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Delft University of Technology. "Better control of
building blocks for quantum computer."
ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 23 December 2010.
<www.sciencedaily.com/
releases/2010/12/101223083759.htm>.
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Scanning electron image of the nanowire device
with gate electrodes used to electrically control
qubits, and source and drain electrodes used to
probe qubit states.
cientists from the Kavli Institute of
Nanoscience at Delft University of
Technology and Eindhoven University of
Technology have succeeded in controlling
the building blocks of a future super-fast
quantum computer. They are now able to
manipulate these building blocks (qubits) with
electrical rather than magnetic fields, as has been
the common practice up till now. They have also
been able to embed these qubits into
semiconductor nanowires.
The scientists' findings have been published in
the current issue of the journal Nature (Dec. 23).
A qubit is the building block of a possible, future
quantum computer, which would far outstrip
current computers in terms of speed. One way to
make a qubit is to trap a single electron in
semiconductor material. A qubit can, just like a
normal computer bit, adopt the states '0' and '1'.
This is achieved by using the spin of an electron,
which is generated by spinning the electron on its
axis. The electron can spin in two directions
(representing the '0' state and the '1' state).
Until now, the spin of an electron has been
controlled by magnetic fields. However, these field
are extremely difficult to generate on a chip. The
electron spin in the qubits that are currently being
generated by the Dutch scientists can be
controlled by a charge or an electric field, rather
than by magnetic fields. This form of control has
major advantages, as Leo Kouwenhoven, scientist
at the Kavli Institute of Nanoscience at TU Delft,
points out. "These spin-orbit qubits combine the
best of both worlds. They employ the advantages
of both electronic control and information storage
in the electron spin," he says.
There is another important new development in
the Dutch research: the scientists have been able
to embed the qubits (two) into nanowires made
of a semiconductor material (indium arsenide).
These wires are of the order of nanometres in
diameter and micrometres in length. "These
nanowires are being increasingly used as
convenient building blocks in nanoelectronics.
Nanowires are an excellent platform for quantum
information processing, among other
applications," says Kouwenhoven.
Computer-generated imagery (CGI) is the
application of the field of computer graphics (or
more specifically, 3D computer graphics) to
special effects.
CGI is used in films, television programs and
commercials, and in printed media.
Video games most often use real-time computer
graphics (rarely referred to as CGI), but may also
include pre-rendered "cut scenes" and intro
movies that would be typical CGI applications.
CGI is used for visual effects because the quality
is often higher and effects are more controllable
than other more physically based processes, such
as constructing miniatures for effects shots or
hiring extras for crowd scenes, and because it
allows the creation of images that would not be
feasible using any other technology.
It can also allow a single artist to produce
content without the use of actors, expensive set
pieces, or props.
Recent accessibility of CGI software and
increased computer speeds has allowed individual
artists and small companies to produce
professional grade films, games, and fine art from
their home computers.
Have you ever found yourself
sitting in the theater, watching a
Pixar film, and contemplating
what it is about CGI animation
that makes for some of the best
children’s movies?
The evolution of this field of
graphic design didn’t happen
over a very long, extended period
– but instead over a couple of
decades. In fact, the rapid
advancement of computer
processing power is primarily
what served as a catalyst for the
explosion of CGI animation. But
what is CGI animation, exactly?
If you’re a computer graphic
design artist, this post may not
be for you. However, for those of
you out there who are curious
about this fascinating form of
animation – read on for a brief
history of the world of animation,
and how computers completely
transformed the art form.
What Ever Happened to Plain Old
Cartoons?
Most of you can likely name at
least one or two of your favorite
childhood cartoons. Maybe it was
Scooby Doo, the Flintstones or
even the Jetsons. Maybe you’re a
bit younger (or not) and you still
enjoy your Saturday morning
cartoons.
However, most of the older folks
out there probably started
noticing that more and more
cartoons look just a little bit
different – just a little bit more
real . What is it about CGI
animation that gives the
characters and the overall
imagery more realism? The
answer to that requires some
history.
The history of animation is both
nostalgic and sad. Many decades
ago, animators were traditional
artists who drew pictures by
hand. Traditional animation
consisted of a whole team of
animators who would draw and
color images on “cels” –
transparent sheets that were
placed on top of a background
image to create a multi-layered
frame.
In this way, segments of an
image could change from frame
to frame without the entire
picture being redrawn. You can
see an example of layers in the
image to the left. The blue arrow
points to the background, the
green arrow to the layer with two
characters, and a red arrow
pointing to the third layer with an
image of a flying paper airplane.
By manipulating the drawings in
each layer from frame to frame,
animators would create what
many adults today remember as
the traditional cartoon.
Many movie fans may remember
the hype surrounding the digital
remastering of old films such as
Star Wars , where computer
animation was used to digitally
enhance the film. The first stages
of CGI animation included 2D
animation. This simply involved
computers doing what animators
had been doing for decades –
creating multiple frames of
images each second in order to
generate the visual effect of
animation.
The difference in this case was
that as the field of computer
graphic design advanced, the
images gradually became much
more advanced than most
cartoon animators could manage
by hand. The simplest form of
this type of animation can be
seen in the animated GIF files
that became wildly popular on
the Internet throughout the late
1990’s.
These images were created by
packaging together a series of
static images switched from
frame to frame by a time delay
defined by a control script within
the GIF file itself. The time delay
on most animated GIFS are
pretty long, so it doesn’t provide
for very fluid motion, but the
concept of “animation” is still
there.
The picture below is an example
of one such completed animated
GIF.
Now, all of this is grade school
level compared to the impressive
level that 3D CGI animation
technology is at today. How did
we get from 1990’s computer
animation to the sort of iMax 3D
cartoons you love to watch? The
simple answer is processing
power. With today’s amazing
CPU processing capabilities,
computer animators are now able
to create a 3 dimensional “model”
to start with.
This model is only somewhat like
it’s 2D counterpart, except now
computers have the ability to not
only modify large parts of a 2
dimensional image as “layers” –
they can calculate and modify
very small sections of an object
within a 3D world. Because of the
level of programming and
processor power required, this
sort of animation was available
only to the largest movie
production companies who could
afford the computer systems.
However, today your own
desktop computer can handle it –
and there’s even free software
like Blender , which Aibek covered
in his article on 4 apps for a
graphic designer on a budget ,
and Simon described one of the
video games called Yo Frankie!
which was created with the
Blender engine. I installed the
software on my own desktop and
within 30 minutes the tutorial
taught me how to create the
start of a snowman character
within a virtual 3D world.
The concept of today’s level of
3D CGI animation is an evolution
from basic cartoon animation
into a simulated world that seeks
to represent realism as
accurately as possible. It does
this by slicing up the world into
the smallest segments possible,
and then controlling how those
tiny parts of real world objects
move, react and change based on
the other objects and conditions
within that 3D world.
I remember watching The Polar
Express when it was first
released and thinking to myself
how dead the characters looked.
When they spoke, their tongues
lay still like dead fish and their
eyes were often expressionless. I
actually thought, at the time, that
computers would never be able
to realistically simulate the real
world, or at least a real person.
But, you know what, while
researching this article I came
across this video of “Emily,” a
digitally recreated face of a real
actress. I have to say, I was very
impressed and I think you will be
as well.
What is your take on the current
state of the art for CGI
animation? Do you think that it
will eventually completely replace
traditional animation? Share your
opinion in the comments section
below.
What will be those key trends?
1. CONTENT FIRST
2. SIMPLICITY OF DESIGN
INTERACTION AND CONTENT
3. UX CENTERED DESIGN
4. APP STYLE INTERFACES
5. THE UNIFICATION OF DESKTOP
AND MOBILE INTO A SINGLE
VERSION
6. SVG AND RESPONSIVE
TECHNIQUES
7. FLAT COLORS AND NO MORE
SKEUOMORPHISM
8. TECHNOLOGY AGNOSTIC
9. EXPERIMENTATION AND
INNOVATION IN DEVICE SENSORS
AND INTERACTION
10. THE INTERNET OF THINGS
It’s no easy task putting together a
short summary of all the interviews,
but as far as we’re concerned, there
are a few memorable statements in
the book which nicely encapsulate
the conclusions we’ve come to:
ச ந்திர கிரகணத்தைப் புண்ணிய
கால மாகக் கொண்டாடச்
சொல்கிறது தர்ம சாஸ்திரம்.
