tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62636432458810884942024-02-19T16:35:12.641-08:00 Chemistry Pluma"A step in the journey of contributing something to the chemistry and humankind....!"SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-26406189209534732142022-12-24T20:03:00.002-08:002022-12-24T20:04:29.914-08:00<p><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><b style="text-align: justify;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #351c75;">Chemistry
Involved in Car Airbags and Fire Extinguishers</span></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><span style="color: #38761d;">- Shiv K Sharma</span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">Advancements in chemistry have also led to </span>a
better life for human beings. The chemistry advancements have led to <b>better
sanitation and hygiene technologies</b><span style="text-align: start;">. Moreover, chemistry provides a range of
important benefits in home and personal care products, clothing and sports
equipment, automobiles, and electronics. As an example, chlorination disinfects
drinking water. This chemical process kills waterborne bacteria and viruses
that cause up to 3-4 million deaths per year.</span> Thanks to innovations in
chemistry, automobiles can be manufactured to be lightweight and more fuel
efficient, building materials are more durable and resilient, and electronics
like cell phones, computers, and televisions have enhanced functionality to meet
the technology needs of today’s consumers. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">Among different discoveries that save millions of lives every
year, I am going to talk about the chemistry of two important discoveries that
have equal contributions to saving human lives. Firstly, the chemistry of car
airbags and secondly, the fire extinguisher. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><u>Chemistry of Car Airbags</u><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background: white; line-height: 107%;">The airbag specifically for automobile use is credited independently
to the American </span>engineer <b>John W.</b><span style="text-align: start;"> </span><b style="text-align: start;">Hetrick</b><span style="text-align: start;">, who filed for an airbag patent on 5 August 1952,
which was granted #2,649,311 by the United States Patent Office on 18 August
1953.</span> It is said that the concept of airbags came into the mind of John
Hetrick when his family had a car accident. He was out on a Sunday drive with his
wife and young daughter in 1952. Hetrick swung his car into a ditch in order to
avoid a deer, and he and his wife flung their hands up to protect their
daughter. While driving back home, he had an idea of an object coming
out of the dashboard to soften the collision. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqqW7XJO5i4Gb9kWj_klyLIlyxYs7Dux6JVg_jb9Nmwu1m2uTHdsEVcvenOITpHzGJR6mJ1o3QBoj1lzfT06XqdyEmK3cRxqxy5FQh5L2RfVU4szOhO1jec4B-edAJcSzdee9FFsTd5AL0IJEzfBipPbmWDDzfWm9zxfOk4GxYoKyxnaL7LCKvsYRXQ/s955/Car%20Airbag%20Chemistry.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;"><img border="0" data-original-height="580" data-original-width="955" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZqqW7XJO5i4Gb9kWj_klyLIlyxYs7Dux6JVg_jb9Nmwu1m2uTHdsEVcvenOITpHzGJR6mJ1o3QBoj1lzfT06XqdyEmK3cRxqxy5FQh5L2RfVU4szOhO1jec4B-edAJcSzdee9FFsTd5AL0IJEzfBipPbmWDDzfWm9zxfOk4GxYoKyxnaL7LCKvsYRXQ/w320-h194/Car%20Airbag%20Chemistry.jpg" width="320" /></span></a><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">After these many years, there have been significant improvements
in car airbags. However, the main chemical Sodium azide (NaN<sub>3</sub>)
has not been changed. </span>Sodium
azide is a rapidly acting, potentially deadly chemical that exists as an
odorless white solid. <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">An electrical charge triggered by
automobile impact causes sodium azide to explode and convert to nitrogen gas
inside the airbag.</span> The reaction is as follows:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> 2NaN<sub>3</sub> (s) --> </span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> 2Na (s) + 3 N<sub>2</sub> (g)<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The problem, however, is that the reaction also forms sodium
metal which reacts with moisture to generate sodium hydroxide, a highly
corrosive substance. A burst airbag could wreak havoc. Chemical
ingenuity, however, came to the fore. If potassium nitrate and silicon
dioxide were also included with the sodium azide, the only products that would
form in addition to nitrogen would be potassium silicate and sodium
silicate. Both of these are inert, harmless substances.</span><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span><b><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">Chemistry of Fire Extinguishers</span></span></b></u></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">A </span><b style="text-align: start;">fire extinguisher</b><span style="text-align: start;"> is a handheld </span>active fire
protection device usually filled with a dry or wet chemical used to extinguish
or control small fires, often in emergencies. When talking about fire
extinguishers, most people think of the device produces carbon dioxide gas that
helps in extinguishing the fire. However, there are many types of fire
extinguishers. The main types are <b>water, foam, CO<sub>2</sub>, powder, water mist, and wet
chemicals</b>. Each of the different types of fire extinguisher is
suitable for different fire classes. It is important that we purchase the right
fire extinguisher for our specific needs.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"> There is also
different chemistry involved in these different fire extinguishers. Today, I
will talk about the chemistry of a foam fire extinguisher.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgIAyCLGwRHKLV03QsvA4Qsy8fQ7boY7Ao6_4XvP1MYwm6mimyKQz6E0WPFBTCLR1JRwnHDHTIYLOSjoH8cmv3r8th3EK6ftbeh4j7A22Q4g_TiSxd7dHhA0kIU_YllmHpoe6iKGmrilQ8hCBpcmqu_oOsN8F4JPmmftfSNMJadBkFJ1dvI-cbHLJaw/s933/types.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="933" height="119" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAgIAyCLGwRHKLV03QsvA4Qsy8fQ7boY7Ao6_4XvP1MYwm6mimyKQz6E0WPFBTCLR1JRwnHDHTIYLOSjoH8cmv3r8th3EK6ftbeh4j7A22Q4g_TiSxd7dHhA0kIU_YllmHpoe6iKGmrilQ8hCBpcmqu_oOsN8F4JPmmftfSNMJadBkFJ1dvI-cbHLJaw/w200-h119/types.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">The
foam fire extinguishers use the foam to cover the whole fire and smother it,
taking away the air so the fire cannot keep on burning. It is made of diethylene
glycol monobutyl ether, 1-propanol, and hexylene glycol. The aqueous film-forming
foam (AFFF) is used for solid and regular fuels and also liquid fires like gasoline
faster and without flashback. When we pull the pin, it discharges the fire
extinguisher and then we pull the trigger which depresses the button releasing the
extinguishing agent. The foam is in a liquid form, that is clear with a light
straw color, with a mild sweet odor, and has a pH of 7.0-8.5. It is completely
soluble in water, not flammable, non-explosive, and not an oxidizer. It is less
vapor dense than air and has about the same density as water.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmbfBLNUo6PQMX8iuj9SWGV7IMU-f3mSCEPwdXK0xzTzriyiEE6G4-7rh-GVTgaCKGTvfhzFqYjnXwEeSARNats639FMMTlljGBnki4XactMVOQvf6kLmol7ikrp8KVRHnf9EiuR8Oic0JbH4pz3uExK09qUhmS1YVcaNGXsKk8uelUCHbsAeZnOB4w/s961/aqueous-film-forming-foam.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="494" data-original-width="961" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmbfBLNUo6PQMX8iuj9SWGV7IMU-f3mSCEPwdXK0xzTzriyiEE6G4-7rh-GVTgaCKGTvfhzFqYjnXwEeSARNats639FMMTlljGBnki4XactMVOQvf6kLmol7ikrp8KVRHnf9EiuR8Oic0JbH4pz3uExK09qUhmS1YVcaNGXsKk8uelUCHbsAeZnOB4w/s320/aqueous-film-forming-foam.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><br />When
you pull the lever of the fire extinguisher to fire the foam onto a fire, there
releases carbon dioxide which then replaces all of the foam within the bottle.
This is an example of a single replacement reaction. Then the foam is next where
chemistry is used. It is aqueous film-forming foam and it needs a chemical
reaction between water, fluoro tensides, and other various chemicals to create
a firefighting foam. A carbon-based fire has an equation of:<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"> CH<sub>4 </sub>+ 2O<sub>2</sub> --></span><span style="line-height: 107%;"> CO<sub>2 </sub>+ 2H<sub>2</sub>O <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">which
then the foam puts out the fire by smothering it or basically taking away the
oxygen from the equation.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica; font-size: x-small;">References</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">1. </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/afff/</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">2. </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">https://www.chemistryislife.com/the-chemistry-of-a-fire-extinguisher</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">3. </span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;">https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/technology/fascinating-chemistry-airbags</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: helvetica;"> </span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><span face=""Calibri Light", sans-serif" style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span></span></b></p>SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-6890507552107088732022-02-21T20:31:00.003-08:002022-02-21T20:55:37.075-08:00My Experiences as a Chemistry Teacher in Nepal and the USA<p><span style="text-align: justify;"><span> </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcQEvpqRPYIKNnJA0TsSqy6N6vttCeidozPXJqel-vouSgORe72R8i8nAsnp_FJj6T3TJQAOMUaOpizzYPs4bcAaPKatkX9Sk2oyf5Od6L1SP5-7rSa6qCrqFrnEnCEPRxQXsEzEkBUveb-HqDsXt4uS-VRP-zkK-zSpGQNokebPRRtQNJqbWiL91mOA=s326" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="326" data-original-width="244" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjcQEvpqRPYIKNnJA0TsSqy6N6vttCeidozPXJqel-vouSgORe72R8i8nAsnp_FJj6T3TJQAOMUaOpizzYPs4bcAaPKatkX9Sk2oyf5Od6L1SP5-7rSa6qCrqFrnEnCEPRxQXsEzEkBUveb-HqDsXt4uS-VRP-zkK-zSpGQNokebPRRtQNJqbWiL91mOA=w157-h209" width="157" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>I had the privilege to teach chemistry at a private
college in Nepal for two years and here in the USA, I have been teaching for
almost three years to undergraduate students. If you ask me which, did you
like, I will say- each of these education systems both American as well
Nepalese have their own strengths and weaknesses. An education system is
regarded best which is responsible for redefining a human being into some
talented persona who succeeds in accomplishing his/her dreams. There are
many differences between the United States education system and the Nepalese
education system. Of these differences, three aspects are the most important
ones. First, in Nepal, the poor’s have fewer education opportunities than the rich.
This is in contrast to the United States, where even the poor can get a good
education from a good school. Second, the United States has the best technology
to help students in their courses. And third, there exists a huge difference
related to job placement and career opportunities for students.</span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Before talking about the education system in both
countries, let me tell my experiences of teaching chemistry in Nepal and the
United States of America. I started to teach chemistry for 10 + 2 students
(college students) in Nepal after completing my master’ Degree in Chemistry.
The classes used to quite a descent – around 35 to 40 students although the public
college have a higher number of students. The students demand notes in the class.
So, most of the time is elapsed in writing the note in the class. First, I used
to describe the topic with examples on the whiteboard for 15 minutes (say) and
then asked students to begin writing. Students keep on writing as I go on speaking
about the topic. The college used to give the responsibility of teaching a few
chapters instead of the whole course. This is something I did not like. The
department chair used to prepare the syllabus and divide the teaching load of
different chapters among the faculties. The exams were conducted for all
subjects at a specific time. The teaching faculty used to be asked to submit
the list of questions from the topic that they taught, and the department chair
used to finalize which questions are to be included in the question paper. In
the USA, faculties are given a full course to teach. The faculties prepare
their own syllabus and decide the exam dates at their own discretion. After my Ph.D., and short postdoc training, I
started teaching at a university. I use PowerPoints as well as some other
technological tools like document camera, clickers, etc. The faculties and
students are provided access to the online course management system like
Blackboard, Canvas, etc. These tools enhance the teaching power and the
student's learning experience, saving more time and effort, and allowing
greater focus on other priorities. Further, students always know where they
stand in their course because the Gradebook in Canvas or Blackboard is always
available. The technological tools that I mentioned come with certain costs and
certainly the students in Nepal can not afford to. This affects their learning
ability. Nevertheless, in my experience, I have found many students in Nepal
being sincere and polite with their teachers. In the USA, the students are
given more privileges so, they do not afraid to speak with their teachers. I always
like to treat the students as friends. The American students are little forward
in his matter.</span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTsWLPuC3nLLGSoKkw_0BMKoAbXWip1h6ABRCfOJUf54ZibqJ5FaSHkQq9y737-FLlvKOaJSI9l-zjti8NccwVDHp9JFMK56xkwfe4adxKJCSe2dcatgaHUZS1eTz2cDhVudJS3ZnWbugN11UzUzYXjA4E5hfex2eGoVzCpBYj2U_kcirkcYQbEB1d7A=s1080" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1080" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiTsWLPuC3nLLGSoKkw_0BMKoAbXWip1h6ABRCfOJUf54ZibqJ5FaSHkQq9y737-FLlvKOaJSI9l-zjti8NccwVDHp9JFMK56xkwfe4adxKJCSe2dcatgaHUZS1eTz2cDhVudJS3ZnWbugN11UzUzYXjA4E5hfex2eGoVzCpBYj2U_kcirkcYQbEB1d7A=s320" width="320" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /> <o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>The position of the teacher in terms of social status
differs massively in both countries. The teacher is given a lot of respect for
the profession by the people in Nepal although it is declining in recent
years. This is mainly due to the rich cultural heritage that has revered the
teacher as ‘Guru’. It is not similar in term of the US society. The American
students especially in higher education call their teacher or principal
investigator (PI) by their first name. In Nepal, we never imagine calling a
teacher with his or her first name!<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>In the United States, the rich and poor both have equal
opportunities to be educated. They receive many benefits, for example, computers,
libraries, transportation, etc. On another hand in Nepal, only rich students get
higher education, poor student parents can’t afford their children. Rich parents’
children received many benefits and higher education than the poor do. In the
United States, the poor student gets more federal aid from the government, and honor
students get more scholarship from their schools. In Nepal, there is no such
thing as called scholarship for poor students, although circumstances are
being changed because of governmental initiations. In Nepal, it cost lots of
tuition fees. Only rich people have more money to enroll their children in school.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>In the United States, there are billions of resources for
students to learn through computers. Students have easy methods to submit their
work through computers, teachers, and students both save lots of time. On the other hand in Nepal, we only have books to learn, we don’t have social media and
other resources in use but some changes have been seen after the Covid-19 pandemic. We
do all of our work through notebook paper. Students have to take exams through
notebooks and students never get knowledge from outside of the world. In the
pandemic, where students were abstained from going to school/college, the US
schools and universities quickly moved to remote teaching. However, in
Nepal, the schools were completely closed and there was no remote teaching as
well. This is because students don't have computers at all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>In the United State, after students finished their
education, they have lots of opportunities for jobs. They get offers from
different companies. In Nepal, the job is not secured after passing certain
courses. This is because the learning process does not overlap with the job
market. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Another important aspect is the evaluation of
teachers and courses. In Nepal, especially in higher education, the professors are
not evaluated at all. Once they are recruited, their job gets solidified. I
have experienced some teachers who used their 15 years old notebook (quite
yellowish in look with the age) and never thought of improving their style of
teaching. Private college teachers are evaluated while they are being
appointed. After that, they never get evaluated by the students. Ensuring
teacher quality with a robust, fair, research-based, and well-implemented
evaluation system can strengthen the workforce and improve the quality of
education. However, in the USA, teachers are evaluated by their students every
semester. This compels the teachers to improve themselves. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Let’s try to compare the
education system in Nepal and the USA. The education system in Nepal comprises
of pre-primary (kindergarten), primary (1<sup>st</sup> to 5<sup>th</sup> grades), lower-secondary (6<sup>th</sup> to 8<sup>th</sup> grades), secondary (9<sup>th</sup> to 10<sup>th</sup> grades), and higher secondary education (11<sup>th</sup>
and12th grades). Soon after 12<sup>th</sup> grade one can directly join any professional
course of choice which means the lesser period of study to become a professional
and an earlier job.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>The school education pattern
in the USA is divided into three levels, viz the elementary school (kindergarten
through fifth grade), the middle school (6<sup>th</sup> to 8<sup>th</sup> grade), and high school (9<sup>th</sup> to 12<sup>th</sup> grade). Once the kid finishes high school,
then he or she can enroll for bachelor courses of choice in College and then
later join professional courses in Universities which means a longer time of
study period to become a professional. The number of students per class is
much higher in Nepalese schools. Uniforms are given high priority and adhered
to strictly as compared with the US where most schools do not have uniforms and
dress codes are very flexible.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i> <span> </span></i></b><span style="line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In Nepal, the test basically
examines the memorizing power of a student and focuses less on critical thinking
power. Even in lower classes, there are formal exams. The exam period is a very
stressful period for students as well as parents. The exam dates will be
declared well ahead of time and all other activities in the school will be
planned around it. During exam season, parents usually cancel all other
activities and focus only on creating a study environment for children.<br />
In most cases, the kids who can memorize the study material can score higher
marks in Nepal. The ability to think and be creative is mostly not given the
recognition it deserves. <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Creative students score higher in the USA. In lower grades, exams are usually a part of normal teaching and so kids
do not usually sit and read for days before they take a test. This is different
in higher classes where students prepare for tests earlier, though not so
stressful.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2-7NaDgnNfs9e0oIHBjWm6cM0myCJ-rrUyaTxX79PibJtCgtFxdUmrC8RI2SOIK_ecfbGzL97M0tGCRXxR-1APK6fSJwqDUv6SQKUlWXppRwgguDfRIB3L-4_VwU8CkLxbxbKAPtHlfRa4Xr50YERneqEI7pNE7wR_AhUotB3jXuqvbv6Pepth9AtYQ=s996" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="585" data-original-width="996" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj2-7NaDgnNfs9e0oIHBjWm6cM0myCJ-rrUyaTxX79PibJtCgtFxdUmrC8RI2SOIK_ecfbGzL97M0tGCRXxR-1APK6fSJwqDUv6SQKUlWXppRwgguDfRIB3L-4_VwU8CkLxbxbKAPtHlfRa4Xr50YERneqEI7pNE7wR_AhUotB3jXuqvbv6Pepth9AtYQ=s320" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br />
The Nepalese education system places a lot of emphasis on rote learning
material. Students focus on absorbing as much knowledge as they can.
