Category: Massachusettes

Pea plant grows inside man’s lung

On By A.P.In emphysema, lung, Massachusettes, Nature, pea plant, Ron Sveden, X rayLeave a comment

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Ron Sveden had been battling emphysema for months when his condition deteriorated.

He was steeling himself for a cancer diagnosis when X-rays revealed the growth in his lung.

Doctors believe that Mr Sveden ate the pea at some point, but it “went down the wrong way” and sprouted.

“One of the first meals I had in the hospital after the surgery had peas for the vegetable. I laughed to myself and ate them,” Mr Sveden told a local Boston TV reporter.

Mr Sveden said the plant was about half an inch (1.25cm) in size.

“Whether this would have gone full-term and I’d be working for the Jolly Green Giant, I don’t know. I think the thing that finally dawned on me is that it wasn’t the cancer,” Mr Sveden said.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-10945050

Never Scrape Again: Windshield Coating Repels Frost

On By A.P.In ACS Nano, frost, frosting, hydrophilic, hydrophobic, Massachusettes, materials science, Michael Rubner, MIT, Science, Technology, windshield, winterLeave a comment

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A fogged-up camera lens can ruin a perfect shot, and a frosty car window can lead to potentially deadly accidents. To help keep glass clear in harsh weather, scientists are developing an advanced new coating that resists both fogging and frosting.

Glass fogs up and frosts because of water. So you might assume so-called hydrophobic materials, which repel water, provide the best method of fighting such moisture. However, these solutions tend only to make water bead up, scattering light and obscuring views.

Researchers have also experimented with the opposite tactic, attempting to prevent fogging and frosting using hydrophilic materials, which attract water. Here, researchers hope to smear water across the glass surfaces in uniform sheets, to keep the moisture from distorting light. Although these materials work against fog, they can’t prevent frosting. When cold glass encounters humid air, the layer of water that develops simply freezes.

However, the new coating possesses both water-repelling and water-attracting properties, so it works against both fog and frost. The material contains organic compounds with both hydrophilic and hydrophobic components. The hydrophilic ingredients love water so much they absorb moisture, trapping it and keeping it from easily forming ice crystals. This lowers water’s usual freezing temperature and dramatically reduces frosting.

Meanwhile, the material’s hydrophobic components help repel contaminants that might spoil the hydrophilic effect.

“We have no freezing of water, even at low temperatures. It remains completely clear,” researcher Michael Rubner, a materials scientist at MIT, told TechNewsDaily.

When the new coating warms up from the freezing cold, it releases the water, “which just evaporates,” Rubner added.

The new coating does have its limits. “If it’s overwhelmed with water, any excess water can freeze,” Rubner said. “You wouldn’t want this on an airplane wing that constantly gets water on it, but an application like eyeglasses or windshields, it can be amazing.”

The researchers are now seeking to enhance the material’s durability to mechanical stresses. They detailed their findings online Jan. 29 in the journal ACS Nano.

http://www.livescience.com/27611-never-scrape-again-windshield-coating-repels-frost.html

Free Pizza With a Vasectomy in Cape Cod

On By A.P.In Basketball, Cape Cod, College Basketball, Massachusettes, Pizza, Sports, VasectomyLeave a comment

 

If you’re considering a vasectomy, and happen to like pizza and basketball, a Massachusetts urology clinic has an offer for you.

Urology Associates of Cape Cod says it’s offering a free pizza to vasectomy patients during March Madness. An administrator with the group says it’s a lighthearted way to raise awareness about the procedure and drum up business.

Evan Cohen of the clinic told the Cape Cod Times that getting a vasectomy during the NCAA basketball tournament is the perfect time because typically a day or two of recovery is needed following the operation, so it gives patients an excuse to lie on the couch and watch hoops.

A commercial promoting the deal asks the question, “Hey guys! Want to watch the college basketball tournament guilt-free? You know you’ve been thinking about a vasectomy, anyway. Now’s the time to get it done.”

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504763_162-57398849-10391704/mass-clinic-offers-free-pizza-for-vasectomy-during-march-madness/