text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jul 14, 1998
|Filing date
|Jun 19, 1996
|Priority date
|Jul 21, 1995
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Christopher Dufresne, Georges Bonnevial, Jean Emin, Robert S. Golabek, Jr.
|Original Assignee
|Becton, Dickinson & Company
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (22), Non-Patent Citations (4), Referenced by (18), Classifications (12), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates generally to determining the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in a blood sample. The standard laboratory method heretofore used for measuring ESR is the so-called Westergren method. A general review of that method is provided in "ICSH recommendations for measurement of erythrocyte sedimentation rate" published in Journal of Clinical Pathology 1993; 46:198-203.
Essentially, the Westergren method provides for a sample of blood to be collected in a test tube (pipette) to form a 200 mm blood column in the presence of an anti-coagulant. After mixing the specimen briefly, the test tube is loaded into a device or an instrument including sensors such as an optical sensor to record the location of the blood/air meniscus at an initial time. After a period of 60 or 120 minutes, the operator or the sensor then identifies and measures the location of the cell/plasma interface. The distance in millimetres from initial blood/air meniscus and the final cell/plasma interface gives the typical Westergren output value for the test which is expressed in units of mm/hr.
A basic disadvantage of the conventional Westergren method lies in the considerable length of the test tube (typically in excess of 200 mm) which makes it unsuitable for use in collecting blood directly. Consequently; blood for the test has to be taken either by using a syringe or a pre-evacuated tube and the blood thus collected must then be transferred to the Westergren test tube. In addition to being unpractical, such a procedure exposes the operator to the danger of contacting the blood during the transfer process.
Systems dispensing with such a drawback and carrying out ESR determination using tubes significantly shorter than the standard 200 mm Westergren pipette are already available.
Exemplary of such prior art is, for instance, the ESR measuring system sold under the trademark SEDISCAN by the assignee of the present application. A SEDISCAN instrument is adapted for use in connection with tubes (sold under the trademark SEDITAIER--both SEDISCAN and SEDITAINER being registered trademarks of Becton Dickinson and Company) essentially comprised of 5 ml draw tube of 120 mm length and 10.25 mm outer diameter containing liquid sodium citrate/citric acid at 4:1 ratio. Using the above tube, the SEDISCAN instrument provides an extrapolated Westergren value after 30 minutes which compares well to actual 60 and 120 minutes Westergren values. However, it is necessary to examine nearly the entire tube length (about 70-80 mm of the blood column height of 100 mm) in order to predict the ESR. The tube is held vertically.
Another system using "short" tubes is sold under the trade name VESMATIC by the Italian company Diesse Diagnostica Senese S.r.l.. The tube for use in this latter system has a rectangular shape overall and a triangular shape of the tube bottom. Again, nearly the entire tube length must be scanned which leads to using an additional plastics outer sleeve to apply patient bar code or identification labels. The outer sleeve and the patient identification data must be removed from the tube before this is placed in the instrument for carrying out the test. Consequently, there is an actual danger that, due to the high number of tubes tested concurrently in a laboratory, a diagnostic result may be incorrectly assigned to the wrong patient due to a mistake in association of the clinical result for a tube with the patient identification contained on the removed outer sleeve.
So, it is practically a mandatory requirement for any test tube for proper use in ESR measuring test to carry patient identification data which must not and cannot be removed at any time, while carrying out the test.
Also, there is a growing trend in the field of ESR determination to provide reading of the test final values in a significantly shorter time than the standard 60 minutes of the Westergren method. Finally, the quantity of blood required for the test (and consequently the quantity of blood to be taken from the patient) is to be made as small as possible.
The present invention basically aims at providing a solution which jointly overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art solutions, i.e. by providing an ESR determination procedure, where:
"short" tubes are used, preferably adapted for direct blood collection;
patient identification data, once applied onto the tube, cannot be removed from it, thereby making it impossible to dis-associate the specimen from the patient identification;
reliable ESR values are provided in a term much shorter then the standard 60 or 120 minutes of the Westergren; and
the quantity of blood to be taken from the patient is minimised.
A method and apparatus which permit reliable ESR values to be provided in a short term (e.g. 20 minutes or less) will be described in the following which constitute the subject matter of a European Patent application filed on an even date by the same Applicant of the present application.
Specifically, the invention relates to a test tube constituting an improvement over the prior art as exemplified by the SEDITAINER� test tube referred to in the foregoing.
Essentially, the underlying problem of the invention is providing an improved test tube by means of which the results obtained by the captioned new method and apparatus may be optimied. According to the present invention, that problem is solved by means of a test tube having the features set forth in the claims. The invention also relates to a surfactant for use in such an improved test tube.
In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, a pre-evacuated test tube is used to collect the specimen which is made of such a material as glass or plastics and which contains an anticoagulant. The tube is then put into a rack and loaded into an instrument which mixes the specimen briefly. The instrument then uses optical sensors to record the location of the blood/air meniscus at an initial time. At subsequent time intervals thereafter for periods up to 30 minutes, typically 20 minutes or less, the optical sensors then identify and measure the location of the cell/plasma interface. These measured values are then converted by a given relationship, e.g. an algorithm, to the values which would be obtained using the classical Westergren method (200 mm blood column height and blood to citrate ratio of 4:1).
When a small bore evacuated blood collection tube containing an anticoagulant is used several requirements should be preferably satisfied in order for the tube to function in a most satisfactory way. These requirements are as follows:
the anticoagulant must be rapidly mixed with the blood sample at the time of draw to insure a full anticoagulation effect;
the tube must contain a thoroughly homogeneous suspension of erythrocytes prior to setting up the ESR test in order to obtain optimal results;
the additive/anticoagulant must not interfere with the haematology parameters of blood.
In the invention, in order to satisfy the first two requirements, a surfactant is added to the tube to promote rapid mixing of the contents by reducing the surface tension of the blood sample to the glass tube. This allows for adequate anticoagulation of the blood specimen during draw. In addition, the amount of mixing (i.e. agitation or stirring) required to insure a homogeneous suspension of erythrocytes during ESR set up is reduced because the tube mixes faster which in turn causes more turbulence within the tube thereby stirring the specimen.
Generally there is an exponential relationship between mixing time and concentration of surfactant, and at approximately 1% by weight the fastest mixing time was found to be achieved.
A similar exponential relationship was found to exist between mixing time and diameter of the glass tube. Due to the use of the surfactant a 6 mm inside diameter, 8 mm outside diameter tube was found to mix almost as fast as an 8 mm inside diameter 10 mm outside diameter tube without the use of the surfactant.
Briefly stated the key physical property that the surfactant must exhibit is the lowering of the surface tension of whole blood to the glass tube. The surfactant must also not interfere with the haematology properties of human blood. For example, the surfactant must not effect the alpha-globulin interaction with erythrocytes as this is a key factor in erythrocyte sedimentation rate testing (ESR).
The surfactant must also preferably be:
irradiation stable, thereby allowing Cobalt sterilization of the tube;
chemically stable e.g. in a buffered Thi-sodium citrate anticoagulant;
temperature stable over the desired range of use, as well as during the transit of the product from the plant of the customer.
For example, some surfactants were found to become irreversibly cloudy in the citrate anticoagulant when heated above 50� C. This is perceived as a fungal/bacterial growth in the tube, and is unacceptable.
Desirably, the surfactant is a nonionic surfactant. An example of such a surfactant is an organosilicone. Preferably, the organosilicone is a polyalkyleneoxide modified polydimethylsiloxane. Polyalkyleneoxide modified polydimethyl siloxanes are found to be stable with irradiation, do not cause the blood to haemolysis and increases the rate of mixing of the blood sample.
In a thoroughly unexpected manner, the solution of the invention was found to be suitable for satisfactory and reliable use also in a "manual" ESR determination procedure, wherein the test tube is held vertically during the standard 60-120 minute period and reading is accomplished simply be eye against a reference scale.
The invention will now be described, purely by way of example, with reference to annexed drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a test tube according to the invention,
FIGS. 2 and 3 show diagrammatically the typical arrangement of device of the invention, and
FIGS.4 to 7 show the correlation between the results of the method of the invention and the results which would be obtained using the classical Westergren method.
In FIG. 1 an exemplary tube according to the invention is generally designated T. Such a tube T--intended to define a cavity for forming a column of blood whose ESR is to be determined--has a tubular, preferably cylindrical wall with an outside diameter of not less than about 7 mm and not more than about 9 mm. The length of the tube T (roughly corresponding to the height of the blood column formed therein which is preferably not less than about 75 mm, but not more than about 105 mm) is preferably about 80 mm. The inside diameter is preferably not less than about 5 mm and not more than about 7 mm and still preferably about 6 mm.
Irrespective of the specific embodiment, the inner diameter of the tube T must be sufficiently large to allow the blood specimen used for the test to mix adequately immediately after collecting to ensure complete anticoagulation is achieved. Subsequently, immediately before initiating the measurement of the ESR, the specimen must be uniformly and completely mixed to re-suspend blood cells.
The inner diameter and tube length should also be sufficiently small to minimise the volume of the blood required from the patient for the test, since excessive blood lost by patients is considered detrimental to their health. This is particularly the case for paediatric patients who have small blood volumes and geriatric patients who have diminished capacity to regenerate blood cells. In the configuration described, blood requirements would be typically less than 2 mls which is considered sufficiently small to have little impact on patient health.
The outer diameter and tube wall thickness must be sufficiently large to add sufficient strength and rigidity to ensure the tube does not break or bend during handling and subsequent testing. However, they should be sufficiently small to ensure the tube is easy to cut, form and glaze as in the case of a glass tube or injection moulded as in the case of a plastics tube. Excess material leads to higher manufacturing cost and an overly thick tube wall could reduce the ability of an optical viewing device to see through the wall when attempting to identifying the meniscus and the interface.
Optical imaging devices, such as a LCDs, linear CCDs and video cameras, are preferably used in connection with a visibly transparent tube wall (at least insofar as the "window" of the tube actually observed is concerned), e.g. made of glass or transparent plastics. Alternative embodiments can however be envisaged, wherein non-optical/sensors and/or visibly opaque, non-transparent tube walls are used. Exemplary of such alternative embodiments are imaging devices operating outside the visible range (e.g. infrared radiation) or devices operating with other kinds of radiation or based on other physical phenomena (e.g. capacitive sensors and the like).
Optical devices are however preferred due to the current availability of devices adapted for use within the framework of the invention. Exemplary of such devices are, in addition to the one used in the assignee's SEDISCAN� system, those sold under the trade names Sony CCB-M25/CE (CCD) and Sony PSB9151A (power board) Sony, Kanafawa, Japan! and Computak 6 mm 1:1-2 1/2" C (Lens from Japan).
The open end of the tube T is preferably sealed by a stopper S having vacuum and moisture barrier properties suitable to maintain the additive contents and blood drawing capability for periods in excess of two weeks and preferably for periods in excess of one year.
The tube T according to the invention may be packaged and sold as a stand-alone, disposable, product comprised of the tube body proper (made of glass or plastics, for instance) pre-evacuated and sealed by the stopper S and also including a quantity of additive A. Primarily, the additive is intended to act as an anticoagulating agent/mixing aid.
Preferably, the additive is a mixture of tri-sodium citrate (Na3) and citric acid mixed in an aqueous solution to achieve a molarity of 0.105M-0.135M. Sufficient solution (e.g. 0.46 cc--referring to the preferred dimensions of the tube T referred to in the foregoing) is dispensed into the tube T during manufacturing in order to ensure a blood to additive ratio upon specimen collection of 4:1. However, when using liquid citrate solutions, blood to additive ratio starting at about 2:1 and below and up to about 10:1 and above are possible; the mathematical algorithm which converts the observed rate of cell settling to the classical Westergren value is adapted accordingly. Likewise, alternative anticoagulants such as EDTA, Hirudin and its analogues or potassium and sodium oxalate can be used in a variety of forms, such as liquid, freeze dried, powder or spray coatings. Each may be equally effective in anticoagulating the specimen without haemolysis and with an appropriate mathematical algorithm will allow conversion of the observed value to the Westergren value. Non-liquid, e.g. dry additives are usually preferred in the case of plastics tubes due to the well-known tendency of plastic tube to lose moisture.
Also, to further enhance and facilitate mixing of the specimen in the tube irrespective of the dimensions thereof, a component which reduces the surface tension of the blood is added to the tube as a coating or combined with the anticoagulant in its liquid or dry form. Desirably, the surfactant is a nonionic surfactant. An example of such a surfactant is an organosilicone. Preferably, the organosilicone is a polyalkylenoxide modified polydimethyl-siloxane. Polyalkyleneoxide modified polydimethyl siloxanes are found to be stable with irradiation, do not cause the blood haemolysis and increases the rate of mixing the specimen to provide a well anticoagulated and homogeneous specimen without cell aggregation or clotting.
The fastest mixing time was found to be achieved at approximately 1% concentration by weight.
Fig. 2 and 3 show a rack 1 adapted for receiving one or, preferably, a plurality of tubes T, a light source 2, such as a fluorescence light arranged on one side of the rack 1 to create background illumination, as well as an optical imaging device such as a video camera 3, arranged on the other side of the rack 1 and adapted for viewing, as better described in the following, the tube or the tubes T against the background illumination created by the source 2.
The location of the cell/plasma interface (schematically designated I in FIG. 2) is thus detected as a contrasted image (dark/clear, black/white) against said background illumination.
In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the rack 1 is essentially comprised of a C-shaped frame having opposite lower 4 and upper 5 arms adapted for securely receiving the lower and upper ends of the tube or tubes T. The two horizontal arms 4, 5 are connected by an upright arm 6 which is rigidly fixed to one of the arms (for instance upper arm 5) and is hinged at 7 to the other (in the present instance lower) arm 4. This arrangement permits the rack 1 to be opened to insert the or each tube T into respective cavities 8 provided in the lower arm 4 and then securely locked to their final position for carrying out the test by bringing the rack 1 to its closed position with the upper arm 5 (having respective cavities or a cutout on the lower side thereof--not visible in the drawing) to engage the upper ends of the tube or tubes T (closed by the stopper S). The rack 1 is then locked to its closed position by means of a lock mechanism controlled by a thumb-actuated slider 9.
According to an arrangement well-known per se, the camera 3 has associated therewith drive means (such as a motor-driven toothed belt 3a) which cause it to undergo a traverse movement (as shown by the double-pointed arrow of FIG. 3) along the tube or tubes T. The motor moves the camera to view each rack (three such racks are provided in a linear array in the currently preferred embodiment of the invention). The motor does not move the camera during the period when the camera is viewing a specific rack. The camera sees a 2-dimensional picture of the rack and thus can see the entire aspect of each tube in a rack. After reading one rack, the camera is moved by the motor to view the next rack. Also, associated with the rack 1 is a rotaxy mounting fixture including a rotary platform or drum D carrying supporting formations which enable the rack 1 to be safely retained on the mounting fixture as this is rotated about a horizontal axis XR under the action of motor means (not shown). Thus, the rack 1 and the tube or tubes T located therein to be vertically rotated about an axis XR to achieve thorough mixing of the specimen immediately before intiating the optical reading. The rack 1 also allows the tube or tubes T to be optically observed from the side starting immediately above the blood/air meniscus and continuing downward over a distance defining a window W as explained in detail in the following.
Even though preferred at present, the rack arrangement described in the foregoing is not--per se--critical to the invention. Other arrangements, such as the one currently used in the SEDISCAN� system, can be used. This also applies to the nature of the imaging device embodied by the video camera 3. As an alternative to LCDs, linear CCD arrays and other devices (including non-optical devices) may be used.
Also, the arrangement for causing the camera 3 to move along the rack array, as well as the rotary mounting fixture for the racks 1, are conventional in the art and do not require to be described in farther detail.
The foregoing also applies--in general terms--to the computer-controlled arrangement adopted for processing the output signal from the camera 3 and the possibility of using a manual scanner 10 for identifying each and every tube T as it is loaded into the respective rack 1. The manual scanner 10 enables each patient's identification data (usually in the form of a bar code) to be read from a label L applied around the lower portion of each tube T when collecting the blood samples. Both the output signal (which is usually converted to a digital format) as well the signal from the manual scanner 10 are fed to a data processing unit, such as a personal computer 11. As an alternative to a programmed general purpose computers, a dedicated computer or processor can be used. Suitable programming (according to well-known criteria which are not required to be described here) enables each tube T to be safely identified as such, prior to loading into the instrument, while the respective camera reading 3, converted to a standard Westergren value, can be outputted as a visual display on a screen and/or a hard copy printout or communicated electronically to the host computer managing patient data in the laboratory. For a general review of the general principles of operation of such a processing unit, reference may be made to the User's Guide to the SEDIS� software available with Becton Dickinson Vacutainer Systems and Cell Science Product Europe for use with the SEDISCAN� measuring system. Further details concerning the algorithm adopted for converting the camera reading 3 to standard of Westergren values are provided in the following.
When a plurality of tubes (such as fifteen tubes) T are tested simultaneously in a rack, these are preferably arranged in the rack in an array including two parallel rows, as shown in FIG. 2, with the tubes T in the adjacent rows suitably staggered or offset in order to make sure that all the tubes T in the two-row array can be inspected by the camera 3 moving along a line parallel to the two rows.
Preferably, the locations of the tubes in each rack 1 are such that all the tubes in the rack can be inspected simultaneously by the camera 3 positioned at a given point with respect of the rack 1. That point is preferably chosen to correspond to a central positioning of the camera 3 with respect to the length of the rack.
As the tubes in each rack 1 can be viewed simultaneously by the camera 3 from a single location, the camera 3 needs to be stopped only once for each rack, without any scanning movement being required. In the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, three racks are arranged to be tested simultaneously, and the movement of the camera 3 along the guide 3a is thus stopped three times. Suitable controls may however be provided in order to prevent the camera from stopping at any location where, for any reasons, no rack, a rack containing no tubes or a rack containing only empty tubes are arranged.
From, FIG. 3 it will be appreciated that, in the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tubes T are held inclined at an angle a with respect to the vertical.
As the classic Westergren method specifies that the specimen be examined after remaining vertically upright for 60 or 120 minutes, the clinician or laboratorian must wait this long before providing a diagnostic result for the patient. This inevitably results in inefficiencies and high costs in the health care environment, where it is the primary goal of the health care to provide to deliver care as rapidly and cost effectively as possible.
It was found that the ESR is artificially accelerated if the tube T is inclined from the classical vertical position. This fact was already recognised in the past as witnessed e.g. from textbooks such as "Clinical Haematology, 5th edition" 1961 (Wintrobe) or "Todd-Stanford clinical diagnosis by lab methods" 14 edition, 1969 (Davidsohn & Henry).
While the underlying mechanism is not thoroughly clear, it is felt that, by keeping the tube T inclined with respect to the vertical position, the blood cells descend along the tube wall and accelerate more rapidly than the classic vertical position, while the plasma ascends.
