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Tushar Kanwar
Google Pixel 3a XL Review: Choosing User Experience Over Spec Sheet
The Pixel series from Google has always delivered a snappy and fluid user experience and a class-leading camera, but it came at a high price. With the new Pixel 3a and 3a XL, it's gotten a little more affordable
By Tushar Kanwar
Google's Pixel series of premium smartphones have always been about promise. The promise of a clean, unadulterated Android software, that of a snappy and fluid user experience (even without packing in oodles of RAM) that few others can match, and that of a class-leading camera that makes the most of the hardware, and its sole lens, through ingenious software processing. All this however comes at a cost, one that is more than what most are willing to pay.
With the Pixel 3a and the 3a XL, Google now has some options that will appeal to people who don't care about the spec sheet as long as the experience is great; and the camera still lives up to the Pixel name.
The Pixel 3a and the 3a XL Just Black and Clearly White variants go on sale on Flipkart on May 15, priced at Rs 39,999 and Rs 44,999 respectively, with a number of launch week offers—putting them firmly in what used to be OnePlus territory.
Realme 3 Pro Review: More Xiaomi Than Xiaomi?
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Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro Review: The Best Hardware In The Segment
We've checked out the Pixel 3a XL, but the Pixel 3a is identical to it except for screen and battery size.
Pixel 3a XL – Pros
Cameras: Hardware wise, the Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL both use the same 12.2MP Sony IMX363 rear sensor as the Google Pixel 3, with the same f/1.8 aperture, OIS and EIS and post processing voodoo that only Google seems to know how to do.
After having shot a ton of shots, it's safe to say that there is little to tell the Pixel 3a XL apart from the Pixel 3 XL, right from image quality to the bevy of shooting modes including Night Sight and Super Res Zoom. There's also a new Timelapse mode which will come to older Pixels shortly.
Indoors photograph taken with the Google Pixel 3 XL (Left), and the Google Pixel 3a XL (Right).
Take a look at the comparison shots between the Pixel 3a XL and the Pixel 3 XL. You'll notice that other than a closer crop on Portrait mode on the 3a XL (2x instead of 1.5x), most photos exhibit similar levels of exposure, detail and colors. This is to Google's credit – how it takes commodity hardware and produces great shots using software, without mucking around with multiple sensors and a barrage of lens on the rear. This is what has made producing the same great rear camera in a phone that's nearly half the price possible.
Outdoors night-time photograph taken with the Google Pixel 3 XL (Left), and the Google Pixel 3a XL (Right).
There is a caveat: processing speed. The Snapdragon 670 is no match for the Snapdragon 845, so processing each shot takes longer. Compounding the issue is the fact that the Google Pixel 3a (and Pixel 3a XL) lacks Google's purpose-built Pixel Visual Core, which speeds up photo processing significantly on the Pixel 3. It's not a problem even when you're out shooting a lot but the time from when you take the shot to when it shows up fully processed in your Gallery is now discernibly longer.
On the front, the selfie camera drops the additional 97-degree wide-angle camera for just the single 84-degree 8MP selfie camera. It's a lot less flexible as a result, but the quality of the selfies holds up.
Battery life and charging: With its combination of a large 3,700mAh battery, a lower-resolution display, and a frugal juice-sipping processor, the Google Pixel 3a XL excels when it comes to battery life. In daily and somewhat extensive usage, which consisted of Whatsapp/Telegram, some casual gaming, plenty of photos and the hour or so of phone calls, the phone lasted well past the 7-hour screen-on-time mark, which is absolutely brilliant. The bundled 18W USB-PD-compliant wall charger charges the phone somewhat speedily—zero to 100% takes a little over 2.5 hours.
Slightly Less Pixel-y: It's a Google Pixel phone, so the latest Android Pie with zero bloat is no surprise. Interestingly, the Google Pixel 3a (and Pixel 3a XL) retains a bunch of software features from the Google Pixel 3 series phones, including Active Edge (squeezing the side of the phone triggers Google Assistant), Now Playing, and crucially, three years of platform updates and security patches, all the way to at least Android S in 2021. One notable omission—the Google Pixel 3a does not ship with support for unlimited full-resolution image backups to Google Photos, which continues to remain a Pixel flagship exclusive.
The Google Pixel 3a XL has a more modest 1080p display, but it's not a real drawback.
Display: Bumping down the screen resolution to a more modest 1080p display hasn't been to the Google Pixel 3a XL's detriment. This is a fantastic 6.0-inch gOLED screen and you'll only notice the difference in resolution if you place a Pixel 3 XL or another QHD phone next to it. It could have packed in higher brightness levels, but is otherwise very good – it's tack-sharp, color accurate, offers good viewing angles and since it's an OLED panel, you get the handy always-on display as well. A subtle thing you notice a lot while using the Google Pixel 3a XL is that Google hasn't skimped on the vibration motor under the display, so you get the same precise haptics as the pricier Pixels, the current Android gold standard. There's no HDR10 support though unlike the Pixel 3 lineup, and no in-display fingerprint sensor or face recognition either, something we've come to expect at this price point, so you're stuck with using the otherwise excellent rear fingerprint sensor to authenticate yourself onto the device.
Pixel 3a XL – Cons
Design: Google's retained the same design language for the Google Pixel 3a XL as with the Google Pixel 3 XL, this time in an all-plastic avatar that looks and feels eerily similar to the Pixel 3 XL's glass-aluminum body. The build is solid, the buttons click well, but the design is purely functional and almost a tad boring if you consider what the likes of Honor and Oppo have pushed out for much less. Turn it around, and you get an 18:9 aspect ratio display with large bezels round—thankfully, without the Pixel 3 XL's ugly notch—but the effect is dated when the competition has almost no-bezel screens with pop-up cameras and hole-punch notches. No wireless charging or water resistance on the 3a series either. Interestingly, Google's gone back to the headphone jack for the Google Pixel 3a series after dropping it on the Google Pixel 3, and the dual speakers—one in the earpiece and the other downward-firing unit that gets muffled all too easily—are loud if a little lacking in refinement.
The design of the Google Pixel 3a XL hasn't evolved, and it is still extremely functional, which some people might find boring.
Hardware: Google has traditionally tuned the Pixel line for optimized performance on even 4GB of RAM, and that's exactly the case with the Google Pixel 3a XL as well, which sees a Snapdragon 670 chipset paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. Let's deal with the obvious—the Google Pixel 3a XL does not offer the most value for money as far as pure specs are concerned.
This is Snapdragon 845 (and with the OnePlus 7, Snapdragon 855) territory and folks looking for absolute performance for gaming in particular should really look elsewhere. Even everyday tasks—processing an image after the shot, opening apps and loading large files—all take that extra bit longer, and RAM management rears its ugly head every now and then, force closing or reloading apps when the phone runs out of available (and arguably limited) RAM. The single 64GB storage variant will run out for heavy shooters sooner than they'd like, and a larger 128GB base variant would have been more than welcome. That said, using the phone, for the most part, was a breeze and never once did a lag or a stutter remind me that I was using a phone with a mid-range chipset, so kudos to Google for continuing to get that right.
Pricing: The Google Pixel 3a will continue the Pixel legacy of staying unrealistically expensive for the hardware it offers and will likely not appeal to the average spec-focussed Indian consumer, even at the sub-40K price point. The OnePlus 6T, the Poco F1 and the Asus Zenfone 5Z all have top-shelf specs for far less, and consumers are used to getting a lot more for the asking price. This one is strictly for the Android purist who're looking to get the best camera around, but don't want to spend the extra money you'd need for a Google Pixel 3.
Tushar Kanwar Tushar Kanwar is a Bangalore-based technology columnist and commentator, and tweets @2shar.
MORE: tech google smartphones reviews Android Google Pixel
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Stone Island Opens the Doors to Its New Los Angeles Flagship
It's the largest space dedicated to the brand
Image via: Stone Island
Back in early 2016, Stone Island launched its first ever U.S. flagship store, setting up shop in L.A.'s La Brea district. Less than two years later, the brand has already outgrown that first location, announcing a new location in the same neighborhood that spans 5,300 square feet. Featuring huge street-facing windows, the free-standing structure is now the largest space entirely dedicated to the brand. Inside, shoppers will enjoy an expansive interior that incorporates panels of layered glass in shades of blue, while the triangular geometry of Stone Island's signature compass rose is used on the ceiling and floor, which is made of pietra serena stone and steel. The fixtures, meanwhile, include reflective Alucobond and industrial felt shelves placed on black lacquered wood paneling, as well as hanging racks made of bright fiberglass, oiled oak and carbon, with the structure finished in anodized colored aluminum. Be sure to check it out if you're in the area.
Stone Island Los Angeles
101 N. La Brea Avenue | Map
Stone Island Los Angeles Flagship
StyleStone Island
Stone Island's First U.S. Flagship Store Opens in Los Angeles
Stone Island Reworks Fabrics From Its Archive for Fall/Winter 2017
Stone Island - Paris Store
Go Inside Stone Island's New Tokyo Flagship Store
Stone Island Presents Its Fall/Winter 2016 Lookbook
Stone Island Previews Its Spring/Summer 2017 Collection
Stone Island Sets Up Shop in New York City
Stone Island Goes Monochromatic for New "Ghost Pieces" Collection

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Based on our publication of the same name and coinciding with its launch in April 2017, the exhibition at the RIBA's central London galleries brought together 24 exemplary projects by 20 practices from six European countries. Designed by Alexander Boxill and curated by our Research Manager Mike Althorpe, the exhibition featured over 24 large format drawings, sections and plans and 19 beautifully detailed project models that each illustrated new typologies and innovative approaches to housing estate refurbishment, design and layout.
At a time of an ongoing crisis in housing both in terms of affordability and availability, the exhibition provided an opportunity to highlight an international range of projects and championed the role of local authorities in delivering high-quality affordable housing at new scales. The exhibition included a new model commission of the 1978 Alexandra Road Estate in Camden by Neave Brown, which served as a poignant reminder of the scale of ambition for social housing in the post-war years and is considered among the best housing the UK has ever produced.
The exhibition was accompanied by 'Stories from the UK & Europe' - a sold out discussion in the RIBA's Florence Hall where Paul Karakusevic spoke alongside Frederic Druot and Christelle Avenier from France, Sascha Zander from Germany and Hans van der Heijden from the Netherlands.
The exhibition is now on tour and will be on show at New York's Center for Architecture between 15 February and 19 May 2018.


