Business

Ten Ways Your Telehealth Backdrop Can Improve Patient Care

Posted by

0


My mother, who’s 89 years, thinks FaceTime involves a washcloth and some CoverGirl. So, she was understandably puzzled when I sat her in front of a computer for her first-ever telehealth visit.

“I don’t know if I’m going to like this. What’s this new doctor’s name?”

Fortunately, the physician was prompt, and he appeared on the screen smiling in a white lab coat with his name stitched above the breast pocket.

“Hello Connie. I’m Dr X. How are you feeling today?”

“Everything hurts.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but I’m here to help…”

For the next hour, Dr X conducted a thorough and professional video exam. He was engaged and empathetic and summarized the key takeaways. So, I was surprised after the call ended when my mother said: “I don’t trust that guy.”

“Why not, Mom? He was great.”

“Did you notice the plant in his office?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“It was dying. Leaves turning brown. Do you want someone who can’t take care of a plant taking care of your mother?”

Now, I’m willing to bet that doctor had no idea his plant needed water, or that it was even in the room. But that one little detail kiboshed his entire effort to appear competent and win my mother’s trust.

It may seem unfair, but recent research suggests that your background during virtual visits is important. And it matters now more than ever: Telehealth has become a crucial part of modern healthcare provider services. Many patients now prefer telehealth, particularly for routine care, mental health care, minor illness, and chronic disease management. As always, projecting professionalism and building patient rapport are key. But in telehealth, like it or not, that also requires paying attention to what’s behind you.

“A background has measurable impact on patients’ telehealth experiences, which suggests a need for careful selection and design,” said Morgan Stosic, PhD, a social psychologist and researcher at the University of Maine.

Stosic authored a study, published in Telemedicine and e-Health in 2022, that found certain videoconferencing elements can help doctors convey more warmth (family photos) and competency (diplomas) and better connect with patients. Other elements, however, can distract patients (artwork, eg) and compromise the recall of clinical information.

Another study, conducted at Durham University in the United Kingdom and published in PLOS One in September, examined the impact of six different Zoom backgrounds on viewer perceptions of trust and competency. Backgrounds with books and (non-dying!) house plants engendered the most trust and competency, while backdrops with home-living spaces and novelty items encouraged the least.

“First impressions are formed instantly,” the Durham researchers wrote. “Within the first few seconds of meeting someone, we spontaneously draw inferences about their character traits.” Online, these inferences are influenced by the environment the person is in.

“Patients think they’re choosing the best doctor, but they really don’t have the tools and data to support that choice,” explained Ernesto Gutierrez, MD, a healthcare business coach in Spain whose online company (Practice Growth Formula) helps physicians present more effectively. “The only thing patients have is perceived expertise. So, a doctor needs to be thinking, ‘How do I engineer this perception with my telehealth patients?'”

To help you avoid the same fate as Dr X, Medscape Medical News spoke with practicing clinicians, telehealth trainers, researchers, and related experts. Here are their best tips for perfecting your webside manner.

1. Blurred, Virtual, or Real?

It’s tempting to take the easy way out and blur your background or choose a virtual one. But Erin Hulfish, MD, the director of telehealth education at the Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, in NY, recommended against that.

“Those backgrounds can lead to a sense of mistrust,” she said. “Patients could think there’s somebody else in the room or wonder what is being hidden. They may worry about privacy and not speak honestly.”

She encourages her students to use real backgrounds that are clean and professional, “just like a patient would experience during a normal face-to-face appointment.” Avoid any messiness or disorganization. Having everything in its place subconsciously reassures patients that their care will be just as meticulous.

2. Books

Literacy is generally associated with intelligence and academic performance. So, having medical books on a shelf can make you appear smart and competent, as the Durham study found.

But there are times when books can interfere with that perception, namely when:

  • There are so many it looks like you’re in a public library.
  • You’re the author, and you give the impression of trying to make a sale.
  • The titles are polarizing (Vladimir Putin: Life Coach), worrisome (This is Going to Hurt), or just plain weird (Knitting with Dog Hair).

3. Plants

Background greenery promoted feelings of competence and trustworthiness in the Durham study because of the “established human preference for natural environments,” said researchers. Flowers would probably have a similar effect, added Stosic, giving your professional space “a bit of life.”

photo of a "Do" graphic

However, avoid lots of plants or a big bouquet. These can be distracting. A single healthy floor plant or orchid will do.

4. Artwork

In general, artwork of all types is distracting and should be avoided. This is especially true for the Banksy you bought at auction: Kids’ drawings and, of course, any portraits or busts of you. There are exceptions, though:

  • In the Durham study, a small family photo engendered feelings of warmth toward doctors. It’s also another way to make a professional environment less antiseptic.
  • Framed diplomas, certificates of recognition, hospital affiliations, and even awards (sans league bowling trophies) “provide patients with a sense of assurance,” said Hulfish. You’re educated, you’re professional, and you’re recognized for it.

5. Doors

If there’s a door in your background, close it. You wouldn’t leave the door of an exam room open when you’re with a patient, and the same logic applies here.

“Closed doors convey privacy,” said Hulfish, “and that’s important to virtual patients.” She recommended locking the door or hanging a “Virtual Exam in Progress” sign outside to prevent interruptions.

