China to India handle differences properly

Pending a mutually acceptable solution of the border row, china suggested India to “properly handle frictions and questions thereof” by maintaining the momentum of high-level exchanges, strengthening economic and defence cooperation, and by coordinating their positions on global issues such as economic crisis, climate change, energy and food security.

This was a recurrent theme of the two-day talks, between Chinese state councilor Dai bingguo and national security adviser concluded here over the weekend. Mr.Dai, who conveyed the greetings of Chinese president Hu Jintao and also handed over a written message of greeting from premier Wen Jiabao to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, said china took a positive view of India’s development and progress, and also supported a bigger role for India in international affairs. He iterated china’s commitment to consolidate the strategic and cooperative partnership, established in 2005, in all fields in a comprehensive way.

A Xinhua report cited Mr.Dai as also saying that in the next several years, china and India would have “a rare time period of opportunity” to solve their boundary issue. China experts such as Mohan Guruswamy from the centre for policy alternatives, Srikanth Kondapalli of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Phunchok Stobdan from the institute for Defence studies and analyses did not anticipate anything different emerging from the 13thround of the border talks, but so did a section of the Chinese media.

A China Daily report said the latest round of talks was hardly expected to make substantive progress. It quoted Fu Xiaoqiang, a scholar on south Asia at china institute of contemporary international relations, as saying that the border issue was complicated and the talks would at best serve to improve understanding between people of the two countries.

Further, china maintained that both sides should Endeavour to build “strategic mutual trust” to pave the way for resolution of “the questions left over from history”

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In –house explosives production unit at NLC

The Neyveli Lignite Corporation has set up a fully automated Rs.23-crore plant for the production of explosives. The facility was inaugurated by A.R.Ansari, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, on the NLC premises on Sunday.

So far, NLC was sourcing its explosives requirements from other States as well as from Tamil Nadu. However, with the commissioning of the “site mixed emulsion plant” the NLC could meet its requirements from in-house production.

A statement from the NLC stated that plant set up by the Premier Explosive Ltd. (PEL) could produce 2.5 tonnes of chemical mixtures an hour.

After the mixture was put in the blast holes another substance would be added to infuse the explosive characteristics.

The substance would explode after certain time period. Hence, stocking and transportation of the material would be quite safe. Unlike in the conventional system the blast induced under the controlled environment would be quite muted and area-specific and hence, it would release optimum energy without causing ecological damage.

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Water and the Atmosphere

Water exists on the earth in all three states: (1) as a liquid when the temperature is generally above the freezing point of 0 C (32F), (2) as a solid in the form of ice, snow, or hail when the temperature is generally below the freezing point, and (3) as the invisible, molecular form of water in the gaseous state, which is called water vapor.

Over 98 percent of all the water on the earth exists in the liquid state, mostly in the ocean, and only a small, variable amount of water vapor is in the atmosphere at any given time. Since so much water seems to falls as rain or snow at times, it may be a surprise that the overall atmosphere really does not contain very much water vapor. If the average amount of water vapor in the earth’s atmosphere were condensed to liquid form, the vapor and all the droplets present in clouds would form a uniform layer around the earth only 3 cm (about 1 in) thick. Nonetheless, it is this small amount of water vapor that is eventually responsible for (1) contributing to the greenhouse effect, which helps make the earth a warmer planet, (2) serving as one of the principal agents in the weathering and erosion of the land, which creates soils and sculptures the landscape, and (3) maintains life, for almost all plants and animals cannot survive without water. If is the ongoing cycling of water vapor into and out of the atmosphere that makes all this possible. Understanding this cycling possible. Understanding this cycling process and the energy exchanges involved is also closely related to understanding the earth’s weather patterns.

