Tag Archives: an informal cornr

Heart Lesson – Torsades de Pointes

Diet and Exercise, Family Health, , , , , ,
heart issues torsades de pointes
heart waves arrythmia

A healthy heart as we know is a pump that delivers oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood for our bodies to survive.

Our hearts can contract up to 2.5 billion times during a person’s average life. We recognize the heart as one of the most major organs since without it, there’s no life.

Unfortunately, one can be born or acquire ailments that affect our heart, such as ‘Torsades de Pointes‘.

 Learning Heart Arrhythmia

Torsades de pointes refers to a dangerous arrhythmia of the heart. It’s usually not diagnosed or treated correctly, and still a somewhat, difficult condition to identify. Arrhythmias are viewed as a disorder in the normal rhythm and rate of the heartbeat.

Studies have revealed common characteristics of this condition for improved care and treatment depending on which variation exists. These variations refer to congenital or acquired torsades.

Types of Torsades + Heart Rates

Inherited Torsades is due to an inability for ‘ion channels‘ to correctly carry the electrical action/impulse of the heart and acquired version refers to drugs triggering Torsades due to ‘blocking‘ these ion currents. Ion channels describes the flow and rate of electrolytes, sodium and potassium in the heart.

Torsades in action has the heart in a state of ‘polymorphic ventricular tachycardia’. This refers to the heart rate increasing to 150 beats per minute (bpm) and up to 250 bpm. A normal heart rate is anywhere from 60 to 100 bpm.

Athletes can have lower heart rates than 60 bmp. This abnormal heart rate will ‘spontaneously‘ return to a normal beat but can recur and/or progress into ‘ventricular fibrillation ‘(VF) symptoms which can lead to death, if it persists. It is this ‘return to normal‘ action that has made identifying Torsades difficult.

LQTS heart beat wave patterns
LQTS heart beat wave patterns

Onset Signs and Symptoms

Medical research and studies have shown that people with Torsades have their beginnings with ‘fainting‘ due to a drop in blood pressure causing dizziness . Use of an electrocardiogram (ECG) have revealed a ‘long QT interval’ and another term, ‘Long QT Syndrome‘ (LQTS).

A recording of the heart rate may not reveal Torsades in action but definitely that ‘long QT’ or ‘short variant‘ characteristics of Torsades, help provide clues for physicians and health care professionals.

An ECG showing Torsades in action displays an illusion of a swirled rotation (like a ballet dancers’ pirhouette hence it’s name Pointes) on it’s electrical axis, a long and short RR – interval precedes the arrhythmia and follows a premature ventricular contraction (R-on-T PVC). Other symptoms reported are palpitations, rapid pulse, nausea, cold sweats, lightheadedness (short episode) and outright fainting.

Where Torsades gets Found

Torsades is usually found in people that are malnourished, chronic alcoholics, or with hypokalemia (abnormally low potassium), diarrhea, and/or hypomagnesemia (abnormally low magnesium), heart failure, left ventricular hypertrophy (enlarged left ventricle), bradycardia (slow heart rate), hypothermia and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

It is these symptoms and existing disorders that are critical for a physician or health care team to be aware and identify quickly especially before giving medications, known to trigger Torsades.

Torsades can be found in many age groups. When identified in children, it is congenital and may accompany disorders such as Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome, Romano-Ward syndrome and triggered by effects of stress, fear or physical exertion (usually prohibited from competitive sports), whearas in adult years, it is considered acquired.

Treatment and Outcomes

Electrolyte disorders are usually the cause of acquired Torsades and treatable with correcting the imbalance and/or removal of triggering medications.

Treatment for Torsades is available and it’s known there are six different variants of Torsades. Effective treatment will depend on identifying the specific ‘genotype‘ which identifies whether it’s  sodium or potassium channels that are affected.

A family physician may refer their client to a cardiologist, electrophysiologist, or geneticist. Again, failure to identify Torsades has been due to it’s ‘return to normal’ activities and complications of persistent ‘ventricular fibrillations‘ that arise.