முறையாகத்
தனது கிரணத்தை (கதிர்களை)
வாரி இறைக்கும் சந்திரனுக்கு,
மறைவு ஏற்படுகிறது. அவனது கட
மைக்கு இடையூறு. கண்ணில்
திமிரம் (சதைப் பட லம்) மறைப்பதால்,
பார்வை தடைப்படும்.
வந்து கொண்டிருந்த கிரணம்
திடீரென்று நின்று விடுவதால்,
அங்கு அசாதாரணமான சூழல்
உருவாகும். அதன்
விளைவு விபரீதமாகவும்
மாறலாம். நல்ல கோடையில் திடீர்
மழையும், நல்ல மழைக் காலத்தில்
திடீர் வெப்பமும், எதிர்
விளைவுக்குக் காரணமாகலாம்.
அந்த வேளையில், மற்ற
செயல்பாடுகளிலிருந்து விடுபட்ட
வழியில் திருப்பி விட்டால், எந்த
இடையூறும் நம்மை பாதிக்காது.
‘மனதுக்கும் சந்திரனுக்கும் சம்பந்தம்
உண்டு’ என்று வேதம் கூறும்.
‘விராட புருஷனின்
மனதிலிருந்து சந்திரன்
தோன்றினான்’ என்ற தகவல்
வேதத்தில்
இருக்கிறது (சந்திரமா மனஸோ ஜா
ஜோதிட நூல்க ளும், மனதுக்கும்
சந்திரனுக்கும்
தொடர்பு இருப்பதை ஊர்ஜிதம்
செய்கின்றன.
சந்திரன்
தனது கலைகளை இழந்து சூரியன
வேளையில்-
அதாவது அமாவாசை காலத்தில்
மனநோய்
வலுப்பெறுவது கண்கூடு. தர்ச
(அமாவாசை) காலத்தில் ஆன்மிக
விஷயங்களைச்
செயல்படுத்தும்படி தர்ம சாஸ்திரம்
வற்புறுத்தும்.
அமாவாசை தர்ப்பணமும் அதில்
அடங்கும். தர்சத் தையும்
பௌர்ணமியையும் வேள்விக்
காலமாக வேதம் சொல்லும்.
இரு கண்கள் போல் திகழும் சூரிய-
சந்திரர்களது செயல்பாடுகளுக்கு ஏ
தடங்கல்,
சூழ்நிலையை மாற்றுவதால் அந்த
வேளையில்
நமது பாதுகாப்புக்கு ஆன்மிகச்
செயல்பாடு உகந்தது என்பது தர்ம
சாஸ்திரத்தின் அறிவுரை.
முன்னோரை வழிபடுதல்,
மனதை ஒருமுகப்படுத்தி தியானத்த
இருத்தல், உயர்ந்த
மந்திரங்களை மனதில்
அசை போடுதல். ‘நமசிவாய’
என்பதும் ‘நாராயணாய’ என்ப தும்
வேத மந்திரங்கள். அதை மனனம்
செய்தல், ஏழை எளிய மக்களுக்குக்
கொடை அளித்தல் போன்றவற்றில்
மனம்
ஈடுபடும்போது இடையூறிலிருந்த
வெளி வந்து விடும்.
புண்ணியமும் உண்டு.
கிரகணத்தை ‘அலப்ய யோகம்’ _
அதாவது நல்ல காரியங்களைச்
செயல்படுத்த மிக அரிய சந்தர்ப்பம்
என்று தர்ம சாஸ்திரம் குறிப்பிடும்.
‘எனக்குக்
குழந்தை பிறந்திருக்கிறது. தீட்டுப்
பட்டிருக்கிறது. என்னால் இந்த நல்ல
காரியத்தில் ஈடுபட முடியாது!’
என்று எண்ண வேண் டாம். அவர்களும்
இதை நடைமுறைப்படுத்தலாம்
என்று விதிவிலக்கு அளிக்கிறது த
சாஸ்திரம். கிரகண காலம் போனால்
வராது. இது மனம் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட
விஷயம் என்பதால், இந்தக் காலத்தில்
முன்னோரது தர்ப்பணத்தைச்
செயல்படுத்த அனுமதிக்கிறது தர்ம
சாஸ்திரம். குளிக்கா விட்டா லும்
காலைக் கடனை காலத்தில் செய்ய
நிர்ப்பந்திப்பது போல் இதையும்
விடாமல் காலத்தி லேயே செய்ய
வேண்டும்
என்று வற்புறுத்துகிறது.
சாதாரண வேளையில் செய்யும்
கொடைகள் குறிப்பிட்ட
பலனை மட்டும் அளிக்கும். ஆனால்,
கிரகண காலத்தில் செய்யும்
கொடை ஆயி ரம் மடங்கு பலன்
அளிக்கும். தான-
தர்மங்களுக்கு உகந்த வேளையாக
அந்த நேரத்தைப் பார்க்கிறது தர்ம
சாஸ்திரம். சந்திரன் பூமியில்
நுழைகிறான் (பூச்சாயாம்
ஸ்வக்ரஹணே ப்ரவிசதீந்து:)
என்று ஜோதிடம் கூறும். பூமி,
சந்திரனை மறைத்து விடுகிறது எ
ராகு, சந்திரனை மறைக்கிறான்
அல்லது விழுங்குகிறான்
என்று புராணம் கூறும்.
எது எப்படி இருந்தாலும்
மறைவது கண்கூடு.
மறைவு அவர்களுக்கும், நமக்கும்
இடையூறு. அது விலக
நமது செயல்பாடுகள்
திருப்பி விடப்பட வேண்டும்.
உடல் தூய்மைக்குக் கிரகணம்
துவங்கும் வேளையில் குளிக்க
வேண்டும். உள்ளத்
தூய்மைக்கு ஆன்மிக விஷயங்
களில் மனதை நுழைக்க வேண்டும்.
கிரகணம் முடிவுற்ற பிற கும்
சிறப்பு நீராடல் தேவை.
அப்போதுதான்
நமது கடமை முழுமை பெறுகிறத
சிறுவர் முதல் முதியோர் வரை கிர
கண காலத்தைக் கொண்டாடலாம்.
உடல் ஆரோக்கியம் இருப்பவர்கள்
ஆரம்பத்திலும், முடிவிலும்
நீராடுவது சிறப் பானது.
குழந்தைகள், உடல்நலம்
குன்றியவர்கள், கர்ப் பிணிகள் -
ஆகியோருக்கு இதில்
விதிவிலக்கு உண்டு.
மப்பும் மந்தாரமும் இருக்கும் சூழல்,
நமது வயிற்றில் இருக்கும்
உணவு செரிப்பதைத்
தாமதப்படுத்தும். அந்த வேளையில்
தேவையான ஆதவனின் கிரணங்கள்
பரவாத தால், வயிற்றில் இருக்கும்
பித்த நீர் சுணக்கமுற்று,
செயல்படுவது தடைப்படும்
என்று ஆயுர்வேதம் கூறும். நீருண்ட
மேகங்கள் அண்டை வெளியில்
அப்பியிருக்கும் வேளையில்,
பேதிக்கு மருந்து கொடுக்கக்
கூடாது என்று சொல்லும்
ஆயுர்வேதம். ‘கிரகணத்தின் தாக்கம்,
இயல்பான உடல் செயல்பாட்டுக்குக்
குந்தகம் ஏற்படுத்தும்’
என்பது ஆயுர்வேதத்தின் கணிப்பு.
எனவே, அந்த வேளையில் உண வைத்
தவிர்க்கும்படி வற்புறுத்துகிறது த
சாஸ்திரம்.
Step 1: Define Success
If you're aiming for a successful mobile app
launch, you need to define what success
looks like. Set some measurable goals around
your launch. I recommend measuring success
around your active install rate -- this tells
you retention rate, or the number of people
who install your app and then don't uninstall
it -- the number of ratings you receive, your
average rating in the app marketplace, and if
you're selling your app, revenue generated
from your app. To help you set some
benchmarks, most free mobile apps have a
higher active install rate during the first
month, usually around 50%, after which it
levels off around 30% . The average app store
rating is a 3 (out of 5), for which you should
certainly strive much higher to maintain a
healthy active install rate.
Step 2: Claim Your Social
Media Accounts
Pre-launch, claim your accounts in social
media, and use them actively to generate
interest like Android Photobooth did on
Twitter. You can use your social media
accounts to showcase the app while it's in
development and solicit feedback and ideas
from your future users. When your app
launches, though, be sure to change the link
in your Twitter bio to direct to the app store.
