Fun While Grading Quiz 3

Lots of anthropomorphizing of atoms and elements.  It seems oxygen gets real agitated when heated, so don’t mess!

Same question on gas solubility decrease when temp increases

“When water temperature increases, the level of O2 decreases because combustion occurs and O2 is released in this combustion reaction.  If you think about it as the water temp increases the water molecules become more excited and a gas is released.”

“…the molecules of H2O move faster leaving less room for dissolved oxygen between them.”

“When water temperature increases it becomes more difficult for aquatic organisms to get enough oxygen because the oxygen molecules become smaller.”

Something along the lines of “because as temperature increases water begins solidifying…”

I think it was very common for people who weren’t sure to restate the question in the sentence because that’s what they were taught to do since 2^nd grade.

Circular logic to explain when you heat water the temperature increases… therefore oxygen decreases

Bed Bug Innovations- SABBOTAGE!

**The copy and paste between word and blogger is a bit annoying in the loss of formatting.  I actually can't see what I write about half an inch to the right of the text, so excuse the odd bulleting.**

No, I don't have any, nor have I ever been bitten.  Apparently, they're a big deal in Ohio and lots of other places in the US (NYTimes Bed Bugs,  it's a full Section).  C&EN had a nice review of the subject- where I first started looking.  Their final line is: Bedbugs “are a biological system we were able to live without for about 50 years,” Miller says. Now they are back, and “asking the federal government to step in and stop it is like asking the government to stop the wind.”  HA.  Also, it's amusing to hear everyone desperately wanting the EPA to take decisive action when on the same time wanting their funding cut big time.  Thus far, it's not confirmed bed bugs are a vector for pathogens, so they're really only a nuisance pest.  Anyway, I got distracted looking things up and tried to devise a solution.  Here are some random thoughts on ways to avoid bedbugs, some of these apparently were already mentioned on-line (indicated by *).

- -    -  Cloth/Plastic wrapping all beds, pillows, and mattresses* for 2 years- enough time to hopefully kill bugs inside

-          - Fumagate homes or rooms with CO₂ to choke out bugs*

-          - Wrap beds in sealant and fumigate. Then vacuum out and re-seal.

-          - Customizable furniture wraps to suit different size couches, chairs, etc

-          - Bed bug traps- warm, CO₂ emitting, blood sacks with poison

-          - Have a combo vacuum air jet, to blast bugs out and then vacuum them up

-          - People take their mattresses and furniture outside in winter.  This is really easy, if you are able bodied and plan accordingly to avoid rain, wind, mud, etc.  The problem is that, as one article put it, "the elderly in public housing are getting eaten alive."  Bugs are cold sensitive below 47F and above ~120F

  I really liked my idea of a human-mimic bed bug trap.  I think I had this idea for mosquitoes in the past, and upon checking google shopping saw some  mosquito versions.  

UPDATE: Fiddlesticks!  It looks like some company beat me to the punch with some overpriced $400 gizmo.  But, I think there's still a market for bed bug catchers in the $50-75 range.

Bed bug trap

- -   -  Reusable human scent cartridges. Gotta keep it green

-          - Poisoned "blood" for bugs to suck on, if they get that far

-         - Generate CO2 via combustion Ideally renewable CO₂, but non-renewable propane is most likely.  Combustion also provides heat

-          - Provide things that simulate bedding to trap bugs in sticky stuff/vacuumed out

-          - Needs to be usable indoors- issues with too much CO2 generation

-          - A green alternative to using carbamates, organophosphates, etc. with likely long-term central nervous system (CNS) issues.  FYI Republicans in Ohio were pretty upset with the EPA for banning the use of these pesticides in people's beds.  I'm not knowledgable of pesticide application improvements, but the pesticide companies said their methods have improved greatly and for one item, you'd have to "lick the baseboard 8 hrs a day for 40 years for any effects."  I think if you licked a baseboard that long you'd probably develop other physical and psychological issues irrelevant of what was on the baseboard.

-          - If anyone wants to partner with me in designing a cheap "Sweet Ass Bed Bug catcher..."  aka SABBOTAGE! send me a message.  I think I'll send the idea along to the entrepreneurial group on campus, it'd be a fun system to design for someone.  

           - Yesterday I drove to Toronto, huzah!  Hopefully an update on my mental processes will be forthcoming, but really this is just a distraction from real work I should be doing.

            Love and peace