Aral Sea Case Study

ARAL SEA CASE STUDY The Aral Sea in definition can be best described as a basin in Central Asia that is located between Kazakhstan, northern Karakalpakstansan and in a generous region of Uzbekistan which is in the South [Fig. 1]. This map accurately depicts the significance of the Aral Sea in a regional scale as there are only two countries bordering the sea as opposed to a cluster of countries (whereby the significance would be national) and thus only two countries with immediate contact with the basin. The Aral Sea was a creation made in the location where two major rivers in the name of Amu Darya and Syr Darya met. In previous years, The sea was declared as the fourth largest inland sea but has been steadily shrinking and drying up since the 1960's due to diversion of the Amu and Syr Darya as means of water supplements for Soviet Union irrigation projects. These drastic actions have impacted both the safety of the drinking water in the area as well as the health of the locals. In the year of 1981, the decision of the diversion of Amu and Syr Darya was officially declared by the Soviet Union as means of irrigation for the desert where the growth of rice, cotton, cereals and melons would be attempted. This decision was a branch in the plan of developing the cotton industry as becoming one of the most major exports. Even though this plan had clear success with Uzbekistan

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  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Geography
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Population Case Study - Japan

Sasha Zouev Geography IB, 13/09/05 IB Case Study: Japan (MEDC) Population, Distribution, Density Introduction: Japan is a great example of an MEDC with a particular population pattern and distribution. The country, located on the western edge of the Pacific Ocean lies to the east of Asia and is made up of about 3,000 smaller islands. There are several large main islands including, from top to bottom, Hokkaido, Honshu (the biggest), Shikoku and Kyushu. Japan is also interestingly rated 10th in the world by population count and has an area of about 377,835 km². The aim of this case study is to examine, section by section, the different factors that affect Brazilian population growth and distribution by looking at areas such as geographical positioning, politics, history, and generate some sort of conclusion Distribution: Japan's population is mostly concentrated alongside the south and west coast (figure 1). Japan's population density is ranked 18th in the world, and has assisted in advertising very expensive land prices. From the years 1980 to 1987, prices of land in the six largest cities nearly doubled. This prevents many poorer families from ever purchasing or renting housing in the central cities. Because of this, daily transportation for many workers became a real lengthy hassle. For example some daily commuters had to travel up to four hours total to reach

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  • Subject: Geography
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The Aral Sea

examine the causes and effects of biodiversity loss in tropical rainforests Biodiversity refers to the variety and quantity of all forms of life on Earth such as plants, animals and micro-organisms. It is estimated that there are up to 30 million different living species on Earth and more than 50 percent of these species live in the tropical rainforests. (rain-tree, N/A) Tropical rainforests play and important role in the world's natural environment as well as human society, as they not only provide a safe home for numerous plants and animals and help stabilize the world's climate and nature, but also also are a great source for medicines and foods. However numerous lives in tropical rainforests are at risk due to human deforestation. Deforestation in tropical rainforests as the major cause of the tragic loss of biodiversity, mainly happens due to globalization and cattle ranching, hydroelectric power, migration and logging. As a consequence, the ecosystem is disrupted, soil is eroded, carbon dioxide levels are increased and the nutrient cycle is affected. Globalization and cattle ranching is one of the major causes of loss of biodiversity due to deforestation in tropical rainforests. Meanwhile, industrial countries continue to develop and the demand for cattle is rapidly increasing. Over the past 25 years, rainforests have been cleared from an area the size of the entire

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  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Geography
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Enzyme Coursework. Investigation to find the effect of substrate concentration on the rate of an enzyme controlled reaction

Investigation to find the effect of substrate concentration on the rate of an enzyme controlled reaction Design Aspect 1: Defining the problem and selecting variables Investigation title: is the rate of an enzyme controlled reaction affected by substrate concentration? Background information Enzymes are often referred to as "biological catalysts", since they increase the rate of reactions in living organisms. Enzymes are also substrate specific, which means that only a specific substrate can fit into its active site (which is where the catalysing effect occurs) and as such, there are different enzymes which deal with different reactions (for example, protease breaks down proteins into amino acids) - this is the basis for the 'lock and key' theory. The stages of an enzyme controlled reaction are: ) Enzyme + substrate The enzyme and substrate are in solution together 2) Enzyme substrate complex A substrate has moved into the active site 3) Enzyme product complex The reaction has taken place, but the products haven't been released from the active site 4) Enzyme + product The enzyme and product are now in solution together (after the product was released from the active site) The rate of an enzyme controlled reaction are mainly affected by: temperature, substrate concentration, enzyme concentration and pH. By increasing the substrate concentration, there is a higher

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  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: Biology
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Population in Brazil

Sasha Zouev Geography IB, 5/09/05 IB Case Study: Brazil Population, Distribution, Density Introduction: As one of the most commonly studied populous LEDC's in the world, Brazil certainly has very interesting features and patterns regarding its population and distribution. First of all, Brazil is the largest and most inhabited country in South America, and fifth in the world. Its 8,500,000 square kilometer land area borders countries such as Colombia, Venezuela and Bolivia. The aim of this case study is to examine, section by section, the different factors that affect Brazilian population growth and distribution by looking at areas such as geographical positioning, politics, history, and generate some sort of conclusion. Distribution: Brazil's population is mostly concentrated alongside the coast. Coastal states, with a sum area of about 35% of Brazil, in fact account for about 87% of the entire population. Brazil can often be divided into clear-cut social, geographical and economic regions (figure 1). Masking half of the country, the Northern area has the dense and tropical basin of the Amazon (largest rain forest and largest river in volume of water in the world). The northeast, which is the most economically handicapped region, relies heavily on agriculture as its main economic activity. The area that is the wealthiest, and contains half of Brazils total

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Neurology and Behaviour. Focus question: Is there an increase in the perception and rating of disgust in females rather than males?

