A lot of people find themselves in the middle of the night, laying in bed with a racing mind. When sleep just won’t come, you may be suffering from jet lag, illness, stress, or other deviations from your normal routine.
Prescription sleeping pills can help you fall asleep easier or stay asleep longer. However, natural sleeping tablets also offer a viable alternative when it comes to keeping your stress levels in check and getting you some much-needed rest.
Stress and Sleep
Stress refers to a form of strain or tension that is caused by challenging or adverse circumstances. It is essentially how your body deals with external pressures, whether they are emotional, mental, or physical. In low levels, stress can be good for you because it provides motivation to focus and improve your productivity.
However, long-term stress can lead to chronic health problems. When you experience stress, your nervous system induces your body to release hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. These hormones are part of your body’s fight-or-flight response. Once the external cause is eliminated, your body can relax again.
When you are under continuous stress, your nervous system gets overloaded and it can negatively impact your overall health. Unrelenting stress can cause a host of conditions, including poor sleep. Because of your heightened adrenaline levels and increased heart rate, you might either be unable to fall asleep or keep waking up frequently throughout the night.
Natural Sleeping Tablets and Sleep
Breaking the cycle of sleep troubles can be tough. Lifestyle changes such as reducing your caffeine intake or changing your sleeping schedule may help. When these changes fall short, you can also look into sleep supplements or natural sleeping tablets.
One of the most popular sleeping aids today are magnesium sleep tablets. Magnesium is a mineral that can help you relax and allow you to fall and stay asleep. Here are some of the ways that sleeping tablets can produce a healthy response against stress in your body:
- Help Your Body and Brain Relax
The quality of your sleep depends on whether or not your brain and body can relax. Natural sleeping tablets regulate neurotransmitters, which are responsible for sending signals in your brain and nervous system.
Natural sleeping tablets, especially those containing magnesium, binds to GABA or gamma-aminobutyric acid receptors, the neurotransmitter responsible for curbing nerve activity. This is also found in many prescription sleeping drugs. By quieting down the nervous system, sleeping tablets prepare your mind and body for sleeping.
- Alleviate Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are significant contributors to insomnia. If your inability to fall asleep is caused by underlying mood disorders like these two, sleeping tablets can help improve the effects of your antidepressants and elevate and stabilize your mood.
By taking natural sleeping tablets, you can regulate your body’s circadian rhythm and improve the quality of your sleep. You can also alleviate the symptoms that are typically associated with anxiety and depression, including restless leg syndrome, and help you sleep better.
- Trigger Melatonin Production
Natural sleeping tablets help regulate melatonin, a biological time regulator hormone that balances your sleep-wake cycles. Melatonin production is generally triggered by exposure to darkness. It is important to note that melatonin does not work as a sedative, but it does help strengthen your circadian rhythm and make it more consistent.
Melatonin reduces the time needed to fall asleep and increase the overall amount of sleeping hours. Melatonin can improve the quality of your sleep since it is associated with inducing REM sleep. REM is that phase during sleep where one consolidates and processes memory, as well as prepare the areas of the brain that are responsible for learning. Melatonin also helps reduce fatigue and tiredness during daytime.
- Cause Less Side-Effects
Taking sleeping aids for long-term use can cause tolerance and dependence. Other side effects include changes in appetite, daytime drowsiness, dizziness, constipation or diarrhea, and many others. However, there are certain natural sleeping aids that may reduce side effects or eliminate them altogether.
For instance, chamomile, a popular substance that is often found in tea, promotes sleep and relaxation. One of the only known side effects of chamomile is that is can cause allergic reactions and can negatively interfere with blood-thinning medications. Valerian root is also a natural herbal remedy for insomnia that is generally considered to be very safe. Its side effects are yet to be conclusively established.
Remember that all sleeping aids, including natural sleeping tablets, are most effective when they are used sparingly. Make sure that you consult with your doctor first to ensure that you are taking the right kind of sleeping aid and that it won’t interfere with any other medications that you may be taking.


Smartphones and Wearables can contribute to better health
Here is a piece published in maistecnologia.com. The original piece about wearables and smartphones is in Portuguese, so here is a translated version for you.
Wearables like smart watches or Fitbits are important tools for better health and do much more for us than just counting steps. In fact, any of these devices are AI-enabled and can even prevent a heart attack, diagnose melanoma early, reduce the frequency of asthma attacks and treat insomnia without pills, explains biotechnology expert Harry Glorikian.
“Personal devices with sensors that can track and even diagnose medical conditions have been around for over a decade. However, both hardware and AI have advanced so rapidly that devices and their connected sensors can now perform feats that were inconceivable just a few years ago,” Glorikian wrote in an article about his new book “The Future You: How Artificial Intelligence (AI) Can Help You Get Healthy, Stress Less, and Live Longer.”
In the work, the specialist leads readers to understand how to use technology (which, of course, they already have) to create improved and personalized health experiences.
“The scenarios I describe in this book do not just apply to someone with a rare condition or who is critically ill,” he wrote in the paper’s introduction. “These are examples of how everyone can leverage AI and data analytics to stay healthy, get diagnosed faster, and sometimes save on healthcare costs.”
Glorikian’s overarching message is clear: there is strictly nothing about health and wellness that is not totally transformed by the power of AI.
“I want readers to be inspired to see how they can use the technology they already have to make changes in their lives,” said Glorikian. “Maybe the change is as simple as using your smartphone to count your daily steps. This book can be a roadmap to personalized health and wellness for everyone,” he concludes.
If you want to read the original piece by Daniela Azevedo, please click here.


Noah’s Ark; An Old Testament Picture of Christ
“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” – Matthew 24:37-39
One of the most vivid snapshots of Christ within the Old Testament is Noah’s Ark. Let us strap on our New Testament binoculars as we peer into this Old Testament passage.
To begin with, there was only one ark (Genesis 6:14). God did not instruct Noah to build a fleet of arks. The ark was the only plan of salvation God provided. There were not alternate means of escaping the coming judgment of God. This is true with salvation. Acts 4:12 says, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Secondly, this is further illustrated in the design of the ark itself; for the ark only had one door (Genesis 6:16), and only those who entered the ark through the one door would be saved. Similarly, God, the Architect of our lives, has drawn out a plan of salvation that only calls for one Door. Jesus said, “I am the Door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved.” And so only those who enter into a personal relationship with Christ will be saved from the flood waters of God’s wrath.
Thirdly, it was God who shut the door of the ark (Genesis 7:16). Likewise, when we enter the Ark of salvation through Christ the Door, it is God who seals us and secures us. Noah’s Ark did not have life jackets or lifeboats. Why; because Noah and his family were safe and secure within the vessel of salvation God had provided. Unlike the Titanic, Noah’s Ark was truly the unsinkable ship! And we too can have the same security as we enter through Christ the Door and trust in Him for salvation. Just as Noah and his family weathered the storm within the bosom of the ark, the child of God can confidently weather the storms of life resting in the bosom of Christ.
Fourth, the ark did not have oars or a rudder. This means Noah and his family could do nothing to steer the ship. God was the Captain. By entering the ark, they were totaling trusting and relying on God for their deliverance from the flood. If the ark had been equipped with oars or a rudder, Noah and his family could have become prideful, thinking that somehow they had contributed to their deliverance from the flood waters. Once again, we clearly see the gospel message of salvation. Trusting in Christ means not trusting in ourselves; for there is nothing we could ever do to save ourselves from our sins. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”
Finally, God did not tell Noah and his family to “go” into the ark. Instead, He invited them to “come” into the ark (Genesis 7:1). This is quite significant; for there is a drastic difference between telling someone to “go” and inviting someone to “come.” If God had told them to go into the ark, His words would have suggested that they were somehow departing His presence. But that is not what God said. He said, “Come.” And so as they accepted His invitation and entered the ark, they were entering the very presence of God. Likewise, when we accept the invitation to come through Jesus the door, we are entering into a personal relationship with God Himself.
May we not be guilty of turning a deaf ear to the warning of God’s judgment like Noah’s generation (2 Peter 2:5). Take heed, and make sure that you are not left outside of the Ark of salvation!
– Pastor Eric


