UNEDITED SCIENCE AND HEALTH ARTICLE
By Vladimir Paat Villegas
IV – Sir Isaac Newton
The universe was born by the time the Big Bang took place. As theorized, it was first a large mass of gases which exploded then. But still, many still want to find out what really happened a few moments after the large explosion (“About the LHC”, 2008).
To find out everything, the Project Large Hadron Collider (LHC) came out to be. This international research project is located at Counseil Europeén pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN, European Organization for Nuclear Research in English) in Geneva, Switzerland. It weighs 38 000 tonnes, stretches 27 km (16.5 mi) and is placed in a tunnel 100 meters beneath the Swiss-French border upon Geneva. The project consists of three essential parts: the collider itself; the detectors, which sit in 4 chambers around the tunnel; and the Global Resource Information Database (GRID), which is a global network of computers and software essential to process the data recorded by the detectors (“What is the LHC?”, 2008).
The project, if successful, will allow everyone to probe deeper into the heart of matter and further back in time than what has been possible using previous collider. Because of the cooling down of the universe and the lessening of its energy, it collides particles at very high speeds and produces energy for the further look into the evolution of the universe. Another theory it aims to prove is that of Professor Peter Higgs and other British physicists, which states all particles making up matter have different masses and particles making up light (photons) are weightless. The only thing they attempt to produce is the Higgs boson, which is a hypothetical particle whose observation would help confirm some of the predictions in the Standard Model of physics (“What will the LHC do?”, 2008; AP, 2008; Meyers, 2008).
Its gadget, which is known today as the biggest gadget ever made, then operates by accelerating two beams of particles in opposite directions around the collider and colliding particles upon reaching the maximum speed at 4 points. Upon collision, thousands of new particles are produced. Detectors then allow the scientists to identify the particles through behavior tracking and researchers peer deeper into the fundamental structure of the universe through the particles’ increasing energy (“How Does the LHC work?”, 2008).
Scientists, engineers, and engineers from 111 countries, led by the United Kingdom, teamed up to make this project by combining state-of-the-art science and engineering. It took them 13 years (1994-2007) to construct the project. The team collected 511 million pounds by including the United Kingdom’s annual CERN subscription. In totality, the cost of the project is 3.5 billion pounds (infrastructure and computing included) and is mainly paid by the 20 members of CERN as contributed significantly by the 6 observer nations (“Who is involved?”, 2008).
For the British scientists, they benefit from the project through: 1) a new understanding of the physical world; 2) training of world class scientists and engineers; 3) maintenance of their research; and 4) a leading role in an international project. However, the knowledge, the expertise, and the technology which they get from the project and could be used to develop other technologies are more easily appreciated (“Who benefits”, 2008).
Although the LHC is located at the Swiss-French border at Geneva, it crosses international borders as an international project. British scientists and engineers at 20 research sites are involved in designing and building equipment and analyzing data. Researchers are involved with all four of the main detectors and the GRID. Staffs based at CERN have leading roles in managing and running the collider and detectors (“Where is the LHC?”, 2008).
The LHC was formally launched on September 10 this year; however, the collider has been closed down for two months after suffering a technical fault as ordered by CERN. The LHC encountered a failure known as “quench” caused about 100 of the super-cooled magnets to heat up by as much as 100 degrees Celsius. The fire brigade was then called out after a tonne of liquid helium leaked into the tunnel. According to CERN, these were caused by a faulty electrical connection between the magnets, which probably melted at high current”. Although, the tunnel section will have to be “warmed up” for LHC even if a full investigation is still under way (AP, 2008; Meyers, 2008; Savvas, 2008).
The LHC is a machine made to open up new areas of physics and prove or disprove the existence of predicted new laws or particles. But it is still new and its successor, the International Linear Collider (ILC), is already being discussed. It is said to be a precision instrument that will allow scientists to explore in detail the discoveries made by the LHC. However, no one knows what may happen to both machines for one has just malfunction and for the other is still planned, has no agreed location, and still has to undergo many procedures. Some have even theorized that the experiments could go wrong even if the CERN has denied such threat (AP, 2008; “What next, 2008; Meyers, 2008).
NB This article was written using the American Psychological Association documentation format. List of resources is available upon request.