Continuous Medical Research

 The existence of Torsades has been known for a few years, and further studies at the molecular and cellular levels have provided leaps forward in better care and treatment. The ‘prevalence‘ of Torsades in the general population is an unknown. Could this be a cause of death for the homeless, mentally or medically challenged people, that have occurred when getting tasered by police?

Learning in Motion

Further Learning Resources

 Drugs with Risk of Torsades de Pointes

 My Majors

 Living with Heart Rhythms

 I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and Share your friends and family. Use the ‘Ask a Question’ form and Send me request on a topic of interest you have, or to say hello.

 All rights reserved by AIC|An Informal Cornr. Ginsense creates and posts articles about business development, micro business, health, science, technology and society.

Share

Dwindling Economics and Racism

Issues in Society, , , , , , , ,
chasing money away
chasing money away

Tourists come from all over the land, and from other lands around the globe.  

Can you imagine having people arrive daily, year round to or near, your community, spending money because there’s something special about your particular area that attracts them? It’s called ‘tourism‘ and is a beneficial industry for one’s community, and the nation too.

Racism will Hurt your Tourism Industry

Unfortunately, the pride and practice of racism which refers to a ‘prejudice or discrimination against a person or group because of a difference in race or ethnicity‘ hurts people but can also hurt one’s surrounding economy. What would an influx of money do for your community?

So, what does an influx mean? It’s defined as ‘ a steady stream or flow into an area‘.

tourist transportation travels
tourists travel transportation

A tourist regardless of color or none, will have money to spend on expenses for travel, food, shelter, gifts for themselves and family. This influx of money helps build the ‘services‘ so a few businesses can cater to the traveling tourist. They are expecting to see, meet, hear and will give their monies willingly for the friendly and kind services.

A hotel for shelter, restaurants for food, vending machines for snacks, gas stations for vehicles and recreational vehicles, a park for RV’s and/or camping, a market full of locally made gifts, to name a few services. These businesses don’t just pop out of nowhere for no reason but having them, creates their own ‘needs‘ and jobs are posted. A win-win for business and the local community residents.

jobs-are-created
new business means Jobs

Racism ruins Relationships for All

Now back to the opening of this topic about racism and what’s the point? Well, practicing racism has a certain attitude. One may think they’re hiding it but no, it’s there. A stranger in town may not quite be able to put their finger on what’s wrong but their intuition says, ‘danger‘ and leaving quickly is their new goal.

The sense of danger to personal safety creates discomfort, and they will seek ‘shelter‘ of a different sort, like, maybe make a police report of the incident, and leave town by sunset. This would end any ‘planned‘ vacation stay in the area. They may tell other tourists, and they too, may leave.

A domino effect takes place. All businesses will lose the financial benefits of these tourists. Would this really be a good goal for any community hoping to better their economy?

stores-closed-shuttered
business closures and shuttered buildings

Consequences of Racism

The idea of tourists flocking to your community with their wallets at hand vs the tourist running out of town, as fast as possible, with their wallets. Which scene would be preferable? Personal safety must be taken into consideration for building a successful tourist destination, business or industry, to thrive.

Practicing open racism and/or unhealthy attitudes towards ‘strangers‘ sends the message loud and clear ‘you’re not welcome‘ here. This in effect will quickly shut down efforts to bring new money, into your community.

Racists can be found in the hospitality industry from staff or the business owner. Not just the local population. We must keep in mind that today’s world is ‘connected‘ and people will use the ‘gold‘ trophy of any business, ‘word of mouth‘ to pass the word ‘racists‘ to others, and they will do the same. This town will be viewed as more of a ‘crime‘ spot.

Loss of Community Reputation and Economy Decline

 A loss of money will have a trickling effect on the community as a whole. Your local businesses that are part of the ‘hospitality‘ industry which caters to the ‘tourism‘ industry will be forced to downsize and may eventually close.

People will lose jobs and their financial security because there is no ‘influx‘ of money since the local businesses, have no customers. Do we really want to chase ‘tourists‘ out of town?

