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Thu Jun 11
How two cool new apps could make democracy more transparent
Two new platforms: Meerkat and Periscope. Meerkat, Periscope , CC BY-SA
Open government supporters may have just found two new allies. They happen to be mobile apps.
Two new digital innovations – Meerkat and Periscope – could help to reduce citizen barriers to accessing information and events, making them the latest tool for furthering public participation in civic affairs.
Meerkat and Periscope are particularly effective because of their ability to deliver real-time video integrated with social media – a highly shareable combination, as Northeastern University journalist professor Jeff Howe, writes in The Times of India: these platforms could "become a powerful tool for [citizen] reporters and change the way people get news."
Television news outlets, who employ staff to huddle around police scanners ready to dispatch a camera crew at the first sign of a breaking story, could find themselves scooped by local residents already on the scene armed with nothing more than a mobile phone.
It is mobile technology's shake up of traditional structures that has piqued my interest. Specifically, my research has focused on the effect of citizen participation via digital means on government decision making.
The two platforms are bedazzling the tech crowd
Meerkat and Periscope already have the technology community in a tizzy.
Although video streaming has been around for some time, these apps rocketed to popularity in recent months mostly due to their full integration with the popular social media platform Twitter.
The debate among the tech crowd is whether both apps can exist in the same space.
Meerkat was first out of the box, buoyed by a coming out party at the South by Southwest festival in March 2015. Soon after, Twitter bought out a nascent Meerkat competitor, named Periscope, for $86 million in an attempt to keep users from leaving a company-owned platform for live streaming services.
Despite predictions of the death of Meerkat, the competition continues.
The potential for greater transparency
The debate over market share, however, has drowned out more important news about these platforms' democratizing effects.
Meerkat and Periscope are already changing political campaigns and their coverage. For example, Periscope was used to capture a rare unscripted moment by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.
Michael Calderone, the senior media reporter for The Huffington Post, insists "this technology could allow 2016 campaigns to more easily go around the political press" to speak with voters. In a crowded Republican field vying for limited air time in the mainstream press, use of these apps appears to be a strategy born out of necessity rather than avoidance.
But the potential for transparency extends well beyond campaign politics.
Using these technologies, any single public official or citizen could live stream a public meeting, allowing interested citizens to participate remotely. Digital participants could even ask questions or provide feedback in real time.
Broadcasting and capturing video of public proceedings has long been a priority for open-government supporters. Remote viewing options for citizens eliminate significant time and physical barriers posed by traditional public meetings.
Public agencies have, however, cited roadblocks to opening up different types of proceedings to public viewing. The city council in Norfolk, Virginia, initially resisted broadcasting some of its meetings, citing prohibitive costs. Now, with broadcasting capabilities in the hands of any citizen with a smartphone, government bodies will be forced to re-evaluate traditional broadcast policies and operations.
So what's in your fridge?
Currently, the live streaming offered on Meerkat or Periscope tends toward the mundane or even inane. On a recent Sunday morning, for example, the featured streams on Periscope included a woman belting out a tune in Spanish, two kids playing a video game, and a personal bike tour of a park in Rome. On Meerkat, there was a cooking demo sponsored by MasterCard and a rocking church service and the brief "show us what's in your fridge" trend.
Such uses create an easy out for heads of public agencies, who can dismiss the new technology as trivial or not serious.
After all, if the apps are dominated by users interested in fridge views, meaningful citizen engagement through these apps is unlikely to receive traction – that's how the argument goes.
That was also the attitude about Facebook – until public agencies starting creating their own Facebook pages.
Texas takes up the transparency issue
State governments continually grapple with the issue of transparency for citizens. If a recent proposal in Texas wins final legislative approval, the state will take a more explicit approach.
The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill that requires large public bodies to video record their board meetings and post them online for greater transparency. The Texas bill carves out an exemption for smaller public bodies, such as school districts with fewer than 10,000 students.
A spokesperson for the Dallas Area Rapid Transit system, which would be subject to the measure upon full approval, was quoted as saying "it would cost $50,000 to get the video recordings going and then $100,000 annually after that to comply with the bill."
Even before the advent of Meerkat and Periscope, these steep estimates would have been highly questionable, given the availability of video cameras and YouTube. Today these estimates ring hollow. Any Texas official with a smartphone and data plan can live stream public meetings and, using Meerkat's #katch function, save videos indefinitely on YouTube and be compliant with the law. Further, the apps meet the "reasonable quality" standard adopted by the Texas House.
Thus, there is no reason for Texas to limit the proposed bill to large agencies. Establishing a threshold creates a false argument over cost of compliance and organizational capacity. The only question should be whether officials have access to smartphones.
Unless officials in Texas public agencies can prove they are outside the 64% of Americans who own smartphones, they should take advantage of Meerkat and Periscope to usher in a new era of transparency.
The intent of the Texas law is noble, and other states should follow their lead.
States should not only strengthen requirements for transparency in public meetings, but clarify the rights of citizens to record and broadcast their own video.
James Toscano does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
Read more http://theconversation.com/how-two-cool-new-apps-could-make-democracy-more-transparent-42533
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Vappala Balachandran | 19 DECEMBER, 2015
Bullet Train, National Disaster Plan, Headley: 3 Recipes For Insecurity?
Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi at Varanasi
MUMBAI: This column is on various security issues. Let me begin with the VVIP visits which provide entertainment to the public but nightmares to the local police. The visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and our prime minister to a "white washed " Varanasi with "newly tiled public toilets" to perform "Maha Arti" at Dashashmedh Ghats was one such occasion. The much maligned UP Police managed it with success like how they always do for Kumbh Melas, the world's largest human congregation. But apart from entertainment what do such visits produce? A survey by the Huffington Post in September 2015 gave a disappointing picture of the Ganga cleaning project started with great fanfare in 2014.
Also, the rejoicing over the Rs. 98,000 crore Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet trains with Japanese help reminds me of the class distinction theme in Aldous Huxley's "Brave New world". Japanese bullet trains will carry 40,000 well heeled passengers daily in comfort like the "Alphas" in that novel who are programmed to be privileged. However the 7.5 million daily commuters who use the present overcrowded and suffocating Mumbai trains will be treated like "Non-Alphas" who are meant to be stupid. During the last 10 years Mumbai saw nearly 30,000 railway track deaths: 6,989 died by falling from the local trains due to overcrowding while 22,289 were run over while crossing the tracks.
400 commuters might have died this year due to suffocation, seizures and heart conditions due to inadequate ventilation system as reported by a local tabloid on Dec 17.
Faced with such overcrowding the rail authorities are introducing some stupid steps. First they will allow suburban passengers to board long distance trains. Whoever has planned this does not know that this will involve serious fist fights. It is a long standing tradition in the Mumbai-Pune Deccan Queen that a bogie is unofficially reserved for season ticket holders commuting daily. Anyone entering that compartment even by mistake is chased away by snarling men and women who temporarily become hyenas. The second foolish step is to allow male commuters in the "Ladies Specials" from January. This will increase crimes against women in Mumbai which had already risen by 59% between April 2013 and March 2014.
The second subject I wanted to discuss is urban disaster management plans. I was shocked to read that New Delhi has no dedicated disaster response force. The only Chief Minister in India who realized the importance of such plans to withstand man made or natural disasters is Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who asked his Revenue Department to organize a workshop in August 2013.
I was requested to deliver the lead lecture outlining our experience of 26/11 terror attacks when the entire responsibility was dumped on the police who had to stretch themselves into other areas like rescue, firefighting and ambulance services. The responsibility of disaster management in Delhi is with the Chief Minister. He has no uniformed force under him except the Home Guards. I had written a column in this paper on July 23 this year that the Delhi Chief Minister should pass a law creating a Municipal Police as suggested by the Union Home Ministry on 21 May 2013. Had they done that they could have controlled the demolition work done on Sunday, December 13 at Shakur Basti which unfortunately led to the tragic death of a small child.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and NDRF which had received a lot of flak during the 2008 Kosi floods has improved their operational and rescue ability although they were again criticized during the 2013 Uttarakhand and 2014 J&K floods. They are now being praised for rescuing 16,000 lives in the recent Chennai floods. It is unfair to blame the NDRF who come at the last moment to mitigate disasters which had arisen due to negligence or connivance of the local governments who had chosen to overlook ecological and civic preventive planning due to pressure from builder lobby or land sharks.
The NDMA has already positioned their regional offices in most states but unless assisted by local governments, they cannot perform their role. It is the responsibility of the Delhi Chief Minister to set up a dedicated agency for disaster management laying down very clearly the roles of each organ: Civil defence, Home Guards, Municipal Administration, Police, Hospital administration, and other local bodies. Responsibilities regarding advance warning and evacuation should be notified. Evacuation routes should be clearly marked on the ground. The police should only be in charge of law & order.
The last subject I want to mention is about David Headley appearing as a witness in a Mumbai Court through video conferencing. This has been severely criticized by many: how could an individual who had done detailed plotting of the 26/11 attack be treated as a witness? I have written about this earlier and had also criticized the former UPA administration for misleading our country that Headley would be extradited to India. We should remember that Headley is not within our government's control. He is in a US prison since January 24, 2014 having been sentenced to 35 years. In addition he has to undergo 5 years of "Supervised Release". So any chance of his coming to India to stand trial will happen only in 2054!
This situation is based on a 35 page "Plea bargain" agreement on March 18, 2010 between him and the State Attorney at the Illinois Northern District Court. He pleaded guilty on three conditions to a dozen US federal terrorism charges, including planning the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks and attempt on the Danish newspaper. Firstly he would not be given death penalty. Secondly he would not be extradited to India, Pakistan or Denmark. Thirdly "Sentencing guidelines" would be followed. In return he agreed to fully participate in any debriefings for the purpose of gathering intelligence or national security information. He also agreed to testify in any foreign judicial proceedings held in the United States by way of deposition, video-conferencing or letters rogatory when directed by the United States Attorney's Office. This is what he is now doing in Mumbai. We need his testimony to fully understand Pakistan's conspiracy. This would enable us to mount pressure on Pakistan. The Kasab investigation and trial had revealed only one dimension.

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Elegant yet delicate design, this beautiful BSN Emblem Pin is individually handmade using old world craftsmanship. Painstaking attention to detail and fine gold plating enhance each pin and provide a distinguished appearance. All pins are sold in distinctive display packaging.


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England T20 talking points: Vince, Buttler and the captain
February 7, 2018 April 6, 2018 4 min read KNBT
Since reaching the final of the World T20 and being on the receiving end of Carlos Brathwaite's onslaught, England have been a mixed bag in the format: four wins and five defeats from nine matches, although they have taken the opportunity to try out some new faces along the way. As they begin their tri-series in Hobart against Australia, here are few talking points that may crop up.
Reserve No. 3
Joe Root was eventually persuaded to take a rest from this series (although that was perhaps with a focus on the IPL only for him to be overlooked for that) which means there is a vacancy at No. 3. Presuming Alex Hales and Jason Roy are fit to take the opening positions – and Roy is rated '50-50′ by Eoin Morgan for Hobart due to a back spasm – that is likely to leave James Vince and Dawid Malan vying for first drop unless England get funky and utilise David Willey. Malan made an impressive 78 on debut against South Africa last year and would provide another left-handed option at the top of the order. Vince made his T20 debut in 2015 and was named Man of the Series against Pakistan in the UAE but has played just two matches since. His pretty 30s may not go a long way to winning Tests, but can certainly influence a T20.
Buttler's best position
There is the potential for so much flexibility with England's batting order, but that also needs to be weighed against players knowing their roles. Without doubt Jos Buttler is a player capable of scoring T20 hundreds were he to bat the majority of an innings – Hales remains England's lone century-maker in the format – but he is among the finest closers, batting first or second, of an innings in the world. Thirty-nine of his 49 T20I innings have been at No. 5 or 6, but two of his five half-centuries have come in the top four: an unbeaten 73 opening against Sri Lanka and an unbeaten 66 against the same opposition at No. 4 in the World T20. If an innings is beyond the 10-over mark when the second wicket falls there is a strong case for Buttler being the next man in.
The captain's form
It's a change of formats, so it's unwise to draw too many conclusions come success or failure, but there will be a focus on Morgan's run-scoring in this series. He was the least convincing of the top order in the one-dayers against Australia. As with the 50-over side, there is a clamour for spots in the top order with Root and Ben Stokes to slot back in at some point in the future. Morgan's leadership carries a lot of weight but at some point the conversation may need to be had as to whether he sees himself in the role for the 2020 World T20 or if the 2019 World Cup could be an end-point. Morgan has occasionally left himself out of the T20 side to give Jos Buttler captaincy experience, most notably in the deciding match against South Africa last year.
Horses for courses
Morgan has said that England will adjust their plans – particularly around the bowling attack – dependent on each ground during the tri-series, taking particular note of the varying dimensions. England's series takes them to Hobart, Melbourne, Wellington, Hamilton and potentially Auckland for the final, the latter with some of the shortest straight boundaries in the world. It could be that England don't always employ two spinners, particularly in the continued absence of Stokes to balance the side.
Pace-bowling squeeze
There is certainly no shortage of quicks in the squad to mix-and-match with – seven if you include Jake Ball who stayed with the party as injury cover. Among them is the uncapped 19-year-old Sam Curran, but Stokes and Chris Woakes are surely in England's best XI. While plenty of rotation can be expected over the next two years – and names not in the squad, or even in the frame, could feature – there won't be room for them all going forward and there is plenty to play for among the pace-bowling unit.
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Feride Rushiti est la fondatrice et la directrice du Centre pour la réhabilitation des victimes de la torture au Kosovo. Par son action elle a permis aux victimes de la guerre du Kosovo, d'accéder aux soins de santé mais aussi à la Justice. Elle a également joué un rôle clé dans l'élaboration du statut juridique du Kosovo pour le traitement humain des prisonniers et autres détenus, plaidant avec succès pour un contrôle indépendant des centres de détention. Elle reçoit, le , le prix international de la femme de courage, remis par Melania Trump, première dame des États-Unis.

Références

Personnalité féminine kosovare
Lauréate du prix international de la femme de courage

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The Waveney Valley covers the region of North Suffok and South Norfolk, the two counties that border the beautiful river Waveney.
We hope you will visit us during the Harleston & Waveney Art Trail and enjoy the small wonder of the Waveney Valley, a special place that provides a wealth of inspiration for all of our artists.
There are many walking routes in South Norfolk (link to South Norfolk Council's list of walks & cycle routes) including the historic Angle's Way. Also, check out these two local maps of country walks & cycle rides to take around Harleston (courtesy of the Harleston Development Partnership). In neighbouring North Suffolk there are even more walks to follow, such as Mendham by the river and Bigod's Way near Bungay (links to Discover Suffolk's list of Suffolk walks). Just follow the links to find out more, where you can download & print off any of the walking maps before your visit to the Waveney Valley.
We pride ourselves that all our artists' studios are situated within ten miles of the market town of Harleston so that each artist's studio is not more than a brisk country walk or a bicycle ride away from the next artist. Of course, you just might need to travel by car if you wish to buy some of our art! There is something for everyone and entry to all the artist's studios is free!
Are you planning to visit the Waveney Valley? If so, there is some excellent B&B holiday accommodation in and around Harleston, Bungay and elsewhere along the Waveney Valley. We have compiled a list of some places to stay in the Waveney Valley. There are also many places to eat & dine and some charming watering holes too.
This entry was posted in Waveney Valley on 1st June 2009 by hwat2019.


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US20060224090A1 - Apparatus and method for stiffening tissue - Google Patents
Apparatus and method for stiffening tissue Download PDF
apparatus according
ultrasound element
Isaac Ostrovsky
Michael Madden
Jon McIntyre
Jozef Slanda
Boston Scientific Scimed Inc
2005-03-29 Application filed by Boston Scientific Scimed Inc filed Critical Boston Scientific Scimed Inc
2005-05-02 Assigned to BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED, INC. reassignment BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED, INC. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: OSTROVSKY, ISAAC, SLANDA, JOZEF, MADDEN, MICHAEL, MCINTYRE, JON T.
A61N7/00—Ultrasound therapy
A61N7/02—Localised ultrasound hyperthermia
A61N7/022—Localised ultrasound hyperthermia intracavitary
A61N2007/0078—Ultrasound therapy with multiple treatment transducers
An apparatus for stiffening tissue comprises an ultrasound element including an array of ultrasound crystals arranged on a surface, the surface shaped so that energy generated by the crystals converges on a predetermined focusing area. A method of treating tissue comprises positioning adjacent a target portion of tissue to be treated a probe including an ultrasound element, a geometry of the ultrasound element focusing ultrasound energy generated thereby on a predetermined focus area, adjusting the position of the probe so that the predetermined focus area is located at the target portion of tissue and energizing the ultrasound element to treat the target portion of tissue.
The present invention generally relates to medical apparatus and treatment methods. More particularly, the present invention describes an apparatus and method to stiffen tissue, particularly to treat urinary incontinence and, more particularly, stress incontinence.
Stress urinary incontinence occurs when tissue supporting the pelvic floor no longer provides sufficient support to the bladder neck and urethra, particularly the proximal urethra. In this condition, the bladder pushes against the urethra. Pressure from the abdominal muscles (e.g. during such activities as laughing, sneezing, coughing, exercising or straining to lift objects) can then cause undesired urine emissions. Females whose pelvic floors have stretched due to, for example, childbirth, obesity, etc. are more likely to suffer from stress incontinence.
One treatment for stress incontinence utilizes radio frequency (RF) energy delivered to tissue in the pelvic floor, specifically the endopelvic fascia (EPF) which lies from about one half to three centimeters beneath the surface of the vaginal wall. The RF energy thermally denatures collagenous fibers in the tissue, shrinking and stiffening the EPF to support, stabilize and reposition the proximal urethra and the bladder neck. Typically, the RF energy is delivered by manually waving an RF applicator over the target tissue (e.g. EPF) either through a transvaginal incision or over the lateral and medial surfaces of the vaginal wall. The RF applicator must be in direct contact with the surface tissue when be applied.
In these procedures the user must provide a constant rate of waving over the target tissue solely through manual control of the device to ensure that the RF energy sufficiently and uniformly stiffens the EPF. Similarly, the user must ensure that the coverage of the target has been thorough and complete. In addition to maintaining a constant wave rate and completely covering the target tissue, the user must aim the RF device properly to be certain not to damage collateral structures, such as the urethra, nerves or other abdomino-pelvic organs and tissues.
The present invention is directed to an apparatus for stiffening tissue comprising an ultrasound element including an array of ultrasound crystals arranged on a surface, the surface shaped so that energy generated by the crystals converges on a predetermined focusing area.
The present invention is further directed to a method of treating tissue comprising positioning adjacent a target portion of tissue to be treated a probe including an ultrasound element, a geometry of the ultrasound element focusing ultrasound energy generated thereby on a predetermined focus area, adjusting the position of the probe so that the predetermined focus area is located at the target portion of tissue and energizing the ultrasound element to treat the target portion of tissue.
The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute part of the specification, illustrate several embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain examples of the present invention. In the drawings:
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a first embodiment of an apparatus for administering ultrasound energy to tissue according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 along the line A-A;
FIG. 3 shows a side profile of the emitted ultrasound energy from the apparatus of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of a second embodiment of an apparatus for administering ultrasound energy to tissue including an alternate coupling component;
FIG. 5 shows a side view of third embodiment of an apparatus for administering ultrasound energy to tissue;
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an ultrasound element according to a further embodiment of the apparatus;
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an ultrasound element according to a still further embodiment of the apparatus; and
FIG. 8 shows a view of a device according to the present invention in position within the body to perform a method according to the present invention.
The present invention may be further understood with reference to the following description and the appended drawings, wherein like elements are referred to with the same reference numerals. The present invention relates generally to an apparatus and method to stiffen tissue, particularly collagenous tissue, such as superficial and deep fascia. While the present invention will be described with reference to noninvasive treatment of urinary incontinence, it is contemplated that the same apparatus may be used transrectally in the treatment of an enlarged prostate (BPH), fecal incontience or sphincter remodeling, transesophogeally for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or in any other manner for a disorder or condition where it is desired to shrink or stiffen tissues.
The apparatus of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1 and seen generally at 10. In one embodiment, the apparatus 10 may comprise a handle 11 which can be manipulated by a user. and a probe 12. The handle 11 may have a control element 67 thereon, or the control element 67 may be located on a control device located near an operating or examining area. The control element 67 may be a switch, button, dial, foot pedal or any other desired mechanism that will allow the user to activate the apparatus 10. The size, shape and orientation of the handle 13 may be varied to achieve a desired feel or balance, but is preferably substantially tubular or ergonomically shaped for gripping by a user's hand. Any suitable method of manufacturing, such as injection molding, machining, etc., may be used to construct the handle 13, from any suitable material (e.g. plastic, metal or combination thereof). The probe 12 is preferably manufactured from low-cost materials so that it may be employed as, for example, a single-use, disposable item. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the size and shape of the probe 12 will be generally dictated by the anatomy with which it is to be used. For example, if the probe 12 is designed for use intra-vaginally, the probe 12 will preferably be no more than 6 to 7 cm long with a diameter of 1 to 4 cm.
The handle 13 may include a handle lumen 58 allowing power and feedback cables 15 and any other elements (e.g., fluid lumens) to pass through the handle lumen 58 from a proximal end 14 of the handle 13 to the second section 12. The elements passing through the handle 13 may include, for example, a power supply and other electric cords to and from the ultrasound device, drive shafts and other members for rotating the second section 12 relative to the handle 11, fluid lumens, and/or any other elements contained therein. A distal end 16 of the handle 13 is connected to and open into the second section 12. The diameter or cross-section of the handle 11 is preferably less than that of the second section 12 with the relative dimensions of the first and second sections 11, 12 depending on the application, user-defined preferences and the anatomy of the organs into which the device is to be introduced.
The second section 12 includes an operative probe 17 for applying energy to selected portions of tissue. The probe 17 extends from a proximal end 60 to a distal end 61, with a probe cavity 59 formed therein. The probe cavity 59 may be formed in any size and/or shape compatible with the anatomical structures through which the second section 12 will be inserted. The probe 17 preferably comprises a casing 18, an ultrasound element 19 and a coupling fluid component 48. The casing 18 may have any desired shape compatible with the anatomy with which it is to be employed. However, the shape of the casing 18 will preferably be formed so that a shape of a portion of the outer surface of the casing 18 through which energy will pass from the ultrasound element 19 to the target tissue couples to the tissue surface which it will be contacting (e.g., as a shape of the casing conforms to that of the tissue or vice versa). That is, as ultrasound energy will pass efficiently only when there are no air gaps between the ultrasound element 19 and the target tissue, it is important that the casing be shaped to ensure that direct contact with the intervening tissue surface may be easily maintained. For example, the casing 18 may be substantially cylindrical or may include a substantially planar face or faces. The casing 18 is more preferably a sonolucent dome or membrane with a coupling medium 68 filling the casing 18 to transmit the ultrasound waves from the ultrasound element 19 to the casing 18 and therethrough to the tissue. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the coupling medium 68 may be a liquid (e.g., water, degassed water, etc.), a gel, or any other desired medium, preferably with an acoustic impedance similar to that of water. Furthermore, if this medium 68 is circulated, it will also assist in removing heat from the tissue in immediate contact with the casing 18 and this medium 68 or any other material suitable for use as the coupling medium 68 may also be applied to an outer surface of the casing 18 to reduce the chances of infection.
The handle 11 and the second section 12 of the apparatus 10 may be movably or immovably mounted to one another. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the handle 11 and the second section 12 are fixedly coupled to one another in an axial alignment to reduce the arbitrariness of the waving of the apparatus 10 by a user. In a separate embodiment (not shown) the handle 11 and the second section 12 may be rotatably coupled to one another by a hinge as would be understood by those of skill in the art so that an angle of the second section 12 relative to the handle 11 may be dynamically or incrementally varied to aid in properly positioning the second section 12 relative to the target tissue. That is, the angle may be varied to facilitate placement of the second section 12 flush against the desired tissue surface adjacent to the target tissue to maximize energy delivery to the target tissue. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the joint may be a locking hinge or any other coupling means which allows for dynamic and/or incremental movement of the second section 12 relative to the handle 11. Use of such a joint contemplates movement of the second section 12 in any or all directions (i.e. laterally, vertically, axially and angularly) relative to the handle 11.
As would be understood by those skilled in the art, any or all of the handle 11, the casing 18 and the balloon 28 may be manufactured from any biocompatible material (e.g., polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), etc.) showing the desired mechanical properties. Hence, these portions of or the entire apparatus 10 may be employed as a single-use item and disposed of after use. Alternatively, the user may dispose of the casing 18 and/or the balloon 28 after each use while the remaining components of the apparatus 10 are conditioned and fitted with a new casing 18 and/or balloon 28 for subsequent use.
As shown in FIG. 1, an armature 22 extends through the handle 11 to the second section 12 where it is attached to a substrate 24 of the ultrasound element 19 residing within the casing 18. A proximal end of the armature 22 is coupled to a displacement actuator 26 so that, movement and/or rotation of the displacement actuator 26 relative to the handle 13 causes a corresponding movement of the armature 22 and, consequently, of the ultrasound element 19 relative to the casing 18. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the displacement actuator 26 may include one or more of a disc, gear, lever, or other element which allows the user to rotate the armature 22 relative to the handle 13 and/or to move the armature 22 axially relative to the handle 13 to alter a direction of transmission of the ultrasound energy from the ultrasound element 19. Alternatively, the armature 22 may be adapted to rotate and/or move axially electronically, for example, through a combination of control logic circuits and servo motors. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, mechanical and/or electronic control of the axial movement and rotation of the ultrasound element 19 minimizes operator variability associated with devices requiring arbitrary waving of an RF applicator over target tissue.
FIG. 1 also shows one embodiment of the ultrasound element 19 according to the invention. In this embodiment, the ultrasound element 19 includes an array of ultrasound crystals 21 disposed on a concave surface 65 of the substrate 24. The ultrasound crystals 21, which may include, for example, be PZT (Lead Zirconate Titanate) or any other piezoelectric material. The ultrasound crystals are bonded to a substantially rigid intermediate plate 71 which is preferably formed of a material such as copper which may be strongly bonded to a the substrate 24 to prevent the ultrasound crystal 19 from shaking loose from the substrate 24 as it vibrates to generate the ultrasound energy. The intermediate plate 71 may be utilized for any shape, size and configuration of the ultrasound crystals 19. Preferably, a thin layer of epoxy will be used to bond the ultrasound crystal 19 to the intermediate plate 71 with an additional coat of epoxy applied to the intermediate plate 71 to bond it to the substrate 24. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the epoxy may be replaced by another suitable adhesive compound or method, but preferably any compound used has an acoustic impedance similar to that of water. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the number, size, shape and orientation of the ultrasound crystals 21 in any of the described embodiments may be varied to deliver the desired energy to the target tissue in the most efficient manner. For example, the crystals 21 may be concave, substantially planar, convex, etc. In addition, those skilled in the art will understand that the array of crystals 21 may be replaced by a single concave crystal having a shape similar to that of the array 21 so that a similar focus area for the generated energy is achieved.
For example, the apparatus 10 may be used to treat target tissues at depths between 0.5 and 3 cm below the surface with which the casing 18 is in contact. In the case of the EPF, the target tissue will generally be between 1 and 3 cm below the vaginal wall. For example, if crystals 21 are circular with a diameter D of approximately 1 cm, vibrating the crystals 21 at a frequency F of 2.5 MHz produces a beam of energy which remains focused for approximately a length L of 4 cm before diverging. As the velocity of sound is approximately 1,500m/sec, the wavelength λ is equal to 1,500m/sec*1/F and the distance is calculated as: L=D2/4λ. Thus, for a circular crystal 21 of 0.01 m diameter, L equals approximately 4 cm. This is the maximum focusing distance for an ultrasound element 19 including crystals 21 of these diameters at F=2.5 MHz. If the beam travels the entire distance through tissue, the maximum attenuation of the energy is 1 dB/MHz/cm*2.5 MHz*4 cm=10 dB. Thus, approximately one tenth of the original transducer power would remain at a focusing point at the distance L. Thus, to achieve a greater power at the focusing point than is generated by any individual crystal 21 at its surface, beams from more than 10 crystals would need to be focused on the focusing spot.
As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the ultrasound element 19 may either be fully enclosed in the casing 18 or may be exposed and in substantially the same plane as a surface 27 of the casing. If the ultrasound crystals 21 are in the same plane as the casing surface 27, rotation of the armature 22 will rotate the entire second section 12 of the apparatus.
The ultrasound element 19 includes an array 20 of ultrasound crystals 21 positioned on a substrate 25. According to this embodiment, the surface 65 of the substrate 24 is concave and, therefore, the crystals 21 form a substantially cylindrical surface. As seen more clearly in FIG. 2, the surface 65 forms a shape with a focus along a line substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the ultrasound element 19 and separated therefrom by a preselected distance. More specifically, the surface 65 is shaped so that, when the intermediate plates 68 are bonded thereto with the crystals 21 bonded to the intermediate plates 68, the crystals 21 are arranged along a surface with a focus along a line substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the ultrasound element 19. Ultrasound energy from the crystals 21 will converge along this focus line substantially increasing the intensity of energy delivered along this line as compared to the energy delivered to other locations. As shown in FIG. 2, if four ultrasound crystals 21 are positioned on the surface 65 to form the ultrasound element 19, the energy from these four crystals 21 will come together at the focus line along the length of the element 19. Thus, the shape of the surface 65 dictates a distance to the line of focus and, consequently, determines the depth at which sufficient energy will be applied to tissue to denature the collagen and stiffen the tissue. That is, when the casing 18 is pressed against tissue, the focus line will be located at a predetermined depth within the tissue. Those skilled in the art will understand that the shape of the surface 65 may be altered in accord with the basic rules of geometry to achieve any other desired depths and/or curves along which the ultrasound energy is to be focused. For example, the shape of the surface 54 may be selected so that the focus distance varies along the longitudinal axis or so that the ultrasound crystals 21 focus on a single spot. A side profile of the ultrasound beam 64 emitted from the embodiment of FIG. 1 is seen in FIG. 3. For line focus applications, it may be necessary to select focusing distances that are considerably less than L as the number of crystals 21 which may be focused on each point of the line is less than may be required to compensate for the attenuation associated with greater depths.
As shown in FIG. 4, a apparatus 10′ according to a second embodiment includes a liquid filled balloon 28 surrounding the casing 18. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the balloon 28 may be replaced by a sonolucent dome, membrane or any other suitable structure. Upon activation or initialization of the apparatus 10 or upon recognition of certain predetermined conditions, e.g. when a temperature of the ultrasound element 19 reaches a threshold level, an inflation lumen 63 of the balloon 28 supplies liquid to the balloon 28 with the liquid exiting the balloon 28 via a fluid return lumen. Alternatively, liquid may be constantly or regularly supplied to the balloon 28 to flow circumferentially therearound. Furthermore, as would be understood by those skilled in the art, where the casing 18 and/or the balloon 28 are compliant, the user may alter the focal distance of the ultrasound crystals 21 by increasing/decreasing the pressure of the fluid 68. This pressure or volume of the fluid 68 may be monitored with feedback provided to the user to achieve desired focal depths.
As shown in FIG. 5, the ultrasound element 19 of an apparatus 10″ according to a third embodiment of the invention includes crystals 21 mounted on a plurality of panels 70 which are moveable relative to one another. This allows the surface 65 to be dynamically shaped by mechanical or electromechanical means 69 (e.g, vertically moving actuators) to vary the depth and or shape of the area of focus approximating the cylindrical arrangement of the crystals 21 of the embodiment of FIG. 1 with different radii and, consequently, different focus depths. For example, a wider field may be narrowed and/or a depth of focus may be changed by increasing the angles between the outer panels 70 and the center panel 70, as shown in FIG. 5. Alternatively, the dynamic shaping of the ultrasound element 19 may be accomplished by incorporating shape memory materials (e.g, Ti—Ni alloys, Cu-based alloys, ferrous alloys, certain ceramics and polymers, smart materials, etc.) into the substrate 24 so that controlling a temperature of these materials (e.g., by applying electric current thereto) causes a corresponding change in the shape of the substrate 24 to achieve a desired energy focus.
A further exemplary embodiment of an ultrasound element 19 is depicted in FIG. 6. In this embodiment, the substrate 24 includes an array of ultrasound crystals 21 disposed on a surface 65 that is substantially ellipsoidal. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the ultrasound crystals 21 may be arranged in a single or multiple lines in either a longitudinal or a transverse orientation, or in any other orientation or grouping as desired. The ultrasound element 19 of this embodiment is concave in the form of a partially ellipsoidal bowl creating a substantially elliptical spot focus area 55 at a selected distance 56 from the element 19. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 7, the surface 65 may be formed as a partially spherical bowl. The positioning of the ultrasound crystals 21 according to these embodiments creates a substantially circular spot field 55 in which the ultrasound beams 64 converge at a specific distance 56 from the substrate 24. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, any of the various ultrasound elements 19 may be employed with any of the various casings 18 and coverings described herein. As described above, when target tissue is at a depth which approaches a maximum depth of energy penetration (based on the crystal dimensions and frequency) before the energy dissipates, it is necessary to focus more crystals on a spot to account for attenuation of the energy. Specifically, in the example given above, for a target depth of 4 cm with crystals 21 of D=1 cm and F=2.5 MHz, it is necessary to focus more than 10 crystals 21 on the focusing spot to achieve greater power delivery at the focusing spot than is generated by each crystal. In each of FIGS. 6 and 7, 13 crystals are focused on the spot 55 bringing approximately 1.3 times the energy to this spot as is generated by any one crystal. Those skilled in the art will understand that the surface 65 in the example of FIG. 7 will be a sphere of approximately 4 cm diameter to achieve this depth of focus and that the surface 65 of the apparatus of FIG. 6 will be an ellipsoid with a focus approximately 4 cm from the end thereof.
Seen more clearly in FIG. 6, the substrate 24 has a substantially rectangular shape with a distal rounded edge 50 and a proximal rounded edge 51. As would be understood by those skilled in the art, the shape of the substrate 24 may be varied depending on application (e.g., a rounded distal edge 50 may ease insertion into a naturally occurring bodily orifice). As would be further understood by those skilled in the art, the depth of the target tissue, size of the target tissue, and other factors may influence determinations concerning the type, size and orientation of the crystals 21 and their number in the array of the element 19. The component 48 according to this embodiment includes a channel 52 extending through the substrate 24 from an inlet 53 to an outlet 54 so that the medium 68 may be circulated therethrough. The channel 52 may extend into the casing 18, longitudinally and/or radially winding around the ultrasound element 19 specifically within those parts of the casing 18 through which the ultrasound energy will pass toward the target tissue. Furthermore, in any of the described embodiments, a distance between an axial centerline, midpoint or face of the ultrasound element 19 and the outside of the casing 18 or cooling balloon 28 may be varied to change a depth of focus of the energy. Finally, a conduit 57 is provided for a wire to couple the ultrasound element 19 to a source of energy. Alternatively, the apparatus 10 may include wireless energy couplings.
FIG. 8 shows an apparatus 10 according to any of the previous embodiments in position within the vagina 43 in contact with the vaginal wall 44 and the vaginal muscosa 45. In this position, the apparatus 10 is positioned to transmit energy to the endopelvic fascia (EPF) 46 and/or the bladder neck tissues 47 which support the bladder 42 which, in large part, define the pelvic floor. As described above, urinary incontinence may develop when the bladder neck 47 shifts due to abdominal stress from obesity, pregnancy or other conditions. Pressure pulses to the abdomen caused by activities such as laughing, coughing, sneezing or exercising may then cause the bladder to shift vertically or laterally, decreasing the length of the urethra 66 and simultaneously opening the urinary sphincter, expelling urine. Displacement of the bladder 42 further stretches and deforms the EPF 46.
The method according to the present invention will be shown and described in conjunction with FIG. 7 as a treatment for urinary incontinence, though the method may be used for the treatment of other conditions where the reshaping and/or stiffening of tissue (e.g., collagenous tissue) may be therapeutic. The EPF 46 is stiffened non-invasively by inserting the apparatus 10 into a body lumen via a naturally occurring body orifice, such as, the vagina 43 until the second section 12 contacts the vaginal mucosa 45, because the cooling component 48 will protect the mucosa and vaginal wall 44 from any heating caused by inefficiencies of the ultrasound element 19.
The apparatus 10 may be inserted to any desired depth within the vagina 43, but the second section 12 is preferably introduced fully into the vagina 43 with the casing 18 in contact with the vaginal wall 44 and/or vaginal mucosa 45 to allow for efficient propagation ultrasound energy thereinto. After the apparatus 10 has been inserted into the vagina 43, the ultrasound element 19 may be statically placed in a medial or lateral position for the delivery of ultrasound energy to a target portion of collagenous tissue surrounding the vaginal wall 44, particularly the EPF. The ultrasound element 19 may then be rotated and/or translated axially, mechanically or electronically, to provide more thorough coverage of the target tissue, while avoiding damage to the surrounding tissue and structures. As discussed above, in some embodiments of the invention, tthe second section 12 may rotate relative to the handle 11. Additionally, positioning within the vagina 43 may be varied by manipulation of the handle 11 or through the use of a joint between the handle 11 and the probe 12 to change an angle therebetween. Hence, the ultrasound energy may be directed to the EPF near the bladder neck 47 and mid to proximal urethra 66 to treat stress incontinence.
The ultrasound element 19 delivers energy to the EPF 46 through the vaginal mucosa 45 and the vaginal wall 44. As described above, ultrasound energy denatures and reorients the collagenous fibers that compose the EPF, causing it to shrink and stiffen. Stiffening of the collagen pulls the bladder 42, bladder neck 47 and proximal urethra 66 toward their initial positions before the stress factor (i.e. obesity, pregnancy) caused their displacement so that abdominal stress during routine activities will no longer result in expulsion of urine from the urethra.
Those skilled in the art will understand that the crystals 21 of any of the above described ultrasound elements 19 may be operated as a phased array to adjust the depth, shape and/or size of the focus area of the ultrasound energy and that the frequency of the energy delivered by the ultrasound element 19 may be varied to depending on the depth of the target tissue to achieve a maximum energy delivery to this tissue while minimizing the impact of the energy on surrounding tissues.
The present invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art will understand that changes may be made in details, particularly in matters of shape, size, material and arrangement of parts. Accordingly, various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments. For example, the type of ultrasound array used may be varied, and the shape of the ultrasound crystals may be changed. Additional or fewer components may be used, depending on the condition that is being treated using the described tissue stiffening apparatus. The specifications and drawings are, therefore, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.
1. An apparatus for stiffening tissue comprising: an ultrasound element including an array of ultrasound crystals arranged on a surface, the surface shaped so that energy generated by the crystals converges on a predetermined focusing area.
2. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a mechanism for moving at least a part of the surface to vary a shape of the surface so that at least one of a location, a size and a shape of the focusing area is adjusted.
3. An apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the mechanism for moving includes a shape memory component formed of a shape memory material and a heating mechanism for heating the shape memory component above a critical temperature of the shape memory material so that the shape memory component assumes a predetermined shape.
4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a casing surrounding the ultrasound element, the casing including a coupling medium therein for propagating sound waves from the crystals therethrough to tissue with which the casing is in contact.
5. An apparatus according claim 4, further comprising a circulation system for circulating the coupling medium through the casing to dissipate heat generated adjacent to the casing
6. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the casing includes a balloon which, when placed in contact with tissue, conforms to a shape thereof.
7. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a handle which, when the device is in an operative position, remains outside the body, and a probe including the ultrasound element, the probe being coupled to the handle so that, when the device is in the operative position, the probe is located within the body with the ultrasound element located in proximity to a target portion of tissue.
8. An apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the handle is coupled to the probe via a joint allowing angular movement of the probe relative to the handle.
9. An apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the joint further allows for rotation of the probe relative to the handle about an axis of the probe.
10. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface is shaped as a portion of a sphere.
11. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface is shaped as a portion of an ellipsoid.
12. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the surface includes a plurality of panels movably connected to one another so that a shape of the surface may be varied.
13. An apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a displacement member coupled to the ultrasound element, the displacement member extending to the handle so that, movement of the displacement member moves the ultrasound element relative to the probe.
14. An apparatus according to claim 13, wherein rotation of the displacement rotates the ultrasound element relative to the handle.
15. An apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the probe includes a casing surrounding the ultrasound element and wherein movement of the displacement member relative to handle moves the ultrasound element relative to the casing.
16. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the ultrasound crystals include at least one of planar crystals, circular crystals and concave crystals.
17. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the array is a phased array.
19. An apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the phased array controls a depth of focus and a depth of penetration of the ultrasound energy.
20. An apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the casing is one of a sonolucent dome and a sonolucent membrane.
21. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein each of the ultrasound crystals is bonded to an intermediate member which is bonded to the surface.
22. An apparatus according to claim 21,wherein the intermediate members include copper.
23. An apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the substrate is formed of a plastic and wherein the intermediate member is bonded thereto by epoxy.
24. An apparatus for treating tissue comprising a probe which, when in an operative position, is located adjacent to a portion of tissue to be treated, the probe including an ultrasound element, the ultrasound element focusing ultrasound energy on a predetermined focus area determined by the geometry of the ultrasound element.
25. An apparatus according to claim 24, wherein the ultrasound element includes a plurality of ultrasound crystals arranged on a substrate, the substrate being shaped so that energy from the crystals converges on the predetermined focus area.
26. A method of treating tissue comprising:
positioning adjacent a target portion of tissue to be treated a probe including an ultrasound element, a geometry of the ultrasound element focusing ultrasound energy generated thereby on a predetermined focus area;
adjusting the position of the probe so that the predetermined focus area is located at the target portion of tissue; and
energizing the ultrasound element to treat the target portion of tissue.
27. A method according to claim 26, wherein the ultrasound element includes an array of ultrasound crystals arranged in a shape focused on the predetermined focus area.
28. A method according to claim 26, further comprising moving the ultrasound element to apply energy to additional portions of tissue.
29. A method according to claim 28, wherein the ultrasound element is moved relative to a casing of the probe.
30. A method according to claim 28, wherein the ultrasound element is moved by moving the probe.
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Owner name: BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED, INC., MINNESOTA
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Free format text: ABANDONED -- AFTER EXAMINER'S ANSWER OR BOARD OF APPEALS DECISION


Living Legends Table View Seniors Club held its annual Christmas party at a local restaurant last Friday. There were spot prizes and ward councillor Dr Joy McCarthy gave each guest a box of biscuits.
Billy Ryan opens his spot prize.
Living Legends executive members are, back from left, Sandra de Allende, Betty Thorpe, Betz Maritz, Yvonne Corbeti and Derrick Morton-Achmad. In front, are Bev Wheelock and Jean Harvey.
From left are Waseema Rykliet, Jaye Westwood and Tania Smith.
Betz Maritz thanks those who sponsored gifts.


Turkey slapped retaliatory sanctions on two U.S. officials Saturday which "appeared more symbolic than practical," the Associated Press reports.
The big picture: The U.S. hit Turkey's justice and interior ministers with sanctions earlier this week over the detention of American pastor Andrew Brunson. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the sanctions showed "serious disrespect toward Turkey," and ordered officials to "freeze the assets of America's justice and interior ministers in Turkey, if there are any."
The sanctions imposed by the U.S. sent Turkey's currency "tumbling," per the AP.
Erdogan explained on Saturday: "We think there is no problem we cannot solve with the American administration," and told the Trump administration to "return to its good senses."
It is not evident who the sanctions would impact as the U.S. has a different cabinet structure than Turkey and it is unclear whether the officials have any holdings in the country.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday, before Turkey's sanctions were announced, that "Turkey is a NATO partner with whom the United States has every intention of continuing to work cooperatively," the AP also reported.
He also said that he made clear to Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, that it's "well past time that Pastor Brunson be freed." Adding, "I am hopeful that in the coming days we will see that occur."
Brunson is currently on house arrest after spending more than a year and a half in Turkish prison on terrorism charges.


The staff at Center for Pediatric Therapy have all been certified through the National Certification Board. They are all licensed to practice through the state of Connecticut. Each therapist annually keeps up on continuing education. Members of our staff possess advanced certifications in Neurodevelopmental Treatment (NDT) and the Administration and Interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT). Many therapists have over 20 years of experience in pediatric therapy demonstrating a commitment to children with special needs. Additionally, many of our therapists possess specialty certificates. We incorporate a variety of traditional and cutting-edge therapies.
The company's commitment to professional development is enhanced by each therapist's area of expertise. Mentoring, supervision, collaboration, case conferencing, and formal training foster the exchange of ideas and promote each therapist's ability to clinically reason on an advanced level. For therapists who are continually seeking to advance their skills, each of these experiences is considered critical to providing children with optimal intervention and support.


PreK Planet Parker: icy stuff!
we are soooo ready to go!
one at a time over the bridge....look at the ice!
At the end of our walk, we placed special pieces in a pie tin, added water and a loop of string, and we hope to find ICE soon!
ice crystals under the leaves...hoar frost?
this is the iron wood tree!


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text:
Q: Issue subtracting in mapping objects I am getting an undefined number when console logging my subtraction.
I am mapping the term years of presidents if a president served from 2010-2014 I should have the result of 4.
I tried splitting the object and subtract index 0 and 1 and return the difference between the two.

let president = {
  "id": 44,
  "president": 44,
  "nm": "Barack Obama",
  "pp": "Democrat",
  "tm": "2009-2017"
}

let presidentFullName = president.nm.split(" ");
presidentYears = president.tm.split(" ");

myPresidents = {
  id: president.id,
  number: president.president,
  firstName: presidentFullName[0],
  lastName: presidentFullName[1],
  party: president.pp,
  yearsInOffice: presidentYears[0-1]
}

console.log(myPresidents);

i'm currently getting an undefined under the console.log for the "yearsInOffice"

A: The years in tm are seperated by a - and not a space. You need to split at -
presidentYears = president.tm.split("-");

Then you need to subtract the 2 values from the array returned
yearsInOffice: presidentYears[1] - presidentYears[0]

presidentYears[0-1] is trying to get the -1 index from presidentYears array and it's undefined

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


The DCX Family of motion controllers use 26 conductor IDC ribbon cables to connect the DCX plug-in function modules to the DCX breakout boards. For our customers' convenience, we stock 6 ft. (2M) ribbon cable assemblies. Custom lengths can also be ordered, but lead-times may apply.


text:
Do You Know Who Drew this Map of Philly's 1913 Subway Plan?
By Megan Ritchie Jooste Apr 2, 2015, 12:02pm EDT
Here's the story: between 1913 and 1915, Philadelphia Transit Commissioner A. Merritt Taylor was charged drawing up a proposal for several mass transit lines to connect metro Philadelphia. At the time, development of the Market-Frankford line was slowly coming along, and it would be another 10 years before Philly saw the start of construction on the Broad Street Line. Still, A. Merritt Taylor's proposal in many ways represents the subway system of Philadelphia's dreams: look at the extension into Queen Village! The 16th and Passyunk Spur! The Northeast Elevated! Franklin Square! Although the majority of these locations currently boast decent bus or trolley coverage, come on. This plan, which represents the first of several transit schematics Merritt Taylor would commission in his lifetime, would have been so great.
Fast forward to 2002, Michael Krasulski, blogger at Philadelphia Studies and librarian and professor at the University of the Sciences gets this digitized map of Merritt Taylor's original city transit proposal dropped in his PhilaU inbox. He writes:
A fellow on the Main Line, whose name I have long forgotten, made this for my website. The map is, mostly, based on the original 1913 plan. He added the airport connection "just because." Here's where we come in: let's find the mystery map-maker. Everyone who has dabbled lightly in cartography or graphic design could take a wild guess at the number of hours this "fellow on the Main Line" dedicated to bringing Merritt Taylor's 1913 plan into the 21st century. Email us, or leave a comment below so we can give this dedicated "train geek" a well-deserved moment in the sun.
A. Merritt Taylor's original proposal, from his Report of Transit Commissioner, City of Philadelphia:
· Obsession Of The Moment: The (Much, Much Better) Philly Subway System As Proposed In 1913 [Philebrity]
· Philadelphia Subway Map Based Upon A. Merritt Taylor's Proposals (1913-1915) [Philadelphia Studies]
· Historical Map: Tentative Location of Future Rapid Transit Lines, Philadelphia, 1913 [Transitmaps]


eta: and oh, hey! I see that URBAN SHAMAN made it onto the 101 best fantasy novels list from a few weeks ago! How splendid, thank you guys!
Done! and YAY! for Urban Shaman!
Now I'll have to go buy some of your stuff to see if you're that fascinating a writer all the time! Thanks for including your website info in your userinfo page!
...okay, I've looked back over your postings, and figured it out, not that this really matters to anyone but me. You did a really good post about e-piracy and e-publishing on 8/28/09 and a bunch of my friends linked to it on Facebook and at bar.baen.com. I liked it enough that I friended you on LJ, hoping for more of the same; and instead, I'm reading your urban fantasy (or is that paranormal romance??). The Bujold fanfic was me confusing you with someone else, abject apologies.
Although there were other authors I read and liked on the poll, I HAD to vote for you. I've already read the first 4 twice.
I have to wait a while for Walking Dead to ease out of my memory. I really enjoyed the "ride" in this one.
i had other favorite authors as well but walker is such a riveting character that i voted for you.yay for urban shaman.


This beautiful traveling case was once owned by Baron de la Roche who was an aide de camp to Lafayette during the American Revolution. He was born in Treves, Germany in 1757 and raised there though his family was originally French. He attained the rank of officer in the American army and in 1790 de la Roche became an American citizen. Later he returned to Europe and was killed in the in the Battle of Austerlitz, one of Napoleon's greatest victories. At the time of his death in 1805, he was listed as a member of the Society of the Cincinnati, an order exclusive to former generals to Washington and their descendents.
Baron de la Roche's finely-made, veneered traveling case dates to the 1770s and may have been used during the Revolution. It is unusually well fitted-out and includes 2 traveling brass candlesticks, a covered silver powder box, a silver sponge box, a silver soap dish, a silver shaving pan, a silver shaving basin, five silver trays, a razor, razor strap, a wooden wig curler; 2 glass toilet bottles (one with liquid), an Anglo-Irish cut-glass dish, a glass funnel, a snuff box, needle case, pen case with quills, 2 French porcelain lidded jars, a tin kettle with a detachable handle for boiling water, large tin can for holding wig powder, a small tin box with wool batting, a large tooth comb, and an etched wine glass. The chest has a drawer with multiple compartments for letters and other documents. In addition, the razor strap bears the label of the Parisian retailer of the chest, firmly connecting it with de la Roche's time just before the Revolution. Taken together, these objects document not only de la Roche's high-style taste, but what one gentleman of position and rank regarded as necessities.
This case is currently on display in our exhibition Inventing a Nation: Maryland in the Revolutionary Era.


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text:
Zaha Hadid Unveils High Line Installation
Zaha Hadid's High Line Installation, named Allongé, is now on view. Image © Scott Frances
Written by Rory Stott
https://www.archdaily.com/772163/zaha-hadid-unveils-high-line-installation
With the construction of their High Line-adjacent residential building 520 West 28th Street, Zaha Hadid Architects have constructed a temporary construction shelter to protect pedestrians in the event of any falling construction materials. However, as is often the case with Zaha Hadid designs, this is a construction shelter unlike any other, serving as a protective shelter but also as an artistic installation.
Named Allongé, the installation is "is inspired by the connectivity and dynamism of movement along the High Line," allowing visitors to the High Line to move through 34 meters (112 feet) of sweeping metallic fabric supported by a curvilinear steel frame, offering a spatial experience that foreshadows the presence of Hadid's building at the site.
As a construction shelter, the structure forms a vital role in protecting the public. But as an installation, Allongé aims to preserve people's experience of the High Line in spite of the adjacent construction. The design "acts as an extrusion of the spatial ideas inherent in Hadid's architecture, where form follows not only function but is also drawn along by the narrative of movement through space," explains the press release.
"I've always been fascinated by the High Line and its possibilities for the city. Decades ago, I used to visit the galleries in the area and consider how to build along the route. It's very exciting to be building there now," said Zaha Hadid.
"Our collaboration with Ms. Hadid has been exceptional and we are thrilled to unveil this new installation, designed to beautify the necessary overhead protection system," said Greg Gushee, Executive Vice President of 520 West 28th Street's developer Related Companies. "This beautiful installation serves as a civic gesture to the neighborhood, embracing the innovative and artistic spirit of West Chelsea."
Rory Stott
NewsArchitecture NewsHigh LineNew York CityInstalaciónJersey CityZaha HadidpedestriansPedestrian
Cite: Rory Stott. "Zaha Hadid Unveils High Line Installation" 19 Aug 2015. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/772163/zaha-hadid-unveils-high-line-installation> ISSN 0719-8884
想阅读文章的中文版本吗?
Zaha Hadid 扎哈·哈迪德为纽约高线公园设计的装置


In this article I'll talk about things to avoid that makes software brittle, and how to go about having a system that runs for as long as your hardware lives.
One thing to keep in mind, is that unless you are writing code for a long range space probe, then no one is going to pay you to do this so you will be doing this after hours in your own time.
Separating the MUST from the NICE determines how you'll handle the errors for these things - anything nice that fails, can gracefully return and let the user know 'sorry, that isn't going to happen right now', but the MUST functionality needs to have a plan to get around this.
Look at the software documentation (and if you don't have software documentation, that is the first job!) and identify every component and think about what happen if that fails.
This is probably the most obvious initial question, but it is not the right one to ask - hardware changes quite quickly, and it is more important to work out what operating system or software platform you should consider as these are updated to run on new hardware as it comes out. If you are hosting this on your own local system consider something simple like the Arduino or Raspberry PI - if the software is intensive then go for multiple rack mounted computers to avoid a single point of failure. Battery backup is a must in either case.
OK, so what platform should I consider?
The only real choice is an open source such as Linux or BSD - the large companies like Microsoft and Apple, which although they do support older versions of their OS for a limited time, have always stopped support for older versions. Once this happens, you will likely need to upgrade the software - often this is simple, but other times it is not.
Either way, for long term software, don't lock yourself into a large vendor whose primary source of income is to sell you a new version every 3-4 years - it is in their best interests to make sure that old software doesn't work after a while.
What Libraries / Stack should I use?
This goes against the current trend where people deploy quickly and use any and all libraries to reduce the amount of code they need to develop. Long term use, is different - you need to very carefully consider any addition or dependency to your software, as it adds another way for it to break when a library gets unsupported, changes, or has a serious security flaw.
So you've picked your hardware and language, so let's get to work - what's next?
It's all about error handling - every single function needs to look after itself.
You should never see a server 500 error on the web, or a core dump in a C program - every non trivial function (and maybe even the trivial ones) needs to look after itself. Treat every input as potentially hostile, assume everything is going to fail and manage what happens when it does - it must have a gentle exit from failures and not just crash.
- all inputs have to be very carefully checked.
Even with paid services, you have no guarantees that the service you use will not change.
If you really have to use them, then have the information cached and all calls wrapped so that when they do change, you will have the last recent data from them which you can use in your software, along with the date that it failed.
The best way to get software to fail is to have issues with either Paths, Permissions or Parenthesis.
Even though I am pulling this number out of my hat, I'd estimate that at least 80% of all software bugs are caused by one of these.
Your software tried to open a file that doesn't exist, network not working, or file was moved.
Syntax style errors, some are obvious fixes, mostly caught by a compiler or linter but many cause changes to logic which causes errors.
How does long term maintenance work in this situation?
This is the weak point of the exercise, you have to pick a hosting provider that is not going to go out of business, or change policies, get hacked, etc.
What bugs? We just spent MONTHS of our own time after hours making this software that is supposed to last for decades - where did the bugs come from?
Answer = there are always bugs. But at least these will be bugs under your own control, which can be solved.
So that's it - a brief look at the main things that will cause your software to fail. Hope you got some tips that might help make the world of software a bit nicer.


Apr 09 Alpine: High. Treeline: High. Below Treeline: Considerable.
Apr 09 Alpine: High. Treeline: Considerable. Below Treeline: Considerable.
Apr 10 Alpine: High. Treeline: Considerable. Below Treeline: Considerable.
Apr 11 Alpine: Considerable. Treeline: Considerable. Below Treeline: Considerable.
Apr 12 Alpine: Considerable. Treeline: Moderate. Below Treeline: Moderate.
The Bottom Line: Large and dangerous wind slabs that formed above treeline Tuesday night and Wednesday continue to gradually stabilize. Continue caution on the upper mountain by avoiding steep wind-loaded terrain and by limiting your exposure to large open avalanche paths that begin higher on the mountain. Increasing potential for loose wet avalanches on steep southerly facing slopes will develop during the warmest part of the day.
After an initial bout of snow, a strong frontal system pushed heavy rain up to at least 6500-7000 ft Tuesday night and Wednesday morning in the Mt. Hood area. Strong west winds also rocked the mountain. On Friday, we will continue to deal with two types of avalanche problems; hard wind slabs above the rain-line in the alpine and loose wet avalanche potential on steep southerly facing slopes.
The high-amplitude upper-level ridge offshore pushes slightly further into the region with temperatures aloft warming further tonight into tomorrow, giving us the warmest temperatures we've experienced since November over our mountains by late Saturday into Sunday. Weak systems are spilling over the top of the ridge into SE Alaska and are dropping south through the Rocky Mountains, leaving our region largely unimpacted. Low-level moisture is generally decreasing, so clouds should be mostly clearing out on Saturday. Low-level inversions and fog or freezing fog are likely in some locations. Saturday will be the warmest day for our mountains since November 19th, with freezing levels pushing 11000 ft. On Sunday, a trough moving east along the Rockies will knock back temperatures slightly in our region, but it will remain unseasonably mild.
The recent weather pattern of lower accumulation storms (by NW standards) and longer stretches of calm weather should continue as we move into late January. Since January 17th, incremental snow accumulations punctuated with rising freezing levels favored the south and eastern parts of the region. Storm instabilities have risen with storms and gradually subsided.
A storm slab at Mt Baker.
Storms over the past week have brought a range of layers from rain crusts, to heavy moist snow, to stiff drifts, to light dry powder. Some storm days, like the 18-19th, saw reactive, but very short-lived avalanches caused by heavy precipitation and wind. Even the longer-lasting avalanche problems, wind slabs, haven't persisted for more than a few days. Where the recent snow is stressing underlying weak layers, more dangerous avalanche conditions have prevailed.
Persistent weak layers (PWLs) have been a constant in the eastern zones of the Cascades this winter. As usual, they have been much less problematic at the Passes and west of the Cascade Crest. The latest PWL is a layer of surface hoar, buried around January 17th and found generally east of the Cascade Crest. Buried surface hoar is an active weak layer in the eastern zones and can be found to a limited extent on the eastern edge of the Stevens and Snoqualmie Pass zones. There few, if any, avalanches have been reported on the buried surface hoar. It may be most problematic in open, wind-sheltered terrain, especially well above the valley floor.
You are most likely to find other layers of old weak snow the further you move east from the Cascade crest. Here snowpacks are shallower, more variable, and generally weaker. In some locations, weak snow near the ground can still be found. These basal facets have hung around all season. Digging profiles and using snowpack tests is the best way to gain information about these old persistent weak layers. However, snowpack tests are just one piece of the puzzle. Your terrain decisions shouldn't hinge on any given test result. Because of the size of our forecast zones and the variability in the snowpack, it's important to make snow observations as you travel. We'll keep watching these old layers, but let us know what you see while you are in the mountains.
Wind slabs are the dominant feature at higher elevations. Older, deeper winds slabs still linger from Wednesday's storm. While they are gaining strength, you are most likely to trigger these larger slabs on very steep slopes, near convex rollovers, or just below cornices.
Warming temperatures and sunshine will increase the odds for loose wet avalanches on Friday. These avalanches are most likely to release from steep, rocky, sunny slopes during the warmest part of the day. Monitor changes in the upper snowpack, looking for natural pinwheels or small loose wet avalanches as clear signs of increasing danger. Avoid terrain traps like gullies where even a small avalanche can bury you.


By this I mean, generally speaking, does one get conceived and designed first and if so, which one? Do we design hardware to support the software vision, or do we design software to support the hardware vision? Or even, is it a singular, all encompassing design?
During the time of conception for VENUE live sound console products, competing manufacturers were developing console control software and hardware with what appeared to be a "one console at a time" mindset. By them doing so, logic dictates that it would then require dedicated development resources for each and every new product—in this case mixing consoles—that would be developed moving forward over time. That also meant that as time went on, for all of the different versions of software and their associated console to continue on a path of development, it would then require its own team of software specialists to be focused on that software and console until it reached the end of it's life. Once a new product was conceived, so was the new corresponding control software and on we go to the next new product.
No big deal really, right? Well, on a white board this looks viable and maybe even preferable on some counts because it's always something "new" coming out and multiple teams can remain focused on one single product without the need to be bracketed by other products by the same manufacturer.
But as I've come to learn in my nearly 15 year stint behind the curtain of product manufacturing—the white board is many times the gateway drug to working in a vacuum where all decisions can find rational if you work on them long enough. Because of this, there is always the need to grab a big bucket, fill it to the brim with reality, and heave it right at that ideals driven white board and see what it washes away.
During the concept and design phase of the VENUE Live Sound Environment project, there was a concerted effort to change that new and emerging paradigm of how software interacts with hardware with regard to live sound products, file portability and their ongoing development and longevity.
Here are a few of the realities of the live sound market as it existed before we set out to make VENUE. Our goal was to recognize and plan strategically in order to positively address these realities for the live sound market before embarking on how VENUE software would be conceived and live what we hoped would be a very long and fruitful life.
Reality one of the day; all mixing consoles of that time (dominated by analog) had a tendency to have an extended and distinguished shelf life and remain viable to the sound for hire vendor for a very long time. Honestly, probably much longer than any manufacturer would ever want to concede. The change over to brand new technologies, or new versions of existing technologies, was traditionally a long drawn out crossfade.
Reality two, the traditional demands on the people mixing on these consoles were that they could regularly be asked to move from one console manufacturer to another when working on tour, especially touring internationally—and more importantly— sometimes change from one console size and architecture to another while with the same act—all in order to accommodate small venue sizes and space restraints for example. Sometimes they would be required to simply use what was available.
Thirdly, digital console designs by many manufacturers (and as they currently exist today by the way) stood to throw a formidable learning curve challenge to the live sound mixer if he or she wanted to stay operationally fluent on many different manufacturers consoles. With digital, the idea of moving to a different manufacturer mid tour was considerably more daunting in that it not only required a complete rebuild of the data on the new console, but then also in turn, have to relearn and reorient themselves to a new tactile environment that was oft times wildly different than what they were currently used to. This situation was exacerbated by the concept that show files were incompatible between consoles—sometimes even between consoles offered by the same manufacturer.
The VENUE design team was determined to address these challenges, along with many others during the development of VENUE software and hardware. There was a concerted effort to be as "eyes wide open" as was possible at the time and under the circumstances.
Our model centered around the idea that once VENUE software was put in to play, it would continue in development.
To do so requires an intense and long-term commitment from a manufacturer to pull this sort of thing off and there's even one itzy bitzy caveat to consider as well, the software has to be successful and looked upon positively by the end users from day one, otherwise there is little point in moving forward with future development.
Now, don't easily skim over what was just said here and in turn lose sight of the "gold" in this concept for you the end user.
Consider that all Avid live sound mixing products use a single team developing a single application of VENUE software. The advantages of this for you the mixer are multi-fold. Consider the following.
With Avid live sound mixing products you can build a show file on any of our systems—even if that system is running a software versions dating back to the very early days of VENUE software—and load it on a system today running the latest version of VENUE software and use it. You can also go the other direction as well, meaning; build a show file on the most recent version of VENUE software and deploy it on a console that is running a very early version of VENUE software. This is true for even a next generation product such as the Avid S3L System. I challenge you to name a computing product or digital audio product, let alone a live sound product where you can actually pull this off. This requires long-term vision along with an intense development and testing commitment from Avid engineers to pull it off and have it actually work.
Secondly, extended life span for Avid live sound products.
Because VENUE software development is not constantly starting, stopping and then restarting from scratch for a new product, an updated release gives all VENUE products the ability to gain feature enhancements as the software improves and further develops. This also bodes well for building test grids for the software, as it simply requires the addition of grids for new hardware based on existing grids for the previous hardware. Subsequently, it's not nearly as daunting of a task or demanding on resources as is building test grids from the ground up for very new product released. Metaphorically speaking with regard to the software; when the water raises for one VENUE product, it raises the water for all VENUE products.
Thirdly, and maybe most importantly IMO is knowledge portability.
I characterize this in my presentations to end users as "learn once – use everywhere" with regard to VENUE software driven products. With this approach, you as the end user get the added bonus of, from a software perspective, needing to only learn one software application for any given Avid live sound product. This is enormously empowering, stress reducing and time saving when regularly moving from one product to another within the Avid live sound line.
So as you can see, we are now most definitely in a different time and reality where hardware can regularly pass us by and live in our rear view mirror while an ongoing and long standing software development legacy serves as the bridge to future live sound products. All the while providing you the means to hold on to expertise and refine what you already know and have mastered. All of which should give you great confidence moving forward when using Avid live sound products. Happy mixing everybody!