Medical Billing Outsourcing Versus In-house

There are many compelling reasons why medical billing outsourcing to a professional medical billing and coding company makes sense. A major problem with in-house medical billing services is the human one. Management, turnover, retraining and growth. Do you have the time and money for all of that? HRM (Human Resource Management) is the most compelling single reason why physicians and other medical service providers outsource their medical billing to a medical billing company that specializes in providing this service.

HRM problems come about from two areas, employee turnover and practice growth.
Reducing Employee Turnover With Medical Billing Outsourcing:
While your practice may be lucky by having people who have stayed with you through the years, the fact remains that they will, eventually, leave. Others are faced with an on-going turnover problem. In either event, once a medical billing specialist leaves, you are forced to fill the vacant spot right away or your cash-flow may be compromised. That often means hiring someone with lesser …or worse yet very little medical billing experience. Inexperienced medical billing specialist make errors ... errors that can cost your practice money or seriously delay your getting paid in a timely manner. Also, who will take the time to train your new medical billing specialist? Will you spend your time doing this? Or will you pay someone else to do it? Is that a good use of your time? Even if you still have other medical billing specialists, their use in training will take away from their time normally spent in helping to get you paid in a timely manner. Medical billing outsourcing avoids these problems all together.

Many medical practices go through high turnover periods, while others find loyal people who dedicate many years to working for the same Physician. The human resource management cycle can be very difficult for a Physician to maintain. Once the medical billing specialist leaves, the Physician is left with no other option and is usually forced to hire another medical billing specialist who has very little experience. Ask yourself this question, when would you be the most worried; when your receptionist quits or when your medical billing specialist leaves? Do you really have the time to find a medical billing specialist who is experienced and reliable and can do the right job with the amount of attention your medical billing deserves? Medical billing outsourcing is a better solution.

Growing a Professional Practice:

As your business grows, your revenues will grow and so will the medical billing and coding workload. However, your employee costs are fixed costs, while your billings and receivables are not fixed. So, when your business has grown to the point where the workload overtaxes the current medical billing personnel, you will need to add another medical billing specialist … maybe more. That is an abrupt increase in fixed costs, because now you are - in effect - overstaffed, as the volume of the workload has not as yet caught up to your newly-expanded billing capacity.

Use medical billing outsourcing to change your medical billing expenses from a fixed cost to a variable cost and improve your ability to manage your business.

When you choose medical billing outsourcing, your costs vary directly with your medical billings. If your medical billings drop, your costs drop. If your medical billings go up, your costs do not rise disproportionately. This simple fact can make your business planning easier.

Less Paperwork and Lower Employee Costs With Medical Billing Outsourcing

If you do your medical billing internally, salary is typically only about 70-75% of your employee costs when you figure in payroll taxes, FICA and insurance. Not to mention that added paperwork cost of administering them. Plus, when your medical billing specialists are sick or on vacation, you’re still paying them for not working. When you outsource your billing by taking advantage of our professional medical billing specialists, the overhead and paperwork is ours, not yours.

• Medical Billing Specialist's Employee salary
• Medical Billing Specialist's Employee benefits
o Worker’s compensation
o FICA
o Healthcare insurance
o Vacation, sick leave, etc.
o Performance bonus
• Computer hardware purchase & maintenance
• Software purchase & renewal
• Clearinghouse fees
• Postage
• Stationery
• Physical (Office) Space
• Training and re-training
• Recruitment costs
• YOUR time
• YOUR opportunity costs

Reduce Errors and Receive Revenue Faster With Medical Billing Outsourcing:

Medical Insurers are always looking for ways to slow down paying you. It’s how they manage their cash flow. Anything that is miscoded can cause your bill to be rejected or its payment delayed significantly. When you outsource your medical billing to our medical billing specialists, you’ll not only be getting professional medical billing services, you’ll be benefiting from a degree of accuracy that would be difficult to match internally. At Medical Billing, each submission is reviewed by a supervisor to help ensure accuracy. That “extra level of eyes” is a luxury impractical with in-house medical billing.

Our Incentive, Your Control

When you take advantage of medical billing outsourcing, you improve your cash flow and collections and reduce the costs and headaches of employee problems. And we can even offer you a line of credit at Below-Prime through Medical-Finance.com

Call now for a free consultation. Let our Medical Billing Specialists show you how to keep more of the money you make. Outsourcing your medical billing services allows the money you get to grow in direct proportion to the direction your business is going.

This article was written by the medical-billing.com staff.

Call to speak with one of our medical billing specialists at:

1-800-966-9270

Or visit us at:

1-800-966-9270
solutions@medical-billing.com

http://medical-billing.com

Understanding Nitrogen Cycle For New Tanks - 20 Interesting Facts Revealed

There are several hobbies one can have that turn in to real passion some day. One among them is maintaining an aquarium. This hobby though is a serious one as there is no room for mistakes else you shall land up harming or killing a living creature.

The first and foremost thing you must understand before deciding to take care of an aquarium and its fishes is that prior to purchasing the fishes you must prepare the fish tank and make it apt for the fish to live in. This process needs lot of patience and knowledge else you might land up killing those beautiful creatures.

For preparing the fish tank you must first add the gravel and all other additives in the tank. Make sure that all these decorations are rinsed well so that the water is free of all harmful bacteria. The process of preparing the tank can take anywhere between 24 hours and 4 weeks.

Make sure that you do not use any soap while washing these substrates. Next, fill in the tank with dechlorinated water. Attach the filters & lighting. Now, allow the tank to cycle until at least once the water becomes clouded. Then allow the cloud to settle down. Make use of that test kit to check for the optimal temperature of water and for the sufficient P.H.

Also, be sure that you do not add any new fish to the tank until and unless the water in there is crystal clear.

Actually, when the aquarium is fully functional, some bacteria support the breakdown of ammonia in to nitrates. These bacteria are generated from the existing fish hence they are not there in a non-active fish tank. So, the crux of this explanation is that without any existing fish, there would be no good bacteria in the tank water.

This is called as the nitrogen cycle. You must know that the nitrogen cycle would not initiate until & unless you add fish to the tank. Hence, running the empty tank for quite a lot of days would not do any help.

The nitrogen cycle that takes place in the fish tank clears away the toxic chemicals being generated in there in to beneficial ones. This cycle generates foam that makes the water cloudy for sometime. This is a natural process and you do not have to worry if this happens, rather it proves that the tank is healthy enough for the fish.

Here are some simple points to understand what nitrogen exactly is:

1. Like all living beings the fishes eat food & generate waste or excreta.

2. This waste combines with the excess food that settles down at the base of the tank and the plant debris forming ammonia in your aquarium.

3. Ammonia is quite toxic and hence pretty harmful for the fishes, therefore we need to imply a mechanism to break it down.

4. This mechanism is the nitrifying of bacteria.

5. These bacteria turn the ammonia in the aquarium in to nitrites that are rather tolerable to the fishes.

6. Next, the varied nitrifying bacteria would convert the nitrites in to nitrates that are further less toxic for the fish & other aquarium life.

7. These nitrates are collected & minimized by filters. They would eventually accumulate in your tank.

Know your fish

Here are some types of fish that we recommend you to place in your aquarium:

1. Hardy fishes like barb, danios, gouramis, and other live bearers are known for their ability to withstand quite high nitrite levels & ammonia that are generated in a new aquarium.

2. Check that the ideal way is to introduce only one fish at a time, and gradually increase the number of fishes in the tank. You could also consider starting with 4 different types of hardy fishes, one of each type.

3. The right way to add a fish in the tank is that you must afloat the fish in a bag in to the aquarium for around 15 minutes prior to leaving them in the tank. This would help your fish get acclimated to the temperature of the water in its new home.

4. Make sure that you do not add the water of the fish bag in to the aquarium as this water might be contaminated, or would at times affect the temperature of the aquarium and the P.H. level of the water in there.

5. Before giving the first ever feed to the fish, give it at least two hours to get acquainted with its new house.

6. While purchasing the first fish of yours, be sure to purchase some food for it. Remember that you should feed only small amounts of the food initially.

7. The food that remains settles down at the bottom and rots down finally. This rotten food becomes debris and develops severely toxic chemicals that can kill your fish that is ammonia. So, try to maintain the least amount of remaining food. This thing must be taken are of in the newly set up aquariums especially those that lack the nitrifying bacteria.

