March 2013

1. CCaattaallyysstt
Set Your Alarm
Clock to Learn
Psychology
Dealing with
Stress
Health and Fitness
Ocular Overload
Opthamology
Goodbye,
Goosebumps
Neuroscience
March 201 3
Say hello to
Spring

2. CCaattaallyysstt March Contents
The Human Skull
Brush up on your
knowledge ofMr. Bones
with this anatomical art.
3 Le crâne humain
Aiguisez vos connaissances
des os crâniens à l'aide de
cet art anatomique.
3
Set Your Alarm
Clock to Learn
Every student's dream has
finally come true; you can
learn while you sleep.
4 Underwater Crop
Circles
Myserious patterns puzzle
deep-sea photographer.
5
Goodbye,
Goosbumps
Ever wished you could just
stop feeling cold? It may be
an option.
6 Stressed Out? Work
Out!
Several good reasons to
close the books and take a
well-earned break.
7
Ocular Overload
The modern age has
turned myopia into a
growing concern.
9
2 Catalyst
Good Fat, Bad Fat...
Scientific consensus
concerning the 'good' fat
has been challenged.
10
Sources 11
Contenu de mars
Join next year's team! Email
editor@uocatalyst.com
Joignez la prochaine équipe!
Envoyez un courriel à
redacteur@uocatalyst.com

3. L'équipeThe Team
Editor-
in-Chief
Katie Woolner
Production
Manager
Kelsey Huus
Authors ~ Auteurs
Paula Adler
Sophie Fiset
Heather McDonald
Vanessa Nzeribe
Sonya Parboodial
Katherine Shan
Editors ~ Editeurs
Paula Adler
Lauren Chesher
Nasim Haghandish
Pinar Özmizrak
Ekaterina Slavko
Illustration Pinar Özmizrak
March 2013 3
Rédacteur-
en-chef
StéphanieOuellet
Special thanks to the SSA ~ Remerciement spécial à l'AES
The Human Skull
Le crâne humain
Pinar Özmizrak, 4th Year BIM
1 . Frontal / Frontal
2. Parietal / Pariétal
3. Temporal / Temporal
4. Sphenoid / Sphénoïde
5. Zygomatic / Zygomatique
6. Nasal / Nasal
7. Ethmoid / Ethmoïde
8. Maxilla / Maxillaire
9. Mandible / Mandibule

4. 4 Catalyst
What is every student’s dream? To be able to
learn all the material from their lecture notes and
assigned textbook readings…while they are asleep.
We may be closer to realizing that dream with
the news from a recent article in Nature Neuroscience
that reports people can learn new information during
sleep. The study from the Weizmann Institute of
Science in Israel, published online onAugust 26,
reports that sleeping subjects can learn to associate
tones and odours, and that these learned associations
are retained when the subject awakens the following
morning. Numerous past studies have shown the
importance ofsleep in the consolidation ofpreviously
acquired memories, however the results ofthis
particular study are significant because they reveal
that the human brain is capable oflearning new
information during normal sleep.
PhD candidate AnatArzi conceived the idea
and designed experiments with Dr. Noam Sobel of
the Department ofNeurobiology to test ifpeople can
learn during sleep by applying classical conditioning,
a type oflearning Ivan Pavlov employed in the early
twentieth century in his experiments about learning.
Classical conditioning involves the pairing oftwo (or
more) stimuli such that an unconditioned stimulus is
learned to be associated with a conditioned stimulus.
Following classical conditioning, presentation ofthe
conditioned stimulus alone is sufficient to elicit the
response the subject would normally have to the
unconditioned stimulus. In one ofPavlov’s famous
experiments, a tone was sounded and then food
presented to a dog. Initially the dog would salivate
only in response to the food; however, Pavlov found
that after several repetitions ofthe tone–food pairing,
the dog would salivate in response to the tone alone.
Thus, the dog had learned to associate the tone with
the subsequent presentation offood.
In this recent article, different tones (the
conditioned stimuli) were paired with pleasant and
unpleasant odours (the unconditioned stimuli) during
sleep. The olfactory sniffresponse, in which pleasant
odours trigger strong sniffs and unpleasant odours
trigger weak sniffs, was used to measure the response
ofthe subjects to the presentation ofthe tone alone,
and allowed the researchers to test the subjects both
when they were asleep and awake. The results
showed that subjects that were sleeping learned to
associate tones and odours such that presentation of
the tone alone could initiate the correct sniffresponse
associated with either the pleasant or unpleasant
odour.
Moreover, this learned association was
retained after the subject awoke. The sniffresponse to
tones alone was measured after the subjects awoke,
Paula Adler, 3rd Year BIM
Z Z ZZZZ
Z
ZSet
Alarm
to LLeeaarrnn
Your
Clock

