Part 1: Creating a Graphene Supercapacitor Introduction

This is going to be series of blog posts on how to construct a set of graphene supercapacitors. Graphene has been coined as a “wonder” material ever since it’s accidental discovery, with superior strength, electrical conductivity; its applications seem endless. However, we are still in a very premature stage in our collective understanding of what graphene truly can do in the years to come.

One such application is that of high energy capacity supercapacitors, of which I will go into more detail soon. This series of posts will be broken up into materials lists, procedural lists, and an overview of both the nature of capacitors (and it’s derivatives) as well as graphene.

Two initial resources that one might find extremely helpful would include the following:

For the creation of graphene:

Graphene 101 by Robert Murray Smith ($4.99)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/304668

For learning about supercapacitors:

Supercapacitor 101 by Robert Murray Smith ($2.99)

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/306318

These are two excellent introductions into the world still being uncovered in this arena of material science, chemistry, and applied physics.

My answer to “Why is there a synaptic gap?” on Quora

I am going to try to answer this question using Reductionism and breaking down what a “synapse” is:So, in the human brain there are two primary types of “synapses”:

– Chemical Synapses: the most common of those found in the human brain, have a miniscule gap (called the “synaptic cleft”) between the pre- and post-synaptic neurons. Amongst this gap, chemicals that are produced in the soma of the cell, called Neurotransmitters are released by way of exocytosis ( a fancy word for membranous sacks releasing) into this small gap between neurons, and some are received (by way of receptors) into the post-synaptic cell, of which this process can either decrease or increase the potential (disparity between positive and negative charge amongst the inside and outside of the cell) and influence any further electrical, action potentials (the “firing” of the cell). Furthermore, the electrical current that caused the neurotransmitters to be released in the pre-synaptic cell, is released outside of the cell. There are a plethora of neurotransmitters and a nerve cell only makes/diffuses a specific neurotransmitter, already implicating a great diversity of neurons…which we will delve into later in this answer…

– Electrical Synapses: less common than chemical synapses, and have ion channels that connect the pre- and post- synaptic cells (i.e. there is a continuity between the two cells). Electrical transmissions are extremely rapid and typically bi-directional. The process of which can be shown below, and involves the transmission of an electrical current via “gap junction” channels that are highly conductive and low-resistant to electricity. Furthermore, in the post-synaptic cell features non-gated channels by which some of the electrical current will escape, reducing the electrical potential within the cell.

(a) Electrical Synapse                                   (b) Chemical Synapse

[1]

Now onto the true answer to the question, what is the purpose of these dang things?

Perhaps the most notable reason I could think of for the purpose of this is that of the purpose of sustainability and efficiency in the process of chemical neuro-transmission. The chemical synapse requires more processes than that of an electrical synapse, ( binding of neurotransmitters to vesicles, releasing of neurotransmitters into synaptic cleft, diffuse across cleft, potentially recycling through process of reuptake, etc… i.e: more processes than the simpler electrical synapse)…

Now, imagine a electrical current going through a small pre-synaptic cell, it reaches the synapse and “sees” (bare with me on the lack of technicality) a large post-synaptic cell, how is the subsequent, smaller electrical current going to achieve the threshold and initiate an action potential? Through chemical diffusion of thousands of neurotransmitters diffusing across this small synaptic cleft, of which permit amplification of the synaptic response, enabling a smaller pre-synaptic cell to trigger an action potential in a potentially, much larger post-synaptic cell. This further hints at the fact that there is such a immense diversity of neurons… that a synapse can efficiently and functionally connect different shaped, sized, etc. neurons and have neurotransmitters serve as the liaisons (in transmitting information) between the two different shaped, sized, neurons further hints at its purpose, especially as brains (cerebral cortices, specifically) have augmented in complexity over thousands and thousands of years.

Essentially, a synapse provides the most biologically efficient, robust, versatile (synapses can be modified) mechanism for information to be transmitted chemically and electrically in the brain…

Other reasons for which there is a synaptic gap would include ([2]):

– For chemical synapses, the synaptic gap ensures a unidirectional flow of electrical impulses.