REFERENCES
(2008). About the LHC. Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/about-the-lhc.html
(2008). What is the LHC? Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/what-is-the-lhc.html
(2008). What will the LHC do? Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/about -the-lhc/what-will-the-lhc-do.html
(2008). How does the LHC work? Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/about-the-lhc/how-does-the-lhc-work.html
(2008). Who is involved? Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/about-the-lhc/who-is-involved.html
(2008). Who benefits? Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/about-the-lhc/who-benefits.html
(2008). Where is the LHC? Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/about-the-lhc/where-is-the-lhc.html
(2008). What next? Retrieved from http://www.lhc.ac.uk/about-the-lhc/what-next.html
Savvas, A (2008). Particle decelerator: technical fault hits CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Retrieved from http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2008/09/22/232389/particle-decelerator-technical-fault-hits-cerns-large-hadron.htm
Meyers, M (2008). Large Hadron Collider faces two-month shutdown. Retrieved from http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/communications/0,39044192,62046414,00.htm?scid=rss_z_nw
Associated Press (2008). Large Hadron Collider down for 2 months. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/09/20/hadron.collider.damage.ap/index.html
Showing posts with label SCIENCE AND HEALTH. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SCIENCE AND HEALTH. Show all posts
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
WATER ON MARS
UNEDITED SAMPLE SCIENCE AND HEALTH ARTICLE
By Julia Nina Somera Moncada
IV - Madame Marie Curie
After its nearly 10-month journey, the Phoenix Lander landed on Mars on May 25, 2008. The Phoenix is the first in NASA’s Scout Program, which aims to conduct small and small-cost science missions. It landed on the red planet’s northern polar cap. It has an onboard laboratory to test the history of water and the planet’s potential of sustaining life. It is equipped with eight Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) or oven instruments that will bake and sniff the soil for volatile substances such as water.
On June 3, a white material was first revealed under the soil. On June 12, the lander’s robotic arm dug deeper into the two trenches, informally called “Dodo” and “Goldilocks,” where the white material was found. It created one big trench now called “Dodo-Goldilocks.”
Scientists debated on whether the material was ice or salt. The white material from the inside of the trench vanished four days after its exposure. This convinced scientists that it was indeed frozen water. Digging on a separate trench, the lander’s robotic arm hit a hard surface at the same depth as the ice found on the Dodo-Goldilocks trench.
Laboratory tests aboard the lander have identified water in the soil sample. The lander’s robotic arm delivered a soil sample to an instrument that identifies water vapor produced by heating. The sample came from approximately 2 inches below the ground where the robotic arm hit a hard layer.
The mission is planned to last 92 Earth days. After that, the Martian winter will settle in. The dimming light will deprive the solar-powered Phoenix of electricity to run its instruments. It is expected to end its life covered in frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice). There is a very low possibility that the Phoenix will come back to life in spring.
By Julia Nina Somera Moncada
IV - Madame Marie Curie
After its nearly 10-month journey, the Phoenix Lander landed on Mars on May 25, 2008. The Phoenix is the first in NASA’s Scout Program, which aims to conduct small and small-cost science missions. It landed on the red planet’s northern polar cap. It has an onboard laboratory to test the history of water and the planet’s potential of sustaining life. It is equipped with eight Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) or oven instruments that will bake and sniff the soil for volatile substances such as water.
On June 3, a white material was first revealed under the soil. On June 12, the lander’s robotic arm dug deeper into the two trenches, informally called “Dodo” and “Goldilocks,” where the white material was found. It created one big trench now called “Dodo-Goldilocks.”
Scientists debated on whether the material was ice or salt. The white material from the inside of the trench vanished four days after its exposure. This convinced scientists that it was indeed frozen water. Digging on a separate trench, the lander’s robotic arm hit a hard surface at the same depth as the ice found on the Dodo-Goldilocks trench.
Laboratory tests aboard the lander have identified water in the soil sample. The lander’s robotic arm delivered a soil sample to an instrument that identifies water vapor produced by heating. The sample came from approximately 2 inches below the ground where the robotic arm hit a hard layer.
The mission is planned to last 92 Earth days. After that, the Martian winter will settle in. The dimming light will deprive the solar-powered Phoenix of electricity to run its instruments. It is expected to end its life covered in frozen carbon dioxide (dry ice). There is a very low possibility that the Phoenix will come back to life in spring.