8. The trick to do it simply is to watch your fish while feeding them. Only put in the amount of food it consumes in the first 2-3 minutes, that to only twice a day. In case of food, also make sure to read through the label of the fish that you always get on the purchase of the fish.

9. During the first month, make sure to test the level of P. H. in the water everyday.

10. In case the tank is getting cloudy; it is time to add some clarifiers in the water.

11. Monitor your fish well enough for any signs of ailment or stress.

12. The usual behavior study of the fish in the aquarium explains that the healthy fish would swim regularly and the lethargic ones would usually hover around the surface of its aquarium.

13. Hence, water in the tank must be changed regularly, especially when it is new. For the new fish tank you must consider changing around 10% of its total water every few days. This must be done for at least the first few weeks or so.

Abhishek is an avid Fish Lover and he has got some great Aquarium Care Secrets up his sleeves! Download his FREE 105 Pages Ebook, "Aquarium Care Made Easy!" from his website http://www.Wonder-Homes.com/636/index.htm . Only limited Free Copies available.

Medical Malpractice : Tragic But Very Common

Medical malpractice can occur whenever a patient is in the care of a healthcare professional. This can involve the failure or delay in properly diagnosing or treating an illness or injury so that it causes new or aggravated injuries.

Highly experienced and knowledgeable medical malpractice attorneys help thousands of people every year who have been the victim of medical malpractice or medical negligence.

Many people do not realize how frequently medical malpractice occurs. In fact, thousands of people every year are either injured from medical malpractice or medical negligence, or die from injuries or illnesses that could have been prevented or treated with proper medical care.

If you or a loved one has been injured or if a loved one has died as a result of medical malpractice, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney. Medical malpractice claims can be difficult because health records must be researched and rules and regulations must be followed in order to prove that injuries were sustained or aggravated as a result of the medical malpractice or medical negligence.

Since medical malpractice can occur in many different situations, medical malpractice claims can take many different forms, for many different reasons. Some of the common medical malpractice claims are:

· Birth Injury – when an infant is born, it is a very delicate situation, and medical malpractice can arise because of errors made in the delivery or care of the infant.
· Cerebral Palsy – is a medical condition that is caused by brain damage from a number of reasons. Many times, cerebral palsy is caused by medical malpractice or medical errors, such as birth injury.
· Failure to Diagnose – if your healthcare provider fails to diagnose you for an illness, they could be held liable for medical malpractice because they did not prescribe a treatment, and thus allowed the illness to progress.
· Medication Errors – if you are prescribed the wrong medication it is medical malpractice, and the results can be disastrous. If you are allergic to certain substances, the wrong medication can even cause death.
· Defective Medical Devices – if you are injured or suffer medical problems because you are prescribed or given a defective medical device, the healthcare provider can be held responsible for the resulting injury.
· Wrongful Death – Thousands of people die every year from medical malpractice. If you believe your loved one died due to medical malpractice, contact an experienced medical malpractice attorney.

Medical malpractice can cause serious health problems. If you have been the victim of medical malpractice, you are entitled to compensation for the resulting medical bills, lost wages, loss of enjoyment of life, and other damages.

Please contact the attorneys at Bush Lewis, P.L.L.C. today to schedule your confidential initial consultation. The attorneys at Bush Lewis serve clients in Beaumont, Orange and surrounding areas of Texas.
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Pontiac Daytona Prototype (dp) and Gt Teams Ready for the Race at the Glen

Pontiac Daytona Prototype (DP) and GT teams are preparing for the second distance race of the season---the Sahlen’s Six hours at the Glen and the round six of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Special Reserve which will be run on June 9, 2007, Saturday.

The Watkins Glen International raceway is considered to be historic with a 3.4-mile layout and 11 turns, it the third longest race on the Rolex Series schedule. The six-hour race will feature both GT and DP cars racing together for the first time in Mexico City.

With the DP, Pontiac the maker of high quality Pontiac oxygen sensor has been able to maintain a perfect pole qualifying streak for 2007. The top starting position has been dominated by Pontiac power, three teams, and four drivers. Colin Braun driving the No. 75 Krohn Racing Pontiac Riley has taken the pole in Mexico City and also at Virginia International Raceway.

Jan Magnussen driver of the No. 10 Sun Trust entry has obtained the top spot at Homestead. Alex Gurney and Jon Fogarty in the GAINSCO Pontiac have gotten two point starts to their credit, one at the Rolex 24 while the second at Laguna Seca.

Gurney and Fogarty are hoping to get their second win on the season with the first coming at Mexico City. The California duo have been heading the field all season and consistently qualifying at either first or second in every race so far.

The No.10 SunTrust Wayne Taylor Racing team will have a new driver to join the fold at the Glen. Jonathan Cochet is a Frenchman and will share duties with seasoned veteran Max Angelelli. Cochet will contribute a wealth of open-wheel experience as well as some DP driving miles to the SunTrust camp for this weekend’s race.

Currently the Khron Racing team is the defending six-hour winners from last year. Colin Braun was not able to participate last year since the track includes cigarette marketing contracts and prohibited minor drivers from joining the race. But Braun is now 18 years old and with Pontiac power and teammate Max Papis, the youngster believes that they have better chance to win this season.

The No.91 Riley-Mathews Motorsports Pontiac Riley that was driven by Jim Mathews and Marc Goosens is looking to be a factor in the race this weekend. The duo has improved tremendously with every race that they have joined and are now eyeing for a top finish.

For the No. 06 Pontiac GXP.R, Andy Pilgrim will join Tim Lewis Jr. and Leighton Reese at the Glen. All three drivers are fresh from a win last week with Reese and Lewis Jr. victorious at Lime Rock while Pilgrim won at Charlotte in Cadillac CTSV World Challenge car.

Paul Edwards and Kelly Collins currently sit third in the GT driver point standings. The duo has been fast all year and has led significant laps in the last two events at Lime Rock and Laguna Seca. They will bring the No. 07 Banner Pontiac GXP.R to the Glen and hopes to obtain their first win on the season.

The Six Hours of the Glen will start on Saturday, June 9 at 11:00 AM and will be televised on SPEED Channel in two segments. The first segment will start at 11:00 AM EDT while the second part will rejoin the action at 2:30 PM until the finish of the race.


Zeke Gervis has a degree in Human Resource Management. He is an F1 fanatic and is a collector of racing memorabilias. At present, he enjoys working at a consulting firm in Iowa.
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Paulownia tree Organic Nitrogen

Possibly this is the largest, by comparable overall mass and weight, of

all nitrogenous species. Having originated in China, this deciduous

tree can easily grow to 50 feet, often with leaves to 20 inches across.

This tree grows FAST.

* From planting to 5 years, it can be felled as a stable millable

timber, used for artistic carpentry, veneers, glory-boxes, cabinet

making, general lightweight furniture and musical instruments;


* from 5 to 10 years, it can be milled for projects requiring a more resilient timber, such as chairs and interior walls;

* from 10 years and on, it becomes millable as a hardwood for construction and structural quality timber;

* has a very high ignition point, and is also rot and warp resistant.

* At any point in its growth after 3 years, it can be utilized to make rather excellent charcoal, for artworks.

All of these qualities make it a rather attractive timber commercially.

Once cut, at any age, after having shed its stored nitrogen -

comparable to the biomass it has lost, the stump will re-shoot. The

shed nitrogen becoming fertiliser for the soil. The re-growth can then

be selectively pruned to re-start the whole plantation process.

Grazing animals find the leaves quite palatable, too, and it is not

uncommon to let them graze on the re-growth between the rows in

plantation systems.

Compatible plant species, with particular micro-environmental climatic

needs, such as coffee, cocoa, lychees, or any other understorey crop

for that matter, fare very well with this system. (more about this in

another article)

After the second or third season of growth (now at approx. 16 feet),

Paulownias start to flower, adding yet another fascinating dimension to

this remarkable tree.

The flowers, from lilac, or light mauve to white, are produced on

panicles about 18 inches long, or deep, remarkably similar foxglove

flowers.

As each flower falls from the panicle, they make an audible sound when

they hit the ground, they are so heavy. The flowers are a prime source

of bee food and subsequently produce a light, uniquely flavored, high

quality honey.

