text:
|Numéro de publication
|Type de publication
|Numéro de demande
|Date de publication
|30 oct. 1979
|Date de dépôt
|27 janv. 1978
|Date de priorité
|27 janv. 1978
|Numéro de publication
|Richard J. Batten
|Cessionnaire d'origine
|Shiley Scientific, Inc.
|Exporter la citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Citations de brevets (2), Citations hors brevets (2), Référencé par (103), Classifications (7), Événements juridiques (1)
|Liens externes: USPTO, Cession USPTO, Espacenet
Frame-mounted fascia lata heart valves were used clinically by Doctor Marion I. Ionescu and Doctor D. N. Ross in 1969. Since that time, many such valves made of autologous or hemologous fascia lata, duramater, or heterologous pericardium have been implanted. A construction of bovine pericardial valves is reported in Frame-Mounted Tissue Heart Valves: Technique of Construction, by Ivan T. Bartek, et al., Thorax (1974), 29, pp. 51-55.
This invention relates to an improvement in the structure and fabrication of such a valve as exemplified in the disclosure in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 679,406 now U.S. Pat. No. 4,084,268, by Doctor Ionescu and Bruce Fettel. The prior art exemplified in the above-cited application for letters patent has resulted in great success in the implantation of artificial heart valves. Nevertheless, ways to improve the construction and structure of such valves have been sought after in the art, and specifically ways to improve the structural alignment of the pericardial tissue and the valve stent and improvements which would increase the yield of usable valve tissue from animal hearts. Furthermore, improvements which would decrease the amount of stretch present in the tissue during sewing of the tissue onto the stent were sought after, along with improvements which would eliminate unsymmetrical distribution of stitching bulk on the valve.
In the prior art exemplified in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. 679,406, the valve stent or structural basis has three posts with sewing holes with which the pericardial tissue is sewn to the valve to form three cusps for a tri-cuspid valve. In this prior art, a single integral piece of pericardial tissue is used to form the tri-cuspid valve tissue surface. As is well known in the art, the three cusps must have the same configuration during opening and closing of the valve in order to achieve desirable performance characteristics of the valve. To this end, the three posts are placed 120 degrees apart, and the tissue is sewn onto the post at exactly 120-degree intervals, or at least as close thereto as possible. Thus, the critical operation in forming the three cusps is the division of the tissue used to form the valve into three equal portions comprising the circumference of the valve stent. The prior art taught that the sewing of the tissue to the stent posts would be done only after the tissue had been mounted on a conical tool or similar device with indicia located at 120-degree intervals, and marking threads sewn onto the tissue at intervals corresponding to the 120-degree displacement of the stent posts. However, in forming the vertical seam below the marker between each stent post and the tissue the prior art taught that there was no precise practical method for locating the needle hole vertically below the marker corresponding to the 120-degree interval on the tissue. Any slight error in judgement in inserting the needle into the tissue opposite the stent would result in the tissue being slightly stretched after the stitch is made with each of the sewing holes on the stent posts. Any slight stretching of the tissue on the valve would result in a slight non-uniformity among the cusps in a tri-cuspid valve. In the actual manufacture of such valves by a skilled operator, as taught by the prior art the operator would place the pericardial tissue sewn together as a cylinder over the conical tool which had on it a means for marking the tissue into three equal portions. The operator would then place a bright color marking thread on the top of the tissue corresponding to the three equally spaced marks on the tool. The operator would then place the tissue on the valve stent and align the tissue such that the three marking threads were aligned with the three stent posts on the stent. The operator would then have to visualize a vertical plumb line extending down from the marking thread on the top edge of the tissue and running parallel with the center line running through the centers of each of the sewing poles in the stent posts. It is through the imaginary plumb line that the operator would insert the needle into the tissue for sewing the tissue onto the stent. Thus, it is apparent that a great deal of human judgement is involved in correctly aligning the tissue on the stent in order to obtain a uniform tri-cuspid, geometric shape.
In the prior art, there is one stitch in the pericardial tissue forming the cylinder at which the pieces join together at two edges. When the tissue is placed onto the stent, it is oriented in such a way that the stitch between the two edges of the tissue is placed flush with one of the stent posts in order that the material in the stitch does not participate in the opening and closing movements of the tri-cuspid valve. In the prior art, there is no such stitch at the remaining two stent posts when the tissue is placed over the stent, and it is found that sewing of the tissue in the vicinity of these remaining two stents is difficult due to the wrap-around stretching action which occurs between the tissue and the stent in the absence of a seam in the tissue at the stent. Furthermore, there is greater bulk in stitching material at one stent post only, the bulk of stitching material at the remaining two stent posts being somewhat less. Therefore, the stitching bulk has an unsymmetrical distribution in the valve of the prior art.
It is well known in the art that the thickness of the pericardial tissue used to make the tri-cuspid valve must be uniform and must conform to strict dimensional tolerances. Furthermore, it is well known in the art that a successful tri-cuspid valve cannot be fabricated from pericardial tissue with blood vessels in it. Therefore, in selecting and cutting tissue from bovine animal hearts, tissue having either nonconforming thickness or blood vessels had to be cut around or rejected. This has led to a very low yield in the prior art, corresponding to one usable pericardial tissue for one valve for approximately every 100 animals so used.
According to the present invention, a solution to the problems relating to uncertainty in the alignment between the pericardial tissue and the stent posts, tension in the tissue due to wrap-around and stretching of the tissue about the stent posts during sewing, unsymmetrical distribution of stitching bulk in the valve, and the poor yield of bovine pericardial tissue usable in such valves is found through the implementation of this invention. This invention teaches the advantageous implementation of the use of three separate pericardial tissues to form a single cylindrical pericardial tissue usable to form the tri-cuspid heart valve.
The uncertainty in alignment between the pericardial tissue and the stent posts of the stent is eliminated because the tissue is divided easily into three equal portions which are then sewn together to form a cylinder. The seams between each of the three pieces define three vertical lines in the cylinder which are then easily aligned with the three stent posts of the valve. In this way no marking thread is necessary and no conical tool is necessary in order to ascertain the proper location and alignment of the tissue on the valve stent. Also, location of the point of insertion in the pericardial tissue of the needle for sewing at each of the stent posts is greatly eased because the seam acts as a guide through which the needle may be inserted. In this way, the operator need not have to visualize an imaginary plumb line extending vertically down from the top of the cylindrical formed tissue, but instead may simply insert the needle between the two edges of the tissue at each of the three stitches joining the three pieces of tissue in a cylinder. Subsequent insertion of the needle into the sewing hole of the stent post assures perfect alignment between the pericardial tissue in each of the stent posts. This removes any uncertainty in the alignment of the tissue and the stent posts and assures accurate formation of a symmetrical tri-cuspid configuration in the tissue for the valve.
