Lung cancer

Lung cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in one or both of the lungs. While normal lung tissue cells reproduce and develop into healthy lung tissue, these abnormal cells reproduce rapidly and never grow into normal lung tissue. Lumps of cancer cells (tumors) then form and disrupt the lung, making it difficult to function properly.
More than 87% of lung cancers are smoking related. However, not all smokers develop lung cancer. Quitting smoking reduces an individual's risk significantly, although former smokers remain at greater risk for lung cancer than people who never smoked. Exposure to other carcinogens such as asbestos and radon gas also increases an individual's risk, especially when combined with cigarette or cigar smoking.
The Prevention of Lung Cancer
Encouraging behavior modification is a significant first step to ultimately reducing the high number of lung cancer deaths each year. Yet, that is only part of the solution. On the latest research front, scientists are studying methods to actually prevent the development of lung cancer through natural and synthetic materials. In addition, researchers believe that legislation designed to dissuade people from starting to smoke, coupled with efforts to help people quit, will have a positive impact on the number of new lung cancer cases in the future.
Studies have confirmed that 85 to 95 percent of lung cancers are smoking related. Therefore, the primary way for people to reduce their risk of developing the disease is to quit. To non-smokers, this may seem easy; however, as many smokers who have tried to quit will attest, this is extremely difficult. The addiction to nicotine has been likened to that of heroin, perhaps even more powerful. This may account for why so many smokers fail numerous attempts to quit, as well as the strong rationale to increase assistance for those people who desire to quit smoking permanently.
While the risk for former smokers remains elevated – as compared to a non-smoker – the risk continues to fall with the number of years of smoking cessation. After 10 years of abstinence, a person who has quit smoking reduces their risk anywhere from 30 to 50 percent.
What is Chemoprevention? For individuals who demonstrate the greatest risk, researchers are currently conducting several new trials to test the use of natural and synthetic substances to prevent development of the disease. This new research has been coined, chemoprevention. These methods, including the use of chemotherapy, vitamins, diet, and hormone therapy, are being tested to not only reduce the risk of cancer, but also to reduce the chance that the cancer will recur (or come back). Some of these are being tested as single agents, while others are being tested in combination.
Because of the long lasting effect that tobacco’s cancer causing carcinogens have on the bronchial epithelium (lining of the lungs), each trial participant’s lung cancer risk – which correlates to their smoking history – is assessed. However, since not all smokers develop lung cancer, and not all patients diagnosed with the disease smoked, the risk assessment is not sufficient. Therefore, additional research to identify reliable proteins or gene biomarkers will be helpful in determining a person’s actual risk.
Today, we can detect changes in the cells of the base lining of the lungs from normal to pre-cancerous (dysplasia). There are already many treatments under investigation that may be used to successfully treat these dysplastic cells. In addition, new studies are helping investigators determine at what point chemoprevention becomes an appropriate option for pre-treating lung cancer.

Ubuntu-Linux for Human Beings

Ubuntu is a complete Linux-based operating system, freely available with both community and professional support. It is developed by a large community.
The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Manifesto: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.

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High Speed Video !

Everyone has seen rain drops falling on the surface of a puddle or lake, or has watched drops of water fall from a leaky faucet into a glass one by one.  However, most of us probably haven't seen how a drop of water changes shape during a splash.  When we are able to see more detail in a drop or splash, we can ask questions about what we see.  High-speed photography allows us to appreciate these events.
Here's some high speed video clips taken by high speed video camera.

Click to view some examples==> HIGH SPEED VIDEO

Desktop Line Following Robot

Recently many kind of robot contests have being opened and some interesting reports of the challenge are found on the web. The Line Following is a kind of the robot contests to vie running speed on the line. I build a tiny line following robot which can run on the desk, moving the key board aside will do. It is for only a personal toy reduced its size less than one fifth compared to typical line following robots, not in formura.
About Line Follower
The line follower is one of the self operating robot that follows a line that drawn on the floor. The basic operations of the line following are as follows:
1. Capture line position with optical sensors mounted at front end of the robot. Most are using several number of photo-reflectors, and some leading contestants are using an image sensor for image processing. The line sensing procss requires high resolution and high robustness.
2. Steear robot to track the line with any steearing mechanism. This is just a servo operation, any phase compensation will be required to stabilize tracking motion by applying digital PID filter or any other servo argolithm.
3. Control speed according to the lane condition. Running speed is limited during passing a curve due to friction of the tire and the floor.

There are two line styles, white line on the black floor and black line on the white floor. Most contest are adopting the first one in line width of between 15 and 25 millimeters.