6. Desks

By its very nature, telehealth separates you from your patients. Positioning yourself closer to the camera and looking at the lens rather than the screen for better eye contact help broach this divide, but making a connection is still the medium’s biggest challenge.

So, Stosic recommends never putting anything additional between you and your patients, such as a desk. Either stand or, if you’re sitting at one, pull the computer closer so it’s not obvious.

7. Novelty Items

Ironically, Stosic’s study found that the more viewers liked a doctor’s background, the less likely they were to remember clinical information.

Again, you don’t want to distract them. A few strategically placed elements that convey warmth and competency are fine, but patients don’t need to see your signed Michael Jordan basketball or the rainbow trout you caught in Patagonia. Their focus should stay on you.

8. Mobile Phone

Keep it out of the picture, said Stosic. Even if it’s in silent mode, patients don’t know that. Plus, you may be tempted to glance at texts or notifications.

Similarly, avoid doing nonemergency telehealth calls from your car, an airport, or anyplace that isn’t professional and where patients can tell they don’t have your full attention.

9. Pets

Although some doctors use pets to connect with patients, the experts Medscape Medical News spoke with said the risks outweigh the rewards.

photo of a "Don't" graphic

If the pet is in view, even if it’s dozing, the patient may pay less attention to you. Plus, there’s always the chance it’ll make noise and disrupt the call.

The only exception is using the pet to establish rapport with a new patient and then letting it out of the room before starting the visit.

10. Attire

What you’re wearing isn’t technically part of your background, but it is an important element of your presentation.

“A lot of doctors think it’s okay to conduct telehealth visits in a more casual and relaxed manner,” said Gutierrez. “But you have to look the part. If you don’t, you can spend the next hour being an amazing doctor, but [because first impressions are so important] your patients will have worse treatment adherence and less trust in you.”

Stosic’s research shows that patients are more comfortable when their doctors are in white lab coats. And although she hasn’t studied name tags specifically, she speculates they probably add to the sense of competency and professionalism. Plus, it helps new patients remember your name.

Other tips:

  • Avoid decorating your lab coat or name tag with smileys, baubles, or other distractions.
  • Simple earrings and rings are fine but save the fancy watches and other bling for the annual hospital gala. Not only is it distracting but it may rub some patients the wrong way.
  • Make sure your white coat is clean.
  • Forget the stethoscope around your neck; you won’t be using it.

Bonus Tip: Trust Your Gut

If all this seems like a lot, know that the idea is not to agonize over every background detail. It’s to be more thoughtful about the impression you aspire to create in the burgeoning field of telehealth.

This leads to Hulfish’s “most important” tip: Record yourself.

“That’s what we do with our med students,” Hulfish said. “Just as in any speaking course, we have them watch themselves on video. ‘How do I look? Is this the best camera angle, lighting, and background for me? What are my mannerisms?'”

“We are our own best critics.”

Psychopaths May Be Overrepresented In Big Business, Given Smarts And Manipulation Skills

Posted by

0


The bible of psychiatric disorders, the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, known more colloquially as DSM-5, doesn’t include “psychopath” in any of its near-1,000 pages. It lists the collection of symptoms normally included in the moniker instead as “antisocial personality disorder.” And businesspeople may be more prone to having it.

jack

Researchers from the University of Huddersfield recently conducted a study that found an ability to mask galvanic skin responses among high-IQ individuals could indicate the presence of antisocial personality disorder, referred to in the language of this particular research as psychopathy. It’s believed a combination of cunning smarts and a knack for social manipulation could help explain why psychopathic behavior is found more often in business than in the general population.

“I thought that intelligence could be an explanation for this, and it could be a problem if there are increased numbers of psychopaths at a high level in business,” said lead researcher and psychological scientist Carolyn Bate in astatement.

Bate’s research draws upon prior findings that showed out of 203 corporate professionals, roughly three percent scored high enough on two tests of psychopathic traits to qualify as embodying psychopathy — although no formal diagnoses were made. This three percent was the fuel for Bates’ study because it stands in contrast to the general population’s rate of only one percent. Why, she wanted to know, were business people three times more likely to embody this behavior?

Her team’s study recruited 50 people to answer the question. First, each person took a standard IQ test. Then they took a second test, called the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, to assess whether they had either Factor One or Factor Two psychopathic tendencies. Factor One tendencies include boldness and extreme assertiveness. Factor Two tendencies include poor impulse control and exploitative tendencies.

The meat of the study came next: Bate hooked each participant up to a machine that read galvanic skin response (GSR). She showed them either neutral images or ones intended to shock the average person, and she recorded how people with each set of psychopathic tendencies reacted to the shocking images. Her hypothesis, that people with higher IQ scores and psychopathic tendencies were more likely not to register a GSR, was confirmed.

The upshot, she says, isn’t all that clear. The findings may point in one direction, namely that people with psychopathic tendencies are usually smarter, but whether businesses need to change their practices to accommodate the research is debatable. On the one hand, she concedes “this could have a detrimental effect on our everyday lives,” but she also acknowledges that business has been run the same way for many years; the necessary changes could be systemic.

