I had a very good friend die from ALS last year. It is a sod of a disease and unpredictable re the rate it causes deterioration. But it is nearly always catastrophically fast, normally around 2 to 5 years from diagnosis to mortality.
It is possible that in a matter of mere days this sufferer may find herself with no ability to conciously control any digit or limb. Soon after she will not reliably be able to control her breathing, or swallowing. She is certainly already wracked with uncontrolled spasms and cramps which are likely to interfere with any traditional bio feedback device that depends on any kind of user control. Sadly, at the end she will not even be able to control blinking, or where she looks.
I wish I could help with this problem, but it is way outside my expertise. A simple, cheap, and reliable method to call for help would remove some of the terror from the lives of ALS/MS/MND/MD sufferers. And ALS victums do live in constant terror. It would also reduce the stress on their carer(s) and families.
I hope this gives you a better appreciation of the problem. Please, keep hacking at it 'til it gives.
I think I've depressed myself enough for one sitting.
This still violates the laws of thermodynamics. First cut: the total energy available to the system is that fixed by the prey. Some of this is used by the prey themselves. Some (most of it actually) is lost in the process of energy transfer. The further up the food chain your super predator is the worse its efficiency, about an order of magnitude efficiency drop per step up the food chain is ballpark. If they had paid even a lip service attempt at modelling a real system the problem would be even worse, with significant energy "lost" in growth, reproduction, and homeostasis. If the prey are unnaturally efficient at fixing energy, and if the predators don't kill the prey when feeding, then the system could run through several "energy cycles" before running down, but then the predators would be parasites. All this is not rocket science, its high school ecology, and only half a step sideways from accountancy.
There is absolutely nothing to do with evolution in this "experiment" (ie the measurement of change in gene frequency at a locus within a population over time measured in generations). There is no thesis, no null hypothesis, no intent or purpose at all. Its just a fishing expedition with both eyes firmly on the publicity. Its damn sad that crap like this draws funds away from real work.
Slashdot Mirror
I had a very good friend die from ALS last year. It is a sod of a disease and unpredictable re the rate it causes deterioration. But it is nearly always catastrophically fast, normally around 2 to 5 years from diagnosis to mortality.
It is possible that in a matter of mere days this sufferer may find herself with no ability to conciously control any digit or limb. Soon after she will not reliably be able to control her breathing, or swallowing. She is certainly already wracked with uncontrolled spasms and cramps which are likely to interfere with any traditional bio feedback device that depends on any kind of user control. Sadly, at the end she will not even be able to control blinking, or where she looks.
I wish I could help with this problem, but it is way outside my expertise. A simple, cheap, and reliable method to call for help would remove some of the terror from the lives of ALS/MS/MND/MD sufferers. And ALS victums do live in constant terror. It would also reduce the stress on their carer(s) and families.
I hope this gives you a better appreciation of the problem. Please, keep hacking at it 'til it gives.
I think I've depressed myself enough for one sitting.
Regards
Ratsarse
Har! There be no parrot on me poop deck, but I do be having a false eye.
This still violates the laws of thermodynamics. First cut: the total energy available to the system is that fixed by the prey. Some of this is used by the prey themselves. Some (most of it actually) is lost in the process of energy transfer. The further up the food chain your super predator is the worse its efficiency, about an order of magnitude efficiency drop per step up the food chain is ballpark. If they had paid even a lip service attempt at modelling a real system the problem would be even worse, with significant energy "lost" in growth, reproduction, and homeostasis. If the prey are unnaturally efficient at fixing energy, and if the predators don't kill the prey when feeding, then the system could run through several "energy cycles" before running down, but then the predators would be parasites. All this is not rocket science, its high school ecology, and only half a step sideways from accountancy.
There is absolutely nothing to do with evolution in this "experiment" (ie the measurement of change in gene frequency at a locus within a population over time measured in generations). There is no thesis, no null hypothesis, no intent or purpose at all. Its just a fishing expedition with both eyes firmly on the publicity. Its damn sad that crap like this draws funds away from real work.