Electrical Diagrams and Schematics
ELECTRICAL DIAGRAMS AND SCHEMATICS
On the primary side of the transformer the dot indicates current in; on the secondary side the dot
indicates current out.
If at a given instant the current is flowing into the transformer at the dotted end of the primary
coil, it will be flowing out of the transformer at the dotted end of the secondary coil. The current
flow for a transformer using the dot symbology is illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 3 shows the most common types of switches and their symbols. The term "pole," as used
to describe the switches in Figure 3, refers to the number of points at which current can enter
a switch. Single pole and double pole switches are shown, but a switch may have as many poles
as it requires to perform its function. The term "throw" used in Figure 3 refers to the number
of circuits that each pole of a switch can complete or control.
Figure 3 Switches and Switch Symbols


- An Exposure Indicator for Digital Radiography, 2009 (AAPM)
- The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging (Textbook) - Fee
- The Physics of Diagnostic Imaging (Textbook) - Fee
- Handbook on the Physics of Diagnostic Radiology, IAEA (in preparation)
- Advances in Digital Radiography: Physical Principles and System Overview, 2007 (Journal Article)
- Digital Mammography: An Overview, 2004 (AAPM/RSNA)
- Physics and Technology of Medical Imaging (Online Textbook)
For additional references click here
Computed radiography and digital radiography
Computed radiography (CR) and digital radiography (DR) are rapidly replacing screen-film imaging systems in many countries. Both are similar in technology except for the image receptor. CR uses photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plates which must be transported to a digital scanner (or reader) and scanned with a laser beam to convert the stored image to a digital array. DR uses a solid-state detector, or a combination of a light emitting phosphor and a digital converter, which produces digital array and image.
All other aspects of these two technologies are similar including the computer processing of the digital image, transmission and display of the digital image, and digital image storage. These systems rely on picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) for transmission and storage of the digital images.
CR systems use a PSP plate to store the image resulting from the interaction of x-rays with the phosphor. This stored image is then stimulated by a laser beam with a very small focus (0.1 mm or less). This stimulation results in the emission of light which is captured and digitized to produce the digital array. CR is less efficient in terms of image quality for a specific patient dose due to the initial storage, and the stimulation and readout, of the image information.
DR is a more efficient system. One technology uses a light emitting phosphor which is in intimate contact a thin-film transistor (TFT) array. The TFT array converts the light emitted from the phosphor into digital signals. The other technology uses a photoconductor, such as amorphous selenium (aSe) to directly convert the detected x-rays into an electronic signal.
These technologies differ only in terms of the image sensor and the way the image is converted to a digital signal. It is important to understand the difference and advantages of these systems, one of which is reduced cassette handling for the radiographer in the clinical setting.
The display of the image becomes another important aspect of CR and DR. Appropriate display hardware and quality control is essential to obtaining consistent, diagnostic information in digital images.
Patient dose is a concern in digital imaging, both CD and DR. With screen-film imaging an increase in dose usually means the film becomes darker, until the point at which it is unusable. With CR and DR the dose can be increased by two to four times, or more, and it is difficult to observe a difference in the image. With all digital imaging it is possible to use extremely high doses to the patient!
Digital imaging systems, typically, provide an Exposure Index (EI) for each image. The EI is related to the radiation dose received by the imaging plate and should be similar for all images made for a specific projection, e.g., AP lumbar spine. This provides a relatively easy way to monitor the radiation dose used and to determine if there are changes in the dose due to specific radiographers, particular x-ray rooms, or over time. The EI is an excellent quality control tool.
Introduction to References
The References include information on CR and DR systems, dosimetry applicable to these digital imaging systems, and quality control. A document entitled "Assessment of Display Performance for Medical Imaging Systems" is included in the References as an introduction to the display of digital images.


If you read the book of Isaiah thoughtfully and carefully, you sense immediately the grandeur and the power of God.
You sense the insignificance of man when compared with the might and the wisdom and majesty of God.
A devotion introduction for February
Some of the most beautiful language in human literature is found in the great prophecy of Isaiah. Truly he was a superb master of language. He was also a farseeing prophet who recorded some remarkable prophecies centering on the coming of God's Messiah. The 53rd chapter of his prophecy is such a clear picture of Christ that this book is often called
The gospel according to Isaiah. God's plan of redemption and his work of redemption are central in this prophecy. That is even suggested in the name of the prophet himself—Isaiah, which means
The book of Isaiah, as a matter of fact, could be considered a miniature Bible. There are 66 books of the Bible, and Isaiah has 66 chapters. The Bible divides between the Old and the New Testaments, and Isaiah divides into two halves. The Old Testament has 39 books, and the first division of Isaiah has 39 chapters. The New Testament has 27 books, and the second half of Isaiah has 27 chapters. The opening chapter of the second division of Isaiah, Chapter 40, describes the ministry of John the Baptist, the forerunner of Messiah, the voice crying in the wilderness,
prepare ye the way of the Lord. In the New Testament likewise, the first figure introduced is John the Baptist, crying in the wilderness,
prepare ye the way of the Lord. The closing chapter of Isaiah deals with the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. Revelation, the last book in the New Testament, deals with the same subject—the creation of the new heavens and the new earth. This great prophecy of Isaiah, therefore, captures not only the theme of all Scripture and its central focus on the Savior of mankind himself, but also it reflects the divisions of the Bible itself.
The opening verse of the book gives a very brief introduction to the prophet. The vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. (Isaiah 1:1) In that historical note we learn that Isaiah carried on his ministry through the reigning of four kings. (He actually was put to death during the reign of the son of Hezekiah, Manasseh, one of the most evil kings of Judah, just before the Southern Kingdom was carried away to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.) So Isaiah lived during a time of great unrest. Israel was surrounded by enemies and crisscrossed with invading armies. It was a time of threat, danger and desolation. This was the time when the prophet was sent to declare to this people the cause of their misery.
The Jewish people are often referred to as the
chosen people. The Jews were not so called because they were superior to other peoples, however. The Bible is careful to point out that God chose them, not because they were smarter, richer or greater than others, but as a sample nation, a picture of how God deals with the nations of earth.
He also chose them, of course, as the channel through which the Messiah would come. Speaking to the Samaritan woman, Jesus himself repeated the statement of the Old Testament,
Salvation is of the Jews.
Some would ask, why bother with this ancient history about a people who lived thousands of years ago, a history that cannot possibly have any bearing upon us today? To that, the Apostle Paul in the New Testament says that
all these things happened to Israel as types for our edification, (1 Corinthians 10:11). In the Old Testament we see ourselves portrayed. The problems it pictures are the same problems we face today.