What is an oddity?
1 : an odd person, thing, event, or trait. 2 : the quality or state of being odd.
What is a bad Behaviour?
Bad behavior is a prelude to poor self-esteem and mood disorders. If your behaviors are pushing people away, causing problems at work, and making you unhappy, eventually it will take a toll on your emotions and feelings of self-worth. Bad behavior is frequently a symptom of a bigger issue.
What are examples of positive behaviors?
Positive relationship-oriented behaviors may be described as:
- Altruistic: shows selfless concern for others.
- Caring: desires to help people.
- Compassionate: feels or shows sympathy or concern for others.
- Considerate: thinks of others.
- Faithful: being loyal.
- Impartial: treats all persons equally; fair and just.
How do I stop disrespectful behavior?
Here are 5 rules that will help you handle disrespect:
- Don't Take It Personally. I know this is a hard one, but try not to take what your child is saying or doing personally. ...
- Be Prepared. ...
- Avoid Power Struggles at All Costs. ...
- Be Determined. ...
- Be a Teacher and Coach.
What are some unhealthy behaviors?
*Unhealthy behaviors: Smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, excessive drinking, and insufficient sleep.
What are the 10 bad habits?
Any or all of these 10 habits is a good place to start.
- Postponing your goals. ...
- Living a mediocre life.
- Self-sabotaging. ...
- Running from your problems. ...
- Worrying about your flaws. ...
- Trying to control everything. ...
- Blaming others. ...
- Trying to be something you are not.
What are the 10 healthy habits?
10 Healthy Habits of Fit People
- Start off with a breakfast to FUEL your day. Remember learning that breakfast was the most important meal of the day? ...
- Drink lots of water. ...
- Set a deadline. ...
- Don't leave your healthy-eating goals to chance. ...
- Remain consistent. ...
- Eat whole, real foods. ...
- Fill your home with healthy, nourishing foods. ...
- Take your workout with you.
What are 4 healthy habits?
Four healthy habits that could save your life
- Eating a Mediterranean diet;
- Maintaining a normal weight; and.
- Abstaining from smoking.
What should I eat to be fit and healthy?
Pack protein into your snacks and meals
- poultry, such as chicken and turkey.
- red meat, such as beef and lamb.
- fish, such as salmon and tuna.
- dairy, such as milk and yogurt.
- legumes, such as beans and lentils.
What are the healthiest habits?
12 Habits of Super-Healthy People
- Scroll down to read all. 1 / 12. Have Breakfast. ...
- 2 / 12. Plan Your Meals. It'll help you save time and money in the long run. ...
- 3 / 12. Drink Plenty of Water. It can do so many good things for you. ...
- 4 / 12. Take an Exercise Break. ...
- 5 / 12. Go Offline. ...
- 6 / 12. Learn Something New. ...
- 7 / 12. Don't Smoke. ...
- 8 / 12. Sleep Well.
What is the most unhealthy habit?
For young people, eating fried food, consuming sugary drinks and having an unhealthy diet of takeaway food, overeating and using snacks as meals are the top three unhealthy habits.
What a healthy person eats in a day?
The pyramid, updated in 2005, suggests that for a healthy diet each day you should eat:
- 6 to 8 servings of grains. ...
- 2 to 4 servings of fruits and 4 to 6 servings of vegetables. ...
- 2 to 3 servings of milk, yogurt, and cheese. ...
- 2 to 3 servings of meat, poultry, fish, dry beans, eggs, and nuts.
How do you stay healthy in a lifetime?
13 Habits Linked to a Long Life (Backed by Science)
- Avoid overeating. The link between calorie intake and longevity currently generates a lot of interest. ...
- Eat more nuts. Nuts are nutritional powerhouses. ...
- Try out turmeric. ...
- Eat plenty of healthy plant foods. ...
- Stay physically active. ...
- Don't smoke. ...
- Moderate your alcohol intake. ...
- Prioritize your happiness.
Where is the healthiest place to live?
The healthiest communities in the U.S. in 2020 are:
- Los Alamos County, New Mexico.
- Douglas County, Colorado.
- Falls Church, Virginia.
- Broomfield County, Colorado.
- Routt County, Colorado.
- Loudoun County, Virginia.
- Pitkin County, Colorado.
- Carver County, Minnesota.
What are the 10 healthy tips?
10 Healthy Lifestyle Tips for Adults
- Eat a variety of foods.
- Base your diet on plenty of foods rich in carbohydrates.
- Replace saturated with unsaturated fat.
- Enjoy plenty of fruits and vegetables.
- Reduce salt and sugar intake.
- Eat regularly, control the portion size.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Maintain a healthy body weight.
- How do you use vernacular in a sentence?
- What is a speech mannerism?
- What are Behaviour skills?
- Is Biting nails a mannerism?
- What is Tagalog word Suplada in English?
- What are the 3 main characteristics of autism?
- What period is mannerism?
- How do schizophrenics think?
- What is Z in Urdu?
- What mannerism means?
You will be interested
- What is good manners in life?
- What are the major characteristics of baroque art?
- Is hand flapping when excited a sign of autism?
- What is idiosyncrasy?
- What are some common bad habits?
- What is a synonym for habit?
- What is High Renaissance style?
- What catatonia feels like?
- What are metal film resistors used for?
- What are the five qualities of a good speaker?


Rural household food security status and its determinants: The case of Laelaymychew Woreda, Central Zone of Tigray, Ethiopia
See: CLICK HERE FOR PDF
An assessment and analysis on food security status and its determinant, the experience of the farmers; food insecurity coping mechanisms and the major farm operation problems were the major focusing objectives of this study, which was conducted in Laelaymychew Woreda Central Zone of Tigrai. The required data was collected from three kebeles of 125 randomly selected rural households. The data collected were presented, organized and discussed using descriptive statistics and econometric model analyses. According to the survey result the study shows that 31.2% and 68.8% of sample households were found to be food secure and food insecure, respectively. In addition, the model results revealed total cultivated land holding size, total livestock holding, total annual income per AE and use of chemical fertilizer were found positively related and statistically significant to food security status in the study area. Similarly, family size of the households was also found negatively related and statistically significant to food security status of the rural households. Collecting data in a given interval and working with the farmers at the grass root level will ensure the accuracy of household food security prevalence and proper attention has to be given to limit the rapidly growing population. In addition, increasing production and improving productivity is possible through integrated water shed management and extending small scale irrigation.
Current World Population
Net Growth During Your Visit


Beowulf’s Great Hall
John D. Niles reports on the search for the real location of the Heorot, the hall where Beowulf feasted before fighting the monster Grendel.
Readers of Beowulf will be familiar with the moment, early in the poem, when Hrothgar, the reigning king of Denmark in the Scylding line of kings, orders that a great hall be built. Soon, the poet says, it was completely finished, ‘the biggest of halls’:
Then, as I have heard, the work of constructing a building
Was proclaimed to many a tribe throughout this middle earth.
In time – quickly, as such things happen among men –
It was all ready, the biggest of halls.
He whose word was law
Far and wide gave it the name ‘Heorot’. (lines 74-79)
The hall stands high, a visible sign of the wealth and stature of the Scylding kings: ‘The hall towered up, high and wide gabled’ (81-82). It is a bright counterpart to the dark, watery nether-regions where the demonic Grendel-creatures make their home. Between these two opposite poles, associated with human civilization at its most cultured and subhuman life at its most horrific, the action of the main part of Beowulf takes place.


Rock, Paper, Scissors. It's a game we learn as kids. It seems so simple, but it's really quite complex. It has been used for everything from informing video game mechanics to deciding arguments in court. There are even a few tournaments held around the world each year to decide the best of the best.
Now, a team of Japanese science students and researchers has created a robot with a 100% success rate in the game. The project aims to create "cooperation work between human beings and robots."
Using a camera that can detect your movement and then react in under a millisecond, the robot gives the illusion that it's outsmarting you at every pass. We're not sure this is a fair way to play, but we're nearly certain we could still beat the thing because we're tricky like that.
What do you think? Is the robot cheating? Where else could this type of robot tech be useful? Do tell in the comments.


Spinal Degeneration – recent research shows it may not be the cause of your pain.
We are all aware that as we get older we get some wear and tear in our joints. When these wear and tear signs show up on x-rays and scans we presume that they are the cause of our back pain.
However that may not be the case. A recent study published in the American Journal of Neuroradiology revealed some surprising results.
The study analysed 33 previously published articles to summarise the frequency of various MRI image findings including:
Intervertebral Disc Degeneration
Disc Height Loss (disc thinning)
Disc Bulges and Protrusions (‘slipped discs’)
Annular Fissures (cracks in the outer casing of the disc)
Facet Degeneration (wear of the guiding joints of the spine)
Spondylolisthesis (where one vertebra shifts forwards or backwards in relation to the adjacent vertebrae)
The results showed that 37% of people in their 20s and 52% of people in their 30s had disc degeneration. 96% of people in their 80s had disc degeneration. Disc bulges were seen in 30% of people in their 20s and 50% of people in their 40s Less dramatic but also surprisingly 9% of people in their 30s had facet joint degeneration.
While we wouldn’t have expected such a high proportion of younger people showing signs of spinal degeneration the most surprising fact was that all the people in the studies which made up this article had no symptoms!
So what do we make of all this?
The first point to make is that this information just wasn’t available until MRI became widely used. Prior to MRI, disc damage was assessed using a Myelogram (a dye was injected into the fluid around the spine and a prolapsed or bulging disc would prevent the dye from running freely around the disc.) The Myelogram was an invasive test with some drawbacks and was not used on people without symptoms. MRI scans are generally not harmful so ethically there is justification for use on people without symptoms – hence we find a good proportion of the adult population have disc damage and many of those have no pain.
Secondly, this research shows that spinal degeneration, in its various forms, is more common in younger people than we thought but again it is not necessarily associated with pain. It may in fact be a normal part of ageing.
As osteopaths we often see patients who have had spinal xrays and scans which show degenerative changes. In many of these cases it isn’t the degeneration which is primarily responsible for symptoms. The pain is caused by secondary factors – muscular tension, nerve pressure problems, inflammation or mechanical alignment problems. These factors can often be helped with careful treatment and management allowing patients to return to normal active pain free life.
Even in some of the most advanced cases of spinal degeneration in later life it may still be possible to ease pain and improve mobility.
Disc prolapses or bulges do not necessarily need surgery. Orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons are now very careful when they interpret MRI scans. If they feel that a disc prolapse or bulge is causing pain – particularly nerve pain, usually sciatica – they may recommend surgery. If there isn’t good evidence that the disc damage on the scan is the cause of the pain surgery will not be recommended.
We do see patients with spinal degeneration whose doctor or specialist has given a bleak prognosis ‘your spine is crumbling’, ‘you have wear and tear and it will get worse’, even ‘you will end up in a wheel chair.’ While these comments may have some truth to them they often don’t give a fair picture. Degeneration may cause pain and disability if for example disc thinning leaves insufficient room for nerves or when spondylolisthesis kinks the spinal cord, but the pain and disability may result from the other factors. Many of these can be helped.
The key is to have a careful assessment to find out whether symptoms can be relieved and not just assume that all your back trouble is caused by the wear and tear.


