Wednesday, February 20, 2008 

A Dissecting Microscope For School Use

Anyone who has taken high school biology has encountered a dissecting microscope; it was usually accompanied by a frog. The trauma involved in having to chloroform destroy a frog in the name of education may, however, have rendered you oblivious to the workings of the dissecting microscope, so here is a refresher course on how it was constructed and how it worked.

Construction Of A Dissecting Microscope

The dissecting microscope, like all microscopes, has a tube with a lens at its upper opening, through which you look to view the specimen lying beneath the tubes lower end. The upper end of the tube will also have some form of nose piece to help your head remain steady while you do your viewing.

The lower end of the dissecting microscope contains the second lens, known as the objective lens. The type of objective lens being used will depend on how fine a focus you need to examine your specimen. Your dissecting microscope will have two more light-condensing lenses in its condenser; these lenses are responsible for the microscopes magnification capacity.

The dissecting microscopes condenser is centered above the middle of the microscopes stage, on which the slide bearing the specimen ifs placed for examination. The best dissecting microscopes have adjustable stages which can be manipulated without the microscopes user having to remove his or her eyes from the eyepiece.

The dissecting microscopes stage is positioned above its diaphragm, the function of which is to control the amount of light being transmitted through the slide and specimen. The light itself is also below the dissecting microscopes stage, and is either a halogen or fluorescent bulb. It is the manipulation of the lights reflection on the specimen that causes the dissecting microscope to magnify what the user sees.

Caring For A Dissecting Microscope

Dissecting microscopes, like all others, require special care; their lenses should be kept dust and smudge free with dry, soft cloths and they should be stored, when not in use, in dust covers. They should also be stored away from dampness.

Those handling a dissecting microscope should always carry it in both hands. That is the best way to avoid either dropping it or bumping it against other objects; either of which will ruin the alignment of the lenses. The dissecting microscope is most secure when its user holds the microscope arm in one hand and supports its base in the other.

You can also find more info on Microscope Slide and Stereo Zoom Microscope. Microscopesreview.com is a comprehensive resource to know about Microscopes.



 

Satellite Radio: Installation Costs

The cost of a satellite radio installation is broken down into two different groups, the startup (installation costs) and the monthly subscription to either XM satellite radio or Sirius satellite radio. Receivers and mounting hardware, the cost of activation are all start up costs. Recievers are available for your car, your home, your computer and now portable receivers are available. So how much does satellite radio installation really cost?

Satellite Radio installation costs are broken down as follows:

Activation costs are the amount that both XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio charge to start service. Activation costs vary, where $5.00 with Sirius and $9.99 with XM will get you ready to go. Telephone activation is $15.00 with Sirius and $14.99 with XM. Monthly subscription costs then play into the cost, but these depend on some factors. Recent media campaigns are dramatically dropping the cost of installation and activation, both XM and Sirius are offering free activation in some instances. Further Detail at: www.TopSatelliteRadio.com

A typical cost of a car satellite radio installation can vary depending on whether you use a Satellite radio which is dedicated only to satellite radio reception or if it also can play CDs.

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $75 - $125

Radio $125-250

Antenna $60.00

Labor $80.00

Activation $10

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Total $400 - $600

Typical costs for a home satellite radio installation:

For this to work, you must choose to install a dedicated stereo receiver unit. Common AM/FM receivers are very similar to satellite radio receivers. Your auxiliary input is used to connect and a antenna is used to receiver the streaming content.

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $150-$300

Antenna $60.00

Activation $10

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Total $220 - $370

Portable units are now being offered and can give you the ease of using your satellite radio anywhere you want! Each room in your house would require a home kit, which includes antennas, output cables, and power supplies. Home kits offer flexibility and ease of use as they can be plugged into your home stereo, computer, and boom boxes. Portable satellite radio installation costs are as follows:

The typical costs are detailed below:

Receiver $120

Home Kit $140

Boombox X 2 $100

Activation $10

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Total $370

Scott Fish is the owner of Top Satellite Radio which is a resource for consumers seeking the history and facts about satellite radio. We also sell electronics related to Satellite Radio.

http://www.TopSatelliteRadio.com | Quick Access: http://www.TopSatRadio.com

sf@topsatelliteradio.com



 

Peeking Inside a Crime Lab

You have heard of crime labs where scientific testing takes place on the TV show CSI. How is a forensics lab different from a clinical lab? How did a forensics laboratory come about? Where did it come from? What kinds of testing go on in a forensics lab?