Guest Post by Geoff Russell.
Geoff is a mathematician and computer programmer and is a member of Animal Liberation SA.
Barry has already published a blog on Australia’s biggest climate forcing, livestock. This has prompted some debate about whether to use the warming due to methane (its climate forcing) or its global warming potential (GWP), the forcing averaged over 100 years. Even if you use the smaller factor, then livestock emissions are huge and about the same size as the entire transport sector.
Before getting to this blog post’s topic, its worth clarifying a couple of mistakes that crop up with regular monotony. First is the feeling that grass fed cattle are the answer, this was the response of a Guardian journalist today. If only cattle ate grass like they did when he studied Ag Science in the 60s, and like most Aussie cattle … apart from the ones that ate 5.7 million tonnes of grain in 2005-6, then everything would be alright. The problem is that it isn’t alright because grass fed cattle produce much more methane than grain fed cattle. Every time I see this on the media/internet, I send the author an email, but rarely get a reply and have never seen a correction.
The second usually appears in letters to editors in daily papers. This mistake is to think that because the methane from cattle doesn’t introduce new carbon into the carbon cycle, then it is harmless. This, like the former mistake, is just part of the general argument that meat is natural, so whatever problems it is causing can’t be real. It is true that cattle don’t (directly) introduce new carbon, so methane from cattle is better than methane leaking from a coal seam. But consider a swimming pool … dive in … it offers little resistance. Now freeze the pool … and dive in … ouch, that smarts! You haven’t added any new water, you have just changed some chemical bonds. Ditto methane. Take the carbon from CO2 (carbon dioxide) and turn it into CH4 (methane) and the forcing … the amount of warming it causes goes up dramatically. Even if we weren’t adding new carbon we could easily cook the planet by just changing the ratio of methane to carbon dioxide.
Lets get back to those grass-fed cattle. We can easily reduce the methane by switching to grain feeding. Why don’t we? We are … but there just isn’t enough grain. We now feed about 12 million tonnes of grain to livestock annually in this country. It’s up a little from the ABARE report I linked to earlier … because we imported about 2 million tonnes of mainly soy-meal in 2006/7 (this is data direct from ABARE).
How do we grow grain in Australia? These days we get huge yields (in a good year) with nitrogenous fertiliser … just like the rest of the planet. If people went to Barry’s ccqa3 talk last week, one of Peter Hayman’s slides showed a big kick upward when we started using nitrogen fertiliser in Australia in a big way.
Now we are getting to the tofu of the subject, nitrogen. Nitrogen maketh protein and protein maketh the man. Feed the man meat. One in every 7 households has a diet book (the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet) telling them how wonderful protein is. Gyms sell protein powders by the bucket load promising everything from flat stomachs to bulging muscles. This is sales hype, but I may not get time to deal with that in this post.
Nitrogen has a cycle, just like carbon and there are small armies of scientists who study it. To the left is a little image redrawn from a remarkable 2003 paper which traces the impacts of nitrogen through the eco-system. Well worth a read and there was an update on some of the issues in “Science” (320, 889 (2008)) recently.
Take some time to study that image. It is global nitrogen flows in megatonnes.
On the left is the Haber-Bosch process. This sucks nitrogen out of the sky and breaks its tough N2 bond so that we can use it. This is a very energy intensive process. It takes place at high temperature and pressure. It takes about 65 giga joules (18000 kWh) to make a tonne of nitrogenous fertiliser. Getting data on nitrogen fertiliser production in Australia is tough. The AGO these days just publishes ratios of how much is used by which industry.
Without the Haber-Bosch process, about 3 billion people wouldn’t be around today.
We will get to the climate change bit shortly. Be patient, this isn’t the 6 o’clock TV news.
Note in the above figure, how much of the total nitrogen that comes out of crops and goes into animals comes out as human food. Very little. The wasted nitrogen is a problem. Some of it goes into the air as nitrogen oxide(s) … yes, this is one of the big greenhouse gas groups that gets a mention in emission trading schemes. As you can see from the figure, the waste, the greenhouse emissions from crop fertilisation is largely attributable to meat production, because that’s where the crops go.
The stuff that doesn’t go into the air is also a rather serious problem, but lets ignore it and keep going.
Roughly speaking, the figure is saying that animals consume about 2/3 of global crop production. It’s also saying that the devastation of the world’s oceans delivers very little food. Lets just do a quick “sanity check” about how much of the world’s crops are eaten by livestock.
Last year animals ate 700 million tonnes of about 1800 million tonnes of cereals with biofuels consuming just 100 million. In addition they ate most of the world’s legume production (mainly soy) and a vast quantity of fertilised fodder. When the global food crisis hit this year, the biofuels got a lot of bad press, but meat escaped with scarcely a mention, except from animal libbers who seem to be the only people who were listening when ratios were taught in school.
Who uses Australia’s fertiliser?
As you can see from the AGO table below, the big user is pasture in most states.
If you read Garnaut’s draft report he says that sources of nitrogen oxides from human activity include industry, power generation and transport … he forgot about livestock. Even when fertiliser got a mention (p.471) the link with meat was missing. Everybody forgets about livestock. Its the 400 kg bull of climate change that stands quietly in the corner while the gorillas of the coal industry get all the attention. But please don’t misquote me, the coal industry deserves all it gets, and more … we just have to learn to walk and chew gum at the same time. My sister calls it “spotlight brain” Vs “floodlight brain”. We need floodlight brains that can get across more than our pet subject.
And before you ask … how much grain do people eat in Australia? About 2 million tonnes … 1/6 of what our livestock consume.
Of course the drought and our consequent importation of 2 million tonnes of grain to feed pigs and chickens make us a significant cause of the global food shortage. Put simply, the world’s poor used to compete with the livestock of the rich for food, now they compete also with our motor vehicles. Of course, the poor always lose.
The full consequences of our modifications of the nitrogen cycle are huge and go far wider than nitrous oxide. The bulk of those changes are down to meat.
I can’t help adding just a little piece on protein. The data aren’t published yet, but its pretty obvious if you look at the pictures in the earlier work the group with the lowest protein intake in the huge European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition is the one with the least obesity, and also has about half the standardised mortality ratio of all major diseases. Indeed, too little protein will kill you, but so will too much.
It also really stuffs up the planet.