Consequently, students do well in quantitative subjects. However, knowledge is
treated as facts and immutable truths rather than ideas to be assessed
critically, so young Nepali students don’t do as well in “soft” subjects and are generally poor at critical or independent thinking. Schools for the most part
ignore personality development and social skills.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />
<span> </span>The American system swings
in the opposite direction with a greater emphasis on soft skills and creating a
more rounded competitive individual with broader cross-subject knowledge but
then weaker in specific subject areas than Nepali counterparts of the same
grade. In Nepal, how well we perform in the midterm or final exam decides our
grades. Assignments, quizzes, daily classwork/homework, etc. do not hold comparatively much weight in
relation to final grades unlike in the USA, though the situation is changing a lot
now.<span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p style="background: white; line-height: 19.2pt; margin: 0in;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Conclusion<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>Overall education in Nepal is more about memorizing
with study materials, more about academic performance, giving utmost respect to
teachers, and scoring in final exams. Academic excellence achieves more
preference than sports or another overall achievement though, with recent
modifications which claim to be global concepts, situations are definitely
changing. The overall education system in the USA is about learning, preparing children
to explore and understand concepts, about learning the concept not only through
books but by actually learning through practical’s, not about stressing kids on
written exams, not solely about academic competitiveness, about learning in
small numbers and more about the day-to-day practical evaluation of the child.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span>There are some similarities between Nepalese education
and US education. Both have
well-qualified teachers, impart quality education based on modern science and
technology, have concepts of private and public schools, properly tailored
curriculum as per regular standards, and aim in upbringing qualified
professionals for the society.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span> </span><br /><span> </span>I personally feel that there are some areas for improvement. In Nepal, there is rigidity where the student has to study all the
subjects in the schooling period. There is no chance to skip these subjects.
Extracurricular activities and physical education are not given much
priority in Nepal. In higher education, students should be introduced to the
research. The government should allocate sufficient funds to run the labs by the
faculty members. In spite of all this, the works done by Mahabir Pun
(established National Innovation Center) and some other scientists who have
returned to Nepal from abroad have lite a light of hope in recent years!</span><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">This article got published in Nepal's number 1 online newspaper (19th Feb. 2022):</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>https://english.onlinekhabar.com/education-system-nepal-us-teacher.html</u></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Also in the Nepalese Association of Florida (NAF) quarterly newspaper Indreni:</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="line-height: 107%; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><u>https://floridanepalese.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NAF-Newsletter-Design-2022.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1evLzBjM3USqT4wopNS0Pkj-Bes9CCqFSeRVgEoUljv123hy5pXZPLbyQ</u></span></span></p>SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-60510426659221182552021-03-20T11:47:00.001-07:002021-03-20T11:50:16.869-07:00Writing on Paper than on Tablet or Smartphone Enhances Brain Activity<p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> <span style="font-size: medium;"> <span style="color: #073763;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;">Many
of us left handwriting behind the day we finished school and stopped taking
longhand notes as students. While using a personal computer or tablet is the
preferred method of writing for most professional writers, many novelists
choose to handwrite at different creative stages of the creative writing
process. If you’re getting started writing a novel, it’s worth considering
whether working longhand or on a computer is more conducive to your creative
process.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFu70Hfdx8xCr6MvJDx41VVgo0AEa0TpmkSQv9xVuqo7EikCua4gA10l8GL2wuYuBRUEm_OQn2J8duWlkQbNcoYV3EM6dKYyeDLk-GZMQC0Vz9HbtThmsXqKkMRjlgIfGKHk-isGpwEBI/s1048/1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="1048" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFu70Hfdx8xCr6MvJDx41VVgo0AEa0TpmkSQv9xVuqo7EikCua4gA10l8GL2wuYuBRUEm_OQn2J8duWlkQbNcoYV3EM6dKYyeDLk-GZMQC0Vz9HbtThmsXqKkMRjlgIfGKHk-isGpwEBI/w354-h173/1.jpg" width="354" /></span></a><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"> </span></div><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>A
recent study of a Japanese university students and recent graduates has
revealed that writing on physical paper can lead to more brain activity when
remembering the information an hour later. Researchers say that the complex,
spatial and tactile information associated with writing by hand on physical
paper is likely what leads to improved memory. Actually, the paper is more advanced
and useful compared to electronic documents because paper contains more
one-of-a-kind information for stronger memory recall," said Professor
Kuniyoshi L. Sakai, a neuroscientist at the University of Tokyo and the corresponding author of the research recently published in Frontiers in
Behavioral Neuroscience. The research was completed with collaborators from the
NTT Data Institute of Management Consulting.<o:p></o:p></span><p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Contrary
to the popular belief that digital tools increase efficiency, volunteers who
used paper completed the note-taking task about 25% faster than those who used
digital tablets or smartphones. Although volunteers wrote by hand both
with pen and paper or stylus and digital tablet, researchers say paper
notebooks contain more complex spatial information than digital paper.
Physical paper allows for tangible permanence, irregular strokes, and uneven
shape, like folded corners. In contrast, digital paper is uniform, has no fixed
position when scrolling, and disappears when you close the app.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;">What was the study based on?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In
the study, a total of 48 volunteers read a fictional conversation between characters
discussing their plans for two months in the near future, including 14
different class times, assignment due dates and personal appointments.
Researchers performed pre-test analyses to ensure that the volunteers, all
18-29 years old and recruited from university campuses or NTT offices, were
equally sorted into three groups based on memory skills, personal preference
for digital or analog methods, gender, age and other aspects.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Volunteers
then recorded the fictional schedule using a paper datebook and pen, a calendar
app on a digital tablet and a stylus, or a calendar app on a large smartphone
and a touch-screen keyboard. There was no time limit and volunteers were asked
to record the fictional events in the same way as they would for their real-life
schedules, without spending extra time to memorize the schedule. After one
hour, including a break and an interference task to distract them from thinking
about the calendar, volunteers answered a range of simple (When is the
assignment due?) and complex (Which is the earlier due date for the
assignments?) multiple-choice questions to test their memory of the schedule.
While they completed the test, volunteers were inside a magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) scanner, which measures blood flow around the brain. This is a
technique called functional MRI (fMRI), and increased blood flow observed in a
specific region of the brain is a sign of increased neuronal activity in that
area.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Participants
who used a paper datebook filled in the calendar within about 11 minutes.
Tablet users took 14 minutes and smartphone users took about 16 minutes.
Volunteers who used analog methods in their personal life were just as slow at
using the devices as volunteers who regularly use digital tools, so researchers
are confident that the difference in speed was related to memorization or
associated encoding in the brain, not just differences in the habitual use of
the tools.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Volunteers
who used analog methods scored better than other volunteers only on simple test
questions. However, researchers say that the brain activation data revealed
significant differences. Volunteers who used paper had more brain activity in
areas associated with language, imaginary visualization, and in the
hippocampus—an area known to be important for memory and navigation.
Researchers say that the activation of the hippocampus indicates that analog
methods contain richer spatial details that can be recalled and navigated in
the mind's eye.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;">What is the researcher’s recommendation?<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Although
the above-mentioned research focused on learning and memorization, the
researchers encourage using paper for creative pursuits as well. They said "It
is reasonable that one's creativity will likely become more fruitful if prior
knowledge is stored with stronger learning and more precisely retrieved from
memory. For art, composing music, or other creative works, I would emphasize
the use of paper instead of digital methods".<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;">Benefits of Writing by Hand<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Taking
notes longhand has definite benefits, and it can be worthwhile for young
writers to work with pen and paper, especially in the early stages of a
project. Jotting thoughts down on a pad or in a journal can help you overcome
writer’s block and develop a more tactile relationship with your story ideas.
Some of the benefits of handwriting include:<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Writing by hand is useful for visual learners.
Writing longhand notes gives you the graphic freedom to easily sketch an infographic,
word web, or another non-traditional layout to put your thoughts down and
visualize connections.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Writing by hand boosts the learning process.
Psychological science research conducted by researcher Daniel Oppenheimer at
the University of California shows that handwritten notes help with memory and
recall. Oppenheimer’s study shows that areas of the brain associated with
recall and comprehension are more engaged when students write notes with a pen
and paper.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Writing by hand can be artful. Many people
choose handwritten notes over computer notes simply because they prefer the
aesthetic. If you have good penmanship or are skilled at cursive and
calligraphy, handwriting notes can give you an outlet to practice a hobby while
also working on a creative endeavor. All you need are a simple writing
implement and a piece of paper, but many people also choose to work with fancy
paper and a fountain pen.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">4.<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Writing by hand helps you avoid distractions.
Technology can be an incredibly time-consuming and distracting part of our
lives as writers. Writing fiction requires focus and shutting out distractions
is an obstacle for many professional writers. Writing longhand away from your
smartphone, tablet, or computer can help you focus on actual writing with pen
and paper instead of with a keyboard or stylus.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><span style="color: #073763; font-size: medium;"> </span></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p>References:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">1.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">2.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Medicalxpress.com<br /><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -0.25in;"><!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">3.<span style="font: 7pt "Times New Roman";">
</span></span></span><!--[endif]-->Masterclass.com<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br /><p></p>SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-71088165302881134662020-08-03T11:37:00.003-07:002020-08-03T11:42:04.705-07:00COVID-19 Crisis and the Quest for Vaccine<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One of the biggest challenges
facing scientists, public health experts, and society itself during the
COVID-19 crisis is the need to develop an effective vaccine for the virus that
causes the disease. You might have heard that COVID-19 vaccine trials are
underway in many research labs either in University or Government National Labs. What exactly is being tested? How much longer will these tests take? And when
can we expect a vaccine against the novel coronavirus? These are the
typical questions that many people have. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Researchers around the world are
racing to develop just such a vaccine. Even so, scientific and medical
authorities say it may be at least a year before one is ready.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjVvc7K72sJtXHtomKwHbqv105jGaZCer0X7_FlMDdPeari4p6jMbapuAzhPWOhEOLQTyK4UzNZbuJHswrRRuy9Q52agu8Oo4pfiZNbYDwb5cp3ltTdxhtibaXPHBzXkv6huHEpALehvu/s275/download.jpg" style="clear: right; display: inline; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigjVvc7K72sJtXHtomKwHbqv105jGaZCer0X7_FlMDdPeari4p6jMbapuAzhPWOhEOLQTyK4UzNZbuJHswrRRuy9Q52agu8Oo4pfiZNbYDwb5cp3ltTdxhtibaXPHBzXkv6huHEpALehvu/w176-h118/download.jpg" width="176" /></a><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><font color="#3d85c6">When did COVID-19 Originate?</font><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="background: white; color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Retrospective investigations
by Chinese authorities have identified human cases with onset of symptoms in
early December 2019. While some of the earliest known cases had a link to a
wholesale food market in Wuhan</span>. Up to now, nearly 695,000 people have died
worldwide and more than 18 million people have been infected into 213 countries
and territories. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><font color="#3d85c6">How do vaccines typically work
in the human body?</font><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">While vaccinating the body is
exposed to various proteins, carbohydrates, and other molecules that are
present in the virus. But it is done in a setting that is non-pathological.
That is, the vaccine is recognized by your immune system, and it educates your
immune system about proteins from the offending virus. This enables your immune
system to mount a response with antibodies or T-cells when the actual pathogen
comes along.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><font color="#3d85c6">Current Research in Covid-19
Vaccine</font><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">It is very hard to predict how
many labs are working on the Covid-19 <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>vaccine.
Most of the labs do not want to expose their research to anybody until it has
been published in the Journals or patented. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Among many research works, one that has
received a serious amount of attention is being developed by the Boston biotech
company “Moderna” and the “National Institutes of Health”. It's an mRNA
vaccine. This approach involves the blueprints for virus proteins, which can be
introduced into human cells to start the education process for the immune
system. You're not actually introducing the viral proteins themselves, just the
template for those proteins.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">RNA vaccines are probably very
safe to administer and very quick to develop and scale up. This is why, within
a few weeks of COVID-19 becoming a public threat, Moderna already had a
candidate that it could test in people. That is the upside. The downside is
that no mRNA vaccine has ever been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration for humans. There's an inherent risk from having an entirely
different approach that hasn't been validated previously.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">Another vaccine approach is
called hyperimmune globulin, also known as the "blood bag" option.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are attempting this approach. Here's
how it would work. When a person is infected and successfully fights off the
virus with proteins called antibodies, you can take plasma from that person and
create a serum with a high concentration of the right antibodies. This is a
very old approach, utilized on a large number of conditions. Very well
validated. The downside is that the supply of effective hyperimmune globulin is
going to be extremely limited, due to the limited number of suitable antibody
donors, among other factors. In my opinion, it's a great short-term measure,
but it may not be a sustainable, scalable approach.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><font color="#3d85c6">What about a mutation in the
virus genes?</font><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">One of the great challenges in
the development of vaccines is that viruses can mutate their genes. Recent news
reports indicate that COVID-19 has been slow to mutate, which may give a
potential vaccine more staying power. Theoretically, if the <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/tags/mutation+rate/">mutation rate</a> is
slow, then the ability of the <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/tags/virus/">virus</a> to mutate around
a <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/tags/vaccine/">vaccine</a> would
also be slow—and population-level immunity would be high. But there may be
other <a href="https://medicalxpress.com/tags/immune+system/">immune
system</a> mechanisms that we don't understand. If antibody levels after
vaccination don't remain high over a long period of time, for example, then
immunity goes down and reinfection is possible.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><b><font color="#3d85c6">The hope of development of a vaccine</font><o:p></o:p></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">As many scientists are focused on
this pandemic causing virus, so we can be hopeful that something will turn up
even faster than a year from now. But, one-year timeframe, although it may not
feel fast enough for many of us, it's actually quite fast for bringing any kind
of novel therapeutic to people. Some things cannot speed up. Enrolling
patients in a trial takes time. Obtaining materials for a clinical trial takes
time. But with so many approaches being explored, we can hope that it is going
to turn up and be successful.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><o:p> </o:p><font color="#2b00fe">References:</font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;">World Health
Organization</span></p><p class="MsoListParagraph" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; mso-add-space: auto; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><font color="#2b00fe"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 9pt; text-indent: -0.25in;"> American
Chemical Society</span></font></p>
<p style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 0in 0.5in; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #212529;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p><br />SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-38167071931959930452019-01-01T21:29:00.000-08:002019-01-01T21:29:50.029-08:00Women Who Won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The Nobel Prize is a set of annual international awards bestowed in six different categories by Swedish and Norwegian institutions in recognition of academic, cultural, or scientific advances. These six different categories include outstanding work in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, economics (since 1969), and the promotion of peace. The Nobel Prizes, first awarded in 1901, were established by the will of Alfred Nobel and are traditionally awarded on December 10, the anniversary of his death. Each year, thousands of members of academies, university professors, scientists, previous Nobel Laureates and members of parliamentary assemblies and others, are asked to submit candidates for the Nobel Prizes for the coming year. The awards are later decided by boards of deputies appointed by Swedish learned societies and, in the case of the peace prize, by the Norwegian Parliament.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Let’s get to know the fact about the women who have been awarded this very prize till now. Till now 51 women in total have been awarded the Nobel Prize between 1901 and 2018. Only one woman, Marie Curie, has been honored twice, with the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics and the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. This makes that the Nobel Prize has been awarded to women 52 times! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">As a chemistry student, I keep my eyes open and remain curious about the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Most importantly, I check how many women have won the prize. Although, women have progressed a lot in chemistry comparatively few women have won this outstanding prize. Up to now, 5 women have won this prize whereas 175 men have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The low number of women who have won certainly isn’t down to a lack of meritorious nominees. Rosalind Franklin, a commonly cited example, was not awarded a Nobel Prize for her work towards the discovery of the structure of the DNA. However, this was due to her death prior to the award of the prize which rewarded the discovery, and the Nobel Prize is not awarded posthumously.</span> <span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Apart from Franklin, there are plenty of other examples of women who could have won a Nobel Prize but didn’t. One of the most notable is Lise Meitner, considered to be amongst the biggest Nobel snubs. She was nominated a combined 48 times for the chemistry and physics prizes for her part in the discovery of the nuclear fission of uranium. The man she led a research group with, Otto Hahn, was awarded a Nobel Prize for this discovery in 1944, but her contributions were not recognized. In the <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">history of the Nobel Prize, there are some overlooks </span>which are worth a read. Though there’s still a way to go, let’s hope that this is indicative of women in chemistry more regularly being recognized for their achievements.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ1ZkIJhKm1q4GP12T6QygwH6It1gzfWUvEV3F_VZEMZkbulwKQWyvGJ-P17oTCLUQw8WO1e6IKILsrQO0IsGYTtoNBxGsoV6YIgroF1WnMBQ-0LzhA2VaaJp8Pa47QO8dahYTvv_wjN-/s1600/Curie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="193" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ1ZkIJhKm1q4GP12T6QygwH6It1gzfWUvEV3F_VZEMZkbulwKQWyvGJ-P17oTCLUQw8WO1e6IKILsrQO0IsGYTtoNBxGsoV6YIgroF1WnMBQ-0LzhA2VaaJp8Pa47QO8dahYTvv_wjN-/s200/Curie.jpg" width="147" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The five women who have won the Nobel Prize are:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">1. Marie Curie (1911): Awarded the Nobel Prize “in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie4AkeW5U02W-xQn4ROgGUwzDxqdf15bfMYRU1Lq6zNIM7Cyt0un-9SEBYWxff2ltT5MYHwZqFXHFaIhPdG37WvcoQERFFN4JjHZX57ETauf7xlBInDOMx19RYNG2fyIEpib7h1i0na26/s1600/Irene.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="194" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjie4AkeW5U02W-xQn4ROgGUwzDxqdf15bfMYRU1Lq6zNIM7Cyt0un-9SEBYWxff2ltT5MYHwZqFXHFaIhPdG37WvcoQERFFN4JjHZX57ETauf7xlBInDOMx19RYNG2fyIEpib7h1i0na26/s200/Irene.jpg" width="149" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">2. Irène Joliot-Curie (1935): Awarded the Nobel Prize jointly with her husband, Frédéric Joliot, “in recognition of their synthesis of new radioactive elements.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ePY4Nw-yeDjLp7nqNbdjzQBvLZ_uEzHVtIsFEL6qArfpLrjqFaNOpR4A-euHE5BwZBQUO4OVKFASNW9Bb0zHW66KrVfoQ1OJlmm4vPsjjVga6lpBH0T6Udlr53zld29ssovjaFkaOVtt/s1600/Hodgkin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="189" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ePY4Nw-yeDjLp7nqNbdjzQBvLZ_uEzHVtIsFEL6qArfpLrjqFaNOpR4A-euHE5BwZBQUO4OVKFASNW9Bb0zHW66KrVfoQ1OJlmm4vPsjjVga6lpBH0T6Udlr53zld29ssovjaFkaOVtt/s200/Hodgkin.jpg" width="141" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">3. Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin (1964): Awarded the Nobel Prize ”for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKP5_f_cD_sJOKdBDKsq83TOpTMVNlVN-FUXFAAeaASYEDKvDEH9njFsVel9TLdHpjr7wLMqdpHewv94tWQmbnhk5811CXNNdzVfvHgO0z2hKh4JV_-BumuIAYTo42xlzJRCAN96qtg9qT/s1600/Yonath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="275" data-original-width="183" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKP5_f_cD_sJOKdBDKsq83TOpTMVNlVN-FUXFAAeaASYEDKvDEH9njFsVel9TLdHpjr7wLMqdpHewv94tWQmbnhk5811CXNNdzVfvHgO0z2hKh4JV_-BumuIAYTo42xlzJRCAN96qtg9qT/s200/Yonath.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">4. <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">Ada E. Yonath (2009): Jointly with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz “for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHFpPYBUodxAfTgK7dCDUp1udLATJ5L0T-6LH2Yd5fvbDxl4yMeKXNZPD6x62gqg4IpkNalFAsRlmrMmZEfH76g2NvXQy_zxgbSg6W61hKAhNL_b8R6eV1dWZNEGlEeEQg_BhHUx5E5yG/s1600/Dr.Arnold.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHFpPYBUodxAfTgK7dCDUp1udLATJ5L0T-6LH2Yd5fvbDxl4yMeKXNZPD6x62gqg4IpkNalFAsRlmrMmZEfH76g2NvXQy_zxgbSg6W61hKAhNL_b8R6eV1dWZNEGlEeEQg_BhHUx5E5yG/s200/Dr.Arnold.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">5. <span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Frances H. Arnold</span> (2018): Jointly with George P. Smith and Sir Gregory P. Winter<br />“for the directed evolution of enzymes”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Arnold conducted the first directed evolution of enzymes, proteins that catalyze chemical reactions. Smith developed a method, known as phage display, in which a virus that infects bacteria can be used to evolve new proteins. Winter has used phage display to produce new pharmaceuticals. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said the scientists had managed to harness the power of evolution in test tubes. Enzymes produced through directed evolution are used to manufacture everything from biofuels to medical treatments. Phage display has produced antibodies that can neutralize toxins, counteract autoimmune diseases and even cure metastatic cancer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p> References</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p>1. Nobelprize.org</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p>2. Elsevier.com</o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p>3. Pictures source: Wikipedia</o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-29512479327264221322018-10-23T09:00:00.000-07:002018-10-23T09:03:34.356-07:00New Material Mimicking Cell Membrane<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Scientists in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), USA have developed a new material that works like a cell membrane. The material can assemble itself into an extremely thin sheet that can withstand being submerged in a variety of liquids and even can<o:p></o:p></div>
