measles, wild fire can't keep up

in this term of disease, we discussed the spread of disease and certain topics around them. we discussed the r naught of a disease, which means if one person, an r naught of people will get it from that person. we were assigned disease and did a research paper on it, and here is what I came up with.

 In Vancouver, WA, a large outbreak of measles occurred within the population of unvaccinated kids under 5 years of age. The outbreak happened due to low vaccination rates within the county, which caused low general immunity to measles.

The most at-risk population for measles is children under five years old, currently, it only kills 1-2 of 100,000 people who get infected. 

For those who are infected with measles, some symptoms might include high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes. Symptoms usually begin to appear 10-14 days after the virus enters the host's system. 

 The measles disease is spread by the infected either sneezing or coughing and someone inhaling or somehow ingesting it. Washing hands will stop spreading, and sanitizing common-use spaces will also help. Keeping your children from getting measles is not too difficult, just make sure they are staying clean. If someone you know has or had measles within the 14 days, don't have close contact, and if someone tests positive for measles after close contact, search for treatment and monitor for symptoms, to limit the possibility for spreading.

in this term of disease, we went over the disease

The best way for you to avoid getting measles is by being cautious of where your kid is going and making sure they keep good hygiene. Monitor symptoms and make sure all precautions are taken in the evening event of an outbreak.

One easy way to lower your chances of getting measles is to get vaccinated for it! This gives you antibodies and gives your immune system a boost for getting rid of it before your system is reduced to atoms. Another easy way to avoid measles is to wash your hands! After going out somewhere public, or using the bathroom, wash your hands thoroughly, to make sure nothing unwanted is hanging on.  

The incubation period of measles is 10-12 days after exposure. It will take about two weeks to recover from measles. However, if left untreated the disease will get quite awful.

The outbreak in Washington state caused 55 children under 10 to get infected due to poor vaccination rates. One way this could have been avoided was to get vaccinated and keep washing hands. Another would have been to be more cautious around those times of the year.

Measles has an Rø of 16-18, meaning one person would spread it to 16-18 people after exposure to them, which is not good. It is extremely contagious and spreads like fire in a lumber yard. Social distancing and quarantining is the most effective way to prevent further exposure and outbreaks. A high vaccination rate would also solve this problem. Less infected and higher immunity rates would decrease the infection rate.

My suggestion for the mayor of Vancouver; mandate vaccines, make it so that there is limited access to certain things if you don't have a set standard of vaccination level. Also, limit occupancy of certain buildings based on vaccination status. 

Sources:

CDC, the. (2020, November 5). Vaccine for measles (MMR shot). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved March 11, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/measles/vaccination.html 

The Outsiders, more like the insiders

Hello, welcome back to my blog. In this term of our humanities course, we focused on "Forbidden Books". I chose the outsiders as my book to focus on. what did we go over in this course? Well, we learned about specific examples of book bannings, the reason behind their ban, and the result of their ban. Commonly, books are banned for containing controversial content, like controversial religious beliefs, opposing political views, or mature content. Sometimes the ban is justified, however, I chose to argue that the banning of     The Outsiders in school systems was unjustified. The book has great themes and messages, and readers of all ages can take something away from the book. It's also a fun read, as the characters have a great adventure, and connect a lot of deep issues some deal with in real life. Each character has major development and unique traits, and there's always some kind of conflict occurring. Whether it's internal, or external, the story evolves with the plot.

anxiety. anxiety? would it be Anxiety? or does just anxiety work? maybe i should come up with a better title... no i think this is fine. but would i get points off for...

 Hello there, and welcome back to my blog. In this term of our STEAM course, we are looking at disease - specifically diseases of the mind. We have been looking at the DSM-V, or The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is a large text including almost all known mental disorders and their specific disorders, their symptoms, and effects on the mind. This text helps lots of medical professionals with diagnosing patients by looking for specific symptoms and their correlation to the listed disorders. For my AP this term, we were told to find a disorder in the DSM-V and create an interactive project based on the disorder we chose. I've chosen anxiety disorder, and a few sub disorders along with it, because I've had experience with anxiety disorders, and I'm sure you have in one form or another. 