– Permits a ‘refractory period’ of which the process of action potentials is bounded by a upper limit due to limit on neurotransmitter resourcers.. This ensues in sensory adaptation, e.g: you are not constantly stimulated because your shorts are touching your skin…

– Permits impulses to be distributed across multiple post-synaptic neurons and vice versa, multiple impulses can converge at a synapse…

– Further permit spatial summation (many pre-synaptic neurons’ impulses converge on a singular post-synaptic neuron reaching its threshold and firing an action potential) and temporal summation (a rapidly firing, single, pre-synaptic  neuron causes a post-synaptic neuron to fire an action potential) … ensuing in the grading of neural responses (i,e.: too “low” or “infrequent”, not important => don’t transmit).

[1] http://kin450-neurophysiology.wi…
[2] http://www.biologymad.com/nervou…

Does neural activity change in the brain if you exercise with closed eyes?

My answer, to: Does neural activity change in the brain if you exercise with closed eyes? on Quora…

Short answer: Your brain and the neural activity occurring within it is constantly changing, therefore the answer is “yes.”

Longer Answer:

When you exercise and close your eyes, you will lose a great sense of balance, as vision is crucial for proper balance and posture. However, despite your eyes being closed, your Visual Cortex will still be active, perhaps not as active as before, but active nonetheless, as you will be visualizing and creating some semblance of your surroundings based on visual memories. Also, the visual system is highly connected to other regions of the brain that are responsible for balance and sensory-motor coordination, as will be discussed further in this answer.

On the other hand, neural activity will most likely increase in the other areas responsible for sensory-motor coordination such as the semicircular canals that comprise your vestibular sense which can best be described in this paper called “Balanced Vision: How the Visual and Vestibular Systems Interact:”[2]

“Sometimes called the “balance system,” the vestibular system is located in the inner ear. It is the first fully myelinated sensorimotor system of the human body, and is fully functional at birth, because the mother’s movements during pregnancy stimulate vestibular development in the fetus.

The job of the vestibular system is to sense changes in motion. It is not a motion detector, but rather more of an accelerometer of sorts. It senses both linear and rotational acceleration/deceleration and gravity. It lets us know our position with gravity and whether or not we are moving. It registers linear motion through the utricles (mostly horizontal), and saccules (mostly vertical), which together make up organs called otoliths. Registration of rotary motion is through the six semicircular canals.

Stimulation of the otoliths releases serotonin producing calmness, relaxation and lowered tone. Stimulation of the semicircular canals releases adrenaline producing excitation, arousal and increased tone.”

and in areas of muscular proprioception and your kinesthetic sense. Kinesthetic sense can best be clarified in this article [4]:

[The Kinesthetic sense is] the sense that tells a home-run  hitter that the ball will go out of the park, because he hit the ball  just right & he knows before the crowd does that the ball is on the  way to the bleachers. The proprioceptors in his muscles as he swings the  bat send information to his brain, which puts together all the sensory  input and formulates based on past experience what feels right. Someone  like Sadaharu Oh, the Japanese baseball player who holds the all-time  world record of 868 home runs, would have an excellent sense of what it  feels like to hit a home run.  Like kinesthetic sense, proprioception  describes how much we know about where we are in space and where all of  our parts are in relationship to each other.

Our  kinesthetic sense helps us move with greater precision, avoid injuries,  and be fully present in the moment. This awareness assists us in healing  by enabling us to both consciously & unconsciously direct our  energy and healing activities like fluid and chemical exchanges more  effectively to an injured area. All sorts of factors will influence  human proprioception. The neural pathways in the brain give us an almost  unconscious sense of the right sequence of muscle contractions that  will cause our foot to take a step. Microscopic sensory receptors  throughout our bodies send information. Our mind sorts through and  processes this information in a complex way that science is only  beginning to understand fully. One thing is clear – greater body  awareness leads to improved function and better overall health.

