Vitamin D and homeostasis of calcium

 The bones in our body provide us support, a defined shape, the ability to make a wide range of movements, protect our vital organs, produce and maintain blood cells, and act as reservoirs for chief minerals such as calcium and phosphorus.

Some of the diseases that affect the bones are rickets (in children), osteomalacia, and osteoporosis. These diseases make the bones soft and porous, making them more vulnerable to fractures. As we age, our bones lose their density, especially in women, and this is due to the loss of calcium, phosphorus, and other minerals. 

Minerals such as calcium and phosphorus are obtained from the food that we consume and are deposited in the bones constantly. They are constantly withdrawn in order to maintain the blood mineral levels as well. This is called resorption. It is a mechanism in which tissues are broken down by specialised cells and minerals are released back into the bloodstream. This regulates a continuous cycle in which the tissues in the bones are maintained and repaired. Thus, bones act as reservoirs of minerals. 

You must be wondering about the role of vitamin D in all of this. Vitamin D is essential for the homeostasis of calcium, i.e. it regulates the calcium levels present in the blood, thus maintaining healthy and strong bones.

Let us understand this in detail. Homeostasis of calcium takes place in three major sites – intestine, kidneys, and bones. 

In the intestine, the active form of vitamin D, known as calcitriol is required for synthesising calcium binding protein (CBP), a carrier protein. CBP increases the intestinal absorption of calcium which in turn increases the calcium level in the blood. Therefore, vitamin D is said to have hypercalcemic effect.

In the kidneys, vitamin D enhances the activity of a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH) which is essential for the resorption of calcium. 

In the bones, vitamin D enhances the activity of osteoblasts. Osteoblasts are cells that form new bones, especially in growing children. It promotes calcium uptake and deposition (calcification) of bones. 

During hypocalcemia or calcium deficiency, in order to maintain the blood calcium level, vitamin D promotes bone resorption. It is carried out by osteoclasts, the cells responsible for the breakdown of bone tissues.

Now that you know how essential vitamin D is for our bones, you must be wondering what the best way to get vitamin D is. The answer is quite simple, it is sunlight. Getting some sunlight (about 10-30 minutes) every day is a sure shot way to ensure that we are getting our daily dose of vitamin D. Let me warn you though. There are consequences of having more than the necessary amount of vitamin D in our body. To find out about that and to know how sunlight affects the synthesis of vitamin D in our body, visit our website.

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– Beena P V

What is magnetism?

 

Magnets. Cool playthings. They attract other magnetic substances. Two magnets repel when their like poles face each other, attract when their unlike poles are brought together. We all know the basics. We also know that they are used in innumerable ways in our daily lives. In televisions, phones, microphones, refrigerators, giant cranes that lift junk cars at a scrap yard are just a few examples to begin with. But, what are these magnets and how do they get such a cool property? 

Let’s just dive right into it. Magnetism is a physical phenomenon produced by the motion of electric charges, which results in attractive and repulsive forces between objects. Yes, that’s right. It is caused by a moving electric charge. Now, we know that matter is made up of atoms and atoms have subatomic particles such as protons, electrons, etc. These charged particles create a field around them when they are in motion.

This field interacts with the field, similar to it, created by other moving charged particles present in other objects. This field or the area surrounding the object where the magnetic force is experienced is known as the magnetic field. So, simply put, magnets are objects that exhibit magnetism. 

Since all objects are made up of subatomic particles that are in motion, shouldn’t they all exhibit magnetism? To understand this, we must take into consideration a couple of things. Firstly, the magnetic field of every object/atom is not the same. For example, the magnetic field of a proton is much weaker than that of an electron. Some materials could exhibit magnetism, but due to their weak magnetic field, we may not see them moving other magnetic objects towards or away from them.

Secondly, the net magnetic field of an object/atom could be zero. Try and imagine this – every electron in motion produces a magnetic field around it. Therefore, they act as tiny magnets themselves. Now, each of these electrons has a spin, i.e. an intrinsic angular momentum.

The electrons with opposite spins (spin up and spin down) pair together while filling the electron orbitals of an atom.  In an atom with a completely filled outer electron orbital, the net magnetic field is zero as the electrons with opposite spins produce magnetic fields in the opposite direction which tend to cancel out each other. But, if an atom has a half-filled outer electron orbital, then the electrons have the same spin (either spin up or spin down) and they all produce a magnetic field in the same direction. Hence, the net magnetic field of the atom is not zero. This can be seen in atoms with one or more unpaired electrons too. 

