Neurobiology of Aging and the Diagnosis of Generalized Degenerative Dis

The neurological deficits of aging may be viewed from a developmental perspective. That is, the decline in functional efficiency and deterioration of highly specialized non-dividing neuronal cells is the end point of a maturation process that occurs throughout adult life. Involution to senescence is a normal, inevitable, and inexorable physiological march; the end phase of which is expressed in generally predictable and specifically unpredictable ways. The earliest of these developmental changes occurs long before senescence and the effects of these physiological events quietly accumulate toward expression late in life. There is a relationship between chronological age and the developmental dimensions of human life, including behavior and intelligence. This relationship begins at conception, and is at that point the only moment when there is exact correspondence between chronology and development. Afterwards, behavior or structural differentiation have shifting reference points: one with some structural differentiation or performance milestone already achieved, the other with the time chronology (age) of the organism. Development refers to a continuum of lifelong biological and psychological processes. Neurological development along the biological scale is swift and complex during the prenatal period and small units of time constitute considerable change. In infancy, there is less neurological change as compared to prenatal development, but it is considerably more than those changes that occur in adult life. Indeed, in adult life, neurological development largely constitutes a diminution in function . Nonetheless, until the onset of senescence, in the absence of organic brain pathology, psychological development and learning co... ...otein and the neurofibrillary pathology of Alzheimer’s disease. TINS. 1993; 16 (11): 460-465. 5.Goldman, J., Cote, L. Aging of the Brain: Dementia of the Alzheimer’s Type. Chapter 62 (reference incomplete). 6.Hansen, L. A. Deteresa, R. Davies, P. I., and Terry, R. D. Neocortical morphometry, lesion counts, and choline acetyl-transferase levels in the age spectrum of Alzheimer’s disease. Neurology, 38: 48-54. 7. Human, B. T., Van Hoesen, G.W., Damasio, A. R. and Barnes, C. L. Alzheimer’s disease: Cell specific pathology isolates the hippocampal formation. Science, 225: 1168-1170. 8. Miyakawa, T., Katsuragi, K., Yamashita, K., Ohuchi, K. Morphological study of amyloid fibrils and preamyloid deposits in the brain with Alzheimer’s disease. Acta Neuropathologica, 1992; 83: 340-346. 9. Rossor, M. Alzheimer’s disease. Brit. Med. J., 1993; 321: 779-782.

