How to fight unhealthy air pollution? Eat your broccoli
If you live in a region with lots of air pollution, you might not always breathe easy. So it might help to sit back, relax and enjoy a helping or two of broccoli.
Better yet, have a stiff cup of broccoli-sprout tea.
It might not be the advice you expect to protect yourself from pollution.
But a study that Thomas Kensler and his team began at Johns Hopkins University and completed at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine found that a molecule generated during broccoli consumption, and with higher concentrations found in broccoli-sprout tea, helps purge the body of air-pollution toxins, including carcinogenic benzene. The molecule works rapidly and with staying power.
And neither a broccoli-laden diet nor a gallon of tea is necessary.
A daily cup of the sprout tea or two small helpings totaling 150 grams of broccoli can help rid toxic pollutants from the body, the study found. The vegetable from the cabbage family, often described as a superfood, provides fiber, vitamins K and C and other nutrients, such as the one that eliminates toxins from the body. That’s what makes it a widely recommended addition to any diet.
Benzene is a known human carcinogen and lung irritant, according to the study published online recently in the journal Cancer Prevention Research. “Thus, intervention with broccoli sprouts enhances (detoxification) of some airborne pollutants,” with expected reductions in health risks from pollution that raises the risk of lung cancer and cardiopulmonary diseases.
The study focuses on the molecule glucoraphanin in broccoli that, when chewed or crushed, produces sulforaphane, which is known to help prevent cancer. Glucoraphanin levels are significantly higher in broccoli stems and seeds than in the mature vegetable itself.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer recently classified air pollution and particulate matter from air pollution as carcinogenic to humans, with outdoor air-pollution levels in China among the world’s highest. The research team led by Kensler, who holds a Ph.D. in toxicology and serves as assistant professor at Pitt’s medical school, recruited 291 people from a rural area of Qidong in the Yangtze River delta region, 50 miles north of Shanghai, to participate in the study. That region “is the fastest growing economic development area of China,” the study says. Pollution levels there are steadily in the unhealthy range with fairly common surges into the very unhealthy and even hazardous range a pollution level that only rarely occurs nowadays in more polluted areas of the United States.
“Air pollution from expanding industrialization in this region masks the horizon on many days, especially during the winter months. Increases in fossil fuels use in China’s industry, transport and residential sectors have resulted in a steep increase in emissions,” the study states.
During the 12-week human clinical trial, those in the control group drank a beverage produced commercially for the study to guarantee dosage levels comprising bottled water, pineapple and lime juice while the beverage for the treatment group additionally included a dissolved freeze-dried powder made from broccoli sprouts that contained glucoraphanin and sulforaphane. Urine and blood samples collected throughout the trial were tested to measure and compare air-pollution toxin levels excreted from the bodies of study participants from both groups.
The research team found that those receiving the broccoli-sprout beverage experienced an excretion rate of benzene 61 percent higher than the control group did, beginning the first day of the trial and continuing throughout the 12-week period. The rate of excretion of another airborne pollutant, the nose and throat irritant acrolein, “rapidly and durably” increased 23 percent for the treatment group, compared with the control group, during the course of the trial.
Further analysis by investigators found that sulforaphane may be protective by activating a signaling molecule, NRF2, which elevates a cell’s capacity to adapt to and survive a broad range of environmental toxins. “This strategy may also be effective for some contaminants in water and food,” the study concludes.
Particulate matter poses significant health risks to the public, especially fine particulates known as PM 2.5, which are so small that they are inhaled deep into the lungs. But a recent European study found that particulate matter, irrespective of particle size, contributes to lung-cancer incidence. Such particles include heavy metals, carcinogenic hydrocarbons and volatile organic chemicals that include benzene and aldehydes, which increase the risk of lung cancer.
Based on the study, broccoli provides a “frugal, simple and safe means” to reduce long-term health risks associated with pollution, the study states. Next the team plans to evaluate optimal dosage levels and consumption frequency of the broccoli sprout beverage in the same region of China.
“Dr. Kensler is a superb scientist and he has strong evidence that broccoli’s constituents can help detoxify carcinogens and toxins and enhance their elimination from the body,” said Gary Stoner, a professor at the Medical College of Wisconsin whose research focus includes cancer prevention. “This is excellent science.”
(c)2014 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at http://www.post-gazette.com
Distributed by MCT Information Services


Artic Steel Industries
We manufactured flange, elbow, tee, reduction, reducers, caps, cross, stub end/lap joint, forged fitting materials for oil and natural gas pipelines, refinery and petrochemical facilities, nuclear power and electricity production plants, refinement and extrication plants, dams and hydroelectric power plants and shipbuilding industry.
Artic Steel Industries has a capacity of fulfilling all the demands of the sector through the manufacture of carbon steel, stainless steel, alloy steel, high nickel alloys, Inconel, Monel, alloy 20, copper-nickel and specific steel groups.
We ensure that the quality standards are met. Hence, as per customers requirement, we supply products of standard quality after going through various checking, testing, inspection & certification process.
All the material used for Manufacturing of fittings are tested for chemical & mechanical properties. They are identified & fully traceable from raw material stage to final product.
The system controls the quality of all incoming materials as per the raw material test certificate. Randomly checking in each size for chemical and physical properties at Government approved laboratory.
Artic Steel maintains strict dimensional standards by inspecting and testing equipmentwith strict adherence to the quality manual. All our finished material is inspected for quality after the first piece of a production.


Welding: Melting the Base Metal Welding is a fusion process that involves melting the base metal of the components being joined, along with the addition of a filler metal. This creates a strong and permanent bond by essentially merging the materials together. During welding, heat is applied to the base metals until they reach their melting points, allowing them to mix and form a solid joint.
Key Points about Welding:
- Requires high temperatures to melt base metals.
- Filler metal is added to strengthen the joint.
- Typically used for joining similar metals.
- High heat input may cause distortion in thin materials.
Brazing: Preserving the Base Metal Integrity Brazing, on the other hand, is a process that doesn’t involve melting the base metal. Instead, it relies on capillary action to draw a filler metal into the joint interface, creating a strong bond without compromising the integrity of the base materials. The base metals remain solid during brazing, allowing for less heat stress and distortion.
Key Points about Brazing:
- Lower temperatures than welding, preventing base metal melting.
- Capillary action draws filler metal into the joint.
- Ideal for joining dissimilar metals.
- Reduces heat-related distortion, making it suitable for delicate materials.
Choosing Between Welding and Brazing:
The decision to use welding or brazing depends on several factors, including the type of materials, joint strength requirements, and the intended application. Welding is often preferred for heavy-duty applications where maximum joint strength is essential, but it may not be suitable for delicate or dissimilar materials due to the higher heat input.
Brazing, on the other hand, is an excellent choice for situations where the base metals have different melting points, or when minimizing heat-related distortion is crucial. It’s commonly used for applications like HVAC&R systems, jewelry, and electronics manufacturing.
In the ongoing debate of welding versus brazing, the key differentiator lies in the way they join metal components. Welding involves melting the base metal, while brazing relies on capillary action to draw in the filler metal without melting the base materials. Understanding these distinctions empowers you to make informed decisions when selecting the right joining method for your specific project, ensuring optimal results and durability.


Whatever you are brewing will determine the type of yeast you will choose. Most of these yeast strains are named according to the purpose they are meant for, and thus it can be somehow easy for one to get the yeast strain they want. But at the same time, you should not be fully dependent on the name of the yeast; there are indicators which you must also look into. The factors below should be considered when selecting yeast. Click on this link for more.
Check the attenuation of the yeast. Your preference will determine the attenuation levels of the yeast you want to buy. The attenuation refers to the sugars that the said yeast can ferment. Hydrometers are used to measure the attenuation levels of the yeast. One should know that their beer style affects the yeast type they want and its attenuation percentage.
There are yeast strains which always drop to the bottom of the fermenter after fermentation. The degree to which the yeast cells drop to the bottom after clumping together is called flocculation. There are yeast strains which do not form these chunks but remain in suspension which means they have low flocculation. Such strains bring the necessity of refrigerating the beer to separate the yeast from the beer. It is therefore advisable to buy yeast strain which flocculates appropriately to meet the needs of your beer.
There are conditions under which a certain type of yeast can work properly. Alcohol levels can affect the performance of the yeast and therefore the need to check the alcohol tolerance of the yeast. One must, therefore, know the alcohol levels and thus select the yeast strain which can survive beyond this estimated alcohol levels which will prevent straining of the yeast when preparing beer. Discover more on this article.
Yeast work under a certain pressure. The temperature range is, therefore, another factor to be looked into. Look at the temperature levels under which a certain strain can work well. But the results of fermentation can be affected by the temperatures under which your yeast is working. You should, therefore, know the temperature range under which the yeast can work well. Know that the temperature levels will affect the flavor profile of your beer. Go for the yeast which can achieve your needs.
Source your yeast from the right stores. Go for the stores which are known to avail quality products. This will affect the outcome of your beer. Learn more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baker%27s_yeast.