The seed-pod is fairly non-descript, other than that it is a dry pod

containing myriad minute seeds. (more on this in a following article)

The leaves, being huge, either green or spent, make an excellent mulch, or green manure, high in nitrogen.

There is also anecdotal evidence of the leaves being used in alternative therapies, such as a hedge against intestinal worms.

Paulownias will grow in poor to degraded soils and are often used as a

reclamation species. The only apparent specific growing needs being,

plenty of sun and a dislike of wet feet.

Being a very deep rooted plant, and a phyto-remediator species,

Paulownias take up and process contaminants present in ruined land, in

return delivering masses of organic material to bolster the land.

Due to the rapid rate Paulownia trees grow and their ease of

regeneration, they make an excellent primary reclamation species,

especially if incorporated with grazing animals.

Biomass builds phenomenally fast using this method, and reclamation of ecologically ruined land, is actually assured.

Indeed the paulownia is almost a miracle tree.

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Alternative Medicine - Avenue for Medical Tourism

The history of alternative medicine is a rather interesting one, and has its

origins in traditional methods of medicine. Alternative medicine has been
in existence since time immemorial. Being a primeval science, this medicinal
system has been known to man since the early days of his time on Earth. Using
natural ingredients to prevent and cure most illnesses has perhaps been man’s greatest foray into medical science. Traditional medical practitioners aimed at prevention of diseases associated with an increase in resistance of the human body. As an expert rightly pointed out, “The study of the history of alternative medicine is fascinating on a variety of levels, not just concerning other and often better ways of preserving and restoring health.”

Practised for thousands of years, alternative medicine includes systems like
Acupuncture, Ayurveda and traditional Asian medicine. Alternative medicine branches
out from the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatments and
therapies. CAM is often combined with formal, conventional medicine, integrating
both medical practices, in order to give the best results to patients. It can be said that
the earlier methods of medicine were attempted at achieving a balance between bodily
and natural energy. Energies were sought as positive and negative energies, where
positive energies were to bring in happiness and health and negative energies an
incapacitation of resistance to face any ailments. Matters of utmost importance in
deciding therapies or treatments in these earlier medical systems were factors like
one’s lifestyle, one’s habits of eating and one’s occupational pressures.

Berry Tree Bears Fruit

I am really happy to talk about the Berry Tree because it has been one of the best purchases we have made, both as a product in its own right and as one means to fulfil our quest for 'self sufficiency' online. The Berry Tree is MLM in the 21st century. The Berry Tree is a 'place' to purchase specific health products only available online and/or it can be a small and effective home based Internet business, the choice is yours. We use the product and have chosen to work with Berry Tree as a small business. This article features the product while the next article looks at the business opportunity.

The Berry Tree sells two products and the one we have direct experience with is called O2 Berry Proformance Hydration. Essentially O2 Berry Proformance Hydration is a water treatment product that radically enhances the properties of ordinary water by raising the levels of oxygen in the water. It is made from coral found exclusively on the Island of Okinawa Japan. Don't groan too loudly... yet, yes we have all heard stories about the amazing product hand picked by vestal virgins on a full moon in some remote village - somewhere. And O2 Berry Proformance Hydration, in our experience is different. The story goes like this:

You might remember a few years ago the famous book The Okinawa diet - a huge international best seller? Turns out the folks in Okinawa are some of the most long lived and healthy on the planet. Why??? The finding of numerous international research projects is that Okinawans drink water exclusively from their island. The water is filtered through a particular coral; so the island is a naturally occurring water treatment plant! Lucky Okinawans! Fortunately we stumbled across a video demonstrating the effects of this amazing coral. Watch the video and see for yourself; and all you soft drink/soda junkies please pay close attention to the segment at the end of the video - you will be amazed. Anyway, after viewing this same video we decided to do the free trial of the product and we have been consistently impressed with its performance. We are always more confident in those companies who are confident in their product to provide samples - especially on the net.

Anyway, we have subsequently tried the product with various people in a range of settings. All of them have responded well - even those unaware they were drinking 'treated' water. By responding well we mean that folks either recognised they felt better after drinking the water or, and this is the most interesting - they stopped showing obvious signs of tiredness and or jet lag - most noticeably, they stopped yawning. We have tried this time and again - especially with folks we are working with. If we start work in the clinic and we are yawning - or someone else is, we give them a glass of 'Berry Tree water' and they miraculously stop yawning and 'perk up'. Even Gez, our own in house skeptic has asked for some Berry Tree sachets on particularly slow days/daze... Remember the increased blood oxygen levels from the video? Well that has absolutely been our experience. Cool huh? It really is a fantastic and affordable health alternative - which also doubles as a source of income!

As one person from Berry Tree said to me, the coral also makes the water 'more wet' - a technical term :-) So for those folks who don't like to drink a lot of water - you can increase your water uptake or absorption without having to drink more. Great too for folks who are doing heavy exercise. Drinking a lot of water and heavy exercise often don't mix - so you can still exercise, drink less and enjoy the same benefits as if you had drunk more. I am searching out more information on how the product has this effect and will keep you posted.

More than that the Berry Tree coral alkalises water instantly and for those of you are interested in health you will be aware that research is increasing to directly link acidity with chronic disease. That this product can instantly turn water alkaline is phenomenal. And it removes chlorine - instantly. If you have a whiz bang filter at home great - maybe you don't need it - but remember at least one sample of the treated water in the video came from a 'water cooler' which is normally treated/filtered...this is a much healthier alternative. Sign up for a free trial and subject the water at your place to the same tests as on the video.

One great advantage of the product is its portability you simply carry the coral bags, buy water when you need it and treat the water. Each coral bag makes up to 900ml of treated water. We 'reuse' the bags by adding an additional coral sachet and refilling the bottle - great value for money.

After using this product for a number of months and seeing the results we both feel that any one who wants to make a difference to their health and sense of well being should at least trial it. Sure no one product can be all thing to all people. From our experience we believe this products will make a difference to a broad range of people it is very portable and you can trial it for free. What have you got to loose?

Our personal proclaimer: "Yes we have tried the product/s and or services we are discussing in this article and YES we can attest to it's efficacy - or not - first hand. We are happy to answer any questions you might have about our use of the product."
Antonietta is a mother of three kids under ten, a homeopath and free lance writer currently traveling the world with her partner and family. For more information see http://www.bythebay.com.au/blog or more information on the Bery Tree opportunity visit http://myberrytree.com/39155/bgboost

Chemistry of the Elements of Nitrogen Family at a Glance

Nitrogen, which makes up about 78% of our atmosphere, is a colorless, odorless, tasteless and chemically unreactive gas at room temperature. It is named from the Greek nitron + genes for soda forming. Discovered in 1772 by Daniel Rutherford (and independently by others such as Priestly and Cavendish), it is more abundant in the known universe than carbon or silicon. Most commercially produced nitrogen gas is recovered from liquefied air. Of that amount, the majority is used to manufacture ammonia (NH3) via the Haber process. Much is also converted to nitric acid (HNO3). Small amounts of nitrogen (for laboratory study) can be prepared by heating solid ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) with solid ammonium nitrite (NH4NO2). Sodium chloride and water are by-products. Nitrogen forms a surprising number of compounds with oxygen, exhibiting a wide range of oxidation states. Some of the more familiar ones include nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of photochemical smogs and a contributor to acid rain in some areas, and dinitrogen monoxide (N2O) commonly called "laughing gas".

Named from the Greek word phosphorus ("bringer of light"), phosphorus was first isolated in 1669 by Hennig Brand (a painting commemorating this achievement is in the rotating gallery that appears on the home page of this site). The original extraction was made from about 60 pails of urine..... Industrial processes for isolating phosphorus today involve heating calcium phosphate, carbon and silicon dioxide. Phosphorus occurs in at least 10 allotropic forms, the most common (and reactive) of which is so-called white (or yellow) phosphorus which looks like a waxy solid or plastic. It is very reactive and will spontaneously inflame in air so it is stored under water. The other common form of phosphorus is red phosphorus which is much less reactive and is one of the components on the striking surface of a match book. Red phosphorus can be converted to white phosphorus by careful heating. Commercially, phosphorus compounds are used in the manufacture of phosphoric acid (H3PO4) (found in soft drinks and used in fertilizer compounding). Other compounds find applications in fireworks and, of course, phosphorescent compounds which glow in the dark.

