Process of making NEWater

NEWater is a reclaimed sewage but it would be ready to be drank after going through 4 barriers of disinfection and additional chemicals.
The 1st barrier will make used water treated to globally recognised standards in the Water Reclamation Plants.
In the 2nd stage, the suspension is filtered using membranes. The residue would be the suspended solids, colloidal particles, disease-causing bacteria, some viruses and protozoan cysts. The filtrate contains only dissolved salts and organic molecules.
The 3rd stage is known as Reverse Osmosis in which a semi-permeable membrane is used. Only small molecules like water molecules to pass through as the membrane has only very small pores and contaminants cannot pass through the membrane.
Lastly, ultraviolet or UV disinfection is used to ensure that all organisms are inactivated. Then, some alkaline chemicals are added to restore the pH balance. The last step acts as a precaution and all is done.

Recycling Paper

Everybody has to play a part in conservation and saving the Earth. We can contribute just by doing very simple things, like recycling paper. As you know, Earth is facing a very great problem: Global Warming. This resulted in the rise of the temperature and the Polar Caps are melting very rapidly. One of this problems is because people are cutting down too many trees to make paper.

Once the paper is transported into a factory, the paper os being sorted, graded and delivered to a paper mill. Water would be added to the recycled paper and turning it into a pulp. The paper is then screened, cleaned and de-inked through a number of processes until it is suitable for paper making. It is then ready to be made into new paper products such as newsprint, cardboard, packaging, tissue and office items. Seven days is needed for a newspaper to go through the recycling process and be transformed into recycled newsprint.

As you can see, the process of recycling paper is easy. Therefore, why don't everybody come and cooperate by throwing paper into recycling bin instead of throwing into a normal rubbish bin which makes factory workers very hard to extract?

Reflection: Term 2 test results

The second term test is about acids, bases and salts, and reflection of light on plane mirror. This time, not only did I compile and memorise the facts, I also did a lot of practices so as to gain exposure and have a better understanding on would be tested in the test. I found that to be able to score well for both these topics on chemistry and physics, I needed to have the ability to foresee which type of questions would exactly come out in the test, and be able to apply the rules I learnt in the questions.

I find acids, bases and salts, a topic that is greatly logical – or in other words, it requires the student to be able to have basic mathematics calculation skills of addition and subtraction. For example, the way protons and electrons stabilize one another complicates the matter in

This time, to my elation, I obtained exceedingly excellent results. Not only was it an A1, it was a high A1 – 37.5/40. Yet, I did not get the highest score in the class this time, though it was only 2.5 marks from the full marks. The highest score in class was a whopping 39/40, which translates to 97.5/100. I admit that the paper was relatively easy, and it is indeed possible to achieve such stunning results, however, I have to agree that it is nonetheless extremely difficult to get this mark – to allow hardly any error except only 1 mark deducted from the test was almost impossible. Well, but for myself, I felt quite satisfied with my results – especially feeling very satisfied after putting in so much hard work and effort. The sense of achievement was great, and I felt grateful that my efforts were not futile.

Building Muscle Doesn't Require Lifting Heavy Weights, Study Shows:

Article from www.sciencedaily.com:The findings are published in PLoS ONE.
"Rather than grunting and straining to lift heavy weights, you can grab something much lighter but you have to lift it until you can't lift it anymore," says Stuart Phillips, associate professor of kinesiology at McMaster University. "We're convinced that growing muscle means stimulating your muscle to make new muscle proteins, a process in the body that over time accumulates into bigger muscles."
Phillips praised lead author and senior Ph.D. student Nicholas Burd for masterminding the project that showed it's really not the weight that you lift but the fact that you get muscular fatigue that's the critical point in building muscle. The study used light weights that represented a percentage of what the subjects could lift. The heavier weights were set to 90% of a person's best lift and the light weights at a mere 30% of what people could lift. "It's a very light weight," says Phillips noting that the 90-80% range is usually something people can lift from 5-10 times before fatigue sets in. At 30%, Burd reported that subjects could lift that weight at least 24 times before they felt fatigue.
"We're excited to see where this new paradigm will lead," says Phillips, adding that these new data have practical significance for gym enthusiasts but more importantly for people with compromised skeletal muscle mass, such as the elderly, patients with cancer, or those who are recovering from trauma, surgery or even stroke.

