annabiotica

Qing Xian Feng Die

2009-08-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Common Names: Qing Xian Feng Die, Qing Tiao Feng Die, Qing Feng Die

Distribution: From plains to mountains of altitudes of 2500 meters.

Shape and Features:A sequence of green belts on the middle of the fore and hind wings. The bottom color of its wings is blackish brown; there is a row of green crescent line on the rims of hind wings. There is a delicate red line on the inner surface.

Habitual Behavior:Having great vitality, it likes to fly high at top of the trees, making itself difficult to be seen. This butterfly flies like a lighting and would only fly down to the ground when it needs to suck water or nectar. It is frequently seen a lot everywhere around the island.

Oils

2009-08-11T03:21:00.000-07:00

Oils are fats that are liquid at room temperature, like the vegetable oils used in cooking. Oils come from many different plants and from fish. Some common oils are:
• canola oil
• corn oil
• cottonseed oil
• olive oil
• safflower oil
• soybean oil
• sunflower oil

Some oils are used mainly as flavorings, such as walnut oil and sesame oil. A number of foods are naturally high in oils, like:
• nuts
• olives
• some fish
• avocados
Oils from plant sources (vegetable and nut oils) do not contain any cholesterol. In fact, no foods from plants sources contain cholesterol.

A few plant oils, however, including coconut oil and palm kernel oil, are high in saturated fats and for nutritional purposes should be considered to be solid fats.

Solid fats are fats that are solid at room temperature, like butter and shortening. Solid fats come from many animal foods and can be made from vegetable oils through a process called hydrogenation. Some common solid fats are:
• butter
• beef fat (tallow, suet)
• chicken fat
• pork fat (lard)
• stick margarine
• shortening

Bioluminescent

2009-08-03T21:42:00.000-07:00

Living things which are capable of creating their own light are called 'bioluminescent'. Science has known ever since William Beebe explored the darkness of the deep ocean that many deep sea marine species have glowing spots in strategic places or patterns on their bodies. Terrestrial species with similar abilities continue to be discovered. Many of these are small invertebrates and fungi, usually hidden from view in the dense rainforest vegetation, leaf litter or in the soil. Finding new species during the light of day is difficult enough. Finding a newly discovered species with abilities that can only be seen in the dark can be even more difficult.

How does a living thing create light?

Presented as simply as possible, bioluminescence occurs when the luciferase enzyme and the chemical luciferin react. A third element needs to be present for this reaction to take place which varies according to the type of animal or fungus. For example, in fireflies and glow worms, ATP is required; for jellyfish, calcium would be needed; and peroxide for earthworms. Oxygen is also sometimes required. Whatever the exact reactants are for each animal or fungus, the end result is the release of energy in the form of light.

Why would a living thing want or need to create light?

The chemical reaction described above and the resultant unstable by-product are often referred to by the experts as 'an excited state'. In some cases, this may be a clue as to why an animal might be bioluminescent but the situation is different for each type of animal that has the ability to glow. For fireflies, the ability to glow is useful for attracting mates. The glow worm has a better chance at a full dinner because it uses its pale green light to draw in a curious, unsuspecting meal.

India's Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has experienced a technical problem

2009-07-17T21:57:00.000-07:00

A sensor of the Chandrayaan-1 spacecraft has experienced a technical problem and steps have been taken to make sure it is capable to carry on its work.

However the chance remains that the mission might have to be cut short.

Chandrayaan-1 was launched on October 2009 and is considered as a most important key for India as it seeks to keep pace with other space-faring nations in Asia.

Scientists in the Indian Space Research Organization said that the "vital star sensor" of the spaceship had "malfunctioned".

ISRO spokesman S Satish said,” The mission is safe, but its lifespan may be affected”.

At present the spacecraft has been placed on a higher orbit, this might have an effect on the quality of the photographs being sent back after the problem is solved the spacecraft will be placed in the same place.

The spaceship is on a two-year task of examination.

The programmed probe will orbit the Moon, compiling a 3-D atlas of the moon surface and mapping the sharing of elements and minerals.