“Perhaps businesses do need people who have the same characteristics as psychopaths, such as ruthlessness,” she said. “But I suspect that some form of screening does need to take place, mainly so businesses are aware of what sort of people they are hiring.”

In other words, of course businesses would rather higher bulldogs. But the net effect of high-ranking managers who would just as quickly step on someone’s throat to get where they’re going certainly seems like a negative outside the office. They might not actually kill anyone to get a promotion, but, to revert back to the language of the DSM, their antisocial tendencies may kill with kindness. Or at least what looks like kindness.

Source: Bate C, Boduszek D, Dhingra K, Bale C. Psychopathy, intelligence and emotional responding in a non-forensic sample: an experimental investigation.The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology. 2014.

The clock ticks faster.

Posted by

0


The signs of physical and functional decline may take a few years to show
APThe signs of physical and functional decline may take a few years to show
Early puberty, hypertension and diabetes in children, early menopause… The alarming issue of premature ageing points inescapably to our way of living, finds out Sudha Umashanker

Girls as young as seven or eight coming of age, young children being diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes, women with plummeting ovarian reserves in their late 20s or early 30s — the ageing clock seems to be ticking differently these days.

Kousalya Nathan, lifestyle and age management consultant, Nova Specialty Surgery, Chennai, points out, “More than ageing and its associated degenerative disorders, the alarming problem is premature ageing, which implies significant functional decline in various organs due to unmanaged lifestyle disorders.”

As the International Journal of Diabetes Care (1999) states, “Although Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus has historically been characterized as an adult onset of diabetes, it has been shown to be on the rise in young people in recent years, comprising some alarming 30 per cent of new cases of diabetes in the second decade of life. The mean age at diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes in young people is 12-14 years.” (Incidentally, Indian ethnicity is at higher risk.)

Listing out the factors suggestive of the prevalence of premature ageing, Dr. Nathan notes, “Early puberty is a pointer. We also live in an environment that favours unhealthy weight gain in children and adolescents. This has reached epidemic proportions in India, with consequences ranging from inability to play or climb stairs, to hypertension, dyslipidemia, back pain and psychosocial problems. Even greying and loss of skin tone, which are signs of middle age, are seen in 10- to 12-year-olds. In the worst-case scenario, deaths due to non-communicable diseases in those in their 30s and 40s are also happening.”

Nandita Palshetkar, infertility specialist, Lilavati Hospitals Mumbai and Fortis Bloom IVF Centres, says, “Nowadays, more and more girls are attaining early puberty. Earlier, puberty which was seen at age 12 is now seen at the age of seven to eight years, in approximately 15 per cent of the girls. There are several reasons for this — such as unhealthy weight gain, stress, estrogens-like hormones such as bisphenol A found in hard plastics, certain metals that act as metalloestrogens, (eg. tin, cadmium, mercury, lead and aluminium, copper), situations in which the father is absent or the child is living with the step-father, Vitamin D deficiency, early exposure to sex-related messages in the media etc. Higher body mass index is associated most often with lifestyle changes that have occurred in the last couple of decades in our society. Early puberty, in turn, is associated with repercussions such as increased risk of heart problem, osteoporosis and early menopause.”

Rapid depletion of ovarian reserves, and therefore early ovarian ageing in young women, is yet another cause of concern. While it could be due to polycystic ovaries, in several cases, the cause is unknown. “Measures must be taken to reduce contamination by Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs) if we want to take steps to decrease reproductive disorders in women of the next generation,” stresses Dr. Palshetkar. EDCs that affect the functioning of the thyroid and ovary are found in pesticides, dioxins (produced when plastic is burnt, certain industrial processes and from improper incineration of waste), bisphenols (found in hard plastics, some baby bottles, water bottles and the insides of some food and beverage cans.) Corroborating the incidence of diabetes in overweight young children, Vijay Viswanathan, head and chief diabetologist, M.V. Hospital for Diabetes, Chennai, says that a recent survey in Chennai done by his institution showed that “many children who were overweight had raised blood pressure levels. These children showed aspects of insulin resistance, which makes them prone to hypertension and also diabetes.”

Asked if this can be considered a form of ageing, Dr. Viswanathan affirms, “Yes, this is a type of ageing, since the blood vessels develop stiffness and lose their elasticity even by the age of 10 or 15 in children who are insulin-resistant. These early blood vessel changes make these children prone to developing hypertension at an early stage, and may also lead to heart blocks by the time they get into their 20s or 30s.”

What are the signs that should alert us before visible changes of ageing happen?

“Weight gain, skin discoloration in underarms, inner thighs, nape of the neck, frequent infections, tiredness, irregular periods in girls, rough skin, overeating and eating disorders, stress and sleeping difficulties in children,” should put us on the alert, says Dr. Nathan.

While there are molecular-level changes of ageing in children, to see the physical and functional decline, it might take a few years. “It is a complex and multi-factorial process. Lifestyle accelerates loss of genetic materials, causing premature ageing,” Dr. Nathan concludes.

Preventive steps

– Lifestyle modification is top priority.