Remember, your goal isn't site traffic; you
want to drive downloads.
And don't discount newer social networks
like Pinterest for launching your mobile app
-- the highly visual social network is the
ideal place to show other mobile app
developers your product in its final stages
who may have some great suggestions for
UI/UX improvements. Unless, of course,
you're trying to beat a competitor to market!
Finally, if you're a HubSpot customer, you
can leverage another app -- the Facebook
Welcome app in HubSpot's app marketplace
-- to help with your mobile app launch on
Facebook. Generate some pre-release buzz
by customizing a page that lets people sign
up for an alert when the app launches. We'll
get into some fun pre-launch deals that will
generate buzz around your app that you can
associate with this email alert in Step 11.
Step 3: Create Content
Spend time creating content that clearly
explains how to use your mobile app. This
content should include blog posts, press
releases, social media content, website copy,
and email marketing copy. You can pre-
schedule all of this to go live on your launch
day, though you should check in periodically
on social media during launch week to
provide real-time updates that pertain to
support issues, reviews, and respond to user
recommendations.
Step 4: Record a Demo
Create a video that shows how to use your
mobile app -- you can easily do this with a
user-friendly program like Camtasia that
allows screen capture and voiceover
recording. Clearly explain what the app does
and why it is useful in real-life scenarios in
this video. Again, there are so many mobile
apps out there, that differentiating yours will
come down to clear communication in all of
your marketing materials. A short video demo
is one of the easiest ways to display the
value of your mobile app. For an example of
a fantastic mobile app demo, see Salesforce
Chatter's mobile app demo video , which
shows how the app works on the iPhone,
iPad, and BlackBerry.
Step 5: Launch a Dedicated
Site or Page
You can launch either a dedicated website for
your app -- more appropriate if your mobile
app is a business in its own right -- or
simply create a page for your mobile app on
your website. The latter is what most
companies who launch a mobile app choose
to do. To complement your social media
efforts, you should launch these pages even if
your app hasn't yet hit the market. Direct
users to this page of your site, let them view
your demo video, and encourage them to
sign up for a download alert email once your
mobile app goes to market.
Step 6: Choose an App
Store
Mashable recommends choosing just one app
store in which to launch your mobile app at
first. This should help you get the highest
concentration of users and ratings possible.
Additionally, you'll be making lots of changes
and improvements to your app during those
first few weeks after launch, and having your
app in just one store will help you streamline
those updates as they roll out. Once your
app is more established, feel free to expand it
to more app stores.
The most common app stores are the
Android Market and the Apple App Store ,
though there are many other app stores out
there (even HubSpot has its own App
Marketplace !).
Step 7: Network With Other
App Developers
Reach out to other app developers that have
created an app that could be complementary
to yours, and whose users might also like to
use your app. You could set up a mutually
beneficial co-marketing opportunity that
helps you both increase your install rates.
Just be sure to select developers who have
great ratings in the app store; you don't want
to associate your app with a bad product.
Step 8: Pitch Your App
Pitch your story to tech, mobile, and industry
journalists and bloggers. Be armed with the
video demo you recorded, and be prepared to
give them a free download of your app so
they can get to know the interface and your
app's capabilities. Make yourself readily
available to them to answer any of their
questions, and consider them another test
group who can find bugs and make UX/UI
recommendations.
You should start pitching at least a few
weeks in advance so they have time to
experiment with your app and write a
compelling story without being rushed. Plus,
the more time they have, the more likely they
can fit you into their editorial calendar.
Step 9: Tap Your Network
for Buzz
Reach out to your business network and ask
them to share your content about the app's
impending release socially. Send your
network a sneak preview email with a link to
your demo video so they can see how your
app works, and include social sharing
buttons to make sharing your content simply.
This is also a great recourse for bloggers and
journalists you've contacted who aren't
willing to publish long-form content about
your app; you can ask them if they'd be
willing to tweet a blog post you've written
about your app instead.
Step 10: Set Up Paid
Advertising
Because of the Google algorithm's freshness
update , you might gain some organic search
tractions at your mobile app launch.
Complement that search presence with some
paid advertising during launch week. You can
also set up paid, targeted ads on Facebook
to drive users to your Facebook fan page,
where they'll be greeted with your welcome
screen encouraging them to sign up for your
mobile app (see Step 2).
Step 11: Launch an Invite-
Only Beta
Before you take your mobile app live to the
public, consider an invite-only beta launch.
Websites Spotify, Google+, and Pinterest have
used this tactic with great success. It not
only creates an air of exclusivity that
generates buzz around your product, but it
also lets you get feedback from a trusted
network so you can fix bugs and UX/UI
problems before rolling your app out full
scale.
You can use the email list referenced in Step
2 as your pre-launch beta test group, and
supplement it with an email marketing send
to a segment of your current customer list
that would benefit from using your mobile
app. You can position the launch as free,
exclusive access to your mobile app before it
launches, and even ask them to write a
review of your app in exchange for that free,
exclusive access.
Step 12: Put Download
Links Everywhere
This step is for when you're ready to go live
to the public. Put links to download your
mobile app on your blog, your website's
home page, in your marketing emails, and on
your social media accounts -- you can even
add a mobile tab to your Facebook page .
Take a look at Zappos' mobile app page
below, which includes three calls-to-action
on just one page, all of which are to
download its mobile app.
Step 13: Monitor Feedback
and Encourage Reviews
Finally, monitor peoples' feedback about your
app, and strongly encourage users to post
reviews. It's not just that the apps with the
best reviews get the most visibility and
downloads; this process helps you identify
bugs you wouldn't otherwise know about and
make quick changes to improve the user
experience and make your app stickier. Keep
users updated on your progress as you make
it so they know you're listening and
responding to their feedback.
For two examples of mobile apps taking the
feedback and review process seriously, take a
look at Zappos and Salesforce. Salesforce
includes user reviews not only in the app
store, but also on its website. This review
shows a real-life application of its mobile app
helping a customer.
Zappos takes encouraging feedback seriously
-- the copy on the mobile app page of its
website asks people to tweet at them on
their mobile-dedicated Twitter account with
recommendations to improve the app. Plus,
Zappos' tagline says it all: "Try it. Rate it.
We Love You."
As Android platform continues its incredible
growth, more and more developers start working
on Android apps. If you are beginning Android
development in 2013, you are a lucky person, as
the platform has greatly matured in the last few
years. While the number of available
developer resources may seem overwhelming, this
post points to the most important ones.
This post may be useful for both beginners and
moderately experienced Android developers, as a
single place where most useful resources are
listed.
BOOKS
You may think that starting to learn a
new development platform in 2013 by reading a
book is old-fashioned and you may be right. But
you should still do it: see Programmers Don’t
Read Books – But You Should by Jeff Atwood.
I recommend these 2 books:
The Busy Coder’s Guide to Android
Development by Mark Murphy. What makes this
book special is not only its depth of coverage
(2000+ pages), but its frequent updates (~every 2
months). This is by far the best model for books
on such rapidly evolving topic as Android SDK.
Mark Murphy also regularly holds office hours,
where subscribers can ask questions. Book
samples are hosted on
github. Highly recommended.
Smashing UI by Juhani Lehtimaki . An excellent
book for any Android developer who cares about
great UI design.
DEVELOPER.ANDROID.COM
Before starting to write your first Android
application, read and learn Android Design site by
heart. Specifically, these articles:
Devices and Displays
Touch Feedback
Metrics and Grids
Iconography
Also check out the Downloads section, which
contains stencils, source files for icons and
controls, styled and unstyled Action Bar icons.
Ready to start coding? Sorry, keep reading:
Best Practices for User Experience & UI (a must
read)
Best Practices for Performance
Displaying Bitmaps Efficiently
Adding Animations (also see NineOldAndroids
library)
Tools help
SDK Samples
STACKOVERFLOW
A number of Android core framework
engineers, developer advocates and expert
Android developers regularly answer questions on
stackoverflow.com. Here’s a list of top
stackoverflow Android users. I’m subscribed to
RSS answers’ feeds of many SO users; some of
them are: CommonsWare (Mark Murphy), Dianne
Hackborn , Romain Guy , Reto Meier , Trevor
Johns, Roman Nurik , Adam
Powell (thanks, @remdroid !).
BLOGS
Many blogs provide great up to date information
about Android development:
Android Dev Weekly by Gyuri Grell. An excellent
weekly newsletter with the latest Android
development news. Highly recommended.
