text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jan 27, 2004
|Filing date
|Apr 6, 2000
|Priority date
|Jan 31, 1994
|Fee status
|Publication number
|Roger D. Hersch, Bernard Krummenacher
|Original Assignee
|Axs Technologies, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (6), Non-Patent Citations (6), Referenced by (57), Classifications (16), Legal Events (2)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
Professionals in various fields such as medical imaging, biology and civil engineering require rapid access to huge amounts of pixmap image data files. Today's acquisition devices such as video cameras, still image cameras, medical image scanners, desktop scanners, graphic arts scanners are able to generate huge quantities of pixmap image data. However, existing desktop computers and workstations do not offer sufficient storage bandwidth and processing capabilities for fast browsing and zooming in large pixmap images stored on disks and for applying geometric transformations and image processing operations to large image files. Pixmap image data has to be stored, made accessible and processed for various purposes, such as fast interactive panning through large size images, image zooming For displaying large size images in reduced size windows, image browsing through sequences of independent images, access to video sequences and sound streams, extraction and transformation of given image parts.
File data may consist of 2-dimensional images (for example aerial photographs), 3-dimensional images (for example tomographic scans, video sequences, sets of 2-dimensional images), or one-dimensional data of a specific media (for example sound, text, graphics). File data further comprises compressed images, compressed sound or compressed text. File data also comprises one dimensional, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional arrays of elements which are of different nature but can be assimilated to arrays of pixels.
Various configurations of prior art computers and disks can be used for storing pixmap images and multiple media data. Single disk systems are too slow to provide the bandwidth necessary for fast browsing through large images or for accessing high-quality video image streams. Disk arrays such as redundant arrays of inexpensive disks, known as RAID systems [ECHEN90], can be used to increase the data bandwidth between mass storage and CPU, but a single CPU driving a disk array does not offer sufficient processing power to apply the image access and processing operations required for example for panning with a limited size visualization window through large images, for displaying reduced views of large images in limited size visualization windows or for applying transformations to given image parts.
The presently invented multiprocessor-multidisk storage server presents a cheaper and more powerful alternative for storage and processing of large files such as 2-d and 3-d pixmap image files, video sequences, sound, text and compressed media data (images, video, sound and text). It may be used as a local network server, as an ATM broadband ISDN server, as a powerful backend server of a host computer or as a storage server For a parallel system.
For the description of the invention, the following terminology is used. The invented server architecture has been created primarily for the storage of image data. Therefore, the underlying parallel file system is explained by showing how image files are stored and accessed. Nevertheless, the concept is more general, and data files which are not images can also be stored, accessed and processed on the invented storage server. The meaning of pixels is generalized to information elements composed of a given number of bytes. The meaning of pixmap images is generalized to arrays of information elements. Furthermore, the concept of pixmap images, which is generally used in the context of 2-dimensional arrays of pixels, is generalized to the third dimension. A 3-dimensional pixmap image is therefore defined as a 3-dimensional array of pixels. Pixels are represented by at least one byte. Data files of any kind may be segmented into extents, extents being one-dimensional for one-dimensional files, 2-dimensional for 2-dimensional files and 3-dimensional for 3-dimensional files. Extents are the parts of a file which may be striped onto different disks at file storage time. Data files include the data as well as metadata associated with the file. For example, an image file includes pixmap image data and metadata specifying various characteristics of the image file, such as its size in each dimension, the size of its extents in each dimension and its colour palette. The metallic of a compressed image file may also contain a table giving the effective size in bytes of each compressed extent.
Accessing rectangular windows from large image files is a frequent operation. image windows are defined as rectangular windows containing an integer number of pixels in each dimension. Image window boundaries may be located at any pixel boundary. When an image file is segmented into extents, aligned image windows are defined as the subset of windows whose boundaries coincide with extent boundaries;.
File storage and access operations are used as a general term for accessing file data. Such accesses comprise data access to image file windows useful for panning purposes and subsampling operations useful for producing scaled-down rectangular image windows displayable in reduced size visualization windows. Both image file window data extraction and subsampling operations require processing power, given in the present apparatus by the parallel processing power of disk node processors which are described in more detail below.
