Assignment

Today we will be completing more of the assignment, looking at the merit and distinction criteria.  With your assignment sheets, use the following websites to help you acheive the criteria for task 3 and 4:

Task 3 - Basic information - http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/aircomposition.htm
Elements, Compounds, mixtures - http://www.chem.purdue.edu/gchelp/atoms/elements.html
Tests for gases - http://www.gcsescience.com/itestoxygen.htm , http://www.gcsescience.com/itestcarbondioxide.htm , http://www.gcsescience.com/itestnitrogen.htm

Task 4 - You can asnwer this on the piece of lined paper we started in class last lesson.

Task 5 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa/atomic/differentsubrev5.shtml
http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/143Aioniccpds.html . Make sure you compare metal elements to their compounds.

Investigating chemicals

Today we're going to start work on the assignment criteria for the pass grade. You need to make atable explaining the different properties that different chemicals have. Make a table like this in excel:

Chemical name:      State at room temperature:     Reactivity:    Used in:    Number of electrons:

Hydrogen
Sulfuric acid
Copper
Silver
Gold
Potassium
Neon

Use the following websites to help you find information to fill your table in - http://www.chem4kids.com/files/elements/index.html
http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFile/HPAweb_C/1202115622321
http://chemistry.about.com/od/elementfacts/a/silver.htm
periodic table needed to work out numbers of electrons - http://www.ptable.com/

Make sure you save your work!

Environmental Chemistry

Today we're going to start on a new assignment topic, 'Affecting the Environment'.  Answer the following points in your books, as they will be very relevant to the work you will need to porduce for assessment.

1. How can the following human activities affect the natural environment (including the land, air and water)? Make three dot points for each heading.

Mining -
Oil Drilling -
Burning Fossil Fuels -


2.       Natural disasters also affect the Environment in different ways.  Explain how each of the following can influence the Environment.
Forest fires -
Earthquakes -
Volcanoes -


Mining - http://kids.mongabay.com/lesson_plans/lisa_algee/mining.html
Oil drilling http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/energy/offshore-drilling-controversy2.htm
Burning fossil fuels - http://library.thinkquest.org/11353/fossilfuel.htm

Forest Fires - http://www.arborday.org/replanting/fireeffects.cfm
Earthquakes - http://earthtrends.wri.org/updates/node/316
Volcanoes - http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/find_out/guides/tech/volcanoes/newsid_1768000/1768622.stm

Once you're finished, try these link - http://www.stopdisastersgame.org/en/playgame.html

library lesson

Once this video finishes, watch 'we are nothing' which comes up at the bottom.  It covers the material we've been looking at in class really well.

Today we will be using the library to continue our assignments.  We're going to continue with our posters, and start on the final section which deals with space exploration.  Make sure by the end of the lesson you have

• Completed a poster of planets, stars and galaxies (with explanations), and also described asteroids, comets and moons.
• Started the second pass requirement talking about how different wavelengths are used to investigate the Universe.
• If you've finished the first two dot points, use the link below to research the final pass criteria: Looking at manned space missions.

Manned flights -  http://www.windows2universe.org/space_missions/manned_table.html

Space probes - http://www.windows2universe.org/space_missions/unmanned.html

Space and the Sun

For today we will be researching different points about our solar system and the Universe.  Use the links below as we did last time.

1. Who was the first person to suggest that the Sun was in the middle of our Solar system? What did people think of this?
2. What is currently thought to have started the Universe?
3. Is the Universe getting bigger or smaller at the moment?
4. How is our Sun changing in size?
5. For the planet you were working on last lesson, find out how long it takes to orbit the sun (how mant days one year has).
6. How many other suns do Scientists think might exist? Why don't we know an exact number?

For question 1: http://info-poland.buffalo.edu/classroom/kopernik/copernicus.shtml
Question 2 and 3: http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/what-powered-the-big-bang/
Question 4: http://aspire.cosmic-ray.org/labs/star_life/starlife_main.html
Question 5: http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/index.html
Question 6: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM75BS1VED_index_0.html

Try these once you're finished - http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/channel/known-universe-interactive

I.T. lesson

Today we will be doing some online research to give you some more background knowledge about the topics we'll be covering this year.  Use the links below the questions to help you! Remember that you can access this site from home if you need any information that we've been using in class.

