Eye Donation

October 12 - World Sight Day

Why should Eyes be donated?
There is no substitute for human tissue. The transplantation process depends upon the priceless gift of cornea donation from one human to the next. The use of artificial tissue for transplantation has been unsuccessful.

Why you should consider Eye Donation?
There are lakhs of Children and adults in India who are blind. They know only one colour BLACK. If you donate your eyes, you are giving vision to two blind people and making their life self dependent and joyful.

The gift of sight that will dramatically improve the quality of life for a person who has otherwise lived a life of total darkness.

Where are we in Corneal Transplantation?
There is a severe lack of donor eyes in India and only 5,000 operations are being performed every year, while more than 30,000 new victims are added each year to the total list of 7 lakhs patients to be cured. In spite of having professional surgeons, corneal transplantation cannot be carried out due to lack of donor corneas. In India there are more than 80 lakh deaths every year but sadly the corneal donations do not exceed a few thousand.

The reason for this may be

• Lack of awareness in General public
• Improper development of infrastructure in villages
• Absence of motivation even among the trained personnel
• Social & religious taboos.

Who can Donate Eyes ?
Anyone can donate eyes. It does not matter even if you

• Have undergone any eye surgery
• Poor Eyesight
• Wear glasses
• Diabetic
• Hypertensive
• Extremes of Age

What should be the Age of the Donor?
There is no limit for Age. Eyes from all the age groups can be used for transplantation.

Can a living person donate his eyes?
No, Eyes are not taken from a living person. It can only be removed after death. Anybody can pledge to However, donate his eyes and his wish can be fulfilled by his kin after his demise.

What part of the eye is transplanted ?
Although the entire eye is removed from the body, it is only the CORNEA that can be transplanted.

Will eye donation affect the appearance of the donor?
No, Artificial eyes can be fitted in place so no disfigurement of the body will be there.

Does eye donation cause delay in the funeral process?
No, because time required for removal of eyes is only 15 minutes. Moreover eye bank personnel come to a place wherever the body of the deceased is kept. The body need not be shifted to Eye Bank.

How successful is corneal transplantation?
Over 90% of all corneal transplant operations successfully restore the corneal recipient's vision.

What happens if corneas are not suitable for transplant?
Donors and eyes are carefully evaluated. If your corneas are found to be unsuitable for surgery, the sclera (or white part of the eye) may still be suitable for Donation.

Are any costs involved in eye donation?
No fees are charged from the Family. The Eye Bank of India will rush a doctor to the donor's home. This is a free service in the public interest.

What can you do for Eye Bank ?
INFORM the Eye Bank if unfortunately there is death among the relatives
JOIN HANDS with us for the movement of EYE DONATION
MOTIVATE family members of the person who has died in your area.
SPREAD information about eye donation
Your WORD OF MOUTH will help the movement
YOUR WILLINGNESS to donate eyes of your close relative after death will be greatly appreciated by the blind who will now have sight.
You can ENROLL your name for voluntary eye donation
You can offer your SERVICE to eye bank in any form

Eye Bank in INDIA

Tobacco Smoking?

May 31 - Anti tobacco day

Effects
The effects of smoking will vary from person to person and depend on such things as:

• a person's susceptibility to chemicals in tobacco smoke;
• the number of cigarettes smoked per day;
• the age when the person began smoking; and
• the number of years of smoking.

Immediate effects

• Smoking one cigarette immediately raises a person's blood pressure and heart rate and decreases the blood flow to body extremities such as the fingers and toes.
• Brain and the nervous system activity is stimulated for a short time and then reduced.
• A smoker may also experience dizziness, nausea, watery eyes and acid in the stomach.
• Appetite, taste and smell are weakened.

Other effects of cigarette smoking

• Smokers typically experience shortness of breath, persistent coughs, reduced fitness, yellow stains on fingers and teeth and decreased sense of taste and smell.
• Smokers have more colds and flu than non-smokers and find it harder to recover from minor illnesses.
• Smoking can cause impotence in men, while women who smoke are less fertile than non-smokers.
• People who smoke tend to have facial wrinkles appearing much earlier and, in general, look older than non-smokers of the same age.

Smokers have an increased risk of developing:

• respiratory infections such as pneumonia and chronic bronchitis;
• emphysema (a progressive and potentially fatal lung disease);
• heart attack and coronary disease;
• cancer of the lung, throat, mouth, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, stomach;
• stomach ulcers; and
• peripheral vascular disease due to decreased blood flow to the legs.

A person who is dependent on cigarettes may find that they experience withdrawal symptoms when they cut down or stop smoking cigarettes. These can include:

• increased nervousness and tension;
• agitation;
• loss of concentration;
• changes to sleep patterns;
• headaches;
• coughs;
• cravings.

Other dangers and important facts

• Smoking during pregnancy can affect the unborn child, and babies are more likely to be born underweight, premature or stillborn.
• Passive smoking, where a person is subject to breathing in the cigarette smoke of others, can cause lung damage, including cancer and heart disease.
• Fifty Australians die every day from smoking compared with 10 who die from alcohol-related conditions or 4 who die from road accidents.

