Home pure water systems have become all the rage! And it's no wonder! With all of the negative press our municipal water systems have had lately, who doesn't recognize the need to filter their own tap water. Turns out bottled water is not much better than tap water, if any. In other words, having your own home pure water system is no longer an luxury. It's now a necessity.
The only question is which type of the many pure water systems available should you buy? There are a number of ways to purify and filter water. Among them are distillation, reverse osmosis, exposure to ultraviolet light, and carbon and ceramic filtration. All of these have their strengths and weaknesses.
Although distillation is a very common pure water system, it has two faults. For one thing, it's expensive. For another you have to be careful about distilling chlorinated water. (Distillers work by heating up the water. The chlorine that's already in your water can create carcinogenic compounds with organic materials, which then will be vaporized by the distiller. This means they'll end up in the supposedly pure water.)
Reverse osmosis was the water purification system of choice. There are some issues with it as well. Reverse osmosis is not nearly as expensive as distillation. So, money is not the issue. It's the fact that it "demineralizes" the water.
The water that we are supposed to drink has naturally occurring minerals in it. Although the amounts vary, in pure, natural water you'll find trace amounts of minerals like potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Our bodies need these trace minerals in order to function properly. Because of the way it works, reverse osmosis takes these minerals out. Some scientists actually think there are long term consequences to drinking demineralized water.
Ultraviolet radiation (UV) is also a very common technology used to create pure water systems. UV works great, by the way. It's only effective on living organisms--bacteria, viruses, and microorganisms. It will do nothing to get rid of the whole host of other stuff in your water like lead, pesticides, and prescription drugs.
Perhaps the best all around water filtration technology uses carbon and/or ceramic filters. Usually these are used in a two-step process where you filter out the organic contaminants first, then the inorganic impurities next. This way you can make the water pure, but leave in the trace minerals. This type of pure water system is also substantially cheaper than many of these other methods.
2008年8月7日星期四
High Index Eyeglass Lenses
As anybody who has had to wear thick lenses can tell you, it can make you a little self-conscious and you would do anything for something a little thinner. Lenses are made from a variety of materials. Many of these materials are designed to be thinner than a conventional lens. This means that they have a higher Index of refraction. Index of Refraction refers to the lenses ability to bend light. The prescription of a lens is determined by two main factors; the lens?s index of refraction and lens curvature. The higher the index the less curvature that is needed thus the lens can be processed thinner. The lower the index the more curvature is needed for the desired prescription thus making it thicker.
Often you may hear the Optician or doctor referring to these lenses by numbers such as such as 1.60, 1.66, and 1.70. These numbers represent the refractive power of the lens. The higher the number the thinner the lens. There are several other benefits to a high index lens. Lenses with a higher index often have a greater tensile strength than other conventional materials. This tensile strength is around 15,000 psi! This makes them suitable for drill mount glasses.
But because a lens is thinner and tougher does not mean that it is without flaws. The higher the index the more reflection that occurs off of the lens surface. The higher the index the more resistance is given to light. This resistance increases the amount of light that is bounces off. For instance a conventional plastic lens with an index of 1.498 will cause 8% of the light to reflect off of the surfaces creating 92% transmission. A lens with the index of 1.70 will cause 13.6% of the light to be reflected creating only 86.4% transmission. The application of an Anti-reflective coating can greatly increase light transmission.
Chromatic Aberration
Another aspect of these lenses that wearers often find annoying is a phenomenon called Chromatic aberration. Looking through a lens with a high index you may notice that there is a color hue around certain images. The further you move from the center of the lens the more noticeable it becomes. High index lenses have a very high ability to create dispersion. When white light passes through one of these lenses it begins to break up into its component colors. This can be minimized by choosing a frame that is smaller and allows the eye to center well within it. It often takes no longer than a day or so to fully adapt.
Depending on your needs a high index lens may be ideal for you. They are cosmetically appealing and are available in many lens designs including Progressive lenses. Proper frame selection and a thin lens can drastically improve appearances.
Often you may hear the Optician or doctor referring to these lenses by numbers such as such as 1.60, 1.66, and 1.70. These numbers represent the refractive power of the lens. The higher the number the thinner the lens. There are several other benefits to a high index lens. Lenses with a higher index often have a greater tensile strength than other conventional materials. This tensile strength is around 15,000 psi! This makes them suitable for drill mount glasses.