repair itself after damage. The study results, published in the journal of Nature Communications, showed that the developed material mimicked the cell membrane making it a synthetic cell membrane-like material.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxutib0TmdK-lQx6SWoGimeMLns6w4g7Q92M9I2Mjkv7E2Rb3pKBmxDFOlg2GHC3rRj4g0h-Io9uiizv5LYRYu9Dki0Tld0ot_SLUIWsPHGe9vg6xUdqTEK-E353paoPrwNcsY_PFTYnIe/s1600/Representation+of+Cell+Membrane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="303" data-original-width="540" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxutib0TmdK-lQx6SWoGimeMLns6w4g7Q92M9I2Mjkv7E2Rb3pKBmxDFOlg2GHC3rRj4g0h-Io9uiizv5LYRYu9Dki0Tld0ot_SLUIWsPHGe9vg6xUdqTEK-E353paoPrwNcsY_PFTYnIe/s320/Representation+of+Cell+Membrane.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Artificial Cell membrane (Picture Courtesy: Science Daily)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As we know- naturally cell membranes are made from thin sheets of fatty molecules called lipids. They are at least 10 times thinner than soap bubble and yet allow cells to collectively form organisms as diverse as bacteria, large animals and plants. They are also very selective about what they let pass through, using tiny embedded proteins as gatekeepers. Membranes repair their structure automatically and change thickness to pass signals from the outside environment to the cell’s interior. Moreover, membrane properties such as gatekeeping could be useful for making filters or signaling to make sensors. For example, mimicking a cell membrane’s gatekeeping could result in water purifying membranes that don’t require a lot of pressure or energy to push the water through. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With this in mind, researchers have been investigating synthetic molecules called peptoids, which are cheap, versatile, customizable and similar to natural proteins — including those that embed themselves in cell membranes. Led by Chemist <b>Chun-Long Chen</b>, experimented to see if they could design peptoids to make them more lipid-like. They designed peptoids in which each base peptoid was a long molecule with one water-loving end and one fat-loving end — just like lipid molecules. They then chose chemical features that they anticipated would encourage the individual molecules to pack together. They found that after putting the lipid-like peptoids into a liquid solution, the molecules spontaneously crystallized and formed what the scientists call nanomembranes — straight-edged sheets as thin as cell membranes — floating in the beaker. These nanomembranes maintained their structure in water or alcohol, at different temperatures, in solutions with high or low pH or high concentrations of salts.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
During their test to know whether the synthetic membranes had the signaling ability of cell membranes, the researchers added a touch of salt, which is involved in the last step in many signaling sequences and causes real cell membranes to thicken up. The more salt the researchers added, the thicker the nanomembranes became, reaching about 125% of their original thickness in the range of salt concentrations they tested.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It is a matter of fact that real membranes also hold proteins that have specific functions, such as ones that only let water through them. The group tested the ability of peptoids to do so by introducing a variety of side chains — small molecules of different shapes, sizes and chemical natures attached to the longer lipid-like peptoids. In each of 10 different designs, the peptoids assembled into the nanomembranes with the core structure remaining intact. The team also claimed that they can build a carbohydrate into nanomembranes, showing the material can be designed to have versatile functions.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Ultimately, the team tested the nanomembranes to see if they could repair themselves, a useful feature for membranes that could get scratched during use. After cutting slits in a membrane, they added more of the lipid-like peptoid. Viewed under a microscope over the course of a few hours, the scratches filled up with more peptoid and the nanomembrane became complete again. It was an amazing discovery! The researchers believe that these new materials have potential in water filters, sensors, drug delivery and especially fuel cells or other energy applications.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Reference<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<span style="font-size: 10pt;">Haibao J.; Fang,
J.; Michael, D. D.; Yulin, C.; Feng, Y.; Yan-H, D.; Xin Z.; Ellen
J. R.; Marcel D. B.; and Chun-L., C. Highly stable and
self-repairing membrane-mimetic 2D nanomaterials assembled from lipid-like
peptoids, Nature Comm. 2016, 7, 12252.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-87993435108576842432018-07-18T09:55:00.000-07:002018-07-18T09:55:11.309-07:00Boost in Alzheimer's Drug Success!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue;">Introduction</span></span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrqlANeTccIF1DHgLlpEKwAACGRWiIJ6_mjdOF0jwrAPD6x9LlgQVmuWdrb1-qArLJv5mXzw9ME7nso3r9-NMCF8kyTyIDoh98YcyZKRhS-9VgnGEdVyuvnlBfcYyvjHG-RrR8vJWMffH/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="164" data-original-width="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrqlANeTccIF1DHgLlpEKwAACGRWiIJ6_mjdOF0jwrAPD6x9LlgQVmuWdrb1-qArLJv5mXzw9ME7nso3r9-NMCF8kyTyIDoh98YcyZKRhS-9VgnGEdVyuvnlBfcYyvjHG-RrR8vJWMffH/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 1: Older people are susceptible to Alzheimer's (fig. source: Google)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Alzheimer's is not a normal part of aging. The greatest known risk factor is increasing age, and the majority of people with Alzheimer's are 65 and older. But Alzheimer's is not just a disease of old age. Approximately 200,000 Americans under the age of 65 have younger-onset Alzheimer’s disease (also known as early-onset Alzheimer’s). Alzheimer's worsens over time. Alzheimer's is a progressive disease, where dementia symptoms gradually worsen over a number of years. In its early stages, memory loss is mild, but with late-stage Alzheimer's, individuals lose the ability to carry on a conversation and respond to their environment. Alzheimer's is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue;">Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
The brain has 100 billion nerve cells (neurons). Each nerve cell connects with many others to form communication networks. Groups of nerve cells have special jobs. Some are involved in thinking, learning, and remembering. Others help us see, hear and smell. To do their work, brain cells operate like tiny factories. They receive supplies, generate energy, construct equipment and get rid of waste. Cells also process and store information and communicate with other cells. Keeping everything running requires coordination as well as large amounts of fuel and oxygen.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mVitUr68luWXWw9NWJr_DMvk1Ypiqnu0yv6qYy__tBlsBqfpN9WkIzLTOgUtvZ0YtZ_RhbxAaYMLY-BniTyK5r-hVlvvpj4aF6K4Vy-zfQhRYnKpKY1KQZOoFIPoNKGL1YXHFushTTTI/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="204" data-original-width="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_mVitUr68luWXWw9NWJr_DMvk1Ypiqnu0yv6qYy__tBlsBqfpN9WkIzLTOgUtvZ0YtZ_RhbxAaYMLY-BniTyK5r-hVlvvpj4aF6K4Vy-zfQhRYnKpKY1KQZOoFIPoNKGL1YXHFushTTTI/s1600/images+%25281%2529.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 2: Different brain morphology</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Scientists believe Alzheimer's disease prevents parts of a cell's factory from running well. They are not sure where the trouble starts. But just like a real factory, backups, and breakdowns in one system cause problems in other areas. As damage spreads, cells lose their ability to do their jobs and, eventually die, causing irreversible changes in the brain.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Two abnormal structures called plaques and tangles are prime suspects in damaging and killing nerve cells. Plaques are deposits of a protein fragment called beta-amyloid (BAY-tuh AM-uh-loyd) that build up in the spaces between nerve cells. Tangles are twisted fibers of another protein called tau that builds up inside cells. Amyloid plaques are characteristic features of Alzheimer's disease (Figure 3). When amyloid plaques accumulate outside neurons, they lead to a degeneration of the affected neurons.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: blue;">Quest of solution</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
Researchers in University laboratories and pharmaceutical companies have been trying hard for a long time to develop the medicine to treat this disease. But, sadly, there's been one glaring absence of breakthroughs in recent decades: a drug to treat Alzheimer’s Disease! The search for a drug to treat dementia has been one of modern medicine's greatest frustrations: a 99.6 percent failure rate.<o:p></o:p></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTYfzPPWEX0g7owiSywtZsvY3pbYOAlRhDp6OEIAJ_UlH2bpmPDKMBHZdDUGdzmzd2Bo7RKF1FncZs_2V6eh2m8Yw4PX-FqePErg9EWQRKQWx0cjyh0Az4YqN_b4WzB12rFnPAWkhGEW4/s1600/alzeimers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="298" data-original-width="530" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisTYfzPPWEX0g7owiSywtZsvY3pbYOAlRhDp6OEIAJ_UlH2bpmPDKMBHZdDUGdzmzd2Bo7RKF1FncZs_2V6eh2m8Yw4PX-FqePErg9EWQRKQWx0cjyh0Az4YqN_b4WzB12rFnPAWkhGEW4/s320/alzeimers.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Figure 3: Amyloid Plaque</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
On July 5, 2018, Biogen (a pharmaceutical company based in Boston, MA, USA) in collaboration with Eisai (a Japan-based company) reported “statistically significant” evidence that the drug, BAN2401, an antibody targeting the beta-amyloid protein, can slow progression of the deadly disease. This was a great news! Eventually, Biogen enjoyed a big jump in its stock price after releasing positive news. July 5 is our wedding anniversary day. We were relaxing and a news popped on my phone and Sijan and me were overwhelmed with this news as our lab was working on this very disease.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
The beta amyloid protein has long been hypothesized as the primary cause of Alzheimer’s, and as a result, the target of a majority of drug trials. Removing amyloid oligomers does lessen oxidative stress which may lead to a slower progression of Alzheimer's disease early on. It's the first time a drug has shown the ability to clear the amyloid plaque and more importantly that the clearance of plaque was associated with a slowdown of the cognitive decline.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
References: </div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
1. Alzheimer's Association</div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
2. Biogen (www.biogen.com) </div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
3. CNBC News </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 19.5pt; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-12962438264805055932018-06-17T20:51:00.000-07:002018-06-17T20:51:18.951-07:00Molecular Mechanics that Drives Animals to Sleep<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For a long time, a simplistic idea to know the mechanism that <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">drives us to sleep with the amount of sleep we banked the night before had been unknown. Recently, </span></span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">researchers working in Japan, China, and the USA centred at Japan's University of Tsukuba find that a group of phosphoproteins accumulates when animals are awake and dissipates during sleep. This research work was carried out in mice. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They <span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">described how sleep and wake have global effects on brain, from measuring the electrical voltage changes of the brain to explore brain waves during sleep,</span> down to the effects on the single neuron,</span> <o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">to how sleep changes communication between brain cells, and the global expression of genes in the brain.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGkwMsemTB8jTvJzGMSHnxMjDsB3e4aCWktNBj6vcWYXUHI1O3IUHBzH6MQdiybvtH8BljMeaibIsfjH9cMwzEI-QV50g2wOQzyMbQEhGsOTmB4OjKG_p9BGanUBwVhWATKjcCY8bTRkQ/s1600/IMG_2394.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="1600" height="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGkwMsemTB8jTvJzGMSHnxMjDsB3e4aCWktNBj6vcWYXUHI1O3IUHBzH6MQdiybvtH8BljMeaibIsfjH9cMwzEI-QV50g2wOQzyMbQEhGsOTmB4OjKG_p9BGanUBwVhWATKjcCY8bTRkQ/s200/IMG_2394.JPG" width="200" /></a><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span><span style="text-align: start;">The </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0218-8"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black;">study</span></a></span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: start;"> was published in </span><i style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;">Nature</i><span style="text-align: start;"> describes how phosphorylation of just 80 proteins in the brain induce the need to sleep.</span> What’s more, they show that these proteins are typically associated with synapses, the junctions between brain cells where cellular communication takes place. Naming these proteins, ‘sleep-need-index phosphoproteins’ (SNIPPs), they describe how the level of phosphorylation of these SNIPPs forms a molecular signature for the drive to sleep. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<br style="box-sizing: border-box; text-align: start;" />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="text-align: start;">They go on to describe how a mutant protein called SLEEPY preferentially associates with SNIPPs. It was found that the inhibition of the activity of SLEEPY and its normal variant in mice reduced phosphorylation of SNIPPS and reduced the drive to sleep. The researchers claim that this reduction in sleep drive </span></span>was so powerful it also worked in sleep-deprived mice.<br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Their elaborated research work suggests that phosphorylating and dephosphorylating SNIPPs presents a major regulatory mechanism by which sleep homeostasis is achieved. Increasing phosphorylation of SNIPPs increases the drive to sleep, and SNIPP dephosphorylation decreases sleep drive. </span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">Study of the mechanisms that regulate circadian rhythms and sleep homeostasis at the level of protein phosphorylation is important. Findings from studies like this will not only inform our understanding of sleep/wake cycles but also shed light on the how brain physiology is affected throughout the 24-hour period, and could greatly influence human health. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="background: white; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At last, this important finding exhibits that modulating SNIPP phosphorylation will be a viable therapeutic angle for treating insomnia or jetlag or mediating the health effects of shift work.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
<br />
<span style="background: white;">References:</span><br />1.</span><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> Wang, Z. et al. Quantitative phosphoproteomic analysis of the molecular substrates of sleep need, Nature(June 2018 issue) </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 3.75pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 3.75pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">2. Funato, H. et al. Forward-genetics analysis of sleep in randomly mutagenized mice. Nature 539, 378–383 (2016)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-1095419073720425312018-01-18T12:32:00.002-08:002018-01-18T12:53:22.286-08:00Top Five Chemistry Inventions: Avenue for Modern World<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
Chemistry, well-known as the central science, a creative tributary of science involves the study of the composition, structure, and properties of matter. There are numerous inventions till this date in chemistry and this exercise will not end until the last day of the earth! Actually, Chemistry is the vital part of every living creatures. What they eat to what they wear is the boon of chemistry. Yet, it turns out that most people just don’t have a good idea of what chemists do, or how chemistry contributes to the modern world. Few people know that the discovery of ammonia was the single most important reason for the world’s population explosion from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 7 billion today! Or that polythene, the world’s most common plastic, was accidentally invented twice!<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 13.5pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
Here, I will reveal, in chronological order, the most significant discoveries made so far that changed the lifestyle of human beings.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraph" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<b> <span style="color: blue;">1. The Haber-Bosch Process of Synthesis of Ammonia</span><o:p></o:p></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L6au2hC43RqoG7pr1ZAcmbBFingsITeam0d4Kc4ItpQknkUepLHwfytTgEaDKkVI6ismZzXCqyDjhH1DNnP-Xcm5mm91VyD8CW63yqLAeu8Qp4RHMbyzyg8Am7w90oE_geyoK2v_acWa/s1600/Haber+and+Bosch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="173" data-original-width="291" height="118" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0L6au2hC43RqoG7pr1ZAcmbBFingsITeam0d4Kc4ItpQknkUepLHwfytTgEaDKkVI6ismZzXCqyDjhH1DNnP-Xcm5mm91VyD8CW63yqLAeu8Qp4RHMbyzyg8Am7w90oE_geyoK2v_acWa/s200/Haber+and+Bosch.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch<br />
Picture from Google</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nitrogen the most common gas in our atmosphere and plays a critical role in the biochemistry of every living thing. But plants and animals can’t extract it from the air as this gas doesn’t like reacting with very much. Consequently, a major limiting factor in agriculture has been the availability of nitrogen. In <b>1910</b>, German chemists <b><a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1918/haber-bio.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Fritz Haber</span></a> </b>and <b><a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1931/bosch-facts.html"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Carl Bosch</span></a></b> changed all this when they combined atmospheric nitrogen and hydrogen into ammonia. This, in turn, can be used as crop fertilizer, eventually filtering up the food chain to us. Today about 80% of the nitrogen in our bodies comes from the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/science/add_aqa_pre_2011/chemreac/energychangesrev3.shtml"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Haber-Bosch process</span></a>, making this single chemical reaction probably the most important factor in the population explosion of the past 100 years.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></b><b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: blue;">2. Discovery of Penicillin</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Before the discovery of antibiotics, a prick from a thorn or a sore throat could have easily turned fatal. In <b>1928</b>, <b><a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/fleming_alexander.shtml"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Alexander Fleming</span></a></b> observed how a mold growing on his Petri dishes suppressed the growth of nearby bacteria. But he failed to extract any usable penicillin. In 1939, Australian pharmacologist <b><a href="http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/florey-howard-walter-10206"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Howard Florey</span></a></b> and his team of chemists figured out a way of purifying penicillin in usable quantities.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45srM2w_r15qLil0AxEh5MyJnVLuk2ej7hEAPxpE9gUzqa-XBKein5E_wPSvZ8_jpZJx4ib2bXIoZgtb9NRxca9o0ywEOT8Dv4R9oH2Rpbb34uJyxzUjTePM1CFmsQbABE45CgqvtVSND/s1600/Alexander+Fleming.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj45srM2w_r15qLil0AxEh5MyJnVLuk2ej7hEAPxpE9gUzqa-XBKein5E_wPSvZ8_jpZJx4ib2bXIoZgtb9NRxca9o0ywEOT8Dv4R9oH2Rpbb34uJyxzUjTePM1CFmsQbABE45CgqvtVSND/s200/Alexander+Fleming.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alexander Fleming<br />
