The duty of an x-ray technician in the field of medicine is quite demanding than what it appears to be. Like most medical staffs, their responsibility extends to caring patients, especially those who are in extreme pain. The term x-ray technologist is not confined to operating only x-ray machines. In fact, it is far more than that because x-ray technicians are also responsible for maintaining radiology supplies and inventory. The x-ray technicians’ knowledge in this field is very important as they are also responsible what supplies need to be ordered as well as verifying the supplies the moment they arrive. Therefore, an x-ray technologist or technician is not a mere machine operator. He is in the very first place a person dedicated to the caring of the patients.

The primary responsibility of an xray technologist, though, is to operate the x-ray machine to find out injuries and diseases or other conditions that afflict the patients by using the x-ray machine. The results of the x-ray or the findings are basis for doctors to diagnose the medical condition of the patients. This is very crucial because many diseases can only be diagnosed through the help of x-ray machines. In fact, the job of an x-ray technician demands love for the patients more than just operating the machines. They must also be very caring to the patients’ feelings and dignity as persons while doing their duty. They are constantly being reminded that some patients are battling with life-threatening diseases and they are called upon to be compassionate.

X-ray technologists are also trained to see minor flaws in their job. They have very high attention to detail qualities because the role they play in the medical field is very crucial as they are basically dealing with life and death, and so care is of utmost importance. A little failure in detail could have tremendous impact on the lives of the patients. Moreover, a high energy level is a requirement for x-ray technicians because most of the time they stand on their feet to perform their job, not to mention the fact that they also deal with tough and demanding situations. This kind of job demands energy and endurance.

Seen at the wider side of life, the responsibility of an x-ray technologist indeed is a demanding position. The very workplace where they are involved requires care because they are basically dealing with stressful and critical situations on the life of the patients. In fact, they are trained to handle the situations very carefully without missing any detail. Finally, x-ray technologists are people who have a positive outlook in life precisely because they help patient have a positive life.

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The attempted terrorist attack against a commercial jetliner in Detroit by a would-be terrorist from Nigeria—who hid the explosives in his underwear—has prompted the governments of the United States and the United Kingdom and across the world to put up full-body scanners at airports with a hope to prevent future terrorists from smuggling explosives onto the commercial jetliners.

There are two types of full-body scanners: the millimeter wave sensors or the backscatter x-rays. Today, the most important consideration that governments and the passengers need to think about is whether or not these full-body scanners are safe for human usage. The question on the possible hazards of the full body scanners upon the health of constant travelers should also be considered.

X-rays

Discovered in 1895 by Wilhelm Conrad Rontgen, x-ray is a kind of ionizing radiation. The main purpose of X-ray in the field of medicine is that it detects abnormalities in the skeletal system of a patient as well as in identifying diseases in soft tissues like the lungs. In the 1950’s, x-rays were so popular that people were subjected to it to detect tuberculosis but it was discovered that yearly chest x-ray can actually cause cancer. As a result, the annual chest x-ray was discontinued.

In fact, common experience tells us that even radiologists (x-ray operators) protect themselves against the ionizing radiation during x-ray sessions by standing behind the radiation proof screen.
It is same with the dentists who stand behind the screen or leave the room during x-ray sessions to protect themselves against the ionizing radiation. Radiologists and dentists are well aware that x-ray radiations can cause cancer.

In a study by Amy Berrington de Gonzalez of the University of Oxford and Sarah Darby of the Cancer Research in the United Kingdom, they revealed that the percentage of cancers caused by the exposure against x-ray radiation is 0.6 percent. To simplify this illustration, it states that in every 167 cancer cases, one of them is caused by x-ray radiation.

Mammograms

In a research published by Dr. Jansen-van der Weide and his colleagues from the Department of Epidemiology and Radiology at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands, they investigated whether low-dose radiation can lead to breast cancer among women. They came up with the results, as follows:

• The research found out that women are at high risk, especially those with genetic or familial predisposition to breast cancer, and who have had five or more mammograms at their twenties. They have 2.5 times more likely to develop breast cancer than other women who never had any mammograms.
• The research also discovered that older women have also higher chances of developing breast cancer by 1.5 times through mammograms. In other words, high risk women have more chances of getting breast cancer. The risk of getting breast cancer is higher if women are subjected to more mammograms.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has reviewed the scientific evidence and has suggested recommendations with respect to mammograms.

