Coronary angioplasty and stents

 

Definition By Mayo Clinic Staff   Mayo Clinic in Minnesota has been recognized as one of the top Cardiology & Heart Surgery hospitals in the nation for 2015-2016 by U.S. News & World Report. Learn more about this top honor Coronary angioplasty, also called percutaneous coronary intervention, is a procedure used to open clogged heart arteries. Angioplasty involves temporarily inserting and inflating a tiny balloon where your artery is clogged to help widen the artery. Angioplasty is often combined with the permanent placement of a small wire mesh tube called a stent to help prop the artery open and decrease its chance of narrowing again. Some stents are coated with medication to help keep your artery open (drug-eluting stents), while others are not (bare-metal stents). Angioplasty can improve symptoms of blocked arteries, such as chest pain and shortness of breath. Angioplasty can also be used during a heart attack to quickly open a blocked artery and reduce the amount of damage to your heart. Why it's done Feb. 13, 2014 http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/angioplasty/basics/definition/

Galaxy meets BlackBerry: Hands-on with Samsung's QWERTY keyboard cover

 

Gizmag goes hands-on with BlackBerry's, erm, Samsung's QWERTY keyboard cover for the latest Galaxy phones (Credit: Will Shanklin/Gizmag)

Image Gallery (7 images)

While most smartphone users have adjusted to this crazy new world of touchscreen keyboards, some people still prefer the physical feedback you can only get from a QWERTY. If that's you, then Samsung may have just given you one less reason to hang onto your old BlackBerry.

We played with Samsung's new keyboard cover at yesterday's NYC launch event, and it does what you'd want it to do: making the Galaxy Note 5 and Galaxy S6 Edge+ feel like a BlackBerry. It slides onto the phones, you tap its moving keys and see your letters pop up in real time.

The plastic keyboard gives you the same satisfying chunk you'd get from a BlackBerry. It also has the navigation shortcuts you'd find below your Galaxy's screen: home, back and recent apps.

If you're like us, you've probably spent so much time using touchscreen keyboards that going back to a BlackBerry type of keyboard might actually slow you down. It's been so long since I've rapped out an email on one of these that you couldn't pay me enough to switch to this thing.

This is for those who could just never quite get used to touchscreen typing.

The idea is almost identical to Ryan Seacrest's now-defunct (thanks to a settlement with BlackBerry) Typo keyboard. The Samsung accessory is two pieces: the keyboard itself and a phone cover that wraps around the back. When you don't need the keyboard, slide it off the front and stash it on the Galaxy's backside:

There's no wireless connection and it doesn't require any power, since it's just simulating touch input on the screen beneath it. Just slide it on and party like it's 2006.

The Samsung keyboard cover will be available not just for the new phablets, but also for the smaller Galaxy S6 and GS6 edge. Samsung tells us it will retail for US$80.

 

http://www.gizmag.com/galaxy-blackberry-keyboard-review-hands-on/38937/

Next-Generation Wind Technology

 

 

The Wind Program works with industry partners to increase the performance and reliability of next-generation wind technologies while lowering the cost of wind energy. The program's research efforts have helped to increase the average capacity factor (a measure of power plant productivity) from 22% for wind turbines installed before 1998 to 32% for turbines installed between 2006 and 2013. .

To ensure future industry growth, the technology must continue to evolve, building on earlier successes to further improve reliability, increase capacity factors, and reduce costs. This page describes the goal of the program's large wind technology research efforts and highlights some of its recent projects.

Research Project Highlights

These are some of the key research project highlights from the program's next-generation wind technology research. From 2006 to 2014, the Wind Program provided awards totaling more than $160 million for projects focused on testing, manufacturing, and component development.

Prototype Development

Modern wind turbines are increasingly cost-effective and more reliable, and have scaled up in size to multi-megawatt power ratings. Since 1999, the average turbine generating capacity has increased, with turbines installed in 2013 averaging 1.87 MW of capacity. Wind Program research has helped facilitate this transition, through the development of longer, lighter rotor blades, taller towers, more reliable drivetrains, and performance-optimizing control systems. Furthermore, improved turbine performance has led to a more robust domestic wind industry that saw wind turbine technology exports grow from $16 million in 2007 to $500 million in 2013.