Probably one of the most authentic Leather-like product, based on PU, for interior design. Wonderfully soft to touch. This imitation leather offers warm and pleasant seating comfort. It is easy to clean, economical and flawless. Just feel the sample and you will instantly be impressed by the superb properties of micropore®, that is flame retardant and extremely hard wearing, withstanding over 100,000 abrasion cycles and offering a hydrolysis resistance of 10 years. This together with good light- and colour fastness as well as resistance to alcohol makes micropore® durable and easy to disinfect.
· Premium category imitation leather
· Easy and economical workability
· Custom made requirements (structure and colour) can be supplied from only 500 metres
· Suitable for upholstering chairs, armchairs, benches, sofa, etc.
· Resstance to hydrolysis 10 years
· Minimum width 137cm
All the above data represents average values. Subject to changes. Test certificates available upon request.
|Rolls in m|
|Width in cm|
|Resistance to rubbing (dry)|
|Resistance to rubbing (wet)|
|Classification flame retardent|


- Photomicrograph of thin section of agate/quartz crystal. Agate is a type of quartz found in a variety of rock but characteristically associated with volcanic rock. Due to the way in which they were formed, agate rock often displays either an regimented banding pattern - formed from the layers of siliceous deposits, or a fluid pattern formed from water containing silica and filling cavities within the molten mass. Agate is often used in ornamental items but due to its hardness and resistance to acid it has also been used historically to make pestles and mortars to crush and mix chemicals. Vibrant colours result from imaging with crossed polars.
- Sept 2010
First published in Europeana:
Last updated in Europeana:
Additional rights information
- Spike Walker, Wellcome Images
- Copyrighted work available under Creative Commons by-nc-nd 4.0, see http://wellcomeimages.org/indexplus/page/Prices.html


Other Air Quality Services
Real Estate Investigations
There’s a huge difference between a home inspector and an environmental consultant. Home inspectors play an important role in the buying and selling process, but they generally don’t have the education, training or experience to evaluate a home for mold.
The real estate industry has been begging for a low cost microbial investigation that’s both comprehensive and quick. Pacific IAQ now offers a real estate package that includes the microbial investigation, where we inspect the property for visible evidence of water intrusion and microbial growth, as well as air sampling. The real estate package is identical to our standard mold investigation, without the remediation map or protocol. If at some point your buyer would like to have a protocol, we can provide everything they need.
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s)
Indoor air quality (IAQ) professionals are challenged with selecting the appropriate indoor sampling and analysis methods. Indoor air can be very complex, with up to 300 individual volatile organic compounds (VOCs) comprising a typical indoor air sample. Many VOCs are typically found in indoor air and their sources include building materials, furnishings, floor coverings, wall coverings, paints and stains, copiers and printers, and outdoor air.
Pacific IAQ offers VOC analysis methods based on USEPA protocols. Using a mass spectral database of more than 120,000 individual compounds. Pacific IAQ can provide the following analysis:
- Total VOCs with All Individual VOCs
- Total VOCs with Top 20 Individual VOCs
- Microbial VOCs (MVOCs)
Mycologists traditionally rely on direct microscopic examination to quantify and identify mold in air and surface samples. Speciation of molds is a skilled and labor-intensive task, even for the most experienced mycologists, and the “human element” can be subjective.
The traditional spore-trap analysis provides quantitative and qualitative analysis to the genus level (ex. Fusarium sp.) but cannot distinguish between Aspergillus and Penicillium.
Research conducted at the US-EPA's National Exposure Research Laboratory has provided an alternative to traditional microscope-based analysis. Quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) is a fast and accurate DNA-based analytical method for identifying and quantifying molds to the species level.
qPCR has a limit of detection (LOD) of one spore per sample, but can still accurately quantify millions of spores per sample. In the instance of water intrusion, accurate and rapid speciation and measurement are crucial to an effective risk assessment. qPCR analysis provides quantitative and qualitative analysis down to the species level (ex. Aspergillus niger).


Improvement of the corrosion resistance of HEICO-LOCK® stainless steel wedge lock washers
The corrosion resistance of HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Washers made from stainless steel has been considerably increased by an optimization of our internal processes.
In neutral salt spray tests according to DIN EN ISO 9227, the HEICO-LOCK® stainless steel wedge lock washers withstood at least 1,200 hours.
A corrosion quick test as part of the incoming goods inspection process also ensures consistent, high delivery quality.
Coating systems with a corrosion resistance of at least 1,000 hours are also available on request for HEICO-LOCK® Wedge Lock Washers made from steel.


|Payment Type:||L/C,T/T,D/P,Paypal,Money Gram,Western Union|
|Terms of Trade:||FOB,CFR,CIF,EXW,FCA|
|Min. Order:||1000 Kilogram|
|Delivery Time:||15 Days|
|Place of Origin:||China|
|Supply Ability:||500 tons / year|
Epoxy Glass Cloth Insulation Sheet
Epoxy Fiberglass Part is woven fiberglass soaked in an epoxy resin and then compressed and baked. It is very dense, lightweight, and impervious to water. The advantages of this material:
Strong, stiff, tough and durable
Excellent dielectric strength
Heat and water resistant
Corrosion and chemical resistant
Good mechanical strength
Excellent wear properties
Good dimensional stability
Low moisture absorption
Excellent creep resistance
JY Machinery has sufficient stock of the fiberglass epoxy sheet due to its widely applications, to meet fast delivery for our clients
This product is a customized product, not a spot product. If you need a spot, please purchase this connection.
Regular thickness: 0.1mm--50mm, please contact me if you need other thickness or other dimensions (in addition, you can set the thickness of 50MM-150MM, you need to provide design drawings)
The 3240 epoxy laminate has a smooth surface, no air bubbles, no pits and wrinkles, but allows for other defects that do not affect the use, such as: scratches, indentations, stains and small spots. The edges should be cut neatly and the end faces must be free of delamination and cracks.
Executive standard: GB/T1303.1-1998.
Temperature rating: Class B
Color: natural (yellow), green, etc.
Characteristics: The cured epoxy resin system has excellent mechanical properties, high strength at medium temperature, and good electrical stability under high humidity.
Electrical: The cured epoxy resin system is an excellent insulating material with high dielectric properties, surface leakage resistance and arc resistance.
Uses: Suitable for mechanical, electrical, electronic, electrical and other fields. Also used for the processing of insulating parts, processing into various types of insulating parts and equipment insulation structural parts.
The reaction of the epoxy resin and the curing agent used is carried out by a direct addition reaction or a ring-opening polymerization reaction of an epoxy group in a resin molecule, without the release of water or other volatile by-products. They exhibit very low shrinkage (less than 2%) during curing compared to unsaturated polyester resins and phenolic resins.
Yingkou Dongyuan Electrical Insulation Wide Plate Co., Ltd. is located in China (Liaoning) Free Trade Pilot Zone. The factory covers an area of 17,000 square meters, with more than 100 employees and fixed assets of 40 million yuan. The company's main products are: Electrical Laminated Wood, insulation boards (3240 epoxy board, 3021 cardboard, 3025 cotton cloth board, 9309 low dielectric loss cardboard Etc.), laminated wood insulation parts (compression rings, clips, round rods, screw nuts, pads, pallets, support frames, fasteners and other finished products in various shapes) and other insulating materials. It owns 32 sets of main production equipment including 8000 ton press, 6000 ton press, 5000 ton press, gluing machine, etc. After many years of hard work, the company has completed the original accumulation and the equipment renovation, and has newly developed the nation's largest board ( 4000mm × 2000mm, 3000mm × 1500mm, 2700mm × 2700mm ...), filling the domestic gap and setting a record for the large format of the insulation board. Its products have passed the national ISO quality management system certification and have the only large-scale all-metal detector in China. The products are applied to various power distribution systems and components such as transformers, switch cabinets, and motors. The company adheres to the credibility of the first, quality first, continues to work on the development of insulation materials products, consolidate the leading position in the market, and strive to provide users with the best service.


Vitamin C Hyaluronic Acid
Vitamin C Hyaluronic Acid contains over 72 ionic sea minerals to firm, exfoliate, brighten and protect skin. Formulated with Vitamin C and sea minerals to hydrate and firm the skin's surface and beautify the skin. Apply over face and neck in the morning before applying makeup. Apply in upward motion until cream is absorbed into the skin.
GMO-free, paraben-free, gluten-free, sulfate-free, cruelty-free, and 100% vegan.
2 oz. cream.
Manufactured by: White Egret
Directions: Apply Vitamin C Hyaluronic Acid over face and neck in the morning before applying makeup. Apply in an upward circular motion until absorbed into the skin. Formulated with Vitamin C and sea minerals from ConcenTrace to hydrate and firm the skin's surface and beautify the skin.
Ingredients: Water (Aqua), Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate (Vitamin C), Capric/Caprylic Triglyceride, Carthamus Tincotrius (Safflower) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Glycerin, Stearyl Alcohol, ConcenTrace Mineral Complex Blend, Xanthan Gum, Panthenol, Allantoin, Cetearyl Glucoside, Glyceryl Stearate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E), Sodium Hyaluronate, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract, Retinyl Palmitate (Vitamin A) Potassium Sorbate, Caramel, Phenoxyethanol, Ethylexylglycerin, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil.


Vulcan Corporation: Rubber and Foam Products
Vulcan Corporation is a rubber and foam manufacturing facility housing 272,000 square feet of manufacturing space with a total mixing capacity exceeding 50,000,000 pounds annually. Located in Clarksville, Tennessee, we are committed to product quality, on-time delivery, superior customer service and competitive pricing. Follow the links on the left to learn more about what we can do to meet your rubber and foam product needs.
Vulcan's on-site research and testing laboratory is a U.S. Government approved rubber testing facility.