Foremost of the recommendation is that women under the age of 50 must only be required to undergo mammograms unless there is reasonable need for doing so. Moreover, women with age over 50 are recommended to have it only every other year. Though mammogram is a low-dose radiation, yet it remains hazardous because of x-ray radiation. Unfortunately, however, it is the same ionizing radiation that is used in Backscatter X-ray full body scanners.

This leads to more important and relevant question about the countless women who need to pass through a Backscatter X-ray full body scanners every time they travel on a commercial airliner. If mammogram increases the risk of having breast cancer, will it be the same with Backscatter X-ray full body scanners?

Millimeter Wave Sensors

There are two types of Millimeter-wave Imaging Technology:

1. Passive Detection System. This type of imaging technology is also called Passive Imaging System or Passive Millimeter Wave Imager. What is good in this technology is that it does not produce electromagnetic radiation, thus safer as compared to others.2. Active Detection System. This type of imaging technology is also called as Active Imaging System. This type of technology functions like a bouncing millimeter pulsed noise, basically like waves at 96 GHz against the subject, and functioning like radar.

CT Scans

Because of the evidences proving that exposure to x-rays have negative effects against the human health, there is now an alternative method used in full body scanning. If the aim is medical in nature, the full body CT scanners can actually be used for this purpose. In fact, many people are now using the CT scanners for their yearly medical checkup.

In a report published by the New England Journal of Medicine, it states that third of the entire CT scans are not actually necessary. In fact, in 2006 alone, there were about 62 millions CT scans, but 20 million of them were unnecessary just for that year alone.

So what are the governments going to do?

Now that airports around the world are putting up full body scanners for security purposes, it is even more difficult for regular passengers to avoid being scanned by x-ray machines. In fact, there is now a clamor to install the Passive Millimeter Wave Imaging body scanners at airports because they are proven to be safer than other technologies.

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Also known as radiologic technologists or radiographers, x-ray technicians are people who operate machines and materials with radioactive contents which are used in medicine. This description, however professional, does not actually explain the complexities of their job, and it is important to look first into the responsibilities of the radiographers.

The x-ray machine is one of the most important diagnostic equipment used in modern medicine. The word “x-ray” was first used by Wilhelm Rontgen who used such a word since it was then an unknown radiation. The rays can actually go through most solid objects, with the exception of denser and thicker materials. In fact, it was Rontgen himself who discovered the x-ray but eventually decided not to use his name after his invention. The discovery led him to be awarded the first Nobel Prize in Physics. As a result of this, countless scientists and inventors attempted to follow his investigations into what was known then as the strange energy. Famous scientists who followed in Rontgen’s investigations were Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla. The invention and refinement of imaging machines and all sorts of maintenance and work related to these new machines have brought about new profession in this field. The result was that radiological technologists were born.

Getting an x-ray image is not only about exposing the patient to a lamp of radioactive material. It is more importantly about getting fine control to get the right quality of image. Now the image is deemed useless if it’s overexposed or underexposed, very the same in photographic film developing. The radiographer’s main task while operating the machine is to see to it that the image is good and they do this by carefully watching and adjusting radiation levels from the machine.  Aside from this, x-ray technicians are themselves responsible in the development of the film. Very much like in photography, a film is not useful without being “fixed.” Therefore, getting a film done sets the image and prevents further reactions and this means preserving the image even under bright lights. Since the film can only be seen and interpreted using strong light, it is important that the film is first fixed.

Another important element in the profession of the radiographers is that like many professions, they too work with people. They are trained how to position the patients and how to deal with them. In fact, it is even more difficult to deal with people who are suffering from various pains and illnesses, but radiographers have mastered this craft.

The working condition of the radiographers is not also safe, compared to many other medical professions, simply because they are exposed to radiation which is very dangerous. They need to know how to shield themselves and the patients from excessive exposure to radiation. It the end, the aim really is to help patients get better, and not exposing them to further health hazards.