Since the tension due to the wrap-around stretching action of the tissue about each of the stent posts occurs only in the absence of a stitch between two edges of the tissue at the stent posts, this stretching is eliminated completely from the invention since there is a stitch between two edges of the pericardial tissue at each of the stent posts. This increases the ease with which the tissue may be sewn together. Furthermore, since the same type of stitch joining two edges of the pericardial tissue is present at each stent post, the stitching bulk is symmetrically distributed around the valve, thus eliminating the unsymmetrical distribution of such bulk present in the prior art valves.
Finally, because the surface area of each required piece of tissue, according to this invention, is reduced to one-third of the required area taught in the prior art, it is much easier, in cutting the tissue pieces from the bovine pericardium, to cut around defects such as blood vessels in the pericardial tissue, and nonconforming thickness of the tissue. This aspect of the invention increases the yield of usable animal pericardium for such valves from one piece of tissue for every 100 animals to approximately 15 for every 100 animals.
It would have seemed in the prior art that the use of three separate smaller tissues sewn together to form one single tissue for use in the valve would involve more steps and higher production costs. This was because it was thought that the extra step of sewing two additional seams and of having to cut an additional two rectangular sections of tissue would add to the production costs. However, it was found that the production time and production costs have not been increased with the implementation of this invention. This is due to the fact that three wedges must be cut into the tissue cylinder in order to allow the pericardial tissue to form a tri-cuspid shape when the valve is closed. Use of a single tissue to form the valve necessitates the cutting of two of the three wedges corresponding to the three posts. This step is greatly eased through the use of three tissues sewn together with the wedges already cut out. Furthermore, the step of mounting the tissue cylinder on a conical tool for the dividing and marking of the tissue into three equal segments is eliminated since the stitching of the three pieces forms three vertical lines along the cylinder which may be used instead of the marking thread to align the tissue with the stent posts. Therefore, the step of placing the tissue on the conical section and the sewing of three marking threads on the top edge of the tissue corresponding to the three stent posts is eliminated. Furthermore, this eliminates the occurrence of holes in the tissue corresponding to the sewing of the three marking threads.
In summary, a practical method has been found to improve production of prosthetic pericardial tissue heart valves which improves the accuracy of the construction of such valves, improves the yield of pericardium used in such valves, improves the symmetrical distribution of material in such valves, and facilitates and eases the sewing and the fabrication of such valves.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a completed valve;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the valve of FIG. 1 showing the cloth covered stent and the tissue covering;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the stent of FIG. 2 without cloth covering;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view, partially in section, of the valve with portions removed;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view, partially in section, of a portion of a partially assembled valve; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a pericardial tissue used in making the valve of FIG. 1.
Referring to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, the valve includes a thin-walled stent 2 having an annular base 4 and three equally spaced upright posts 6 with scalloped upper edges 8 on the stent between posts 6. Throughout this application the term upper will be used for convenience to refer to the outflow end of the valve and lower will be used to refer to the inflow side, recognizing that the valve may not be upright where installed. Also, the term upper edge of the stent is used to include the side edges of the posts 6. Referring now to FIG. 1 the stent supports a tissue valve element 10 which surrounds the stent and has three cusps 12, 14, and 16 meeting along their upper edge portions in the closed position. The cusps are free to separate when the pressure below the valve exceeds that above to pass blood through the valve in a known manner. The flow of blood is from bottom to top in FIG. 1 along the axis 23 of the valve.
A pledget and cover 24 extends down the outside of the tissue at each post, and a sewing ring or cuff 26 is provided for grafting the prosthetic valve into the heart valve annulus using well known surgical procedures.
Referring again to FIG. 3, the stent may be constructed of any of the known materials, suitable for cloth covered prosthetic heart valves, titanium or nickle-cobalt alloy or Teflon or Delvon plastic being among the alternatives available. Its bottom edge 28 preferably is slightly scalloped having its high points 30 beneath the posts 6. Each post 6 has sewing holes, 32, 34, and 36, three in the illustrated embodiment, spaced vertically near its upper end. Additional sewing holes 38 and 40 are spaced around the circumference of the base. In the illustrated embodiment the base 4 has one sewing hole 38 at the base of each post and five holes 40 between adjacent posts, but that number can be varied, as can the number on the posts.
The cloth covering preferably is of Dacron velour and includes an inner sleeve 42, a three-piece outer sleeve 44, and three interior post sewing pads 46, and their construction is fully disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 679,406, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Referring now to FIG. 2, the tissues 10a, 10b, and 10c, in the exemplary embodiment bovine pericardium, are accurately cut to identical size and shape and formed into a tissue cylinder 10 of a diameter to fit over the cloth covered stent 28 as shown in FIG. 3. The top portions of the mating tissue edges 118a, 118b, 118c, 120a, 120b, and 120c are turned out face-to-face to form overcast stitched seams 122a, 122b, and 122c leaving the bottom portions of these seams 122a, 122b, and 122c temporarily unstitched, leaving a wedge 124. The tissue cylinder 10 is placed around the cloth covered stent 28 so as to circumscribe the base 4 and the posts 6 with the seams 122a,122b,122c centered on each post 6. A pledget and cover 24, as best shown in FIG. 5, preferably of Teflon in a form not having fibers which can unravel, is located outside the tissue 10 at each post 6. Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, each pledget and cover has a sewing portion 126 which lays against the tissue and continues to a cover portion 128 which covers the stitches as will be described below.
