Basic Components
The basic components of data communications are the same as the typical communication process. You need a sender (transmitter), message (data) and receiver (destination). Take the simple electronic communication method of email for example. The computer you type the email on is the sender, known in data communications as the transmitter. The typed message is the data being communicated. The computer the email is opened on is the destination, the equivalent to the receiver in ordinary communication.
   

Direction
The simplest form of data communications is the simplex channel. In a simplex channel the message is communicated one way, without the option for the receiver to respond. Radio is an example of a simplex channel. Data communications that allows communication to take place back and forth, albeit not at the same time, is known as the half-duplex system. A phone conversation is an example of the half-duplex system. The full-duplex system allows two people to communicate at the same time. For example, instant messaging would be a full-duplex system because two people can be typing at the same time.
   

The Process
Data communications oftens use the process of serial-transmission–a message is broken down into small data packages and transmitted to its destination. When the message arrives at its destination, the packages are put together in sequential order to resemble the original message. A parity bit is attached to each data package to detect any possible errors. If an error is detected the parity bit will alert you.
   

Distance
Data communications is effected by distance. Long distance communication requires a LAN (Local Area Network) connection, which are usually built into computers. For vast distances, such as a long distance phone call, digitally modulated analog carrier signals are used.
   

Benefits
Data communications gives you the ability to easily stay in touch with others. Phones, instant messaging, emails and social networking sites all utilize data communications.

Physical Effects
Tobacco smoking and chewing causes cancer, heart disease, emphysema and premature aging. Tobacco smoking is implicated in 15 different kinds of cancer and damages every organ in the body, according to the ACS. Many of the chemicals in tobacco damage the DNA of cells in the body. These damaged cells can lose their ability to control their own reproduction, becoming cancer cells. Cancer cells reproduce, or metastasize, without stopping. These cells can spread to the lymph nodes and various body organs, and can be fatal.
   

Types of Cancer
According to the website Green Facts, the types of cancer caused by tobacco use include lung cancer, oral cancer (including pharynx, larynx and esophagus), pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. Tobacco use also increases the risk of cancers of the sinuses, stomach, liver, cervix, nasal cavities, uterus and bone marrow.
   

Cancer Treatments
Cancer treatment depends on overall health, the type and stage of cancer, and patient preferences. Typical cancer treatments include surgery to remove tumors, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted drug therapy and clinical trials, according to the Mayo Clinic. In some cases, patients choose not to undergo treatment; for example, they may decide the side-effects outweigh the benefits, or the cancer might be too advanced to respond well to treatment.
   

Chemicals
According to Tobacco Facts, there are 4,000 chemicals in tobacco, 100 of which are identified poisons, and 63 of which are known to cause cancer. Nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, is a vasoconstrictor (it causes the blood vessels to constrict) and a class one insecticide. Other chemical poisons in tobacco include arsenic, cyanide, formaldehyde and ammonia bromide (also used in toilet cleaners).
   

Risk
The risk of getting cancer from using tobacco products depends on a number of factors. These factors include age at time of beginning use, age at time of quitting (if you have quit), overall health, family history of cancer, strength of your immune system, and history of viral infections, according to the Mayo Clinic. Certain viral infections appear to make people more susceptible to developing tobacco-related cancer, though there have not been any double-blind clinical studies.

Anti-biting Solution
Nail-biting solution is a bitter-tasting fingernail coating used as a deterrent. The solution is most effective against subconscious, habitual nail biting, as your subconscious begins to avoid the habit due to the bitter, acrid taste. Apply the solution each morning, periodically during the day and again at night to avoid biting while you sleep. You can apply the solution to your nails whether or not you’re wearing nail polish. Use the solution on your cuticles to avoid chewing in these areas as well
   

Nail Polish
Paint your nails, or have then painted professionally, using a nail-hardening base. Nail polish helps harden nails and leaves them more resilient against your attempts to bite through them. The acrylic substance used for artificial nails provides an additional deterrent from biting your nails. The expense of going to a nail salon and having your nails professionally done also provides an additional incentive to keep your nails out of your mouth.
   