– Opt for an anti-ageing diet — 60 per cent complex carbohydrates (legumes, cereals and vegetables), 20 per cent protein (white meat, dal, paneer, tofu, soy protein), 20 per cent fats (nuts, olives, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds)

– Undertake regular physical activity

– Avoid exposure to estrogens-like compounds and environmental toxins

– Consume organically-grown vegetables

– Teach children to bust emotional stress by taking up creative pursuits

 

Xavier X-Ray Design by Danwei Ye.

Posted by

0


Portable X-ray scanner

Medical staff are real heroes when they have to provide the necessary assistance to survivors, in disaster areas. The Xavier Portable X-Ray by Danwei Ye was designed to enable medical teams to perform even better care in harsh conditions. It is no secret that their performance is often affected by the limited access to useful devices, in problematic zones. X-ray machines are the perfect illustration of that. They are indeed so heavy that transporting them turns out to be a real ordeal. Add to this the fact that even the smallest ones require an expert to operate them…

The Xavier Portable X-Ray is unique in its kind: it is both compact and easy to transport. Laminographic scanning will enable any user to identify the location of a broken bone. No worries about facing a power outage disruption: a built-in rechargeable battery as well as a power generator are included to the genius system. These units can be activated to generate extra power, simply by pulling the handle they are connected to. The X-Ray device folds into a small rubber case for simplified transportation. Perfectly portable, unfoldable in seconds and convenient to operate. Heroes now have powerful tools to assist them in their mission!

Coming soon to you: the information you need.

Posted by

0


The day when your hat can extrapolate your mood from your brain activity and make a spa appointment on your behalf may not be far away.

The next big thing in the digital world won’t be a better way for you to find something. If a confluence of capabilities now on the horizon bears fruit, the next big thing is that information will find you.

Devices from your phone to your appliances will join forces in the background to make your life easier automatically.

Welcome to contextual search, a world where devices from your phone to your appliances will join forces in the background to make your life easier automatically.

Contextual, or predictive search, started with the now-humble recommendations pioneered by companies such as Amazon – where metadata applied behind the scenes led you to products with similar attributes via pages that made helpful suggestions such as “customer who bought this also bought…”.

But when such technology grows and expands to everything around us, it could result in what Andrew Dent, a strategist with virtualisation company Citrix Systems, calls “cyber-sense”. This is information from a growing field of devices that know more about you than ever before.

Today your smartphone knows your location, so everything from the local weather to nearby Facebook friends is available. What about tomorrow when your jacket can measure your vital signs or a hat can extrapolate your mood from your brain activity?

Connect it with information on your schedule (from your calendar), spatial information such as whether you’re running or at rest, the time of day and a hundred other factors, and machines everywhere can decide on, find and present the information they think you need.

The field is opened even wider by search technology that finds abstract connections for you, rather than you starting a search at a given point. A system out of Bangalore, India called CollabLayer lets you watch for specific keywords you assign to almost any kind of data in a network.

But you can also submit a collection of documents to CollabLayer when you don’t really have a search term in mind. The system extracts links between what it thinks are key entities and graphs them in a “semantic map”. Such a method can give search a heuristic or “proactive” approach that doesn’t really need the input of a user.

It’s a similar proposition to the semantic web framework championed by the W3C, the consortium led by the father of the worldwide web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee. It aims to connect content across the web regardless of file formats, expanding the scope of what our data can do for us.

Put contextual search together with the “Internet of Things” concept and the real-world applications becomes obvious. When your smart car realises a brake pad is a bit worn, it asks your GPS where you are, checks your calendar to see when you have some free time, asks the manufacturer for a workshop near you that has the part, makes an appointment and sends you a text or email with everything set up before you had any idea.

With APIs (application programming interface – the “translation tool” between two applications) cheaper than ever for interconnecting search systems, software isn’t the issue.

One issue is sheer volume – there’s more contextual data than anyone can possibly process manually. Business Insider recently reported on a Moscow technology conference, where a professor added up the amount of data in the world that’s about you (not just what you generate yourself). The result was 44.5 gigabytes per person, compared with just 500 megabytes per person in 1986.

The other issue is commercialisation, and whether we have to be slaves to a single technology company for all this to work in the real world. With its vast desktop and mobile ecosystem, Google is the closest to a de-facto standard, and already a new Google service in the US lets you conduct contextual searches from what’s essentially your own information.

But for the brake pad example to work, a lot of proprietary systems need access to each other’s APIs, and history has shown large technology companies tend to protect their own patch. As Jared Carrizales, chief executive of Heroic Search says, “Sorry to disappoint, but I don’t think this capability will be available en masse on any other platform than Google.”

It might take an open source platform or a platform-agnostic public system to make contextual search truly seamless, but can the support base behind non-profit efforts sustain such a far-reaching infrastructure, and will governments want to compete directly with some of their biggest taxpayers?

Howard Turtle, director of the Centre for Natural Language Processing at Syracuse University, says it will take a few VHS versus Beta-style “standards wars”, but even then, individual preferences will generate whole new tiers of processing. “Of course, it also raises all sorts of privacy and security issues,” he adds.

So with the will and means that might already be in place, an ability to commercialise the services might be the only stumbling block to an internet that knows what you want.

The Most Extreme Weather In the Solar System.

