What really attracts boys to girls
The purpose of this research was to challenge misconceptions about what attracts teenaged boys to girls. It has been observed that some teenaged girls hold stereotypes about boys and believe boys are only attracted to superficial qualities like beautiful hair. The aim is to investigate differences between what girls believe boys find attractive about them and what boys actually find attractive about girls. Hypothesis: There is a significant difference between what teenaged boys find attractive in girls and what teenaged girls think boys find attractive. Procedure Background reading was done to discover which characteristics are commonly used to measure attractiveness among teenagers. A survey questionnaire was used for gathering data. To gather information for the construction of the questionnaire, 4 focus groups were interviewed. The groups were asked to determine indicators of attraction and repulsion. Two separate questionnaires were designed (one for boys and one for girls), based on focus group information, with similar questions which could be used to compare results. Questions were related to personality and looks. The research was representative as 399 teenagers participated in the final survey. Results were collated in Excel tables. Percentages were calculated by using a scientific calculator and Excel. A bivariate analysis was created to examine the main question: ranking qualities that attract boys to girls. A comparison was made between boys’ and girls’ opinions from different age categories. Mean averages were calculated for this question. Other questions were analysed using mode averages translated into percentage of each gender. Graphs were designed using the values calculated. Observations/Data/Results 72% of boys prefer a girl with average looks and an awesome personality but only 37% of girls believed that to be true. The average boys from 12-14, 15-17 and 18-20 year old categories agree that confidence, humour, a nice body, politeness and intelligence are the five most attractive qualities in a girl they would consider dating. The order of these five change across the age groups but are constantly the top five, however confidence and humour always trump a “nice body”. The average 12-14 and 15-17 year old girl overrates a nice body and underrates politeness and intelligence but confidence and humour feature in their top five. The average 18-20 year old girl agrees with the boys priorities. When defining what makes a girl beautiful, 68% of boys highlight personality traits and 59% of boys mentioned physical features. When noting what repulses boys about pretty girls, more than 50% of both sexes agree that smelling bad was most off putting. 52% of boys mentioned taking drugs as unattractive yet only 23% of girls recognized this as repulsive. Conclusions The data supports the hypothesis. Confidence and humour are more important to the average boy than a nice body across all age groups. The younger the girl, the less she understands what attracts boys. 63% of teenaged girls believe that looks are more important to boys than personality. This is clearly not true. 72% of boys value a great personality more highly than good looks.
Up the Creek
After an annual swimming rally in the Nahoon river, concerns were raised after several swimmers fell ill, complaining of possible symptoms of mild E.coli infection. Research was hence conducted to determine the following: \r \r \r The Nahoon River is safe for recreational activity in terms of faecal-coliforms and E.coli \r \r \r Whether the amount of rainfall affects these levels. \r \r \r If faecal pollution is present, to determine the possible point sources of the pollution \r \r \r To devise a method that needs no assistance from a laboratory, and could be done in a home environment at low cost. \r \r \r \r Procedures \r Colilert-18, (the reagent) contains nutrients which react to faecal-coliforms and E.coli in the sample. It causes samples to change colour when contamination is present. A dilution method (used by the Kowie Catchment Campaign) was used to test the severity of the contamination. The dilution levels were as follows: 1, 1/10, 1/100 and 1/1000. A control test was also performed. One Colilert capsule was divided among the five samples, which were incubated in a household stove at 37ºC for 18 hours. A sample was collected every four days and after heavy rainfall. \r The results were rated on a severity scale of 0-4, where a two was considered unsafe for recreational activity. If the undiluted sample remained clear, it was ra ted 0, if all the samples changed colour, it was rated as a four. The same rating system was used when fluorescing samples to test for E.coli. The daily rainfall level was compared to the levels of faecal-coliforms and E.coli. \r Conclusion \r As it has high levels of faecal coliforms and E.coli, the Nahoon River is not safe for recreational activity on a daily basis. \r Heavy rainfall causes the levels of E.coli and faecal coliforms to rise. \r The major source of the contamination is a stream entering the river from a newly developed settlement, and not a leaking sewer. \r This experiment has developed cost-effective home environment testing method which could be used in researching other rivers, marine environments, recreational waters and even drinking water by community researc
Expression of TRPV5 in Astrocytes: Implications for Ischemic Stroke