During the past two decades, the program has worked with industry to develop a number of prototype technologies, many of which have become commercially viable products. One example is the GE Wind Energy 1.5-megawatt (MW) wind turbine. Since the early 1990s, the program worked with GE and its predecessors to test components such as blades, generators, and control systems on generations of turbine designs that led to GE's 1.5-MW model. The GE 1.5 constitutes approximately half of the nation’s installed commercial wind energy fleet, and is a major competitor in global markets.

Component Development

The program works with industry partners to improve the performance and reliability of system components. Knight and Carver's Wind Blade Division in National City, California, worked with researchers at the Department of Energy'sSandia National Laboratories to develop an innovative wind turbine blade that has led to an increase in energy capture by 12% The most distinctive characteristic of the Sweep Twist Adaptive Rotor (STAR) blade is a gently curved tip, which, unlike the vast majority of blades in use, is specially designed to take maximum advantage of all wind speeds, including slower speeds.

To support the development of more reliable gearboxes, the program has worked with several companies to design and test innovative drivetrain concepts. Through the support of $47 million in DOE funding, the nation’s largest and one of the world’s most advanced wind energy testing facilities was opened at Clemson University to help speed the deployment of next generation energy technology, reduce costs for manufacturers and boost global competitiveness for American companies. The Clemson facility is equipped with two testing bays – for up to 7.5-megawatt and 15-megawatt drivetrains, respectively. The Clemson facility also features a grid simulator that mimics real-world conditions, helping researchers better study the interactions between wind energy technologies and the U.S. power grid.

Utility-Scale Research Turbine

In 2009, the program installed a GE 1.5-MW wind turbine at the National Wind Technology Center (NWTC) located on the National Renewable Energy Laboratory campus in Boulder, Colorado. This turbine was the first large-scale wind turbine fully owned by DOE and serves as a platform for research projects aimed at improving the performance of wind technology and lowering the costs of wind energy. The NWTC is now collaborating with Siemens Energy to conduct aerodynamic field experiments on a 2.3-MW wind turbine. These experiments utilize sonic as well as conventional anemometers and wind vanes on the NWTC's 135 meter meteorological tower to measure characteristics such as inflow, turbine response, and wind wake. The data gained from these experiments will provide new insights into multi-megawatt turbine aerodynamic response, structural loading, power production, and fatigue life that can be used to increase reliability and performance. The research being done at the NWTC complements DOE's Atmosphere to Electrons (A2e) initiative that targets significant reductions in the cost of wind energy through an improved understanding of the complex physics governing wind flow into and through wind farms.

Text Version

International Collaboration

As a member of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Wind Energy Executive Committee, the program supports international wind energy research efforts by participating in 12 areas of wind energy research. The program's participation in these international research efforts provides U.S. researchers an opportunity to collaborate with international experts in wind energy, exchange recent technical and market information, and gain valuable feedback for the U.S. industry. For more information on IEA activities, visit the International Energy Agency Web site.

 

http://energy.gov/eere/next-generation-wind-technology

Uma análise quase primaveril

 

Sinto que o mundo atravessa neste “início” de século uma revolução sócio-cultural, comportamental, ideológica, ou em síntese, uma revolução em todos os campos. Claro que sempre existiram tais convulsões sociais, digamos assim, e não poderia deixar de citar a mais importante, a que nos diz para onde devemos seguir, em que direção devemos caminhar. Essa não é propriamente uma “convulsão” mas sempre foi uma necessidade premente da civilização, e sem a qual o mundo estagnaria. Trata-se do campo científico-tecnológico. Dá para dizer que os países mais desenvolvidos estão efervescendo nessa área. A cada dia eu observo mais e mais novidades de todos os tipos, e também na área de pesquisas e desenvolvimento novas idéias pipocam a cada dia.  Essa é uma área que comanda o surgimento de novos conceitos que darão margem ao progresso científico-tecnológico.

E a Ciência, que é neutra no sentido de impor diretrizes no desenvolvimento social,  apenas proporciona os meios para isso.    Educação, Cultura ( se é que não sejam sinônimos), mais Ciência, formam a dupla ou tripé que dão sentido à civilização há vários séculos. Antes disso, a humanidade nadava contra a correnteza, os conhecimentos eram escassos. Ainda hoje muito ainda há o que se descobrir. Dá para colocar a Idade Média como ponto inicial do progresso científico. Antes disso haviam apenas incertezas em tudo aquilo que havia sido descoberto, inventado, desenvolvido.