Prior art methods of storing and accessing large sets of pixmap image files are based on high-performance workstations accessing arrays of disks. They do not offer the means to control the distribution of image file parts onto the disks. Furthermore, the workstation's CPU does not offer sufficient processing power to scale down large image files at high-speed in order to display them in limited size visualization windows or to apply to them geometric transformations such as rotations. The presently invented data storage apparatus is based on disk nodes, each disk node being composed by one processor electrically connected to at least one disk. An array built of such closely coupled processor-disk nodes offers both high disk throughput and highly usable parallel processing power. The invented parallel file storage and access method described below provides efficient distribution of files onto disks and high-speed access to requested file windows.
The present invention concerns a parallel multiprocessor-multidisk storage server which offers low delays and high throughputs when accessing one-dimensional and multi-dimensional file data such as pixmap images, text, sound or graphics. Multi-dimensional data files such as 3-d images (for example tomographic images), respectively 2-d images (for example scanned aerial photographs) are segmented into 3-d, respectively 2-d file extents, each extent possibly being stored on a different disk. One-dimensional files (for example sound or text) are segmented into one-dimensional extents.
The invented parallel multiprocessor-multidisk storage server may be used as a server offering its services to a computer to which it is connected, to client stations residing on a network to which it is connected, or to a parallel host system to which it is connected.
The parallel storage server comprises
(a) a server interface processor interfacing the storage system with a host computer, with a network or with a parallel computing system;
(b) an array of disk nodes, each disk node being composed by one processor electrically connected to at least one disk;
(c) an interconnection network for connecting the server interface processor to the array of disk nodes.
The parallel storage server runs a server interface process expecting serving requests from client processes, a file server process and extent server processes responsible for data storage and access as well as additional processes responsible for geometric transformations and image processing operations, for creating redundancy files and for recovering files in cases of single disk crashes.
The storage server is based on a parallel multi-dimensional file storage system. This file storage system incorporates a file server process which receives from the storage server interface process file creation, file opening, file closing and file deleting commands. It also incorporates extent serving processes which receive from the file server process commands to update directory entries and to open existing files and receive from the server interface process commands to read data from a file or to write data into a file. It further incorporates operation processes responsible for applying in parallel geometric transformations and image processing operations to data read from the disks. It also incorporates redundancy file creation processes responsible for creating redundant parity extent files for selected data files.
When acting as a host backend server, as a network server or as a parallel computer storage server, the server interface process running on the server interface processor receives data access and processing requests, interprets them and decomposes them into file level requests (for example creation, opening, reading, writing and deleting) or into file operation requests (for example geometric transformations, image processing operations). In the case of read requests, the file system interface library decomposes these requests into extent read requests and transmits them to the extent server processes. It waits for the required extent data from the disk nodes, assembles it into the required data window and transmits it to the server interface process which forwards the data to the client process located on the client computer.
When attached to a parallel host system, the storage server made of intelligent disk nodes interacts directly with host processes running on the parallel system. Host processes may simultaneously access either different files or the same file through the file system interface libraries and ask for arbitrarily sized data windows.
Extent serving processes running on disk node processors are responsible. For managing the free blocks of their connected storage devices, for maintaining the data structure associated with the file extents stored on their disks, for reading extents from disks, For writing extents to disks, and for maintaining a local extent cache offering fast access to recently used data. At image access time, extent server processes are responsible for accessing extents covered by the required visualization window, extracting the visualization window's content and sending the extent windows to the storage server interface processor. In the case of a zooming operation, the extent server processes subsample the original data in order to produce an image at the required reduced disk. Disk node processors may run slave operation processes used for applying geometric transformations such as rotations or other image processing operations to locally retrieved image parts.
The invented parallel file storage server distinguishes itself From the prior art by the Following features:
(1) its file storage system runs on a multiprocessor-multidisk platform and offers 2-d and 3-d image storage and access services requiring simultaneous disk accesses and processing operations such as high-speed panning and zooming in sets of large images;
(2) it comprises information about file sizes in each dimension, about how files are segmented into 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional extents and about how extents are distributed on a subset of the available disks;
(3) it provides library procedures for parallel application of geometric transformation and processing operations to data striped on multiple disks;
(4) disk node processors combine parallel file extent accesses from disks and application of the required geometric transformation and processing operations.