Official Android developers blog. It’s worth
browsing through this blog’s archives, as some of
the posts are meaty, e.g.: Avoiding memory
leaks, Memory Analysis for Android Applications .
Romain Guy . An excellent blog by key Android
framework engineer. Once you are comfortable
with Android development, make sure to
read Android Performance Case Study post. Off-
topic: Romain is also a great photographer .
Codependent by Chet Haase, creator of Android
animation framework.
The CommonsBlog by Mark Murphy.
Cyril Mottier’s Android dev blog. A fantastic
resource with posts of great depth. Some of the
latest posts: ListView Tips & Tricks #5: Enlarged
Touchable Areas , Tweeted Android Development
Tips, The Google Maps Android API V2
Utopia , Android App Launching Made
Gorgeous, “Pull-to-refresh”: An Anti UI Pattern on
Android.
Styling Android by Mark Allison.
Coding Thoughts by Daniel Lew - great tips from
one of the developers behind excellent Expedia’s
Hotels and Flights app (formely: Mobiata).
GOOGLE+
While Google+ has not become the social
network, it is an invaluable source of information
about Android development. Some of the Google+
profiles you may consider to follow are: Tor
Norbye (ADT), Dianne Hackborn , Romain
Guy , Chris Banes, Roman Nurik , Nick
Butcher, Adam Powell , Rich Hyndman , Cyril
Mottier, Paul Burke , Jeff Gilfelt.
Make sure to follow Jake Wharton , the author of
ActionBarSherlock, ViewPageIndicator,
NineOldAndroid, and many other open source
Android libraries.
Also consider joining few of the Google+
communities:
Official Android dev community
Android designer community
OPEN SOURCE PROJECTS
Reading source code of well designed apps is
always a good idea:
Google I/O Android app. If you like to copy/paste
code, this is the place to copy from.
Photup by Chris Banes.
Android Protips: A Deep Dive Into Location by
Reto Meier. Demonstrates use of location
detection, fragments, and BackupManager. Use
with care, as this code has not been updated for
some time.
And, of course, the ultimate source: Android
source code .
OPEN SOURCE LIBRARIES
Some of the most useful open source libraries:
ActionBarSherlock by Jake Wharton. Library for
implementing the action bar design pattern using
the native action bar on Android 4.0+ and a
custom implementation on pre-4.0 through a
single API and theme.
ViewPagerIndicator by Jake Wharton. Paging
indicator widgets compatible with the ViewPager
from the Android Support Library and
ActionBarSherlock. Originally based on Patrik
Åkerfeldt’s ViewFlow.
NineOldAndroids by Jake Wharton. Android library
for using the Honeycomb animation API on all
versions of the platform back to 1.0.
Universal-Image-Loader by Sergey
Tarasevich. Powerful and flexible instrument for
asynchronous image loading, caching and
displaying.
UrlImageViewHelper by Koushik
Dutta. UrlImageViewHelper fills an ImageView
with an image that is found at a URL and
automatically downloads, saves, and caches all
the bitmaps.
Android-BitmapCache by Chris Banes.
A specialised cache, for use with Android Bitmap
objects.
DiskLruCache by Jake Wharton. Java
implementation of a Disk-based LRU cache which
specifically targets Android compatibility.
Search github for [android] projects to find more.
Also, DevAppsDirect app is a great collection of
available open source custom views, widgets and
libraries.
GOOGLE I/O TALKS
While it has become virtually impossible to get a
Google I/O ticket , all Google I/O talks are
available online, usually with slides. Links to
Google I/O Android sessions over the years:
2012 , 2011 , 2010 , 2009 .
Some of my favorite talks:
Advanced Design for Engineers by Alex Faaborg
and Christian Robertson (2012)
For Butter or Worse: Smoothing Out Performance
in Android UIs by Chet Haase, Romain Guy (2012)
Navigation in Android by Adam Powell, Richard
Fulcher (2012). If you happen to think that fixing
Android back/up buttons issues is easy , watch
this humbling talk.
So You’ve Read the Design Guide; Now
What? by Daniel Lehmann, Tor Norbye, Richard
Ngo (2012)
What’s New in Android? by Chet Haase, Romain
Guy, Daniel Sandler (2012)
What’s New in Android Developers’ Tools
by Xavier Ducrohet, Tor Norbye (2012)
Memory management for Android Apps by Patrick
Dubroy (2011)
Writing zippy Android apps by Brad
Fitzpatrick (2010)
Developing Android REST client applications
by Virgil Dobjanschi (2010)
PLEASE STOP, YOU’RE SCARING ME
If this post looks a bit overwhelming, don’t
despair. Some of the links above are useful only
for beginners, while others are useful for more
advanced developers.
Few tips on how to efficiently consume this
content:
First, read the books. Did I mention you should
read the books? This will lay the proper
foundation of your Android knowledge.
Subscribe to blogs and stackoverflow answer
feeds via RSS.
Set up an android-dev circle in Google+.
ANDROID SUPERSTARS
As Android developer ecosystem continues to
flourish with contributions from many
exceptionally talented developers, special
mentions should be reserved for two people who
have been instrumental in making lives of Android
developers easier. They are: Mark
Murphy and Jake Wharton.
Mark and Jake have earned an unlimited beer for
life for making some of the most useful
contributions to Android open source. If you ever
meet them, make sure to buy them a drink of
their choice. [correction : based on the comments
below, Mark's beer should instead be directed to
Chris Bane. And if you read that far, you know
that the best way to thank Mark would be a
CommonsWare subscription.]
Obviously, a lot of Android framework developers
and designers at Google did a great job with
Android. A number of them is referenced in this
post.
THE END, FINALLY
That’s it, folks. You now have all the information
and tools to write some kick ass Android apps!
Well, not really: you still need a great Android UI
designer, but that is a topic for another post. But
you should definitely be ready to write your first
Android app.
If I’ve missed any great resources, please let me
know in the comments, as I plan to occasionally
update this post.
Happy coding!
Here is the ever expanding list of game
engines I have collected information about.
The list includes some features and details
about each engine and an example game
on Google Play if I could find one.
Project Anarchy by Havok - http://
www.projectanarchy.com/
FREE Cross-Platform Engine and
Toolkit for Mobile Game
Developers
Develop and release titles on iOS,
Android and Tizen for free.
Extendible C++ plugin based
architecture
Includes Havok’s Vision Engine
together with Havok’s leading
Physics, Animation Studio and AI
tools
Available now
GameMaker by YoYo Games - http://
www.yoyogames.com/gamemaker/
studio
2D Cross platform game engine
with support for iOS, Android,
HTML5, Mac OS, Windows 8,
Ubuntu and Windows Phone 8
Integrated Development
Environment that manages fonts,
sounds, game objects, etc.
Use GameMaker scripting
language to write game logic.
Free for Mac and Windows
export, license required for
Android export.
Has native x86 Android support.
Examples: https://
play.google.com/store/apps/
details?id=com.yoyogames.
lazymousefree , https://
play.google.com/store/apps/
details?id=com.yoyogames.
planetdescent
More games: https://
play.google.com/store/apps/
developer?id=YoYo+Games+Ltd
Unity 3D – http://unity3d.com
2D/3D cross platform (iOS,
Android, PC) with full-featured
integrated editor.
PhysX physics engine, C#,
javascript or Boo scripting
language, multiplayer and
network support, streaming
assets, etc.
License purchase required for
phone publishing, try for free.
No Android x86 support in
current version.
https://market.android.com/
details?id=com.
ArtInGames.
AirAttackHDLite
Cocos2D - http://www.cocos2d-
x.org/projects/cocos2d-x
A port to C++ of the popular
iPhone Cocos2D engine.
Cross platform (Android, iPhone,
Win32) 2D engine
C++ based engine that supports
x86 Android devices.
Free engine with full source code.
Example: https://
market.android.com/details?
id=com.xmg.cowsvsaliens
jPCT-AE- http://www.jpct.net/jpct-
ae/
A java 3D engine optimized for
Android.
Nice set of features including
3DS, OBJ and other file support,
skeletal animations, shader
support, texture compression,
collision detection, various
lighting modes, transparency,
fog, and more.
An all java game engine that
supports x86 Android devices.
Free for personal and commercial
use.
Example: https://
play.google.com/store/apps/
details?id=mk.grami.max
Libgdx - http://code.google.com/p/
libgdx/
Cross platform (Windows, Linux,
OSX and Android) 2D/3D Android
engine. Build, run and iterate on
the PC before deploying to
phone.