Since the First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay in 1788, Jewish people have made important contributions within Australian public life as leaders, politicians, soldiers, activists, philanthropists, in business and in the arts.
This area of the collection provides an insight into what makes Australia’s community distinct from other Jewish communities around the world and how being Australian has influenced the lives of Jewish people since colonisation.
The objects, artworks and documents included explore the following questions; What is uniquely Australian about our Jewish way of life and our community? How do Jews feel about being Australian? How does being an Australian Jew manifest itself in our lives, our work, our art or writings?
This collection theme also covers the historical background the Australian Jewish community, with a particular focus on Melbourne. Migration stories are encapsulated through letters, documents and objects, and the continuation of Jewish traditions in Australia is also exemplified, reflecting profound connections to religious and cultural practices as well as the Australian way of life.
© Jewish Museum of Australia 2019. All Rights Reserved


A new deep-drawing apparatus is developed for examining the compatibility problem between the tool and the workpiece material in metal forming. The die consists of two parts divided coaxially, the radius part rotating at a desired speed and the flange part fixed. The division of the die makes it possible to control the meridian component of the frictional force on the die profile radius by changing the direction of frictional force with its rotation. The characterization of the apparatus is made by drawing tests of copper blanks with a sintered carbide die. The result shows that it is possible to estimate the absolute value of die profile friction in deep drawing by using the apparatus developed.
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A New Apparatus for Estimating Die Profile Friction in Deep Drawing
Department of Applied Biological Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Gifu University, Yanagido, Gifu, Japan
Tsutsumi, S., and Kato, T. (May 1, 1994). "A New Apparatus for Estimating Die Profile Friction in Deep Drawing." ASME. J. Eng. Ind. May 1994; 116(2): 183–188. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2901929
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Architectural diversity is the main feature of Germany's historic cities. At its best modern German architecture is spectacular, and enthralling. No architectural movement has had greater influence on modern design than Bauhaus - modern architecture, art and design. The use of steel to create a greater span and large glass surface was subsequently adopted by the early 20th-century art-nouveau movement. The Felix Nussbaum Museum in Osnabrück is one of the most striking examples of contemporary architecture in Germany.


Pleural mesothelioma is an asbestos-related malignant cancer that causes tumors to develop in the mesothelial layer which surrounds the lungs. It the most common form of mesothelioma, responsible for 75% of the 3,000 cases that are diagnosed each year.
Pleural mesothelioma, like other forms of the aggressive disease, may take 20 to 50 years to develop. This “latency period” is the time between asbestos exposure and the development of pleural mesothelioma. Because the cancer is so rare and highly aggressive, it is important that victims seek assistance from a mesothelioma specialist who has expertise and experience in treating pleural mesothelioma.
About Pleural Mesothelioma
The pleura is a soft tissue surrounding the lungs which contains a layer of cells, known as the mesothelium, which may develop into mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma is caused by inhalation of asbestos, a naturally-occurring, thin, fiber-like substance that can lodge in the tissues of the lungs. After a period of time, these fibers may cause inflammation, cell mutations and the growth of plaques, which then go on to form malignant tumors.
Nearly all cases of pleural mesothelioma are related to asbestos exposure which was widely used as a high-heat insulator until the 1970s. After 1973, the U.S. government began to limit the types of asbestos applications that may be used and though it is no longer in widespread use, some products do still contain asbestos.
Most cases of asbestos exposure occurred in those working in certain industries such as steel work, auto manufacturing, pipe fitting, ship builders, demolition and certain types of construction. In some cases however, family members of those industrial workers may have been exposed to asbestos when dust was transported into the home on contaminated clothing or by those whose homes or buildings were under construction or remodeled with asbestos-containing products. Any of these types of exposure to asbestos may have resulted in the development of pleural mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma tumors may also develop in different locations of the body including:
- Abdomen – Peritoneal Mesothelioma
- Heart – Pericardial Mesothelioma
- Scrotum – Testicular Mesothelioma
Pleural Mesothelioma Symptoms
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma are caused by tumor growth and inflammation which may result in fluid collecting in the thoracic or chest cavity. Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma often include:
- Dry cough – caused by inflammation of the outer lung layers
- Persistent cough – may become worse as the disease progresses
- Shortness of breath – caused by lung hardening due to tumor growth, tissue swelling and fluid collection
- Chest pain – due to tumor growth and fluid collection in the chest cavity
- Difficulty swallowing – due to constriction of the esophagus in the chest cavity
- Fatigue – a general symptom of cancer and difficulty breathing
- Weight loss – due to swallowing difficulty and also a general symptom of cancer
Symptoms of pleural mesothelioma may develop slowly over time and become worse as the cancer progresses.
Diagnosing Pleural Mesothelioma
The latency time of pleural mesothelioma development after asbestos exposure is 20 to 50 years and because the cancer so rare, symptoms may often mimic other health disorders, making diagnosis difficult and delayed.
When symptoms are persistent and do not resolve over time, imaging studies will likely be performed. These tests may include:
- CT Scan
- PET Scan
Once imaging studies have shown suspected cancer, blood tests may be used to identify certain proteins released by pleural mesothelioma cancer cells. Results of blood testing and imaging studies will likely be confirmed by a biopsy of the tumor location with microscopic examination to identify cancer cells.
Staging of Pleural Mesothelioma
After diagnosis is confirmed, pleural mesothelioma will be classified into one of four “stages” with Stage 1 being the least developed and Stage 4, the most advanced. The stage of cancer will help identify appropriate treatment options and determine the patient’s prognosis or how likely treatment may be successful.
There are several different systems for staging of pleural mesothelioma but the most common is the IMIG system, which is similar to the TNM system but more specific for pleural cancers. The system classifies the cancer into stages based on tumor size (T), lymph node involvement (N), and migration or metastasis of the cancer (M).
Stage 1 – Tumor is localized in the pleural space and there are no cancer cells in close-by lymph nodes. Pleural mesothelioma is rarely identified at Stage 1 due to disease latency and symptoms that mimic other disorders.
Stage 2 –Tumor(s) are larger but have not spread far beyond pleural area and some local lymph nodes contain cancer cells.
Stage 3 – Tumor(s) are significantly larger have penetrated into surrounding tissue. There are also greater numbers of cancer cells in more lymph nodes that may be further away from the lungs.
Stage 4 – Mesothelioma cancer has traveled to distant parts of the body and tumors of pleural mesothelioma tissue may have developed on other organs including the kidneys, liver, brain and others.
Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma
Treatment options for pleural mesothelioma are determined by the stage of the cancer and the specific type of cells identified in biopsy. The patient’s severity of symptoms, general medical state and other conditions may also affect treatment choice.
In earlier stages, pleural mesothelioma may have more treatment options with a greater rate of success. In the latest stages, treatment options are limited.
- Surgery – surgical removal of the tumor(s) and a margin of healthy tissue will be required in 20% or more pleural mesothelioma cases. In earlier stages, a pleurectomy will be used to remove only the tumor but in later stages, an extrapleural pneumonectomy or removal of the entire lung may be required. Pneumonectomy is much more invasive but is also more effective, particularly when performed early.
- Traditional chemotherapy – medications are often given to kill pleural mesothelioma cancer cells through IV infusion or oral routes. Chemotherapy may be used in addition to other treatments to make sure that all cancer cells are killed. It may also be used to shrink tumor size to make surgery more successful or as a tumor-shrinking treatment to relieve patient symptoms and increase quality of life, even when prognosis is poor.
- Radiation – focused and concentrated energy beams are used to kill tumor cells. Older forms of radiotherapy are not as useful in pleural mesothelioma due to the location of the tumors and risk of further lung damage but newer treatments are more focused with computer imagery guidance. Radiation may be used before surgery to or as a palliative measure when tumor is large and producing significant patient discomfort.
- New therapies – investigational or clinical trials are ongoing throughout the U.S. Newer medications and procedures, while not yet approved, may be promising in the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.
Pleural Mesothelioma Treatment Cost
The cost of pleural mesothelioma is high. Because a clear link to mesothelioma and asbestos exposure has been shown, some victims have filed lawsuits against industry participants and received monetary awards in the tens and hundreds of $millions. A relief fund was also established, which contains an estimated $30 billion was established to aid victims with disease-associated costs. These costs may include medical treatment, loss of wages and loss of life.
For victims or family members of those diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma, compensation may be available but each case is unique. Those affected by this aggressive cancer should seek advice from a legal expert who specializes in mesothelioma.