10 ways to smoke & live a better life

1. Your butt looks smaller.
A fat wallet makes your butt look bigger. You spend most of your money on ciarettes, so your wallet is lighter.

2. You're footloose and fancy free.
Life's a party when your're single. As a smoker, you will always be single. Hey, who needs to date a chimmey?

3. You enjoy life more.
When you're about to die, every moment seems precious. Life is better because you enjoy the things you took for granted before.

4. You are popular.
Loners are mysterious cult figures. With passive smoking awareness catching on, you'll only have cigarette for company.

5. You'll go places.
You sneak out of no-smoking zones to catch up on a cigarette. You see many places others haven't seen. Basements, rooftops, cellars and staircases, for instance.

6. You are liberated and hip.
Skeletons always are. Advertising tells you that. They're used to advertising everything especially no smoking propaganda. Ever wonder why?

7. You have a satisfying sex life.
Most impotent men do. Impotence kills desire more that anything else. And when you can't get it up, you won't want to get it in.

8. You'll feel fit.
You can't climb stairs without panting. So you use the lift. You walk into places feeling fit.

9. You'll be your own master.
With every cigarette, you'll put an end to five minutes of your life. So you'll be a master of your own life. Or death.

10. You are respected and obeyed.
Everytime someone strikes up a conversation, you strike up a cigarette. No one likes to inhale carcinogenic smoke. They speak less to you. You could mistake it for awe. After all, you are smart enough to smoke?

India - US N-Deal (123 Agreement) - An Analysis

The 123 agreement is a civil nuclear deal, therefore, it will have no bearing on India's strategic and military programme and India can make a bomb. It is completely out of the ambit of the deal.

Essentially, what the controversy has been over is whether if India conducts a test the Americans under their own laws would have the right to take back all the fuel that they give us.

What are the terms of the deal?
The details of the agreement are still being negotiated, but experts say some clear points are emerging. They include the following:

• India agrees to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Association (IAEA), the United Nations' nuclear watchdog group, access to its civilian nuclear program. But India would decide which of its many nuclear facilities to classify as civilian.
• India commits to signing an Additional Protocol —which allows more intrusive IAEA inspections—or its civilian facilities.
• India agrees to continue its moratorium on nuclear weapons testing.
• India commits to strengthening the security of its nuclear arsenals.
• India works toward negotiating a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) with the United States banning the production of fissile material for weapons purposes.India agrees to prevent the spread of enrichment and reprocessing technologies to states that don't possess them and to support international nonproliferation efforts.
• U.S. companies will be allowed to build nuclear reactors in India and provide nuclear fuel for its civilian energy program.

Reference

How does US benefit with this Deal?
Economic benefits to US
If India sets up 10 large size nuclear power plants, which is its intent in next 15 years, India will import technology and hardware from US for at least half of these projects (technology for the remaining may come from elsewhere).
Political Benefits to US
At the moment as long as US stays in Iraq and Afghanistan, the world will perceive US as a big bully. A major regional power, with a different outlook than the European and the US is needed to cool the tempers off.
Military Benefits to the US
US benefits immensely with India as a major military power. Forty percent of worlds’ oil and commerce passes through the Indian Ocean sea-lanes. These today are unprotected. Pirates in the Red Sea and at the Malacca Straits prey on commerce. Indian cooperation will be helpful in keeping the sea-lanes free.

What does India get out of the Deal?
Economic benefits to India
There is an urgent need in India for capital to build its infrastructure and manufacturing base. And there is only one source to get it i.e. US & Europe. US and Europe at this moment are content with sending capital to China to supply them with consumer goods. The former very cleverly had avoided exporting manufacturing technology to supply high priced, high technology capital goods to China. This component together with auto-parts, pharmaceuticals and computer hardware could herald India into big leagues in ten years and beyond. Commercial Aircraft manufacture, ship building, factories to make giant power plants, steel making plants, mining & drilling hardware, petroleum & petrochemical plant building facilities could be ultimately shared with India. The latter within ten years will have a workforce sufficiently skilled to undertake all the foregoing. It will be beneficial to US. Labor costs in India, will always stay a third of US, and European costs. That will make India an ideal candidate for this technology transfer.
Military Benefits to India
Indian military is in need to diversify its sourcing of military hardware. Russia has been a very reliable source for the past 40 years. This source has to be diversified.
Reference

The Henry Hyde Act: Tangible Nuclear Gains
Some of the major criticisms of the act:

• Nuclear cooperation is not full and excludes enrichment and reprocessing technology, which we need to complete our three-stage nuclear fuel cycle.
• India does not get unconditional access of uranium fuel or technology. In particular, all cooperation will be stopped should India test another nuclear weapon.
• The US President must report annually on India’s nuclear program. Such reporting can, and probably will, be used to pressure India on other fronts.