Um fator muito importante é o uso consciente do que se desenvolve em todas as áreas atualmente. De nada adianta um computador avançado nas mãos de quem não tem habilidade para operá-lo convenientemente. Então é preciso nesses casos, mais escolas de informática para preparar os jovens que tem talento a usarem os computadores no seu sentido mais amplo possível. Computadores e demais aparelhos eletro-eletrônicos.  E que eles também não sejam egoístas e procurem transmitir o que aprenderam para outros que não tem tanto talento quanto eles. 

(Quod scripsi, scripsi)

José Sidenei de Melo     (Anos-luz atrás de Paulo Coelho em literatura)

Recipe: Zucchini bread

 

Dietitian's tip: Zucchini — a popular type of summer squash — has a mild flavor and cucumber-like appearance. Shredded zucchini creates moist breads and cakes and is an ideal addition to soups, sauces and casseroles. Serves 18 (2 loaves) Ingredients 6 egg whites 1/4 cup canola oil 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose (plain) flour 1 1/4 cups whole-wheat (whole-meal) flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 cups shredded zucchini 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 1 1/2 cups crushed, unsweetened pineapple Directions Heat the oven to 350 F. Lightly coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray. In a large bowl, add the egg whites, canola oil, applesauce, sugar and vanilla. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture on low speed until thick and foamy. In a small bowl, stir together the flours. Set 1/2 cup aside. Add the baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon to the small bowl of flour. Add the flour mixture to the egg white mixture and using the electric mixer on medium speed, beat until well-blended. Add the zucchini, walnuts and pineapple and stir until combined. Adjust consistency of the batter with the remaining 1/2 cup flour, adding 1 tablespoon at a time. The batter should be thick and not runny. Pour 1/2 of the batter into each prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers of the loaves comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Let the bread cool in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the loaves out of the pans onto the rack and let cool completely. Cut each loaf into 9 1-inch slices and serve.   Nutritional analysis per serving Serving size :1 slice Calories 141 Total fat 5 g Saturated fat 0.5 g Trans fat 0 g Monounsaturated fat 2 g Cholesterol 0 mg Sodium 103 mg Total carbohydrate 22 g Dietary fiber 2 g Sugars 5 g Protein 4 g   http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/recipes/zucchini-bread/rcp-20049730

A Bike Without the eXcess

 

Posted: 13 Aug 2015 12:00 AM PDT

The minimalist Connondale X-Bicycle concept earns its name for the extreme X-shaped frame that enhances its modern function and style. The monocoque carbon fiber frame can be divided into 4 sections with each extension serving to support the basics including seat, handlebars, wheels and gearing system. With a riding stance as aggressive as its aesthetic, its sure to intimidate if not challenge the competition.

Designer: NDS WJ

 

http://www.yankodesign.com/2015/08/13/a-bike-without-excess/

Windows 10 – nota 10. -

 

Estou usando o Windows 10 há cerca de 2 meses.  Com muitas funcionalidades bastante significativas, estou notando que há uma nova base operacional em relação aos sistemas anteriores, mas não apresenta nenhuma  dificuldade  para quem tinha o Windows XP, Vista, Windows 7-8-8.1, e esteja interessado em instala-lo. Vale a pena, MESMO. José SIdenei de Melo

American Standard’s SaTo: A Safe Toilet

 

