Six health mistakes you didn’t know you were making

March is National Nutrition Month! So what does nutrition have to do with physical therapy? For starters, with downtime spent in rest and healing, calorie needs are lower for most people recovering from an injury. Not only are you less active when you’re recovering from an injury or dealing with pain; but with less to do, it’s especially tempting to snack on less nutritious foods.
How can you keep a healthy balance of rest and recovery, while taking in the nutrients you need to heal? Well, we can tell you what not to do. Here are six common mistakes that could be sabotaging your chance for a healthy recovery (and your chance for a healthy life in general).

MISTAKE # 1: Skipping Breakfast
Even if you aren’t hungry, a healthy breakfast is essential to recovery and overall health. Not only does a good breakfast start your metabolism early in the day, studies have shown that a breakfast high in fiber and carbohydrates can help you feel more energized throughout the day.

MISTAKE # 2: Following the Three-Meals-a-Day Policy
You heard that right. Don’t eat three meals a day. Instead, try to eat 5-6 “mini-meals” to prevent excessive hunger and overeating. This is especially helpful if your recovery leaves you with a lot of time on your hands. Eating five or six mini-meals gives you more to do throughout the day and it can help you avoid constant snacking. Have a good source of protein at all meals (eggs, lean meats, beans or legumes, peanut butter, tofu or low fat cheese) and a complex carbohydrate (high fiber cereal, whole grain toast, or fruit) along with plenty of vegetables.
MISTAKE # 3: Depriving Yourself of Snacks
Yes, I know, we just talked about avoiding constant snacking. But if you’re intentional in your meal planning, you can make snacking a part of your healthy recovery routine. Just use several of your mini-meals as “snack times” and take advantage of some delicious substitutes for traditional unhealthy snacks. Try these, as a start:

INSTEAD OF	TRY…
crackers	a handful of nuts
chips and dip	toasted pita chips and hummus
a candy bar	a bowl of fruit
soda	real fruit juice

If you find yourself wanting to snack even between your mini-meals, try sugarless gum or sugar free mints. They can be a good way to keep your mouth busy without consuming calories. Brushing your teeth is another way to make snacking less pleasurable.
MISTAKE # 4 Choosing Refined Foods Over Whole Foods

Not all rice (or bread or potatoes or cereal or even sugar) is created equal. White rice, white bread, white potatoes, white pasta, sugary or low fiber cereals, juice, Kool Aid or boxed drinks, soft drinks, and refined sugar are all examples of unhealthy nutrition choices. However, most of these foods have healthy alternatives. You can find whole grain bread and pasta in any grocery store, along with brown and/or wild rice. You only have to spend ten seconds in the cereal aisle to see that there are plenty of healthy options to replace your Fruit Loops. Even refined white sugar has a healthy alternative – raw sugar. Avoid refined foods as much as possible and look for raw or whole food alternatives to keep your body healthy and on the road to recovery.
MISTAKE # 5: Ignoring Your Body’s Sleep Needs
We’ve all heard the magic number – eight hours. But that’s not necessarily the magic number for everyone. According to Dr. Christopher Winter, medical director of the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, VA, individual sleep needs vary greatly.² Dr. Winter suggests paying attention to your daily routine to discover if you’re getting not enough (or too much) sleep. For instance, if you often wake up before your alarm goes off, you may be getting more sleep than you need. If you have a hard time staying awake during the day, you’re probably not getting enough.
When you’re recovering from an injury, you may have more difficulty maintaining a healthy sleep routine. If you are unable to take part in your normal activities, you may be tempted to fill that time by napping. However, be careful not to over-saturate your body with sleep. Following a healthy sleep routine that fits your individual needs can result in a healthy metabolism, good health and more rapid healing.
MISTAKE # 6: Leaving Your Doctor Out of the Loop
Your doctor can be one of your best resources for staying healthy while recovering from an injury. Not only is your doctor familiar with your injury and with your recovery process so far, he or she also knows your general medical history and understands any medical conditions you might have that could alter your nutritional or health needs. Communication with your doctor is especially important if you plan to make any major changes in your diet.
Above all, remember to give yourself time. When you’re recovering from an injury, the days can feel like weeks and the weeks like years. But if you’re willing to wait it out, and take of yourself in the meantime…well, let’s just say, your body will thank you.

Seminar type

Abstract

Amplifiers, which are devices that increase the gain of an audio signal, dominate modern audio technologies. In this project, I will design and build an audio amplifier from scratch in order to demonstrate that such a key device can be constructed using basic electrical and electronics engineering principles.

