text:
Sony announces 4K camcorder
Sony has released a new Handycam that will record 4K footage at 100Mbps in an XAVC format at 25p. The FDR-AXP33 has built-in image stabilization and an "enhanced high-performance electronic viewfinder". It has a manual control ring and a button that can be assigned to zoom, focus or exposure.
Underwater robot takes cues from cuttlefish
Students from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich have designed and built an underwater robot that mimics movements of cuttlefish to propel it virtually silently underwater.
Nikon issues service advisory for D750
Nikon has announced a service advisory for the flare issue that is occurring with the D750. The problem is identified: "when photographing scenes in which an extremely bright light source, such as the sun or high-intensity lighting, is positioned near the top edge of the frame, flare with an unnatural shape sometimes occurs in images."
GoPro announces firmware updates
GoPro has announced a planned firmware update for its HERO4 Black and Silver cameras. Both will get a built-in timelapse function, 30 photos/6 seconds burst shooting and auto rotate. In addition, the HERO 4 Black will get 720p at 240fps and 2.7K at 60fps. The Silver will get HiLight Tags to mark points during playback.
Trip updates: Wetpixel Tiger Sharks 2015
The 2015 Wetpixel Ultimate Tiger Shark expedition is under way! People are flying in form the U.S.A., U.K., China and Finland and will be gathering at the Blue Marlin Cove Resort and Marina on Sunday, with our first day with Epic Diving at Tiger Beach on Monday. Please keep checking back for updates from the field.
Late availability: Sperm whales with Keri Wilk
Our friend and fellow underwater photographer Keri Wilk, has a very few spaces left to fill on his trips to Dominica this March. The goal of the trips is to interact and photograph the sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) that are resident there. Keri has several of the much sought-after permits that allow people to get in the water with the whales. These make his trip a very unique experience, and the free spaces represent an amazing opportunity for someone.
Nauticam ships NA-G7X housing
Nauticam has announced their housing for the Canon Powershot G7 X compact camera. It is the first of the company's housing to feature their new N50 port system, which offers interchangeable ports for compact cameras. The aim is to feature a range of ports tailored for specific applications and camera models
2014 Ocean Art Competition winners announced
The winners of the 2014 Ocean Art Competition have been announced. The competition is organized by Underwater Photography Guide and was judged by underwater photographers Tony Wu, Martin Edge, Marty Snyderman and Scott Gietler.
Recent News
- Nikon D610 officially announced (via )
- Montserrat: An island abandoned and reclaimed by nature (via )
- Sponges allow corals to thrive in marine deserts (via BBC)
- New free Lightroom Quick Start guide available to download (via )
- Sixty new species discovered in Suriname (via )
- National Geographic photography issue (via )
- Dolphin deaths on east coast and morbiliivirus (via )
- Adobe servers hacked (via )
- This is what a beach covered in walruses looks like (via )
- Nick Brandt's new book of calcified animals (via )


text:
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Pittstown, NJ 08867
Where you always receive personal attention.
Category: Financial Advisors|Tax Services|Business Services|Accountants
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by highspeedneed , 06/01/2011
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
LAS CRUCES >> Las Crucen Sandra Valenzuela marches to the beat of her own drum.
Valenzuela took this marching and created a new, unique fitness routine she calls Marching Muscle Fitness and Dance Aerobics, which combines marching with various arm movements that accommodate a variety of age and fitness levels.
Housed in a building she's shared with Torres Martial Art Studio for the past month, located at 200 S. Solano Suite 3, she has been teaching classes on Monday and Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
"It works multiple different muscles and helps coordination through working both sides of the body," she said.
When Valenzuela first started, she said she helped prepare martial arts fighters for their fights, saying that Marching Muscle helped build their endurance, flexibility and mental focus.
"Mental well-being is my focus now with my clients," Valenzuela said.
The low-impact exercise, which can be done with or without weights and in different sequences, helps build mental endurance through memorizing routines while maintaining a simple march.
"I didn't know how to dance when I first started. I didn't have a dancing bone in my body," Valenzuela said of how the marching fitness routine was created. "I wanted to learn to dance and keep my muscle mass."
During her days as a personal trainer at Tom Young's Fitness Center, she would teach classes and video herself practicing dance in her spare time to be able to critique and hone her dance skills. That's when she noticed that, no matter what she was doing, it always involved marching to the beat of the music.
"I was just a fitness trainer and did basic training and people wouldn't dedicate themselves to that because it's boring," she said. "So, to keep them motivated and embed a healthy lifestyle for the rest of their life, I would spend hours in the dance room teaching myself to dance. I noticed I was marching and I didn't know why."
After months of practicing march while doing a variety of arm movements — a fitness routine close to rhumba — Valenzuela slowly incorporated squats, steps, rotations and jumps, focusing on repetition and circuit training.
"After a while, you don't have to think about it. You become comfortable and just exercise," she said. "It shows them how to coordinate their mind to body movement and music. It works on coordination and teaches you how to connect the arms and legs to dance."
One month of classes is $85 and two months is $120. The price includes classes, as well as a customized meal plan and flushes that are all put together by Valenzuela to meet each individual client's needs.
"I went through a lot to create the (marching) moves and I did and I'm proud of them. They're what I pretty much live for," she said. "I wanted to embed health and that's what I did."
Outside of the office
When Valenzuela said her moves are her life, she means it.
She doesn't have a television at home and when she's not practicing new routines, she hones her mental strength through playing piano, writing poetry and reading.
"I love design," she added. "I designed the poster hanging in the studio. I just love art."
When she's not expressing herself through art or exercise, Valenzuela said she spends time with her son, 16, and 11-year-old daughter.
For more information about Marching Muscle, call 575-386-0876 or visit marchingmuscle.com or find Marching Muscle on Facebook.


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jul 19, 2005
|Filing date
|Dec 18, 2000
|Priority date
|Dec 21, 1999
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Michael Thomas Lee, Nancy Perry Pool
|Original Assignee
|Medtronic, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (9), Referenced by (57), Classifications (21), Legal Events (4)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/173,079, filed Dec. 24, 1999. The disclosure and drawings of the provisional application are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
The invention generally relates to implantable medical devices (IMDs). Specifically, the invention relates to a large-scale processing loop based on high resolution diagnostic/physiologic data collected by the IMDs. More specifically, the data collected by the IMDs is transferred to a remote computation center where evaluation and analysis is performed by high-speed computer resources. In the event a change, modification or reprogramming of the IMDs is indicated, the instruction is implemented in the IMDs at the next connection point in time, thus providing continuous monitoring to proactively effect changes in the IMDs for efficient therapy and clinical care, in contrast to responding to an adverse patient event or subjecting the patient and clinician to the inconvenience of frequent in-person encounters.
