CSB #8: Relation Between Oxygen Levels and Grip Strength

by: Eric Yu, Harry Xu, Albert Lin, and Chris Hildum

Summary: 
The purpose of our experiment is to find out if the amount of oxygen someone has affects their strength. If oxygen levels do have a relationship with strength, we want to find out at how many seconds someone starts to lose strength. A scenario where our experiment comes into play is when a person is trapped in a place with limited oxygen; we want to find out if the person will be able to lift heavy objects in order to escape. Our hypothesis was that we thought that the longer you hyperventilate, the weaker you would be. In our experiment, we used Logger Pro to record our data in a graph on a laptop. Other materials we used are a paper bag for each test subject, a Hand Dynamometer for measuring the force in Newtons before and after hyperventilation, and a Go Link Cable. In order to simulate the lack of oxygen, we made someone breathe rapidly into a paper bag and hyperventilate for periods of 10 seconds and 20 seconds. Our first trial was when the test subject squeezed the Hand Dynamometer for 5 seconds. Then, he would hyperventilate in the paper bag for 10 seconds and squeeze the Hand Dynamometer again. We would measure the force of the test subject before and after hyperventilating. The second trial for our test subjects is that they would squeeze the Hand Dynamometer for 5 seconds, hyperventilate into a paper bag for 20 seconds, and squeeze the Hand Dynamometer for 5 seconds again. Some possible variables in our lab are that the time each person squeezes the Hand Dynamometer and hyperventilates into a paper bag may be different for each person. Also, some people who were our test subjects may be stronger than others, thus having a stronger force than everyone else.

Before Harry hyperventilated, he was able to emit a force of 197.4 Newtons. After, hyperventilating for 10 seconds, his strength had decreased by 48.5 N.  However, when Harry hyperventilated for 20 seconds his strength only reduced by 15.4 N. The results for Eric and Albert were similar to Harry’s. This is because when they hyperventilated longer, their strength did not decrease as much compared to a shorter hyperventilation time. When Chris hyperventilated for 10 seconds, his strength was reduced by 3.8 N, but when he hyperventilated for 20 seconds, his strength was reduced by 12.6 N. Chris' results were slightly different compared to the others since his strength decreased steadily as his oxygen supply decreased. We also found that the average decrease in strength for 10 seconds was about a 21.8% decrease. The average decrease in strength for 20 seconds was about a 13.4% decrease. With the given results, the strength of most people increased as they had a lower amount of oxygen. However others had a decrease in strength with a lower amount of oxygen. This could be possible if the brain believes the human body is in danger. This way, adrenaline would be sent out throughout the body. Because of this, some people would have an extra amount strength. However, for some other people, the adrenaline can be sent out later than others. This explains why some people have lower strengths with a lower supply of oxygen.

Results: 
-Harry 

10 sec:

Highest before hyperventilating: 197.4 Newtons

Highest after hyperventilating: 148.9 Newtons

20 sec:

Highest before hyperventilating: 179

Highest after hyperventilating: 163.6

- Eric

10 sec: 

Highest before hyperventilating: 205.9 Newtons

Highest after hyperventilating: 151.9 Newtons

20 sec:

Highest before hyperventilating:190.3 Newtons

Highest after hyperventilating: 155.5 Newtons

- Albert

10 sec:

Highest before hyperventilating: 195 Newtons

Highest after hyperventilating: 130.7 Newtons

20 sec:

Highest before hyperventilating: 212.7 Newtons

Highest after hyperventilating: 172.6 Newtons

- Chris

10 sec:

Highest before hyperventilating: 182.6 Newtons

Highest after hyperventilating: 178.8 Newtons

 20 sec:

