Why

Why do calf muscles cramp?

Hari — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 11:26:07 +0000

The sudden intensive pain due to leg cramps in the night affects many people which takes away their sleep. People are awakened due to the pain in the legs which includes heavy contractions in the calf muscles as well as in the foot muscles. The leg cramps that occur at nighttime are very real and are spasms of the muscles. Leg cramps are known as painful muscle contractions that occur involuntarily. If the muscle remains in a contracted stage, it leads to the generation of pain. At this stage, the calf muscle will become very hard to the touch like concrete. The extent of the hardness will determine the power of the cramp.

Research studies have revealed that the reason for the calf muscles to cramp is enhanced electrical activity. In some situations, the cramps in calf muscles might be because of a vitamin deficiency and an imbalance in fluids. Leg cramps occur in many people who perform intensive training. The area of the leg where the cramps occur are the calf muscles. The calf muscles that are affected in the leg due to leg cramps are the gastrocnemius and soleus muscles.

Though the exact reasons for the leg cramps are not yet established, there are a few possible reasons for the occurrence of leg cramps: low levels of potassium and sodium, muscle fatigue, very tight muscles, low levels of carbohydrates, changed neuromuscular control, poor conditioning, and dehydration.

The leg cramps normally will disappear without any treatment. But the healing process is enhanced by stretching and massaging the muscle that experienced cramps, the activity which led to the cramps is stopped, and the joint is placed in a stretched manner until the cramps have ceased. To avoid leg cramps, it is necessary to perform some warm-up exercises before doing exercise, build fitness in the body, stretching after the exercises, and stretching the hamstring and quadriceps muscles.

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Why do writers use foreshadowing?

Hari — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:22:51 +0000

Foreshadowing is the way of making the reader know about the thing that is going to be explained further in the story. This will create a sort of suspense to the reader and raise some interest in him to continue reading. The foreshadowing will generate a desire in the reader to go further and know about the future aspects in the story. For instance, in the case of “Romeo and Juliet,” the author has given clues about the ending part of the story in the beginning itself in the form of the sentence like “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their lives.” This sentence gives the vague meaning in the initial stage itself that something bad is going to happen for both of them. But no one will know what will happen and how it might happen.

In horror movies, the horrifying event will be preceded by a special type of scary music which indicates that some terrible thing is going to happen in the show. But no one will be in a position to say how it will happen and what will happen. This makes the movie watcher stick to the movie screen to discover the changes that are going to happen. The author through foreshadowing will allow the reader to be prepared for the ending while the explanation given may not be virtual or random. The ending might be mostly surprising and shocking for the readers, and it might be possible for the readers to guess the ending.

The best and most popular stories are usually comprised of endings that are meant for the reader to predict, analyze, and guess what is going to happen in the end. The readers will have certain expectations regarding the happenings in the story pertaining to the hero character and other important characters. They cannot see the hero being killed suddenly by a vehicle. The reader has to have the feeling that the author should have a plan for the way he/she ends the story. The foreshadowing will tell the reader to realize that certain kinds of situations may arise. The people involved in the situations and the way they are involved must give a surprise to the reader at the end.

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Why do Muffins stick to the paper?

Hari — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:16:13 +0000

The muffin is a food item that is prepared using the oven. Muffins are prepared by mixing the batter along with milk, vanilla, egg and sugar. The ingredients for muffin preparation have to be taken separately as dry contents and wet contents. The dry part constitutes the batter which comprises of mixture of various flours. The wet part constitutes the egg, milk, vanilla and butter. These are the general ingredients for a normal type of muffin preparation. Based on the different types of muffins, the ingredients also change accordingly. The dry part has to be prepared first by mixing the flour with salt and baking soda. The wet part can be prepared after that by beating the eggs thoroughly and then adding sugar, vanilla, milk and butter to it. The butter is heated first, then cooled and later added slowly to the wet preparation. Now, this mixture can be added to the batter and mixed for few seconds. Mixing it for long time and mixing it very well can make the muffins to become hard and tough.