Heliophysics

2009-07-10T21:17:00.000-07:00

Heliophysics is a new word coined to represent the study of all the inter-related phenomena in the region of space influenced by the Sun, our star.Understanding the Sun, Heliosphere, and Planetary Environments as a single connected system is the goal of the Science Mission Directorate's Heliophysics Research Program. In addition to solar processes, our domain of study includes the interaction of solar plasma and radiation with Earth, the other planets, and the Galaxy. By analyzing the connections between the Sun, solar wind, planetary space environments, and our place in the Galaxy, we are uncovering the fundamental physical processes that occur throughout the Universe. Understanding the connections between the Sun and its planets will allow us to predict the impacts of solar variability on humans, technological systems, and even the presence of life itself.

Heliophysics is needed to facilitate the accelerated expansion of human experience beyond the confines of our Earthly home. Recent advances in technology allow us, for the first time, to realistically contemplate voyages beyond the solar system.

There are three primary objectives that define the multi-decadal studies needed:
• To understand the changing flow of energy and matter throughout the Sun, Heliosphere, and Planetary Environments.
• To explore the fundamental physical processes of space plasma systems.
• To define the origins and societal impacts of variability in the Earth-Sun System.

A combination of interrelated elements is used to achieve these objectives. They include complementary missions of various sizes; timely development of enabling and enhancing technologies; and acquisition of knowledge through research, analysis, theory, and modeling.

Story of Indian Tricolour

2009-06-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

The first national flag in India is said to hoisted on August 7, 1906, in the Parsee Bagan Square (Green Park) in Calcutta now Kolkata. The flag was composed of three horizontal strips of red, yellow and green.

The second flag was hoisted in Paris by Madame Cama and her band of exiled revolutionaries in 1907 (according to some inl9OS). This was very similar to the first flag except that the top strip had only one lotus but seven stars denoting the Saptarishi. This flag was also exhibited at a socialist conference in Berlin.

The third flag went up in 1917 when our political struggle had taken a definite turn. Dr. Annie Besant and Lokmanya Tilak hoisted it during the Home rule movement. This flag had five red and four green horizontal strips arranged alternately, with seven stars in the saptarishi configuration super-imposed on them. In the left-hand top corner (the pole end) was the Union Jack. There was also a white crescent and star in one corner.

During the session of the All India Congress Committee which met at Bezwada in 1921 (now Vijayawada) an Andhra youth prepared a flag and took it to Gandhiji. It was made up of two colours-red and green-representing the two major communities i.e. Hindus and Muslims. Gandhiji suggested the addition of a white strip to represent the remaining communities of India and the spinning wheel to symbolise progress of the Nation.

The year 1931 was a landmark in the history of the flag. A resolution was passed adopting a tricolor flag as our national flag. This flag, the forbear of the present one, was saffron, white and green with Mahatma Gandhi's spinning wheel at the center. It was, however, clearly stated that it bore no communal significance and was to be interpreted thus.

On July 22, 1947, the Constituent Assembly adopted it as Free India National Flag. After the advent of Independence, the colours and their significance remained the same. Only the Dharma Charkha of Emperor Asoka was adopted in place of the spinning wheel as the emblem on the flag. Thus, the tricolour flag of the Congress Party eventually became the tricolour flag of Independent India.

Chandrayaan-2

2009-06-18T22:28:00.000-07:00

After the victorious launch of India's first mission to moon, Chandrayaan-1, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is setting up to send its second lunar odyssey, Chandrayaan-2, an Indo-Russian joint venture, to be expected by the end of next year or early 2010. Russia's Federal Space Agency (Roskosmos) is combining with ISRO for development of Chandrayaan-2 Lander/Rover.

Chandrayaan-2 will comprise the spacecraft and a landing platform with the moon rover. The rover would move on wheels on the lunar surface, pick up samples of soil or rocks, do a chemical analysis and send the data to the spacecraft orbiting above.

The rover will weigh between 30 kg and 100 kg, depending on whether it is to do a semi-hard landing or soft landing. The rover will have an operating life-span of a month. It will run mainly on solar energy.