Picture from Google</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As World War II was raging at this time, scientific equipment was in short supply. There were thousands of wounded military persons and common people seeking a medicine to cure their wounds. Thank God! penicillin saved their life. By seeing the miracle of penicillin, the team cobbled together a totally functional penicillin production plant from bathtubs, milk churns and bookshelves. Not surprisingly the media were extremely excited about this new wonder drug, but Florey and his colleagues were rather shy of publicity. Instead, Fleming took the limelight.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Full-scale production of penicillin took off in 1944 when the chemical engineer <a href="http://archive.is/JhLXU"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Margaret Hutchinson Rousseau</span></a> took Florey’s Heath Robinson-esque design and converted it into a full-scale production plant.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;">
<span style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="color: blue;"><b>3</b>. </span></span><b style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="color: blue;">Discovery of Progesterone</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the <b>1930</b>s, physicians had realized the potential use of hormone-based therapies to treat cancers, menstrual disorders and of course, for contraception. But research and treatments were held back by massively time-consuming and inefficient methods for synthesizing hormones. <o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVfIw_85UaW3fredeZCDbSB7cAvaCBUVH-F79mL_2Yp6H624MDAFnoB0e8Q0eZVGFD8283iV-v_LJJqiOWaICDh_B-8V7tWCW92Jzh0LWNz6EK57txTyORE4OKQsICK8RPhLOCRxrO8hM/s1600/Progesterone.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="884" data-original-width="1200" height="146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVfIw_85UaW3fredeZCDbSB7cAvaCBUVH-F79mL_2Yp6H624MDAFnoB0e8Q0eZVGFD8283iV-v_LJJqiOWaICDh_B-8V7tWCW92Jzh0LWNz6EK57txTyORE4OKQsICK8RPhLOCRxrO8hM/s200/Progesterone.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Progesterone</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Back then progesterone cost the equivalent (in today’s prices) of $1,000 per gram while now the same amount can be bought for just a few dollars. <b><a href="http://science.psu.edu/news-and-events/news-archive/information-about-russell-marker"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Russel Marker</span></a></b>, a professor of organic chemistry at Pennsylvania State University, slashed the costs of producing progesterone by discovering a simple shortcut in the synthetic pathway. He went scavenging for plants with progesterone-like molecules and stumbled upon a Mexican yam. From this root vegetable, he isolated a compound that took one simple step to convert into progesterone for the first contraceptive pill.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst">
<b style="text-indent: -0.25in;"> <span style="color: blue;">4. Discovery of Polyethylene - the common plastic</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; text-align: left;">Polyethylene or polythene is the most common plastic. The annual global production is around 80 million tonnes. Its primary use is in packaging. </span>Most common plastic objects, from water pipes to food packaging and hardhats, are forms of polythene. The 80 million tones of the stuff that is made each year is the result of two accidental discoveries.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr2Y_dc-2aLSYDCTGkLQcsmp3DdN6vuuFHCSmc-0nHs2wDbO_ZMyQxc_b-ZUkviu8oqICHdSmVtORG5bVH9px1hGRblwVLkZTLjDTddqNYYBTDBo4aQK_48IaxEYqmuEROhTRqbyCOuDI/s1600/Hans+von+Pechmann.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><b><span style="font-size: large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="278" data-original-width="181" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqr2Y_dc-2aLSYDCTGkLQcsmp3DdN6vuuFHCSmc-0nHs2wDbO_ZMyQxc_b-ZUkviu8oqICHdSmVtORG5bVH9px1hGRblwVLkZTLjDTddqNYYBTDBo4aQK_48IaxEYqmuEROhTRqbyCOuDI/s200/Hans+von+Pechmann.jpg" width="130" /></span></b></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Hans von Pechmann</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Picture from Google</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The first occurred in 1898 when German chemist <b><a href="http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/podcast/CIIEcompounds/transcripts/polythene.asp"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">Hans von Pechmann</span></a></b>, while investigating something quite different, noticed a waxy substance at the bottom of his tubes. Along with his colleagues, he investigated and discovered that it was made up of very long molecular chains which they termed polymethylene. The method they used to make their plastic wasn’t particularly practical, so much like the penicillin story, no progress was made for some considerable time.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Then in <b>1933,</b> an entirely different method for making the plastic was discovered by chemists at, the now defunct chemical company, <b><a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/manchester/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_9042000/9042044.stm"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">ICI</span></a></b>. They were working on high-pressure reactions and noticed the same waxy substance as von Pechmann. At first, they failed to reproduce the effect until they noticed that in the original reaction oxygen had leaked into the system. Two years later ICI had turned this serendipitous discovery into a practical method for producing the common plastic that’s almost certainly within easy reach of you now.<o:p></o:p></div>
<h2 style="background: white; margin-bottom: 9.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #383838; font-family: "georgia" , serif;"> </span></h2>
<div style="background: white; margin: 0in 0in 9pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="background-color: transparent; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="color: blue;">5. The Discovery of Liquid Crystal - the screen you are reading on</span></span></b></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NS9JbkaKtMXCbnAGNCmJXqp5ZY-nEZdTG_e1HAc6Vbi9yq8SHAp-HPm1ZrkR_0CuOsL9w2df0BGG4zqItIOi1Y6cpwxAlV4dB4HqkoXcxIlbJr8gJf0AEZxZVaZviuanOSU9kj-YornH/s1600/Liquid+crystal.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="380" height="70" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NS9JbkaKtMXCbnAGNCmJXqp5ZY-nEZdTG_e1HAc6Vbi9yq8SHAp-HPm1ZrkR_0CuOsL9w2df0BGG4zqItIOi1Y6cpwxAlV4dB4HqkoXcxIlbJr8gJf0AEZxZVaZviuanOSU9kj-YornH/s200/Liquid+crystal.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Liquid crystal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Plans for a flat-screen color display date back to late <b>1960 </b>when the British Ministry of Defense decided that it wanted flat-screens to replace bulky and expensive cathode ray tubes in its military vehicles. It settled on an idea based on liquid <span style="text-align: left;">crystals. It was already known that liquid crystal displays (LCDs) were possible, the problem was that they only really worked at high temperatures. So not much good unless you are sitting in an oven.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nx0LtklwW0o8H5OwAwyPhzuMzorPCiP0nQ1-_D9J6umEJ1cAsbMMP5IFgqm9so-9PZ-_OhxVWxWxyebxXsQPDoasewglX0BT4pB8jS3Z4flTjJw9rhsG7DcgIZFRomn8qBr7favrfZeK/s1600/phone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="225" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9nx0LtklwW0o8H5OwAwyPhzuMzorPCiP0nQ1-_D9J6umEJ1cAsbMMP5IFgqm9so-9PZ-_OhxVWxWxyebxXsQPDoasewglX0BT4pB8jS3Z4flTjJw9rhsG7DcgIZFRomn8qBr7favrfZeK/s200/phone.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Phone Screen uses liquid crystal</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
In <b>1970</b> the MoD commissioned <b><a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/026782998207523"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration-line: none;">George Gray</span></a></b> at the University of Hull to work on a way to make LCDs function at more pleasant (and useful) temperatures. He did just that when he invented a molecule known as 5CB. By the late 1970s and early 1980s, 90% of the LCD devices in the world contained 5CB and you’ll still find it in the likes of cheap watches and calculator. Meanwhile, derivates of 5CB make the phones, computers, and TVs possible.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Reference:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1. The Conversation Edition, June 1, 2015</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">2. Google.com., January 18, 2018</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-79077298545585156132017-09-18T14:53:00.001-07:002017-09-18T15:17:07.805-07:008th ASCASS Conference in Kathmandu, Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12.8px;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CVvLUhREcLm2AdFRd1rCAa5Vkswk6g-YlKYEcm4MUm9peYYWj_RIw4PCTZwBgi10za0rUf7XQkn0qirhsbWDhH5yKqEoNZibwHPe63E8GKROJ7yljl1H-KDsn4cue562M0tsbSz5WTmR/s1600/Kathmandu-Boudha-1024x683.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CVvLUhREcLm2AdFRd1rCAa5Vkswk6g-YlKYEcm4MUm9peYYWj_RIw4PCTZwBgi10za0rUf7XQkn0qirhsbWDhH5yKqEoNZibwHPe63E8GKROJ7yljl1H-KDsn4cue562M0tsbSz5WTmR/s200/Kathmandu-Boudha-1024x683.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px;">Asian Society for Colloid and Surface Science, ASCASS, established on 2004, is going to organize its <b>8th conference in Kathmandu, Nepal </b>on September 25-28, 2019. Earlier, ASCASS organized</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px;"> its 7th Asian Conference on Colloid and Interface Science on 8-11 August 2017 in Berjaya Times Square Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, MALAYSIA. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px;"> The current president of ASCASS is Professor Toyoko Imae from National Taiwan University, Taiwan.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12.8px;">
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "verdana" , "arial"; font-size: 14.6667px;">It is a matter of pride to all Nepalese that an important conference is going to be held in Kathmandu. The blogger likes to thank Dr. Lok Kumar Shrestha, a preeminent Nepali researcher (currently in National Institute for Materials Science, Japan), for his great effort as a key role player in attracting such conference in Nepal. For sure, this conference will entice many researchers in the beautiful city of Kathmandu which will ultimately help in substantial discussions in the field of Colloids and Interface Science. There is no question that the tourism industry in Nepal will flourish. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: wf_segoe-ui_normal, "Segoe UI", "Segoe WP", Tahoma, Arial, sans-serif, serif, EmojiFont; font-size: 12.8px;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-70530832652207670932017-07-28T08:10:00.002-07:002017-07-28T08:27:20.394-07:00New Imaging Technique in Surface Chemistry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As being a surface chemist, I keep on tracking the signs of progress made so far in the Surface Chemistry field. Recently, I found good news about the imaging tool in surface chemistry. Here is the story:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Researchers at <a href="http://www.epfl.ch/index.en.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #4c7a9f; text-decoration-line: none;">Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne</span></b></a> (EPFL) Laboratory for Fundamental BioPhotonics (LBP) have developed a microscope that can track, in real time, 3D spatial changes in the molecular structure and chemistry of confined systems, such as curved surfaces and pores to understand the geological, catalytic, biological and chemical processes which are driven by surface chemical heterogeneities, electrostatic fields and flow. They predict that this may enable the further development of new materials and microtechnology.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<i><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 13.5pt;">“An optical imaging tool to visualize surface chemistry in real time has been developed. This system basically images the interfacial chemistry in the microscopically confined geometry of a simple glass micro-capillary. The glass is covered with hydroxyl (-OH) groups that can lose a proton, a much-studied chemical reaction that is important in geology, chemistry, and technology. A 100-micron long capillary displayed a remarkable spread in surface OH bond dissociation constant of a factor of a billion.” <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 15.0pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The developed microscope was used to image the surface chemical structure of the inside of a glass microcapillary. Surface potential maps were designed from the millisecond images, and the chemical reaction constant of each 188nm-wide pixel was evaluated. Amazingly, this very simple system which is used in many devices displayed a stunning spread in surface heterogeneity. The researchers' findings have been published in Science. It is believed that this method will be a plus point in understanding fundamental (electro)chemical, geological and catalytic processes and for building new devices.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Second-harmonic imaging</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpqd_3hVBlVpe9qtc1URHIgDMDmvmFa7LsXMxK6PeOwItmxhBjtD5kWm-FSVJ-ISlIzpXGWFX09BnSPTVsAWYXOh2OZsxuPrS0Y9CgGdeZWsisL6pU07xdxZX3HbZRAyR4Y-OBPPHbylz/s1600/F2.medium.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="363" data-original-width="440" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjpqd_3hVBlVpe9qtc1URHIgDMDmvmFa7LsXMxK6PeOwItmxhBjtD5kWm-FSVJ-ISlIzpXGWFX09BnSPTVsAWYXOh2OZsxuPrS0Y9CgGdeZWsisL6pU07xdxZX3HbZRAyR4Y-OBPPHbylz/s320/F2.medium.gif" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Imaging of surface potential and chemical process at the surface.<br />
Image: taken from Google (28th July, 2017)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sylvie Roke, director of the Julia Jacobi Chair of Photomedicine at EPFL, has developed a unique set of optical tools to study water and aqueous interfaces on the nanoscale. She uses second-harmonic and sum-frequency generation, which are optical processes in which two photons of a certain color are converted into a new color. "The second-harmonic process involves 1000 nm femtosecond photons i.e., 0.00000000000001-second bursts of light -- being converted into 500 nm photons, and this occurs only at interfaces," says Roke. "It is therefore ideal for interfacial microscopy. Unfortunately, the process is very inefficient. But by using a number of optical tricks, such as wide field imaging and light shaping, we were able to enhance both the imaging throughput and the resolution, bringing the time to record an image down from minutes to 250 milliseconds."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<b><i><span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Surprising surface chemistry</span></i></b><i><span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The researchers then imaged the deprotonation reaction of the inner silica capillary/water interface in real time. Silica is one of the most abundant minerals on earth, and its interaction with water shapes our climate and environment. Although many researchers have characterized the properties of the silica/water interface, there is no consensus on its chemical reactivity. Roke continues: "Our data shows why there is a remarkable spread in surface reactivity, even on a very small portion of a capillary. Our data will help in the development of theoretical models that are more effective at capturing this surprising complexity. In addition, our imaging method can be used for a wide variety of processes, such as for analyzing the real-time functioning of a fuel cell, or for seeing which structural facet of a mineral is most chemically active. We could also gain more insight into nanochannels and both artificial and natural pores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 7.5pt;">
<b><span style="color: #333333; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">References</span></b><br />
<span style="color: #333333; text-indent: -0.25in;"> 1. </span><span style="color: #333333; text-indent: -0.25in;">Carlos Macias-Romero, Igor Nahalka, Halil I. Okur, Sylvie Roke. <b>Optical imaging of surface chemistry and dynamics in confinement</b>. <i>Science</i>, July 2017 DOI: <span style="color: #4c7a9f;"><a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aal4346" target="_blank">10.1126/science.aal4346</a></span></span><br />
<span style="color: #333333; text-indent: -0.25in;">2. Science Daily, July 28, 2017 Issue (www.sciencedialy.com)</span></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-28083049561922761752017-06-16T09:19:00.001-07:002017-06-16T09:19:30.053-07:00Pregnant Women and Coffee<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
“Coffee, for many of us, is a daily fix. But few would relate to it as being a life changer” – this is what BBC (27th Feb, 2013 issue) writes by narrating a story of Nepali farmer whose life was changed by farming coffee instead of regular maize and paddy cultivation. Nepalese coffee is different from other countries. People mainly produce Arabica type of coffee which is organic. But, what about intake of coffee by Nepalese women? Frankly, in Nepal tea is preferred than coffee. Most of the people in the rural area take milk-added-tea which is considered more harmful than black tea. Let’s know something about caffeine, a key component in coffee and its effect on the pregnant women. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Caffeine is a natural component of coffee, tea, and cocoa products. It is added to many soft drinks and to certain prescription and over-the-counter medications. Caffeine's pharmacologic effects include central nervous system stimulation, bronchodilation, and higher blood pressure, most likely through antagonism of adenosine receptors in the brain, heart, lungs, and blood vessels. Based on a recent survey by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, coffee, soft drinks, and tea (in that order) are the major sources of caffeine among adults. Average caffeine intake is estimated to be 164 mg per day among women 18–34 years and 125 mg per day among pregnant women. In a prospective cohort study conducted in Connecticut during 1988–1992, caffeine consumption during the first month of pregnancy was reported by 60% of study participants, with 16% consuming 150 mg or more of caffeine per day.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Caffeine is teratogenic in animal studies when administered at high concentrations. There is no evidence to support a teratogenic effect of caffeine in humans. Current epidemiologic evidence is not adequate to assess the possibility of a small change in risk of congenital anomalies resulting from maternal caffeine consumption.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27PsH7UAhCNn7FwHXP_2chFVpXLNBt-NdPEch8hpFbDlez0FE6RJ1h0f03-YxJ21zwgBWopbAjpua14JI5G2py6OSA7aHC3fzS0LEt0koZB3_rEb-NYKQ693JEZZMgZF-NSgdR41tvoXe/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="169" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi27PsH7UAhCNn7FwHXP_2chFVpXLNBt-NdPEch8hpFbDlez0FE6RJ1h0f03-YxJ21zwgBWopbAjpua14JI5G2py6OSA7aHC3fzS0LEt0koZB3_rEb-NYKQ693JEZZMgZF-NSgdR41tvoXe/s1600/images.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture from Google on 16th June 2017 </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Marilyn Brown has published a review paper in epidemiology journal by evaluating methodological aspects of epidemiologic studies of maternal caffeine exposure and risk of congenital anomalies<!--[if supportFields]><span style='mso-element:field-begin'></span>
ADDIN EN.CITE
<EndNote><Cite><Author>Browne</Author><Year>2006</Year><RecNum>60</RecNum><DisplayText><style
face="superscript">1</style></DisplayText><record><rec-number>60</rec-number><foreign-keys><key
app="EN" db-id="r5p9drsdppxxtke2weavavrjpszwsff9fx25"
timestamp="1497628147">60</key></foreign-keys><ref-type
name="Journal
Article">17</ref-type><contributors><authors><author>Browne,
Marilyn
L</author></authors></contributors><titles><title>Maternal
exposure to caffeine and risk of congenital anomalies: a systematic
review</title><secondary-title>Epidemiology</secondary-title></titles><periodical><full-title>Epidemiology</full-title></periodical><pages>324-331</pages><volume>17</volume><number>3</number><dates><year>2006</year></dates><isbn>1044-3983</isbn><urls></urls></record></Cite></EndNote><span
style='mso-element:field-separator'></span><![endif]-->1<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-end'></span><![endif]-->. He has reported that there is no evidence that caffeine intake causes a large increase in the risk of various types of congenital anomalies, but there is greater uncertainty about small elevations in risk. Given the relatively high prevalence of maternal caffeine exposure, even a small increase in the risk of congenital anomalies would have an important effect on public health. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Large study populations and improved exposure assessment methods would be necessary to rule out small risks for specific categories of congenital anomalies after maternal exposure to caffeine.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In the United States, some 60 percent of women continue to drink caffeinated coffee during their first month of pregnancy. About 16 percent of pregnant mothers consume 150 mg of caffeine or more per day. But the question is, Is this harmful to your unborn baby? Three things to know. One, caffeine can freely cross the placenta. Two, 90 percent of a mother’s caffeine level reaches the developing fetus. Three, the half-life of caffeine is much longer in the fetus than in the adult2.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Some studies have shown a correlation between prenatal caffeine consumption and decreased birth weight. But are there longer-term consequences? Researchers in Florida studied mice that had were exposed to physiologically relevant doses of caffeine in utero. They found that caffeine significantly altered the expression of genes in embryonic hearts. Pathways related to cardiovascular development and diseases were significantly affected by caffeine. The researchers stress that “the long-term effects of caffeine on human cardiac function are unclear.” They recommend further studies “to evaluate the safety of caffeine exposure during human pregnancy.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>References<o:p></o:p></b></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<!--[if supportFields]><span
style='mso-element:field-begin'></span><span
style='mso-spacerun:yes'> </span>ADDIN EN.REFLIST <span style='mso-element:
field-separator'></span><![endif]-->1. Browne, M. L., Maternal exposure to caffeine and risk of congenital anomalies: a systematic review. <i>Epidemiology </i><b>2006,</b> <i>17</i> (3), 324-331.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="EndNoteBibliography">
2. Fang, X.; Mei, W.; Barbazuk, W. B.; Rivkees, S. A.; Wendler, C. C., Caffeine exposure alters cardiac gene expression in embryonic cardiomyocytes. <i>American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology </i><b>2014</b>.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-67164684300352194692016-11-18T16:23:00.002-08:002016-11-18T16:23:29.458-08:00Viagra (Sildenafil) And Its Chemistry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Erectile dysfunction is a common
problem faced by elderly men. According to a report, about 60% of men older
than 60 and 70% of those in their 70s have trouble getting or maintaining
erections, often because of <span style="color: windowtext;">diabetes</span>,
cardiovascular disease or <span style="color: windowtext;">prostate
cancer</span> treatment. Not all of them want treatment, of course. A
large proportion of older men have lost sexual interest, don’t have a partner
or have other illnesses that preclude sexual activity.<span style="color: windowtext;"> Paula Span
writes in The New York Times (July 31, 2015 issue) on a heading “Sex Never
Dies, but a Medicare Option for Older Men Does”. Yes, it does. She also writes that
Medicare (Government medical insurance in USA) stopped covering erection pumps from
July 1, 2015 an indication, some experts say, that the sexual health of older
adults is not taken seriously. These erection pump treatment option naturally
pulls blood into the erectile tissues to help men maintain an erection without
medication or invasive procedures. That is another aspect to be discussed.