C++ and Java based engine that
easily ports to x86.
Box2d physics, TMX tile map,
shaders, 2D particle system,
sprite support, camera apis, OBJ
and MD5 model loaders.
Full source code available for
free.
C++/Java based engine that with
a few minor changes I was able
to run on x86 Android devices.
https://market.android.com/
details?
id=com.tani.penguinattack
PlayN – https://code.google.com/p/
playn/
Cross-platform game abstraction
library for writing games.
Compiles to, Desktop Java,
HTML5 Browsers, Android, iOS
and Flash
Include APIs for graphics, assets,
Box2d physics, and more
Free and open source.
Examples: https://
play.google.com/store/apps/
details?
id=gabumba.tupsu.android ,
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/details?id=cz.rb.game
More demo and example links:
https://code.google.com/p/
playn/wiki/DemoLinks
gameplay – http://gameplay3d.org/
index.php
Open-source cross-platform 3D
engine aimed at the indie game
developer ecosystem.
Supports BlackBerry 10 and
PlayBook, Apple iOS 5+, Android
NDK 2.3+, Microsoft Windows 7,
Apple MacOS X, Linux
Full featured rendering system,
node-based scen graph system,
particle system, Bullet physics
engine, audio and UI systems,
etc.
Open sourced under the Apache
2.0 license
Adobe AIR – http://www.adobe.com/
products/air.html
Use Action Script and Flash to
build 2D/3D cross platform (iOS,
Android, PC, BlackBerry and TV)
apps and games.
There are several engines built
on top of Flash that provide APIs
to build games easily, see a list
here http://www.adobe.com/
devnet/games/
gaming_engines.html
Hardware accelerated graphics,
native extensions, Android
Licensing Service support, and
more.
Adobe authoring tool purchase
required.
No Android x86 support in
current version.
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/details?
id=air.com.d20studios.
heromages
Andengine - http://
www.andengine.org/
2D Android game engine
SplitScreen support, network
multiplayer apis, live wallpaper
support
Primarily a Java engine with
some C++ that includes x86
native libraries.
Full source code available for
free.
http://wiki.andengine.org/
List_of_Apps_and_Games
https://market.android.com/
details?id=com.
bestcoolfungamesfreega
meappcreation.bunnyshooter
Esenthel Engine - http://
www.esenthel.com/?id=overview
Modern 2D/3D C++ based game
engine (Windows, Mac, Android
and iOS)
Available for unlimited trial if
used non-commercially
Scripting and C++ support,
multiple renderers, animation
system, physics engine,
streaming game engine, GUI, etc.
DirectX 9,10,11, OpenGL, OpenGL
ES 2.0, PhysX 3, PhysX 2, Bullet
physics integration
Tools include a world editor,
model editor, data browser, code
editor and more.
One-click cross platform
publishing
Android native x86 support
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/developer?id=Esenthel
Linderdaum Engine - http://
www.linderdaum.com
Cross platform (Windows,
Android) 2D/3D engine
Free engine with full source code
C++ based engine that supports
ARM and x86 Android devices
(precompiled x86-libs are also
included).
http://play.google.com/store/
apps/developer?id=Linderdaum
ShadingZen - http://
traxnet.github.com/ShadingZen/
A 2D/3D Engine for Android
Open Source (MIT License) with
full source code
Java based and heavily
optimized for mobile, supports
multi-core CPUs.
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/details?
id=org.traxnet.kidscube
Kivy - http://
www.madewithmarmalade.com/
Open source Python library
Cross platform, running on Linux,
Windows, MacOSX, Android and
IOS.
Kivy is 100% free to use, under
LGPL 3 licence.
Suport for getures, multi-touch,
graphics and shaders
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/details?
id=org.kivy.showcase
Marmalade SDK (previously Airplay
SDK) - http://
www.madewithmarmalade.com/
Cross platform (iOS, Android,
BlackBerry PlayBook OS, bada,
Windows Desktop, Mac OS,
WindowsPhone 8) 3D C++ game
engine.
Free to try for 30 days, license
purchase required to publish.
C++ based engine that should
easily port to x86 Android
devices.
https://market.android.com/
details?
id=com.imperialgamestudio.
golfbattle3d
Gideros Studio - http://
www.giderosmobile.com/
2D cross platform (iPhone iPad,
Android) game engine.
Write Lua code in provided IDE,
iterate on PC with simulator.
Features include Box2d physics
engine, fonts, sprites, tile maps
and sensor integration.
Free version includes Gideros
Splash screen, licensed version
removes it.
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/details?
id=com.jenots.mashballs
App game kit - http://
www.appgamekit.com/
Cross platform (iOS, Windows,
MacOS, Android, BlackBerry)
A 2D OpenGL based game engine
with Box2D. Include support for
Sprites, particles, input APIs,
sound and music.
Looks like it is a C++ based
engine that should easily port to
x86 Android devices.
Write game code in BASIC or has
an available upgrade option for
writing native C++ code.
Free to try, license purchase
required to publish.
https://market.android.com/
details?id=com.texasoftreloaded.
theblackhole
ShiVa3D - http://www.stonetrip.com/
Multi-platform 3D game engine,
which handles advanced shading
systems, physics engine , HUD
rendering and the sound library.
Cross platform (Windows, Mac
OS, Linux, iPhone, Android, Palm,
Wii, iPad, BlackBerry)
Write code in Lua or C++
C++ based engine that should
easily port to x86 Android
devices.
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/details?id=com.dvidearts.
crusadeofdestiny
Orx - http://orx-project.org/
Orx is an open source, portable,
lightweight, plugin-based, data-
driven and extremely easy to use
2D-oriented game engine.
Cross platform (iPhone, iPad,
Mac, Windows, Linux, Android)
game engine.
Camera APIs, animations, sound,
sprite rendering and data driven
for fast and easy prototyping and
development.
Free open source.
C++ based engine that should
easily port to x86 Android
devices.
Example: https://
market.android.com/details?
id=lyde.sik.gravity
DX Studio - http://
www.dxstudio.com/
3D game engine with editor.
Android limited features now
supported.
C++ based engine that should
easily port to x86 Android
devices.
Currently offered for free.
SIO2 Engine – http://
sio2interactive.com/
2D/3D cross platform (iOS,
Android, bada, WebOS, WIN32 )
game engine.
Iterate via simulator on PC
Features lua support, exporters
for various 3d modeling tools,
Bullet physics engine, path
finding, sound apis, shader
support, animation and
networking support.
C++ based engine that should
easily port to x86 Android
devices.
Various licenses available for
purchase, free to trial.
Papaya Social Game Engine - http://
papayamobile.com/developer/engine
Cross platform (iOS and Android)
2D engine.
Write games in scripting
language, includes social APIs,
physics, and particle effects.
C/C++ based OpenGL engine
that should easily port to x86
Android devices.
Engine is free to download.
https://market.android.com/
details?
id=com.papaya.papayaFish_hd
moai - http://getmoai.com/
Open-source game framework for
Android, iOS and Chrome (via
NaCl).
Lua scripting language based
development engine that has
integrated cloud services
available.
Engine is open source and free to
use, pay for cloud services.
https://play.google.com/store/
apps/details?
id=com.ziplinegames.slotstycoon
Unigine - http://unigine.com/products/
unigine/
3D cross platform (Windows,
Linux, Max, PS3, iOS, Android)
Physics, scripting, etc. Unclear
what features are supported for
mobile.
Evaluation available to
companies working on
commercial projects. License
purchase required.
C++ based engine that should
easily port to x86 Android
devices.
Example: http://
www.demolicious-game.com/
Candroidengine - http://
code.google.com/p/candroidengine/
2D Java engine.
Sprites, tile animation,
background APIs, etc.
Dalvik only engine that should
work on all architectures.
Full source code available for
free.
Mages Engine - http://
code.google.com/p/mages/
multiplayer client/server game
engine
Java engine that should work on
all architectures.
Full source code available for
free.
Unreal Development kit - http://
udk.com/
No Android support in UDK. The
full license on Unreal Engine
needed for Android support.
This is the free edition of Unreal
Engine 3 that provides access to
the 3D game engine.
UDK supports iOS and Windows
only.
Free to use UDK for
noncommercial and educational
use
Rokon - http://code.google.com/p/
rokon/
2D engine no longer being
updated, suggests the libgdx
engine as an alternative.