Allan Schwartz, LCSW, Ph.D. was in private practice for more than thirty years. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states ...Read More
Dreams, a Brief History:
Why do we dream? Dreams have been of great interest to people as far back as ancient times and most probably, long before. Most of us are aware of the Old Testament Biblical account of Joseph and his many colored coat. Basically, Joseph was able to interpret dreams and helped rescue ancient Egypt from famine by interpreting Pharaoh’s dream that there would be five years of rich harvests followed by five more years of famine. Pharaoh, according to the bible, then had Egyptians store wheat and other foods in preparation for the five years of famine, which did occur.
Jumping ahead to the late nineteenth and twentieth century, Sigmund Freud found new meanings in dreams. According to Freud and his psychoanalytic theory, dreams represent wish fulfillment of those desires and strivings which we find unacceptable in our waking state. Dreams, according to psychoanalytic theory, are metaphors, symbols, riddles which can be understood with the help of a psychoanalyst using that same theory.
Towards the end of the twentieth century and into the twenty first, psychology veered away from psychoanalysis because it was not possible to scientifically measure the results of psychoanalytic practice. Demanding clear cut, verifiable results, the mental health community and the public were demanding procedures that could more quickly end mental suffering. At that point, cognitive-behavioral psychology started to eclipse psychoanalysis as a set of techniques that reduced anxiety and depression while being verifiable in all types of controlled studies.
Unfortunately, there were some behavioral psychologists and psychiatrists who dismissed psychoanalysis and dream interpretation as worthless. In one case, dreams were dismissed as mere off-shoots of the neurons of the brain repairing them during the sleep state. In other words, dreams, according to this point of view, were without meaning. In fact, a few of these experts, in their enthusiasm to advance a new way of looking at behavior, dismissed the importance of emotions while focusing solely on behavior. This is a common human folly: "throwing out the baby with the bathwater." Thankfully, we have recovered from extreme position and once again value emotions and dreams along with behavior and cognition (thinking).
But, Do My Dreams Mean Anything?
Recent research into the structure and functioning of the brain has given us a clearer understanding of sleep and dreaming. Thanks to the use of modern MRI and related technology, it has been possible to study the brain and the very movement of thoughts along its billions of neurons. We now know that sleep is a complex phenomenon and is vital to our physical and mental health. In addition, we know that dreaming is essential to our mental health. People deprived of sleep and the opportunity to dream has run the risk of becoming temporarily mentally ill. We also know that the brain continues to work hard at night, busily running our bodies through the complex network of the nervous system. In addition, thought processes during the REM stage of sleep (Rapid Eye Movements) continue and reveal themselves through the dream process. We also know that the brain is computing and resolving problems we have been wrestling with for many days. That is why people will sometimes wake up in the morning and suddenly realize they have found the solution to a problem that has plagued them for some time.
Among the problems the brain continues to cope with during sleep and during the REM stage of sleep are issues from the previous day, which it connects with similar issues stored in its vast memory store-house dating back to our earliest childhood.
So, in answer to our question: "do our dreams mean anything" the answer is yes. The meaning may not lie in the strict Freudian interpretation of wish fulfillment of unacceptable wishes but does lie in meanings, issues, and problems that we have struggled with anywhere from yesterday to our earliest life.
So, enjoy your dreams and remember that even if they seem nonsensical to you, they have great meaning to your personal self. If you want to make the effort, write down a dream you had last night. Then, make a list of the activities of the day before. See if you can find something from the day before, no matter how trivial, that acted as a catalyst for the dream. Have fun with it.


Fifty years ago, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced a nationwide war on poverty and launched legislation that included new financial aid and college-access programs. The following year, Bowdoin College embraced the mission to help fight poverty here in Maine by establishing the state’s first Upward Bound program.
Despite the waxing and waning of federal support, Bowdoin has maintained the project continuously since its inception at the College in 1965. Running out of a small campus office in Dudley Coe, Upward Bound identifies, with help from guidance counselors and high school teachers, promising high school freshmen and sophomores in Maine who are living in entrenched poverty, with slim chances of making it to college. Through an application process, the program invites 25 to 30 students each year to participate in its intensive multi-year academic program to give them the skills and motivation to succeed at college.
Bowdoin’s Upward Bound program works in communities that have been impacted by mill closures and a lack of economic opportunities, including Gardiner, Lewiston, Lisbon and Bath, and towns in Maine’s poorest county, Washington County. In total, four Maine universities and Bowdoin run Upward Bound programs that serve high schools across the state.
In the past 49 years, Bowdoin Upward Bound has worked with over 2,000 students. Graduates have gone on to become first-generation students at colleges and universities, including at Bowdoin. This year, based on its financial funding from the federal government, Upward Bound is working with 107 students who have committed to its three- or four-year program. “Today, skyrocketing college costs, the labor market demand for postsecondary education and the well-documented growing gap between rich and poor in the U.S. make Upward Bound’s work as relevant as ever,” said Bridget Mullen, Bowdoin’s Upward Bound director.
The program, while free for participants, costs about $4,200 per year per student. This includes a six-week residential program on Bowdoin’s campus in the summer. The summertime program happens twice: once between students’ sophomore and junior years, the other between their junior and senior years. During this residence, Upward Bound students take courses taught by local high school teachers in writing, literature, foreign languages, lab-based sciences and math. They also receive training in areas such as leadership, conflict resolution and mindfulness, and are taken on cultural field trips.
The program hires many Bowdoin students to be teaching assistants and residential advisors during the summer. Bowdoin students also work as tutors and mentors to the high schools students throughout the academic year in Upward Bound’s follow-up programs.
“This is what it takes if you want to take a student who is struggling with real hurdles and ensure he or she has the skills and motivation to make it all the way through college,” Mullen said.


At any given time, the Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic, one of the world’s leading medical centres for treating cancer and heart disease, is conducting more than 8,000 human studies as well as being involved in up to 170,000 more that are ongoing worldwide.
Clinical trials provide patients with access to new and emerging treatments, but matching patients with trials is one of the more difficult parts of clinical research.
This is a huge task that until now has typically been carried out manually by thousands of people processing records around the world. Now the clinic is to get some help from IBM’s Watson supercomputer, wwhich will use its cognitive computing capability to sift through thousands of pages of information available about Mayo clinical trials in a fraction of the time.
"With shorter times from initiation to completion of trials, our research teams will have the capacity for deeper, more complete investigations," said Nicholas LaRusso, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo and the project lead. "Coupled with increased accuracy, we will be able to develop, refine and improve new and better techniques in medicine at a higher level."
The Mayo is getting its own version of Watson that has been especially designed for the clinic's purposes. According to the clinic, as the machine goes through its tasks it will mature and learn and become better at matching patients and trials. The researchers are hoping that in due course, Watson will be able to find patients for hard-to-fill trials such as those involving rare diseases and conditions.
As the centre points out, many clinical trials at the Mayo and elsewhere are not completed because of a lack of sufficient numbers of people to enrol in trials. Even the publicity around the involvement of Watson in the process could help, the clinic hopes. At the Mayo Clinic, just five percent of patients take part in studies and nationally, the rate is even lower, at three percent, a spokesperson for the clinic said.
The Mayo hopes to raise clinical trial involvement to include up to 10 percent of its patients. Researchers also hope that the higher participation will improve the quality of the research.
To ensure Watson has the required expertise to assist with clinical trial matching, Mayo experts are working with IBM to expand Watson’s body of knowledge to include all clinical trials at Mayo Clinic and in public databases, such as ClinicalTrials.gov.