Here, I want to discuss about the medication suggested by experts for erectile
dysfunction and its chemistry.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Viagra (sildenafil) is a suggested
medicine for the erectile dysfunction for men (also women) that relaxes muscles
found in the walls of blood vessels and increases blood flow to particular
areas of the body. It has been since long to treat <span style="color: windowtext;">erectile dysfunction</span> (impotence)
in men. Another brand of sildenafil is Revatio, which is used to treat pulmonary
arterial hypertension and improve exercise capacity in men and women. The
chemical formula of Viagra is C<sub>22</sub>H<sub>30</sub>N<sub>6</sub>O<sub>4</sub>S and
its IUPAC name is 1-[[3-(6,7-dihydro-1-methyl-7-oxo-3-propyl-1H-pyrazolo[4,3-d]
pyrimidin-5-yl)-4-ethoxyphenyl] sulfonyl]-4-methylpiperazine citrate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: windowtext;">Pfizer</span> <span style="color: windowtext;">scientists</span> Andrew
Bell, David Brown, and Nicholas Terrett originally discovered sildenafil as a
treatment for various cardiovascular disorders. Since becoming available in
1998, sildenafil has been a common treatment for erectile dysfunction; its
primary competitors are <span style="color: windowtext;">tadalafil</span> (Cialis) and <span style="color: windowtext;">vardenafil</span> (Levitra).
Beside the treatment of erectile dysfunction, sildenafil is also used in pulmonary
hypertension. While sildenafil improves some markers of disease in people with <span style="color: windowtext;">pulmonary arterial hypertension</span>,
it does not appear to affect the risk of death or serious side effects as of
now. Furthermore, it has also been used as antidepressant-associated sexual
dysfunction. Tentative evidence suggests that sildenafil may help men who
experience <span style="color: windowtext;">antidepressant</span>-induced <span style="color: windowtext;">erectile dysfunction</span>. In addition, the altitude
sickness problem has been solved surprisingly by it. Sildenafil appears to
improve some risk factors for <span style="color: windowtext;">high-altitude pulmonary edema</span> but it
is unclear whether or not it affects the rate of the condition itself.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> There are few side effects due to
the administration of this drug in human body. Common side effects include <span style="color: windowtext;">headaches</span> and <span style="color: windowtext;">heartburn</span>,
as well as flushed skin. Caution is advised in those who have <span style="color: windowtext;">cardiovascular disease</span>. Rare but serious
side effects include <span style="color: windowtext;">prolonged erections</span>, which can lead to damage to the <span style="color: windowtext;">penis</span>, and sudden-onset
hearing loss. Sildenafil should not be taken by people who take nitrates such
as <span style="color: windowtext;">nitroglycerin</span> (GTN), as this may
result in a severe and potentially fatal drop in <span style="color: windowtext;">blood
pressure</span>. Let’s know how this drug acts on the targeted area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><b style="background-color: white;">Mode of Action</b></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAZ9JJlERvDDPVBguDEDGfMryzjexO-AwuII2jWdukjFQWhuob-Q2Wpvec3Jn-XOlROxphy8uOM1yb9_INXaJEqoKs1Kc2Exli-JnzrId4EjN8Y02oCj4CSuPV6fPTwd9ixETlXDQ5BPj/s1600/mechanism.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="301" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlAZ9JJlERvDDPVBguDEDGfMryzjexO-AwuII2jWdukjFQWhuob-Q2Wpvec3Jn-XOlROxphy8uOM1yb9_INXaJEqoKs1Kc2Exli-JnzrId4EjN8Y02oCj4CSuPV6fPTwd9ixETlXDQ5BPj/s400/mechanism.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #274e13; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Schematic illustration adopted from Peter Volsky</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Robert F. Furchgott, Ferid
Murad, and Louis Ignarro won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or
Medicine in 1998 for their independent study of the metabolic pathway
of nitric oxide in smooth muscle vasodilation. In their study, they found that Sildenafil
(Viagra) protects cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)
from degradation by cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase
type 5 (PDE5) in the corpus cavernosum. A corpus cavernosum
is one of a pair of sponge-like regions of erectile tissue, which contain most
of the blood in the penis during an erection. Nitric
oxide (NO) in the corpus cavernosum of the penis binds to guanylate
cyclase receptors, which results in increased levels of cGMP, leading
to smooth muscle relaxation (vasodilation)
of the intimal cushions of the helicine arteries. The helicine
arteries of penis are arteries in the penis which are involved
in the process of erection. This smooth muscle relaxation leads to vasodilation
and increased inflow of blood into the spongy tissue of the penis, causing an
erection. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> Sildenafil is best regarded as a
potent and selective inhibitor of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase
type 5 (PDE5), which is responsible for degradation of cGMP in
the corpus cavernosum. Various researches have
shown that the molecular structure of sildenafil is similar to that of cGMP and
acts as a competitive binding agent of PDE5 in the corpus cavernosum, resulting
in more cGMP and better erections. Without sexual stimulation, and
therefore lack of activation of the NO/cGMP system, sildenafil should not cause
an erection. Other drugs that operate by the same mechanism include tadalafil (Cialis)
and vardenafil (Levitra).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> After its desired action, Sildenafil
is broken down in the liver by hepatic metabolism using cytochrome p450
enzymes, mainly CYP450 3A4(major route), but also by CYP2C9 (minor route)
hepatic isoenzymes. The major product of metabolisation by these enzymes is
N-desmethylated sildenafil, which is metabolised further. This metabolite also
has an affinity for the PDE receptors, about 40% of that of sildenafil. Thus,
the metabolite is responsible for about 20% of sildenafil's action. Sildenafil
is excreted as metabolites predominantly in the feces (about 80% of
administered oral dose) and to a lesser extent in the urine (around 13% of the
administered oral dose). If taken with a high-fat meal, absorption is reduced;
the time taken to reach the maximum plasma concentration increases by around
one hour, and the maximum concentration itself is decreased by nearly one-third.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br /></div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-14706271987001209532016-07-09T13:54:00.000-07:002016-11-18T16:29:54.322-08:00Cool Chemistry!!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chemistry is always cool! I am letting you know some interesting chemistry facts which you may not know:</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1.There is enough gold in the earth crust which is sufficient to deep knee.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. In the early 1940s a large portion of the world’s plutonium supply was accidentally ingested by a lab technician. The majority of plutonium, like other heavy metals, passes right through your digestive tract. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofxgPQQiSpJdA_18fjGsrLwEIhazJGCLN-n7kPqsMfkqu6GCM8TpFw1f9Y4IZuRfCJzv9s6DuaUDFlmVlHXvcODBe49Uj-C0UxwQbif40ovQOsd-3dxg4UhS9UcIo9fRK1AIhfnsmDYNK/s1600/GettyImages-AR5984-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgofxgPQQiSpJdA_18fjGsrLwEIhazJGCLN-n7kPqsMfkqu6GCM8TpFw1f9Y4IZuRfCJzv9s6DuaUDFlmVlHXvcODBe49Uj-C0UxwQbif40ovQOsd-3dxg4UhS9UcIo9fRK1AIhfnsmDYNK/s1600/GettyImages-AR5984-002.jpg" /></span></a></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. Did your high school tell you there are three states of matter? Solid, liquid, gas. Or Maybe they threw in a fourth state, plasma. In fact, there are many more than just three or four states of matter. Around absolute zero a lot of funny things happen and new states of matter pop up, like Bose-Einstein condensates which defy gravity.<span id="more-323" style="border: 0px; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. Watson and Crick, the co-discoverer’s of the DNA double helix never actually ran any experiments on their own, but rather read deeply into others’ work and deduced the structure.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. Lithium can alter how you think and has been known to “cure” certain mental illnesses. In fact, lithium is used in a lot of psychoactive drugs.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6. One of the first x-rays, a picture you’ve probably seen of a woman’s hand with a ring on it, was of Bertha Rontgen’s hand. She thought seeing her bones was a death omen.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">7. Hot water freezes quicker than cold water.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">8. People used to drink radioactive water from a device called the “Revigator.” It was considered to be a healthy drink.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">9. Diamonds aren’t the rarest gems on Earth. In fact, they’re relatively common. The rarest gem is jadeite and costs about $3 million per carat.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">10. Only 28 grams of the rarest substance on Earth exist. What’s the rarest substance on Earth? Astatine.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">11. Gallium, a metal element, will melt in your hand.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">12. Liquid oxygen is blue.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">13. The letter J is the only letter that doesn’t appear in the periodic table.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">14. Every time lightening strikes, ozone is created.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">15. You may think that tropical seeds can not tolerate very very cold temperature but scientists have found that tropical seeds even can tolerate that even -190 degree centigrade. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; text-align: -webkit-center;">16. The lighter was invented before the match (in 1816 by J.W. Dobereiner).</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="text-align: -webkit-center;">17. </span>Glass is actually a liquid, it just flows very, very slowly. Same with asphalt.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">18. Our body has enough carbon which is sufficient to make/fill 9,000 lead pencils.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">19. Use of plastic is very dangerous to the earth due to its long term effect. It is said that a plastic container can resist decomposition for as long as 50,000 years. </span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #555555; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 20px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">20. Do you know why tungsten is used in electric bulbs? This is because its melting point is highest (3410 Degree Centigrade).</span></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-38386458463037613272016-03-24T17:21:00.004-07:002018-11-28T12:55:15.630-08:00The Sense of Falling in Love With Chemistry<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b> Chemistry</b> is all around us all the time. I am able to write this and you are able to read and understand this sentence because chemical reaction are taking taking place in my and your brain. The food we ate for break-fast or lunch is now furnishing energy through chemical reactions. Trees and grass grow because of the chemical changes.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Chemistry also crops up in some unexpected places. When archaeologist Luis Alvarez was studying in college, he probably did not realize that the chemical elements iridium and niobium would make him very famous when they helped him solve the problem of the disappearing dinosaurs. For decades scientists had wrestled with mystery of why the dinosaurs, after ruling the earth for millions of years, suddenly became extinct 65 million years ago. In studying core samples of rock dating back to the period, Alvarez and his co-workers recognized unusual levels of iridium and niobium in these samples-levels much more characteristic of extraterrestrial bodies than of the earth. Based on these observations, Alvarez hypothesized that a large meteor hit the earth 65 million years ago, changing atmospheric conditions so much that the dinosaur' food couldn't grow, and they died-almost instantly in the geologic timeframe!</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8NupCT63sTYh-oJSAGa80610SIYHmHwxvQ5rEThunfV3Ow17uq6pvIx4QFLOVTLfrimHQp5cBYQ1tKkOhlshuvl3Kb0q2J_1gwq9smdqFE19eV19N1X3b3in_eAFPcbRrL0OPKbmYE66/s1600/Chemistry+love.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy8NupCT63sTYh-oJSAGa80610SIYHmHwxvQ5rEThunfV3Ow17uq6pvIx4QFLOVTLfrimHQp5cBYQ1tKkOhlshuvl3Kb0q2J_1gwq9smdqFE19eV19N1X3b3in_eAFPcbRrL0OPKbmYE66/s200/Chemistry+love.png" width="200" /></span></a><span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Chemistry is also very important to the historians . Did you realize that lead poisoning probably was a significant contributing factor to the decline of the Roman Empire? The Romans had high exposure to lead-glazed pottery, lead water pipes, and a sweetening syrup called sapa that was prepared by boiling down grape juice in lead lined vessels. It turns out that one reason for sapa's sweetness was lead acetate (sugar of lead) that formed as the juice was cooked down. Lead poisoning with its symptoms of lethargy and mental malfunctions certainly could have contributed to the demise of the Roman Society. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Chemistry is also apparently very important in determining a person's behavior. Various studies have shown that many personality disorders can be linked directly to imbalances of trace elements in the body. For example: studies on the inmate at Stateville Prison in Illinois have linked low cobalt levels with violent behavior. Lithium salts have been shown to be very effective in controlling the effects of manic depressive disease, and you have probably at some time in your life felt a special " Chemistry" for another person. Studies shows that there is literally chemistry going on between two people who are attracted to each other. "Falling in love" apparently causes changes in the chemistry of the brain; chemicals are produced that give that "high" associated with a new relationship. Unfortunately, these chemical effects seem to wear off over time, even if the relationship persists and grows. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> The importance of chemistry in the interactions of people should not really surprise us, since we know that insects communicate by emitting and receiving chemical signals via molecules called pheromones. For example: ants have very complicated set of chemical signals to signify food sources. danger, and so forth. Also, various female sex attractants have been isolated and used to lure males into traps to control insect populations. It would not be surprising if humans also emitted chemical signals that we were not aware of on a conscious level. Thus chemistry is pretty interesting and pretty important. </span><br />
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: x-small;">Source: Chemistry Instructor's Annotation, Zumdahl (7th Edition)</span><br />
<br /></div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-64945202497021780092015-06-12T12:25:00.000-07:002015-06-12T12:37:53.642-07:00Fluorescence Spectroscopy: Simplified<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;">Fluorescence
spectroscopy measures the intensity of photons emitted from a sample after it
has absorbed photons. Most fluorescent molecules are aromatic. Fluorescence is
an important investigational tool in many areas of analytical science, due to
its high sensitivity and selectivity. It can be used to investigate real-time
structure and dynamics both in solution state and under microscopes,
particularly for bio-molecular systems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">How does it work?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VAukb7pKp_RBBP4XuYbQogSipy8c15B7pitFA52QBTI6kutDXgsWR-ORxvlwIH2gVE6kumO_f5zF-Sn4IFhjEzMog45Mekg2x9s58Ka-RHs9abdlGrztXeLcNCreP9VdNJ3zlULTmEH3/s1600/SK+Fluorescence.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9VAukb7pKp_RBBP4XuYbQogSipy8c15B7pitFA52QBTI6kutDXgsWR-ORxvlwIH2gVE6kumO_f5zF-Sn4IFhjEzMog45Mekg2x9s58Ka-RHs9abdlGrztXeLcNCreP9VdNJ3zlULTmEH3/s200/SK+Fluorescence.jpg" width="200" /></a><b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Fluorescence
occurs when a fluorescent capable material (a fluorophore) is excited into a
higher electronic state by absorbing an incident photon and cannot return to
the ground state except by emitting a photon. The emission usually occurs from
the ground vibrational level of the excited electronic state and goes to an
excited vibrational state of the ground electronic state. Thus fluorescence
signals occur at longer wavelengths than absorbance. The energies and relative
intensities of the fluorescence signals give information about structure and
environments of the fluorophores.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">The
component parts necessary within a typical Fluorescence Spectrometer
(Spectrofluorometer) are a sample holder, incident photon source (typically a
xenon lamp), monochromators used for selecting particular incident wavelengths,
focusing optics, photon-collecting detector (single, or preferably multiple
channel) and finally a control software unit. An emission monochromator or
cut-off filters are also usually employed. The detector is usually set at 90
degrees to the light source. The intrinsic sensitivity of fluorescence is also
its biggest problem and care must be taken to record a true fluorescence signal
of the analyte of interest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">A
fluorescence emission spectrum is recorded when the excitation wavelength of
light is held constant and the emission beam is scanned as a function of
wavelength. An excitation spectrum is the opposite, whereby the emission light
is held at a constant wavelength, and the excitation light is scanned as a
function of wavelength. The excitation spectrum usually resembles the
absorbance spectrum in shape.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBAFQFuJvmRCicCa0KDZBwmT7WefBji7KfY7jeDNYNnEIZ9SH3ltADlmXdf_lbfiMRUSFqd7uZcW-l6h7dW1dMymyhxWQeyfWP-M-_w6578Y_Ef6zbkaOBXiTIlXMz4IIg3aM8y8eUTLV/s1600/SK+Excitation+and+Emission.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimBAFQFuJvmRCicCa0KDZBwmT7WefBji7KfY7jeDNYNnEIZ9SH3ltADlmXdf_lbfiMRUSFqd7uZcW-l6h7dW1dMymyhxWQeyfWP-M-_w6578Y_Ef6zbkaOBXiTIlXMz4IIg3aM8y8eUTLV/s200/SK+Excitation+and+Emission.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Most
materials are not naturally fluorescent. However, useful data, particularly in
fluorescence microscopy can be obtained by staining non-fluorophores with an
active label.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Uses<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Studies
of molecular structures and molecular interactions</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Localization
of molecules (esp. in biological systems) and in types of trace analysis.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Changes in fluorescence intensity can be used to probe
structural changes or binding of two molecules. The wavelength of tryptophan
fluorescence can be used to determine whether a tryptophan is in an aqueous
environment (longer wavelength) or buried deep within the protein (shorter
wavelength).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Fluorescence
polarization anisotropy allows mobility of fluorophores to be studies.</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpLast" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
<span style="background: white; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Advantages<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo2; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Sensitivity:
Pico gram quantities of luminescent materials can be frequently studied.</span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: 17.1200008392334px;"><span style="font-family: Symbol;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Selectivity:
Deriving in part from the two characteristic wavelengths (excitation,
fluorescence) of each compound.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">The
variety of sampling methods available: dilute and concentrated suspensions and
solid surfaces can all be readily studied and combinations of fluorescence spectroscopy
and chromatography.</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">Precautions:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-indent: -.25in;">
</div>
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">With
high pressure Xenon lamps which are still widely used as light sources.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">These
lamps contain gas at several atmosphere pressure and thus should be handled
with great circumspections (eye protection, gloves, chest protection
recommended).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"> Always
operate in dust free environment with small temperature variation.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Extreme
precautions must be considered with regards to the cleanliness of cells.