The tissue 10 and pledget 126 are attached to the stent using stitches through the upper holes 32, 34, and 36 in each post, and through the sewing portion 126 of the pledget. The stitches through the upper holes 32, 34, and 36 in each post are formed by inserting a needle with thread into the tissue as it overlays the post 6 in a location directly over each of the holes 32,34,36 to form the overhand stitching. Since the sewing holes are not visible, their location cannot be precisely ascertained before insertion of the needle into the tissue, and therefore the alignment of the tissue with the holes in each post is critical. In the prior art, there was no seam in the tissue at two of the posts, and therefore the insertion of the needle into the tissue was located with some uncertainty at those posts where there was no seam in the tissue. However, in this invention, the seams themselves, 122a,122b,122c, serve to divide the tissue into 120-degree portions, corresponding to a location of the sewing holes in each of the three posts, and thereby serve as guides through which the needle and thread may be inserted to precisely locate each seam 122a,122b,122c, over the sewing holes 32,34,36 in each of the three posts 6. In the prior art, as exemplified in U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 679,406, there was no guide through which the needle could be inserted in order to accurately align the stitching with the sewing holes 32,34,36. The presence of the seams 122a,122b,122c at each and every one of the three posts 6 eliminates the uncertainty in the location of the stitching on the tissue 10 along the circumference of the stent. This greatly improves the accuracy of the alignment of the tissue 10 on the stent 2, and thereby improves the uniformity of the cusps 12,14,16 formed by the tissue when the valve is in the closed configuration. Small wedges 124, 130, and 132 are located at the bottom portion of the tissue at the three posts 6 to provide relief to permit the tissue to close in cusps.
The tissue valve is tucked around each individual post 6 by stitches 134 as shown in FIG. 4. This causes the tissue valve to close in three cusps 12, 14, and 16 as shown in FIG. 1. Each end 136, and 137 of the thread extends from the tuck stitch 134 through the inner sleeve, the inner post sewing pad, the upper hole in the stent, three layers of cloth in the outside of the post, the tissue outside the post, and the sewing portion of the pledget and are tied off as shown at 136 in FIGS. 4 and 5. The pledget and cover 24 is not shown in FIG. 4 in order to more clearly show the other details.
The seams 122a,122b,122c play a role in facilitating the ease with which the stitches 134 are sewn. In the prior art, two of the posts 6 did not have seams 122b and 122c at the posts. At these posts 6 without seams 122b,122c, the tissue wrapped tightly around the back of the posts 6 on the opposite side of the posts from the tuck stitch 134, thereby increasing the tension at the tuck stitch 134. This tension increases the difficulty with which the tuck stitch 134 must be sewn. According to the present invention, there is a seam 122a and 122b and 122c at each post 6. Each seam 122a,122b,122c substantially reduces the tension at the tuck stitch 134 and the tissue 10 because the edges of the tissue at each seam face away from the post 6. This improves the ease with which the tuck stitch may be formed, and thereby improving the fabrication of the valve. Furthermore, since there is a seam 122a,122b,122c at each post 6, each pledget 24 now extends the same amount of distance away from the tissue 10 in order to accommodate the stitching of the seam 122a,122b,122c. This was not true in the prior art since only one post 6 had a seam 122a and the pledgets 24 at each post 6 did not extend an equal distance from the tissue 10, giving rise to unsymmetrical distribution of bulk in the valve. The implementation of this invention ensures a symmetrical configuration of the pledgets 24 at each of the posts 6. As is taught in this art, a symmetrical distribution of bulk on a prosthetic heart valve is preferable to an unsymmetric distribution of bulk.
The reason for the increase in yield of pericardial tissues from animal hearts is apparent in FIG. 6. The pericardial tissue derived from the bovine animal heart is shown at 200, and at 202 is a blood vein passing through the pericardial tissue 200. The shaded area 204 represent an area of non-uniform and nonconforming thickness in the tissue 200. The dashed lines 206 represent the size of pericardium that must be cut in order to form a valve according to the prior art. 208 represents the size of the pericardium required according to the present invention, which is approximately one-third the area of the pericardium cut-away of 206. As apparent in FIG. 6, the prior art could not obtain a usable pericardium from this particular tissue 200, but according to the present invention, the cut-away area 208, which successfully avoids the blood vein 202 and the non-uniform thickness area 204 results in a usable piece of pericardium from the tissue 200. It is this particular feature which has resulted in a 15-fold increase in the yield of usable pericardium from bovine animal hearts according to the present invention.
In summary, it is seen that the implementation of this invention results in improvement in the accuracy of alignment of the tissue and the valve stent, thereby improving the formation of a tri-cuspid shape, improvement in the yield of animal tissue usable for making such valves, reduction of tension in the tissue impeding the sewing of the tuck stitch 134, and a more symmetrically distributed stitching bulk across the valve. This invention may be similarly implemented for valves having more than three posts and cusps by providing seams in the pericardial tissue at each stent post for any number of stent posts. In this way, three pieces of tissue are used to make a tri-cuspid valve having three posts, four pieces of tissue are used to make a four-cuspid valve having four posts and so on.
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|10 déc. 2009
|24 juin 2010
|Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
|Quick-connect prosthetic heart valve and methods
|23 juin 2010
|30 déc. 2010
|Edwards Lifesciences Corporation
|Unitary Quick Connect Prosthetic Heart Valve and Deployment System and Methods
|2 déc. 1981
|16 févr. 1983
|Spitalul Clinic Fundeni
|Cardiac valvular bioprosthesis and the method of manufacture thereof.
|19 déc. 1984
|7 aoűt 1985
|Shiley Inc.
|Stent covering for tissue valves
|29 juil. 1982
|3 mars 1983
|American Hospital Supply Corp
|Leaflet attachment and method of attachment for prosthetic heart valves
|23 juin 1999
|6 janv. 2000
|St. Jude Medical, Inc.
|Single suture biological tissue aortic stentless valve
|5 mai 2003
|13 nov. 2003
|The General Hospital Corporation
|Involuted endovascular valve and method of construction
|Classification aux États-Unis
|623/2.15, 623/900
|Classification internationale
|Classification coopérative
|Classification européenne
|29 oct. 1992
Owner name: SORIN BIOMEDICAL INC., CALIFORNIA
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNOR:SHILEY INCORPORATED;REEL/FRAME:006289/0029
Effective date: 19920226


text:
- PeruTransportationFunding via Asociación Arariwa
Sayhua GroupPeruFoodFunding via Asociación Arariwa
Huaraypata ...PeruFoodFunding via Asociación Arariwa
Mujeres Triunfadoras Group
This is the "Mujeres Triunfadoras" (Victorious Women) group. It has nine, hardworking members who have been improving their businesses over time. This is Elizabeth's case; she's one of the members and is a single mother with one, 24-year-old son. She's been selling sheets, blankets and bedspreads for over a year based on prior order. With the work she did and the good use she put her income to she was able to buy a mototaxi that she leases out to provide transportation services generating extra household income. Her greatest wish is to open a store because she'd be sure to earn higher profits that way. She will use her latest loan to buy sheets, blankets and bedspreads. She feels happy and grateful to the people who make this loan possible. Elizabeth is in the rear, third from the left and wearing a red jacket.
Additional Information
About EDAPROSPOEDAPROSPO seeks to use micro-credit to foster productive commercial activity for the sake of economic and social development within vulnerable urban and rural sectors traditionally neglected by commercial banks. By offering innovative products such as technical education loans and microfinance groups for young people, EDAPROSPO helps disadvantaged Peruvians lift themselves out of poverty.
This is a Group Loan
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.
Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.
About Peru
39View loans »
Success!! The loan was 100% repaid
- Repayment Term
- 8 months (Additional Information)
- Repayment Schedule
- Monthly
- Pre-Disbursed:
- Oct 15, 2012
- Listed
- Nov 16, 2012
- Currency Exchange Loss:
- Possible
- Ended:
- May 17, 2013

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Food & Beverage»Food»Breakfast Foods
|Lowest Prices Guaranteed
|Published Date
|from $7,495
|132 Pages
|Canadean Ltd
|April 02, 2012
|Lowest Prices Guaranteed
|from $7,495
|132 Pages
|Canadean Ltd
|Published Date
|April 02, 2012
This report provides the results for the Bakery & Cereals market in the US from Canadean's unique, highly detailed and proprietary survey of consumers' Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) consumption habits, and forms part of an overall series covering all CPG product markets.Its coverage includes, but is not limited to, consumption behaviors, the extent to which consumer trends influence their consumption and the value of the market these trends influence, brand and private label choices as well as retailer choices. Much of this information can also be analyzed by specific consumer group, providing hard and fast data on consumers and markets at the product category level.
Why was the report written?
Marketers in the Bakery & Cereals market in the US face a major challenge. Understanding market size and segmentation is valuable, but the keys to effective targeting is knowing just how valuable specific consumer groups are, and being able to quantify the impact of consumer trends.This report solves these problems by providing integrated data on consumer trends, consumer groups and market data which show exactly the size of consumer groups, how much of the Bakery & Cereals market they account for and which consumer trends drive their behavior.
What is the current market landscape and what is changing?
As consumer confidence increases proportionally to economic recovery, consumer trends will be directly affected. Since the global financial crisis of 2008–2009 the retail market has been characterized by an increased amount of discount and own-brand products. Cereals and Bread products are considered staple foods and therefore recession has not affected their consumption pattern much. On the other hand Bakery products such as Cakes and Cookies are not considered essential items so consumption patterns have been comparatively affected.
What are the key drivers behind recent market changes?
Consumers' uptake of products and the influence of consumer trends are fundamental causes of change in markets – making knowing what these trends are and the extent of their influence crucial.The survey-based data provided in this report examines over 20 consumer trends that affect the market and examines the share of sales across 26 consumer groups – providing through the data a detailed insight into exactly who the consumer is and just how much impact the latest consumer trends are having.
What makes this report unique and essential to read?
The data provided is unique in the market as it tracks consumer behavior through to its actual value impact on a product market. This provides readers with a unique data analysis of the market allowing marketing tactics and strategy to be updated in line with the very latest consumer behaviors.
Consumer survey data for the following specific categories: Baking Ingredients, Baking Mixes, Bread & Rolls, Cakes, Pastries & Sweet Pies, Cereal Bars, Cereals, Cookies (Sweet Biscuits), Dough Products, Energy Bars, Morning Goods and Savory Biscuits.
Detailed consumer segmentation based on survey data covering over 26 consumer groups, 20 consumer trends and consumption frequency for each product category.
Volume shares in 2011 for brands and private label sales tracked by the survey.
Unique retailer choice and switching data as tracked by the survey are provided at the product category level for 2011.
Reasons To Buy
Unique proprietary data that sizes and segments consumers, tracks their behavior and shows the impact of this on their markets
Results also cover over 20 consumer trends, showing exactly to what extent these trends have a direct influence on a market. As this impact assessment is based not only on how many consumers act on these trends, but also how often they act on this it provides unique insight into the "size of the prize" when targeting these consumer trends in each category covered.
Key Highlights
Not only do a large proportion of US consumers highlight that specific consumer trends have an influence on their consumption, this translates into a significant proportion of actual value being directly influenced as well. Consumers are therefore acting on these trends enough to ensure that targeting them, in the right categories, is essential to success.
The majority of the retail share by value of the Bakery & Cereals market in the UK is dominated by just two retailers. The remainder of the market is fragmented. This gives producers average bargaining power when dealing with retailers.
Private Label penetration in the Bakery & Cereals market in the US varies from a few percent in the Baking Mixes market to well over a quarter of the Bread & Rolls market. This indicates varying levels of consumer brand loyalty and national brand domination. In some markets such as Savory Biscuits, however, there is still room for Private Label growth.
We'd be happy to answer your detailed questions about this report so you can be confident you're making the right purchasing decision.
When you create a new MarketResearch.com account, we'll give a 10% discount (up to $500) on your first purchase.
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OverviewAn apnea monitor checks the heart rate and respiration of the baby to make sure he or she is breathing properly. When either one falls below normal levels, the apnea monitor beeps to notify the care provider that something may be wrong. Newborns, especially preemies, are often put on an apnea monitor to observe their breathing patterns.
Update Date 12/4/2013
Updated by: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Bethanne Black, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.


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Posts from Politics
Get an Edible Education (for Free!) from Michael Pollan & The Edible Schoolyard
It's that time of year. Already some kids are back in the classroom and many of us will be sending our children off on Monday or perhaps the following week. Whatever are we going to do with all that extra time? (Just kidding!!) But perhaps you'll have a few extra hours to go back to school and get an edible education.
The White House Brews Its Own Beer: And People Want the Recipe!
Food News
Have you heard that The White House brews its own beer? President Obama even brought a few bottles with him recently on the campaign trail! This proved to be too much for ardent homebrewers and the curious media, though, who are now demanding access to the recipes, and through some clever means:
National Food Holidays: Mark Your Favorites On Your Calendar!
While I was thumbing through my Twitter feed one day last week, I noticed that it was National Smore's Day. I'm always up for a culinary celebration, so I swung by the store to pick up some marshmallows and a chocolate bar. (I made the graham crackers from scratch using this Marta Stewart recipe - perfection!) As I was rolling out the cookies I realized if I hadn't been on Twitter that evening I would have let a perfect smore-making opportunity slip by. So I wondered what other food holidays there may be thoughout the year. Turns out there is an American food holiday every day!
Fact or Fiction: Does America Produce Enough Food To Sustain Itself?