In the arrangement shown in FIG. 3, this result can be easily achieved simply by stopping the rotary motion of the mounting fixture carrying the rack 1 at the end of the mixing stage at a position which leaves the tube(s) T oriented approximately 20� from the vertical position.
For that purpose reference indicia (such as a notch or an optical mark 12) can be provided on the rotary fixture carrying the racks 1. Such indicia are detected by respective sensors 12a (of known type), acting as angular position sensing means, in order to stop the rotary motion of the picture at the desired angular position. An inclination angle of about 20� was experimentally found to represent an optimal choice. While in principle significantly different inclinations can be used, it was found that lower angles will not accelerate the sedimentation rate as much and have been seen to result in poorer reproducibility of the measurement. Higher angles offer slight improvements in the rate of sedimentation, but create distortion for the optical viewing device (e.g. the camera 3) in sensing the specimen, particularly in the area of the blood/air meniscus defining the top of the blood column which changes shape from a circle to an ellipse in a cylindrical tube the more inclined the tube becomes. This may result in a poor establishment of the zero or base line from which the ESR measurement is based.
In the classic Westergren method, a 200 mm long tube is scanned after 60 or 120 minutes. Depending upon such variables as patients' health, sex, age and haematocrit, it may be necessary to scan the tube for the cell/plasma interface as far down as 150 mm below the meniscus. Because the rate at which the cells fall is very slow, particularly in the vertical position, the operator must wait at least 60 minutes before he or she can be certain that the rate of a cell falling has effectively reached zero. The size, cost and complexity of an instrument to accurately search for and locate the cell/plasma interface is increased by having to examine such a long distance as 150 mm.
As opposed thereto, in the arrangement of the invention a much smaller length or "window" W of the tube T containing the specimen is scanned.
In the solution of the invention for prospected use in the exemplary automated ESR determination apparatus disclosed in the foregoing a short blood collection tube (about 80 mm to about 110 mm about 80 mm being the presently preferred value) is used whereby a blood column may be formed therein having a height of not less than about 75 mm and not more than about 105 mm. The tube is preferably inclined at approximately 20� to accelerate the rate at which the cells fall, making it possible to read significant displacements in the cel/plasma interfiace sooner than 60 minutes (preferably about 20 minutes or less). In addition, the optical viewing device is sized or adjusted only to read a short length (30-40 mm or less contrary to 70-80 mm of the SEDISCAN� system) of the tube T located at the top thereof, "at the top" meaning a length or window W which encompasses the blood/air meniscus in the tube T upon starting the test or has its upper margin lower than the blood air/meniscus and located in proximity thereto.
It will be appreciated that, in the exemplary embodiment of the invention shown, displacements in the cell/plasma interface are simply read or viewed by the camera 3a without any vertical scanning movement along the test tubes being required.
In a thoroughly unexpected manner, it was found that by restricting the distance the cells have fallen to said reduced length W and at said periods, the observed values are representative--with a high degree of reliability and repeatability--of the desired ESR values. Consequently, by transforming the observed values, final values can be found which closely match the classic Westergren values.
Preferably, if the cell/plasma interface remains in the viewed length W for the entire test period (20 minutes or less), the final observed value are used for conversion to the classic Westergren value. Also preferably, if the cells have fallen at such a rapid rate, that the interface is outside of the length W before the end of the total test period the previous observed reading which fell within the viewed length W is used for conversion to the classic Westergren value. Thus, by observing only a small portion of the tube below the blood/air meniscus and converting the observed value to a classic Westergren value in far less than 60-120 minutes, the invention provides a solution for giving thoroughly reliable results to the patient in a much faster period than in the past.
As indicated in the foregoing, attempts were already made in the past of using shorter test tubes (i.e. shorter blood columns) and/or providing results in a shorter time than the standard 60-120 minutes of the Westergren method. None the less, these past methods require the whole blood column, or a substantial portion thereof (about 70-80%), to be scanned in order to obtain reliable results.
Contrary to any reasonable expectation, the solution of the invention provides for cell falling being monitored only over a reduced length or window of the blood column in the tube while providing thoroughly reliable results even if the overall period the ell falling phenomenon is observed is reduced to 20 minutes or less.
Another less apparent, but extremely important advantage of the solution of the invention, is that because the window W is only a portion of the entire tube length (see especially FIG. 1) the remaining tube length can be used to apply patient identification labels L to ensure the diagnostic result is properly matched by the laboratorian to the correct patient. This is particularly important as the use of bar code style positive patient identification labels L adapted for reading by manual scanners, such as scanner 10, has increased rapidly in an effort by hospitals to improve quality of care while increasing laboratory efficiency and throughput. These labels L are typically a 30-50 mm long (in the axial direction of the tube T). When these labels L are applied to "short" blood collection tubes T intended for ESR determination, they would cover such a large area of the tube T that is not possible to observe the meniscus or the interface in order to make the ESR measurement. As a result, these labels cannot be used or must be removed or the specimen must be transferred over to another tube T or pipette in order to make the ESR determination, or require (as is the case of the Diesse VESMATIC system referred to in the introductory portion of the description) to provide for an additional plastic outer sleeve to apply patient bar code or identification labels. This increases the opportunity for error, takes time, costs more money and/or exposes the laboratorian to a blood specimen unnecessarily.
Consequently, the present invention provides the significant advantage of being able to apply typical labels L onto the exterior of a primary tube for an ESR determination in an area (the lower portion of the tube T shown in FIG. 1) which does not obstruct the measurement. This is essentially due to the fact that--according to the invention--only a minor portion ("minor" meaning about 50% or less, typically about 30% or less) of the blood column within the tube T is actually used for determination. The remaining lower portion of the blood column, while playing a role in the overall cell falling phenomena, can be covered by the label L as it will not be used for determination purposes.
In order to provide the clinic with an estimate of the classic Westergren value when using a short tube length and observing only a small portion of the tube and when providing a reading in 20 minutes or less, it is necessary to utilise a mathematical algorithm to establish the relation of the observed reading to the Westergren value. Such an algorithm was constructed using extensive experimental data. The resulting system was then examined by comparing actual 60 and 120 minutes Westergren values versus extrapolated Westergren values as predicted by the mathematical algorithm.
Specifically, to establish the relationship, specimens from a large population of patients (n=101) admitted for hospitalization or seeking medical care were analysed by both the Westergren reference method and by the system. The sedimentation rate expressed in ruder for the Westergren reference method was collected using the standard glass pipette at the specified time intervals of 60 and 120 minutes after initiation of the test. Meanwhile, in parallel, using the instrument and tube previously described, the initial blood meniscus height in the tube at time 0 was determined. Subsequently, the location of the cell/plasma interface was observed via the camera system and measured by the instrument. This data was collected at intervals of about 10, 15 and 20 minutes after the initial time.
Using a linear regression analysis, this data was first analyzed graphically by plotting-the observed value at each time interval versus the reference method value and determining the correlation. An example of this data may be seen in FIG. 4. This shows that the correlation is reasonable (R2 =0.7088) as the flow data is actually non-linear. It was also confirmed that all of the observed cell/plasma meniscus had fallen less than about 38 mm from the initial starting blood column height of approximately 82 mm (46%). From this it was confirmed that in the system of the invention the sedimentation rate of the cells is such that it is possible to predict the Westergren value in 20 minutes or less. From this it was also confirmed that rather than observing a substantial length of the tube (i.e. 75% of the blood column height), that the blood/cell meniscus need only be observed at the 10, 15 and 20 minute time intervals within only approximately the upper 50% of the blood column height for nearly all the blood specimens. Therefore, it was not necessary to use the lower portion of the tube for observation.
To further enhance the quality of the correlation achieved by observing only a limited portion of the blood column height at time intervals no later than 20 minutes after start of the test, non-linear polynomial algorithms were then chosen. In addition, it was learned that the correlation can be further enhanced by using two sets of such algorithms depending upon the initial column height of the tube. Tubes which were properly filled, in our case at greater than about 80 mm are analyzed using one algorithm to predict the Westergren value while tubes filled less than about 80 mm are analyzed using a second algorithm to predict the Westergren value. An example of this data may be seen in FIG. 5. Using a multiple part non-linear algorithm described in Tables 1 and 2, the observed data was converted and it was demonstrated that the correlation was improved (R2 =0.7536) and that the flow of data now follows the regression more closely.
To further enhance the quality of the correlation, clinical investigations were expanded to cover a population of 339 patients at multiple sites. The resulting algorithm is defined in Tables 1 and 2.
Algorithm for predicting the 60 minute Westergren value when blood column height is greater than 80 mm.
If cell/plasma meniscus (i.e. interface) has fallen <35 mm at 20 minute reading interval:
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(0.652194*A)+(0.045525*A2)-(0.06051*C2)
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen >35 mm at 20 minute reading interval but <35 mm at 15 minute reading interval
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(3.229994*B)-(0.0758*C2)
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen >35 mm at 15 minute reading interval but <35 mm at 10 minute reading interval
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(5.634304*A)-(0.07907*C2)
Algorithm for predicting the 60 minute Westergren value when blood column height is less than 80 mm.
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen <30 mm at 20 minute reading interval:
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(0.652194*A)+(0.045525*A2)-(0.06051*C2)
If cell/plasm a meniscus has fallen >30 mm at 20 minute reading interval but <30 mm at 15 minute reading interval:
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(3.578074*B)-(2.1702*C2)
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen >30 mm at 15 minute reading interval but <30 mm at 10 minute reading interval
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(5.509347*C)-(0.08674*C2)
A=observed reading at 20 minute interval
B=observed reading at 15 minute interval
C=observed reading at 10 minute interval
Algorithm for predicting the 120 minute Westergren value when blood column height is greater than 80 mm.
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen <35 mm at 20 minute reading interval:
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(5.53835364*A)+(0.021903042*A2)-(4.105250868*B2)
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen >35 mm at 20 minute reading interval but <35 mm at 15 minute reading interval
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(4.625610738*B)-(0.072863681*C2)
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen >35 mm at 15 minute reading interval but <35 mm at 10 minute reading interval
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(9.295466293*C)-(0.162433073*C2)
Algorithm for predicting the 60 minute Westergren value when blood column height is less than 80 mm.
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen <30 mm at 20 minute reading interval:
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(5.53835364*A)+(0.021903042*A2)-(4.105250868*B2)
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen >30 mm at 20 minute reading interval but <30 mm at 15 minute reading interval:
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(5.527322594*B)-(2.740388301*C2)
If cell/plasma meniscus has fallen >30 mm at 15 minute reading interval but <30 mm at 10 minute reading interval
Predicted value (mm/hr)=(9.66037741*C)-(0.183986082*C2)
A=observed reading at 20 minute interval
B=observed reading at 15 minute interval
C=observed reading at 10 minute interval
The correlation results achieved between the predicted value and the Westergren reference method may be seen in FIGS. 6 and 7 (R2 =0.93 for 60 minute Westergren value and R2 =0.94 for 120 minute Westergren value).
It will be easily appreciated that the various parameters considered in the foregoing (i.e. the 80 mm blood column height, the 35 mm distance fallen, the 10, 15, and 20 minute reading intervals), while constituting preferred choices at present, do not represent absolute imperative values. For that reason the wording "about" was resorted to in the annexed claims in respect of those parameters in order to make it clear that any possible minor changes, with respect to any of those parameters will not invalidate the expected results.
Also, it is entirely possible to develop alternatives to the algorithm presented herein that may be equally as effective. For example, the reading intervals can be chosen to be more frequent or less frequent than the 10, 15 and 20 minute intervals described here. Consequently, the preferred coefficients disclosed in Tables 1 and 2 may vary accordingly. The system described here provides predictions after 20 minutes for the Westergren value classically obtained using the reference method after 60 and 120 minutes. The new system clearly offers significant advantage to the user by providing diagnostic values faster to the clinicians. By shortening the reading cycle further through the development of alternative algorithms in the manner described herein or in similar manners, it would further add advantage for the clinician.
It is also entirely possible to develop algorithms with mathematical corrections for environmental factors encountered during the test. Such factors may include the laboratory temperature as it is well established that increasing temperatures can accelerate the sedimentation rate.
It also possible to develop algorithms with mathematical correction for patient factors affecting the blood specimen. Such factors may include the patient haematocrit as it is well established that decreasing haematocrit can accelerate the sedimentation rate.
It is also possible to develop algorithms to achieve the desired correlation if one were to use specimen collection tubes of geometries and volumes or with additives other than described herein. For example: alternative surfactant; alternative citrate anticoagulant to blood ratios; alternative anticoagulants such as EDTA, heparin or hirudin; alternative tube diameters, shapes or lengths. Changes to any of these factors is likely to make the algorithms described herein less optimal. However, using the method described herein or similar methods, new algorithms can easily be developed, without undue experimentation being required, the key point being the recognition that the values obtained according to the invention are representative--with a high degree of reliability and repeatability--of the desired ESR values. Consequently, the values obtained can be converted, through a given relationship (as the algorithms disclosed in the foregoing) to the classic Westergren values.
Also, it will be easily appreciated that any conversion algorithm as those disclosed and/or referred to in the foregoing may be easily stored and implemented (in a thoroughly known manner) in a computer such as the computer designated 11 in FIG. 3.
As indicated, even though the test tube of the invention was devised for preferred use in a filly automated ESR determination method and apparatus, thoroughly satisfactory and reliable use was also experimented with in a "manual" version of the ESR determination method wherein reading is accomplished by eye and requires a stand (not shown) to hold the tube vertically during a 60-120 minute reading period. On the stand is a scale read by eye in the logarithmic format which converts the observed value directly to that anticipated by the Westergren method.
The test tube for use in this manual version is similar in all regards to the test tube for use in the automated ESR determination procedure described in the foregoing except that a tube wall length of about 110-120 mm, preferably about 120 mm, to yield a blood column height of nominally about 100 mm was found to be preferable. The resulting blood draw value is about 2.3 mls. The additive type, surfactant and other tube geometries are otherwise the same. As the tube is read preferably as much as 75% of the tube length, correspondingly shorter patient identification data labels are usually applied at the bottom end of the tube.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Jun 17, 1982
|Oct 2, 1984
|University Of Victoria
|Erythrocyte settling rate meter
|Jun 25, 1986
|Oct 20, 1987
|Nissho Corporation
|Device for sampling blood and measuring erythrocyte sedimentation rate
|May 12, 1986
|Sep 27, 1988
|Diesse Diagnostica Senese S.R.L.
|Apparatus for testing sedimentation rates of liquids
|Oct 27, 1986
|Jan 31, 1989
|Becton, Dickinson And Company
|Blood sample sedimentation test kit
|Mar 10, 1989
|Mar 26, 1991
|Gespac, Inc.
|Automatic fluid sedimentation rate measurement apparatus and method
|Aug 1, 1990
|May 28, 1991
|Issei Suzuki
|Pipe for measuring erythrocyte sedimentation rate
|Sep 13, 1988
|Nov 19, 1991
|Safe-Tec Clinical Products, Inc.
|Self-sealing fluid conduit and collection device
|Jan 8, 1992
|Sep 14, 1993
|Diesse Diagnostica Senese S.R.L.
|Test tube for biological analyses, provided with a device for checking efficiency and position, for photometric readings
|Nov 27, 1992
|May 31, 1994
|Helmut Orth
|Erythrocyte sedimentation rate measuring apparatus
|Jun 13, 1994
|Jan 30, 1996
|Solid State Farms, Inc.
|Apparatus for sedimentation based blood analysis
|May 31, 1995
|Sep 24, 1996
|Bayer Corporation
|Device and method of seperating and assaying whole blood
|Jan 18, 1996
|Nov 19, 1996
|Solid State Farms, Inc.
|Apparatus for sedimentation based blood analysis
|Jul 12, 1994
|Jan 14, 1997
|Bull; Brian S.
|Method and apparatus for rapid determination of blood sedimentation rate
|Aug 16, 1985
|Mar 6, 1986
|Becton Dickinson Gmbh
|Test tube for medical laboratories
|Jul 17, 1981
|Jan 27, 1982
|Luigi Prandi
|Compositions able to separate the erythrocytes from the serum or plasma in blood analysis samples, and the method which uses them
|Jun 30, 1987
|May 4, 1988
|Becton Dickinson and Company
|Blood sample sedimentation test kit
|Apr 26, 1991
|Oct 30, 1991
|Terumo Kabushiki Kaisha
|Blood collection tube
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Title not available
|Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; Class A96, AN 85 234389 & JP A 60 153 843 (Nissho KK).
|Derwent Publications Ltd., London, GB; Class A96, AN 85-234389 & JP-A-60 153 843 (Nissho KK).
|Journal of Clinical Pathology, vol. 46, 1993 London, pp. 198 203, ICSH recommendations for measurements of erythrocyte sedimentation rate .
|Journal of Clinical Pathology, vol. 46, 1993 London, pp. 198-203, "ICSH recommendations for measurements of erythrocyte sedimentation rate".
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Nov 10, 1997
|Feb 15, 2000
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|Apparatus for reading a plurality of biological indicators
|May 13, 1998
|May 16, 2000
|3M Innovative Properties Company
|System for measuring the efficacy of a sterilization cycle
|May 18, 2000
|Jan 8, 2002
|Sefa Technology Inc.
|Method and apparatus for measuring sedimentation rate of sediments in liquid sample
|Nov 21, 2000
|Mar 18, 2003
|Richmond Cohen
|Additive preparation and method of use thereof
|Mar 21, 2003
|Dec 13, 2005
|Hemovations, Llc
|Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test measurement instrument of unitary design and method of using the same
|Mar 7, 2006
|Sep 2, 2008
|Streck, Inc.
|Blood collection tube with surfactant
|Oct 27, 2009
|Streck, Inc.
|Blood collection and testing improvements
|Jul 26, 2011
|Jun 28, 2016
|Biomatrica, Inc.
|Compositions for stabilizing DNA and RNA in blood and other biological samples during shipping and storage at ambient temperatures
|May 7, 2003
|Mar 4, 2004
|Matthew Walenciak
|Collection assembly
|Mar 21, 2003
|Sep 23, 2004
|Bouboulis Denis A.
|Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test measurement instrument of unitary design and method of using the same
|Jul 29, 2005
|Feb 9, 2006
|Bouboulis Denis A
|Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test measurement instrument of unitary design and method of using the same
|Mar 7, 2006
|Sep 21, 2006
|Streck, Inc.
|Blood collection tube with surfactant
|Mar 10, 2005
|Sep 21, 2006
|Streck, Inc.
|Blood collection and testing improvements
|Jan 13, 2006
|Sep 28, 2006
|Denis Bouboulis
|Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test measurement instrument of unitary design and method of using the same
|Aug 15, 2006
|Dec 7, 2006
|Dinesh Chopra
|Apparatus and method for conditioning polishing surface, and polishing apparatus and method of operation
|Aug 12, 1999
|May 15, 2012
|Preanalytix Gmbh
|Vessel for blood sampling
|Mar 6, 2006
|Sep 13, 2006
|Streck Inc.
|Blood collection tube
|Apr 20, 2015
|Oct 29, 2015
|Buglab Llc
|Particle sensor with interferent discrimination
|U.S. Classification
|422/550, 422/73, 73/61.65, 436/70
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jun 19, 1996
Owner name: BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY, NEW JERSEY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:DUFRESNE, C.;BONNEVIAL, G.;EMIN, J.;REEL/FRAME:008052/0846;SIGNING DATES FROM 19960531 TO 19960606
Owner name: BECTON, DICKINSON AND COMPANY, NEW JERSEY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNOR:GOLABEK, R.;REEL/FRAME:008052/0861
Effective date: 19960228
|Dec 5, 2001
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Feb 1, 2006
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Jul 14, 2006
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees
|Sep 12, 2006
|Expired due to failure to pay maintenance fee
Effective date: 20060714