Arsenic has been known for a very long time and the person who may have first isolated it is not known but credit generally is given to Albertus Magnus in about the year 1250. The element, which is classified as a metalloid, is named from the Latin arsenicum and Greek arsenikon which are both names for a pigment, yellow orpiment. Tiny amounts of arsenic are used today in the semiconductor industry to create LEDs. Some compounds are used in the manufacture of everything from wallpaper to ceramics. Of course, arsenic is most often thought of in terms of its toxicity and it is used as a weed killer and rat poison. Intentional arsenic poisoning is now pretty much the stuff of old murder mysteries. Originally arsenious oxide was administered in small doses over a period of time, precipitating death accompanied by symptoms reminiscent of pneumonia. Today the arsenic remaining in the body can be detected during autopsy so this is not (happily) a very effective way to dispatch people undetected. Commercially, arsenic is produced by heating the pigment orpiment (As2S3) in air and then reacting the oxide product with carbon.

Antimony and its compounds have been known for centuries. Scientific study of the element began during the early 17th century, much of the important work being done by Nicolas Lemery. The name of the element comes from the Greek anti + monos for "not alone", while the modern symbol is rooted in the Latin-derived name of the common ore, stibnite. Antimony is a hard, brittle metalloid which is alloyed with other metals to increase hardness. It is also used in some semi-conductor devices. The recovery of elemental antimony parallels that of arsenic: the sulfide ore (stibnite) is roasted in air and then heated with carbon.

Bismuth, the heaviest non-radioactive naturally occurring element, was isolated by Basil Valentine in 1450. It is a hard, brittle metal with an unusually low melting point (271oC). Alloys of bismuth with other low-melting metals such as tin and lead have even lower melting points and are used in electrical solders, fuse elements and automatic fire sprinkler heads. The metal can be found in nature, often combined with copper or lead ores, but can also be extracted from bismuth (III) oxide by roasting with carbon. Compounds of bismuth are used in pigments for oil painting and one is in a popular pink preparation for the treatment of common stomach upset.

In studies announced jointly by the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in the U.S., four atoms of element 113 were produced in 2004 via decay of element 115 after the fusion of Ca-48 and Am-243.
Dr.Badruddin Khan teaches Chemistry in the University of Kashmir, Srinagar, India.

Alternative Medicine - Avenue for Medical Tourism

The history of alternative medicine is a rather interesting one, and has its

origins in traditional methods of medicine. Alternative medicine has been
in existence since time immemorial. Being a primeval science, this medicinal
system has been known to man since the early days of his time on Earth. Using
natural ingredients to prevent and cure most illnesses has perhaps been man’s greatest foray into medical science. Traditional medical practitioners aimed at prevention of diseases associated with an increase in resistance of the human body. As an expert rightly pointed out, “The study of the history of alternative medicine is fascinating on a variety of levels, not just concerning other and often better ways of preserving and restoring health.”

Practised for thousands of years, alternative medicine includes systems like
Acupuncture, Ayurveda and traditional Asian medicine. Alternative medicine branches
out from the Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) treatments and
therapies. CAM is often combined with formal, conventional medicine, integrating
both medical practices, in order to give the best results to patients. It can be said that
the earlier methods of medicine were attempted at achieving a balance between bodily
and natural energy. Energies were sought as positive and negative energies, where
positive energies were to bring in happiness and health and negative energies an
incapacitation of resistance to face any ailments. Matters of utmost importance in
deciding therapies or treatments in these earlier medical systems were factors like
one’s lifestyle, one’s habits of eating and one’s occupational pressures.

Wonders and milestones of Science for civilization

Right from ancient time science has revolutionized a wheel of progress made so far. Historical contribution of science for society was initiated by Alexander Grahm Bell whose mom and students whom he married were deaf, on March 10, 1876, at small laboratory at Boston, USA, established a communication from one room to another. It led to establish Bell Telephone Company in year 1877 for quicker communication. Gregor Mendel, central European monk who published his ideas on genetics in 1866 but largely went unrecognized until 1900, and a long after his death, was recognized as father of genetics. Newton gave laws for gravitational force, Jams Watt discovered locomotive engine, Hargovind Singh khurana synthesized artificial gene and Madam Curie discovered a radioactive materials named Pitchblende in 1911. Antoine Lavoisier, a French Chemist in 1700s, put forward a quantitative basis for chemistry by measuring weights of materials used in chemical reactions. For this work, Lavoisier is known as a "father of modern chemistry. His prefixes are most important in modern day technology where decimal and exponential equivalents in a metric system are very useful and listed as pico for 10-12, nano for 10-9, micro for 10-6, milli for 10-3, centi for 10-2 for deci for 10-1, no prefix for 00, deka for 101, hepta for 102, kilo for 103,mega for 106 and giga for 109.

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Many more could be derived by conversion from one unit of length to another in a metric system by shifting a decimal point. For example 12 inches make feet and 5280 feet make a mile. There are many glaring discoveries which are indispensable from the society for example in 19th century matter and energy have been complementary to each other and has fascinated Einstein for principle of relativity. It led him to make nuclear bombs, bombarded on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the business cities of Japan, in 1945. In a history of human civilization, it was as a 2nd sun as it generated radiations equivalent to those of sun with vas change in environmental thermodynamics. The thermos means temperature and dynamics means motion, and coined the word thermodynamics. Origin of life has been because of alignment and association of nitrogen (N2), oxygen (O2), hydrogen (H2) gases and sulfur (S) together to form amino acids, proteins to compose life system. It was put forward by Stanley who at Chicago University, USA, in 1950s did successful experiment to prove that methane (CH4) and ammonia (NH3) gases with other gases form amino acids and proteins. The alignment and association of gases conserve energy in a form of molecules, which sustain life. Newton’s observation about falling of an apple from apple tree further emphasized key position of energy. Evolution of civilization followed by various experimental realizations about energy for construction of world famous pyramid at Cairo, Egypt. Thousands years old, the workers loaded heavy and bigger sized stones on wooden planks and did swim in river Nile for transportation to pyramid site. The energy has brought revolutionary changes in civilization like Chinese and Indian inks were prepared by burning the wood to convert it into the wooden coals which were converted into fine powder and mixed with mustard oils. Similarly Harrappa and Mohan Jodaro, century old big buildings were constructed following lock and key concept based on a socket and cone joints of bones of elbow and knees of human body. At countryside, for centuries, grandmother used to burn mustard oil with cotton wick through a capillary and collect soot on neat and clean metallic surfaces like on brass or ion, and applied in eyes for adsorbing a secretion. During stone and metallic ages of civilization, the stones were shaped up to different designs and used for hunting.

These forms conserve and liberate energies transforming from one form to another as burning of oil to soot. Egyptians understood thermodynamics in a better way as they knew pushing heavy wooden planks on water surface reduces frictional forces and minimum human energy was needed for transportations. During Stone Age, the stones were shaped up to different sizes to manifolds the impulse for hunting. The water potential was noticed centuries ago and dams were constructed at Mississippi and Niles to make water falls for rotating turbine to generate electricity and irrigational works.

Paddling of cycle, letter typing machines, bull carts, churners (for churning curd to whey), horse carts, swing machines, ships were operated manually and best form of human energy conversion. The machine were run with human energy in fact if we go deeper, the human energy harnessed from food is partly stored in muscles and was used for operating the machines. Similarly levers were made which were very effective to economize the human energy for example the rollers were not pushed from back but were pulled forwards from front to minimize the human energy consumption. These scientific developments were revolved around a energy conversion from one form to another and termed as thermodynamic by Joule Thompson, Carnot and Cannon Rumford in 18th countries. Now the thermodynamics is an indispensable part of the human sciences and civilizations. In ancient times the major cities were established at the banks of rivers, due to easier transportation and as sources of water for drinking, irrigation, cottage industries. River Nile in African countries is considered highly revered and is boon to Egypt, Sudan, Ghana, Ethiopia, Somalia and Nigeria etc. In India, rivers Ganga, Yamuna, Sarswati etc. were taken in very high esteem and cities like Delhi at bank Yamuna, Allahabad at Trivani or Pragraj, kolkata at river Hugly, Mumbai and Madras are at coastal areas. The energy is understood as thermodynamics. During British India various dams for energy harnessing were constructed like Tungbhadra dam at Krishna-Cavery, Rihand, Hirakund, Nagarjun Sagar at Krishna River, Cauvery, Periyar, Ramagundam, Bhakra Nangal, and Salal project at Chenab River. Theses were eco-friendly techniques with no pollution hazards. The replacement of cycle, bull cart and horse carts by engine run motors are emitting tone and tones of CO, CO2, NO, NO2, NO3, SO2, SO3, polluting gases causing global warming.

