History of Bis coctum - Biscuits

The biscuit is one of the India's favorite brands, which comes from the Latin word bis coctum. The word bis coctum means, “twice baked”. The biscuit company was started in the year of 1892 in Calcutta (Kolkata), and the company started with an initial investment of Rs. 295. Today we all know the company named as Britannia today.

The beginning might be humble dreams. But in 1912, with the arrival of electricity, Britannia became the first company of the east of Suez Canal. As an outcome, during the disastrous World War II, the Government repose its hope in Britannia by constricting it to deliver huge quantities of "service biscuits" to the armed forces.

In 1975, the Britannia Biscuit Company took over the delivery of biscuits from Parry's, who is till now distributing Britannia biscuits in India and in 1978, Indian shareholding crossed up to 60%. The following year, Britannia Biscuit Company was re-christened Britannia Industries Limited (BIL) and the biscuits are also called as cookies and the German people call them as keks. In 1983, The Britannia Industries Limited crossed the amount of Rs. 100 crores revenue mark over the world.

Nowadays, the biscuits can be prepared at home, using the ingredients like taking two cup flour, 4 teaspoon baking powder, one-fourth of margarine and a milk and salt will be added. First mix the dry ingredients and margarine. Then add milk and stir it well, and make smooth dough from it and roll out 3/4" thick circles. Then at last cut it with a biscuit cutter and bake it in an oven with a degree of 450 for 10 to 15 minutes.

Thermostats

Mercury thermostats use mercury tilt switches to sense and control room temperature through communication with heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment. A mercury thermostat may contain one or more switches, depending on how many heating and cooling systems it activates.

The Northeast Waste Management Officials' Association (NEWMOA), provides a fact sheet with information on the use of mercury in thermostats, including the amount of mercury used in thermostats in the US, non-mercury alternatives, and collection and recycling programs.

Mercury thermostats are unlikely to break or leak mercury while is use, but they need to be properly disposed of when being replaced. If a mercury thermostat is being replaced by a household occupant rather than by a heating and air conditioning professional, the old thermostat should be disposed of by taking it to a state or local household hazardous waste collection center for recycling. For information about these programs, contact your local collection program to find out whether you can drop your old thermostats off any time or whether you should wait for the next collection effort in your area. You can also use earth911.com to find collection programs in your area -- just type in "thermostat" or "mercury" and your zip code to get a list of programs that accept mercury-containing thermostats.

Invasive Species

Invasive species means an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. Invasive species are one of the largest threats to our terrestrial, coastal and freshwater ecosystems, as well as being a major global concern. Invasive species can affect aquatic ecosystems directly or by affecting the land in ways that harm aquatic ecosystems. Invasive species represent the second leading cause of species extinction and loss of biodiversity in aquatic environments worldwide. They also result in considerable economic effects through direct economic losses and management/control costs, while dramatically altering ecosystems supporting commercial and recreational activities. Effects on aquatic ecosystems result in decreased native populations, modified water tables, changes in run-off dynamics and fire frequency, among other alterations. These ecological changes in turn impact many recreational and commercial activities dependent on aquatic ecosystems. Common sources of aquatic invasive species introduction include ballast water, aquaculture escapes, and accidental and/or intentional introductions, among others.

Genetically Engineered Mice shows Clues to blow away Cancer

Deleting two genes in mice responsible for repairing DNA strands damaged by oxidation leads to several types of tumors, providing additional evidence that such stress contributes to the development of cancer. That’s the conclusion of a recent study in DNA Repair by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) and the New York University School of Medicine (NYUSM).

Although all cells need oxygen to survive, the element also can be stressful to cells and their components—particularly DNA—as part of “reactive species” in the environment, such as free radicals and peroxides. The damage levied on DNA by these compounds can include lesions, breaks, cross-links and deletions—errors in our normal genetic codes that, if left unchecked, may accelerate the aging process and increase susceptibility to several disease states. In humans, DNA repair genes produce enzymes called DNA glycosylases that excise sections of DNA strands already modified by oxidative stress, and thus protect the genetic material.