Are Gmos Good for Our Health Essay

So, its been a long day, your exhausted, really hungry, and don’t think too much about what you want to eat. You just know that you will go for anything tasty that is fast and easy to make. Choosing what we we want to eat in this way should be familiar to all of us, its the American way: We want it and we want it now, and it always has to be better, faster, and last longer. Due to our forever growing population this demand only gets stronger and stronger; alas our creation of genetically modified organisms. The dominating corporate in charge called Monsanto promised to create this ‘miracle’ food that will feed countries around the world, last longer, and make our diets healthier. After finding out that these genetically modified foods can cause health problems and aren’t provided enough for the malnourished, third world countries, can we really say that the creation of GMOs are living up to what Monsanto is telling us? One of the main defenses for GMOs is to help out third world countries; places where starvation and malnutrition hit the hardest. An article for Times magazine titled Grains of Hope illustrates all the excitement and hope that GMOs will solve world hunger. Reporting that the new GM strain in rice creates a new species of rice called Golden Rice. â€Å"This new rice produces beta-carotene, which the human body converts into Vitamin A. † â€Å" Nearly a million children die every year because they are weakened by Vitamin A deficiency and an additional 350,000 go blind† (Robbins, 2012, pg 1). You would think that this golden rice would be the answer to all malnutrition problems, but unfortunately it is not. According to a New York Times article titled Can GMOs Help End world Hunger? , â€Å"golden rice will not grow in the kinds of soil that it must to feed the hungry. To grow properly, it requires heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides. For the poor, developing countries it is unaffordable. Plus the heavy amounts of pesticides could travel into the bloodstreams of people and make them resistant to essential antibiotics. Research shows that â€Å"an eleven year old boy would have to eat twenty-seven bowls of golden rice a day in order to satisfy his minimum requirement for the vitamin† (Robbins, 2012, pg 2). The Monsanto Corporation and other biotechnology companies have invested billions of dollars to gain control over what we eat. Their main goal is not to feed the world but to retrieve maximum profit. Part of how their doing so is by ‘monopolizing’ farmers. They do so by creating a Technology Protection System. This system creates â€Å"terminator seeds. †These seeds are altered so that they are sterile. Meaning that after the crop grows, it will not produce more seeds for farmers to harvest and grow next season. Instead, they have to buy more seeds over and over again. Due to the corporate patenting and monopolization of GM seeds, farmers also have to use excessive amounts of chemicals on their crops. â€Å"It is frequently argued that the high debt incurred by Indian farmers and resultant farmer suicides (over 250,000 since 1997) have largely resulted from the need to purchase costly pesticides and expensive seeds each year because they contain a ‘terminator’ gene† (Todhunter,2012). In the earlier times of GMOs, many farmers couldn’t wait to try out these products because the World Health Organization came out and said that they benefited agriculture productivity, human health and revived infertile crops. The World Health Organization stated in their article, Weighing in the GMO Arguments: For, â€Å"Genetically engineered resistance to pests and diseases could greatly reduce the chemicals needed for crop protection. Farmers are already growing maize cotton and potatoes that no longer have to be sprayed with bacterial insecticide. They also included that removing lignin found in trees will get rid of toxic chemicals in paper and wood made products, being healthier for people and the environment. WHO also goes on to add that â€Å"Genetic modification to become more tolerant of salt [found in infertile soil] and drought. † An article I found to support these findings called GM crops ‘aid plant neighbours’ talks about a study done in ch ina where they modified strains of cotton DNA so that the crops could make their own insecticide and solve pest problems. The results were positive, the insecticide Bacillus Thuringiensis, caused a reduction in the use of insecticide because it got rid of the cotton bollworm, a major pest to cotton. The newly engineered cotton also created greater biodiversity by attracting more lady bugs, causing the population of aphids, another cotton pest, to decrease. In the article, an advocate for organic farming shares that she agrees with the modified cotton because â€Å"organic farmers avoid pesticides by using natural processes to encourage beneficial predators. Getting rid of pests by introducing predators and reducing the use of pesticides is very similar to organic processes. † The new pest resistant crop may have been beneficial for a little while but as time went on they are began to build up in our bloodstreams. A recent study done by researchers from the University of Sherbrooke Hospital Centre in Quebec, Canada found that ninety-three percent of maternal blood and eighty percent of fetal cord blood test positive for the Bt toxin Cry1ab, Proving that transgenic materials are not effectively broken down and eliminated during digestion. Another harmful chemical 3-MMPA, showed up in 100 percent of pregnant women’s bloodstreams. The chemical 3-MMPA is produced when our bodies metabolize gluphosinate, also found in GMOs. A study done in Europe found that gluphosinate can cause cancer, DNA damaged, and reproductive toxicity. Another recent study done by European researchers found that after feeding rats a diet of GM corn through out their lifetime have developed tumors all over their body and died prematurely. One thing Monsanto might try to tell you is that there are no long term affects to genetically modified products. Truth is, over years and years of Americans eating meat been changed overtime so that it is plumper and lasts longer has caused a growing epidemic that especially effects children. The additives we have been consuming were designed to have longer shelf lives, but the chemicals added also mimic human hormones that have estrogenic qualities and anabolic steroids. Because of these increased uses in poultry production children are starting puberty earlier and earlier. The article, Additives and Hormones in Our Food: A Growing Epidemic that effects Our Children, Includes a table showing how the trend of the onset age for puberty decreasing; showing that in 1970 the onset age for puberty was 12. 6 years old. In 2000, that number decreased to 9. 8 years old. Another growing the epidemic that is not only effecting America’s children but America as a whole is obesity. And guess what, chemicals added to our food are linked to that too. Based off of what Stephen Perrine, author of New American Diet, â€Å"We have all sorts of chemicals put into our newly, genetically engineered foods. † The Pesticides, antibiotics and growth hormones that make our food more resistant to diseases and environmental stress contain obesogens. According to Perrine, â€Å"obesogens can cause heart disease,diabetes,obesity and high cholesterol. Most of the obesogens come from pesticides, non-organic produce, and GM corn-fed beef and chicken. For many years, GMOs seemed to be a great idea because they benefited agriculture productivity, human health and revived infertile crops. The whole intention for the creation of GMOs are great, they have proven to last longer and get rid of major pests and all but the fact that these modified organisms have caused major health problems to our people and haven’t benefited our poorer countries as they were suppose to, the invention of genetically modified organisms have done more bad than good. With that, people should be more careful about what they choose to eat. So, the next time you head out to go grocery shopping, look for labels for 100 percent organic foods, or go to the farmer’s market where everything is locally grown.