The batter can be added into the already heated muffin pan. The muffin pan that has several cups in it have to be greased properly before the batter is put into them. Instead of greasing, they can also be added with batter on paper liners fitted into the muffin pans. After the dry and wet contents are mixed, the baking has to be done as soon as possible to avoid the muffin to become hard.

Now, the reason why the muffin gets stuck to the paper liners can be probably due to the heat and wetness. If the pan is applied with grease, it will not allow the contents to stick to the pan. The muffins might become sticky probably due to the presence of excess sugar. More sugar content will absorb the moisture in the air and makes the muffin sticky. The baked muffin has to be stored after cooling it for some time. If it is stored in any plastic container in hot condition, the muffin might stick to the container. Similarly, for the same reason, the hot muffins that are prepared on the paper liners are also sticky. If the batter is not baked properly for adequate time at a particular temperature, the batter might be the cause for stickiness. The mixing of butter with sugar has to be done very well, so that sugar is not left free. This process will take care that the moisture absorption will not occur and the muffin will not stick to the paper.

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Why do labia grow?

Hari — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 20:13:38 +0000

Labia are two fat pads present to safeguard the vagina and clitoris of woman from injury. Overgrowth of labia is known as labial hypertrophy. Here, the labia are enlarged and grow disproportionately. The reasons for labial hypertrophy are not exactly known and appear to take place naturally. Labial hypertrophy is not the result of any sexually transmitted disease or sexual activity. Sometimes, the labial size can be affected by hormonal imbalances and childbirth. The size and shape of the labia might change after childbirth and pregnancy. Labial hypertrophy is considered as the condition, which is not harmful. But, the two sides of the labia will increase in their size. Labial hypertrophy will not hinder the usual sexual function in women as the clitoris and vagina are found to be normal at this stage.

The overgrowth of labia might also result from weight gain, genetic inheritance and old age. Labial hypertrophy usually is seen in labia minora. But, it is also occasionally observed in labia majora. The labia might enlarge only at one side or it can happen on both the sides. At the time of puberty, due to some hormonal and chemical changes in the body of a woman, the development of breast takes place. Similarly, the inner labia also alter their size and color at the time of puberty, probably due to hormonal changes. This change is considered normal and similar to the other changes that happen when a female transforms into a woman.

The fluctuation of hormone levels in the body can result in the growth of labia and the labia get darkened gradually. Masturbation is not considered as the cause for the labial growth. The changes that occur in the labia during its growth are natural and do not usually cause any problem in the women. Some women might have discomfort and pain when the labia grow and change in their size. They might cause slight discomfort at the time of horse riding or bike riding.

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Why do Koreans love StarCraft?

Hari — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 20:54:09 +0000

StarCraft is the most famous game in Korea compared to other countries. This game was found to have started from the year 1998. This game is said to be 13 years old, and still its popularity is high. This game is one among unlike others in the video games field where the entire life of popular games usually will not sell in the marketplace beyond one year. In the year 2008, however, approximately 10 million StarCraft copies were purchased all over the world, and people in Korea alone purchased approximately 5 million copies. But the reports say that the reputation of StarCraft in Korea is far higher than the number of copies that have been sold.

There are two cable network channels on TV which are broadcasting the games played by pro gamers who are playing StarCraft. Often live matches will be held in a stadium that was specially built for building the popularity of the game. The stadium has the capacity of about one lakh people. The pro gaming is very popular in Korea similar to the pro poker organizers in America. The name that is acquired by the pro gamers in the country of Korea like Yi Yoon-Yeol or Im Yo-Hwan are similar to the recognition possessed by Phil Hellmuth and Howard Lederer in the United States.

No video game was so popular or followed so signficantly before StarCraft became popular. The existing fame of StarCraft in Korea was attributed to certain factors which are peculiar to Korea and some factors not particular to Korean people. The recently established pro-gaming league and cable television made StarCraft very famous and a force that could be sustained by itself. If it is shown on television, it becomes a subject in the conversation among people. The gaming organization pays well, and the players can practice the game well. The gaming organization pays heavily as the people are watching it on television. Now the game has brought many positive, socioeconomic changes in Korea due to its popularity and following.