1. What are some types of evidence that forensic scientists might collect? Try and name three different examples:
2. Name three organelles that BOTH plant and animal cells have, and two organelles that ONLY plants have.
3. Give a brief explanation of what happened to the nuclear power plant at Fukushima, how it happened and what problems this caused.
4. What issues are facing the Drill (a type of monkey) and the northern white rhino? What are scientists doing to try and fix the problem?

Site that gives some good information about forensics - http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00206/index1.htm
Info about plant and animal cells - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa/cells/cells1.shtml
Link to BBC article about Fukushima Nuclear power plant - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12720219
Article about endangered Drills and Rhinos - http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14765186

Finally, try anything on this website - http://library.thinkquest.org/04oct/00206/index1.htm or http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/onlinestuff/games/

Control Mechanisms

Here is the information we used for the control mechanisms assignment.  Remember to include enough information to cover the dot points set out in the assignment sheet.

Dehydration
Water makes up over two-thirds of the healthy human body. It is essential for lubricating the joints and eyes, aiding digestion, flushing out waste and toxins and keeping skin healthy.
Dehydration occurs when the normal water content of your body is reduced, upsetting the delicate balance of minerals (salts and sugar) in your body fluid. Many of your body's cells depend on these minerals being maintained at the correct levels to function properly.

Some of the early warning signs that you are dehydrated are feeling thirsty and lightheaded and having concentrated, strong-smelling urine. The body works less efficiently with even a relatively low level of fluid loss.

How it happens

Dehydration is generally caused by not drinking enough fluid or by losing fluid and not replacing it.
You can lose fluid through vomiting or diarrhoea (for example, if you have gastroenteritis), through sweating (for example, if you have a fever or are exercising in hot conditions) or through urinating too frequently (for example, if you have diabetes).
Drinking too much alcohol can also cause dehydration, which is the main symptom of a hangover.

Types of dehydration

There are two types of dehydration:

• Isotonic dehydration is when you lose water and salt in the same proportion as the water and salt in the fluid surrounding your cells. It is the type of dehydration most often caused by diarrhoea.
• Hypernatraemic dehydration usually happens in infants or children. 'Hypernatraemic' means high levels of salt in the blood, so hypernatraemic dehydration is when a child loses relatively more water than salt, for example when they have watery diarrhoea or excessive vomiting. 

At-risk groups

People who are particularly at risk from dehydration are:

• babies and infants, because they have a low body weight and are sensitive to even small amounts of fluid loss
• older people, because they may be less aware of becoming dehydrated and the need to keep drinking fluids
• people with a long-term condition, such as diabetes or alcoholism
• athletes, because of the amount they sweat

Heatstroke
Heatstroke happens when a person’s core temperature rises above 40°C (104°F). Cells inside the body begin to break down and important parts of the body stop working.
Symptoms of heatstroke can include mental confusion, hyperventilation (rapid shallow breathing) and loss of consciousness.
Heatstroke is a medical emergency. If left untreated, it can cause multiple organ failure, brain damage and death.

Types of heatstroke

There are two main types of heatstroke:

• classic heatstroke, and
• exertional heatstroke.

Classic heatstroke

Classic heatstroke usually affects the elderly, babies and people with chronic health conditions. It develops during unusually hot weather, such as a heatwave.

Exertional heatstroke

Exertional heatstroke usually affects young, active people doing strenuous physical activity for a long time in the heat. For example, cases of exertional heatstroke have occurred in:

• athletes,
• people serving in the military, and
• fire-fighters.

How common are heat exhaustion and heatstroke?

It is hard to tell exactly how common heat exhaustion is, as many people who get it do not go to their GP for treatment.
Heatstroke is rare in England, but during a heatwave the death rate among the elderly is much higher than usual.

Outlook

If a person with heat exhaustion is taken quickly to a cool place and given plenty of water to drink, they should begin to feel better within half an hour and experience no long-term complications. Without treatment, they could develop heatstroke.
Heatstroke is very serious and should be treated immediately. Treatment involves quickly cooling down the body to lower the core temperature.
If treated swiftly, 90% of people with heatstroke survive. If not, the survival rate is as low as 20% among vulnerable people such as the elderly.

