Biology

TOPIC You have to pick an environmental issue that a community, city or province is presently facing in Canada. The issue may be of national significance but it should be discussed from a provincial, city or local community perspective. This is to ensure that you do not pick up a topic that is too broad in scope (I am looking for brevity and depth rather than a high-level overview). Given that environmental issues are often related to multiple other dimensions, e.g., social, economic, political (governance), and ethical, you have to set the context by highlighting all those aspects (as applicable). In addition, while making recommendations on how to tackle the issue, please limit the number of recommendations to your top two recommendations (you may make only one recommendation if you like) but do provide rationale for your recommendations. SUGGESTED STRUCTURE 1. The issue (including potential impacts): what is at stake? Why should we care? 2. Underlying causes: What is/are causing this issue? Provide brief historical overview if relevant. 3. Actions (past/present/future): What has been done to address the issue so far? What can we do now? What are some of the short- and long-term priorities? This about all relevant stakeholders including government, businesses, NGOs, community groups, individuals… 4. Challenges: What are the key challenges to addressing this issue (why is it difficult to solve)? 5. Recommendations: What are your top recommendations (provide justifications)? FORMAT The essay will have a length of no more than 1600 words excluding references. Use 12-point Times Roman font throughout with a line spacing of 1.15. Use a consistent style for layout and citations. Submit the document in MS Word format (do not send a document in PDF or any other format). Provide “in-text” citations; this means mentioning the source whenever you use facts and figures from a published source next to where you quote the information in the document. Also list all quoted sources at the end of the document in the “Reference” section. Do not mention any source not used in your paper (I want you to add a reference, not a bibliography). Use any of the common citation styles consistently (e.g., Chicago, APA, MLA etc.). IMPORTANT Please do not copy and paste sections from existing articles or reports. I expect you to do a thorough research, think about the issue critically, and then write up the report in your own words.

For your final project you will be researching a case study from the list provided and you will write a paper based off of your research. The paper will be written using the questions that are listed in the prompt for the case study that you have selected. Your paper should be 4-6 pages long. Write your paper in Microsoft Word and format it according to APA standards. Please review the Guidelines for APA Style found in the APA Requirements link in the left sidebar found in Blackboard. Include APA citations from a minimum of three academic sources, and have a title page and reference page. Case Study 1: Asthma and Allergies Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the lungs in which the patient’s airways become temporarily constricted, making breathing difficult. Although the condition was virtually unknown in the early 1900s, today it affects 20.3 million people in the United States and kills 5,000 of them per year. From 1980 to 1994, the prevalence of asthma increased 75%. Asthma rates in children under the age of 5 have increased more than 160% in the same time period. The exact reason for the increased prevalence of asthma is not known, but the following observations offer clues: ? Asthma “attacks” can be triggered by the common cold, exercise, cold air, emotional stress, viral infections, aspirin, industrial air pollutants, smoking, obesity, ozone, and nitrogen dioxide. ? Having two parents with asthma increases a child’s chances of having the disease. Approximately 40% of children who have asthmatic parents also develop asthma. ? The disease tends to cluster in England and English-speaking countries. ? Exposure of children to dust mites, cats, cockroaches, molds, and mildews increases their chances of getting the disease. ? Children who are exposed to common parasites seem to have a better-developed immune system than children not exposed to parasites. These exposed children do not suffer asthma as frequently. ? Exposure to occupational agents such as dyes may trigger the onset of adult asthma. ? Poverty seems to be a substantial risk factor for the development of asthma. Assignment Case Study 1: Asthma and Allergies Write a 4-6 page paper incorporating answers to the following questions 1. Research the relationship between asthma and allergies. Describe how various agents trigger asthma or an asthma attack. How have the factors that trigger an asthma attack changed since the 1900s? As a researcher, how would you put together the clues given here to explain the emerging epidemic? 2. Find out where in the world asthma is least prevalent, and hypothesize why this is so. 3. Define the word “epidemiology.” How do researchers use epidemiology to study a disease such as asthma? 4. Visit the CDC website on asthma at and research the National Asthma Control Program. Find the name and address of agencies in your state (VA) that the CDC has funded to fight asthma