Finally, x-ray technicians have an edge in first identifying health problems of patients based on the results. They are also qualified to interpret findings, and they too are knowledgeable to identify sensitive spots in the image. With the kind of job the radiologists perform in the field of medicine, we acknowledge their valuable contributions to medicine.

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In the course of working as an X-RAY technician you come across some amazing and bizarre images. We researched several medical sites and found these X-RAYS. I can imagine that the the doctors were pretty amazed when they got some of these back from the lab. It looks like in at least a couple of these pictures the X-RAY technician was having quite a bit of fun too. To the best of our knowledge, with the exception of one, these X-RAYS are real and have not been photoshoped or altered in any way.
1.		Chen Liu from Sydney was found, decomposed in 2009. The examination showed that a High-Powered nail gun was used to shot Liu in the head multiple times.
2.		This CT Scan shows 2-year-old Lakshmi before doctors performed surgery on her in Bangalore, India.
3.		Couple tongue kissing.
4.		A pair of 6” surgical scissors were left in the abdomen after surgery.
5.		Patrick Lawler went to the dentist complaining about a toothache in the top part of his mouth, the dentist found that the construction worker had embedded a four inch nail into his skull several days earlier while using a nail gun, without knowing it.
6.		A Pakistani prisoner claims he awoke with a strange problem, upon examination doctors found and removed a whole light bulb from the prisoner’s anus.
7.		X-rays from Central Prison in Raleigh, N.C., show items such as bed springs and batteries that prisoners swallowed to gain trips to outside hospitals.
8.		During examinations to determine what killed this duck, X-Ray’s show what appears to be an alien head inside the duck.
9.		This 60 year old man, had to have a Pepsi bottle removed from his anus after he claimed that armed men assaulted him with the bottle before stealing two of his buffalos.
10.		Dr. Abdul Manan, a surgeon at the Nishtar hospital in Multan, Pakistan, points to an x-ray of a glass bottle lodged in a man’s lower abdomen November 21, 2007.
11.		Here’s what you look like when you kiss while getting an X-Ray.
12.		This X-ray shows how, during a fall, a car key penetrated the eyelid of 17-month-old Nicholas Holderman of Kentucky, reaching his brain. While doctors initially believed that the object had ruptured Nicholas’ eyeball, another team of specialists later confirmed that the boy had sustained no permanent damage.
13.		An x-ray of a severed toe.
14.		This teenage boy lived after having a 5” knife plunged into his head.
15.		What you will look like soon, when you go through the airport scanners.
16.		Prison examiners found a cell phone lodged in the lower intestine of a Salvadorian prisoner.
17.		Having slipped in the bath tub impaling him in the eye on the faucet, Yi Zhao had to remove the pipe himself from the wall before surgeons could remove it from his eye.
18.		Talk about pain, this is a severed hand.
19.		Here’s an x-ray of a broken spine.
20.		I didn’t know Spalding was making implants…
These images are courtesy of the following sites:   http://amazingdata.com http://www.adidap.com http://www.techdigest.tv http://www.geekologie.com http://crazy-picsblog.blogspot.com

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Wikipedia defines Gardening as “Gardening is the practice of growing plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, overall appearance, or for their dyes. Useful plants are grown for consumption (vegetables, fruits, herbs, and leaf vegetables) or for medicinal use. A gardener is someone who practices gardening.”

Gardening however is much more than that. From the novice to the advanced, there are many things you will find in common. Some love the time alone, others spend their time in the garden with family. Some use it to express their artistic style, while others use their garden to relax and get away from the daily grind. People think that beautiful plants such as roses grow that way on their own, if they do its very rare. These beautiful gardens you see online and driving around are developed from years of loving hands and loving hearts. When you are in the garden, you don’t have to check your email, answer your phone, attend a meeting, etc. The garden is a place of tranquil peace, fun, challenging, and happiness.