Last Saturday saw one of music history’s lesser-known anniversaries. On March 29th 1942, at the height of the ‘Great Patriotic War’, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Seventh Symphony got its Moscow premiere. In truth, it’s not one of the composer’s best works (though it’s pretty stirring stuff), but the story of its premiering across the Soviet Union, in the darkest days of the war, is nothing short of astonishing.
The symphony was intended for the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra, but they – like the composer himself – had been evacuated from the besieged city. At that time, such was the fear of Hitler’s invading troops, that much of the government itself had fled Moscow to Kuybyshev (present-day Samara), and it was there that the world premiere took place on March 5th.
Next came Moscow on the 29th, but it was what happened next that was truly amazing. First the score was microfilmed and flown out to the West via Tehran. It received its New York premiere in July, but – almost immediately after the Moscow concert – plans were then announced to play the symphony in the one place it was really meant for. Perhaps the most dangerous place on earth in 1942. Leningrad itself.
The 252-page conductor’s score was airlifted from Kuybyshev to the stricken city; according to some sources a team of copyists was employed to transcribe the various orchestral parts. Others say that the musicians did this themselves. The players were recruited from across Leningrad, but such were the horrendous conditions that rehearsals frequently had to be stopped thanks to air raids or simply the malnourished exhaustion of the musicians. Three of the orchestra died.
But the day of the premiere arrived.
Loudspeakers were placed across the city. A special artillery bombardment was ordered to silence the German guns, and Soviet troops were given orders to turn on their radios. ‘Listen, Comrades!’, urged the conductor, in a wireless address.
And they did. As, too, did the invaders. In fact, the conductor Karl Eliasberg claimed later to have been told by a German soldier that when he heard the music he knew Leningrad could never be taken. The people, he thought, were simply too resilient.
In my meaner moments of interviewing university candidates, I sometimes ask them whether historians can use music as a primary source. Can we use music to understand the societies that created it? We’re pretty comfortable with plays, or novels, or songs and poems. We’re good with paintings, and such lost art-forms as masques have been used extensively by students of, say, the culture of the Stuart monarchy.
But music is different. Music is abstract. In its purest forms it is wordless. In fact, some of us – myself included – feel that it is this amazing ability to express images and emotions without using words or pictures that makes music the greatest form of human art.
But it also makes music an astonishingly foggy window onto a past culture. We can sense the emotional clarity of a work, but it’s rarely obvious whether this is a broad reaction to the times, or simply reflects the personal feelings of the composer.
Take the brilliant, dark, tortured late Beethoven string quartets (here’s the beautiful slow movement from the 15th). Are they a reaction to a shattered post-Napoleonic Europe, in which the optimism that once followed Bonaparte was dying in a sea of shattered states and battlefield casualties? Or are they a reflection of the composer’s personal anguish at his own growing infirmity and encroaching deafness?
To what extent does music anyway just follow its own internal logic, regardless of the social change around it? Did punk originate out of 1970s urban decline, or was it simply a musical reaction to the excesses of prog-rock?
But to a point, of course, this is to ask the wrong question. Music clearly both follows and helps to shape cultural trends. And those trends are themselves historical.
In the early nineteenth century, musicians developed an obsession with the night. The most famous example is Beethoven’s ‘Moonlight Sonata’, but there are also well-known ‘Nocturnes’ by composers such as Liszt and Chopin. Perhaps the greatest piece of musical darkness from the age was Schubert’s astonishing, haunting, Winterreise (‘Winter Journey’), which tells the story of an unhappy lover’s decision to leave his home and to tramp the icy and dark wilderness of the cold countryside, longing for death. It’s irrational, it’s pessimistic, and above all it’s dark – in every possible sense.
It is, indeed, hard not to interpret all this as a (post-Napoleonic?) rejection of eighteenth-century rationalism and optimism. The fascination with darkness and the night, and all the strange things that happened there, was meant to stand in stark contrast to the earlier ideals of ‘Enlightenment’.
Nor is this the only example. In a more optimistic age, the music of JS Bach can be interpreted as a quest to understand the musical patterns that underlay God’s design of the universe. Very Newtonian.
And the later Romantics were influenced by underlying patterns, too. This time those that made up the fabric of nations and peoples; the national myths that influenced Wagner, for example; or landscapes, as with Smetana’s famous depiction of the Moldau river in his wonderful Ma Vlast (‘My Country’).
Others collected the folksongs of ordinary people. The music of Ralph Vaughan Williams, one of the most egalitarian composers who ever lived, contains snippets from songs he collected on his travels around the countryside, as well as hawkers’ calls he heard on the streets of London. It helps make him the most English of all musicians, but it also reflected a particular form of democratic nationalism.
Which brings me back to Shostakovich. Once you actually sit and listen to it, his music is so quintessentially of a time and a place that it simply cannot be understood without History. And so we can read History in it.
His music, as much as it contains moments of Soviet tubthumping beloved of his paymasters, is laced with fear, paranoia, and sarcasm. In several of his symphonies, most terrifyingly in his difficult but riveting Fourth, there are moments when it feels like the listener is being chased. At other times, such as the slow movement to his famous Fifth Symphony, or the opening part of the First Violin Concerto, he descends into deep introspection, as if he is wishing the world away but simulaneously unable to escape anywhere happier.
Or, perhaps most astonishingly, in his chamber music from the 1940s and ‘50s, there starts to appear a buffoonish character, who intrudes into the music, performing ungraceful peasant-dances, repeatedly hitting the wrong notes. You see this in the Cello Sonata, the Piano Quintet, and the Eighth String Quartet, but I think it’s most obvious in the last movement of the Second Piano Trio, where a Jewish-style pizzicato jig is suddenly interrupted by a thumping and repetitive refrain. When the dance returns it has been mangled and is dominated by a graceless underlying rhythm, as if some uncultured idiot has barged in and forced the music to dance to his own, ugly tune.
The idiot, surely, is Stalin.
Indeed, as much as we like to think our modern musicians are rebellious, the worst most of them have to worry about is irritating David Cameron or swearing on the BBC. Shostakovich took the piss out of Stalin, while also being paid by his government. He is, therefore, the most rock-and-roll person ever.
But it’s the emotions he conveys which are most useful to historians. It is the terrible fear, the introspective despair, and the feelings of intrusion by a thuggish leader which make his music so valuable to us.
Because, as much as Westminster City Council are a pain in the ass, I’ve never actually had to live under a totalitarian government.
So if I want to know what it feels like, I have to look to historical sources, to peoples’ writings, to interviews, to visual images.
But also to music.


The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) requires employers to comply with hazard-specific safety and health standards. In addition, pursuant to Section 5(a)(1) of the OSH Act, employers must provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Emergency Preparedness Guides do not and cannot enlarge or diminish an employer's obligations under the OSH Act.
Emergency Preparedness Guides are based on presently available information, as well as current occupational safety and health provisions and standards. The procedures and practices discussed in Emergency Preparedness Guides may need to be modified when additional, relevant information becomes available or when OSH Act standards are promulgated or modified.
OSHA has no standards that apply to the hazards associated with critical incident stress. However, in the interest of the health and safety of the emergency responders and workers, the agency recommends that the following information be shared to help reduce the risks associated with critical incident stress.
Workers responding to emergency events and or disasters will see and experience events that will strain their ability to function. These events, which include having to witness or experience tragedy, death, serious injuries and threatening situations are called "Critical Incidents." The physical and psychological well-being of those experiencing this stress, as well as their future ability to function through a prolonged response, will depend upon how they manage this stress. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder differs from critical incident stress by lasting longer than four weeks after the event triggering the emotional, mental or physical response. Most instances of critical incident stress last between two days and four weeks.
The signs and symptoms of critical incident stress can be physical, emotional, cognitive, or behavioral. Individuals express stress in different ways and therefore manifest different reactions. The list below is not exhaustive but will help supervisors to identify workers who are exhibiting stress reactions.
During the emergency phase of the response, monitoring of employees by simple conversation and observation may help to identify early signs for some responders. The following steps can help to reduce significant stress detected early in the response:
Critical Incident Stress Management is system of education, prevention and mitigation of the effects from exposure to highly stressful critical incidents. It is handled most effectively by specially trained individuals, such as crisis intervention specialists.
Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) is a facilitator-led group process conducted soon after a traumatic event with individuals considered to be under stress from trauma exposure. When structured, the process usually (but not always) consists of seven steps: Introduction; Fact Phase; Thought Phase; Reaction Phase; Symptom Phase; Teaching Phase; and Re-entry Phase. During the group process, participants are encouraged to describe their experience of the incident and its aftermath, followed by a presentation on common stress reactions and stress management. This early intervention process supports recovery by providing group support and linking employees to further counseling and treatment services if they become necessary.
King County, Washington CIS Management
Tips for Managing and Preventing Stress - A Guide for Emergency Response and Public Safety Workers (PDF). US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA).
Training Manual for Mental Health and Human Service Workers in Major Disasters. US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Agency (SAMHSA).
International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF)
Protecting Emergency Responders, Volume 3. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2004-144.
*Accessibility Assistance: Contact OSHA's Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management at (202) 693-2300 for assistance accessing PDF materials.
All other documents, that are not PDF materials or formatted for the web, are available as Microsoft Office® formats and videos and are noted accordingly. If additional assistance is needed with reading, reviewing or accessing these documents or any figures and illustrations, please also contact OSHA's Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management at (202) 693-2300.
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A new study conducted by British American Tobacco and published in the journal Toxicology in Vitro reports that e-cigarette aerosol from two conventional products had no adverse effect on human respiratory epithelial cells (in cell culture), while tobacco smoke caused almost complete cell death.
The methods and results are summarized as follows: "EpiAirway™ tissues [in vitro respiratory epithelial cells in culture] were exposed to cigarette smoke and aerosol generated from two commercial e-cigarettes for up to 6 h. Cigarette smoke reduced cell viability in a time dependent manner to 12% at 6 h. E-cigarette aerosol showed no such decrease in cell viability and displayed similar results to that of the untreated air controls. Applicability of the EpiAirway™ model and exposure system was demonstrated, showing little cytotoxicity from e-cigarette aerosol and different aerosol formulations when compared directly with reference cigarette smoke, over the same exposure time."
According to a British American Tobacco press release: "Until now, there have been no aerosol studies of potential adverse
effects of e-cigarette vapour on in vitro models that so closely mimic
the structure, function and exposure of normal human airway tissue.
The researchers combined a commercially available 3D model of
respiratory epithelial tissue and the popular VITROCELL smoking robot,
an aerosol exposure system, to assess the irritant potential of
e-cigarette vapour from two commercially available e-cigarettes on human
airway tissue. The results show that, despite hours of aggressive and
continuous exposure, the impact of the e-cigarette vapour on the airway
tissue is similar to that of air."
The overall conclusion of the study was as follows: "Further studies will need to be conducted to compare between different commercially available products, formats,and formulations, but our data suggest that e-cigarette aerosols have significantly less impact than cigarette smoke over the duration of a 6 h exposure in vitro using organotypic tissue constructs."
The two products tested were NJOY Bold and NJOY Menthol.
The Rest of the Story
While one cannot necessarily extrapolate from this study to all e-cigarette products, at least we now know that one major brand of electronic cigarettes appears to have relatively benign effects on the cells lining the respiratory tract, in contrast to cigarette smoke which exhibits very high levels of cytotoxicity. This finding is consistent with earlier studies showing that the aerosol produced by NJOY e-cigarettes did not contain measurable quantities of most of the chemicals of concern that have been detected in the aerosol produced by some e-cigarette brands.
A major contribution of this research is that it sets out a procedure that could be used to test the cytotoxicity of various brands of electronic cigarettes, providing some assessment of the potential for respiratory irritation or inflammation that could be associated with these products. It could also help the FDA identify manufacturing procedures and/or quality control measures that prevent the formation of the unwanted chemicals in e-cigarette vapor, which could aid the agency in crafting quality standards to ensure that e-cigarettes on the market are as safe as they can be.
Despite the limitations of the research, it adds additional evidence to support the contention that vaping is a lot safer than smoking. Moreover, it suggests that it is possible to produce an e-cigarette that has little cytotoxicity to respiratory epithelial cells.
I am by no means an expert on e-cigarette design, but I can't help but think that the careful voltage and temperature regulation that the tobacco companies and the large independent e-cigarette companies have built into their products have a great deal to do with the fact that the aerosol produced by these products appears to present few concerns about the chemicals present or about the aerosol's cytotoxicity. Overheating is likely a major reason why some products have been found to produce an aerosol that does contain a number of toxins, such as various aldehydes.
This research adds to the evidence suggesting that with proper regulation, the FDA could maximize the potential benefits of e-cigarettes while minimizing their potential harms. If embraced by the agency, e-cigarettes have the potential to transform the nicotine market and produce a dramatic shift away from combustible tobacco products (i.e., cigarettes) and toward non-combusted, non-tobacco-containing e-cigarettes. Such a phenomenon would result in the greatest public health miracle of our lifetimes.
Unfortunately, I do not believe that the anti-tobacco groups or major health agencies, including the CDC or the FDA, are aiming to try to transform the nicotine market and achieve this huge public health victory. Instead, they are taking a zero-risk, zero-addiction approach that is ideal in a fantasy world, but destructive to the public's health in the real world.