text:
Game Bridger Entertainment, a global publisher and distributor of interactive online entertainment media, announced today a substantial update to their hit MMORPG, Priston Tale 2: The Second Enigma. The update features the "Damned Burial Ground", a previously undiscovered area of the Priston continent, in which the game is set. The Damned Burial Ground brings with it fearsome new monsters to battles, powerful items to collect, and exciting new quests for players to take on. For more information regarding the update, visit the Priston Tale 2 homepage at: http://pt2.gamerkraft.com.
The Damned Burial Ground is a dark and dreary place built on the souls of fallen soldiers and demons alike. In this cursed land, players will encounter formidable new monsters to battles and exciting new quests to embark on. To prepare new players for their trek to the Burial Ground, Game Bridger Entertainment has also announced the all-new "Master and Apprentice" program, a new feature on the official Priston Tale 2 website that allows experienced players to help new players through the early stages of the game while earning previously unreleased in-game items! With this great new system and the release of the Damned Burial Ground, now is the best time for new players to begin their journey through the vast and magical world of Priston Tale 2. For more information regarding the Priston Tale 2: The Second Enigma, visit the game's official homepage at: http://pt2.gamerkraft.com.
Downloads, info, & more: Priston Tale 2 on ggFTW!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
He hasn't shown any inkling of being a starter all pre-season. This is not a thread about alex or davis being the starter. Simply' its about Hill not showing any sign of being an nfl starter. Last year he did go 7-3. I almost promise none of those teams were in the top 15 d. So share opinion if you like, but should shaun hill be our starter or are you nervous?
[ Edited by fan49 on Aug 29, 2009 at 10:30 PM ]