Reflections: I was very surprised and shocked after I read this article. The article stated that a new study conducted at McMaster University has shown that a similar degree of muscle building can be achieved by using lighter weights. You just need your muscles to feel fatigue, and you would have your muscles. However, the bad thing is that you need to raise the weight more times. This research also says that other than having practical significance for gym enthusiasts, it would also benefit people with compromised skeletal muscle mass, such as the elderly, patients with cancer, or those who are recovering from trauma, surgery or even stroke. Therefore, I think that these new discovery benefits humans a lot and I would not need to train so hard to get muscles as light weights could also do! However, one still need to put in effort to train muscles as you would also need more time to train muscles in the new method as you need to raise lighter weights more times!

Free Statins With Fast Food Could Neutralize Heart Risk, Scientists Say:

Article from www.sciencedaily.com: Statins reduce the amount of unhealthy "LDL" cholesterol in the blood. A wealth of trial data has proven them to be highly effective at lowering a person's heart attack risk.
In a paper published in the American Journal of Cardiology, Dr Darrel Francis and colleagues calculate that the reduction in cardiovascular risk offered by a statin is enough to offset the increase in heart attack risk from eating a cheeseburger and a milkshake.
Dr Francis, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, who is the senior author of the study, said: "Statins don't cut out all of the unhealthy effects of burgers and fries. It's better to avoid fatty food altogether. But we've worked out that in terms of your likelihood of having a heart attack, taking a statin can reduce your risk to more or less the same degree as a fast food meal increases it."
One statin, simvastatin, is already available in low doses (10mg) over the counter at pharmacies without a prescription. Other statins are so far only prescribed by doctors, and limited by cost to patients at particular risk of heart attack or stroke. However, the cost of the tablets has fallen sharply in recent years (from ~£40/month to ~£1.50/month), such that the cost to the NHS of seeing a doctor is much greater than the cost of the tablet.
"It's ironic that people are free to take as many unhealthy condiments in fast food outlets as they like, but statins, which are beneficial to heart health, have to be prescribed," Dr Francis said.
Statins have among the best safety profiles of any medication. A very small proportion of regular statin users experience significant side effects, with problems in the liver and kidneys reported in between 1 in 1,000 and 1 in 10,000 people.
"Everybody knows that fast food is bad for you, but people continue to eat it because it tastes good. We're genetically programmed to prefer high-calorie foods, and sadly fast food chains will continue to sell unhealthy foods because it earns them a living.
"It makes sense to make risk-reducing supplements available just as easily as the unhealthy condiments that are provided free of charge. It would cost less than 5p per customer -- not much different to a sachet of ketchup.
"When people engage in risky behaviours like driving or smoking, they're encouraged to take measures that minimise their risk, like wearing a seatbelt or choosing cigarettes with filters. Taking a statin is a rational way of lowering some of the risks of eating a fatty meal."
Studies have shown a clear link between total fat intake and blood cholesterol, which is strongly linked to heart disease. Recent evidence suggests that trans fats, which are found in high levels in fast food, are the component of the Western diet that is most dangerous in terms of heart disease risk.
Dr Francis and his colleagues used data from a previous large cohort study to quantify how a person's heart attack risk increases with their daily intake of total fat and trans fat. He compared this with the decrease in risk from various statins, based on a meta-analysis of seven randomised controlled trials.
The results showed that most statin regimes are able to compensate for the relative risk increase from eating a cheeseburger and a small milkshake.
The researchers note that studies should be conducted to assess the potential risks of allowing people to take statins freely, without medical supervision. They suggest that a warning on the packet should emphasise that no tablet can substitute for a healthy diet, and advise people to consult their doctor for more advice.

Reflections: For those who like to eat fast food, this would be good news for them! Fast food Restaurants are giving out free Statin to reduce the risk of heart diseases like heart attack. What is Statin? Statin is a type of medicine that reduces the amount of unhealthy "LDL" cholesterol in the blood. A wealth of trial data has proven them to be highly effective at lowering a person's heart attack risk. Those who like to eat fast food would be over the moon and eat more from now on. However, in my opinion, eating fast food that increases cholesterol is still unhealthy and bad for us even though now we are given Statin. Statin only reduces the risk of getting heart diseases, but it does not eliminate the possibility of getting heart diseases. Anyway, there are always other vices for this, for example: fast food is too salty, less vitamin C, so on and so forth. Therefore, in a nutshell, I think that we should still eat less fast food as it still harms our body.