This Figure shows the Emotion Potential (EP in standardized values) for the 11 chapters of Pippi Longstocking (Lindgren, 1950). The red line represents the mean value (0) allowing to see which chapters have above- or below-average EPs.
The EP estimates each chapter’s theoretical potential to evoke emotional responses in readers (e.g., joy, fear) which can be measured at different levels of observation, e.g. experiential (ratings; Lüdtke & Jacobs, 2015), behavioral (response times, eye tracking; Jacobs et al., 2016), or neuronal (brain activity; cf. Hsu et al., 2015).
The EP estimates are based on a recent machine learning assisted ACTA which learns to predict each word’s valence (i.e., to what extent it is positive or negative) and arousal (i.e., to what extent it is calming or arousing; cf. Jacobs, 2018).
It can be seen that the book sends its readers on an emotional roller-coaster, starting with an initial low EP then rising up to a peak in chapter 9 and falling back to a low EP in the final chapters.
Hsu, C. T., Jacobs, A. M., Citron, F., & Conrad, M. (2015). The emotion potential of words and passages in reading Harry Potter – An fMRI study. Brain and Language, 142, 96-114. https://doi.org
Jacobs, A. M. (2018). (Neuro-)Cognitive Poetics and Computational Stylistics. Scientific Study of Literature, 8:1, pp. 164-207. https://doi.org.
Jacobs AM, Hofmann MJ and Kinder A (2016) On Elementary Affective Decisions: To Like Or Not to Like, That Is the Question. Front. Psychol. 7:1836. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01836 www.frontiersin.org
Lindgren, A. (1950). Pippi Longstocking. The Viking Press.
Lüdtke J and Jacobs AM (2015) The emotion potential of simple sentences: additive or interactive effects of nouns and adjectives? Front. Psychol. 6:1137. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01137 www.frontiersin.org


This qualitative study on the aspirations, needs and concerns of women and girls with disabilities in Zimbabwe seeks to contribute to the growing knowledge on women and girls with disabilities globally, as well as to contribute to the ongoing dialogue on advancing the implementation of the CPRD in Zimbabwe
The specific aims were to:
- Assess the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of women and girls with disabilities
- Identify the aspirations of women and girls with disabilities from marginalized areas
- Describe the needs and concerns of women and girls with disabilities for equitable participation in public life
- Assess how current development interventions are responding to the needs of women and girls with disabilities, specifically SRH and GBV services delivery
- Hear from women and girls with disabilities on practical recommendations for the advancement of disability rights and improving justice, SRH and GBV service delivery that meets their needs
The approach and methodology were designed with a view to gathering first-hand information and verbatim from an estimated 261 women and girls with disabilities, and from other stakeholders interviewed in marginalized areas, namely caregivers, OPDs, NGOs, traditional leaders, community cadres, and government officials. The study design was also guided by a range of participatory approaches that enabled women with diverse disability types to effectively participate in the qualitative study.


Gordon “Mouse” Cleaver was one of the first Royal Air Force aces of World War II, but his most indelible mark on history was inadvertently inspiring a surgical procedure that has saved the sight of hundreds of millions of people.
Cataracts—natural clouding of the lens of the eye—are the most common cause of blindness. For thousands of years, the only treatment was an excruciating technique known as couching, in which a needle-like instrument was used to push the lens out of the line of sight. In 1747, French physician Jacques Daviel pioneered the practice of surgically removing clouded lenses—eliminating cataracts was better than nothing, but it was obviously an imperfect solution.
As a freshly minted physician in the 1930s, English ophthalmologist Harold Ridley first broached the possibility of replacing clouded natural lenses with clear artificial ones. But his mentor rebuked him, and after Germany invaded Poland, Ridley’s thoughts turned to the fighting to come.
Mouse Cleaver was a member of the No. 601 Squadron, known informally as the Millionaires’ Squadron because so many of its pilots were upper-crust British sportsmen. By the time World War II began in earnest, the 601 was flying Hawker Hurricanes.
Cleaver was dispatched to France with the rest of his squadron in May 1940, a week after the German blitzkrieg commenced. Two days later, he scored his first victory, claiming a Dornier Do 17. Then it was back to England, where Cleaver fought in the Battle of Britain.
On the morning of August 15, 1940, Cleaver flew an uneventful sortie. During lunch the unit scrambled again. In his haste, Cleaver forgot his goggles.
While lined up behind a Junkers Ju 88 over the city of Winchester, Cleaver’s Hurricane was raked with machine-gun fire. His airplane burst into flames, and acrylic shards from the shattered canopy lodged in his eyes. Burned and bleeding, he flipped the airplane upside down and let himself fall out of the cockpit, then parachuted safely to the ground.
Cleaver’s right eye was too badly damaged to save, but he underwent 18 operations to treat his facial wounds and restore some vision in his left eye. (His first comment, when he was visited by a squadron mate, was “Jack, tell them all to wear their goggles.”) He was examined repeatedly by Dr. Ridley, who made a stunningly counterintuitive discovery.
Other than damaging the lens, the plastic splinters in Cleaver’s left eye had no effect on his sight, and his body made no attempt to reject them. This nudged Ridley into thinking about using a plastic lens to replace the natural one removed during cataract surgery.
On November 29, 1949, Ridley implanted the world’s first IOL, or interocular lens. Lamentably, instead of embracing this immensely successful procedure, the medical establishment ridiculed Ridley and rejected IOLs. It wasn’t until the 1980s that IOL implants became commonplace; nowadays, 20 million such operations are performed annually, and the number would be much higher if the surgery were more widely available.
In 1986, Ridley was belatedly elected to the Royal Society, the British version of the National Academy of Sciences. And in 1987, the story came full circle when Mouse Cleaver had cataract surgery and received an IOL made of a material remarkably similar to the acrylic that had lodged in his eye in 1940.


