My Science School

"Over the wintry Forest winds howl in rage

With no leaves to blow." Japanese poet, NatsumeSoseki's haunting poem "Over the Wintry" paints a picture of winter, death and isolation in just three lines. The first line sets not just the scene but also the mood of the poem. We associate the winter months being cold (literally) and isolated. In the second line, the wintry months turn violent as "winds howl in rage". And with the last line: "with no leaves to blow the poet leaves the reader to ponder over existential matters. Did you enjoy reading it? This form of poem is called a haiku.

Short, intense, colourful, and thought-provoking, a haiku can take your breath away. Want to know about this form of poetry?

What is a haiku?

A traditional Japanese haiku (pronounced as high-koo) is a poem with seventeen syllables, divided into three lines of five, seven, and five syllables. Using just a few simple words haiku is packed with imagery and colour.

History of haiku

Haiku was given its current name by the Japanese writer Masaoka Shiki at the end of the 19th Century. The word ‘haiku' has been derived from the Japanese word hokku meaning "starting verse", as haiku began as the opening stanza of 13th-Century Japanese poems. Oral poems called, renga, which were a hundred stanzas long, opened with haiku.

Variations

Over time, haiku broke away from renga as poets began to compose them as standalone poems. Later, Japanese poet Matsuo Basho was credited with popularizing this form of poetry. Some of the other well-known haiku poets are Kobayashi Issa, and Natsume Soseki.

Themes

The important characteristics of haiku are an ability to be read in one breath; and a sense of sudden enlightenment. U.S. poet Ezra Pound was greatly influenced by the philosophy behind haiku.

Nature themes are common in haiku, so if you plan to write haiku start noticing things like birds or leaves, the way the air feels, or even the smells in the air. Many haiku are about simple natural elements in our day-to-day lives.

 

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Last month, scientists released a study that pointed out how human-made materials could weigh twice as much as all life on Earth by 2040. It said that most of the human-made stuff came from concrete, followed by gravel, bricks, asphalt, metal and plastic.

After water, concrete is the most widely used substance on Earth. Concrete is nothing but a mixture of cement, air, water, sand, and gravel. Cement is a remarkably good construction material and it is the foundation of modern development. Most of our houses, offices, schools, malls, bridges, dams and other infrastructure are built using cement. Cement buildings shelter us from extreme weather conditions. But it is also important to be aware of cement's negative impacts on the environment.

Cement is the source of about 8% of the world's carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. If the cement industry were a country, it would be the third largest carbon dioxide emitter in the world with up to 2.8 billion tonnes, surpassed only by China and the U.S.

At different stages

The cement production technologies in use cause extensive power consumption, gas emissions, noise pollution, environmental heating and emissions of fuel (CO2, NOx, SO2 and Co) from the kiln and precalciner.

• It is the process of making "clinker"- the key constituent of cement - that emits the largest amount of CO2. Cement is made, using limestone and clay, which are crushed and fed into huge, cylindrical kilns and heated to about 1,450 degrees C. This calcination splits the material into calcium oxide and CO2. Production of one tonne of cement results in release of 780 kg of CO2


• Further, CO2 is emitted as a byproduct of burning of fossil fuels, primarily coal, to generate the heat necessary to drive the cement-making process.


• The cement industry is responsible for a 10th of the world's industrial water use. This puts a strain on domestic and agricultural water demands.


• The dust from cement mixers contributes to particulate matter. According to a study in 2015, in Delhi, construction releases as much as 10% of the coarse particulate matter that chokes the city. The study also found that the air pollution index at all of the 19 biggest construction sites in 2015 exceeded safe levels by at least three times.


• Concrete also contributes to the heat-island effect by absorbing the warmth of the Sun and trapping gases from car exhausts and AC units.

 

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G20 was in the news recently with its two-day summit hosted virtually by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh.

G20 and its members

The G20 (or the Group of Twenty) is an informal group of 19 countries and the European Union, a combination of the world's largest advanced and emerging economies. Formed in 1999, the G20 forum regularly meets to coordinate global policy on economic growth, international trade, health, climate and other issues. The G20 does not have a permanent headquarters and its presidency rotates annually.

The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy Japan, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the U.K., the U.S. and the European Union. The G20 economies together account for nearly 80% of the world's economic output, two-thirds of the global population, and about half of the world's land area.