Culture Matters in Suicidal Behavior Patterns and Prevention, Psychologist Says:

Article from www.sciencedaily.com:"Everywhere, suicidal behavior is culturally scripted," said Silvia S. Canetto, PhD, of Colorado State University. "Women and men adopt the self-destructive behaviors that are expected of them within their cultures."
While the gender paradox of suicidal behavior is common, particularly in industrialized countries, it is not universal, she said. In China, for example, women die of suicide at higher rates than men. In Finland and Ireland, men and women engage in nonfatal suicidal behavior at similar rates. There are more exceptions to the gender paradox of suicidal behavior when one examines female/male patterns of suicidality by age or culture, she said.
In some cultures, particularly in industrialized countries, such as the United States and Canada, suicide is considered a masculine act and an "unnatural" behavior for women, Canetto said at a symposium entitled "New Perspectives on Suicide Theory, Research and Prevention."
"In these countries, the dominant view is that `successful, completed' suicide is the masculine way to do suicide. In the U.S., women who kill themselves are considered more deviant than men. By contrast, in other cultures, killing oneself is considered feminine behavior (and is more common in women)," she said, citing, among others, the Aguaruna people of Peru, who view suicide as an indication of a feminine inability to control strong emotions. Yet in other cultures, men's and women's suicidal behavior is similar. For example, in Sri Lanka, the same types of issues (problems with spouses, parents or in-laws) are typically associated with both women's and men's suicides.
"A broad cultural perspective shows that women and men do not consistently differ in terms of the kinds of suicidal behavior they engage in, or with regard to the circumstances or the motives of their suicidal behavior," she said. "When women and men differ with regard to some dimensions of suicidal behavior, the meaning and salience of these differences vary from one social group to another, one culture to another, one historical period to another, depending on local scripts of gender and suicidal behavior." The cultural variability in patterns and scripts of women's and men's suicidal behavior calls for "culturally situated suicidality research and prevention," Canetto said.
At the same symposium, James L. Werth Jr., PhD, of Radford University, discussed reasons why the suicide rate in rural America is consistently higher than it is in urban areas. In addition to general suicide risk factors, such as mental illness, a family history of suicide and feelings of hopelessness, rural residents may be more isolated, be less willing to ask for help and have increased access to lethal means such as guns and pesticides, he said.
"County by county or state by state, the top areas in terms of suicide are rural," Werth said. "The top five states are Alaska, Montana, New Mexico, Wyoming and Nevada, whereas D.C., New Jersey, New York Connecticut and Massachusetts have the lowest rates."
Some of the possible contributing factors to the higher rates in rural America are more poverty, higher unemployment and lack of access to treatment resources, Werth said. "People are not going to drive five hours to visit a counselor," he said.
In suggesting possible solutions to the rural suicide rate, Werth said greater access to broadband would help by increasing access to resources, as will integration of mental health practitioners into primary care.
"Even though people live farther apart, there may be stronger connections -- they need to rely on one another," he said. "There may be longstanding relationships among families and more religiosity …. we need to build on those existing qualities and strengths and beliefs."

Reflections: I was astounded by this article as I found out that in most countries, women suicide rates are higher than men are! Researches said that this depended on one’s cultural beliefs. In America, suicide was being seen as a masculine act and an "unnatural" behavior for women. However, in other countries, their culture believes that suicide is a feminine behavior. An example is the Aguaruna people of Peru, who viewed suicides as an indication of a feminine inability to control strong emotions. However, in my point of view, people who suicides are those who are under great pressures and stress or faced extreme sadness. I believed this as in Singapore, there are often many news about students of secondary or high schools that faced pressure and jumped down a building. In conclusion, I think that those who suicide are too stupid as they did not know how to cherish their life, which is very precious.

Periodic Table

The periodic table is being defined as a table of the chemical elements arranged in order of atomic number, usually in rows, so that elements with similar atomic structure (and hence similar chemical properties) appear in vertical columns. Yet, we have to know much more than that! :(

Not only do we need to have the sufficient understandings about the periodic table, for example, what vertical and horizontal rows and columns are for, we also need to memorise what each rows represent, although, the middle portion we only need to know that it is called the transition metals. Alas! We still needed to know many other things. The properties of each and every group of elements for instance, and some usages of the different element groups.

To me, though periodic table is somehow, or quite significantly related to the previous topic of chemical bonding and atomic structure, I found it relatively difficult to memorise. I knew that this was because I did not see the link of it with the everyday lives of us. However hard it was to memorise everything, it was still an inevitable part that we needed to memorise. As such, I still prepared some notes to facilitate a more effective way of learning...

To see the notes, please go to my website. To view the notes directly, please go to https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=sites&srcid=ZGVmYXVsdGRvbWFpbnxzY2llbmNlZXBvcnR8Z3g6Mjc2YzhkMTQyYmNjMzFlNA

Have fun viewing!