Fuji releases the new X lens firmware update!
Let us know if you find any real improvement on the AF performance!
Black X-E1 at Cameracenter UK (Click here).
Silver X-E1 at Cameracenter UK (Click here).
Black X-E1 with 35mm at Gwcameras UK (Click here).
Silver X-E1 with 35mm at Gwcameras UK (Click here).
And in Italy you can buy it in Amazon.it (click here) (just two cameras in stock at the time of this post… so hurry). There is also just one camera here on Amazon.it (click here) for 864€ (9% discount).
One more thing: in UK Fuji launched the Student Awards 2013 (Source: ePhotozine).
The Fujifilm X100 12.3 with 23mm Fujinon Lens (click here) is now available for $1000 at Amazon US (17% discount).
You can take a look for the PROS and CONS of that camera at the dpreview review (click here).
It's time for X-E1 reviews. This camera attracts the interest of many, and I found an interesting review on stevehuffphoto.
Excellent image quality, sharp and natural pictures, amazing ISO and low light performance, beautiful color rendition and the JPEG are "just that good". Maybe you have to get used to the EVF, but the EVF is, according to this review, one of the best in color, contrast and clarity. The camera feels solid and well built. And even if there is no focus-peaking feature, there where no problems to get the shots in good focus with the CV 21mm f/4, the 40mm f/1.4 Nokton and the 50mm f/1.5 Nokton.
I enjoyed the big amount of lenses testet in combination with the X-E1. You can find pictures shot with the Fuji 18mm and 35mm lens, the The Voigtlander 21mm f/4 Skopar, 40mm and 50mm f/1.4 Nokton, Zeiss 35mm f/2 Biogon and at least the Leica 50mm f/2 Summitar.
The conclusions are that "the XE1 feels mature. I think Fuji has learned a lot over the last year from the release of the x100 and XPro1, and they've done a good job listening to feedback from the photographers out there using their cameras. Overall operational speed on the XE1 is good; not blazing fast like a high-end DSLR, but certainly fast enough for many of us" and although the autofocus speed is drastically improved with the last firmware and is fast enough "on some occasions with the 35mm lens, it had a little trouble locking on exactly what you want it to".
X lens firmware update coming on October 25th!
I just got the news that Fuji is about to release the upgraded firmware of the three XF18mm, XF35mm and XF60mm lenses on 25 Oct 2012. This update will improve the accuracy of auto focus function when you push "AE-L/AF-L" button in the Manual Focus mode.
Great news for all current lens owners!
Link to all these X lenses on Amazon.


When Maryland Addiction Recovery Center opened its doors three years ago, co-owners Aura Arslanian, Sam Bierman and Zach Snitzer made a concerted decision to surround patients with real artwork that would be hopeful, thought-provoking and inspiring. No "Hang in There" kitty posters or generic motivational platitudes, but rather actual artwork that gave the center a unique feel and accomplished an important goal.
Roesner himself is a person in recovery from addiction, having celebrated his third year of being alcohol and drug free this past August. In describing his latest year of sobriety, David said "this last year has been one of my most productive and creatively fulfilling years. And I'm looking for many more to come." Like many other artistic people, while using David tied his identity to that of the drunken artist, a free spirited person whose artistic ability was born through the pain of addiction. In his addiction, David feared that sobriety would mean that he would lose his artistic ability and even damage his credibility as an artist. In short, being sober would mean losing his identity. However, three years after his last drink and drug, he is happy to report that is certainly not the case.
In terms of a message to anyone still struggling in addiction or newly sober that fears recovery will be a hindrance to their creative ability, Roesner passionately disagrees.
To learn more about David Roesner and see his online portfolio, visit his web-site at www.davidroesner.com. Contact information is available on the web-site.


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Home / Compositions / Vocal / Voice and instrument
These pieces set to music poems by Anne Carson, Elizabeth Smart, Christina Rossetti and Shakespeare, together with words from the Book of Proverbs and the Girls' Own Annual of 1919
Please click work titles for more information and resources (audio, sheet music, program note etc.) about individual works in this category.
Chimney-sweepers (2006)
for soprano and piano
Also available as part of Three Shakespeare Songs and as a SATB choir version.
Text: from Act IV of Shakespeare's Cymbeline
Commissioned by the Kangaroo Valley Arts Festival (Arts in the Valley) with funds from the Music Board of the Australia Council for the Arts
First performance by Yvonne Kenny (soprano), Andrea Katz (piano), Arts in the Valley, Kangaroo Valley, NSW, 21 April 2007.
The Birthday of My Life (from Learning to Howl) (2001)
for high voice and harp
Text: Christina Rossetti
First performance by Jane Edwards (soprano), Marshall McGuire (harp), Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Sydney, 18 March 2005
A Walk to the Japanese Garden (2001)
for soprano and vibraphone
A song from Learning to Howl
Text: poem by Ian Munro
First performance by Justine Anderson (soprano) and Peter Neville (vibraphone), Toorak Uniting Church, Melbourne, 25 September 2005
Three Songs for the Lady Pan (2001)
for soprano and soprano saxophone
From Learning to Howl
Text: Wang Wei (English translation by G.W. Robertson)
First performance by Belinda Montgomery (soprano) and Margery Smith (soprano saxophone), Government House, Sydney, 3 November 2004
And now (1998)
for high voice and piano
Text: Cathryn Strickland
First performance by Merlyn Quaife (soprano) and Stephen Delaney (piano), Neuer Konzertsaal, Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst, Vienna, Austria, 12 January 2007
Dancing with Smoke (1995)
Text: poems by Chrstopher Reid, Martin Turner, Anne Ridler, Craig Raine and Thomas Shapcott
Commissioned by Gerald English for his 70th birthday concert
First performance by Gerald English (tenor) and Marshall McGuire (harp), Eugene Goossens Hall, ABC Ultimo Centre, Sydney, 5 November 1995
A Salt Girl (1994)
poems by Onakatomi no Yoshinobu, Oshikochi no Mitsune, the Emperor Koko and Akahito (translated by Kenneth Rexroth)
First performance by Gerald English (tenor) and Helen O'Brien (piano), Piper's Brook Vineyard, Piper's Brook, Tasmania, February 1994
Epithalamium (1991)
for tenor, violin and bell
This is the original version of Epithalamium. There is also an arrangement for voice, flute and cello, and an extended version for mezzo-soprano and string quartet.
William Shakespeare, Act IV of The Tempest
First performance by Gerald English (tenor), Alice Evans (violin), Michael Askill (tubular bell), Huntington Estate Winery, Mudgee, NSW, 30 November 1991
A Terrible Whiteness (1984)
for mezzo-soprano and piano
poems by Elizabeth Smart
Commissioned by Elizabeth Campbell with funds from the Music Board of the Australia Council
First performance by Elisabeth Campbell (mezzo-soprano) and Anthony Fogg (piano), National Library of Australia, Canberra, 16 November 1986
Rap (1984)
for voice and digital delay
Text: John Donne
First performance by Austin Allen (baritone), De Ijsbreker, Amsterdam, Netherlands, February 1984


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This was a great story to be reading around Father's Day, since the main character is a loving father who lacks paternity. I love books about bookshops; in this one, the bookshop, while pivotal, relinquishes center stage to life outside the pages. The titular bookshop is like our own Singing Winds, an intellectual treasure in the Australian outback. The woman who starts it in 1968 is an immigrant: Hannah, a widow, a survivor of Auschwitz. Every book that Hannah has curated into her bookstore—a foolishly vast collection of 7,500 titles—represents hope and defiance in the face of loneliness and pain, untranslated poetry and all. Hannah hires Tom Hope to build her bookshelves.
It's an impactful illustration of life in rural anywhere. People are both close and far apart; intimate and private; accepting and judgemental; desirous and distrustful of the novel and peculiar. Hillman is tender with his rural characters, reminiscent of Kent Haruf. So many writers highlight either tragedy or pain; this is a novel that's an attempt to portray real life with its balance of both, featuring people we feel we know, friends or family.
Even though we learn Hannah's story in detail, the book revolves around Tom, a farmer. He's lost his wife to a cult for the second time, along with Peter, her child who he's raised as his own from birth. Tom Hope is the stoic and quietly heroic everyman, who may not be articulate or artistic, but who doesn't know how to take his heart back once he's given it. Each person in the book has experienced tragedy and has come to their own individual way of dealing with it, "healthy" or not; just like life. Hannah and the child, Peter, have both experienced horrific events. Both are scarred and scared and face hard choices. Both want and need Tom as an anchor, and Tom wants that, too. Hillman does a superb job of illustrating the ripple effect of the everyday hero, the redemptive power of love for those who reach to grasp it. Highly recommended! ~Em Maxwell
Labels: books about bookshops, books about bookstores, Bookshop of the Broken Hearted, Em Maxwell, Miss Em Recommends, Robert Hillman
The Bookshop of the Broken Hearted by Robert Hillm...
Jackson Blog Tour


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Чорна металургія Вірменії — галузь обробної промисловості Вірменії. Розвинута напрочуд слабо. Частка продукції чорної металургії у промисловості Вірменії незначна, що пояснюється відсутністю власної сировинної бази і малою ємністю ринку чорної металургії.