Controlling blood sugar

Insulin

Insulin is secreted by the beta cells of the pancreas in response to high blood sugar, although a low level of insulin is always secreted by the pancreas.  After a meal, the amount of insulin secreted into the blood increases as the blood glucose rises.  Likewise, as blood glucose falls, insulin secretion by the pancreatic islet beta cells decreases.

In response to insulin, cells (muscle, red blood cells, and fat cells) take glucose in from the blood, which ultimately lowers the high blood glucose levels back to the normal range.

Glucagon

Glucagon is secreted by the alpha cells of the pancreas when blood glucose is low.   Blood glucose is low between meals and during exercise.  When blood glucose is high, no glucagon is secreted from the alpha cells.  Glucagon has the greatest effect on the liver although it affects many different cells in the body.  Glucagon's function is to cause the liver to release stored glucose from its cells into the blood.  Glucagon also the production of glucose by the liver out of building blocks obtained from other nutrients found in the body, for example, protein.

Levels

Blood glucose is normally maintained between 70 mg/dl and 110 mg/dl.  Blood glucose levels below 70mg/dl,  denote the situation of "hypoglycemia".   Although blood glucose levels of 110mg/dl can be normal, this is only the case if a meal has been taken within 2 to 3 hours.  A blood glucose level of 180mg/dl or more, is termed "hyperglycemia."  Diagnosis is made if blood glucose levels are above 200mg/dl after drinking a sugar-water drink (glucose tolerance test). 

Hypothermia

Hypothermia is classified as a temperature below 35°C (96°F).
Watch out for the 'umbles': stumbles, mumbles, fumbles and grumbles. These are symptoms that show a gradual reduction in coordination of muscles and movement, and a falling level of consciousness.
Symptoms progress as the person's temperature drops:

• Initially, involuntary shivering, loss of complex motor skills (but still able to walk and talk), shutdown of blood vessels in the hands and feet.
• As temperature falls below 35°C (95°F), violent shivering, impaired consciousness, loss of fine-motor coordination, especially in the hands, slurred speech, illogical behaviour, loss of emotional cognition - an 'I don't care' attitude.
• As core temperature falls below 34°C (92°F), the effects becomes life threatening, shivering become intermittent and then stops, the person curls into the foetal position, muscles become rigid, pupils dilate, pulse rate drops.
• By 30°C (86°F) the person looks dead. Although still alive, they're in a state known as the 'metabolic icebox', breathing becomes shallow and erratic, consciousness is lost and the heart becomes vulnerable to deadly arrhythmias.

Shivering is one of several symptoms that can be used to assess hypothermia. If the person is able to stop themselves shivering, their hypothermia is only mild. If it can't be stopped voluntarily, the person has moderate to severe hypothermia.
Another quick test is to assess higher brain functioning by asking the person to count backwards from 100 in multiples of nine. This sort of cerebral ability is soon lost as temperature falls.
A sign of severe hypothermia is loss of the pulse at the wrist, a result of the circulation shutting down.
The basic principles are to stop heat loss and preserve the heat the person has, and provide body fuel to generate more heat. If a person is shivering, they can warm themselves at a rate of 2°C an hour.
Put on additional layers of clothing and replace wet clothes with dry. Get them moving to increase their activity and ensure their surroundings are as warm and still as possible.
Provide food, initially as hot liquids. Carbohydrates provide a rapid source of energy while fats can provide a prolonged source of fuel. Add warmth with a fire or heater, or by body-to-body contact.

Humans and the Environment

Here is the material we used for teh Humans and the Environment assignment - don't worry if you haven't achieved a pass yet as we'll be going back and working on completing all our half done work once we finish our next assignment (+/- 2 weeks away).

Recycling –

Recycling is one of the best ways for you to have a positive impact on the world in which we live. Recycling is important to both the natural environment and us. We must act fast as the amount of waste we create is increasing all the time.  Recycling is very important as waste has a huge negative impact on the natural environment.  Recycling is essential to cities around the world and to the people living in them.  UK households produced 30.5 million tonnes of waste in 2003/04, of which 17% was collected for recycling (source: defra.gov.uk). This figure is still quite low compared to some of our neighbouring EU countries, some recycling over 50% of their waste. There is still a great deal of waste which could be recycled that ends up in landfill sites which is harmful to the environment.