Autonomous building

2008-02-26T21:19:00.000-08:00

An autonomous building is a building designed to be operated independently from infrastructural support services such as the electric power grid, municipal water systems, sewage treatment systems, storm drains, communication services, and in some cases public roads.

Advocates of autonomous building describe advantages that include reduced environmental impacts, increased security, and lower costs of ownership. Some cited advantages satisfy tenets of green building, not independence per se. Off-grid buildings often rely very little on civil services and are therefore safer and more comfortable during civil disaster or military attacks. (Off-grid buildings would not lose power or water if public supplies were compromised for some reason.)

nal Reconnaissance Office

2008-02-21T23:07:00.001-08:00

The National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), located in Chantilly, Virginia, is one of the 16 intelligence agencies in the U.S. It designs, builds and operates the reconnaissance satellites of the United States government. It also coordinates collection and analysis of information from airplane and satellite reconnaissance by the military services and the Central Intelligence Agency. It is funded through the National Reconnaissance Program, which is part of the National Foreign Intelligence Program. The agency is part of the Department of Defense.

Logic control

2008-02-14T23:51:00.000-08:00

Pure logic control systems were historically implemented by electricians with networks of relays, and designed with a notation called ladder logic. Today, most such systems are constructed with programmable logic devices.

Logic controllers may respond to switches, light sensors, pressure switches etc and cause the machinery to perform some operation. Logic systems are used to sequence mechanical operations in many applications. Examples include elevators, washing machines and other systems with interrelated stop-go operations.

Logic systems are quite easy to design, and can handle very complex operations. Some aspects of logic system design make use of Boolean logic.

System-of-Systems Engineering (SoSE)

2008-02-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

System-of-Systems Engineering (SoSE) is a set of developing processes and methods for designing and implementing solutions to System-of-Systems problems. SoSE is relatively new term being used in Department of Defense applications, but is increasingly being applied to non-military/security related problems (e.g., transportation, healthcare, Internet, search and rescue, space exploration). SoSE is more than systems engineering of complex systems because design for System-of-Systems problems is performed under some level of uncertainty in the requirements and the constituent systems, and it involves considerations in multiple levels and domains. Whereas SE focuses on building the system right, SoSE focuses on choosing the right system(s) to satisfy the requirements.

Anthrozoology

2008-01-24T01:22:00.000-08:00

Anthrozoology is the study of human-animal interaction ("animal" referring to all non-human animals), also described as the science focusing on all aspects of the human-animal bond.

Anthrozoology is a modern interdisciplinary and burgeoning field that overlaps with a number of other disciplines, including anthropology, ethology, medicine, psychology, veterinary medicine and zoology. A major focus of anthrozoologic research is the quantifying of the positive effects of human-animal relationships on either party and the study of the reality of their interactions.

Nucleolus

2008-01-16T20:37:00.000-08:00

The nucleolus is a discrete densely-stained structure found in the nucleus. It is not surrounded by a membrane, and is sometimes called a suborganelle. It forms around tandem repeats of rDNA, DNA coding for ribosomal RNA (rRNA). These regions are called nucleolar organizer regions (NOR). The main roles of the nucleolus are to synthesize rRNA and assemble ribosomes. The structural cohesion of the nucleolus depends on its activity, as ribosomal assembly in the nucleolus results in the transient association of nucleolar components, facilitating further ribosomal assembly, and hence further association. This model is supported by observations that inactivation of rDNA results in intermingling of nucleolar structures.

Psychology

2008-01-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

Psychology (from Greek, ψυχή, "psyche", soul, and λόγος, science, "logos") is both an academic and applied discipline involving the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. There is some tension between scientific psychology (with its program of empirical research) and applied psychology (dealing with a number of areas, but primarily counseling).

Psychologists attempt to explain the mind and brain in the context of real life, in contrast to the physiological approach used by neurologists. Psychologists study such phenomena as perception, cognition, emotion, personality, behavior, and interpersonal relationships. Psychology also refers to the application of such knowledge to various spheres of human activity, including issues related to daily life—e.g. family, education, and work—and the treatment of mental health problems.