Anxiety disorder, although often discussed in conversation, is a very serious and impactful disorder that affects many people's lives every day. The American Psychology Association defines anxiety as “Anxiety is an emotion characterized by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure”. In my own words, anxiety is the feeling of fear and dread in an overwhelming wave, caused by pressure or a specific situation. This can apply to most categories of anxiety, and every instance of anxiety disorder I've experienced fits into that definition. This definition also backs the idea of an overwhelming dread due to a certain variable. I've decided to show you (the reader) what my experiences with anxiety disorders are like through audible representation. Regardless of your familiarity with anxiety disorders, whether you've never had a problem with it or are affected constantly by it, hearing it can be an eye-opening experience. I’d like to invite you into my mind at some of its most vulnerable states, and let you feel, hear, and maybe imagine what it feels like to truly dread an inevitable situation. Your brain functions on different levels, defined as waves. There are gamma, beta, alpha, theta, and delta wavelengths. Feelings of anxiety affect your delta and theta waves, making your feelings of self-awareness or fight or flight sense kick in. The experience I set up affects the sense of sight, touch, and sound. please listen to my project with headphones, and relatively low volume. or high, either work.

here is my project, its only audio, however that's all you really need.

Works cited:

-., A. P. A. (2022). Anxiety. American Psychological Association. Retrieved February 9, 2022, from https://www.apa.org/topics/anxiety#:~:text=Anxiety%20is%20an%20emotion%20characterized,recurring%20intrusive%20thoughts%20or%20concerns. 

my ideal house

 For this term in Spanish, we learned about different pretenses and verbs. This was tricky for me because I'm not great at grammar-related subjects, let alone it being in another language. We needed to make a google drawing of a house with five rooms, and 15 total objects throughout the house. We then had to label the floorplan and explain what we did in each room using present tense and er-ar-ir verbs. This part was difficult for me, trying to figure out the conjugations, but I tried my best.

En mi casa, yo como en el comedor, y estoy viendo la televisión. 

En mi sala de estar hablo con mis amigos.

En mi dormitorio, yo dormir, escritar,  trabajar y toco la guitarra.

En la cocina preparo el desayuno, el almuerzo y la cena.

En mi baño, me ducho, me lavo las manos y uso el baño.

Here is an image of the floorplan with the objects labeled and my origonal drawing:

Scoliosis, when having a spine takes a turn for the worst.

For this term, I took a class called “disease”. We learned about different body systems, different areas that can be affected by the disease, and most importantly different diseases. My action project is about scoliosis. This means there is a curvature in the spine. Yes, it’s supposed to be curved. However the kind of curvature patients experience when having scoliosis, is harmful. Scoliosis can make one leg longer than another, making sitting up straight quite a task, and making people with it have fewer opportunities for physical activities. There are a few ways to treat scoliosis; however, not everyone has access to them. This is often an environmental disease if long exposure to bad posture or lots of physical labor can cause the spine to abnormally bend. It can also run in a bloodline, making it genetic.





Of all Jack’s medical struggles, his back issues are the most relevant. His skeletal system is the most affected by scoliosis - specifically his spine. The nervous system and circulatory system are also affected in some cases if the spine is pinching nerves causing them to be hypersensitive or numb. What can also happen is your spinal cord is pinched by the vertebrae, which is not good for a few reasons. Annoying doctor’s appointments aren’t the only downside of scoliosis. Back pain, terrible posture, limping, numbness or tingling in the legs, or trouble sleeping are symptoms of scoliosis, as well. Other things that can be a result of scoliosis are difficulty doing physical labor, back pain, unstable posture, and internal issues with nerves, or the spinal cord. You can then get an X-ray, or MRI, see where there is curvature, the severity of the curvature itself, then diagnosis. Scoliosis does not discriminate; anyone can get scoliosis, and more often than not people who have relatively physically demanding jobs. But also just normal people can have scoliosis as it can be genetic. Although I do suppose places with less medical technology wouldn’t be able to treat it, it might be more of a problem there. Since it affects such an important part of the body, it can be a serious condition. It’s a pretty common one in one thousand adolescent kids have it? Scoliosis usually occurs early on in life. Scoliosis is not contagious or controllable other than treatments. It is not transferable. However, it is a genetic disease that can be passed down in a bloodline. I’m not exactly sure what the cause of Jack's back problems was, but one of his vertebrae is wedge-shaped, not as it’s supposed to be shaped. So, the orthopedist sent Jack to physical therapy. he’s gone a few times, for his lower back. Those muscles need more strength to give the support needed for his back. Being in the city, access to physical therapy is somewhat easy, however, he has to walk around a lot. This makes his back act up, but he’s kept up with his exercises so he’s all good.



