Changes in altitude have a profound effect on the human body. The body attempts to maintain a state of homeostasis or balance to ensure the optimal operating environment for its complex chemical systems. Any change from this homeostasis is a change away from the optimal operating environment. The body attempts to correct this imbalance. One such imbalance is the effect of increasing altitude on the body’s ability to provide adequate oxygen to be utilized in cellular respiration. With an increase in elevation, a typical occurrence when climbing mountains, the body is forced to respond in various ways to the changes in external environment. Foremost of these changes is diminished ability to obtain oxygen from the atmosphere. If the adaptive responses to these stressors are inadequate the performance of body systems may decline dramatically, if prolonged results can be serious or even fatal. In looking at the effect of altitude on body functioning we first must understanding what occurs in the external environment at higher elevations and then observe the important changes that occur in the internal environment of the body in response.
HIGH ALTITUDE
In discussing altitude change and its effect on the body mountaineers generally define altitude according to the scale of high (8,000 – 12,000 feet), very high (12,000 – 18,000 feet), and extremely high (18,000+ feet), (Hubble, 1995). A common misperception of the change in external environment with increased altitude is that there is decreased oxygen. This is not correct as the concentration of oxygen at sea level is about 21% and says relatively unchanged until over 50,000 feet (Johnson, 1988).
What is really happening is that the atmospheric pressure is decreasing and subsequently the amount oxygen available is a single breath of air is significantly less. At sea level the barometric pressure averages 760 mmHg while at 12,000 feet it is only 483 mmHg. This decrease in total atmospheric pressure means that there are 49% fewer oxygen molecules per breath at this altitude compared to sea level (Princeton, 1995).
HHUMAN RESPIRATORY SYSTEM
The human respiratory system is responsible for bringing oxygen into the body and transferring it to the cells where it can be utilized for cellular activities. It also removes carbon dioxide from the body. The respiratory system draws air initially either...
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...nations of his thought processes, it is clear that the Pardoner does not practice what he preaches. It is ambiguous, however, as to whether the Pardoner believes what he preaches, but just doesn’t follow his preaches or whether he doesn’t believe what he preaches at all. It is evident, though, that the Pardoner has an astute mind. He is highly effective in what he does. Although he exploits the church for his own personal designs, he succeeds at obtaining that which he pursues. The efficacy of his strategy is confirmed by Chaucer’s description of the Pardoner as being a “noble ecclesiastic” and as being unmatched in his trade . Thus amidst all of his flatteries, there exists a spark of genius that complements his minimal level of ethics. This intellectual finesse is the riverbed from which all of the products of his mind flow.
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Wright gives the believer (or nonbeliever alike) a very clear picture of morality. In this book, he shows how we are to keep our moral conduct. Not only is he showing us how to keep our moral conduct. He is also showing us how to be true to ourselves as Christians. As a result, Wright incorporates truth about how one can see or view Christian character. Wright at one point says, “I hope to show in this book that the biblical vision of what human life is ultimately or will open up a perspective in which questions of behavior on the one hand, and of a fulfilled human life on the
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The Prologue to The Canterbury Tales is a masterpiece of satire due to the frequent use of verbal irony and insults towards the characters and their roles in society. A major source of Irony is Chaucer’s representation of the Church. He uses the Prioress, the Monk and the Friar, who are all supposed to be holy virtuous people to represent the Church. In his writing he suggests that they are actually corrupt, break their vows and in no way model the “holiness” of Christianity.
Most people have been effected by cancer in one way or another. Because there is currently no cure for cancer, one of the most discussed ways to fight against this disease is prevention. This publication, presented by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Division of Cancer Prevention and Control (DCPC), is asking communities to support one another in prevention measures and provides tools to assist in this matter. The CDC aids comprehensive cancer control (CCC) programs in “all 50 states, the District of Columbia, 7 tribal areas, and 7 U.S. Affiliated Pacific Island territories or jurisdictions” (“The Road to Better Health”, 2012).
In the awe-inspiring event of man experiencing interstellar travel many detrimental problems arise. Before 1970, the majority of biomedical studies on space flight were conducted immediately before and after flight. They examined the changes and readaptation processes for astronauts from a weightless to a gravitational environ-ment. After the successful Skylab space station projects from 1973-1974 and the Soviet Salyut missions from 1977-1982, biomedical research and experiments commenced in space. These experiments in space have shown that the physiological aspects can be deadly if not prepared for correctly and adequate medical support is not available. Although problems due to weightlessness and lack of exercise have been thoroughly researched and new machines and procedures have been developed to overcome these difficulties, there is still the opportunity to further understand weightlessness.
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