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Monday, 8 June 2015

Electronics waste is an ecological time bomb for Developing Countries such as Nigeria

Some 50 million tones of hazardous e-waste, various electronics that have long met their life cycle and now need to be disposed, are being generated each year. The figure has risen dramatically compared to previous years and will continue to do so in the future as well, in part because manufacturers have constantly lowered their product’s life cycles, from five years on average to two years on average, for increased profits. With this in mind, the issue is far from being new, what’s clear is that people, and especially governments and major electronics manufacturers, need to be reminded of this great peril some parts of the world might be facing.

Often times, governments of developed countries wash their hands off and send their e-waste over to developing countries, where labor is cheaper and environmental laws are more permissive. Here, in parts of the world like Africa or Asia, precious metals that go into e-waste (gold, silver and platinum from microchips, motherboards etc.) are basically scavenged under precarious working conditions, leading to extensive pollution of air, water, food and people.











Credit: zmescience

Germ Alert!


Used the lift, bought a drink from a vending machine or paid a visit to the ATM recently? Chances are you've encountered more than you bargained for and picked up potentially hazardous germs.


The World Health Organisation urges caution where large numbers of people congregate. "Especially when they are eating food… there is a greater risk of the spread of diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A, typhoid and other diarrhoea-causing diseases."

These communicable diseases are very common in Nigeria, and our exposure to germs increases dramatically beyond the home. One studies shows that people touch up to 300 surfaces in a 30-minute period when out in public.

What's more, we often don't realise what's dirty and what isn't. A washroom survey of nearly 500 people in Sydney and Melbourne shows a majority avoid using public toilets when they can. Yet while 77 per cent said they wouldn't touch the toilet seat, only 36 per cent avoided the toilet door handle – often far worse for contamination.
Meanwhile, the US International Journal of Environmental Health Research reports twice as much contamination in playgrounds as in public restrooms. And other studies show vending machine and ATM buttons are also unhygienic, yet few people worry about touching them.

"We were surprised by our results because ATM machines were shown to be heavily contaminated with bacteria to the same level as nearby public lavatories," says microbiologist Dr Richard Hastings. Such contaminants are transferred to the hands and onto personal belongings almost 90 per cent of the time.

Lack of hand washing is the major culprit in creating unhygienic public spaces. Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water or using hand sanitiser – especially after using public facilities and before you eat – reduces the risk substantially.

You should also limit the surfaces you touch: do you really need support from the escalator railing? Best of all, be conscious of where your hands are, and avoid touching your mouth or nose, when out in public. You may be rewarded, and enjoy a cold and flu free rainy season.

Some Germ hotspots

Studies in Australia, the UK and USA show the following are the most unhygienic public spaces:
  • Playgrounds and daycare centres
  • Public toilets
  • Light switches and door handles
  • Lift, ATM and vending machine buttons
  • Public phones
  • Railings and supermarket trolley handles
  • Remote controls in hotels
  • Shared pens in banks and post offices
  • Drinking fountains
Source: bodyandsoul

New plastics could enable car and aircraft components to fix themselves when broken


Imagine a future in which artificial materials can repair themselves – cars and aircraft that heal like human bone and skin. Biological materials can regenerate after damage, but until recently self-repair was almost unknown in artificial materials. New plastics can be designed with atoms and molecules that re-bind after damage to allow machines to fix themselves. Self-healing polymers could vastly improve the durability and safety of critical components in cars and aircraft.

Polymers are materials made of many repeating units connected together, and the best-known examples of polymers are plastics. When man-made polymers suffer excess mechanical or thermal stress, they become irreversibly damaged. The research designs and develops self-repairing polymers by incorporating atoms and molecules that can re-bind after damage. The design process starts with computer simulations, then moves to experimental studies in the lab, before testing prototypes of new materials in real-world situations.

Self-repairing materials could make cars and aircraft that heal themselves like human bone and skin.


Source: The Royal Society.