But because a lens is thinner and tougher does not mean that it is without flaws. The higher the index the more reflection that occurs off of the lens surface. The higher the index the more resistance is given to light. This resistance increases the amount of light that is bounces off. For instance a conventional plastic lens with an index of 1.498 will cause 8% of the light to reflect off of the surfaces creating 92% transmission. A lens with the index of 1.70 will cause 13.6% of the light to be reflected creating only 86.4% transmission. The application of an Anti-reflective coating can greatly increase light transmission.
Chromatic Aberration
Another aspect of these lenses that wearers often find annoying is a phenomenon called Chromatic aberration. Looking through a lens with a high index you may notice that there is a color hue around certain images. The further you move from the center of the lens the more noticeable it becomes. High index lenses have a very high ability to create dispersion. When white light passes through one of these lenses it begins to break up into its component colors. This can be minimized by choosing a frame that is smaller and allows the eye to center well within it. It often takes no longer than a day or so to fully adapt.
Depending on your needs a high index lens may be ideal for you. They are cosmetically appealing and are available in many lens designs including Progressive lenses. Proper frame selection and a thin lens can drastically improve appearances.
2008年7月23日星期三
Watch and Jewelry Industry Remember Ben Kasiser
In an unusual summer event, scores of watch, jewelry, and retail industry leaders gathered July 26 in New York City for a luncheon honoring the late Benjamin Kaiser, a watch and jewelry industry leader himself active in many trade organizations for almost a half-century, on the 10th anniversary of his death.
The event was held in the historic Lotos Club, where Kaiser for years held celebrated parties for the industry preceding the annual Twenty Four Karat Club of New York dinner.
Kaiser fought in the Polish underground during World War II and later became a U.S. citizen. He founded New York-based David G. Steven, Inc., U.S. distributor of Swiss luxury watch brand Baume & Mercier, and was later president and chairman of Baume & Mercier USA (after acquisition by the brand).
One after another, various trade and association leaders at the well-attended luncheon rose at their tables to offer their memories of Ben Kasier and speak of his wit, wisdom, ethics, business acumen, Old World charm, friendship, and support of the industry.
The luncheon was co-hosted by Rudy Chavez, current president of Baume & Mercier USA, who praised Kaiser’s dedication as a businessman to “integrity, community, and customer service” and his son Steven Kaiser, president of Kaiser Time, who recalled his father’s devotion to his adopted country and toasted him as “a great man.”
The event was held in the historic Lotos Club, where Kaiser for years held celebrated parties for the industry preceding the annual Twenty Four Karat Club of New York dinner.
Kaiser fought in the Polish underground during World War II and later became a U.S. citizen. He founded New York-based David G. Steven, Inc., U.S. distributor of Swiss luxury watch brand Baume & Mercier, and was later president and chairman of Baume & Mercier USA (after acquisition by the brand).
One after another, various trade and association leaders at the well-attended luncheon rose at their tables to offer their memories of Ben Kasier and speak of his wit, wisdom, ethics, business acumen, Old World charm, friendship, and support of the industry.
The luncheon was co-hosted by Rudy Chavez, current president of Baume & Mercier USA, who praised Kaiser’s dedication as a businessman to “integrity, community, and customer service” and his son Steven Kaiser, president of Kaiser Time, who recalled his father’s devotion to his adopted country and toasted him as “a great man.”
2008年7月21日星期一
Jewelry sites among top gainers in December
Retail jewelry Web sites trailed only cosmetics and consumer goods in category growth from unique visitors during the month of December, an analysis by ComScore Inc. reveals.
As consumers rushed to complete their holiday gift lists online, the analysis showed that fragrance and cosmetics sites experienced a 30 percent increase in the number of unique visitors between November and December, followed by consumer-goods sites with a 23 percent increase, and jewelry, luxury goods and accessories sites with a 22 percent increase, to 24 million unique visitors.
Other sites with a significant increase in unique visitors during the month of December included shipping (21 percent), retail-music (17 percent) and gay and lesbian Web sites (16 percent.)
When it comes to individual Web sites, OfficeMax topped the list for unique-visitor growth in December with a 170 percent increase, fueled mostly by its popular, viral holiday-greeting site Elfyourself.com.
Yahoo Sites continued its reign as the top U.S. Web property in December with about 137 million unique visitors, followed by Google Sites with 133 million and Microsoft Sites with 120 million.
Apple Inc. did well in December, moving up to the No. 10 spot due to interest in the iPod and iPhone as holiday gifts.
Other retail sites that posted big gains in December included Sears, J.C. Penney and Best Buy.
ComScore Inc. measures the digital world based on a global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given the company permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. ComScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions.
