Sunflowers are a species of flowering plant, belonging to the daisy family (Asteraceae). They are commonly known for their large, yellow flower heads and their ability to track the sun across the sky. Sunflowers are native to North and South America and are grown for their edible seeds and oil.
More Details:
Scientific Name:Helianthus annuus.
Genus:Helianthus.
Appearance:Tall plants with large, daisy-like flower heads.
Cultivation:Grown for their edible seeds and oil.
Heliotropism:Sunflowers turn their flower heads to follow the sun's movement.
Uses:Seeds are used for consumption and oil production.
Origin:Native to North and South America.
Symbolism:Represent loyalty, adoration, and happiness in some cultures.
Types:There are various sunflower species, including the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and perennial sunflowers.
Stroke is a medical emergency and a leading cause of death in the U.S. It occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts or, more commonly, when a blockage develops. Without treatment, cells in the brain quickly begin to die. The result can be serious disability or death. If a loved one is having stroke symptoms, seek emergency medical attention without delay.
Stroke Symptoms
Signs of a stroke may include:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the body, especially on one side.
Sudden vision changes in one or both eyes, or difficulty swallowing.
Sudden, severe headache with unknown cause.
Sudden problems with dizziness, walking, or balance.
Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding others.
Call 911 immediately if you notice any of these symptoms.
Stroke Test: Talk, Wave, Smile
The F.A.S.T. test helps spot symptoms of stroke. It stands for:
Face. Ask for a smile. Does one side droop?
Arms. When raised, does one side drift down?
Speech. Can the person repeat a simple sentence? Does he or she have trouble or slur words?
Time. Time is critical. Call 911 immediately if any symptoms are present.
Stroke: Time = Brain Damage
Every
second counts when seeking treatment for a stroke. When deprived of oxygen, brain cells begin dying within minutes. There are clot-busting drugs that can curb brain damage, but they need to be used within three hours -- up to 4.5 hours in some people -- of the initial stroke symptoms. Once brain tissue has died, the body parts controlled by that area won't work properly. This is why stroke is a top cause of long-term disability.
Diagnosing a Stroke
When someone with stroke symptoms arrives in the ER, the first step is to determine which type of stroke is occurring. There are two main types and they are not treated the same way. A CT scan can help doctors determine whether the symptoms are coming from a blocked blood vessel or a bleeding vessel. Additional tests may also be used to find the
location of a blood clot or bleeding within the brain.
Ischemic Stroke
The most common type of stroke is known as an ischemic stroke. Nearly nine out of 10 strokes fall into this category. The culprit is a blood clot that obstructs a blood vessel inside the brain. The clot may develop on the spot or travel through the blood from elsewhere in the body.
Hemorrhagic Stroke
Hemorrhagic strokes are less common but far more likely to be fatal. They occur when a weakened blood vessel in the brain bursts. The result is bleeding inside the brain that can be difficult to stop.
'Mini-Stroke' (TIA)
A
transient ischemic attack, often called a "mini-stroke," is more like a
close call. Blood flow is temporarily impaired to part of the brain,
causing symptoms similar to an actual stroke. When the blood flows
again, the symptoms disappear. A TIA is a warning sign that a stroke may
happen soon. It's critical to seek emergency medical help if you think
you've had a TIA. There are therapies to reduce the risk of stroke.
What Causes a Stroke
A common cause of stroke is atherosclerosis -- hardening of the arteries. Plaque made of fat, cholesterol, calcium, and other substances builds up in the arteries, leaving less space for blood to flow. A blood clot may lodge in this narrow space and cause an ischemic stroke. Atherosclerosis also makes it easier for a clot to form. Hemorrhagic strokes often result from uncontrolled high blood pressure that causes a weakened artery to burst.
Risk Factors: Chronic Conditions
Certain chronic conditions increase your risk of stroke. These include:
High blood pressure
High cholesterol
Diabetes
Obesity
Taking steps to control these conditions may reduce your risk.
Risk Factors: Behaviors
Certain behaviors also increase the risk of stroke:
Smoking
Getting too little exercise
Heavy use of alcohol
Risk Factors: Diet
A
poor diet may increase the risk for stroke in a few significant ways. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fish may help lower stroke risk.
Risk Factors You Can't Control Some stroke risk factors are beyond your control, such as getting older or having a family history of strokes. Gender plays a role, too, with men being more likely to have a stroke. However, more stroke deaths occur in women. Finally, race is an important risk factor. African-Americans, Native Americans, and Alaskan Natives are at greater risk compared to people of other ethnicities.
Stroke: Emergency Treatment
For an ischemic stroke, emergency treatment focuses on medicine to restore blood flow. A clot-busting drug is highly effective at dissolving clots and minimizing long-term damage, but it must be as soon as possible, within three -- or much as 4.5 hours for some people -- of the initial stroke symptoms Hemorrhagic strokes are more difficult to manage. Treatment usually involves attempting to control high blood pressure, bleeding, and brain swelling.