Fingerprints exhibit substantial fluorescence.</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;">Samples
should be stored in clean glass vessels (not in plastic containers.</span></li>
</ol>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-align: left; text-indent: -0.25in;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Symbol; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 107%; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></div>
<!--[if !supportLists]--><br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-1529134522294585272015-02-20T12:24:00.003-08:002016-03-26T10:04:30.608-07:00Why being in Love feels so good?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I have been blogging
about the Chemistry since 2011. What
I love about chemistry is the constant sense of discovery: looking at the
simplest reactions on a molecular level is like glimpsing a whole new world. I
am also fascinated with the vast research going on Chemistry, which is a boon
to the human kind. During
the course of my intermediate (+2), bachelors and masters degree I hope to take
part in some research. After leaving Tribhuvan University (TU) I began to teach
to the B.Sc. students as well as the intermediate(+2) students. I think my
desire for acquiring the knowledge in Chemistry will not be quenched even after
my Ph.D. I will be looking to work in academic science, possibly in research,
and some experience will almost certainly come in useful. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">In the previous days, I blogged
mainly on material Chemistry. Recently, a bizarre interest arose within me to
write few words on the abstract Chemistry…particularly on the “Chemistry Behind
Love”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGdg81tCodELhHdvPXWFlpj0ni6cbzkwG1GHgA7i3YpWDRr4QEELCZIRPJFaJI8hd3ccQXD7cyCPIXZ2Wk5FaE-l-1xeZu042zWSSBnHii97IIg-3DPjbggc72VO7wcbDvNVY1a9wPUtu/s1600/Sk+with+Aarushi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGdg81tCodELhHdvPXWFlpj0ni6cbzkwG1GHgA7i3YpWDRr4QEELCZIRPJFaJI8hd3ccQXD7cyCPIXZ2Wk5FaE-l-1xeZu042zWSSBnHii97IIg-3DPjbggc72VO7wcbDvNVY1a9wPUtu/s200/Sk+with+Aarushi.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimm-9pxtTMpI0jt6VTR-AgTcLemhx1INqdCQIZFb0CD81gB_lbrJs0vfp-Hh7XSII93usQ-9qBPs9jF2LSeKu21DFXRnuXb14CAsN9woxesbrg-RcpwRFY3qzyWmkJ2RzUcCqilJ9P0IC7/s1600/dopamine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimm-9pxtTMpI0jt6VTR-AgTcLemhx1INqdCQIZFb0CD81gB_lbrJs0vfp-Hh7XSII93usQ-9qBPs9jF2LSeKu21DFXRnuXb14CAsN9woxesbrg-RcpwRFY3qzyWmkJ2RzUcCqilJ9P0IC7/s1600/dopamine.jpg" width="192" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Have you ever wondered
how much of love is about the heart… and how much is about hormones? And what
about chemistry—can you create it, or does it just happen? Most of us have
pondered such issues. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Actually, LOVE is due
to the Chemical known as Dopamine, which produce feelings of euphoria, energy,
sleeplessness, and focused attention on your beloved. That’s why being in love feels
so good. Due to dopamine some of the most powerful brain circuits for pleasure
are triggered and people experience similar to a cocaine high.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-no-proof: yes;"> </span><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shapetype id="_x0000_t75"
coordsize="21600,21600" o:spt="75" o:preferrelative="t" path="m@4@5l@4@11@9@11@9@5xe"
filled="f" stroked="f">
<v:stroke joinstyle="miter"/>
<v:formulas>
<v:f eqn="if lineDrawn pixelLineWidth 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 1 0"/>
<v:f eqn="sum 0 0 @1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @2 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @3 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @0 0 1"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @6 1 2"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelWidth"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @8 21600 0"/>
<v:f eqn="prod @7 21600 pixelHeight"/>
<v:f eqn="sum @10 21600 0"/>
</v:formulas>
<v:path o:extrusionok="f" gradientshapeok="t" o:connecttype="rect"/>
<o:lock v:ext="edit" aspectratio="t"/>
</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_4" o:spid="_x0000_i1026" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt="http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/files/authors/696/dopamine.jpg"
style='width:248.25pt;height:144.75pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file:///C:\Users\LEBLAN~1\AppData\Local\Temp\msohtmlclip1\02\clip_image001.jpg"
o:title="dopamine"/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />Dopamine is a
neurotransmitter released by the brain that plays a number of roles in humans
and other animals. Some of its notable functions are: movement, memory, pleasurable
reward, behavior and cognition,attention, inhibition of prolactin production, sleep
mood, learning etc. Dopamine is the chemical that mediates pleasure in the
brain. It is released during pleasurable situations and stimulates one to seek
out the pleasurable activity or occupation. This means food, sex, and several
drugs of abuse are also stimulants of dopamine release in the brain. Excess and
deficiency of this vital chemical is the cause of several disease conditions.
Parkinson's disease and drug addiction are some of the examples of problems
associated with abnormal dopamine levels.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 16.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTLSOMnNt9CPTrucL16_K4nsM38lPkQEbf12iQ_ZXek7veLMZ4XJCD9iaNybZrAvJgxZvqWpfZCyr6Nfk2z_DDYseIEz6n8czyJZ3_rxn9C8rNycm6UTn5QUeRDwDtxbk8YddKuHa2bcp/s1600/images.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibTLSOMnNt9CPTrucL16_K4nsM38lPkQEbf12iQ_ZXek7veLMZ4XJCD9iaNybZrAvJgxZvqWpfZCyr6Nfk2z_DDYseIEz6n8czyJZ3_rxn9C8rNycm6UTn5QUeRDwDtxbk8YddKuHa2bcp/s1600/images.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Dr. Helen Fisher,
anthropologist of Rutgers University, who is also the author of a book “Why
We Love”. Her noteworthy career has been dedicated to understanding love—how
and why it functions for us humans. Once she was asked how important a role
does chemistry play in love. Dr. Fisher answered that when the chemistry of one
personality meshes well with the chemistry of another, it will continually
combust throughout the relationship—keeping both partners together and happy
during dry spells when feelings of romance are low. She also said that having sex
makes people fall in love because probably after orgasm, there is a peak in
dopamine activity. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Beside the Dopamine, Oxytocin
and Vasopressin chemicals play a vital role in attachment. The important
hormones like Testosterone and Estrogen are responsible for the lust.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-7102021424805668632015-01-30T09:29:00.001-08:002015-01-30T09:29:14.159-08:00Chemical Education In Nepal: Problems, Efforts and Progress<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #252525; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0pt;">Tribhuvan University (TU),
Nepal has commenced teaching, research, and other academic activities from July
14, 1959. </span><span style="color: #252525;">Master's Degree in
Chemistry was started only from November 28, 1965.</span><span style="color: #272727;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 0.0001pt 0pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDco1yYjKFlukwdGCId8gr1xIVKuC3Ob1Oao1_zY7wUox3b1xiMQQv7LqNSdH7i4tAk7pnQ1XrAzkclfRtGF9pO7A2N4BJarQ3vx979u40-paQHoJXb9l_ebfMMO3EP3qohFPNej7Jenv/s1600/Central_Department_of_Chemistry,_TU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdDco1yYjKFlukwdGCId8gr1xIVKuC3Ob1Oao1_zY7wUox3b1xiMQQv7LqNSdH7i4tAk7pnQ1XrAzkclfRtGF9pO7A2N4BJarQ3vx979u40-paQHoJXb9l_ebfMMO3EP3qohFPNej7Jenv/s1600/Central_Department_of_Chemistry,_TU.jpg" /></a><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px;">Within </span><span style="color: #272727;">56 years
since the establishment of TU, the
country’s oldest university, there has been little focus on intensive research
into science and technology. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: 14.05pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #272727;">There are nine Universities in Nepal. All these universities
in the country are keener on handing out affiliations to new private
undergraduate schools rather than empowering themselves. TU has 60 constituent
campuses and more than 800 affiliated colleges throughout the country. The
University has central departments in most disciplines at its Kirtipur campus,
which enrolls 90 M.Sc. students each year in Chemistry, 120 in Physics, 48 in
Microbiology, 48 in Environment sciences and 90 in Mathematics. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: 14.05pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #272727;">After the completion of final exam, only 30% meritorious
students get the opportunity for a Master’s Thesis Research in Chemistry.
Moreover, the department has not been able to expand itself beyond the
traditional physical, inorganic and organic chemistry disciplines, probably due
to the lack of funding and expertise. Recently, TU expanded its M.Sc program in
Chemistry to its regional campuses like Tri-Chandra Campus (90 students),
Birendra Campus, Bharatpur (60 students) and Mahendra Morang Campus, Biratnagar
(60 students) but these programmes too are mostly teaching oriented. The
situation is not very different in other universities either.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: 14.05pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: 14.05pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: 14.05pt; margin-left: 0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="color: #272727;">What is the
problem?<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: 14.05pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #272727; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #272727;">Nepal Government
allocates very less amount of money for the research and maintenance of the
department. The prime minister is also chancellor of Nepal’s university
system. Similarly, the Education Minister holds the office of pro-chancellor.
To hire the top brass of the university, a search committee, recommends names
to the associate-chancellor. Then a vice-chancellor is recruited by the prime
minister upon the recommendation of the pro-chancellor. Unfortunately, over the
past 10 years, the top posts of vice-chancellor, rector, and registrar have
been distributed among the major political parties.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #272727; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #272727;">Faculties within the
department are hiring lecturers with Master’s degrees but with no or little
research experience. Recently, it was seen
that three masters degree holders were hired representing each from three big
parties. Unlike in developed countries, the hiring process is primitive and
takes years to complete.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #272727; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #272727;">Extreme politicizing
for a minor event.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="color: #272727; font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #272727;">Lack of energetic
staff members in the Central Department of Chemistry (CDC). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; text-align: justify; text-indent: -18.0pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<!--[if !supportLists]--><span style="font-family: Symbol;">·<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span></span><!--[endif]--><span style="color: #272727;">Professors in CDC are blamed for working for their
political party of their interest rather
than empowering the department. </span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 0.0001pt 36pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 14.05pt 36pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="color: #272727;">Key Note<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 21.6pt; margin-bottom: 14.05pt; margin-left: 36.0pt; margin-right: 38.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #272727;">A sensible way to fix this crisis would
be to create an educational system where the vice-chancellor and other top
policymakers are appointed by a non-political committee composed of experienced
and capable scholars with expertise in a variety of fields. If efforts are made
to hire candidates with vision beyond politics, many of the current problems
facing the Nepali education system will be resolved. Only then will Nepal’s Universities
be fast movers in research and innovation. We should set ambitious goals in
science and technology; some great initiatives have been undertaken but more
need to be done to reform chemical science studies in Nepal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 14.05pt 0pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 0.0001pt 0pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<strong><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #272727; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0pt;">A dawn of hope:</span></strong><span style="color: #272727;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 14.05pt 0pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #272727;">A handful of
energetic and young chemists are working to develop chemical science in Nepal.
Several conferences and symposiums are conducted yearly. The Nepal Chemical Society and TU organized a
big International Chemical Science Conference, called ‘Chemical Congress’, in
2008 in Kathmandu. The conference brought national and international exposure
to many students, chemists, and professionals in the advancement of chemical
science. Since then, other conferences, such as ‘Polychar International
Conference on Advance Materials and Nanotechnology’ and ‘Kathmandu Symposia on
Advanced Materials’ have been organised every year and are led by a prominent
professor of chemistry at the TU Central Department of Chemistry, Rameshwar
Adhikari. These conferences have been successful in bringing many international
scientists, including Noble laureates, to Nepal from more than 20 countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 14.05pt 0pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #272727;">A research lab is
now being established at the Department of Chemistry in the Mahendra Morang
Adarsh Multiple Campus of TU at Biratnagar under the initiation of a very
energetic chemist, Ajaya Bhattarai. Inspite of
several problems he appealed for funds with friends and other chemists
who are studying abroad and brought UV-Visible
spectrophotometer. Hats off to Ajaya Bhattarai for his relentless efforts for
the development of Chemical Science in Nepal! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 21.6pt; margin: 0pt 38.35pt 0.0001pt 0pt; outline: 0px; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline;">
<em><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #272727; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0pt;">Source: Kosh Neupane Oak Ridge National
Laboratory in Tennessee, the US (koshalnp@hotmail.com)</span></em><i><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #272727; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0pt; padding: 0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #272727; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; line-height: 1.8em; margin-bottom: 15px; margin-right: 41px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-40073138267596832822015-01-13T10:49:00.001-08:002015-01-13T10:49:37.801-08:00What affects the color of meat?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0in;
mso-para-margin-right:0in;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0in;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In our daily life, when we go to
the grocery or meat shop, we see that some meat is red whereas some meat is
pale. What causes the change in color of meat? Actually, the muscle that are
frequently used are red where as those infrequently used are pale in color. We
can notice that the leg meat of chicken is darker and the breast meat is white.
The different colors of meat reflect the concentration of myoglobin in the
muscle tissue.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #00b050;">What
is myoglobin?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #00b050;">Myoglobin
is the globular protein that functions as an oxygen storage in muscles.
Myoglobin is a monomer whereas hemoglobin is a tetramer. That is, myoglobin
consists of a single peptide chain and a heme unit, and hemoglobin has four-peptide
chains and four heme units. Thus only one oxygen molecule can be carried by a
myoglobin molecule. Myoglobin has a higher affinity for oxygen than does
hemoglobin. Thus, transfer of oxygen from hemoglobin to myoglobin occurs
readily. Oxygen stored in myoglobin molecules serves as a reserve oxygen source
for working muscles when their demand for oxygen exceeds that which can be
supplied by hemoglobin.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #00b050;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span>The meat that humans eat is composed
primarily of muscle tissue. The major proteins present in the muscle tissue are
myosin and actin, which lie in alternating layers and which slide past each
other during muscle contraction. Contraction is temporarily <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>maintained through interactions between these
two types of proteins.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Structurally, myosin consists of
a rod like coil of two alpha helices (fibrous protein) with two globular
protein<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>heads. The head portions of
myosin interact with the actin.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5Br-1GQKyE6xiV8KdRU1BA0c3Q7SKQbyqvbVJxVclLmdakochEkZSO_URRe30EG3FIm1baVlHuUFzCgki23_RYTK4ceqWKCao72k4W94hSsbSVOmrzcgqWf9uhH_gEsYwkN7XEgv7UpA/s1600/actin+and+myosin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil5Br-1GQKyE6xiV8KdRU1BA0c3Q7SKQbyqvbVJxVclLmdakochEkZSO_URRe30EG3FIm1baVlHuUFzCgki23_RYTK4ceqWKCao72k4W94hSsbSVOmrzcgqWf9uhH_gEsYwkN7XEgv7UpA/s1600/actin+and+myosin.jpg" /></a>Structurally, actin has the
appearance of two filaments spiraling about one another. Each circle in the
structural diagram represents a monomeric unit of actin (called globular
actin). The monomeric actin units associate to form a long polymer (called
fibrous actin). Each identical monomeric<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>actin unit is a globular protein containing many amino acid residues. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The chemical process associated
with muscle contration ( interaction between myosin and actin)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>requires molecular oxygen. The oxygen storage
protein myosin is the oxygen source. The amount of myoglobin present in a
muscle is determined by how the muscle is used. Heavily used muscle require
larger amount of myoglobin than infrequently used muscles require. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The amount of myoglobin present
in muscle tissue is a major determiner of the color of the muscle tissue.