After performing major circuit calculations by hand, I modelled the circuit in multisim and proteus, which are computer software that analyzes electrical circuits. In particular, I studied the variance that using budget electrical components introduced into the circuit.

1.0       INTRODUCTION

The term amplifier refers to any device that increases the amplitude of a signal, usually measured in voltage or current. This versatile device is used in a variety of different electronic applications. Especially in audio technology, a wide range of amplifiers can be produced based on product specifications (i.e. power, voltage, current). Currently, there are many types of audio amplifiers available for consumers. Sound signal amplification is used for instruments, such as the guitar or the bass. They are also used commonly in home theater systems and with stereo speakers. The basic design behind all of these amplifiers is derived from the simplest concepts of circuit design.

For this project, I shall set out to design an audio amplifier. The input of this circuit is microphone.

Although I will be using a low-power speaker, I needed to achieve approximately three times gain over the entire circuit. In addition, the amplifier had to be produced at a low cost with available materials. Before building the actual amplifier, I realized that I had to design, simulate, and test the circuit. Each step was necessary to understand the concepts involved in amplification.

2.0 Literature Review

Before beginning the design process, it was necessary to understand several core concepts of Electrical and Electronics engineering. When designing electronics, three main specifications govern all circuit components; [voltage V; measured in volts (V)], [current I; measured in amps (A)], and [resistance R; measured in ohms (ῼ)]. These three concepts are connected by Ohm’s Law, Where V = I * R

For amplifier circuits, it is also important to consider both types of current in the design because both alternating and direct current run through the system. Alternating current (AC) acts like a sinusoidal curve, providing the signal for the amplifier. On the other hand, direct current (DC) runs through the circuit as a voltage source. Used together, AC source creates the signal at the horizontal axis, which is determined by the value of the DC source. Each is analyzed independently of the other, but without one type of current, it is meaningless to include the other.

2.1 Circuit Components

Some basic components in amplification are resistors, capacitors, and transistors. Resistors produce a voltage based on the amount of current passing through the circuit. Capacitors consist of two metal plates separated by a weak conducting material. At DC, these devices temporarily store the charge. However, at AC, the frequency is high enough to complete the circuit. At this point, the capacitors act like wires. The main advantage of these devices is the ability to block the direct current while allowing the AC signal to flow through Transistors are the most important part of amplifier circuits. Capable of controlling an output signal in comparison to an input signal, a transistor can produce gain. In other words, the transistor is responsible for the amplification component of the audio amplifier. Although there are several types of transistors, but the transistor used in this project is the JRC4558 is a high performance monolithic dual operational amplifier. These devices consist of three terminals: the base, the collector, and the emitter. Simply put, they are terms used for labelling measurements, calculations, and schematic diagrams

2.2 Classes of Amplifiers

Assembled in different configurations, resistors, capacitors, and transistors can create several classes of amplifiers that can be distinguished by performance characteristics. For this project, three economical designs were the most essential.

Class A amps are very linear (meaning the integrity of the signal is maintained through the amplification process); however, this amplifier topology is known to be very inefficient. In addition, Class A amplifiers invert the signal (meaning the function is reflected over its axis).

Class B amps are much less linear, leading to higher distortion of the signal, but they are much more efficient. Since a Class B amp only amplifies half of a signal, two Class B amps are generally used in synchronization.

The compromise between these two topologies is the Class AB amplifier. The Class AB is more efficient than the Class A with lower distortion than the Class B. Often the different types of amplifiers are used in combination with other amplifiers into order to achieve the specifications of a particular design.

2.3 Negative Feedback

Another popular method of controlling amplifier distortion is negative feedback. A portion of the amplifier’s output is transferred back to the input. Overall, this method controls the gain of the amplifier even when affected by outside factors (i.e. temperature). In addition, the recycled output signal reduces amplifier distortion.

In order to measure the success of an amplifier, designers use many tests for circuit variables. One manner of representing the performance data is through a Bode plot. A logarithmic frequency scale spans the x-axis (measured in Hertz). The y-axis measured gain in decibels, which is also a logarithmic measurement. Combined, the two axes present the output gain of an amplifier over a wide range of frequencies.

After a certain point, the gain reaches a maximum level. At even higher frequencies, gain becomes inversely related to frequency as the performance drops off.

This continues until the point that the gain drops with an increase in frequency.

This point is known as the 3dB point. For optimal performance, the 3dB point of an amplifier should fall beyond the amp’s active range of frequencies.