THE BITTER TRUTH ABOUT ASPARTAME
UNEDITED SAMPLE SCIENCE AND HEALTH ARTICLE
By Rochene Jerusalem Relator
IV - Madame Marie Curie
Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-measure (also Canderel - ed.). Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr. John W. Olney and consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974, as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices, caused the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (5 December 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D.Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and the NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.
Aspartame is by far the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the US FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death as recently disclosed in a February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report (1).
A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, memory loss and joint pain.
Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins". They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.
Aspartic acid is an amino acid. taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.
The risks to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies For Experimental Biology (FASEB) which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that:
"It is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e. elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals which affective disorders."
Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid. The best thing to do is avoid all artificial and chemical sweetener substitutes. They have NO food value, trick the body into thinking it is eating something sweet, and they have by-products of harmful toxic side effects. And remember that aspartame was discovered as an ulcer drug, not a sweetener. Every diet drink you used to drink was a dose of medication
By Rochene Jerusalem Relator
IV - Madame Marie Curie
Aspartame is the technical name for the brand names Nutrasweet, Equal, Spoonful, and Equal-measure (also Canderel - ed.). Aspartame was discovered by accident in 1965, when James Schlatter, a chemist of G.D. Searle Company, was testing an anti-ulcer drug. Aspartame was approved for dry goods in 1981 and for carbonated beverages in 1983. It was originally approved for dry goods on July 26 1974, but objections filed by neuroscience researcher Dr. John W. Olney and consumer attorney James Turner in August 1974, as well as investigations of G.D. Searle's research practices, caused the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to put approval of aspartame on hold (5 December 1974). In 1985, Monsanto purchased G.D.Searle and made Searle Pharmaceuticals and the NutraSweet Company separate subsidiaries.
Aspartame is by far the most dangerous substance on the market that is added to foods. Aspartame accounts for over 75% of the adverse reactions to food additives reported to the US FDA. Many of these reactions are very serious, including seizures and death as recently disclosed in a February 1994 Department of Health and Human Services report (1).
A few of the 90 different documented symptoms listed in the report as being caused by aspartame include: headaches/migraines, dizziness, seizures, nausea, numbness, muscle spasms, weight gain, rashes, depression, fatigue, irritability, tachycardia, insomnia, vision problems, hearing loss, heart palpitations, breathing difficulties, anxiety attacks, slurred speech, loss of taste, tinnitus, memory loss and joint pain.
Aspartate and glutamate act as neurotransmitters in the brain by facilitating the transmission of information from neuron to neuron. Too much aspartate or glutamate in the brain kills certain neurons by allowing the influx of too much calcium into the cells. This influx triggers excessive amounts of free radicals which kill the cells. The neural cell damage that can be caused by excessive aspartate and glutamate is why they are referred to as "excitotoxins". They "excite" or stimulate the neural cells to death.
Aspartic acid is an amino acid. taken in its free form (unbound to proteins) it significantly raises the blood plasma level of aspartate and glutamate. The excess aspartate and glutamate in the blood plasma shortly after ingesting aspartame or products with free glutamic acid (glutamate precursor) leads to a high level of those neurotransmitters in certain areas of the brain.
The risks to infants, children, pregnant women, the elderly and persons with certain chronic health problems from excitotoxins are great. Even the Federation of American Societies For Experimental Biology (FASEB) which usually understates problems and mimics the FDA party-line, recently stated in a review that:
"It is prudent to avoid the use of dietary supplements of L-glutamic acid by pregnant women, infants, and children. The existence of evidence of potential endocrine responses, i.e. elevated cortisol and prolactin, and differential responses between males and females, would also suggest a neuroendocrine link and that supplemental L-glutamic acid should be avoided by women of childbearing age and individuals which affective disorders."