Rating

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Why do ducks float?

Hari — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 20:51:16 +0000

Objects sink or float in water because of the phenomenon called buoyancy. It means the object that displaces water when it is placed on the water will weigh less than the weight of the water it has displaced. So the force exhibited by the displaced water on the object will be more, and the object tends to float. In the same way, ducks that float on the water also weigh less than the weight of the water they are displacing.

The feathers of a duck are found to be waterproof, and they will trap air inside. With the help of this air that is trapped in the feathers, the ducks are able to float on the water. In another way, it can be said that the water weight displaced by the duck is more than the duck’s weight itself which makes the duck float.

The feathers in a duck do not become saturated with water. The feathers do not become wet as they are covered with an oil which repels the water. The oil that is covering the feathers is secreted from the oil glands that are present in the tail region of the duck. The duck is then kept waterproof by the oil that is released from the oil glands and they can float. As the feathers are made waterproof by the oil, they also trap air which causes them to float on the water.

The duck empties the air sacs of its feathers before it goes diving. If the duck has caught a fish, it will go back to the surface where it breathes in air and fills its lungs while it reaches the surface. The ruffling of its feathers will allow the duck to resume its normal way of floating on the surface.

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Why do mirrors reverse left and right?

Hari — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:48:35 +0000

When a person wearing a T-shirt having something written on it stands before a mirror, the sentence will be shown reversed in the mirror. A person’s face and other body parts, however, remain as they are in the mirror. Our body is bilaterally symmetrical, and each half of the body is exactly a mirror image of the other. If a person is standing before a mirror, the right arm that is extended by him will be extended at the right side of the image. But in the view of the person, the image is facing him and it appears as if it is the left side. When the person points his hand towards the mirror, it will appear to be pointing back at you in the mirror image. This indicates that the mirror does not reverse left and right. It reverses front and back.

The person looks at the mirror and considers the image in his visual perspective and not in the mirror’s perspective. If an object is seen in the mirror, mathematically the product of the vector that is facing the front and the vector of the top will result in giving a vector towards the right. All of these three vectors are perpendicular to one another. When any one of them has to be determined, the other two are taken and calculated. The direction of reflections can be understood in terms of the coordinate system. The Z-axis of the mirror points toward the person while he faces the mirror. The X-axis of the person will be shown in the opposite direction from the perspective of the person but in the same direction in the perspective of the mirror. This means that the right hand of the person will be reflected on the right-hand side of the mirror from the person’s view, but the mirror will reflect the image as the person’s left hand as he looks at himself in the mirror.

So the mirror is reflecting the image of the object in the same position where it exists. We see it as reversed because the image in the mirror is actually facing us, and our right must be the mirror image’s left. It is a theory of opposites in reverse. That is why the mirror reflects the image and causes it to appear as reversing right and left.

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Why do albums split in iTunes?

Hari — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 20:38:56 +0000

In the iTunes library, it is observed that the songs that are placed in one album are not grouped into the same album when the user wants to see the album songs. There are three reasons that exist for the songs in one album not being grouped under the same album. They are:

The artists of each song of the same album might vary.
The song names of the album might not differ much but very slightly differ.
Single “Album artist” might not have been allotted for all the songs of the album.

For instance, taking two song titles having four words in an album; the fourth word in one of them is written after two spaces from the third word while in another it is written one space after the third word. This slight difference in spaces will be recognized by iTunes to consider them to be separate album files. If all the songs from the album have to be grouped manually, then all of them can be selected first. Then the option called “Get Info” from the file menu can be selected along with giving a single file name to all of them. This will require you to group all of them into one album with one name.

In the case of songs made to split from a single album due to different artists, the compilation feature can be used for grouping them. In the iTunes version 8 and higher, grouping of such songs can be done by selecting all of them and selecting the option for “part of compilation” as “Yes” in the multiple item information window. In the case of lower versions, all the concerned songs can be selected, and the “Get Info” from the file menu can be selected to keep the option as “Yes” in the “Compilation” menu. Clicking the “Ok” button can allow iTunes to group all the songs together.

