Science and Tech Blog post #2 (Cochlear implants)

What is a cochlear implant?

A cochlear implant is an electronic medical device that replaces the function of the damaged inner ear. Unlike hearing aids, which make sounds louder, cochlear implants do the work of damaged parts of the inner ear (cochlea) to provide sound signals to the brain.

Cochlear implants can help people who:

  • have moderate to profound hearing loss in both ears
  • have profound hearing loss in one ear with normal hearing in the other ear
  • receive little or no benefit from hearing aids
  • score 65% or less on sentence recognition tests done by hearing professional in the ear to be implanted

Many people have cochlear implants in both ears (bilateral). Listening with two ears can improve your ability to identify the direction of sound and separate the sounds you want to hear from those you don’t.

Many people suffer hearing loss because their hair cells in the inner ear or (or cochlea) are damaged. The cochlear implant enables the sound to be transferred to your hearing nerves and enables you to hear. The process is described below:

A sound processor worn behind the ear or on the body, captures sound and turns it into digital code. The sound processor has a battery that powers the entire system.

The sound processor transmits the digitally-coded sound through the coil on the outside of your head to the implant.

The implant converts the digitally-coded sound into electrical impulses and sends them along the electrode array placed in the cochlea (the inner ear).

The implant’s electrodes stimulate the cochlea’s hearing nerve, which then sends the impulses to the brain where they are interpreted as sound.

Many adults with cochlear implants report that they:

  • Hear better with a cochlear implant than with a hearing aid
  • A previous study has shown that people with cochlear implant achieve an average of 80% sentence understanding, compared with 10% sentence understanding for hearing aids1.
  • Can focus better when in noisy environments
  • This allows them to have conversations with people across meeting tables, in restaurants and other crowded places.
  • Reconnect with missed sounds that they could not hear before their cochlear implant.
  • Feel safer in the world as they can hear alarms, people calling out and approaching vehicles.
  • Talk and hear on the phone
  • Enjoy music

The benefit of cochlear implants is often different for different individuals. This difference is often due to:

  • how long they have had hearing loss before receiving a cochlear implant
  • how severe their hearing loss is
  • condition of their cochlea (inner ear)
  • other medical conditions
  • how much practice they include in everyday life when using their cochlear implant system.

Most of this information was gotten from here, where it was copy and pasted from, and then edited.

Science and tech blog post #1

What Companies within Canada contribute to space exploration, and how?

Canada Space Agency-

This company researches and builds things for space travel and related operations

Neptec-

Neptec develops, produces, integrates, operates and supports intelligent spaceflight sensors, payloads, instruments and equipment.

L-3 MAPPs-

Uses simulation to design and train operators and maintainers of robotic systems, space vehicles, and

From satellites to manned space vehicles, this powerful simulation environment provides you with all the tools you need to simulate the complete end-to-end system.

Self-paced simulation-based eLearning applied to Space Simulation.

MPB Communications-

“MPB’s Space and Photonics Division was born in the early ‘90’s with the development of a number of experimental payloads created under contract to CSA and ESA. These early systems where flown on KC-135s, on space shuttles, on the Black Brant Rocket, and one, the Microgravity Isolation Mount, became a permanent facility on the MIR Space Station.

On the ground, building upon technologies developed by MPB’s Electromagnetics, Telerobotics, Communications, and Laser Divisions, the Space and Photonics group secured an edge in new frontier innovations. Visible Fiber Lasers are adapted for Artificial Star programs; Fiber Bragg Gratings became an integral part of the first all-optical fiber system on a satellite; technology acquired during the development of the Maglev Hand Controller in the Telerobotics Division became a fundamental component of the Microgravity Isolation Mount.

Continued associations with Universities, industries and Government agencies, have MPB now involved in Smart Thermal Radiators, Self-Healing Coatings, adaptable microRovers, and other futuristic photonics devices, with applications ranging from Satellite earth observation to the planetary exploration of Mars.” this is a segment from the official site found at: http://www.mpb-space.com/

 

Magellan Aerospace-

Magellan Aerospace designs and manufactures space and rocket systems. Magellan can develop rocket motors systems to suit custom applications or adjust an existing design to meet specific mission requirements. Their propellant plant develops, mixes, casts and cures rocket propellent.

 

Com Dev International-

COM DEV International Ltd. is a designer and manufacturer of space hardware and systems.COM DEV produces space-qualified passive microwave equipment, specialized electronics and optical subsystems. also, they provide microsatellite mission solutions going from mission concept studies to launch and operations.

~

These are just some of the companies in Canada that contribute to space exploration.

ISearch2015 Assignment

The detail that I chose for this assignment was the gold in Dracula’s room-

“The only thing I found was a great heap of gold in one corner—gold of all kinds, Roman, and British, and Austrian, and Hungarian, and Greek and Turkish money, covered with a film of dust, as though it had lain long in the ground. None of it that I noticed was less than three hundred years old. There were also chains and ornaments, some jeweled, but all of them old and stained.”

