Katelyn+T.

__Wikipost #1- Genetics __ =October 11th, 2013 =

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome

 For my Wikipost on genetics I thought it would be interesting to do it on a rare genetic disorder. Well, I certainly found one. Have you ever heard of Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS) or Progeria? Me either until I started my research on the topic. The word Progeria comes from the Greek work progeros meaning "prematurely old". It is an extremely rare and fatal genetic disorder that affects children and makes them appear to have accelerated aging. **Causes** Progeria is caused by a rare mutation of the gene Lamin A, a protein that holds the nucleus of cells together. This mutation is thought to occur in the sperm before conception. Doctors believe that the mutation of the Lamin A protein makes the nucleus unstable which seems to be harmful on the tissues routinely subject to intense physical force which leads to the process of premature aging.



**Signs of Progeria ** Children that suffer with Progeria are born looking healthy, but the signs of accelerated aging start to appear when they are about 10 to 24 months old. Some of the signs of Progeria incude:
 * Growth failure
 * Loss of body fat
 * Loss of hair
 * Skin starts to look aged
 * Stiffness in the joints
 * Hip dislocation
 * Stroke



Some health care professionals can suspect Progeria if the signs and symptoms are there—aging skin, loss of hair, stiffness of joints. etc; however, the Progeria Research Foundation has created a genetic test that can confirm the genetic disorder. Scientists now know that Progeria is caused by a change of only one letter in the billions of letters that make up the human genome so they can diagnose the disorder much earlier and easier.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">Diagnosis **



**<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">Treatment ** <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">It is reported that approximately 1 in every 4 to 8 million newborns are born with Progeria with the average age of death being 13 years old. Unfortunately, there isn’t a cure for Progeria yet, but doctors do know that daily care makes a huge difference in the quality of the child’s life. Proper nutritional, physical and occupational therapies along with preventative cardiac and other care are essential. media type="custom" key="24008498"

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">If you're interested in learning more information on Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome or you would like to donate to the Progeria Research Foundation here are some additional resources for you: [] [] [] []

References [] [] [] []

=__<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Wikipost #2 - Evolution __= =<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.5;">November 29th, 2013 =

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">Evolution of Music

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">**What is Music?** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"> According to dictionary.com, music is “an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color”. Music comes in many different styles in our society today; there’s rap, rock, jazz, country, pop, heavy metal and so many more. How did all these different forms of music arise? The answer to that would have to be evolution. Music has evolved dramatically over the years and that is why we are lucky enough to have this much variety. **<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">History of Music ** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"> There are several theories about when music first appeared; most people believe that music has been around since before even man existed. Historiographers have divided musical history into six time periods that they believe created a style of music that has contributed to our music today.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">The first time period is the called the Middle Ages. It was during this time period that the Christian Church came to dominate Europe by administering justice, founding Universities and dictating the destiny of music, art and literature. It was also during this time that music notation began as well as the birth of polyphony; which is music that has two or more independent melodies that are woven together.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">Next, we have the //**Renaissance Era**// from 1420 to 1600. During this time there was a great cultural awakening and the arts, letter and sciences became very important throughout Europe. Sacred music also began to break free of the confines of the Church and there was a school of composers training in the Netherlands that mastered polyphony. Secular music flourished in the Renaissance era and instrumental and dance music was performed regularly.

The //**Baroque Age**// (1600 to 1750) saw composers beginning to rebel against the styles that were common during High Renaissance. During this time, many monarchs had composers at their courts that were seen little more than servants that were to churn out music for any desired occasion. The greatest composer of the period and that is still known today in music history was Johann Sebastian Bach. It was here that the genre of opera was created and also the instrumental concerto became popular.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">From 1750 to 1820 we have what historiographers called the //**Classical Period**//. <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">Artists, architects and musicians moved away from the heavily ornamented styles and instead they began to use a clean, uncluttered style. The piano was undoubtedly the primary instrument used by composers   <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; text-align: right;">during the Classical Period and the idea of the orchestral symphony was developed with simpler melodies and  <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5; text-align: right;">forms such as the sonatas.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">The //**Romantic Era**// is thought to be between 1800 and 1900. It was here that composers broke new musical ground by adding a new emotional depth to music. It is characterized by using music to tell a story or to express and idea. Also the use of various instruments, including wind instruments, became popular. Melodies became fuller and more dramatic. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">Finally we have the //**20th Century**// that brought on many innovations on how music was performed and appreciated. Artists became more willing to experiment on new music forms and they started to use technology to enhance their compositions. The most popular music styles were impressionistic, the 12-tone system and neoclassical music.

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">**Today's Music** <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"> Today’s music is quite different from the music <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">in the past years. In the 21st century we now have <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">machines and different programs that can alter the  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">sound of a person’s voice. In my opinion, the music <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">we are listening to today is not as pure as what our  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">grandparents and great-grandparents would have  <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">heard. However, we are lucky to have the different <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"> varieties in music that we do. Everyone is unique <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">just based on their choice of music style. <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">**Here is a video of Pentatonix that shows the evolution of music!** media type="custom" key="24547078"

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">For more information on the evolution of music, visit these websites! <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">[] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">[] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5;">[]

<span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;">For the lyrics to the song Evolution of Music by Pentatonix visit: <span style="display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: left;"> [] <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">References: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">[] [] [] []

=__Wikipost #3 - The Nervous System__= January 19th, 2014 <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">The Nervous System



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">The brain is the boss of the body. It controls what you think and feel, how you learn and remember, and the way you move and talk, but also many things you’re less aware of, like the beating of your heart, the digestion of your food and even the amount of stress you feel. I want you to think of the brain as a computer for the body that controls all of its functions. Now, if the brain is the computer, the nervous system would be the network that relays messages back and forth from the brain to different parts of the body. The nervous system is made up of specialized cells that transmit nerve impulses called neurons. There are also three different types of neurons; sensory, motor and interneurons.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">The nervous system is made up of the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The Central Nervous System is made up of the brain and the spinal cord. It receives messages from the rest of the body and decides what to do with it. The Peripheral Nervous System consists of the sensory and motor neurons; it conveys messages from the outside of the body.



<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">The PNS is divided into two parts: somatic and autonomic. The somatic system is the part of the Peripheral Nervous System responsible for carrying sensory and motor information to and from the Central Nervous System. It is also responsible for voluntary movement, such as speech, walking, etc. The autonomic system is the part of the PNS responsible for regulating involuntary body functions, such as blood flow, heartbeat, digestion and breathing. This system is further divided into two branches: the sympathetic system and the parasympathetic system.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">The sympathetic nervous system activates what is often known as the fight or flight response, in other words it’s when your body gets all worked up. Some effects you may experience from the sympathetic nervous system are pupil dilation, increased sweating, increased heart rate, and increased blood pressure.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">The parasympathetic nervous system is also known as the rest and digests system; it is the system that calms your body down. Some effects you may experience due to the parasympathetic nervous system are that it slows the heart rate, increases intestinal and gland activity, and relaxes muscles.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">Here is a video that further explains the Nervous system: media type="custom" key="24928404"

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;">For more information on the Nervous System visit: [|http://kidshealth.org/teen/your_body/body_basics/brain_nervous_system.html?tracking=T_RelatedArticle#] [] [] To explore the nerves in your Nervous System with interactive pictures visit: []

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 16px;"> References: [] [|http://kidshealth.org/parent/general/body_basics/brain_nervous_system.html#] [] []