Thermodynamics a boon:

Liberation of calories from food is well known and establish q = DE + PDV, a first law of thermodynamics. The q is heat, DE liberated energy, P pressure and DV volume change when food is digested in body. Putting no volume and pressure change the q = DE exists which decides an intake of food. Concept of eating jugglery after lunch and dinner for intake of iron and other useful vitamins is centaury old in Indian society. By practice our ancestors carried forward this tradition generation to generation, the families who used to stick to a concept of “as you eat so you reap” leads to have sound mind in sound body. The traditions of wearing types of clothes are monitored by the thermodynamics and illuminate the human side of science. Newton’s observation of falling of apple from tree to earth was based on potential energy due to height. A matter energy-relation fascinated Einstein to make nuclear bomb. Weather forecasting is a big thermodynamics, where moistures and pressure gradient are basic parameters. In villages, people still guess in advance about a rainfall by watching the movement of ants and curtains birds. The ants very accurately sense a change in humidity and start taking out their eggs from their underground nests. Similarly the tailor birds start making nests at heighted trees. The villagers guess that increases in humidity forecasts a rainfall in coming days.

During heating, the milk boils out of a heating vessel while water does not this is due to a layer formation of a fat of the milk on upper surface on heating because of low density. The layer thickens acts as cover to push back the milk vapors and kinetic energy of the milk molecules get accumulated and a state comes when the layer can not bear with the internal energy DE. It suddenly bursts out with large amount of the milk but water heating simply breaks its hydrogen bonds.

Who lays down its Foundation:

James Watt, a naughty boy, in 1750 noticed experimental relevance of thermodynamics with uplifting of a lid of kettle being used for boiling water for cooking the vegetable. Watt coined the word horsepower as horses powered water pumps in mines and laid down a foundation of railway engines. In 1799, Humphry Davy melted ice by rubbing two ice cubs together. Latter in 1824, Sadi Carnot and Cannon Ford, observed generation of heat when iron screw was used to make hole in wooden logs. It was supported by count Rumford for boring cannon experiment in 18th and early 19th century. The handle of a screw was rotated manually putting mechanical energy to work. Partly it evolved heat during process, later on the ideas of Watt, Carnot and Ford laid down a foundation of first law of thermodynamics as q = DE+PDV. The q is heat contents, the DE internal energy1 and the PDV a mechanical work done by or on the system. It successfully converts mechanical energy into the electrical. Benjamin Thompson in 1790’s, for measuring the power of light coined the word candlepower for candlelight as standard. Similarly James Joule in 1840’s gave the Joule as standard unit for energy measurement2, which is still in use. There are several other discoveries where our ancestors developed like fire which burnt by rubbing dried wooden logs that generates fire by friction3.

Description:

Real meaning of thermodynamics is to achieve the best equilibrium among the pressure, temperatures, mass and energy. However its real meaning could be understood by several states of the water, these are most useful example in society. At low temperature the liquid water is solid and referred to as ice while at optimum temperature is liquid state and at higher temperature i.e. 1000C the gaseous form (vapor). The vapor is powerful to generate electricity by turbine at thermal power stations. The windmills for centuries have been the most traditional power in villages for pumping out the water from the deep grounds. The air pressure for centuries is being used as a big potential by farmers to separate out the food grains from the straw of the wheat crops. In 18th centuries the watermills were emerged as a powerful source of energy from turbine attached directly to a axle fitted with grinding stones to grind wheat, maize, gram and other food grains into flour. At higher altitude the pressure is low hence cooking of vegetables takes longer time and more fuel. Training area of Nehru Institute of Mountaineering (NIM) Utterkashi is at very high altitudes, I personally observed that the cooking of rice or any food item takes longer time. In 1996, I have attended one month mountaineering course and studied this phenomenon. In general, the ladies used to wet solid grains of grams, soyabeans, peas etc, and spices in fresh and clean water before 4 to 5 hrs of cooking. This process was well known by our forefathers/ancestors. They were aware about a significance of thermodynamics. Hence used to wet the food grains in water prior cooking. It is time saving device and enriching the food in nutrients. It saves lot of fuels, and depicts that the wet food grains take comparatively less time in cooking and saves the fuel. The calorie of the 1g mol of the butane is -687.982 K calorie mol-1, and of methane –191.800 K calorie mpl-1 thus the total time 123-65 = 58 min are saved. This saves a lot of gas and the time in kitchen.

Thermodynamics for natural events:

The wetting concept of dried grains must be popularized in the society in interest of health and economic reasons. The rain is a best example of thermodynamics, the water vapors from south India to North from the oceans of Hind and Arabian oceans, and from bay of Bengal gets transported to North to fill the deficiency of the water moistures at the North India. This process is spontaneous or the natural one and is closely associated with the thermodynamics. The gallons and gallons of the water are being transported to North India through open sky. Evaporation of water moisture from the leaves of trees, herbs and shrubs do add some moisture to the amount of the already water vapor. This process of the thermodynamics highlights contributions of the trees. The society must encourage tree plantation to maintain the equilibrium and ecosystems. The learners can understand the meaning and worth of non-equilibrium system. The pressure gradient causes the energy gradient, and is calculated with DG = -2.303RT log K. The DG is free energy, K is equilibrium constant, the K= p2/p1, the p1 water vapor pressure at southern India and the p2 at the northern. At northern the vapor pressure is lower than that of the southern. The pressure moves from south to north India and could be equated with kinetics of reactions where the reactants are decomposed with time and rate of reaction is determined. A state is reached where the systems are equilibrated with respect to the concentration of the reactants. The rate constant K is as p1 at southern Û p2 at northern, and K = P2/P1. The DG is free energy, and a working capacity of environment due to pressure or moisture gradients. This clarifies the concept of Gibbs free energy, for example if the P1 = 1.5 bar and P2 = 1.0 bar, the log K = 0.17609 and the amount of DG = -1005.22 Joule mol-1kelvin-1. This is the energy, which is being used to push up the water vapor to northern India. The 1005.22 Joule mol-1kelvin-1 is being used till the P1 = P2, at this condition the K=1 and the log K=0, and the DG=0. This predicts that the movements of the water vapors are stabilized and condensation is started in a form of clouds with transition of phase. And after some time it falls in the form of rains. For farmers the thermodynamics has special significance. For example when high-pressure difference is there the storms occur that distribute the seeds of the herbal plants and other useful trees.

There are 4 seasons and the seed germination is temperature sensitive, the wheat, maize, guar gum, pulses, oil seeds etc. are sown at an optimum temperature with some moisture contents. The intelligent farmers generally wet the seed of crops overnight before sowing. It enhances the moisture contents in the seed for quicker and healthy germination. This makes a better understanding of the thermodynamic applications in farming. The plants show much growth in rainy seasons due to water in plenty. The artificial thermodynamic conditions are being generated for growing of the seeds and flowering so that fresh fruits can be had at any seasons. For example at Tamil Naidu the mango plants give fruits in all seasons, as it is coastal area where almost same temperature prevails. Human thermodynamics, the sweating in very useful phenomenon and is closely related to the human body. Due to sweating several harmful toxins come out of the body. The living in air condition (AC) is harmful to the body because the toxins get accumulated in the body and accumulation in excess causes sudden disease. Similarly other way round is also beneficial for example in winter seasons the people rub their hands to generate heat due to friction, and expose minimum surface of body to the environments to prevent dissipation of heat of the body.