Test ID: A858
Estradiol (E2) is a hormone naturally produced in both genders, with much higher levels in females. Estradiol is essential for female reproductive health, and also plays important functions in the male reproductive system, skeletal system, skin health, nervous system, and cardiovascular system. Abnormal estradiol levels can affect fertility, sex drive, muscle and bone mass, growth, and skin health.
How to order a test
What is Included?
Measurement of estradiol levels by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay.
1 – 3 business days
The turnaround time is not guaranteed. The average turnaround time is 1 – 3 business days from the date that the sample arrives at the laboratory. Shipping time for the sample is not included. Additional time is required if the case requires confirmatory or reflex testing, or if the sample is insufficient, or if a recollection is required.
Additional Information and Resources
Fertility testing in females: Samples should be collected on the third day of the menstrual cycle (third day of menstruation) for optimum results.
Preparation Before Specimen Collection
50 μL in a microtainer
Microtainer (regular blood tube)
This test requires a blood sample from a finger prick. All supplies for sample collection are provided in the kit.
- First wash and dry hands. Warm hands aid in blood collection.
- Clean the finger prick site with the alcohol swab and allow to air dry.
- Use the provided lancet to puncture the skin in one quick, continuous and deliberate stroke.
- Wipe away the first drop of blood.
- Massage hand and finger to increase blood flow to the puncture site. Angle arm and hand downwards to facilitate blood collection on the fingertip.
- Drip blood into the microtainer tube.
- Dispose of all sharps safely and return sample to the laboratory in the provided prepaid return shipping envelope.
NOTES: Avoid squeezing or ‘milking’ the finger excessively. If more blood is required and blood flow stops, perform a second skin puncture on another finger. Do not touch the fingertip.
Maintain specimen at temperatures between 2°C and 30°C during storage and transport.
Blood samples can be refrigerated or kept at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Causes for Rejection
- Incorrect or incomplete patient identification
- Incorrect specimen collection
- Inappropriate storage and transport conditions
- Incorrect specimen volume
To measure estradiol levels in a blood sample to aid in the investigation of fertility and hormonal changes around menopause, for the support of in vitro fertilization, and to aid in the investigation of hormone levels in males.
- This report is not intended for use in medico-legal applications.
- These results should be interpreted in conjunction with other laboratory and clinical information.
- Correct specimen collection and handling is required for optimal assay performance.
- Assay interference may occur in specimens from individuals routinely exposed to animals or to animal serum products. Additional clinical or diagnostic information may be required for these specimens.
- Estradiol results obtained from different assay methods cannot be used interchangeably in serial testing.
- Estradiol levels fluctuate throughout each menstrual cycle in reproductive age females, so the timing of sample collection may influence the interpretation of the estradiol level.
Chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay (Alinity i Estradiol assay)
Normal menstruating females
– Follicular phase: 20 – 350 pg/mL
– Mid-cycle: 150 – 750 pg/mL
– Luteal phase: 30 – 450 pg/mL
Postmenopausal females: ≤ 20 pg/mL
Males: 10 – 50 pg/mL
These reference ranges were obtained from Pagana KD, Pagana TJ, Pagana TN. Mosby’s Diagnostic & Laboratory Test Reference. 15th ed. St. Louis, Mo: Elsevier; 2021.


Submitted by: Subsea Industries
Implemented country: Belgium
Title: Ecospeed coating for ship hulls
Ecospeed is an environmentally friendly, economically viable, non-toxic coating for ship hulls. Most ships in the world constantly leach poisons into the water from the paint that is applied to their hulls. This kills marine life and prevents it from attaching to the hull – so increasing the ship’s speed. However, it has untold consequences for the marine environment and as toxic paint quickly deteriorates it needs to be repainted every 2-5 years. Ecospeed is 100% environmentally friendly. The coating will last the lifetime of the vessel, around 25 years, and is guaranteed for 10. Repainting the ship’s hull every few years will be completely eliminated (and also prevent the toxic waste generated when old noxious paints are removed and new layers applied every few years). In addition, Ecospeed improves the ship’s hydrodynamic properties, which in turn cuts fuel consumption by up to 10% (and therefore also reduces CO2 and other atmospheric emissions). Furthermore, this coating provides a high level of corrosion protection and thus reduces expensive maintenance costs. Financial and ecological benefits go hand in hand making this a viable solution to a major problem in the shipping world.


What are they and can I substitute one for the other?
You will often see Bicarb soda as an ingredient in baked products and often bakers wonder if it is the same as Baking Powder, Bicarbonate of Soda or Baking Soda. Let me shed a bit more light on this to reduce the confusion.
So what is Bicarb Soda?
It is the shortened nick-name for Sodium Bicarbonate and is also commonly known as Baking Soda, Sodium Bicarb, Bicarb and Bicarbonate of Soda. It is not the same as Baking Powder – I will discuss this further in this post.
It is known as Food additive E500.
Baking uses Bi Carb Soda:
Bi Carb Soda is widely used as a leavening agent when baking where it creates bubbles when it reacts with wet acidic ingredients. This causes the rising of cake, bread and pancake batters as carbon dioxide is released. The acidic ingredients that react with bicarb soda are lemon juice, vinegar, yoghurt, cream of tartar, cocoa, pumpkin, honey and buttermilk.
Bi carb soda also reacts to heat as a raising agent, producing carbon dioxide above 80°C (180°F) but when used in this way by itself, can create a soapy taste if too much is used and produce a yellow coloured product. Bi Carb soda creates a unique texture that cannot be achieved with baking powder so it has specific uses in certain types of recipes.
Always sift bicarb soda before adding to your recipe as it can difficult to measure exactly as it can become lumpy due to any exposure to moisture.
So what is Baking Powder?
Baking Powder is also a raising agent for baking. It contains approx. 30% bicarb soda and is combined with acids, cream of tartar and cornflour, which activated with water acts as a raising agent without further liquid acids being added to the recipe.
How do I make my own or substitute:
- Make your own Baking Powder – by mixing 2 parts cream of tartar with 1 part bicarb soda.
- Substitute 2 -3 teaspoons of baking powder for 1 teaspoon of Bicarb soda in recipes.
TIP: If you use this substitute for Baking Powder, it will activate as soon as it comes into contact with wet ingredients and will need to be mixed into your mixture immediately.
HOW DO I STORE IT?
Store both Bicarb Soda and Baking Powder in a dry, cool place. Bicarb can last for a very long time where as Baking powder last up to a year. Always check the use by dates on the containers before using.
HOW TO TEST IF THEY ARE STILL GOOD TO USE?
Bicarb Soda – Mix a little with vinegar and if it bubbles it is still fresh enough to use. Do this carefully over the sink as it can cause quite a foaming reaction.
Baking Powder – Mix with a little water. It will become foamy if fresh enough to use. Otherwise throw them out.
OTHER USES for Bi Carb Soda:
Bicarb soda is often used to tenderize meats and can be added to crumbing for fried foods to enhance crispiness and reduce the crumbs from cimg away from the meat in the frier.
I have used Bicarb soda for many years to clean and reduce musty smells as well as an emergency deodorant when I’ve run out or forgotten to use any.
There are so many other non cooking uses for bicarb soda such as unclogging drains, getting crayon marks off walls, scuff marks off floors, there are just too many to go through here. I will aim to do another post on those soon.
Sources for inspiration: Wikipedia; Best Recipes.com.au; realsimple.com; thespruceeats.com; ThoughtCo.com


The Amazing Benefits of Vinegar in Your Laundry:
Reviving Colors: Ever noticed how some clothes lose their vibrant look after a few washes? Vinegar dives deep into fabric fibers, removing the grime and making colors pop again.
Detergent’s Best Friend: Just a 100 ml addition of vinegar can amplify your detergent’s cleaning prowess.
Mother Nature’s Fabric Softener: Avoid the chemicals in store-bought softeners. Pour a bit of vinegar in your washing machine’s fabric softener compartment for soft-as-a-cloud clothes. And no, your clothes won’t smell like salad; they’ll have a fresh, light scent instead.
Banish Those Sweat Stains: Those pesky underarm stains on shirts? Vinegar’s acidity tackles them with ease. Soak affected garments in warm water with a glass of vinegar before a regular wash.
Goodbye, Residue: That annoying detergent build-up in your clothes and machine? A 150 ml splash of vinegar during your wash cycle keeps it at bay.
Smelly Clothes, No More: Vinegar acts as a natural deodorant for your garments, neutralizing unpleasant odors.
Tackling Tough Stains: For those challenging stains, let your clothes soak overnight in a warm water bath with 250 ml of white vinegar. Come morning, they’ll be ready for a regular wash and those stains? History!
Pet Lover’s Dream: Cuddling with pets is great until you’re covered in fur. Washing affected clothing with vinegar helps detach both lint and pet hair.
Plush Towels: Ditch the store softeners for your towels; they’ll just make them stiff. Instead, let vinegar soften them up while adding a fresh scent.
So, next time laundry day rolls around, let vinegar be your secret weapon. Whether it’s making colors vibrant, softening fabrics, or tackling stains, this natural powerhouse has got you covered. Your clothes (and the environment) will thank you!


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Regular price $2.35 USD
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Clove is a spice obtained from the calyx of the undeveloped blossoms of a species of myrtle tree indigenous to the Indonesian Maluku Islands, also known as the Spice Islands. Along with cinnamon, nutmeg and other aromatic spices, clove is used to lend sweet and spicy flavor to various baked goods and beverages.
As a cosmetic ingredient, clove provides antiseptic and anti-inflammatory qualities due to the presence of a phenolic compound called eugenol. This compound is a common ingredient in many personal care products, including mouthwash, toothpaste and soap.