Audio signals in the modern music industry are now broadcast almost exclusively in stereo sound.

The final output of the amplifier was fed through a low power audio speaker, completing the circuit. Actual values for circuit components are dependent on the DC based calculations for our 24V source.

2.4       Features of JRC4458

No frequency compensation required

No latch – up : Latch-up is a failure mechanism of CMOS integrated circuits characterized by excessive current drain coupled with functional failure, parametric failure and/or device destruction. It may be a temporary condition that terminates upon removal of the exciting stimulus, a catastrophic condition that requires the shutdown of the system to clear or a fatal condition that requires replacement of damaged parts. Regardless of the severity of the condition, latch-up is an undesirable but controllable phenomenon. In many cases, latch-up is avoidable

Large common mode and differential voltage range

Parameter tracking over temperature range

Gain and phase match between amplifiers

Internally frequency compensated

 Low noise input transistors

Pin to pin compatible with MC1458/LM358

3.0       AMPLIFIER

An electronic amplifier is a device for increasing the power of a signal. It does this by taking the energy from the power supply and controlling the output to match the input signal shape thereby, increasing its amplitude. In the sense, an amplifier may be considered as modulating the output of the power supply.

Generally, amplifiers can be defined as electronic equipment that increase the strength passing through it or in a better sense is a component or devices intended to sense a signal and produce a large version of that signal. In general, any amplifying device is limited by available voltage, current, power, frequency response and device maximum for voltage, current and power dissipation.

            By these definitions, it means that there are different types of amplifiers, each type with specific characteristics and function. For example, a radio frequency amplifier is used to improve the radio frequency received.

            This project would focus on power amplifier which includes current amplification and voltage amplification.

            Audio amplifiers are those designed to improve low, weak and poor audio signal from microphone, to signal large enough to drive a loudspeaker.

            However, the goal of using audio amplifier is to deliver a loud, clear, audible and high quality sound for indoor and outdoor services, such as the cinemas, stadia, lecture theatre etc.

           

The amplifier could be briefly summarized into three stages:

1.      The input stage which is the microphone level

2.      The amplifying stage, the amplifier level.

3.      The output stage which is the loudspeaker level.

The input stage involves the input of an audio signal from the voice through the microphone, which serves as the input transducer.

The small and weak signal is delivered to the pre-amplifier, where it is improved and could be controlled appropriately by the tone circuit. The power amplifier amplifies the signal and sends it to the speaker which converts it back to sound wave. The result is a loud and clear sound which is higher in amplitude compared to the input signal.

The loudspeakers serves as output transducer that produces loud, clear and intelligible sound from the electrical signal delivered to it by the amplifier.

4.0       METHODOLOGY

4.1 Design Requirements

From the very beginning of the design process, the design specifications were crucial to the choices for topologies and components. The amplifier had to be able to amplify a signal from a portable music player (a 0.8V – 1.1V supply voltage load).In order to reach satisfactory amplitude, 1.7 times gain was necessary for each section of the input stage. Class A designs are capable of this gain, and their high inefficiency was not a major factor in the small scale of this experiment. However, these amplifiers invert the input signal. The DC voltage remains the same, but the AC signal reflects over its x-axis. As a result, two Class A amps were used to correctly orient the output signal and provide the necessary gain. Each Class A amplifier was a common emitter BJT. Together these two amplifiers constitute the input stage of the audio amplifier. Considering a starting voltage of around1V_PP (1 volt peak to peak) , two amplifiers with approximately 1.7 times gain brought the output gain up to around 3 times after the input stage. As the current flows into the output stage, the voltage becomes irrelevant.

Instead, the designer needs to increase the power gain in order to drive the speakers at the output. Class AB amplifiers are capable of producing power gain (at the slight expense of the previous voltage gain). A Class AB amplifier consists of two PNP common emitters and two NPN common emitters in a loop.

4.2       List of Components

·         Vero board

·         0.47ῼ choke resistor

·         100ῼ resistor

·         47Kῼ resistor

·         4.7Kῼ  resistor

·         10Kῼ resistor

·         1Kῼ resistor

·         680ῼ resistor

·         D718 transistor

·         B688 transistor

·         C1061 transistor

·         T1P32 transistor

·         JRC 4558IC

·         1µF, 50V capacitor

·         47µF, 50V capacitor

·         24V step-down transformer

·         Power capacitor, 6800µF, 63V

·         Diode

·         Heat Sink

·         Connecting wires

5.0    Conclusion

In order to design an amplifier with a quality sound (which would have minimal disturbances), the best way is to give proper consideration to the components. Low noise input transistors must be used, no frequency compensation should be required, there should be No latch – up, the transistors to be used should have large common mode and differential voltage range. Parameter tracking over temperature range Gain and phase match between amplifiers and the transistor should be internally frequency compensated

Furthermore, power stage of an audio amplifier plays an important role in determining the quality and performance of each stages of amplification especially the output (loudness) of the audio amplifier.

