proper lab session tonight - and looking like the skies are clearing too. If so this could be a really good session. We have to look at clusters, two open and one globular. This was our final night and would be assessed from beginning to end.
We started by selecting 3 different choices of nebula, with a couple of backups. We hoped to get M35, M67 and M3. We then worked a plan of observing together with our darks, flats and biases we would need.
We then set about the task of getting the nights images. What cloud there was seemed to be quickly fading and things were looking good.
We took our calibration frames quickly and then searched for a reference star nearby the target to synchronise the telescope to. We had to wait for the cloud to shift, and at the same time the team in the labs were producing finding charts for the object chosen so we'd know it when we found it.
We found our first target and took several images of it, in both the V and V bands using filters for M35.
We were going to try our second open cluster, but to our horror found it was right next to the full moon. So we skipped that one for now and went on to look at the globular cluster, M3.
We got some good images of this, in both bands, and sent them off for analysis by the team in the lab.
We then had our midnight snack, and by now the moon had moved a bit, and we wondered if we might get our final target. It looked a little close, but we gave it a shot, and it worked out OK.
We were then going to try for one of our secondary targets, but the telescope went a little weird, it reset itself and decided it was now midday in 2002 so all our coordinates were off. This despite being equipped with GPS. The course director took a look at it, but decided it couldn't be fixed right now - seemed to be an issue with power sources. Anyway, we had enough data, so we all joined in on the analysis.
After gathering data from lots of selected stars, and plotting them on a graph, we were able to make a reasonable Hertzsprung Russel diagram with a part of the main sequence and the red giant turn off arm. This allowed us to estimate the age of each of the clusters, although our error bars were pretty huge.
However it was a very successful night, and with more data and more processing time we could have got a better estimate. A very positive end to the weeks observing. Back to the hotel and a quick walk on the beach at 5:30 in the morning - it was empty! The skies were a little light polluted too - so we could only see the main constellations, and the moon we'd hoped would be nestling over the water had set. So we all went to bed!
The last proper lab session tonight - and looking like the skies are clearing too. If so this could be a really good session. We have to look at clusters, two open and one globular. This was our final night and would be assessed from beginning to end.
We started by selecting 3 different choices of nebula, with a couple of backups. We hoped to get M35, M67 and M3. We then worked a plan of observing together with our darks, flats and biases we would need.
We then set about the task of getting the nights images. What cloud there was seemed to be quickly fading and things were looking good.
We took our calibration frames quickly and then searched for a reference star nearby the target to synchronise the telescope to. We had to wait for the cloud to shift, and at the same time the team in the labs were producing finding charts for the object chosen so we'd know it when we found it.
We found our first target and took several images of it, in both the V and V bands using filters for M35.
We got some good images of this, in both bands, and sent them off for analysis by the team in the lab.
We then had our midnight snack, and by now the moon had moved a bit, and we wondered if we might get our final target. It looked a little close, but we gave it a shot, and it worked out OK.
We were then going to try for one of our secondary targets, but the telescope went a little weird, it reset itself and decided it was now midday in 2002 so all our coordinates were off. This despite being equipped with GPS. The course director took a look at it, but decided it couldn't be fixed right now - seemed to be an issue with power sources. Anyway, we had enough data, so we all joined in on the analysis.
However it was a very successful night, and with more data and more processing time we could have got a better estimate. A very positive end to the weeks observing. Back to the hotel and a quick walk on the beach at 5:30 in the morning - it was empty! The skies were a little light polluted too - so we could only see the main constellations, and the moon we'd hoped would be nestling over the water had set. So we all went to bed!
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