A 44-year old woman presents via EMS with a chief complaint of a racing heartbeat. She is placed on a cardiac monitor, which displays a heart rate of 192, and a subsequent EKG reveals she is in SVT. She also complains of chest discomfort and shortness of breath. Her blood pressure is stable, and you decide to treat her with adenosine. As you take a more thorough past medical history, you learn your patient has a history of asthma. One of the EM residents mentions that he thought adenosine should not be given to patients with reactive airway disease.
So, you decide to check the package insert which reads:
“Adenosine should be used with caution in patients with obstructive lung disease not associated with bronchoconstriction (e.g. emphysema, bronchitis, etc.) and should be avoided in patients with bronchoconstriction or bronchospasm (e.g. asthma). Adenosine should be discontinued in any patient who develops severe respiratory difficulties.”1
You recall that patients with reactive airway disease are also generally excluded from pharmacologic stress tests using other agents that trigger adenosine receptors, such as regadenoson. However, is this reason enough not to use adenosine in patients with reactive airway disease?
Adenosine has a short half-life of approximately 10 seconds. As an anti-arrhythmic, it works by binding to adenosine type 1A (A1A) receptors, leading to decreased conduction velocity across the AV node and interruption of reentry pathways. Hopefully, this results in restoration of a normal sinus rhythm.
Unfortunately, adenosine also binds to other targets triggering various cellular responses that may cause adverse reactions. Reactions are usually transient and can include hypotension, chest tightness, flushing, and dyspnea. Problems occur when adverse reactions persist longer than the expected duration of the drug.
Several theories exist for adenosine-induced bronchospasm, including:
- Release of mast cell mediators, such as histamine and tryptase
- An early study showed that inhaled adenosine use in patients with asthma caused bronchoconstriction and increased levels of tryptase and histamine in the bronchoalveolar fluid.2
- Stimulation of postganglionic vagal nerve endings
- In a rat model, intravenous (IV) adenosine stimulated vagal pulmonary C fibers via the activation of A1 receptors.3
- Two studies attribute adenosine-related dyspnea to vagal fiber stimulation in the setting of patients without asthma.4,5
- Release of serotonin and lipoxygenase products (animal studies).6,7
- Stimulation of carotid chemoreceptors
Just COPD and Asthma?
Multiple case reports and small studies show an association between adenosine and bronchospasm. The majority of these cases were in adult patients receiving higher-than-normal adenosine doses for pharmacologic stress tests. However, cases have also been reported in the pediatric population. Aside from these cases, there is limited evidence tying standard-dose adenosine to the risk of bronchoconstriction, as illustrated in the following case reports.
|Case||Respiratory Status||Adenosine Treatment||Complication||Reversal, treatment, and outcome|
54 y/o male
Narrow complex tachycardia8
Extubated on day 8
65 y/o female
Narrow complex tachycardia9
Discharged on day 3
29 y/o male
Tachycardia with LBBB10
No cardiac or respiratory symptoms during follow up 40 days after discharge
Dyspnea versus Bronchospasm
One important note to take away from these case reports is the differentiation between dyspnea and bronchospasm. Dyspnea is more commonly defined as a subjective sensation of breathing discomfort. Bronchospasm is a change in lung function, and not diagnosed on the basis of subjective symptoms as reported by the patient. In patients who experience exercise-induced bronchospasm, spirometry is generally conducted to measure the change in their forced expiratory volume (FEV) and FEV1/FVC ratio. Unfortunately, in emergent situations, this cannot be readily measured.
Surrogate markers for bronchoconstriction may include oxygen saturation and persistent wheezing accompanied with dyspnea. Patients who develop bronchospasm may have a cough as an early sign of impending clinical deterioration.10
Reversal of Bronchospasm
Multiple treatment options are available when patients experience bronchoconstriction post-adenosine administration. Dyspnea caused by adenosine should be short-lived and should spontaneously resolve. If symptoms persist for more than a few minutes, it is reasonable to start therapy.
Common agents used in published case reports include oxygen, bronchodilators (e.g. albuterol), and steroids (e.g. methylprednisolone, hydrocortisone, prednisolone, inhaled beclometasone, etc.). IV steroids is an option in patients experiencing true bronchospasm and not just transient dyspnea because it is easier to administer (if intravenous access is available) and does not rely as heavily on the patient’s ability to cooperate with the treatment.11 However, it may have a delayed effect. If inhaled steroids are available and feasible to administer, then that should be given to the patient.
In some of the case reports detailed above, aminophylline was used in addition to inhaled beta-agonists to reverse the bronchoconstrictive effects of adenosine. This makes it difficult to tease out the isolated efficacy of aminophylline itself. Aminophylline works by causing bronchodilation through the inhibition of phosphodiesterase and by antagonizing the effects of adenosine at the receptor level. Because adenosine has such a short half-life, it seems reasonable that aminophylline’s effect may be less due to the adenosine receptor antagonism than its bronchodilatory effects. However, aminophylline comes with complex pharmacokinetic properties and drug-drug interactions must be considered.
Older studies have shown that anticholinergics such as ipratropium may have protective effects against bronchoconstriction triggered by adenosine.12
In our patient presented above, we decided to give 6 mg of adenosine. The risk of adenosine-induced bronchospasm is extremely rare. We explained the symptoms she may feel transiently after administration of adenosine and that these should resolve shortly thereafter. We also discussed the risks and benefits of treatment, mainly the rare risk of prolonged bronchospasm with the urgent need to convert the arrhythmia to normal sinus rhythm. We asked her to advise us if she experiences worsening breathing difficulty or has increased cough afterwards. She was closely observed for 30 minutes after adenosine administration and she did not experience prolonged dyspnea or bronchoconstriction within this time period. She converted to sinus tachycardia shortly after the administration of adenosine and the shortness of breath from earlier also resolved thereafter.
Take Home Points
- Adenosine is a reasonable option to treat SVT even in patients with reactive airway disease as long as the patient does not have active bronchospasm and can be monitored closely after administration.
- Weak evidence from case reports suggests that adenosine may be associated with bronchoconstriction at the lower doses used for SVT, even in patients without reactive airway disease. However, the incidence of adenosine-induced bronchospasm is extremely rare and is rarely clinically significant.
- It is important to distinguish between transient dyspnea and true bronchospasm in these patients. Watch out for symptoms such as cough or wheezing when monitoring patients after they have received adenosine.
- Treatment of adenosine-induced bronchoconstriction includes albuterol and steroids. Aminophylline may be considered as adjunct therapy but dosing and guidance for its use is not well-established.