text:
Denver Java Users Group Message Board › Sr Java Developer Back-end, Broomfield, CO
|A former member
Are you are an experienced Java Developer looking to expand your skills? Do you want to work with people that you respect and can learn from? Are you tired of working in fire-drill mode, contantly reacting to emergencies vs. proactively planning and executing?
Our client in the Broomfield/Louisville area is looking to add to their team. This position will be focused primarily on back-end development. This is a technology-focused organization with great benefits that are 100% employer paid for both you and your kids. Enjoy a group where everyone ends their day at 5pm and the office is a ghost town on the weekends.
The applications are built on a Spring / Hibernate stack, deployed on Apache Tomcat application server, fronted by Apache, running on Linux and FreeBSD.
Needed Skills
• Strong Java skills
• Java/Tomcat web application development
• Ability to construct and execute advanced SQL queries
• Experience with ORM technologies
• Proficient using Unix/Linux based OS
• MySQL database
• JMS architecture * ActiveMQ a plus
The company has a rare mix of a great culture, the excitement and innovation of a start-up, and yet the stability and profitability of an established business. If you are interested in a company where your contribution is valued and where work/life balance is a daily practice, let me know and we can set up a time to talk about it.
This is a full-time position in Broomfield with a competitive salary, a year- end bonus and an employee equity sharing plan.
For immediate consideration please email your resume in a WORD Doc to: firstname.lastname@example.com
Meetup members, Log in
By clicking "Sign up" or "Sign up using Facebook", you confirm that you accept our Terms of Service & Privacy Policy


