The Best of Google Knol

Wondering how the planets and universe formed is a question that dates back many thousands of years. Astronomy is one of the oldest sciences in the world and for good reason. It takes into account the biggest subject that can be possibly studied-- the universe. To understand the universe it is important to understand our immediate solar system. How does it work, how did it come to be, and how old is it? Luckily Astronomy has been able to give a pretty good understanding of how the solar system originated and when.

The development of flexible fiberoptic instruments in the 1960-70s allows light to bend with the instruments (endoscopes) so that organs beyond the very top and bottom of the gastrointestinal tract can reached and visualized, such as the whole colon, stomach, duodenum, and upper portion of the small intestine, the jejunum. Further refinements in endoscopes including video instruments has allowed for improved visualization of the GI tract, ability to sample tissues and apply therapy, and reach even the most inaccessible of GI locations (the entire small bowel including all of the jejunum and ileum).

Genealogy is one of the world’s three most popular hobbies. Millions of people from all over the world are continuously engaged in some form of family research. The fascination usually stems from the simple question, where did I come from?

In order to understand menopause*, it is first necessary to define what occurs before this change, and why. After the onset of puberty at approximately age 11-13, a girl’s ovaries produce two hormones, estradiol, and progesterone in a cyclic fashion (Figure 1). At the same time, the ovaries release one egg per month, which is then available for fertilization by a male sperm.

Cholesterol and triglycerides are fats that are an integral part of cells, and that may dissolve in alcohol but are insoluble in water. They are thus insoluble in the blood. In order for lipids to be transported in blood, they are packaged as lipoprotein. Lipoproteins have a shell of phospholipids and proteins that allow them to dissolve in blood. The lipids, transported as lipoprotein, are transported to various tissues for energy utilization, lipid deposition, steroid hormone production, and bile acid formation.

Change has been the one constant in the development of the human race. But never has change been so pervasive as in the past decade. Think about the massive changes taking place to our environment, technology, communications and economies just to name a few ... and so it is with language, in the form of Global English.

Paradigm shifts, where entire regions and nations change the way things are done, are fast becoming the norm. I have already covered the paradigm shift taking place in education in another Knol, but I now wish to cover the inter-related one talking place in global language and interpersonal communications.

We describe a significant improvement in the efficiency of an individual-based stochastic disease simulation framework that has been used for multiple previous studies. We quantify the efficiency of the revised algorithm and present an alternative parameterization of the model in terms of the basic reproductive number. We apply the model to the population of Taiwan and demonstrate how the location of the initial seed can influence spatial incidence profiles and the overall spread of the epidemic. Differences in incidence are driven by the relative connectivity of alternate seed locations.

The oldest dog on record was an Australian cattle dog called Bluey. He was put to sleep at the age of 29 years and 5 months.

For the entrepreneur, the achievement of the Break Even Point is a special milestone, for it has vindicated their judgement to take the risks to launch the new venture. They have done their job ... they have created new economic value. This article gives you the education to calculate your Break Even Point, Analysis and Formula.

Have you or someone you know just been diagnosed with colon cancer? Or, perhaps you have heard something in the news or have a family history. Learning of a new diagnosis or worrying about cancer can cause a lot of anxiety. The following bullet points will help you get started on the wide range of information on the subject of colon cancer before you plunge into this article or into a decision about treatment. 

Neck pain is a common complaint and is almost always a benign condition. Over 10% of the adult population recalls at least 3 episodes of neck pain within a 3-year period. One good way to approach the subject is to consider source of pain based on anatomic principles: what are the pain sensitive structures of the neck? To answer the question one must have an understanding of the basic anatomy of the neck/cervical spine and then consider what common or uncommon processes can disturb normal function thereby causing pain and other disabilities such as weakness or numbness.