5. March 2013 5
On a dive in the Pacific
Ocean, underwater photographer
Yoji Ookata noticed something
peculiar. 80 feet underwater off
the coast ofthe Japanese island
ofAnami Oshima was an
intricate, ridged pattern in the
sand, spanning six and a halffeet
and decorated with small stones
and seashells. Baffled, he
wondered what could have
created this elaborate structure.
Was this a freak occurrence, or
perhaps the work ofsomething
extraterrestrial? After staking out the scene
ofthe crime with film equipment, the
culprit revealed himselfto be less
sensational than one may have envisioned:
a single male pufferfish.
These ambitious little guys spend
days using their fins to create these ridges
and grooves on the ocean floor, creating
complex structures many times larger than
their body. This is no small feat.
Furthermore, they selectively break and
place shells in a specific pattern. But the
question remains: what would motivate
them to create such a thing? The answer:
the desire to attract the attention offemale
pufferfish. Besides its impressive
appearance, the design has great functional
value. The female pufferfish mate with the
males and lay their eggs in the middle ofthe
circle. It is theorized that the ridges in the
sand help to decrease the impact ofthe
current and protect the eggs from
predation. Even more interesting, the males
that created the most rings attracted the
most females.
Sophie Fiset, 4th Year BIO
Underwater Crop Circles
A single male pufferfish created this fantastic design,
which is many times larger than his own body.
and the results demonstrated that conscious subjects
acted upon what they had learned when they were
sleeping. Interestingly, the subjects did not report
being aware ofthe learning process that had taken
place the previous night.
Another experiment conducted in the study
involved testing the effect ofdifferent sleep stages on
the subjects’ learning. It was concluded that learning
occurred during both rapid eye movement (REM)
sleep and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep.
Furthermore, novel information learned during
NREM sleep was retained after the subject awoke
while that learned during REM sleep was not.
The findings ofthis study could possibly be
applied in the future to develop a way for people who
are asleep to learn meaningful information, not
merely associations, thereby utilizing the unconscious
state in which humans spend around a third oftheir
lives.

6. 6 Catalyst
Remember that time when you were trudging
through the snow in -30 degree weather? And while
shivering you suddenly thought, can’t I just stop
feeling cold? Finally the dream ofmany Canadians
may become reality.
At the USC Dornsife College ofLetters, an
associate professor ofneurobiology and his team of
neuroscientists were able to find a way ofmaking this
a possibility. David McKemy and his team used mice
as their model species for this experiment. The
scientists developed a method ofselectively shutting
down the mice’s ability to have any feeling or
perception ofcold. However, quite remarkably, they
were able to ensure that not all nerves in that area
were shut off, thereby allowing the mice to retain
their perception ofheat and touch.
Prior to this success, David McKemy found a
link between the sensory feeling ofcold, and
TRPM8. TRPM8 is a protein that detects cold on the
skin. McKemy and his team manipulated the neurons
that express this protein, which allowed them to test
the function and effects ofthe protein on organisms.
To test this, a control group ofmice that had
the TRPM8 neurons functioning was tested against a
group ofmice without this protein, and both groups
were subjected to a range oftemperatures from 0 to
32 degrees Celsius. It was found that the mice that
lacked the TRPM8 neurons had lost the ability to
sense cold, but still felt heat. This directly indicated
that the activity ofthis specific neuron was related to
the sensation ofcold. However, it was noticed that
the mice, although lacking the sense ofcold,
developed an affinity for cold areas, rather than hot
ones.
It must be noted that removing an organism’s ability
to feel cold is potentially harmful, as it renders the
organism unaware ofextreme cold and the negative
effects on the body following prolonged exposure to
cold. Also, ifa body cannot sense cold, then
appropriate responses (like shivering) to maintain
homeostasis will not be triggered.
The control mice were more likely to have an
affinity towards a temperature between the two
extremes, at approximately 30 degrees Celsius. They
logically avoided areas that would be too hot or cold
for their bodies to be comfortable.
Interestingly, when tested for responses to
movement, sense oftouch, and strength, the mice
lacking TRPM8 did not differ from the wild type
mice.
These scientists are hoping that with a greater
understanding ofsensory neurons they will be able to
develop more effective pain relief, which would
remove some sensations selectively without affecting
the other senses. So perhaps as further research is
conducted we may not have to bundle up during the
cold winter months anymore!
Sonya Parboodial, 1st Year BIO