Історія
Вірменія є одним з найдавніших центрів культури метала, однак, не чорного, а кольорового. Вже з 5-4 тисячоліть до н. е у Вірменії існувала доволі розвинута мідяна металургія. 2-га половина II тисячоліття до н. е. характеризується потужним розквитом бронзи. Початок освоєння заліза на території Вірменії відноситься до зламу II-го і I-го тисячоліть до н. е.

За часів держави Урарту основний сільськогосподарський реманент виготовлявся з заліза, широке використання якого в Урарту розпочалося раніше, ніж в інших районах Передньої Азії.

Сировинна база
Вже у 19 столітті було відомо про велику кількість заліза у Вірменії. Поклади залізних руд розташовані у Раздані, Абовяні, Сваранці. Є потенційні до засвоєння родовища залізної руди, що робить можливим будівництво сталеплавильного заводу. Наразі (2022) підприємства галузі в якості сировини використовують власний брухт і відходи чорних металів.

Сучасний стан
У 2014 році в країні було вироблено 17,7 тис. т сталевого лиття. В той же час за даними Національної статистичної служби у 2013 році Вірменія імпортувала 121,1 тис. т чорних металів, з них — 3,7 тис. т феросплавів, — 54,4 тис. т плаского прокату, — 58,5 тис. т продуктів зі сталі, — 29,5 тис. т іншої продукції з чорних металів.

Серед проблем галузі — обмежена ємність ринку чорної металургії, обмежений асортимент продукції, що випускається, висока конкурентність з імпортною продукцією чорної металургії.

Компанії і підприємства чорної металургії

ВАТ «Чисте залізо»

Завод ВАТ «Чисте залізо» ( — «Макур єркат») розташований у місті Єревані. Це дослідно-промисловий завод з виробництва чистого заліза продуктивністю 2,2 тис. т. Випускає на основі електроплавки металолому магнітне залізо для приладобудування. Випускає також концентрат молібдену.

Чаренцаванський завод «Автоліт»

Завод розташований у місті Чаренцаван. Продуктивність 100 тис. т на рік. Був виставлений на приватизацію у 1996—1997 роках. З кризи 2008 року довгий час простоював. У 2012 році ВАТ «Аске груп» провела модернізацію заводу, перепрофілірувавши його на випуск сталевої арматури. Після цього проектна потужність заводу становила 120 тис. т арматури на рік. Введення в роботу планувалося на 2014 рік.

Виноски

Вірменія
Промисловість Вірменії

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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u-blox and the University of Bristol Winners at the TechWorks 2018 Awards
Research team wins the 'Research Collaboration' Category
THALWIL, Switzerland, November 23, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --
u-blox (SIX: UBXN), a global provider of leading positioning and wireless communication technologies, together with the University of Bristol (UK) were announced as the winners of the Research Collaboration category at the TechWorks Awards 2018 - the highest accolade in the UK Deep Tech Industry, for their R&D project on Reconfigurable Wireless Transceivers for Global Connectivity .
(Logo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/736097/u_blox_Logo.jpg )
Jim Connelly, Director, u-blox Cork said: "We are thrilled to have won this award and it is a remarkable achievement given the strength of the competition in this category. This has proven to be a very successful collaboration with the University of Bristol and will continue to be so. As u-blox's Transceiver Centre of Excellence, u-blox Cork is highly focussed on sustained R&D activities in the areas of Cellular, Wi-Fi and IoT. Winning this award reinforces our vision of excellence whilst underlining the importance of collaboration in the research ecosystem."
Speaking of the team's achievements Mark Beach, Professor of Radio Systems Engineering in Bristol's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Manager of the EPSRC CDT in Communications and a member of the Communication Systems & Networks (CSN) Group, said: "This has been a truly unique collaboration and most rewarding to see a PhD through the CDT in Communications and subsequent R&D supported by an EPSRC Impact Acceleration Award between u-blox and Bristol yield such a high calibre outcome. We will continue to develop this exciting technology with our partners."
Consumer demand for mobile data continues to outstrip the capability of 4G networks; 5G needs to exploit new and advanced wireless communication technologies to provide the mobile networks of tomorrow. By bringing together u-blox's commercial know-how and experience in wireless product design, and the University of Bristol's expertise in the field of waveform cancellation, the multi-disciplinary team have developed a novel, tuneable, radio architecture for mobile devices. The innovative design facilitates global roaming on 4G and 5G, provides seamless spectrum access across diverse and fragmented frequency ranges, and is the first standards compliant and commercially viable circuit of its type.
The team from the Communication Systems & Networks Group at the University of Bristol (UK) and u-blox Engineering centres in Cambourne (Cambridgeshire, UK) and Cork (Ireland) have jointly addressed this global challenge through collaborative R&D since 2012. PhD sponsorship and mentoring of Leo Laughlin, and later that of Chinqing (Jack) Zhang, under the supervision of Professors Mark Beach and Kevin Morris, and industrial mentoring by John Haine, Kalim Khan and Micí McCullagh, has culminated with a highly novel Frequency Agile Frequency Division Duplexer solution. In addition to the 9 conference and 7 journal publications, including a recent paper in the prestigious IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, a standards compliant laboratory prototype has been designed, built and tested through this collaborative venture.
Leo Laughlin, Research Fellow in the Communication Systems and Networks Group, said: "We are absolutely delighted that our hard work on this project has been recognised with this award. The success of this project was only possible through the close working relationship of this academic/industrial team, which has allowed us to develop and apply novel radio technologies to target a highly specific commercial need."
Technical information about the research can be found in the following paper:
Leo Laughlin, Chunqing Zhang, Mark A. Beach, Kevin A. Morris, John L. Haine, Muhammad Kalimuddin Khan and Michael McCullagh, "Tunable Frequency-Division Duplex RF Front End Using Electrical Balance and Active Cancellation" in IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, 2018.
Other nominees in the category "Research Collaboration" included ARM with the University of Southampton as well as City University.
About u-blox: www.u-blox.com
u‑blox press contact:
Lexi Hatzi
u‑blox media contact:
Natacha Seitz
Mobile +41-76-436-0788
About the University of Bristol: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/
About TechWorks: www.techworks.org.uk
About TechWorks Awards: www.awards.techworks.org.uk
SOURCE u-blox


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Find everything you want for car care and your garage at Griot's Garage.
Carrying everything from car care supplies to flooring, from tools to car maintenance equipment, you can be sure to stock up your garage with exactly what you need at GriotsGarage.com. Griots specializes in all you need for cleaning, waxing, and detailing your car, but doesn' forget to offer you the most useful accessories for your car and garage, supplying all you need to tinker your time away.


CALA Homes has unveiled a £10,000 community grants scheme for East Lothian as part of its commitment to supporting the county. It is inviting community groups, charities and good causes to outline how financial aid from the CALA Homes Community Bursary would help them continue to deliver services and benefits to the area, with grants of up to £2,500 available. Deadline 19 May.
The programme focuses on young adults aged 18 to 25. Bupa are specifically interested in projects that will have a positive impact on the health and wellbeing of young adults who face ongoing health challenges, supporting and empowering them to live life to the full. They will fund practical projects designed to engage and support people directly. Deadline 19 May.
The purpose of the Short Breaks Fund is to increase the range, availability and choice of short breaks for unpaid carers and those they care for across Scotland. The programme provides 12 month grants to third sector organisations to develop and deliver short breaks projects and services for carers of adults (aged 21 years and over), carers of older people (aged 65 years and over), young carers (caring for children or adults), and those that they care for. Deadline 26 May.
If you have an idea around sustainable entrepreneurship, enter this competition to win up to 500,000 euros. Deadline 1 June.
Up to £5,000 for organisations which assist vulnerable and homeless people in transitioning back to mainstream society. Deadline 15 June.
Local Community Projects Funding is offered to organisations supporting people in need. They are interested in projects that improve resilience within your community of interest. This can include sessional activities/respite support, equipment for sessional activities, trips and residential breaks. They are also interested in new approaches and innovative ideas as well as sustainable approaches to supporting your community of interest. Deadline is 24 June.
The Circular Economy Investment Fund is a funding opportunity for businesses and organisations in Scotland working in all business and social economy sectors. A circular economy is one that's sustainable, and as much as possible eliminates waste. Applications are ongoing.
£5,000 is given each month to new young social entrepreneurs looking to implement innovative business solutions that meet the energy and resource needs of a growing population. Applications are ongoing.
Are you running a project that brings local people together, improves spaces and get people moving? Apply for awards from £500 to £10,000. Applications are ongoing.


text:
Organization chart of AS Monaco
Access informations
Presentation of the Stade Louis-II
Presentation of the Academy
Official Supporters Club
Press releases 05 November 2018, 12:42
Official press release of AS Monaco
Official release of the club.
The club firmly denies having bypassed Financial Fair Play through a contract with a marketing agency, contrary to false claims published by French and European media.
The published articles contain false information and many inaccuracies.
The club has hoped to develop its commercial resources and sponsorship through a contract with the agency AIM. AS Monaco wishes to point out that this contract included marketing resources, sponsoring but also all revenue related to the Champions League. The agency had to find 30 million euros in additional resources.
But this contract (which proved to be too ambitious and unachievable) has never been executed and as such never entered the club's accounts for the DNCG or for UEFA, on the initiative of the club itself. It has therefore at no time been used in the context of Financial Fair Play.
On the back of its deficit accounts (without taking into account this marketing contract), AS Monaco was penalized by UEFA for 3 million euros (plus 10 suspended) and sports sanctions.
The club was forced to choose an alternative strategy, based on the sale of players, to find the resources necessary for its operation to be in compliance with the rules of Financial Fair Play.
This subject justifies again the current policy, which is the only economically viable strategy for AS Monaco and complies with the regulations.
Uncategorized Benjamin Lecomte Comes to AS Monaco 15 July 2019, 18:00
Uncategorized Youri Tielemans a Leicester City 08 July 2019, 18:00


The Xfce main menu is quite basic & without directly editing the code, quite hard to change. While researching this, I came across references to the Whisker menu. Did a little researching, turns out is is not in the Wheezy repo's. It is available in Debian testing, but required multiple dependences (new versions in some cases.) So, not an option.
A little more searching led me to this openSUSE (weird I know) website witch gives a Debian link. When followed it offers a new repository for you to add, where the package is held. There is also the option of downloading a binary file, either xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin_1.5.0-1_i386.deb or xfce4-whiskermenu-plugin_1.5.0-1_amd64.deb. Downloaded i386 for my machine, then installed via Gdebi package installer. Then I right-clicked on the Panel> Panel> Add New Items…> Whisker Menu. Works a treat!
I have been using Linux for about 12 years. Currently I am running Debian Wheezy Xfce for my main use, I also have Debian Wheezy KDE and a laptop running Arch KDE.
This blog is a record of any tips and tricks I find on the way.


