“Tell me Jason, what is your meaning of love ? Is it the love you have for your family ? Is it the love you have for that special someone or something ? or what about that 1920’s kind of love.” “What is the 1920’s kind of love ?” Jason replied. It’s a type of love that brings light in your darkest moments, the happiness you get when you open a present on Christmas morning, or the happiness you get when you see your mother truly smile. “Wow,” Jason said. As Jason sat contemplating on what to write I told Jason to think about it more before writing his letter to his girlfriend Cailea.
The Hawaiian dolphins: Nai’a
By: Aric Agullana
Scientific Name: Stenella Longirostris.
Spinner dolphins are probably the most frequently encountered cetacean in nearshore waters of the Pacific Islands Region. Spinner dolphins received their common name because they are often seen leaping and spinning out of the water.
Behaviors that spinner dolphins display
Spinner dolphins feed at night on species including small fish, shrimp, and squid that are found about 650 to 1,000 feet below the surface of the water. Spinner dolphin prey species follow a vertical and horizontal migration pattern, staying in deep waters in the ocean during the day, and then moving up in the water column and inshore at night. Spinner dolphins produce a wide variety of signals: echolocation clicks, “screams”, burst-pulse sounds and harmonic and non-harmonic whistles. Vocalization rate varies between social contexts. The highest is at night
Movement patterns in Hawaii
In Hawai‘i, as in other areas where spinners have been studied, groups enter the near-shore, bay or lagoon shallows daily to rest and socialize, returning to deeper offshore waters at night to forage. the shallow, sandy-bottom and/or sheltered areas, serve as rest habitat, likely providing increased protection against predation from large sharks. During rest, a group of dolphins surfaces and dives synchronously in tight formation with little acoustic or aerial behavior.
The effects of human interactions
Hawaiian spinner dolphins are especially vulnerable to human disturbance. In Hawai‘i free-ranging spinner dolphins have been observed to actively avoid vessels, and short-term behavioral changes have been observed due to approaches by swimmers and kayaks when dolphins are resting. In recent years, efforts by humans to interact with spinner dolphins in Hawai‘i have increased and a recent comparison of the residency of the spinners in Kealakekua Bay on the Big Island shows a decrease in the proportion of days the dolphins occupy the bay.
Humans introduce sound intentionally and unintentionally into the marine environment. This could be from commercial and recreational ocean activities, navigation, oil and gas exploration and acquisition, research, and military activities. These noises can seriously disrupt communication, navigational ability, and social patterns.
Works Cited
Fisheries, NOAA. “Spinner Dolphin.” NOAA, http://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/spinner-dolphin#:~:text=Spinner%20dolphin%20prey%20species%20follow,(horizontal%20migration)%20at%20night.
“Hawai’i Marine Mammal Consortium.” Spinner Dolphin | Hawai’i Marine Mammal Consortium, http://www.hmmc.org/MarMammSpp/Spinner/Spinner.html.
Exercise and how it could improve your Cognitive Function
What is Cognitive Function and why is it important?
It is your social and everyday behavior. Well in deeper terms it’s your ability to perceive and react, process and understand, store and retrieve information, make decisions and produce appropriate responses.
It’s important to us because throughout our lives our cognitive functions our constantly developing and as we age some of these functions tend to decline as neurons start to die and the mechanism that replace these neurons die as well.
Factors the benefit that decline of our Cognitive Functions.
- Aging: The most common decline. With the average brain shrinking by approximately five per cent per decade after the age of 40.
- Brain Damage
- APOE-e4: A specific gene that is linked to Alzheimer’s
- Substance use and abuse such as smoking and alcohol
- Lack of Physical Exercise
- Self Isolation: Which could lead to Dementia
- Malnutrition
- Medication Side effects: Many medications interfere with proper brain function. Sedatives, tranquilizers, and anticholinergic medications are the most common.
- Depressions, Stress, and Anxiety
Exercise and how it helps with your Cognitive Function
Exercise helps improve the brains memory and thinking skills indirectly and directly. Directly by reducing inflammation and releasing chemicals in the brain that affect the health of brain cells, the growth of new blood vessels in the brain, and even the abundance and survival of new brain cells. Indirectly, exercise improves mood and sleep, and reduces stress and anxiety. Problems in these areas frequently cause or contribute to cognitive impairment.
Exercise also helps the brain create new neurons in the hippocampus which is a key structure to learning and memory.
Studies on Exercise and the benefits it has on our Cognitive Function.
A study was conducted on older adults on the meta-analysis on physical activity and risk of neurodegenerative disease that involved 16 prospective studies of 163,797 participants without dementia. Among participants who were physically active, there was a 28% reduction in risk of dementia and a 45% reduction in Alzheimer’s disease. A later meta-analytic review of 21 longitudinal studies of 89,205 adults over the age of 40 also found that higher levels of physical activity was associated with reduced risk of cognitive decline and dementia.
Another study at the University of British Columbia found that aerobic exercise that gets your heart pumping and body sweating which appears to boost the size of the hippocampus.
A study was found that 20 minutes of yoga improves the accuracy and speed on memory test.
Exercise is shown to improve your mood and reduce stress and other risk factors that contribute to cognitive decline.
Simple exercises that you can do.
The CDC recommends that adults should workout at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise every week.
- Walking/Running
- Swimming
- Cleaning out your house
- Dancing
- Anything that get’s you heart pumping will count as an Exercise!!
References
“Use It or Lose It: Preventing Cognitive Decline.” Winchester Hospital, http://www.winchesterhospital.org/health-library/article?id=30032.