The TechniChlor 110 has been specifically designed as a spa chlorine generator and takes into account the higher water temperature and smaller water volume. The TechniChlor is portable and an easy to use electronic chlorine generator that automatically sanitizes spa and hot tub water by converting skin softening saltwater into sanitizing chlorine. This eliminates the time and need to store and pour traditional liquid or tablet sanitizing products. There are no buttons, no moving parts, no separate control boxes or timers. Simply program each model to one of ten chlorine generation power levels based on spa size and usage. Product installation is simple and requires no equipment modification.
SeaKlear Spa Phosphate Remover is an easy-to-use technology for clean and efficient phosphate removal. High phosphates in spas and hot tubs can interfere with the proper operation of chlorine and bromine generators.
Use 1.5 pounds of pool salt per 100 gallons of spa water to achieve a 2000 ppm salt level. All ControlOMatic spa chlorine generators recommend a 1500 to 2000 PPM salt level, that is about 5.5% the salt that is in the ocean.
The Insta-TEST 4 pool and spa strip measures Free Chlorine, Bromine, Total Alkalinity, pH, and Total Hardness. This test strip is a dip-n-read strip with instant results. Each bottle includes 50 test strips packaged in a waterproof PopTop bottle with a hinged cap. The Insta-TEST 4 strip is ideal for spa owners who need the most critical tests for perfect water balance.
Renew Spa Shock is a fast-dissolving granular non-chlorine shock treatment that works instantly, with only minutes of spa down time! Rids spa water of residual soaps, deodorants, natural oils and organic materials that can build up in spa water.
AquaChek White strips will give you a specific reading of the salt level in your water, includes 10 tests.
Spa and Hot Tub Chlorine Generator, Around The Clock Chlorine Production
10 Levels of Chlorine Production built in, no external timers needed!
Self Cleaning Reverse Polarity Technology, Lowers spa and hot tub maintenance
Includes 8 Pounds high purity pool salt, enough for 600 Gallon Spa and AquaChek salt test strips
Includes Chlorine free shock, phosphate remover and Taylor Insta-Test 4 with 50 tests


Ambrosus, Trek Therapeutics partner to track quality in pharmaceutical manufacturing via blockchain-powered method
Ambrosus, a Swiss-based blockchain ecosystem for global supply chains, and Trek Therapeutics, PBC (Trek), a US-based private, clinical stage public benefit corporation developing treatments for serious infections with the aim to make them affordable for global populations, announced in a joint press release CoinReport received a partnership under which Ambrosus will apply integrated sensors together with blockchain-based technology to pharmaceutical drug manufacturing in Trek’s clinical development program.
Uniting blockchain and high-tech sensors, and powered by smart contracts, Ambrosus is developing the world’s first publicly-verifiable, community-driven ecosystem to ensure the origins, safety and quality of vital products, such as food, medicine and commodities. Ambrosus will carry out pilot projects with Trek to monitor the integrity, safety and quality of all stages of the pharmaceutical manufacturing process.
“Currently the pharmaceutical manufacturing process is highly regulated by pharmaceutical manufacturers and by regulatory authorities in an extremely labor-intensive and expensive manner,” said Trek co-founder and CEO Dr. Ann Kwong in the press release we received. “We hope to partner with Ambrosus to create a continuous monitoring and tracking system that will be less labor intensive, less expensive, and more transparent to all parties with a stake in quality pharmaceutical manufacturing. Our goal is to develop a system that is robust enough that Trek can submit data to support our manufacturing application for regulatory approval of our drugs from the FDA and EMA authorities.”
She added, “Additionally, patients currently have no way to ascertain the quality of the medicines they ingest. Trek believes it is important to be able to demonstrate to patients that while our drugs are affordable, they’re also of the highest quality.”
Ambrosus co-founder and CEO Angel Versetti stated, “Following the successful implementation of the Ambrosus protocol in global food supply chains, we are delighted to now apply our blockchain protocol to help ensure the quality, safety and integrity of another vitally important product – pharmaceuticals.”
The pilot projects will involve Ambrosus’ protocol working to track and verify the whole manufacturing chain from the primary chemical starting materials through various stages of synthesis, purification and verification of the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API). This will be followed by formulation of the API into drug product; packaging, labeling, storage and shipping to clinical trial sites.
“Backed by a superb core team of developers, advisors, and researchers, Ambrosus’ protocol will provide the transparency necessary in our manufacturing process to help ensure the integrity of supply chains. With our commitment to providing affordable high quality medicine, we believe this partnership could revolutionize the pharmaceutical industry quality control of manufacturing at every stage from plant to patient,” Dr. Kwong said.
MA Avenue/Central Square – Lyo (CC BY-SA 3.0)


Langbeinite is a fantastic addition to your nutrient teas, covering almost all soil cations when used in conjunction with our Oyster Shell Flour, as well as the perfect option to balance your soil mix if you are using heavy Nitrogen and Phosphorus amendments like guano and blood & bone.
What is Langbeinite?
Langbeinite is a naturally occurring crystalline mineral that contains three vital plant nutrients. It does not effect the acidity of the soil and is pH neutral.
Potassium is essential for the development of flowering plants, as well as for increases in the plants ability to uptake and utilize CO2, which is critical during stages of growth.
Magnesium is at the heart of every chlorophyll molecule, as well as vital for the shuttling of macronutrients around the plant with calcium. Plants often like a slow sustained source of magnesium and not large bursts (which can occur when using Cal-Mag solutions). Langbeinite is a great source of sustained magnesium release that won't cause lock out issues like dolomite can.
Sulfur is one of the most understated nutrients you need to be giving your plants. It aids in immune protection, enzyme synthesis, antioxidant generation and most importantly flavour and terpene production. The addition of extra sulfur through langbeinite is a perfect way to complement your garden from an already amazingly rounded product.
Langbeinite has an approximate N-P-K-S-Mg value of 0-0-22-22-18.


Perfluorotributylamine, or PFTBA for short, is the main ingredient in fake blood, and is also used in certain refrigerants. Humans have been synthesizing this material for decades, but it was only in 2013 that scientists discovered PFTBA was a greenhouse gas. And not just any greenhouse gas. It is 7,000 times more potent than carbon dioxide.
That means PFTBA has incredibly high "global warming potential"—the highest of any known compound. This simple measure helps us compare, pound for pound, different gases and how they contribute to global warming. Because so much of climate change policy uses this measure, it's an important concept to understand.
📚 Jump to section:
What is global warming potential?
Global warming potential (GWP) is a measure of a gas's greenhouse effect. To understand GWP, then, you must first understand the greenhouse effect.
The earth is constantly emitting heat. Some escapes through the atmosphere into space. Some is absorbed by greenhouses gases, which re-broadcast the heat in all directions, thereby driving up the temperature on earth. (For a more complete explanation of the greenhouse effect, see our post on the topic.)
GWP considers how much heat each gas absorbs, which helps us understand its effect on global warming.
Global warming potential considers how much heat each gas absorbs. A gas's global warming potential is always expressed as a comparison to carbon dioxide, the most common greenhouse gas.
To give one example, the GWP of methane (also known by its chemical formula, CH4) is, in certain circumstances, 86. That means a pound of CH4 can absorb 86 times more heat than a pound of CO2.
Because CO2 is the baseline, its GWP is always 1. While it is possible to be a greenhouse gas that is less powerful than carbon dioxide—to have a GWP less than 1—almost every other greenhouse gas is worse than CO2 on a pound for pound basis. Fortunately, powerful gases like PFTBA make up on a very, very tiny portion of the atmosphere.
The importance of time
Gases vary not just in terms of how much heat they absorb, but also how long they stay in the air. CO2 persists as long as 200 years. CH4, on the other hand, disappears from the atmosphere after just 12 years. This, too, affects how much a gas contributes to global warming: Once it drops out of the atmosphere, a gas is no longer trapping heat.
It will help to make this concrete. Say that right now we emit one ton of CO2 and one ton of CH4. Over the next twelve years, the CH4 will do a lot of damage—but then it will react with other materials, breaking down, and therefore no longer be present to absorb heat. Meanwhile, most of the CO2 is still up there, steadily contributing to warming.
After 20 years, though the CH4 has disappeared, still in total it has absorbed 84 times more heat than the CO2. That means its GWP after 20 years (often expressed as GWP20) is 86. After a hundred years, the carbon dioxide has caught up slightly, though it is far from closing the gap. Methane's GWP over a 100-year time horizon (GWP100) is 34—that is, over that 100-year period, the ton of CH4 has absorbed 34 times more heat than the ton of CO2. It just did it all in the first 12 years!
What is carbon-climate feedback?
GWP gets even more complicated: as the temperature of the atmosphere changes, so too does each gas's effects.
This is due to the carbon cycle. The ocean is always removing some of the atmosphere's carbon, but as the world warms, the rate of removal decreases. This creates a feedback loop: more carbon means more heat, which means slower removal, which means more carbon sticks around, so there is more heat—and so on.
Every greenhouse gas adds to a feedback loop, which slows the rate of carbon removal. This, too, can be factored into GWP.
Other greenhouse gases add to this feedback loop, too. More methane means more heat—and so methane also slows down carbon removal. This is called "carbon-climate feedback." If you incorporate this effect into GWP, the numbers have to increase. You are accounting, basically, for the extra carbon that winds up staying the atmosphere due to your methane emission.
What are the GWPs of various common greenhouse gases?
The table below shows the GWP of five major greenhouse gases: methane, nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas), and three common refrigerants. We've chosen to show just GWP100, since this is the figure most frequently used when setting climate-change policies.
"Lifetime" indicates how long each gas lasts in the atmosphere, measured in years. For each gas, we've first indicated the GWP without carbon-climate feedback. The second number, in red, includes carbon-climate feedback.
|Greenhouse gases||Lifetime||GWP100||GWP100 (w/ cc feedback)|
Calculating GWP requires some laboratory testing, and over time, with more studies, scientists refine the numbers. When it comes to policy, though, updates can be problematic: it's hard to update old laws each time a new number is calculated. For almost two decades beginning in 1997, despite scientific updates, the numbers included in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's second assessment report remained the standard for United Nations policy. Those numbers were officially updated in 2013. Today, the UN uses the above numbers, which are included in the IPCC's latest report.
What is carbon dioxide equivalent?
The point of GWP is to allow comparisons between gases. It allows us to determine how, say, 0.5 tons of CH4 compares to 10 tons of CO2.
Often, though, we are interested in not comparing but reporting emissions—and GWP allows us to report various kinds of emissions with one single number. To do so, we have to convert all emissions to what's called "carbon dioxide equivalent."
Often shortened to CO2e (or sometimes CO2eq or CO2-e), carbon dioxide equivalent captures the overall impact of a group of gases, expressed in terms of how much CO2 would have the same impact. The calculations are simple: you just multiple the weight of each gas by its GWP.
Once more, let's make this concrete. If we wanted to quantify the total impact of 0.5 tons of CH4 and 10 tons of CO2, we first need to convert the methane into tons of CO2e:
We already know 10 tons of CO2 is 10 tons of CO2e, so now we just need to add the two:
This is one kind of calculation that goes on behind the scenes in our own carbon footprint calculator! We consider many sources of emissions, and roll them into one number that allows you to more clearly understand your overall impact.
Read this next:
How does carbon capture work?
July 13, 2020 · Climate knowledge