Stroke: Long-Term Damage
Whether a stroke causes long-term damage depends on its severity and how quickly treatment stabilizes the brain. The type of damage depends on where in the brain the stroke occurs. Common problems after a stroke include numbness and/or weakness in the arms or legs, difficulty walking, vision problems, trouble swallowing, and problems with speech and comprehension. These problems can be permanent, but many people regain most of their abilities.
Stroke Rehab: Speech Therapy
Rehabilitation is the centerpiece of the stroke recovery process. It helps patients regain lost skills and learn to compensate for damage that can't be undone. The goal is to help restore as much independence as possible. For people who have trouble speaking, speech and language therapy is essential. A speech therapist can also help patients who have trouble
swallowing.
Stroke Rehab: Physical Therapy
Muscle weakness, as well as balance problems, are very common after a stroke. This can interfere with walking and other daily activities. Physical therapy is an effective way to regain strength, balance, and
coordination. For fine motor skills, such as using a knife and fork, writing, and buttoning a shirt, occupational therapy can help.
Stroke Rehab: Talk Therapy
It's common for stroke survivors and their loved ones to experience a wide range of intense emotions, such as fear, anger, worry, and grief. A psychologist or mental health counselor can provide strategies for coping with these emotions. A therapist can also watch for signs of depression, which frequently strikes people who are recovering from a stroke.
Stroke Prevention: Lifestyle People who have had a stroke or TIA can take steps to prevent a recurrence:
Quit smoking.
Exercise and maintain a healthy weight.
Limit alcohol and salt intake.
Eat a healthier diet with more veggies, fish, and whole grains.
Stroke Prevention: Medications
For people with a high risk of stroke, doctors often recommend medications to lower this risk. Anti-platelet drugs, including aspirin, keep platelets in the blood from sticking together and forming clots. Anti-clotting drugs, such as warfarin, may be needed to help ward off stroke in some patients. Finally, if you have high blood pressure, your doctor will prescribe medication to lower it.
Stroke Prevention: Surgery
In some cases, a stroke results from a narrowed carotid artery -- the blood vessels that travel up each side of the neck to bring blood to the brain. People who have had a mild stroke or TIA due to this problem may benefit from surgery known as carotid endarterectomy. This procedure removes plaque from the lining of the carotid arteries and can help prevent additional strokes.
Stroke Prevention: Balloon and Stent
Doctors can also treat a clogged carotid artery without major surgery in some cases. The procedure, called angioplasty, involves temporarily inserting a catheter into the artery and inflating a tiny balloon to widen the area that is narrowed by plaque. A metal tube, called a stent, can be inserted and left in place to keep the artery open.
Life After a Stroke
Many people who have a stroke regain the ability to take care of themselves if they follow their rehabilitation plan. Those who get clot-busting drugs soon enough may recover completely. And those who experience disability can often learn to function independently through therapy. It has been shown that 3% to 4% of all patients that experience a stroke will subsequently experience a second stroke.
Take the first step and see what could be causing your symptoms.
With all their associations with sunshine, it is no surprise that sunflowers are considered very positive flowers. People send them to express feelings like happiness, warmth, luck, adoration and friendship. They are the perfect flower to celebrate a happy occasion or to please someone who is going through a difficult time. Sunflowers, in all their colorful glory, are a happy sight to behold - but more so in their nature than just beauty. Let your garden knowledge flourish with these sunflower facts
Interesting Sunflower Facts
The scientific name of sunflower is Helianthus.
Sunflowers are native to North and Central America.
There are two types of sunflower seeds. Sunflower oil which is used in cooking and margarine from black seeds and snack food is made from striped seeds. Seeds can also be used as bird feeds.
There are 70 different species of sunflowers.
Sunflower is made up of many small flowers
Sunflower contains calcium and eleven other minerals.
The tallest sunflower recorded by the Guinness Book of World Records was about 25 and a half feet long!
Sunflowers need a lot of room and rays.
They were brought to Russia by royalty.
Sunflowers have even travelled to space.
On cloudy days young or immature sunflowers will track sun traces.
Sunflower seeds are preferred as a raw, cooked or roasted snack, while the oil extracted from the seeds is often used for cooking.
The sunflower turns itself around to face the sun.
One of the interesting facts about sunflowers is that a sunflower actually consists of 1,000 to 2,000 individual flowers simultaneously. What we consider to be the sunflower is actually the head of the sunflower, which consists of these thousands of small flowers.
Sunflower can be used to remove toxins like lead, arsenic and uranium from contaminated soil. For example, sunflowers were used to extract toxins from a pond after the Chernobyl disaster and similar projects took place after the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
Mature sunflowers face east all day.
Dwarf sunflowers require proper moisture and sunlight.
Perennial sunflowers can live up to 2 years.
Wild sunflowers are often photographed with their long stalks and bright petals that draw towards the sun. This interesting behavior, known as phototropism, inspired a motif that appeared in many ancient works.
One of the fun facts about sunflowers is that Famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh did a series of paintings featuring and called Sunflowers.
Sunflower can rise to unimaginable heights
In general, sunflowers grow from six to ten feet.
Sunflower comes from the Greek words "helios" (sun) and "anthos" (flower).