Physicalism & Pluralism

2008-01-03T21:39:00.000-08:00

The concept of "nature" embraced by contemporary metaphysical naturalists excludes by definition gods, spirits, and any other supernatural beings, objects, or forces. This particular definition rests in an ambiguity caused by the use of the term "supernatural" by Richard Carrier and other apologists for naturalism whereby this word indicates non-materially reducible entities (spiritual substances) rather than the traditional meaning (where a spiritual substance, if created, is encompassed within the natural world, though being a spiritual or immaterial substance). There are many different varieties of metaphysical naturalism, but all can be separated into two general categories, physicalism and pluralism. Physicalism entails the claim that everything everyone has observed or claimed to observe is in actual fact the product of fundamentally mindless arrangements or interactions of matter-energy in space-time, and therefore it is unreasonable to believe anything else exists.

Computer programming

2007-12-27T22:11:00.001-08:00

Computer programming (often shortened to programming or coding) is the process of writing, testing, debugging/troubleshooting, and maintaining the source code of computer programs. This source code is written in a programming language. The code may be a modification of an existing source or something completely new, the purpose being to create a program that exhibits a certain desired behavior (customization). The process of writing source codes requires expertise in many different subjects, including knowledge of the application domain, specialized algorithms, and formal logic.

Within software engineering, programming (the implementation) is regarded as one phase in a software development process.

In some specialist applications or extreme situations a program may be written or modified (known as patching) by directly storing the numeric values of the machine code instructions to be executed into memory.

DNA microarray

2007-12-18T23:54:00.000-08:00

A DNA microarray (also commonly known as gene or genome chip, DNA chip, or gene array) is a collection of microscopic DNA spots, commonly representing single genes, arrayed on a solid surface by covalent attachment to a chemical matrix. DNA arrays are different from other types of microarray only in that they either measure DNA or use DNA as part of its detection system. Qualitative or quantitative measurements with DNA microarrays utilize the selective nature of DNA-DNA or DNA-RNA hybridization under high-stringency conditions and fluorophore-based detection. DNA arrays are commonly used for expression profiling, i.e., monitoring expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously, or for comparative genomic hybridization.

Digital Video Interactive

2007-12-11T22:42:00.000-08:00

Digital Video Interactive (DVI) was the first multimedia desktop video standard for IBM-compatible personal computers, developed around 1984 by Section 17 of The David Sarnoff Research Center Labs (a division of RCA at the time, later DSRC became a division of General Electric after their purchase of RCA in 1986, and then the technology was sold by GE to Intel in 1988). The DSRC was sold to SRI International and as of 2007, continues research operations in technology and other areas on a contract basis.

DVI technology allowed full-screen, full motion video, as well as stereo audio, still images, and graphics to be presented on a DOS-based desktop computer. DVI content was usually distributed on CD-ROM discs, which in turn was decoded and displayed via specialized hardware installed in the computer. Audio and video files for DVI were among the first to use data compression, with audio content using ADPCM. DVI was the first technology of its kind for the desktop PC, and ushered in the multimedia revolution for PCs.

Nuclear fuel cycle

2007-12-06T00:41:00.000-08:00

Thermal reactors generally depend on refined and enriched uranium. Some nuclear reactors can operate with a mixture of plutonium and uranium. The process by which uranium ore is mined, processed, enriched, used, possibly reprocessed and disposed of is known as the nuclear fuel cycle.

Under 1% of the uranium found in nature is the easily fissionable U-235 isotope and as a result most reactor designs require enriched fuel. Enrichment involves increasing the percentage of U-235 and is usually done by means of gaseous diffusion or gas centrifuge. The enriched result is then converted into uranium dioxide powder, which is pressed and fired onto pellet form. These pellets are stacked into tubes which are then sealed and called fuel rods. Many of these fuel rods are used in each nuclear reactor.

Most BWR and PWR commercial reactors use uranium enriched to about 4% U-235, and some commercial reactors with a high neutron economy do not require the fuel to be enriched at all (that is, they can use natural uranium). According to the International Atomic Energy Agency there are at least 100 research reactors in the world which use highly enriched, weapons-grade uranium (90% enrichment) as their fuel.