In effect, a person can readily choose to contribute positively or negatively, to their community hospitality and tourism industries. Hospitality and tourism is a ‘people‘ industry that requires one to genuinely enjoy interacting with people. Is racism truly good for the economy?

global travelers
tourists global travelers

Theory of Racism

Where does racism come from? It could be viewed as the capacity of how one has ‘evolved‘ or to not have, as a human.

Others will say it’s an ‘expression‘ of fear. Neuroscience speaks of the Male Warrior Hypothesis ” which states that a ‘GROUP aggression by males is a persistent trait of behavior and is not commonly found in women. These types of behaviors can be found displayed in groups of chimpanzee’s yet, again, not as much with the females, in that group’.

Regardless the reasons for attitudes of racism, it has no place in society. Psychologists report there are levels and the extreme usually results with murder. Hence the ‘danger‘ intuitions people have when faced with a racist. Others have not been so fortunate as news stories about violence committed by racists get revealed.

extreme racism
racism extreme level

Stand Strong together

The success of planning or building a tourist based industry in our communities can be affected by poor attitudes and behaviors. I’m not sure one would want others to see, or feel, threat of violence against or done on others, when they’re visiting.

It leaves an extremely poor image and reputation for the community as a whole. We know how ‘gossip‘ can be quite ‘viral’  especially with today’s technologies. ‘Word of mouth’ is considered one of many popular ‘advertising‘ mediums. So, what would you want people to say about your community?

Thankfully, humans do have the ability to ‘transcend’ in their behaviors but it is a personal ‘choice‘. We cannot force racist attitudes to disappear and some would say, ‘unfortunately, every village has to have an idiot’.

One common finding with researchers that is shared, believe that ending racism must begin with the government.

Applying protections and harsher consequences can help towards changing ‘open and hostile‘ acts and practices of racism. This won’t work though if the government, whether openly or subtly, practices and perpetuates racism themselves. What type of leader would you want governing our nation?

Learning in Action

Extra Learning Resources

Implicit Association Test

Types of Racism

Is Racism an Illness?

I hope you found this article informative. Please feel free to leave your comments and share with your friends and family . Use the ‘Ask a Question‘ form if you have a request on a topic of interest or to say hello. I hope you visit again for more ‘knowledge’! God Bless

AIC| An Informal Cornr all rights reserved. Ginsense creates and posts articles online about business development, home business, health, science, technology and society. ‘Life should be interesting, never mind the boring’.

Share

Learning Inboard Thunderboat Circuits

Food and Cheer, , , , , ,
thunder-boat-races
speeding-thunderboat

The contest of speed can be found in many sports such as running, driving, sailing, riding, etc. This includes the world of boats aka Thunder boat races.

There are risks involved when participating directly in these types of races but a regulatory organization can usually be found, and strict safety measures in place. Can you imagine being a pilot in a high speed boat race?

Science behind Speed

Hydrodynamic ‘lift‘ increases when the speed of a hydroplane boat increases.. Water is used for lift, propulsion and steering, rather than for buoyancy. A high speed boat used in the ‘Inboard circuits‘ refers to hydroplanes that race on inland waters such as lakes and rivers. These are usually built as a light speedboat with a shaped bottom which helps lifts the hull out of the water at high speeds.

The use of different hulls will give each boat a different outcome but speed

Thunder boats ride on fluid not on solids, and they use aerodynamic, hydrodynamic, and propulsive forces. Attention to wind gusts and waves are also used. One must know the science of Physics involved and usually designers of such boats are Engineers.

Tweaking the Designs of Hydroplaning

A few shared features found on hydroplanes, is their ‘flat run aft‘. This refers to the near flat hull that runs in a near straight line from front to back (aft to stern) of the boat. The shape of the hull will cause the water into a ‘downward‘ flow creating an upward force, and mixed with speed, causes the vessel to ‘plane‘.

Most hydroplanes will have short ‘wings‘ called ‘sponsons‘ which uses the science of hydrodynamics, and helps the boat stay stabilized during ‘take off and landing‘. Sponsons are considered a main element in the over all design of this particular boat.

A second detail that can be found, is an adjustable ‘canard‘ wing which is placed between the sponsons. This helps raise and lower the sponsons in/out of the water for easier maneuverability with controlling speed and turning corners.