REFERENCES

www.fairchildsemi.com

Understanding Latch-up in transistors

Theraja B.S and Theraja A.K (2005); A textbook on Electrical Technology, S.Chand and Company Limited.

Singmin, Davis, Patronis, Watkinson,Self, Brice, Duncan, Hood, Sinclair.

Audio Engineering – Know It All. 2009,MA

Douglas Self. Audio Power Amplifier Design Handbook Third Edition. 2002,MA.

John Linsley Hood. Audio Electronics.1999, MA.

 

Nigeria’s squandered opportunity, By Joel Brinkley

Just outside President Goodluck Jonathan's office sat 17 ambulances, just in case he or one of his aides fell ill. They were seldom if ever used.

No actual health-care facility nationwide had as many, and in fact a few still have none at all. But as soon as a Nigerian newspaper took a photo of the ambulances and published a story about them, they suddenly disappeared — probably to an underground garage.

Jonathan is president of Nigeria which should be among the world’s most prosperous nations. After all, it produces an estimated 2.4 million barrels of oil each and every day. With oil now selling at $93.61(as of today 24th March, 2013) a barrel, that’s $224 million in income daily. And yet many hospitals can’t afford to buy an ambulance. The reason, in my view: Nigeria is the most corrupt nation on earth.

Sure, Transparency International lists almost three dozen states as more corrupt – Chad, Haiti, Laos, Yemen, Cambodia and the like. But are any of those nations as wealthy as Nigeria — taking in $81 billion annually, just from the sale of oil? No, not even one of them. So Nigeria steals and squanders more money than any other nation, making it the world’s most corrupt, by that measure.

Nigerian journalist Musikilu Mojeed finds all this so discouraging.

“With its geopolitical power, economic resources and middle class,” he laments, “no country (with the possible exception of South and  Egypt ) has the power to change the course of black/African civilization like Nigeria.” After all, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous state — and large, twice the size of California.

So Nigerians are living an opportunity squandered — particularly now. Egypt is in turmoil. In just the last few days, in fact, many Egyptians have been calling for a military coup — anything to rid the state of its widely despised Muslim Brotherhood government. And a new report by the World Economic Forum ranked Egypt the least safe and secure tourist destination among 140 tourist nations evaluated.

Egypt has lost its place as the Arab/African worlds’ leader, and Saudi Arabia never had it. So for Nigeria, the time is ripe. But its leaders seem interested only in stealing the state’s money to make themselves rich beyond imaging. Think about it: $81 billion a year just from the oil, while most every local government official still tells his people the nation just doesn’t have enough money to fix the roads, schools or hospitals. (Roads are in such terrible shape that government officials generally travel any distance by helicopter.)

And Nigeria’s people — well, they are as mistreated as any on earth. In only nine nations — among them Liberia, Sierra Leone and Somalia — do more mothers die during childbirth. And in only 10 states, including Chad, Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, is the average life expectancy lower. Right now the average Nigerian’s average life span ends at 52. That may be why the median age of Nigerians is just 18.

A few months ago, the Economist Intelligence Unit published an evaluation of the best places for babies to born in 2013, given their probable welfare as children and the chance for a safe, comfortable, prosperous life. Switzerland, Australia and Norway were the top three. The United States came in at 16th, largely because “babies will inherit the large debts of the boomer generation.”

Dead last: Nigeria. “It is the worst place for a baby to enter the world in 2013,” the report said.

Even with all that wealth, only just over half the population has access to clean drinking water, and one-third to a toilet, UNICEF says. Two-thirds live below the poverty line. Only one child in four who contracts pneumonia  is given antibiotics, and only about half the population is literate.

The CIA also cites endemic “soil degradation; rapid deforestation; urban air and water pollution.” All this in a county whose gross domestic product stands at $236 billion a year, in the same league as Denmark, Chile, Israel and the United Arab Emirates — prosperous, successful states to be envied.