As consumers rushed to complete their holiday gift lists online, the analysis showed that fragrance and cosmetics sites experienced a 30 percent increase in the number of unique visitors between November and December, followed by consumer-goods sites with a 23 percent increase, and jewelry, luxury goods and accessories sites with a 22 percent increase, to 24 million unique visitors.
Other sites with a significant increase in unique visitors during the month of December included shipping (21 percent), retail-music (17 percent) and gay and lesbian Web sites (16 percent.)
When it comes to individual Web sites, OfficeMax topped the list for unique-visitor growth in December with a 170 percent increase, fueled mostly by its popular, viral holiday-greeting site Elfyourself.com.
Yahoo Sites continued its reign as the top U.S. Web property in December with about 137 million unique visitors, followed by Google Sites with 133 million and Microsoft Sites with 120 million.
Apple Inc. did well in December, moving up to the No. 10 spot due to interest in the iPod and iPhone as holiday gifts.
Other retail sites that posted big gains in December included Sears, J.C. Penney and Best Buy.
ComScore Inc. measures the digital world based on a global cross-section of more than 2 million consumers who have given the company permission to confidentially capture their browsing and transaction behavior, including online and offline purchasing. ComScore panelists also participate in survey research that captures and integrates their attitudes and intentions.
2008年7月16日星期三
Stronger Warnings For Lasik Surgery From FDA
Lasik Surgery (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is the most advanced eye surgery. According to Golfer Tiger Woods "It is a life changing". NASA is now allowing astronauts to undergo this procedure, and in the U.S. military, nearly 112,500 personnel, have undergone this surgery, including pilots.
But FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration's) Ophthalmic Devices Panel convened Friday to discuss post-LASIK quality-of-life issues. At the end of the day FDA warn more clearly about the risk and post complications of the Lasik Surgery.
On hearing this problem Dr Christopher Starr says, "This is ground-breaking news. It's the first time anything like this has happened around refractory, or LASIK, eye surgery. I think this surgery is the best , because I know that the surgery, when done on the right patients, is a great, great surgery with phenomenally good outcomes." According to the Lasik Surgery task force, formed in 2007, 95.4% of patients were satisfied. This task force was conducted by FDA, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the U.S. National Eye Institute.
But FDA is revealing latest news, that among 7.6 million people who have undergone this procedure in the United States in the mid 1990's, 140 have written complaint to the FDA. Now FDA is following up the complaints, and the Friday's hearing was a part of the large review to see if new warnings about the Lasik Surgery are needed to alert the consumers to the possibility of the eye pain, dry eyes, blurred or double vision, and other problems.
Some of the affected patients were present on Friday, and they complaint that their vision is not cured rather they have poor night vision, some have glare or halos, some complained of dry eye "The FDA has called it as quality-of-life-issue". said Dr. Robert Cykiert, associate professor of ophthalmology at New York University Langone Medical Center.
"Too many Americans have been harmed by this procedure, and it's about time this message was heard," said David Shell of Washington, D.C., who had the surgery in 1998 and said he has "not experienced a moment of crisp, good quality vision since".
LASIK surgery involves cutting a small flap in the eye's cornea using a laser. With the flap held out of the way, the surgeon can then reshape the corneal tissue with another laser. The procedure can be used for nearsightedness (as in Tiger Woods' case), farsightedness and, in some cases, astigmatism.
But the much-touted procedure is not for everyone. Those who have a misshapen cornea or excessively thin cornea, who have early cataract formation or big pupils, who have dry eyes, or underlying conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, should be ruled out,"said Dr. Norman Saffra, director of ophthalmology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.
But FDA (U.S. Food and Drug Administration's) Ophthalmic Devices Panel convened Friday to discuss post-LASIK quality-of-life issues. At the end of the day FDA warn more clearly about the risk and post complications of the Lasik Surgery.
On hearing this problem Dr Christopher Starr says, "This is ground-breaking news. It's the first time anything like this has happened around refractory, or LASIK, eye surgery. I think this surgery is the best , because I know that the surgery, when done on the right patients, is a great, great surgery with phenomenally good outcomes." According to the Lasik Surgery task force, formed in 2007, 95.4% of patients were satisfied. This task force was conducted by FDA, The American Academy of Ophthalmology, and the U.S. National Eye Institute.
But FDA is revealing latest news, that among 7.6 million people who have undergone this procedure in the United States in the mid 1990's, 140 have written complaint to the FDA. Now FDA is following up the complaints, and the Friday's hearing was a part of the large review to see if new warnings about the Lasik Surgery are needed to alert the consumers to the possibility of the eye pain, dry eyes, blurred or double vision, and other problems.