Date: Tuesday, 15 October 2019
Location: Online, 12:30pm AEDT
This webinar will give you an overview of an Austroads project that investigated whether cements with elevated limestone content would perform satisfactorily in ambient-cured and precast concretes subjected to aggressive exposure conditions.
The project investigated whether the currently used Australian general-purpose (GP) cement which complies with AS 3972, and which may contain up to 7.5% limestone as a mineral addition, could be replaced with a cement proposed by the cement industry, which would contain 12% limestone, could be justified with respect to performance and durability.
Following a literature review, the project compared the properties of concretes made with a GP cement, containing 2.9% limestone with those of corresponding concretes incorporating the cement with 12% limestone. Both plain cement concretes and concretes incorporating cement blended with fly ash and slag were tested. As the cement industry declined to provide the cements required for this research, two equivalent cements were imported from Canada, designated general use (GU) cement, with 2.9% limestone content, and general use limestone (GUL) cement, with 10% limestone content (increased to 12% in the laboratory).
Physical, mechanical, chemical and microstructural aspects of both concretes were examined.
The study concluded that it would be highly inadvisable to entirely replace the currently used Australian GP cements, made to comply with AS 3972:2010 with up to 7.5% limestone, with the cement proposed by the industry that would contain 12% limestone, without the option of cements of lower limestone content being readily available in the in the market to all users.
Join in a live Q&A with our expert panel to have your questions answered.
Presented by Ahmad Shayan and Fred Andrews-Phaedonos
Dr Ahmad Shayan is the Director at Concrete Analytics Pty Ltd. He has 40 years of research and consulting experience, gained at CSIRO and ARRB, and has written over 200 published papers in the international scientific media, and 350 technical reports for clients. He previously chaired the Standards Australia Committee CE/12 for over 10 years. Ahmad’s areas of interest include concrete materials assessment and durability of concrete structures, for which he was awarded the prestigious Clunies Ross Medal in 2003. Ahmad was the author of the Austroads report.
Fred Andrews-Phaedonos is a Principal Engineer-Concrete Technology at Department of Transport, Victoria. He has over 40 years experience as a technical specialist in areas such as concrete technology, concrete durability and bridge construction, maintenance, rehabilitation and strengthening. Fred was the project manager of the Austroads project.
No charge but registration is essential.


(TND) — Scientists have discovered a protein in the lungs that appears to be a natural defense against the virus that causes COVID-19.
They say this opens up new areas of research and the potential for new treatments.
The protein, leucine-rich repeat-containing protein 15, or LRRC15, binds the virus without passing on the infection, according to researchers at the University of Sydney.
For me, as an immunologist, the fact that there's this natural immune receptor that we didn't know about, that's lining our lungs and blocks and controls virus, that's crazy interesting,” study lead Professor Greg Neely said in a university news release.
The Australian researchers noted that work with the LRRC15 protein has also been taking place at Oxford, Brown and Yale.
Virologist Paula Cannon, who was not involved with this research, says it holds exciting potential as a protection or treatment against COVID-19 and other lung infections.
“What's interesting is these different studies that use different methods and are looking at different things are all coalescing on this molecule as being important,” said Cannon, with the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “So, when you see that, when you see different approaches coming up with the same answer, it lends credibility to the role of this molecule.”
COVID-19 latches onto a receptor to infect us. The docking molecule it latches onto is a protein called the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2, or ACE2.
LRRC15, meanwhile, seems to be behaving like a natural “receptor decoy,” Cannon said.
“It binds to the spike protein. You remember the little red blobs? And when it's bound to the spike protein, it stops the spike protein being able to interact with its natural receptor ACE2,” she said.
Importantly, LRRC15 is a dead-end interaction for the virus, she said.
This natural protective barrier can prevent other vulnerable cells from becoming infected.
University of Sydney researchers called it “molecular Velcro.”
And LRRC15 can work both when it itself is on the surface of a cell, but more importantly, when it's kind of secreted, it's soluble, it's whizzing around in blood and mucous,” Cannon said. “It's there as the way to kind of catch the virus and inactivate it by putting these nonfunctional blocks or locks all over it.”
There’s another potentially important discovery, that LRRC15 could be used to suppress fibrosis, or the damaging scarring that can occur from serious lung infections.
And researchers say there’s evidence that LRRC15 levels may relate to how severe a person’s COVID infection will be. They said the body’s LRRC15 levels seem to increase when a virus is introduced.
The higher the levels, the more effective a person appears to be at fighting off the virus.
Cannon said LRRC15 levels could potentially be used to screen people most at risk for severe infections.
She called the medical uses for the LRRC15 protein “blue sky thinking,” because the science is just emerging. But there are real possibilities to help people, she said.
“There's a potential to develop it as a drug to protect us,” she said. “You could spray it in people's noses or with an inhaler if they're at risk of being infected, and you're giving them a molecule that is a natural antiviral defense.”


The Deep Bay Improvement District (DBID) is fortunate to have an excellent source of ground water that does not require any treatment. The DBID is required, as part of the operating permit, to test water samples regularly. There are four sample sites, identified by Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA), and each of the four sites is sampled on a monthly basis. Samples are delivered to Parksville for testing by VIHA.
Sample results as well as the VIHA Water System Inspection reports are available from the VIHA website – http://www.healthspace.ca/viha
DBID takes further samples from throughout the distribution system and sends these samples to an independent lab for additional chemical analysis. Results from our recent testings are available below.


Stevia First Corp. Provides Scale-Up Data for Reb A Production From Enzyme Enhancement
Jun 23, 2014
SACRAMENTO, CA--Stevia First Corp. (OTCQB: STVF) ("Stevia First" or the "Company"), an agricultural biotechnology company based in California's Central Valley growing region and focused on the industrial scale production of stevia, the all-natural zero-calorie sweetener that is rapidly transforming the food and beverage industry, is pleased to disclose industrial scale-up data for its purified Rebaudioside A ("Reb A") alternative sweetener products derived from an enzyme enhancement process.
In 2013, Stevia First achieved success in converting low-grade stevia extract directly into highly purified stevia extract using an enzyme enhancement process. Stevia First has filed new intellectual property related to this process and has been working extensively towards commercialization and implementation at an industrial scale.
Upon successful implementation, the Company intends to implement an annual minimum of 200 metric tons capacity for high purity Reb A through contract manufacturers or strategic partners. The process could enable Stevia First to directly convert low-grade stevia extract, which is commonly marketed for $40,000 per metric ton, into highly purified Reb A, which is often marketed for $100,000 per metric ton or more. The Company recently formed an alliance with Qualipride International in order to gain access to 1,500 metric tons of annual supply of low-grade stevia extract for use as starting material. For perspective on this capacity in the context of the stevia industry, Purecircle is a leading stevia supplier that disclosed as of 2013 a 2,800 metric ton capacity for highly purified stevia extract that could support annual sales of $250 to $300 million.
Stevia First's scale-up efforts to date have involved increasing reaction volumes by 25,000 times over initial laboratory conditions during production of food-grade stevia samples. The Company is now continuing to scale-up this process for pilot production and initial commercialization, with development to continue in mid-2014 directed at an initial production target of 400 kilograms per day of highly purified Reb A stevia extract. The Company estimates certain variable processing costs for initial production quantities to be less than $23,000 per ton, with additional costs related to enzyme production. Larger production runs could provide substantial economies of scale and greater margins. Stevia First is now reliably producing active Stevia enzymes at its facilities to be used within its enzyme enhancement process.
Dr. Brandon Zipp, Stevia First's Director of Research and Development, comments that, "We're finishing what the plant started, converting the most abundant steviol glycoside, stevioside, into the valuable Rebaudioside A and beyond."
Stevia First's CEO, Robert Brooke, adds that, "Since the 2003 discovery of this enzyme by our collaborator, this elegant approach to increasing global Reb A production has eluded the industry, but our team has employed its diverse experiences in handling Stevia UGT enzymes in a manner that has finally enabled a process that works. Discoveries in our lab made recently continue to set us apart, and position us ever closer to bringing our innovations to market."
About Stevia First Corp. (OTCQB: STVF)
Stevia First Corp. is an agricultural biotechnology company that has developed expertise for the production of stevia using fermentation and for improvement of traditional stevia farming and processing methods. The Company is also applying breakthrough technologies in software and the life sciences to develop product applications far beyond stevia and the food and beverage industry. For more information visit: www.steviafirst.com.
About the Stevia Industry
The market for all-natural, zero-calorie stevia sweeteners is expanding rapidly. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates stevia intake could eventually replace 20-30% of all dietary sweeteners. The total global sweetener market was estimated at $58.3 billion in 2010. For more information visit: www.steviafirst.com.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains "forward-looking statements" as that term is defined in Section 27(a) of the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21(e) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements in this press release which are not purely historical are forward-looking statements and include any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Such forward-looking statements include, among other things, projections of worldwide sales of stevia products, growth of stevia production and global markets. Actual results could differ from those projected in any forward-looking statements due to numerous factors. Such factors include, among others, the inherent uncertainties associated with new projects and development stage companies. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release, and we assume no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Although we believe that any beliefs, plans, expectations and intentions contained in this press release are reasonable, there can be no assurance that any such beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions will prove to be accurate. Investors should consult all of the information set forth herein and should also refer to the risk factors disclosure outlined in our annual report on Form 10-K for the most recent fiscal year, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and other periodic reports filed from time-to-time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This website contains historical and archived press releases, blogs and rekated reorts for Stevia First Corporation. The information in these releases, documents and articles is historical in nature, has not been updated, and is current only to the date indicated in each instance. This information may no longer be accurate and therefore you should not rely on the information contained in these documents. To the extent permitted by law, Stevia First Corporation and its employees, agents and consultants exclude all liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of, or reliance on, any such information, whether or not caused by any negligent act or omission.


