Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2012 July 3

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July 3

Succulent plant ID and advice please

Hello everyone. Awhile back I bought a dumpy little succulent plant from a street vendor and to my surprise it has done really well at home. I have turned its tray many times, but have ended up with a sprawling beast somewhat reminiscent of a grasping hand. [[1]] [[2]]There are now also plantlets budding at the base of the plant. I would like to know what kind of succulent this is, and what I can/should do to ensure its safe further growth. Can these be propagated via cuttings, for example? Thank you. The Masked Booby (talk) 00:34, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

I believe that's Crassula marnieriana (the picture on our page certainly doesn't look much like your plant, but cf. the image here, for instance). Deor (talk) 02:18, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

My theory is, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". However, it will soon outgrow that pot, so you might want to transplant it into a larger pot. I'd take the entire root ball, including those other plants, if the roots are intertwined, and plop it all into the larger pot, so your plant is now centered, and fill in the empty space with more of the same soil you are using. StuRat (talk) 06:27, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Crassulas generally do well in spaces where their roots are slightly confined, giving them too much space may cause watering problems and root rot. They come from areas with a hot sunny climate so the best you could do for your plant is get it into some sunlight (the sempervivums in the pot would also benefit). If they get enough sun they will get nice pink edges to their leaves and even flower. Crassulas generally are tough plants that can be propagated easily. See here for more good info and pictures Richard Avery (talk) 08:00, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

How does extra space cause watering problems and root rot ? StuRat (talk) 16:43, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Because when the soil is watered the plant does not take it all up sufficiently quickly and there is a much greater risk that the roots will saturate and rot. this is a succulent that has developed to live in harsh and arid surroundings and will not like to be mollycoddled with lots of new soil. My experience has shown that people tend to kill plants with "kindness" not so much with neglect, especially crassulas who love neglect - but love sunshine even more. Richard Avery (talk) 19:04, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Why can't you put it in a larger pot, but continue to water it a much as before ? StuRat (talk) 04:22, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes, you can. If you are an experienced plant owner then that's fine, but I was just giving a little warning about a common problem among less experienced plant carers. Richard Avery (talk) 07:01, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

Why fungi was differ of green plant?

Why fungi was differ of green plant? Can you give me main points thanks. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 175.137.136.85 (talk) 00:46, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Please see fungus and plant. They are completely different kinds of organisms, although they are commonly and mistakenly believed to be closely related. If you still have questions after reading those, feel free to come back and ask them. Someguy1221 (talk) 00:48, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

It's enough to read fungus, which covers the differences specifically. Looie496 (talk) 01:02, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Just go to any party, where it's simple to tell the diff between a fun guy and the common wallflower. StuRat (talk) 06:30, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

You may also be interested in mycorrhiza, hypha and actinomycetes. ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 17:43, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

ID Please (Cixiidae)

I suppose this is a Cixiidae. Could you able to suggest the species or genus, please. Thanks, Jee Jkadavoor (talk) 08:10, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

You'll have more success if you tell people where you took it. In this case I can see in the description it is from Kadavoor, Kerala, India. If no one here can help, then try WT:INSECT or http://www.whatsthatbug.com SmartSE (talk) 17:50, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Thanks; I got one suggestion at WT:INSECT -- Jkadavoor (talk) 09:23, 6 July 2012 (UTC)

Does swimming make you lose muscle mass?

I've been hearing by a lot of very sure sounding people that if you're a body builder and you start swimming your muscle mass will shrink. From my medical knowledge I believe that only if you do very intense cardio you will lose muscle mass and swimming will not reduce muscle unless you do very intense long periods of it. Am I wrong? Bastard Soap (talk) 11:37, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

The answer depends on a number of factors that are not presupposed in your question. I'm presuming, for examples, that by "lose" you mean that your overall mass will decrease, but not so much as a result of the swimming itself, but rather from the redirection of your priorities in working out (that is, that you could maintain your current mass or even improve it if you stuck to your current routine). In this respect, yes, it may be that you would lose some overall mass depending on how much you re-prioritized your exercise. That being said, as a body builder you probably are already quite familiar with the concept that you reach a point of diminishing returns with repetitive motions, so supplementing your workout with swimming might not cause you to lose overall mass at all, or plausibly to put more on, since it is a workout that, almost more than any other, works a broad array of muscles. But your mileage will vary considerably with the amount of time you decide to put in, needless to say. Also note that there is difference between overall mass and the characteristic bulk of a bodybuilder's physique. In any event, if you are going to start doing any form of intensive cardio after a long period of being committed to anaerobic exercise you should take things slowly at first and ideally consult a doctor -- for the obvious safety reasons and because he'll also likely be able to provide you assistance in meeting your training goals. Let me know if this is more basic than you intended and I'll go into further detail. Snow (talk) 13:19, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