Assignment 2 Endocrine and Cardiovascular Systems Ms. J.S., a 52 yo white female with two children (16 and 14 yo) presents with history of fatigue, weight gain and muscle weakness over past two years. She initially thought it was caused by work stress and busy family life but has also noticed that she bruises more easily than in the past. She also noted purple lines (stretch marks) that you identified as striae. All of the above symptoms have been getting worse. Blood pressure is 170/110, respirations 12/min and some ankle edema (non-pitting) was noted. The limbs seem relatively thin and the trunk thickened, especially between the upper shoulder blades. Diagnosis was made of Cushing disease/syndrome. How could you differentiate between the two? Elevated levels of cortisol has two effects of plasma leading to increased volume: 1) up-regulation of receptors for aldosterone and 2) an increased effectiveness of ADH (either by centrally increasing ADH release or peripherally by increasing the cellular responsiveness). 1). What effects would these two changes (increased responsiveness to aldosterone and ADH) have on Na+, K+ and water levels in the plasma? (Endocrine Mod 3: MO2, MO3, CO2, CO3, CO4) 2). Where does cortisol secretion occur, and thus is a potential site of an over-secreting tumor? How else could someone develop Cushing syndrome if not by a tumor in that area? (Endocrine Mod 3: MO1, MO2, MO3, CO1, CO2, CO3, CO4, CO5) 3). What is the most common cause of Cushing syndrome in the United States? (Endocrine Mod 3: MO1, MO2, MO3, CO1, CO2, CO3, CO4, CO5) A. Adrenal tumors C. Infections B. Pituitary tumors D. Glucocorticoids prescribed by healthcare worker Mr. M.S., an overweight, 55 yo white male presents to your clinic with chest pains. He has a history of hypertension, alcohol use and does not restrict his diet. He is currently taking nitroglycerin tablets as needed for angina. This pain is worse and is not controlled by nitroglycerin. The pain is radiating down his left arm. The pain in the chest feels like pressure or heartburn. You hear inspiratory rales, consistent with pulmonary edema. His blood pressure is 100/75. He begins to have difficulty breathing, especially when lying down. EKG and serum enzymes suggest a left ventricular wall myocardial infarction. Cardiac catheterization reveals a pulmonary wedge pressure of 30 mm Hg (normal, 5 mm Hg) and two-dimensional echocardiography measured an ejection fraction of 0.35 (normal, 0.55). In the Coronary ICU, he was treated with thrombolytic agents (tPA), digitalis (a positive inotropic agent) and furosemide (Lasix, a loop diuretic) 4). What measures above helped you determine that the stroke volume (considering the measures that factor into it) was reduced? (Cardiovascular Alterations Mod 5: MO7, MO9, MO10, MO12, MO17, CO2, CO3, CO4, CO5) 5). Describe the mechanism of how digitalis (AKA Oubain) works at a molecular level to increase contractility (positive inotrope)? Discuss the ion gradients, how they were created/maintained for a cell at resting membrane potential and the effects of this drug that lead to its action (rise in what ion and where) on muscle contraction. (Cardiovascular Structure and Function Mod4: MO2, MO6, MO7, MO9, MO11, CO1, CO2, CO3) 6). Statins are commonly used to treat cardiovascular disease. Describe their effect and the mechanism of how that effect is brought about. Explain if men and women with similar cholesterol profiles are at similar risk for cardiovascular disease (i.e. are they equally predictive of cardiovascular risk for men and women). Supply a link to an article that supports your assertion and in a sentence or two, describe the “take home point(s)” of the article (Cardiovascular Structure and Function Mod 5: MO1, MO5, MO7, MO8, MO9 CO1, CO2, CO3) 7). Supply one link/web address/citation to an article (different from above article) that describes differences in either gender or race in the treatment or assessment of risk for cardiovascular disease and a statement of how that information will affect your assessment/treatment of patients in practice.

Please follow the following instructions  COVID 19 Reflection Paper As a nurse you will be caring for elderly patients with co-morbidities. This may put them at risk for contracting COVID 19. For this paper you will find at least 1 scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last 5 years to answer the following questions. 1.     What are co-morbidities? Define and discuss giving examples. 2.     Are patients with co-morbidities more at risk for contracting COVID 19? Why? 3.       What nursing interventions can be implemented to help prevent these patients from contracting this disease? Give 5 interventions. 4.     How will this knowledge affect your nursing care? Directions: Paper should be at least 1 page, double-spaced, font 12. This does not include reference page. Use APA format with proper citations and a reference page.