Wean Yourself
Work your way down by selecting a single nail to avoid biting for a week. During that week, allow yourself to bite your other nails. After the week, select a second nail to avoid biting. Continue weaning yourself off a new nail each week until all of your nails are off-limits. While the process of weaning yourself off of nail biting, one nail at a time, can be a frustrating challenge, you can find inspiration to keep going once your nails begin growing healthy and naturally.
   

Keep Your Hands Busy
One of the reasons people bite their nails is the compulsive desire to do something with their hands. Avoid spending long periods of time without using your hands by picking up a few hobbies to keep your hands busy. These include playing video games, texting your friends or reading a book. Take your mind off your habit and focus your attention on your new hobby.

Insulin Resistance
A normal fasting blood sugar is less than 100 mg/dL. If your glucose levels are higher, you are at risk for metabolic syndrome. The National Institutes of Health says that 85 percent of those with type II diabetes develop metabolic syndrome.
   

High Blood Pressure
 If you’re on medicine to treat high blood pressure or your blood pressure is 130/85 or higher, you could be at risk for developing metabolic syndrome. Only one of these two numbers have to be high to be considered characteristic of the illness.
   

Cholesterol Abnormalities
People with metabolic syndrome may have an elevated triglyceride level of 150 mg/dL or higher. Triglycerides are a type of fat found in the blood. Those who develop a metabolic disorder typically have HDL (known as good cholesterol) levels of 50 mg/dL or less for women and 40 mg/dL or less for men.
   

Obesity

Abdominal obesity is the most common characteristic of metabolic disorder. Women with a waist measurement of 35 inches or more are considered at risk; for men, it’s 40 inches or more. Because of this, losing weight is the recommended treatment for limiting the syndrome’s progression.
   

Causes
It is not known what causes metabolic syndrome. The characteristics generally used to describe this illness, like insulin resistance, obesity and hypertension, can be genetic or lifestyle factors. The risk of developing metabolic syndrome increases with age. Forty-three percent of those affected are between 60 and 69 years old.

Facts
According to Greynium Information Technologies, excessive fatigue can cause hypertension, as your heart works harder to make up for your lack of energy.
   

Medications
According to AllExperts, medication for hypertension can cause fatigue. Ask your doctor to adjust the dosage. Also, be sure that your excessive fatigue is not related to a thyroid disorder.
   

Symptoms
Fatigue is a symptom of an overworked heart. Other symptoms of hypertension may include headaches, blurred vision, restlessness and nausea.
   

Prevention/Solution
Check your blood pressure occasionally, especially if you or your family has a history of hypertension.
   

Warning
Get a good amount of rest, and do not work yourself beyond exhaustion. This type of behavior puts you at risk of hypertension.

Consideration
Your blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted against the walls of the arteries as your heart pumps blood through them. The more force the blood exerts, the higher your blood pressure. A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers, one written above the other. The top number, called systolic pressure, is the amount of pressure against the artery walls when the heart beats. The bottom number, called diastolic pressure, is the pressure between heartbeats, when the heart is resting.
   

Categories of Blood Pressure Readings
 The five categories of blood pressure readings are normal, prehypertension, stage 1 hypertension, stage 2 hypertension and hypertensive crisis. Hypertension is the medical name for high blood pressure.
   

Identification
Prehypertension describes blood pressure readings that are slightly above normal but not in the high blood pressure, or hypertension, range. You have prehypertension if your blood pressure falls between 120/80 and 139/89. The first stage of high blood pressure ranges from 140/90 to 159/99, and second stage hypertension is any reading over 160/100. You experience hypertensive crisis and need emergency care if your blood pressure is higher than 180/110.
   

Significance
If you have prehypertension, you are likely to develop hypertension, which can lead to serious medical conditions, such as stroke, heart attack and even heart failure. Making some lifestyle changes can help keep your blood pressure below the hypertension range. Recommendations include eating a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, losing weight if you are overweight, not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation and learning to manage stress.

Statistics
Approximately 25 percent of adults in the United States have prehypertension, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and slightly more than 30 percent have hypertension. The CDC also reports that in 2006, high blood pressure was the primary or contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans.