Highest before hyperventilating: 187.1 Newtons

Highest after hyperventilating: 174.5 Newtons

CSB #7: Rising Bay Water Levels

Over the past few decades, the San Francisco Bay sea level has fallen, but oceanographers believe that the levels will rise. However, while sea levels were rising in the West Coast of the United States, levels have been rising in other parts of the world. The sea levels in other countries have been rising from around 2 to 3 millimeters every year because of climate changes. Data from bays all along the entire West Coast of the United States have no rise in sea levels due to cold local waters and effects of ocean currents. In the future years, scientists are afraid of rising sea levels because Pacific Ocean conditions will enter a new phase in a long-term cycle. They believe that in places like Embarcadero in San Francisco, where the shorelines are low-lying, the sea level will rise 14 inches by 2050. Over the past 30 years, the regional wind patterns over the northeast Pacific have helped move deep cold water in the ocean to the surface near West Coast shorelines. With circulation patterns, cold shoreline waters have kept the sea level height low, but raised it in other parts of the Pacific Rim. Furthermore, the approaching cold phase will cause higher water temperatures along the California and rising sea levels. Oceanographers expect these rises along the West Coast to catch up and possibly overtake sea levels of other countries. In addition, with rising sea levels along the West Coast, there will likely be slowing in the rise of levels in other places like parts of Asia. The commission, in response to the predicted rise, are banning construction in some low-lying areas. 

I believe that the rises in sea level may cause problems like possible deaths from flooding in low-lying areas. Also, it might cause people to become displaced because some areas will become permanently flooded. Higher sea levels might provide an alternate energy source because engineers could build dams along the West Coast of the United States and generate more electricity to power homes and buildings instead of using fossil fuels. I chose this article because I find it interesting that rising sea levels in one area can cause changes in the rate of sea levels in other places. I also find it interesting that climates like cold waters can have an effect on sea levels. Overall, I hope that rises in sea level will benefit the United States rather than cause problems.

Resources: 

• Source: Upton, John. "Bay Water Levels Are Expected to Rise." The New York Times. The
       New York Times, 5 May 2011. Web. 7 May 2011. <http://www.nytimes.com/
       2011/05/06/us/06bcshort.html?ref=science>. 
• Image: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/06/us/06bcshort.html?ref=science

CSB #6: Biofuel Causes Raises in Food Prices and Hunger Fears

The cassava root is an important ingredient for making everything like tapioca pudding, ice cream, paper, and animal feed. However, 98 percent of cassava chips exported from Thailand, the largest cassava exporter in the world, went to China to make biofuel. With the increase in demand for cassava chips by China, Thailand has exported nearly four times as much and doubled the price of cassava. As developing countries are now passing laws to increase the use of non-fossil fuels and countries like China are trying to find new ways to power their industries and cars, many crops like cassava and corn are being used for biofuels. Furthermore, with many countries in need of biofuel crops and not a large harvest in crop producing countries, experts believe that it may cause high prices and hunger. Other than possible starvation and high expenses, there could also be political instability in that country. In many poor places like Algeria, Egypt, and Bangladesh, soaring food prices have caused riots or political turmoil because palm oil, used as a biofuel, is a major food item for the people there. Many reasons for bad crops are because of bad weather and high oil prices that make transportation expensive. For example, severe weather destroyed crops in Russia, Australia, and China, and the mealy bug reduced Thailand's cassava harvest. Many food experts suggest that countries should change their policies so fuel mandates can be used when food stocks become low or prices become too high. In addition, rises in oil prices also contributed to increases in demand for biofuels. Shortages occur because farmers who used to plant crops for food start planting different crops for biofuels, resulting in less farmers planting food crops. Although crops like corn are a main part of the diet in Africa, cassava is not central to Asian diets, even though it provided backup nutrition in small harvest years. This means that making fuel from cassava in China will not directly affect food prices or create food shortages in their own country. The problem of biofuel is that the high demand for these crops like corn and cassava are causing food shortages in countries and increased food prices.

This article was very interesting to me because the shortages of food and increased food prices could lead to a world problem like possible starvation in some African countries. Also, food shortages are known to cause political instability, which could have been one of the reasons for people to overthrow their leader. One example of this occurred recently in countries like Egypt, where the people demonstrated on the streets and successfully kicked their leader out of office. After reading this article, I became aware that although biofuel is one of the most likely alternative energy resources that is going to replace fossil fuels, there is a problem because it causes increases in food price and shortages in food. I hope that fuel mandates are made so countries that supply biofuel crops can use them when food stocks become too low or prices become too high.

Resources:

• Article:
• Rosenthal, Elisabeth. “Rush to Use Crops as Fuel Raises Food Prices and Hunger Fears .” The New York Times. The New York Times , 6 Apr. 2011. Web. 8 Apr. 2011. - <http://www.nytimes.com/‌2011/‌04/‌07/‌science/‌earth/‌07cassava.html?ref=earth>.

