Category: Natural science

  The research paper will be 2-3 full pages of writing PLUS a few pages that require a map, a photo, and web references, so about 5 pages in total.
  You can download/save and use this document as a “shell” (Links to an external site.) for writing your paper. Just fill in the blanks and insert your own material (writing, map, photo, references). Answer *all* questions. The map and photo and references can be based on a location you have visited, your home country, or a place you want to visit. For example, maybe you are from China and want to include a photo of a place in China as well as a location map (try Google Images). Or perhaps you are wanting to visit Japan, then you would include map and photo of Japan.

Five full pages (not including cover page or title etc.); 1-inch margin max, Times New Roman 12 font
Minimum 10 references. References MUST be peer reviewed journal articles
Cover page with title
Introduction includes quantitative justification of the TITLE (topic), starting with a sentence that introduces and emphasizes the topic. Provides some details describing and justifying topic.
Introduction includes a topic sentence that introduces the subsequent subtopics that the paper will focus on 3 to 4 key ideas that will be presented in the topic.
Body paragraphs include 3 to 4 well-developed subtopics related to the TITLE (topic)- try not to silo your information in paragraphs. Rather, make sure each paragraph is related to the title and this aspect is clear to the reader. Also, think about the best logical flow from one subtopic to the next
Double space your entire document.
References should be single spaced using format above.
Do NOT use headings and sub-headings- Challenge yourself to use transitional sentences to flow from one idea to next; make sure your paragraphs are limited to <1 page & at least 5 well developed sentences.

Internet users have grown accustomed to using Google to search for all kinds of information: the definition of a word, the latest news about a celebrity, or the possible cause of an ache or pain. Now it turns out that Google may be one of the more powerful tools for predicting disease outbreakssome say even more powerful than the best tools of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

In 2008 Google launched Google Flu Trends, an application that compiles aggregated data from key word searches for clinical terms, such as thermometer, chest congestion, muscle aches, or flu symptoms. Google reports the data on a website, which then provides an early warning system for the locations of new flu outbreaks. Because the data are collected from searches performed each day, trends in flu symptoms become apparent much more quickly than when they are based on data reported during office visits or in lab reports from physicians around the country. When the CDC compared actual cases over the course of a year with Googles findings, the data from the two sources matched.

Is there any possible downside to this approach to data collection? How might data collected in this way not be representative of a particular population?

Two cases of laboratory-confirmed infection with Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium were reported to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PDH) in February 2007. Both patients reported consuming unpasteurized, or raw, milk from the same dairyDairy A, located in York County, Pennsylvania. At the same time, the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) received several reports of diarrheal illness associated with consumption of raw milk from Dairy A. (In Pennsylvania, the PDA regulates raw-milk sales, issuing permits to dairies that adhere to milk sanitation regulations and displaying public notices explaining the potential hazards of consuming raw milk).

On February 26, the PDH and the PDA initiated an investigation to identify the source of the salmonellosis outbreak and to determine how many cases could be traced to the initial source. Samples taken from the raw-milk bulk tank at Dairy A yielded S. enterica Typhimurium genetically identical to that seen in the patients. Stool samples of patients and family members were also tested for the presence of the pathogen, and food histories were obtained for each patient. By July 14, a total of 29 cases of diarrheal illness caused by S. enterica Typhimurium and associated with consumption of raw milk from Dairy A had been identified and grouped into three distinct time periods.

How do you think milk can become contaminated by Salmonella, an organism that colonizes the digestive tract? How can milk be tested for contamination?

Fecal Accidents in Community Swimming Pool Case Study
CDC reference if needed

During June of 2000, several children in Delaware, Ohio, were hospitalized at Grady Memorial General Hospital (GMH) after experiencing watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, vomiting, and loss of appetite. Dr. McDermott, a new gastroenterologist at GMH, who also had a strong interest in infectious diseases, was asked to examine the children. Their illness lasted from 1 to 44 days, and nearly half of them complained of intermittent bouts of diarrhea. By July 20, over 150 individualsmainly children and young adults between the ages of 20 and 40experienced similar signs or symptoms. Dr. McDermott suspected that their illness was due to a microbial infection and queried the Delaware City County Health Department (DCCHD) to investigate this mysterious outbreak further.

Dr. McDermott helped the DCCHD team in surveying individuals hospitalized for intermittent diarrhea. They questioned individuals about recent travel, their sources of drinking water, visits to pools and lakes, swimming behaviors, contact with sick persons or young animals, and day-care attendance. The DCCHDs investigation reported that the outbreaks were linked to a swimming pool located at a private club in central Ohio. The swimming pool was closed on July 28. A total of 700 clinical cases among residents of Delaware County and three neighboring counties were identified during the entire span of the outbreak that began late June and continued through September. At least five fecal accidents were observed during that time period at the pool. Only one of these accidents was of diarrheal origin. Outbreaks of gastrointestinal distress associated with recreational water activities have increased in recent years, with most being caused by the organism in this case.

Do you know what microorganism might be the cause of the outbreak? How can a single fecal accident contaminate an entire pool and cause so many clinical cases of gastrointestinal distress?

Staining Helps Identify an Infectious Agent Case Study Reference CDC website if needed

A 94-year-old woman went to her local hospital emergency department in mid-November 2001 complaining of a 5-day history of weakness, fever, nonproductive cough, and generalized myalgia (muscle aches). Otherwise, for a person her age she was fairly healthy, although she did suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, and chronic kidney failure.

On physical examination, her heart rate was above normal and she had a fever of 102.3F (39.1C). The rest of her physical examination was normal. Initial laboratory studies of blood cell count, blood chemistries, and chest X ray were also normal except for the chemical urine testing. This finding along with the fever suggested an infection, so the patient was admitted to the hospital. Samples of blood and urine were sent to the microbiology laboratory and set up appropriately.

The next day, microscopic evaluation of the urine culture revealed rod-shaped bacteria that stained red, and the blood culture revealed rods that stained purple. The liquid blood culture was then transferred to appropriate solid media. This finding in the blood was unusual, so a sample culture was sent to the state health department laboratory. Antibiotic therapy was adjusted, yet the patients condition deteriorated. Her most serious symptoms localized to her chest, and she was transferred to the intensive care unit. Four days after admission, the health department announced that the bacteria found in the patients blood were Bacillus anthracis. She was suffering from inhalation anthrax. Further testing showed these bacteria to be of the same strain that had been involved in the recent bioterrorist attack. Despite treatment, the patient died on the fifth day after admission.

What techniques and equipment are used when the bacteria are observed as being purple and red? How are these findings reported? What are the stages of processing a blood sample?

After reviewing the concept of significant figures, measurements, and moles, write a thoughtful, complete, but concise statement in response to the following questions:

1. Why is using significant figures a practical method for talking about molar quantities of substances?

2. If a typical postcard is 0.1 mm thick, how tall would a stack of 6.022 x 1023 postcards be?