Aspartic acid from aspartame has the same deleterious effects on the body as glutamic acid. The best thing to do is avoid all artificial and chemical sweetener substitutes. They have NO food value, trick the body into thinking it is eating something sweet, and they have by-products of harmful toxic side effects. And remember that aspartame was discovered as an ulcer drug, not a sweetener. Every diet drink you used to drink was a dose of medication
Sunday, July 6, 2008
DO NOT DISTURB
UNEDITED SAMPLE SCIENCE AND HEALTH ARTICLE
By Ma Inna Paulina Egamino Palana
III-Wilhelm Roentgen
Every student will do anything just to pass the test for the next day, especially if it is all about Mathematics, Science, Social Studies or English. From school, they will go straight home, rest for a while, eat dinner then off to their study table, putting out one by one their notebooks and books, then placing a label outside their bedroom door saying, “DON’T DISTURB”. Mostly, dudes like these get easily annoyed in the slightest sound they will hear in their surroundings because they can’t concentrate or they can’t memorize what they are memorizing at that moment. That is why a lot of scientists are conducting some researches to help these diligent scholars have some ease by decreasing their cargo.
First stop, have you ever experienced that anger because you can’t understand the slightest thing you’re studying? Check your position. Try to put your feet up and lie down. This is what Dr. Darren Lipnicki from the school of psychology at the Australian National University discovered. To prove this, he tested 20 people to solve 32 letter anagrams while standing and lying down. The result? Smarter and more creative are we in lying down than standing up. It seems that the neurotransmitter noradrenaline are less released when the body’s horizontal, so the creative thinking isn’t damaged.
Next is, if you’re on the mood on studying. Often, you have to study long lists of dates and names in History like Nebuchadnezzar, Nebopolassar, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, or the twelve dynasties in China which are the Hsia, Shang, Chou, Chin, Han, Sui, T’ang, Sung, Yuan, Ming and Manchu. Just looking at the long notes make you want to sleep; it makes you idle or sometimes give up, for who can memorize all of those in one night? The problem and the answer can be on the food intake. The British Dietetic Association stated that lack of important vitamins may be the cause of blue feelings. In cases like these, people should eat foods rich in vitamins B, folic acid, and iron, which is the best way to improve mood. If you want some healthy snacks (these goes for those who are on a diet), increase vitamin B intake by eating wholegrain breads or a handful of fruit, orange for some folic acid and for iron, eat cereals in breakfast time.
Now, in Dreamweaver, try to enumerate all the frames under the Tables. You have the left frame, right frame, top frame, bottom frame, bottom and nested left frame, bottom and nested right frame, left and nested bottom frame, left and nested top frames, and many more. Isn’t it difficult to memorize those words all at the same time for same words are being used but in different places?
Most of the students are becoming Night Shifters just to memorize all those words with their meaning. That is why you should try to start eating vegetables. Studies show that eating vegetables in meals and before studying helps your mind in memorizing and makes it more focused because of the vitamins it contain. Healthy, non-fat, and has a lot of benefits.
Of course, all of this are balderdash if you will not practice a regular sleep. As things get more hectic, sleep tends to get short shrift. It's seen as wasted time, lost forever. "For healthy people, there's a big temptation to voluntarily restrict sleep, to stay up an hour or two or get up an hour or two earlier," said Dr. Greg Belenky, director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University Spokane."But you're really reducing your productivity and exposing yourself to risk," Belenky added. Before Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1880, people slept an average of 10 hours a night. Compared to our present time, people tends to sleep less than 5 hours because of the hectic schedule they are in. "The group of people getting optimal sleep is getting smaller and smaller," said Dr. Chris Drake, senior scientist at the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit. "When a person's sleep drops to six hours or less, that's when a lot of things become very problematic."While experts recommend seven to eight hours of sleep each night, the amount needed for an individual can vary. But lack of sleep affects a person in one of two ways, Belenky said. First, sleeplessness affects the day-to-day performance of tasks. "The performance effects are seen immediately," he said. "You short-change yourself of sleep, and you see the effects immediately. You can make a bad decision. You can miss something. Have a moment's inattention, and you're off the road." Doctors have seen some link of lack of sleep to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, depression and substance abuse, and gain weight. Ever experience that feeling being hungry again after eating a meal? You might think it is already gluttony, but it can also be the bad effect of having a lack of sleep. "Hormones that process appetite begin to get disorganized," said Drake, who's also an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “There's a decrease in the amount of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone, when a person gets too little sleep. At the same time, ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, increases with a lack of sleep.”
Now, after reading this article, think you can pass the test?