7. March 2013 7
While it’s true that each
and every one ofus is a unique
individual, there is simply one thing no
one can avoid experiencing in
university: stress. Judging from our
academic workload, it would appear that
our professors believe us to have infinite
hours in a day. And let’s not forget that,
to accomplish anything in life after
graduation, simply having good grades
won’t be enough. It’s necessary to be
sociable; you will be expected to be an
excellent leader and team player, to
network efficiently, and a little bit offun
here and there wouldn’t hurt either.
Involvement is just as important,
especially when it comes
down to the
fact that it’s
your résumé
against the
world. None of
that, ofcourse,
takes into account
the student’s personal
life (though
whether or not
students actually
have the luxury of
personal time could
also be subject for
debate).
All
in all, it seems destined that the “to do”
pile will be infinitely higher than the
pile that reads “done”. This is a reality
that the average university student faces
on a daily basis. And, since there are
only so many hours in a day, other life
priorities– such as exercise – are
inevitably put off. The countless benefits
that result from an active, healthy
lifestyle are widely known, to say the
least. But, as a student, it can be hard to
prioritize the prevention ofa heart attack
some thirty or forty years down the line
when there’s so much going on in the
present.
However, did you know that
recent research has proven several
immediate perks ofexercise, some of
which can be felt almost immediately
after the workout ends?These benefits
include stress reliefand an overall
feeling ofhappiness and relaxation; they
are induced because ofthe way exercise
affects the brain at the cellular level.
The brain processes the
beginning ofexercise, marked by an
increase in blood pressure, as a moment
ofstress. In order to defend itself, the
brain is then stimulated to release a
protein called brain-derived
neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This
protein serves to protect and repair
Stressed Out?
Work Out!Katherine Shan, 1st Year
BIM

8. 8 Catalyst
memory neurons and also acts as a
‘reset switch'; it is responsible for the
ease and clarity one experiences after
physical activity. Another neural
response to exercise is the release of
endorphins, a group ofhormones that
block feelings ofpain and create a sense
ofelation and positivity. Interestingly
enough, BDNFs and endorphins mimic
the addictive effects that drugs like
morphine, heroin, and nicotine have on
the body. The only known difference
between them is that one ofthe two
groups ofchemicals is clearly
detrimental to health.
These neural responses are not
limited to top athletes either, because
exercising does not have to entail
anything extremely vigorous; one
simply has to move. This was
demonstrated in a 2011 Norwegian
study involving 4500 participants—the
study concluded that those who engaged
in any amount ofexercise were in better
mental condition than those who did not
exercise at all.
Another study, implemented by
the American College ofSports
Medicine, found that six weeks of
cycling or weight training eased stress
and irritability in women who were
diagnosed with anxiety disorders. In
addition, one individual (separate from
the studies) testifies that his weekly
workout routine began as five minutes
per day, three days per week—even
then, he could see some results. It may
seem shocking that so little exercise can
be beneficial; however, it is in fact the
first twenty minutes ofphysical activity
that provide the body with maximal
gain.
While there’s no debating that a
certain level ofstress is necessary to
maximize productivity, being content
and satisfied with one’s day-to-day life
and accomplishments are equally
important. So, the next time you feel
ready to toss your laptop out the
window, take a deep breath and consider
taking an exercise break. You never
know what a five to ten minute workout
could do for you; and what would you
have to lose?
These articles are exercpts!
For extra content, colour and the full
scoop, visit
uocatalyst.com

