INPUT ARTICLE: Article: In some situations, it may be necessary for you to seek treatment right away. You can try home treatments for a few days, but you will need to see a doctor if your condition does not improve after a few days. Call your doctor if you notice: Thick and/or greenish-yellow phlegm Wheezing or whistling sound at the beginning or end of each breath Any odd sounding cough (not just wheezing) and difficulty with breathing at the end of a cough A fever of more than 104F (38C) Shortness of breath In some cases, a cough may present with other symptoms that require immediate medical treatment. Go to an emergency room if you experience: Choking Difficulty breathing or swallowing Blood in your phlegm or pink-tinged phlegm There are several prescription and over-the-counter medicines available that may help to relieve your wheezing cough. Make sure that you check with your doctor before taking anything because the medicine you need will depend on the cause of your cough. Some common medicines for different types of coughs include: Antihistamines May be recommended for a cough brought on by allergies. Cough suppressants May be helpful for a cough due to the common cold. Decongestants May be helpful for a cough with sinus congestion. Expectorants May be helpful if you have lots of thick mucus that you cannot cough up. Bronchodilators/Inhaled Beta Agonists May be helpful if you have a cough that is due to asthma.

SUMMARY: Know when to seek medical attention. Go to an emergency room for severe symptoms. Ask your doctor about medicines for your cough.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Higher-level speed calculations can get confusing because mathematicians and scientists use different definitions for "speed" and "velocity". A velocity has two components: a magnitude and a direction. The magnitude is equal to the object's speed. A change in the direction will cause a change in the velocity, but not in the speed. For example, let's say that there are two cars moving in opposite directions. Both cars' speedometers read 50 km/hr, so they both have the same speed. However, since they are moving apart from each other, we say that one car has a velocity of -50 km/hr and one has a velocity of 50 km/hr. Just as you can calculate instantaneous speed, you can also calculate instantaneous velocity. Objects can have velocities with a negative magnitude (if they are moving in a negative direction relative to something else). However, there's no such thing as a negative speed, so in these cases the absolute value of the magnitude gives the object's speed. For this reason, in the example problem above, both cars have a speed of 50 km/hr. If you have a function s(t) that gives you the position of an object with regards to time, the derivative of s(t) will give you its velocity with regards to time. Just plug a time value into this equation for the variable t (or whatever the time value is) to get the velocity at this given time. From here, finding the speed is easy. For example, let's say that an object's position in meters is given with the equation 3t2 + t - 4 where t = time in seconds. We want to know what the speed of the object is at t = 4 seconds. In this case, we can solve like this: 3t2 + t - 4 s'(t) = 2 3t + 1 s'(t) = 6t + 1 Now, we plug in t = 4: s'(t) = 6(4) + 1 = 24 + 1 = 25 meters/second. This is technically a velocity measurement, but since it's positive and direction is not mentioned in the problem, we can essentially use it for speed. Acceleration is a way of measuring the change in an object's velocity over time. This topic is a little too complex to explain fully in this article. However, it's useful to note that when you have a function a(t) that gives acceleration with regards to time, the integral of a(t) will give you velocity with regards to time. Note that it's helpful to know the object's initial velocity so that you can define the constant that results from an indefinite integral. For example, let's say that an object has a constant acceleration (in m/s2 given by a(t) = -30. Let's also say that it has an initial velocity of 10 m/s. We need to find its speed at t = 12 s. In this case, we can solve like this: a(t) = -30 v(t)= a(t)dt = -30dt = -30t + C To find C, we'll solve v(t) for t = 0. Remember that the object's initial velocity is 10 m/s. v(0) = 10 = -30(0) + C 10 = C, so v(t) = -30t + 10 Now, we can just plug in t = 12 seconds. v(12) = -30(12) + 10 = -360 + 10 = -350. Since speed is the absolute value of velocity, the object's speed is 350 meters/second.

SUMMARY: Understand that speed is defined as the magnitude of velocity. Use absolute values for negative velocities. Take the derivative of a position function. Take the integral of an acceleration function.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Before a storm, ants will build up their mounds and create steep sides. If you see raised ant beds, especially if they were lower before, then there may be a storm coming. When the air pressure falls before a storm, birds feel discomfort in their ears. This causes them to fly lower toward the ground or to perch on lower tree branches or power lines. You may also observe the birds eating ground insects. This behavior suggests that a storm is coming. If the birds are flying high in the sky, then there will likely be fair weather. If you're near the sea, look for seagulls perched on the beach, which could indicate that a storm is coming. Watch for large groups of roosting birds. Birds also become quiet before a storm. Singing and chirping birds could indicate good weather. Birds can sense air pressure and will time their migrations to good weather. If you see flocks of birds migrating in the sky, then the weather will likely be good that day. If a storm is going to be short, birds will usually wait for the rain to end before looking for food. If you see birds eating during a storm, then it will likely last for a long time. Birds can sense the pressure patterns, allowing them to predict the weather. Bees and butterflies return to their homes before a storm for safety. In the case of bees, they also work to preserve the hive. If you don't see any bees and butterflies when you would expect to - such as in a field of flowers - then there may be a storm coming. Cows usually gather together and lie down in their pasture before a rainstorm. This is likely because it cools down before a storm, and cows like to be close to the ground when the weather cools. Cows lying on the ground is an indication that it may rain. This only applies to cows, not other livestock. Snakes will leave their nests before bad weather, even if it's in the middle of wintertime. Seeing snakes in unexpected places or at a time when the snake would normally be in its nest can be a sign of bad weather. Snakes can even predict earthquakes. If you see a snake out of its nest behaving erratically, there could be an earthquake coming. Snakes usually come out of their nests in sunny weather to warm themselves. They don't like the cold because they are cold-blooded. A snake out of its nest when it's not a warm, sunny day is an indication that bad weather is coming. Tortoises will seek higher ground before a storm, so look for movement to higher locations. You may see them in the road one to two days before a rain.

SUMMARY:
Look for high ant mounds. Watch for low-flying or roosting birds. Look for bird migrations. Notice if birds eat during a storm. Search for bees and butterflies. Check cow pastures to see if they are lying down together. Look for snakes. Watch tortoises if they are nearby.