CSB #5: Why Earthquakes Cause Increased Birth Rates

Why Earthquakes Cause Increased Birth Rates by Eric Yu

Summary/Discussion:

A few weeks after several major earthquakes in New Zealand, many maternity wards in hospitals are completely filled or overflowing with newborns. Health directors like David Meates and Samantha Burke believe that earthquakes speed up the process for those who are going to deliver a child because people may go into survival mode after a danger has passed. Studies show that this is true because a small increase in stress during pregnancy can sometimes trigger a hormone surge that causes early labor. Furthermore, it has been discovered that birth rates do not occur immediately after a natural disaster, but actually occur around nine months later. This has been proven by many natural disasters like a boom in babies nine months after the 8.8 Chile earthquake and Haiti's earthquake. In addition, there are fewer condoms in developing countries like Haiti so survivors have been engaging in more sex to cope with the stress, which may explain the increase in birth rates. Lastly, people may involve in more sex because there is nothing else to do like nine months after a 10 hour blackout in New York City during the year, 1966, and there have been spikes in birth rates along the East Coast for a couple years due to "snowpocalypses" during previous winters.

I chose this topic because I find it interesting that there is an increase in birth rates after major natural disasters. Also, this shows the human brain's instincts kicking in, in order to either cope with the stress or slowly rebuild their lives by giving birth. This article also proves that the belief that after major disasters, the population of that country will decrease is false since there may actually be more people after the event due to increased birth rates. However, the massive increases in birth may become a problem in the future because the population of the world will continue to rise until there is no more resources for everyone on the planet, due to natural disasters not helping to lower populations. In addition, I find this article interesting because it shows the psychology of a human mind in order to cope with stress from disasters by having sex. 

Resources:

Wolchover, Natalie. "Why Earthquakes in New Zealand Increased Birth Rates."
     Live Science. Life's Little Mysteries, 2 Mar. 2011. Web. 7 Mar. 2011.
     <http://www.livescience.com/13031-earthquakes-zealand-increased-birth-rates.html>.

CSB #4: Blood Test for Alzheimers

 

Definitions

•  Alzheimer's disease: A disease that causes mental deterioration from the degeneration of the brain in middle or old ages.
• Antigen proteins: Proteins of a foreign substance that triggers an immune response like the production of antibodies from the human body.
• Peptoids: Small variations of peptide molecules in the human body
• Peptides: A compound consisting of two or more amino acids linked in a chain.

Summary

Scientists are trying to find ways to detect Alzheimer's disease and diagnose it earlier by assuming that the disease causes the immune system to defend the human body. In order for the body to react and create antibodies, there must be antigen proteins that recognize the foreign infection. If doctors could see the Alzheimer's process earlier, they could diagnose it and possibly cure it. These scientists are trying different methods to detect Alzheimer's disease like trying to look for signals in the bloodstream. However, they do not know what antigen proteins are signs of the disease, so they exposed different variations of peptide molecules in the human body with blood samples of people with and without Alzheimer's. If only some peptides bounded with antibodies in blood samples of people with Alzheimer's than those without, scientists could look for them in the bloodstream to detect Alzheimer's. The results were that scientists discovered 3 peptides that bound to antibodies of people with Alzheimer's, but they are doing more experiments on more people.

Discussion

I think that this discovery is very interesting because before this experiment, there was no way of finding Alzheimer's disease and diagnosing it. Also, I believe that when scientists do more tests and eventually detect Alzheimer's before it occurs, they could find a way to cure it. I find it interesting that only some peptide molecules bound to antibodies in the blood of people with Alzheimer's than those without it. I am also interested in the origins of Alzheimer's disease, which may be discovered after scientists diagnose it. I hope that in the future Alzheimer's disease is cured.

Questions

• How did the scientists discover that peptides could be connected to detecting if a person has Alzheimer's?
• How was Alzheimer's disease discovered and what causes it?

Citations

Moseman, Andrew. "Researchers Take One Step Towards a Blood Test for
     Alzheimer's." Discover 7 Jan. 2011: n. pag. Web. 9 Jan. 2011.
     <http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/01/07/
     researchers-take-one-step-towards-a-blood-test-for-alzheimers/
     ?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+DiscoverHealthMedicine+
     (Discover+Health+%26+Medicine)>.

