Syria

Energy In an Ecosystem

Author’s note: I wrote this piece as a way to show how energy works in the world, not just list of types of energy. In this piece I was trying to organize my ideas in a way that they flow together and connect. I was also trying to refrain from saying that energy was created or lost to show my understanding of the law of conservation of energy.

Energy is all around us and affects every aspect of our life, from waking up in the morning to heating our breakfast. Every movement, every step, every breath takes the transformation of energy. This is especially true in the non-domestic world. A food chain is just a simplified version of the energy chain of the same ecosystem.  To understand how energy moves through a large ecosystem, you must first understand how energy transformations works.

The Law of Conservation of Energy states that Energy may neither created nor destroyed (“The Law of Conservation of Energy”, n.d., para  1). This means that the amount of energy in the world is constant.  At a young age though, we were taught that we needed food because food helped our body create energy. Since we now understand that energy cannot be created, the question stands: how do we get energy from food? 

The sun is not only in the center of our galaxy, but it is also is the start of the majority of energy in our world. The sun gives off two main types of energy from a reaction to nuclear fusion: heat and light (“The Energy Story”, n.d., Nuclear Fusion, para 2). Plants then use the heat from the sun to make food, glucose that they need to survive. Every food that we eat has potential energy in the form of nutrients and molecule compounds.  The food, sugar in this case, is broke down into chemical energy that the plants need. The plant is then eaten by a primary consumer, or an herbivore. The potential energy in the plant is broken down and turned into chemical energy for the animal, but not all the energy is then stored from the plant. In an ecosystem, typically ten percent of the original energy is transferred between trophic levels. The energy that is not transferred is transformed into many different type of energy. Heat is the most prevalent type of energy that is lost in transfers of energy.  These transfers continue until the energy comes to the top of the food chain, and an animal dies. When this occurs, decomposers, such as bacteria or worms, break down the nutrients in from the animal. These nutrients are stored as potential energy in soil. The biggest misconception is that energy moves in a cycle, but the energy from the sun is never returned. The energy stays in the ecosystem, while energy is still being transformed from the sun’s heat. This is how ecosystems grow and prosper. Below is a simplified energy web of the most prevalent and vast ecosystems in the world; the rain forest. 

In this chart the jambu, an apple like fruit, uses the heat from the sun and the nutrients from the soil to create fruit through photosynthesis. This fruit stores potential energy in the form of nutrients that the stomach of the tapir digests. When food is digested it becomes chemical energy that the body can use. The majority of the energy that the tapir eats is transformed into heat and other types of energies. When the jaguar eventually consumes the tapir, the remaining potential energy from the tapir is digested the same as the tapir eating the plant. When the jaguar eventually dies bacteria decomposes the nutrients of the jaguar leaving the potential energy from the animal in the soil. The jambu then takes these nutrients and the process starts over. Energy  isn't called a cycle is because the energy is not returned to the sun. Energy moves through ecosystems in a unique way unlike many comparable processes. 

Energy moves through the world unlike many other abiotic feature in ecosystems. There is the water cycle, the carbon cycle, nitrogen cycle, and the energy process. Energy cannot be created or lost, but it can transform into many different types of energy. Energy jumps from source to source, allowing ecosystems to sustain the way they have. All of this matters because this is why displacing too much of any part of an ecosystem can eliminate how the whole system works. This should make us think before we strip whole forest and hunt a species to extinction. 

The True Danger of Concussions

Author's Note: After getting a concussion earlier this year, the science behind the injury interested me. I wanted to know what made the injury so much more dangerous, and why the injury was handled differently.

Every athlete hears about the danger of concussions, and the consequences of not telling somebody if you are suffering symptoms like a headache or blurred vision, but what is there really at stake. What is really going to happen to if they continue to stay active throughout a concussion? Why do they have to sit out, even when the symptoms are gone? Why is a concussion treated differently from any other injury. What is a concussion is the question that will probably make you think before ever playing through a concussion.

The first thing to understand is what a concussion is. In Latin, concussion literally means to shake violently, which is what happens when someone experiences extreme forces to the head; the brain shakes violently. As the brain whips around in the head, it comes in contact with the skull, and the damage from these impacts are often the worst of the injury. As the brain comes in contact with the skull, brain cells are damaged and this is what typically causes the loss of memory and loss of consciousness for seconds or even minutes in some cases. Even though the injury seems dangerous, a concussion is put in the mild traumatic brain injury category because a concussion itself is less severe than many other injuries that occur to the brain from blunt force contact. The common symptoms of a concussion are very similar to that of a typical headache: sensitivity to light and sound, fatigue, and difficulty sleeping, so every sports related headache is treated as a concussion until they know that it is just a headache. Caution is taken especially in sports like football, but why is this? Why do we treat big hits differently in different sports?