The present invention is compatible and complementary with the elements disclosed in the following pending applications: "Medical System Having Improved Telemetry," filed Jul. 19, 1999, Ser. No. 09/356,340; "System and Method for Transferring Information Relating to an Implantable Medical Device to a Remote Location," filed on Jul. 21, 1999, Ser. No. 09/358,081; "Apparatus and Method for Remote Troubleshooting, Maintenance and Upgrade of Implantable Device Systems," filed on Oct. 26, 1999, Ser. No. 09/426,741; "Tactile Feedback for Indicating Validity of Communication Link with an Implantable Medical Device," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/430,708; "Apparatus and Method for Automated Invoicing of Medical Device Systems," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/429; "Apparatus and Method for Remote Self-Identification of Components in Medical Device Systems," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/429,956; "Apparatus and Method to Automate Remote Software Updates of Medical Device Systems," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/429,960; "Method and Apparatus to Secure Data Transfer From Medical Device Systems," filed Nov. 2, 1999, Ser. No 09/431,881 "Implantable Medical Device Programming Apparatus Having An Auxiliary Component Storage Compartment," filed Nov. 4, 1999, Ser. No. 091433,477; "Remote Delivery Of Software-Based Training For Implantable Medical Device Systems," filed Nov. 10, 1999, Ser. No. 09/437,615; "Apparatus and Method for Remote Therapy and Diagnosis in Medical Devices Via Interface Systems," filed Dec. 14, 1999, Ser. No. 09/460,580; "Virtual Remote Monitor, Alert, Diagnostics and Programming For Implantable Medical Device Systems" filed Dec. 17, 1999, Ser. No. 09/466,284; "Instrumentation and Software for Remote Monitoring and Programming of Implantable Medical Devices (IMDs), filed Dec. 21, 1999, Ser. No. 60/172,937; "Application Proxy For Telecommunication-enabled Remote Medical Access Instruments," filed Dec. 4, 1999, Ser. No. 60/173,081; "Information Network Scheme For Interrogation Of Implantable Medical Devices (IMDs)," filed Dec. 24, 1999, Ser. No. 60/173,064; "Medical Device GUI For Cardiac Electrophysiology Display And Data Communications," filed Dec. 24, 1999, Ser. No. 60/173,065; "Integrated Software System For Implantable Medical Device Installation And Management," filed Dec. 24, 1999, Ser. No. 60/173,082; "Dynamic Bandwidth Monitor And Adjuster For Remote Communications With A Medical Device," filed Dec. 24, 1999, Ser. No. 60/173,083 "Large-Scale Processing Loop For Implantable Medical Devices (IMDs)," filed Dec. 24,1999, Ser. No. 60/173,079; "Chronic Real-Time Information Management Systems For Implantable Medical Devices (LMDs)," filed Dec. 24,1999, Ser. No. 60/173,062; "Automatic Voice and Data Recognition For Medical Device Instrument Systems," filed Dec. 24, 1999, Ser. No. 60/173,071 "Central Switchboard to Facilitate Remote Collaboration With Medical Instruments," filed Dec. 24, 1999, Ser. No. 60/173,080; which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.
In the traditional provision of any medical services, including routine check-ups and monitoring, a patient is required to physically present themselves at a provider's office or other clinical setting. In emergency situations, health care providers may travel to a patient's location, typically to provide stabilization during transport to a clinical setting, e.g., an emergency room. In some medical treatment applications, accepted medical practice for many procedures will naturally dictate physical proximity of medical providers and patients. However, the physical transport of patients to clinical settings requires logistical planning such as transportation, appointments, and dealing with cancellations and other scheduling complications. As a result of such logistical complications, patient compliance and clinician efficiency may suffer. In certain situations, delays caused by patient transport or scheduling may result in attendant delays in detection of medical conditions such as life-threatening situations. It is desirable, therefore, to minimize situations in which the physical transport of a patient to a clinical setting is required. It may also be desirable to minimize the extent to which an patient or patient information must be considered by a clinician at a particular time, i.e. during an appointment.
After the implantation of an IMD, for example, a cardiac pacemaker, clinician involvement with respect to the IMD has typically only begun. The IMD usually cannot be merely implanted and forgotten, but must be monitored for optimal results, and may require adjustment of certain parameters or settings, or even replacement, in response to or in anticipation of changes in patient condition or other environmental factors, or based on factors internal to the device. IMDs may also contain logic devices such as digital controllers, which may need to undergo firmware or software upgrades or modifications. In addition, information about the IMD may be gathered for treatment or research purposes. For example, many IMDs are capable of storing certain state information or other data regarding their operation internally.
While some data regarding IMD operation may be stored internally to the device, human physiological systems are very complex and nonlinear, i.e., exhibiting effects that may appear surprising or chaotic based on predictions using simple periodic or linear models. IMDs are designed to dynamically interact with these physiological systems on the fly, but often can only work with simplified models or the most elemental of the systems. The limitations of IMDs in interacting with physiological systems are twofold: There may be an incomplete understanding of the characteristics of the physiological system in all of its nonlinear complexity. However, there may be simply a lack of raw computing power on the part of the IMD.
Despite the limitations of IMDs with regard to processing power, IMDs are in a unique position to monitor physiological systems continuously. High-resolution data can be collected, but implantable devices may only store and process limited amounts of complex physiological and medical data.
Computing power (processor capability, memory, and adequate power supply) is abundantly available in the non-implantable ("external") world. The computing industry is still following Moore's Law (stating that transistor density will double every 18 months), delivering increasingly sophisticated computing devices yearly, and some of these gains accrue to the computer power of IMDs. However, frequent upgrading and replacement of IMDs based on more powerful models subjects a patient to additional stresses, and additional costs are imposed on the patient or health care system.
Models of physiological systems researched and developed on powerful external computing systems are often valuable in the medical world, but are not suitable for use in implantable medical devices. Cases involving long-term monitoring or forecasting are particularly well suited to external computing systems. External systems can deal with the complexity and amount of data, but because of their size, are of course not suitable for implantation.
Prior art methods of clinical services, particularly IMD monitoring and adjustment, are generally limited to in-hospital procedures or other scenarios involving patient transportation to a clinical setting. For example, if a physician needs to review the performance parameters of an IMD in a patient, it is likely that the patient has to go to the clinic. Further, if the medical conditions of a patient with an IMD warrant a continuous monitoring or adjustment of the device, the patient would have to stay in a hospital indefinitely. Such a continued treatment plan poses both economic and social problems. Under the prior art, as the segment of the population with IMDs increases, many more hospitals and clinics, and attendant clinicians and service personnel will be needed to provide in-hospital service for the patients, thus escalating the cost of healthcare. Additionally, the patients will be unduly restricted and inconvenienced by the need to either stay in the hospital or make very frequent visits to a clinic.
Yet another condition of the prior art practice requires that a patient visit a clinic center for occasional retrieval of data from the implanted device to assess the operations of the device and gather patient history for both clinical and research purposes. Such data is acquired by having the patient in a hospital/clinic to download the stored data from the IMD. Depending on the frequency of data collection, this procedure may pose serious difficulty and inconvenience for patients who live in rural areas or have limited mobility. Similarly, in the event a need arises to upgrade the software of an implantable medical device, the patient will be required to come into the clinic or hospital to have the upgrade installed.
Further, it is a typical medical practice to keep an accurate record of past and contemporaneous procedures relating to an IMD uplink with, for example, an IMD programmer, i.e. a computer capable of making changes to the firmware or software of an IMD. It is typically desired that the report contain the identification of all the medical devices involved in any interactive procedure. Specifically, all peripheral and major devices that are used in downlinking to the IMD may be reported. Currently, such procedures are manually reported, and require an operator or a medical person to manually enter data during each procedure. One of the limitations of such manual reporting procedures is the possibility for human error in data entry, thus motivating rechecking of the data to verify accuracy. Generally, the use of human clinicians to analyze data and implement changes in device therapy can result in inefficiencies and errors.
Yet a further condition of the prior art relates to the interface between a human operator and a programmer system. Generally, a medical device manager/technician, should be trained on the clinical and operational aspects of the programmer. Under current practices, an operator may attend a class/session sponsored by a clinic, hospital, or the manufacturer to successfully manage a programmer-IMD procedure. Further, the operator will preferably keep abreast of new developments and new procedures in the management, maintenance and upgrade of the IMD. Accordingly, it is desirable that operators of programmers, IMDs, and related medical devices receive regular training or information about the IMDs they work with. This information will preferably be widely distributed, because IMDs, programmers and related medical devices are distributed throughout the world. Further, the number of people having implanted medical devices has been increasing over the last few years, with an attendant increase in operator personnel. The total effect of these developments is a widely dispersed and large body of operators. Thus, it is desirable to have a high efficiency communications system that would enhance data communications, both between the IMDs and medical instruments, such as programmers; and between operators and entities providing IMD updates and education such as manufacturers.
A further limitation of the prior art relates to the management of multiple medical devices in a single patient. Advances in modern patient therapy and treatment have made it possible to implant a number of devices in a patient. For example, IMDs such as a defibrillator or a pacer, a neural implant, a drug pump, a separate physiologic monitor and various other IMDs may be implanted in a single patient. To successfully manage the operations and assess the performance of each device in a patient with multi-implants requires a continuous update and monitoring of the devices.
Further, it may be preferred to have an operable communication between the various implants to provide a coordinated clinical therapy to the patient. Thus, there is a need to monitor the IMDs and the programmer on a regular, if not a continuous, basis to ensure optimal patient care. In the absence of other alternatives, this imposes a great burden on the patient if a hospital or clinic is the only center where the necessary upgrade, follow up, evaluation and adjustment of the IMDs could be made. Further, even if feasible, the situation would require the establishment of multiple service areas or clinic centers to support the burgeoning number of multi-implant patients worldwide.