Fix Antibiotics: Find Meat Without Drugs
Eighty percent of the antibiotics sold in the United States are used on animals to make them grow faster and to prevent disease in the crowded, unsanitary conditions of factory farms. With rising concerns about "superbugs," or bacteria resistant to antibiotics, many of us are looking for meat raised without antibiotics.
First Lady Michelle Obama Launches a Recipe Contest for Kids
Food News
Yesterday First Lady Michelle Obama announced a nationwide recipe contest for kids ages 8 to 12. The Healthy Lunchtime Challenge will choose 56 winners—one from each state and territory—who will attend a gala Kids' "State Dinner," hosted by Mrs. Obama at the White House in August.
Slow Money: Investing in Your Local Food Systems
What would the world be like if we invested 50% of our assets within 50 miles of where we live?
This intriguing contemplation is one of three questions asked in Slow Money's statement of principles. The other two (what if there were a new generation of companies that gave away 50% of their profits and what if there were 50% more organic matter in our soil 50 years from now?) are equally compelling. What is Slow Money and what does it have to do with your food?
Even Dairy Farming Has a 1 Percent
Food News
A modern dairy farm is incredibly productive. Fulper Farms in West Amwell Township, New Jersey, own 135 cows, which produce over 8,000 pounds of milk. But if you think that sounds like a lucrative business, think again:
The Park Slope Food Co-Op Meeting Gets Live Tweeted
Food News
In a somewhat surreal showing of food politics-meets-international politics, the live tweeting of Brooklyn's Park Slope Food Co-Op this past Tuesday resulted in an "epic" rundown, as The Awl put it, of bizarre one liners, offering a taste of the high-spirited (and some would say high-minded) views of its passionate, and politically-motivated, members.
What Happened To the Farm Bill?
Food News
After the Super Committee's failed process last fall, Congress faces a new critical deadline: they must take action on the current farm bill before its expiration on September 30, 2012 or risk reverting to the 1949 farm law - the fallback law for the farm bill.


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May 28, 2015
Collected Thoughts Before Departure
By: Jon Peppin, Michelle Ngan, and Psalm Chang
As our trip to China draws closer and closer, I cannot help but be amazed at how rapidly our class has flown by. Although our course is labeled "Consumer Culture in China," I feel as if I have learned an incredible amount about China's history and political atmosphere in only 7 short days (information that normally entails a semester of study in other political science courses I have taken).
In terms of my own topic, I am extremely excited to study the reciprocal relationship between producer and consumer and all the characteristics of consumption in China on a first-hand basis. I plan to focus in on the electronics industry, with the domestic cellphone distributor, Xiaomi, being the center of my analysis. For my two page paper, I focused in on brand representation as a marketing strategy for the Xiaomi corporation, and the idea of consumption as a means of identity reinvention. It will be fascinating to examine the prevalence of this degree of consumption-induced identity in greater detail.
I am further looking forward to sharing and joining ideas with my group members; our objects of consumption span a wide range of interests, from the marketing of cosmetics, to the spreading of religious ideology. Although I am not absolutely certain as of now in terms of what area of emphasis we plan to hone in on––whether it be national v. international marketing, or the marketing of tangible v. intangible goods, I am looking forward to whatever adventures our studies will bring, and am extremely enthusiastic to be able to forge our own pathways towards our discoveries.
In our class thus far, we have read a variety of extraordinarily informative texts concerning consumer culture in China and globalization. I thought I had a good idea of what globalization was, but after the first day of class, I remember leaving the classroom not really knowing what globalization really meant. It's really interesting reading these different texts and trying to develop an idea of globalization and determine its effects in China, particularly urban Chinese consumers. These readings, and our subsequent discussions of them, have really opened my eyes to what these consumers are like.
Throughout this past week and a half, we have been examining advertisements marketed towards these urban Chinese consumers, and analyzing them using techniques gained from our readings. It's certainly helped me to look at an advertisement more objectively — not only the advertisements in class, but also the ones that I encounter every day here in the U.S. For my two-page paper, I focused on two advertisements released by Adidas as part of the transnational #mygirls campain: one during the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the other in 2013. An interesting similarity between the two ads was the lack of marketing of clothing; rather, it appeared that Adidas was attempting to market the brand itself and the fact that its values aligned with the intended audience's values of support networks.
This will be my first time traveling to China. I am really excited to travel to China and see all the tourist spots, as well as gather evidence for the final paper, for which I am focusing on clothing advertisements for local and foreign clothing brands. So far, it's been great getting to know everyone and preparing for the upcoming trip!
Echoing the sentiments of my two group mates, I am amazed by how much knowledge I have learned thus far in less than two weeks of class. Time goes by pretty fast, as the subject of the globalization of China and consumer culture is of interest to me. To be honest, I have never studied anything close to the topics we have been examining, so everything I am taking in is new and I am excited to apply the information learned while conducting research. Although the readings are lengthy and sometimes dense, the various texts we read are all adding to the tools that I will take with me to China and after finishing the course. One thing I've especially enjoyed reading is Lianne Yu's book, Consumption in China, as it presents recent research and case studies that look into how China's rapid development affects so many aspects, even beyond consumer culture, of Chinese people's lives.
My two-page paper focused on two temples in China, Hanshansi Temple and The City God Temple of Shanghai. I looked into the different levels of appeal that each site presented, and how it was translated into different target audiences. The Hanshansi Temple is geared toward a broader audience, while The City God Temple focuses on those who practice the religion. Writing this paper brought me to realize that I will have to look further into religions, especially those practiced widely in China. To take a look at the websites I used, visit http://loading.hanshansi.org/index.html and http://www.shchm.org/
I'm sure our next post will find us intrigued by an even wider amount of knowledge and getting to know more about each other as we go off to experience China for ourselves!
May 27, 2015
The FoodFellas Take the Chinese Fast Food Market
By: Alice Kim and Chris Carpenter
As our two-week study session on USC campus is halfway done, we are excited to take what we've learned in the classroom and apply it to our explorations in China. For the past week, we've met up for 3 hours every morning from 9am-12pm in Von Kleinsmid Center (VKC) to learn more about the history and emergence of China as a superpower in the international community, the result of dynamic changes in social, economic, and political spheres, and enforcement of strict government policies such as the one child policy. All of us are extremely enthusiastic and passionate about learning more of China's history and are amazed at the speed and intensity of growth within the past forty years. We all come from different backgrounds and majors, such as business, art history, and cinematic arts, but are connected through our desire to learn, dissect, and predict the economic changes of the world's most populated nation.
