Test yourself - Body parts

Here you can test your vocabulary. The instructions to this interactive activity is :1- Look at the words and think of its meaning and pronunciation. 2- Move your mouse over the black button to check your answer. 3- If you were right, click on the green button, if wrong, click on the red.

News: Dagestan

We are getting ready to show a performance about our republic this spring.We hope it will be a real gala day.

(the picture taken in 2013)

Here you can see the way New Worl Encyclopedia tells about the republic:  http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dagestan

Infectious disease

1. Infectious disease – those spread by contact with infected people or animals, through airborne inhalation, or by water or food – are still threads to us today. The influenza virus for example infects a staggering 5 million people worldwide every single year, travelling from person to person in airborne droplets, and causing chills, fever, sore throat, runny nose, headaches and muscle pain.

2. The flu virus changes gradually by a process known as antigenic drift. As the virus replicates, single nucleotide errors occur in the viral genome, causing minute changes to the proteins that coat the outside of the virus. The immune system recognizes these proteins to detect and destroy the infection, so as they change, the ability of the body to recognize the virus decreases, preventing people from building up immunity. Not only does the virus make continual, subtle changes to its genome and proteins, but it also occasionally develops huge mutations.

3. Spanish Flu is a truly global pandemic, some believe that this influenza virus, which emerged in 1918, killed as many as 40-50 million people around the world. The Black Death is an infamous bubonic plague outbreak swept across Asia into Europe with a total death toll of roughly 100 million.

4. Flu virus can definitely cause a pandemic in the future. As for other diseases, it is hard to predict. The human immunodeficiency virus has raged since the early-Eighties. This pandemic has claimed around 25 million lives. Approximately 34 million people currently have HIV across the globe. Could a pandemic end humanity? It could. But there are medical and allied sciences like epidemiology and modelling are so strong now. It is unlikely a pandemic would wipe out humanity, but it could cause huge damage, particularly in some areas of the world with weak health infrastructure.

Fun Facts - About chewing gum to chew on

Chewing gum is one of the oldest sweets known to man beginning as a chewy tree sap from the Mastiche trees of ancient Greece. Across the world even the Mayans of South America liked chewy treats. It was in the 1800s that entrepreneur John Curtis introduced chewing gum to the US with his small sticks of "Maine Pure Spruce Gum."

Chewing gum has its own benefits. In fact, during the World War I soldiers were given gum to relieve stress and improve concentration. Today, chewing gum even helps to keep your teeth healthy with antibacterial agents.

The first chewing gums

The original sap based gums were replaced by gums made from paraffin wax, the same stuff used to make candles. Then, was it like chewing candles? No, sugar was added to these gums to give it an added sweetness. But the problem was that these gums were not chewy enough. The solution - Chicle, a natural rubber sap from the Sapodilla tree of Central America. This gave the gum the chewy feel. Chicle was later popularized by General Santa Anna.

The original sap based gums were replaced by gums made from paraffin wax, the same stuff used to make candles.

CAN you now answer the questions:

Did ancient folks like chewing?

What similarity do candles and gums have?

News: Ebola

Ebola. They talk much about Ebola, let's see what is it.

Causes

Inhale air that is infected with the Ebola Virus
Symptoms
Hemorrhagic fever
Massive bleeding
Damage to internal organs
Fast Facts
These two viruses are part of a group of viruses called filoviruses. They are one of the most lethal viruses known.
The virus was named after a river.
The Manburg virus has a 25% fatality rate and the Ebola virus can have a fatality rate of up to 90%.

I f you want to know more about virus click here.

Everyday Chemistry - The invention of modern chewing gum

Inventor Thomas Adams discovered that heating Chicle and mixing it with flavour and sugar produced a new gum. He then realized that this was much better than paraffin based gums.

What made this sap special was that it was very soft. It was softer than rubber used in rubber bands, and got even softer in the warmth of the mouth.

He also discovered that if you froze Chicle, it became hard. These unique properties made it the ideal choice for chewing.

How is it made?

Chewing gum is made by heating gum to 115^oC until it becomes thick syrup. This is filtered, refined and put into a mixing vat. Then, other ingredients like sugar, corn syrup, softeners and preservatives are added. This mixture is then cooled and cut into the final bits of gum, ready to be packed and sent to stores.

It's not just Chicle

If all gum was made out of Chicle, there would not be enough of it left to make more gum. This is why, after the Second World War, Chicle was replaced by synthetic rubbers. Today's gums are made of a mixture of elastomers, resins and waxes. The most common forms of rubbers are polymers like

1. Styrene-butadiene rubber,
2. Polyethylene and
3. Polyvinyl acetate

Can you now answer the questions:

Is chewing gum made by heating gum to 115^oC until it becomes thick syrup?

