Friday, April 29, 2011

Marijuana Addiction and Its Effects

Marijuana also known as cannabis is the most commonly abused illegal drug in the United States. An active chemical present in marijuana is delta 9 tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC). Signs and symptoms of the marijuana addiction are feeling sleepy, lack of concentration, inflammation in eyes, cravings for sweat and increased appetite.

Effects of marijuana addiction:
  • When the person smokes marijuana THC passes to the brain from lungs through the blood and effect the cannabinoid receptors. Marijuana intoxication can cause distorted perceptions, impaired coordination, difficulty with thinking and problem solving, and problems with learning and memory.
  • Marijuana also increases heart beat and also increases the chances of heart attacks. This risk may be greater in elder people and in those with cardiac vulnerabilities.
  • Marijuana can be especially harmful to the lungs because it contains carcinogens which are responsible for cancer. Marijuana smoking also causes respiratory problems such as daily cough and phlegm production, more frequent acute chest illness, and a heightened risk of lung infections.
  • Long term use of marijuana also causes memory impairments, increased risk of mental illness, lowered fertility and decreased immune system functioning.
  • Marijuana has the potential to cause problems in daily life or make a person's existing problems even worse.
  • Along with the above said health problems smoking marijuana also causes financial problems, legal problems and it also spoils the relationship with family members and friends.
Marijuana is the common illegal drug. Therefore, one can see many drug abusers with the above said effects.

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Causes and Effects of Prescription Drug Addiction

Prescription drugs are the drugs which are prescribed by a physician to treat physical pain, anxiety and sleep disorders etc. Many patients become dependent on them and continue to take them even after the disease is cured and this leads to addiction to those drugs. Prescription drugs are the second most commonly abused drugs after marijuana. According to National Institutes of Health statistics nearly 20 percent of people in the United States have used prescription drugs for non medical reasons. There are mainly three types of prescription drugs that the people get addicted and they are pain killers, sedatives and stimulants.

Generally doctors prescribes these drugs to the patients to cure the disease and there are two main factors which encourages the people to abuse these drugs. One of the factor is the availability of these drugs as these are the over the counter drugs. Through the online pharmacies one can get these drugs more easily with out prescription. Second factor is people think that they are safer and less addictive than the street drugs.

Using prescription drugs like opioids or central nervous system depressants for longer time duration can lead to addiction. Opioids can produce drowsiness, reduce breathing and result in constpation. Central nervous system depressants are responsible for slowing down the activity of brain. Stimulants can cause anxiety, paranoia, high body temperatures, irregular heartbeat if taken in high doses. Addiction to prescription drugs often results in negative effects on personal relationships, employment difficulties and job loss, financial difficulties, legal issues, and psychological problems.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Know About Alcoholism in Teens

Alcohol is the most commonly abused drug by the teenagers, as teens are easily attracted to drugs because of the normal youthful rebellion, immature coping skills, and family issues. Sometimes these young people may be influenced by the parents who are addicted to drinking. The symptoms of the alcoholism in the teens are lying, making excuses, staying alone in their room, becoming verbally or physically abusive towards others, having items in their possession that are connected to alcohol, the smell of alcohol, mood swings, stealing, and changes in friends.

Effects of alcohol use in teens:
  • Alcohol decreases ability to pay attention in the teens and they are not interested in doing any work at home or school.
  • Alcoholism also effects the memory of the teens and it also shows large effect on their studies.
  • Usually teens abuses alcohol along with the other substances like marijuana and this substance itself is very dangerous to the health.
  • Addiction to the alcohol in the teens also increases suicidal tendencies.
  • Teens who drink are more likely to engage in sexual activity, have unprotected sex, have sex with a stranger, or be the victim of a sexual assault.
  • Drinking alcohol heavily may cause anxiety or depression in the teens and it may lead to use of other drugs like marijuana, cocaine or heroin.
  • Each year, almost 2,000 people under the age of 21 years die in car accidents because of drunken driving.

There are different medications and different treatment methods available for curing alcoholism in the teens but the best way is to prevent them from taking alcohol and this can be done by communicating the dangerous effects of the alcohol on the teens and also on the society.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Ways to Keep Glow Sticks Glow for a Long Time


You might have observed people of all ages using glow sticks at night clubs and parties. Kids and youth are more excited to use different forms of glow sticks including toys, bracelets, and necklaces. Once you use a glow stick in a party, it glows for certain period of time. Here are some ways to keep or maintain its glow for longer time so that it can be used in future.

  • The glow of the glow stick is because of a chemical reaction between the two chemical substances present in it. In order to make it glow, the tube has to be bent to such an extent that the glass tube containing the chemicals is broken. Then shake the tube well to ensure that the components are mixed properly. This can activate the stick and make it glow for a long time.
  • The glow stick is placed in a jar filled with cold water. Ensure that the stick is immersed completely in water. Now, place the jar in freezer for about fifteen minutes. The jar is then taken out and the stick is made warmer. This process is repeated till the stick is made more warmer. When the glow stick is kept in freezer, the reaction is stopped. When it is once taken out, it gets warm thus starting the reaction again. So to ensure that it glows for a longer time, you need to store it in a freezer. However, the brightness of the glow may decrease.
  • But, if you wish to have a bright glow for a shorter span of time, then you need to heat it in hot water. Place a sauce pan with water on the stove and allow water to boil. Now, submerge the glow stick in the water for 30 seconds. This heats up the chemicals of the glow stick thereby enhancing the reaction and glow.

These are some of the ways that you can manage the glow of the glow sticks.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Know About Network Design in Supply Chain

Companies are considering network designs as the strategic solution to help the business in satisfying the customer demand, improve overall corporate performance and remain in the global market. Designing a supply chain network is a process which involves evaluating the alternative strategies and finally opting the one that gives maximum profitability and helps improve performance.

Network modeling helps to develop the implementation plans required to translate strategic decisions into reality. Modeling of supply chain network involves 3 phases:

In the Phase 1 the project team gathers the data about the validating operations and the costs in the present network system and these are used as bench marks against which all other options will be compared.

In the phase 2 high level models are built to test the potential and calculate the appropriate cost and service levels. Each scenario is tested for 'robustness' and in doing so, it serves to verify and validate the network model. Models are often estimated at the SKU level, with multiple time periods, and the entire end-to-end chains are evaluated.

Phase 3 involves the final selection of the network modeling and the justification of the selected network. The results must now be compared with the baseline in order to build the business case for change.

Supply chain network design projects are usually designed in few weeks and the payback is often realized within the first few months of implementation. The network modeling helps the business to reduce costs, improve customer service and it is also a great effect on the profitability of the company.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

How To Reduce Lead Time In Supply Chain Process

The lead time may be defined as the time delay between the initiation of any process and completion of the same process. In a supply chain management process, lead time can be defined as the time from the moment the customer places an order to the moment it is received by the customer. In a supply chain management there are two types of lead times one is material lead time and the other is information lead time.

Material lead time:
Lead time is the time taken by the goods to get produced. Lead time of the transportation often depends on the mode of transportation. Faster transportation modes like airways, pipe, electronic transfer are used to reduce the material lead time in a supply chain.

Information lead time:
Information in the supply chain is used for planning, forecasting and also used to co ordinate daily activities. The information lead time can be reduced by employing electronic data interchange (EDI) because EDI does not employ human interpretation of data which reduces the information lead time.

Lead time can be separated into three components, the components are review time, manufacture time, transit time. Review time is the time taken for company to generate an order and review time can be reduced by placing the orders daily or weekly instead of placing the orders monthly and this has the direct effect on the reduction of the lead time.

Short lead times, have high degree of uncertainty and can force necessary inventories upward.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

How to Shop for Seasonal Clothes

Normally seasonal clothing is used only for short periods and for the majority of time they should be stored until arrival of season in which the clothes are useful. Here are the some ways that you can make shopping for seasonal clothes a good experience:
  • Take out all the season clothes, either store them in or get rid of them. By doing this you will get a clear idea about what to buy.
  • Next thing is to check the clothes that are there with you which are useful for the present season and this provides the information regarding what to buy and this also avoids wastage.
  • The most important factor is proper budgeting, this prevents you from over spending on the seasonal clothes. It is a better idea to have a predetermined budget which helps to have enough money to get all the clothes you need for your seasonal shopping.
  • Doing research is also an important step in purchasing the seasonal clothing. Watching television, looking through current magazines will give you idea about the current trends in the seasonal dresses. Researching popular seasonal clothing before you shop will allow you to pick the most trendy outfits and not last year's styles.
  • Time is also important consideration while shopping for clothes and try to get all the shopping done before the crowds, online shopping saves lot of time for you as you can purchase the clothes through the internet.
  • Also find the promotional discounts and coupons while shopping as you can get more items by spending less amount.

All the above tips ensure that you buy the right seasonal clothing.