PDS APES 5th Period 2009-10

For those that want to know more, here is a good 15-minute feature on the increase of zoonotic diseases from the Frontline documentary, Uganda: Out of the Wild.

If those videos on monkeys and spiders (wink) piqued your interest, here are some other sources you might investigate:

For an in-depth overview (oxymoron?), try Wikipedia. Has some good data/graphs on which animals are used:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_testing

Here is a statement from our Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on animal testing:
http://www.fda.gov/Cosmetics/ProductandIngredientSafety/ProductTesting/ucm072268.htm

The European Union has agressively fought animal testing:
http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/Products-Markets/EU-timetables-end-of-animal-testing

Here is a very pro-animal testing story from a British paper:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2006/mar/04/businessofresearch.research

Here is a very anti-animal testing web page from PETA:
http://www.stopanimaltests.com/us-fda.asp

How do you feel?

Of course it is not as satisfying as when it comes on a school day, but a beautiful snow day nonetheless. Since you guys don’t usually get to see the school painted white, here are some photos (scroll down) I took when the kids and I went sledding behind the dining hall today. Maybe see you Tuesday? We’ll see…don’t forget to email me your Scribe Post Hall of Fame nominations…

You know all that road salt the city will put out to help you get back to school next week? Ever wonder about the environmental impact? Here is a nice piece on the toxicity of road salt (the chlorine in sodium chloride)–very fitting considering our recent unit.

Let it snow!

Library

Tech Center

Sledding behind Fine Arts

Okay so question seven on the study guide asks for pros and cons of trace chemicals in the human body, and I just wasn’t exactly sure if what I got from the book was right.  One con I wrote down was that “less amounts of trace chemicals are found in the air,water, and food, but that leaves a false impression that chemicals are increasing.”  I don’t understand that at all because it seems like the opposite.  If there are less in the air, wouldn’t that leave the impression that the chemicals are decreasing, which could potentially be misleading? I’m not sure if I just wrote that down wrong or am totally misunderstanding it, so any help would be great. Thanks!

Hey guys, so I was reading through the chapter tonight and I came across section 14-5 where the heading of the paragraph was “The greatest risks are associated with poverty, gender, and lifestyle choices”.  I read through this section and got a clear picture as to why poverty and lifestyle choices were greater risks.  Though, the section seems to have skipped over why your gender can be a possible risk.  The book says being born male is a health risk…but I don’t understand why your gender has anything to do with your health.  If anyone has any idea or a good guess, I’d love to know.  Thanks.

Glaxo Offers Free Malaria Research, Vaccine Nears

Maybe we are getting closer to defeating the protist, Plasmodium?  We usually only think of vaccines as weapons against bacteria or viruses, so this seems kinda new and neat: http://planetark.org/wen/56430

Okay, so I understand there is a difference between water-soluble toxins and lipid soluble toxins. But which one is more concerning? I know lipid soluble toxins stick around longer and accumulate in tissue, and water-soluble are transported more easily, but which type is easier to treat? Or are they each dangerous in their own right? Also, what are some examples of each?

Thanks!

Hi guys, take a look at question number 9 on the study guide if you will. I am confused about the equation (%) System Reliability = Technology Reliability  x  Human Reliability. First and foremost, what is the point of this equation…it seems relatively meaningless to me. Second, how do we come up with the values for human reliability and technology reliability (it seems pretty subjective). Lastly, what is another good example where this equation can be used besides the crash of the Colombia Space Shuttle?

If you want to know more, more, more, here is a link to a great Environmental Contaminants and Toxicology Reader at The Encyclopedia of the Earth web site. We’ve only scratched the surface, and this will give you a much more complete picture of toxicology studies and principles. Maybe a great review site before the AP Exam. LD50 is just one, very common way to rate acute toxicity, this site will show you others.

http://www.eoearth.org/article/Dose-response_relationship

While this year’s media darling disease is the H1N1 swine flu, one of the greatest pathogens on the planet seems to be forgotten. The Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) continues to rage on as a pandemic. According to your text, it ranks second to pneumonia and flu as one of the leading deadly infectious diseases on the planet. Here is a brief presentation from class today which reviews the basics on transmission, history, and statistics: