2004-12-20 Assigned to SHERWOOD SERVICES AG reassignment SHERWOOD SERVICES AG ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: LUKIANOW, STEPHEN WADE, BUYSSE, STEVEN P., LANDS, MICHAEL J.
A forceps for clamping, grasping, manipulating, coagulating/desiccating and cutting tissue includes a shaft portion having a proximal end, a distal end and first and second jaw members pivotally attached to the distal end of the shaft by a pivot assembly. Each of the jaw members including an opposing inner facing surface having a plurality of wave forms disposed thereon for engaging tissue therebetween. The wave forms disposed on the inner facing surface of the second jaw member being complimentary to the wave forms on the inner facing surface of first jaw member. A handle portion having an actuating assembly is attached to the proximal end of the shaft for imparting movement of the first and second jaw members from a first open position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second clamping position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween. One embodiment of the forceps includes a pair of electrodes clamped on the inner facing surface of each jaw member for imparting electrosurgical energy to the tissue grasped therebetween.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/419,592, filed Oct. 18, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,887,240, the contents of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The present disclosure relates to hemostats or forceps used for open surgical procedures and laparoscopic surgical procedures. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a fenestrated forceps having wave-like opposing jaws which can be used to apply purely mechanical clamping pressure to clamp, grasp and/or manipulate vascular tissue in an atraumatic fashion or to apply a combination of mechanical clamping pressure and electrosurgical current to cauterize, coagulate/desiccate and/or cut tissue.
A hemostat or forceps is a simple plier-like tool which uses mechanical action between its jaws to constrict vessels and is commonly used in open surgical procedures to grasp, dissect and/or clamp tissue. Electrosurgical forceps are similar clamping devices which utilize both mechanical clamping action and electrical energy to effect hemostasis by heating the tissue and blood vessels to cause coagulation and/or cauterization.
Over the last several decades, more and more surgeons are abandoning traditional open methods of gaining access to vital organs and body cavities in favor of endoscopes and laparoscopic instruments which access organs through small puncture-like incisions. However, due to space limitations surgeons can have difficulty suturing vessels or performing other traditional methods of controlling bleeding, e.g., clamping and/or tying-off transected blood vessels. Electrosurgical instruments and particularly electrosurgical forceps can be used instead to control bleeding.
By utilizing an electrosurgical forceps, a surgeon can either cauterize, coagulate/desiccate and/or cut tissue and/or simply reduce or slow bleeding, by controlling the intensity, frequency and duration of the electrosurgical energy applied to the tissue. Generally, the electrical configuration of electrosurgical forceps can be categorized in two classifications: 1) monopolar electrosurgical forceps; and 2) bipolar electrosurgical forceps.
Monopolar forceps utilize one active electrode associated with the clamping end effector and a remote patient return electrode or pad which is typically attached externally to the patient. When the electrosurgical energy is applied, the energy travels from the active electrode, to the surgical site, through the patient and to the return electrode. See, e.g., U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,416,276 and 4,416,277 the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Numerous mechanical and electrosurgical forceps designs have been proposed in the past for various open surgical procedures and laparoscopic surgical procedures. Some of these designs may not provide adequate clamping pressure and/or may cause undue trauma to the tissue during manipulation, clamping and/or coagulation. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,518,994 to Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,404,677 to Springer and U.S. Pat. No. 5,263,967 to Lyons, III et al. all disclose purely mechanical forceps which have serrated edges or teeth on their respective undersurfaces for grasping and clamping tissue. These structures may have a traumatic effect on delicate tissue. Likewise, U.S. Pat. No. 5,674,220 to Fox et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 5,217,460 to Knoepfler both disclose electrosurgical forceps which also utilize teeth to grasp the tissue and, as a result, may also have a similar traumatic effect on delicate tissue.
Thus, a need exists to develop a forceps which can be utilized effectively without causing needless trauma to tubular vessels or delicate tissues. Preferably, the forceps can be used for both mechanical clamping, grasping and dissecting as well as electrosurgical sealing, coagulation/desiccating and/or cutting of tissue.
The present disclosure relates to a forceps which includes a shaft portion having a proximal end, a distal end and first and second jaw members pivotally attached to the distal end of the shaft by a pivot assembly. Each of the jaw members includes an opposing inner facing surface having a plurality of wave forms disposed thereon which are capable of engaging tissue therebetween. The plurality of wave forms disposed on the inner facing surface of the second jaw member are complimentary to the plurality of wave forms disposed on the inner facing surface of the first jaw member. The forceps also includes a handle portion attached to the proximal end of the shaft. The handle portion includes an activator assembly disposed therein for imparting movement of the first and second jaw members from a first open position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second clamping position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween.
In one embodiment, the inner facing surfaces of each jaw member include a fenestrated portion disposed therethrough. Preferably, the fenestrated portion of the first jaw member is aligned with the fenestrated portion of the second jaw member.
In another embodiment, the wave forms of the first jaw member include clamping portions and manipulating portions and the wave forms of the second jaw member include complimentary clamping and manipulating portions. Preferably, the plurality of wave forms of each jaw member are longitudinally, transversely and/or both longitudinally and transversely disposed on the inner facing surface of each jaw member.
In yet another embodiment, the manipulating portions of the jaw members include a plurality of teeth which are filleted or rounded to reduce trauma to the tissue. Preferably, the clamping portion of each of the jaw members is wide relative to the manipulating portion to facilitate dissection.
The forceps may be bipolar with each of the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members including an electrode which is connected to a source of electrical energy. The wave forms of the first jaw member include coagulating portions and manipulating portions and the wave forms of the second jaw member include complimentary coagulating and manipulating portions. The source of electrical energy imparts different electrical potentials to each of the electrodes such that the electrodes are capable of conducting bipolar energy through the tissue held between the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members. It is also contemplated that a portion of the inner facing surfaces of each jaw member is non-conductive and/or semi-conductive (i.e., only certain portions of the surface are conductive) to control and/or eliminate current densities at specific jaw locations.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a forceps according to the present disclosure.
FIG. 13 b is an enlarged, frontal view in cross-section of another embodiment of the present disclosure showing an alternative transverse wave pattern disposed along the inner facing surface of the upper jaw member.
FIG. 17 is a side view showing the two jaw members of FIG. 16 in closed configuration about a tubular vessel.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a forceps 10 for use with open and/or laparoscopic surgical procedures includes an elongated shaft portion 12 having a proximal end 16 and a distal end 14. An end effector assembly 22 is attached to the distal end 14 of shaft 12 and includes a pair of opposing jaw members 40 and 42. Preferably, a handle portion 18 is attached to the proximal end 16 of shaft 12 and includes an activator assembly 20 for imparting movement of the jaw members 40 and 42 from an open position wherein the jaw members 40, 42 are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another, to a clamping or closed position wherein the jaw members 40, 42 cooperate to grasp tissue 51 therebetween.
Activator assembly 20 includes a movable handle 26 having an aperture 34 defined therein for receiving at least one of the operator's fingers and a fixed handle 28 having an aperture 32 defined therein for receiving an operator's thumb. Movable handle 26 is selectively moveable from a first position relative to fixed handle 28 to a second position in closer proximity to the fixed handle 28 to close jaw members 40, 42. Preferably, fixed handle 28 includes a channel 27 which extends proximally for receiving a ratchet 30 which is coupled to movable handle 26. This structure allows for progressive closure of end effector assembly 22 as well as locking engagement of opposing jaw members 40, 42.
In some cases it may be preferable to include other mechanisms to control and/or limit the movement of handle 26 relative to handle 28 such as, e.g., hydraulic, semi-hydraulic and/or gearing systems.
Handle portion 18 may also include a rotation knob 24 for controlling the rotational movement of the end effector assembly 22 about a longitudinal axis "A" of the elongated shaft 12. Preferably, the ratio of rotation of the knob 24 to the end effector assembly 22 is 1:1, however, it is contemplated that gearing structure may be incorporated to increase or decrease the rotational ratio depending upon a particular purpose.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show enlarged views of the end effector 22 which includes a first or upper jaw member 40 and a second or lower jaw member 42 which are disposed in opposing relation about pivot assembly 43. End effector 22 also includes a pivot housing 41 and a rod 45 having a coupler 46 which matingly engages the distal end 14 of shaft 12. The pivot assembly 43 includes a first pivot portion 44 a attached to the upper jaw member 40 and a second pivot portion 44 b attached to the lower jaw member 42 which are each affixed to the pivot housing 41 by pins 47 a and 47 b, respectively. As explained in detail above, movement of handle 26 effects movement of the jaw members 40, 42 about the pin assembly 43 from an open position (FIG. 3) to a closed position (FIG. 2).
Each jaw member 40, 42 includes a plurality of wave forms disposed along its inner facing surface which cooperate to engage tissue 51 therebetween. Preferably, each jaw member 40 and 42 includes clamping wave portions 48 a and 48 b and manipulating wave portions 52 a and 52 b, respectively (FIG. 3). The clamping and manipulating wave portions 48 b, 58 b, respectively, disposed on the inner facing surface of the lower jaw member 42 are complimentary (out of phase) to the clamping and manipulating wave portions 48 a, 58 a, respectively, of the upper jaw member 40 thus, the upper and lower jaws interfit in the closed position (FIG. 2).
In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the clamping wave portions 48 a, 48 b are disposed along a proximal portion of each jaw member's 40, 42 length and the manipulating wave portions 52 a, 52 b are tapered at or about step 53 a, 53 b to facilitate dissection. In some cases, however, it may be preferable to adjust the length of the clamping wave portions 48 a, 48 b relative to the manipulating wave portions 53 a, 53 b to suit a particular purpose. Preferably, the radius of curvature of the clamping wave portions 48 a, 48 b is greater than the radius of curvature of the manipulating wave portions 52 a, 52 b. More particularly, the manipulating wave portions 52 a, 52 b preferably include a plurality of small peaks 55 a and 55 b which facilitate dissection and delicate positioning of tissue. The clamping wave portions 48 a, 48 b, on the other hand, preferably include larger, more undulating, wave patterns to improve atraumatic grasping of large structures and to increase surface area contact. In another embodiment of the present disclosure, the small peaks 55 a, 55 b are filleted to reduce trauma to the tissue 51. It is also envisioned that by filleting peaks 55 a, 55 b and the areas between successive peaks 55 a, 55 b, areas of high current densities which typically occur at or along sharp edges/points and which may cause tissue damage, e.g., tissue sticking and charring, will be reduced.
FIGS. 4-9 show enlarged views of the jaw members 40, 42 of the present disclosure. More particularly, FIGS. 4-6 show upper jaw member 40 which includes clamping wave portions 48 a and manipulating wave portions 52 a which extend in a longitudinal fashion along the inner facing surface of jaw member 40. Likewise, FIGS. 7-9 show lower jaw member 42 which includes complimentary clamping wave portions 48 b and manipulating wave portions 52 b which also extend in a longitudinal fashion along the inner facing surface jaw member 42.
Jaw members 40, 42 also include apertures 57 a and 57 b, respectively, and slots or cams 59 a and 59 b which are each disposed within respective pivot portions 44 a and 44 b and mount jaw members 40, 42 about pivot pins 47 a and 47 b, respectively to pivot housing 41 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Preferably, slots 59 a, 59 b effect opposing linear movement of the jaw members 40, 42 about pins 47 a, 47 b. However, in some cases it may be preferable to manufacture slots or cams 59 a, 59 b with a different shape, e.g., harmonic, parabolic and/or cycloidal, to move the jaw members 40, 42 in a different and/or more prescribed manner.
As seen best in FIGS. 5, 6, 8 and 9 each jaw member 40, 42 also includes an elongated fenestration 58 a, 58 b disposed therethrough which is preferably dimensioned about the same length as the clamping wave portion 48 a, 48 b of each jaw member 40, 42. It is envisioned that when tissue 51 is grasped between clamping wave portions 48 a, 48 b, the fenestration feature of the jaw members 40, 42 will cause the tissue 51 to inundate fenestrations 58 a, 58 b thus providing better atraumatic holding/grasping of the tissue 51.
FIGS. 6 and 9 illustrate one possible wave pattern for the opposing inner facing surfaces of the upper jaw member 40 and the lower jaw member 42, respectively. It is envisioned that any plurality of wave patterns can be utilized depending upon a particular purpose. For example, with this embodiment, the wave pattern includes clamping wave portions 48 a, 48 b which run longitudinally along either side of fenestration 58 a, 58 b and manipulating wave portions which also run longitudinally from step 53 a, 53 b to the distal end of each jaw member 40, 42. It is envisioned that providing wave patterns on the clamping wave portion 48 a, 48 b of the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members 40, 42 will require more of the tissue 51 to circumnavigate these waves/curves thus providing better grasping power of the tissue 51. In addition, the fenestration feature will also require the tissue 51 to inundate the fenestrations 58 a, 58 b causing the tissue 51 to hold on an additional or second plane.