Recycling is an excellent way of saving energy and conserving the environment. Did you know that:

• 1 recycled tin can would save enough energy to power a television for 3 hours.
• 1 recycled glass bottle would save enough energy to power a computer for 25 minutes.
• 1 recycled plastic bottle would save enough energy to power a 60-watt light bulb for 3 hours.
• 70% less energy is required to recycle paper compared with making it from raw materials.

Some Interesting Facts

• Up to 60% of the rubbish that ends up in the dustbin could be recycled.
• The unreleased energy contained in the average dustbin each year could power a television for 5,000 hours.
• The largest lake in the Britain could be filled with rubbish from the UK in 8 months.
• On average, 16% of the money you spend on a product pays for the packaging, which ultimately ends up as rubbish.
• As much as 50% of waste in the average dustbin could be composted.
• Up to 80% of a vehicle can be recycled.
• 9 out of 10 people would recycle more if it were made easier.

Energy use –

Energy use in the United Kingdom stood at 3,894.6 kilograms of oil equivalent per capita in 2005 compared to a world average of 1,778.0. In 2008, total energy consumed was 9.85 exajoules (EJ) - around 2% of the estimated 474 EJ worldwide total (while the UK accounts for under 1% of global population). Demand for electricity in 2006 was ~40GW typically, and ~60GW at peak; the total electricity consumed in 2006 was 1.25 exajoules.
The Low Carbon Transition Plan launched by the British government in July 2009 aims at 30% of renewable and of 40% of low CO2-content fuels in electricity generation by 2020. The NDA announced winning bidders for its nuclear site auction and launched a new process for the Sellafield site to be closed by 2010. These actions are occurring as Europe is facing the consequences of the economic and financial crisis. Europe’s consumptions shrank by 5% and primary production faced a noticeable drop as well. The trade deficit was reduced by 8%, respectively due to substantial cuts in energy imports.

Sorry, here's the vaccinations bit that I should have included with the others the first time!

Vaccinations

Weighing up the risks

All medicines have side effects, but vaccines are among the safest. The benefits of vaccinations far outweigh the risk of side effects.

When we’re considering a vaccination for ourselves or our children, it's natural to think about the potential side effects of that vaccination. But you have to balance the risk against the benefits.

So, what are the side effects of vaccination?

Most side effects from vaccination are mild. It's quite usual for people to have redness or swelling in the place where they had the injection, but this soon goes away. Younger children or babies may be a bit irritable or unwell or have a slight temperature. Again, this goes away within one or two days.

In much rarer cases, some people have an allergic reaction soon after a vaccination. This is usually a rash or itching that affects part or all of the body. The GP or nurse giving the vaccine are trained to treat this.

On very rare occasions, a severe allergic reaction may happen within a few minutes of the vaccination. This is called an anaphylactic reaction. It can lead to breathing difficulties and, in some cases, collapse.

Remember that anaphylactic reactions are extremely rare (less than one in a million). Vaccination staff are trained to deal with these reactions, and they're completely reversible if treated promptly.

A note for parents:

Vaccination is different from giving medicine to an unwell child to make them better. The benefits of vaccination are invisible. Your child won't become ill with measles or crippled by polio, or end up in intensive care with meningitis C.

It may be tempting to say 'no' to vaccination and 'leave it to nature' instead. However, deciding not to vaccinate your child puts them at risk of catching a range of potentially serious, even fatal, diseases.

In reality, having a vaccination is much safer than not having one. They’re not 100% effective in every child, but they’re the best defence against epidemics that used to kill or permanently disable millions of children and adults.

Here are the information sheets that we used for the leaflets in the last assignment.  Feel free to use them to complete any parts this week, and remember that you can find your own information as well.

Alcohol

Increasing-risk drinkers

Most people who have alcohol-related health problems aren’t alcoholics. They're simply people who have regularly drunk more than the recommended levels for some years.

And it's certainly not only people who get drunk or binge drink who are at risk. Most people who regularly drink more than the NHS recommends don't see any harmful effects at first.

Alcohol’s hidden harms usually only emerge after a number of years. And by then, serious health problems can have developed.

Liver problems, reduced fertility, high blood pressure, increased risk of various cancers and heart attack are some of the numerous harmful effects of regularly drinking above recommended levels.

Drinking at this level increases the risk of damaging your health. Alcohol affects all parts and systems of the body, and it can play a role in numerous medical conditions.