The  neural pathways of kinesthetic sense become more ingrained through  repetition. It can be a challenging process to overcome habits or  tendencies ingrained in movement patterns. One movement pattern will  feel more “normal” or “right” because it is customary… With practice and with time movement training  helps develop greater awareness.”

While your vision has been deemed the most “significant contributor to balance”[1], without it, it would be logical that neural activity would still occur in the Visual Cortex (for the aforementioned reasons), but perhaps not at such copious metabolic rates, and neural activity would continue (if not, augment) in other areas responsible for sensory-motor coordination, particularly the vestibular sense and proprioception and kinesthetic networks of the brain.

References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vis…
[2] http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&r…
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ves…

Recent Failures…and Moving Forward, Part 1…

Where to Begin?

So, this past summer, I began a “soul search,” in that I wanted to attempt to find answers to the following questions:

• What is the purpose of my life?
• What do I see myself doing for the remainder of my limited time on this planet?

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, I have not really answered these questions, trying various avenues, various methodologies, and going through some interesting (to say the least) experiences. In this post, I hope to detail the “Recent Failures” and the impact on my “soul search” and how I rebounded, in several parts, this being the initial, and first.

Introduction to Failurology [a.k.a The Beginning of Summer]:

It was the beginning of June, exams were complete, both AP and Honors, and summer was approaching, meaning no more schoolwork (other than the usual “summer assignments,” which I always have found to be quite interesting), and I was ready to spend my summer, learning… 

Wait? What? Yes, indeed, I was ready and prepared to delve into various classes and go to a STEM Pre-College at my local university. However, due to my recent hospital bills (apparently spine surgery is pretty expensive) and my single mother’s intensive work schedule, I found myself confined to my house… No external access to the physical world, just myself and the vast Internet.

S0, I self-enrolled in courses through iTunes U, Udacity, and Coursera, in attempt to both broaden and specify my knowledge base. I self-enrolled in Physics, Statistics, Machine Learning, Algorithms, Artificial Intelligence Courses, and pretty much anything else that sounded “cool” to me. By the end of the first couple weeks of Summer, I [self] “dropped-out” of many of the rudimentary courses, narrowed my “soul-search” down to one primary option, and “Check 1” of my Checklist… done!

I wished it was that simple. However, I did narrow down my life’s dedication, or perhaps better known as the cliche terms “passion” and/or “interest.” This being, Neuroscience, the Computational Kind… Now, this was just an idea, akin to the typical conversation:

– “Hey what do you want to be when you grow up? ”

– “Well, you know, a Computational Neuroscientist!”

[Thought in other persons’ head]: It’ll be something different in a month or two…

Though, Computational Neuroscience, and Neuroscience in general, intrigues me beyond comprehension, as there is just something about the brain, the mystery, the complexity, it is quite exhilarating, if I may say so myself. Now, it is great to have an idea, a notion of what you may want to do, but I realized, “Hey, I need to do something…,” so I went straight to my favorite social network Quora and asked this question. This led me to two great things, one, a volunteer opportunity for Eyewire.org thanks to a truly wonderful person and awesomely active user of Quora named Amy Robinson. The second led me to realize, I could attempt to get an internship at my local university at a neuroscience lab. Now, this realization, is where the failure and subsequent recovery begin.

Excited and hyped, I began to research Neuroscience Labs, who either utilized computational modeling, or were involved in biophysics, or the neuroscience behind learning and memory, as neuronal computation and synaptic plasticity are the most intriguing. As I searched, hours on end, for relevant Labs, I found one, of which was researching Reelin signaling, and ApoE genes and their roles in Alzheimer’s. This didn’t quite suite my desires, but I maintained an “open” mind and decided to investigate a little further, and per the answer by another awesome Quora user (who is a neuroscientist), named Colin Gerber. Who would aid in my letter to the aforementioned lab, something I am extremely thankful for, I read their publications, got quite interested into the basis of Alzheimer’s Disease, and was immensely excited, so within a week, after attempting to absorb as much information as I possibly could about the Disease, I sent the e-mail/letter…

Failure #1:

I never received a response, even after a follow-up e-mail and with no phone number, I was slightly dismayed, perhaps I was too naive, too young, or [insert generic predisposition about 16-year-old teenage males here]. However, as Mr. Gerber, advised me not to get discouraged, I would overcome this personal failure, and move on.