At times, diseases causing bacteria can find its way into water. As a homeowner, you will need to disinfect this water, to ensure its safety. At most, the first and commonly known disinfectant is chlorine. The act of purifying water with this substance is called chlorination. In short, this water treatment procedure deals with disease-causing bacteria, parasites and other living organisms. In as much as this is the right method to treat your water before using it, it has its disadvantage. Among the many disadvantages available, the below are a few most common ones;
First, the substance usually cause bad taste and smell. Luckily, chlorine is not poisonous to both human and animals, however if the ratio used in treating the water surpasses the expected ration, then it means water will be concentrated with chlorine. In this way, water will have awful taste, consequential in reduced water use. Fortunately, charcoal can be used to reduce the chlorine concentration in water. Secondly, a continuous consumption of chlorinated water can cause cancer. This is because; chlorinated water at times can form trihalomethanes substance, a substance that is responsible in causing cancer.
Apart from the above, it is sad to understand that even though water is treated with the introduction of chlorine substance to it, chlorine cannot remove Nitrate. The only thing that chlorine does is to prevent nitrates from being reduced to nitrite, a substance that is known to be dangerous for human consumption, however it does not eliminate nitrate. For further reading on the same, feel free to check out this link Cyber Nook.
The Process of Cleaning Pool Water
Chlorine kills bacteria in a simple reaction. The chlorine solution first breaks down into several chemicals. Among the chemicals, Hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite ion dominates the action. They both function in almost the same way when tackling the bacteria. Their first point is to attack lipids, found on the cell walls, thus destroying enzymic structures inside the cell. This action renders them harmless and oxidized. Working of the above chemicals is the same, only that they vary in working rate. Hypochlorous acid has the ability to corrode organisms in seconds, divergent to hypochlorite a ion, which takes up to almost a half an hour. Consequently, this feat establishes the period, which treated, water can be said to be secure for use, following the primary treatment.
What should be noted before treating pool water is the pH level. If the pH is noted to be high, then the treatment process might take long since HOCl will not be enough to take on the process as required. The ideal pH condition should be 7 and 8. Therefore;
- The first step to consider is to ensure pH is considerable. Test your swimming pool water.
- Second, balance the pool pH. This will be done by adding either a base or an acid.
- Check filter, if it is working well, and then do the scrubbing, scrub sides, as well as the bottoms of the pool.
- The third thing is to treat the pool, with shock pools. At most, pool shock bears a bit high levels of chlorine and this is what wipes out the sanitization and the algae content in the pool. The best pool shock to choose is almost 70 percent, given that this is recommendable in eroding the tough algae. After this, usher in the final step, which is finishing the job. Here, the dead algae are supposed to be vacuumed up. Do this thoroughly to ensure all algae have gone.
Drinking Water Filters
In the same way, drinking water filters are supposed to be cleaned so that they can give out clean water for drinking. Instead of replacing drinking water filters, they can as well be rinsed in chlorinated water. First, clean the filters to remove sediments. Then soak in chlorinated water to kill the bacteria that might be as a result of the cleaning time. Wait until it is dry, and then refit in the water tabs. The process is not costly, since you only require getting water supply and the chlorine. Drinking water and shower waters are treated in the same way. The only difference is the channel that they pass before reaching the consumption point.
Shower waters and drinking or cooking water at times can be collected at one point, and then treated from that point, before being discharged to the various places for utilization. Thus, the initial step is to coalesce the water, here particles are made to settle as masses and not individuals. Then sedimentation is followed, then filtration and lastly disinfection. Disinfection is done by the use of chlorine. Before this treated water is taken to bath rums, bathtub should be treated as well. For main grade bathtub, buying and installation can range from 621.16 to 867.23 dollars. It is expensive and therefore, it does not require to be bought every time rather, it is better to clean it when filthy, to uphold its work ability. Marshal it into the tubes chlorine, and then wait for some thirty minutes, before passing water at a high pressure through the pipes.
Showers also need to be cleaned. First, during installation, ensure the shower you buy has quality shower heads like the ones in the link below; Rainshower CQ1000 Dechlorinating Shower Filter the best way to clean the shower head is by using vinegar. It is easy, simply fill a bag with vinegar, tie it around the showerhead, ensuring it submerges in the liquid, and wait for some minutes. Apart from the above method, you can as well place the showerhead in the source pan and add white vinegar and heat. This is also the best way of cleaning up showerheads. All the gadgets and chemicals for treating water and water related equipments can be obtained from water department or nearest shops.