I feel like this part of the book can have an impact on the rest of the book, like after that, I went from seeing Dracula as a rich guy to a really rich guy.  I feel like this also shows that Dracula actually was in those battles that he was talking to Jonathan  about, as it would seem that he got a share of the loot when he won.

“In his speaking of things and people, and especially of battles, he spoke as if he had been present at them all.”

I also think that he may have more gold in the other locked rooms, and probably even some gold from Transylvania because I found out that Transylvania was very rich with minerals like gold (Click here to find out more).  I feel like Bram Stoker (the author of Dracula) put the pile of gold in to add to his feel of mysteriousness and superiority, because you never know how he got it for sure.  I do not think that the pile of gold plays a significant role in the story, but it sure adds to it.

Other than for adding to the character of Dracula, I do not feel like these coins add to the story very much. (Speaking of coins)

 

Ever since I read about the coins in the book, I thought that It was a peculiar detail to put in, but after a while of thinking about it, I realized that this detail adds to the book secretly, so you don’t notice it at first, but if you analyze it, you can see how. I tried to look up where the treasure came from or any other details that I should know about, but I could find little.

A New Year of School

Well, it’s another year of school.  There are now new people to meet, new content to discover, and new assignments to complete, and a new year to adventure through.  Remember to relax with your friends, make new ones, work hard, keep on track, and have fun. Have a wonderful new school year everyone.

Line Graph

 

 

Question- What is the average population growth in between 1876 and 1977?

answer- the average population growth per year in 1876- 1977 is 1975500 People Per Year. (PPY)

 

Preview of your graph

This graph is showing the population growth in Canada in between 1867 and 1977. You may notice that the line’s slope changes every ten years.  We did not make it change every year because the program did not have the space to put down 110 different years.

 

1977    23,258000

slope=288000/y
1967    20,378000

slope=376800/y
1957    16,610000

slope=405900/y
1947    12,551000

slope=150600/y
1937    11,045000

slope=140800/y
1927    9,637000

slope=157700/y
1917    8,060000

slope=164900/y
1907    6,411000

slope=128900/y
1897    5,122000

slope=49600/y
1887    4,626000

slope=56200/y
1877    4,064000

slope=60100/y
1867    3,463000

 

 

BuckyBalls!

Now, I know that the name is weird, but they are the best toys in the  world!  They’re magnets by the way.  They are small, rare-earth Magnets.  Now, you may be asking, what’s so fun about magnets?  WHATS WRONG WITH YOU?  with buckyballs, you can make almost infinite designs and shapes.  here’s a couple of examples-

As you might be able to see, they can come in different colors. SO COOL.  Right now I’m wearing a necklace made out of them. My own design!  Here’s how to make it- Bend six buckyballs into a ring, and do this 15 times.  Then, once you do that, stack them like so that there is minimal gap in between them.  then, use your remaining buckyballs and thread them through the center of the cylinder. Then, connect the ends of the buckyball string, and you have your necklace! I do not know where to find them anymore, because the place where i got them from, www.thinkgeek.com, recalled them. Have fun!

why isn’t this killing me?

sure, this title is (slightly) dramatic, but it got your attention, right?

I don’t know why, but I set my alarm for six in the morning.  I don’t have to get up until eight!  That’s two hours later!

why do I do this to myself?  Once I get up, then i’m up.  So, I lye there for two hours staring at the ceiling wondering what to do.

I don’t know why i never get tired mentally, I usually am awake for 18-22 hours a day, and I still am not tired.  It is effecting my ability to type faster though, what you are reading took me five whole minutes to complete.  I’m just putting off my schoolwork right now, so I should probably get back to it.

 

Comment if you have the same “illness” as i do

www.starwhal.com/demo.html

just one think to say about this site- awesome, addicting, fun, competitive and two-player.  it is about two narwhals -blue and pink- that are fighting for unknown causes.  they are in a restricted area that looks like a square donut.  the blue one has a pink heart and the pink one has a blue heart.  they are what appear to be polar opposites, and that is one probable explanation for why they are fighting.  have fun making them stab each other in the heart with horns! 😀

Bio-board game

Me and Jay will finish the whole game (everything) on Monday! 😀 You will have to wait until then to play it.   all we have to do is test it from where it’s at now, and unless we think something in the game needs adjusting, there is nothing else that we have to do.  Some of the problems might include: too many disaster cards, too many resources (materials), and too little temperature/precipitation cards.

really, the most apparent problems are about the cards.  This is because we made a lot recently, and they were mostly disaster cards. but there also could be some things that we think that we could add like bio magnification.

Dodgeball

I was playing dodgeball today with Nolan, Lyle, Bailie, Josh, Travis, Kendra, and Jay.  Half-way through, I slid to avoid the ball, and one of the buttons in my jeans dug into my leg.  Of course, that hurt a lot, but I ignored it, and after a while, It got worse. I decided to look at my wound, and sure enough, it was bleeding.  After another while, I slid on that side and this time, it hurt a lot more.  I decided to go see if it got any worse, so I went to the bathroom to look at it, and sure enough, it was worse.  Dark blood.  staining the inside of my jeans crimson.  I covered it with a paper towel and hoped it would do the trick. then I went back to dodgeball.