9. March 2013 9
You’re a university student. So it’s very likely
that you spend most ofyour time in a state ofvisual
stress. This morning, you probably awoke before the
sun and hopped onto the bus where you passed the
time texting on a smartphone, reading a novel on
your e-reader, or reviewing your notes for that pesky
midterm you’ve been worrying about. When you
finally arrived on campus, you probably headed on
into a poorly lit auditorium where you took notes on
your laptop. Or maybe to a lab where you strained
your eyes in very precise near-work, like closely
observing chemical reactions and measuring out
solutes.
Then, because you couldn’t stand to go out in
the crisp cold ofa Canadian winter, or risk wetting
your lustrous hair in the rain, you probably travelled
via shadowy tunnel from Marion to MacDonald to
Colonel By. As such, your day passed. Even now as
you read this edition ofthe Catalyst under a
fluorescent lamp somewhere in the library, your dorm
room, or your house (after having spent hours
procrastinating on Facebook and then finally getting
some work done) you are putting a huge strain on
two ofthe most delicate structures in your body —
your eyes.
For years researchers have been studying the
effect ofmodern indoor urban living on our eyes.
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, is a very
common ocular disorder wherein the distance
between the cornea and the retina ofthe eye is
elongated. As a result, when light enters the eye the
image does not focus on the retina like it is supposed
to. Rather, the image focusses in front ofthe retina,
causing close objects to appear clearly and distant
objects to appear blurred.
So what is the cause ofmyopia? Certainly
genetics is one factor. In addition, researchers have
suggested that lifestyle choices such as a lack of
natural outdoor light, physical inactivity, and low
levels ofvitamin D may also contribute to the
progression ofmyopia, especially in childhood and
young adulthood.
Astudy by Jacobsen, Jensen, and
Goldschmidt in 2008 evaluated the effects ofphysical
activity on myopia in Danish medical students. The
study estimated that “the protective effect of1 hour
Vanessa Nzeribe, 1st Year BIM
Ocular
OO vv ee rr ll oo aa ddOO vv ee rr ll oo aa ddOO vv ee rr ll oo aa dd
"Approximately 25% of Canadians have
some form of myopia and this number
is rising at an alarming rate."

10. 10 Catalyst
For many decades now, the general
consensus in health and nutrition has been that
omega-6 fatty acids are good for you. These
lipids are found in common cooking
ingredients that are considered good for our
health: soya oil, sunflower oil, corn oil, sesame
seeds and various grain products. In recent
years, we have seen an increase in
advertisements for potato chips cooked in
sunflower oil and have gained a false sense of
hope that the chips we munch on are healthy.
In the 1960s, scientific discoveries
created the beliefthat the omega-6 fatty acid
family, along with other types ofunsaturated
fats, could be ofsignificant benefit to our
health, while saturated fats were mainly
harmful. Omega-6 fatty acids include a crucial
member, linoleic acid, which is one oftwo
essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in our
diet. So then why, all ofa sudden, are news
reports broadcasting that omega-6 fatty acids
are in fact harmful? The answer to this can be
found in data from the Sydney Diet Heart
Study that was carried out many years back.
The study, conducted between 1966
and 1973, was designed to investigate the
potential benefits ofreplacing saturated fatty
acids with polyunsaturated fatty acids,
specifically safflower oil. As predicted by
research at that time, the diet rich in omega-6
fatty acids reduced cholesterol by more than
13%.
However, recently, and in a surprising
twist, Dr. Christopher Ramsden and his
research team discovered that it also caused a
Heather McDonald, 2nd Year BIM
ofphysical activity per day is equal in magnitude to
the detrimental effect of3 hours ofstudy per day.”
In 2011, a study by Mutti and Marks
evaluated the effects ofvitamin D on myopia. They
found that although people with myopia often had
lower blood levels ofvitamin D, this did not correlate
with time spent outdoors in natural daylight. Rather,
the levels ofvitamin D were more closely related to
dietary choices.
Guggenheim’s 2012 study on time spent
outdoors and physical activity in children concluded
that the relationship between physical activity and
low myopia rates in youth is related to natural
daylight. Basically, when kids play, they usually do it
outside. So ofcourse children whose parents reported
more physical activity by questionnaire also
happened to spend more time outside in general.
Our ancestors may not have had the
convenience ofthe light bulb, the computer, or even
the written word. They spent their days outside
cultivating the land, hunting, and doing physical
work. Sun-burning, back-breaking, physical work.
Despite this, they likely had one thing in their favour:
excellent eyesight.
Good Fat, Bad Fat...
The omega-6 fatty acids in sunflower, soya
and corn oils may not be as healthy as was
originally believed.