Concussions are most associated with boxing and football, as the high majority of sports related concussions occur on the field or in the ring, but there are many other sports where head related injuries occur.  Most statistics show that about 15-20% of high school basketball players suffer from concussions, and a scary 36% of girl soccer players sustain at least one concussion, but sports still only account for less than half of concussions in teens. Concussions happen everywhere, but a concussion that is cared for properly typically is not a major problem. What becomes a problem is when a concussion is not cared for, there is not enough time removed from activity, or a second concussion occurs before the first concussion has fully healed. A second concussion before the brain is healed leads to what is called Second Impact Syndrome, and in most cases, death. The true danger of concussions isn’t in a first blow to the head, it is in the incorrect care of the injury, and the second impact could happen even in everyday life.

Second impact syndrome has taken 20 lives in the past 10 years, and has altered the life of others. The rare condition occurs only in kids and young adults under the age of 22 whose brain is still developing. Swelling of the brain is the most severe of the symptoms to come from second impact syndrome. To relieve pressure from the brain, skull removal is normal to survive the horrible condition, and traumatic brain damage is almost a given for survivors.  Why is the question though? Why does a second impact do so much more damage than the first? The answer lies in the in the anatomy of a concussion and the body.

When a concussion occurs, potassium is released out of the neurons as calcium seeps into the neurons, causing a chemical imbalance. Potassium is in the body to help control muscle contractions, and lack of potassium has been proven to cause an irregular heart beat. When the brain is allowed to fully recover after a concussion, potassium and calcium slowly balance out. When a second impact occurs to the head before the brain is fully healed, the lack of potassium allows the brain to swell well beyond safe levels. As the swelling brain comes in contact with the skull, pressure builds, and there is a chance of dying from lack of oxygen to the brain or by losing important brain cells. The danger first of a  concussion is minimal, but a second concussion is as dangerous as anything.

This is why you have to sit out of when you get a concussion. This is why you can’t treat a concussion like any other injury. This is why you have to be sure with a concussion. For those people who thought that all the worry over a concussion and the constant papers and speeches were all a little much, they are probably right. The nonstop seminars and constant talk in professional sports are probably a little extreme, but the understanding of a concussion can save someone’s life. This is why every athlete is bombarded with the danger of concussions, because there is always somebody out there who can learn something more about concussions, and you never know which piece of information will help someone make the right decision. With the understanding of a concussion comes a realization that should ease everybody’s minds.  A wrong decision is the true danger of a concussion, not the injury itself.

Eurasia

Russia

Russia is a country divided. A country where people views  and beliefs are based on where they live. People are not merged under even the most basic morals. Although it not ideal, many large countries are divided in beliefs, but there is no definite line between these different people. The difference for Russia is that there is a physical line that divides one country, into two continents. The question is, does Russia fall to the West, or to the East of the line?

Background Knowledge

Look at any map that gives any border between Europe and Asia. You should notice that Russia is 70-80 percent in Asia, an overwhelming amount. The even more interesting number is that 78% of Russians, live in that 30% of European Russia. European Russia holds 10.5 people per square mile which is by no means a large number, New Jersey holds over 1,100 people per square mile, but Asian Russia houses less than one person per square mile, which is why its population is so minuscule. This is the basis of the debate, because Russia geographically is mainly in Asia, but the majority of people believe it should be considered a European country.

Religion

The most common religion in Russia is Orthodox, as 21% of Russians believe in some sort of Orthodox Church. Orthodox is  a religion most commonly seen in Europe, whereas the percentage of people believing in Muslim is only 10%. This difference in religion is because of the location of the population in Russia, because Orthodox Churches are much more common than Muslim Churches in Eastern Europe. The reason the percentages of people that believe in any religion is so low is because many Russians claim no religion, because for so long worship was discouraged by the Communist government. For the first time since 1917 religion was officially supported by the government  in 1990 when Mikhail Gorbachev  became president of the Soviet Communist Party. Religion not being supported was due to the October Revolution, an event that almost brought Russian culture .