Walkies talkies the walkies talkies are portable radio transceivers that allow both the transmission and reception of data, communication taking place alternatively in Push mode to Talk. According to the frequency being used, the walkies talkies may be with or without a license, having experienced the latter, intended for personal communications and entertainment, widely disseminated by numerous advantages presented, it does not require license or having to pay fees or cost of calls. Features the walkies talkies are transceivers, which means that it is a transceiver device and performs both functions of transmission of reception. Given that some components are used for both functions, communication is half duplex (half-duplex), i.e., the transmission is conducted Alternatively, unlike traditional phones where both can talk or listen simultaneously (full-duplex). It’s believed that Mary Barra sees a great future in this idea. You can send signals between two terminals in both directions, but not simultaneously, while a terminal transmits the other can only receive.
Although only a terminal transmitting at the same time, it can be heard by many units. The walkies talkies employ a switch Push to Talk (PTT) to start transmission (push to talk, PPH). PTT devices always are listening, should press the button to talk and not allow you to talk and listen at the same time, or be heard or spoken. This type of communication allows calls one-on-one – one either one-to-many (Group call) and its usefulness lies in that when one of the partners has the button pressed and speak, nobody can stop him. Many countries provides for the existence of two types of communications by radio: licensed: are bands allocated to radio amateurs, professionals and State services, and require licensing or administrative authorisation (CB, GMRS).
Unlicensed: correspond to frequencies for personal communications and leisure that do not require any license or permit (PMR, FRS). Walkies talkies unlicensed PMR446 PMR446 (Personal Mobile Radio, 446 MHz) is a radio frequency open for personal use without license in the countries of the European Union. PMR446 radios, also known as walkies talkies without license or walkies talkies of free use, are limited to 500 mW and interchangeable antennas are not allowed to replace the original antenna, interconnect them to the public telephony network or use repeaters. The theoretical scope are about 3 km in a straight line on level ground. The regulation of the PMR446 band is similar to the FRS (Family Radio Service) of the United States but the walkies talkies are not supported, since they use different frequencies. The walkies talkies PMR446 presents many advantages, since it requires no license, has no cost of calls or monthly fee and they are easy to use. They have many applications: activities such as skiing, climbing or hiking outdoors. Group with several vehicles travel. Security and internal communication in companies.


by Martin Gregorie, © 2002.
An electronic thermal detector is a sensitive and rapidly responding thermometer capable of displaying air temperature variations of 0.2 C to 2 C from the ambient temperature. However, these small differences are mixed with large masking influences, so unless the detection system is designed to eliminate these effects it will give misleading results. This may seem obvious, but if the detector is to reliably show these variations it must be insensitive to changes in solar radiation due to the sun coming and going behind clouds and to wind speed. The traditional 'sweaty armpit' method of thermal hunting is strongly influenced by these effects and so the value, if any, of an electronic thermal detector must be solely that it is unaffected by these factors.
The temperature sensing thermistor must be shielded on both sides and top so that direct radiation can't affect it. An easy solution is to mount it inside a bottomless box made of hard 3 mm balsa which is covered by a 6 mm layer of Styrofoam with an outer reflective layer of aluminium foil. Metal, plastic and fibreglass tubes all transmit radiation. Metal re-radiates received energy on its inside and most plastics are translucent to infrared. If the detector head is being used close to a runway or other bare surface then reflected radiation is also a problem. Mounting a small reflective shield closely below the thermistor so that the bead can't be seen from below will eliminate reflected radiation. I use a 10 mm square of 0.8 mm ply with chrome tape on its underside. It is also important to avoid locating dark pieces of plastic, etc., close below the detector or using them as part of its mounting. I found that a 30 mm diameter black plastic cap, fitted 50 mm below the detector, was re-radiating heat and sending 'mini-thermals' up into the detector. The effect was that about a minute after the sun came out a constant high reading appeared. Removing the cap cured this.
These are all caused by heating due to the current flowing through the thermistor. A 4.7K ohm thermistor connected across a 9v battery, a typical set up, must dissipate 17 mW; a process which warms the thermistor above air temperature. Hence a gust blowing past the device cools it and this shows up as a false temperature drop on the meter. The solution is to use as high a resistance thermistor as possible, but certainly not less than 50K ohm. If a 2M ohm device is used the power to be dissipated drops to 0.04 mW and the wind cooling effect is reduced to 0.25% of that expected for a 4.7K ohm thermistor.
However, there is a downside. The detector shows stability problems as soon as a resistance of 2M ohms is put across the end of 5 to 10 metres of multi-core cable. The instrument becomes skittish as hands are put near the wire. The solution is to use a masthead amplifier so that the wire 'sees' the 100 - 200 ohm output resistance of this instead. Fortunately, integrated circuit operational amplifiers are now easy to obtain as well as being small and cheap.
Some years ago Paul Lagan pointed out that ground effects, especially turbulence and mixing, occur at up to 4 metres above the ground and that for reliable readings the detector should not be less than 5 metres above the surface. I'm not sure how important this is, but I notice that nobody mounts a mylar streamer lower than this.
I like like the thermistor system to compensate automatically for day temperature changes so that I don't have to keep re-zeroing the system all day. Where most circuits compare the thermistor resistance with an ordinary resistor, a device that has been designed to minimise the effect of temperature changes, I use a second thermistor that tracks average ambient temperature. This is achieved by putting the reference thermistor in an air bath within a block of aluminium alloy.
The size and shape of this block is not critical. I've successfully used:
Both thermistors are mounted on either end of a cork plug. This is then fitted into the hole in the alloy block so that the reference thermistor is sealed inside the air bath without touching the block and the sensor thermistor is in free air.
The final point concerns response speed. The smaller the thermistor, the faster it responds. 1 mm glass surfaced bead thermistors work well. I use them as received though some other flyers have been known to file the glass skin off. Some thermistors come mounted in a hollow glass sphere, which is sometimes evacuated. This must be removed because these devices are designed to measure thermal radiation and are rather well insulated against changes in air temperature.
Thermistors that are much bigger than a 1mm bead are useless for thermal detection. The commonly available bead thermistors with heads of 3mm to 4.5mm diameter are probably too big for a good response rate despite being designed for precision temperature measurement; their thermal constants are of the order of 10 to 12 seconds. Still bigger thermistors are available, but they possess far too great a thermal inertia and too low a resistance to be useful for our purposes.
I've been using a device designed with these principles since the start of the 1980 flying season. Its features are:
My system is designed to be used with the control unit placed on the ground at the flight line. The masthead unit clips onto a DIN plug that is permanently attached to the top section of the roach pole. An internal cable connects it to a 3-pin DIN socket let into the base section of the roach pole. Ten metres of three wire cable, fitted with the 3-pin DIN plug at each end, is used to connect the pole to the control unit.
Other arrangements are possible; the physical arrangement will depend on where you mount the control unit. Many flyers attach it to the roach pole with a Terry clip. This type of arrangement would need a much shorter cable with at most one plug in the cable. I've also built a portable version with a carbon F1A tail boom extending from the hand-held control box and a DIN socket on its end to connect the masthead unit.
The two thermistors form one arm of a Wheatstone's Bridge circuit. The other arm consists of the two high value resistors and the preset, which is used to set operating conditions so that when the detector is stabilised at a constant ambient temperature the masthead amplifier's output voltage will be half the supply voltage. The masthead amplifier provides some gain to counteract the losses in a long cable, but is primarily to act as a low impedance voltage source in place of the high impedance Bridge circuit.
The control unit drives the display, a moving coil microammeter, contains the battery needed to operate both parts of the detector, and has the controls needed to set the zero reading and sensitivity of the thermal detector to suit the conditions of the day. It contains another amplifier, this time with variable gain and offset controls, to drive the meter.
Both circuits are easily laid out on copper striped Veroboard.
All components except the thermistors are soldered into the masthead board. Use a flat-mount 470K preset because you'll need to get access to it when the masthead circuit is installed in its solar shield. If your thermistors are not 2M ohm types you should scale the other resistors in the bridge circuit (shown as 1.5M, 1.2M and the 470K preset) to match. For instance, if 100K thermistors are used these resistors would become 75K, 62K and 24K preset.
Use the biggest and most readable microammeter you can find for the control circuit display. Edge-display meters are the best if you can find them. The scale of the meter is not critical. I've always used a standard 0-50 or 0-500 uA microammeter, but interactions between the Set Zero and Sensitivity controls would be minimised if a center zero meter was used and the 'cold point' was set to the meter's zero point.
The pins used in this application (pins 1-3) are shown on the diagrams. Power connections to the LM358 operational amplifiers have been omitted for clarity. They are:
|pin 8 - +ve power supply|
|pin 4 - 0v (ground)|
Other pins may be left unconnected.
Thermistor mounting detail
Cross section of the masthead assembly
The 3-pin DIN socket on the alloy sheet support attaches the masthead unit to the top of its 5 metre roach pole as well as providing electrical connections. The reference thermistor is inside the small alloy block on the left side of the circuit board. The sensor thermistor is underneath the chrome tape covered piece of hard balsa projecting from the top of the alloy block.
Control unit interior. Plenty of space and everything is well tied down to prevent damage during normal use.
Control unit exterior. The edge display microammeter is easy to read while preparing to start and launch a model.
The initial step is to install a fresh 9v battery. Set the system up indoors and leave it for 15 or 20 minutes while the thermistors warm up and the alloy block stabilises at the ambient temperature. Make sure that direct solar radiation can't shine into the interior of the masthead unit during this procedure. Now adjust the masthead preset so that the amplifier output voltage is 4.5v.
In normal use assemble the system, turn it on and allow it to stabilise for 15 minutes or so before you need to use it. The Set Zero control is used to set the 'coldest' reading on the meter. A good point is 10% to 20% of the full scale reading. The Sensitivity control should be adjusted so the strongest thermals show about 80% of full scale. Take note that these two controls will interact unless Set Zero is set to zero on the meter.
Once the meter has been set up for the day the only control that should need adjusting is Sensitivity. As the day wears on the temperature swing in thermals will steadily increase until late afternoon and then start to decrease. Adjust Sensitivity to keep the highest thermal temperature around 80% of full scale.
If the chosen physical arrangement is a portable unit or has the control unit mounted on the detector pole so that the cable to the masthead will not exceed three meters in length then the following circuit can be used:
This is an easier circuit to set up because there is no mast-head amplifier to adjust. Normal operation is identical to the previous design. The same remarks apply to adjusting the Wheatstone's Bridge resistor values to match the thermistors.
Digital temperature modules, such as those sold by Maplins in the UK, can be used for thermal detectors, provided their sampling rate is fast enough. There are a few problems which will prevent these devices being useful:
The Maplins temperature module is perfect for this application. It runs for several years off a single AA sized battery, can be set to a 1 second refresh rate and can display temperatures in Fahrenheit or Centigrade. It will require mounting in some sort of enclosure and switches to be added to select the display mode and temperature scale and set its internal clock. It has an optional external probe with a very bulky probe, but the internal thermistor, which must be unsoldered to fit the external probe, is a very small bead thermistor and perfect for thermal detection.
Before fitting an external probe other than the manufacturer's accessory it is necessary to understand how these units work. Unlike the analogue circuits described above, digital modules don't measure thermistor resistance directly. Instead, each time they refresh the display they cause the thermistor and its cabling to resonate for three or five sine wave cycles and measure the time this takes to complete. By treating the cable and thermistor as an RC tuned circuit and assuming that the capacitance of the cable is known, its possible to calculate the resistance of the thermistor, and hence its temperature, from the resonant frequency. The effect of this is that the displayed temperature is affected by any changes in the length or type of cable used to connect the thermistor to the module. As the cable gets longer or its capacitance per unit length is increased the displayed temperature rises until the limiting case, when the module will go off scale. The workarounds are:
Once a suitable cable and pole arrangement has been found all the remarks about shielding the thermistor from solar radiation in the introduction apply to digital as well as analogue systems. The shielding techniques work equally well for both types of thermal detector.
A digital masthead is shown in this picture. It is designed to fit on a thermal pole that was built for use with the analogue thermal detectors described above. In consequence it is mounted via its 3-pin DIN socket, but this is not used for the electrical connections due to the high capacitance of the pole's internal wiring. Instead, the 80 ohm ribbon connects to the thermistor via the 3.5mm jack plug mounted in the alloy support. The mylar ribbon tied to the unit is a wind direction indicator, fitted in an attempt to improve my power model launches.