The tweetstorm concluded with a new synthetically composed sketch of the suspect made using DNA found at the scene.
On July 6, 1973, 11-year-old Linda O'Keefe left for her Newport Beach home after a day at summer school.
Linda's body was discovered the next day in the Back Bay area of Newport Harbor. Some 45 years later, her killer has not been found. The Newport Beach police department is hoping to change that.
The police department announced Thursday that it planned to live-tweet O'Keefe's final day and mysterioius disappearence in real time using the hashtag #LindasStory.
It's likely the first time a police agency in the U.S. has given a case such treatment on social media, said Jennifer Manzella, a Newport Beach Police Department spokeswoman.
Manzella got the idea after an agency in Canada took a similar approach with a cold case of its own. When detectives approached her about revisiting the case on its anniversary, she saw Twitter as a perfect way to covey the volume of information in the case.
In a similar approach last May that was also inspired by a Canadian Twitter campaign, a Florida sheriff's office received promising leads after it posted a about the disappearance of Christy Luna from the 8-year-old's perspective.
The Newport police tweets began at 7:45 a.m. Friday, exactly when Linda left for school 45 years ago. They will continue until mid-morning Saturday, when her body was discovered.
The early tweets are written in Linda's voice, as though she was writing in a diary. That tone will change, though, and some of the last tweets will contain a video overview of the homicide case as told by the detectives working it.
The police will also be releasing a new synthetically constructed snapshot of Linda's suspected killer. The department partnered with Parabon NanoLabs to make the snapshot using crime scene DNA from the case.
Linda usually biked to and from summer school, but on that day she got a ride to school from a teacher. She was last seen outside Lincoln Intermediate School (now Lincoln Elementary), waiting for a ride home.
A frantic search took place overnight and into July 7, with police pursuing leads including a turqoise van and a friend's boat bound for Catalina. Eventually, Linda's body was found that morning by nature enthusiasts looking for frogs. The girl, still wearing a dress her mother had made, had been strangled.
If you are reading this on a web browser, you can scroll down for some of the highlights of #LindasStory. We will be adding to this throughout Friday and Saturday, so check back for updates. To see all the #LindasStory tweets, visit @NewportBeachPD on Twitter.


text:
eLearning Technology in Education: How Much is Too Much?
by Ila Mishra+
in Education & Technology, Online Education, Online Training, Teaching Trends and Best Practices, Various
There's a reason why we have many aphorisms encouraging us to strike a middle ground in most of the life's endeavors. Even things that have wonderful attributes can end up being a net negative if pursued overzealously.
In the context of education, technology offers a prime example of this idea in action. If deployed reasonably and moderately, eLearning technology contributes to a profound benefit. However, if you push things too far or too fast, technology can quickly become a bane rather than a boon.
The key is knowing how to strike the right balance.
Technology in learning: The perils of expanding access without structure
There's no doubt that eLearning technology has been the impetus for critical changes to the way we teach and learn. Consider the example of high-speed Internet, which has made world-class education available to virtually anyone with an online connection, regardless of location.
Alternatively, consider the power of broadband combined with an advanced tool such as a learning management system, which allows educators to make learning vastly accessible and flexible. Online learning, supported by sophisticated eLearning solutions, has also been demonstrated to improve student outcomes by making the educational process more student-centered, interactive and engaging.
Given the power and reach of online learning, it is no exaggeration to say that eLearning technology has the potential to revolutionize education. Not only to school level but eLearning brings lots of success to high education as well. We must implement it judiciously to ensure that these changes are for the better. Prior examples warn us that this is not always the case.
Instances where technology failed the purpose
A few years ago, economists from Duke University conducted a study[1] examining the progress of one million economically disadvantaged middle schoolers who were given access to a networked computer. While it might sound counterintuitive, the study showed that reading and math scores declined after Internet access was granted. The adverse effects were particularly pronounced among the worst-performing students, whose reading and math scores dropped precipitously following the introduction of a networked computing device.
The problem was not the computer or broadband access, of course. Student progress suffered because the technology overwhelmed the teaching. Students with unstructured access to the Internet chose to spend their time on non-academic pursuits, while mostly failing to use the technology for its intended purpose
Similar problems have bedeviled educators seeking to improve classroom outcomes with the introduction of digital learning devices. The One Laptop Per Child program distributed free devices[2] to children over six, aiming to close the digital divide and allow children to educate themselves via the Web. Unfortunately, researchers found that children once again failed to take advantage of eLearning technology in education in the absence of structured support and long-term educational planning.
The lesson?
Technology by itself is no panacea for what ails underperforming students. Distributing devices may pique the attention of students, but they quickly become overwhelmed by the temptations and distractions of the Web and social media.
Striking the right balance
We have seen that expanding access to eLearning technology without support and structure can worsen the academic outcomes. While such programs are motivated by good intentions, they often fail because they are guided by a fundamental misapprehension of what technology can do, and what it cannot.
Hyper-adoption of new technology — without careful planning and implementation — is one result of the misguided sense that technology is a cure-all for what ails education. Buoyed by an understanding of the transformational power of technology (and an overly optimistic hope that it will quickly fix longstanding educational problems), educators and reformers often fail to evaluate new approaches rigorously. Student progress suffers when new technological initiatives fail to meet expectations.
That is a shame because even the technology that receives ridicule for being a time waster or intellectually worthless can have value. One example: action-oriented video games have been demonstrated[3] to help girls narrow gaps in spatial cognition as compared to boys.
That is right — if used judiciously and with appropriate oversight and support, even video games can spur significant intellectual development. The key is finding a middle ground where technology is deployed in the right context and with the proper structure and guidance.
By striking this kind of balance, technology enhances the learning experience and facilitates student progress. To accomplish this, consider taking the following steps:
Have detailed protocols in place governing the use of technology.
Undertake a rigorous review of how the technology will be used to improve outcomes and how it will be implemented.
Incorporate rules or behavioral cues to encourage the smart use of technology. For example, a school may limit the type of activity performed on a device, or restrict the amount of time such devices can be used. Alternatively, in the case of older students, institutions can use online learning platforms that have built-in cues that encourage students to stay engaged and on top of the material.
Provide a sufficient degree of technical support. If students become confused by technology, they can quickly disengage and fall behind. Without proper support, students may become overwhelmed by the demands of using new technology.
Pursue a balanced approach to education. Students spend enormous amounts of time online outside school hours. Traditional classroom elements (writing, discussions, reading, among others) are instrumental in developing cognitive skills. The classroom is often the primary place where students read, write and discuss academic topics at length.
Use eLearning technology to devise new ways of doing things, rather than using it to reinforce existing classroom activity. eLearning technology in education is a tool, not a solution in and of itself. It does not replace great learning processes — it amplifies and empowers them.
There's no doubt that eLearning technology holds power to radically improve our existing pedagogical processes and make high-quality education vastly more accessible. To deliver on that promise, we need to strike the right balance when integrating technology into our learning models. Choose the right eLearning technology and consider these points before investing in one.
By following the advice outlined above, you can ensure that you are using technology judiciously and to the ultimate benefit of your students.
[1] https://www.urban.org/research/publication/scaling-digital-divide-home-computer-technology-and-student-achievement
[2] https://jia.sipa.columbia.edu/can-one-laptop-child-save-worlds-poor/
[3] http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01990.x?utm_campaign=434960088a-Brilliant_Report_16_1_2012&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Brilliant%3A+The+New+Science+of+Smart+Newsletter&utm_term=0_9c734401c1-434960088a-300646505&
elearningelearning technologieselearning technologyelearning technology in education
Ila Mishra+
Content Specialist at WizIQ. 'Live to write and write to live' is her motto. Passionate about life and living it up!