Water tends to undergo a liquid–to-gas or a gas-to-liquid phase change at any temperature. The temperature of liquid water and the temperature of water vapor are associated with the average kinetic energy of the water molecules. The word average implies that some of the molecules have a greater kinetic energy and some have less. If a molecule of water that has an exceptionally high kinetic energy is near the surface, and is headed in the right direction, it may overcome the attractive forces of the other water molecules and escape the liquid to become a gas. This is the process of evaporation. A supply of energy must be present to maintain the process of evaporation, and the water robs this energy from the surroundings. This explains why water at a higher temperature evaporates more rapidly than water at a lower temperature. More energy is a available at higher temperatures to maintain the process at a faster rate.

Water molecules that evaporate move about in all directions and some will strike the liquid surface. The same forces that it escaped from earlier now capture the molecule, returning it to the liquid state. This is called the process of condensation. Condensation is the opposite of evaporation. In evaporation, more molecules are leaving the liquid state than are returning. In condensation, more molecules are returning to the liquid state than are leaving. This is a dynamic, ongoing process with molecules leaving and returning continuously. If the air were perfectly dry and still, more molecules would leave (evaporate) the liquid state than would return (condense). Eventually, however, an equilibrium would be reached with as many molecules returning to the liquid state per unit of time as are leaving. An equilibrium condition between evaporation and condensation occurs in saturated as long as (1) the temperature remains constant and (2) the processes of evaporation and condensation remain balanced. Temperature influences the equilibrium condition of saturated air because increases or deceases in the temperature mean increases or decreases in the kinetic energy of water vapor molecules. Water vapor molecules. Water vapor molecules usually undergo condensation when attractive forces between the molecules can pull them together into the liquid state. Lower temperature means lower kinetic energies, and slow-moving water vapor molecules spend more time close to one another and close to the surface of liquid water. Spending more time close together means an increased likelihood of attractive forces pulling the molecules together. On the other hand, higher temperature means higher kinetic energies, and molecules with higher kinetic energy are less likely to be pulled together. As the temperature increases, there is therefore less tendency for water molecules to return to the liquid state. If the temperature is increased in an equilibrium condition, more water vapor must be added to the air to maintain the saturated condition. Warm air can therefore hold more water vapor than cooler air. In fact, warm air on a typical summer day can hold five times as much water vapor as cold air on a cold winter day.

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To reduce bad cholesterol and triglycerides

Triglycerides and cholesterol, major fat sources, are required by the body for energy and for strengthening cells respectively. But when both remain at high levels for long periods, they could cause heart disease. Fortunately, both can be reduced by a common lifestyle programme.

The rice-fruit diet. If. Your triglyceride levels are over 500 mg/dl, please go on a steamed rice-fresh fruit diet. It reduces fats in the blood within 3-7 days. After that, opt for a long-term plan.

Reduce fats and sweets: Don’t have more than 2 teaspoons of oil (ricebran or olive oil preferred over others) daily. Avoid fries, pickles, papads, sugar, chocolates, cookies, sweetmeats. If there is an improvement after a month, make this a lifelong habit. If not, cut down further.

Eat healthy: Have carbs-potatoes, rice, wheat, corn, oats and pulses. Pulses lower cholesterol; carbs give energy. Include fruits and vegetable-carrots, cabbage, broccoli, onions, garlic, grapefruit, apple and orange lower cholesterol. Fish or omega-3 capsules lower triglycerides. Two Spirulina tablets taken after every meal reduce LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. Have eggs without yolks (one yolk contains 275-300 mg of cholesterol).

Watch your beverages: Knock out alcohol totally- it’s bad for triglycerides. Replace high-fat milk to lower cholesterol levels.

Walk for great health: Walking briskly 45-60 minutes daily raises good cholesterol (HDL) and lowers bad cholesterol (LDL) as also triglycerides. During monsoons, jog 0on the spot at home at 80 steps per minute for 20 minutes. As exercise speeds up metabolism, the fats cannot linger in the blood and, hence, cannot deposit themselves on the artery walls. Interestingly, it has been found that even if there is no weight-loss, triglyceride levels drop after exercising.So, my friend, walk to a beautiful healthy life!