Working Together to Reduce Prescription Drug Abuse and Overdose Deaths
Priority Area III:
Tracking, Monitoring, and Data Exchange
Key Objective 7:
Increase data collection and information sharing across agencies and organizations to enhance safe practices and reduce poor outcomes related to prescription drug abuse
Data is critical in order to define the prescription drug abuse problem and evaluate the effectiveness of prescribed programs and interventions. In order to inform strategy, policy, and action, this information must be shared within and across systems, agencies, and groups. Despite the widely recognized importance of evidence-based and data-driven decision-making, the exchange of data between community partners remains challenging.
The Data Collection Action Team will work across the various action teams to:
- Assist action teams with the development of performance measures that are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Time-bound) to facilitate data-driven interventions.
- Facilitate sharing of data related to prescription drug abuse both within and across systems, agencies, and groups, in order to effectively coordinate care and interventions to reduce overprescribing, misuse, and diversion of prescription drugs, while also encouraging treatment.


Epilepsy often occurs in children and adults with white matter disorders. Although these people have a higher chance of being treatment resistant than those who do not have a degenerative disease, there are a number of helpful treatment strategies that can be used to ameliorate the seizures- or even control them completely.
Seizures are a sudden electrical disturbance in the brain, causing changes in behaviour, movement, feelings and/or consciousness. Epilepsy is the tendency to have recurrent seizures.
A typical seizure lasts between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. If a seizure lasts over 5 minutes, it should be treated as a medical emergency. Emergency medical treatment should also be sought in the case of injury caused by falls while having a seizure; pregnant or diabetic people having a seizure; lack of return to consciousness / breathing after the seizure or if the seizure is immediately followed by another. High fevers and heat exhaustion around seizures should also result in medical advice being sought. See our care page for more information on the additional help you can receive to help to care for people who have recurrent seizures.
Different types of seizures are:
- Focal seizures – caused by electrical activity in one area of the brain, these may or may not involve a loss of awareness or consciousness.
- Generalised seizures – in which electrical activity has occurred in all areas of the brain. There are several types of generalised seizures:
- Atonic or Drop seizures, causing loss of muscle control which may cause a sudden fall
- Clonic seizures, usually affecting the neck, face and arms and associated with repeated jerking muscle movements
It can be difficult to recognise seizures in infants, as this may look very different to an adult seizure. The most common kind of seizure in infants is a febrile seizure, in which the infant’s limbs stiffen or twitch and their eyes roll. This is often caused by fever. Infants may also experience the types of seizure above.
Treatment for epilepsy can vary, from simply identifying and avoiding triggers to seizures, to surgery to remove the part of the brain which causes this activity. Anti-Epileptic Drugs (AEDs) are the most common treatment, and drug choice tends to target the type of seizure the child is having. As drug resistance is common in children with white-matter disorders it’s important to consider other treatment interventions.
The ketogenic diet may be recommended. High in fat, low in carbohydrate and with carefully controlled protein levels, this diet has been shown to have positive effects in adults and children with epilepsy. Its effectiveness in infants is being investigated. This method is used if other treatment for epilepsy proves ineffective, and should not be pursued without advice from dieticians and specialists.
Insertion of a small electrical device to stimulate nerves is another option, normally as a VNS (Vagus Nerve Stimulation) device, similar to a pacemaker.
The use of alternative therapies to ease symptoms of epilepsy is not scientifically proven, and you should not stop taking medication or other treatments without consulting a specialist. For those who find their seizures are triggered by stress, relaxation exercises such as yoga and meditation may provide some relief.
For more general information on epilepsy, including triggers and symptoms, see the Epilepsy Action website.


Historically, religion often played an influential part in our ancestors’ lives. Knowing which religion or denomination your ancestor belonged to is more than just an interesting piece of trivia, though – it can often be a crucial clue leading to more records. As a previous blog post discussed, church records are often not readily available online. Many can be found on microfilm, but most are still held privately by the church which created them, or perhaps a local archive. For this reason, they are passed over by some researchers in superficial searches. This is a mistake! If you’re wanting answers, do not allow the level of ease to determine the depth and breadth of your research. Since they were generally kept long before the government mandated that vital records be recorded, church records can be the substitute that gives you the information you’ve been looking for, especially if you have reached a point where vital records for your family don’t exist.
Determining the Religion
The first step to finding religious records is to properly identify which one your ancestors belonged to, and from there to determine if there were any meetinghouses of that branch or denomination in the places they lived.
Sometimes the culture and history of the place can give an answer – or at the very least, a possibility. For example, most people in Spain and its territories (including early Texas and Louisiana) were Catholic. Christian Germans tended to be predominantly Protestant – Lutheran and/or Reformed – though some portions of the country were more heavily Catholic. The Dutch who settled New York and New Jersey had their own branch of Reformed Protestantism, as did the Huguenots who fled persecution in France and came to the American colonies. People in the American South tended to espouse the Baptist or Methodist faith, while the Scotch-Irish who came to the U.S. brought their Presbyterian beliefs with them.
Other common historic religious groups you might encounter could include Quakers, Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Episcopalians/Anglicans, Pentecostals (popular in the South as well), various Orthodox branches, and Mennonites, among others. Finally, smaller numbers of non-Christian groups can also be found in American history as well – particularly Jews, but also Muslims.
Pay close attention to obituaries, county histories, social columns, cemetery names and affiliations, and family traditions when attempting to ascertain the religion of your ancestors. Another important clue? The minister who performed the wedding. Often noted simply as a “minister of the gospel” (as opposed to a civil justice of the peace), it may take some digging, but researching the name of that pastor, priest, or rabbi could give an indication of which church or synagogue he led.
Churches and Recordkeeping
Some religious denominations were more thorough than others about keeping records of their members and parishioners, and can generally be relied upon to have had a consistent means of keeping track of rites like baptisms, deaths, marriages, excommunications, and confirmations. Some kept membership rolls or meeting minutes. Some religious groups in urban areas even had their own newspapers. The ones that are the “best” in this regard are those that were centralized churches whose individual congregations all reported to a top authority and who were mandated to keep records at the local level. Sometimes this was done for doctrinal reasons, but in many countries it had more to do with the fact that the church and government were bound together (these are usually referred to as “state churches”).
Groups best known for their record-keeping include the Catholics (who were a state church in many countries), Lutherans/Reformed, LDS, Quakers, and Anglicans.
Churches that acted more independently can be harder to track down, and these include most Protestant denominations. For example, there are hundreds of different Baptist groups, and thousands of individual churches. Methodists were likewise divided, though not to that extent.
In cases such as these, it was up to each congregation to decide what to record. Most groups of these sorts do not practice infant baptism, and made no records of babies born to parishioners. Often, the records were kept by the pastor alone, and if he left the congregation, he took his book with him. This is one factor that makes researching in the American South so challenging. Jewish research suffers from similar issues.
This is not to say it is always impossible – it may just take a little more creativity to locate them. The individual churches themselves may still hold their own historical records. Others are kept by local archives, university libraries, or have even been transcribed into book form. The best way to find them is to research the church itself, using the FamilySearch Wiki or library catalogs. And don’t forget that Google is your friend. Books are being digitized at a rapid rate, not only by that search engine, but by the major genealogical databases as well, including FamilySearch, MyHeritage, Ancestry, and Mocavo.
Have you had success using church records to solve family mysteries? Share your experience in the comments!