https://youtu.be/-tHXkt5JZMc This is a good video, but I personally do not like the stair exercise.
https://youtu.be/sekBTg7cowo This is my video and just look at the beginning which shows the anterior tibial strengthening.
Big Toe Joint Pain: Spica Taping can Help!!
Spica taping is a technique with several variations that primarily limits the bend, or dorsiflexion, of the big toe joint. One of the variations is to help the same tape align the hallux that is drifting lateral causing lateral impingement. Spica taping is commonly learned with KT tape or RockTape since it goes around the bends of the toe fairly easy. If the patient needs more restriction, and has the basic skill down, then 3M Nexcare Waterproof Tape is used. This is a skill I want my patients to learn and perfect. It is part of my initial experimentation into what helps eliminate the joint pain. Typically one inch wide tape 7 to 8 inches long is centered dorsally over the top of the hallux. First the medial leg is brought down under the big toe joint and then run under the first metatarsal. Second the lateral leg is brought down under the big toe joint, and then run parallel to the first strip along the orientation of the first metatarsal. At least one half of the lateral leg should be touching the skin so that the tape can last 3-4 days. Make sure with KT or RockTape that you then rub in the finished product for a minute to activate the glue. The big toe itself when you are finished should be just slightly below the 2nd toe. Spica taping is classic for hallux rigidus and turf toe, but can hold the toe down with sesamoid injuries distributing the weight bearing somewhat away from the sesamoid. Spica taping can increase the compressive forces across the joint, which may hurt, so you just have to try to see if it makes sense. Below are 2 videos I did.
I have recently had a wonderful vacation with my wife in Hawaii. During that time, I was working each day on a book on biomechanics for podiatrists. I will share here something that took 5 days to write just on the complexity of the big toe. It is meant to tell you that if you have big toe joint pain, or you are treating a patient with big toe joint pain, there are so many options mechanically to help as you work on the inflammation and nerve hypersensitivity, and making an accurate diagnosis. The book will be several years in the making, and I am still looking for a publisher. I hope it shows you the possibilities available. Most of the modalities listed can be found in the blog.
The big toe joint is a fascinating area to try to help because of all the variables that come into play. Since the end of normal stance in the gait cycle ends up with us pushing off the hallux with first metatarsal plantar flexion, and our goal in treatment is not to have the patient limp or favor in any way which would negatively affect the entire chain above and lead to other problems, we have a difficult assignment. I tell my patients with chronic big toe joint pain, from sesamoid issues, to hallux rigidus, to chronic turf toe, that they made need multiple orthotic devices and a variety of other helpful modifications and accessories. I thought this would easily be the area the inverted orthotic device would work for, and it does for some, but the higher the arch you make (in order to transfer weight to the arch and shift the weight to the center of the foot in propulsion) the more plantarflexed the first metatarsal becomes. The more plantarflexed the first metatarsal, the more chance the big toe joint will be forced down into the ground worsening the pain. Therefore, where the Inverted Technique or even an orthotic made expertly for a pes cavus foot type made work some of the time, some of the time they do not and you have to make a flatter arched orthotic device or no orthotic device at all. Below we will talk about each one of these mechanical changes.
Each of these problems, and other problems involving the big toe joint, will have certain mechanical changes that help. I hope the list below helps you think outside your normal routine in creating a stable joint and getting the pain levels quickly to that 0-2 healing environment. I commonly think of pain in the big toe joint coming from excessive ground pressure, too much bend, malalignment with valgus forces, superficial pressure from shoe gear, or compression forces across the joint. To affect many of these causes, you have to do treatments that affect the patient in the propulsive phase of gait.Think of these as you work through the 32 common mechanical changes done to the big toe joint.
Spica taping is a technique with several variations that primarily limits the bend, or dorsiflexion, of the big toe joint. One of the variations is to help the same tape align the hallux that is drifting lateral causing lateral impingement. Spica taping is commonly learned with KT tape or RockTape since it goes around the bends of the toe fairly easy. If the patient needs more restriction, and has the basic skill down, then 3M Nexcare Waterproof Tape is used. This is a skill I want my patients to learn and perfect. It is part of my initial experimentation into what helps eliminate the joint pain. Typically one inch wide tape 7 to 8 inches long is centered dorsally over the top of the hallux. First the medial leg is brought down under the big toe joint and then run under the first metatarsal. Second the lateral leg is brought down under the big toe joint, and then run parallel to the first strip along the orientation of the first metatarsal. At least one half of the lateral leg should be touching the skin so that the tape can last 3-4 days. Make sure with KT or RockTape that you then rub in the finished product for a minute to activate the glue. The big toe itself when you are finished should be just slightly below the 2nd toe. Spica taping is classic for hallux rigidus and turf toe, but can hold the toe down with sesamoid injuries distributing the weight bearing somewhat away from the sesamoid. Spica taping can increase the compressive forces across the joint, which may hurt, so you just have to try to see if it makes sense.
Bunion taping is a technique done the same as the spica taping except with different starting point and leg orientation. Bunion taping is done to center the hallux in the joint when the hallux is drifting or chronically too lateral. Done with the same tape as spica taping, the center is placed on the lateral side of the hallux with one arm going superiorly and one leg inferiorly. When applied, the hallux is placed in neutral and first the plantar arm comes under the big toe joint and laid along the medial side of the first metatarsal. This is where you and ultimately the patient has to play with how tight. It can be a balance between good correction and too much pressure. The superior arm then comes across the joint and again is laid down on the medial side of the first metatarsal with about half touching new skin and half overlapping the other arm. Remember to rub in the tape for a minute to activate the glue, especially if it will be left on for a few days. Bunion taping is done post 2nd toe surgeries when you do not want the big toe applying pressure on your surgery. It not only centers the joint, but does some restriction of the joint motion that is less than spica taping, but has some effect.
Toe Separators (sometimes called toe spreaders) come in various shapes and sizes and materials. From the hard rubber ones that I was first exposed to as a student, now they are made of soft foams and gel. To me, a medium gel toe separator that has the shape of an hour glass is conservative bunion care 101. My mantra in bunion care is maintain stage 2. The toe separator immediately puts the bunion, which may have started the day in stage 3 or 4, back into stage 2. As you walk, with stage 2 of bunion development maintained, the forces through the big toe joint are more normal and should slow down the hideous retrograde forces. This centering of the joint will allow for normal muscle development as muscles are typically strengthened within a few degrees on either side of the range you use them. If you want to strengthen the right muscle fibers, strengthen a muscle with the joint properly aligned. This centering of the joint also helps alleviate pain from lateral joint impingement, common at the big toe joint. Even joints that do not have bunions can be negatively influenced by shoe gear and activity mechanical forces that shove the hallux laterally. You just have to think how many ballet dancers develop juvenile bunions from the en pointe positioning, especially if pointe is started when they are skeletally immature. Foam toe separators have more width and therefore work better for a lot of my patients. They are long and can go too far forward on the toe and cause ingrown toenails. For this a good scissor can shorten them. With overlapping toes, you either need the hour glass shape of the gel ones, or the toe separator that slips over the 2nd toe and has a toe separator attached medially. The patient should never take their sock off and see the toe separator resting under the second toe. This will worsen a hammertoe problem. Toe separators can and should be used after bunion surgery to help maintain the correction while the muscles and scar tissue are transforming. This is not a good idea if any work was done on the weaker 2nd toe, since the pressure of the toe separator can ruin your toe surgery.
Dancer's padding has a fun beginning. In the 1700s, when the French were studying their ballet, they discovered that dancers with big toe joint pain could be helped by transferring the weight off the area. Before then, if your big toe joint hurt, it would be covered to protect it, so this concept was revolutionary! So, instead of calling this padding a Reverse Morton's Extension (a more popular name), our office honors the French and call it a dancer's pad. It is a pad that typically goes under the 2nd through 5th metatarsal, but if the 5th metatarsal has issues, then 2 to 4 is utilized. Many materials are utilized, but my office stocks 1/8th inch adhesive felt that can be applied to anything (orthotic device, shoe insert, sandal, ballet slipper, etc). Sometimes to take enough pressure off of the big toe joint and hallux I increase the padding to ¼ inch. If you do, make sure the patient does not feel that they are actually falling into the hole which would make things worse. If you put the second pad on, do not line it up perfectly with the first layer. Off set it alittle laterally and proximally (or distally) which easies the feeling of the edges. It typically reduces the plantar pressures across the joint by 50% or more. Many times the pronation affect of the dancer's pad to pull a patient medially must be balanced by an arch support of some kind to pull the patient laterally. I prefer OTC non plastic orthotic devices for this since the goal of plastic based orthotic devices, with or without Dannenberg modifications, are meant to make the big toe work better and move more. It just may not be the right time for that when you are trying to off load a sore sesamoid or hallux rigidus. With the recent barefoot craze, with the resultant forefoot impact load at contact, it seemed like I was making dancer's padding all the time. I joked to my fellow podiatrists that I had to make dancer's pads for these runners that preferred running as dancers. I typically do not make dancer's padding that goes to the toes due to crowding issues. I love the Dr. Jill's Gel Dancer's Pads. They come in 1/8th inch and ¼ inch, and sometimes you need to make the hole bigger. They stick on one side and are primary for sesamoid injuries. But by making the hole bigger, they can work well for any big toe joint problem. The stick side allows you to use them on your skin or any surface. Because of that, you need several rights and several lefts of each side to really have all the combinations going forward. If you place a ⅛ on one side, you usually do not need anything unless you feel awkward on the other side. If you place a ¼ inch on one side, you at least need ⅛ inch on the other side for balance.
Cluffy wedges was designed by Dr. James Clough (play off his last name) in Oregon. It is a small pad that fits into the sulcus under the proximal phalanx to off weight the sesamoids (big toe joint) as your weight rolls forward. The ⅛ inch adhesive felt is usually 1 inch by 1 inch or slightly smaller. It can not go under the distal phalanx or it increases big toe dorsiflexion and big toe joint weight bearing. I never used it until 10 years ago when a patient of Dr. Clough moved to San Francisco and needed a new podiatrist. She was wearing her cluffy wedge as part of a fractured sesamoid treatment. When I asked her if it was helpful, she stated she would not leave home without it. So, it became part of my treatment from that point on, and like most of these mechanical treatments, 50% of patients feel that it is very helpful. Dr. Clough, one of my students, was in the same class as Dr. Kevin Kirby, biomechanics guru extraordinaire, but when the cluffy wedge works successfully, it is Dr. Clough that I am most proud of (at least for a second or two). So, when patients present with big toe joint pain on their first visit to my office, they all leave the office with a game plan and 3 mechanical changes to begin to manipulate the symptoms: spica taping, dancer's padding, and cluffy wedges.
Morton's Extensions put more pressure on the big toe joint and hallux, but are used to immobilize the joint with hallux rigidus (arthritis). They can involve the big toe joint and whole hallux, or end at the interphalangeal joint. They can be an extension off the distal medial end of an orthotic restricting the bend between the orthotic device and forefoot extension or just a loose attachment distal to the plastic orthotic device. Morton's extensions can be a varus wedge for the forefoot in certain biomechanical conditions even if just a 1/8th inch. Morton's extensions can soft or hard, ⅛ th inch to ¼ inch, and of varying degrees of rigidity. Morton's extensions, like dancer's padding, can be applied to custom orthotic devices, OTC inserts, or simply the shoe liner. In general, Morton' extensions are used in the Immobilization Phase of an injury, for joint restriction or immobilization, but not in the long haul. Eventually, you have to free up the joint. Morton's extensions block normal motion. I have many patients who need a Morton's Extension as a cast while we are calming down a joint, probably as we transition from cam walker, post operative shoe, or Hoka One One rocker bottom shoe type. Many of these patients, if they get recurrent problems, or are left which some joint sensitivity, have 2 versions of orthotic devices. They need a Morton's extension arrangement and a more standard dancer's padding arrangement.
Use for the shortest time possible in the Immobilization Phase of big toe joint pain.
Use as a Forefoot Varus Wedge in some athletic activities, like propulsive phase pronation in runners (in their running orthotic device only).
The rigidity (or immobilization) can be increased with attaching it to a orthotic device, using firmer materials, or extending it longer to the end of the shoe.
The rigidity (or immobilization) can be increased by using it with bike shoes with embedded cleats, Hoka One One rocker shoes, stiff soled hiking shoes, and hunting boots.
Whether the rearfoot and arch has enough support to shift the weight laterally off the big toe joint.
Whether the medial arch increases the plantar declination of the first metatarsal increasing the load and bend of the first metatarsal phalanges joint (I tend to use Kirby Skives a lot here with minimal medial arch height in some of these cases).
Whether the stress at the end of a standard orthotic device will produce too much stress on the big toe joint. Remember when a device supports and protects and immobilizes something, the most stress is where it ends. It is a natural stress point. Just like the old acrylics used to break right in front of the rear foot post.