text:
Sorrow So Sweet: A Guilty Pleasure In Another's Woe
Published: August 24, 2002
(Page 2 of 2)
''Many people don't appreciate that when they come to conclusions about their own abilities -- whether they're a fast runner or not, whether they're smart or not, whether their opinions are the right opinions or not -- they use social comparisons as a basis for that judgment,'' Professor Smith said. ''They look around.''
When people around us falter, the theory goes, we often look better to ourselves. ''You would expect an evolved psychology to welcome harm to its social competitors,'' said John Tooby, an evolutionary psychologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
Michelle K. Duffy, an assistant professor of management at the University of Kentucky Gatton College of Business and Economics, who has researched schadenfreude in the workplace, believes that part of the pleasure of watching rogue chief executives fall is the chance it gives people to feel morally superior.
''It allows the average person to say, 'Aha, they didn't earn these things through their merits, they earned them through devious methods,' '' Professor Duffy said. ''Now we can say, 'It's not about my lack of competence, but because I wasn't willing to do the unethical things that they did.' ''
Aaron Ben-Ze'ev, a philosophy professor at the University of Haifa, in Israel, and the organizer of a 1997 Pleasure in Other's Misfortune Conference at the university, said the people we envy most are those closest to us.
''You will envy more a colleague of yours who makes a thousand dollars more a year than you will a C.E.O. who makes a million dollars more than you,'' he said. ''We also care about famous people. They are symbols to us.''
From the point of view of evolutionary psychologists, it's not so much that celebrities are symbols as that we think of them as our peers. Professor Tooby argues that our brains are hard-wired for the small social groups to which humans were limited since caveman days. The information age of the last 50 years -- an ''eye-blink,'' in evolutionary terms, Professor Tooby said -- has complicated matters by making us feel close to, and sometimes competitive with, people we don't actually know.
''Part of our mind knows we've never met Martha Stewart, but another part thinks she's part of our small social world,'' Professor Tooby said. ''You see them on TV. You think you know them.''
''The glee against Martha Stewart,'' Professor Tooby said, ''is because there's something slightly grating about the socially competitive way she goes about telling you how you should live.'' Her implicit message is, he said, ''You might attain something above where you presently are but not above me.''
''There's a certain eagerness to see an event in her life which lowers her status,'' he added.
When that event comes, say, in the form of a Congressional investigation into possible insider trading, the argument goes, people are prone to the same emotions they might experience if that overpaid colleague of theirs got into trouble with the boss.
Of course, not everyone feels schadenfreude at the same events or to the same degree. Research has shown that people with low self-esteem are more susceptible to schadenfreude than those whose self-regard is high. And while some may bask in this glee unapologetically, others might quickly feel ashamed of it, and successfully shut off their schadenfreude valves.
This research may actually prove useful to those fallen titans who find themselves on the receiving end of the emotion. ''If the person who's getting pleasure from your misfortune doesn't understand why, then you may get some small satisfaction in telling them about their ignoble feelings,'' Professor Smith said.
And if his theory is correct, there may be another bright side to being the object of schadenfreude. ''If you experience misfortune,'' he said, ''at least they won't envy you anymore.''
Photos: Martha Stewart in sunnier times. The erosion of her reputation by accusations of insider stock trading has pleased some people. (Associated Press)(pg. B7); Richard H. Smith, left, is a student of schadenfreude, or joy in others' misfortunes. The troubles of the executives Samuel D. Waksal, top, and L. Dennis Kozlowski has created a schadenfreudefest for the envious. (Left, Breck Smither for The New York Times; top, Reuters; above, Associated Press)(pg. B9)