Both forensics and clinical laboratories use the same scientific equipment and follow the same research protocols. However, in a clinical lab, testing with the purpose of diagnosing and treating the sick is carried out from a live patient. A forensics lab performs testing with the aim of establishing links between a suspect and a crime.

The Very First Crime Lab

In 1923, August Volmer (1876-1955) of the Los Angeles Police Department established the nations first forensic laboratory. About six years later, the first privately owned forensic lab was established in Chicago following the investigation of Chicagos notorious St. Valentines Day Massacre. Calvin Goddard (1891-1955), Americas leading firearms identification expert at the time, was able to deduce a connection of the killings to Al Capone. Because of his expertise in firearms identification, two businessmen saw a potential in Calvin Goddard and funded further development of his crime lab at Northwestern University where he became a professor of police science. This new lab enveloped the other disciplines of blood analysis, fingerprinting, and trace evidence analysis under the same roof.

Then in 1932, Goddard helped establish a national forensics laboratory for the FBI. It is in this lab that nearly all forensic services known to law enforcement are performed. Today many states have used the FBI forensics lab as a model for their own state or local labs.

Common Procedures Done in a Crime Lab

Technical scientific analyses offered by modern-day crime labs and medical examiners offices are diverse and complex. The number of services supplied by a particular lab is inherently dependant upon its size and available funding. State and regional labs may provide a wide range of services, and local labs may provide only fundamental testing procedures. In general, small crime labs usually outsource more complex testing to larger regional labs. Moreover, the FBIs National Crime Lab offers services to all law enforcement agencies all over the country. An FBI crime lab can perform just about every type of scientific test. It also has access to databases covering everything such as tire-track impressions, fingerprints, shoe prints, and postage stamps.

Larger laboratories may offer separate departments for each discipline, while smaller labs tend to encompass various services. Sometimes, there is an individual technician who is hired to do all the work. This is what the grunge character, Abby Sciuto, the forensics expert on the TV show NCIS, does. If this is the case, it would be smart for her to outsource the work to larger reference labs.

What are the common procedures done in a crime lab?

Fingerprint analysis
Tool mark and impression analysis
Blood analysis
Ballistic reports
Trace evidence reports
Toxicological testing
DNA analysis

No doubt, a crime lab technician has his work cut out.

With advancing technology, there will be newer services offered for crime labs all over the country. This will make it harder for perpetrators to get away with murder, bank robbery, or sexual assault.

Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com. This virtual store specializes in selling stun guns, kubatons, pepper spray, nunchaku, Air Tasers, home security equipment, and many other self defense products.

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California Health Insurance Plan - Low Cost Plans Online

Looking for an affordable health insurance plan in California? The cost for medical care and health insurance has risen in recent years. As a result, major health insurance companies are forming lower cost plans that can help individuals and families with their health care needs.

California Low Premium Health Insurance Plans

One such plan offered by Pacific Care is an (HDHP) High Deductible Health Plan. A high deductible health plan gives you access to a broad network of doctors, clinics, and hospitals to help reduce costs. A higher deductible amount also gives you a lower monthly premium.

A $2000 deductible individual health plan starts as low as $139.00 per month. This plan provides 80% to 100% of medical care costs after the deductible amount has been reached. Many variations of this plan are available. You can pick and choose the coverage you want, to build a health insurance plan just right for you and your family.

High deductible health insurance plans are designed to qualify as a plan that can be used with or without an (HSA) Health Savings Account. Health savings accounts are another way you can use tax-exempt dollars to help pay for health care costs.

Affordable California Health Insurance Quote

One of the best ways to learn more about affordable California health insurance is to go to an insurance quote website and request free quotes. Immediately after you complete their short form, you'll get several low cost HSA, HMO, PPO, and POS quotes while still online. After you have your quotes, you can compare plans and visit their websites for more detailed information.