Stanford University Acceptance Rate, SAT/ACT Scores, GPA

Stanford University, a private research institution, is one of the most selective universities in the nation with an acceptance rate of 4.4%. Founded by Jane and Leland Stanford in 1885, Stanford University is located between San Francisco and San Jose in the Silicon Valley area of California. With over 7,000 undergraduates and nearly 9,500 graduate students, Stanford has a diverse and bustling campus. For its strengths in the liberal arts and sciences, Stanford was awarded a chapter of  Ã¢â‚¬â€¹Phi Beta Kappa, and its strength in research has earned it membership in the  Association of American Universities. Considering applying to this highly selective school? Here are the Stanford admissions statistics you should know. Why Stanford University Location: Stanford, CaliforniaCampus Features: Stanfords 8,180-acre campus is home to nearly 700 buildings, many built in the universitys striking Romanesque Revival architectural style. 93% of students live on campus.Student/Faculty Ratio: 5:1Athletics: The Stanford Cardinal compete in the NCAA Division I Pacific 12 Conference.Highlights: Stanford ranks as one of the top universities in the U.S.; its selectivity rivals Harvard. The university has strengths from the arts and humanities to engineering, and its $26 billion endowment gives it ample resources for financial aid. Acceptance Rate During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, Stanford had an acceptance rate of 4.4%. This means that for every 100 students who applied, 4 students were admitted, making Stanfords admissions process highly competitive. Admissions Statistics (2017-18) Number of Applicants 47,451 Percent Admitted 4.4% Percent Admitted Who Enrolled (Yield) 82% SAT Scores and Requirements Stanford requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 69% of admitted students submitted SAT scores. SAT Range (Admitted Students) Section 25th Percentile 75 Percentile ERW 700 770 Math 720 800 ERW=Evidence-Based Reading and Writing This admissions data tells us that most of Stanfords admitted students fall within the top 7% nationally on the SAT. For the evidence-based reading and writing section, 50% of students admitted to Stanford scored between 700 and 770, while 25% scored below 700 and 25% scored above 770. On the math section, 50% of admitted students scored between 720 and 800, while 25% scored below 720 and 25% scored a perfect 800. Applicants with a composite SAT score of 1570 or higher will have particularly competitive chances at Stanford. Requirements Stanford does not require the SAT writing section. Note that Stanford participates in the scorechoice program, which means that the admissions office will consider your highest score from each individual section across all SAT test dates. At Stanford, SAT Subject tests are optional; applicants may submit scores if they believe they will add to their application. ACT Scores and Requirements Stanford requires that all applicants submit either SAT or ACT scores. During the 2017-18 admissions cycle, 55% of admitted students submitted ACT scores. ACT Range (2017-18) Section 25th Percentile 75th Percentile English 34 36 Math 30 35 Composite 32 35 This admissions data tells us that most of Stanfords admitted students fall within the top 3% nationally on the ACT. The middle 50% of students admitted to Stanford received a composite ACT score of between 32 and 35, while 25% scored above 35 and 25% scored below 32. Requirements Stanford does not require the ACT writing section.  Unlike many universities, Stanford superscores ACT results; your highest subscores from multiple ACT sittings will be considered. GPA In 2018, Stanford Universitys incoming freshman class had an average high school GPA of 3.95. These results suggest that most successful applicants to Stanford have primarily A grades Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph Stanford University Applicants Self-Reported GPA/SAT/ACT Graph. Data courtesy of Cappex.   The admissions data in the graph is self-reported by applicants to Stanford University. GPAs are unweighted. Find out how you compare to accepted students, see the real-time graph, and calculate your chances of getting in with a free Cappex account. Admissions Chances Stanford University has a highly competitive admissions pool with a low acceptance rate and high average SAT/ACT scores. However, Stanford has a holistic admissions process involving other factors beyond your grades and test scores. A strong application essay and glowing letters of recommendation can strengthen your application, as can participation in meaningful extracurricular activities and a rigorous course schedule. Students with particularly compelling stories or achievements can still receive serious consideration even if their test scores are outside Stanfords average range. In the graph above, you can see that the blue and green dots representing accepted students are concentrated in the upper right corner. Most students who get accepted to Stanford have A averages, SAT scores (ERWM) above 1200, and ACT composite scores above 25 (more common are SAT scores over 1400 and ACT scores over 30). It is important to note many students with 4.0 GPAs and extremely high standardized test scores are rejected by Stanford. For this reason, a highly selective school like Stanford should be considered a reach school even if your grades and test scores are on target for admission.   All admissions data has been sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics and Stanford University Undergraduate Admissions Office.