text:
Said that only fruitcakes and nutjobs would own inverse ETF's .... that has me concerned since I bought this as hedge type investment just in case the market tanks.
What do you guys think ???
you will reap the rewards very shortly because Russell puts are much lower and you will do fine. I am BACKING UP THE TRUCK NOW. The URTY wants to see 92-93 and it's almost there(91.75)and asking 83-87 as buying interest. So you are good on this one just hold it, will make money
Sentiment: Strong Buy


text:
I created a ticket at the main site for WP Deals and this is the response I received:
Hi Taylor, sorry we cant support any WPDeals issue for now, coz our WPDeals team has been resign
we will work hard to find the best team to handle WPdeals. we will let you know soon. Thanks
Seems we're out of luck with any help until they resolve their personnel issues.


text:
Agricultural training programs designed for veterans should include plenty of hands-on experiences for this high-energy group. Norm Conrad, Northeast Director of the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) strongly suggests having extra materials on-hand as well as an extra group exercise or activity in the curriculum. Veterans are often more focused, productive and efficient than other workshop attendees. [Read more…]
Permaculture: strategies for diversification
by Katie Navarra
A lot of people are talking about permaculture, a system that relies on designing planting configurations to work more like an ecosystem. Until recently, the practice has largely been associated with the landscape industry. However, farms nationwide ranging from less than five acres in production to more than 100 acres in production are beginning to incorporate the principles of permaculture on their farms.
During the e-Organic webinar, Permaculture on Organic Farms, Rafter Ferguson along with Ron Revord and Kevin Wolz, all graduate students at the University of Illinois, Urban-Champaign campus, explained the basics of permaculture, offered information on how to incorporate the concept on farms and discussed opportunities and challenges associated with a permaculture design system. [Read more…]
Big news at burley meeting: new fungicide now available for black shank
PHENIX, VA — Extension recently hosted a series of tobacco production and GAP certification meetings across Southside Virginia. The three meetings, held in Blackstone (at the Southern Piedmont AREC), South Hill and Scottsburg, focused on flue-cured tobacco. Roughly 100 people were in attendance. A fourth meeting, held at the Midway Baptist Church outside Phenix, addressed dark fire-cured tobacco and burley production and drew over 60 people. The meetings were also opportunities to get pesticide recertification and thus attracted some non-tobacco producers. [Read more…]
NAFDMA 2015 "Setting the Stage"
This year's get-together for the North American Farmers' Direct Marketing Association took place in Nashville and Knoxville, TN. The week-long event was part trade show, part tour and also featured two days of in-depth marketing specific demonstrations and discussions by experts and peers on how members can best grow their business. With several hundred in attendance, extra transportation was need to bus groups to various tour stops around the areas of both cities. [Read more…]
2015 CNY Small Grain Workshop ~ Part 2
Professor Margaret Smith, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences School of Integrative Plant Science Plant Breeding and Genetics, informed attendees at the 2015 CNY Small Grain Workshop about small grain variety trial results and performance in New York State.
Smith reported that regional testing sites are scattered across the state, providing a wide range of results, while adding to the multi-year data base. [Read more…]
- «Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 146
- 147
- 148
- 149
- 150
- …
- 342
- Next Page»


text:
Gift Premium Subscription To WhoAmI
Join Date:01-02-2008
Last Activity:01-31-2008 8:05 PM
Posted in thread: Stuck Fermentation on 01-31-2008 at 10:03 PM
I took another reading, it was rather hard to tell, but somewhere between 1.04 and 1.05, closer
to .05 I think... and a green fungus seems to be growing. I'd say I screwed this one up. Here
is a pictu...
Posted in thread: Stuck Fermentation on 01-31-2008 at 09:15 PM
It's plastic... and it's definitely on tight, have checked that probably a dozen times hoping
that was it.
Posted in thread: Stuck Fermentation on 01-31-2008 at 06:27 PM
The yeast I used was the Ringwood ale Wyeast #1187. The OG was 1.05 when it asked for 1.061. It
is fermenting at 68.4 degrees. My only question was I did the brewing outside, and it was in
the high 30...
Posted in thread: Stuck Fermentation on 01-31-2008 at 03:08 PM
I did my first all grain Sunday night. As of now I still have seen no indications of
fermentation. I was a little off on my temps, but not hugely, and my OG was only .01 off. Is it
too early to worry ...
Posted in thread: Another First AG thread on 01-28-2008 at 05:10 AM
Finally bit the bullet and did my first AG, a clone of Magic Hat's Blind Faith IPA, using the
70QT Coleman Xtreme cooler I converted with a PITA to make copper manifold. It worked pretty
well. I did m...
Posted in thread: Mash Tun & Keggle on 01-16-2008 at 07:26 PM
Thanks, had read that but it seems all the images I have seen on here have all the pipes
drilled or slotted. Is leaving the outer pipes solid still the recommended method or has actual
practice shown ...
Posted in thread: Mash Tun & Keggle on 01-16-2008 at 05:10 AM
I think I have the cooler and keg setup figured out. My last question is about my manifold; I
scrapped the slots and started over with individual 1/16th of an inch holes on the bottom half
of the pipe...
Posted in thread: Mash Tun & Keggle on 01-12-2008 at 04:48 AM
I tightened it pretty tight, but I don't think tight enough to cause the leak. On the cooler
it's because the hole for the drain was slightly damaged and elongated, so I filled it with the
silicone. S...
Posted in thread: Mash Tun & Keggle on 01-12-2008 at 04:27 AM
I decided I want to make the jump to all-grain and bought everything I need. I bought a Zydeco
(Sp) kit to convert a keg and a cooler to a keggle and mash tun respectively. Of course, both
leaked. I s...
Posted in thread: Keg and Cooler conversion for first AG on 01-10-2008 at 03:43 AM
I am going to batch sparge the first time, but do want to be able to fly sparge as well. I
actually have the manifold designed, it's the actual valves to both keg and cooler I'm not sure
of. That page...