By Ma Inna Paulina Egamino Palana
III-Wilhelm Roentgen
Every student will do anything just to pass the test for the next day, especially if it is all about Mathematics, Science, Social Studies or English. From school, they will go straight home, rest for a while, eat dinner then off to their study table, putting out one by one their notebooks and books, then placing a label outside their bedroom door saying, “DON’T DISTURB”. Mostly, dudes like these get easily annoyed in the slightest sound they will hear in their surroundings because they can’t concentrate or they can’t memorize what they are memorizing at that moment. That is why a lot of scientists are conducting some researches to help these diligent scholars have some ease by decreasing their cargo.
First stop, have you ever experienced that anger because you can’t understand the slightest thing you’re studying? Check your position. Try to put your feet up and lie down. This is what Dr. Darren Lipnicki from the school of psychology at the Australian National University discovered. To prove this, he tested 20 people to solve 32 letter anagrams while standing and lying down. The result? Smarter and more creative are we in lying down than standing up. It seems that the neurotransmitter noradrenaline are less released when the body’s horizontal, so the creative thinking isn’t damaged.
Next is, if you’re on the mood on studying. Often, you have to study long lists of dates and names in History like Nebuchadnezzar, Nebopolassar, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, or the twelve dynasties in China which are the Hsia, Shang, Chou, Chin, Han, Sui, T’ang, Sung, Yuan, Ming and Manchu. Just looking at the long notes make you want to sleep; it makes you idle or sometimes give up, for who can memorize all of those in one night? The problem and the answer can be on the food intake. The British Dietetic Association stated that lack of important vitamins may be the cause of blue feelings. In cases like these, people should eat foods rich in vitamins B, folic acid, and iron, which is the best way to improve mood. If you want some healthy snacks (these goes for those who are on a diet), increase vitamin B intake by eating wholegrain breads or a handful of fruit, orange for some folic acid and for iron, eat cereals in breakfast time.
Now, in Dreamweaver, try to enumerate all the frames under the Tables. You have the left frame, right frame, top frame, bottom frame, bottom and nested left frame, bottom and nested right frame, left and nested bottom frame, left and nested top frames, and many more. Isn’t it difficult to memorize those words all at the same time for same words are being used but in different places?
Most of the students are becoming Night Shifters just to memorize all those words with their meaning. That is why you should try to start eating vegetables. Studies show that eating vegetables in meals and before studying helps your mind in memorizing and makes it more focused because of the vitamins it contain. Healthy, non-fat, and has a lot of benefits.
Of course, all of this are balderdash if you will not practice a regular sleep. As things get more hectic, sleep tends to get short shrift. It's seen as wasted time, lost forever. "For healthy people, there's a big temptation to voluntarily restrict sleep, to stay up an hour or two or get up an hour or two earlier," said Dr. Greg Belenky, director of the Sleep and Performance Research Center at Washington State University Spokane."But you're really reducing your productivity and exposing yourself to risk," Belenky added. Before Thomas Edison invented the light bulb in 1880, people slept an average of 10 hours a night. Compared to our present time, people tends to sleep less than 5 hours because of the hectic schedule they are in. "The group of people getting optimal sleep is getting smaller and smaller," said Dr. Chris Drake, senior scientist at the Henry Ford Hospital Sleep Disorders and Research Center in Detroit. "When a person's sleep drops to six hours or less, that's when a lot of things become very problematic."While experts recommend seven to eight hours of sleep each night, the amount needed for an individual can vary. But lack of sleep affects a person in one of two ways, Belenky said. First, sleeplessness affects the day-to-day performance of tasks. "The performance effects are seen immediately," he said. "You short-change yourself of sleep, and you see the effects immediately. You can make a bad decision. You can miss something. Have a moment's inattention, and you're off the road." Doctors have seen some link of lack of sleep to diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, depression and substance abuse, and gain weight. Ever experience that feeling being hungry again after eating a meal? You might think it is already gluttony, but it can also be the bad effect of having a lack of sleep. "Hormones that process appetite begin to get disorganized," said Drake, who's also an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neuroscience at the Wayne State University School of Medicine. “There's a decrease in the amount of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone, when a person gets too little sleep. At the same time, ghrelin, a hormone that stimulates appetite, increases with a lack of sleep.”
Now, after reading this article, think you can pass the test?
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