Goodluck Jonathan is certainly aware of all of this. After all, taking the oath of office, he swore to “devote myself to the service and well-being of the people of Nigeria. So help me God.”

Well, just last week he demonstrated who he really is and what he stands for when he pardoned a former state governor who’d been convicted of embezzling state funds and laundering the money. That pardon triggered a broad, angry uproar.

Good luck, Mr. Jonathan. It’s time you were impeached.

( Joel Brinkley is the Hearst professional in residence at Stanford University and a Pulitzer Prize-winning former correspondent for The New York Times.)
This article was first published in the Los Angeles Times.

Facts

Alaska is the only state that can be typed using one row of keys. The creators of Adidas and Puma were brothers and they were both Nazis. YouTube was originally a video dating site called "Tune In Hook Up. Google was originally called BackRub. There are about 10,000,000,000,000,000 individual ants alive on Earth at any given time. Albert Einstein did not speak in full sentences until the age of 9. Steve Jobs worked summer jobs at an apple farm and liked the Beatles' record label, Apple. Hence, the company's name. About 50% of breakups now occur via text message. People are more likely to tilt their heads to the right when kissing instead of the left (65 percent of people go to the right) Mosquitoes have killed more humans than all the wars in history. Only 3 kinds of animals form armies and go to "war" -- Humans, crows and ants. Atychiphobia is the fear of failure. 70% of people hold their cell phones up to their right ear when talking on the phone. It takes 17 muscles to smile and 43 to frown. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including at least 50 of that cause, initiate or promote cancer. The United States had a $0 debt only once in 1835 - After President Andrew Jackson paid it all off. All 13 minerals required to sustain human life can be found in alcoholic beverages A group of rhinos is called a “crash.” Neuroscience suggests that users are literally in love with their iPhones.

Abu Dhabi Boosts Solar Power 10-Fold With Shams Plant in Desert

Abu Dhabi, the largest sheikhdom in (UAE) United Arab Emirates, is making a 10-fold boost in its capacity to generate electricity from the sun by starting the Shams 1 solar plant with partners Total SA (FP) and Abengoa SA. (ABG).
Masdar, the state-owned renewable energy company, will supply 100 megawatts of electricity from the Middle East’s largest facility using concentrated solar technology, Chief Executive Officer Sultan al Jaber said today at the plant’s inauguration in the inland desert west of the U.A.E.’s capital, also called Abu Dhabi.
Countries in the Middle East and North Africa are developing sources of renewable energy to help satisfy the needs of growing populations and economies. Many of these states export oil and natural gas and are trying to cut their own demand for those fuels, which they use to produce power that governments generally sell at subsidized prices.
Abu Dhabi, which holds almost all the oil reserves in the U.A.E., seeks by 2020 to generate at least 7 percent of its power from renewable sources. It already operates a 10 megawatt solar facility at the Masdar City development and plans a 100 megawatt photovoltaic plant called Noor 1. It may build a 30- megawatt wind farm on Sir Bani Yas island in the emirate.
Neighboring Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest crude exporter, is seeking about $100 billion in solar investments to generate a third of its power, or about 41,000 megawatts, by 2032. The kingdom currently has about 3 megawatts of solar installations, trailing Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, and the U.A.E., according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance.
Photovoltaic plants attract the sun’s energy using panels that convert sunlight directly to electricity. Concentrated solar plants reflect the sun’s beams to heat liquids and create steam to turn turbines and generate power.

Abu Dhabi has officially opened the world’s largest solar power plant, which cost $600m to build & will provide electricity to 20,000 homes.

ADINAT ZAYED, United Arab Emirates, March 17, 2013 (AFP) - Oil-rich Abu Dhabi on Sunday officially opened the world's largest concentrated solar power plant, which cost $600 million to build and will provide electricity to 20,000 homes.

The 100-megawatt Shams 1 is "the world's largest concentrated solar power plant in operation" said Sultan al-Jaber, the head of Abu Dhabi's Masdar, which oversees the emirate's plan to generate seven percent of its energy needs by 2020 from renewable sources.

Masdar now produces 10 percent of the world's concentrated solar power, he said during the official inauguration.

The solar park features long lines of parabolic mirrors spread over an area equivalent to 285 football pitches in the desert of the Western Region, some 120 kilometres (75 miles) southwest of Abu Dhabi.

Masdar owns 60 percent of the project, while France's Total and Spain's Abengoa Solar own 20 percent each.

Abu Dhabi is the wealthiest of the seven sheikhdoms that make up the federation of the United Arab Emirates.

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