QAHS YEAR 11 Gender Differences in the Perception of Disgust Neurobiology and Behaviour Kayla Jackson TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS page number DESIGN 3 1.1 Defining the problem 3 * Focus / research question * Hypothesis * Background information / theory * Investigation Variables 1.2 Controlling Variables 4 * Treatment of Controlled Variables * Control Experiment 1.3 Experimental Method 4 * Materials * Risk Assessment * Method 2 DATA COLLECTION and PROCESSING 5 2.1 Recording Raw Data * Quantitative Data * Qualitative Data 2.2 Processing Raw Data 6 * Statistical Processing - calculations 2.3 Presenting Processed Data 6 * Result (s) table (s) * Graph (s) * Graph (b) 3 CONCLUSION and EVALUATION 8 3.1 Conclusion * Conclusion statement * Conclusion explanation 3.2 Evaluation Procedures 9 * Reliability * Limitations / Weaknesses / errors in Laboratory Investigation * Significance of weaknesses on experimental results 3.3 Improving the Investigation 10 * Modifications to experiment BIBLIOGRAPHY 11 APPENDIX 12 Appendix One: Curtis et al, 2004. Paired disgust sensitivity stimuli and average disgust scores Appendix Two: Disgust Sensitivity by age and gender (Curtis et al. 2004) Appendix Three: QAHS STUDENT ACTVITY RISK ASSESSMENT and PRAC

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Malthus got it right-we are doomed?

Malthus got it right-we are doomed? How far do you agree with this statement when discussing the population-resource relationship in the 21st century? In 1789 the Reverend Thomas Robert Malthus produced his 'Essay on the Principle of Population', which were based on two principles: first one being that the food supply would increase arithmetically over time, and the second one being that population would grow geometrically/exponentially. There would be a finite optimum population size (carrying capacity) in relation to food supply. So if the population would reach beyond this carrying capacity, it would lead to a decline in the standard of living - it would lead to war, famine and diseases. Nowadays, his prediction luckily is not the case. Since the 'Green Revolution' started in 1945, there has been an enormous increase in food supply provided by agricultural markets. The green revolution has enabled food production to keep pace with the increasing global population growth. The Green Revolution has provided some great benefits: "From 1950 to 1984, as the Green Revolution transformed agriculture around the world, grain production increased by over 250%"1 and "The world population has grown by about four billion since the beginning of the Green Revolution and most believe that, without the Revolution, there would be greater famine and malnutrition than the UN presently

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King Lear Passage Analysis Act IV, Scene 7 (lines 26 - 69)

IOC: King Lear Act IV, Scene 7 (lines 26 - 69) Contextualisation of Extract Lear is driven to insanity by his daughters Goneril and Regan as they systematically stripped him of whatever prestige he had left, reducing his entourage from 100 to 50 to 25 to 10, 5, 1 and finally to nothing, at which point they cast him into the storm (III,2), which he in "hell-black night endured". He is then discovered by Gloucester who sends Lear, Kent and the Fool to Dover where he might be safe from his daughters. Upon reaching Dover, Lear runs from the Gentleman and two of Cordelia's attendants fearing capture. It can be inferred that Lear has been caught by the attendants as he enters this scene, "asleep in a chair carried by servants". Significance of Extract In this extract, Lear is finally reunited with his "joy" Cordelia for the first time since his banishment. Although Lear has descended completely into madness, he has finally realised his true state as a "poor, weak, infirm and despised old man" as well as gained a stronger sense of moral awareness and judgment. A touching reconciliation between Cordelia and Lear is seen. Lear is dressed in royal robes and is carried to Cordelia while asleep. I will be analysing three aspects of this extract - The characterisation of Cordelia - The portrayal of Lear's restoration (both physical and mental) - The depiction of Cordelia and

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  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: World Literature
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Critical Analysis of After Apple Picking by Robert Frost

IOC: Robert Frost After Apple Picking This extract comes from North of Boston, a selection of poems from the eminent American poet Robert Frost. Like most of the other poems in the book, Frost's After Apple Picking reads like a short drama. Like The Mending Wall or the Woodpile , this poem is narrated from a first-person point of view, where the poet refers to himself as "I" and is a principal actor in the poem- continuing to describe his setting, emotions and thoughts throughout. Frost, who is renowned for his figurative use of language, is sometimes counted amongst the ranks of the transcendentalist poets. Transcendentalism often amounted to drawing upon an individual sense of consciousness whilst eschewing the intellectualism of the day. A greater spiritual appreciation was appraised for the setting that influenced the transcendentalist and, thus, North of Boston is imbued with a dreamy quality whilst still retaining a vivid appreciation of nature. It is also interesting to note that some literary critics have called the transcendentalism an "American Romanticism" movement- and indeed, many of Frost's poems have a strong inclination toward nature combined with aesthetic appreciation for emotion and feeling. After Apple Picking is, in itself, a marvelous representation of Frost's philosophy and writing style- though it is somewhat unfortunate that no definite

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  • Level: International Baccalaureate
  • Subject: World Literature
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