text:
Cypr-21's workshop
Posted 30 September 2011 - 08:53 PM
I made today a garbage truck designed for the eleventh SeTechnic contest.
It's a small truck, near Lego City scale.
There is four functions :
- steering, like mini mobile crane #8067
- loading system for garbage
- two systems to compress waste
It's a very small truck, but I'm happy because it works very good :)
And the video to show how it works :
I hope you'll like it :)
Posted 30 September 2011 - 09:17 PM
Edited by jorgeopesi, 30 September 2011 - 09:18 PM.
Posted 01 October 2011 - 08:46 AM
Posted 01 October 2011 - 12:00 PM
YouTube Facebook BrickShelf Flickr
I know the pieces fit.
Posted 01 October 2011 - 12:10 PM
I like these mini-models!
Check out my LDD Brickshelf or my regular Brickshelf for anything technic.
Posted 09 October 2011 - 01:19 PM
Thanks for comments :)
I made Building Instructions, avaible here
You can watch it on google documents, but not in HQ. To get HQ Building Instructions, you have to download it.
Posted 09 October 2011 - 01:43 PM
NEED A REAL MODEL DIGITIZED IN LDD? CONTACT ME! SKYPE: zero.bricks
Posted 18 November 2011 - 08:48 AM
I recently made this yellow tow truck, different of official Lego model (#8285), whitch features steering on front axle, fake V8 engine with two rear axles, M motor to work outrigers, lifting and telescoping arm, and pneumatic track to use the tow fork. I spent about 15 hours to made two releases for design.
This is the review.
The design is that of an American truck, yellow as can be found on the highway (In France). A long bonnet hides a V8, with a good square front grille, lights, turn signals and size indicators.
On the cabin, there are details: lights with LEDs, horns, flashing lights, mirrors, and inside, the cabin has a dashboard, steering wheel and two seats (blue). Behind the cab there are two exhausts, a pump, and a fake pump.
The length of the truck was the most difficult to manage. With only 3 axles, it should not be a very long truck.
Under the cab and on each side, there are tanks (with curved panels 3x11) that give a good shape, and footboard.
Advancing on the back and along the chassis, there is before the rear axles panels that hide access to the controls, also made with 3x11 boards.
At the rear, the two tools are distinct from truck by color is red and the crane towing fork is gray. This allows to separate the moving parts of the truck, but the outriggers would also needed a specific color.
In conclusion, the design which required the largest part of working time has finally succeeded. Some things can be discussed, but I think I improved a maximum.
Steering is very classic and very effective. From the HOG an axis dives along the cabin, and after an angle made by two knobs a 12t slides a rack. The turning radius is approximately 40cm.
The V8 engine is driven by two rear axles, an axis follow the chassis, then up 4 studs (with a loose wheel to cross-axis direction), before driving the crankshaft.
A M motor drives a 3-speed gearbox, with a first 12/20 reduction.
With it I can run telescopic arm, lifting arm and outriggers. It looks like #8258 gearbox.
The winch is manual, and held by two 16t which one of a friction pin.
Finally, the pneumatic system to deploy the fork towing (almost to the ground) by a cylinder and a mini cylinder.
I made two videos : one for the first design version and one for the second design version.
I hope you'll like it :)
Posted 18 November 2011 - 10:43 AM
good looking and nice functions.
I think the telescopic arm goes dangerously fast though
(might want to gear that down a bit)
I'm always asking the next question, so might to it this time aswell:
If you build this in 15 hours, that's pretty fast. How did you plan and approach this MOC? Like to know...
Edited by captainmib, 18 November 2011 - 12:00 PM.
Posted 18 November 2011 - 05:40 PM
captainmib, on 18 November 2011 - 10:43 AM, said:
If you build this in 15 hours, that's pretty fast. How did you plan and approach this MOC? Like to know...
To build this MOC, I knew precisely what I wanted to make.
My specifications was composed of:
Use a motor M for mechanical functions (outriggers and arm)
Use a pneumatic system for the towing fork
After reflection, I thought that using the same 8258's kind of "gearbox" was a good idea, not to have problems in mechanics.
I prefer create from things reliable and make small innovations rather than make some "never seen" which doesn't work.
Other functions were easy to implement (steering and transmission).
The most difficult part was the make design, you can compare in the videos.
Posted 22 November 2011 - 08:57 AM
I post it here just to say that RC kit is my collection :)
And an amazing video (stay quiet, the cat is fine right now :D)
Posted 22 November 2011 - 09:32 AM
Posted 22 November 2011 - 09:42 AM
wow that is high performance Lego. Are that all the regular parts of the 8366? The Motor look pretty fast and strong. Are te axles still the normal black technic axles?
If all answers are a "yes", i will know what is next to do.... ;)
Posted 22 November 2011 - 10:13 AM
Darth Dino, on 22 November 2011 - 09:42 AM, said:
wow that is high performance Lego. Are that all the regular parts of the 8366? The Motor look pretty fast and strong. Are te axles still the normal black technic axles?
If all answers are a "yes", i will know what is next to do.... ;)
RC motors come from the 8475, but they are the same on the 8366.
And yes, axles are the normal black technic axles.
I know what you will do now
Posted 22 November 2011 - 10:35 AM
Posted 22 November 2011 - 10:05 PM
Posted 13 January 2012 - 09:33 AM
I present my studless version of pneumatic crane truck #8460.
I designed it for the 12th SeTechnic contest :)
It features the same functions that the model from 1995.
You can find the complete review on my website.
Posted 13 January 2012 - 09:35 AM
Posted 13 January 2012 - 12:35 PM
Cypr-21, on 13 January 2012 - 09:33 AM, said:
Posted 11 February 2012 - 12:46 PM
Posted 11 February 2012 - 04:31 PM
Posted 17 February 2012 - 12:49 PM
I used orange parts because the usual red exaust me...
There are 6 functions, 5 functions by Power Function and one manually, 4 M motors, 2 IR receiver and 1 Battery Box (obviously).
Edited by Cypr-21, 17 February 2012 - 12:50 PM.
Posted 17 February 2012 - 02:42 PM
Posted 17 February 2012 - 03:41 PM
Posted 17 February 2012 - 06:49 PM
YouTube Facebook BrickShelf Flickr
I know the pieces fit.
0 user(s) are reading this topic
0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users


text:
Phone number(▒▒▒) ▒▒▒- ▒▒ 21
399 Friends
Reviewed79 Reviews
About Me
- School
- Palos Verdes Peninsula High, California State University, Long Beach
- Work
- Airbnb/Freelance Design/Fashion Design
- Languages
- Español
- Amanda's Airbnb Symbol
Hey, I'm Amanda!
California, United States · Member since January 2011
I'm a designer, and artist. I love living in Venice, have a wonderful husband named Cary, we have a dog named Rosy, and two crazy cats - Moe & Ollie!
I love to travel, and have been to some wonderful places - all over Central America, Mexico, Europe, the U.S., and Canada. I look forward to exploring the world more.
Hosting an Airbnb home has been really fun, and I enjoy welcoming people to our wonderful cottage!


text:
Album: N/A
Producer: Lex Luger
Label: N/A
Lyric: "I think I'm Malcolm X, Martin Luther/Add a King, add a Junior/Some Bible verses, couple Sunnahs/an AK-47—that's a revolution."
Replacing Big Meech and Larry Hoover with Malcolm X and MLK, Lupe turns Ricky Rozays street anthem into a call for revolution.
Down With The King: 25 Martin Luther King Jr. Rap References
6. Lupe Fiasco "B.M.F. (Building Minds Faster)" (2010)
Watch Now


text:
Hi guys,
I posted earlier on having issues with the Yoko theme, I've abandoned the pursuit and found myself much happier with the picoclean theme. It's all fantastic, except for one issue - I can't seem to figure out how to get the white padding/margin? around the header and running all the way to the bottom footer to go away! It's surrounding all the content, and I just want the width of the content to be in line with the banner/header at the top - so the black on the banner blends with the black in the background, if that makes sense.
My website: clickie
This is usually pretty simply, changing the width of the content to a different size so that it all shrinks, but this theme has been written oddly (for me) and I can't figure out what is going on.
The code for the CSS Stylesheet is as follows:
[CSS moderated as per the Forum Rules. Please just post a link to your site.]
Which is where it should be, right? Any suggestions before I head off to bed?


text:
September 18, 2007
JEFFERSON CTY, Ga.---A 15-year-old Bartow girl is dead after an SUV flipped during the drive home from school.
16-year-old Hannah Sheppard ran off the Mennonite Church Road, overcorrected, and the vehicle flipped. Sheppard was treated at MCG hospital and released.
However, back seat passenger Joyce Warnock of Bartow was not wearing her seatbelt. She was thrown out and the vehicle landed on top of her.
A front seat passenger, 16-year-old Brittany Williford, was treated at Jefferson County Hospital and released.
There will be a memorial for Joyce Warnock at Jefferson County High School at 10:30 am Saturday, followed by the funeral.