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Earthquake

Earthquakes are shaking ground caused most often by sudden movements along cracks in the earth called faults. Some major faults acting for millions of years have offset rock layers by hundreds of Kilometers. Sedimentary rock layers originally are continuous, horizontal, and in superpositional order (oldest on bottom, youngest on top); however, fault movements cut rocks into discontinuous masses, and in places, fault deformation has tilted rock layers and even overturned the superpositional sequence. Geologists measure the 3-D orientation of rock layers via dip (angle and direction of inclination) and strike (compass bearing of rock cutting a horizontal plane).

Dip-slip fault types have dominantly vertical movements. Normal faults are due to extensional (pull-apart) forces. Reverse faults are due to compressional (push-together) forces. Strike-slip fault types have dominantly horizontal offsets. Straddling the fault, if the right-hand side moves toward you, it is a left-lateral fault. Bends (steps) in strike-slip faults cause the land to either uplift or down-drop. Another type of fault connects offset spreading-center segments-transform faults.

Earthquakes (seisms) disperse their energy in seismic waves that radiate away from the hypocenter or point of fault rupture. The point on the surface above the fault rupture is the epicenter. Some seismic waves pass through the body of the Earth-the P waves (Primary waves with a push-pull motion) and S waves (secondary waves with a shearing motion). Other seismic waves travel along the surface (Love and Rayleigh waves).

Earthquake energy is assessed by its magnitude. Different estimates of magnitude are derived from different methods based on local shaking (Richter scale), body waves (Mb),
Surface waves (Ms), or seismic moment (Mw). Earth has more than a million earthquakes each year, but more than 90 percent of the energy is released by the 12 to 18 largest events.

Tsunami are the biggest waves of all. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, and asteroid impacts disturb the deep ocean-water mass, sending off energetic waves. Earthquake- generated tsunami commonly travel almost 500 mph and may be spaced as much as 60 minutes apart. Tsunami slow in shallow water but may still be moving at freeway speeds. Local topography, as in harbors and inlets, may focus tsunami energy, creating waves over 100ft high that kill tens of thousands of people.

Seismic waves have different periods (time between cycles) and frequencies (number of cycles per unit of time): period= 1/frequency. P waves commonly have from one to 20 cycles per second; surface waves commonly have one cycle every 1to 20 seconds. Where the frequencies of seismic waves match the vibration frequencies of foundations and buildings, destruction may be great.

Earthquake effects on structures and people are assessed via the Mercalli Intensity Scale. Its variables are earthquake magnitude, distance from the hypocenter/epicenter, type of rock or sediment foundation, building style, and duration of shaking. Mercalli intensities are of more than just scientific interest because earthquakes don’t kill, buildings do.

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Brief History of Life

The fossil record contains the appearances of millions of life forms. There have been some remarkable changes in life on Earth. As described by T.A Conrad: Race after race resigned their fleeting breath-The rocks alone their curious annals save.”

At 3.85 billion years ago, archaea were alive, reproducing and evolving. They obtained energy for their lives by breaking the chemical bonds within molecules such as CO2, H2O, and N2. Archaea are one of the three major branches of life, along with bacteria and eukarya (which includes plants and animals). Archaea today are found down to 3.5 km(2.3mi) below the surface under pressures over 200 atmospheres and at hot springs and deep-ocean spreading centers with temperatures up to 113C (232F), but they are killed by oxygen. These organisms may be relatives of the earliest life forms on Earth.

Over 3.5 billion years ago, photosynthetic bacteria were removing some of the abundant carbon dioxide (C02) from Earth’s atmosphere and combining it with water using the Sun’s energy. The process of photosynthesis gives off oxygen (O2) and thus began the radical transformation of the Earth’s atmosphere that ultimately led to its present composition.

Organisms of these early times reproduced by simple division of their cells. Thus, if a gene had an advantageous mutation, it was limited to a single line of offspring. By I billion years ago, sexual reproduction had appeared. With the arrival of sex, cells could share and mix genetic material and thus speed up evolutionary changes by thousands of times.