Whether the natural motion of the big toe joint needs to be immobilized more. If you think of things that orthotic devices make move or function better (big toe joint and posterior tibial tendon for example), then it should not be surprising that they can hurt more because we are letting them move or function too much. There are times that tissue should be in the Immobilization Phase instead of the Return to Activity Phase. The tissue has been injured and just not ready.
Orthotic Devices of Stability only with no extrinsic post is a common custom or over the counter device prescribed for big toe joint pain. The difference from the last example is that there is noticeably no attempt at varus wedging in any form for weight shift. These orthotics flood my office for outside practitioners, or may be over the counter types, and they may be perfect, or just need something more. Typically these orthotics do not make the big toe function better, so may not stir up the joint. They may not shift the weight enough, so dancer's pads, spica taping, cluffy wedges, more arch support with Hapad arches, temporary Kirby Skives that you can place in the office, varus wedges added to the plantar surface. As you work on the inflammation and nerve hypersensitivity, continue to work on the mechanics. Remember all the causes of big toe joint pain from a mechanical viewpoint: compression forces, plantar loading forces, joint malalignment forces, superficial shoe forces, and bending forces. Identify these forces that apply to your patient and gradually make changes. See what works. You may discover that a different design is going to be the best, but I typically use what the patient brings in and try to customize that first. It works in a great many times.
No Heel Lift is the general principle in treating any metatarsal problems including big toe joint pain. It can be a challenge when the heel lift is for the short leg which just happens to be on the side of the big toe joint problem. This can be remedied by making the lift into sulcus length with a cutout for the big toe joint (lift with dancer's pad combined). Lifts can also be part of a custom orthotic functioning as an extrinsic rearfoot post for improved medial and lateral instability. When dealing with big toe joint pain and orthotics with rearfoot posts, I remove the rearfoot post and place midfoot medial and lateral supports to hold my correction as best as possible. I use a grinding rubber ¼ inch in the medial arch and ⅛ inch under the cuboid/5th metatarsal base. The heel lifts may be on both sides and function more as Achilles supports or heel pain cushions. At times, you have to decide what is the worst pain for now and make the appropriate adjustments. Of course, for women, and even men who wear cowboy boots, shoes with heels should be restrictive for months longer than it takes the big toe joint pain to resolve.
Zero Drop Shoes is along the same lines as no heel lifts within the shoes. Starting with racing flats for runners, or dress shoes for men and women, there is now a plethora of athletic shoes from minimalistic to maximalist that offer zero drop or close to zero drop shoes. This means that there is zero to 4 mm in general transition downward from the heel to the forefoot. The traditional running shoes like the Brooks line typically are 12 mm transition or greater in some shoes. But, this is like everything we have been talking about. Some patients need this and others not. As podiatrists we now have so many choices and this variable can be helpful. The only running shoe company I know that that is exclusively zero drop is Altra. When the zero drop shoes are too soft in the heel, they can produce a damaging negative heel effect.
Rocker Shoes have been popularized by the Hoka One One shoe company and are a must shoe to try for my big toe joint patients. There are so many styles and configurations of the padding and rocker that patients have to go to a store that have many variations. The position of the rocker has to be just right to roll the patient gently across the injury and not put pressure on the injury. Some of the shoes will naturally put a slight varus bias in the roll which may help until they break down laterally. Some of the shoes have just the right amount of cushion and stiff, others something is off. Hoka One One is only one of the companies with a rocker, as the New Balance 928 and the dress shoe line Allegria also have them. I am sure at the time you are reading this many more companies and styles will be available. The rocker effect is so much better than the rockers we used to ask shoe cobblers to put onto shoes. My patients would trip and fall on these things that stuck out on the bottom of the shoe and I got very frustrated with them. A negative, among many, of rocker shoes is sometimes the heel is too unstable. The patient should roll through the shoe without sinking back into the heel. This negative heel effect, like the original Earth shoes, is very damaging, and can be felt in some of the zero drop shoes as mentioned above.
Bike Shoes with embedded cleats have been a wonderful find for my practice. The company Chrome, with a headquarters in my San Francisco, makes gear for the bicycle messenger industry and have a line of non-athletic looking bike shoes that can pass as semi-dress shoes. Other companies like Shimano or Pearl Izumi have these mountain bike shoes, also called hike and bike shoes. The cleat is embedded so you are not walking on awkward cleats. For big toe joint problems, and plantar fascial tears, when you want to restrict the bend of the big toe joint for 3-6 months, this can be a lot better solution than a cam walker with an EvenUp on the opposite side. I have irritated so many less backs then with the removable boots. During the rainy season, sometimes these can only be used indoors as they can be more slippery than a normal shoe with rubber traction. The motion in these is abnormal, using more hip and knee motion since you can not push off, but since they are used as a pair, the lack of asymmetry tends to work well. Remember we are trying to attain the 0-2 pain level so the injury can heal. Even if the patient is in a boot for a while to drive the pain down, these shoes or Hoka rocker shoes may be the transition before normal shoes. And, you can wear your orthotic devices, dancer's padding, cluffy wedges, spica taping, etc. with this shoe and with the removable boot. Do what you can to drive the pain down as quickly as possible.
Cam Walkers (Removable Boots) are the classic treatment of all big toe joint problems as the patient limps into your office and painlessly strolls out. You are starting the several month process of discovering the diagnosis (over treat please until you know that it is not a fracture), protecting the foot, and creating the 0-2 healing environment. Even without all the information, you can wonderfully start the patient on a road to recovery on day one. The 3 phases of rehabilitation are Immobilization, Re-Strengthening, and Return to Activity. The phases are blended all the time, but do not blur the distinctions of the 3 phases. Know when they are in each phase, even when you start them strengthening on day 1, and you place them back in a walker during a flare in the Return to Activity phase. When someone has injured their big toe joint, any imaging like x rays possibly suggesting arthritis vs sesamoid irregularities are not conclusive, how do we create a healing environment? The cam walker stops the bend of the big toe joint. Up to a ¼ inch adhesive felt can be placed into the walker to off weight the area. I have had too many patients come in for second opinions because the boot was the right idea, but the patient remained in pain walking in the boot. I explain to the patient that the pain has to be 0-2, walking a good deal, for 2 weeks straight, before we can think about transitioning them into bike shoes, or Hokas, or normal shoes with inserts, etc. Yet, certain diagnoses, like sesamoid fractures override that rule and require in my mind 3 straight months of immobilization before we loosen the reins. One more point about cam walkers concerns full day or partial day use. If the restriction of the boots eliminates pain, you can use it for short periods of time to just rest the tissue. Sometimes my patients will only be in the boot for 4 hours a day presumably a stressful time of the day for their injury. That can give the injury valuable rest time to help the healing process. I learned this well with my dancers at San Francisco Ballet, where they would full their full dance but spend the rest of the day resting the injury in the boot. Sometimes it was part of a medical compromise, and sometimes only an extension of the 0-2 pain level that we were achieving other ways.
Stiff Soled Shoes (including post operative) are something every podiatrist has in their office. These can immediately stop the bend of the big toe joint in the acute phase of an injury. When a patient injures the big toe joint, you have to remind them not to bend their big toe joint. They have to walk flat footed. Many patients have to use off weight bearing padding in these also, as just stopping the bend of the joint may not be enough to reduce their pain. So many patients have stiff dress shoes (like flat forms) or stiff hiking or hunting boots that can serve this purpose. Shoe cobblers can stiffen the forefoot in some shoes, and I would try to find one with padding and hopefully a removable insert. The extra stiffener can be removed when not needed at a later date.
Flexible Shoes is the complete opposite of the above stiff sole option, but sometimes what is needed. Some patients put a lot of force through their first metatarsal phalangeal joint with walking and they need the shoe to be flexible and less stressful when they try to bend the joint. I am not sure if these are patients with more pronatory or supinatory gait patterns, but I assume supinatory since they are more central in their weight distribution across the metatarsals. The more pronation with over loading of the big toe joint the more stiffer the platform would have to be to protect it. Of course, it depends on all the other factors like do they use inserts with dancer's padding, etc. When I send patients to a good shoe store to pick up some Hoka One One shoes, very stiff and very rocker, they are to put everyone we have designed in the shoe, and compare to their traditional flexible shoes. With the insert and dancer's padding pulling their weight bearing lateral, some of these patients feel great in their traditional flexible shoes. I tell them to still get the Hokas, but alternate back and forth daily, with each shoe environment relieving the stresses produced by the other shoe environment. I love varying the stresses as long as I can keep the pain level between 0-2.
Forefoot Padding is the opposite option of dancer's padding or reverse Morton's extensions. It an area is sore, pad it, and see if it feels better. So many patients have poor fat pads, especially near their bony first metatarsal heads, and the extra padding is of great comfort. In my office lab, I always have around 5 types of cushion material around ⅛ inch thick that I can add to the forefoot or heel in particular. Here I am not talking about localized padding to create a Morton's extension or a Reverse Morton's Extension, but a simple pad across the entire ball of the foot for more cushion. When patients like that for their injury, you know they should like shoes with a lot more forefoot padding to separate the pedal from the metal. Hannaford style cushion orthotics are full length memory foam orthotic devices that maximize the forefoot padding for these patients.
Skip lacing can dramatically take pressure off the big toe joint. The distal medial hole may or may not be over the big toe joint, but it can still produce pressure downward from the top. This the same concept as finding the shoe with the deepest toe box as later described. You can skip both the medial and lateral last two holes distally, or you can attempt to just skip the medial hole for the maintenance of the best shoe stability. When do this, first you take out all of the laces except the most distal (closest to the toes). Make sure that the laces are even. Take out only the lace that runs through the hole near the big toe and transfer it through the hole one above (proximal) still on the medial side and then through the hole directly lateral (if you are counting from the bottom, medial second and then lateral second holes). If you think about it, if you had placed it originally in the distal medial hole, it then would have ended up here in the second lateral hole. The original distal lateral lace will also go through the second medial hole, so 2 laces through the same hole. From this point on, the lacing is normal up towards the ankle. You have succeeded in alleviating pressure from the top down onto the big toe joint. At times, with such acute problems like a gout attack to the big toe joint, you have to remove the last 2 holes, medially and laterally, so go to a shoe with Velcro closures like post operative shoes.
Deep Toe Box unfortunately only occurs in a few selective shoes like some of the Brooks shoes. There are a slew of diabetic shoes that are extra depth, like the Ambulators, that can create space for a very protective shoe insert. In most cases, when I give a patient a list of shoes for a big toe joint problem (say neutral, stability, or motion control), I simply ask them to try to find the one that gives the most room in the big toe joint area that is still their correct size. There can be enough differences in shoes that one shoe may be better in this regard. Since shoe selection and unique features are very difficult to keep up with, the advice of the store personnel can be vital in the decision making.
Occasionally this problem happens with the smaller foot of a patient with a big difference in foot lengths. You have to buy for the longest foot. As of this writing, the Brooks company will split boxes for a small fee even if the size difference is only ½ size.
Shoe Stretching can work at times in a dress shoe to take pressure away from the dorsal or medial aspects of the first metatarsal head. It has been my experience that it only works when the shoe cobbler takes the shoe overnight to stretch. The ball and ring stretchers are still in use in many podiatrists office, but there is a skill to make the area stretched cosmetically appealing. I have not seen this work in athletic shoes, but some cobblers can remove irritative seams or bands of material that are in the way.
Carbon Plates (Full Width) are thin rigid plates that come in all the sizes of shoes that fit under the shoe insole or orthotic device to limit toe bend. It is a simple way of taking a flexible shoe and making a temporary rigid shoe (as long as you need it). The design I use is totally flat (Otto Bock) and can work like a charm, or have major difficulties matching the curves and design of the present shoes. 2 local stores sell these and find good patient feedback. Since it does not allow your foot to bend at push off, I recommend it on both feet, which creates less asymmetry. In rainy weather, when a bike shoe with embedded cleat is not possible, this is a good alternative if you can find a shoe that it works with smoothly. Like the bike shoes you are supposed to not push off, but lift from your hips and knees (like marching). If the patient can not break the habit of trying to push off, or if they pronated too much into the plastic plate under the big toe joint, they will feel worse with this and should remove it quickly.