Its origin

The G20 was established in December 1999 in response to the financial crises faced by a number of countries in the 1990s with the aim of uniting the world around promoting global financial stability. There was also the need to create a more inclusive body with greater representation. What began as a regular forum for finance ministers and central bank governors turned into a key summit in 2008 when the heads of State and government came together for the first time in Washington to discuss global economy as well as other challenges facing the world. Ever since, the leaders have been meeting annually. A series of G20 ministerial events takes place during a year.

Its objectives

The G20 summit is focused on several key issues such as achieving global economic stability, sustainable growth, prevention of future financial crises, putting in place regulatory mechanisms and action against climate change. The two-day summit concludes with a joint statement issued by the members committing themselves to action. It is significant to note that the resolutions of the G20 are not legally binding, but they do influence the policies of the member countries.

 

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À nebula (plural nebulae) is a giant cloud of dust and gas in space. Most nebulae are formed from the gas and dust thrown out by the explosion of a dying star, while some are formed from the gas that is already in the interstellar medium (the matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems in a galaxy).

Where are the nebulae?

Nebulae exist in interstellar space. Astronomers use very powerful telescopes to take pictures of faraway nebulae. Many of NASA's space telescopes such as the Spitzer Space Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope have captured many images of faraway nebulae. The closest known nebula to Earth is called the Helix Nebula, the remnant of a dying star, possibly one like the Sun. The Helix Nebula is approximately 700 light years from Earth. This means it will take 700 years to reach this nebula if one travels at the speed of light.

Star nurseries

Some nebulae are regions where new stars are beginning to form. This is why they are called 'star nurseries'. A nebula is made of dust and gases, mostly hydrogen and helium. These dust and gases are very spread out. However, gravity can slowly pull together clumps of these dust and gas. As each clump gets bigger in size, its gravity gets stronger. Eventually, the clump gets so big that it collapses from its own gravity. This collapse causes the material at the centre of the cloud to heat up. It is this hot core that is the beginning of a star.

 

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If you have ever visited a coastal place during one of your holidays, chances are that one of your stops would have included a trip to a lighthouse. While there are numerous lighthouses that dot the various coastlines around the world, the role they play in maritime safety in the 21st Century has drastically changed from what it was before.

Lighthouses -- those towers with bright lights located at important or dangerous Locations - have traditionally played the role of saying either that there is danger ahead, or that it is safe to come a particular way. Lighthouses located on rocky cliffs and sandy shoals do the former, while those at harbours and bays welcome mariners.

Even though lighthouses still do this duty of providing a guiding light to those travelling in waters, their role has been largely minimised due to the advent of better technology. The Global Positioning System (GPS), improved nautical charts and navigational aids, along with radar beacons and other navigation tools allow present-day mariners to move from one place to another safely, manoeuvring clear of the dangerous areas.

Apart from their limited role in navigation, lighthouses are now tourist destinations, even if they are defunct. With electronic aids to navigation dominating maritime safety, the question might well be how much longer the functioning lighthouses will continue to shine light.

 

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Satellites have been closely monitoring the movement of the world's largest iceberg, A68A, since it broke off from the Larsen C ice shelf on the east coast of the Antarctic Peninsula in 2017. Measuring 4,200 sq.km. in size, it had been slowly inching north until 2020, when an ocean current quickly propelled it into the Southern Atlantic Ocean and was set on a collision course with a sub-Antarctic island called South Georgia in South Atlantic Ocean. Mid- December, when it was about 75 km from the island, it split into two, as scientists had predicted earlier. The new iceberg, named A68D, moved further away from A68A, while the latter marched on. It is common for icebergs to fracture when they are under the influence of the ocean currents. In the last three years, chunks of A68A have broken off creating icebergs A68B and A68C. But what is worrying is the impact the iceberg could have on the South Georgia island, which is a haven for millions of penguins, seals and whales.

This has prompted a team of scientists at the British Antarctic Survey to set off on a research mission this month to find out more about the giant iceberg A68A and the risks it poses to the island.

What is an iceberg? Why does the berg A68A matter?

What is an iceberg?

An iceberg is ice that broke off from glaciers or ice shelves or larger icebergs and is floating in open water. This process of breaking off is called calving. To be classified as an iceberg, the height of the ice must be greater than 16 feet above sentenced the thickness must be 98-164 feet, according to their agency National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Icebergs are made of frozen freshwater. Most of the mass of an iceberg lies below the surface of the water, which is dangerous to ships. The North Atlantic and the cold waters surrounding Antarctica are home to most of the icebergs on Earth.