Historically, they have been used for medicine, dye, food, and oil, and around 1500 were exported.
Sunflower is the state flower of Kansas and the national flower of Ukraine.
So, these were some interesting facts about sunflowers. Order these beautiful yellow flowers online from any reputed florist and make your home a happy place. Also, send it to your near and dear ones on any occasion and brighten up their day. π» π» π»
When you head to a restaurant, you might have your heart - or stomach - set on a particular dish. Or, you might be a little more open to suggestion. That's the opportunity menu engineers and consultants are looking for.
Behind the scenes, before you're even thinking of dinner, they put careful thought into the way you choose what foods you eat. π² Here are 11 of the sneakiest psychological tricks restaurants use to make you spend more money:
π²π² 1. They don’t use Dollar Signs A dollar sign is one of the top things restaurants should avoid
including on a menu, because it immediately reminds the customers that they’re spending money.According to research from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration,
guests given a menu without dollar signs spent significantly more than those who received a menu with them. Even if the prices were written out with words instead of numbers, such as “ten dollars,” guests spent less money because it still triggered the negative feelings associated with paying. 2. They are Tricky with their Numbers Menu designers recognize that prices that end in 9, such as $9.99, tend to signify value, but not quality. In addition, prices that end in .95 instead of .99 are more effective, because they feel “friendlier”
to customers. Most restaurants just leave the price without any cents at all, because it makes their menu cleaner, simpler, and to the point.
3. They use Extremely Descriptive Language Research from Cornell University revealed that items described in a more beautiful way are more appealing to and popular with customers. According to further research from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, descriptive menu labels raised sales by 27%, compared to food items without descriptors. On an NBC “Today” show interview,
menu engineer Greg Rapp poses an example of Maryland Style Crab Cakes.
They are described as “made by hand, with sweet jumbo crab meat, a touch of mayonnaise, our secret blend of seasonings, and golden cracker crumbs for a rich, tender crab cake.” This brings the ultimate sensory experience to the reader, and the descriptive labeling will make customers more likely to be satisfied at the end of the meal.Interestingly, brand names in menu descriptions also help sales, which is why chain restaurants such as T.G.I. Friday’s use Jack Daniel’s sauce or Minute Maid orange juice on their menus. The more
adjectives, the better. 4. They Connect Food to Family Customers are especially drawn to names of relatives, such as parents and grandparents, on menus. For example, people are more likely to buy Grandma’s warm, homemade cookies or Aunt Margo’s famous potato salad. It also can add a hint of nostalgia. 5. They use Ethnic Food Terms to Make their Food seem more Authentic According to Oxford experimental psychologist Charles Spence, an ethnic or geographic label, such as an Italian name, draws a person’s attention toward a certain feature in a dish and brings out certain flavors and textures.
6. They Visually Highlight Things When foods are bolded, listed in a colored or fancier font, accompanied with photographs, or singled out in a box, they look far more special than the other dishes. However, high-end restaurants tend to avoid this strategy, because it can make them look tacky. 7. They use Expensive Items to Draw you to the Cheaper items According to Rapp, restaurants use extremely expensive foods as decoys. “You probably won’t buy it, but you’ll find something a little cheaper and it’ll look more reasonable,” he says.According to William Poundstone, author of “Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It),” in a New York Magazine interview, “The
main role of that $115 platter — the only three-digit thing on the menu — is to make everything else near it look like a relative bargain.”
8. They Offer Foods in Two Portion Sizes
This strategy is called bracketing.
The customer has no idea how much smaller the small portion is, so they assume it’s the best value price because it costs less. What they don’t realize is that the restaurant wanted to sell the smaller portion at the lower price all along, and simply used the bigger portion with the higher price as comparison.
9. They Analyze your Reading Patterns Restaurants consider scanpaths, which are a series of eye fixations that can be studied to see how people read certain things. According to a Korean research study,
a third of participants are likely to order the first item to which
their attention is drawn. As a result, restaurants will put the most
profitable items in the upper-right corner, because it is where people’s eyes go first.This strategy is based on the primacy effect, which means people remember the items at the beginning of a list better. Another reason this works is that seeing a really expensive dish at first glance will make the rest of the menu appear reasonably priced in comparison. Restaurants put the most focus on their main servings. According to a Cornell research study on eye movements on restaurant menus, most customers quickly scan the entire menu like a book, but focus the remainder of their attention on the entrees.
10. They Limit your Choices Through features such as “try all” samplers, tapas, or fixed menus, restaurants remove the heavy responsibility people feel when choosing what to eat. It is much more effective for restaurants to limit their selection. Apparently, the optimum number of menu items is six items per category in fast-food restaurants, and seven to 10 items per category in fine dining establishments. 11. They set the Mood to Spend And finally, a little reading music: According to psychology research from the University of Leicester,
playing classical music in restaurants encourages diners to spend more,
because it makes them feel more affluent. Meanwhile, less sophisticated
pop music caused people to spend 10% less on their meals.
This post was originally written by Maggie Zhang. Read the original article on Business Insider. Copyright 2016. Follow Business Insider on Twitter.
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