Myoglobin molecules have a red color when oxygenated and a purple color when
deoxygenated. Thus, heavily worked muscles have a darker color than
infrequently used muscles. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The different colors of meat
reflect the concentration of myoglobin in the muscle tissue. In turkeys and
chickens, which walk around a lot but rarely fly , the leg meat is dark, the
breast meat is white.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the other hand,
the flying birds have dark breast meat. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Fish have lighter flesh than the
land animals and birds because they do not need to support their own weight (supported
by water) while moving/swimming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This
reduces the need for myoglobin oxygen support. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fish that spend most of their time lying
on the bottom of a body of water have lightest meat.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #00b050;">Why
meat turns brown in cooking? </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #00b050;">Meat,
when cooked, turns brown as a result of changes in myoblobin structure caused
by the heat; the iron atom in the heme unit of myoglobin becomes oxidized. When
meat is salted with preservatives (NaCl, NaNO<sub>2</sub> etc.) the myoglobin
picks up nitrite ions, and its color changes to pink.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-1736481741071505372014-11-23T16:55:00.001-08:002018-11-28T13:39:30.551-08:00How to Make Chemistry an Interesting Science?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="tab-stops: 400.7pt; text-align: justify;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">Chemistry is often described as the Central Science, highlighting its importance to numerous scientific disciplines, such as Biology, Biomedical and Chemical Engineering, Forensics, Geosciences, Materials Science, Toxicology and many more. It is the study of the structure and transformation of matter. It is very difficult to say when the documentation of chemistry began from. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">When Aristotle wrote the first systematic treatises on chemistry in the 4th century BCE, his conceptual grasp of the nature of matter was tailored to accommodate a relatively simple range of observable phenomena. In the 21stcentury, chemistry has become the largest scientific discipline, producing over half a million publications a year ranging from direct empirical investigations to substantial theoretical work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6n09NsuUO5pLZ9aw0RCieEzdIrs7_m9xgqrYtgCdgqgFsDEbsproDUTM2ucNIDlwsy1a_g-nU4hirm8I0RWnZT9smwGA5i3Fh23GMg_CrOQ9x0Fg0YrMORyMOa9NZcPpwzo7p62f9aqJ/s1600/confused-male-student.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv6n09NsuUO5pLZ9aw0RCieEzdIrs7_m9xgqrYtgCdgqgFsDEbsproDUTM2ucNIDlwsy1a_g-nU4hirm8I0RWnZT9smwGA5i3Fh23GMg_CrOQ9x0Fg0YrMORyMOa9NZcPpwzo7p62f9aqJ/s1600/confused-male-student.jpg" width="133" /></a><span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">Why study Chemistry? Many students take this question in mind when they feel difficult in the beginning phase. Well, understanding chemistry helps you to understand the world around you. Cooking is chemistry. Everything you can touch or taste or smell is a chemical. When you study chemistry, you come to understand a bit about how things work. Chemistry isn't secret knowledge, useless to anyone but a scientist. It's the explanation for everyday things, like why laundry detergent works better in hot water or how baking soda works or why not all pain relievers work equally well on a headache. If you know some chemistry, you can make educated choices about everyday products that you use.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">This central science has certain difficulties among the beginners of chemistry. Let’s call them as pitfalls in Chemistry. The pitfalls in chemistry can be outlined in different headings. New words and new symbols are the first things beginners usually trip of. If misunderstanding these new words and symbols are not addressed, it is very difficult to survive. Its effects are immediate and are the usual reason people give up on their exploration of chemistry. The remedy is to find those words or symbols and get a good explanation or definition for them. When looking up the meaning of words, it’s better to try to find the origin of the word and try to understand the words in a funny manner.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">The second pitfall is learning without having enough reality on the subject. This means the student only have an abstract or vague familiarity with the subject. The initial reaction to a misunderstood word or symbol is that the mind goes blank. This is my own experience. Have you ever been reading a book and got to the bottom of the page and realized you don’t remember a word you just read? I have witnessed students reading a paragraph out loud, and when they came to a misunderstood word, they skipped right over it and didn't even realize that they had skipped it. Their mind just went blank when they saw it. If that happens to you when studying chemistry, back up and find the misunderstood word or symbol. Perhaps it will work.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "Verdana",sans-serif;">The third pitfall is "jumping in over your head;" in other words, you move too fast by tackling difficult tasks without first mastering the simpler tasks. The symptoms may be feeling irritated, impatient and distracted. This is also the sequential cause of misunderstood words and/or misunderstood symbols. Once the mind disconnects from the subject matter due to misunderstood words, students find themselves growing more impatient, irritated, or distracted. Even little things annoy them. If this happens, go back and find the misunderstood words and learn their meanings. Furthermore, try to learn interesting facts about chemistry. They create interest in the subject matter. Do you know, lightning strikes produce O3, which is ozone, and strengthen the ozone layer of the atmosphere? Although oxygen gas is colorless, the liquid and solid forms of oxygen are blue. The human body contains enough carbon to provide 'lead' (which is really graphite) for about 9,000 pencils. One bucket full of water contains more atoms than there are bucket full of water in the Pacific Ocean. Is it amazing? Catch up chemistry you will feel amazed every day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: 0.5in;">
</div>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<br /></div>
</div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-85269485462245360822014-11-01T17:41:00.000-07:002014-11-01T17:44:37.713-07:00Garlic: Chemistry behind Antibiotic Nature and Uses<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VBsziDtaR6A4LknLo6P9-wTlRpA6VMb-UrBPKoRlaV5WJZ0rzTWxdOw5wajVZmp_QBH-K1yBA1weqWd1jBZN1SZP3_4lzZ6zRwb5xpT1Ngtx6MQ_e464F3eluqapD1Jm1YqH3g6kr6rS/s1600/Garlic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8VBsziDtaR6A4LknLo6P9-wTlRpA6VMb-UrBPKoRlaV5WJZ0rzTWxdOw5wajVZmp_QBH-K1yBA1weqWd1jBZN1SZP3_4lzZ6zRwb5xpT1Ngtx6MQ_e464F3eluqapD1Jm1YqH3g6kr6rS/s1600/Garlic.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a>Garlic is extensively used in the kitchen world-wide. It
is an herb. Now-a-days the price of garlic is sky-rocketing not only in South
Asia but as a whole in this world. When I was in my college life, I used to
wonder why this bad smelling stuff has high price in comparison to other
vegetables. Later, I found that it was a natural antibiotic! Amazingly, garlic
can kill the antibiotic resistant Staphylococus <i>aureus</i> and Salmonella <i>enteritidis</i>
too. Here, I have posted the chemistry behind its antibiotic property and its medicinal uses.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Research has identified
four major chemical compounds in garlic viz. diallyl disulfide, allyl methyl
sulfide, allyl mercaptan, and allyl methyl disulfide</span>. Sulfur-containing
compounds are involved in the antibacterial properties of garlic. Researchers
tested these compounds on a type of bacteria found in animal faeces (E.<i>coli</i>), one of the most common bacterial
causes of gastroenteritis, and found that the anti-microbial activity of the
compounds increased with the number of sulfur atoms present; diallyl trisulfide
being the most effective, followed by diallyl disulfide, then diallyl
sulfide. These compounds are effective as they can penetrate the cell membranes
of bacteria cells, and cause changes in structure in thiol (-SH) containing
enzymes and proteins, injuring the cell. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0in; tab-stops: 209.25pt;">
Garlic is best known as a flavoring for food. Some
scientists have suggested that it might have a role as a food additive to
prevent<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e800b9d8d" crosslinkid="62" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e800b9d8d" href="http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/food-poisoning/default.htm" keywordid="7440" keywordsetid="1225" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">food poisoning</span></a>. But over
the years, garlic has been used as a medicine to prevent or treat a wide range
of diseases and conditions. Garlic is used for many conditions related to the
heart and blood system. These conditions include<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e800232f5" crosslinkid="536" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e800232f5" href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/default.htm" keywordid="36407" keywordsetid="8998" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">high blood pressure</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80022f64" crosslinkid="192" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80022f64" href="http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/default.htm" keywordid="33045" keywordsetid="988" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">high cholesterol</span></a>, coronary<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e8002337e" crosslinkid="503" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8002337e" href="http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/default.htm" keywordid="7534" keywordsetid="1302" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">heart disease</span></a>, <a href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-300-garlic.aspx?activeingredientid=300&activeingredientname=garlic"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">heart attack</span></a>,
and “hardening of the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e809d6a7d" crosslinkid="1551808" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e809d6a7d" href="http://www.webmd.com/heart/picture-of-the-arteries" keywordid="70854" keywordsetid="31982" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">arteries</span></a>” (<a chronic_id="091e9c5e8012c561" crosslinkid="31736" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8012c561" href="http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/what-is-atherosclerosis" keywordid="42050" keywordsetid="10170" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">artherosclerosis</span></a>).
Some of these uses are supported by science. Garlic actually may be effective
in slowing the development of atherosclerosis and seems to be able to modestly
reduce<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80008fa5" crosslinkid="29789" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80008fa5" href="http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/blood-pressure-causes" keywordid="31615" keywordsetid="8191" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">blood
pressure</span></a>. Some people use garlic to prevent<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80023286" crosslinkid="56" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80023286" href="http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/default.htm" keywordid="33418" keywordsetid="8461" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">colon cancer</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80023286" crosslinkid="56" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80023286" href="http://www.webmd.com/colorectal-cancer/default.htm" keywordid="33425" keywordsetid="1018" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">rectal cancer</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e8000789d" crosslinkid="30488" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8000789d" href="http://www.webmd.com/cancer/understanding-stomach-cancer-basics" keywordid="40159" keywordsetid="9817" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">stomach
cancer</span></a>, <a href="http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">breast cancer</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e800247ea" crosslinkid="118" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e800247ea" href="http://www.webmd.com/prostate-cancer/default.htm" keywordid="8151" keywordsetid="1758" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">prostate cancer</span></a>, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e800234a0" crosslinkid="448" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e800234a0" href="http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/default.htm" keywordid="7801" keywordsetid="1497" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">lung cancer</span></a>. It is also
used to treat prostate cancer and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="" crosslinkid="31184" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="23D3E2E1CBA54A00" href="http://www.webmd.com/cancer/tc/Bladder-Cancer-Topic-Overview" keywordid="6971" keywordsetid="886" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">bladder cancer</span></a>.</div>
<div style="background: white; margin-bottom: 12.0pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<br />
Garlic has been tried for treating an<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="" crosslinkid="31175" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="CA06A4CA11394A56" href="http://men.webmd.com/tc/Benign-Prostatic-Hyperplasia-BPH-Topic-Overview" keywordid="7351" keywordsetid="1161" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">enlarged prostate</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(<a chronic_id="" crosslinkid="31175" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="CA06A4CA11394A56" href="http://men.webmd.com/tc/Benign-Prostatic-Hyperplasia-BPH-Topic-Overview" keywordid="31486" keywordsetid="8168" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">benign prostatic hyperplasia</span></a>;
BPH),<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80024621" crosslinkid="520" crosslinktype="" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80024621" href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-300-garlic.aspx?activeingredientid=300&activeingredientname=garlic" keywordid="7249" keywordsetid="1086" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">diabetes</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80024802" crosslinkid="465" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80024802" href="http://www.webmd.com/osteoarthritis/default.htm" keywordid="8006" keywordsetid="1656" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">osteoarthritis</span></a>, hay fever
(allergic rhinitis), traveler's<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80007ea0" crosslinkid="5461" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80007ea0" href="http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/digestive-diseases-diarrhea" keywordid="7253" keywordsetid="1090" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">diarrhea</span></a>, high blood
pressure late in<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80c2b07d" crosslinkid="507" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80c2b07d" href="http://www.webmd.com/baby/default.htm" keywordid="8123" keywordsetid="1742" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">pregnancy</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>(pre-eclampsia),<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80022f49" crosslinkid="521" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80022f49" href="http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/default.htm" keywordid="7139" keywordsetid="1012" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">cold and flu</span></a>. It is also
used for building the immune system, preventing<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e8001e701" crosslinkid="43735" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8001e701" href="http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/tc/tick-bites-topic-overview" keywordid="8432" keywordsetid="1972" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">tick bites</span></a>, and preventing
and treating bacterial and fungal infections.<br />
<br />
Other uses include treatment of fever, coughs,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e8002394a" crosslinkid="189" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8002394a" href="http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/default.htm" keywordid="7521" keywordsetid="1291" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">headache</span></a>, stomach ache,
sinus congestion, gout, rheumatism,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e8001e324" crosslinkid="51571" crosslinktype="" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8001e324" href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-300-garlic.aspx?activeingredientid=300&activeingredientname=garlic" keywordid="7551" keywordsetid="1317" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">hemorrhoids</span></a>, asthma,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e80009206" crosslinkid="5708" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e80009206" href="http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/understanding-bronchitis-basics" keywordid="7020" keywordsetid="925" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">bronchitis</span></a>, shortness of
breath ,<a chronic_id="091e9c5e8000842e" crosslinkid="29854" crosslinktype="Article" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8000842e" href="http://www.webmd.com/heart/understanding-low-blood-pressure-basics" keywordid="37648" keywordsetid="9238" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">low blood
pressure</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e8001ae7c" crosslinkid="43516" crosslinktype="" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8001ae7c" href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-300-garlic.aspx?activeingredientid=300&activeingredientname=garlic" keywordid="37649" keywordsetid="9239" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">low blood
sugar</span></a>, high blood sugar, and snakebites. It is also used for
fighting stress and fatigue, and maintaining healthy liver function.<br />
<br />
Some people apply garlic oil to their skin to treat fungal infections, warts,
and corns. There is some evidence supporting the topical use of garlic for
fungal infections like <a href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-300-garlic.aspx?activeingredientid=300&activeingredientname=garlic"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">ring</span><span style="color: windowtext;"> </span><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">worm</span></a>,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a chronic_id="091e9c5e8001d0c8" crosslinkid="47501" crosslinktype="" directive="friendlyurl" externalid="091e9c5e8001d0c8" href="http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-300-garlic.aspx?activeingredientid=300&activeingredientname=garlic" keywordid="7682" keywordsetid="1410" object_type="wbmd_pb_page" style="outline: 0px;"><span style="color: windowtext; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">jock itch</span></a>, and athlete’s
foot; but the effectiveness of garlic against warts and corns is still
uncertain.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sources: WHO, WebMed</span></div>
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-9635554641888431552014-10-19T13:52:00.000-07:002014-10-19T13:57:11.469-07:00Microwave Ovens & Public Health<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;">Microwave ovens are tremendously used in the kitchen. Though, its use in urban area of Nepal is relatively low due to the uneven schedule of load shedding. Many people have misconceptions that the food cooked with microwaves are as hazardous as the radio active elements. But actually it is not so. Food cooked with microwave ovens are safer to eat,</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">condition is that proper handling of the oven and food is must</span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">.</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<h4 class="section_head2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-weight: normal; line-height: 18px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLROu2-gTmp5SudTHoH0xuElcA95ta1sss3SKfPR0zl6VGMqProrYp06lw227ELwfsVcLjaERx5i7ku_Anxdav33hD1_VNkZx6_3MJihY_Hi9FSMcBljgV5HgGaWKdmQZ7j3YT9PS3es9/s1600/microwave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLROu2-gTmp5SudTHoH0xuElcA95ta1sss3SKfPR0zl6VGMqProrYp06lw227ELwfsVcLjaERx5i7ku_Anxdav33hD1_VNkZx6_3MJihY_Hi9FSMcBljgV5HgGaWKdmQZ7j3YT9PS3es9/s1600/microwave.jpg" /></a></div>
Fig: Microwave oven</span></span></h4>
<h4 class="section_head2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
</h4>
<h4 class="section_head2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
WHAT ARE MICROWAVES?</h4>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Microwaves are high frequency radio waves (radiofrequency fields) and, like visible radiation (light), are part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Microwaves are used primarily for TV broadcasting, radar for air and sea navigational aids, and telecommunications including mobile phones. They are also used in industry for processing materials, in medicine for diathermy treatment and in kitchens for cooking food.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Microwaves are reflected, transmitted or absorbed by materials in their path, in a similar manner to light. Metallic materials totally reflect microwaves while non-metallic materials such as glass and some plastics are mostly transparent to microwaves.<br /><br />Materials containing water, for example foods, fluids or tissues, readily absorb microwave energy, which is then converted into heat. This Information Sheet discusses the operation and safety aspects of microwave ovens used in the home. More details about the nature of electromagnetic fields and health effects of radiofrequency and microwave fields are available in WHO Fact Sheets 182 and 183.</span></div>
<h4 class="section_head2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