Argonne researchers study how reflectivity of biofuel crops impacts climate
Historically, studies of impacts to greenhouse gas emissions due to land use change, such as converting forests, grasslands or pastureland to land used for producing biofuel crops, have primarily considered changes in the amount of carbon stored in the soil and vegetation of these lands. However, change in reflectivity, or "albedo," is another factor to consider in such land use change analyses that had only been studied to a limited extent in past analyses.
To improve understanding of the changes in greenhouse gas emissions due to albedo effects, Hao Cai of Argonne's Energy Systems Division, along with EVS researchers Yan Feng and Jiali Wang, collaborated to conduct a detailed study incorporating data from millions of sites in more than a thousand counties in the U.S.
While there is much data variability, the findings reveal that when a piece of land is changed to produce a biofuel crop, albedo effects also changed. When only albedo change effects are considered, researchers found that land converted to producing corn ethanol had a net cooling effect on climate. By comparison, land that was converted to producing miscanthus and switchgrass, two other plant sources for next-generation biofuels, had a net warming effect. But when carbon stock changes, another key effect of land use change, are also taken into account, corn and switchgrass ethanol exhibit net warming effects associated with land use change whereas miscanthus grass ethanol exhibits a net cooling effect.
Read the full article by Argonne science writer Joan Koka.


A worldwide movement has already begun for finding long-term solutions for climate change. The Paris Agreement, which was signed in 2006, was made official by more than 180 countries. It set a goal of keeping the increase in global average temperature below 2-Degree Celsius. The agreement recognized that this would go a long way towards reducing the risks of global warming.
One cannot ignore the fact that power consumption will continue to increase. It is mainly due to the global demand for energy, coming from industrialized as well as developing nations. If the recent reports are to be believed, nuclear power has become more expensive than solar power. The calculation was made on the basis of installed cost per unit of the capacity of power generation.
Nuclear Energy vs Solar Energy
Nuclear energy is generated by splitting uranium atoms. Upon splitting the atom, two smaller and lighter atoms are formed. The ‘lost’ mass is then transformed into heat used for the production of electricity. A controlled environment is provided for this process by the nuclear power plants.
Large-scale ecological devastation was caused by accidents at the nuclear power plants of Chernobyl and Fukushima. Otherwise, nuclear power is considered to be relatively environment-friendly and produces fewer emissions. However, nuclear energy relies heavily on uranium mined from the earth and is therefore not sustainable.
Solar energy is a sustainable source of energy and can provide a stable power supply during the year. It uses photovoltaic modules or solar panels, which utilize the light energy from the sun to generate electricity.
How solar energy can gradually replace nuclear energy
As solar technology advances further, generating power using sunlight will become much more cost-effective. Architects will integrate solar power into the building designs. Hot water systems run by solar energy will be far more economical as compared to the conventional systems.
The cost of one watt of solar power was over $75 in the late 1970s. It dropped to about $0.60 in 2014. This proves that today’s solar power projects are far more cost-effective. Industry experts have predicted that 50% of the world’s power supply would come from sustainable resources by 2040.
They have also said that millions of households worldwide would use solar energy in the next few years. This prediction is based on the current usage of solar power in the US and Japan. Germany, China, and Japan also provide financial incentives for those who implement such systems. This has made these countries world leaders in solar deployment.
For planet earth, the sun has always been a reliable source of abundant energy. Today, technologies are available for utilizing solar energy for a variety of purposes. Supply of hot water to households and producing steam for turbines generating energy are two of the best examples.
By now, the entire world has understood the fact that nuclear energy is not sustainable. The only reliable sources of energy are the ones that are sustainable, such as the wind and the sun. At the moment, the cost of producing nuclear power is becoming a cause of concern.
Under such circumstances, the best alternative is solar energy. As long as the costs involved in producing solar power continue to decrease, there is hope. One cannot rule out the possibility of it replacing nuclear power in the near future.


He was born in Strasbourg but travelled to Paris in 1847 where he established a reputation as a lithographer and illustrator on the Journal pour Rire (1848-51). He also exhibited drawings at the Salon. His first important book illustrations were for Balzac's Contes Drolatiques (1848). He also established a new large format of illustration, which became extremely popular (e.g. Wandering Jew, 1856). He visited London in 1869, making a series of drawings of the capital which were engraved and published with Douglas Jerrold as London, A Pilgrimage (1872), and influenced later artists like van Gogh (e.g. Doré's Newgate Exercise Yard, 1872). He is best known for his illustrative wood engravings particularly of fantastic and grotesque subjects with seething masses of people and a Baroque sense of drama (e.g. Dante's Inferno, 1861; Don Quixote, 1862). He was prolific, employing over 40 woodcutters and often producing his work rapidly. During the 1870s he also turned to painting and sculpture (e.g. Dumas Monument, Paris, 1883) but much of it was over-ambitious and pretentious.
Richardson, J., Gustave Doré: A Biography, London, 1980; Gustave Doré, exh. cat., Strasbourg, 1983


Many people may think that a video game is just a video game system that is used to play games. But there are many other things that make a video game system complete. Video games have come a long way from the early games played on a cartridge. Video games are now available in almost every home and are often referred to as computer or game consoles. A video game is also an interactive computer game that entails interaction with a user interface, typically including keyboard, mouse, joystick, or even hand held motion sensitive device.
Gaming devices differ greatly from personal computers in many ways. The amount of memory, hard drive space, and speed of CPU are important differences between the two. One of the biggest differences today is that gaming consoles and personal computers can be connected to one another wirelessly through a wireless router or through a proprietary cable. Gaming devices can be transported from one location to another easily as they are not dependent on a base station for connectivity. This makes gaming more fun and flexible.
Some gaming consoles and mobile gaming devices have hundreds of apps, while others have hundreds of games pre loaded. These apps provide customers with a large collection of free games, as well as social networking options and other activities such as news feeds and access to the Amazon marketplace. Mobile gaming has exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry, making it a popular past time for households all over the world.