Posted by

0


“Fly me to the moon, let me play among the stars. Let me see what spring is like on Jupiter and Mars…”

Spoiler alert: the weather Earth is far nicer than on any other planet in our solar system. Sure, you might have to carry an umbrella sometimes and the bottoms of your pants get all wet, and the wind kicks around pollen which can cause pesky allergies. But then you don’t have to worry about sulfuric acid falling out of the sky, which is nice.

Our Solar System is home to some fairly extreme weather. Here’s our picks.

Mercury

Mercury almost completely lacks an atmosphere, but that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t have extreme physical conditions. As the closest planet to the sun it’s no surprise that the temperature of the planet can get extremely hot – but the lack of atmosphere means that it is unable to retain the heat and can therefore can have incredible temperature swings.

In addition to barely having an atmosphere, Mercury doesn’t have much in the way of axial tilt. Because of this, there are no seasonal changes in weather. It also rotates incredibly slowly, as it only has about three “days” every two years. When Mercury is closest to the sun, the surface temperature can reach over 800º F (approx 430º C). During the night temperatures can dip down to -290º  F (-180º  C).

If a human were to visit Mercury, he or she would either burst into flames or freeze solid depending on where the spaceship landed.

Venus

Our neighbor Venus is essentially the poster child for how greenhouse gasses can create a completely hellish environment. With a super-thick atmosphere of mostly carbon dioxide, Venus is able to trap more of the sun’s radiation than Mercury which allows it to reach (and retain) much higher temperatures. The surface temperature stays relatively consistent all year at 900º  F (480º  C). The pressure on Venus is approximately 90 times higher than sea level on Earth. In order to recreate that pressure here, a diver would need to venture 1000 meters down into the ocean.

Rain on Venus is almost purely sulfuric acid, which is extremely corrosive. Sulfuric acid can erode clothing nearly instantly and produce severe burns on flesh. However, the surface temperature of Venus is so great, the rain evaporates before hitting the ground. There is a little water in the atmosphere, which can produce violent explosions when it meets the sulfuric acid. Though Venus is only slightly smaller than Earth, it takes only four hours for the atmosphere to completely rotate around the planet. Here, it it takes about 243 days to accomplish the same task.

Even with these extremely high temperatures, there is snow on Venus. Well, not snow as we know it. It’s a basalt frost remnant of metals that vaporized in the atmosphere.

Forget what would happen if a human were to visit Venus; we haven’t even sent probes that lasted longer than a couple hours on the surface due to the intense conditions.

Mars

Mars is currently under a lot of investigation as some believe it may have harbored life in the past and could give clues to the origin of life on Earth. Because it once was home to flowing water, there must have been an atmosphere capable of holding it there. Now the surface is dry and huge cyclones of dust can tear apart the landscape.

Mars’ missing atmosphere is a mystery but there is still plenty of bizarre weather happening on the planet. The poles are covered in ice caps and there are intense snowstorms. While our snow is made of frozen water, Martian snow is actually made from frozen carbon dioxide, which we know as “dry ice.”

Like Mercury, Mars’ super-thin atmosphere has a hard time holding in heat from the sun. Temperatures at the equator can be a comfortable 70º  F. (20º  C) in the sun, but at night the same spot can dip to -58º  F (-50º  C).

Massive dust storms can take over Mars quite easily. While dust devils happen on Earth in dry areas, the ones on Mars can envelop the entire planet over the course of a few days.

As for what it might look like for a human to visit Mars, we might not have to wait too much longer. It is hoped that plans to send the first astronauts will set foot on Mars within the next few decades.

Jupiter

It doesn’t take a particularly large telescope to see that Jupiter has a lot of gigantic storms. The most famous of these storms is known as the Great Red Spot (GRS), which has been raging on like a hurricane for at least 400 years. This storm is so massive, three Earths could fit inside it easily. There is another spot known as the Oval BA which was discovered about seven years ago which is now moving as fast as its larger counterpart, and even appears to be increasing in size.

The stripes on Jupiter are caused by jet streams. Jet streams on Earth vary, though we usually only have 1 or 2 in each hemisphere. Jupiter is home to at least 30 which tear across the planet in opposite directions reaching speeds of over 300 mph (482 km/h). Two of these jet streams are responsible for holding the GRS in its present location. The clouds that appear as stripes are composed of frozen ammonia, as the temperature at that part of the atmosphere is -220 degrees F (-140 degrees C). Earlier this year, it was discovered that Jupiter can form diamonds in its atmosphere.

Europa

Some of Jupiter’s 67 moons can also have pretty intense weather. The surface of Europa is covered in a 62-mile-deep (100 km) saltwater ocean, which is enclosed in a layer of ice. Europa may even have some of the chemical compounds needed for life, which has many astrobiologists excited.

Io

Io has hundreds volcanoes on its surface which respond to gravitational fluctuations from Jupiter. While these active spots can exceed 3092º  F (1700º  C), other patches of the moon are freezing. Because of the moon’s low gravity, these eruptions can shoot as over 250 miles (402 km) above the surface. Earlier this year, it was discovered that the volcanos aren’t even where they should be, based off of temperature models.