The more popular magnetic substances are iron, nickel, and cobalt as magnets apply an attractive force on these metals. These metals exhibit a property called “ferromagnetism”. There is a history behind the name that we will explore some other time. What we need to know is that if a large number of unpaired electrons with the same spin align, they produce magnetic fields in the same direction, strong enough to be experienced at a macroscopic level. But, it is not enough that an atom or all atoms of a substance produce net magnetic fields. It is necessary that these net magnetic fields of each atom in that said substance are in the same direction for them to not cancel out each other. Chromium is an example of a metal that has a magnetic field at the atomic level, but not at a macroscopic level. What this means is, the atoms of chromium have net magnetic fields, but when a piece of chromium metal is taken, a net magnetic field is not observed. How is that even possible, right? Well, it exhibits something called “antiferromagnetism”. What is antiferromagnetism? Are there other types of magnetism than these two? There are. But, that is a topic for another day.

For more such informative articles visit akshara blog. Download the akshara app from Google playstore and get two free chapters. 

– Beena P V

Math proficiency is the gateway to a number of incredible careers that students may never have considered

 

Danica Mckellar is an actress, who is also a writer and an education advocate. She has written six non-fiction books on mathematics. Math is an integrated part of our lives. Many students avoid taking advanced mathematics in their higher studies thinking it is difficult. Due to this, they, unfortunately, miss out great career opportunities.

The content is built under the supervision of teachers with 40+ years experience. Akshara app for CBSE and State Board class 10th, the app helps you to easily score high marks in board exams.

Importance of marking scheme and common errors committed by students

 

The videos speaks about the importance of marking scheme and common errors committed by students due to which they lose marks, although they think they have attempted right.

Marking scheme assigns a fixed proportion of the allotted marks to particular knowledge, understanding and/or skill.

While solving a problem, writing formula, substituting values in the formula, simplification, application of BODMAS rule to simplify, Writing proven statements as reasons are essential parts of the solution that fetch marks. Students can make a mistake in any of the steps mentioned. A small mistake in any of the steps could lead to deduction of marks. Example, a mistake as minor as assigning the wrong sign to a numerical while substitution or simplification might give a wrong answer.

Akshara is an exam oriented app for CBSE X grade, Karnataka SSLC, and BSc Nursing. Akshara helps you learn methodically and use modern techniques like Flashcards, which makes the content easy to memorize. The app runs on android mobile and tablets.

How to cover entire syllabi in less time?

 

Students studying the night before the exam may or may not perform good. What to do in such situations? How to cover entire syllabi in less time? First, try to break down the chapters into smaller chunks; topics. Select the easiest topics and complete it. Try to read the summaries or extracts you prepared while attending the class at school. Try to go through previous year exam papers and chapter-end exercise in the textbooks. Try to make tricks/mnemonics to recall the same. Summarise or teach your friends what you learned at regular intervals. Take breaks in between study time. A tired brain cannot focus and learn fast.

To read such more articles visit akshara blog

Akshara Best app for class 10th students. The content is built under the supervision of teachers with 40+ years of experience. Make your study life easier with your Smartphone. We are providing the best App at an affordable price.

Most common errors students make in exam

 

Imagine studying assiduously but not getting admission to your favourite college because of a single mark. That is the situation of lakhs of students in our country today. The reason? Unawareness of the mistakes they commit in their answer papers. While practice makes you perfect and preparation is fundamental for success, knowing the common errors you might commit in exams and avoiding them will definitely ensure you score excellent marks. What’s worse than knowing all the answers but not being able to present it well? Or, running out of time when you have one last answer left to write? As you hold the key to your future, it is your responsibility to conquer all obstacles to make it brighter.

Akshara is an exam oriented app for CBSE X grade, Karnataka SSLC, and BSc Nursing. Akshara helps you learn methodically and use modern techniques like Flashcards, which makes the content easy to memorize. The app runs on android mobile and tablets.

https://bit.ly/3eaP39K

visit this link to download two free chapters. For any queries visit us on https://www.aksharaontech.com 

Trigonometric ratios of 30°, 45°, and 60°

 

The monster; Trigonometry is a hard nut to crack majority of students in X grade. It is a challenging chapter, surged with formulae. Fear to solve trigonometric problems is generally considered as trigonometry phobia, which can be overcome by understanding the simple trick shown in the video. SOH CAH TOH is one of the commonly known mnemonics used for about a decade to remember the six trigonometric ratios. In addition, we have come up with a mnemonic to memorise and recall the trigonometric standard angles.

Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think

 

Einstein’s answer to one of Thomas Edison’s questions that he was once asked to answer during his stay at the Hotel Copley Plaza, Boston; “What is the speed of sound?” was “I don’t know.” He further added that he did not want to burden his mind with those facts that he could easily find in textbooks. He remarked that for a person to learn facts, he need not be a graduate. All he needs is a textbook.

Akshara is an exam oriented app for CBSE X grade, Karnataka SSLC, and BSc Nursing. Akshara helps you learn methodically and use modern techniques like Flashcards, which makes the content easy to memorize. The app runs on android mobile and tablets.