Lindzen's Clouded Vision, Part 2: Risk
Posted on 9 May 2012 by dana1981
In Part 1 of this post, we examined the fundamental flaws in the last hope for climate contrarians - that the planet won't warm very much in response to rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, because climate sensitivity is low, because clouds will act as a negative feedback and dampen future warming. While it would be convenient if this picture (best embodied by Richard Lindzen) were accurate, the evidence is stacked heavily against it.
Nevertheless, as Part 1 concluded, there is a slim chance that Lindzen and company are correct, that climate sensitivity is low and global warming is not a major concern. There is also a high probability that they are wrong, that future global warming will be substantial, and that the consequences will be bad if we don't do something about it. How we choose to address these scenarios is a question of risk management, which happens to be a big part of my day job. Unfortunately, as with his scientific positions, Lindzen's risk management arguments are ill-conceived.
In the Gillis New York Times article, Lindzen summarizes his approach to this climate risk management question:
"If I’m right, we’ll have saved money...If I’m wrong, we’ll know it in 50 years and can do something."
There is a rather obvious flaw in Lindzen's logic here - it assumes that in 50 years we will be able to simply flip a switch and solve the climate problem. Unfortunately, that is probably not the reality of the situation. Figure 1 shows the projected atmospheric CO2 levels under various emissions scenarios. If we listen to Lindzen, we will follow one of the higher emissions paths (currently we are on track with A2 [yellow]). Figure 2 shows the resulting global warming based on climate model runs which, as Part 1 showed, have thus far been quite accurate.
Figure 1: Atmospheric CO2 concentrations as observed at Mauna Loa from 1958 to 2008 (black dashed line) and projected under the 6 IPCC emission scenarios (solid colored lines). (IPCC Data Distribution Centre)
Figure 2: Global surface temperature projections for IPCC Scenarios. Shading denotes the ±1 standard deviation range of individual model annual averages. The orange line is constant CO2 concentrations at year 2000 values. The grey bars at right indicate the best estimate (solid line within each bar) and the likely range. (Source: IPCC).
The big difference between the higher and lower emissions scenarios is that at mid-century, emissions in the higher scenarios are accelerating upwards, while in the lower scenarios they are flattening out. It takes time to deploy the necessary infrastructure to reduce GHG emissions - there is no magical switch we can suddenly flip in 2050 when we realize that Lindzen and company were wrong. As Figure 2 shows, the average global surface temperature difference between Scenario A2 (essentially business-as-usual advocated by Lindzen) and Scenario B1 (which involves serious action to reduce GHG emissions) in 2100 is close to 2°C.
Internationally, 2°C warming above pre-industrial levels is generally accepted as the "danger limit" we should try to avoid exceeding. This is not a hard and fast limit - there won't suddenly be a catastrophe if we reach 2.01°C; in fact, many experts believe even 2°C warming is too risky. However, some of the impacts listed in the IPCC report for global warming of a Lindzen-level 3-4°C above pre-industrial levels include:
hundreds of millions of people exposed to increased water stress
30–40% of species at risk of extinction around the globe
about 30% of global coastal wetlands lost
increased damage from floods and storms
widespread coral mortality
the biosphere – soils, plants etc – stops absorbing carbon and starts releasing it
reduced cereal production
increased death and illness from heat waves, floods and droughts.
In Scenario A2, we reach this level of warming in about 60 to 80 years - within a couple of decades of Lindzen's 50 year 'wait and see' target. If he is wrong, by the time we're forced into taking action, it will be too late to avoid some really nasty consequences.
And of course let's not forget global warming's evil twin, ocean acidification. Even if the contrarians are right about low climate sensitivity, the impacts of rising atmospheric CO2 on marine ecosystems will be severe, and a 50-year delay in reducing CO2 emissions could have dire consequences for those ecosystems.
In short, if Lindzen is wrong, future generations are in big, big trouble. In fact, according to The Critical Decade report by the Australian Climate Commission, we've already burned through 30% of our allotted GHG emissions between 2000 to 2050 if we want to give ourselves a good chance to limit global warming to that 2°C limit. Not only don't we have 50 years, we're already behind where we should be in terms of emissions reductions.
Risk Management 101
Humans are generally very averse to risk. Everyone who drives a car purchases auto insurance. Everyone who owns a house purchases homeowners insurance. Most first world countries have implemented universal health care systems, and in the USA, virtually everyone who can afford it purchases health care insurance. Personally I'm relatively young and in good health, I'm a safe driver, and I'm not worried that anything will happen to my home; yet I've purchased all three types of insurance. Why?
Because if anything were to do substantial damage to my home, car, or health, it could impose a huge cost which I couldn't afford without insurance. The probability of any of these things happening is relatively low, but the potential consequence is so bad that we all mitigate it by purchasing insurance to cover our most valuable assets in case the worst case scenario comes to fruition.
Yet when it comes to the climate, we are behaving in exactly the opposite manner. It's hard to imagine a larger potentially diastrous scenario than a major climate change. It could potentially impact every single living thing on Earth, and impose a huge cost on every person. This is not just some slim possibility, as shown in Part 1, it's the most probable outcome! And yet thus far we have utterly failed to mitigate this massive, highly probable risk.
This is the risk management approach I described in my entry in Why Are We Sure We're Right, and as Greg Craven has eloquently summarized in this video. However, to adequately manage the risks posed by climate change, we should perform a cost-benefit analysis.
The costs associated with mitigating climate change are relatively straightforward to evaluate. Generally, estimates put the cost of reducing GHG emissions 80% by 2050 (which will approximately limit global warming to the 2°C 'danger limit') at around 1% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Some estimates put the cost as low as a fraction of a percent of GDP, while others put it as high as 2 to 3%. While this is a substantial cost, it is not an unmanageable one, and we already have all the technology necessary to accomplish this task.
It's also worth noting that the longer we wait, the larger the costs become. Delays force emissions cuts to be steeper, and they also delay the development of cheaper emissions reductions technologies. A Google.org study found that delaying significant investment in green tech by 5 years could cost the USA $2.3 to $3.2 trillion in GDP (Figure 3).
Figure 3: US GDP gains between 2010 and 2050 in three scenarios. The green scenario includes a $30 per ton price on utility sector CO2 emissions and strong investment in green tech to develop "breakthroughs" (BTs). the blue line depicts a scenario in which there is heavy investment in green tech without a carbon price. The purple line is a 5 year delay before significant investment in green tech. The red and orange area depicts the difference in GDP growth: $2.3 to 3.2 trillion lost in the 5 year delay scenario. Source: Google.org study
The benefits of climate mitigation are more difficult to estimate, because it depends who's right. If Lindzen and company are right about low climate sensitivity, then reducing GHG emissions has some relatively small benefits. For example, countries will produce more domestic energy and become more energy-independent. National security will improve as oil-based wars become less likely. The transition away from fossil fuels, which are after all non-renewable and limited substances, will be smoother and easier. Air and water pollution and their associated adverse health impacts will be reduced.
Installing the necessary infrastructure would also create a lot of jobs and help alleviate the current unemployment problems around the world. Right now, when there is a major surplus in the available work force, is arguably the best time for governments to invest in infrastructure projects like those which will be necessary to reduce GHG emissions.
So there are some definite benefits to reducing emissions even if the Lindzen low sensitivity crowd is right. If they are wrong, which is the far more likely scenario, the benefits will outweight the costs several times over, by trillions of dollars (Figure 4).
'Fingers Crossed' is Poor Risk Management
Lindzen's suggested approach of waiting 50 years and hoping the consequences are not disastrous is one of exceptionally poor risk management. The prudent approach would involve addressing the worst case scenario, particularly when that scenario has a significant probability of coming to fruition if we fail to prevent it. This is particularly true when the mitigation costs, while not cheap, will certainly not cripple the economy, and when the benefits are also significant in any scenario, and may very well outweigh the costs several times over and by trillions of dollars.
From a risk management standpoint, there is no question that we should be ignoring Lindzen's ill-conceived approach and instead taking serious action to reduce our GHG emissions. Unfortunately, for various reasons, we have thus far failed to take the prudent climate risk management approach, and if we continue to fail, future generations will suffer the consequences of Lindzen and his fellow contrarians' foolhardy approach.