Why are scientists worried?

• South Georgia is home to millions of gentoo, macaroni, and king penguins and sea lions, nesting albatrosses, and petrels. A small population of endangered blue whales is also found here. The island is also incredibly diverse on the seabeds, harbouring molluscs, crustaceans, sponges and other life. It’s a diversity almost equivalent to the Galapagos, say scientists.


• Researchers fear that as the iceberg A68A closes in on the wildlife-rich island, it could grind into the seabed, disrupting underwater ecosystems.


• If the iceberg gets lodged in the island's shoreline it could stay there for years and decades. That would cut access to the ocean for penguin, and seal parents, who make trips into the water to collect fish and krill for their young.


• The waters around South Georgia are about 4 degree C, but in the vicinity of the iceberg the temperature could fall to a couple of degrees more. It could lead to the release of billions of tonnes of fresh water from iceberg into the region, ** which can devastate the ecosystem.

Is global warming a reason?

Though warming did not directly cause the break off of iceberg A68A, scientists draw our attention to its influence on ice shelves in the region. They found that about 60 % of the ice shelf area in Antarctica is vulnerable to a process called hydrofracturing, in which meltwater seeps into the shelves’ crevasses (cracks in glaciers), some of which are hundreds of metres deep, and trigger collapse. The collapse of Larsen B iceberg in the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula in 2002 is attributed to hydrofracturing. Warming caused meltwater ponds to form on the surface of Larsen B, and water percolating down through the ice led to the shattering of the shelf into icebergs. More ice shelves could disintegrate in similar fashion, warn scientists. .

The Antarctic Peninsula is one of the fastest warming regions on Earth, and the ice shelves along its eastern coast have been apart. The Larsen A ice shelf, near the northern tip of the peninsula, collapsed in 1995. Its neighbour Larsen B followed suit in 2002. The Larsen C, is the largest of the three, broke off in 2017.

 

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If the year 2020 taught us anything, it is to serve as a reminder that humanity isn’t all powerful and that we are just a tiny speck in the vast timeline of our universe. For not even in our wildest dreams would we have imagined that a virus would lockdown the majority of humankind at the same time.

The reason for this, as you obviously know, is the coronavirus. The disease might have been named COVID-19 for COronaVIrus Disease 2019, but the pandemic raged through 2020 and shows little signs of abating even now in 2021. This, despite the fact that a mountain load of human resources, on top of huge financial impetus, has been funnelled towards the cause of checking the spread of the disease.

Nature of the problem

In case you, or anyone around you, are wondering why it is taking us so long to find a fix, it is important to remember that that is indeed the nature of this problem. It isn’t the first one confronting us and a look at the poliovirus would illustrate it further.

Poliovirus is the causative agent of polio, a highly infectious disease that can totally paralyse a person in a few hours and is especially lethal against children under the age of five. If you ask the elders at your house, they would tell you that you too were administered a vaccine against the poliovirus as a child.

Our fight against the poliovirus, which is still ongoing, has spanned over decades. From affecting nearly 3,50,000 in over 125 countries even as recently as 1988, the numbers have dropped down to hundreds in the recent years. We have many people to thank along the way... Stanford scientists Hubert Scott Loring and Carlton Everett Schwerdt among them.

Loring’s laboratory

In the fall of 1939, with the world about to be embroiled in World War II, Professor Loring joined the faculty of the Stanford University Chemistry Department. His important research activities here took place in the early and mid-1940s.

Loring’s laboratory was characterised by a friendly atmosphere and subdued excitement. With his students, he was involved in two major areas during this time – the purification of the poliomyelitis virus and the structure and metabolism of ribonucleic acids.

Along with his student Schwerdt, Loring spent three years searching for the poliovirus. Their efforts led to the successful isolation of the Lansing strain of the poliovirus in 1946. Schwerdt completed his Ph.D. in biochemistry by the time their results were announced on January 10, 1947.

Tempers excitement

Loring and Schwerdt were able to obtain the virus with at least 80% purity. They were able to extract it from cotton rats, the only species then known to contract polio other than primates. Even though they had opened the door to further experimentation and the development of a vaccine against polio, Loring tempered the excitement, cautioning that the path ahead might still be long.

They were able to come up with a crude vaccine against polio in cotton rats later in 1947 before Schwerdt switched to the Virus Laboratory of the University of California at Berkeley. Here, he was able to further improve both his techniques and the product.