These sites listed in this first section are general garden sites. With everything from novice to advanced gardeners showing you tips, tricks, and photos of their beautiful work. If you have started a garden or looking to start one, these sites will give you hope, help, and insight on how to take that picture you see in your head and lay it out on the ground, then be able to watch it grow. These are people who have a deep appreciation, a love for gardening plus many years of experience between them, take a look and I’m sure you will find the answers you are looking for.

Urban Gardeners are those that find themselves in a limited or tight spot, usually in a city. Sometimes these gardens are personally owned, sometimes they are community gardens. They cover the unique aspects of designing and maintain a garden in an urban environment, from how to make a small space look beautiful to working with others in a community garden. These sites are full of the tips, tricks, news and how tow’s to make your garden work.

Country Gardeners usually find themselves living out more in the country, usually with larger lots or even acres of land to layout and design their gardens on. Country gardens come with a whole new range of issues, from the size to keeping wildlife out (if you choose to). They will sometimes use different equipment and tools to be able to move around the larger gardens; as well they may have more options of putting things like decks to water ponds in the middle. Whether you are getting started or have a big garden already, these sites give you everything you need to know to grow your garden into your dream.

Organic Gardeners work hard to work with Mother Nature rather than using chemicals. Chemicals from fertilizers to pest controls only came onto the scene around the mid 1800’s, prior to that everything was organic. Today organic farmers are not only trying to grow better food that is poison free, they also use their sites to try and help others understand the dangers of using poisons on their gardens. When you put poison on your garden, it gets into the soil and eventually pulled up into the fruit or food that you are growing, and then finally into those who eat that fruit or food. Although an organic garden may take more understanding and time that other gardens, in the end living a healthy and long life is worth it. These sites have everything from news and reviews to tips and tricks on getting started and continuing your beautiful healthy organic garden.

Vegetable Gardens are grown more for consumption than beauty. Although they can be very beautiful at times, these gardens are usually done to put some fresh vegetables on the table. Some are small and feed the immediate family, while others can be larger and used to make a profit from selling some of their gatherings. There is a wide range of vegetables that will cover everything anyone in your family likes. These sites are here to help you figure out what to plant, when to plant, how to care of them, and when to harvest.

Landscape and Garden Design is a major part of starting or expanding a garden. Whether you want your garden to look beautiful or just produce results, you need to take time to lay it out. You have to be able to move around, get to everything, pull weeds, water, etc. You need to think about drainage, sunlight, and pest. From walkways through your garden to sitting areas in the middle, if you want it to look beautiful a little planning ahead will go a long way. These sites will help you think of things you didn’t even know about, they will give you ideas on how to layout your garden, what plants to plant where in your garden all the way down to rocks and gnomes to put in your garden.

Musings are a great way to just express yourself and talk about what is going on in your life. These sites are from people who not only love to garden, but like to share what is going on around them, from what they are thinking while sitting in their garden, to their joy of holding a newborn child. Through these sites and stories, you will find the peace and love that comes from a garden.

Doug Green has been in the nursery industry most of his life and has won many awards. I decided to group these sites together, since he has built out several sites focusing on different subjects. Doug has filled his sites with a wealth of information from years of experience and he uses these sites to help others grow from a novice gardener to a horticulturalist. Having written several books, Doug decided to take his knowledge online, with several sites from beginner gardening to what tools to use, he has the information you are looking for.

Resources are something that we all find we need at times. From books to tools, these sites have a ton of information and products to buy. If you are looking for tips and tricks or you want to look at the latest gadgets for gardening, this is where you will find them.

Writers and Speakers are often bombarded with questions, so these have decided to put some of their knowledge online for you. These are professionals that deal with the world of gardening everyday, from writing for people such at Martha Stewart to speaking engagements. These sites are open to questions, some through forums, as well some offer the ability to buy their books or arrange a speaking engagement right from their site.

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Here is a list of 30 Hot & Cool Gadget Sites that are keeping up with everything you want. Whether you are looking for a phone, car, or just window shopping, these sites have the gadgets for you. All of these sites are great in their own way, so they are not listed in any particular order.

APC

This site has everything from news to forums coving everything from OS’s to phones. With both articles and product reviews APC has you covered.