Here’s a look at a snowflake’s six sides from Bill Marvel at The Dallas Morning News and McClatchy Tribune.
Next time it snows, take a minute from sledding or skating or snowball fights to look closely at snowflakes. A dark piece of cloth, such as a wool mitten,and a magnifying glass will help.
Almost all snowflakes look like stars with six points,or flowers with six petals. But why six? Why not eight or five or for that matter, 20?
Four hundred years ago, a scientist named Johannes Kepler thought he knew the answer, and he wrote to a friend about it. Each snowflake, Kepler wrote, starts with a round droplet of frozen water. So far, so good. If you arrange pennies on a table and pack them as closely as possible, you will find that each penny touches exactly six other pennies. No more, no less. Thus, Kepler said,if you pack round droplets of ice closely together, each will be surrounded by exactly six other round droplets.
In the same way, he announced,each snowflake begins with a six-sided cluster of ice droplets,and it grows from there. Sort of like a bee honeycomb. Good guess, but Kepler was wrong.
Scientists discovered the real reason several centuries later. Snowflakes are six-sided because of the way atoms stick together. Each molecule of water is made up of one big oxygen atom and two little hydrogen atoms. Think of two little cherries stuck to a big apple, like ears.
The hydrogen atoms will stick to the oxygen atom, but they will not stick to another hydrogen atom.
As the temperature falls below freezing, water molecules in the air start sticking to one another, forming ice. Like people shaking hands, each oxygen atom grabs one of the hydrogen atoms of another molecule.That molecule, in turn,grabs the hydrogen atom of yet another molecule,until six of the molecules link together in a tiny six-sided crystal called a hexagon.
As that ice crystal falls through the air,it bumps against other molecules of water that stick to the corners of the hexagon and freeze. Pretty soon, the original crystal starts to grow six long arms. Meanwhile, the arms start to grow branches. Repeat the process often enough — say,about 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 times —and you get a snowflake just big enough to see.You could look at snowflakes all day during the thickest blizzard and never find two that perfectly match. You could look for the rest of your life ,in fact. That’s because, like people,each snowflake encounters different conditions as it goes through life — different air currents, different temperatures,different moisture — and so it forms differently. Like people, no two snowflakes are exactly alike.


So you have removed soda out of your diet in order to be more healthy, but you still need the satisfaction of carbonation. Sparkling water has become a new “healthy” alternative for soda. That may be true for your overall health due to the no sugar factor, however carbonated water is also acidic because your mouth turns the carbon dioxide bubbles into carbonic acid. This is a problem because acid dissolves tooth enamel, which causes teeth to weaken and become more cavity-prone.
Suggestion to help protect your teeth:
Drink through a straw
Rinse with water after drinking to wash away acid
Wait at least 20 minutes before brushing to avoid scrubbing the acid into your enamel. Along with brushing, practice good dental habits including flossing and seeing your local Holladay City Cleaning Dentist to reduce your risk of cavities.
Both sparkling and flavored waters are not as acidic as sodas but with moderation you can still enjoy your favorite beverage.


Salt is a fundamental ingredient in the preparation of the Yuquitania. Formerly salt was obtained from different processes of plant material obtained in the jungle. According to Juan Álvaro Echeverri, in his essay "La sal de monte", he establishes that the stories of the Spanish chroniclers speak of a type of salt that was used by indigenous groups. “It is a salt made from the combustion of bark, buds and stems of certain plant species. This type of plant-based salts have been used by many peoples of the Americas and other continents and continue to be used to this day by various Amazonian groups. Several indigenous groups make this type of salt, as an essential mixture for tobacco ambil, among others, and for ritual, medicinal and culinary use (Echeverri, 2011)”. In other words, the salt was obtained from the leaves and fruits of certain vegetables reduced to ashes. The historical records of the colony show that, for example, in the Negro River, salt was obtained from a plant that grows on the rocks in the rapids of the rivers, also called cachiveras. Another way to obtain salt was through trade with sub-Andean groups, who had access to large deposits in the high jungle of that region and traded it with the Amazonian peoples for dried fish, feathers, honey, skins and wood.
If you want to know more about obtaining and using salt in the Amazon regions and indigenous peoples:
La sal de monte: un ensayo de ‘halofitogenografía’ uitoto, January 2001, In book: Imani mundo. Estudios en la Amazonia colombiana, Publisher: Unibiblos, Editors: Franky, Carlos E. and Zárate, Carlos G.


EBL EB-641581614 9V 600mAh 6F22 Rechargeable Li-ion Batteries with Charger
Catalogue Number: EB-641581614
- High quality 4 packs 6F22 9V 600mAh li-ion rechargeable batteries.
- Without memory effect, the batteries can be charged anytime.
- The highly improved low self discharge makes it still maintain 75% of capacity after 3 years of non-use.
- The pre-charged batteries can be recharged up to 1200 times.
- Widely used in smoke alarms, professional audio and medical devices etc.


Redmond RealSalt Sea SPA Bath Salt is a natural mineral sea salt that comes from a sea bed dating back thousands of years. This prehistoric deposit has been tucked away, protected from modern-day pollution. We extract this salt from deep within the earth, and bring it to you in its pure, natural state–without any additives, chemicals, or heat processing. The result is an all natural sea salt, rich in trace minerals.
In Redmond RealSalt Sea SPA Bath Salt you will find an abundance of trace minerals that can help restore mineral-deficient bodies back to good health. Through osmosis, toxins are released from the body into the bath water, while trace minerals from the sea salt are absorbed through the skin.Benefits of Redmond Sea SPA Bath Salt
* Relax * Detoxify * Remineralize * Rejuvenate * Energize
Redmond Sea SPA Bath Salt is great for:
- Soothing Stiff, Sore & Aching Muscles
- Detoxification & Cleansing
- Improving Circulation
- Promoting Sound, Restful Sleep
- Remineralizing the Body
How does Redmond Bath Salt promote better health?
Due to the abundance of natural trace minerals in our salt, Redmond Bath Salt provides healing properties for the skin and body. Toxins are released from the body into the bath water through osmosis, while trace minerals from the sea salt are absorbed through the skin.
Are there any additives in Redmond Bath Salt?
All of the minerals in Redmond Bath Salt are naturally occurring. Most bath salts on the market today have oils and fragrances added to them (which may cause allergic reactions) and often times leave an oily residue around the rim of the tub. Our bath salt, on the other hand, is so natural, you can eat it!
How to Use Redmond Sea SPA Bath Salt
How much Redmond Bath Salt should I use?
Using 1/2 a cup of Redmond Bath Salt per bath can effectively draw out toxins and help remineralize the body. Some spa experts suggest using up to two cups of natural mineral salt per bath and soaking for 30 minutes.
Can I add my own essential oils to Redmond Bath Salt?
What makes Redmond Bath Salt unique to many bath salts on the market today, is the fact that it is a natural, unrefined product with no additives. It is difficult to find additive-free bath salts that are naturally loaded with trace minerals. While very effective without essential oils, some choose to customize their Redmond Bath Salt by adding drops of their favorite essential oils to the bath water.
Why is there reddish sediment in my tub after using Redmond Bath Salt?
In our Redmond Bath Salts you will find more than 60 natural trace minerals. The residue left on the floor of the tub comes from these natural minerals of which can be washed safely down the drain.
For Maximum Effect
The salt concentration has to be at least the same as the one of your body fluids (approximately 1%) to activate the osmotic exchange ratio. The formula for a 1% solution is 1.28 ounces of salt per gallon of water.


The work in this WP will undertake the manufacture of metal/metal composite joints and in particular dissimilar aluminium alloys and aluminium/magnesium alloys.
Task 3.1 – Manufacture of metal / metal joints using nanoparticle fillers
This task will undertake the manufacture of dissimilar metal joints through friction stir welding (FSW). The filler materials developed in WP1 will be used to produce the dissimilar metal welds.
Task 3.2 – Ceramic coatings for corrosion protection of dissimilar metal welds
One of the major issues of dissimilar material joining is the corrosion behaviour at the joint interface. This task will investigate the incorporation of ceramic coats in the form of encrusted films applied onto the metal alloys prior to FSW for improved corrosion protection properties of the joined metals .
The ceramic coatings will be applied on the metal alloys via the dip coating process. Inorganic, organic or organically surface modified inorganic nanocontainers, nanotubes or nanoparticles will be incorporated into the ceramic coatings. All the nanocontainers and nanotubes will be loaded with organic or inorganic corrosion inhibitors.
Task 3.3 – Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Layers for corrosion protection of dissimilar metal joints
The corrosion issue will also be addressed through FSW Hybrid Organic-Inorganic Layers Hybrid organic layers including nanocontainers loaded with corrosion inhibitors will be synthesized.
Task 3.4 – Development of Non Destructive Evaluation technique for dissimilar metal joints
This task will undertake the development of reliable NDE techniques for the dissimilar metal joints. The incorporation of carbon nanotubes and corrosion inhibitors combined with the differing metallurgical morphology of the joined dissimilar metals presents a challenge to the NDE methodology to be implemented.


