Japan Trip, July Holidays 2018

Japan Trip - 7th to 24th, July 2018


Tuesday 10th July
In the morning on Saturday the 7th, we flew out of Christchurch Airport. We flew for approximately 6 hours, and then arrived at Changi Airport in Singapore. We spent 6 hours exploring there, it was huge! We then got on another plane for around 10 hours. We finally arrived at Narita Airport in Tokyo on Sunday morning. We then got on a bullet train to Sendai, which is where we spent the majority of our time in Japan. Our host families then picked us up from Sendai Station. My host family included a mother, father, grandmother, two sons, and a daughter. The daughter was named Miyabi, and was my buddy. After I was picked up, we went to a sushi restaurant, where I tried tuna for the first time. Surprisingly it wasn't too bad. I had an early night as I was tired from all the travelling. On Monday the 8th, we were shown around the school (Tokiwagi Gakuen High School). It was very big, and instead of bells chiming to indicate the end of a lesson, they used classical music. The students and teachers there were very friendly. We then attended a Japanese lesson where we introduced ourselves in Japanese, and interacted with other students. After spending the morning at school, we then went out on a bus. We spent time at Sendai Castle (which actually was just the site of castle that is no longer there), and Osaki Shrine. The shrine was very beautiful and traditional. We tossed 5 yen coins into a container and tugged a bell, calling gods to watch over us.

Achievements:

• An interesting cultural difference I found was that people in Japan take their shoes off outside the house, and put on clean slippers when entering the house. When using the bathroom, they take off their house slippers and put on bathroom slippers. These cannot be worn outside the bathroom.
• When I was leaving the car in the morning after traveling to the train station, my host mother said "いｔらっしゃい!" I replied with "いってきます!" which means 'see you later', and is a common phrase in Japan.
• An interesting fact about Osaki Shrine is that it was designated a National Treasure of Japan, which means it is one of Japans most precious cultural properties.
• I have began using ええと... instead of umm... when speaking to my host family.

Friday 13th July
On Tuesday the 10th, we had a history lesson on Tsurugajo Castle which we would then visit in a few days. The story behind the castle was very interesting, but very sad. We then attended a cooking class, where we cooked traditional Japanese food with some students. We made noodles, dumplings, and savory jelly. It was delicious! We spent some time as a group practicing the songs we were going to sing on our last day at the school. For the last class of the day, we did P.E with some students. We played volleyball in groups with some younger students. They were all very nice, and good at volleyball. After school, some students threw us a welcome party. We made takoyaki balls with octopus or sausage in them. I didn't really like the octopus, but the party was nice. On Wednesday the 11th, we went on a bus to Matsushima Island. We then got on a ferry, and sailed around the islands. It was very nice there. On Thursday the 12th, we went to Tsurugajo Castle. It was beautiful! We also went to a Samurai Mansion, which had lots of history behind the life of a samurai.

Achievements:

• When buying some gifts at a gift shop at the Samurai Mansion, I paid in exact change. I used 500, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, and 1 yen coins.
• When eating at a hamburger restaurant, I ordered a chicken meal, rice, and drink in Japanese.

Tuesday 24th July
On Friday the 13th, we went to a huge Buddha statue called Sendai Daikannon. It had many many stairs. We then went to Yagiyama Zoo. A highlight was watching the polar bear get fed. He was very cool. On Saturday the 14th, my buddies friends came over, and we played karaoke and card games. They stayed the night. On Sunday the 15th, we went to the Fox Village. The foxes were very cute. We also went to a cheese factory, where we tried a delicious milk drink. On Monday the 14th, my host family took me to an amusement park. It was extremely hot, and we went on very fast roller coasters. On Tuesday the 17th, we went to Kamaboko Factory. We learned about the history of kamaboko and the processes it goes through to get made. We then made some. I didn't really like it as it was made of mushed together fish. We then went to a class with our buddy. The class I went to was health. We watched a documentary about animal testing. On Wednesday the 18th, we went to a temple in the mountains. We had to walk up 1008 stairs, and it was very hot. The temple was very nice though. On Thursday the 19th, we went to Shogisan Temple. The temple was gorgeous, as was the small castle there. Later that afternoon, we watched the schools inter-class choir competition. One group sang an english song and it was very good. On Friday the 20th, we went to a class with our buddies. The class I went to was Japanese. The students in the class did a test. We spent the rest of the day at Michonoku Park. It was very pretty. After school, some students threw us a goodbye party. We had food and played bingo. It was really sad saying goodbye. On Saturday the 21st, my host family took me shopping, and out for lunch. It was my last day with them. On Sunday the 22nd, our host families dropped us off at the station. It was very sad saying goodbye to them. We then went on a train to Tokyo Disneyland. We spent the day there. It was really cool. We stayed at the hotel airport for the night, then flew out the next morning.