CSB #3: Usable Water Discovered in Moon Crater

Definitions

• Lcross: Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite, a satellite that confirmed that there was ice in a crater on the Moon.
• Spectrum: A band of colors produced by a separation of the components of light.
• Plume: A mass of material spreading from a source.

 Summary 
On the Moon, scientists discover wet areas at the bottom of a deep crater near the south pole. The area is similar to an oasis, and scientists believe that if astronauts were to visit this crater, they would be able to use 10 to 13 gallons of water or convert it into hydrogen and oxygen for rocket fuel. Scientists also think that the rocket fuel created can be used to return to Earth or to travel to Mars. The water on the Moon is in the form of pure ice grains mixed in with the soil so it is easy to extract since ice is about 5.6 percent to 8.5 recent of the mixture. NASA discovered this as they were analyzing the data of Lcross crashing into the 60 mile wide crater when the team had reported the impact had kicked up about 40 gallons of water. Also, scientists analyzed the spectrum of infrared light that reflected off the debris smoke and found compounds like calcium and mercury. With these minerals, NASA can find what objects have been hitting the Moon such as comets and other minerals that were produced by chemical reactions on the surface.


Discussion
In the future, the moon could be used as a stop to refuel because the water there can be converted into rocket fuel to travel to Mars, another planet, or back to the Earth. Also, if there is water on the Moon, there might be other planets or moons that have it too. This could mean that on one of the planets or moons there might be life. In addition, discovering water on the Moon is very exciting for the scientists at NASA because humans may be able to settle there one day. I chose this article because I am interested in the possibilities that finding water on the moon will lead to like other living organisms besides those on Earth. I hope that scientists will eventually send human explorers to the Moon and search for signs of life.


Questions

• Are scientists going to send more satellites or even astronauts to explore the Moon and other planets?
• If scientists discovered water in a crater on the Moon, what other amazing things will they discover near the poles?

Citations
Chang, Kenneth. "Moon Crater Contains Usable Water." The New York Times. The New
     York Times, 21 Oct. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2010. <http://www.nytimes.com/
     2010/10/22/science/space/22moon.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=moon%20water&st=cse>.

CSB #2: New Habitable Planet Discovered

Definitions

• exoplanet: A planet that orbits a star outside the solar system.
• Goldilocks planets: Planet that is similar in size and conditions to the Earth: not too close and not too far from the sun.

Summary

Astronomers recently found a planet, Gliese 581g, that is about 20 light-years away and is capable of having water on its surface, which makes this planet possibly have life. Gliese 581g is the most Earthlike planet that has been discovered and meets the criteria that it might be habitable. This planet circles a red star, Gliese 581, and is located in the Goldilocks zone, where the temperatures are perfect for water to exist in a liquid form. The planet was the first actual Goldilocks planet discovered, and the sun it circles closely resembles our Sun, making both solar systems very similar. Two of Gliese's planets were thought to be habitable several years ago, but further analysis showed that one planet's greenhouse effect would make the planet too hot for living organisms. Data also showed that another planet on the outer rim of the Goldilocks zone is too cold for life. Astronomers have estimated the average temperature on the surface of Gliese 581g to be between 10 and negative 24 degrees Fahrenheit, similar temperatures to a summer day in Antarctica. Although the planet is perfect for life, planets in that system always face the star at the same time, meaning that temperatures could vary drastically from day to night.

Discussion
I think it is interesting that there might be life on Gliese 581g and possibly a planet that could be explored in the future. Gliese 581g could be a perfect place for people to move to if Earth's resources run out in the future. I am also interested because astronomers in the future may discover that the planet's surface looks exactly like Earth's. Also, I find it intriguing that there are probably many solar systems similar to Gliese 581's and our solar systems out further in space. I chose this article because I find it interesting how scientists might have possibly found the key to Earth's future and possibly even extraterrestrials.

Questions

• How do planets like Gliese 581g and Earth coincidentally move into the perfect Goldilocks zone and does this occur very often in other solar systems scientists discovered?
• Are there animals or organisms on Gliese 581g and if there are, are they similar to those on Earth?

Sources

• Overbye, Dennis. "New Planet May Be Able to Nurture Organisms." The New York
       Times. The New York Times, 29 Sept. 2010. Web. 14 Oct. 2010.
       <http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/science/space/
       30planet.html?_r=1&ref=space>. 
• http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/30/science/space/30planet.html?_r=2&ref=space