This illustration is showing wherein the body can be most affected by scoliosis. The red portions are what are most affected by worse cases of scoliosis. The darker red is colored, the more affected that area usually is. The lower vertebrae in the spine are usually the most affected by scoliosis. This tension caused by the spine curving can pinch the nerves in the lower spine causing numbness or tingling, and if left unnoticed, can cause one to become paralyzed from the waist down. Luckily, Jack has been to the doctor for it and has treated it to the best of his ability. Good job, Jack. I met with jacks mother, and I asked “how has your overall look on Jacks situation changed since the beginning of his diagnosis” her response:


“I feel more relaxed since things have not changed for the worse over the last 2 years. There is always the chance that your back could get worse, but it seems like it is manageable right now. I still worry that you won't be able to do things you want to do, or that you will do something (unintentionally) that makes it worse. There is still the worry that you could end up paralyzed but I am more hopeful that it won't come to that, or that you would be able to have surgery that would prevent that.” -Jacks mom, 2021


It seems like Jack can live happily and not have this be an issue for his whole life. Luckily, he can, and it’s not a severe case of scoliosis.



Works cited:


health, better. (2021). Scoliosis. Scoliosis - Better Health Channel. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/scoliosis

socratic method, does it work? why?

Hello. In this term, we are in a class called Forbidden Books and are talking about the Socratic Method. The Socratic Method, based on the philosopher Socrates’s method of philosophy, is basically questioning everything, as we know nothing. The Socratic method can in fact be considered dangerous because of its deep dependence on critical thinking. People don’t like being questioned about their morals for fear of deeper thought and perhaps they’re wrong.


So, we were instructed to find a partner, and ask an open-ended question to discuss. My partner and I focused on Covid-19 and its influence on the world. I started with the question: “Has Covid changed the course of history and the evolution of humanity?” This allows further thought onto the original question, by leaving it open for an infinite number of responses. I chose this question because it is quite important and relevant to the current state of the pandemic. I’ve also been thinking about it a lot recently. This question has many possible outcomes. It also depends on whos being asked. How their lives have been affected by covid. My partner for this project recently had covid as well. So, that gave me the perfect opportunity to see what his take on it was.







video script:

Nathan: Do you think that covid has affected the evolutionary course that Humanity had taken pre-pandemic?




Frankie: Absolutely, many people conspire that there is a large pandemic/epidemic every hundred years and the history is showing that is true so covid-19will definitely affect the modern society and so it’s detrimental to the world.




Nathan:Do you think that in the future will be better prepared or make the same mistakes and trip over our own feet again? We will make the same mistakes and trip over our own Feet Again?




Frankie: make the same mistakes and trip over our own Feet Again?




Nathan: Why?




Frankie: Because we have every time, when we find a solution for a disease it finds a way to evolve. It’s like a pokemon.




Nathan: Do you think we are going to be able to find a general cure to every kind of ailment, do you think we can make the human body immune to the broader subjective ailments?




Frankie: Until we live in tubes no, to expand on that I believe that Humanity will evolve to be encapsulated in tubes and have the end have air that we breathe filtered through like….. 25 million microns.




Nathan: Do you think that if we're living in tubes it's really living?




Frankie: it’s not living if humans want to really live not just survive then we disease, diseases is just little different cells that aren't human, pandemics stem from communicable diseases, I think in order for us to be human we have many pieces of bacteria living in our stomachs, bacteria living in our mouths, bacteria living in our brain, we have bacteria all over our bodies that aren’t even human cells, so I think in order to live properly we need diseases it’s just what are good ones and which are bad ones.