As long as you are getting adequate nutrition, I can't see why intense cardio would cause a reduction in muscle mass, all else being equal (as Snow Rise says, if you are doing cardio instead of other exercise, then it might, but that's just because of a reduction in the other exercise). --Tango (talk) 15:08, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Agreed. Specifically, if you were concentrating on a small number of muscles in your previous workout (bodybuilders with a massive chest and tiny legs come to mind. ), and then switch to swimming, you will lose those few large muscles and get more of an even muscle tone. StuRat (talk) 16:51, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Let's say you keep your training program with weights and add swimming at a rate that isn't too intensive, it will only help you build muscle right? Snow Rise if you have anything more to add feel free Bastard Soap (talk) 17:51, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

That's correct; as far as I know, there is no major metabolic reason why swimming, or any cardio, would cause you to retain less mass, if it were just added on top of your existing routine. With regard to bodybuilding (or any kind of strength training), there are two different kinds of muscle tissue growth at work: muscular hyperplasia (the increase in the number of cells in the relevant tissues) and muscular hypertrophy (the increase in the size of the cells in those same tissues, since, unlike many other forms of tissue, this can be made quite variable through exercise). The interaction between these two different types of muscle development, and other factors, are also probably known to you already through the concept of "bulk vs. tone"; in general, the extra mass you gain from swimming will tend towards the "toned" end of the spectrum, owing to the fact that you will be "recruiting" (as exercise physiologists say) a larger number of muscles per motion, but stressing most of them far less (again, per motion) towards top exertion and because certain types of muscle respond differently in terms of growth to different exercise. Bodybuilders often exploit this formula to tailor their workouts by either doing a higher number of reps with lower weight for tone or a lower number of reps with higher weight for bulk and the same principles will apply here, only, since the level of resistance is determined only by the water and your muscles leveraging off of each other and the rest of your body (as opposed to free weights where you can change the resistance), the overall trend will be towards the muscle added to be "toned". This can be controlled somewhat by choosing your swimming motions and is also variable depending upon how fast as opposed to how long you choose to swim, your nutrition, and your unique metabolism -- but again, the overall trend will be toward toned muscle in the new mass. Note that there are other potential benefits to adding muscle in this fashion, including increased muscle stamina, flexibility and even strength; bodybuilders are typically strong, of course, but not always as strong as they look, since they tend to prioritize hypertrophic exercises that promote bulk vs. those that provide strength (this is why the fields of bodybuilder and weight-lifter are not automatically interchangeable). This type of exercise also promotes strength by making sure that the inter-dependencies between muscles are strengthened as well, such that they grow together and there's less occurrence of a "weak link" (an underdeveloped muscle group which inhibits peak performance/efficiency of another in a specific movement by not being able to pull it's own weight, so to speak ;). There's also the fact that incorporating more muscles means you will be developing a broader base of muscle tissue types. Hope that helps - though, not to sound like a broken record, but all radical changes to your exercise routine should be broached with a physician, even if you think of yourself as being in good health! Snow (talk) 21:00, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

These Olympic medallists are primarily swimmers. Most guys would envy their muscle mass. HiLo48 (talk) 22:53, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

As Tango wrote above, you have to make sure you eat enough when you do a lot of cardio exercise. E.g. I exercise 35 to 40 minute per day, I do quite heavy cardio exercise, and I really need to eat about 3500 Kcal/day just to keep my weight of about 59 Kg stable. A more extreme example is Michael Phelps' diet. Count Iblis (talk) 01:06, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

addmision

Hello.Good evening.I want to register in your university but I am a muslim woman.Can I accept with your university? Thank you of your consideration. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 199.127.102.196 (talk) 16:34, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Yes. Just about any college or university in the West will be open to people of all religions and genders. The only case of religious exclusion I can think of is a seminary, where people train to be Christian or Jewish missionaries. There may still be a tiny number of single-sex education universities, but those are more likely to be female only, in any case. Depending on how conservative your religious beliefs are, you might prefer an all-female college. StuRat (talk) 16:53, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

Just thought id point out-there are no jewish missionaries I know of-at least among the orthodox community (I dont know about reform). you may be thinking of talmudical colleges which are completely different. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.148.117.79 (talk) 20:35, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

Messages such as this mean that a person tried to Google for a university, found Wikipedia as the first link and followed it thinking it is the web site of the university, followed the "Information" link that appears and thereby got taken to the Ref Desks, and asked a question thinking she was asking it of an official representative of the university. It is useless to answer them. Looie496 (talk) 17:38, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

A polite answer is useless? OsmanRF34 (talk) 11:56, 5 July 2012 (UTC)

(edit conflict) Are you asking about Wikiversity? If so, then of course you can join - anyone can. It's not a real university though... SmartSE (talk) 17:39, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

[Edit conflict x 2]Although Wikipedia is not a university, we do have a sister project over at Wikiversity. For higher education schools in the Miami area, try Universities and colleges in Florida. ~AH1 ^(discuss!) 17:40, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