FIGS. 10-13 b show other wave patterns which can be formed on the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members 40, 42. For example, FIGS. 10 and 11 show a plurality of fenestrations 158 a disposed along the inner facing surfaces of each jaw member 40, 42 and the wave pattern includes both longitudinally disposed clamping wave portions 148 a, 148 b and transversely disposed wave portions 160 a, 162 a and 160 b, 162 b. More particularly, the clamping wave portions 148 a, 148 b run longitudinally along either side of the plurality of fenestrations 158 a, 158 b and the manipulating wave portions 152 a, 152 b run longitudinally from step 153 a, 153 b to the distal end of each jaw member 140, 142. Wave patterns 160 a, 160 b run transversely between fenestrations 158 a, 158 b and wave patterns 162 a, 162 b run transversely at either end of the plurality of fenestrations 158 a, 158 b.
FIGS. 12, 13 a and 13 b show yet other possible wave patterns which can be employed along the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members. For illustrative purposes, the upper jaw member 240 is shown but it is envisioned that the lower jaw member of this embodiment is simply complimentary to the upper jaw member 240. FIGS. 12 and 13 a show clamping wave portions 248 a 1 having a transverse wave pattern (a wave pattern which extends axially across upper jaw member 240) disposed on either side of fenestration 258 a. FIG. 13 b shows another possible transverse wave pattern for the clamping wave portions 248 a 2 along the inner facing surface of the upper jaw member 240. It is envisioned that all of the these wave patterns and accompanying fenestrations will provide better atraumatic grasping of the tissue 51 along the various planes and some wave patterns may be better suited for particular purposes.
FIG. 14 shows a forceps 310 having yet another wave pattern employed along the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members. Clamping wave portion 348 a includes a longitudinal wave pattern generally disposed across the inner facing surface of the jaw member 340 and manipulating wave portion 352 a extending from step 353 a to the distal end of upper jaw member 340. In this embodiment, the fenestration feature is not included.
FIGS. 15-17 illustrate a bipolar forceps 410 according to the present disclosure which includes a plurality of coagulating wave portions 448 a, 448 b and a plurality of manipulating wave portions 452 a, 452 b disposed along the inner facing surface of each jaw member 440, 442. Preferably, the forceps also includes at least one electrode 449 a, 449 b disposed on the inner facing surface of each jaw member 440, 442 and at least one fenestration 458 a, 458 b disposed through each jaw member 440, 442. As mentioned above with the other embodiments of the present disclosure, it is envisioned that the fenestration feature of the jaw members 440, 442 causes the tissue 51 to inundate fenestrations 458 a, 458 b providing better atraumatic holding/grasping of the tissue. It is envisioned that one or perhaps several of the aforedescribed wave patterns may also be used to improve vessel sealing and/or coagulation with this particular embodiment of the present disclosure.
For the purposes herein the term coagulation is defined as a process of desiccating tissue wherein the tissue cells are ruptured and dried. Vessel sealing is defined as the process of liquefying the collagen in the tissue so that it crosslinks and reforms into a fused mass.
As best seen in FIGS. 16 and 17, each electrode 449 a, 449 b is electrically coupled to an electrosurgical generator 70 by a cable 468 a, 468 b, respectively. The generator 70 imparts different electrical potentials to each electrode 449 a, 449 b and since tissue 51 is a conductor of electrical energy, when the upper and lower jaw members, 440, 442, respectively, grasp tissue 51 therebetween, the electrical energy is transferred through the tissue 51. By controlling the intensity, frequency and duration of the electrosurgical energy applied to the tissue 51, and, to a certain extent, by controlling the mechanical clamping pressure applied to the tissue 51, the surgeon can either cauterize, coagulate/desiccate and/or cut tissue and/or simply reduce or slow bleeding.
The electrodes 449 a, 449 b are disposed along the coagulating wave portions 448 a, 448 b of the jaw members 440, 442 and are generally shaped according to the contours and undulating patterns of the coagulating wave portions 448 a, 448 b. Preferably, portions of the inner facing surfaces of each jaw member 440, 442 are non-conductive and/or semi-conductive to control or eliminate undesirable current densities which may convene at these locations. For example, an insulative coating could be applied to the small peaks 455 a, 455 b to reduce the possibility of electrical shorting when the forceps 410 is sealing/coagulating tissue 51 grasped in the coagulating wave portions 448 a, 448 b of the jaw members 440, 442. Moreover, various metal alloys could be employed to add non-stick characteristics to the bipolar forceps 410.
In addition to rendering the forceps 410 atraumatic and improving its overall grasping features by the provision of fenestrations and various wave patterns disposed along the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members 440, 442, the wave features of the forceps 410 increase the overall surface area for welding vessels and other anatomical structures which is believed to provide superior tissue sealing effects.
In use, the surgeon manipulates handle 26 to advance the activator assembly 20 and move jaw members 440, 442 to the open position wherein the jaw members 440, 442 are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to receive tissue 51 therebetween. The surgeon then manipulates handle 26 to impart movement of the jaw members 440, 442 about pivot portions 444 a, 444 b to close the inner facing surfaces of the jaw members 440, 442 about tissue 51.
Depending upon the surgeons particular purpose, the surgeon can close either the coagulating wave portions 448 a, 448 b and/or the manipulating wave portions 452 a, 452 b about the tissue 51 to coagulate/seal/cut and/or delicately manipulate the tissue 51. If the surgeon's purpose is to coagulate/seal/cut the tissue 51, then after the jaw members 440, 442 are closed about the tissue 51, the surgeon then applies electrosurgical energy to the tissue 51. By controlling the intensity, frequency and duration of the electrosurgical energy applied to the tissue 51, the surgeon can either cauterize, coagulate/desiccate and/or cut tissue and/or simply reduce or slow bleeding.
From the foregoing and with reference to the various figure drawings, those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain modifications can also be made to the present disclosure without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, it is envisioned that various longitudinal, transverse wave patterns can be formed on the jaw members depending upon a particular purpose. In addition, the shape and size of the fenestrations may also be altered to meet a particular purpose.
Although it is preferable to form the upper and lower jaw members such that they are complimentary and intermesh with one another, in some cases it may be preferable to include non-complimentary portions depending upon a particular purpose. Moreover, it may be preferable to offset the upper jaw member fenestrations from the lower jaw member fenestrations.
Although it is preferable to vertically align the electrodes on the bipolar version of the forceps, in some cases it may be preferable to offset the opposing electrodes relative to one another either longitudinally or transversely to suit a particular purpose.
In addition, it may be preferable to add other features to the forceps of the present disclosure, e.g., an articulating assembly to axially displace the end effector assembly relative to the elongated shaft.
There have been described and illustrated herein several embodiments of a forceps having wave-like opposing jaws for clamping, grasping, manipulating, cauterizing, coagulating/desiccating and/or cutting vascular tissue in an atraumatic fashion. While particular embodiments of the disclosure have been described, it is not intended that the disclosure be limited thereto, as it is intended that the disclosure be as broad in scope as the art will allow and that the specification be read likewise. Therefore, the above description should not be construed as limiting, but merely as exemplications of preferred embodiments. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the claims appended hereto.
1. In a forceps having first and second jaw members operatively attached adjacent a distal end thereof and a handle assembly adjacent a proximal end thereof, the jaw members being movable between an open position and a closed position about a pivot assembly, the improvement comprising opposing inner facing surfaces disposed distal to the pivot assembly each having a plurality of different waveforms disposed thereon, the inner facing surface of at least one of the jaw members having at least one fenestration disposed therethrough between the plurality of waveforms.
2. A forceps according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of waveforms of the first jaw member comprises clamping portions and manipulating portions and the plurality of waveforms of the second jaw member comprises complimentary clamping and manipulating portions.
3. A forceps according to claim 2 wherein the clamping portion of each of the jaw members is wider than the manipulating portion of each of the jaw members.
4. A forceps according to claim 2 wherein the manipulating portions of each of the jaw members are filleted to reduce trauma to the tissue.
5. A forceps according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of waveforms of each of the first and the second jaw members are longitudinally disposed on the inner facing surface of each jaw member.
6. A forceps according to claim 1 wherein the plurality of wave forms of each of the first and the second jaw members are transversely disposed on the inner facing surface of each jaw member.
7. A forceps according to claim 1 wherein the first and second jaw members comprise a first plurality of wave forms longitudinally disposed on the inner facing surface of each of the jaw members and a second plurality of wave forms transversely disposed on the inner facing surface of each of the jaw members.
8. A forceps according to claim 1 wherein at least one portion of the inner facing surface of each of the jaw members is coated with a non-stick coating.
9. A forceps according to claim 1 wherein at least one portion of each of the inner facing surfaces of each of the jaw members is non-conductive.
10. A forceps according to claim 1 wherein at least one portion of each of the inner facing surfaces of each of the jaw members is semi-conductive.
a handle portion attached to the proximal end of the shaft, the handle portion having an activator assembly disposed therein for imparting movement of the first and second jaw members from a first open position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second clamping position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween.
12. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein the inner facing surfaces of both of the jaw members have at least one fenestrated portion disposed therethrough between the plurality of waveforms.
13. A forceps according to claim 12 wherein at least one of the fenestrated portions of the inner facing surface of the first jaw member is vertically aligned with at least one of the fenestrated portions of the inner facing surface of the second jaw member.
14. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of waveforms of the first jaw member comprises clamping portions and manipulating portions and the plurality of waveforms of the second jaw member comprises complimentary clamping and manipulating portions.
15. A forceps according to claim 14 wherein the manipulating portions of each of the jaw members are filleted to reduce trauma to the tissue.
16. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of waveforms of each of the first and the second jaw members are longitudinally disposed on the inner facing surface of each jaw member.
17. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein the plurality of wave forms of each of the first and the second jaw members are transversely disposed on the inner facing surface of each jaw member.
18. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein the forceps comprises a first plurality of wave forms longitudinally disposed on the inner facing surface of each of the jaw members and a second plurality of wave forms transversely disposed on the inner facing surface of the jaw member.
19. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein at least one portion of the inner facing surface of each of the jaw members is coated with a non-stick coating.
20. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein at least one portion of each of the inner facing surfaces of each of the jaw members is nonconductive.
21. A forceps according to claim 11 wherein at least one portion of each of the inner facing surfaces of each of the jaw members is semi-conductive.
22. In a forceps having first and second jaw members operatively attached adjacent a distal end thereof and a handle assembly adjacent a proximal end thereof, the jaw members being movable between an open position and a closed position about a pivot assembly, the improvement comprising opposing inner facing surfaces disposed distal to the pivot assembly each having a plurality of different waveforms disposed thereon and at least one electrode disposed thereon, the inner facing surface of at least one of the jaw members having at least one fenestration disposed therethrough between the plurality of waveforms.
a handle attached to the proximal end of the shaft, the handle having an activator assembly disposed therein for imparting movement of the first and second jaw members from a first open position wherein the jaw members are disposed in spaced relation relative to one another to a second clamping position wherein the jaw members cooperate to grasp tissue therebetween.
24. A bipolar electrosurgical forceps according to claim 23 wherein at least one of the electrodes of the first jaw member is vertically aligned with at least one electrode of the second jaw member.
25. A bipolar electrosurgical forceps according to claim 23 wherein the plurality of waveforms of the first jaw member comprises coagulating portions and manipulating portions and the plurality of waveforms of the second jaw member comprises complimentary coagulating and manipulating portions.
26. A bipolar electrosurgical forceps according to claim 25 wherein the manipulating portions of each of the jaw members are filleted to reduce trauma to the tissue.
27. A forceps according to claim 25 wherein the coagulation portion of each of the jaw members is wide relative to the manipulating portion of each of the jaw members.
28. A forceps according to claim 25 wherein at least one portion of each of the manipulating portion of each the jaw member is non-conductive.
29. A forceps according to claim 23 wherein at least one portion of each of the inner facing surfaces of each of the jaw members is non-conductive.
30. A forceps according to claim 23 wherein at least one portion of each of the inner facing surfaces of each of the jaw members is semi-conductive.


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Often asked: How Is Livestock Technology Beneficial?
1 What are the benefits of livestock?
2 How can livestock farming benefit from new technological advances?
3 How does livestock harm the environment?
4 What are the advantages of sustainable livestock production?
5 What does livestock farming technology do?
6 How many types of livestock are there?
7 What are the methods of animal improvement?
8 How does livestock contribute to the economy?
9 How does livestock affect the economy?
10 How does killing animals affect the ecosystem?
11 What are 5 benefits of sustainable farming?
12 What are disadvantages of livestock?
13 What are the pros and cons of sustainable farming?
What are the benefits of livestock?
Livestock helps on food supply, family nutrition, family income, asset savings, soil productivity, livelihoods, transport, agricultural traction, agricultural diversification and sustainable agricultural production, family and community employment, ritual purposes and social status (MOYO et al., 2010.
How can livestock farming benefit from new technological advances?
The new technology means producers can work easier and improve cattle welfare, production efficiency, and profitability. Technologic developments provide more efficient, profitable and fast solutions for farmers to get on time process using management and direct manipulation possibilities.
How does livestock harm the environment?
Livestock emit almost 64% of total ammonia emissions, contributing significantly to acid rain and to acidification of ecosystems. Livestock are also a highly significant source of methane emissions, contributing 35–40% of methane emissions worldwide.
What are the advantages of sustainable livestock production?
Sustainable livestock systems contribute to food security, economic, environmental stewardship, and sociocultural needs and are vital for achieving most of the UN SDGs. They are particularly important for improving human nutrition, health, and economic productivity.
You might be interested: Question: Who Owned Livestock In Pennsylvania Colony?
What does livestock farming technology do?
Animal technologies are used for monitoring the reproductive activity, health, welfare status and feeding of dairy cows. These sensors have activity, weight changes and milk and rumen parameters that may assist in supporting the health, welfare and reproductive management of individual dairy cows.
How many types of livestock are there?
livestock, farm animals, with the exception of poultry. In Western countries the category encompasses primarily cattle, sheep, pigs, goats, horses, donkeys, and mules; other animals, such as buffalo, oxen, llamas, or camels, may predominate in the agriculture of other areas.
What are the methods of animal improvement?
There are three processes or methods of animal improvement. These are introduction, selection and breeding. Introduction is the bringing into the farm or a country, high quality breeds of livestock with a high productive capacity and other good desirable characteristics from another farm or country.
How does livestock contribute to the economy?
Livestock contribute 40 percent of the global value of agricultural output and support the livelihoods and food security of almost a billion people. The livestock sector is one of the fastest growing parts of the agricultural economy, driven by income growth and supported by technological and structural change.
How does livestock affect the economy?
Livestock production accounts for approximately 40 percent of the global agricultural gross domestic product. The livestock sector, including feed production and transport, is responsible for about 18 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions worldwide.
How does killing animals affect the ecosystem?
Hunting leads to destruction of ecosystem and an increase in the population of a particular species of animals. It also leads to an increase in various microorganisms such as fungi, algae etc. Hunters kill animals that have large population, and this can cause those animals to die out due to the lack of food.
You might be interested: What Is The Production And Sale Of Plants And Livestock?
What are 5 benefits of sustainable farming?
Support research and education intended to help farmers and ranchers mitigate and adapt to climate change. Improve production efficiency, productivity, and profitability. Address threats from pests and diseases. Improve the quality of surface water and groundwater resources.
What are disadvantages of livestock?
Livestock farming is a disaster for the environment. Worldwide it is responsible for half of the greenhouse gas emissions and it is the biggest cause of biodiversity loss, habitat destruction and water pollution. A transition to a plant-based diet would dramatically decrease these problems.
What are the pros and cons of sustainable farming?
Pros and Cons of Organic Farming
Supports healthy soil.
More nutrition and flavor.
Supports pollinators.
Healthier working environment for farmers.
Resistance to pests and diseases.
Fertilizers are created on-site.
Opportunity for specializing.
Readers ask: Why Does Livestock Have Carbon Footprint?
Quick Answer: How Many Tons Of Manure Is Produced Each Year By Livestock Farms?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Home Life Current: He hears you: 7 Bible verses to reassure you that God's listening to. but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is.
Here are his big ideas about God in Proverbs: First, the Lord is a source of blessing. The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous (15:29, implying a positive answer; cf. Pss. 17:6; 66:19). The Lord.
A Prayer. heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes." —Job 42:5-6 "All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.".
Twitter. It's what's happening. Proverbs The LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.
The Bible tells us Judge Not, but then also commands us to Judge. How do we know when to do which? The difference between proper discernment and hypocritical judgment is explored with an emphasis on experiential application.
Nowhere is prayer more needed than for the leaders of our government and nation. Whether your prayer is for the President, Congress, or the Judges of our land, they need prayer support. Here are three.
"As a mother proves that she loves her child by hating the physical disease which would ravage the child's body, so Our Lord. righteous men would put Him out of the way, He tore the mask off their.
First, from the "Prayer of Humble. In Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy.
I thought maybe I'd just never really heard them before.) As it turns out, though, the prayer he prayed over me is one of the forms of dismissal for the Sacrament: May the Passion of our Lord Jesus.
James 5:16-18 The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.".
Listen to my prayer, O God, do not hide from my pleas. As for me, I call to God, and the Lord will save me. 18. Evening, morning and noon, I lament and moan-and He hears my voice. 19. He redeemed.
"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight (Proverbs 15:8)….the LORD is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous (Proverbs 15:29)….One who turns his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination (Proverbs 28:9)." The wicked person's prayer becomes sin (Psalm 109:2, 7). Furthermore, God does not even hear the.
Prayer Covering. By Jennifer Devlin. The Lord hears those who cry out to Him. Prayer is the key. God hears the cry of the righteous. God is faithful to deliver those who cry out to Him.
Most of the time, when I walk, I make that my prayer time. Sometimes I say the Rosary. So I've felt conflicted. Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me. I cried.
The Psalmist continues with the heart of his message: For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. This Psalm is to be read, we are told in the preface, in the context of when David pretended to be a madman, and Achish drove him out [Story in 1 Samuel 21].
God would also answer the prayers of the prophets and of the. when asking for forgiveness and the way to righteous living. When the Messiah appeared, as written in the New Testament, we heard the.
He also legislated prayer during the night and the Witr prayer, the Ud'hiyah (Eid sacrifice), and the 'Aqeeqah, (birth sacrifice) and many other virtuous deeds. All of these are ways of opening.
Jan 14, 2012 · God hears the prayer of Righteous ; 1 Pet 3:12 "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." Jam 5:16b-18 "… The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel, but you and your father's house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and you have followed. it's absolutely impossible to live in.
Then why pray when God knows what we are going to say before we say it? Solomon says: "The preparations of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. "that which we.
People laughed with tears as they celebrated Sean's life; someone said that if they heard a noise while playing in the. in the tabernacles of the righteous. Indeed, the Lord in speaking to the.
Clearly, the Lord had heard the urgent prayers of kids across the tri-county area and granted. I made the rounds to check on each of the kids, assuming they'd be wound up with righteous anger at.
Jesus said to the crowds, "I tell you, then, that if you are not righteous in a much broader way than. We renew this pledge each time we pray that part of the Lord's Prayer that says, "Forgive us.
"The LORD is far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous" (Prv 15:29). In 1 Peter:3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
and the righteous rejoice for their good deeds. 1. For the Conductor, on the nechilot,1 a psalm by David. 2. Give ear to my words, O Lord, consider my thoughts. 3. Listen to the voice of my cry, my.
لاَ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ ٱللَّهُ. l¡ il¡ha ill¡ all¡hu There is no god save Allah; رَبُّنَا وَرَبُّ آبَائِنَا ٱلا وَّلِينَ. rabbun¡ wa rabbu ¡b¡'in¡ al-awwal¢na our Lord and the Lord of our fathers of old.


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Volvo Universe Concept at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show
At the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show, Volvo Car Corporation visualises a masterpiece of Scandinavian Design for car buyers with exquisite tastes. The Volvo Universe Concept is a large, luxurious sedan with a new human-centric design language that honours the beautiful lines of classic Volvo models.
"The Volvo Universe Concept offers the world a sneak preview of what people can expect from our next top-of-the-line sedan," says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation. Volvo Car Corporation's long-term strategy is to be a successful, truly global company with products designed around our customers' needs and lifestyle.
Scandinavian Design is about understanding and caring about people. Volvo Car Corporation aims to be the brand that best interprets what buyers of modern luxury cars want. The Volvo Universe Concept has been designed to spark a subconscious desire and a feeling of eternal beauty. It moves towards the future with its coupe-like roofline and contemporary, solid rear, but it also echoes Volvo's proud heritage by borrowing design cues from classic models of the past.
"Just like fine luxury goods, this design feels handcrafted and durable enough to stand the test of time," says Peter Horbury, Vice President Design at Volvo Car Corporation. "We will compete with the best with our special kind of Scandinavian Design. It is unmatched in performance and technology, but without superficiality or complication."
, , , , , , , ,
The interior of the Volvo Universe Concept is a comfortable, cultivated environment that is also user-focused and refreshingly uncomplicated. It is driver-orientated in the front and comfortably relaxed in the rear. The in-command driver environment has intuitive controls and a touch-screen that approaches the hand when the driver reaches towards it - with everything operated from a seat that is inspired by ultra-comfortable chairs.
Passengers in the rear seat are embraced by pure comfort. The interior moulds into the rear seat and becomes part of the seating environment. The dynamic feel and the dark colour scheme of the front seats fades seamlessly towards the rear until it fully transforms into a light rear seat haven of calmness. Volvo Universe Concept is full of classic forms, materials and textures, used with a twist to create a special contemporary luxury experience.
"The Volvo Universe Concept is exceptionally refined, yet with all the simplistic assets that make Volvo champions of the uncomplicated. There is a growing appreciation for this ingenious blend of design and technology among modern luxury car buyers. This trend paves the way for our success. We are convinced that our special brand of luxury has a great future," Peter Horbury concludes.
"Our aim is to be the brand that best understands what buyers of modern luxury cars want. We are eager to hear what the most demanding Chinese customers think of this luxurious concept. Later, we will show the design in Europe and the United States in order to bring it into the global context that we are aiming for with all our car models," says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.
BrandVolvo CategoryConcept Cars Tags2011 VolvoVolvo Universeluxury sedan Submitted by car division on Fri, 10/14/2011 - 12:45
Volvo You Concept - large luxury sedan
"Volvo You Concept gives a good indication of what you can expect from our next large sedan. The blend of contemporary Scandinavian design, exquisite...
2012 Volvo, Volvo You Concept
Volvo V40 R-Design by Volvo Polestar Black R
The new Volvo V40 R-Design is an interesting alternative to the classic V40, changes are found especially at the exterior design and...
2012 Volvo, Volvo V40 R-Design
Volvo V60 R-Design sporty, sportier, sportiest
"The all-new S60 and V60 are our sportiest models ever. With R-Design they are even sharper. They're the natural...
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Volvo V60 - The Most Dynamic Volvo Model Ever
"Many of the customers who had an advance look at the new V60 during the development process feel that its attitude is at least as sporty as that of...
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"The technology in the XC60 Plug-in Hybrid Concept is as ingenious as it is unique," says Stefan Jacoby, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation...
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Volvo V60 Cross Country debut at Los Angeles Auto Show
Volvo V60 Cross Country is developed for customers who want off road capabilities without sacrificing the qualities of the basic V60...
Volvo V60, Volvo V60 Cross Country


text:
Babesiosoma rubrimarense is een soort in de taxonomische indeling van de Myzozoa, een stam van microscopische parasitaire dieren. Het organisme komt uit het geslacht Babesiosoma en behoort tot de familie Dactylosomatidae. Babesiosoma rubrimarense werd in 1969 ontdekt door Laird & Bullock.

Myzozoa

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Ready Soon! Eagle Lakes is a quiet neighborhood nestled on the southern tip of Flagler County. It's exquisite natural beauty is something you will not want to miss! Imagine spending your evenings walking through your charming neighborhood to enjoy the scenic views of the lakes and reserves!! The "2265B" is a desirable plan, for good reason too! The "2265B" features an open concept with four bedrooms, three full baths, and a rear lanai ideal for entertaining! This home features stainless steel appliances, 5 1/4" baseboards, brushed nickel finishes, 36" bump and staggered cabinets with crown molding, and much more!! This full brick home will not last long, call today to make it yours!!
Listing courtesy of ADAMS HOMES REALTY,INC.


Posted: Thu Oct 30, 2003 11:01 am Post subject: Speeders... [LONG]!!!
Just a little FYI... These are a bunch of speeders that I wrote up when really really bored... As my GM kept threatening us with the "Tea-Cup Ride" speeder in the Main Rulebook, I wrote these in responce to that, rounding out the various choices for Speeders that we can have (And steal, if neccessary).
As the folks in the Adventure Forum requested it ("Grand Theft Speeder" thread), here it is.
There has been little to no proofreading on these, and some of them have been sent to http://www.highadmiral.de/ with the rest on their way when I get bored again and proofread 'em.
However, if you want 'em for your own webpages/whatever, as long as you keep my name in it as the creator, I got no problems at all. If you make changes, yes, you can ADD your name, but I want some billing at least (Doesn't even need to be top billing).
A large luxury speeder, one of the largest on the market. While big and beautiful, with a ride as smooth as it's name, the Corelli is also well known for being a tough vechicle, putting a few Military Speeders to shame, and it's large size allows it to be used for methods other than looking good and driving in comfort. As well, older models of these vechicles can be found almost everywhere, and the parts are easy to find... The used models are also a popular choice for richer Biological-Being Staffed Taxi Companies.
Crew Skill: Varies (Usually between 3D and 4D).
Elected "The Most Ugly Speeder Considered By All Species" when it first came out, the lines of this vechicle just seemed to get uglier and uglier over the eras. They are, however, reliable, cheap, and able to keep moving despite damage and enviroment conditions. In fact, despite not being designed for it, this vechicle can take the harshest enviroment of them all, Deep Space, for a limited period of time (About fifteen minutes), however, lacking thrusters or a magnetic system to react off of, it cannot manouver. Despite being unarmed or armoured, and even being slow, it was used by some *VERY* desparate members of the Rebellion as Scout vechicles, and were a popular choice for City-Based recce missions, as noone suspected Rebel Agents in the common small speeder.
The definitive work vehicle! The Xergo Truck has altered mostly in external design over the centuries of it's being built, usually following two steps behind the Technologically Engineering Curve, going for the "Old, But Reliable As A Rock!" ideal! Parts are easy to find and cheap, and there are 200-Year Old Specimens of these vehicle that they're operators have pridefully stated are "Just Barely Broken In Enough". There are three models around, the 1/4 Metric Ton, the � Metric Ton, and the Full Metric Ton, the only real design changes between these vehicles are the "Weight" of the repulsorcoils on the bottom of them.
troops have called the "Trip", or Triple-Metric Ton Prime Mover built by Draven Prime-Movers.
used even in the time of the New Republic.
"It's a Shoebox with Repulsor Coils" is how most people describe this vechicle. It's design is to allow for the transport of certain cargos without exposing them to the enviroment. They're found everywhere, and are a popular choice, after the addition of a heating unit, of hot food delivery drivers. Secret Imperial Organizations love to drive White Vans for some strange reason.
Of similar design as the Xergo Van, it is changed in various ways, the most important being that it has almost as many seats as a bus. Designed for the large family (Or for a Mother that needs to transport the GravBall team), it lacks the thrust and power of the Cargo Van, but makes up for it in comfort. These vechicles were almost unheard of during the Old Republic, but have become more and more prevalent as the Empire has grown in power, and are still popular into the time of the New Republic. The seats can be folded down to allow for more space, but there is still the weight restriction... As well, most of the sides of these vechicles are transparisteel, and, as such, are not really well suited for covert-operations (At least, if you don't have a Grade School GravBall team with you...).
While not as fast, nor as manoeuvrable as a Swoop, RoadMasters are still found in Swoop Gangs for one reason and one reason only. They are, indeed, Masters Of The Road. They are big, mean, tough Speederbikes that continue to move!!! Not as fast as some, they are geared for power, and get up to their top end in less than half the time it takes faster Speederbikes. "When you're driving down the road in one of these, everyone knows what you are... That's the Master Of The Road!!!" as the Commercials say, and very few choose to show them wrong!
Pretty much the standard Chuckwagon in Imperial Space, and have kept up that title in the New Republic on sheer reliability and design. On it's own, the Mealmaster can produce enough hot meals for almost on hundred people once, and, with adequate support (Like a Trip full of raw food materials), can produce enough meals for 300 people three times a day. These vechicles can be found all over the place, at factories, constuction sites, and there is even an Armoured Military Model for Military and Police forces only.
An average, run of the mill, reliable sedan. It's not very big, flashy, or fast. It lacks altitude range, body strength, or accelleration. But they're fairly cheap, have enough room for the kids and some groceries. While the design started out with Republic Manufacturing, the line was later taken up by Imperial Speeders, who did some work on it, and produced their own version of it. Both versions can be found across the Galaxy.
It's a giant sausage on a bun with Repulsorlifts on the underneath, and works as a Hot Chub stand. What more description do you need???
Craft: Hot Chub Industries "Chumbmobile"
This... Has got to be the smallest landspeeder ever made for your average (Human-Sized) Humanoid. It's *TINY*!!! Despite that, even Wookiees can find enough legroom (If the front seat is removed), and, due to it's overstrength repulsorlift coils, can take the weight of a Hutt (Which, unforetunetly, cannot fit in the vechicle.). This system allows the vechicle to turn very sharply at high speed (Which it can get to at an insane rate!), and is sometimes used by Rebel Forces as a Recon Speeder.
Craft: Republic Manufacturing XT-42 "Miniature Speeder"
Cargo Capacity: 400 kilos (But no space for it.).
Despite it's name, the Gunrunner is not designed for smuggling or blockade running, but, rather, is a comfortable, fast vechicle that also just happens to look good! It's maneuverability leaves a touch to be desired, but, on the straightaway, there are few Speeders that are (Legally) faster. As well, the lack of maneuverability is due to the vechicles heavy weight, which also makes it one tough mother!!!
Even more well known than the "Trip", the "G.P." as it is known, was originally designed 250-years before the fall of the Old Republic, by the Corellian Engeneering Corporation in an attempt to break into the Speeder market. It caught the attention of the Old Republic Senate as a method of making one standard Speeder for it's military, but were dismayed when CEC only put a very small portion of it's production capacity towards building them (Despite the *VERY* large initial order!), and invited Republic Manufacturing Engeneers to view a demonstration of the vechicle, and it's designs. The wink and the nod worked, and Republic Manufacturing came out with their own, "surprisingly" almost identical model, and the rest is history. In fact, aside from the useage of modern power plants, and the meterials of construction, this vechicle's design is practically unchanged!!!
In the field, these vechicles are pretty much used for everything! From basic scout duty, ferrying small numbers of troops, hauling ammo, and, when put up on skids, used as a generator! In fact, due to the generous power supply, the G.P.s can even mount and power up to a Medium-Repeater on a pintal mount with no problem (Dual-Light Repeaters are slightly more common, however.). While the vechicle suffers from Republic Manufacturing's usual tendancy of using "Set Parts" that had to be special ordered, almost every mechanic in the known universe knows these vechicles inside and out, and are able to make parts for almost everything (Save the Fusion Generator). The Repulsorlift field is spread out over a very broad area, making it's "footprint" very small for a vechicle it's size/weight, and also allows the vechicle to work at top speed in uneven terrain!
These vechicles are still in use by the Empire, continued on in the New Republic Era, and don't look like they'll be going away any time soon. A good number of these vechicles have gone on the Civilian Market, and one infamous HoloNet Military series had a character shipping his unit's G.P. back home, one piece at a time.
Notes: When around Repulsorlift Senseing Mines, the G.P. gains a +1D against detection (And, thus, detonation!) due to it's Light Footprint. In addition, the Difficulty for Uneven Terrain is decreased by 10, but has no effect on even terrain.
Alot of buisness deals aren't made in the meeting rooms and offices, they're made on golf courses. Noone knows why, or even when this tradition started, but it's a given. And why should those successful, and rich, people walk when they can ride in comfort and style! Add in a Caddy that never needs tipping, and the ability to drive itself when the owner is too tired to drive himself after a hard game of golf, this may be the perfect recreational vechicle. Due to the commonality of water traps, these vechicles are also designed to drive over calm waters, as well as land.
Ne De Pas Problem... Glad someone is enjoying my hard work.
And, I would like to hear the sick, twisted things you do with 'em... Like torturing your group with only being able to use Golf Carts or something.
"For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times... before the Empire. "
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2003 3:13 pm Post subject: More!!!
A small, cheap runabout "Speederbike" that doesn't go very fast, barely has any power, and is frankly not that much to look at. But it gets you where you want to go, easy to store (And push if it breaks down), and better than walking!
The OUV (Off-Speederway Utility Vechicle) was originally intended for wilderness enthusiasts. For some reason, however, they appeal more to inner-city upper-middle class beings. You're more likely to see these on the Speederways than off of it, despite the inefficiency of the powerplant for road driving. Armoured versions are also available, and are usually used to protect VIPs (Both legitimate and criminal), as well as for prisoner transport in the case of important witnesses.
Cost: 20,000 (New); 5,000 (Used).
Boy oh boy, that's a sporadic posting of stats. 2003 to 2005. Nice stats, though, Ray. I like the flavor text. That's some of the chrome that really makes things like these fun!
If you guys wouldn't mind, if you use my stuff, tell me, would you?
Not a prob. I copied and pasted the info, so I can have it handy the next time I GM a Star Wars game (which will hopefully be this year sometime).
So I'll let you know if I use any of them.
I used something similar to the Trip, with a few diffrences, for a Militia. Basically a repulsorlift platform, control section, several compartments inside, and armor plating everywhere with two E-Webs for armaments, carried 20 troops.
A friend of mine will be running a game and he may want to have this for the main planet we will be stuck on.
Sounds like the "Gun Trucks" they whipped up in Vietnam, Boom.
This is some great stuff, Ray! Good work! Thank you for sharing.


Little Sway, the newest album from Crissi Cochrane, could be named after the movement of early budding flowers in spring's first breezes. The music is bright and eloquent, splashed with the colors of a botanical garden. It mixes modern American jazz with pop music structures in line with Nora Jones or Corinne Bailey Rae.
Cochrane is from Windsor, Ontario, but has since found her place in Detroit, Michigan. Little Sway, the 10-song album, is her third full-length. It follows Pretty Alright, from 2011, and Darling, Darling, from 2010. A lovely constant of the album is the surging, billowing horn arrangements. They are controlled, undulating brushstrokes to her musical canvas. Obviously, here, the main highlight is Cochrane's voice. It remains front and center, breathing both innocence and assuredness, hitting the scale somewhere between Mirah and Victoria Legrand, of Beach House. I imagine the fibers of a dandelion escape her mouth with the pronunciation of every vowel.
"Pretty Words" abandons the drums for a somber, meandering guitar strum. "If I'm not a fool for you / then I'm just a fool," Cochrane sings, allowing the emotion of the line to inflate on a stream of horns. The only song not penned by Cochrane is "The Man I Love," formerly by George and Ira Gershwin. Her voice carries the classic over a stable, poking drum machine. She plays the wounded notes of a flute. It is most sublime. Little Sway is perfect listening for when the snow melts and the days begins to stretch.
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There's a technique of framing arguments (which is really a bit of a cop-out) by dividing THE WORLD into 2 camps. You've probably seen it before and used it as well – Lord knows I have.
There are two kinds of people in the world, man. People who totally understand why pineapple on pizza is amazing and then there's barbaric heathens, destroying the foundations of Western civilization with their disdain of this culinary delight.
People who seek to learn for life and those who mail it in once formal schooling ends.
There's definitely shades of interest and intent between these two positions, but sometimes it doesn't seem it.
Now, as I title this post "The Forever Student", I don't mean this as that one guy you knew from college who seemed to be trying to figure out a way to never graduate, much to the chagrin of his parents or eventually his credit rating as he amassed a student loan debt that would rival the gross domestic product of many first world nations. (Side note – Why is there always talk about first world and third world countries, yet no one even mentions second world? These things bother me… and yes, bother me way more than they should).
All of this swirled in my head a little bit yesterday as I attended a strength training seminar at my gym. Two exceptional coaches/lifters in Swede Burns and Greg Panora came through for a 7+ hour seminar covering any topic you wanted to throw at them, as well as hands on coaching on the "big 3" lifts of the squat, bench press and deadlift. It was the second time I've been to a seminar they put on and it was exceptional – they could not have been more generous with their time, knowledge and teaching. I'm a better lifter today for having been part of this. Without question.
The reason this idea of the forever student jumped out at me was noticing the people who weren't there versus those who were. Why, you undoubtedly ask? Simple – there are plenty of lifters in that very gym who could have gotten a ton out of this somewhat rare opportunity to pick the brains of two of the best around while having them give direct feedback on the finer points of their lifts. But they weren't there… and that baffles me. Because they absolutely needed to be… which isn't an insult to any of them (unless they are one of those people who actively thinks they are better than the coaches who came… and they absolutely are NOT). It's just stating a fact – none of them hold all-time world records and the funniest thing is that those who do will admit to all of the top-notch coaching that allowed them to get there.
I just don't understand the mentality of "No thanks…I'm good as-is and have it all figured out." You know the types. The ones who cannot accept any advice, no matter how learned or proficient the person providing it because…hey, I cannot imagine fixing anything.
Now, before I get accused of virtue signaling (a term that gets trotted out… and incorrectly… way too often), it's quite the opposite. This isn't me giving myself a self high five – I just cannot imagine anything but being a student because I know that there's mountains of things I don't have figured out in any way, shape or form. Why wouldn't I want to listen to pros and hope to get even incrementally better than yesterday? I will be the first to admit I need work in any of a number of areas.
I think at a fundamental level that a big reason for my position on this is I refuse to think of myself as a static person where everything is sit, never to change… which also means to never improve.
Hence, I hope genuinely hope I kick my silly ego out of the way as often as possible and embrace the fun of not knowing how much more there is to learn… but giving the effort to try and find out.


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3D Construction Of Ancient Bird Fossils Offers Clue On How Dinosaurs Transitioned To Modern-Day Birds With Beaks
3 May 2018, 7:36 am EDT By Athena Yenko Tech Times
A team of scientists constructs the three-dimensional skull of the Ichthyornis dispar, the bird that holds a clue to the evolution of dinosaurs to birds with beaks.
The researchers said their findings could trace how the skulls of modern-day birds evolved from their reptilian predecessor until they finally developed their beaks.
The three-dimensional piece showed that the Ichthyornis dispar has a brain similar to birds of today but still has a jaw with muscle configuration to that of the dinosaurs. This suggests that the brain evolved first while the skull remained more primitive, like the dinosaurs during that period when they are still transitioning to their avian descendants.
The First Beak
The most striking takeaway from the three-dimensional construction is that it shows how the very first bird beak looked when it finally developed, explains Bhart-Anjan Bhullar, principal investigator of the study and a paleontologist from Yale University.
"The first beak was a horn-covered pincer tip at the end of the jaw," Bhullar said. The study was published in the journal Nature.
The rest of the jaw was filled with teeth. In the beginning, the birds used their beaks as a precision grasping mechanism, as the hands continue to evolve into wings, explains Bhullar.
Ichthyornis dispar
Ichthyornis dispar would have looked similar with seabirds, a gull or tern, if the bird species continue to exist today. As for their teeth, they probably would be hidden by a liplike structure or extra-oral tissue inside of their mouths, explains Michael Hanson from Yale and co-lead author of the study.
There have been modern-day studies that aimed to distinguish the birds' participation in the evolutionary history of dinosaurs. However, these studies had only made use of fragmentary remains found in the 1870s.
The current study is the first to conduct their analysis of the Ichthyornis dispar using CT-scan technology and several other specimens from major museums in the United States. Their model included one example of a complete skull and two cranial elements of the original specimen, which has been in the possession of the Yale University all this time.
With all these specimens as their materials, the reconstructed fossil became the only direct evidence of how modern-day birds undergo evolutionary transformations, explains Daniel Field from the Milner Center for Evolution at the University of Bath, also co-lead author of the study.
The Ichthyornis dispar lived for about 100 million years ago in North America. The bird species had already obtained the interest of Othniel Charles Marsh and Charles Darwin. Marsh was a paleontologist and one of the preeminent scientists who started theories on the origins of birds.
Dinosaurs, Bird-like dinosaurs, Birds
Teeth Of Carnivorous Dinosaurs Reveal Their Hunting Strategy, Prey Choice
Climate Change Causes Bird Chicks To Hatch Late Leaving Them Starving
Devoted Male Stork Flies 14,000 Kilometers For 16 Consecutive Years To Meet Beloved Female Stork
Mass Extinction Led To An Explosion Of Dinosaurs, Making Them The Dominant Species On Earth
Hypothesis Suggests Toxic Flowers Helped Wipe Out Dinosaurs: Here Are Some Unusual Old Ideas About Dinosaur Extinction


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USS North Dakota returns after 6-month deployment
Jim Monk,
GROTON, Conn. (KVRR) – The USS North Dakota has completed its second six-month deployment and returned to the boat's homeport at Naval Submarine Base, New London in Groton, Conn.
According to the Navy, the Virginia-class fast-attack submarine crew, commanded by Capt. Mark Robinson, was welcomed by a parking lot full of socially-distanced friends and families with signs and flowers.
The Navy says fast-attack submarines are designed for anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare, strike warfare, special operations, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, irregular warfare and mine warfare.
The North Dakota was commissioned in 2014. It is 377 feet long with a beam of 34 feet and a crew of approximately 132 officers and sailors.
Categories: Local News, North Dakota News
Tags: SUBMARINE, u.s. navy, USS NORTH DAKOTA
Governor Walz discusses security measures ahead of Biden's inauguration
WATCH: North Dakota National Guard sending more soldiers to inauguration


text:
Home / Stories / Three-day festival recreates 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' to celebrate 30th anniversary
Three-day festival recreates 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' to celebrate 30th anniversary
How many people ditched school to attend?
May 25, 2016, 12:00PM By MeTV Staff
Last weekend, a festival in Chicago meticulously recreated the most famous scenes from Ferris Bueller's Day Off to honor the film's 30th anniversary.
Ferris Fest started by recreating the scene where Ferris picks up Sloan in a Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder, the treasured possession of Cameron's father.
Just recreated the Sloane pick up scene and it was awesome #FerrisFestpic.twitter.com/ybFly5vRAo
— Dan Stadt (@potsywellington) May 21, 2016
The festival then continued downtown, where fans were able to relive scenes that took place at the Art Institute of Chicago, Willis Tower and Wrigley Field.
I can't even...?#ferrisfestpic.twitter.com/Vot2A1I3VE
— JJ Carter (@thrifteelaydee) May 22, 2016
I think I see my dad #ferrisfest (@ Willis Tower - @thewillistower in Chicago, IL) https://t.co/2LKU8gWDtPpic.twitter.com/BqyRWEr0WT
— Meghan Arnold (@MeghanCArnold) May 21, 2016
See Also: 13 things about 'Ferris Bueller's Day Off' you don't want to miss
On the third day, the festival culminated to recreate the Von Steuben Day parade, famous for the "Twist and Shout" sequence where Ferris jumps on a float to lip-sync the famous tune.
Ferris Bueller parade recreation in Daley Plaza in Chicago #FerrisFestpic.twitter.com/5qBOcJfPt1
— Melissa Falk (@Soloroamer66) May 22, 2016
Luckily, the unpredictable spring weather of Chicago cooperated the entire weekend, reminiscent of the picturesque day Ferris decided to ditch school and run around town with his friends.
Each day, fans could also visit a hotel room that was transformed to look like Ferris' bedroom. From the looks of it, it's a dead ringer.
The question isn't "what are we going to do," the question is "what aren't we going to do? #FerrisFestpic.twitter.com/d0yRJCqCOu
— Amy (@Amy_Amy80) May 21, 2016
See Also: 11 Pretty Amazing Facts about 'Pretty in Pink'
The festival also included a Q&A session featuring the actors who portrayed Grace, Katie Bueller and Tom Bueller.
The creator of Ferris Fest, David Blanchard, told the Chicago Tribune the event was a success, just like the day Ferris Bueller decided to play hooky. But unlike 1986, social media played a big part.
Dankeschoen, @FerrisFest2016. It was an experience. #ferrisfest#filmnerdpic.twitter.com/eP0yQ7dCKH
"We didn't spend a dime on advertising," Blanchard told the newspaper. "It was all social media and the press. We ended up getting mentioned on the TODAY show, we were in the Chicago Tribune, and we even got on CNN."
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Simon Pegg doesn't think we'll get a fourth Star Trek reboot movie


This is our sixth snowmobile trip this year. Second trip to Priest Lake, Idaho.
Went in at the trailhead above Nordman, rode 95 miles and had the trails to ourselves!
Mountain, Beaver Creek, and Tango. Fun day...lots of sunshine!


Alfred Hitchcock called "Rope" an "experiment that didn't work out," and he was happy to see it kept out of release for most of three decades. He was correct that it didn't work out, but "Rope" remains one of the most interesting experiments ever attempted by a major director working with big box-office names, and it's worth seeing this week during its revival at the Fine Arts theaters.
The movie starred James Stewart, John Dall and Farley Granger in a movie version of a play that was inspired by the Leopold-Loeb murder case. In the play, two homosexual college students become fascinated by their philosophy professor's ideas about the "innate superiority" of some people over others. Convinced they have found a victim who is inferior to them, they murder him, conceal his body in an unlocked trunk in their apartment, and then throw a dinner party with the trunk as the brazen centerpiece of the living room.
The play depended, for its effect, on the fact that it was one continuous series of actions. Once the characters have entered the room, there can't be any jumps in time, or the suspense will be lost. The audience must know that the body is always right there in the trunk.
The play appealed to Hitchcock's sense of the macabre and his fascination with situations involving the inconvenience of dead bodies. But in translating the play to the screen, he had to deal with that unity of time and space. All of the events had to take place in one uninterrupted act, and he arrived at the novel idea of shooting the movie without any visible cuts, so that it would look like one continuous shot.
He built elaborate sets with movable walls on wheels. He choreographed his actors so that they and the camera could perform intricate ballets without interrupting the action. He loaded his camera with 10-¬minute magazines of film, he arranged the screenplay in 10-minute sections, and at the end of each section he used an "invisible wipe" to get to the next magazine: The camera, for example, would move behind a chair at the end of one shot, and seem to be moving out from behind it in the next.
This was, of course, an unnecessary gimmick. Although when a director cuts from one shot to another it can seem as if time has passed, that is not necessarily the case. Many films that deal with uninterrupted spans of time use a lot of cuts: for example, "My Dinner with Andre," which, despite constant cutting, never seems to miss a single bite of food or morsel of conversation.
"While we were making 'Rope,'" Stewart remembers, "I suggested to Hitch that since we were filming a play, we ought to bring bleachers into the sound stage, and sell tickets." The final product seems curiously limp and unfocused, perhaps because Hitchcock was handcuffed by denying himself the usual grammar of camera movement and editing.
In an ordinary movie, closer shots indicate more intensity, longer shots are more objective. Camera movement helps establish mood. Closeups punch home dramatic moments. Cutaways, or "reaction shots," make it clear who is reacting, and when. Although Hitchcock tried to choreograph his 10-minute takes so that the camera would be where the drama demanded it, there are moments when it seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. And that trunk spends so much time in the foreground that we wonder why it's not the immediate center of attention.


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Q: Make ion content (or text or label) vertically center I want to achieve something like this:

But I am currently in that stage

Note that, first image is bootstrap form , 2nd image is what I am designing with ionic
[ there are some reasons I don't want to drag bootstrap in my ionic project, so, obviously everything will not be 100% perfect in look, but I want to get something closer to it]
My Question is:

*

*How can I set Item name to vertically center ?
[ see 2nd image, I already tried justify-content-center && align-items-center ]

*How can I align text of Item name to Apple (like first image)
[ i tried class="ion-float-left" but it seems if i give it or not, in 2nd image, Item name stays the same, also if I put the whole ion-row (see code) under ion-list, it looks horrible ]

Here is my ionic code
product-list.page.html
<ion-header>
  <ion-toolbar color="primary" class="ion-text-center">
    <ion-title>Stock</ion-title>
  </ion-toolbar>
</ion-header>

<ion-content padding>
  <ion-grid>
    <ion-row>
      <ion-col size-md="6" offset-md="3">
        <ion-card>
          <ion-card-header>
            <ion-card-title>

            </ion-card-title>
          </ion-card-header>
          <ion-card-content>

            <ion-row class="background1 justify-content-center align-items-center" style="height: 100%" >
              <ion-col>
                <ion-text class="ion-float-left" style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; ">Item Name</ion-text>
              </ion-col>
              <ion-col>
                <ion-button (click)=onBackButtonPressed() color="secondary" class="ion-float-right" size="small">
                  Back
                </ion-button>
              </ion-col>
            </ion-row>

            <ion-list *ngIf="currentList">
              <ion-item *ngFor="let item of currentList" (click)="setIonList(item)">
                {{item}}
              </ion-item>
            </ion-list>

          </ion-card-content>
        </ion-card>
      </ion-col>
    </ion-row>
  </ion-grid>
</ion-content>

A: Wrap the <ion-grid> under a <div> and at the div make height: 100% (you need vertical center, so the wrapper should be 100%) , then display: flex; align-items: center; justify-content: center;
I am affecting <ion-grid> with <div>, make sure

*

*Anything else isn't affecting <ion-grid> other than <div>

*Your <div> isn't affected by something else

Otherwise, you might need a different implementation.
Finally it looks like it :

Here is code:

  <ion-grid>
    <ion-row>
      <ion-col size-md="6" offset-md="3">
        <ion-card>
          <ion-card-header>
            <ion-card-title>

            </ion-card-title>
          </ion-card-header>
          <ion-card-content>

            <ion-row class="background1 justify-content-center align-items-center" style="height: 100%" >
              <ion-col>
                <ion-text class="ion-float-left" style="font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold; ">Item Name</ion-text>
              </ion-col>
              <ion-col>
                <ion-button  color="secondary" class="ion-float-right" size="small">
                  Back
                </ion-button>
              </ion-col>
            </ion-row>

            <ion-list >
              <ion-item>
                <ion-text>Hi</ion-text>
              </ion-item>
              <ion-item>
                <ion-text>Hello</ion-text>
              </ion-item>
            </ion-list>

          </ion-card-content>
        </ion-card>
      </ion-col>
    </ion-row>
  </ion-grid>

</div>

Credits:
From Ionic forum, I have got help from this question :
https://forum.ionicframework.com/t/ion-card-center-alignment/170521/8
Check saad-ansari 's reply there.

A: *

*

I don't use Ionic, but normally people do this in CSS to vertically align some text to the center:
{
    display: table-cell;
    vertical-align: middle;
}

or
{
    line-height: 50px;  /* assuming the height of the element is 50px */
}

You may also wish to consider the 'padding-top' property, which is not quite automatic like the above.
2.
Just use margin-left, eg.:
{ margin-left: 1vw; }


text:
Primary chemotherapy for operable breast cancer: the NSABP experience
HD Bear1
Primary or neoadjuvant systemic chemotherapy, initially described for patients with locally advanced or borderline inoperable breast cancer, has been increasingly utilized for patients with less advanced or operable breast cancer. Theoretically, primary systemic therapy could inhibit the rapid growth of metastases after surgery and may decrease the emergence of chemoresistant clones of cells. On a practical level, primary systemic therapy has the potential to increase the use of breast conservation by decreasing tumor size. Beginning in 1988, the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) cooperative group conducted two sequential trials to test the value of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and to optimize the treatment regimen for operable breast cancers.
NSABP Protocol B-18 was designed to compare pre-operative chemotherapy with doxorubicin (adriamycin) and cyclophosphamide (AC) given every 3 weeks for four cycles versus the same chemotherapy treatment given in the adjuvant setting. In protocol B-18, 1523 women with operable breast cancer were randomized to receive four cycles of AC followed by surgery or surgery followed by four cycles of AC. Women 50 years of age or older also received tamoxifen for 5 years, starting after chemotherapy.
Subsequently, NSABP Protocol B-27 was conducted with the intent to determine the effect of adding docetaxel (taxotere [T]) after four cycles of preoperative AC on disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) of women with operable breast cancer. A total of 2411 women with operable primary breast cancer were randomized to receive either four cycles of preoperative AC followed by surgery (group I) or four cycles of AC followed by four cycles of T, followed by surgery (group II), or four cycles of AC followed by surgery and then four cycles of T (group III). Tamoxifen was given to all patients, starting concurrently with chemotherapy.
In protocol B-18, mean tumor size was 3.5 cm. Preoperative AC produced objective clinical responses in 79% of the treated patients and clinical complete responses (cCR) in 36%. Pathologic complete responses (pCR, defined as no invasive cancer in the breast) were observed in 13%. OS and DFS were similar in the two randomized treatment groups. Preoperative chemotherapy resulted in a statistically significant increase in the rate of breast conserving therapy (BCT), from 60% to 68%. This was particularly notable in the patients with tumors >5 cm, in whom BCT was increased from 8% to 22% [1]. Although there was a trend toward increased ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR) in preoperative chemotherapy patients who were downstaged to lumpectomy compared with patients treated preoperatively who were considered to be candidates for BCT at the outset (15.9% versus 9.9%), this difference was not statistically significant after controlling for patient age and tumor size [2]. Patients in the preoperative chemotherapy group who experienced a pCR had significantly improved DFS and OS compared with all other patients in the preoperative chemotherapy group (P < 0.0001). Clinical response was also associated with improved outcomes with long-term follow up [2, 3].
For protocol B-27, mean tumor size was 4.5 cm; this and other key characteristics were evenly balanced among the three treatment arms. The addition of docetaxel preoperatively resulted in significant increases in cCR and pCR at the time of surgery compared with AC alone (63.6% versus 40.1% and 26.1% versus 13.7%, respectively) [4]. Despite this, addition of docetaxel to AC did not significantly impact on survival in this cohort of patients [5]. There was a trend toward improved DFS in group II patients who received preoperative T, but this was not statistically significant (72% versus 67% DFS at 5 years; HR = 0.86, P = 0.10). In an analysis of relapse-free survival (RFS), which did not include second primary cancers, group II had a significantly better outcome compared with group I (74% versus 69% RFS at 5 years; HR = 0.81, P = 0.03). Group III RFS was not significantly different from group I (71% at 5 years; HR = 0.91, P = 0.32). Addition of docetaxel significantly reduced the incidence of local recurrences as first events, including IBTR in patients treated with breast conservation. There were no significant interactions between treatment and estrogen receptor status, age, tumor size, or clinical nodal status. An exploratory analysis of treatment effects in subsets of patients according to clinical response to AC suggests that preoperative T, but not postoperative T, significantly increased DFS in patients who had a partial clinical response after four cycles of AC (63%, 74%, 65% at 5 years for groups I, II, and III; HR = 0.68 for group II versus group I, P = 0.003). Addition of T did not appear to be beneficial in patients who were nonresponders after AC nor in those patients who had a cCR after AC. Pathologic complete response was a highly significant predictor of DFS and OS in all treatment groups (HR = 0.45, P < 0.0001, and HR = 0.33, P < 0.0001, respectively). In addition, pathologic nodal status after chemotherapy was a significant prognostic factor for survival, independent of pathologic response in the breast.
The B-18 trial did not demonstrate superiority of neoadjuvant over adjuvant chemotherapy for operable breast cancer, but with equivalent survival and increased BCT, the neoadjuvant approach can safely be used to offer BCT to more women with breast cancer. This trial also demonstrated a strong association between pCR and improved patient outcomes. In B-27, however, despite a doubling of the pathologic complete response rate in the breast with the addition of T preoperatively, we have not yet observed a significant improvement in DFS or OS for the study as a whole. Addition of preoperative or postoperative docetaxel decreased the incidence of local recurrences. There was a decrease in relapses with the addition of preoperative T, particularly in a subset of patients who had partial clinical responses to AC alone. Post-treatment pathologic response in the breast and nodal status remained powerful predictors of patient outcomes. Future studies will examine the value of additional drugs given with doctaxel after AC preoperatively and will also be designed to assess the ability of genomic and molecular profiles of pretreatment tumor to predict responsiveness to chemotherapy.
Fisher B, Brown A, Mamounas E, et al: Effect of preoperative chemotherapy on local-regional disease in women with operable breast cancer: findings from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-18. J Clin Oncol. 1997, 15: 2483-2493.
Wolmark N, Wang J, Mamounas E, et al: Preoperative chemotherapy in patients with operable breast cancer: Nine-year results from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project B-18. JNCI Mongraphs. 2001, 30: 96-102.
Fisher B, Bryant J, Wolmark N, et al: Effect of preoperative chemotherapy on the outcome of women with operable breast cancer. J Clin Oncol. 1998, 16: 2672-2685.
Bear HD, Anderson S, Brown A, et al: The effect on tumor response of adding sequential preoperative docetaxel (Tax-otere) to preoperative doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (AC): preliminary results from National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) Protocol B-27. J Clin Oncol. 2003, 21: 4165-4174. 10.1200/JCO.2003.12.005.
Bear HD, Anderson S, Smith RE, et al: A randomized trial comparing preoperative (preop) doxorubicin/cyclophosphamide (AC) to preop AC followed by preop docetaxel and to preop AC followed by postoperative docetaxel in patients with operable carcinoma of the breast: results of NSABP B-27 [abstract]. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2004, 88: S16-
Division of Surgical Oncology and the Massey Cancer Center, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia, USA
HD Bear
Bear, H. Primary chemotherapy for operable breast cancer: the NSABP experience. Breast Cancer Res 7 (Suppl 1), S17 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1186/bcr1221
Overall Survival
Preoperative Chemotherapy
Pathologic Complete Response
Operable Breast Cancer


Ten months of blood, sweat and tears have led to a very satisfying result.
We provide two fully equipped Chalets, a Rent-A-Tent formula and spacious campsites.
Because of progressive improvements we know our new visitors will be too!
Bank: Standard Chartered Bank Botswana LTD.


1. A good Friday morning to all of you! It brings me great pleasure to be here today, and I am happy to be amongst all our young friends. Thank you to Gardens by the Bay for providing this lovely venue to hold Sharity Day 2018.
2. This is a very special year as we celebrate 35 years of caring by Community Chest. Community Chest was started in 1983 to raise funds to support social service organisations, so that those organisations could focus on what they do best, which is caring for and serving those in need.
3. It has also been 34 years since Sharity elephant was introduced to encourage our children to care and share!
4. The Ministry of Education continues to build an education system that caters to different learning needs and interests, empowering every student with opportunities to excel in their own unique ways, and to care for the vulnerable amongst us. We want integration and inclusivity to be at the heart of our education system.
5. That is why Sharity plays an important role through the Sharity Club School Programme for Primary School students. This programme is aligned with the Character and Citizenship Education curriculum to encourage inclusivity and integration of children with special needs. Through resources such as the Sharity Club school initiatives, school assembly tours, resource kits on the Sharity website and animation episodes, Sharity has reached more than 780,000 students since 2015, giving them practical and relevant tips on how they can be more caring and inclusive in their everyday lives.
6. Today, we come together to celebrate each other's abilities and demonstrate our support for a more inclusive Singapore. Besides our student emcees, also helping to put today's event together are student packers from Radin Mas Primary School, who packed the event goodie bags which we all receive at the end of this event. We also have performers from Pathlight School and performers and booth facilitators from Punggol Green Primary School. And of course, all the rest of you here who are making a difference by caring and sharing with your new friends today!
7. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our schools and community partners for their valuable contributions. Six primary and secondary schools have exemplified the values of caring and sharing through their outstanding fundraising efforts for the Community Chest - through the Children's Day Appeal and Youth Day Appeal to support critical social service programmes and service users.
8. It is also heartening to see so many community partners, and friends of different abilities and backgrounds coming together to make today's event a successful one. This includes volunteers from DBS who are sponsoring students' meals and helping out as befrienders and booth helpers. Also, not forgetting our volunteers from Kimberly-Clark, MSF, SATS, and Gardens by the Bay itself. Like-minded organisations such as Green Nudge, MINDS and Sensational Play have also stepped forward to provide resources such as special recycling bins, mineral water and a sensory space.
9. Today's event is made possible by some very amazing people such as Mr Allan Wong, a deaf horticulturist and actor who will be teaching us sign language, Ms Claire Teo, an aspiring dancer who helped with sound design for the musical, Ms Mui Rui Yi, the designer for today's event, as well as our wonderful co-emcee Rex from Canossian School.
10. Today's event reinforces an important message – which is that every one of us can contribute through our different talents and abilities.
11. I hope today's event will inspire all of us to continue this spirit of caring for and sharing with those around us as we build an inclusive nation – not just during this National Day season but every day of our lives.
12. Thank you and I look forward to joining all of you at the exciting line-up of activities!


The effectiveness of any educational technology depends upon teachers' and learners' perception of the functional utility of that medium for teaching, learning, and assessment. The Virtual Performance Assessment project at Harvard University (http://vpa.gse.harvard.edu) is developing and studying the feasibility of using immersive technology to develop performance assessments of middle school students' scientific inquiry. This paper is a report of the initial findings of a study conducted with middle school students and their perceptions of the use of immersive virtual environments for assessment. We also present initial validation data for a newly constructed self-report instrument, the Meaningful Assessment of Learning Questionnaire for Virtual Environments (MALQ-VE).
Code, J., Clarke-Midura, J., Zap, N. & Dede, C. (2011). Student Perceptions of Immersive Virtual Environments for the Meaningful Assessment of Learning. In T. Bastiaens & M. Ebner (Eds.), Proceedings of ED-MEDIA 2011--World Conference on Educational Multimedia, Hypermedia & Telecommunications (pp. 358-367). Lisbon, Portugal: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE). Retrieved April 20, 2019 from https://www.learntechlib.org/primary/p/37892/.


text:
(Just Like) Starting Over – John Lennon
If you were born on Thursday 13th January, 1972 then (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon was the #1 song on your 9th birthday. The song went to number one on December 27th 1980 and stayed at the top of the charts for 5 weeks.
A revival of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Pirates of Penzance opens at Broadway's Uris Theatre, starring Linda Ronstadt and Rex Smith.
Nearly a year after the suicide of Ian Curtis, the surviving members of Joy Division plus Gillian Gilbert, now under the name New Order, release their debut single "Ceremony"; the single and its B-side, "In a Lonely Place", are both re-recordings of songs originally written and performed by Curtis. The single's release marks the band's first public use of the "New Order" moniker, which they would retain for the remainder of their career.
Wendy O. Williams of The Plasmatics is arrested in Milwaukee for simulating masturbation with a sledgehammer on stage. In a scuffle with the police Williams is pinned to the floor and receives a cut above the eye requiring twelve stitches.
Aerosmith lead singer Steven Tyler is injured in a motorcycle crash that leaves him hospitalized for two months.
In 1981 the year you turned 9 ...
1980 (8th birthday)
Escape (Pina Colada Song)
Rupert Holmes
My birthday! (1972): 'Brand New Key' by Melanie
1st birthday (1973): 'You're So Vain' by Carly Simon
2nd birthday (1974): 'The Joker' by The Steve Miller Band
3rd birthday (1975): 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' by Elton John
4th birthday (1976): 'Convoy' by C.W. McCall
10th birthday (1982): 'Physical' by Olivia Newton-John
21st birthday (1993): 'I Will Always Love You' by Whitney Houston
22nd birthday (1994): 'Hero' by Mariah Carey
23rd birthday (1995): 'On Bended Knee' by Boyz II Men
24th birthday (1996): 'One Sweet Day' by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men
31st birthday (2003): 'Lose Yourself' by Eminem
32nd birthday (2004): 'Hey Ya!' by OutKast
33rd birthday (2005): 'Let Me Love You' by Mario
34th birthday (2006): 'Don't Forget About Us' by Mariah Carey
41st birthday (2013): 'Locked Out of Heaven' by Bruno Mars
42nd birthday (2014): 'The Monster' by Eminem featuring Rihanna
43rd birthday (2015): 'Blank Space' by Taylor Swift
44th birthday (2016): 'Hello' by Adele
spotify:track:3tm6LVXZJg0lG4hQm5ytrT