Most boats are built as ‘3 Point’ design meaning only 3 sections touch the water and this refers to the rear of the sponsons and propellor. Boat designers have learned that the less resistance in water attained meant more speed.

Other boats may use a hydrofoil design similar to an ‘air foil‘, which refers to ‘any surface that’s designed to help lift or control an air craft‘ and usually attached beneath the hull, which also helps lift the boat out of the water, when it’s moving forward, and helps reduce hull ‘drag‘. These can be quite expensive to have added to one’s boat.

racing thunder boats
racing thunderboats

Noise Factors of Thunder boat Racing Circuits

A noise factor occurs when attending a Grand Prix race car event and this can also be found when attending a hydroplane race. This is due to the engine designs used ranging from actual airplane engines to ordinary car engines and usually all liquid cooled V-12 engines.

The noise factor earned hydroplanes the nick name of ‘Thunderboats‘ and ‘Dinoboats‘. Today, some engines have incorporated the use of helicopter engines. These particular types of engines help the hydroplane easily enter the ‘planing‘ realm and apply the ‘power-to-weight‘ ratio to gain acceleration from velocity of their boat and overcome the forces of gravity and drag.

Turbine engines from airplanes and helicoptors are favored and used in building these particular race boats. These engines basic function is bring air into the engine, through a compressor and increase up to 3-12 times, it’s original pressure.

This helps propel the hydroplane with speeds up to 200 mph and still standing, record breaking speed, of 288.6 mph, by Ken Warby.

turbine engine -thunderboats
plane turbine engine for Thunderboats

A Course and the Circuit

A hydroplane racing event usually provides a course, that has the boats running in an oval shape for 4-6 laps around.

Food and gift vendors, music, along with beer gardens are available next to regular business sections of the hosting township.

Spectators can meet with boat crews, the pilot and viewings of boats. Some may even get opportunities to ride in one of the speed boats. Seating of spectators is provided for the most optimum viewing.

One that’s on water rather than tarmac. You may think you’ve gone to a car race till you see those boats flying across the water, and noisy as car races.

Early Days of High Speed Boat Racing

The early beginnings of hydroplane racing had high fatalities of the driver aka the ‘pilot‘ due to their boat ‘flipping‘. Today, there is a process that must be followed that ‘builds the skills and experience‘ of a new driver, slowly, and assure that knowledge of all rules and regulations is in place.

This is to help protect the life of the pilot though accidents cannot be foreseen and high risk is known. People still enter these races hoping to break records, win titles, enjoy the camaraderie of a team, enjoy the over all thrill of driving an extreme speed boat.

Check around your area to see if you have a Hydroplane race coming up or where your nearest one is being hosted. Experience a race that’s far different, though somewhat similar, from a car race.

Enjoy Thunderboats at Home

We can still enjoy the thrill, beauty and wonder of Thunderboats at home. There are computer boat racing games that can be found online, and race against other players aka multi-player sites.

Model kits are available to build replicas of Thunderboats from days of Yore and boats from recent years. There’s also Remote Control boats available for ‘racing‘ in a small pond or backyard pool. Check online or your nearest RC model stores.

Lastly, there is a Museum, The Hydroplane and Raceboat Museum. It’s considered as ‘the nation’s primary resource for historical and educational information on hydroplane racing‘. They have memorabilia from the ages of this type of racing, along with vintage and restored original Thunderboats, and information about the many ‘Pilots‘ of famous winners and their Thunderboat. Visit their site for Virtual visits and information.

Learning in Motion 

Extra Learning Resources

RCU Forums -Thunderboats

Absolutely Free Boat Plans

2022 Unlimited Hydroplane Racing Schedule

The Aerodynamics of Unlimited Hydroplanes

20 Surprising Things Most People Don’t Know About Speed Boats

I hope you enjoyed this article. Please feel free to Share with your friends and family, and leave your comments. Use the ‘Ask a Question‘ form to make your own requests on a topic of interest.

AIC| An Informal Cornr all rights reserved. Ginsense creates and posts articles online about business development, second income idea’s, health, science, technology and society.

Share