Achievements:

• I used Japanese to ask my host family where we going. On Saturday I said "きょはどこにいきますか" (Where are we going today?)

Science 1.10 - Disinfectants

2018
Science 1.10
Disinfectants (Investigate life processes and environmental factors that affect them)


Aim:
I am going to investigate how different disinfectant (Dettol) concentrations can affect the growth and reproduction of micro-organisms.

Hypothesis:
I predict that the stronger the disinfectant is, the more bacteria it will kill. I predict this because the active ingredient in Dettol (Chloroxylenol) is effectively used to kill off bacteria by "disrupting the cell wall and stopping the function of enzymes." Wikipedia

Independent Variable:
The independent variable in this experiment is the concentration of the disinfectant. We will change the concentration by diluting the Dettol with different amounts of water. There will be four different concentrations that will be used:

• Full strength (100% Dettol)
• Water (0% Dettol)
• Manufacturer's Instructions (1 capful of Dettol in 400mL water)
• Diluted Dettol (1 capful of Dettol in 800mL water)

Dependent Variable:
The dependent variable in this experiment is the amount of bacteria that is killed. We will measure the clear zone with a ruler, measuring the diameter of the filter paper where the bacteria has been killed by the disinfectant.

Other Variables:

• Temperature of environment

This variable will be controlled by putting the agar dish in an incubator and keeping it on the same temperature for the duration of the experiment.

• Size of filter paper

This variable will be controlled by using a hole punch to ensure that all four of the circles of filter paper are exactly the same size.

• Amount of bacterial solution

This variable will be controlled by spreading the bacterial solution evenly over the agar dish by swirling the liquid around, so there is an equal amount in each quarter.

Reliability:
I will ensure that my results are reliable by controlling variables, and by doing the experiment twice, getting data from two other students, and calculating the average.

Equipment:

• Agar plate
• Vivid
• Dropper
• Bacterial solution - peppercorns in water
• Hole punch
• Filter paper
• Tweezers
• Water
• Disinfectant - Dettol
• Beaker
• Cellotape
• Incubator

Method:

1. Get out your equipment.
2. On the jelly side (inside) of the agar plate, using the vivid, split the plate into four sections.
3. Label the sections: full strength, water, manufacturers instructions, and diluted.
4. Write your name on the side of the agar plate.
5. Using the dropper, transfer some of the bacterial solution onto the agar plate.
6. Swirl the agar plate around to cover the whole surface.
7. Drain the excess bacterial solution by tipping it into the sink.
8. Using a hole punch and some filter paper, punch four disks of filter paper, ensuring they are all the same size.
9. Using tweezers, dip one disk into water and shake off the excess, then place it in the middle of one of the four sections on the agar plate. Once it is on the agar plate, don't move it.
10. Using tweezers, dip the next disk into the full strength Dettol and shake off the excess, then place it in the middle of the next of the four sections on the agar plate.
11. Make up a solution with one capful of Dettol in 400mL of water.
12. Using tweezers, dip the next disk into the solution you just made and shake off the excess, then place it in the middle of another one of the four sections on the agar plate.
13. Make up a solution of one capful of Dettol in 800mL of water.
    
    
14. Using tweezers, dip the next disk into this solution and shake off the excess, then place it in the middle of the last of the four sections on the agar plate.
15. Cello tape the lid onto the agar plate.
    
    
16. Place inside the incubator upside down, and leave for two days.
17. Observe the results.
18. Measure the diameter with a ruler, by measuring right across the clear zone.

Results: 

 

Recorded Data (diameter of clear zone):

	Water	Full Strength	Manufacturer's Instructions	Diluted
Me - One	0mm	30mm	9mm	12mm
Me - Two	19mm	27mm	13mm	10mm
Jorja - One	0mm	19mm	8mm	7mm
Jorja - Two	0mm	18mm	1mm	9mm
Te Rama	0mm	18mm	13mm	11mm
AVERAGE	3.8mm	22.4mm	8.8mm	9.8mm

Analysis:

Conclusion:
I conclude that my hypothesis was correct - the higher the concentration of disinfection in the solution, the more bacteria it will kill. This was shown in my results, as the full strength Dettol had the highest concentration and killed the most bacteria, while the water had the lowest concentration and killed the least amount of bacteria. My graphs show an increasing trend line, which also proves that the higher concentration killed a larger diameter. There were a few abnormalities, but they ultimately didn’t affect the results too much.