Cuttlefish Engine - http://
www.cuttlefishengine.com/
Site is no longer working
2D cross platform (Windows
Phone, Android, iPhone, Windows
PC) game
மணலிக்கீரை:
மணலிக்கீரையின் இலை, தண்டு, வேர் ஆகிய
அனைத்துமே மருத்துவக்குணம் வாய்ந்தது.
மலச்சிக்கல் குணமாக:
மணலிக்கீரையை பாசிபருப்புடன்
சேர்த்து கூட்டு தயார்
செய்து சாப்பிட்டு வந்தால் மலச்சிக்கல்
பிரச்சனை குணமாகும்.
ஞாபக சக்தி பெருக:
ஞாபக மறதிக்கு முக்கிய காரணம் பித்த
அதிகரிப்பே காரணம் ஆகும். மேலும்
மூளைக்குத் தேவையான சத்து குறைவதாலும்
இப்பிரச்சனை ஏற்படுகிறது.
இப்பிரச்சனை தீருவதற்கு மணலிக்கீரையை மசியல்
செய்து சாப்பிட வேண்டும்.
குடலில் உள்ள தட்டைப்புழுக்கள் குறைய:
மணலிக்கீரையின் வேர், இலைகளை நீர்
விட்டு நன்கு அரைத்து அதில் 70 கிராம்
அளவு எடுத்து நீரில்
கலக்கி அதிகாலையில் வெறும் வயிற்றில்
பருகினால் குடலில் உள்ள தட்டைப்புழுக்கள்
குறையும். மார்புசளி வயிற்றுப்புண்
குணமாகும்.
மூளை நரம்புகள் பலம்பெற:
மணலிக்கீரை வதக்கி சாப்பிட்டால்
மூளை நரம்புகள் பலப்படும்.
ஈரல் பலம்பெற:
மணலிக்கீரையை கஷாயம் செய்து குடித்தால்
ஈரல் பலப்படும்.
Chemotherapy is the use of medication
(chemicals) to treat disease. More specifically,
chemotherapy typically refers to the destruction
of cancer cells. However, chemotherapy may also
include the use of antibiotics or other
medications to treat any illness or infection.
This article concentrates on chemotherapy for
cancer treatment. Cytotoxic medication prevents
cancer cells from dividing and growing. When
health care professionals talk about chemotherapy
today, they generally tend to refer more to
cytotoxic medication than others.
How did chemotherapy start ?
After a military operation in World War II some
sailors were accidentally exposed to mustard gas.
They were later found to have very low white
blood cell counts. White blood cells usually grow
very quickly - cancer cells also divide and grow
very quickly.
The doctors wondered whether the effect of
mustard gas - slowing down the rapid growth of
white blood cells - may have the same effect on
cancer cell growth.
Doctors tried testing patients with advanced
lymphomas by injecting a chemical in mustard
gas. Even though the effect was temporary, the
patients did experience a remarkable
improvement.
This led to research into other substances that
might slow down or stop the division and growth
of cancer cells. Over the decades several new
improved drugs were created.
There are more than 100 different types of
chemotherapy drugs today which can treat most
cancers.
Genetic testing is helping doctors target
chemotherapy more accurately. Testing for
genetic mutations can help identify breast cancer
patients who will not benefit from a specific type
of chemotherapy, scientists from the USA and
Norway reported.
By studying the patterns in which light bounces
off the surfaces of cells, researchers may be able
to assess chemotherapy's success in triggering
cancer cell death , according to a study led by
investigators in the Duke Comprehensive Cancer
Center and Duke's Pratt School of Engineering.
Chemotherapy is often used alongside other
treatments. Doctors and patients should take
physical exercise seriously, because of the
benefits for many cancer patients. Patients who
regularly exercise after chemotherapy treatment
have a much lower risk of cancer recurrence ,
compared to people who are physically inactive,
researchers from the University of Nebraska
reported at The Integrative Biology of Exercise VI
meeting in October 2012. They say their findings
may help investigators understand why exercise
may greatly reduce the risk of secondary cancer in
survivors. They added that physical activity can
also lower the chances of ever developing cancer
among those who have never had the disease.
Chemotherapy has five possible goals
Total remission - to cure the patient completely.
In some cases chemotherapy alone can get rid of
the cancer completely.
Combination therapy - chemotherapy can help
other therapies, such as radiotherapy or surgery
have more effective results.
Delay/Prevent recurrence - chemotherapy, when
used to prevent the return of a cancer, is most
often used after a tumor is removed surgically.
Scientists at the Charite School of Medicine,
Germany, found that the use of the drug
gemcitabine for chemotherapy significantly delays
the recurrence of cancer, compared to no
chemotherapy .
Slow down cancer progression - used mainly
when the cancer is in its advanced stages and a
cure is unlikely. Chemotherapy can slow down
the advancement of the cancer.
To relieve symptoms - also more frequently used
for patients with advanced cancer.
How does chemotherapy work ?
When our body cells are damaged or die we
produce new ones to replace them. This is done
in an orderly way, in a balanced way. Cancer cells
do not have that orderly capacity - their
reproduction (division and growth) is out of
control - more and more of them are produced
and they start to occupy more and more space,
until eventually they push out space occupied by
useful cells.
Chemotherapy (chemo) drugs interfere with a
cancer cell's ability to divide and reproduce.
Chemo drugs may be applied into the
bloodstream to attack cancer cells throughout the
body, or they can be delivered directly to specific
cancer sites.
Chemotherapy drugs work in various ways:
Impairing mitosis (prevent cell division) - these
are known as cytotoxic drugs.
Targeting cancer cell's food source, enzymes and
hormones they require in order to grow.
Stopping the growth of new blood vessels that
supply a tumor. In a study, researchers at the
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
discovered how a whole class of commonly used
chemotherapy drugs can destroy cancer by
blocking blood vessel growth .
Triggering suicide of cancer cells - cell suicide is
known medically as apoptosis .
Patients may receive monotherapy or
combination therapy:
Monotherapy - the patient is given just one drug.
Combination therapy - the patient receives more
than one drug.
Which type the patient receives will depend on the
kind of cancer the patient has, as well as some
other health considerations.
Chemotherapy may be given at different stages
Neo-adjuvant therapy - if the tumor is large the
surgeon may want to shrink it before surgery.
This may involve some pre-operative
chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy.
Chemoradiation therapy - the chemotherapy is
given in combination with radiotherapy. Patients
with localized Hodgkin's lymphoma where the
tumor is situated above the diaphragm should be
given chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy,
European scientists reported after carrying out a
clinical trial. Another study reported that the
solid tumor cells that survive chemoradiation
therapy often end up stronger than they were
before .
Adjuvant therapy - chemotherapy given after
surgery. The use of chemotherapy following
surgery reduces the risk of death from operable
pancreatic cancer by around 30% , a UK study
found.
Often age will determine whether chemotherapy
should be used at all for patients with certain
cancers. Researchers at The Mayo Clinic, USA,
found that the combination of chemotherapies
5FU and oxaliplatin compared to 5FU alone after
surgery for colon cancer decreases colon cancer
recurrence and promotes longer survival for
patients under 70 - but not for those who are
older.
How long is a course of chemotherapy ?
In the majority of cases for best results the
patient will need regular chemotherapy over a
specific period. A protocol plan is drawn up which
specifies when treatment sessions will occur and
for how long.
A course of chemotherapy may be just a one-day
treatment, or can last for a few weeks - it will
depend on the type and stage of the cancer (how
advanced it is). If the patient requires more than
one course of treatment there will be a rest period
for his/her body to recover. This could be a one-
day treatment followed by a week's rest period,
followed by another one-day treatment followed
by a three-week rest period, etc. This may be
repeated many times.
How many health care professionals are involved
in chemotherapy treatment ?
This will depend on working practices of your
hospital, or even the country you live in. In most
countries there will be a multi-disciplinary team
who treat the patient's cancer. These may
include:
A clinical oncologist - a doctor who specializes
in cancer but does not do surgery. He/she is
specialized in chemotherapy.
A cancer nurse - probably the first person the
patient will meet when coming in for
chemotherapy.
A hematologist - this is a doctor who is
specialized in the study of blood and bone
marrow.
A pathologist - this is a doctor who specializes
in the identification of diseases by examining
cells and tissues under a microscope.
A psychologist - he/she will help the patient deal
with the mental and emotional ordeal of
chemotherapy.