In the case of songs that are split not because of different artists, they can be grouped by selecting all of them and giving the same “Album artist” name to all of them in the “Get Info” file menu. These are the reasons for the splitting of albums in iTunes.

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Why do priests wear collars?

Hari — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 11:58:48 +0000

The collar that is worn by the priest is called a “Roman collar.” This collar for the priest indicates that he is ordained under the leadership of his bishop. The priestly consecration to the Lord is symbolized by the Roman collar. A wedding ring generally identifies a husband and wife separately, but it distinctly represents the union between the couple. In the same way, the Roman collar indicates the uniqueness of priests. They gain their association with their Divine Master, and the bishops and priests will thereafter be acknowledged with a free consent for the ordained ministry which has recognized them.

In a materialistic and secular society where the signs of traditional and cultural values are diminishing, it becomes essential for the priest to be recognized just by sight. The clothing may not be the exact reflection of the dedication and devotion that he has, but this external sign of a priest will play a role in identifying him as the member of the public ministry. The priest should also be recognized by his behavior as well as his attire which is perceived positively and effectively by people who are religious. The identity of the priest as belonging to God and to the Church can be obtained by the way he is dressed.

This attire must be unique from all other people and generally different from the attire of a layman. Due to this reason, it is compulsory for the priest to wear priestly clothing as per the regulations released by the Episcopal conference and as per the local customs. If the priests do not wear their Roman collar, which signifies their official clothing, it shows a weak sense of his personal identity. The priests are looked upon as spiritual people who are expected to give support to the laymen and give them strength. When the priests do not wear their dress code and try to mingle with the public, the people do not feel that priests are special.

The collar represents a priestly consecration to the Lord. When the priest wears the collar but is seen wearing colorful, expensive clothing, he is perceived as not giving much importance to the principle denying self and living in poverty. The law of the Church requires the cleric to wear the corresponding clothing. If the life style of a priest and his attire is same as that of other people, then their mission on behalf of Jesus Christ is not fulfilled. The collar will help others know that modesty in dressing is necessary. When the priests are working with young women, the collar for them identifies their vocation.

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Why do neurons die?

Hari — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:56:26 +0000

The central nervous system consists of two types of cells that are distributed in the brain and spinal cord. They are neurons and glia. Though the number of glia compared to the neurons are more numerous, neurons play an important role in transferring brain signals. Neurons carry information from one part of the brain to the other. They transmit the signals through electrical impulses and chemical signals. They are also involved in transmitting information or signals from the brain to the other part of the nervous system.

The neurons have been created when the person is born. However, there is some evidence to say that neurogenesis is carried out all throughout a person’s life. The neurons are produced from the precursor cells called neural stem cells. After a person is born, neurons move from their place of production to the part of the brain where they have to carry out their activity. The researchers have found that neurons are observed to travel in the brain in two manners. The neurons glide along the long fiber-like cells that extend from the outer layers of the brain to the inner layers. The other method of their migration is through chemical signals. The neurons are found to have some molecules on their surfaces which keep them attached. With the help of these molecules, they are found to bind with the glial cells and migrate to the new location.

In this process of their migration it is found that not all the neurons will be successful in reaching their destination. They will die or disappear or not be differentiated at all. Researchers believe that one-third of them will reach the final location in their two- to three-week period of migration. In some situations, the neurons which have migrated properly might not have reached the correct location. Some scientists think that schizophrenia and dyslexia are the disorders that result when the neurons are misguided.

From the site of their destination, three types of neurons perform the corresponding functions. This stage is called “differentiation.” The three types are: sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons. The functional neuron develops dendrites and axons and starts communicating with the surrounding cells. Neurons are considered living cells in the body which live for a longer duration. However, they still die during the processes of migration and differentiation.

The abnormal deaths of neurons are observed to be causing some diseases like Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, brain blows and spinal cord injuries.

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