Generally, IMDs of the prior art are limited in that the features and functions of implantable medical device may not take full advantage of the complex modeling of physiologic systems that are being continually established; these devices simply lack the processing power to perform the required calculations, and may be expected to lack this power indefinitely. Accordingly, mankind's ever-increasing knowledge of physiologic systems must be simplified considerably in order to be implemented within an IMD. It would be desirable to provide a system by which the complex modeling of physiologic systems could be brought to bear in IMD instruction in order to improve patient outcomes.
This invention proposes to link the power of the external computing world to the implantable medical device via a network of communications devices.
A technology-based health care system that fully integrates the technical and social aspects of patient care and therapy will preferably flawlessly connect the client with care providers irrespective of separation distance or location of the participants.
Accordingly it is desirable to have a programmer unit that would connect to a centralized data source and repository. This may be termed, for example, a remote expert data center, a remote web-based data center, or a remote data center. This remote data center will preferably provide access to an expert system allowing for downloading of upgrade data or other information to a local environment. Further, it is important to have a large scale processing loop to enable the gathering of high resolution diagnostic/physiologic data, and to transfer information between the IMDs and a remote expert data center to dispense therapy and clinical care on real-time basis. Further, the large-scale processing loop contemplated by the present invention enables an efficient system for data storage, collection and processing to effect changes in control algorithms of the IMDs and associated medical units to promote real time therapy and clinical care.
The proliferation of patients with multi-implant medical devices worldwide has made it imperative to provide remote services to the IMDs and timely clinical care to the patient. The use of programmers and related devices to communicate with the IMDs and provide various remote services has become an important aspect of patient care. In addition to the instant invention, the use of programmers may be implemented in a manner consistent with the following co-pending applications assigned to the assignee of the instant invention: "System and Method for Transferring Information Relating to an Implantable Medical Device to a Remote Location," filed on Jul. 21, 1999, Ser. No. 09/358,081; "Apparatus and Method for Remote Troubleshooting, Maintenance and Upgrade of Implantable Device Systems," filed on Oct. 26, 1999, Ser. No. 09/426,741; "Tactile Feedback for Indicating Validity of Communication Link with an Implantable Medical Device," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/430,708; "Apparatus and Method for Automated Invoicing of Medical Device Systems," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/430,208; "Apparatus and Method for Remote Self-Identification of Components in Medical Device Systems," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/429,956; "Apparatus and Method to Automate Remote Software Updates of Medical Device Systems," filed Oct. 29, 1999, Ser. No. 09/429,960; "Method and Apparatus to Secure Data Transfer From Medical Device Systems," filed Nov. 2, 1999, Ser. No. 09/431,881; "Implantable Medical Device Programming Apparatus Having An Auxiliary Component Storage Compartment," filed Nov. 4, 1999, Ser. No. 09/433,477; "Remote Delivery Of Software-Based Training For Implantable Medical Device Systems," filed Nov. 11, 1999, Ser. No. 09/460,580 "Apparatus and Method for Remote Therapy and Diagnosis in Medical Devices Via Interface Systems," filed Dec. 14, 1999, Ser. No. 09/466,284; "Virtual Remote Monitor, Alert, Diagnostics and Programming For Implantable Medical Device Systems" filed Dec. 17, 1999, Ser. No. 09/466,284; which are all incorporated by reference herein in their entirety. In light of the disclosures of these incorporated references, the present invention provides a vital system and method of delivering efficient therapy and clinical care to the patient.
In a representative embodiment of the instant invention, one or more IMDs, such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, drug pump, neurological stimulator, physiological signal recorder may be deployed in a patient. This IMD may be equipped with a radio frequency transmitter or receiver, or an alternate wireless communication telemetry technique or media which may travel through human tissue. For example, the IMD may contain a transmission device capable of transmitting through human tissue such as radio frequency telemetry, acoustic telemetry, or a transmission technique that uses patient tissue as a transmission medium. Alternately, an IMD may be deployed in a fashion by which a transmission or receiving device is visible externally to the patient but is connected directly or via wires to the IMD. An external device, which may generally be termed a routing instrument, may be positioned outside the patient, the routing device being equipped with a radio frequency or other communication means compatible with the communication media of the IMD or the IMD transmitter/receiver, which may be external to the IMD and may further be external to the patient. Communication may be effected between the IMD transmitter/receiver and the external routing instrument, e.g. via radio frequency. The routing instrument will be connected via a wireless or physical communication media e.g. via modem and direct dial connection, with a data network, LAN, WAN, wireless or infrared network. In an alternate embodiment of the subject invention, the routing instrument may have a direct connection or networked connection directly to the centralized computing resource. In yet another alternate embodiment of the subject invention, the system may be implemented as a data network that allows the routing instrument access to the computing center from many locations, for example providing for a routing instrument that is portable.
Using the computing power of external computing devices, and control systems using complex nonlinear analysis made possible by this computing power, the monitoring of long-term disease progression (e.g. heart failure, hypertension, diabetes) can be improved. Furthermore, therapies may be adjusted with finer granularity and improved results, with reduced need for human intervention and reduced opportunity for clinician error.
In addition to improved modeling of physiologic systems, the amount of historical data, particularly patient-specific historical data used as input to control systems can be virtually unlimited when it is stored externally to the patient. Furthermore, a more thorough comparison can be made between patients with similar diseases as data and therapy information, procedure and direction are centralized, which may be expected to result in gains to the body of medical knowledge and treatment efficacy. Data from other medical systems, either implanted or external, such as etiological databases, can be incorporated easily into the control system. Other anonymous patient experiences or treatment data may be more quickly incorporated into a subject patient's IMD regime than might be possible with existing systems of IMD programming or upgrading. In addition, a subject patient's own historical treatment parameters and corresponding outcomes may be used in making IMD programming and other treatment decisions.
The instant invention provides IMDs with access to virtually unlimited computing power as part of their data collection and therapy calculation processes. In an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the IMD may be used by an external computing device as a data collection agent, and as an agent to implement changes to a treatment regimen based on a complex dynamical or stochastic physiological model. Rather than continuously increasing the processing power of IMDs, the present invention provides a link with external computing power, which is more easily upgraded. In addition, control system algorithms based on current knowledge about physiologic systems could be more easily updated using a centralized powerful processor, rather than individually updating the firmware or software of thousands of deployed IMDs.
When multiple IMDs are deployed within a single patient, the data and therapy from these IMDs may be more easily and efficiently orchestrated, thus further improving treatment efficacy and convenience to the patient and clinician, and in some cases judiciously limiting clinician involvement. In addition, high resolution or finely grained data may be collected and stored from a vast number of subject IMDs. This finely grained patient data may be expected to prove valuable in defining and modifying an individual patient's treatment regimen as implemented by an IMD. In addition, this high-resolution data may be analyzed on a mass scale, providing opportunities for improvement of existing physiologic models. This data may serve, for example, to validate physiologic models being employed, or may suggest refinement of these models based on numerous patient outcomes.
This refinement of therapy and diagnostic algorithms or models may further be refined in conjunction with external medical devices as well. According to the present invention, IMD management and manipulation will be more efficient and efficacious. For example, an embodiment of the present invention permits the use of complex control systems to manage therapy of implantable medical devices. In addition, the invention permits the orchestration of the data collection and therapy functions of IMDs, particularly the functions of multiple IMDs implanted in one patient. In addition, an embodiment of the present invention permits of centralized therapy prescription, and provides the ability to compare disease states, diagnostic data and therapy prescription across patients with fine granularity. The ability to update control system software and hardware at a central location is also provided, as well as the ability to upgrade the firmware or software in remotely distributed, deployed IMDs from one central location.
A communications system according to the present invention provides the ability to have high-power computing systems interact with implanted medical devices, thus providing the ability to use complex control algorithms and models in implanted medical devices. In addition, even with relatively simple modeling, or in stochastic models, relatively large amounts of historical data from a single or multiple medical devices may be brought to bear for predictive purposes in evaluating alternate therapy and IMD instruction prescriptions. The present invention provides a system that establishes an external communications device and data network as a 'data bus' for extending the processing power of deployed IMDs, while minimizing host patient and clinician inconvenience.
Returning to the single IMD embodiment depicted in
In addition to communicating with IMD 112 as discussed above, routing instrument 118 may communicate with central large-scale computer 116 via a number of network schemes or connections, with regard to any of the OSI layers. For example, communication may be effected by way of a TCP/IP connection, particularly one using the Internet, as well as a LAN, WAN, MAN, direct dial-up connection, a dedicated line, or a dedicated terminal connection to a mainframe.
Large-scale computer 116 will preferably possess appreciably more computing power than possible with an IMD, in terms of processor speed, RAM available, and data storage. While computer 116 is referred to a large-scale, it is large scale only relative to such processors that are available for incorporation into an IMD. For example, some commercially-available personal computers may contain sufficient computing power to operate as a server capable of carrying out many IMD diagnostic and programming tasks. In a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, however, large-scale computer 116 will be a mainframe, multi-processor supercomputer, or a multi-processor workstation, such as a type available from Silicon Graphics, Inc./SGI of Mountain View, Calif. Such relatively high-powered computing devices are better suited to calculations involving nonlinear systems and models such as those being developed to model physiologic systems. Regardless of which computing device is used, in accordance with the present invention, the computing device will be configured as a server capable of communicating directly or indirectly with routing instrument 118. The computer 116 will preferably have sufficient storage, either internal to the computer or linked to the computer, for the storage of massive amounts of historical patient data from, for example, a particular patient having an IMD in communication with computer 116, and/or subject data from relevant physiologic studies or from cohort groups having similar medical conditions and/or deployed IMDs.
Security and integrity of the patient information will preferably be closely guarded for at least the following reasons: First, patient physiologic data detected by a deployed IMD will be transmitted via routing instrument 118 to computer 116 for purposes of analysis of this data, and treatment regimens and/or IMD instructions, firmware, or software may be changed on the basis of this information. Accordingly, integrity of transmitted data and instructions will preferably be maintained so as to avoid adverse patient outcomes or patient outcomes that do not take full advantage of the subject invention. In addition, patient information that may be linked to an identifiable individual is typically regarded as confidential. Accordingly, encryption will preferably be provided to ensure patient confidentiality, particularly when transmissions between routing instrument 118 and computer 116 takes place though media other than a dedicated line/direct dial-up connection, such as a packet based network technology over a public network or internetwork. For example, if the transmissions are routed over the Internet using TCP/IP, encryption will preferably be used. As an alternative to encryption, a proprietary data exchange format/interface that is kept secret may be used in communications between IMD 112 and computer 116. However, even with secure dedicated lines or a secret data format, digital signatures will preferably be used to detect corruption of data.
Accordingly, a preferred embodiment of the subject invention utilizes digital signatures and encryption of the patient information and IMD instructions being transmitted according to the present invention. Encryption of patient information will serve to protect patient confidentiality. Each transmission of patient data will preferably have a digital signature that can be checked against the transmission payload to ensure that patient data and IMD instructions were not corrupted during transmission. Examples of encryption/digital signature schemes that should prove sufficient Encryption of patient information and digital signatures include PGP, the RSA public key infrastructure scheme, or other consumer-level or higher, prime number based encryption signature scheme.
Transmissions between an IMD 112 and a routing device 118 will also preferably be protected from transmission errors using similar encryption, authentication, and verification techniques, and/or wireless communication enhancement techniques such as wireless modulation or another suitable wide-frequency spectra technique. Preferably, encryption and/or authentication will be effected end-to-end, i.e., covering the entire transmission from IMD 112 to computer 116 or from computer 116 to IMD 112, rather than effecting one encryption/verification scheme between IMD 112 and routing instrument 118, and a different scheme from routing instrument 118 and computer 116. As an alternative to, or in addition to the above authentication scheme, radio frequency pulse coding, spread spectrum, direct sequence, time-hopping, frequency hopping, a hybrid spread spectrum technique, or other wireless modulation techniques may be employed in order to reduce interference between IMD 112 and other IMD or other wireless devices, and to generally offer improved accuracy, reliability, and security to transmissions between IMD 112 and routing instrument 118, may be used to avoid cross-talk or confusion among IMDs and/or routing instruments in proximity to each other. For example, radio coding may be implemented to avoid transmission errors or device confusion between neighboring IMD patients utilizing a device embodying the present invention in a managed-care setting.
Preferably, a data network is provided that allows the external communications device, or routing instrument 118, access to the computing center from one of many possible locations. This provides portability to the administration of the routing instrument and patient lifestyle.
In operation, the deployed IMD collects physiological data from the host patient via electrical, mechanical or chemical sensors, according to the type of IMD deployed in the host patient. Some of this data may be used locally, i.e., processed and analyzed internally to the IMD itself, to modify therapy or treatment on a 'real-time' basis. Regardless of whether the physiological data from the host patient is used to modify therapy on this self-contained basis, the patient data will preferably be buffered in the IMD until such time as the device is polled or "interrogated" by routing instrument 118. This interrogation may take place in accordance with co-pending application of the common assignee, entitled "Implantable Medical Device Interrogation Network, Ser. No. 60/173,082", and filed on Dec. 24, 1999; this co-pending application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety into the instant application. During this transaction, the routing instrument 118 may also pass instructions received from the computing center to the IMD.
Routing instrument 118 may contact the computing center or central large-scale processor 116 and transmit the physiologic data uploaded from IMD 112 to routing instrument 118. The powerful computer(s) at the computing center 116 may store and/or process the data, perhaps combining it with historical data of the same type from the same device, or perhaps with data from other implanted and medical devices. For example, the physiologic data may be combined with anonymous data from other demographic or clinical groups consisting of subjects which may have data relevant or generalizable to host patient 114. For example, comparisons of the data collected may be made with data from other patients with similar disease states, and therapy solutions constructed and compared.
The computing center may then transfer instructions on modifications to therapy and data collection to the routing device 118. At the next opportunity for communications, the routing device transfers the instructions to the IMD and may also collect an additional batch of data buffered in the IMD. This opportunity for communication between routing device 118 and IMD 112 may not be immediately present. For example, host patient 114 may be located away from routing instrument temporarily, if the host patient has left their house or clinical setting where the routing device is kept. An alternate barrier to routing device to IMD communication may be a poor environment for the communication media employed between the IMD and the routing device 118.
Data may also be held at central computing center 116, for example, if the routing device 118 is carried by host patient 114 as a portable device, and an analog connection for a modem or suitable network connection may not be available.
In a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, communication system 110 will operate asynchronously, permitting for the possibility for breaks in the continuous and real-time communications and/or processing of the three subsystems (IMD 112, routing instrument 118, and large scale computer 116. However, alternate embodiments of the invention are also possible, including synchronous, "real-time" control of the target IMD 112. This alternate "real-time" embodiment of the system 110 may be enhanced upon the establishment of more ubiquitous and robust communications systems or links.
Initially the system would act in an asynchronous manner, where precise timing of data transfer and therapy changes is not critical. As the device-instrument and network communications become more ubiquitous and less reliant on specific hardware (e.g. RF head, network cables), the control loop could become more time-dependent.
In a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, and as depicted in
In a preferred embodiment of the subject invention depicted in
While the instant invention has been described primarily with a single IMD corresponding to a single routing device and to a single central computer, alternative embodiments of the present invention are possible. For example, several IMDs, each with a separate identifying code or number, may utilize a single routing instrument. These several IMDs sharing a routing instrument may be deployed within a single patient, or the several IMDs sharing a routing instrument may be deployed in two or more separate patients, where each patient has reasonable access to the routing instrument directly or to communications equipment which may send information to and receive information from routing instrument 118. While in an illustrative embodiment, several routing instruments share a single central computing resource, alternative embodiments may have a single routing instrument communicating with distributed computers. In addition to or in place of large-scale computer 116. For example, a routing instrument 118 may submit physiologic data to one computer 116 for wide demographic or cohort analysis, or deep historical data about the patient whose treatment is being considered. A second central computer of relatively large scale may be used for formulating instructions to particular deployed IMDs. These instructions may be educated by or based on the outcome of a demographic analysis from the same or a different large-scale computer, or may be based on a nonlinear multivariate model resident on the large-scale computer. In addition, an instruction regimen for a target IMD may not be based solely on treatment considerations arising from patient data or from predictive modeling. IN addition, an instruction regimen may contain firmware or software upgrades to target IMD 112 which are prescribed generally for all host patients of a particular IMD model or type.
Upon establishing contact with routing instrument 118, an IMD instruction regimen may be pushed or generally transmitted to routing instrument 118, or computer 310 in
If an IMD instruction regimen has expired prior to establishment of contact with the target IMD 112, routing device may send an error message identifying the IMD and/or instruction regimen by a suitable code. Upon reception of an error in instruction regimen transmission, central computer 116 may be programmed to carry out suitable updating of an instruction regimen, or an error message may be output to a human operator or clinician for direct intervention by voice telephony or direct contact by mobile clinical personnel, for example.
While routing device 118 is portrayed in
Although the invention is described with reference to particular embodiments, it will be understood to those skilled in the art that this embodiment is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications may be made therein and other arrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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|Bomjun Kwon
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|Apr 8, 2005
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|System and method for determining a reference baseline record
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|Mar 6, 2006
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|Medtronic, Inc.
|Aggregation of data from external data sources within an implantable medical device
|Jun 30, 2006
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|Mar 21, 2006
|Nov 16, 2006
|Defibtech, Llc
|System and method for presenting defibrillator status information while in standby mode
|Jan 20, 2006
|Nov 23, 2006
|Cochlear Limited
|Independent and concurrent processing multiple audio input signals in a prosthetic hearing implant
|Sep 29, 2006
|Feb 1, 2007
|Bardy Gust H
|System and method for collection and analysis of patient information for automated remote patient care
|Aug 20, 2007
|Dec 20, 2007
|Bardy Gust H
|System and method for evaluating a patient status for use in heart failure assessment
|Aug 20, 2007
|Dec 20, 2007
|Bardy Gust H
|System and method for determining a reference baseline for use in heart failure assessment
|Dec 3, 2007
|Jun 12, 2008
|Defibtech, Llc
|System and Method for Effectively Indicating Element Failure or a Preventive Maintenance Condition in an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED)
|Sep 29, 2008
|Mar 12, 2009
|Kenknight Bruce
|apparatus for providing on-patient communication
|Jul 23, 2009
|Defibtech, Llc
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|Feb 4, 2010
|Medtronic, Inc.,
|Patient management system
|Apr 22, 2010
|Apr 7, 2011
|Medtronic, Inc.
|Cardiac risk stratification
|U.S. Classification
|607/60, 607/30, 128/903
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jun 28, 2001
Owner name: MEDTRONIC, INC.., MINNESOTA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:LEE, MICHAEL THOMAS;POOL, NANCY PERRY;REEL/FRAME:011954/0284;SIGNING DATES FROM 20010613 TO 20010614
|Jan 9, 2007
|Certificate of correction
|Dec 19, 2008
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Oct 2, 2012
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8


text:
Take a Look Inside a Completely Empty Data Center
A data center without data is... well, just a center, I guess. But it's quite fascinating to actually see inside one, before all the server racks arrive. »
A data center without data is... well, just a center, I guess. But it's quite fascinating to actually see inside one, before all the server racks arrive. »
Facebook has announced that it's building a fifth data center—adding to other four in Oregon, Iowa, North Carolina, and Sweden. The latest addition will be also be entirely run on renewable energy. »
At the end of June, a coalition led by the Electronic Frontier Foundation trolled the NSA by air, hiring a huge blimp to hover over the agency's new data center in Utah. Now, the EFF has released a huge image of the high-security center. It's both banal and terrifying. »
Nuclear bunkers have fallen out of fashion in recent years, but that doesn't mean you can't transform one into a delightful bed and breakfast. This bunker in Scotland is currently up for sale and even includes a fascinating history: It's situated on a former POW camp. »
When residents of Howard County, Maryland, flush their toilets, their sewage will soon end up at the NSA's new computer center several miles away. Collecting and storing so much data has been generating a whole lotta heat for the NSA—we mean this quite literally—and the agency's now buying treated wastewater to cool… »
Data centers are some of the most power-hungry pieces of infrastructure that exist today, but Microsoft has plans to make them a little greener—by powering its racks with built-in fuel cells. »
In 2011 Facebook reported that their first data center in Prineville, OR had a high humidity issue. Probably not the best condition for servers, sure. But it turns out that wonky temperature controls were actually causing condensation in the data center. Like indoor rain. Like it was literally raining in the server… »
North Carolina: home of BBQ, beaches, and Apple's gi-freaking-normous data center. It's where iCloud lives, and maybe Siri! And now the company is putting the finishing touches on a new center. Why? Nobody really knows. So Wired checked it out. »
It's not just the bullets that are getting smarter. As the US military pushes for deeper technological integration in its fighting forces, more and more bandwidth and computing power will be needed to keep everything connected. Dell's new self-contained server rooms will turn even the most remote Forward Operating… »
Call it the battle of Maiden. This week, Apple and Greenpeace traded very public barbs over how much clean power is used by Apple's $1 billion state-of-the-art data center in Maiden, North Carolina. »
The Olympics is all about grand feats of athletic prowess and endurance demonstrated by its competitors. But for the folks behind the scenes, it's hardly a party. In fact, engineers running data centers around the Olympics will be sleeping in these tiny pods next to their computers the whole time. »
Just how far will Google go to hide its custom-built data-center hardware from the rest of the world? »
This is Apple's new data center in Maiden, North Carolina. Unlike most power-hungry centers, this won't be gobbling up energy from the grid: it's going to be powered by the sun. If you can't get your products made 100 per cent ethically, at least you can try and be eco-friendly, right? »
Data centers are power-hungry, and Facebook's Oregon center in Crook County is no exception, using 28MW. While that's fairly standard, it has doubled the power use of the county. »
When you think of Facebook you don't exactly think 'environmentally friendly'. All those data centres burning through electricity, powering your virtual social lives. Facebook's first push out of the US might be a tad kinder to the environment, using Arctic cooling. »
Google just announced that its data centers use 260 million watts to power Google searches, YouTube videos, Gmails, ads and so on and so on. That's about a quarter of the output of a freaking nuclear power plant. Or more power than Salt Lake City uses. »
The enemy of my enemy is my data center server provider, or something. Anyway, rumor says Apple is using Microsoft and Amazon servers to power iCloud. How cozy! [AppleInsider] »
Google has never been upfront about its electricity usage, but with all those data centers, its power consumption was expected to be enormous. Apparently, these estimates have been off, way off. »
We already knew what Apple's 500,000sq/ft iCloud data center looked like thanks to some sneaky filming, but if you were to previously type in "6081 Startown Road" to Google Maps, you'd see nothing but green fields. Until now. »


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Plugin Information
This plugin defines an ExtensionPoint that can be used by plugins to define new Run Conditions and to use Run Conditions to decide whether to run a build step.
This plugin defines a few core Run Conditions:
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Example: Control execution by a string parameter
... this one gets executed if 'SOME_ENV' (any environment variable) matches the string 'MyEnvValue'. As any build parameter gets exposed as an environment variable, the value can be controlled by a parameter.
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text:
Rappers Fabolous and Pusha T headed for The Rave
East Coast rapster Fabolous and mixtape master Pusha T will perform at The Rave at 7:30 p.m. May 10.
Fabolous has been building his hip-hop credentials since his hit "Can't Deny It." Pusha T's debut album "Fear of God II: Let Us Pray" was released in 2011. »Read Full Article
10 champion — or otherwise cute — cats from the regional cat show
Over 200 cats competed this weekend in Waukesha at the Great Lakes Regional Pedigreed & Household Pet Cat Show. Here are some local and out-of-state title-bearing competitors.
1) When Teddy isn't being flopped upside-down by his owner and best friend, he's also No. 1 Ragdoll Alter and No. 13 Allbreed Alter in the world. »Read Full Article(4)
'Enter the Dragon,' 'Space Odyssey' booked for Film Festival
The Milwaukee Film Festival will screen two hall-of-fame candidates this fall as part of its Cinema Hooligante lineup of genre films.