 

October Revolution

Religion had not been supported since the October Revolution, or the start of the Russian Civil War, when communists gained control of the Russian Republic again. In short, the Russian Revolution was the peasant over throw of the government. The displeasure of the civilians in Russia was caused by the country’s involvement in World War I, when Russia was no match for the more advanced Germany. Casualties of Russians were higher than other country, and economy in Russia had plummeted because of the money being put into the war. The October Revolution is an important piece of Russian history because it marks the Communist overtake of government. The October Revolution almost was the tipping point in Russian culture where it became almost completely Asian.

Russia has become more of a compromise of Communist and Democratic government since October 1917. Russia’s government consists of a president, who is head of state, a prime minister who is in charge of the government, and a Duma which consists of 450 people. The Duma could most accurately be related to the United States Congress, where multiple parties are represented. Russia has began to switch to a more democratic government because they need more money for their economy and democratic countries have much more efficient governments. Communists countries rank very low in what is called economy per capita; amount of money the average person makes.  China is the second biggest economy in the world, but is around 90^th in size of economy per capita. What does all of this mean for Russia? It means Russia is developing into a European country, a mirror image in relation to government, religion, and in culture to try and become the world power the Soviet Union once was.

Conclusion

Divided. A country divided is a country that cannot work together to make decisions, a country divided fights for power within itself, creating the ultimate power struggle. Russia realized they had few true allies because they had a country that had both Asian and European values in their culture. This is why it matters. It seems pointless for a country to change its culture  to become part of a certain group, but a small difference is often a big deal. That is something that is true in any aspect of government, and life for that matter, and this is what can resurrect a country.

The Effect of the Industrial Revoltution

Authors Note

I have always been interested in the Industrial world, but I never quite understood how
Industry became such a big part of the modern day world, when all I had read about  was agriculture in early America. My research lead me to the Industrial Revolution, which spouted my driving question, what was the Industrial Revolutions affect on modern day society. In this piece, I tried organize all the information I had learned while researching. I also wanted to use a strong introduction and a thoughtful conclusion. 

The Effect of the Industrial Revolution

In 1750, the world was much different from today. Cars didn’t dot the streets, with sky scrapers reaching into the skies, stretching as far as their little fingers can reach. There weren't huge cities, crowded with people, bustling about to their jobs. No. The world was much different back then, and the Industrial Revolution was the turning point into the modern world.

               

The Agricultural Revolution was just ending in the mid to late 1700s. In the United Kingdom, people had started to take the ideas of mass farming into the world  of production. Factories started popping up all over the country, and the world followed right behind. As immigrants from Great Britain started pouring into America, the United States began the same process. The Industrial Revolution had the jump start it needed and the change of the world had just begun.

               

Before the Industrial Revolution, people were spread across the world, trading for essentials at a local market, but the Industrial Revolution was based on inventions that were part of transportation as well as industry. One of the major inventions was the steam powered engine, which helped run some of the first trains during the revolution. Before the Industrial Revolution, people were born into wealth and could do nothing their whole and still be wealthy.Some were born into poverty or a farming family, and no matter how hard they worked they struggled to make ends meet. This was the middle class of the day, but there were no success stories.During the Industrial Revolution though, people from the middle class started invented machines, which started what we think of as modern day society, where you are rewarded for the work you do, and if you work hard, you can write your own story. Also mass production and easier transportation allowed for prices on necessities like food and clothing to be cut, and the quality of life for poor families became greater and greater.

               

Great Britain was the pioneer in a chain of events that played a major role in what is the modern day society. This chain of events increased the quality of life in the world, but it also had negative effects on the environment. To create room for giant factories, people started to cut down forest, and now fossil fuel, like coal and oil, use spiked during the Industrial Revolution. Two of the most controversial topics in the world right now dealing with the environment like . Now people are trying to reverse the effects, but we’ve grown accustom to what modern day society is, and we have not invented the technology to live our everyday lives without hurting the environment. Global warming, cars, pollution, iPhones; what does this list have in common? They all were made possible because of the Industrial Revolution. That brings up the next question, was the Industrial Revolution really a good thing?

Industrial Revolution on Prezi

Scorch Trials

The Scorch Trials might be a book that has fantasy has magic, but there’s something about it that gives you the sense that you’re in the book. How can something that you know will never come true, draw you in to the point that you can’t tell if you’re reading about a scene, or living a nightmare. I think that is the real appeal to a book like this, because there is so many of its kind, that have a fantasy setting with suspense and action, but not many of those books can seem down to earth. Not many fantasy books make me feel like I could actually be a character in the story, walk with the characters, talk with the characters, and live with the characters.