Hacked Gadgets

Although this site post some articles and reviews on its main page, the real juice is in the forum. With a wide range of topics, this site has some great information.

How-To Geek

If you have a game, OS, phone, or other gadget, this site will show you the tips and tricks on how to use it.

Tech Fresh

With categories from Blu-ray, HDTV, to Projectors, this site has all the reviews you need for the gadgets you have or want to make you home look and sound cool.

Core77

As a design magazine and resource for a range of people from students to professionals, Core77 uses this site as part of their package to promote articles, forums, job listings, as well as produce competitions, lectures, and exhibits.

heyCoop

As an industry consultant Mike uses his knowledge and experience to discuss the hot gadgets that are not only here today, but the ones that are coming tomorrow.

DVICE

This is a cool site the covers all areas from your house to your car, if there is a cool gadget, this site has the review you need to read.

Gizmag

Covering invention and innovation from all fields of technology, Gizmag is a complete resource that you don’t want to miss.

2dayBlog.com

This technology blog covers everyday gadgets from iphones, audio & video, to automobile gadgets as well as other interesting stuff.

Gadgetopia

As a blog that is devoted to everything geek, this site pretty much talks about anything and everything.

Geeks

Covering all aspects of the geek world, with sections for news, competition, reviews and a great forum, this site has the information you are looking for.

Chip Chick

Don’t be fooled by the name, this site has stuff for both girls and guys. Covering everything from accessories, cameras, to fashion, this site has what you need to look good.

Gadget Lab

From Wired Magazine, this blog brings you the in depth and up to date coverage on the latest and greatest gadgets that are both on the market and the ones that are still being dreamed up.

The Raw Feed

As a writer of technology for several sites, Mike works hard to use his skills and knowledge to bring to you both stories and reviews on the best and sometimes the worst gadgets out there.

Geek & Hype

This site covers the high class, luxury gadgets that are on the market or in concept form. If you want to see some cool stuff you need to check out this site.

Engadget

As a full web magazine, engadget covers everything that is new in the gadget and electronics world. With everything from news, galleries, videos, to podcast, this site has the information you are looking for.

ToMuse

Covering tech news, reviews, and full of resources this site has everything from best facebook apps to the best wordpress plugins for music lovers.

Ubergizmo

As one of the fastest growing gadget blogs on the internet, ubergizmo talks about everything that has to do with gadgets and the technology behind them.

Great Green Gadgets

If you are into saving money and saving the environment then this site is for you. With topics from Solar Powered Christmas Lights to Recycled paper binders; this site has everything you need to be green.

Gizmos For Geeks

This site claims that “Whoever has the most toys wins” and with the product reviews, news, and stories in this site, they are here to help you get not only the most toys, but the best toys.

Techie Diva

This is a great gadget site with a feminine twist, but don’t worry the let guys in too. With coverage from reviews, videos, to tradeshows Gina works hard to bring you the best information there is.

Gadgetastic

Working hard to bring you the latest news on gadgets from around the world, this site strives to stay current and bring you the news you are looking for.

Dee Kay Dot As Gee

Covering things from Apple, MacOS, to reviews on gadgets, DK works hard to bring you the news about what is going on.

jk On The Run

Part of a larger set of sites, this site is part of the puzzle working hard to link the world’s leading technology innovators. With the wealth of information and the wide range of topics, this site is worth the reading.

Tech E Blog

Bringing you the latest tech and gadget news, the site covers everything from games to toys, if you like something you need to look it up here first.

The Gadgeteer

This team works hard to use their knowledge & talent to bring you the latest news on the gadgets you need.

CrunchGear

This site has some great in depth articles, reviews, and news about the hottest gadgets on the market, as well as some that are not so hot.

GeekBreif

As a simple, slick, smooth blog, this is an up and coming site that brings you some great information on some cool gadgets.

Bullz-Eye

With everything from gadgets, computers, to news and apps, this site has a ton of information covering everything that new and exciting in the gadget world.

Widgetbox

Covering mostly computers and phones, with all the stuff that goes along, this site has some great articles about some cool gadgets.

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