Aerobic and Anaerobic
We learnt about this in class these few weeks. Now, respiration is an important process where almost all living things on earth have to carry out in order to survive. The sun, as we know, is the ultimate source of energy for animals. Now there are two types of cellular respiration, namely aerobic and anaerobic. Aerobic respiration is the process whereby food substances are broken down in the presence of oxygen with the release of energy in living cells. Carbon dioxide and water are released as waste products. The general importance of aerobic respiration is to allow organisms to grow, have muscle contractions, make them digest and absorb food substances and so on. Humans, including plants, carry out aerobic respiration. Now anaerobic respiration is the breakdown of food substances in the absence of oxygen. Anaerobic respiration releases less energy than aerobic respiration.
NUS develops new technology to treat ballast water
News Article:
SINGAPORE: A new more compact and environmentally-friendly technology developed locally to disinfect ballast water in ships may soon be used on vessels plying international shipping routes.
The new technology is developed by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
It treats the water using electrolysis and is already approved by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The system uses a patented and cost-effective electrode and a series of supporting devices to treat ballast water over a period of 10 to 12 hours.
An NUS spin-off company has been formed to commercialise the technology in the next few years.
The IMO requires all existing ships to be fitted with such systems by 2016.
The development of the system was funded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Ballast water is taken on and discharged by ships to maintain their stability while loading and unloading cargo. It is disinfected to prevent aquatic organisms being transferred from one environment to another, which could be harmful to the biodiversity of the local marine ecosystem.
- CNA/fa
Personally, I feel that this matter is not only something that brings pride to our country, but also a breakthrough in the world of science. Earth's resources, although being abundant, has been heavily utilized/wasted by the human race for centuries. Many researchers of the present age have been trying to find more ways of regenerating/recycling/saving our resources so as to sustain life for a longer period of time. These small breakthrough recognizes their efforts to save the Earth. However, we cannot be complacent with what we have now. We have to do our part to help minimize the usage or wastage of our resources, so as to reserve them for our later generations.
SINGAPORE: A new more compact and environmentally-friendly technology developed locally to disinfect ballast water in ships may soon be used on vessels plying international shipping routes.
The new technology is developed by a team of researchers from the Faculty of Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
It treats the water using electrolysis and is already approved by the International Maritime Organisation (IMO).
The system uses a patented and cost-effective electrode and a series of supporting devices to treat ballast water over a period of 10 to 12 hours.
An NUS spin-off company has been formed to commercialise the technology in the next few years.
The IMO requires all existing ships to be fitted with such systems by 2016.
The development of the system was funded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA).
Ballast water is taken on and discharged by ships to maintain their stability while loading and unloading cargo. It is disinfected to prevent aquatic organisms being transferred from one environment to another, which could be harmful to the biodiversity of the local marine ecosystem.
- CNA/fa
Personally, I feel that this matter is not only something that brings pride to our country, but also a breakthrough in the world of science. Earth's resources, although being abundant, has been heavily utilized/wasted by the human race for centuries. Many researchers of the present age have been trying to find more ways of regenerating/recycling/saving our resources so as to sustain life for a longer period of time. These small breakthrough recognizes their efforts to save the Earth. However, we cannot be complacent with what we have now. We have to do our part to help minimize the usage or wastage of our resources, so as to reserve them for our later generations.
Science Lab Thoughts!
During one of the recent Science Lessons, our teacher brought us to the Science Lab to experiment on heat radiation. The experiment setup included two identical metal pots, one silver and one black, surrounding a Bunsen burner, with two temperature readers sticking into the pots. It was an experiment to test whether the colour black or silver conducts heat faster. As expected, the temperature rose quickly in both pots, however there was a slight difference; the black pot seemed to be heating up faster than the silver pot. We could therefore conclude the black pot to be the better heat conductor of the two.
Through this interesting experiment, we could witness the effects of radiation (thermal physics) and how different colours could have different rates of heat conduction.
Through this interesting experiment, we could witness the effects of radiation (thermal physics) and how different colours could have different rates of heat conduction.
Term 3 Progress
Finally, the seed of labour has finally grown. After much hard work and revision of Science, I have achieved much success in terms of learning attitude and academic perfomance. I have also cultivated a stronger interest for Science, and would continue to do so. Term 3 is one of the busiest terms in our whole year, and also one of the most important, and it really challenged my ability to its limits. I also discovered many of my strengths and weaknesses. I am technically strong in grasping the science concepts, but I need to work more on my application skills and the usage of key words. Learning is a life long process, and we have to constantly take in new knowledge, so as to improve ourselves.
Term 2 Progress
Another busy term for me. Although my results are almost the same, there appears to be a slight improvement. I do feel that if I continue to improve myself and pay more attention to the teachers in class, I should be able to ace all of my science tests. Many new topics have been available to us in this term, and therefore our work schedule became more hectic than ever. However, I do enjoy what we are learning and will continue to strive for the better.
Term 1 Progress
As far as the eye can see, this term had been quite hectic as we Secondary Ones struggle to consolidate whatever we had learnt over the past few weeks together. Technically, I feel that I have not tried my best to learn Science, explaining my weak results. However, this setback provides me with the necessary experience as well as determination to do well for the following terms.
Camel Write Up (ACE)
Camels –Masters of Adaptation
Foreword
Ever wondered how camels survive in the desert without drinking or eating food? Or how its knees would not get burned by the desert sand even if it kneeled down? Well I am going to write about all that today!
Introduction
A camel is an mammal in the dromedary group (large animals with even toes with humps on their backs e.g. Llamas). They live around areas in the Horn of Africa, Middle East, and the Indian subcontinents. 13 million camels are estimated to be living in this world today. Many of its domestic uses include milk, meat, and even modes of transports over desert areas! They are favored as transport animals across the deserts as they are easy to handle, do not require frequent consumption of food and water, and most of all, adapted to travel through harsh conditions in the desert.
Adaptation
Camels spend most of their time in harsh environments that many other animals cannot survive in. However, what makes them able to survive then? Well the answer is simple. Adaptation. Camels have humps on their backs to store fats, therefore they have sufficient food for themselves. At the same time, the action of storing body fats in their humps reduces the surface area for heat insulation, which is very much needed in places like the desert. However, the drawback is that, when the metabolization of their fats take place, water is needed to carry it out. Camels can also go for long periods of time without water due to their blood cells. The cells are oval in shape, unlike other animals which are round in shape. This enables the cells to take in more water without bursting, thus providing camels with the luxury of going long periods of time without water. Their body temperatures also cover a wide range, therefore allowing the camel to survive in harsh conditions. Evaporation only takes place on the surface of the camel’s skin, therefore drastically reducing the water loss that occurs. Another factor would be the camel’s coat, which actually reflects sunlight, therefore reducing its tendency to sweat by almost 50%! Their knees are thick and leathery, with a layer of fat beneath it acting as an insulator, therefore allowing the camel to lie on hot sand without getting burnt. Their hooves are split and broad, allowing them to have perfect balance in the sand. Also, their eyelashes are long so as to keep out the sand, and their nostrils can open or close at will to prevent sand from entering.
As seen from here, camels are “armored” from head to toe with adaptations for the life in the desert. I feel quite fascinated on what living things can actually do to fit in to their surroundings.
Ending note
From this write up, I feel that this is merely an example of the wonders of nature, and how living things can adapt to fit allocation. Nature and science are something that we can never understand, but one thing’s for sure; we can learn from nature to better improve the world we are living now.
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