Carbon Plates with Morton's Extension work well with an orthotic device on top. Here only the first metatarsal head and hallux have the carbon plate distally. You want a varus biased orthotic device that gets you into the middle of the foot well. However, with some severely pronated feet, this is nearly impossible. If you can get the weight more central, this device works well allowing normal motion without big toe bend and it is appropriate to only use on the side needed due to big toe joint pain. A common problem with this design is when the hallux is too lateral and falls off of the plate. Sometimes you have to use bunion taping (as previously described) and/or toe separators (also previously described) to get the hallux over the Morton's extension. And again, if the patient pronates too severely into the Morton's extension, the pressure can be too much, and may be more a candidate for the next design.
Carbon Plate Dancer's Modification is definitely my favorite design. It limits the big toe joint and big toe pressures, it limits the motion in general across all of the metatarsal phalangeal joints, does not lift up on the first metatarsal adding to its overall pressure, but it does allow more big toe joint motion, and that could be the source of pain. You can also spica tape with it. You can actually put this under the shoe insole on the first visit, spica tape, add some Dr. Jill's dancer's pads, and probably help most patients before they walk out the door. I always want to free up the big toe joint by various means before attempting to limit it when it is the only way to get to the 0-2 pain level. I must emphasize that in my office, one thing is done at a time. You must do one thing at a time, watch the patient walk and/or run, get the patient's feedback, then you can add or subtract another modality. This is the only way you can separate what is helping and what is not helping.
Proximal Padding (dorsal or medial) is an off weighting pad typically one inch square that attempts to place pressure from a sensitive spot (say medial eminence on a bunion) to a more proximal ( or less sensitive) spot. I typically use ¼ inch adhesive felt, but sometimes ⅛ inch is enough. I typically try in the office, and if it helps, give them a foot of material. Each square can be used 3-4 times before the stick wears out. It is only used when they wear enclosed shoes that could press on the area. Of course, some tight shoes can not fit anyway else, barely fit the foot itself. And, sometimes, you have to make the design smaller so that it will not show. When it comes to taking pressure off a sore area, sometimes very little is needed. Proximal padding is used mainly for the big toe joint area when there is medial bunion pain and dorsal spur pain from hallux rigidus. A very important aspect of bunion care is to off weight the medial eminence, but also vitalize the medial eminence soft tissue. Chronic inflammatory changes at the medial eminence can lead to skin breakdown and nerve hypersensitivity. Daily 2-3 minute non painful massage with hydrating lotions can help mechanically move away inflammatory tissue and de-sensitize the area. I will even send patients to physical therapy to help the tissue get healthier.
Metatarsal Padding (sub 2nd to 4th or 5th) is another method of shifting weight from a painful big toe joint. The difference here from a dancer's pad is that the weight is placed on the metatarsal shafts not metatarsal heads. I tend to use small or extra small Hapad longitudinal medial arch pads and apply them onto shoe inserts, over the counter orthotic devices, and custom orthotic devices. I actually first used them in ballet slippers and en pointe shoes when I routinely treated the San Francisco Ballet and the Oakland Ballet. You can not put much into those shoes, so what you do use has to be powerful. I typically have to thin them out some, and the patients are advised how to do so. There is a website and fax number on the backing where they can find more. The goal is to keep the weight centered through mid stance and propulsion, limiting the weight through the big toe joint and hallux. Changes from 50-60% weight to 40-50% weight can make a big difference over several weeks at letting tissue heal. Patients need to roll through the ball of their feet, notably the second metatarsal head onto the distal phalanx of the hallux, in active propulsion. The weight bearing is generally moving from a lateral (or sometimes more central) heel strike to a medial push off. These metatarsal pads can help redirect that force more central, or at least share more weight bearing onto the other metatarsals and unload the big toe joint some. Some may be enough to help, and help dramatically. After you take the backing off the Hapads, you have around two days to move it around until the adhesive gets too stuck. The patients are advised that they can move the padding medially or laterally and anterior or posterior. They should never feel like they are falling into the big toe area like falling into a hole. Sometimes, the position that feels the best for them, I would never have placed there.
These are done quickly, so it is Grade 5 mobilization that you are teaching. I do them twice, and always feel that the joint is looser the 2nd time. I measure before and after mobilization and typically get 5 and sometimes 10 degrees gain. The patient must do it 3 to 4 times a day to slowly gain, and maintenance for some will be once a day indefinitely. If I start a patient doing this, it is measured every visit even 5-10 years down the line to make sure they are not slipping back. The principle of mobilization is to stabilize the proximal segment and move the distal segment. So, you stabilize the first metatarsal head so that does not move, and you grab the proximal phalanx of the hallux. Remember you are moving the proximal phalanx on the first metatarsal head in 4 ways it does not normally move. You glide it up and down, you abduct and adduct, you rotate like a clock both directions, and you pull it out straight. The last one can be the hardest angle for the patients to do, but they try.
Metatarsal Doming or Arcing is the best way to strengthen the flexors (hallucis longus and brevis) along with Single Leg Balancing. Metatarsal doming is an isometric exercise with tightening for a six second count with 4 second relaxation and then repeated 10 times total. You can do it 3 times a day, but a conversation I had with Dr. Pribut from Washington, DC, says he has his patients do them up to 300 times a day. The first part of the exercise involves straightening all of the toes. Patients with bunions and hammertoes that they can not straighten actively, need toe separators and/or Budin splints to get everything in a straight(er) position. You want to strengthen the correct muscle fibres that pull the toes straight. With the toes straight (reasonably), you pull up on the metatarsal heads keeping the tips of your toes against the ground as you count to 6. Try to feel the tension in the metatarsal arch as you squeeze the tissue as you do in every isometric. That squeeze feel is developing muscle bulk and tone, and patients begin to feel the difference in their feet within weeks. This is different and more powerful for straightening then picking up marbles or crunching a towel. I personally think these later two exercises can make hammertoes worse, but I have also seen good strength gains when patients are doing them. I prefer when patients are learning these that they carefully watch that their toes are not curling. Once they are doing the exercise correctly and consistently, they can do it in the supermarket checkout line, etc, without having to look down.
Abductor Hallucis Strengthening is for bunion deformities when the decision is conservative care for the short or long term. It is actually a variation of metatarsal doming. It is not straight abduction, more like abduction plantarflexion, but it does get the abductor hallucis muscle fibers working and stronger in the process. Anyone who has seen an MRI image of the abductor hallucis muscle belly knows how huge it is and how powerful it could be putting a medial pull on the hallux. As a bunion develops, and the medial side of the first metatarsal head gets stretched, while the lateral side tightens, a natural muscle imbalance occurs with the adductor hallucis at an advantage. This is made worse as the first metatarsal drifts dorsally, moving the abductor hallucis more plantarly across the joint, weakening the medial pull further. For this exercise, you need a small 3 inch section of level 1 Theraband that you tie together the ends to make a loop. The loop is then placed around each big toe, and the feet are separated until the big toes are in a straight position across the big toe joint. With one foot metatarsal doming at a time, and other foot immobile, the same motions of toe straightening then metatarsal arcing is done, 6 seconds tighten 4 seconds relax 10 times total. This should not be done if the joint is already sore. The patient should pull on the big toe in a comfortable manner and may not be able to get the toe perfectly straight. There should be no pain in doing this exercise. If the patient is just starting with night splints, toe separators, correct toes, yoga toes or gems, they will see an improvement in toe position overtime. Also, lateral capsule deep mobilization with a physical therapist can get us on the right road sooner is really stuck cases of Stage 4.
The exercise, like most strengthening exercises I show patients except pure metatarsal doming, is only done in the evening within 2 hours before going to bed.
Flexor and Extensor Hallucis Longus Strengthening can be very important in many big toe joint injuries. Making sure the long flexor is strong in sesamoid injuries helps protect the plantar surface of the joint. Making sure the long extensor is strong in Hallux Limitus or Rigidus conditions maintaining dorsiflexion strength. Typically, when any joint is injured, strengthening all the important muscles that run across that joint is important, with one group more important than another. Many podiatrists delegate this role to physical therapists which is wonderful, but try to analyze where the importance lie and what muscles are going to help the most. My mantra is to begin strengthening as soon as the injury happens. The muscles involved weaken at an alarming rate of 1% daily with any injury, and strengthen ¼ to ½ % daily. Even simple active range of motion strengthening, like moving your big toe up and down 10 times, can activate the muscles that get lazy or shut down due to the pain of the injury. Level 1 or 2 resistive exercise bands can be used to wrap around the big toe at the level of the proximal phalanx, and 2 sets of 10 toe crawls are done against the resistance of the band. For the long extensor, the resistive band has to be attached to an immobile object like a bed post with a rope attached to the post attached to the band. The band will be parallel to you in straight line with your leg. You will then wrap the big toe and start with sets of 10 against the pull of the band. There is more information on strengthening that applies in Chapter 5. Again, any strengthening as to be done pain free, but should be started as soon as you can.
Night Splints and Yoga Toes are two interesting products that can help big toe joint problems. The best night splint, or at least the one that is most comfortable, has a soft plastic that is sold at Footsmart.com. Night splints are to gently stretch the lateral capsule of the big toe joint when their is stage 3 or stage 4 bunion development. Because they have velcro, you need to wear a sock when wearing so that the Velcro does not attach to anything while you are sleeping. Physical therapy to perform lateral capsule loosening can be an important part of this treatment. This stretch of the tissue for a prolonged period of time each night can be very helpful at then allowing the toe separators to work better. If any conservative treatment for bunions is to work, you must consistently get the bunion into stage 2. Yoga toes came onto the market 10 plus years ago and has been an incredible help keeping soft tissues from contracting adding to digital deformities. Different from night splints, yoga toes put a straightening effect on all the toes. They are to be worn 30 minutes each day, and you can not walk in them. Some of my patients wear them longer, up to 3 hours in one case, because of the positive effect that has been seen. Slowly over time, as we wear socks and shoes, our toes get more and more deformed, and this is a positive way to start reversing that trend. YogaToe company has recently made two other designs: Yoga Gems (with a less aggressive separation) and Awesome Toes (which are meant to be worn about walking in house slippers, etc). Because of the dominance in the market of the next product called Correct Toes, I have not experimented with Awesome Toes.
Correct Toes, invented by Oregon podiatrist Dr. Ray McClanahan, is Yoga Toes for walking. When patients have bunions and hammertoes, it is a device that they should see if it works. Presumably born from the barefoot running boom 10 years ago, Correct Toes slips over each toe, gently separating them, and were designed to both walk and run while wearing. Since our feet are naturally wider than the position shoes force us into, and since Correct Toes will place each toe in a very separated position from each other, there are only a select group of shoes that they will fit into. Dr. McClanahan's website tells the buyer what shoes are appropriate. I tell my patients to look at that list, also start with walking around the house in loose slippers to get the feel of them. Altra and Keen shoes are my go to shoes right now known for their wide forefoot. Even if the patient only wears them for a short time at home, they will get a benefit from them. Some patients have too narrow a foot for the current design, and my most common adjustment is to remove the lateral one or two holes. At least, this is still getting the separation of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd toes. Many patients have described a greater sense of power at push off.
No Achilles Tightness is the last in my discussion of big toe joint problems, but in some cases, the most important aspect of treatment. A tight Achilles' tendon drives a tremendous force downward into the metatarsals, particularly the big toe joint, which the ground reactive forces have to match. This aspect of functional hallux limitus may not be picked up in our examination as it happens from the middle of mid stance into propulsion when the bend of the ankle is restricted by the tight Achilles for the first time in gait. It is why when we talk about vital measurements, Achilles flexibility is crucial to learn. When the ankle can't bend past ninety degrees (more subtle forces as the bend gets closer to 10 degrees) at the middle of mid stance, and as the body weight continues to move forward, the heel will lift up early driving abnormal pressure into the forefoot, or the midfoot collapses driving abnormal pressure into the forefoot, or the foot abducts driving abnormal pressure into the forefoot. Therefore, all forefoot pain patients, especially big toe joint, should have the Achilles' tendons measured for any tightness issues, and corrected as soon as possible. There is more on this treatment later, but since we are talking big toe joint problems, I want to discuss one important issue. When you stretch the Achilles' tendons, both with straight knee and bent knee positions, the actual stretching itself can put a lot of pressure on the big toe joint. You can hang the big toe joint off the end of a thick book, so as you stretch no weight goes into the big toe joint. You can also build a well with 4 books arranged to make a float for one spot. Some of my wood working patients have made their own platforms so that they can stretch, do single leg balancing, Yoga poses, etc, and protect the sore joint at the same time. Purchasing a cheap but thick sandal, and then having a shoe cobbler cut out the big toe area, can help patients avoid irritating their joints while stretching, etc.
Avoiding Excessive Big Toe Joint Bend applies to activities that a patient may do repeatedly that can stress out the injury. Activities like plank, downward dog, running on their toes, putting something on a high shelf, our sitting position, the tightness of bed sheets that can pull our toes up, etc.