In this assignment, you will focus on the impact of COVID-19 on the selected operation. You will critically discuss the operation’s response to the global pandemic and focus on, at least, one aspect of the operation’s design and/or planning and control. Respond to the follow comments and questions with the attached document. Operations Performance using academic models: discuss operations improvement after, and before COVID-19 pandemic. What tools (6 Sigma, Lean, ishikawa, FMEA,  perhaps) do you employ to help you make decisions? I.e. for Problem solving, continuous improvement. What kind of key performance indicators do you monitor and what tools do you use to report them? I.e. control charts, polar diagrams, etc…Can you provide a snapshot of your kpi dashboard? In terms of resources management, has Covid altered performance measurement within your organization? Operations Design and Planning and Control: Focus on:  at least one element of operation design and planning and control to explain how the company has adjusted its operation to deal with the implications of COVID-19 pandemic. The elements of operations planning and control may include inventory management, capacity and demand management, materials planning, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), MRP, and supply chain management.  In light of your discussion of the operations strategy, critically assess the different design and planning and control elements of the selected operation. In light of the operational framework, how has the shift in productivity requirements help you modify the current operational design? Has Covid 19 warranted the implementation of a new design?

Subject Course: Microbiology Describe the cellular source of a Mechanism

Discussion 10 – Controversy 10: Ergogenic Aids: Breakthroughs, Gimmicks, or Dangers? Using the information found at the end of Chapter 10 about the Controversy: Ergogenic Aids: Breakthroughs, Gimmicks, or Dangers? Read first the content in the book, supplement the reading with the power point that emphasizes the main points of the controversy. Then, write a 200-250 word response of the controversy. As the book reads, “Athletes can be sitting ducks for quacks. Many are willing to try almost anything that is sold with promises of producing a winning edge or improved appearance, so long as they perceive it to be safe. Stores (on site or Internet) advertise several products that offer better performance, more muscle mass, etc., and among these products the most common include; protein powders, caffeine pills, steroid replacers, amino acid supplements, etc. – we will start with the story (found in the book) of Paige and DJ, who are college roommates, and who had experienced the famous “freshman 15,” and now they are planning to start exercising to lose of some extra-weight, and at the same time, to look good. In this context, while preparing the response keep in mind the following: 1. To increase muscle performance, Paige decides to use Carnitine, and protein powders. Discuss why Paige’s use of carnitine and protein powders will not give her an advantage in terms of muscle performance as compared with DJ’s more adequate diet and regular exercise. 2. Question #1 focused on Paige, and DJ; who are not collegiate athletes, now, think in terms of those college students who are on collegiate athletic teams. Why are amino acid supplements not recommended for athletes? 3. With the idea to improve performance some athletes use anabolic steroids, but why might the use of anabolic steroids actually work against the athlete in terms of enhancing performance? 4. Another common practice for student’s athletes is to take antioxidant supplements, but why do athletes take antioxidant supplements, and what concerns do experts have about them? 5. Application: please share how you think you will be applying the concepts learned in this controversy in your life, and/or, in the life of people that are closer to you; or, maybe in your job.

Bones are the individual organs that make up the skeletal system, and muscles are the organs that hold those bones, and us, upright and together. There are 206 bones in the adult skeleton, and more than 700 muscles in the human body. For the Unit 3 discussion, think about a particular bone or muscle in the human body. What is its structure? How does its structure allow the body to do a particular thing? For example, how does the structure of our arm bones allow us to do handstands? Are there any muscles involved? What do they do?