Elevation of intracellular calcium secondary to increased calcium influx along with increased gliosis are implicated in the pathogenesis of focal ischemic stroke. In astrocytes, which play a major role in maintaining homeostasis in brain ischemia, the identities of the ion channels responsible for increased calcium influx during ischemia is relatively unknown although several Ca2+-permeable transient receptor potential (TRP) channels have been identified to have contributing roles. The transient receptor potential vanilloid 5 (TRPV5) channel is a Ca2+-permeable cationic channel expressed primarily in kidney epithelial cells and at low levels in the brain, but the exact localization and role this channel plays in the brain has not been explored. To investigate the possible role TRPV5 plays in astrocytic calcium influx in ischemia, we examined the functional expression of TRPV5 in astrocytes subjected to hypoxia-ischemia in vitro and in rat models of ischemic stroke in vivo. We hypothesize that TRPV5 contributes to increased calcium influx in ischemia. By treating astrocytes with culture conditions without glucose and with low oxygen levels, we found that TRPV5 is upregulated with increasing durations of simulated hypoxia-ischemia in vitro. Similarly, rat models of ischemic stroke with middle cerebral artery occlusion also show TRPV5 upregulation in reactive astrocytes, suggesting a possible role of TRPV5 in reactive gliosis in vivo. Microfluorimetric intracellular calcium imaging using Fura-2 on primary cultured astrocytes show a voltage-independent increase in astrocytic calcium influx after hypoxia-ischemia in vitro that is selective for extracellular Ca2+ concentration and is reduced by inhibition of TRPV5 with ruthenium red. Electrophysiology measurements using the whole-cell patch clamp technique on primary cultured astrocytes reveal a non-selective cation current similar to that of TRPV5 that is inhibited by Mg2+, another inhibitor of TRPV5. Preliminary results on astrocyte cell viability during hypoxia-ischemia with TRPV5 inhibition by ruthenium red also suggest that inhibition of TRPV5 could enhance astrocyte survival and reactive gliosis in vitro, indicating a beneficial role in blocking non-selective Ca2+ entry via TRPV5 into astrocytes. Since TRPV5 is highly selective for Ca2+ and an important channel for Ca2+ absorption in various epithelial cells, TRPV5 upregulation may contribute significantly to elevated Ca2+ influx in astrocytes in hypoxia-ischemia. Also, Ca2+ influx has been demonstrated to play a crucial role in reactive gliosis, further suggesting that TRPV5 upregulation is involved in reactive gliosis. We propose that TRPV5 is involved in ischemia-induced calcium influx in astrocytes, and might participate in the pathogenesis of focal ischemic stroke.
The Levitating Ball
This project was inspired by a tournament call the International Young Physicist’ Tournament (IYPT). The problem could be broken into two aims: ‘Investigate the forces that cause a ball to levitate in a titled airstream’ and ‘optimize the system for the maximum angle of tilt that results in a supported ball’. The first stage of the investigation was research and learning. Two fluid mechanics courses online were used to build a basic of knowledge of the subject. Next a force diagram was created to model the forces acting on the ball. The diagram identified a force called the lift force that must be acting on the ball to be supported. There were three contending theories that could explain the lift force: The Bernoulli theory, the Coanda theory and the Magnus theory. A practical investigation was then instigated to differentiate between these three theories. Since the Magnus theory is only applicable if the ball is spinning in the airstream, this theory was isolated by changing the center of mass of the ball but keep everything else constant (this allowed control of how much the ball spun in the airstream). Changing the center of mass didn’t impact on the maximum angle of tilt at all, proving that the spinning of the ball isn’t producing a significant amount of lift, and therefore the Magnus theory couldn’t be a cause for lift. Because further testing couldn’t isolate the Coanda and Bernoulli theories, a solution was developed to explain why the two remaining theories might co-exist. Further testing methods have been designed to investigate this possibility in more depth. To meet the second aim of this project, an investigation was launched to see how parameters affected the maximum angle that the ball could be supported at. The parameters investigated were: Ball radius, ball mass, ball surface, air speed and airstream diameter. A lot of time was spent creating a reliable experimental method. The method could be used to support a ball in an air stream, slowly tilt the air stream, and then measure the angle of tilt the moment that the ball fell out. After experimentation, a table was created to describe how the listed parameters affect the maximum angle of tilt that a ball can be supported at. Explanations were proposed for why each parameter affected this angle. Future experiments have been devised to build a deeper understanding of the effects of a wider range of parameters.
GAS SENSOR APPLICATIONS WITH PHOTONIC CRYSTAL FIBER AND CARBON DIOXIDE SENSOR DESIGN
It’s very important to control and monitor gases that are produced by industrial applications in different values and kinds because they can cause environmental pollution and health problems. Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF), which is a different kind of optical fiber, is a new alternative for gas sensors due to their small sample volumes, low transmission losses and high flexibility properties. PCF’s are silica-glass fibers, made by periodic sequence of hollows along the fiber. By filling these hollows with optical liquids or gases very sensitive sensors can be made. In this project, we aimed to design a sensitive sensor by filling the hollows with proper gases and liquids in the solid core PCF. For these applications ethanol, methanol, toluene vapors and carbon dioxide was used. And to observe carbon dioxide’s effects ionic liquid (EMIMBF4), which carbon dioxide can dissolve in, was filled then the experiments were repeated. It was observed that the transmission of light in PCF changed depending on the refractive index of the gas that was filled. With this change, it was understood that there were another gas besides the usual containments of air. Our system could measure the absorbtion peak of toluen so it can be used as a toluen dedector and when ionic liquid filled the fiber, two steps that occur in the spectra of corbon dioxide so it can also be used as a carbon dioxide dedector. The system was customized as a carbon doxide sensor in a cost-efficient and portable way. Our system can be specialized and easiliy used with right light source, which is efficient to see the absorbtion peaks, and proper liquids to dedect intended gas. Making a carbon dioxide sensor by filling PCF with ionic liquid was never attempted before. Also the lack of carbon dioxide sensor studies supports the originality of our project. That’s why we think our project will contribute very importancies to the existing literature.