The classroom schedule goes as follows: roughly two hours of announcements, answering questions about the overseas trip, and lectures and another hour of discussion on the assigned articles and books we've read. Our class was able to read several anecdotes and scholarly papers to gain knowledge about the past and presently changing consumer cultures in Beijing and Shanghai. Our main course readings come from Lianne Yu's Consumption in China, a fairly short and easy read that contains 7 chapters. Lianne Yu focuses her attention on the middle and upper-middle classes of consumers in China as they are deemed the most dynamic and receptive of changes in their society. She highlights how conspicuous consumption has dramatically shaped and created various identities among consumers and how communication among neo-tribes, or groups of people affiliated with a common interest, has developed meaningful spaces of consumption and discussion in both the virtual and real worlds. Some chapters included the different lifestyle changes, increase in awareness, and change of status from the previous socialist society to the now capitalistic one.
Our lectures allowed us to receive background information on the formation of the government, different political ideologies, and nationalism in China. We look forward to the next two weeks of information gathering and ad analysis in Beijing, Shanghai, and Kaifeng as well as exploration of these historic and culturally rich landmarks in China.
In structuring our research projects, we've had to equally weigh the ideal with the practical. We're a diverse and passionate group of students who come from divergent areas of academic interest, but the reality of the project (and the key to the best, most solidified thesis) is to consider the in-country field research. Our group has decided to investigate the role of the fast food-style restaurant in China, a transplantation of a Western model to food and service that has taken hold and provided Chinese consumers with new and, as we've come to find out, valuable experiences. The strength of our project will be determined by our investigation of available sources and pieces of evidence regarding how the fast food industry has proliferated across Chinese urban spaces. It will be a wealth of information.
In class we had the opportunity to practice our analytical and critical thinking skills by comparing and assessing two or more images from various advertising campaigns across the Chinese market. Two of the most prevalent brands in the Chinese fast food market – KFC and McDonald's – are both exports from the United States, but have taken hold and created interesting opportunities for culturization in various forms. Neither are pure, facsimile exports; they consider and employ tactics, images, phrases, and sensibilities that cater to and entice the Chinese consumer. For example, KFC is capitalizing on the Korean wave (Hallyu) that has impacted the consumer markets of East Asian nations, especially China. As seen in the ad below, Korean pop idols and actors are often used as celebrity endorsements to bring awareness of a new product for fast-food restaurants. McDonald's, on the other hand, utilizes a sense of "foreign-ness" and globalized sensibilities to sell its products. Offerings such as the "Frappe Blend" and "Apple-a-la-Mode" are advertised in a way that makes no attempt to deculturize their Western origins or reculturize to its Asian market; rather, that sense of worldliness is what makes them valuable.
Ultimately, we are ecstatic to travel to China with the East Asian Studies Center and the Global East Asia program, and we can't wait to delve into the world of advertising for fast food restaurants in the Chinese market to come to understand Chinese consumer culture and its relationship to the world a little better.
July 8, 2014
Traveling to "The Margins"
By Eri Aguilar
Our study of globalization at the margins has taken us through northern and western China. We stopped in Beijing (the national capital), Xi'an (a culturally significant ancient city that sits between China's east and west), Lanzhou (the capital and largest city of Gansu Province in Northwest China), and lastly Dunhuang (a county-level city in northwestern Gansu Province). As we continued on a path deeper into China from the city of Beijing it became evident to me that we were entering the margins of China when the presence of skyscrapers was immensely reduced. Growing accustomed to being surprised I had high expectations for this trip.
Upon our arrival in the city of Beijing we made our way through the Tiananmen Square into the Forbidden City. The heat was tiring, but with every step I took through Tiananmen Square, I could feel my curiosity and enthusiasm overpower my feeling of exhaustion. It was incredible to contemplate that I was walking on the same land where one of China's more controversial events occurred. I could envision the multitudes of students and common folks occupying the space to express their political opinions 25 years ago (in 1989). After walking through a metal detector, providing a fingerprint and gladly availing myself to a pat down I proceeded to enter the Forbidden City. At the gates of the Forbidden City I was stupefied at the sight of its architecture. The gates were truly magnificent with their 81 golden rivets shinning as the sunlight struck them.
Though there was forecast for rain, the Trojan family nevertheless decided to fight on and continue with our plan to climb the Great Wall. Not surprisingly a light drizzle evolved into a heavy downpour with rain droplets the size of water balloons! Fortunately, the heaviest segment of that storm came about the moment we reached the top of the Great Wall. Our tour guide expressed her skepticism in our abilities to persevere, but we all climbed up and made it down safely. As I felt the rain soak into my Air Force Jordan's I could also feel a moment of spiritual replenishment when I stared down from the top of the Great Wall to our starting point and contemplated the effort that it must have taken to construct such a structure. The thought imbued me to continue striving towards building my own legacy. After climbing The Great Wall of China we had lunch and conveniently found a hand dryer that served as clothes dryer for the group.
The search for globalization at the margins of China exposed us to The Mogao Grottoes. It was incredible to have read about this site earlier in the week and to actually have the opportunity to study it trough firsthand experience. The article we covered in class gave us the context to better understand and appreciate the images and statues that were being preserved at this location. I was astounded when I tried to take in the 3rd biggest Buddha in the world. I had to adjust my head all the way back to be able to get a good view of the statue. Looking at the craftsmanship on the Buddha, I began to contemplate the patience that the artists must have possessed to be able to produce such detail. The location is so humongous that we could not see all of it because we ran out of time and also only some segments are open every season.
Spending a majority of my youth living the city life, I was taken away by the sight of Echoing Sand Dunes. Its postcard-like scenery makes it easy to step outside of reality for a moment. We had arrived early so the heat was not intolerable. I recall that my feet breaking though the warm sand gave me a soothing sensation and I will also never forget being so close to camels. We all had fun climbing up the sand dunes and either running or sliding down. Looking around I could envisage merchants interacting in this oasis along the Silk Road. I will never forget these experiences.
July 1, 2014
The Last Few Days in Shanghai
By Jeff Levine and Ethan Levin
Wednesday was the second-to-last class, and after the presentations of the Shanghai margins project, we realized we only have one more day of lecture upon us. The end was coming up fast. Along with this end was our final project – it was a marathon of a week! The freedom afforded to us in the prompt of this last project was both a blessing and a curse. A blessing, because we could talk about anything within the realm of globalization; a curse, because the vague parameters caused some soul searching among the GEA participants: What was the most relevant of topics that we should discuss for this last thesis? We spent much of the rest of the day attempting to figure out what it is that we should be talking about.