Part 1: For this project, you will be gathering information on your chosen primates and doing three, 20-minute primate observations. You will use the same group of animals for each observation. You need to observe for 20 minutes at 3 different times of the day and one of those observations needs to be feeding. This means you will need to make several short observations to determine when feeding occurs. In order for your observations to be fruitful, you need to observe when activity is taking place. So you will need to check in on the webcams often to see what is going on. Observations of chimps sleeping or empty observation areas are not useful and can not be used. I have included an excel spreadsheet for you to record your information. Once you have completed your observations make sure you upload your spreadsheet in the answer area. Primate Observation Worksheet Resources: Some of these resources may not be available. Primate Info Net Ape Cam San Diego Zoo Chimpanzee Window Cam Houston Zoo Gorilla Cam Houston Zoo Snow Monkey Cam KC Zoo Cam Any other that you may find – make sure you add it to your observation sheet What you need to do: Make your observations Fill out your spreadsheet. There are two pages make sure you gather the classification, morphology and locomotion information on your primates on sheet 1. You can use Primate Info Net (also listed above) to help you. Post your spreadsheet Part Two: Write a summary of your observations. This summary is posted with your spreadsheet – in the same post. When writing your summary consider the following: Mother/infant activities. How the design of the exhibit affects social behavior. Grooming cluster (a group of females that groom one another) Play activities engaged in by young animals that teach them skills necessary for adult survival) Playgroup (age-mates that play together) Threat gesture (an action that shows aggression but stops short of a physical attack) Presenting (the act in which a submissive individual positions the anal region toward a dominant individual). Dominance (where one animal displaces another and takes preference over food, sexual access, etc.). Submission (where one animal moves away from or gives up food or space to a dominant animal). Mounting (where a dominant animal mounts a subordinate one). Call (usually a short simple vocalization that transmits a message such as danger). Yawn (not necessarily an expression of boredom, may also be a display of large projecting canines in a threat gesture.) Stare (a simple stare can act as a threat gesture). Lip-smacking (animal opens and closes its lips rapidly with the tongue darting in and out, used as an appeasement gesture by a subordinate animal and can also occur during grooming.) Types of grooming: auto grooming (grooming oneself) allogrooming (grooming another animal) Sexual behavior (where an estrus female presents herself to an interested male for the purpose of sexual activity) Part Three: FOCUS ANIMAL Human Primate Find another primate – this time a human. I recommend using a park on a sunny afternoon for this observation. For the next 15 minutes, observe just one human primate’s behavior, noting who it interacts with, etc. After this pick a second focus human primate and observe it for 15 minutes. Note your data on the spreadsheet (Human 1, Human 2). Write up a summary comparing the behaviors of these two human primates animals. Include it as an additional paragraph in Part 2. how do their behaviors express their differences in regards to sex, age, and dominance? how do their behaviors compare with the non-human primates you observed during part 1 of your observation. Draw a conclusion – this conclusion needs to be based on what you observed (not what you think or feel). Use examples from your observation to support your conclusions. Your conclusion should be a separate paragraph and more than one sentence long. Drawing a conclusion is standard for any research paper. PROPER RESEARCH OUTLINE An introductory paragraph – who, what, why, etc. What is the task you are accomplishing (thesis statement). Next comes your data – in our case observations 3 for the non-humans, 2 for the humans – each as a separate paragraph. This should include as much data as possible. Like the time of day, what you were observing, where you were observing and what you observed. Next is a paragraph explaining what you saw – and or comparing what you saw. NOT – what you think or feel but, just what you saw. No assumptions and personal opinions – neither should be in your paper. Next is your conclusion – based on what you observed! If it wasn’t in your observed data – it should not be in your conclusions. Your conclusions should also be supported by examples from your observations. Don’t overthink this. You not going to come up with something stunning or new – at least not at this point. Just stick with your data. CHECKLIST – for posting RUBRIC You did three 20 minute non-primate observations using the live webcam links – use the same cam for each observation. You filled out both pages of your Excell spreadsheet. Classification and observation. You wrote a summary of your observations for the non-human primates You observed two human primates for 15 minutes each and recorded this information on your spreadsheet. You wrote a summary of your observation comparing the two human activities in terms of age, sex, and dominance. You wrote a summary comparing the activities of the non-human primates and the human primates. You uploaded your spreadsheet properly – only xls or xlsx files will be accepted. If you don’t know how to upload your spreadsheet and assignment check out this link. You included your 3 part summary which should be about 1500 words. This is an attachment and must be saved as a word or pdf. zIt should be uploaded at the same time as your spreadsheet and in the same manner using the ADD Another File button – see the link above. If your assignment is incomplete you will not get full credit. You did your own work – this assignment is checked for plagiarism. look at the files for the example

This is for an intro to kinesiology course. The prompt is: What is similar and what is different between the meanings of the terms biomechanics, human movement biomechanics, and kinesiology? What are the goals of the study of biomechanics? What are the primary application areas of biomechanics in kinesiology? This is based off of the information in a standard kinesiology textbook.