Some of the affected patients were present on Friday, and they complaint that their vision is not cured rather they have poor night vision, some have glare or halos, some complained of dry eye "The FDA has called it as quality-of-life-issue". said Dr. Robert Cykiert, associate professor of ophthalmology at New York University Langone Medical Center.
"Too many Americans have been harmed by this procedure, and it's about time this message was heard," said David Shell of Washington, D.C., who had the surgery in 1998 and said he has "not experienced a moment of crisp, good quality vision since".
LASIK surgery involves cutting a small flap in the eye's cornea using a laser. With the flap held out of the way, the surgeon can then reshape the corneal tissue with another laser. The procedure can be used for nearsightedness (as in Tiger Woods' case), farsightedness and, in some cases, astigmatism.
But the much-touted procedure is not for everyone. Those who have a misshapen cornea or excessively thin cornea, who have early cataract formation or big pupils, who have dry eyes, or underlying conditions such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, should be ruled out,"said Dr. Norman Saffra, director of ophthalmology at Maimonides Medical Center in New York City.
2008年7月15日星期二
Presby-LASIK Cures Hyperopia
Bruce W. Jackson, MD, and colleagues has performed presby-LASIK on 28 hyperopic patients and observed that it results in good near and distant vision.
Surgery involved applying bilateral aspheric ablations to treat patients' presbyopia. Surgeons then performed a CustomVue (Advanced Medical Optics) hyperopic treatment with a central presbyopic ablation, creating a central near vision ablation profile, Dr. Jackson said.
At 6 months, 86% of patients had 20/20 binocular distance uncorrected visual acuity, and all patients had 20/40, Dr. Jackson said. For uncorrected near visual acuity, 90% achieved J1 and all patients achieved J3, which was the target vision. Overall, patients were satisfied with their outcomes, he noted.
"We think this procedure is a good alternative for young presbyopes with low refractive error, especially those who don't want intraocular surgery," he said.
Surgery involved applying bilateral aspheric ablations to treat patients' presbyopia. Surgeons then performed a CustomVue (Advanced Medical Optics) hyperopic treatment with a central presbyopic ablation, creating a central near vision ablation profile, Dr. Jackson said.
At 6 months, 86% of patients had 20/20 binocular distance uncorrected visual acuity, and all patients had 20/40, Dr. Jackson said. For uncorrected near visual acuity, 90% achieved J1 and all patients achieved J3, which was the target vision. Overall, patients were satisfied with their outcomes, he noted.
"We think this procedure is a good alternative for young presbyopes with low refractive error, especially those who don't want intraocular surgery," he said.
2008年7月14日星期一
Wedding ring sets United we stand
Wedding ring sets are integration of both engagement and wedding ring in a
similar design, complimenting one another. It is suitable for women who hate
wearing more than one ring, or for couples who have budget constraints. It
is actually called wedding set and is designed to be worn together, and
these rings cannot be worn separately as they are soldered to be worn
together for a seamless and permanent fit, hence they are inseparable.
tiffany jewellery of Wedding ring sets symbolizes the deep and intertwined relationship they
share without discriminating each other and giving each other the same
status in the society. The wedding set is a perfect complement to a romantic
relationship; many couples choose rings set which symbolizes their closeness
and togetherness in harmony and passion with matching designs and settings.
A united wedding ring set is an elaborate designed pair; the pair should
have a co-ordination wrap to each of the ring. Yellow gold is the most
commonly used in the wedding ring set, but one can also use the combination
of yellow as well as white gold to give a striking look to the wedding ring
set. Wedding ring sets are mostly designed with intricacy and delicate
detailing since they are surrounded with multiple small stones in a pattern
with a large stone in centre.
similar design, complimenting one another. It is suitable for women who hate
wearing more than one ring, or for couples who have budget constraints. It
is actually called wedding set and is designed to be worn together, and
these rings cannot be worn separately as they are soldered to be worn
together for a seamless and permanent fit, hence they are inseparable.
tiffany jewellery of Wedding ring sets symbolizes the deep and intertwined relationship they
share without discriminating each other and giving each other the same
status in the society. The wedding set is a perfect complement to a romantic
relationship; many couples choose rings set which symbolizes their closeness
and togetherness in harmony and passion with matching designs and settings.
A united wedding ring set is an elaborate designed pair; the pair should
have a co-ordination wrap to each of the ring. Yellow gold is the most
commonly used in the wedding ring set, but one can also use the combination
of yellow as well as white gold to give a striking look to the wedding ring
set. Wedding ring sets are mostly designed with intricacy and delicate
detailing since they are surrounded with multiple small stones in a pattern
with a large stone in centre.
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