To understand the real loss for India, consider the following scenario. Following this agreement, India builds 5 new, large reactors with American, Russian, and Japanese help. In 2012 the US asks India, once again, to vote against Iran at the IAEA, threatening to stop uranium supplies under the guise of annual reporting requirements. Considering that the Iran-India gas pipeline is now operational, India must now choose between the fire and the frying pan.

By buying into US nuclear cooperation, India will in the future have to choose between that cooperation and other alliances. When our mutual interests collide, as they must, India will be playing what is known in game theory as a game of chicken. Where India has really lost is in signaling that this nuclear cooperation is sacrosanct, and our other considerations are up for negotiation.

The truth is that the Act offers India substantial present benefits. The associated losses are in the future, and the extent of those losses will depend on India’s willingness to take choices that are painful in the short term.
Reference

Ozone!!!

16th September - World Ozone Day

Stratospheric ozone (sometimes referred to as "good ozone") plays a beneficial role by absorbing most of the biologically damaging ultraviolet sunlight (called UV-B), allowing only a small amount to reach the Earth's surface. The absorption of ultraviolet radiation by ozone creates a source of heat, which actually forms the stratosphere itself (a region in which the temperature rises as one goes to higher altitudes). Ozone thus plays a key role in the temperature structure of the Earth's atmosphere. Without the filtering action of the ozone layer, more of the Sun's UV-B radiation would penetrate the atmosphere and would reach the Earth's surface. Many experimental studies of plants and animals and clinical studies of humans have shown the harmful effects of excessive exposure to UV-B radiation.



What Can I Do to Protect the Ozone Layer?

Car Air Conditioner Tips
Go only to service facilities with EPA-certified technicians

Make sure refrigerants from your vehicle will be recovered and recycled during servicing

Repair all leaks in the a/c system (not required by federal law, but helpful in protecting the ozone layer)
Although not required by federal law, this is one of the single best ways to do your part to protect the ozone layer. About 20-30 million cars on the road today use CFC refrigerants in their air-conditioning (AC) systems. If leaky systems were repaired, it would prevent the release of millions of pounds of CFCs into the atmosphere each year.

If your air conditioner needs major repairs, talk to your certified service professional about having it converted to use an alternative refrigerant.

Home Appliance Tips

Repair air conditioners
Although not required by federal law, this step prevents ozone-depleting refrigerants from escaping. Make certain the refrigerant is recovered before servicing. See a fact sheet on this topic.

If you purchase a new A/C system or heat pump, purchase one that uses non-ozone-depleting refrigerant. See a fact sheet on this topic.

Remove the refrigerant from refrigerators, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers before disposing of them
Removing the refrigerant before disposal of old refrigerators alone would prevent the release of about 4 million pounds of CFCs each year. The used refrigerant can be recycled and reused. Ask your local government or waste hauler if the refrigerant will be removed before the appliance is discarded.

Make sure your service technician is EPA certified.

Work with local officials
Help start a refrigerant recovery and recycling program in your area if none exists. Not only will a responsible appliance disposal help to protect the ozone layer, but the recovered CFC-12 from appliances can be resold, helping to recoup a portion of the costs of the program.

The SNAP program has reviewed substitutes for the following industrial sectors:

Refrigeration & Air Conditioning
end-uses typically use a refrigerant in a vapor compression cycle to cool and/or dehumidify a substances or space, like a refrigerator cabinet, room, office building, or warehouse.
Foam Blowing Agents
encompasses a wide variety of applications including refrigerators buildings, automobiles, furniture, packaging and many more. The blowing agent, which was typically an ODS, is used to propel liquid plastic resin, and in the case of foam used for insulation, functions as an insulating component of the foam.
Cleaning Solvents
are used to remove oil, grease, solder flux, and other contaminants.
Fire Suppression and Explosion Protection
have used halons in many applications because they are electrically non-conductive, dissipate rapidly without residue, are safe for limited human exposure, and are extremely efficient in extinguishing most types of fires. Because of their strong ozone depletion potential, the Montreal Protocol required the earliest production and import phaseout of halons in the U.S. in 1994.
Aerosols
are substances stored under pressure and then released as a suspension of particles in air.
Sterilants
kill microorganisms on medical equipment and devices. SNAP has identified alternatives to blends of 88% CFC-12 and 12% ethylene oxide, known as "12/88." In that blend, ethylene oxide sterilizes the equipment and CFC-12 is a dilutent solvent to form a non-flammable blend.
Tobacco Expansion
is the process of puffing leaves of tobacco to decrease the volume of tobacco used in cigarette production. SNAP has identified alternatives to CFC-11 for tobacco expansion.
Adhesives, Coatings & Inks
traditionally contain solid components that are suspended in a solvent, spread over a surface and bond to it, and then allow the solvent to evaporate. Prior to the Montreal Protocol, the ozone-depleting substance methyl chloroform was often used as the carrier solvent in adhesives, coatings, and inks.

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