What are the most common forms of rubbers polymers?

Everyday Chemistry - How do pregnancy tests work?

Pregnancy tests help in knowing if the woman is actually pregnant or not and are considered as 97 per cent accurate when it comes to results. Let us find out the chemical activity involved in these test kits.

The pregnancy test kits rely on the presence of the glycoprotein hormone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) that is secreted by the placenta in the urine shortly after fertilization. The placenta begins developing after the fertilized egg implants in a woman's uterus, which happens about six days after conception. So you can confirm the pregnancy by doing these tests only after six days post-conception.

Fertilization does not always take place the same day as intercourse and so most women are advised to wait until they miss their period before trying a pregnancy test. The hCG levels double about every two days in a pregnant woman, so the test is much more reliable two weeks after conception than one week later.

The tests bind the hCG hormone from either blood or urine to an antibody and an indicator. The antibody will only bind to hCG and the other hormones will not give a positive result. The usual indicator is a pigment molecule, which is present in a line across a home pregnancy urine test. Even though these kits are reliable and accurate most of the times, it is always important to crosscheck with your doctor and go for a check-up in case of any doubts.

CAN you now answer the questions:

What do the pregnancy test kits rely on?

When is test is much more reliable?

News: Pandas wrestle

Click here to read about

Everyday Chemistry - What are pregnancy test kits?

We often see celebrities promoting pregnancy test kits on T.V. But do you know what these pregnancy tests are and how they work? Pregnancy tests help in determining if a woman is pregnant or not and are considered 97% accurate. Let's find out the chemical activity involved.

Pregnancy test kits are self-determining diagnostic kits that help in determining if a woman is pregnant or not. It consists of the immunoassay strip, which is formed by compressing non-woven fibers into a narrow strip, which is then coated with reactive antibodies. These antibodies combine with the pregnancy hormone in a series of steps and ultimately results in a colour change indicating whether or not the woman is pregnant.

The test kit also has an absorbent pad that extends from the test chamber and is used to contact the urine stream. The pad absorbs the liquid and draws it into contact with the immunoassay strip.

Both the test strip and absorbent pad are placed within a two-piece housing that allows the unit to be handheld and also protects the strip from environmental contaminants. A leak-proof, clear plastic window on the side of the housing prevents the urine from accidentally splashing on the test strip and also allows the test and control zone portions of the strip to be viewed.

There is also a plastic collection cup, which is included with test kits that require collection of urine in a separate step. They may also include plastic vials with pre-measured amounts of reagents that must be mixed with the urine before application to the test strip.

CAN you now answer the questions:

What is pregnancy?

What are pregnancy test kits made for?

News: Mountain lion in the street

Click here to read about

Phrasal Verbs: Look

Appearance - III. What did Queen Elizabeth I really look like?

Cluck here to know

Everyday Chemistry - Why is your hair curly or straight?

We love many film stars for their hair and style. We may admire Johnny Depp for his dreads in the famous Pirates series and fall in love with our very own Priyanka Chopra's straight hair. But what is it exactly that makes our hair straight, curly or wavy?

Our hair has natural variations and is made up of a protein called Keratin. This protein forms a helical design, which gives hair its appearance. This protein has sulphur atoms and the more sulphur linkage between the rings of hair, the more tightly coiled design it will produce. This is that gives hair its curly appearance.

Having curly hair is also a genetic process. In some families, the sulphur linkage between the rings of hair is dominant and most people of the family have the same hair type. However, recently scientists have found that the shape of the hair follicle also determines curly or straight hair. Not just that, studies reveal that the amount of 'curl' in curly hair also depends on the shape of the hair follicle and shaft. The hair follicle below the scalp has a hooked end in people with curly hair. The more hook the follicle has, the curlier the hair gets. However, in people with straight hair, the follicles have no hooks.

Caring for your curls. It is not easy to maintain curly hair. You don't require a wash every day but you should deep condition it every time you have a hair-wash. People with dry curly hair should avoid styling products that contain alcohol. Using chemicals can leave your hair drier and more damaged. A good hair care routine will greatly improve the overall health and manageability of curly hair.

CAN you now answer the questions:

Does keratin play a role in type of your hair?

Does the shape of the hair follicle determine curly or straight hair?

News: Tiger eats a cow

Click here to read about

Human Body

This time we speak about human body, let's see a video:

To know more about human body follow the link http://www.infovisual.info/03/pano_en.html