Wed, 08/12/2015 - 7:00am Lindsay Hock, Editor Every Wednesday, R&D Magazine will feature a R&D 100 Flashback, chosen from our R&D 100 archive of winners. This week’s flashback is American Standard’s SaTo, which won a R&D 100 Award in 2014. Lack of safe sanitation facilities causes 2,000 deaths/day worldwide, mostly among children. American Standard set out to help save these lives with a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet Challenge to develop and test a low-cost, pre-fabricated toilet system for use in developing countries. The SaTo—derived from “safe toilet”—is a cost-effective, sanitary toilet pan designed for use in Bangladesh, where most people use non-hygienic open pit latrines to defecate. Q: Briefly describe your winning technology. A: American Standard invented the SaTo (derived from Safe Toilet) sanitary toilet pan in 2013 to help reduce disease transmission, provide safe sanitation facilities and improve quality of life for residents of Bangladesh, who were defecating using open pit latrines. This cost-effective SaTo toilet pan used ingeniously simple mechanical and water seals with a trap-door mechanism to close off pit latrines from the open air, thereby preventing flying insects from spreading pathogens from contact with human waste. Use of the SaTo pan allowed residents to continue “flushing” their waste using their traditional bodna container of water. Q: What made your winning technology better than what already existed? A: On a 2013 research trip to Bangladesh, the product design team observed the widespread use of non-hygienic latrines, where users fill a pot with water and use this to “flush” waste into the pit. The latrines were covered with a concrete slab in which a plastic toilet pan was encased. The pans had a large opening that allowed waste to fall through, but no seal to prevent transmission of pathogens back out of the pit via flying insects. The SaTo pan effectively and simply sealed off the latrine pits, while allowing residents to maintain their regular bathroom practices. Q: How important was your winning technology to its end application? A: The winning technology proved to be a highly successful solution to a serious health issue. Field tests, and subsequent permanent installations, garnered extremely positive feedback by users. The SaTo pan was easy to use, effective at reducing disease transmission, reduced occurrence of illness in children and virtually eliminated the strong latrine odor. Since the SaTo pans were designed to accommodate existing cultural and sanitation practices, their acceptance was widespread throughout the communities. By working with an established local manufacturer, the $1.85 SaTo pan cost made them attainable for a population surviving on less than $1.00 per day. SaTo. Image: American StandardQ: Have you changed your winning product since you won the R&D 100 Award? A: The model designed for Bangladesh hasn’t changed, and has received very positive reviews from the thousands of families that received the SaTo toilet pans. American Standard has developed a new SaTo model for use by low-income households in Sub-Saharan Africa. In many areas, such as rural Malawi and Uganda, both water and concrete—two key components in the original SaTo design—are scarce or expensive. Plus, alternate pan designs are being crafted to accommodate both squatting and sitting postures for use in this part of the world. These new-model SaTo toilet pans will incorporate local Sub-Saharan Africa bathroom practices, just as the original SaTo pan did in Bangladesh, with the goal of improving sanitation facilities without requiring a change in behavior. Q: What value did winning an R&D 100 Award provide to you and your organization? A: Winning this R&D 100 Award provided very real and meaningful validation that this seemingly humble product was well researched, thoughtfully designed and carried the potential to improve quality of life and provide dignity for people globally. This recognition supports the cause of global sanitation, providing much-needed attention to a critical health issue facing nearly 40% of the world population. The accolades for the SaTo toilet pan has helped it to be embraced by NGOs including BRAC, WaterAid and Save the Children and increased its distribution in other parts of the world, including Haiti, Malawi, Uganda and the Philippines. . http://www.rdmag.com/articles/2015/08/american-standards-sato-safe-toilet

Casca de tangerina: benefícios para a saúde

 

29 January 2015 | Por Bruna Guarnieri Bruna Guarnieri Redatora de Conteúdo A maioria das pessoas adora comer tangerina, mas acaba jogando a maior parte dos seus benefícios no lixo. Isso mesmo, a casca de tangerina possui muito mais benefícios do que a fruta em si, que são capazes de fazer maravilhas pela saúde. De acordo com um estudo conjunto do Departamento de Agricultura dos EUA e uma empresa de pesquisa canadense, publicado em 2004, há relatos de que a casca de tangerina possui propriedades para baixar o colesterol. Segundo estudiosos, casca tem mais propriedades medicinais do que a fruta em si. Foto: iStock, Getty Images Casca de tangerina previne câncer Além disso, a casca de tangerina é muito aromática e tem um sabor picante e amargo. Mas, quando comparada à fruta, a casca tem mais antioxidantes e flavonoides, que podem prevenir o câncer e melhorar a eficácia da vitamina C no organismo. Ainda, o óleo essencial de tangerina pode proporcionar muitos benefícios e qualidade de vida. A maneira mais fácil de consumir a casca de tangerina é fazer um pó com ela. Para isso, é preciso simplesmente secar as cascas, ao natural, deixando-as em local seco, ou então no próprio forno. Após as cascas estarem secas, você pode moê-las em um moedor de café e armazenar o seu pó na geladeira, o que irá preservar as suas propriedades saudáveis.   Por que usar a casca de tangerina Apesar de não ter gosto de coisa alguma, pode ser adicionado em sucos ou em água. Você também pode preparar um chá usando a casca de tangerina, nesse modo com ela fresca ou seca. Veja quais são os principais benefícios deste remédio caseiro para a saúde. 1.Baixar o colesterol Um estudo científico publicado em 2004 revela que a casca, conforme dito acima,  tem benefícios à saúde mais poderosos do que o suco feito da fruta, logo, poderia ter um potencial significativo de redução do colesterol.  Os cientistas deram a hamsters uma dieta gordurosa e, em seguida, os roedores foram alimentados com essa casca por 35 dias ininterruptos. Ao final do período, os pesquisadores descobriram que os hamsters alimentados com suplementos de tangerina tiveram o seu colesterol reduzido, e tudo isso sem efeitos colaterais negativos. 2.Luta contra o câncer Um estudo britânico de 2007 mostrou que certos compostos encontrados em abundância na casca podem causar um efeito de autodestruição nas células cancerosas. Os resultados preliminares indicam que pacientes com câncer podem se beneficiar ao tomar um suplemento de tangerina. Por enquanto os ensaios clínicos não foram realizados, mas não há dúvida de que a evidência é promissora. 3.Obesidade Os estudos sobre os efeitos de um composto encontrado naturalmente nas porções brancas da casca de tangerina mostraram que ratinhos que foram tratados com este elemento não conseguiram desenvolver obesidade ou aterosclerose. Aterosclerose refere-se ao acúmulo de gordura nas artérias, que podem levar a um ataque cardíaco ou acidente vascular cerebral.   Outros benefícios Médicos chineses recomendam o uso desta casca especialmente na preparação de chá. A lista de benefícios para a saúde inclui auxílio na digestão e aliviar náuseas em mulheres grávidas. Outros benefícios incluem balanceamento de açúcar no sangue, ativando a desintoxicação do fígado, o tratamento de gripes e resfriados e aliviar o stress.   http://doutissima.com.br/2015/01/29/casca-de-tangerina-beneficios-para-saude-14689840/