Just click on the following link to get California health insurance quotes and more health plan information. It's fast, it's free, and you're under no obligation! You'll get 4 to 5 competitive quotes for health insurance in California. They also offer free quotes and information for discount dental plans.



 

Business Promotional Items - How to Stimulate Word of Mouth Advertising

If the promotional items you give out end up in the attic or shoved in the back of a desk drawer, they are probably not doing what they are supposed to be doing. However, if items you passed out to clients and customers are being seen again and again, chances are, word-of-mouth advertising is stimulating your business.

With media (radio, televisions and newspaper), messages can come and go. But, the exposure promotional items can give equals longevity. While there is no real scientific way to measure how many impressions an item can receive in its lifetime, we know that it works and ultimately gets well over its moneys worth. I used to work at a radio station that passed out license plates. We had a very fun logo- and still after ten years of being on the air, they are a sought out item. We began to limit the number that were handed out at live action broadcasts, and that drew people to event after event. Everywhere you drive in our area, you are sure to see a dozen or so cars with Froggy 101 license plates on the commute. This may draw people to flip on the station to see whats playing. With the amount of impressions they get, these mini-billboards sure generate more word of mouth advertising than a real billboard would, for a fraction of the cost. When concerts came to town, wed have the country singers autograph them, and then either give them away or auction them off for charity. Those, which were often bought by business owners, are on prominent display in bars and pubs around the area. This is just one small example of how word-of-mouth advertising can explode through a small item.

Bumper stickers and static stickers are something that constantly generate word-of-mouth as well. What college doesnt sell them? Parents and alumni can also have them too! Coffee and travel mugs, and even koozies (can coolers) can all create buzz about their namesake in offices, at peoples homes or at the beach. While many people use their free t-shirts to sleep in, many others will wear them to the gym or out jogging. This could create locker room talk about when and how they got the shirt. At a bar, you may help someone open a beer with a keychain from an insurance company- and guess what- they need insurance.

Word-of-mouth can also even help for short-term goals, such as at a seminar. You may be passing out a really cool item, which makes you the talk of the floor. Or, maybe everyone at the county fair wants to stop by the Heavenly Touch Massage Therapy stand for a stress ball.

Plain and simple, if you use the right kind of promotional items, people will use them- and others will see them being used. Whered you get that? could become a common question to the user, making them a walking, talking billboard for your own company. If a t-shirt cost you $3.79, but the person wears it to the gym once a week- think how far that little sum of money actually went!

Cindy Carrera is a freelance creative author whos written numerous articles about PR including: business promotional items, custom promotional products and wholesale promotional items.



 

Online Article Author - Does Your Resource Box Have an Active Link?

For those who are online article authors, it is imperative that those who read your articles consider you a credible source. Your articles should have an active link in the resource box otherwise who can trust the credibility? How can anyone even know that you are a real person?

Does Your Resource Box Have an Active Link?

Many online article submission leaders believe that if you do not have an active link in your resource box that the readers will wonder if indeed you are a credible author or wonder if your information is legitimate. This is a good point, although in my, currently I do not have an active like because the online article submission sites send me too much traffic already with 11,111 articles and so I have a non-active link now on the articles I write, as those old articles just keep on pulling for me?

I suppose I am one of only a few who has this problem, yet I agree with what these online article submission industry leaders are saying completely, today, I have a link in my resource box to a gentleman who is sponsoring my bicycle ride across the nation for charity. Should I still have an active link to my own website? Well sure I should, as long as it does not crash my website from all the traffic.

Then again there are people who are experts on Showing Dogs or Horse Shows and they sell nothing to the industry, but their articles on real estate all have links because they are in that field. Their articles on dogs or horses come from an authoritative standpoint, you can tell by reading them, but they are not selling anything there.

If those by-lines do not have active links, I really wonder if that hurts the credibility of the article. If they have weblinks to their Real Estate business, it does add a link, but absolutely no credibility, as that is a completely different field entirely? Nevertheless, except for a few circumstances you need an active link in your byline or resource box at the bottom of your articles.

L. Winslow is an Economic Advisor to the Online Think Tank, a Futurist and retired entreprenuer. Currently he is planning a bicycle ride across the US to raise money for charity and is sponsored by http://www.Calling-Plans.com and all the proceeds will go to various charities who sign up.