MFF will show Bruce Lee's kung-fu fightin' classic, "Enter the Dragon" (1973) and Stanley Kubrick's sci-fi masterpiece "2001: A Space Odyssey" as part of its late-night showcase, otherwise devoted to "raunchy, gory, scary, fun, bizarre and possibly offensive midnight, cult and genre films," the festival tastefully boasts. »Read Full Article(1)
On Tap Today: The zany adventures of artist Billy X. Curmano
Cows deserve more art shows.


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From "The Voice": Singer Casey Weston
10:30pm - 11:30pm CDT August 28, 2014
Casey Weston is a singer-songwriter from Naples, Florida now living in Nashville. On the national concert circuit Casey has opened for Top 40 and Country acts such as James Otto, John Anderson, Craig Morgan and Justin Moore. Casey was one of the 8 finalists in the inaugural season for TV show sensation, The Voice and stays in touch with her friend and coach Adam Levine, front man for Maroon 5.
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Reprehensible? Before Walker implemented his plan, most state employees who were part of the Wisconsin Retirement System contributed a minute fraction of their wage compensation -- 0.2 percent -- to their pension plans and 6.2 percent toward their health care premiums. Now they are contributing 5.8 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively. Taxpayers are still contributing the lion's share.
Have Walker's reforms worked? The Heritage Foundation reports that prior to Walker's reforms, Wisconsin's state workers received health benefits 2.3 times as valuable and pension benefits 5.7 times as valuable as those received by employees in large private firms. After the reforms, their health benefits are still twice as valuable, and their pension benefits are 4.5 times as valuable. Their total compensation was 29 percent higher than private-sector employees before the reforms and is now 22 percent higher. After the reforms, the average public-sector employee's total compensation is $81,637, whereas the similarly skilled private worker's is $67,068.
How about the reform's impact on Wisconsin's fiscal health? Walker inherited a $3.6 billion budget deficit, enormous overspending and the fourth-highest tax burden among states. Walker implemented structural reforms without raising taxes, without major layoffs and without cuts in Medicaid. Walker reports that for the first time in 12 years, his state's property taxes are going down on medium-value homes, and the state has a $154 million surplus.
Those are the facts. But if Democrats succeed in their propaganda effort in Wisconsin, it will be a setback for the Republicans' prospects in 2012, about which I am now very optimistic. But I would feel more sanguine if Republicans treated the Wisconsin election with the same urgency as Democrats do and demonstrated they are willing to take the gloves off in the 2012 campaigns. For though the facts are on their side, those facts do not ensure electoral victory against Democratic money, distortions and election chicanery.
President Obama has a miserable record by every measure I believe most Americans care about, which is why his propaganda team has already begun fraudulently sanitizing his record, such as the risible claim that he has not been a big spender, and demonizing Mitt Romney. I know Team Romney is equipped to respond factually and promptly, but I am not sure it has the political will and courage to go after Obama in ways that John McCain wouldn't. We shall see.
TPP Would Authorize Obama to Set $15 Minimum Wage, Card Check, and CO2 Emissions Regulation—All By Executive Fiat | Michael Hammond
McCain: Let's face it, Trump's rhetoric is turning Muslims all over the world against us | Allahpundit


text:
Originally Posted by lxdude
What is the enormous design fault of which you speak?
Well, simply, that it is a rangefinder -with all the limitations in usefulness/convenience that involves
(Of course, the reflex and (some?) digital models have avoided these issues.)
Originally Posted by Galah
Well, simply, that it is a rangefinder -with all the limitations in usefulness/convenience that involves
(Of course, the reflex and (some?) digital models have avoided these issues.)
But isn't it often the case that one photographer's definition of "limitation" may conceivably be another photographer's definition of "convenience?"
And were that not the case, would we not all happily be using the exact same camera type in every photographic situation?
"Take her to sea, Mister Murdoch. Let's stretch her legs."
The First Officer then reaches and confidently rings the engine room telegraph over to ALL AHEAD FULL...
Captain Edward John Smith to First Officer William Murdoch, on the bridge of the RMS Titanic, 11 April 1912
I love people with the attitude that if it isn't good for them then it isn't good for anybody. A Leica does exactly what it is designed to do, nothing more or less. If you don't like Leicas that is fine, but to say that a Leica has design flaws is just absurd. I can compose and focus my M3 faster than you can focus your wonder af camera, guaranteed. Is that a design flaw? There are still many people who make a living using a Leica, perhaps alongside another camera, but they still are in use. I am not a Leica worshipper, but the camera has a specific function. To me it excels at that function.
Leica will only stop making film cameras when they are out of business. I get tired of these internet rumors. There should be a policy here that any "rumor" has to be verified before it is posted. Time and time again I hear about another film being discontinued when it is not true. Now Leicas are being discontinued? Use your brain if you have one left before you post rumors like this.
Last edited by patrickjames; 08-25-2010 at 01:23 AM. Click to view previous post history.
Not true.
Doom and gloom
Andrew Kirkby
I thought maybe that was what you meant.
Well, everybody's entitled to their opinion. I consider yours rather shallow and narrow-minded, possibly just ignorant. I certainly would not call it a design fault- it is the design. I have never used a Leica but I have used rangefinder cameras. To characterize a rangefinder as a design fault makes little sense. It is simply a different design. It is perfect for some people's way of working.
Usefulness depends on the user. Convenience? The characteristics of a rangefinder are what make them easiest for many people to use. SLR's are very versatile, with the ability to handle long lenses and macro, to allow previewing depth of field, etc. But they have their own shortcomings; "design faults" of their own. For example, wide angle lens design is complicated and compromised by the presence of the mirror.
Consider medium format SLR's. Which "design fault" would you like, because you're going to end up with something no matter what. A leaf shutter has low vibration and flash sync's at any speed. Along with that comes a limited top speed and no instant-return mirror. A focal-plane shutter MF camera will have a higher degree of shutter-induced vibration and a low flash sync speed.
How about view cameras? Versatile and useful in many situations and just the opposite in others. Not convenient compared to the other types but there's stuff they can do that nothing else can.
To call an intrinsic element or characteristic of a design a "design fault" makes no sense. These days a lot of people would say that a camera that needs film has a "design fault".
I do use a digital device in my photographic pursuits when necessary.
When someone rags on me for using film, I use a middle digit, upraised.
Most companies are not going to say in advance that they will stop producing or selling (one of) their products. It's bad marketing.
So "straight from Leica" is probably not more trustworthy than some rumour on a blog.
Well, I read the blog and then the author's comments below it where he seems to be rather defensive but more balanced than in the original blog entry. In fact, he says that he was aware of some conflicting information surrounding this story but has "weighed the evidence" - which in this case seems to mean report on only one side of the story until conflicting comments force you to concede there is more to it than you originally chose to tell. Good journalism no doubt.
Originally Posted by Ken Nadvornick
I'd like to get a new Leica, but I can't afford one. I'd settle for a used one, but I can't afford that either. Thirty years ago I could afford a new one even less. Or a used one even less. My 83-year-old mother told me my late father really, really wanted to buy one in the early 1950s, but he couldn't afford one then or even later in his life. He died being unable to afford one. I will suffer the same fate.
When the inability to purchase something - or even just to dream of purchasing something - becomes a generational thing, it rather softens the "blow" of being told that manufacturing of that thing has ceased. At least my son will not have to suffer a third generation of frustration...
" It's sometimes better to travel hopefully than to arrive"
Originally Posted by patrickjames
I can compose and focus my M3 faster than you can focus your wonder af camera, guaranteed.
No; you cannot.
"Truth and love are my law and worship. Form and conscience are my manifestation and guide. Nature and peace are my shelter and companions. Order is my attitude. Beauty and perfection are my attack."
- Rob Tyner (1944 - 1991)
The following comes from another photo forum, posted yesterday:
================================================== =====
This is from "Leica Rumors" a few weeks back:
"I contacted Christian Erhardt (Vice President of Marketing Photographic Division, Leica Camera USA) and this is the answer he gave me:
"Your questions comes timely, in fact just earlier this week I was in our factory where I saw the production of Leica's M product lines. While we do not have a constant production of certain lenses and cameras, we have the ability to produce batches of those products. For example: Certain exotic lenses & cameras are produced in batches to be able to produce an economically feasible number of products.
