Soy: It’s good for eating, baking and cleaning up crude oil spills

 

Thu, 04/23/2015 If you've studied ingredient labels on food packaging, you've probably noticed that soy lecithin is in a lot of products, ranging from buttery spreads to chocolate cake. Scientists have now found a potential new role for this all-purpose substance: dispersing crude oil spills. Their study, which could lead to a less toxic way to clean up these environmental messes, appears in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering. Ram B. Gupta and colleagues explain that applying chemical dispersants is one of the most effective ways to help get rid of oil spills quickly. The dispersants work by breaking down oil into small droplets that bacteria can then degrade. But some dispersants can be harmful to cleanup crews and aquatic life. So Gupta's team turned to a natural, more benign surfactant—an agent that hastens the absorption of liquids by forcing them to form small droplets—to see if it could do the same job without the negative health effects. The researchers separated crude soy lecithin, a very effective surfactant used in foods, into its lipid components. Then, they tested how well these lipids could break down oil in water in the lab. They found the compounds worked as well as or slightly better than two commercial dispersants. Source: American Chemical Society

Five Minutes for Health

Take steps in just minutes to maintain or improve your health. Take 5! Or less! Small changes that only take a little time can go a long way to improve or maintain good health. In Five Minutes or Less, You Can: Wash hands Handwashing is one of the best things we can do to keep from getting sick and avoid spreading germs to others. Learn when and how to wash your hands the recommended way. Buckle up Seat belts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about half. Seat belt use is the most effective way to save lives and reduce injuries in crashes. Get the facts about seat belts. Protect your skin Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States. To protect your skin use a sunscreen with SPF 15 or higher, seek shade, cover up and avoid indoor tanning. Read food labels Look at nutrition labels to know what you're eating. See how much fat, cholesterol, sodium, sugars, and other ingredients are in your food. Find a site near you Find STD testing near you to know your status. Test your smoke alarm Test your smoke alarm once a month to make sure it works properly. Replace the batteries if needed during the time change each spring and fall. Listen to a health podcast CDC offers many podcasts on a variety of topics. Listen to them for health and safety information. Know the signs and symptoms of a heart attack and stroke Every year about 735,000 Americans have a heart attack. Learn the symptoms of a heart attack and stroke.  These tips are just a few of the many things you can do in five minutes or less. Learn more small steps you can take to improve your health.

Stop Ticks

 

DEET, showers, and tick checks can stop ticks. Reduce your chances of getting a tickborne disease by using repellents, checking for ticks, and showering after being outdoors. If you have a tick bite followed by a fever or rash, seek medical attention. Gardening, camping, hiking, and playing outdoors – when enjoying these activities, don't forget to take steps to prevent bites from ticks that share the outdoors. Ticks can infect humans with bacteria, viruses, and parasites that can cause serious illness. Before You Go Outdoors Know where to expect ticks. Ticks live in moist and humid environments, particularly in or near wooded or grassy areas. You may come into contact with ticks during outdoor activities around your home or when walking through leaf litter or near shrubs. Always walk in the center of trails in order to avoid contact with ticks. Products containing permethrin kill ticks. Permethrin can be used to treat boots, clothing and camping gear and remain protective through several washings. Use a repellent with DEET on skin. Repellents containing 20% or more DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide) can protect up to several hours. Always follow product instructions. Parents should apply this product to their children, avoiding the hands, eyes, and mouth. For detailed information about using DEET on children, see recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics. For detailed information about tick prevention and control, see Avoiding Ticks(http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/index.html). Detailed information for outdoor workers can be found at NIOSH Safety and Health Topic: Tick-borne Diseases(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/tick-borne). After You Come Indoors Check your clothing for ticks. Ticks may be carried into the house on clothing. Any ticks that are found should be removed. Placing clothes into a dryer on high heat for at least an hour effectively kills ticks. Shower soon after being outdoors. Showering within two hours of coming indoors has been shown to reduce your risk of getting Lyme disease. Showering may help wash off unattached ticks and it is a good opportunity to do a tick check. Check your body for ticks after being outdoors. Conduct a full body check upon return from potentially tick-infested areas, which even includes your back yard. Use a hand-held or full-length mirror to view all parts of your body. Check these parts of your body and your child's body for ticks: Under the arms In and around the ears Inside belly button Back of the knees In and around the hair Between the legs Around the waist What to Do if You Find an Attached Tick Remove the attached tick as soon as you notice it by grasping with tweezers, as close to the skin as possible, and pulling it straight out. For detailed information about tick removal, see the tick removal page(http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/removing_a_tick.html). Watch for signs of illness such as rash or fever in the days and weeks following the bite, and see a health care provider if these develop. Your risk of acquiring a tick-borne illness depends on many factors, including where you live, what type of tick bit you, and how long the tick was attached. If you become ill after a tick bite, see a health care provider. Reduce Ticks in Your Yard Modify your landscape to create Tick-Safe Zones[6.82 MB]. Regularly remove leaf litter and clear tall grasses and brush around homes, and place wood chips or gravel between lawns and wooded areas to keep ticks away from recreational areas, and keep play areas and playground equipment away from away from shrubs, bushes, and other vegetation. Consider using a chemical control agent. Effective tick control chemicals are available for use by the homeowner, or they can be applied by a professional pest control expert, and even limited applications can greatly reduce the number of ticks. A single springtime application of acaricide can reduce the population of ticks that cause Lyme disease by 68–100%. Discourage deer. Removing plants that attract deer and constructing physical barriers may help discourage deer from entering your yard and bringing ticks with them. Prevent Ticks on Animals Use tick control products to prevent family pets from bringing ticks into the home. Tick collars, sprays, shampoos, or “top spot” medications should be used regularly to protect your animals and your family from ticks. Consult your veterinarian and be sure to use these products according to the package instructions. For more information on animals and health, see Preventing Ticks on Your Pet.