Saturn

Like Jupiter, Saturn’s atmosphere is composed mostly of hydrogen. Wind speeds can reach as high as 1000 mph (1609  km/h) which is just about as fast as a speeding bullet. The highest wind speed ever recorded on Earth during a hurricane was in 1996, during Tropical Cyclone Cynthia when gusts reached 253 mph (408 km/h).

At Saturn’s North Pole there is an extremely cool storm going on. It isn’t circular or rounded like most extreme weather systems but it is actually shaped like a hexagon. The clearest image of this storm can be seen in a composite that was released last month. Each side of the hexagon is 8,600 miles (13,800 km) long, which is very close to the diameter of Earth.

Though the atmosphere is very thin and cold there is plenty of heat down towards the surface that can generate some extreme storms. In the northern hemisphere, there is a storm which is 10,000 km across. If that were on Earth, it would be like starting in Los Angeles and traveling due east all the way to Beijing, China.

Toward Saturn’s surface the carbon in air can be pressed into graphite. Yes, Saturn has pencil lead flying around. Even closer to the core the carbon is pressed into diamond. If a human were to travel to Saturn, the diamonds would cut through their body like countless little bullets.

Titan

Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, has huge lakes which initially look promising for a spring break vacation spot. However, the temperature is about -260º  F (-162º  C), and the lakes aren’t made of water – it’s actually liquid methane!

Uranus 

Uranus is the coldest planet in the solar system with temperatures hitting -371º  F (−224º  C). Uranus is quite odd in that it is tipped entirely on its side, with the North Pole facing the sun. This may have been the result of a massive collision, as its magnetic field does not align with its poles.

At first glance Uranus looks like a plain blue ball with not a lot going on, but the planet has a fairly active weather system and enormous hurricanes that can only be seen with infrared telescopes. Like Jupiter, Uranus also has diamonds raining down on its surface.

Neptune

Our most distant planet, Neptune, is home to extreme weather similar to the other gas giants. While it has storms large enough to swallow the entire Earth and bands of weather that mark the planet’s latitude, it also has the most violent wind in the solar system which can reach an astonishing 1,500 mph (2414 km/h). Because Neptune’s topography is fairly flat, there is no friction to slow down these incredible gusts of wind. Like all of the other gas planets, atmospheric carbon compresses into diamond rain.

Triton

Neptune has over a dozen moons, the largest of which is Triton. This moon has an average temperature of -315 degrees F (-192 degrees C). If you wanted to visit, the trip would have to happen in the next 10-100 million years. Triton is slowly getting closer to Neptune and will most likely be ripped up into a Saturn-like ring system.

A trip to Neptune would also include listening to the sound barrier break as the wind blows, though the visitor would freeze solid almost instantly.

Pluto

Pluto experiences MASSIVE swings in temperature due to its high elliptical orbit. When Pluto is farthest away from the sun it is completely frozen over. As it gets closer to the sun, the gas heats up and it produces a gassy atmosphere, which also hurts its planetary status, as it acts more like a comet. As Neil deGrasse Tyson put it, “If you slid Pluto to where Earth is right now, heat from the sun would evaporate that ice, and it would grow a tail. Now, that’s no kind of behavior for a planet.”

Our solar system is home to some pretty extreme weather. Learning about how these systems work can increase our knowledge of how some of these planets were formed and even give clues about the potential for life. But when it comes down to actually spending time on the surface on some of these planets, barring major technological advances, there’s no place like home.

– See more at: http://www.iflscience.com/space/most-extreme-weather-solar-system#sthash.TN62oD5D.dpuf

Graphene the perfect material for a Lunar Elevator.

Posted by

0


Scientists at Columbia University conducted a study which revealed that graphene retains most of its mechanical properties even when it has been stitched together from small fragments. This discovery may have been the first step toward large scale manufacture of carbon nanotubes, which could be essential in the manufacturing of the first space elevator, light – strong materials, and flexible electronics.

Lunar Elevator

At the present moment, a practical breakthrough in the construction of a lunar elevator has not been realized. However, many scientists have performed experiments which show it will be possible through use of graphene. In these experiments, they have measured the strength of the microscopic carbon nanotube and proved it can indeed support the construction of such elevators.

The space elevator ribbon is constructed out of carbon nanotubes, which are at least 100 times stronger than steel but have flexibility equal to that of plastic. Scientists will only be able to make the ribbon to be used in the space elevator if they manage to make fibers out of carbon nanotubes. In the recent experiments, the materials that were involved were neither strong nor flexible enough to form such a ribbon.

Graphene ribbons have a very high tensile strength and very high elastic modulus, theoretically they are said to make the process of building a space elevator easy. There are two major ways that a lunar elevator ribbon can be built: in the first case a long carbon tube ideally several meters long will be braided into a rope like structure, and in the second case a shorter nanotube will be placed in a selected polymer matrix.

So far graphene is the ideal material for construction of the ribbon, the carbon-carbon bond in graphene is at least 0.142 nm. Scientists have proved that two sheets of graphene are held together by much stronger van de Waals forces than bulk Graphene.