Currently, the thermodynamics is being defaced or deformed at domestic levels for example most of the ladies cook the food and for the time being store in freezes to prevent it from spoiling. It is OK that it protects the food for time being but heating eatable again and again is not good and destroys the calorie value. In general, overheating decompose and denature the food items. Some of the valuable vitamins and other chemicals get lost in heating process as vitamin C and iodine get vaporized. Overheating of the milk loses the vitamin C, similarly at kitchen ladies use oil for cooking the food, they dip the processed or knitted flour in hot oil. The used oil after cooking the food is stored and reused for further cooking. The oil after heating several times gets saturated whose intake in body along food is harmful.

The farmers do irrigate the crops for water and softening the soil for a growth of the roots and a use of earthen pots for cooling the water in summer is century old. In village is highly beneficial, this is natural cooler and do not cause any disease. There is a shortage of the electricity to run the electric coolers.

The thermodynamics is playing a glaring role in vehicular traffic, air and waterways. Too much friction between the road and outer surface of the wheels at the roads do cause some heat and wastage of the energy at roads and more fuel is used to cop up this effect. Air-cooling is most useful for dissipating the heat from oil engines during work. There are some demerits of the thermodynamics as global warming, air pollution. But the wonderful aspect of the thermodynamics is to generate electricity due the to temperature difference in water with depth of the oceans. This is called as OTEC i.e. Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion as at 4 to 8 feet deep water the temperature is lower (about 10 to 150C) while at upper surface is very high (about 350C). This difference develops the temperature gradients, thus a machine made up of metallic pipes of about 1 to 2 feet inner diameter is made in a square shape. Inside pipes, at their each corner a turbine is fitted and a volatile gas like ammonia or propane is filled inside the pipes, which due to temperature gradient runs from a high temperature to a lower. The gas on the way strikes the turbines where the latter are rotated and mechanical energy is converted into the electrical energy with suitable electric circuits. The thermodynamics is applicable to human anger as human anger is an adiabatic process. If the heat of the human is quickly dissipated, the anger of the person is cooled down and the person becomes normal. Currently Survismeter and econoburette are invented from Indian soil for saving energy and resources.
Conclusion: The best use of thermodynamic processes draws manifold benefits to our society and maintains the healthy ecosystem. This article contains a very primitive and useful science that has been enriching our civilization. The energy is still in great demand and a key for all round developments. There is an urgent need to pay attention on the trivial methods and concepts and perceptions dealing with energies, as the young minds can accelerate and develop some new dimension of science that can boost up our quality of life. There are many areas and works where least scientific attentions are paid because careful execution of any thing would up ridge some new thoughts.

References:

1.Man Singh and Sanjay Kumar, J. Appl. Sci., 93, 47-55, 2004.
2.Man Singh, J. Ind. Chem. Soc. 78, August 2001, 397-402.
3.Man Singh, J. Ind. Chem. Soc. 80, July 2003, 704-706.
Dr.Man Singh, associate prof. physical chemistry, is working on molecular features of dendrimers and supramolecues, their surface area, wetting coefficents, interaction dynamics.

The Nitrogen Cycle - It's Important you Know

We've all seen salt water aquariums in books and on the internet as well as in our homes. They come in all sorts of sizes and shapes, some being enormous, then all the way down in size to a nano aquarium. Whatever size they are and whether they are fish only or reef, they rely on nature's life support system, the nitrogen cycle.

Any aquarist needs to basically understand the nitrogen cycle. There is no requirement to become a scientist, just know what is going on. Then the dangers of stressing the aquarium will be better realized (as an example overfeeding, perhaps the main problem with fledgling aquarists?).

All the aquarist needs to do is provide the correct environment for the nitrogen cycle to function. This can be done in several ways that will not be gone into here….except to point out that the nitrogen cycle can reach its full function with some filtration methods and only partially reach it with others. As an example, full function can be reached with 'live' rock and partial function can be reached with a canister filter.

So, how does it work? The following is very simplified.

As part of normal aquarium life, livestock put waste into the seawater. In addition there is breakdown of other items such as algae which has died and similar. On top of that the livestock need food which is provided in the main by the aquarist. All of these will produce ammonia which is toxic. Left unchecked, ammonia will kill our livestock.

Provided a proper environment has been provided, nature comes to the rescue. A colony of bacteria (Nitrosomas) develop and they transform the ammonia into nitrite. The toxic ammonia has been dealt with but it has been converted to another toxin which is nearly as detrimental to livestock. Again, another colony of bacteria (Nitrobacter) transform the nitrite into nitrate. Now we are getting somewhere, nitrate is nowhere near as toxic as nitrite. Depending what they are, generally livestock can stand fairly high but varying concentrations of nitrate.

It is at this point that the nitrogen cycle has gone as far as it can in the example given above, the canister filter. All the bacteria have required is a suitable environment with a good supply of oxygen. The bacteria mentioned above operate in an oxygen rich environment.

If an aquarist with our example, a canister filter, wants to continue and deal with the nitrate, then another filter needs to be set up for this.

The aquarist who has used the other example, 'live' rock, need just let nature continue.

It is in fact best to keep nitrate at low levels, particularly with corals but not exclusively so. The natural nitrate reduction process is known as denitrification. Bacteria once again form a colony, but the environment they need is one very low in oxygen. This is called an anaerobic environment. As oxygen is mainly absent, the bacteria utilise the nitrate. In the process the nitrate is transformed into nitrogen gas. The nitrogen gas is released from the aquarium at the water surface.

There are other ways to remove nitrates (for example algae) but if the full natural cycle can be achieved then this is the best.

As can be seen, our example the canister filter is unable to deal with nitrate as the environment is totally oxygen rich. To deal with nitrate, a further special nitrate filter will need to be employed. Or, if nitrates are not too high, water changes may be sufficient.

'Live' rock (in sufficient quantity, good condition, and with acceptable water circulation) can deal with ammonia, nitrite and nitrate. The bacteria live on and within the rock.

There are filtration methods other than the two examples given. ('Live' rock is however considered to be the best, and can be supplemented by a DSB (deep sand bed)). Whatever the filtration method employed, it must be pointed out that there are limits that any filter can deal with. So don't overfeed. Don't overstock (resist the "one more fish" temptation unless you are sure your stocking level will take it). Also be willing to carry out water quality tests. If the aquarium is new, allow time for the bacteria colonies to build, or for the 'live' rock to settle and 'adjust'.

Next time you sit and view your seawater aquarium, think of the bacteria, nature's engines, working for you.
Peter Cunningham and John Cunningham combined have been keeping salt water aquarium's for nearly 35 years. Visit their site 'Aquarists Online' if you are interested in the saltwater aquarium hobby.

Medical Interview

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Medical interview is a part of the procedure that a doctor or a medical practitioner requires to succeed in order to secure a lucrative hospital job. For a suitable Specialist Training or GT position various ST medical interviews are conducted by reputed medical colleges and hospitals. Hence suitable and effective guidance and tips are required to face these medical interviews for achieving success.

For this, participants can take the help of online medical interview skills that will not only motivate them but at the same time help them to answer various medical interview questions more correctly. Doctors vying for important medical posts should also consult medical consultants who can guide the aspirants. They can also take suitable help from various online medical interview courses or consultant interview courses. Interviews of various nature are conducted, some of which are listed below.
· F1 and F2, Foundation Interviews
· ST, CT and FTSTA Interviews
· GP VTS and GPR Interviews
· Consultant and Senior Medical Appointments Job Interviews.

However there are some preconceived notions regarding various ST(Specialist Training) or other medical interviews. A survey has revealed that most of the candidates (about 80-90%) who have failed to qualify in these interviews lack adequate practice and preparation. Most of the candidates are of the opinion that their resumes are really good and fit the selection criteria of various medical interviews. This has often leaded to failure. Candidates appearing for a ST1 medical interview should consult ST interview courses for better preparation. Experts from the interview panel often ask questions regarding the information that are provided in the CV of the candidate. Here are some of the steps that can help a candidate to prepare for a medical interview.
· While applying for a particular clinic, trust or hospital make sure you gather sufficient information on its functioning and reputation
· Also carry out investigations on its performance and the various issues that it is facing. This helps to create a sense of confidence while facing medical interviews
· Critically judge and review your CV from time to time to see whether it has the latest updated information on your skills and achievements
· Analyze your skills but at the same time be aware your strengths and weaknesses
· If you want top appear for ST/ST1 medical interviews do not forget to create a list of all the probable questions along with the relevant answers and suitable examples.
· Prepare yourself mentally for a structured Panel Interview which is very common to the Health Sector
· Take the help of a colleague or a friend and carry out a mock medical interview based on probable medical interview questions
· Also practice Group Discussions on a certain medical topic to boost your confidence

Various factors are taken into account while selecting a candidate for a suitable medical post such as
Eligibility, Clinical Skills, Research and Audit, Personal Skills, Probity and Commitment to Specialty. While appearing for medical interviews these factors should be kept in mind while answering questions pertaining to them.
Dan is a tutor for Medical Interview UK, and has years of experience in training doctors for their interviews.