ARE MICROWAVE OVENS SAFE?</h4>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">When used according to manufacturers' instructions, microwave ovens are safe and convenient for heating and cooking a variety of foods. However, several precautions need to be taken, specifically with regards to potential exposure to microwaves, thermal burns and food handling.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><b>Microwave safety:</b> The design of microwave ovens ensures that the microwaves are contained within the oven and can only be present when the oven is switched on and the door is shut. Leakage around and through the glass door is limited by design to a level well below that recommended by international standards. However, microwave leakage could still occur around damaged, dirty or modified microwave ovens. It is therefore important that the oven is maintained in good condition. Users should check that the door closes properly and that the safety interlock devices, fitted to the door to prevent microwaves from being generated while it is open, work correctly. The door seals should be kept clean and there should be no visible signs of damage to the seals or the outer casing of the oven. If any faults are found or parts of the oven are damaged, it should not be used until it has been repaired by an appropriately qualified service engineer.<br /><br />Microwave energy can be absorbed by the body and produce heat in exposed tissues. Organs with a poor blood supply and temperature control, such as the eye, or temperature-sensitive tissue like the testes, have a higher risk of heat damage. However, thermal damage would only occur from long exposures to very high power levels, well in excess of those measured around microwave ovens.<br /><br /><b>Thermal safety</b>: Burn injuries can result from handling hot items heated in a microwave oven, in the same way as items heated using conventional ovens or cooking surfaces. However, heating food in a microwave oven presents some peculiarities. Boiling water on a conventional stove allows steam to escape through bubbling action as the water begins to boil. In a microwave oven there may be no bubbles on the walls of the container and the water will super-heat and may suddenly boil. This sudden boiling may be triggered by a single bubble in the liquid or by the introduction of a foreign element such as a spoon. People have been severely burned by super-heated water.<br /><br />Another peculiarity of microwave cooking relates to the thermal response of specific foods. Certain items with non-porous surfaces (e.g. hotdogs) or composed of materials that heat at different rates (e.g. yolk and white of eggs) heat unevenly and may explode. This can happen if eggs or chestnuts are cooked in their shells.<br /><br /><b>Food safety</b>: Food safety is an important health issue. In a microwave oven, the rate of heating depends on the power rating of the oven and on the water content, density and amount of food being heated. Microwave energy does not penetrate well in thicker pieces of food, and may produce uneven cooking. This can lead to a health risk if parts of the food are not heated sufficiently to kill potentially dangerous micro-organisms. Because of the potential for uneven distribution of cooking, food heated in a microwave oven should rest for several minutes after cooking is completed to allow the heat to distribute throughout the food.<br /><br />Food cooked in a microwave oven is as safe, and has the same nutrient value, as food cooked in a conventional oven. The main difference between these two methods of cooking is that microwave energy penetrates deeper into the food and reduces the time for heat to be conducted throughout the food, thus reducing the overall cooking time.<br /><br />Only certain microwave ovens are designed to sterilize items (for example baby’s milk bottles). The user should follow the manufacturer's instructions for this type of application.<br /><br /><b>Misconceptions:</b> To dispel some misconceptions, it is important to realize that food cooked in a microwave oven does not become "radioactive". Nor does any microwave energy remain in the cavity or the food after the microwave oven is switched off. In this respect, microwaves act just like light; when the light bulb is turned off, no light remains.</span></div>
<h4 class="section_head2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
HOW DO MICROWAVE OVENS WORK?</h4>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Domestic microwave ovens operate at a frequency of 2450 MHz with a power usually ranging from 500 to 1100 watts. Microwaves are produced by an electronic tube called a magnetron. Once the oven is switched on, the microwaves are dispersed in the oven cavity and reflected by a stirrer fan so the microwaves are propagated in all directions. They are reflected by the metal sides of the oven cavity and absorbed by the food. Uniformity of heating in the food is usually assisted by having the food on a rotating turntable in the oven. Water molecules vibrate when they absorb microwave energy, and the friction between the molecules results in heating which cooks the food.<br /><br />Unlike conventional ovens, microwaves are absorbed only in the food and not in the surrounding oven cavity. Only dishes and containers specifically designed for microwave cooking should be used. Certain materials, such as plastics not suitable for microwave oven, may melt or burst into flames if overheated. Microwaves do not directly heat food containers which are designed for microwave cooking. These materials usually get warm only from being in contact with the hot food.<br /><br />Oven manufacturers do not recommend operating an empty oven. In the absence of food, the microwave energy can reflect back into the magnetron and may damage it.<br /><br />Microwave oven users should carefully read and comply with the manufacturer’s instructions because new ovens vary widely in design and performance. While most modern ovens can tolerate some food packaging made of metal, oven manufacturers generally recommend not placing metal in the oven, particularly not close to the walls, as this could cause electrical arcing and damage the oven walls. Also, because metal reflects microwaves, food wrapped in metal foil will not be cooked, while food not in metal wrap may receive more energy than intended, causing uneven cooking.</span></div>
<h4 class="section_head2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS</h4>
<div style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #333333; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 18px; margin-left: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Several countries, as well as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), the International Committee on Electromagnetic Safety (ICES) of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization (CENELEC), have set a product emission limit of 50 watts per square metre (W/m2) at any point 5 cm away from the external surfaces of the oven. In practice, emissions from modern domestic microwave ovens are substantially below this international limit, and have interlocks that prevent people being exposed to microwaves while the oven is on. Moreover, exposure decreases rapidly with distance; e.g. a person 50 cm from the oven receives about one one-hundredth of the microwave exposure of a person 5 cm away.<br /><br />These product emission limits are defined for the purpose of compliance testing, not specifically exposure protection. The International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) has published guidelines on exposure limits for the whole EMF part of the spectrum. Exposure guidelines in the microwave range are set at a level that prevents any known adverse health effect. Exposure limits for workers and for the general public are set well below levels where any hazardous heating occurs from microwave exposure. The emission limit for microwave ovens mentioned above is consistent with the exposure limits recommended by ICNIRP.</span></div>
<h4 class="section_head2" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 6px 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: magenta;">Source: WHO</span></h4>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-56188317970397472792014-05-27T00:57:00.000-07:002014-05-27T00:57:00.295-07:00Nepal Chemical Society (NCS) aims to organize Conference on Advanced Materals and Nanotechnology<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<b>Nepal Chemical Society (NCS)</b>, an association of all Chemistry Professionals of Nepal is going to organize an "International Conference on Materials and Nano-Technology" on <b>4-6 November 2014 in Kathmandu, Nepal</b>. NCS organizes different programs in certain intervals of time. <span>The society is dedicated to contribute for the overall progress and
prosperity of nation by promoting the research activities and
capabilities as well as the quality chemical education of the country. According to NSC executive member Ram Chandra Kandel, the conference is the continuation of International Conference on Advanced Materials and Nano- Technology (ICAMN) for Sustainable Development, 2011.</span><br />
<span><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNSV6timlSqnp4Wkb4m3zZxHy9Il1EqzmVzQOpd7OjvbSfX921e9S-9riYvwBQLo4xW7CC_0D-zBt605quHjufkyQ2oJ7JNOjWUkF0uLbL12HBxUOuXoszKVlVEaxLmLoQy7uOK6h_7oJ/s1600/NCS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLNSV6timlSqnp4Wkb4m3zZxHy9Il1EqzmVzQOpd7OjvbSfX921e9S-9riYvwBQLo4xW7CC_0D-zBt605quHjufkyQ2oJ7JNOjWUkF0uLbL12HBxUOuXoszKVlVEaxLmLoQy7uOK6h_7oJ/s1600/NCS.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
Current president of NCS is Dr. Deba Bahadur Khadka. He had been elected as president along with 11 executive members by more than thousands of members recently. <br />
<br />Any query about the conference can be directed to the President of NCS. He can be contacted directly at: <i>khadkadeba@yahoo.com.</i> </div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-2706230489386162692014-05-11T04:16:00.000-07:002014-05-11T04:16:06.448-07:00How Sugar is produced from Sugarcane?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>TH</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:ApplyBreakingRules/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Most of we in our childhood might have wondered
about the production of sugar from sugarcane. Moreover than production we
wonder how fine crystals might have formed. Sugar (chemically sucrose) is
produced mainly from sugarcane. Beside sugarcane, sugar beats and other
chemical synthesis can be utilized for the manufacture.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxtqv0BOfXciyUf0vQRwc05Nt3ukN5AlkwS_jQ63kCLKiuI7X4SaQojfb3yKp19TzrsvEpk50joTADTFOE2gzDYg9DO0tjARcIriOMuFbZ4YqyoRnEVIg2MaYw48lUYlZl3rJY2PGw_Fy/s1600/Sugarcane.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxxtqv0BOfXciyUf0vQRwc05Nt3ukN5AlkwS_jQ63kCLKiuI7X4SaQojfb3yKp19TzrsvEpk50joTADTFOE2gzDYg9DO0tjARcIriOMuFbZ4YqyoRnEVIg2MaYw48lUYlZl3rJY2PGw_Fy/s1600/Sugarcane.jpeg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig: Sugarcane</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">Sugarcane is traditionally refined into sugar in two stages. In the
first stage, raw sugar is produced by the milling of freshly harvested sugarcane.
In a sugar mill, sugarcane is washed, chopped, and shredded (tear into narrow
pieces) by revolving knives. The shredded cane is mixed with water and crushed.
The juices (containing 10-15 percent </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sucrose" title="Sucrose"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">sucrose</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">) are
collected and mixed with </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lime_%28mineral%29" title="Lime (mineral)"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">lime</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> to adjust </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH" title="PH"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">pH</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> to 7, prevent decay into </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucose" title="Glucose"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">glucose</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> and </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fructose" title="Fructose"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">fructose</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">, and
precipitate impurities. The lime and other suspended solids are settled out,
and the clarified juice is concentrated in a </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multiple-effect_evaporator" title="Multiple-effect evaporator"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">multiple-effect evaporator</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> to make a syrup with about 60 weight
percent sucrose. </span></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">What is multiple-effect evaporator?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">A multiple-effect evaporator, invented by American Engineer Norbert
Rillieux, is an apparatus for efficiently using the heat from </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam" title="Steam"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">steam</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> to evaporate water. In a
multiple-effect evaporator, water is boiled in a sequence of vessels, each held
at a lower pressure than the last. Because the boiling temperature of water
decreases as pressure decreases, the vapor boiled off in one vessel can be used
to heat the next, and only the first vessel (at the highest pressure) requires
an external source of heat. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">The syrup is further concentrated under </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vacuum" title="Vacuum"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">vacuum</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> until it becomes </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supersaturation" title="Supersaturation"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">supersaturated</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">,
and then seeded with </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystalline" title="Crystalline"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">crystalline</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> sugar. Upon cooling, sugar crystallizes out of the
syrup. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifuge" title="Centrifuge"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Centrifuging</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"> then separates the sugar from the remaining liquid
(molasses). Raw sugar has a yellow to brown color. Sometimes sugar is consumed
locally at this stage, but usually undergoes further purification. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sulfur_dioxide" title="Sulfur dioxide"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">Sulfur dioxide</span></a><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;">
is bubbled through the cane juice subsequent to crystallization in a process,
known as "sulfitation". This process inhibits color forming reactions
and stabilizes the sugar juices to produce “mill white” or “plantation white”
sugar.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; mso-themecolor: text1;">The fibrous solids, called <i>bagasse</i>, remaining after the crushing
of the shredded sugarcane, are burned for fuel, which helps a sugar mill to
become self-sufficient in energy. Any excess bagasse can be used for animal
feed, to produce paper, or burned to generate electricity for the local power
grid.</span><br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>TH</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:ApplyBreakingRules/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-outline-level: 4;">
<b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-themecolor: text1;"><br /></span></i></b><b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="color: black; mso-themecolor: text1;"></span></span></i></b></div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLGs71_n_wg4QISbzDmJNh6NPgjcUDNdVRtdgzxZQf1rhc-P-siTIaBFTmt-9-v7HzgtiQNmuThEpbEBsILY_BcJZUqAIdJy9JkXuuHO9c9Zbh15a9CaBZoi3mIBcDjbe0wLWbFAlBCAy/s1600/Sugar.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLGs71_n_wg4QISbzDmJNh6NPgjcUDNdVRtdgzxZQf1rhc-P-siTIaBFTmt-9-v7HzgtiQNmuThEpbEBsILY_BcJZUqAIdJy9JkXuuHO9c9Zbh15a9CaBZoi3mIBcDjbe0wLWbFAlBCAy/s1600/Sugar.jpeg" height="304" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fig: Flow chart of refining of Sugar from Sugarcane (source: www.wikipedia.org)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6263643245881088494.post-51665895376887341792014-04-30T01:04:00.000-07:002014-04-30T01:04:03.857-07:00Powdered Alcohol made available soon in Nepal<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>TH</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:ApplyBreakingRules/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]-->
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">As
we know, human beings have been enjoying alcohol for thousands of years in a
variety of forms, but one aspect has always remained constant: it was liquid.
Inventor Mark Phillips has created a product that could revolutionize what we
think about cocktails and gives a whole new meaning to ‘dry martini’: powdered
alcohol. The product is commonly known as Palcohol. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To
turn Palcohol into your favorite adult beverage, you just add the powdered
alcohol (which comes in a package sort of like a sugar packet) to five ounces
of water. It currently comes in six varieties: rum, vodka, cosmopolitan,
mojito, margarita, and lemon drop. Swapping out the water for a different mixer
(such as soda or juice) can personalize the drink to suit an individual’s taste
preference. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Many
are excited because Palcohol could be discretely brought in to places where
liquor is not available or exorbitantly priced, such as sporting events,
concerts, movie theaters, airplanes, cruise ships, and the like. However, it is
for this precise reason that many are opposing its availability. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Palcohol is already available in the USA and it is estimated that the same
product can be made available in Nepal within a year. According to the source
the importer should take an approval from Ministry of Health, Nepal. The cost
of the product will be cheaper as compared to the liquor because of the
reduction cost in packing and delivery. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 9.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Tahoma; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Source:
www.ifscience.com </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Table Normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:14.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]--><div id="r1PostCPBlock" style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; left: -99999px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
Humans
have been enjoying alcohol for thousands of years in a variety of
forms, but one aspect has always remained constant: it was liquid.
Inventor Mark Phillips has created a product that could revolutionize
what we think about cocktails and gives a whole new meaning to ‘dry
martini’: powdered alcohol. <strike>The product, called <a href="http://www.palcohol.com/home.html">Palcohol</a>, has just <a href="http://www.bevlaw.com/bevlog/alcohol-beverages-generally/powdered-alcohol">gained approval</a> from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)</strike>. (See update at the bottom)<br />
To turn Palcohol into your favorite adult beverage, you just add the
powdered alcohol (which comes in a package sort of like a sugar packet)
to five ounces of water. It currently comes in six varieties: rum,
vodka, cosmopolitan, mojito, margarita, and lemon drop. Swapping out the
water for a different mixer (such as soda or juice) can personalize the
drink to suit an individual’s taste preference.<br />
Many are excited because Palcohol could be discretely brought in to
places where liquor is not available or exorbitantly priced, such as
sporting events, concerts, movie theaters, airplanes, cruise ships, and
the like. However, it is for this precise reason that many are opposing
its availability.<br />
One of the first questions to be brought up regarding the product was
if it could be snorted. The short answer is yes, but it’s a terrible
idea. The <a href="http://www.palcohol.com/home.html">Palcohol website</a>
says this about snorting: “We have seen comments about goofballs
wanting to snort it. Don't do it! It is not a responsible or smart way
to use the product. To take precautions against this action, we've added
volume to the powder so it would take more than a half of a cup of
powder to get the equivalent of one drink up your nose. You would feel a
lot of pain for very little gain. Just use it the right way.”<br />
Despite approval from the TTB, there are many obstacles Palcohol
faces before it shows up on store shelves, as each state must also
approve the sale of powdered alcohol. Even if it is perfectly legal,
retailers and wholesalers will also need to support its sale. It is
almost certain that those who oppose it will be putting considerable
pressure on them to oppose it, so there’s no telling how everything will
play out. Despite the legal uncertainty, the minds behind Palcohol are
still planning for a fall availability. There are no current predictions
on how much the product will cost.<br />
<br /><span>Read more at <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/powdered-alcohol-coming-us#TSsXcgowdFXxt2Q2.99" style="color: #003399;">http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/powdered-alcohol-coming-us#TSsXcgowdFXxt2Q2.99</a></span><div id="r1PostCPBlock" style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; left: -99999px; overflow: hidden; position: absolute; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
Humans
have been enjoying alcohol for thousands of years in a variety of
forms, but one aspect has always remained constant: it was liquid.
Inventor Mark Phillips has created a product that could revolutionize
what we think about cocktails and gives a whole new meaning to ‘dry
martini’: powdered alcohol. <strike>The product, called <a href="http://www.palcohol.com/home.html">Palcohol</a>, has just <a href="http://www.bevlaw.com/bevlog/alcohol-beverages-generally/powdered-alcohol">gained approval</a> from the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)</strike>. (See update at the bottom)<br />
To turn Palcohol into your favorite adult beverage, you just add the
powdered alcohol (which comes in a package sort of like a sugar packet)
to five ounces of water. It currently comes in six varieties: rum,
vodka, cosmopolitan, mojito, margarita, and lemon drop. Swapping out the
water for a different mixer (such as soda or juice) can personalize the
drink to suit an individual’s taste preference.<br />
Many are excited because Palcohol could be discretely brought in to
places where liquor is not available or exorbitantly priced, such as
sporting events, concerts, movie theaters, airplanes, cruise ships, and
the like. However, it is for this precise reason that many are opposing
its availability.<br />
One of the first questions to be brought up regarding the product was
if it could be snorted. The short answer is yes, but it’s a terrible
idea. The <a href="http://www.palcohol.com/home.html">Palcohol website</a>
says this about snorting: “We have seen comments about goofballs
wanting to snort it. Don't do it! It is not a responsible or smart way
to use the product. To take precautions against this action, we've added
volume to the powder so it would take more than a half of a cup of
powder to get the equivalent of one drink up your nose. You would feel a
lot of pain for very little gain. Just use it the right way.”<br />
Despite approval from the TTB, there are many obstacles Palcohol
faces before it shows up on store shelves, as each state must also
approve the sale of powdered alcohol. Even if it is perfectly legal,
retailers and wholesalers will also need to support its sale. It is
almost certain that those who oppose it will be putting considerable
pressure on them to oppose it, so there’s no telling how everything will
play out. Despite the legal uncertainty, the minds behind Palcohol are
still planning for a fall availability. There are no current predictions
on how much the product will cost.<br />
<br /><span>Read more at <a href="http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/powdered-alcohol-coming-us#TSsXcgowdFXxt2Q2.99" style="color: #003399;">http://www.iflscience.com/chemistry/powdered-alcohol-coming-us#TSsXcgowdFXxt2Q2.99</a></span></div>
</div>
</div>
SK Sharmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05829222619552443310noreply@blogger.com6