Discussion:


Bacteria are microscopic, unicellular organisms, different to ordinary cells as they have no nucleus. They have a cellular structure made up of the capsule, cell wall, cell membrane, pili, flagellum, cytoplasm, plasmids, ribosomes, and the nucleoid. The capsule is the outer layer of the bacteria. It protects the cell from drying out, and from phagocytosis (engulfment by other cells). The cell wall lies between the capsule and the cell membrane. It gives the cell its shape, and protects the cell membrane. The cell membrane is the last bit of protection the cell has. Its job is to regulate what comes in and out of the cell. Pili live on the capsule. They are small and hairlike, and help bacteria attach to surfaces and other cells. The flagellum is the tail of the cell, and can be located on either end of the bacterium. It moves like a propeller, and pushes the bacterium towards nutrients or away from chemicals. The cytoplasm is the core of the bacterium, a jelly-like substance made up of water, enzymes, nutrients, wastes, and gases. It holds plasmids, ribosomes, and the nucleoid, and is where reproduction and growth of the cell occur. Plasmids are located inside the cytoplasm. They are circular pieces of DNA which give bacteria a selective advantage. Ribosomes are also located inside the cytoplasm, and are where proteins are made. The nucleoid is a section of the cytoplasm, where DNA strands are found.

In this experiment, we observed the processes of growth, reproduction, and nutrition. Bacteria grows as it is beginning its reproduction process. Bacteria reproduce through a process called binary fission. They do this asexually, and it is done quite quickly. This process creates ‘clones’ of the parent cell. First, the DNA inside the original cell duplicates. Next, the cell begins elongating. Finally, the cell divides in half, and two daughter cells are produced. For bacteria to grow and reproduce, they need nutrients. Bacteria receive nutrients through a process called extracellular digestion. This is where enzymes are let in through the membrane, and are then secreted into food molecules. The enzymes break down the food and are then absorbed by the bacterium. The nutrients are absorbed into the bacterium through diffusion. They diffuse from a high concentration outside the bacterium, through the cell membrane, into a low concentration inside the bacterium. They can also be directly transported into the bacterium, through a pump which acts as a vacuum and sucks the nutrients in.

 

I predicted that the stronger the disinfectant was, the more bacteria it would kill. I predicted this because the active ingredient in our chosen disinfection was chloroxylenol, which effectively kills bacteria. A disinfectant is a chemical used to kill off bacteria. Our chosen disinfectant was Dettol. We use many different Dettol products in our everyday lives. It can be used as a surface cleaner to get rid of bacteria on benches, or as an antiseptic to clean our wounds. Dettol can eradicate bacteria as it contains the chemical chloroxylenol. This chemical disrupts the cell wall, which means that it can enter the cell membrane as the cell wall protects the membrane. This means that the chemical can filter through into the cell. Once it is inside the cell, it stops the function of enzymes. This means the bacterium cannot absorb nutrients, as enzymes are needed to be secreted into food molecules. If no nutrients are absorbed into the bacterium it cannot grow or reproduce, and therefore is killed. In our experiment we can observe this. We see that the bacteria has stopped growing around the disk, because of the chloroxylenol in the Dettol. It has stopped the bacteria from growing, therefore killing it. The full strength Dettol ultimately killed the most bacteria as it contained the highest amount of chloroxylenol. With this experiment, I now know that I can implement this at home when I am using Dettol to clean surfaces. I don't necessarily need to use full strength, I can also use diluted or manufacturers instructions.

Evaluation:
I can ensure that my results were reliable as I used five different trial dishes. I repeated it myself, used two of Jorja’s trials, and one of Te Rama’s. I then calculated the average. This means that even though there was an abnormality, my results are still reliable. The abnormality was in my second trial. My water disk killed a diameter of 19mm of the bacteria. This is an abnormality as water contains no chemicals, and so no bacteria should have been killed. This could have happened either because I didn’t clean my tweezers each time, or because the water contained chlorine. Next time, I need to sterilize my tweezers before use, and clean them between each solution. I should also use filtered water, as chlorinated water could have an impact on the experiment.

Sources:
https://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/bacteriacell.html
https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/NCEA_Level_1_Science/Life_processes#Nutrition
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chloroxylenol