One of these repair genes, neil1, was identified and characterized in 2002 by Sankar Mitra and his team at the University of Texas Medical Branch in collaboration with NIST researchers Miral Dizdaroglu and Pawel Jaruga. The gene produces a DNA repair protein, NEIL1 that is nearly identical in humans and mice. Therefore, a mouse serves a perfect model for studying the biological function of the neil1 gene in both species. The researchers state that their results emphasize the role of DNA repair in preventing carcinogenesis. The work may lead to the development of new measurement methods and reference materials for accurate and reproducible assessments of DNA damage and repair and contribute to understanding the role of oxidatively induced DNA damage and its repair in carcinogenesis. Future studies will focus on the role of NEIL1 in disease processes.

Eco tourism

Eco tourism is more than a catch phrase for nature loving travel and recreation. Eco tourism is consecrated for preserving and sustaining the diversity of the world's natural and cultural environments. It accommodates and entertains visitors in a way that is minimally intrusive or destructive to the environment and sustains & supports the native cultures in the locations it is operating in. Responsibility of both travelers and service providers is the genuine meaning for Eco tourism.

Eco tourism also endeavors to encourage and support the diversity of local economies for which the tourism-related income is important. With support from tourists, local services and producers can compete with larger, foreign companies and local families can support themselves. Besides all these, the revenue produced from tourism helps and encourages governments to fund conservation projects and training programs.

Saving the environment around you and preserving the natural luxuries and forest life, that's what Eco tourism is all about. Whether it's about a nature camp or organizing trekking trips towards the unspoiled and inaccessible regions, one should always keep in mind not to create any mishap or disturbance in the life cycle of nature.

The story of ice cream

Ice cream has a long history as a well-liked dairy food item. It has developed from a manually manufactured household product to a much automated industrial product.

The birth of ice cream can be marked back to at least the 4th century B.C. In the past the Roman emperor Nero (A.D. 37-68) ordered ice to be brought from the mountains and mixed with fruit toppings, and King Tang (A.D. 618-97) of Shang, China who had a method of creating ice and milk drink. Ice cream was likely brought from China back to Europe.

After the dessert was brought to the United States, it was favorite several famous Americans. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson served it to their guests. In 1700, Governor Bladen of Maryland was recorded as having served it to his guests. In 1774, a London caterer named Philip Lenzi announced in a New York newspaper that he would be offering for sale various confections, including ice cream. Dolly Madison served it in 1812.

THE STORY OF EVOLUTION OF CAR'S

Quite a lot of Italians documented designs for wind driven vehicles. The first was Guido da Vigevano in 1335. It was a windmill sort drive to gears and has wheels. Vaturio designed a related vehicle which was also never built. Later Leonardo da Vinci designed clockwork driven tricycle with wheel steering and a gap mechanism between the rear wheels.

A Catholic priest, Father Ferdinand Verbiest has been said to have designed a steam powered vehicle for the Chinese Emperor Chien Lung in about 1678. There is no information about the vehicle, only the event. Thomas Newcomen builds his first steam engine in 1712 this was possibly a model vehicle powered by a mechanism like Hero's steam engine, a spinning wheel with jets on the edge. Newcomen's engine had a cylinder and a piston and was the first of this kind, and it used steam as a condensing agent to form a vacuum and with an overhead walking beam, pull on a rod to lift water. The steam was not under pressure, just an open boiler piped to the cylinder. It used the same vacuum principle that Thomas Savery had patented to lift water directly with the vacuum, which would have limited his pump to less than 32 feet of lift. In 1765 James Watt developed the first pressurized steam engine which proved to be much well-organized than the Newcomen engine.

The first vehicle to move under its own power was designed by Nicholas Joseph Cugnot and constructed by M. Brezin in 1769. A second unit was built in 1770 which weighed 8000 pounds and had a speed on 2 miles per hour and on the cobble stone streets of Paris this was probably as fast as anyone wanted to go it.