Working alongside his colleagues at Berkeley, Schwerdt developed a method to purify the poliovirus and also photographed it for the first time in pure form in 1953. He was involved in crystallising the pure virus in 1955 and also purified all three known major strains of poliovirus in 1957.

Our journey towards a polio-free world continues, even as the COVID-19 pandemic tries to undo some of the great work already achieved. Polio survives among the world’s poorest and marginalised, and the lockdowns and restrictions imposed to curtail the spread of coronavirus has also hindered administering vaccines against polio and other diseases to those who need it.

The work done by Loring, Schwerdt and many others ensured that the polio vaccine was safe when it came about in the 1950s. We will have countless more to thank when effective vaccines against COVID-19 also become a part of our lives.

 

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A roofer repairs, replaces, and installs roofs on residential homes or commercial buildings. They use a variety of materials such a metal, aluminum, wood, shingles, tiles, slate, and steel. Roofers scale the tops of a property to repair leaky roofs, replace broken tiles, or seal areas to make them watertight. Roofing is physically demanding and requires the stamina to stand, climb, and carefully walk in hot, cold, windy, snowy, or rainy weather. The work that roofers do ensures that buildings are structurally sound and safe for those who enter. Roofers can work on a full- or part-time basis, and many receive weekly salary payments.

Roofing systems may also incorporate plants and landscape materials. A vegetative roof, for example, is typically a waterproof low-slope roof covered by a root barrier and harboring soil, plants, and landscaping materials.

It is becoming increasingly popular to take advantage of solar energy on rooftops. Roofs may incorporate solar reflective systems, which prevent the absorption of energy; solar thermal systems, which absorb energy to heat water; and solar photovoltaic systems, which convert sunlight into electricity. Roofers install some photovoltaic products, such as solar shingles and solar tiles, but solar photovoltaic (PV) installers typically install PV panels. Plumbers and heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics also may install solar thermal systems.

 

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A house painter’s primary responsibility is to paint the interior and exterior surfaces of residential buildings using paint, varnishes, lacquers, sealers, or stains.

Their job description entails executing several pre-painting tasks, including utilizing sandpaper/scraping to strip old paint; performing preparation work for the surfaces and applying filler to cracks and holes using material such as plaster to prepare walls and surfaces before the actual painting tasks is executed.

House painters are also responsible for using power and hand tools to sand surfaces for further finishing and painting to accentuate the work done.

House Painters do not only apply paints but may also be required to apply various wallpaper, vinyl wall fabrics, and all types of coverings or coatings, drywall installation, tape and texture work.

They also ensure that the paint and other materials to be used are of the right color or texture following the specification of the client, and they may also take responsibility for blending paints before carrying out the assigned tasks using various tools.

 

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Plumbers install and repair pipes that supply water and gas to, as well as carry waste away from, homes and businesses. They also install plumbing fixtures such as bathtubs, sinks, and toilets, and appliances, including dishwashers and washing machines. Experienced plumbers train apprentices and supervise helpers. They work alongside other construction workers.

Most plumbers receive their training by doing an apprenticeship, which combines classroom instruction with paid on-the-job training. Most states also require a license to work independently.

Apprenticeships are sponsored by trade unions and employers. They last from four to five years and include 2,000 hours of on-the-job training and classroom instruction. You will need a high school or equivalency diploma and must be at least 18 years old to be accepted into a program. In the classroom, you will learn about local codes and regulations, blueprint reading, and safety.

Plumbers are required to have a license to work in most states and municipalities in the U.S. In addition to needing two to five years of experience, depending on where the license is issued, you must also pass an exam.

 

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Electricians install and maintain all of the electrical and power systems for our homes, businesses, and factories. They install and maintain the wiring and control equipment through which electricity flows. They also install and maintain electrical equipment and machines in factories and a wide range of other businesses.



Electricians generally focus on either construction or maintenance, although many do both. Electricians specializing in construction primarily install wiring systems into factories, businesses, and new homes. Electricians specializing in maintenance fix and upgrade existing electrical systems and repair electrical equipment. All electricians including emergency electricians in Sydney must follow State and local building codes and the National Electrical Code when performing their work.



Electricians usually start their work by reading blueprints - technical diagrams that show the locations of circuits, outlets, load centers, panel boards, and other equipment. After determining where all the wires and components will go, electricians install and connect the wires to circuit breakers, transformers, outlets, or other components and systems.