Definition
Freeze-dried coffee, also known as instant coffee, is dehydrated coffee that is made from coffee liquor (coffee that already has been brewed). To be used, freeze-dried coffee is placed in hot water and rehydrated. After rehydration, it can be used like any other type of brewed coffee.

Manufacture
The method of manufacture for freeze-dried coffee is relatively simple. Coffee grounds are brewed as normal in large commercial vats. The resulting coffee liquor is then placed through evaporators so that it becomes highly concentrated. It is then foamed and frozen. The concentrated coffee then is ground into particles, and the crystals of ice within the particles are removed through the process of sublimation.
Advantages

There are several advantages of freeze-dried coffee when compared to regular brewed coffee. Freeze-dried coffee is extremely portable. It comes in large containers but also individual packets that can be transported in pockets, purses, or lunch containers. Also, freeze-dried coffee does not require any equipment such as a coffee maker. All that is needed is a cup and hot water. Freeze-dried coffee is ready faster than brewed coffee. It is ready as soon as the crystals of coffee dissolve in the water. It is hard to get the strength of the coffee incorrect, since coffee drinkers can simply add more crystals or add water until they reach the strength they like.

Types
As with regular brewed coffee, there are many types of freeze-dried coffee available. Coffee drinkers can choose from caffeinated and decaffeinated versions, and there are many different flavors based on the coffee grounds that are used to make the freeze dried coffee. These flavors can be tweaked based on how many crystals are put into a cup, and coffee drinkers can find the brand that suits them best.
History

Freeze-dried coffee has a history that spans more than a century. It was invented in 1901 by Satori Kato, a Japanese scientist. Later, George C.L. Washington first marketed the product around 1910. The first name brand of freeze-dried coffee, Nescafe, was developed 18 years later in 1938.

Go ahead … have that second cup of java.

Research has found that coffee offers a long list of potential health benefits, including possibly reducing the risk of diabetes, heart disease, Parkinson’s disease, cirrhosis of the liver and even Alzheimer’s.

Why? The answer may lie in the army of antioxidants coffee contains.

“Many people do not realize that coffee is the largest source of antioxidants in their diet,” said Dr. Donald Hensrud, chair of preventive, occupational and aerospace medicine at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Numerous studies have shown that coffee is good for the heart. The Iowa Women’s Health Study, an ongoing study as of May 2011, followed 27,000 women from age 55 to 69. In that study, researchers from the University of Minnesota found that women who drink one to three cups of coffee a day reduce their risk of heart disease by 24 percent compared with those who abstain from drinking coffee.

In a study conducted at Spain’s Autonomous University of Madrid, researchers tracked 129,000 men and women over 20 years and found that study participants who consumed several cups of coffee a day were less likely to die of heart disease than those who drank none. Among women taking part in the study, those who drank four to five cups a day were 34 percent less likely to die of heart disease than those women who drank no coffee. Men who drank five cups were 44 percent less likely to die of heart disease than men who drank no coffee.

Of apparent wider significance, however, was an overarching decrease in the mortality rate of the coffee-drinking participants.

According to an article published by NewScientist.com, the researchers noted that the same group of coffee-drinking women experienced 26 percent fewer deaths from any cause during the period of the study, and there were 35 percent fewer deaths from any cause among the same group of coffee-drinking men.

Reports of the study’s conclusions appeared during the summer of 2008. At that time, Esther Lopez-Garcia, an epidemiologist at Autonomous University and the leader of the study, cautioned against acting on the findings until additional research was conducted.

Researchers are still trying to determine exactly why coffee might be beneficial, but it appears that antioxidants may help block inflammation and limit cell damage, both of which are associated with cardiovascular disease, Hensrud said.

The antioxidants in coffee are known as polyphenols and they are also found in fruits, vegetables, red wine and chocolate. A 2005 study found that Americans get far more antioxidants from coffee than from any other source.

How Much?

A magic number does not exist, doctors say, but the benefits of drinking coffee appear to taper off after six cups. That does not mean everyone should guzzle six cups a day, said Dr. John P. Higgins, a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at the University of Texas Medical School in Houston. In a recent study, Higgins found more than 200 milligrams of caffeine, the amount found in about two cups of coffee, can cause the heart rate to quicken and blood pressure to rise.