The Dutch Golden Age
From the Publisher...
Around 1600, a "Golden Age" started in the Northern provinces of the Low Countries. In 1602, the United East-Indian Company (VOC) was founded, the first ever company with shares. A maritime trade and transport network to the Far East was established, with fortified trade posts along the way.
The Low Countries developed steadily in many areas. The Seven Provinces were led to glory by Johan de Witt, an astute statesman who built an effective, modern navy led by superior admirals. Rich entrepreneurs were influential from many European ports to the Far East and the West Indies. William of Orange, murdered in 1584, lived on in the hearts of his people as the Father of the Fatherland.
Meanwhile, success also loomed in other fields. In science, the philologist Lipsius, the naturalist Leeuwenhoek, the philosopher Spinoza and, last but not least, the father of the "law of nations", Hugo Grotius all advanced their expertise considerably. In arts, the "Flemish School" with Rubens and Van Dyck and the "Dutch School" with Frans Hals, Jan Steen, Vermeer, and Rembrandt became famous.
1 large game board
110 playing cards (27 culture, 22 arts, 21 investment, 21 spices, 19 colony cards)
20 movement tokens in four colors
24 influence markers
1 pawn "Steward"
60 guilders coins in three denominations
1 rules booklet
more information at the Board Game Geek website
Customer Raves - Write your own Rave about this game!
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The buzzing in your ear keeps getting worse. At first, you could barely notice it. But after spending all day at the construction site (for work), you’ve noticed just how noisy (and how persistent) that buzzing has become. These sounds can take many forms, such as ringing, buzzing, or any number of noises. You don’t know if you should come in and see us or how ringing in your ears could even be addressed.
The treatment of tinnitus (that’s what that buzzing is called) will differ from person to person and depend greatly on the source of your hearing issues. But your own tinnitus treatment will share some common threads with others that can help you get prepared.
What kind of tinnitus are you experiencing?
Tinnitus is very common. There can be a number of causes for the ringing (or whatever tinnitus sounds you’re hearing). So when it comes to treatment, tinnitus is usually divided into one of two categories:
- Medical Tinnitus: Underlying medical problems, including ear infections, excessive earwax, a growth, or other medical problems, can be the cause of tinnitus. Dealing with the root medical problem will usually be the priority of your medical professional.
- Non-Medical Tinnitus: “Non-medical” nomenclature is usually saved for tinnitus caused by damaged hearing or hearing impairment. Over time, exposure to damaging noise (like the noise at your construction site) can cause persistent, significant, and chronic tinnitus. Non-medical tinnitus is usually more challenging to manage.
The best way to manage your symptoms will be determined by the underlying cause of your hearing issue and the kind of tinnitus you’re experiencing.
Treatments for medical tinnitus
Your medical tinnitus symptoms will typically clear up when the root medical issue is treated. Treatments for medical tinnitus may include:
- Surgery: When your tinnitus is triggered by a tumor or other growth, doctors could perform surgery to remove the mass that is causing your tinnitus, especially if your symptoms are decreasing your quality of life.
- Hydrocortisone: Certain kinds of infections will not respond to antibiotics. For instance, antibiotics never work on viral infections. In these situations, your doctor might prescribe hydrocortisone to help you control other symptoms.
- Antibiotics: If your tinnitus is caused by an ear infection (that is, a bacterial ear infection), your doctor might prescribe antibiotics. Once the infection goes away, it’s likely that your hearing will go back to normal.
If your tinnitus is a result of a medical problem, you’ll want to see us to receive personalized treatment options.
Non-medical tinnitus treatment options
In general, medical tinnitus is a lot easier to diagnose and manage than non-medical tinnitus. There is usually no cure for non-medical tinnitus (especially in cases where the tinnitus is a result of hearing damage). Instead, treatment to enhance quality of life by relieving symptoms is the normal strategy.
- Hearing aids: If your tinnitus becomes more prominent as your hearing wanes, a hearing aid may help you manage the symptoms of both conditions. When you are dealing with hearing impairment everything externally gets quieter and that can make your tinnitus noises seem louder. When you utilize a hearing aid it boosts the volume of the external world making your tinnitus sounds seem quieter.
- Cognitive-behavioral therapy: In some circumstances, you can be trained to disregard the sounds of your tinnitus. This widely used method has helped many people do just that.
- Noise-masking devices: These devices mask your tinnitus sounds by generating enough white noise to allow the buzzing or ringing to fade into the background. Specific sounds can be tuned into these devices depending on what sounds your tinnitus is creating.
- Medications: Tinnitus is sometimes managed with experimental medication. As an example, tinnitus symptoms can sometimes be decreased by mixtures of anti-anxiety medication and steroids. Still, you’ll want to speak with us before making any decisions about medications.
Find what works
In order to successfully treat your hearing problems you will probably need to explore several approaches as the exact cause of your tinnitus probably won’t be clear. Depending on the source of your ringing or buzzing, there might not be a cure for your tinnitus. But there are numerous treatments available. The trick is identifying the one that works for you.


Keywords: genetic engineering, genetically modified trees, GM trees, forestry, biotechnology, attitudes, public perceptions, GM debate, GM food, genetically modified organisms, GMOs
GM technology in forestry: lessons from the GM food 'debate'
This paper aims to demonstrate the important lessons to be learnt from the Genetically Modified (GM) food 'debate', by examining the similarities of, and differences between, it and GM technology in forestry. Through consideration of a range of issues, such as technological applications, public concerns and the role of protest groups, it is concluded that the commercialisation of GM trees is likely to be as problematic as the commercialisation of GM crops has been in certain parts of the world. Therefore, it is recommended that public concerns be investigated, that attempts be made to value the wider potential costs and benefits of the technology to forestry, and that protest groups be listened to. Only through attempting to address these issues might it be possible to avoid the development of a 'debate' surrounding GM forestry that is as polarised and entrenched as that relating to GM food.