Critical Lessons of First Failure:
1) Always remain open to doing things that may have not been your first or second choices… they may soon become it. As a result of my research into Alzheimer’s, I continue to study it, have been greatly interested in it, and is now one of my “first” or “seconds” of my Preferences.

2) Support, Support, Support. Someone who encourages you, advises you, create opportunities for you; these people are crucial to overcoming failure and pressing the “reset” button, or in the case of Amy Robinson, provide a “start” button. Value, appreciate, and surround yourselves with these people, as you can not do everything on your own. These people were those of my mother, Colin Gerber, and Amy Robinson. Thanks again!

End of Part 1…

State of the Blog…

So, for the past week or two, I have coding up my own blog, one iteration via Flask, a Python Microframework, and the other via Ruby on Rails, the infamous and widely-used web application platform for the beautiful Ruby programming language.  While, I learned a lot, about Ruby, Ruby on Rails, and continued my investigation into HTML5 and CSS3, I realized that while I could create a more minimal, Content Management System, akin to WordPress.com (without the PHP and certain design ugliness), I could just host my own domain on WordPress and then update the CSS and fonts, therefore that is probably what I am going to do, in attempt to create the most beautiful, minimal, and user-friendly blog, but then, again… I am rather unpredictable.

Hope you enjoy…
Wesley

My Answer to: “Will the Blue Brain Project Work?”

The Blue Brain Project will most likely be able to simulate a “cortical column of best fit” analogous to a line of best fit, in which they will integrate and decide on the known neurobiological data, patterns, and essentially model such, attempting to create something that behaves as the brain as much as possible given our current understandings. However, due to the unknowns of the brain, in what pattern neurons are connected and the subsequent role/processes of these synapses (rewiring, reconnection, and regeneration) their resulting project, of which they may present as the first simulated, virtual brain, will not be completely comparable to the mammalian counterpart of their simulation (whether it be rat, human, etc.) and in that respect (given their relative time range) the project will most likely not work to the standard of creating a 1:1, entirely accurate, simulation of the brain through their extreme, ambitious form of Reductionism.

Virtual Brain of Best Fit:

What will come out of this, hopefully…
Regardless of whether they succeed or not (and how they will measure such? Turing Test?), hopefully the Blue Brain/ Human Brain Project will breed a robust, well-architected, and adaptable foundation for future data and neuroscientific progress to be integrated when made in the coming decades.

Now, without a doubt, any development amongst this project, be it successful in fulfilling the goal of the actual project or not, will be progress to the field of neuroscience in one way or another. But, one would remain skeptical that brain simulation through computational methods and reductionism would breed a clearer understanding of the 3 pounds of flesh in our skull, as a compromise will have to be made, from a computational perspective (power, energy consumption, expense), preventing true simulation of the brain, hence the “brain of best fit” analogy, modifying a computer to behave as close to the brain. Moreover, I do not believe that this project will breed insight on the organic brain, but breed insight on how to create better simulations of our Central Nervous System in the decades to come.

For more: Quora Answer

Update 6/3/12

Hello…

Due to various injuries and subsequent academic intensity (make-up work, exams, etc.) I have not been able to post on my beloved blog as much as I wish I could, however, with the commencement of summer break, I hope I can continue my studies in neuroscience and programming and really have a good, learning-intensive time away from school, of which I hope I can post more frequently and sustain a more lively and interesting blog.

For my dedicated followers, I am going to start a book called The Quest for Consciousness by the much venerated Christof Koch, in which I hope to share a basic summary over each chapter, as well as just share my sporadic thoughts on each chapter. Hope you find it interesting!