Increasing-risk drinking is:

• drinking more than 3-4 units a day on a regular basis if you're a man
• drinking more than 2-3 units a day on a regular basis if you're a woman 

If you're drinking at around these levels, your risk of developing a serious illness is higher compared to non-drinkers:

• Men are 1.8 to 2.5 times as likely to get cancer of the mouth, neck and throat; women are 1.2 to 1.7 times as likely. 
• Women are 1.2 times as likely to get breast cancer.
• Men are twice as likely to develop liver cirrhosis, and women 1.7 times as likely.
• Men are 1.8 times as likely to develop high blood pressure, and women are 1.3 times as likely.

If you're an increasing-risk drinker and are drinking substantially above the lower risk limits, your risks will be even higher than those outlined above.

At these drinking levels, you might already be suffering from alcohol-related problems, such as fatigue or depression, weight gain, poor sleep and sexual problems.

Whatever your age or sex, you’re probably in worse physical shape than you would be otherwise. Also, you could easily be suffering from higher blood pressure due to your drinking.

Some people argue a lot when they’re drinking, which can negatively affect their relationships with family and friends.

Pregnant women or women trying to conceive should not drink alcohol. When you drink, alcohol reaches your baby through the placenta. Too much exposure to alcohol can seriously affect your baby's development.

Lack of exercise/Obesity

Failure to exercise is as bad for health as smoking a packet of cigarettes every day, experts have warned.

The World Heart Federation said physical inactivity doubles the chances of developing heart disease and increases the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.

The warning was issued ahead of World Heart Day on Sunday 29 September.

Doctors estimate that between 65% and 85% of the world's population fail to take enough exercise.

Professor Mario Maranhao, president of the World Heart Federation, said that children were also at risk.

Two out of three children around the globe take too little exercise to improve their health.

Health benefits

Professor Maranhao urged people to exercise.

"Even moderate exercise such as a brisk walk for 30 minutes most days helps control weight, cuts stress, anxiety and depression."

Professor Maranhao also advised people to improve their diet and to eat plenty of fruit, grains and vegetables and reduce their intake of alcohol and saturated fats.

Around 90 countries are expected to take part in World Heart Day which will feature events such as carnivals, walks, shows, public talks, sports tournaments and exhibitions.

The event is being supported by Brazilian footballer Ronaldo and Chow Yun Fat, star of the Oscar-winning film Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Ronaldo, who is a United Nations Development Programme Goodwill Ambassador, backed calls for people to exercise more.

He said: "Wherever you live in the world, there is no substitute for moderate but regular exercise and with a small amount of effort you can make a big difference."

Actor Chow Yun Fat exercises five times a week and eats mainly rice, fish and vegetables.

His belief in the benefits of healthy lifestyle has led to him becoming a goodwill ambassador for the World Heart Federation and supporting World Heart Day.

Smoking

If you smoke, you increase your risk of more than 50 serious health conditions. Some may be fatal and others can cause irreversible long-term damage to your health.

Smoking is one of the biggest causes of death and illness in the UK. You can become ill:

• if you smoke yourself
• through other people’s smoke (passive smoking or secondhand smoke)

In the UK, around 114,000 people die every year from smoking-related illnesses.

Risks to your health

Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancers. It also causes cancer in many other parts of the body, such as:

• mouth
• lip
• throat
• voice box (larynx)
• oesophagus (the tube between your mouth and stomach)
• bladder
• kidney
• liver
• stomach
• pancreas

Smoking damages your heart and your blood circulation, increasing the risk of conditions such as:

• coronary heart disease
• heart attack
• stroke
• peripheral vascular disease (damaged blood vessels)
• cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that supply blood to your brain)

Smoking damages your lungs, causing conditions such as:

• chronic bronchitis (infection of the main airways in the lungs)
• emphysema (damage to the small airways in the lungs)
• pneumonia (inflammation in the lungs)

Smoking can also worsen or prolong the symptoms of respiratory conditions, such as asthma, or respiratory tract infections, such as the common cold.

In men, smoking can cause impotence as it limits the blood supply to the penis.

For both men and women, smoking can affect fertility, making it difficult for you to have children.

 

Welcome!

Hello Year 10, I've created this so I can share material with you that will help you complete assignments for class.  Make sure you either write the address down or save it in favourites so you can check it regularly.