On Friday morning, we had our final class. It was a bittersweet moment. On one hand, we were excited to be done with the marathon week of presentations and be finished with work; while on the other hand, it would be the last time we would be meeting to watch and root each other on. We've come a long way from where we started. We have a clearer understanding now of just how unclear the word "globalization" can be, and can better examine the complexities that revolve around it – especially when it comes to China.
After class, we had some afternoon free time to explore, nap, or do whatever before the banquet. We decided to take the opportunity to go visit the Shanghai Science and Tech Museum – conveniently a stop along the subway lines (a subject on which, by now, we've become experts). We've already explored the incredible shopping center underneath; however, we (embarrassingly) had yet to check out the actual museum. We were glad we did. The museum was incredible. Each floor housed a few different exhibits, each one emphasizing intimate interaction and participation. The first floor, my favorite, featured a recreation of the Yunan Rainforest. It was an elaborate array of (fake) animals and plants, complete with bamboo bridges, waterfalls, and caves – plus even more exhibits within the exhibit, devoted to insects, birds, molecular studies, and more. This was only the beginning, though it had the greatest impact. The other floors featured body and health, the universe, information technology, and robotics.
After the museum, we got back with just enough time to prepare for the banquet. After a 40-minute taxi ride, as well as some sleuthing for the right building, we arrived at the restaurant. The banquet was course after course of delish food, such as fish, egg rolls, cabbage, duck, tofu, and more. Our stomachs were long satiated before the waiters (or fúwùyuán) stopped coming. Just writing about it now makes me hungry again! While the food was superb, there was, yet again, a bittersweet mood to the dinner. We were all so happy to be feasting on this deliciousness together, but we all knew that this would most likely be the last time we were all together (already one of our comrades had left us, shout out to you Steven!). We concluded the night with one final tour around the neighborhood.
June 30, 2014
Studying in Shanghai
By Coleman Monroe and Christmas Myers
The day after we returned from Dunhuang was a free day, and many of us used it to explore the city of Shanghai. This photograph was taken at Yu Garden, in the City God Temple area. The Yu Garden is a breathtaking oasis within the city that is filled with koi ponds, jade rock formations, and pagodas. The garden was constructed in the Ming Dynasty by a wealthy minister and had an important role in the history of Shanghai. The garden played many roles throughout its history: merchant guild, British headquarters during the Opium War, and a meeting place for the leaders of the Taiping rebellion. However, we could never truly forget about the big city around us, as the tallest building in Asia protrudes into the skyline.
Today we took our final group field trip to the world famous Oriental Pearl Radio and TV Tower. Standing at 1,535 feet, gazing at the tower from below is astounding. It is no wonder the tower has become the landmark symbol of Shanghai. Our tour guide took us to two observation decks. The first one was an enclosed orbital viewing deck that provided 360 degrees of breathtaking views of Shanghai. It was shocking to see the sea of buildings that seemed to stretch as far as an ocean's horizon, which poignantly depicted Shanghai's rapid urban development. The second observation deck consisted of a glass floor, which gave the impression of walking on air. For those of us who are afraid of heights it was a chilling reminder of just how high up we really were. Since we had a considerable amount of time on each observation deck, some of us indulged in snacks while absorbing the glorious views surrounding us.
June 27, 2014
Fun in the Gansu Province–Oh My!
By Amanda Heston & Aissa Castillo
Exploring Lanzhou (Aissa Castillo)
After flying into Lanzhou, the group was understandably tired but determined to enjoy the mysterious wonders Lanzhou might have in store for us. Some were excited by the prospect that at last in the western area of China we might encounter the seedy margins. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) the margins brought to you by a tour guide are never as seedy as you might imagine.
The group was able to enjoy an early outing exploring the area around the Yellow River. In this picture we are posed in front of the river, about to explore the area's many Buddhist temples as well as the famed bird's eye view of the city.
While climbing the many steps leading to the bird's eye view of Lanzhou, the group was treated to a constructed water wall that actually offered passersby the opportunity to run behind to feel the spray of water. Most of the members of the group took advantage of this given the heat that surrounded us. (Some of us, including Professor Sheehan, resisted the impulse to run and simply walked across.)
After a 20 minute or so hike consisting mainly of stairs, the group was able to reach the top. We were treated to a panoramic view of Lanzhou and the Yellow River that made the steep hike more than worth the wait.
After returning from the bird's eye view, the group was then taken to see the statue of the Mother River. This is a depiction of the river that was created in the 1980's and many tourists come to take pictures with it and to absorb its cultural symbolism.
Still feeling the effects of our early flight departure and the multitude of steps that led to the bird's eye view, many of us opted to take in the scenery of the river and enjoy a local shop's offering of "Muslim Tea." This was a delightfully refreshing concoction of longan, dried dates, tea, and rock sugar. For many of us this was a lull in a busy schedule that would see us all boarding a 14 hour sleeper train to Dunhuang before the night was over!
You might not think it by looking at the photo but this is the group directly off our sleeper train to Dunhuang, a sandy city in the Gobi Desert. I think it's fair to say that sharing enclosed bunks, a few sinks, and one very suspicious squat toilet made us all a little closer together.
June 26, 2014
Beijing-Xi'an Cultural Excursions
By Chip Becker and Sean O'Leary
High-speed rail (高铁) from Shanghai to Beijing – June 5, 2014
Today we caught the 7:30AM high-speed rail bound for China's glorious capital, Beijing. The train's top speed is capped at around 300 km/h, which is roughly 186 m/h. Needless to say, we zipped through China's countryside at a mesmerizing pace. It only took five and a half hours! Ultimately, we all seemed to have found a good balance between sleep and sightseeing in preparation for all the wild adventures to come in Beijing and Xi'an.
Beijing – Tiananmen Sq. (天安门) and the Forbidden City (故宫) – June 5, 2014
After lunch, we promptly made our way to Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City smack dab in the heart of Beijing. It was hot out but that didn't stop us from seeing what we came here to see. Indeed, the history of this location is rich and formidable. However, to some extent, it felt as if we helped make some more of its history just by being there today. Fight On!
Beijing – Kung Fu show at 北京什刹海剧场 – June 5, 2014
Earlier this evening, we took a side-trip down to Beijing's Bei Hai area to enjoy a rather interesting and energetic Kung Fu show. Giant, acrobatic pandas seemed to be a common theme throughout the performance and they managed to pull a few Michael Jackson moves near the end, which was truly icing on the cake. You don't see a show like this every day!