                In short, Scorch Trials is the second book in the Maze Runners Trilogy. In the first book there is a group of boys and one girl caught in what is called the Maze. The main character of the book is Thomas a boy who started a chain of events when he showed up that no one could understand, which included the first and only girl to be in the Maze, Teresa. Thomas really only had 2 friends when he got to the Maze, Teresa and Chuck. Chuck was the kid that no one really liked, and tried desperately to make friends. This is one of the  connections that I think everyone can make to the book.

                Think about the toughest time in your life, or even just the one time you something so embarrassing that you didn’t want anybody to make fun of you. Now, how many of your friends stood by you right then and there, never wavered. Then, how many of your friends joined the crowd, and then showed up when everything had cleared up, when no one remembered the latest mishap. Now, my guess is that you had one maybe 2 or 3 if you’re lucky that came to your side. That’s what Chuck was to Thomas, Chuck never wavered from Thomas’ side, no matter what came his way because of it. Then imagine losing that friend, imagine losing your Chuck. Most people lose a friend because they move, or you switch schools, but Thomas lost Chuck because he was killed. Now Thomas has to try and sleep at night knowing that his best friend was killed. Imagine that, then think about your brother or sister being brain washed to believe that they never had known you.

                That was what Thomas was dealing with after Teresa was taken. Teresa and Thomas had a special relationship, because they could communicate telepathically, meaning they could talk just to each other in the others mind, but Teresa was taken away and was brainwashed to believe she didn’t know Thomas at all. So what would you do to cope with such a tragedy as this.

                As you can see, there are many ways you can put yourself into the book to make connections with the characters. I truly think this is what makes a book good, when you can find ways to implement yourself into a world that is as impossible as any.

The Rising and Falling of the Twin Towers

            The Twin Towers are more known for 9-11, than any other reason. It is known for the disaster that occurred, not the architectural marvel it was of its time. The Twin Towers were the tallest building at the time they were built, there was 65 feet deep of dirt dug up under each tower to make the foundation. That 1 million cubic feet of dirt, later became Battery Park City. These monuments might be known more for the tragedy that took place 11 years ago, but they still are some of the most innovative monuments in history.

            The design of the Twin Towers was done by Minuru Yamasaki, with help from a company called Emory and Associates. Yamasaki used a relatively new idea when designing the towers, using what’s called a tube in tube foundation. Tube in tube is the concept of using reinforced perimeter walls around a steel column. The outer walls are supposed to protect the interior from the elements, including the high winds and high elevation. The concept did not prevent swaying though, as the top of the towers could sway up to 3 feet in any direction. The steel columns were sprayed with fire retardant material to prevent fire from spreading, and the columns were meant to hold the entire weight of the towers. These ideas were surely innovative, and allowed for the construction of huge towers, but the safety lacked in some matters, and that brought up the question, was the complete collapse of the Twin Towers preventable?     

            Many New York Fire Chiefs believe so, and I would have to agree with them. I think that if you listen and think about what  say you will agree too. I have to begin by saying that it is not all the designers fault that the design was poor for safety. The Port Authority demanded that there be 10,000,000 square ft. of office space, which called for the 110 floors in each tower. To achieve this, Yamasaki knew that he couldn’t use standard building procedures or follow the current building code, that specified almost everything, including the make and model that most of the equipment had to be. The Port Authority did not have to follow building codes, so they followed what was just of draft in 1966 when construction started, of what was called performance codes. The codes didn’t specify what make or model anything had to be, just that it could pass certain requirements. For the tower to reach the 110 stories it needed to, it would have to be lightweight, which left almost no room to put concrete on the steel columns as a way to keep fire from spreading quickly. If you look at close up pictures of the rubble from the twin towers, you can see a lot of steel, but nearly no concrete. This is why the fire spread so quickly through the towers. The fire retardant spray was scaled off the steel, left the fire spread through the air vents and the foundation of the towers.

                The design behind the twin towers looked good on paper, and truly made America a powerhouse for many years in the economical world. The tower stood as the tallest building in the world, but when you’re at the top, everybody tries to shrink you back to size. So, what do you think would have happened had the Twin Towers never completely collapsed?  What would’ve happened, if we put safety, quality, before quantity?