4 Reasons Why Change Is Good for You.

Posted by

0


“If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.” ~ Lao Tzu

I was terrified of Change. Seven years ago I was on the precipice of losing all of those intrinsic qualities that defined me as a unique human being, I was at a loss as what to do.  Eating had become my drug of choice and as the size 44 inch waistline expanded, blood vessels were constricting in unison as I worked myself to a heart attack or a stroke. The only way to save my life was a total commitment to making changes that would affect the total human being. Even knowing this I was still scared of losing all the “good” I perceived that I had. It took a leap of blind faith that the Universe would land me safely before I could make positive gains in my own life. I am a fan of change because this is what saved my life. All I can really attest is o how my life has been enriched since.

Change can be an extremely powerful and at times distressing force.  The harbingers of change may present themselves at those crossroads of our lives where seismic events shake our foundations and all that is comfortable. Be it the divorce, illness, accident, or situation that throws us headlong into circumstances where we have to sink or swim. There are also times when the signs that we are transitioning to a new phase are disguised in such a way that unless we lift those societal blinders that took years to develop, we will not be ready to understand what the Universe wants us to know. Society seems to encourage us to live in what our relative cultural experience defines as the status quo and not necessarily what really lies within the heart.

Change is a process that plays itself out on all levels differently for everyone. This includes the idea that whether a person decides to change where they are in life is an individual decision. We have the absolute right to live our lives in a manner in which we want, as long as we do not cause harm to others. There are a million miles between existing where you are and deciding in your mind to change, there are a million more between deciding in your mind to change and taking concrete steps to make it happen.

So why should we accept this notion of change and what may result?

1. Embrace the Forces of Change

Change is inevitable. It is thrust upon us. Being conceived is the first change in circumstances that we could not control. There was then no option but to leave warmth and security and face blinding light and a cacophony of noises, some of which sounded familiar. Aging in a part of our nature and dying is the ultimate transition. Knowing these inevitable seasons will occur and there no permanence, why not truly live and change those circumstances that do not enhance us by changing those things we can control.

“The only thing that is constant is change.” ~ Heraclitus

2. Inviting Change enhances the relationship with our Self

When we do not change those things that do not enhance us, we stagnate and become complacent. We hit the start button on the treadmill of life and walk in the same place without going anywhere until we hit pause, feel the treadmill come to a slow stop, and just turn off. We get frustrated and at times angry as to where we are in our life. There is nothing outside of your own self that will ever make you happy. Acquisitions, both animate and inanimate, satisfy temporary urges, but cannot substitute for the ongoing, ever blossoming relationship we create with ourselves.

Change is also evident when we recognize and confront those demons that control our actions and decision making based upon past conditioning. When those actions and the reasons for taking them are no longer part of our fabric, we are enhancing ourselves because actions taken are not solely for self-gain or heart protection. We enhance this self-relationship by shedding that which deters the expression of our full true self. Invite into life change that does not harm. This then encourages the mind, body and soul to engage in activity that promulgates their health and well-being. A positive frame of mind affects all those we come into contact.

“When we are no longer able to change a situation – we are challenged to change ourselves.” ~ Viktor E. Frankl

3. Positive Change affects our relationship with all those around us

As we change and grow, we gain a deeper understanding and appreciation which then translates to how we see others and the world around us. Ideas such as love and compassion are no longer terms of art, but a way to live. Change brings about the release of relationships that are toxic. Only when we go through this change will we be ready to form healthy relationships with others.  Now that we are beyond an ego self, we see the bigger picture.  As we become citizens of the world around us, we begin to focus on what is really needed by the less fortunate around us and the resources necessary to accomplish any goals. Self-actualization leads to change in all facets of life and a sense of balance.

4. Maintaining a Balanced life through change affect all other aspects of Being

By achieving and keeping a sense of inner harmony, decisions made on all aspects of life are seen through a lens of self-awareness. Change in life is a constant , who we are this instant is not the same person we were yesterday because every experience, no matter how trivial we think it may be shapes and molds our decision making process. Where we live, what we eat, what job we keep are all in a state of flux as we go about living. Life shifts, so it is important to maintain a sense of balance in all we do.

There are aspects of Change in which we have choice. What changes we invite is entirely dependent on where we want to be. I Chose Living Life and am thankful for the doors the Universe has opened for me since.

Since change is the only constant in life, why do you think so many people are afraid of change?

Wind Power Blades Get Bigger, Turbines Get Smarter.

Posted by

0


A look at tomorrow’s turbines

Wind Power Future
Metal inserts built into the carbon-fiber blade during manufacture mean the root end, bolted to the hub, can be slimmer, stronger, and more aerodynamically efficient. • Fabricating the carbon fiber in modular pieces, rather than one long blade, ensures the material’s consistency and reduces the risk of failure. • An erosion-protection material molded into the leading edge of the blade reduces wear and tear over the blade’s lifetime.
Graham Murdoch

In 2012, wind power added more new electricity production in the U.S. than any other single source. But even with 60 gigawatts powering 15 million homes, wind supplants just 1.8 percent of the nation’s carbon emissions. Tomorrow’s turbines will have to be more efficient, more affordable, and
in more places.