What Is a Package in Java?

2007-11-27T22:40:00.000-08:00

A package is a namespace that manages a set of connected classes and interfaces. Conceptually you can think of packages as being related to different folders on your computer. You can maintain and keep the HTML pages in one folder, images in another, and scripts or applications in however another. Since, the software written in the Java programming language can be composed of hundreds or thousands of individual classes; it makes sense to maintain things organized by placing related classes and interfaces into packages.

A short note on Groundwater

2007-11-20T22:59:00.000-08:00

Groundwater is the water flowing within aquifers under the water table. Within aquifers, the water runs through the pore spaces in unconsolidated sediments and the fractures of rocks. Groundwater is revitalized from, and finally runs to, the surface naturally; natural discharge often occurs at springs and seeps and can form oases or swamps. The Groundwater is as well sometime withdrawn for agricultural, municipal and industrial use through artificial or the man-made wells. The study of the groundwater distribution and the movement is hydrogeology.

Groundwater can be a long-term 'reservoir' of the natural water cycle as different to short-term water reservoirs like the atmosphere and the fresh surface water (which have habitation times from minutes to years). This deep groundwater (which is somewhat distant from the surface recharge) can take extremely long time to complete its natural cycle. Groundwater is of course replenished by surface water from precipitation, the streams, and the rivers when this recharge reaches the water table. It is expected that the volume of groundwater is fifty times that of surface freshwater; the icecaps and the glaciers are the only bigger reservoir of fresh water on earth.

Here is a view on Vehicle construction and design

2007-11-13T22:11:00.000-08:00

The Psychology in car manufacturing by tradition deals with questions of ergonomics, however since the 1980s new in-car devices and has associated latest infrastructure have emerged as a speedily growing field. An Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and the latest information systems are planned to support the driver in an apt, user-oriented way. According to the analyses of the driving tasks which drivers have to deal with, for example multiple tasks requiring divided attention, psychologists’ most important orientation in the design process are towards human requirements. This has defining the technical necessities, human-centered development and the usability of ADAS, the operability of Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI), behavioral adaptation and the risk compensation, approval of innovations, and the social impacts.

A short note on Willamette River

2007-11-06T22:01:00.000-08:00

The Willamette River (pronounced as "wil-LAM-met") is a tributary of the Columbia River, just about 240 mi (386 km) long, in the northwestern Oregon in the United States. The Flowing northward involving the Coastal Range and Cascade Range, the river and its tributaries form a basin called the Willamette Valley containing the biggest population centers of Oregon, together with Portland, which sits along both sides of the river next to its mouth on the Columbia. Its fertile valley is fed by prolific rainfall on the western side of the Cascades, forming one of the lushest agricultural regions of North America that was the destination for many if not most of the emigrants next to the Oregon Trail. The river was a main transportation route all over much of the early history of the state, furnishing a means of conveying the vast timber and the agricultural resources of the state to the outside world.

What do you mean by Filters?

2007-10-31T03:34:00.000-07:00

The filters are used to clean the water and take away the impurities, e.g. shells and algae. The filtration is to 2 micrometers. The filters are therefore fine so as not to block the pores of the reservoir. The Sand filters are the easiest to make use of, because there is an automatic system with Delta P which cleans the filter with a backwash when the sand filter is dirty or unclean. The sand filter has various beds with different sizes of sand. The sea water traverses the first, finest, layer of sand caused by the coarsest and to clean the filter, the method is inverted. After the water is filtered it goes on with to fill the de-oxygenation tower.

Special glasses

2007-10-24T01:02:00.001-07:00

The delusion of three dimensions on a two dimensional surface can be created by given that each eye with different visual information. The Classic 3D glasses make the illusion of three dimensions when viewing particularly prepared images. The classic 3D glasses have one red lens and one blue lens. The 3D glasses made of cardboard and the plastic are distributed at 3D movies. Another kind of 3D glasses uses the polarized filters. One type of electronic 3D spectacles uses electronic shutters. The Virtual reality glasses and helmets have separate video screens for each eye and a technique for determining the direction the head is turned.