National Algae Association
8:00am - 5:00pm
Broward County Library Downtown - Auditorium
100 S. Andrews Ave, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301
The algae bloom situation is affecting tourism, fishing, real estate and local economies. While algae bloom research, testing and monitoring is ongoing within the State of Florida, collaboration and open communication is needed on fixing the continuous algae bloom and HAB problems. The National Algae Association is the first non-profit algae association to focus on research and commercial algae bloom technologies available in the US and throughout the world. NAA extends an invitation to all algae bloom stakeholders to attend the Algae Bloom Workshop, May 21-22, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Join, collaborate and network with commercially-minded algae bloom researchers, remediation technology experts and equipment companies to discuss algae blooms and toxic blooms (HAB’s). Attendees will learn about the devastating algae bloom problems and potential commercial algae bloom remediation technologies that are scalable and economically viable.


HD Muscle - Intra HD 400g
INTRA-HD is an enhanced training product designed to improve muscle endurance and recovery, helping you to overcome your last performance and start your muscle recovery protocol. INTRA-HD's innovative formula combines key clinically validated ingredients in effective doses to give unparalleled results not found in other amino acid products on the market today. INTRA-HD contains ten grams of the nine essential amino acids, effectively providing your muscles with all the amino acids needed to maximize protein synthesis and improve muscle development and recovery.
INTRA-HD further improves your results and takes you beyond muscle recovery by :
- Increasing peak power and endurance
- Limiting free radical damage to improve recovery
- Promote efficient consumption of cellular oxygen
- Reduce muscle pain and inflammation
- Rehydrate and use electrolytes more efficiently