text:
As we look forward to 2012, let us look back — back upon the ladies who faltered, ever-so-slightly, in the sartorial department with bad outfits, poor fabric choices and strange, rhombus-like headwear. Check out our list of (just some of) the worst looks of 2011. (And after the jump, the best red carpet looks of… More »
Well, 2011, we've had some fun, but it's time for you to go now. Finish your beer and gather the contents of your purse from the floor where you dumped them — we're kind of over you. We've got a laundry list of things we got really sick of hearing about this year — you'd… More »
Before deciding who we should date in 2012, we're updating our annual DO NOT DATE list — an essential component of every single gal's resolution portfolio. We firmly believe that an important part of dating is knowing which suitors to say "no thanks" to. After the jump, a full overview of boys to avoid for… More »
When I got my period for the first time, my mom wanted to throw a party. She had the whole thing planned. There would be a circle of women — many of them her friends, who would talk about womanhood with me, share their womanly wisdom, and tell rousing tales of menstruation. My mom would… More »
Maybe I'm just looking back on the past year with rose-colored glasses, but I thought Hollywood's biggest stars absolutely rocked the red carpet this year. So many beautiful silhouettes, flattering shapes, bright colors, delectable textures, and daring dips! Here are my picks for the 20 best dresses of the year. Look out 2012, the bar has been… More »
I am a self-described Smart Girl. I probably possess several other positive traits but my intelligence is one that I cling to and frequently define myself by. I have an MA in Applied Linguistics, I've been known to read Dickens on the beach and I have Very Strong Feelings about the correct use of "you're." More »
If we're to believe the marketing geniuses at Match.com, one in five couples now meets online. We've been looking, and dang, have we seen some messed up profile pictures. Listen, it's sad but true, but your online dating profile pic can make the difference between somebody asking you out or moving right along. We're superficial,… More »
No wonder Laura Dern was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actress in "Enlightened." Her crying scenes are absolutely epic. Laura's cry face even earned its own Facebook fan page. I mean, she's also a great actress, but she should be especially lauded for her crying abilities. Click through to see some more of… More »
It's almost Christmas, with less than two weeks left in 2011, and I am feeling very grateful. Thankful for my friends, my family, the Frisky community, and, perhaps most important, the plethora of fine ass, rockin' abs, bountiful titties, and full-frontal dudes that have graced the screen this year. Here are my pics for the… More »
I was a virgin until a month before my 21st birthday. I was on my second date with a guy named Craig, a 20-something blond surfer type who got my number after I made him a chai tea to go at the coffee shop in his neighborhood where I worked. I was lying on his… More »
New Year's Eve is completely overwrought with expectation, isn't it? Will your party be hip-hop-video-caliber awesome? Who are you going to kiss? And most importantly, are you wearing enough sequins?
It's enough to make a girl throw up her hands and stay in watching re-runs of "Breaking Bad."
Never fear, friend. More »


text:
Happy New Year!!!
And so the students gave eachother a hug, the girls a kiss or 3, and they all toasted to the new upcomming year!
They all knew Historica still wasn't a safe spot, that it still were dark times for everyone, but that night, they forgot all that. They celebrated like it was their last party ever...
=> The front
=> The Brownies are the students of the Mu Sigma House
=> Mitgardian Dwarf Student & Valyrian Student
=> The symbols Mu & Sigma
=> Avalonian Elf Student
=> The back (with Nocturnian Werewolf student on the stairs)
=> Close-up of the bookshelf and some other stuff
The students of Mu Sigma (so these with the tan top) are all future lawyers, politicans, historicans, ... of the glorious city of Mpya Stedor and so their studies are paid by the city.
Lord Damaximus is so pleased by the building at the University of Petraea Campus that he will replicate it in his city :D
But, that was just a side note...
The Mu Sigma House, Lord Damaximus, Mpya Stedor, the I.A.M.S. and all the Alleenridders wish you a very happy New Year, without any trouble and a lot of luck !!!! (that's for both you and your sigfigs!)
C&C and wishes allways welcome!
edit: well, this is already for the second semester of the University Challenge
Edited by DaMaximus, 31 December 2012 - 03:30 PM.


text:
- Home
- News
- Sports
- Weather
- Obituaries
- Highway 103
- Closings
- Contact Us
- Jobs
For any true procrastinators, you still have two more hours to buy any last minute gifts until the Maple Avenue H.H. Gregg store closes.
According to the Store Manager, Timothy Cousins, there are plenty of items left to purchase. From big screen TV's to stocking stuffers. His staff will try to accommodate the last minute customers the best they can.
"There is still a good selection of things in here for that last minute shopper, got a very well trained staff. If we don't have exactly what you are looking for, we will be able to find something comparable to it, maybe a different brand or a different color. But we will try to help them out as best as we can, " said Cousins.
The only thing they cannot do this evening is make last minute deliveries, so they can give their employees time with their families for the holiday.
Cousins said, "My Guys are actually already booked, making their deliveries for today and we are going to let them have time with their families, so we are not going to do that our delivery guys. We really want them to have a holiday too, because a lot of time they are out till 9 o'clock at night going deliveries. Its just not right, they need a break."
H.H. Gregg is closed on Christmas but if you are interested in post holiday deals, their catalog will be out tomorrow for Wednesday's savings.


text:
- Report: #640597
Report - Rebuttal - Arbitrate
Complaint Review: MEINEKE & ECONO-LUBE #4085
MEINEKE & ECONO-LUBE #40857178 HIGHWAY 85 Riverdale, Georgia United States of America
MEINEKE & ECONO-LUBE #4085 1200 dollar charges for a job never done (even after we took it back 4x) Riverdale, Georgia
*Consumer Comment: This is not so uncommon...
Ripoff Report
About you?
Ripoff Report
A business' first
line of defense
on the Internet.
If your business is
willing to make a
commitment to
customer satisfaction
Click here now..
Does your business have a bad reputation?
Fix it the right way.
Corporate Advocacy Program™
They started fixing on it and was like Oh, and you need a tune up also. The wires are sparking. I told them to go ahead and do the job 90.00 more dollars.
Then they told me I needed a sensor an extra $100 but the car would be fine until we could get back in.
WE left and on that Sunday on the way to church the car just died!!!!!
On top of this it was still running hot!!
That Monday we took the car back. They told us that they had to keep the car. It ended up being 5 days and that we needed Head gaskets now and that would be an additional 480.00
We need a car and just wanted our vehicle fixed.
I rented a car that Wednesday in hopes that the car would be done by Friday of that week.We get there and David tells us once again that it will be ready and that it wont get hot anymore.We pick the car up that Saturday morning and while my husband is trailing me to take the Rental car back to Enterprise that car gets HOT AGAIN!!!!! We have to go back to Meineke that very same day and David tells us the car has to sit with them again until Monday.That they will fix the problem. That it might be the thermostat or gaskets. Even a hairline crack he says. He agrees to pay for the additional 2 days for the rental and promises that the car will be ready by Monday.
I inform him as well we need our vehicle up and running before WED because my husband has an interview with another company. Now here it is Tuesday, September 14th. David the manager calls and tells me the car is not ready once again and my husbands interview is tomorrow morning at 9:30Am. This is very upsetting because we have paid out so much money for this car to at this point to be running in tip top condition. If they didn't know what they were doing they could have said so, or referred us out.Most of all, my husbands current job is ending next month and this interview could be the life and death of this family. It's just not fair!!!
This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 09/14/2010 05:18 PM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/MEINEKE-ECONO-LUBE-4085/Riverdale-Georgia-30274/MEINEKE-ECONO-LUBE-4085-1200-dollar-charges-for-a-job-never-done-even-after-we-took-640597. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.
Ripoff Report has an exclusive license to this report. It may not be copied without the written permission of Ripoff Report.
Click Here to read other Ripoff Reports on MEINEKE & ECONO-LUBE #4085
If you would like to see more Rip-off Reports on this company/individual, search here:Search Tips
In order to assure the best results in your search:
- Keep the name short & simple, and try different variations of the name.
- Do not include ".com", "S", "Inc.", "Corp", or "LLC" at the end of the Company name.
- Use only the first/main part of a name to get best results.
- Only search one name at a time if Company has many AKA's.
#1 Consumer Comment
This is not so uncommon...
AUTHOR: Ronny g - (USA)
SUBMITTED: Tuesday, September 14, 2010POSTED: Tuesday, September 14, 2010
What steps did you take to find out if this shop was qualified to do anything other then oil changes and mufflers? I am not trying to place any blame on you..but in order for yourself and others to avoid a similar outcome...it is needed to stress the importance of word of mouth recommendation when trusting your vehicle that you depend on for the life and death of your family, to investigate a little before allowing said shop to perform the diagnosis and work.
I mean anyone with a set of tools and knuckles can keep changing and swapping out parts infinitum and perhaps find the source of the problem, or perhaps never find the source of the problem....but if you are the one shelling out for this gamble and trusting (and paying) a shop with a "reputable" name to do this for you...yes..it is unfair. But the only way to level the playing field is to have some idea who is working on your vehicle.. if you can not do it yourself.
Are you an owner, employee or ex-employee with either negative or positive information about the company or individual, or can you provide "insider information" on this company?
Advertisers above have met our
strict standards for business conduct.