More than 100 Keyboard Shortcuts you must read & Share


Keyboard Shortcuts (Microsoft Windows)
1. CTRL+C (Copy)
2. CTRL+X (Cut)
... 3. CTRL+V (Paste)
4. CTRL+Z (Undo)
5. DELETE (Delete)
6. SHIFT+DELETE (Delete the selected item permanently without placing the item in the Recycle Bin)
7. CTRL while dragging an item (Copy the selected item)
8. CTRL+SHIFT while dragging an item (Create a shortcut to the selected item)
9. F2 key (Rename the selected item)
10. CTRL+RIGHT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next word)
11. CTRL+LEFT ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous word)
12. CTRL+DOWN ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the next paragraph)
13. CTRL+UP ARROW (Move the insertion point to the beginning of the previous paragraph)
14. CTRL+SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Highlight a block of text)
SHIFT with any of the arrow keys (Select more than one item in a window or on the desktop, or select text in a document)
15. CTRL+A (Select all)
16. F3 key (Search for a file or a folder)
17. ALT+ENTER (View the properties for the selected item)
18. ALT+F4 (Close the active item, or quit the active program)
19. ALT+ENTER (Display the properties of the selected object)
20. ALT+SPACEBAR (Open the shortcut menu for the active window)
21. CTRL+F4 (Close the active document in programs that enable you to have multiple documents opensimultaneously)
22. ALT+TAB (Switch between the open items)
23. ALT+ESC (Cycle through items in the order that they had been opened)
24. F6 key (Cycle through the screen elements in a window or on the desktop)
25. F4 key (Display the Address bar list in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
26. SHIFT+F10 (Display the shortcut menu for the selected item)
27. ALT+SPACEBAR (Display the System menu for the active window)
28. CTRL+ESC (Display the Start menu)
29. ALT+Underlined letter in a menu name (Display the corresponding menu) Underlined letter in a command name on an open menu (Perform the corresponding command)
30. F10 key (Activate the menu bar in the active program)
31. RIGHT ARROW (Open the next menu to the right, or open a submenu)
32. LEFT ARROW (Open the next menu to the left, or close a submenu)
33. F5 key (Update the active window)
34. BACKSPACE (View the folder onelevel up in My Computer or Windows Explorer)
35. ESC (Cancel the current task)
36. SHIFT when you insert a CD-ROMinto the CD-ROM drive (Prevent the CD-ROM from automatically playing)
Dialog Box - Keyboard Shortcuts
1. CTRL+TAB (Move forward through the tabs)
2. CTRL+SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the tabs)
3. TAB (Move forward through the options)
4. SHIFT+TAB (Move backward through the options)
5. ALT+Underlined letter (Perform the corresponding command or select the corresponding option)
6. ENTER (Perform the command for the active option or button)
7. SPACEBAR (Select or clear the check box if the active option is a check box)
8. Arrow keys (Select a button if the active option is a group of option buttons)
9. F1 key (Display Help)
10. F4 key (Display the items in the active list)
11. BACKSPACE (Open a folder one level up if a folder is selected in the Save As or Open dialog box)
Microsoft Natural Keyboard Shortcuts
1. Windows Logo (Display or hide the Start menu)
2. Windows Logo+BREAK (Display the System Properties dialog box)
3. Windows Logo+D (Display the desktop)
4. Windows Logo+M (Minimize all of the windows)
5. Windows Logo+SHIFT+M (Restorethe minimized windows)
6. Windows Logo+E (Open My Computer)
7. Windows Logo+F (Search for a file or a folder)
8. CTRL+Windows Logo+F (Search for computers)
9. Windows Logo+F1 (Display Windows Help)
10. Windows Logo+ L (Lock the keyboard)
11. Windows Logo+R (Open the Run dialog box)
12. Windows Logo+U (Open Utility Manager)
13. Accessibility Keyboard Shortcuts
14. Right SHIFT for eight seconds (Switch FilterKeys either on or off)
15. Left ALT+left SHIFT+PRINT SCREEN (Switch High Contrast either on or off)
16. Left ALT+left SHIFT+NUM LOCK (Switch the MouseKeys either on or off)
17. SHIFT five times (Switch the StickyKeys either on or off)
18. NUM LOCK for five seconds (Switch the ToggleKeys either on or off)
19. Windows Logo +U (Open Utility Manager)
20. Windows Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
21. END (Display the bottom of the active window)
22. HOME (Display the top of the active window)
23. NUM LOCK+Asterisk sign (*) (Display all of the subfolders that are under the selected folder)
24. NUM LOCK+Plus sign (+) (Display the contents of the selected folder)
MMC Console keyboard shortcuts
1. SHIFT+F10 (Display the Action shortcut menu for the selected item)
2. F1 key (Open the Help topic, if any, for the selected item)
3. F5 key (Update the content of all console windows)
4. CTRL+F10 (Maximize the active console window)
5. CTRL+F5 (Restore the active console window)
6. ALT+ENTER (Display the Properties dialog box, if any, for theselected item)
7. F2 key (Rename the selected item)
8. CTRL+F4 (Close the active console window. When a console has only one console window, this shortcut closes the console)
Remote Desktop Connection Navigation
1. CTRL+ALT+END (Open the Microsoft Windows NT Security dialog box)
2. ALT+PAGE UP (Switch between programs from left to right)
3. ALT+PAGE DOWN (Switch between programs from right to left)
4. ALT+INSERT (Cycle through the programs in most recently used order)
5. ALT+HOME (Display the Start menu)
6. CTRL+ALT+BREAK (Switch the client computer between a window and a full screen)
7. ALT+DELETE (Display the Windows menu)
8. CTRL+ALT+Minus sign (-) (Place a snapshot of the active window in the client on the Terminal server clipboard and provide the same functionality as pressing PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
9. CTRL+ALT+Plus sign (+) (Place asnapshot of the entire client window area on the Terminal server clipboardand provide the same functionality aspressing ALT+PRINT SCREEN on a local computer.)
Microsoft Internet Explorer Keyboard Shortcuts
1. CTRL+B (Open the Organize Favorites dialog box)
2. CTRL+E (Open the Search bar)
3. CTRL+F (Start the Find utility)
4. CTRL+H (Open the History bar)
5. CTRL+I (Open the Favorites bar)
6. CTRL+L (Open the Open dialog box)
7. CTRL+N (Start another instance of the browser with the same Web address)
8. CTRL+O (Open the Open dialog box,the same as CTRL+L)
9. CTRL+P (Open the Print dialog box)
10. CTRL+R (Update the current Web page)
11. CTRL+W (Close the current window)

What Happens With Your Body When You Stop Smoking?