In this case the M analog production line is just next to Leica's M9 production line to which we have shifted our focus to better manage the backlog and reduce the wait for our customers.
As you might be well aware from the past, we have always stated that as long as it makes sense for Leica Camera AG to produce M analog cameras we will do so. At this time we are reaching our targeted numbers for M analog cameras and do well with the offering of Leica M a la Carte cameras. Just recently Leica Camera AG offered a special Leica M7 Hermes Camera. This camera was quickly sold out and is a sought after collectors camera.
At this time I have no indication that the Leica M analog cameras will be taken out of Leica's product offering."
================================================== =====
(My emphasis on last line)


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Summer Dog Camp
Summer Camp is now full.
Spend a week with Susquehanna Service Dogs and the dogs in training! Children ages 10-14 are invited to attend Susquehanna Service Dogs' Summer Dog Camp on July 13-17 or July 20-24. Each day, campers have the opportunity to work hands-on with their own service dog to perform the tasks the dogs need to become working dogs, including taking their dog out in public.
Led by our professional staff, campers learn the fundamentals of basic dog care and clicker training, the positive training method we use to train our service dogs. Campers also learn about Susquehanna Service Dogs and how service dogs assist people with disabilities.
Parents, family, and friends are invited to the graduation ceremony on the last day of camp to see each camper perform the task they chose and taught their dog during the week. Each camper receives a graduation certificate.
Summer Dog Camp is a unique opportunity for kids to learn a valuable skill that will ultimately assist people with disabilities.
Summer Dog Camp costs $400 per camper. A $200 deposit is required to reserve your child's spot. The remaining balance must be paid by June 1, 2015. Susquehanna Service Dogs will provide lunch during camp, menu to be determined. SSD will also provide snacks and beverages throughout the week of camp.
Campers should be dropped off at the SSD complex in Grantville, PA between 8:15 and 8:30 a.m. and picked up between 3:45 and 4:00 p.m. each day. SSD staff will provide transportation during the day.


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Tripos Discovery Research (TDR) will assist Elan Pharmaceuticals in analyzing and enhancing the diversity of its small molecule screening collection.
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Applying its computational design and therapeutic medicinal chemistry tools, TDR says that it is able to reduce drug discovery timelines by up to 30%.
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text:
Sure, your first response to the idea of Tesla introducing a battery swap system might be, "what, this again?" After all, we heard in 2009 that the Model S was built with battery swaps in mind and, in 2011, Tesla CEO Elon Musk explained the Model S battery swap idea this way: "When people take an occasional two-way long distance trip, they'll get a replacement pack and then pick up their original one on the way back. The issue of giving up your one-year old pack for a three-year old one goes awa
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AddTesla Model S battery swap announcement coming soon?
17ePower introduces the XT320E, a $47,000 3.5 ton truck with swappable batteries and 120-mile range
- Eric Loveday
- Aug 23, 2010
- 17
1Autoblog Project Garage: Axle swap, Part II
- Eric Bryant
- Sep 20, 2006
- 1
19A 4th-gen Prelude, converted to RWD
- Eric Bryant
- Jul 30, 2006
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Lobos rally in second half, hand No. 8 Bearcats first loss of season
New Mexico 55, No. 8 Cincinnati 54
Sean Kilpatrick had two options: Take the quick shot if it's there, drive to the basket if it's not. He caught the pass and thought he had just enough room to get the shot off.
He never saw Alex Kirk's hand coming.
Kirk scored 15 points and blocked Kilpatrick's shot just before the buzzer Thursday night, preserving visiting New Mexico's 55-54 win that handed No. 8 Cincinnati its first loss.
New Mexico (13-1) rallied in the second half behind its 7-foot center, who hit a 3-pointer, got a team-high seven rebounds and slapped away Kilpatrick's jumper in the final seconds. Kilpatrick passed it in from the baseline to center Cheikh Mbodj with 4.5 seconds left, then got the ball right back with the two options.
"I thought I had him," Kilpatrick said. "I could have drove, but I didn't."
Kirk figured that Cincinnati's top scorer was going to let it fly and managed to get there just as the ball left his hands.
"I knew if I went out, it would be pretty difficult for him to get a shot over me and Tony Snell," Kirk said. "I went out with my hands up and he was forced to take a tough shot. Luckily, I got my hand on it."
That's how Cincinnati's perfect record went away.
Cincinnati (12-1) moved up to No. 8 this week — its highest ranking in nine years — and was trying to go 13-0 for only sixth time in school history. The Bearcats couldn't salvage a tight game against a team known for knocking off top teams.
The Lobos have won six of their last seven games against ranked teams, leaving them 14-6 against the Top 25 during coach Steve Alford's six seasons. They beat Connecticut earlier this season.
Cincinnati's loss left Duke, Michigan, Arizona and Wyoming as the only unbeaten teams in Division I.
The Bearcats missed 21 shots inside the paint and shot 31.3 percent from the field. Kilpatrick had a team-high 15 points, but was only 5 of 22 from the field.
"Things have been too easy for us," Bearcats coach Mick Cronin said. "We were going to get taught a lesson sooner or later. It manifests itself in many ways. Our inside finishing is beyond soft. You hold a team to 55 points, you should be able to win the game."
West Coast Conference
BYU 84, Northern Arizona 54: Brandon Davies had 27 points and 10 rebounds to spark BYU (9-4) to a blowout victory against Northern Arizona (4-8) in Provo, Utah.
Saint Mary's 82, Rhode Island 59: Stephen Holt had 17 points as five Gaels scored in double figures to lead Saint Mary's (9-3) past Rhode Island (4-8) in Moraga.
Loyola Marymount 79, Morgan St. 62: Anthony Ireland finished with 27 points and six rebounds to power Loyola Marymount (6-6) over Morgan State (3-6) in Los Angeles.
Creighton senior backup guard Josh Jones is quitting basketball because of a heart condition. Jones fainted before the Dec. 6 game at Nebraska and underwent surgery 12 days later to fix an atrial flutter.
Doctors have said Jones will require more procedures.


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123,726pages on
this wiki
this wiki
|Production information
| Physical and technical specifications
0.5 kg
| Usage and history
Syntherope or synthrope was a strong, synthetic rope. Among other things, it was used in ascension guns as a climbing tool which allowed the user to tether themselves and quickly travel upwards or horizontally.
The Tunroth bounty hunter Kiran Tatch was known to use it when capturing his quarry. Bandoliers stored them.[1]
Degan Explorations produced syntherope.[2]
- Star Wars: The Old Republic (Mentioned only)
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- "Domain of Evil"—Classic Adventures: Volume Two (Reprint)
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Dear "Conservatives" and "Establishment Republicans,"
I write today in the hope you all can get over whatever anger, distrust or bruised egos this primary season and political year has caused you. We on the right need to unite and send a message to progressives by unambiguously retaking the U.S. Senate in November.
We all have some problem with what's happened so far. Someone we liked lost a primary. Someone we didn't won. Some piece of legislation we hate passed; some other piece we liked did not. No one is completely happy, but we all know things can get much worse – and will if we don't put aside what divides and do what we must for the cause of liberty.
The political right has a habit of letting the perfect be the enemy of the good. This is exemplified by libertarians, and it's the fast track to political irrelevancy.
Libertarians will hate that I've placed them on the right of the political spectrum, and indeed many of today's libertarians indeed have no political home and are all over the map. Today, the term covers everything from the great Reason Magazine to big-government, socialized medicine-loving Bill Maher. The present day "libertarian" label can mean anything, so it means nothing.
But I'm not talking about those libertarians. I'm talking about the Ron Paul libertarians who were quite comfortable in a Republican Party with which they agreed on a majority of issues.
Back then, libertarians put aside their differences with conservatives and Republicans to work for the defeat of liberals and progressives. All three groups thrived, as did the nation. But now too many focus on the disagreements, the differences, and the scars that come with fighting for what we believe, win or lose.
Both sides have scars, but too many of us are becoming bitter and losing sight of why we thought those scars were worth getting in the first place. No Republican, either "conservative" or "establishment," is perfect, but any of them are better than any progressive Democrat. Were John McCain or Mitt Romney the "next Reagan?" Absolutely not! But, even with their imperfections being considered, they're both Godfather 2 compared to the Sharknado 2 currently occupying the White House. The same goes for these House and Senate races this November.