This question is positive feedback for us! Count Iblis (talk) 17:57, 3 July 2012 (UTC)

And who wouldn't want to learn at the feet of such sage and knowledgeable personages? :) Snow (talk) 04:36, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

Just a word of advice, if you (the original poster) are planning on applying to a Western university: do not, under any circumstances, mention religion in a conversation with a university representative. This isn't because Muslims are not welcome (discrimination based on religion is illegal), or that the university will necessarily be biased; it's because religion is simply not an appropriate topic. In both Canada and the US, for example, it is outright illegal for employers to ask candidates about their religion. I don't know if the same applies to admissions interviews, but there's certainly a strong cultural aversion against it. --140.180.5.169 (talk) 02:41, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

At least in some Western countries, however, while there is no discrimination on religous grounds (Moslem women are welcomed at the Australian university I (an Australian male) went to, there are some minor practical issues that you probably should be aware of. Generally, Australian universities make it a condition of graduation that you hold an Australian Senior First Aid certificate, or an equivalent. Since most undergraduates do not have it, classes are run on campus, and this involves practicing on each other in a mixed sex class (bandaging, placing inert buddy in coma position, feeling for pulse at wrist, neck & ankle, feeling ribs for breathing, etc). This is all very ho-hum boring for westerners, but moslems may be uncomfortable. Usually, the university is happy to run an all-female class for first aid or accept a first aid certificate from your home country. I did engineering - this involves getting assignments to be completed in groups of 4 to 6, generally for a week or 2. The assignments are designed so that there is too much work for one person, so the group must coordinate and cooperate. Naturally, your predominantly Australian male class mates will want to hold assigment coordination meetings, and joint work ssesions, at places convenient to the greatest number - this may be in a University library room booked for the purpose, someone's house, or even, sometimes, a nearby coffee house. So you need to be comfortable around males. When I was at uni, a couple of moslem girls brought chaperones along - that's cool, we understood. When I've visited moslem friends, their female folk did not come into the same room, per their custom. Westerners, especially Australians, don't work that way - all of both sexes will expect to be introduced, and any may offer you food and drink. None of this should distress you - the predominant reaction of western male (& female) students will be to adjust to your needs and look after you, not distress or embarras you. In some moslem countries (eg Iran), if you are offered sweats to eat, it means "please eat and then leave". Again, Westerners are different. If they offer you extra food, it means they like you, you are not required to eat it if you don't want to, but please don't leave yet. If you drive a motor vehicle (almost a necessity in Australia unless you live in a campus college or live nearby), and you are veiled, the police may require you to show your face for identification purposes - this is the only circumstance where you would be required to do so. If you come from a couple of countries, in particular Iran and Afganistan, when you return home after completing your degree, your experience may be misunderstood. Ratbone124.178.52.55 (talk) 03:38, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

If I was offered sweats to eat, I'd certainly take the hint and leave. Offer me sweets, on the other hand, and I'd never leave. :-) StuRat (talk) 04:31, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

• Let me try again; my previous explanation obviously did not work. It frequently happens that people who have no idea what Wikipedia is go to the web looking for the web site of a university or company or something, wanting to ask a question, and end up on the Wikipedia Reference Desks. If you are interested, you can work out how that comes about: google for a name such as, say, "University of Denver". Follow the link to Wikipedia, which is always near the top, and imagine that you think it is the University of Denver's web site. Try to figure out how to ask a question -- you will see that you naturally end up on the Reference Desks. When this happens, it is very likely that the person will never come back, because they won't understand how they got here in the first place, but if they do, the only useful answer is to explain that this is not an institution's web page, it is an encyclopedia. Trying to answer the question is almost always a waste of time. Looie496 (talk) 15:40, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

We read your first post when you posted it. I acknowledge your superior experience, and, now that I have tried it, I agree with what you say using Googling U. of Denver as an example. However, since the OP may or may not have a good command of English (I notice that many posters do not) it is possible she meant to ask "Is there any issue with me enrolling in an english (ie western) university. Also, once she realised Wikipedia is not a university, she may seek a western university. She most likely intended to ask the university the same question - not necessarily the best approach as 140.180.5.169 said. So 140.180.5.169 was being helpfull. Once 140.180.5.169 posted, the post became searchable in archives (when the day's posting are archived), and may be discovered by another person looking for issues with enrolling at a western university. Not that likely perhaps, but definitely possible. That's why I made the next post. I agree the OP probably won't be back to look at the answers (either she won't know how she got there, or has since realised her mistake), but she might realise that googling the same phrase again will give the same result, and the info may be usefull to others. Ratbone124.182.137.18 (talk) 16:07, 4 July 2012 (UTC)

We get many such misplaced posts at Wikipedia:Help desk. {{Astray}} was created for the purpose. PrimeHunter (talk) 22:07, 4 July 2012 (UTC)