The Cyanotype Process
by Christopher James
Here are some excerpts:
Cyanotype is an ultraviolet (UV) sensitive contact printing process that uses transparent, translucent, or opaque objects to make cyanotype photos on cloth or paper. The blue color of the cyanotype print is the result of the reaction of ferrous ions to the photo reduction of ferric ammonium citrate in combination with potassium ferricyanide. The cyanotype image is highly stable but can be degraded by something alkaline, such as sodium carbonate or perspiration. It will also fade, like most things, if exposed to strong direct sunlight over a period of time. Should you experience this fading, your image can generally be restored to its original blue intensity by storing it in a dark environment for a short time. Contrary to popular lore, the cyanotype print can be controlled in process to yield wonderful and technically exquisite images. The prints can also be toned in a wide variety of ways to provide alternatives to the color blue.
The Chemistry: There are two principal chemicals employed in the traditional cyanotype formula, and these are mixed together in equal parts to create a working sensitizing solution that will be applied to paper with a brush. They are: Part A, ferric ammonium citrate and Part B, potassium ferricyanide. Neither of these chemicals poses a serious health risk unless you are one of the very few people who may have an allergic reaction to the chemistry. Ferric ammonium citrate is often found in iron and vitamin supplements and Potassium ferricyanide is a stable compound that only becomes a risk if it is heated beyond 300°F
The cyanotype is a contact printing process like a photogram. As is the case with other non-silver processes, a cyanotype sensitized paper or cloth is exposed with sunlight or an ultraviolet (UV) light source and will require a negative(s) that is the same size as your intended print. I have had success with a wide assortment of negative types and can usually get a good-looking print by adjusting the way I work to fit the negative’s potential. This is one of the primary reasons that the process is such a great one to begin learning alternative techniques with, because success comes quickly to the rookie. I really do not have a specific general recommendation for a cyanotype negative. I’ve heard a lot of advice that recommends using a negative that would print well on a paper grade of 0 to 1 (indicating a fairly high-contrast negative density of about 1.5 to 1.7) and that this particular type will do well with using a standard A + B sensitizing formula. This is true, but the same success can come from negatives that do not specifically meet this recommendation. My best advice is to make a nice negative and learn the process with it. Paper and Fabric Surfaces Almost any type of paper or fabric can be used in the cyanotype process. Generally speaking, the best paper to use for a single image will be a quality hot or cold press paper like Arches Platine, Fabriano Artistico, Lana, Arches Acquarelle, Saunder’s Waterford, Somerset Book, and Crane’s Platinotype. These papers are neutral pH (in the middle of being acidic or alkaline) and already have a good sizing built into them during manufacturing. They are also specifically made to withstand the rigors of extended immersion times in liquids. Other paper options, some of them esoteric, that withstand the rigors of wet processing are those such as the 22˝230˝ Gampi Torinoko and Hahnemuhl etching paper that you can purchase by the roll. There are a wide variety of rice papers available at well-stocked art supply stores, and I recommend buying small pieces to test before committing to large amounts. One recommendation that I read about was a roll paper, 18˝250’, that was simply labeled Oriental Rice Paper for Sumi. The paper was tenaciously strong in water.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE SUN Before we begin exploring all of the alternative processes that follow in the book I want to mention the sun as the best light source you can use for contact printing. Unless you are working in a cold and dark climate most of the year, in which case you might think about becoming a poet, the sun provides the most efficient and least expensive means of exposing your contact negatives in printing frames. However, serious or cold climate based alternative process printers swear by a UV exposure unit because they feel it provides a consistent and controllable light source year round. Why is sun best? It’s free, really bright, and nothing can come close to the good feeling you’ll have sitting around outdoors printing with your friends and family. Secondly, in the summer your exposure times are short and pleasant, and it is easy for you to monitor your progress. Outside, the light is bright enough to read the exposure of your edges and their density. Simply observing the changes will give you a lot of information because alternative process exposures are easily determined by this evaluation method. When you think that you are close to being done, it is a simple matter of picking up the frame and moving into a shaded area to check on the details of shadows and highlights. Of course there are variables with the sun that you will not find with a UV printer unit. The time of year, time of day, humidity level outside, and overall atmospheric conditions will all have something to do with your exposure. A misty and foggy day that makes you squint your eyes will often be an ideal one to print. Use the winter to enrich your life with other interests or make (see Appendices) or buy a UV exposure unit equipped with daylight tubes. Do not waste your time with filtered “black-light” tubes like the ones that make Jimi Hendrix posters come to life because they are very inefficient exposure sources. You may, however, successfully use an unfiltered UV tube.
Exposing the Cyanotype When your coated and sensitized paper or fabric is completely dry, place your negative in contact with the coated emulsion and double check to see that it will read correctly when it is completed. The negative that you use will work very well if it has an average negative density in the range of 1.4 to 1.6. Be aware that you will be losing a considerable amount of density in the wash and development stages, so it is important that your highlights are able to print. Next, load the negative and coated paper into your contact frame so that the negative is next to the glass of the contact printer and the coated paper is behind the negative. Be sure that the hinge part of the frame back straddles the negative/coated area so that you can undo one side of the frame during exposure if you wish to check on your progress without losing registration. The most common problem in cyanotype printing is underexposure, where the highlights and middle values wash out in the water development. It is not a question of whether they will wash out, but to what degree. Depending on your negative, you will have a short or a long exposure, with darker negatives obviously taking more time than lighter ones. In summer sunlight, a short exposure might last 1 to 3 minutes, and a long one up to a half an hour. It is generally a good idea to make a test print. There are several ways to test exposure time during the exposure. When I am teaching a workshop class how to make cyanotype murals in the sun, I often use the students as photogram objects on a sensitized bedsheet. During the exposure I periodically lift their fingers to check on the comparative densities. This allows me to see what the base emulsion is doing in adjacent comparison to the open exposure next to the student’s finger. Unless they are sweating a lot, this is a good method of calibration. In a contact printing frame, I often place a small opaque object on the glass so that it covers a separate swatch of emulsion that I had added to the bottom of the paper during coating. By quickly lifting the opaque object I can determine where the exposure is and how long I have before the processing begins. As you will discover, overexposing a cyanotype is a difficult thing to do. A test strip can be easily made by coating a piece of paper with the sensitizer, drying it completely, and placing a negative in contact with the emulsion. Put the sensitized paper and negative in your contact frame and lay a series of opaque strips over the coated test piece. These strips will be removed, one at a time, at predetermined intervals and then processed for the information. You can also use a transparent step wedge for this task, but I feel the negative’s information from the test is often more important than how many gradations you might achieve with it. When the test exposure is done, process it in tap water until the whites have cleared and there is no evidence of yellow in the wash water. Then quickly blow-dry the strip, and you’ll get a rough idea of approximately what the best exposure will be. Be aware that cyanotype print values will darken over a period of days as the print oxidizes. You can accelerate this oxidization by immersing the washed print in a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide. Cyanotype is a printing-out process, so you can examine your exposure as you go, providing you are using a hinged contact printing frame. I generally like to see, in a predevelopment examination of the exposure, highlight detail that is a great deal denser than I would be happy with in a finished print. Occasionally, I want my deepest shadow details to have a nearly solarized look (the density has begun to reverse itself and is transforming to a lighter, almost metallic-negative-gray). I also watch the outside-coated borders that have no negative covering them. Often the best cyanotypes will be realized when the outside borders have reversed themselves to a near silvergray. Another general piece of information is that thicker papers often take a bit longer to expose than do thinner papers. Always write down your exposure time on the paper so that you can evaluate your progress over the course of a printing sessionJudy Seigel has suggested a technique where the exposure is stopped halfway through the exposure and then resumed to completion after a wait of several minutes. She reports that this interrupted printing results in noticeably better shadow details and separation without losing highlight or D-max integrity. I haven’t tried this technique in a formal experiment yet, but Judy’s suggestions are always worthwhile, and this may be another good control option to use.
Development: Water or Acid
Traditionally, the cyanotype is developed out in a water bath. This is the least complicated step possible and is the preferred development by most everyone who works with the process. The one shortcoming of water development may be a moderately limited tonal scale. An alternative development process, one that often produces a longer tonal scale, is the use of diluted acidic solutions such as distilled white vinegar or acetic acid. The nice part of this alternative is that the tonal range of values will be extended without having to lengthen the exposure. The downside is that by trading for a longer tonal scale you will often lose on the comparative highlight to shadow contrast in the print. You might think of an acid or vinegar development bath as one that turns the cyanotype into a soft graded paper. The simplest solution to begin experimenting with would be household white vinegar, which is generally the equivalent of a 5% concentration of acetic acid. White vinegar can be used straight from the bottle or diluted with water to give you more flexibility. In its pure state, it is worth about 2 to 4 levels on a step table. Here are a few signs to look for if you decide to use vinegar as a development option. ◆ White vinegar out of the bottle: A significant increase in the range of values (2 to 4 steps) but a relative decrease in the contrast. This might be a good formula for negatives that are hopelessly too high-key. A hydrogen peroxide “oxidation-hit” will have little effect on this straight vinegar developed print. ◆ Vinegar and water 1:1: Some of the image’s highlight crispness begins to return without a loss in the step table. Hydrogen peroxide has a negligible effect in deepening the blue in the print. ◆ Vinegar and water 1:3: A 2 to 3 step increase in midtone values, better highlight detail, and the hydrogen peroxide adds a little “intensification” to the blue. ◆ Vinegar and water 1:5: Still a pretty decent range in the additional steps and the highlights are better. Decent D-max (maximum density) equal to the other prints in the test sequence, and the hydrogen peroxide has a modest effect. Using Mike Ware’s New Cyanotype Process, explained later, the effects of vinegar development are less distinct. That fact is somewhat irrelevant if you are using Ware’s formula, which has a longer and similar tonal scale and a softer look to the overall image. Ware’s process does employ an acid development that has a softening impact on the contrast. Acid Post development Bath Another alternative in developing cyanotypes for additional tonal range is a technique of rinsing your water developed print in a mild acid bath following the development. Adding this acid bath step will often result in an intensification of the darker values while reducing the lighter ones. Traditional manuals, such as the Kodak Encyclopedia of Practical Photography, suggest a postdevelopment bath of 4 to 5 drops of hydrochloric acid per 1,000 ml of water for a few minutes. I have also heard of cyanotype artists who use weak solutions of citric acid, both chemical and natural, in this step. For fun, try squeezing a few lemons intoWashing and Oxidization After exposure and development, wash your developed cyanotype print in running water for 5 to 15 minutes or until the highlights have cleared to white. You should no longer see any yellow-green coloration in the water. Shorter washing times may leave ferric salts in the paper. Too long a washing time will cause both fading, through a pigmentation loss, and a decrease of highlight details in the print. If you need instant gratification, try this: After the first wash, remove the print from the water and add a splash of drugstore grade hydrogen peroxide to the water bath. Re-immerse the print and watch the blues go to an immediate and intense deep blue. This action causes the highlights to appear super white because of their relationship to the dark blues. This intensification “trick” is everyone’s favorite. Really, though, all that is happening is that you are accelerating the oxidization of the iron in the print that would happen naturally in a few days without this step. Don’t forget the wash stage after being thrilled a water bath and note the effect. You will likely see a bit of clearing and a marginal intensification of darker valueA 1% to 5% solution of oxalic acid can be used (1 to 5 grams of oxalic acid to 100 ml of water). This solution is particularly successful for spotting blue stains out of highlight areas. Take all necessary precautions when using oxalic acid because it is toxic. If your print is overexposed (which is pretty hard to do), mix up a solution of sodium carbonate, approximately a pinch to 1,000 ml of water, and immerse your image in it until it begins to fade. Watch for the first signs of yellow. Too strong a concentration or too long in the sodium carbonate solution will have a serious bleaching effect. If you feel you went too far with this, you can consult the toning section for techniques on where to go next. Tannic acid would be a likely option. If you opt to do nothing at all, save your overexposed cyanotype for a Blue-Van-Dyke print or a gum or simply throw it out and do a new one.
Toning the Cyanotype: There will be times when you simply do not want a blue image but still want to use the cyanotype technique due to its flexibility and simplicity. The following are some formulas for changing the color of cyanotypes once they have completed the final wash. In general, it is a good idea to overexpose your prints if you intend to tone them. Many of the following formulas utilize sodium carbonate or ammonia, which tend to radically reduce print density if the solutions are too strong.
A word of encouragement—many times the formulas will not work as you want them to due to water types, contamination, time of year, etc. Take these formulas with a grain of salt (sorry, bad pun) and adapt them to your own aesthetic. Very often, during workshops, I will simply pour and sprinkle formulas together to reinforce the idea that the results from these toning suggestions are not set in stone, either alone or in combination with other toners. Besides, what have you got to lose? The process is simple, inexpensive, and accidents often become individual and unique techniques. There is the issue of permanence to consider. The cyanotype, in a pure Prussian-blue state and handled correctly, is permanent and one of the most stable alternative processes. The toning steps change the chemical composition of the cyanotype image, and it is occasionally questionable if all of these formulas can be described as “permanent” after the fact. I have found virtually no deterioration in the images I toned with tannic acid over 20 years ago. This is not the case with images done during group toning demonstrations, where inadequate washing times between steps are often the rule. It is a good idea to dry your cyanotype prints before to The Big Thrill Hydrogen peroxide (3% drugstore grade) added to water will seem to super “intensify” the blue in your cyanotypes. The actual effect is simply an accelerated oxidation of the iron. This intense blue will occur eventually, given time, in any well-processed cyanotype. Hydrogen peroxide can be used immediately after the yellow has been washed out of your print. Mix it casually and without fear, because this chemical is used to clean wounds and as a mouthwash. Removing Blue: Yellow Toning There are several chemicals that will alter the intensity of the blue in your cyanotypes. As mentioned, hydrogen peroxide, oxalic acid, and sodium carbonate will all cause the blue to change, as well as solutions of chlorine bleach, sodium sulfate, sodium silicate, trisodium phosphate, and commercial laundry soaps. You may mix solutions of these chemicals and apply them selectively to remove areas of blue, and in some cases you can alter the entire color of the print or fabric in complete baths. For example, to make a yellow and white print, make a solution of trisodium phosphate in a ratio of 1 tablespoon to every quart of water. Dissolve the trisodium phosphate in hot water in a plastic tub or tray, and immerse the cyanotype in the solution until it fades to yellow. Rinse the print with running water for 30 minutes, or run the fabric through a cold wash cycle without soap. The resulting image will be permanent. Hang them and to let them oxidize for a day or so. This
The Basic Tea Toner Buy some basic and inexpensive household tea (tannic acid) and make a very strong solution in hot water. Immerse your print in it until you have the desired tonality. Using a solution of tea as a toner is a nice way to create a duotone image. The print’s highlights exhibit a pleasant tan color while the blue takes on a slightly warmer hue. If you don’t want any blue, just go through the yellow toning stage with trisodium phosphate and then move on to the tea toning. Using green and herbal teas without tannic acid in them does not work as well. Brown Toning #1 PART A 28 ml nondetergent, household strength ammonia added to 240 ml of water PART B 14 g tannic acid added and mixed well and added to 750 ml of water Tannic acid mixing takes a little patience because it does not dissolve readily in water. Break up the clumps and keep stirring until the chemical is in solution. Immerse the washed and wet print in Part A for a few minutes or until it becomes pale. Then rinse the print for several minutes and transfer it to Part B for the conversion to brown. In all of the toning formulas, too short a rinsing time between stages is the primary culprit in the discoloration of highlights and paper base white. Black Toning #1 Immerse the print in a solution of Dektol. The stronger the Dektol solution the more intense the goldenrod color that will present itself to you. When the blue is almost entirely bleached out and converted, rinse the print for several minutes in water and then immerse it in a solution of tannic acid mixed to 30 to 50 g per 1,000 ml of water. You should see a smokey black color within 5 minutes. Wash the toned print for 15 minutes. Eggplant/Red/Black Tones Use the black toning #1 procedure and after the final wash immerse the print in the strong Dektol solution again or in an ammonia bath solution consisting of 250 ml ammonia to 1,000 ml water. Black Toning #2 PART A 3 drops nitric acid* added to 1 liter water PART B 14 g sodium carbonate added to 160 ml water (5.3 oz) PART C 14 g gallic acid added to 160 ml water Begin by immersing your washed and wet print into Part A (nitric acid) for 2 minutes. Then rinse the print for several minutes, transfer it to Part B, and leave it in the solution until the image disappears and then reappears as a very light orange image. Then rinse the print for several minutes and transfer it into Part C, where the black tones should become evident. Finally, wash the print for at least 15 minutes. Blue/Gray Split Toning Allow the cyanotype to age for a day or two and then rewet the print. Mix a solution of 3 drops of nitric acid in 1,000 ml water and immerse your print in it for 2 minutes. Then wash the print for several minutes. Next, immerse the print in a weak (a pinch to 1,000 ml of water) sodium carbonate solution until a yellow split occurs, and then wash the print for several minutes. Mix up a solution of tannic acid of 25 g to 1,000 ml water and place your print in it until a blue/gray split appears. Finally, wash the print well for 15 to 20 minutes. Red Toning Follow the directions for the blue/gray toning. Immerse the print in a light sodium carbonate solution (a pinch to 1,000 ml of water) until red and then wash the print for
Eggplant Black #1 This is a very casual kitchen formula when you don’t have a gram scale. PART A 1 to 2 tsp sodium carbonate (very flexible) stirred into solution in 1 quart water Be aware of how much sodium carbonate you use in Part A. You may find that 1 to 2 tsp is far too strong a mix for your prints. If this is the case, then either make a new Part A with a pinch of sodium carbonate or add more water to the solution. PART B 4 to 10 Tbs tannic acid added and mixed really well into 1 quart water This tannic mix is much stronger than you may need to get the job done but I have found it works for me, so include it in this formula. If you find it is too strong for your prints then simply reduce the amount of tannic acid in the Part B formula.