15 Excerpts That Show How Radical, Weird And Out of Touch College Campuses Have Become | John Hawkins
People who approve publishing lists of gun owners cry foul over published list of Muslims | Jazz Shaw


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Fun in Land of the Rising Sun; the Kansai Region of Japan Boasts an Amazing Mix of History and Modern Culture as SARAH WALTERS Discovers
Byline: SARAH WALTER
THE Kansai region has long been overshadowed by the high-tech party capital of Japan 500km to its west. Relative latecomer in Japanese history terms, Tokyo has been one of the most advanced and rapidly growing cities in the world since the 1900s.
But it doesn't have the monopoly on bright lights, and it certainly doesn't have the heritage of Kansai's three key cities: Kyoto, Nara and Osaka.
It is perhaps the region's underdog status that has made the people of Kansai such a proud, welcoming and humorous bunch.
After landing on a square of land wrestled back from the waters of Osaka Bay, visitors are transported to the mainland on the jaw-dropping dual rail and road Sky Gate Bridge - made doubly impressive by being the longest truss bridge in the world.
My heritage tour of Japan starts in Kyoto - the country's ancient capital. It's laid out in broad boulevards, is notably low rise (to protect the view of the surrounding mountains for city centre residents), and peaceful.
Years ago, my guide tells me, the noisy Pachinko gaming houses were ordered out of the centre to 'protect the tranquility of the city'. It's an anecdote that says a lot about Kyoto.
It's not without its modern touches, of course. So big a part of Japanese culture is Manga animation, for instance, that it has its own central museum, complete with a history tour and working library.
The breakfast room at my hotel, the Kyoto Hotel Okura, is certainly a great place to appreciate the skyline and mountains. It's Kyoto's tallest building with panoramic views over many of the city's main avenues and the mountains.
It's perhaps second to the Kiyomizudera Temple for views, the sacred space offering just about the best vantage point in town since 780AD.
Despite being a Mecca for tourists, Kiyomizudera is also a surprisingly contemplative space with cherry trees stretching up into the mountains.
Most impressive, though, is the feat of engineering that is the main hall's wooden stage, standing on dozens of 13m-high pillars made from single trees. Sadly, it's also the temple's most threatened feature, currently under attack from vicious wood ants.
The plan is to grow trees tall enough to replace them; like everything in Japan, in nature they trust.
Kiyomizudera also has a wonderful market area - a collection of tiny shops selling local crafts and, occasionally, tourist tat - and tremendous restaurants.
I try Akebono-tei, a historic teahouse on a picturesque, steep paved street serving traditional Kyo-ryori cuisine, characterised by local delicacies like tofu, fu (a wheat gluten), sashimi and eggplant.
Seating is western - not on the floor - but everything else is distinctly Japanese, with dozens of perfectly formed and fat-free dishes served artistically on perfect plates and bowls.
As astonishing temples in this part of Japan go, the Fushimi-inari Grand Shrine is a close number two.
Now famous for its tunnels of torii - vermillion red arches that snake through the forests to a shrine in the mountains - after they featured in the 2005 movie Memoirs Of A Geisha, it's also a working Bhikkhu with a purifying station outside the gate, where visitors must wash their hands and mouth according to a strict ritual.
Fushimi-inari begins a day of quiet contemplation that continues at Myoshin-ji, a complex of 50 or more closed temples with elegant gardens and miles of traffic-free pathways open to the public.
Shunko-in is one temple that does take guests for silent meditation and traditional green tea and rice cakes.
Meditation is a popular part of Kansai culture, as are arts and crafts. …


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Roy Williams donates seat to be left open in honor of Bo Ryan's late father
Bo Ryan and the Wisconsin Badgers advanced to Monday's national championship game against Duke thanks to victory over Kentucky on Saturday. Unfortunately, Ryan's father won't be there to cheer his son on. Butch Ryan passed away in 2013 at the age of 89. However, thanks to North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams, Butch Ryan's…Read More


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Watch and enjoy the lovely Jimmy Kimmel Compilation of Pat Robertson's Recent Loonytunes Into One Loopy VideoFrank Schaeffer is a writer. His latest book --WHY I AM AN ATHEIST WHO BELIEVES IN GOD: How to give love, create beauty and find peaceAvailable now on Amazon Follow Frank on Twitter www.twitter.com/frank_schaefferSee Frank's paintings http://www.frankschaefferart.com/Follow Frank on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/frank.schaeffer.16Contact Frank at http:// … [Read more...]
Watch and enjoy the lovely Jimmy Kimmel Compilation of Pat Robertson's Recent Loonytunes Into One Loopy Video
When I'm in a Shit Motel on Book Tour Missing my Wife and Grandchildren I (Sometimes) Wish My Dad Had Been a Thief like the Rest of the Big Time Evangelical Leadership
(A New Eden Oil on canvas 18 x 18 by Frank Schaeffer)Why couldn't my father Francis Schaeffer have stolen from God and God's children like everyone else? I mean I wouldn't have to be on an endless book tour actually scraping out a writer's living staying in shit motels if he had.I miss Genie, my gorgeous luminous muse and wife of 44 years, and my soul-filling grandchildren Lucy (6), Jack (4) and Nora (7 months) who live across the street and that Genie and I do child care for 5 days a wee … [Read more...]
Pat Robertson's Cheerful Chuckle — Frank Schaeffer Reads CLIP SIX "And God Said, "Billy!"
Here is CLIP SIX of my reading from And God Said, "Billy!" During the 17 years I've been working on And God Said, "Billy!" I've written and published many books, including the NY Times bestseller Keeping Faith and my memoir Crazy For God. But I could never let Billy! go. Now Billy! is almost out. It will be published by Sept 15. Here is the sixth of 12 clips of me reading from it.When all the clips they're all posted I'll post them again in one bunch: Clips 1 through 12. Please help me out … [Read more...]


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Need help? We are here for you 24/7:
If you're thinking about suicide, you deserve immediate help - please call the Trevor Lifeline at 866-488-7386.
Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.
Want to get involved with The Trevor Project's life-saving work but don't know where to start?
Click on these volunteering opportunities to explore how you can help end suicide among LGBTQ youth.
Welcome to our blog and events section! Find out the current stories, and learn about our upcoming events.
Access information about preventing suicide, our education workshops, and Trevor's unique resources for LGBTQ youth.
As a 501(c)3 non-profit, The Trevor Project relies on the generosity of friends to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth have a safe place to turn in times of crisis.
Click here to make a gift by mail.
How are you supporting #bullyingpreventionmonth? Going purple w/ @glaad is a small, yet impactful gesture http://www.glaad.org/spiritday
#LGBTQ youth, we are always here to listen, even in your darkest moments. Our Lifeline is available 24/7 at 866-488-7386.
Please come to see the talented author and our great friend, Bill Koningsberg as he travels 5000 miles across the South and Midwest to talk to LGBTQ youth.
We are SO proud of the work that Trevor's amazing YAC member, Pat, is doing with the TRUTH Campaign
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TAOS >> An alleged leader of a cocaine distribution ring has been indicted on tax evasion, conspiracy and money laundering charges in New Mexico along with his wife and daughter.
A Taos County grand jury returned indictments Thursday against 56-year-old Ismael Adame, 56-year-old Angela Adame and 31-year-old Jessica Gomez-Adame.
Authorities say the Adames and 18 other suspected cocaine dealers from Taos were arrested May 15 by state and federal agents.
They say Ismael Adame led a criminal operation that was responsible for trafficking cocaine into Taos County and then distributing it to dealers in Colorado, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah.
If convicted, prosecutors say he could be facing up to 90 years in prison.
Adame and his wife operated a Taos plumbing business and allegedly underreported hundreds of thousands of dollars of revenue.


text: Evelyn and William Grant of Tustin celebrated their 75-year anniversary June 27. The couple met and fell in love in Santa Ana, and have one son, David Grant, general manager of South Coast Plasa, four grandchildren and six great grandchildren. Evelyn is 94 and the oldest living member of Calvary Church in Santa Ana. William, a World War II and Korean War veteran, is 96.