11. The Human Skull / Le Crâne humain, p 3
“Crâne humain.” Wikipedia. Web. 13 February 2013.
<http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/crâne_humain>.
“Human skull.” Wikipedia. Web. 13 February 2013.
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_skull>.
Set Your Alarm Clock to Learn, p 4
Arzi, A., Shedlesky, L., Ben-Shaul, M., Nasser, K., Oksenberg, A.,
Hairston, I.S., & Sobel, N. (2012). Humans can learn
new information during sleep. Nature Neuroscience,
doi:10.1038/nn.3193
Underwater Crop Circles, p 5
"The Deep Sea Mystery Circle - a love story". Spoon & Tamago.
18 Sept 2012. Web. Feb 15 2013. <http:www.spoon-
tamago.com/2012/09/18/deep-sea-mystery-circle-love-
story/>.
Goodbye Goosebumps, p 6
University of Southern California. "Stopping cold: Scientists turn
off the ability to feel cold." ScienceDaily, 12 Feb. 2013.
Web. 13 Feb. 2013.
"USC Scientists Turn off the Ability to Feel Cold | Science
Codex." Science Codex. N.p., 12 Feb. 2013. Web. 12
Feb. 2013. >.
Stressed Out? Work Out!, p 7
Brock, Lawanna. “Why Does Exercise Make Us Feel
Good.”Steady Health. October 19, 2011. Website.
Accessed February 12, 2013.
<http://www.steadyhealth.com/articles/Why_Does_Ex
ercise_Make_Us_Feel_Good_a2052.html>
Reynolds, Gretchen. “Why Exercise Makes Us Feel Good.” New
York Times – Health and Science.July 6, 2011. Website.
Accessed February 12, 2013.
<http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/07/06/why-exercise-
makes-us-feel-good/>
Stamatakis, Jeannine. “Why Does Exercise Make Us Feel
Good?” Scientific America. June 24, 2012. Website.
Accessed February 12, 2013.
<http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-
does-exercise-make-us-feel-good>
Widrich, Leo. “What happens to our brains when we exercise
and how it makes us happier.” Buffer Blog. August 23,
2012. Website. Accessed February 12, 2013.
<http://blog.bufferapp.com/why-exercising-makes-us-
happier>
Ocular Overload, p 9
Guggenheim, Jeremy A., et al. "Time Outdoors and Physical
Activity as Predictors of Incident Myopia in Childhood:
A Prospective Cohort Study." Investigative
ophthalmology & visual science 53.6 (2012): 2856-65.
Print.
Jacobsen, Nina, Hanne Jensen, and Ernst Goldschmidt. "Does
the Level of Physical Activity in University Students
Influence Development and Progression of Myopia? —
A 2-Year Prospective Cohort Study." Investigative
ophthalmology & visual science 49.4 (2008): 1322-7.
Print.
Mutti, Donald O., and Amanda R. Marks. "Blood Levels of
Vitamin D in Teens and Young Adults with Myopia."
Optometry and Vision Science 88.3 (2011): 377-82. Print.
Good fat, Bad fat, p 10
“Lay’s Potato Chips Cuts Saturated Fat By More Than Half.”
FritoLay (2006): n. pag. Web. 10 Feb. 2013.
Crowe, Kelly and Pauline Dakin. “Heart-healthy oil claims
reconsidered.” CBCnews (2013): n. pag. Web 10 Feb.
2013.
Medina, Ray. “Revisiting the Sydney Diet Heart Study.” Syontix
(2013): n. pag. Web 10 Feb. 2013.
For sources of all images and clipart, please email
production@uocatalyst.com.
Sources
Catalyst is a student science journal intended to provide up-to-date, informative and entertaining articles. Views expressed in
Catalyst are solely those ofthe authors, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions ofthe organizers ofCatalyst or ofthe Science
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not publish submissions deemed hurtful to others or in any way inappropriate. For more information, please contact the Editor-in-
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exprimées dans le Catalyst sont uniquement celles des auteurs et ne reflètent pas nécessairement les vues de l'équipe éditoriale du
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inapproprié. Pour plus d'information,veuillez contacter le rédacteur-en-chefà redacteur@uocatalyst.com.
35% increase in the risk ofdeath from
cardiovascular disease. These results were not
published when the study was first conducted
and are contradictory to just about everything
we know about omega-6 fatty acids thus far.
Further research on this topic is sure to
follow, as we are constantly reminded ofthe
forever progressive and somewhat frustrating
nature ofscience.