During the Earth’s early history, organisms lived primarily below the surface in the oceans and within sediments and rocks. As oxygen (O2) given off during photosynthesis built up to a large volume in the atmosphere, some was altered to ozone (O3), thus building a shield from the Sun’s lethal ultraviolet radiation. With a protective atmospheric shield, more multicellular life could come out into the open. Marine rocks from 670 million years ago contain the oldest known fossils of multicellular animal life, including nearly all the major body plans that exist today.

About 544 million years ago, life on Earth began a 40 million-year-long burst of remarkable evolutionary change. From this time onward, the fossil record improves because many of the new groups of organisms began creating hard parts, such as shells, that preserve well as fossils. The initial development of hard parts has been referred to as “the world’s first arms race” wherein organisms covered their bodies with armor, possibly as protection against predators.

Moving on through time (up the sedimentary rock sequence), the Earth has continued to fill with new forms of life. For example, the waters became home to fishes, while plants moved out of the water and spread across the lands. Later on, vertebrate animals appeared on land-amphibians, then reptiles, and finally the mammals and birds. The evolution and increasing diversity of species is continuing.

Today, life is almost everywhere-in waters ranging from OF to above boiling, on land, in the air, in the soil, in ice, around deep-sea volcanic vents, within the pores of rocks buried several kilometers deep, and inside other organisms. The overall trend has been an increase in the diversity and abundance of life, but there have been major setbacks and reorganizations. Plots the number of families of marine animals with hard skeletons that have lived during the last 600 million years. Over time, there has been an obvious growth in the number of families; this growth reflects the increase in diversity and abundance of marine life. However, there also have been marked die-offs in which more than 50 percent of the families becomes extinct within relatively short time intervals of several million years or less. To better understand these dramatic extinction events, it is necessary to look at events on the species level, which is where the real action takes place.

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Healthy living by drinking water

Water is one of the world’s most precious resources. It is essential to maintain the right levels of water in our bodies that help to promote good health and stay away from certain diseases. Study says that our body needs 79 percent of water. Drinking more water is the main key in living a healthy life. One should drink 8-10 glasses of water daily. One of the most important benefits of drinking water is keeping the entire body hydrated. Thus helps to function the internal organs properly. It also keeps you young and fresh. It can also increase your energy. Drinking more water can help to flush out the toxins from the body and keep you healthy.

Water is also considered as a ‘weight-loss drug’. It is true that can keep you away from obesity. If a person experience head aches, suddenly he could go with either tea or coffee and pills. But it is unhealthy. He may try out drinking water to cure head ache. Really, it works well. We are supposed to lose fluids from our body daily. It is mandatory to replace it by drinking water. Regular intake of water can keep a strong immune system which protects from a common illness. It will also curb the appetite and help to eat less. You can drink more water to protect your health and well-being. Hydration helps to promote better heath.

Most of the health experts recommend to drink eight glasses of water each day. It aids to tone the body, weight-loss, healthy living and much more. There are many myths and truths about water that the people should know and make use of it. The skin and nails will become fresher by taking large amounts of water. Water loses out from the body through the urinary function and sweat. Drinking water is safe to possess a healthy body. But it is best drink a right kind of water. Today, people are more aware and concentrated more on their drinking water.

Persons with diabetics should consult with their health care providers about their amount of drinking water. Some expert says that it is not healthy to drink more water in the part of diabeticians. It is reliable to drink more water during travel, especially women. It helps to quench your thirsty and healthy too. It also boosts the metabolism and helps to improve digestion. It keeps you fit and strong. It is not fair to dehydrate the body. Dehydration may experience flushed face, severe thirst, impaired concentration, weakness, dark yellow urine, water retention, and dizziness. Now it is a time to drink more water, if you experience any one of these causes. Drink more water during the day time as it will get more energy but take less water during the night time.

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