To find out more about just visit Medical interview go to www.medicalinterviewsuk.co.uk

Analysis of Bio Mass Energy System Using Direct Combustion

The energy produced by direct combustion process is heat and steam. Despite its apparent simplicity, direct combustion is a complex process from a technological point of view. High reaction rates and high heat release and many reactants and reaction schemes are involved. In order to analyze the combustion process a division is made between the place where the biomass fuel is burned (the furnace) and the place where the heat from the flue gas is exchanged for a process medium or energy carrier (the heat exchanger). The basic process flow diagram for direct combustion is shown in the following picture Figure 2 Principal scheme of direct combustion system Proper designed industrial biomass combustion facilities can burn all type of above listed biomass fuel. In combustion process, volatile hydrocarbons (CxHy) are formed and burned in a hot combustion zone. Combustion technologies convert biomass fuels into several forms of useful energy for commercial and/or industrial uses. In a furnace, the biomass fuel converted via combustion process into heat energy. The heat energy is released in form of hot gases to heat exchanger that switches thermal energy from the hot gases to the process medium (steam, hot water or hot air). The efficiency of the furnace is defined as follows: Depending on the wet Low Heating Value (LHV) of received biomass fuel, typical combustion efficiencies varies in the range of 65% in poorly designed furnaces up to 99% in high sophisticated, well maintained and perfectly insulated combustion systems. In single statement, the combustion efficiency is mainly determined by the completeness of the combustion process (i.e. the extent to which the combustible biomass particles are burned) and the heat losses from the furnace. Direct combustion systems are of either fixed bed or fluidized-bed systems. Fixed-bed systems are basically distinguished by types of grates and the way the biomass fuel is supplied to or transported through the furnace. In stationary or travelling grate combustor, a manual or automatic feeder distributes the fuel onto a grate, where the fuel burns. Combustion air enters from below the grate. In the stationary grate design, ashes fall into a pit for collection. In contrast, a travelling grate system has a moving grate that drops the ash into a hopper. Fluidized-Bed Combustors (FBC) burn biomass fuel in a hot bed of granular, noncombustible material, such as sand, limestone, or other. Injection of air into the bed creates turbulence resembling a boiling liquid. The turbulence distributes and suspends the fuel. This design increases heat transfer and allows for operating temperatures below 970°C, reducing NOx emissions. Depending on the air velocity, a bubbling fluidized bed or circulating fluidized bed is created. The most important advantages (comparing to fixed bed systems) of fluidized-bed combustion system are: • Flexibility to changes in biomass fuel properties, sizes and shapes; • Acceptance of biomass fuel moisture content up to 60%; • Can handle high-ash fuels and agricultural biomass residue (>50%); • Compact construction with high heat exchange and reaction rates; • Low NOx emissions; • Low excess air factor, below 1.2 to 1.4, resulting in low heat losses from flue gas. Additional factor that determines the system efficiency is the efficiency of the heat exchanger, which is defined as follows: Typical heat exchanger efficiencies based on biomass LHV range between 60% and 95%, mainly depending on design and kind of operation and maintenance. The main losses are in the hot flue gas exiting from the stack. In the industrial practice, the furnace and heat exchanger form together biomass-fired boiler unit. The boiler is a more adaptable direct combustion technology because the boiler transfers the heat of combustion directly into the process medium. Overall boiler efficiency is defined as follows: ?BOILER = ?COMBUSTION x ?HEAT EXCHANGER Overall boiler efficiency varies between 50% and 95%. Very common and most efficient are biomass systems with direct combustion for electrical power generation and co-generation. Such system can achieve an overall efficiency between 30% (power generation systems) and 85% (co-generation systems). Two cycles are possible for combining electric power generation with process steam production. Steam can be used in process first and then re-routed through a steam turbine to generate electric power. This arrangement is called a bottoming cycle. In the alternate cycle, steam from the boiler passes first through a steam turbine to produce electric power. More efficient co-generation system based on above shown steam cycle is very easy to design. Instead of condensing steam turbine a backpressure steam turbine can be applied, delivering steam at required process conditions. Another possibility is a combination of condensing steam turbine with controlled steam extraction facilities. This alternative offers maximum flexibility, i.e. during low process steam demand period maximum electric power can be generated. Up to the present time, many biomass fired co-generation power plants have been built worldwide, replacing low efficient heat-only boilers. Biomass gasification is other thermo chemical conversion process utilizing the following major feedstock: • Wood • Agricultural waste • Municipal solid waste Chemical process of gasification means the thermal decomposition of hydrocarbons from biomass in a reducing (oxygen-deficient) atmosphere. The process usually takes place at about 850ºC. Because the injected air prevents the ash from melting, steam injection is not always required. A biomass gasifier can operate under atmospheric pressure or elevated pressure. If the fuel gas is generated for combustion in the gas turbine the pressure of gasification is always super-atmospheric. The resulting gas product, the syngas, contains combustible gases – hydrogen (H2) and carbon monoxide (CO) as the main constituents. By-products are liquids and tars, charcoal and mineral matter (ash or slag). Reducing atmosphere of the gasification stage means that only 20% to 40% of stochiometric amount of oxygen (O2) related to a complete combustion enters the reaction. This is enough to cover the heat energy necessary for a complete gasification. Say in other words, the system is autothermic. It creates sensible heat necessary to complete gasification from its own internal resources. Prevailing chemical reactions are listed in Table 2, where the following main three gasification stages are described. Stage I Gasification process starts as autothermal heating of the reaction mixture. The necessary heat for this process is covered by the initial oxidation exothermic reactions by combustion of a part of the fuel . Stage II In the second – pyrolysis stage, combustion gases are pyrolyzed by being passed through a bed of fuel at high temperature. Heavier biomass molecules distillate into medium weight organic molecules and CO2, through reactions In this stage, tar and char are also produced. Stage III Initial products of combustion, carbon dioxide (CO2) and (H2O) are reconverted by reduction reaction to carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4). These are the main combustible components of syngas. These reactions, not necessarily related to reduction, occurre at high temperature. Gasification reactions , most important for the final quality (heating value) of syngas, take place in the reduction zone of the gasifier. Heat consumption prevails in this stage and the gas temperature will therefore decrease. Tar is mainly gasified, while char, depending upon the technology used, can be significantly "burned" through reactions and reducing the concentration of particulates in the product.

Steps of the Pond Nitrogen Cycle

Did you know that manmade ponds rely on the same ecosystem principles that natural ponds do? Yes, for any manmade pond to thrive it must mirror the ecosystem of the natural world. One aspect of this is a pond nitrogen cycle. Understanding how this cycle works is invaluable for maintaining a pond’s overall life.

To an untrained or inexperienced eye, a natural pond seems like little more than a natural “tub of water”. That is, water – mostly from rain or runoff - collects into a small body of water. This then “magically” turns into an acceptable ecosystem for plant and animal life to live in.To an average person, the need to know how a pond regulates itself is relatively useless information. However, when someone wishes to duplicate a manmade pond on their property, the passive witnessing of nature may not be enough. Instead, it becomes important to understand the cyclical process that maintains the pond’s aforementioned ecosystem. This includes understanding the pond’s nitrogen cycle.

And what is a pond’s nitrogen cycle? A ponds nitrogen cycle is a series of steps that take place in a pond that helps to keep the pond clean and cycle out organic waste. Here is a simple break down of it.