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La deliensita és un mineral de la classe dels sulfats. Rep el seu nom del belga Michel Deliens (1939- ), del Reial Institut Belga de Ciències Naturals.

Característiques
La deliensita és un sulfat de fórmula química Fe[(UO₂)₂(SO₄)₂(OH)₂](H₂O)₇. Cristal·litza en el sistema ortoròmbic. La seva duresa a l'escala de Mohs és 2. L'exemplar que va servir per a determinar l'espècie, el que es coneix com a material tipus, es troba conservat al Reial Institut Belga de Ciències Naturals, a Brussel·les, Bèlgica.

Segons la classificació de Nickel-Strunz, la deliensita pertany a "07.EB: Uranil sulfats amb cations de mida mitjana" juntament amb la johannita.

Formació i jaciments
Va ser descoberta a Mas d'Alary-Village, a la localitat de Lodeva, Erau (Occitània, França). També ha estat descrita a altres dues localitats franceses, Saint-Martin-du-Bois i Gétigné; a algunes localitats de la Regió de Karlovy Vary, a la República Txeca, com per exemple a Jáchymov; a Kővágószőlős, al comtat de Baranya, Hongria; a la vall de Rendena, a la regió de Trentino-Alto Adige, Itàlia; a Quintana de la Serena, a la província de Badajoz, Espanya; i al Red Canyon, al comtat de San Juan, Utah, Estats Units.

Referències

Minerals sulfats
Minerals de ferro
Minerals que contenen uranil
Minerals que contenen hidròxid
Minerals heptahidrats
Minerals descoberts a l'Erau


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text:
References needed, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, South African Army,
Infantry regiments of South Africa
Military units and formations disestablished in 1997
Regiment Boland
Regiment Boland was an infantry regiment of the South African Army. As a reserve unit, it had a status roughly equivalent to that of a British Territorial Army or United States Army National Guard unit.
2 Regimental Symbols
3 Battle honours
Regiment Boland traced its ancestry back to Regiment Westelike Provincie (RWP) (now called Regiment Westelike Provinsie), which was one of the Afrikaner-oriented units that was raised by the Union Defence Force in 1934. RWP was renamed Regiment Onze Jan in 1951, only to be changed again in 1960, to Regiment Boland. The Regiment acquired a second battalion in 1972, with the 1st Battalion being headquartered at Paarl and the 2nd Battalion at Worcester.
However, the 1st Battalion fought to regain their original name and this succeeded in 1974, when the two battalions became independent units - the 1st Battalion became Regiment Westelike Provincie and was headquartered in Cape Town, while the 2nd Battalion retained the designation Regiment Boland. The only remnant of their association was the similar cap-badges of the two Regiments. Regiment Boland was disbanded in 1997.
Regimental Symbols[edit | edit source]
Battle honours[edit | edit source]
Retrieved from "https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Regiment_Boland?oldid=1250133"
South African Army