“There is nothing wrong with coffee in moderation,” Higgins said. “But excessive caffeine can have adverse effects even on young, healthy people.”

Caffeine can disrupt sleep because it blocks the release of adenosine, a chemical believed to induce sleepiness, said Dr. Richard Castriotta, medical director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Houston’s Memorial Hermann Hospital. Some are affected more than others, with the half-life of the effect of a cup of coffee averaging three to seven hours. Some people are affected for up to 14 hours.

“We see people who suffer insomnia get stuck in a vicious cycle,” said Castriotta, who is also a professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston. “They need caffeine to function during the day, but it’s disrupting their sleep cycle at night.”

Castriotta recommends that patients who suffer from insomnia avoid all caffeine. Once the problem is resolved, slowly reintroduce caffeine, he advises, to determine if it caused the insomnia.

Teenagers form another group that could be more susceptible to the negative effects of caffeine, such as irritability or sleeplessness. “If kids are drinking coffee all the time rather than milk and water,” Hensrud said, “that could be a problem.”
Changing Science

If you have a hard time keeping up with the newest verdict on java, you are not alone. For years, coffee was linked to increased rates of pancreatic cancer, heart disease and high blood pressure.

Why the sudden change? Doctors and researchers cite a few reasons.

“Medicine, especially nutrition science, is constantly changing as we learn more,” Hensrud said.

Coffee is particularly complex, he said, containing hundreds of different compounds, some of which — such as antioxidants — are beneficial. Some, however, are not. And different people metabolize the same substance differently. Also, Hensrud added, earlier research didn’t always take into account high-risk behaviors, such as drinking and smoking, which often go hand in hand with heavy coffee drinking. ]]> http://nnw1.net/en/?feed=rss2&p=717 0 http://nnw1.net/en/?p=713 http://nnw1.net/en/?p=713#comments Thu, 03 Jan 2013 01:37:33 +0000 admin http://nnw1.net/en/?p=713 Lyme disease is a tick-borne illness which affects people who live or spend time in wooded areas. Ticks are tiny insects which bite and attach themselves to the skin. In most cases Lyme disease can be prevented by removing ticks before they become engorged.

The Centers for Disease Control reports that Lyme disease is the number one insect-borne illness in the United States. In 2008 the CDC reported over 25,000 confirmed cases of Lyme disease and about 10,000 more probable cases. Children may be more prone to Lyme disease due to the amount of time they spend outside.

Circular Rash
According to the CDC, the first sign of Lyme disease in children is usually a circular rash. The rash begins at the site of the tick bite and gradually grows larger over several days. The circular rash can reach up to 12 inches in diameter; the center of the rash may clear up as it gets larger, leaving a red ring around the tick bite. The American Lyme Disease Foundation says the rash may appear about one or two weeks after the infection starts and lasts for about three to five weeks. The CDC says about 20 percent of people who have Lyme disease never present with this rash. Some patients may develop additional rashes on other parts of their body.

Flu-like Symptoms
According to Kids Health, children may also develop flu-like symptoms with the rash. These symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fatigue, headache and muscle aches. The American Lyme Disease Foundation also says children infected with Lyme disease may experience chills and fever.

Muscle and Joint Problems
If left untreated, Lyme disease can spread throughout the body, causing serious problems after a few weeks. The CDC reports that common symptoms several weeks after infection include loss of muscle tone in the face, facial paralysis, severe headaches, a stiff neck, and shooting pains which keep children up at night. Lyme disease can also cause arthritis-like pain which moves from joint to joint. Large joints are the ones most often affected by Lyme disease.

Serious Problems
According to the Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, children with Lyme disease may also suffer neurological problems, heart problems, eye problems, hepatitis and problems with coordination. Kids Health reports that heart problems from Lyme disease include irregular heart rhythm or chest pain.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is the first-ever systematic use of data from electronic medical records to examine pain on this large a scale, or across such a broad range of diseases,” Butte added.