Look out for the future!

So far in this term's course, Biomimicry, we have traveled all over the city to look at real-world examples of biomimicry. Biomimicry is when humans take processes or traits of organisms or ecosystems that have adapted to their environment and use those characteristics to invent sustainable ways to better humanity. We have gone to Lincoln Park Zoo and Conservatory, as well as Plant Chicago, and we met with a representative from a company called Interface, which took inspiration from a forest environment, to create a more sustainable carpet design. In my ap, I am using the process of biomimicry to create an invention to further our way to a more sustainable future. I chose to look at birds, their unique traits and feats, and then I got to work brainstorming ideas. I looked at a Red-Tailed Hawk’s eye (Buteo jamaicensis), and came up with modeling a contact lens utilizing its unique properties. Anyone can use the contacts, there aren't any specific targets for this product.

The Red-Tailed Hawk mostly inhabits Woodland places with tall trees. They have crazy good eyesight, sharp talons, and muscular legs. Their eyes are fixed so they can see the ground while flying high, strong legs to pick up small mammals like squirrels, and sharp talons to rip and tear. (Doom reference)


Below is a diagram of the contact and its approximate size.




Eye Drawing, (2021), NO

The contact design will be a three-layer contact, that covers a majority of your exposed eye. 

Layer#1, will be fitted to contour the eye, prior appointments with care providers may be necessary. This layer will be fitted to each individual eye.

Layer#2, will have modified wide-angle lenses plus prescription if necessary since near and far-sighted people have differently shaped eyes. 

Layer#3, will be a nictitating membrane that absorbs liquid from the eye, which allows you to not need to blink. This feature may cause tearing up, which will be normal. 

Although you can if needed, blink, it may be noticeable for the first few days. But the contact covers a majority of your exposed eye, so it will become natural over time. Below is a drawing of each individual layer. This design is also using a surface similar to sharks skin, which has an antimicrobial structure to it, so no bacteria or other micro organisms get into the eye.

Contact Layer Diagram, (2021), NO

We also looked at life's 6 principles. I think my invention aligns with the following two: evolve to survive, and conservation of resources. We will be enhancing human traits for better survival and better abilities. Also, my design will be lessening the waste of resources as is common with monthly contacts.

SDG's, or Sustainable Development Goals, are certain objectives set by the UN to break down the process of saving humanity one step at a time. There are 17 goals so far, and each one has sub-sections to it. My product fits under SDG #12 (responsible consumption and production). One of the milestones in SDG #12 is #12.5, which states "By 2030, substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse."

So how does my project incorporate sustainability? By using the resources we have, rather than introducing toxic inorganic materials into the environment. Instead of monthly waste of contacts, yearly replacement lenses will be applied and the old ones will be recycled and reused once repaired and sanitized. Less waste output=less toxic material introduction, as well as more resource development and utilizing closed-loop economies. The lenses can be reused if not badly damaged. Minor repairs can be made on them however large scars or breaks may result in the separation of the layers and recycling the materials to their base form. Also, they’re already more sustainable than regular contacts since they need to be replaced yearly. This will help both the consumer and producer.

Essentially, biomimicry will open doors for us, and we can learn from nature to solve some of humanity's challenges. This is a universally applicable concept, anyone anywhere in the world can use biomimicry to change the course of human evolution. We have to act now because climate change is putting us on a deadline. We need to make more closed-loop systems and get rid of non-reusable waste, but first, we need ideas. How can you help? Innovate. Solve. Act. Participate in the change we need.

source 1

insightvc. (2016, July 8). Human Vision VS Eagle Vision [web log]. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.insightvisioncenter.com/human-vision-vs-eagle-vision/.

source 2

Musgrave, C. S. A., & Fang, F. (2019, January 14). Contact lens materials: A materials science perspective. Materials (Basel, Switzerland). Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6356913/#:~:text=Contact%20lens%20materials%20are%20typically,contact%20lens%20(CL)%20users.

source 3

Maizlish, A. (2018, December 24). Red-tailed hawk - the face of a Killer. Flickr. Retrieved December 15, 2021, from https://www.flickr.com/photos/amaizlish/45527679855