Godman, Heidi. “Regular Exercise Changes the Brain to Improve Memory, Thinking Skills.” Harvard Health Blog, 26 June 2020, http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/regular-exercise-changes-brain-improve-memory-thinking-skills-201404097110.
Kernisan, Leslie, et al. “Cognitive Impairment in Aging: 10 Causes & What the Doctor Should Check.” Better Health While Aging, 16 Dec. 2019, betterhealthwhileaging.net/cognitive-impairment-causes-and-how-to-evaluate/.
“What Is Cognition & Cognitive Behaviour – Cambridge Cognition.” What Is Cognition & Cognitive Behaviour – Cambridge Cognition | Cambridge Cognition, 19 Aug. 2015, http://www.cambridgecognition.com/blog/entry/what-is-cognition.
“How Exercise Improves Cognitive Function and Overall Brain Health.” Sunwarrior, sunwarrior.com/blogs/health-hub/improve-cognitive-function-exercise.
Game on the line
One game, one move is all it takes for something to happen. As the score was tied at fifty-five with 14 seconds left before the game ends. I could hear my coach yelling man up!!. When the ref blew the whistle the opponent had to inbound the ball and a shot to end the game. Number four was dribbling trying to find a way to end the game with one shot as he dribbled past my teammate he shot the ball and everyone on the court looked to see if this was the shot to win the game. With 5.3 seconds left in the game my teammate grabbed the missed shot he passed the ball to me and I ran like hell to try to score the game winning shot. As I went for the layup I could hear the ref’s whistle and look back at my miss shot I could hear my coach say knock this shot down. Walking to the line I could feel the pressure of everyone the crowd
PLACE THAT CHANGED
Near my house is a stream that has been there before I was even born. One time I remember when my grandpa was getting all the fishing supplies ready one time and I asked him “what he was doing?” “I’m taking you fishing” he said. These was the times that me and my grandpa would bond. We would spend at least an hour and half in the stream and we would at least catch five to six fishes and would take them back home to show my grandma. I would also keep the fishes but they would end up dying a week later. Now this stream is all overgrown and is harder to walk down to the spot.
Homemade AHI
When I was younger my grandparents would set up the drive way with two large coolers, three large tables, with a set of knives, a cutting board, and my grandparents radio. This is when I knew homemade ahi is in the making. I would watch my grandpa grabbing the ahi from the coolers and my grandma getting ready to cut up the fish into small cubes with classical songs playing in the background. “Grab the tray” my grandpa would say to me and I would quickly run into the house to get the tray’s for the fish. Then when all the fish was cut up both my grandparents and I would then create our own spicy and shoyu poke.
Envelope
During spring break of 2019 I went to my friends party and all of us were underage but we were drinking. I ended up drinking way more alcohol than I should have and started walking on the street and I started running without a shirt and hiding from my friends in between the cars that were parked on the street. Then one of my friends yelled “YO get the fuck down the cops are coming.” Then my dumbass didn’t listen and stood up and said “Fuck you.” and when the cop car passed me I sobered up and waved at them while still being shirtless and I then ran back into my friends house.
Fantasy Scene
When I walked into my apartment this strange person with a hoodie was standing right next to my window. I quickly grabbed a flower vase and as I was about to throw the vase he turned around and said “My Queen”. “What did you say?” I replied. “My Queen” he repeated. “I ain’t no queen!”. “Yes you are the queen of the elves.” He said, and he took off his hoodie which revealed his pointed ears and knelt down before me. “Get up I’m not a queen!!!” I said. “You are and we need your help in fighting the giants who want to take over the kingdom.” He replied, and he started speaking in this weird language and did some kind of movement with his hands and I blacked out and all I could see is memories that I never knew I had. When I woke up I was surrounded by a bunch of elves in a really nice bedroom. Later the elf I meant earlier said “we need you to help fight off against the giants that is invading the kingdom”.
SAD but FUNNY
It was a normal shitty day at the zoo. While I was doing my normal walk around the koala section, I saw this elderly lady trying to take a selfie with the koalas and out of nowhere she collapsed to the floor and I quickly rushed to her to see if she was okay. When I got to her I checked on her pulse and nothing was there at all and I started to panic. I called 911 and told them this old lady has collapsed and I think she died. “Where is your location?” The officer said. “The zoo.” I replied. “Officers are en route to your location.” The officer replied. As I was waiting for the officers to come I checked for her pulse again and nothing was there. When the medics came to the zoo one of the medics pronounced she was dead at the scene due to a heart attack.
Something Lost and hard to replace
Throughout high school I cared about the one thing it wasn’t my grades or a girl it was the game of basketball. My passion for the game ran deeper than the 6am and 8pm workouts, the broken bones I suffered, or the games I’ve won and lost. It was the dedication, the friendships I’ve made, the love of the game that I’ve built throughout the fours years I spent playing. I remember the time I scored thirteen points in a game and also winning the game with a single free-throw. The game that meant so dear to me all gone with a single turn of a tassel.
Funny but sad story. 3/3
It was a normal shitty work day at the zoo. While I was doing my normal walk around the koala section, I saw this elderly lady trying to take a selfie with the koalas and out of nowhere she collapsed to the floor and I quickly rushed to her to see if she was okay. When I got to her I checked on her pulse and nothing was there at all and I started to panic. I called 911 and told them this old lady has collapsed and I think she died. “Where is your location?” The officer said. “The zoo.” I replied. “Officers are en route to your location.” The officer replied. As I was waiting for the officers to come I checked for her pulse again and nothing was there. When the officers came to the zoo the officers pronounced she was dead at the scene due to a heart attack.
Aric's ENG 204 Blog 