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Entries Tagged as 'Science'

Phun With Macs

May 11th, 2008 · No Comments

Phun, the interactive physics simulator, is now available for Mac OS X.
Be warned. If you like physics or tinkering around with things, this program could be a huge time sync sink. (I’ve been futzing with SyncML too much lately.) I was playing with it in (ugh) Windows XP last time I was in New Orleans, [...]

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Tags: Mac OS X · Science · Tech

Chest Compressions During Defibrillation Probably Safe

May 10th, 2008 · No Comments

This study asked an interesting question: “Is it safe for a rescuer to continue chest compressions during defibrillation of a rescuee?”
You’d think that with the high voltages involved, and mental images of TV doctors yelling “CLEAR!” before defibrillating, there’s no way it could be safe. Apparently, for a gloved rescuer, even with a “worst-case” [...]

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Tags: Biomedical Engineering · Cardiac Electrophysiology · Medicine · Science

Moderate Drinking (of what?) Found to be Cardioprotective

May 10th, 2008 · No Comments

This study has been making the rounds lately in the news. The evidence as analyzed in the article supports the assertion that moderate drinking is cardioprotective in middle age.
HOWEVER
What I have not seen in the reviews of the article are mentions of which kind of alcohol are significantly protective. (Perhaps because people are just reviewing [...]

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Tags: Cardiac Electrophysiology · Medicine · Science

Scientific Writing and E-Prime

April 24th, 2008 · 1 Comment

E-Prime is a modification to the English language in which the verb “to be” is not allowed. I first learned of it via Catallaxy (disclaimer: I occasionally post on Catallaxy), where Cato links to this article.
I love the idea of E-Prime. A few attempts to speak or write in it convinced me that it makes [...]

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Tags: Science · Writing

What would have happened?

April 19th, 2008 · No Comments

Simulations of real systems make it possible to test “what if” questions, and compare the results with what did happen. For example, I am working on a study in which a stimulus pulse turns on and off while a spiral wave rotates about an obstacle. We can ask, “What happened to the spiral wave following [...]

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Tags: Biomedical Engineering · Cardiac Electrophysiology · Science