Beijing – A trip to the Great Wall of China – June 6, 2014
You simply cannot come to Beijing without making a trip out to see the mighty Great Wall. As we climbed, the rain began to fall. But much like with the heat yesterday, the downpour did little to stop us from reaching our goal! We endured the weather, bonded with some of the locals along the way, and eventually reached the top. What a spectacular and rewarding view! All in all, it was an experience Global East Asia of 2014 will not soon forget.
June 24, 2014
Back From Our First Expedition
By Steven Luong and Olivia Chui
A few hours were spent in Hangzhou, a city a few hours west of Shanghai. The group took a boat ride around West Lake and strolled around the picturesque lake. The place was bustling with tourists and locals alike and the group witnessed many people enjoying their weekend afternoon. Afterwards, the group bused back to Shanghai.
On a rain-filled Sunday, a day of rest and fun was in order. Many students stayed around the Fudan University area, taking time to recoup from the exhausting travels of the previous few days. Others decided to brave the wet weather and venture to other parts of the city like the popular City God Temple Area, a vestigial landmark of old Shanghai.
June 23, 2014
Our First Trip: Huangshan and Hangzhou Adventures!
By Aleen Mankerian and Eri Aguilar
Day 1 (Aleen)
After a weekend spent settling into Fudan University and exploring the surrounding area, on Tuesday afternoon, we hopped on a bus for a 6-hour drive for our first trip to the city of Huangshan. It was a long and tiring commute but we were excited and had no idea what to expect upon our arrival. An interesting aspect about the ride was that we had the chance to see a drastic difference between urban Shanghai and the villages and small towns right outside of the city. We finally arrived in the main city of Huangshan, and it definitely wasn't hard to miss because neon lights flooded the downtown area. They must not worry about their electricity bill! After stopping in the city for a delicious traditional Chinese meal, we drove another half hour to one of the most luxurious hotels we've ever seen. Our first night in Huangshan was spent at the Howard Johnson Macrolink Plaza, or what we liked to call "The Bellagio" because of its resemblance to a Las Vegas resort. Perhaps the strangest part about the hotel was the fact that it was completely empty. It was quiet and a bit creepy but we still had fun running through the huge halls and bonding with one another during our stay. We finished off the night in our comfortable, spacious hotel rooms with exciting adventures to look forward to the next day.
Day 2 (Eri)
The trek to the top of Huangshan Mountain, the fifth wonder of the world, began with our departure from this amazing hotel. The lobby was decorated with marble floors, the rooms were opulent, and the service men and women prided themselves in offering us a high degree of hospitality. This being my first time ever traveling abroad, my expectations did not have a standard for comparison. But I was definitely eager to be exposed to novel experiences. I can vividly recall being unable to sleep the night prior, as I imagined the immense beauty of standing on the top of the mountain. Growing up in the city, the only view of nature that I had ever experienced were the hills that are behind the skyscrapers in Los Angeles when driving down the 110 North.
June 5, 2014
First Days in Shanghai
By Diane Um and Scott Hung
On Thursday night, most of our group met at LAX to board a plane to Taipei, Taiwan. Our excitement only made the 13-hour flight feel longer, but we busied ourselves with napping, watching movies, and enjoying our two provided meals. Upon arriving in Taipei, it felt surreal to be surrounded by Chinese characters and food. A few of us indulged in Taiwanese drinks and learned about currency exchange. Finally, we endured the short flight to Shanghai, where we happily met our TA Carlos.
The second that we stepped out of the airport, we experienced our first taste of Chinese humidity. Carlos and Professor Sheehan promptly assured us that it would only increase as the summer went on. Nonetheless, we eagerly drank in every sight of China as our tour bus traveled towards Shanghai. On the way, we stopped at a restaurant to share our first meal, where Professor Sheehan explained some dining etiquette, including how to use the lazy Susan. Even though we had just met, it felt like a real family meal as we sampled the same dishes and poured each other tea. We were really surprised at the hospitable servers, or "fu wu yuan," especially after realizing that tipping is not a custom in China. They seemed to genuinely care about providing the best experience for their guests. Full and content, we ended our bus ride at our dorm in Fudan University.
Afterwards, we left the hotel and we encountered perhaps our greatest intercultural hurdle we have faced in China yet: buying cell phones. The army of cell phones lining the display cases and walls of the tiny store, combined with the bustling action on the streets behind us, had many of us at a loss of words. Thankfully, having skillful interpreters like Professor Sheehan and Carlos saved us from relying on body gesticulations that tend to dominate such cross-cultural exchanges. We were ultimately able to successfully purchase and activate cell phones without too much running around. It was reassuring to know that despite being in a foreign country, we will be able to stay connected to each other thanks to technology.


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Why does the sort data collector rely on swap space to be available?
The sort data collector is dependent on the fact that swap is configured on our systems.
"The system on which you install the data collector must meet the
following minimum requirements:
* 500 MB free RAM
* 300 MB free swap space
* 2 GB free disk space"
If no swap is configured the data collector exits with the statement that swap is required.
Most of our systems have 256 GB of memory and we mainly run databases on our systems. When the system starts to swap we
get a lot of complaints about the bad performance. As a consequence we debate from time to time if we should disable swap or not. And on some systems where we disabled swap it brought us some improvements.
To check for swap space might be a valid check for systems with a low memory footprint, but on systems with a high memory footprint I don't see the necessity (this is at least my opinion).
In my opinion sortdc should be easy to use.
Would it not be possible to adjust sortdc to check for 800 MB (500 MB + 300 MB for swap) of free memory when no swap is configured.
A support case was opened with the Symantec (05096990) and the outcome was, that I got told that this will not change.
Maybe worth reading as well the following article: http://linux-mm.org/Low_On_Memory.
Don't get me wrong - there are workaround solutions in place to overcome this, but sort should be clever enough to just not exit when we still have GBs worth of memory free and no swap configured.
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NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms
The NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms features 7,926 terms related to cancer and medicine.
Browse the dictionary by selecting a letter of the alphabet or by entering a cancer-related word or phrase in the search box.
- Farydak
- listen (FAYR-ah-dak)
A drug used with bortezomib and dexamethasone to treat multiple myeloma. It is used in patients who have already been treated with bortezomib and an immunomodulating agent. It is also being studied in the treatment of other types of cancer. Farydak blocks certain enzymes needed for cells to grow and divide and may kill cancer cells. It may also prevent the growth of new blood vessels that tumors need to grow. It is a type of histone deacetylase inhibitor and a type of antiangiogenesis agent. Also called LBH589 and panobinostat.