Undoubtedly, it’s worthwhile to listen to

 

Jango

17 Breathtakingly Beautiful Places In India You Must Visit Before You Die

 

1. Yumthang Valley - Sikkim Yumthang Valley is a grazing pasture surrounded by the Himalayan mountains in North Sikkim. At a height of 3,564 metres above sea level, it's popularly known as the 'Valley of Flowers'. 2. Tea garden hill of Munnar Munnar is a town that's situated in the southwestern region of Kerala. It's practically covered fully with Tea plantations, some as high as 7000 feet above sea level. 3. Stok Range, Ladakh At 11, 845 feet, Stok Kangri in Stok Range has is a popular mountain among climbers and mountaineers. It's often considered as a practice run for Everest. 4. Nubra Valley, Ladakh Nubra is a high altitude cold desert with rare precipitation and scant vegetation. 5. Nohkalikai Falls, Cherrapunji Located near Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth, Nohkalikai Falls is one of the tallest plunge waterfalls in India. Name of the falls (in Khasi language - "Jump of Ka Likai") is linked to a legend about a local woman, Likai, who after a family tragedy became insane and jumped off the cliff next to the falls. 6. Nanda Devi It's the second highest mountain in India. While the peak is not that easy to climb for regular folks like us, but the surrounding Nanda Devi National Park is a must visit atleast once in a lifetime. 7. Mizoram Mizoram is a land of rolling hills, valleys, rivers and lakes. As many as 21 major hill ranges or peaks of different heights run through the length and breadth of the state, with plains scattered here and there. 8. Lonar Sarovar, Maharashtra The Lonar Lake is a saline soda lake located at Lonar in Buldana district, Maharashtra, India which was created by a meteor impact. 9. Matheran The smallest hill station in India, Matheran which is only 90 km from Mumbai, provides a pretty dramatic view of the sunset and the sunrise. 10. Leh Leh, the capital of the Himalayan kingdom of Ladakh is best experienced via road trips from New Delhi. 11. Key Monastery Key Gompa is a Tibetian Buddhist Monastery located on top of a hill at an altitude of 13, 668 feet above sea level close to the Spiti river in Himachal Pradesh. It reportedly, was started by 100 monks in 1855. 12. Kashmir It's not called paradise on Earth for nothing. 13. Hoggenakal Falls This waterfall in South India on the river Kaveri is sometimes also referred to as the "Niagara Falls" of India. 14. Tungnath, Uttarakhand Located at an altitude of 12, 073 Feet, at Tungnath mountains you can also find the oldest Hindu shrine of Lord Shiva. 15. Drang Drung Glacier, Near Kargil It takes about 2 days to get here from the Srinagar airport. 16. Deodar Forest, Himachal Pradesh 17. Andamans It has 325 islands which cover an area of 6,408 km2, with the Andaman Sea to the east between the islands and the coast of Burma.