Blood tests before and during chemotherapy
treatment
Blood tests are needed to assess the health of
the patient as well as ensuring that he/she will
be able to cope with possible side-effects. For
example, blood tests can detect liver problems,
which could mean that chemotherapy is
unsuitable for the patient unless the liver
recovers. Chemotherapy chemicals are
metabolized (broken down) in the liver which
could be harmed if it is not working properly.
Before chemotherapy it is important to test the
patient's blood count because the treatment will
reduce the number of red and white blood cells,
as well as platelets. If a blood test reveals a low
blood count the doctors may decide to delay
treatment.
Researchers at the Paul Papin Cancer Center in
Angers, France, reported that measuring drug
levels in patients' blood and adjusting them for
optimal dosing can substantially reduce severe
toxicity and improve efficacy in colorectal cancer.
Regular blood tests will continue during the
treatment period so that the medical team can
keep an eye on blood count and the state of the
patient's liver. As you may read under side-
effects further down this page, there is a risk that
chemotherapy may lower white, red, and platelet
blood level counts.
Monitoring the patient's blood can also provide
doctors with important data on how well the
chemotherapy is working.
Two ways of giving chemotherapy
Depending on the type of cancer, chemotherapy
may be administered orally or intravenously
(directly into the vein).
Oral chemotherapy (swallowing tablets)
These will be in the form of tablets. If the
patient's health allows it he/she will be able to
take them at home. However, regular hospital
visits will still be needed to check on the
patient's health and response to treatment.
It is vital that the tablets be taken exactly when
specified. If the patient forgets to take one at a
specific time he/she should call the medical team
immediately.
Intravenous chemotherapy (straight into the
vein)
Intravenous chemotherapy may be given as:
An injection straight into a vein.
Through a drip (intravenous infusion).
Through a drip or pump.
Through a pump that the patient wears for
several weeks or months. This is called
continuous infusion, protracted venous
infusion, or ambulant infusion (meaning the
patient can walk about while receiving the
medication).
There are different ways of getting the
medication into the patient. These include:
A cannula - a thin tube is inserted through
the skin into the vein - usually it enters the
body via the back of the hand or the lower
arm.
A drip (intravenous infusion) - in order to
dilute the medication it may be injected into
a bag. The solution in the bag will pass
through a tube into the patients arm and
into a vein (intravenous infusion). A cannula
will be used. The solution will enter the vein
slowly.
Chemotherapy through a drip generally is
pushed through with a pump. The pump
does not hurry the process up, rather it
makes sure the solution enters the vein at a
constant rate over a specific period - the
slower the rate, the longer the whole thing
will take.
A central line - this is a long, flexible,
plastic line (thin tube) which ends up in a
central blood vessel in the chest, close to
the heart. The central line usually enters the
body through the center of the chest and
goes up under the skin into a large vein by
the collarbone (clavicle). The only visible
part is the length of line that hangs out of
the small entry hole in the chest.
A peripherally inserted central catheter
(PICC) line - a long, thin, flexible tube that
is inserted into a peripheral vein, usually in
the upper arm and makes its way into a
large vein in the chest near the heart. It is
similar to a central line but has a different
point of entry.
A portacath (implantable port) - a thin, soft,
flexible plastic tube goes into a vein. It has
a port (opening) just under the skin of the
chest or arm. The port has a thin rubber
disc which special needles can pass
medicines into, or take blood from.
Pregnancy and contraception
Many chemotherapy drugs may cause birth
defects. It is important that a woman undergoing
chemotherapy avoids becoming pregnant. As
most chemotherapy medications interfere with
oral contraceptives it is important to use a barrier
method of contraception , such as condoms,
during the whole chemotherapy treatment period
and for a year after treatment is completed. If you
are pregnant you need to tell the medical team
straight away beforehand. If you become
pregnant during treatment tell the medical team
straight away.
What are the side effects of chemotherapy?
Most people immediately link chemotherapy with
uncomfortable side effects. However, side-effect
management has improved considerably over the
last twenty years. Many side effects that were
once inevitable can be either prevented or well
controlled today.
There is no reliable way to predict how patients
may react to chemotherapy. Some experience
very mild side-effect, others will have none at all,
while some people will report various symptoms.
Depending on the type of cancer and treatment,
chemotherapy may have a bigger impact on the
patient's work status than radiotherapy. Women
with breast cancer who receive chemotherapy
appear more likely than those treated with
radiation therapy to experience a major change in
work status, according to researchers at the
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
Below is a list of the most commonly reported
side effects:
Nausea and vomiting
Over half of all patients receiving chemotherapy
will experience nausea and vomiting. Doctors will
usually prescribe anti-emetics for this. These
need to be taken even when symptoms have gone
as they will prevent them from coming back. If
the anti-emetics do not work the patient should
contact his/her doctor who may switch to
another anti-emetic.
Ginger - scientists at the Rochester University
Medical Center found that taking ginger
supplements with standard anti-vomiting drugs
beforehand can reduce the nausea that often
accompanies chemotherapy treatment by 40% .
Alopecia (Hair loss)
Some chemotherapy medications cause hair loss
while others don't. If hair does start to fall out
this will usually happen a few weeks after
treatment starts. On some occasions the hair will
just become thinner and more brittle (without
falling out). Hair loss can occur in any part of the
body.
Although hair loss has no physical health
consequences, it may cause distress and
embarrassment for some people. The
psychological impact tends to be greater among
women than men. If you experience hair loss and
find it is causing distress and embarrassment,
there are several steps you can take:
Tell your doctor, who may refer you to a
counselor who can provide effective help and
support.
Many people find that if they purchase a wig their
quality of life improves significantly.
If there is a cancer support group in your area,
go to their meetings. Meeting people who share
similar experiences to yourself may help give you
a boost, as well as providing you with some
useful tips, and possibly an opportunity to make
new friends.
Cold cap - this looks a bit like a bicycle helmet
and keeps the scalp cool while the chemotherapy
dose is being administered. If the scalp can be
kept cool less chemotherapy medication reaches
the scalp, thus preventing the occurrence or
reducing the severity of hair loss. Some people
cannot wear a cold cap - leukemia (blood
cancer) patients need the medication to reach
their scalp.
The hair loss is NOT permanent - it will grow
back soon after treatment if finished.
Fatigue
Most patients receiving chemotherapy will
experience some degree of fatigue . This may be a
general feeling which exists most of the day, or
may only appear after certain activities. Doctors
say patients need to make sure they get plenty of
rest and not to perform tasks which are
overtiring.
While light exercise has been shown to help, it is
important to remember to keep the activities
'light'.
If the tiredness becomes severe it is important to
tell the doctor, as this could be caused by a
significant drop in red blood cells ( anemia ).
Hearing impairment (deafness, ototoxicity)
Scientists from Oregon Health & Science
University reported that deafness as a side effect
of chemotherapy has long been underreported by
the medical community, because a well-known
classification system doctors use for reporting
toxicities in patients does not consider high-
frequency hearing loss , allowing the magnitude of
ototoxicity (hearing damage) in children treated
with platinum agents to be miscalculated.
Children with cancer who suffer hearing loss due
to the toxic effects of chemotherapy might one
day be able to get their hearing back through
pharmacological and gene therapy, said
researchers from St. Jude Children's Research
Hospital after carrying out a study on mice.
Neutropenia (low white blood cells) -
Susceptibility to infections
When receiving chemotherapy the immune system
will be weakened because the white blood cell
count will go down. White blood cells form part of
our immune system - they fight infection.
Consequently, patients become more susceptible
to infections.
Some patients will be prescribed antibiotics which
may reduce their risk of developing infections. The
following precautions will help reduce the risk of
infections:
Personal hygiene - the cleaner you are, the fewer
bacteria there will be around which can infect
you. Regularly wash your hands with warm water
and soap, have a bath/shower at least once a
day, change your clothes and bathroom towels
and flannels daily. Change your bed linen
regularly.
Preparing food - make sure your food is free of
food borne pathogens (organisms, such as
bacteria that can make you ill). If you handle raw
meat make sure you wash your hands before
touching plates and cutlery or work surfaces.
Thoroughly cook animal sourced proteins before
eating them. Wash your dishes thoroughly and
always use a clean plate and cutlery - keep the
kitchen clean.
Infected people - stay away from people who are
ill. This may include those who just have a
temperature.
Skin wounds - bacteria find it hard to get in
through your skin, unless there is a cut. If you
graze or cut your skin, clean the area well with
warm water, dry it, and cover it with a sterile
dressing.