Wesley

Book: http://www.amazon.com/The-Quest-Consciousness-Neurobiological-Approach/dp/0974707708

Author: http://www.klab.caltech.edu/~koch/

Related Info: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJA5NYoDeO4

It is time for an academic revolution…

User Generated Education

Several posts this week noted how we are failing with the nurturing, facilitating, and direct teaching of creativity within school environments.

Adobe posted Universal Concern that Creativity is Suffering at Work and School

New research reveals a global creativity gap in five of the world’s largest economies, according to the Adobe® State of Create global benchmark study. The research shows 8 in 10 people feel that unlocking creativity is critical to economic growth and nearly two-thirds of respondents feel creativity is valuable to society, yet a striking minority – only 1 in 4 people – believe they are living up to their own creative potential. More than half of those surveyed feel that creativity is being stifled by their education systems, and many believe creativity is taken for granted (52% globally, 70% in the United States).

One of the myths of creativity is that very few people are really…

View original post 784 more words

A Random English Poem…

So upon completion of the mundane, utterly repulsive standardized testing imposed by the wonderful State of Florida, we were given “busy work” in my succeeding English class, explicitly, an poem…

It was designed to start with a sequence of words starting off each line of the poem (e.g. “My life is worth…”), with emphasis on figurative and literary devices/language, so here it is:

Arbitrary English Poem

My life is worth as much/little as life can be quantified and reified,

More than the tangible limits of the potentially intangible world,

More than the intangible limits of the potentially tangible world,

Because I am an entity deemed living by those entities who

find fitting,

My life feels like a giant “?,”

I struggle with/against the comprehension of the

foundational constructs of the universe,

My life is as full of ignorance as those of most similar and those of most different proportions,

My life = a blank canvas ; I cannot be quantified, my qualities reified, my intangibles suppressed/contained, or in any other way repressed, my only offering in this world, be the capacity, the ability to take advantage of the malleability of this world and subject my naivety to others…

Conclusion

Despite no rhythm, fluidity, or true sense of direction, I constructed something… ignorant as it may be, it proves, that the true novelty of our species, is our collective, yet paradoxically individual,  subjective natures… and our capacity to transfer the intangible into the tangible as a result of such.

Reified Randomness…

Reification. The process/reasoning error of which is defined as viewing an intangible, immaterial concept as a tangible, quantifiable, measurable construct. As the human species and our seemingly insatiable curious tendencies develop, we tend to create reified, societal, cultural, constructs and objects, perhaps the most prominent being intelligence, which serves as the focus of this post.

Defined as our collective experience, capacity to learn and adapt mental sets, etc. what truly is intelligence? How can such a truly intangible, reified concept be so ingrained in our society, specifically our education? As I often ponder about this world, our existence, the human capacity, and the abstractions that are so fundamental, yet seemingly  irrelevant (I typically spend much of my “free” time wondering what reality is, how our species collectively has developed, and what truly is the purpose of this reified cyclical “thing” called life, but I digress…) I find intelligence to be specifically interesting. Why has the human species defined intelligence, among other conceptual constructs? It is purely an instrument of distinguish, exemplifying the mental diversity of our species/society? More so, we see the significance of IQ Tests and standardized measures of “intelligence” dwindle, exemplifying, to me at least, that reified concepts are largely unquantifiable despite their integration into our societal organization.

Though, from a computational perspective, have we quantified “intelligence?” Machine Learning, statistical modeling and dynamic, parallel programming would perhaps have support for a different definition, as collection/threshold of information/knowledge, and the dynamism to apply such to presented, experienced-based problems, this definition, reified or not, has no direct, range of quantifiable values, but certainly could explain some of these aforementioned immaterial abstractions, and emphasize the role of the developmental environment in the development our mental capacities.

Overall, as I read over this post, I recognize that this is merely an array of questions, a display of my (some would argue “our”) own ignorance of our species, capacities as an entity, and cannot help but wonder, what does anybody who happens to come across this post think? Are reified concepts legitimate or purely demonstrations of our attempts at justifying, rectifying, and explaining our experiences, natural differences, etc.?