Searching the Internet inflates estimates of internal knowledge

 

Working in groups is advantageous because different individuals can be responsible for different information, allowing each individual to develop more in-depth expertise. For instance, a plumber, electrician, and carpenter work together to build a house, but each is responsible for unique aspects of the project. This is an example of a transactive memory system: information is distributed across the group, and each group member is aware of what he or she knows, as well as who knows what. Because the Internet surpasses any person in accessibility, speed, and breadth of knowledge, the Internet may be treated as an all-knowing expert transactive memory partner. However, in a recent paper in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, Fisher, Goddu, and Keil (2015) suggest that these same features may exacerbate potentially negative effects of transactive memory, in particular conflating knowledge for which a partner is responsible with knowledge one actually possesses. Each of the experiments had an induction phase followed by a self-assessment phase. In the induction phase, participants rated their ability to explain the answers to common questions (e.g., "How do zippers work?") after either searching the Internet to confirm their explanation, or being specifically instructed not to use the Internet. In the subsequent self-assessment phase, participants were asked to rate how well they could explain the answers to groups of questions from a variety of domains that were unrelated to the induction phase questions. Participants who searched the Internet in the induction phase rated themselves as being able to give better explanations than participants who were not allowed to search the Internet. This result was obtained even when participants in the Internet condition were given a specific web source to find (e.g., "Please search the scientificamerican.com page for this information") and participants in the no Internet condition were shown text from that same website. In other words, searching for explanations online led to increases in self-assessed knowledge even when both groups had access to the same explanatory content, and when Internet search did not involve effortful processes like choosing between sources. Higher self-assessed knowledge was also observed following unsuccessful Internet searches (e.g., searches that did not yield an answer to the question). Increases in self-assessed knowledge following Internet search were reduced or eliminated in the following conditions: 1) when participants were provided with a link to access the web source in the induction phase, and 2) when autobiographical knowledge was probed in the self-assessment phase. These results suggest that it is the act of searching online that promotes increases in self-assessed knowledge, and this effect is limited to domains where the Internet might plausibly be of use. Together, this series of experiments demonstrates that actively searching the Internet inflates our sense of the knowledge we actually possess because we fail to recognize the extent to which we rely on external sources for information. While similar illusions of knowledge have been obtained for other external information sources, these illusions may be particularly strong for the Internet because online information is easily and nearly constantly accessible, is retrieved quickly, and covers an incredible breadth of content. Such access to information has many benefits, but the authors caution that the strength of the illusion of knowledge with respect to the Internet could have negative consequences in situations in which the Internet is not available, and individuals think they know more than they really do. Story Source: The above post is reprinted from materials provided by American Psychological Association. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. Journal Reference: Matthew Fisher, Mariel K. Goddu, Frank C. Keil. Searching for explanations: How the Internet inflates estimates of internal knowledge.. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 2015; 144 (3): 674 DOI: 10.1037/xge0000070