Patients receiving chemotherapy who develop an
infection need immediate treatment. This may
mean being hospitalized and receiving antibiotics
via an intravenous drip.
Thrombocytopenia (low blood platelet count) -
Blood clotting problems
Chemotherapy may lower the patient's blood
platelet count. A platelet is a type of blood cell
that helps the blood to clot (coagulate).
Coagulation is essential, otherwise bleeding does
not stop. Lower blood platelet counts linked to
chemotherapy is a risk, but less so than lower red
or white blood cell counts. If you are affected you
will bruise more easily, you will be more likely to
have nosebleeds and bleeding gums, and if you
cut yourself it may be harder to stop the
bleeding.
Patient's whose blood platelet counts fall too low
will need a blood transfusion.
Below are some steps you may wish to take to
reduce your risk of bleeding:
Shave with an electric razor (or don't shave)
Avoid hard toothbrushes
Use kitchen utensils and gardening equipment
carefully
If you are gardening, wear gloves.
Anemia (low red blood-cell count)
As well as lowering you white blood cell count,
chemotherapy will also lower your red blood cell
count. Tissues and organs inside your body get
their oxygen from the red blood cells. If your red
blood cell count goes down too many parts of
your body will not get enough oxygen and you will
develop anemia.
People with anemia feel very tired. A patient on
chemotherapy who has anemia will feel extra tired
- much more tired than straightforward fatigue
caused by the treatment. Dyspnea (shortness of
breath) is also another symptom of anemia, as
are palpitations (when the heart beat is irregular).
Anemia linked to chemotherapy requires
immediate treatment. A blood transfusion will
bring the red blood cell count back up
immediately. Erythropoietin (EPO) is a drug that
makes the body produce more red blood cells.
The following foods are rich in iron, which helps
red blood cells carry more oxygen. Dark green
leafy vegetables, beans, meat, nuts, prunes,
raisins, and apricots.
Scientists from The Medical University of Vienna,
Austria found that patients with breast cancer
who developed anemia during chemotherapy had
nearly three times the risk of local recurrence as
those who did not .
Mucositis (inflammation of the mucous
membrane)
Chemotherapy attacks rapidly dividing cells, such
as blood cells, bone marrow cells, and cells of the
mucous membranes that line the digestive system
- this includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach,
intestines, and the rectum to the anus.
Chemotherapy may damage and even destroy
some of those mucous membrane cells.
Oral Mucositis (in the mouth) - patients more
commonly experience symptoms in their mouth.
If symptoms do appear, they will usually do so
about 7 to 10 days after treatment starts. The
inside of the mouth may feel like sunburn; some
people say it feels as if the area had been
scalded. Ulcers often appear on the lining of the
mouth, the tongue, and sometimes around the
lips. The severity of symptoms is closely linked to
the strength of the chemotherapy dose.
Some may find it painful when they eat, drink, or
even talk. If the ulcers bleed there is a risk of
infection.
Caphosol is often prescribed for mucositis.
A clinical trial showed that out of 100 cancer
patients that were treated with DAVANAT® and
chemotherapy that included 5-FU, none developed
mucositis.
As better drugs are appearing, mucositis is
becoming less common. Symptoms clear up a few
weeks after treatment is completed.
Loss of appetite
Loss of appetite is a common side effect of
chemotherapy. It is possible that the
chemotherapy, or the cancer itself, affects the
body's metabolism. If the loss of appetite is just
due to the chemotherapy it will come back when
the treatment is finished - although this may
sometimes take a few weeks.
The severity of appetite and consequent weight
loss depends on the type of cancer and
chemotherapy treatment.
Although this is sometimes easier said than done,
it is important to keep trying to eat well and take
in plenty of fluids. Many patients find that smaller
and more frequent meals are easier to get down
than the typical three meal-a-day regime. Also,
drinking liquids through a straw may result in a
better fluid intake.
Patients who become seriously affected by lack of
food and liquid intake may need to be
hospitalized and fed through a nasogastric tube.
The tube goes into the patient's nose and down
to his/her stomach.
Nails and skin
Chemotherapy can sometimes cause dry and sore
skin. Nails may also become flaky and brittle.
The skin may become more sensitive to sunlight.
It is important to protect yourself from too much
sunlight exposure. This includes staying out of
the sun during peak times of the day, using sun
blocks, and wearing clothes that provide
maximum protection. Surprisingly, scientists at
Michigan University, USA, reported that the
chemotherapy drug fluorouracil appeared to
reduce the appearance of sun-damaged and aging
skin as well as the number of potentially pre-
cancerous skin patches.
Cognitive problems
About one fifth of patients undergoing
chemotherapy report some kind of cognitive
problem, including attention, thinking and
memory. This can sometimes have an impact on
daily tasks. Patients who do experience these
symptoms should talk to their doctor, and social
worker.
Symptoms may include:
Shorter attention span; concentration, focus and
attention problems
Memory problems; especially the short-term
memory
Comprehension and understand problems
Judgment and reasoning problems
Organizational skills may be affected
Multitasking problems (performing/thinking about
several things at the same time)
Mood swings.
Experts are unsure how much is due to the
chemotherapy, and how much is due to fatigue,
stress and anxiety that comes with having cancer.
Libido (sex drive) and fertility
For a significant proportion of patients,
chemotherapy may result in a lower sex drive
(less interest in sex). This is temporary and
usually returns after treatment is completed.
Depending on the type of medication
administered, chemotherapy may also damage
men's sperm. Some women may become infertile .
In most cases - though not all - fertility returns
after treatment is over.
Men who wish to father children and women who
plan to become pregnant one day should discuss
possible options with their doctors before starting
treatment. It is possible to freeze sperm and
embryos.
Bowel movement problems (diarrhea or
constipation)
Sometimes when damaged cells in the intestinal
tract are rapidly expelled from the body there is a
risk of diarrhea . Constipation is also a possible
risk for chemotherapy patients. You should talk to
your doctor if you experience any unpleasant
change in your bowel movements. Symptoms, if
they do occur, will do so a few days after
chemotherapy begins.
Depression
The risk of developing depression is already
higher for patients with cancer. It is normal to
feel distressed, anxious, sad and stressed -
especially if you are concerned about what the
future holds and whether treatment is going to be
effective.
It is important that you talk to a member of the
medical team if you feel it is all getting to be too
much, or if you no longer get pleasure out of the
things that you used to like. Joining a support
group and talking to people who are going
through the same as you and understand how
you feel has helped many people with cancer.
Protecting the gut from chemotherapy in cases of
metastatic cancer
When cancer has spread beyond the primary
tumor to other parts of the body, i.e. when it has
metastasized, treatments tend to involve intensive
chemoradiotherapy. These high doses of
raditation therapy and chemotherapy damage
good tissue and often push the patient to an early
death.
Researchers from the University of Michigan
School of Dentistry reported in the journal Nature
that they found a way to preserve the health of
the gut in laboratory mice that had been given
very high doses of chemoradiotherapy.
Team leader, Jian-Guo Geng, said "All tumors
from different tissues and organs can be killed by
high doses of chemotherapy and radiation, but
the current challenge for treating the later-staged
metastasized cancer is that you actually kill the
patient before you kill the tumor."
Healthy digestive tract improves survival - the
scientists found that if the gut of mice with
metastatic cancer stayed healthy after intensive
chemoradiotherapy, their chances of survival
increased exponentially.
There are stem cells in the gut of the laboratory
mice that help preserve tissue after undergoing
lethal doses of chemoradiotherapy. Geng and
colleagues found a way of getting the gut stem
cells to launch a massive healing campaign.
Gene Print Predicts Who Will Survive
Chemotherapy
An 8-gene "print" or "signature" can predict how
long people remain cancer-free, without any
relapse after undergoing chemotherapy,
researchers from Academia Sinica and the
National Taiwan University College of Medicine
explained in the journal BMC Medicine .
Prof Ker-Chau Li and team located genes that are
involved in cellular invasion - something several
cancer cells do. They gathered and examined data
from the National Cancer Institute's 60 human
cancer cell line panel.
Prof. Li said "Our study found eight genes which
were involved in invasion, and the relative
activation of these genes correlated to
chemotherapy outcome, including the receptor for
growth factor EGF. We also found that some
invasion genes had unique patterns of expression
that reflect the differential cell responses to each
of the chemotherapy agents - five drugs
(paclitaxel, docetaxel, erlotinib, everolimus and
dasatinib) had the greatest effect."
Copyright: Medical News Today