Tricks to remember the prime numbers

Numbers 2, 3, 5, 7,…. are called prime numbers. Prime numbers are natural numbers greater than 1 and cannot be obtained by multiplying two smaller natural numbers. Prime numbers are important in number theory as they are the building blocks of natural numbers. Students often find it difficult to remember prime numbers after a certain range. The trick provided in the video will help them to remember the primes up to a certain range, beyond which the complexity increases.

Acronyms and Mnemonics

Acronyms are words created using the initial letters of the phrase, sentence, or list. They are pronounced as a single word.
Mnemonics help in retention of the information in the human brain.It is a tool that helps in remembering certain facts by associating it with something that is more accessible and helps in better retention of the information.

Its high time to switch to alternative sources of energy

Fossil fuels are traditionally used by humans as a source of energy. These energy sources are non-renewable and are consumed at a higher rate. All this natural resources are on the verge of depletion and moreover they also cause pollution. Therefore it is essential for every body to conserve these resources. This is possible only if we switch to alternative sources of energy.

Akshara is an exam oriented app for CBSE X grade, Karnataka SSLC, and BSc Nursing. Akshara helps you learn methodically and use modern techniques like Flashcards, which makes the content easy to memorize. The app runs on android mobile and tablets.

https://bit.ly/3eaP39K

visit this link to download two free chapters. For any queries visit us on https://www.aksharaontech.com 

Is sleep really essential?

A few days back, I got a scolding from mother for not going to bed on time. I was very angry and cried because I wanted to play for some more time. Finally, I had to obey my mom’s orders and go to bed. I had decided to stay awake till late at night in the bed and wake her up to prove her wrong. But when I opened my eyes, it was already morning!! I had fallen asleep within a few minutes.

I ran to the hall and asked mom “Why do we have to sleep?” She said, “Everybody, including all animals need sleep to survive and function. Sometimes we don’t realise it and then get angry for small reasons.”  “Ok. But why is it so important?” I asked. “Sleep allows our body to rest. It is very essential for learning and performing well in your work,” said mom. “Do you remember the day we came back late at night from granny’s house?” asked mom “how drowsy were you in the class? Your teacher sent a note to complain about you. Why do you think that happened?” “I was very sleepy,” I replied defensively. “Yes. Sleep is essential for alertness, maintaining all body-function rhythms, and also for your mental health,” added mom. “Was this the reason I was cranky and cried last night?” I asked. “Yes,” said mom laughingly.
I found it very interesting and decided to get some more information on sleep. In the library, I found many books on sleep. Reading one of the books, I learnt that sleep is of two types, REM and Non-REM.

I found it very interesting and decided to get some more information on sleep. In the library, I found many books on sleep. Reading one of the books, I learnt that sleep is of two types, REM and Non-REM.

Non-Rapid Eye Movement (Non-REM) sleep 

It is also known as “quiet” sleep. During this, important hormones are released for growth & development. It also helps in tissue growth and restoring energy. Maybe this is why young children sleep more than old people?

REM (rapid eye movement) sleep

During this, our eyes move back and forth very quickly beneath our eyelids, whereas the rest of our body is totally relaxed.

Do you know what I found very interesting? REM sleep is when we dream! Some scientists think that dreams help us to organise our memories and emotions. It’s like every night when we go to sleep, we transfer information from temporary cupboard to permanent cupboard (scientists call it short term memory to long term memory). 

Do you know there are five stages of sleep? They are:

1. Light Non-REM sleep 
2. Slightly Non-REM deeper sleep 
3. Deeper Non-REM sleep
4. Deepest Non-REM sleep
5. REM sleep

Repetition of alternate REM and Non-REM sleep occurs. This forms a sleep cycle. During our night’s sleep, we go through many such cycles. I read about sleep disorders such as insomnia, where people are unable to sleep due to stress. I also read about sleepwalking,  where people walk while sleeping! Isn’t that scary? What if someone goes out of the house while asleep?

When I came home and told Mom about everything that I read, she was very happy. “This is precisely why your teachers and I tell you to rest well, especially before and during exams. If your brain doesn’t get enough rest, you might not be able to do your best,” said mom.

Since that day, I sleep on time without any arguments. I also follow some practices which help me get good sleep. They are:

• Avoiding watching scary movies before going to bed
• Not drinking tea or coffee before sleeping
• Not exercising before sleeping 
• Following a schedule for sleeping

Basically, I learnt that sleep is necessary for the perfect functioning of our body. 

Ok, now it’s almost my bedtime. See you later. Good night. Sweet dreams.

Visit akshara blog for more such informative articles. Download akshara app for CBSE X and SSLC  and get two free chapters.