In a fish pond, fish will release waste into the water. As the waste breaks down, ammonia is produced. Ammonia can be toxic if it builds up. To keep ammonia levels from getting to dangerous levels, beneficial bacteria called Nitrosomonas will break down ammonia and convert it into Nitrite, which is still toxic if it builds up, but less so than Ammonia. After the Ammonia is converted to Nitrite, another group of beneficial bacteria called Nitrobacter will in break down and convert Nitrites into Nitrates, which are far less toxic than Nitrites. This Nitrate is then utilized by the plant life in the pond as a source of nourishment, which helps to keep the Nitrate level low and can also help with controlling algae. So, the nitrogen cycle is essentially the amazing way a pond’s ecosystem cleans itself of harmful toxins and creates sustaining nourishment within its environment.

This natural process was developed over many years of evolution and is the way it should work in a naturally balanced pond. However, manmade ponds sometimes require assistance from pond products to tip the ecosystem odds in favor of pond life survival. Pond filters can help filter out extra waste and also provide a safe breeding ground for beneficial bacteria to grow and thrive. There are also bacteria inoculants on the market that can be added regularly to ensure that proper levels of beneficial bacteria are present to help break down waste and to help convert ammonia and nitrites. Additionally, pond plants can be purchased and added to a pond to help with the utilization of un-necessary nitrates to prevent its availability to nuisance plants like algae. All of these products can assist a small fish pond environment with establishing a proper and efficient nitrogen cycle.

Over time, the need to take special steps to maintain a pond’s nitrogen cycle will decrease. This is because the pond will become self-sufficient and able to produce and feed adequate amounts of bacteria that fish waste ammonia is no longer a threat. As the saying goes, nature eventually takes care of itself.
Casey Coke is a Marketing Manager for Natural Environmental Systems, LLC, a global supplier of microbial solutions for pond and lake management. The company markets their own brand of pond supplies under the registered brand name of Pond Keeper.

When To Take Your Medication

Timing your medication appropriately can be crucial to the success of any treatment regime whether it be to cure a life-threatening condition or simply to alleviate troublesome symptoms.

When best to take a medication depends on the active ingredient, what product form the medication is in, the nature and severity of the condition to be diagnosed, prevented or treated, as well as individual diet and lifestyle. The detailing that your doctor or pharmacist provides often centers on maximizing the effectiveness and safety of the medication.

Getting as much of the active ingredient to be absorbed into the body can be an important goal of correctly timing your medication. Some medication is better absorbed when taken with meals or specific foods while the absorption of others is inhibited when taken in the same way. Extremely little of an osteoporosis medication like Fosamax (alendronate) already ever gets into the body, let alone reaches the bones, under fasting conditions from a single dose. This medication needs to be taken with plain water and without food or other drink, weekly on the same day in an upright position upon first rising. Already more than 99% of a single dose will be excreted out of the body under such conditions and if the medication is taken with food or at other times during the day, the amount absorbed can be further reduced by half or more.

Some medications may be safer to take with food rather than on an empty stomach. In better assuring the long-term safety of a painkiller class of medications known as NSAIDs, it may be advisable to avoid taking the medication aspirin for instance, on an empty stomach and to either take the medication with or after food or together with an antacid.

Active ingredients can require a specific dose and timing strategy to be most effective. This is especially so for different types of antibiotics in treating infections. An antibiotic medication like cloxacillin may require four times a day dosing to maintain effective blood levels in treating a skin infection while ciprofloxacin, an antibiotic of a another class that acts differently, may only require once or twice a day dosing to treat a urinary tract infection.

The product form can play an important role in when and how often a medication is taken. Long-acting, delayed or sustained release preparations can work to release the active ingredients of a medication product differently or consistently throughout a day allowing the medication to be therapeutic despite being dosed only once instead of multiple times in a day. In managing blood pressure for instance, chronotherapeutic medication has been developed to work in tandem with the body's natural circadian rhythms and in effect, to best tackle the peak blood pressure that tends to occur upon awakening. Innopran XL (propranolol) can be taken just once at night before sleeping. Technology allows the release of the medication's active ingredient four hours after taking it, with resulting peak blood levels that coincide with the morning spike in blood pressure.

The nature of a medical condition can also help to determine when it is best to take a particular medication. Cholesterol is synthesized by the body, often during sleep in the night hence the arising notion that it may be most advantageous to dose cholesterol-lowering medication like Zocor (simvastatin) or Mevacor (lovastatin) in the evenings. Conditions like migraine, fever and gout may have acute symptoms that occur unpredictably and can often require medicating regardless of the time of day.

Incorporating individual diet and lifestyle patterns often facilitates compliance with taking medication and can be crucial to effectively treating a chronic condition like diabetes without unduly reducing quality of life. To best control the condition, insulin injections may be administered as well as oral medication taken before, with or after food to coincide with specific anticipated spikes in blood sugar levels. In consultation with the treating doctor, oral medication may be timed with meals or scheduled for consumption either consistently in the morning or the night to facilitate lifestyle and compliance.

When specific medications are used to moderate elements of diet and nutrition, taking these consistently with meals can be important to treatment success. A weight-loss medication like Xenical (orlistat) is often best taken with meals or times of food intake that involve the most consumption of fats as these get bound by the medication and are passed out from the body. The cholesterol-reducing medications colestipol and cholestyramine also act in a similar way and are best taken with meals.

Timing medication for best outcomes can be especially important when having to take five or more medications consistently. In such cases known as polypharmacy, it becomes increasingly important not just to match medicating with specific time slots before, with or after food, but also to space out the different medications appropriately so as to avoid negative interactions that could lead to ineffective medicating or even direct harm to health.

In timing your medication, discuss the various considerations with both your treating doctor and pharmacist. This will optimize a safe and effective medication regime and better your treatment outcomes.
Sudesh Samuel is a pharmacist and medical communications specialist with a keen interest in medication management services that make treatments safer, more effective and less costly. He is president of the Institute for Medication Management - http://www.medicationreview.net

The Science Behind Hydrogen Hybrid Cars - The Electrolysis of Water

The Science Behind Hydrogen Hybrid Cars - The Electrolysis of Water

The Electrolysis of water in Hydrogen Hybrid Cars happens when an electric current passes through the water causing the water (H2O) to break down into its two basic elements, oxygen (O2) and hydrogen gas (H2). It's interesting to note that Industrial applications don't use this method of hydrogen production much since they can do it more affordably by getting it out of fossil fuels.

The way this works in Hydrogen Hybrid Cars is by taking an electrical power source and connecting it to two electrodes, or plates, (or multiples of two) usually made out of some kind of stable metal like aluminum or stainless steel, then putting them into the water. If this cell is made correctly then Hydrogen will form on the cathode (metal plate that's negatively charged), and oxygen will form on the anode (metal plate that's positively charged). Since there's two hydrogen molecules to every one oxygen, molecule in water the amount of hydrogen produced is twice that of oxygen and both are in proportion to the electrical charge that runs through the water.

Using this process, Electrolysis, for pure water uses a lot more energy, which is called over-potential, to cross the activation barriers. Without a lot of extra energy, electrolysis of pure water happens very slowly, if at all. This is because water won't self-ionize, (breakdown), much if left alone.

Seawater is about a million times more conductive to electricity than pure water because of all the electrolytes in it like salt. Many electrolytic cells also may lack these needed electro-catalysts. Electrolysis in Hydrogen Hybrid Cars is far more efficient with the addition of some of these electrolytes such as salt or an acid or a base.

The history of electrolysis dates all the way back to 1789 when Jan Rudolph Deiman and Adriaan Paets van Troostwijk used an electrostatic machine to make electricity and discharged it into gold electrodes placed in a Leyden jar full of water. Then, in 1800, Alessandro Volta invented the voltaic pile, and soon after William Nicholson and Anthony Carlisle used that for the first electrolysis of water. Eventually, in 1869, Zénobe Gramme invented the Gramme machine that became a cheap way to produce hydrogen through the electrolysis of water.

Next, in The Science Behind Hydrogen Hybrid Cars - The Equations of Electrolysis, we'll look at the scientific details.

About the Author:

Sam Geo is a fellow hydrogen hybrid cars enthusiast sharing his new found research with the world. Check out http://www.hydrohybridcars.net/ now! If you've ever wondered about saving incredible amounts of money on gas, improving your car's performance and helping the environment all at the same time then you must see http://www.hydrohybridcars.net/ now!

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