Electricians in large factories usually do maintenance work that is more complex. These kinds of electricians may repair motors, transformers, generators, and electronic controllers on machine tools and industrial robots. They also advise management as to whether the continued operation of certain equipment could be hazardous. When working with complex electronic devices, they may consult with engineers, engineering technicians, line installers and repairers, or industrial machinery mechanics and maintenance workers.

 

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Bricklayers lay bricks, pre-cut stone and concrete blocks in mortar. They construct, extend and repair domestic and commercial buildings, and other structures such as foundations, walls, chimneys or decorative masonry work. Bricklaying offers a real sense of achievement.

There are several routes to becoming a bricklayer. You can gain the qualifications you need by doing a college course, an apprenticeship or on the job training.

You should explore these routes to find which one is right for you. Although some options will list qualification requirements, many employers are more interested in people who are enthusiastic, willing to learn and able to follow instructions.

You may need a Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) card to work on a construction site.

Bricklayers use many tools, including trowels, brick hammers, chisels, levels, and rulers. Helpers do the heavy work, such as carrying materials and mixing the mortar. These helpers are known as "hod carriers." Bricklayers read blueprints and other specifications to be sure their work is accurate. They constantly check for both horizontal and vertical straightness with a mason's level. Masons also build walls out of other materials, such as concrete block. Many masons specialize in one kind of construction material.

 

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Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the entire world. Rather than existing as an independent material, concrete is a mix of various materials. These materials include cement, water, fine aggregate, and crushed stones or gravel. Sand and gravel or crushed stones are examples of fine aggregate and coarse aggregate, respectively.

The many cement contractors Delaware folks look to for all their construction needs have one thing in common, they all use concrete. This prevalent use of concrete begs the question, why is concrete such an essential material for construction?

Well, concrete is similar to mortars in both composition and structure. This similarity means concrete works as a binder for the various masonry units in construction, just like any mortar. Unlike ordinary mortar, however, concrete has a wide range of applications. This versatility is as a result of concrete having both fine aggregates and coarse aggregates that are larger. The large size of the coarse aggregates confers strength attributes to concrete, that mortar doesn’t have. This makes it suitable for application in larger and heavier structures. Most mortars have sand as the sole aggregate and are hence weaker than concrete.

 

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Carpenters construct, erect, install, and repair structures and fixtures made from wood and other materials. Carpenters are involved in many different kinds of construction, from the building of highways and bridges to the installation of kitchen cabinets.

Carpenters may do many different carpentry tasks, or they may specialize in one or two. Carpenters who remodel homes and other structures, for example, need a broad range of carpentry skills. As part of a single job, they might frame walls and partitions, put in doors and windows, build stairs, install cabinets and molding, and complete many other tasks. Well-trained carpenters are able to switch from residential building to commercial construction or remodeling work, depending on which offers the best work opportunities.



Carpenters who work for large construction contractors or specialty contractors may perform only a few regular tasks, such as constructing wooden forms for pouring concrete, or erecting scaffolding. Some carpenters build tunnel bracing, or brattices, in underground passageways and mines to control the circulation of air through the passageways and to worksites. Others build concrete forms for tunnel, bridge, or sewer construction projects.



Carpenters employed outside the construction industry perform a variety of installation and maintenance work. They may replace panes of glass, ceiling tiles, and doors, as well as repair desks, cabinets, and other furniture. Depending on the employer, carpenters install partitions, doors, and windows; change locks; and repair broken furniture. In manufacturing firms, carpenters may assist in moving or installing machinery.

 

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A Bulldozer Operator is in charge of a bulldozer—a special tractor outfitted in front with a broad upright blade that’s used for clearing and smoothing ground. Capable of pushing boulders, soil, clay, sand, and vegetation, and of demolishing walls, sheds, and even small houses, bulldozers are ideal for use at construction sites, battlefields, mines, quarries, farms, and disaster zones.

Whatever the job—tearing down an old garage or clearing a construction site—your routine as a Bulldozer Operator involves showing up at the job site early, inspecting and cleaning the equipment, then driving, digging, and demolishing under the direction of your Supervisor, who is usually a Construction Foreman.

 It also means maintaining the equipment: It’s your job to fix the bulldozer when it breaks, or send it to a Bulldozer Mechanic, and to secure and store it at the end of every day.

 

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