Probably many people know the dangers of smoking, but are not quitting this habit, because they choose more to enjoy in cigarettes, rather than worry about their health.
And maybe more often they do not want to know the real truth about smoking as a cause of serious diseases. If you do not care in long term period, make sure about your close future. See what positive changes will happen if you stop smoking. Then stop and see for yourself.
In 20 minutes your blood pressure will come down to normal.

In 8 hours the level of carbon monoxide (a poisonous gas) in your bloodstream will be cut by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal. 
In 48 hours the chances to get a heart attack will decrease. The whole nicotine will leave your body and feelings of smell and taste will return to normal levels.
In 72 hours, your breathing paths will relax and the energy level will increase.
In two weeks blood circulation will increase and will continue to improve over the next 10 weeks. In 3-9 months, coughing, difficult breathing and general respiratory problems will decrease as a result of increasing the capacity of your lungs by 10%.
In 72 hours, your breathing paths will relax and the energy level will increase.
In two weeks blood circulation will increase and will continue to improve over the next 10 weeks. In 3-9 months, coughing, difficult breathing and general respiratory problems will decrease as a result of increasing the capacity of your lungs by 10%.
Source: HealthyFoodTeam

Seven Foods That Fight Inflammation and Belly Fat

1. Fruits and vegetables

All fruits and vegetables, due to their rich nutrient and fiber content, help to combat chronic inflammation, so make sure to include adequate amounts of these foods daily. Some types of fresh produce, however, are even more potent than others.
Some terrific anti-inflammatory fruits and vegetables to include in your meal plan include apples, berries, broccoli, mushrooms, papaya, pineapple, and spinach.

2. Green tea
This mild beverage is great for helping shrink your waistline as well as for decreasing inflammation. The flavonoids in this tea have natural anti-inflammatory properties. And the compound EGCG in green tea has been shown to help reduce body fat.


3. Monounsaturated fats
These heart-healthy fats help raise your healthy HDL cholesterol levels and reduce overall inflammation. Great sources include olive oil, almonds, and avocado.
4. Omega-3 fatty acid
Research has shown that a diet with a high percentage of omega-3 fatty acids and a low percentage of omega-6 fatty acids has been linked with decreased inflammation. Food sources of omega-3s include walnuts, flaxseed, and fish, such as wild Alaskan salmon.
5. Spices
Certain spices, including garlic, 
turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and chili 
peppers, have potent inflammation-
reducing capabilities, so try adding 
  them to meals as often as possible.

6. Water
Staying hydrated is essential to flushing 
inflammation-causing toxins out of your 
body. Aim for 64 ounces of water per day. 
Remember: Add an additional 
8 ounces of water for every 
30 minutes of exercise as well.       


7.  Whole grains
Rich in fiber, whole grains help control the insulin response in 
your body. The high B vitamin content of whole grains also 
helps reduce the inflammatory hormone homocystine in the 
body.

Aluminum in Deodorants Can Cause Breast Cancer. Use Lime to Eliminate Body Odor

Sweating is a natural process that protects the body from overheating, such as during hot and humid weather or intensive physical work.  Excess thermal energy is evaporated through the sweat particles  which contributes to the cooling of the body.  The human body has a large number of sweat glands, but most of us are annoyed with armpit sweat. The armpits contain the most active sweat glands, thus they emit sweat frequently.  This sweat is enriched with fatty acids and proteins which leave their residue on clothes.

Sweating is an important function of our body. Excessive sweating is called hyperhidrosis. When sweat starts to smell it becomes annoying and inconvenient, so we begin to actively use deodorants and antiperspirants. Well, getting rid of armpit sweat altogether is not what you should be worrying about. Sweat is good; it contains chemicals that fight diseases. According to a recent study, the chemicals found in sweat contain natural antibiotics that can kill dangerous germs. So, getting rid of one of the most important functions of the body, would not be wise. However, you can get rid of the smell that comes with sweaty armpits with proven methods from folk medicine.

Aluminum in Deodorants Can Cause Breast Cancer. Use Lime to Eliminate Body Odor.
It is believed that the results it gives are just fantastic. Just cut the lime in half (not very ripe), and then wipe each of the halves on each armpit. It is possible that after rubbing lime, the skin under the arms will brighten a little, but don’t worry,  the color of the skin will be restored soon after. Lime’s ability to combat armpit sweat is due to its acidity.  The acid in the lime juice helps reduce sweat production and can work as a natural deodorant. Additionally,  limes have strong antibacterial properties (bacteria is what we smell).
Source: Living Traditionally