Climate Change: Eye on the oceans
|Apr 11, 2012|
The tide seems to be finally turning for the oceans. After years of neglect, there is a growing focus on the health of the oceans, which helps sustain life on earth, particularly in light of the impact of rising levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) and higher temperatures.
Higher CO2 levels are causing the oceans to acidify at rates not seen in the last 20 million years, says Wendy Watson-Wright, assistant director-general and executive secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO-IOC).
Several UN agencies led by UNESCO-IOC have developed a Blueprint for Ocean and Coastal Sustainability, to highlight the role of oceans in sustaining life. They offer suggestions ahead of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
The oceans not only supply the oxygen in every second breath we take, but also absorb at least 33 percent of the CO2 human beings produce. The oceans have already absorbed more than 80 percent of the heat added to the climate system over the past 200 years, says the International Programme on the State of the Ocean.
As CO2 dissolves in seawater, the pH (indicator for acidity and basicity of an aqueous solution) of the water decreases - a process known as "acidification" (a lower pH value indicates an increase in acidity).
This can reduce the availability of calcium for plankton and shelled species, threatening their survival. This in turn could affect the entire ecosystem, as much of the marine food chain depends on these organisms for food.
Studies on ocean acidification's potential impact on marine life and ecosytems have been presented regularly at side events during UN climate talks, but have never made it to the main negotiations, even though such talks frequently mention the impact of high CO2 on sea-level rise.
Mean ocean pH has decreased (which means the acidity in water has increased) by 30 percent since 1751 and if we continue to emit CO2 at the same rate, the pH could decrease by a further 150-200 percent by 2100, says a new book, Valuing the Ocean, by the Stockholm Environment Institute.
"This rate of change is around 10 times faster than that caused by any other event experienced by the ocean in the last 65 million years," it says.
Yet only 1percent of the oceans are protected, according to UNESCO-IOC.
The Blueprint calls for the creation of a global “blue carbon market” similar to the proposal that led to Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation in Developing Countries (REDD), a mechanism within the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to generate funds for the protection and conservation of forests.
In 2009, over 80 percent of the world's fish catch was consumed by human beings, providing 4.2 billion people with more than 15 percent of their average per capita intake of animal protein, says the Blueprint. That year, fishing and aquaculture provided full or part time jobs for about 180 million people, supporting the livelihoods of over half a billion people.
The paper calls for the launch of a global inter-disciplinary program on ocean acidification risk assessment. "The goal is to provide global, regional, and national forecasts and to identify `point of no return’ tipping points where acidification could lead to marine ecosystem collapse." It calls for support for small island states which are heavily dependent on the ocean - to help them use and manage marine resources sustainably.
The Blueprint also urges UNFCCC to include the impact of CO2 on the oceans in their deliberations; calls for stronger governance of the high seas; and the promotion of responsible fishing and waste disposal.
Pollution - especially that caused by fertilizer run-off, sewage and industrial waste - causes hypoxia, a reduction of the content of dissolved oxygen which makes life unsustainable in many parts of the ocean. There are now over 500 known hypoxic “dead zones” in the world’s oceans.
These problems were highlighted at UNCSD meetings in Rio de Janerio in 1992 and Johannesburg in 2002. However, pledges to restore fish stocks to sustainable levels by 2015, and commitments to create networks of protected marine areas by 2012, have not got very far, say UN agencies.
Watson-Wright says she is hopeful, as the draft declaration released on 10 January by the UN, includes the proposals set out in the Blueprint.
UNESCO-IOC has also announced the launch of a Surface Ocean CO2 Atlas (SOCAT), which provides a 40-year record of CO2 accumulation in the surface ocean. The dataset was assembled by a team of over 100 scientists from around the world, coordinated by various universities and research centers.
(IRIN is a news service of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Its products do not necessarily reflect the view of the United Nations.)


Dental implants are replacement tooth roots. Implants provide a strong foundation for fixed (permanent) or removable replacement teeth that are made to match your natural teeth.
The modern dental implant is a surgical device, most commonly used to replace one or more missing Teeth by fusing to the bone and acting as an artificial Tooth Root. The term, dental implant, technically refers only to that portion of the structure that is in the bone.
Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics is the first specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of Malocclusions (improper bites), which may be a result of Tooth irregularity, disproportionate Jaw relationships, or both. Orthodontic treatment can focus on dental displacement only, or can deal with the control and modification of facial growth. In the latter case it is better defined as "dent facialorthopedics".
Dental Filling is a Dental restorative material used to restore the function, integrity and morphology of missing tooth structure. The structural loss typically results from caries or external trauma.
Dental restoration also refers to the replacement of missing tooth structure that is supported by dental implants.
Filling basically consist of restoring Calious& damaged tooth via different Denal Materials & modalities.
Oral health is an important part of our general health. Whatever your age, you must have healthy teeth. Regular care can help you keep your teeth healthy for lifetime. Scaling is a totally harmless process which helps in keeping your Gums healthy & Firm. Unwanted material like Plaque, calculas& stains on the surface of teeth, which leads to cause infection and loosening of the gums & ultimately leading to pyorrhea and tooth loss at a very early stage. Scaling must be done by a skilled &Qualified professional.
Dental extraction is the removal of a tooth from the mouth. Extractions are performed for a wide variety of reasons, including tooth decay that has destroyed enough tooth structure to render the tooth non-restorable. Extractions of impacted or problematic wisdom teeth are routinely performed, as are extractions of some permanent teeth to make space for orthodontic treatment.
Dentures, also known as false teeth, are prosthetic devices constructed to replace missing teeth; they are supported by the surrounding soft and hard tissues of the oral cavity. Conventional dentures are removable. However, there are many different denture designs, some which rely on bonding or clasping onto teeth or dental implants. There are two main categories of dentures, the distinction being whether they are used to replace missing teeth on the mandibular arch or on the maxillary arch.
In Prosthetic we deliver upper & lower complete Denture Prosthesis to the patients. Partial Dentures are also provided to patients according to the need of Individual Patients.
In Oral Surgery we deal with total extraction of indicated Teeth, Surgical removal of Impacted Teeth, Removal of lesions such as Cyst, Tumor, Treating pre Malignancy & Malignant lesions, orofacial Injuries & Fractures due to accidents are also effectively treated.
Cosmetic dentistry is generally used to refer to any dental work that improves the appearance (though not necessarily the function) of a person's teeth, gums and/or bite. Discolored, Malaligned, Malframed
Splinting process allows a weak or movable teeth to survive for a longer time with the help & Support of its strong neighbors. With the help of splinting the patient feels more comfortable during chewing of food. Connecting multiple teeth with splinting also provides increased support for the procedures like partial denture. support when the teeth are used as abutments for a precision attached Several methods, both extracoronal and intracoronal, are available to splint teeth together.
IMPLANT SUPPORTED BRIDGE
A fixed dental restoration used to replace a missing tooth by joining an artificial tooth permanently to adjacent teeth or dental implants is known as Bridge. The fabrication of the dental bridge is done as per the individual requirement of the patient, taking into consideration the location of the teeth & material from which the bridge is to be prepared. The abutment teeth are reduced according to the pattern of the bridge to accommodate the material to restore the size and shape of the original teeth in the correct alignment and contact with the opposing teeth.
Root canal therapy is a sequence of treatment for the pulp of a tooth which results in the elimination of infection and protection of the decontaminated tooth from future microbial invasion. This set of procedures is commonly referred to as a "root canal". Root canals and their associated pulp chamber are the physical hollows within a tooth that are naturally inhabited by nerve tissue, blood vessels and other cellular entities. Endodontic therapy involves the removal of these structures, the subsequent shaping, cleaning, and decontamination of the hollows with tiny files and irrigating solutions, and the obturation (filling) of the decontaminated canals with an inert filling such as guttapercha and typically a eugenol-based cement. Epoxy resin, which may or may not contain BisphenolA is employed to bind guttapercha in some root canal procedures.
A crown is a type of dental restoration which completely caps or encircles a tooth or dental implant. Crowns are often needed when a large cavity threatens the ongoing health of a tooth. They are typically bonded to the tooth using a dental cement. Crowns can be made from many materials, which are usually fabricated using indirect methods. Crowns are often used to improve the strength or appearance of teeth. While inarguably beneficial to dental health, the procedure & materials can be expensive.
The most common method of crowning a tooth involves using a dental impression of a prepared tooth by a dentist to fabricate the crown outside of the mouth. The crown can then be inserted at a subsequent dental appointment. Using this indirect method of tooth restoration allows use of strong restorative materials requiring time consuming fabrication methods requiring intense heat, such as casting metal or firing porcelainwhich would not be possible to complete inside the mouth. Because of the expansion properties, the relatively similar material costs, and the aesthetic benefits, many patients choose to have their crown fabricated with gold.


Child / Adult traveler health consultations
are performed by medical specialists in infectious diseases and in tropical medicine (travel component) They must be carried out whenever you intend to travel to destinations that may pose a risk. What are traveler's health consultations for?
- To advise the preventive measures to be taken before, during and after the trip. These measures include vaccination, preventive medication for malaria, information on individual hygiene, care for water and food they eat, and other aspects so that you should be alert when traveling. You can also be given information about medical care and security in the country of destination and advice about the pharmacy that the traveler should take with him;
- To evaluate the health conditions of the traveler before the travel, namely pregnant women, children, the elderly, individuals with chronic diseases under medication, among others;
- In order to provide medical assistance upon return, to diagnose health problems possibly incurred during the journey, and to periodically check individuals who spend extended periods in countries or regions where the risk of disease is high.
- For prescription of vaccines, namely yellow fever vaccine to be carried out in the NHS.
Source: Portal da Saúde