Word of the Week - 3-31-2008

Word of the Week
COLD SWEAT
Function: noun
Date: 1582
: concurrent perspiration and chill usually associated with fear, pain, or shock


Interesting Fact
Silver is a chemical element with the symbol "Ag" (Latin: argentum, from the Ancient Greek: - argēntos, gen. of - argēeis, "white, shining" ) and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal.

Silver dissolves in mercury to make amalgams that are widely used for dental fillings.

Photography used 24% of the silver consumed in 2001 in the form of silver nitrate and silver halides.

Some electrical and electronic products use silver for its superior conductivity, even when tarnished. For example, printed circuits are made using silver paints, and computer keyboards use silver electrical contacts. Silver cadmium oxide is used in high voltage contacts because it can withstand arcing. Silver is also used to make solder and brazing alloys, electrical contacts, and high-capacity silver-zinc and silver-cadmium batteries.

Mirrors which need superior reflectivity for visible light are made with silver as the reflecting material in a process called silvering, though common mirrors are backed with aluminium.

Silver's catalytic properties make it ideal for use as a catalyst in oxidation reactions, for example, the production of formaldehyde from methanol and air by means of silver screens or crystallites containing a minimum 99.95 weight-percent silver. Silver (upon some suitable support) is probably the only catalyst available today to convert ethylene to ethylene oxide (later hydrolyzed to ethylene glycol, used for making polyesters)—a very important industrial reaction.

Silver ions and silver compounds show a toxic effect on some bacteria, viruses, algae and fungi, typical for heavy metals like lead or mercury, but without the high toxicity to humans that is normally associated with them. Its germicidal effects kill many microbial organisms in vitro. Its germicidal effects increase its value in utensils and as jewelery. The exact process of silver's germicidal effect is still not well understood, although theories exist.

Silver compounds were used successfully to prevent infection in World War I before the advent of antibiotics. The widespread use of silver went out of fashion with the development of modern antibiotics. However, recently there has been renewed interest in silver as a broad-spectrum antimicrobial. In particular, silver is being used with alginate, a naturally occurring biopolymer derived from seaweed, in a range of products designed to prevent infections as part of wound management procedures, particularly applicable to burn victims. In addition, Samsung has introduced washing machines with a final rinse containing silver ions to provide several days of antibacterial protection in the clothes. Kohler has introduced a line of toilet seats that have silver ions embedded to kill germs. Silver is widely used in topical gels and impregnated into bandages because of its wide-spectrum antimicrobial activity.

Trivial Pursuit
Here are the questions:
Global View (Geography):
What nation soberly reported treating 5,945 people in its hospitals for “trouser accidents” in 1999??

Entertainment:
What human informed the world: “I’m the Doggfather – nobody bites my style”?

News:
Who are the only two men in history to get more popular votes in a U.S. presedential election than George W. Bush, through 2001?

Written Word:
What did Time magazine call its “Man of the Year” award when it picked Corazon Aquino?

Life & Science: What nation’s Ministry of Public Security released “Internet Police 110”, software designed to block access to cults, sex or violence, in 2001?

Games & Sports:
What do hunters hope to attract by rattling and grunting like Hunter “The Gruntmaster” Powers?


Here are last week’s answers:
Global View (Geography):
What conflict that killed 55,000 U.S. soldiers finally got its own Washington D.C. memorial in 1995? The Korean War

Entertainment:
What did Deniece Williams want to “hear it for” in her 1984 number-one hit? The boy

News:
What U.S. state was home to the one-foot-square “Whitewater Micro-Acres” that rancher Carry Carpenter hawked on the Net for $35? Arkansas

Written Word:
What Pulitzer-winner gave readers a taste of his new Western series with Boone’s Lick? Larry McMurtry

Life & Science: What did University of Washington physicists discover weghs 5.972 sextillion metric tons, not 5.98 sextillion metric tons as was once thought? The Earth

Games & Sports:
What did Pacers hoopster Reggie Miller fling at a referee Ed Rush in 2001, to earn a suspension? Chewing Gum