The Supersize Route

Bigger Blades

Big rotors generate more electricity, particularly from low winds, but oversize trucks hauling blades the length of an Olympic pool can’t reach many wind-energy sites. Blade Dynamics fabricates its 160-foot, carbon-fiber blade in multiple pieces, which can then be transported by standard trucks and assembled at a nearby location. It’s a stepping-stone for 295-foot and 328-foot blades now being designed for offshore turbines. (Currently, the world’s longest prototype is 274 feet.) The colossal size should enable 10- to 12-megawatt turbines, double the generation capacity of today’s biggest models.

Wind Power Scale
Graham Murdoch

The Networked Solution

Smarter Turbines

Reducing the variability of wind energy could position it to compete as a stable source of power. General Electric’s new 2.5-megawatt, 394-foot-diameter wind turbine has an optional integrated battery for short-term energy storage. It also connects to GE’s so-called Industrial Internet so it can share data with other turbines, wind farms, technicians, and operations managers. Algorithms analyze 150,000 data points per second to provide precise region-wide wind forecasts and enable turbines to react to changing conditions, even tilting blades to maximize power and minimize damage as a gust hits.

The Hybrid Hail Mary

Man-Made Thunderstorm Power

Solar Wind Energy’s downdraft tower is either ingenious or ludicrous. The proposed 2,250-foot-high concrete tower will suck hot desert air into its hollow core and infuse it with moisture, creating a pressure differential that spawns a howling downdraft. “You’re capturing the last 2,000 feet of a thunderstorm,” says CEO Ron Pickett. The man-made tempest would spin wind turbines that could generate up to 1.25 gigawatts (though it’s designed to operate at 60 percent capacity) on the driest, hottest summer days—more than some nuclear power plants. The Maryland-based company plans to break ground in Arizona as soon as 2015, provided it can secure $900 million in funding—a large sum but perhaps not outlandish when compared with a $14-billion nuclear reactor now under construction.

Colloids versus crystalloids for fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients.

Posted by

0


Critically ill patients with trauma, burns, surgery or sepsis are often given intravenous fluids to expand intravascular volume. When it comes to selecting the resuscitation fluid, one of the choices is between using a colloid or a crystalloid solution. This choice has considerable cost implications, because volume replacement with colloids is much more expensive than with crystalloids. Clinical studies have shown that colloids and crystalloids have different effects on a range of physiological parameters. Because of these differences, all-cause mortality is arguably the most clinically relevant outcome measure for randomised trials comparing the two fluid types.

This review, which was updated for the sixth time in February 2013, assessed the effects on mortality of using colloids compared to crystalloids, during fluid resuscitation in critically ill patients. A systematic search was conducted for any controlled trial in which participants were assigned to treatment on the basis of random allocation. The interventions considered were colloids (dextran 70, hydroxyethyl starches, modified gelatins, albumin or plasma protein fraction) compared to crystalloid (isotonic or hypertonic) for fluid replacement. Studies needed to include critically ill patients (excluding neonates and pregnant women) who required volume replacement. The authors excluded trials of fluids used for other purposes, such as trials of pre-loading in preparation for elective surgery, and trials in patients undergoing fluid loading before cardiopulmonary bypass. Trials of total parenteral nutrition with or without albumin were also excluded, as were randomised cross-over trials.

A total of 78 eligible trials were identified, with mortality data available from 70 of these. The analyses were divided up on the basis of the types of intervention. Considering the basic comparison of colloids versus crystalloids, the largest number of randomized patients was in the studies of albumin or plasma protein fraction, with 24 trials that reported data on mortality (9920 patients). The pooled risk ratio (RR) from these trials was 1.01 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93 to 1.10). 25 trials compared hydroxyethyl starch with crystalloids (9147 patients), finding a pooled RR of 1.10 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.19). In the 11 trials of modified gelatin versus crystalloid, with 506 patients, the pooled RR was 0.91 (95% CI 0.49 to 1.72) and, for the 9 trials comparing dextran with a crystalloid (834 patients), the meta-analysis produced a RR of 1.24 (95% CI 0.94 to 1.65).

In other comparisons in the review, 9 trials compared dextran in hypertonic crystalloid with isotonic crystalloid (1985 patients), generating a pooled RR for mortality of 0.91 (95% CI 0.71 to 1.06). While there were three trials of colloids in isotonic crystalloid versus hypertonic crystalloid. In two of these trials, where the colloid was either gelatin or starch, there were no deaths in either group. In the third trial (38 patients), there were three deaths in the treatment group and none in the control group, giving a RR of 7.00 (95% CI 0.39 to 126.93).

In their summary, the authors of this updated Cochrane Review highlight that there is no evidence from randomised trials that resuscitation using colloids compared with crystalloids reduces the risk of death in patients with trauma, burns or following surgery. Their meta-analyses provide a precise estimate of hydroxyethyl starch effect on mortality, since it includes many thousands of patients and the number of deaths is large. Furthermore, the two studies that contribute 80% of the weight in the meta-analysis were of high methodological quality with a low risk of bias. The pooled relative risk of death (1.10 [95% CI 1.02 to 1.19]) suggests an increase in deaths in the colloids group, and makes it highly unlikely that there is a mortality reduction with these interventions. Therefore, since colloid use is not associated with improved survival and colloids are considerably more expensive than crystalloids, they conclude that it is difficult to see how their continued use in clinical practice can be justified.