The invented parallel file storage server if Further characterized by the Following Features:
(1) it offers services for creating multidimensional (1-d, 2-d, 3-d) image and multiple media Files in addition to conventional files;
(2) it comprises a file server process responsible for global operations such as file creation, file opening and file deleting;
(3) it comprises extent server processes responsible for accessing extents stored on their local disks, for managing a local extent cache and for interacting with the file server to create or delete directory entries;
(4) it comprises operation processes running on disk node processing units capable of applying geometric transformations or image processing operations in parallel to image parts read from the disks, thereby speeding up processing time by a significant Factor;
(5) it comprises redundancy file creation processes capable of generating redundancy Files From given data files;
(6) it comprises a recovery process capable of recovering files in cases of single disk crashes.
The invented parallel image and multiple media server offers the following advantages over the prior art:
(1) disk node processing units are located close to the disks enabling disk file accesses and processing operations to be closely combined (for example pipelined);
(2) the number of disk node processing units and of disks attached to each disk node processing unit can be independently chosen and adapted to the requirements of an application;
(3) due to the fact that the parallel server knows about the dimensionality of an image file and about its access patterns (i.e. for example access to rectangular windows in large image files) and that the parallel file system supports multi-dimensional files segmented into multi-dimensional extents, it is able to segment the file into extents in such a way that file parts are accessed on a multiprocessor-multidisk system in a more efficient way than with a conventional file system using a RAID disk array as its storage device;
(4) Since extents of compressed image files are independently compressed and since the parallel file system supports the storage of extents having a variable size within the same file the advantages mentioned in point (3) apply in the case of compressed image files.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a parallel image and multiple media server.
FIG. 2 shows an example of services running on interface processor 28 and on disk node processors 29.
FIG. 3 shows an example of a server interface process interacting with a client process and with the file system's file and extent server processes.
FIG. 4 gives a preferred embodiment of the disk layout of the parallel file system's data structures.
FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c give examples showing how 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional files are segmented into extents.
FIG. 6 gives examples of how extent sizes influence the distribution of extents to disks: a well chosen extent size is shown in FIG. 6a which provides quite uniform extent access patterns within a given visualization window and a badly chosen extent size is shown in FIG. 6b which induces a non-balanced extent access pattern.
FIG. 7 shows an example of a 3-dimensional window 70 located in a 3-dimensional image file.
FIGS. 8a and 8b give example of a 2-dimensional image file segmented into extents striped onto 5 disks, covered by a 2-dimensional file window 81.
FIG. 8b shows that extent windows 82 have to be accessed from the disks in order to obtain all extent parts covered by the 2-dimensional window
FIGS. 9a, 9b and 9c show an example of a file transformation, where a rectangular window covered by several extents is to be rotated by a specified rotation angle.
Current apparatuses for storing, accessing and processing of image data are based on workstations connected to RAID disk arrays [Chen90]. RAID disk arrays connected to single processor workstations do offer higher storage capabilities as well as a higher throughput than single disks. However RAID disk arrays to not incorporate processing power for performing image scaling operations, image window extraction operations, image transformations or image processing operations. Such operations must be executed by the host processor.
The invented parallel storage server apparatus (FIG. 1) presents a cheaper alternative to image and multiple media storage devices based on workstation and RAID disk arrays. It includes a server interface processor 12 interfacing the storage system with a client computer 11 (host computer) or with a network 19, an array of intelligent disk nodes 18, each disk node being composed of one processor 13 and at least one disk 14, and an interconnection network 16 for connecting the server interface processor to the array of intelligent disk nodes.
The server interface processor 12, the interconnection network 16 and the disk node processors 13 are made of commercially available components, such as T800 or T9000 transputers, communication links and possibly a communication crossbar switch like the Inmos C104 transputer link crossbar switch. The interface processor is either connected to a host station 11, preferably through a SCSI-2 target interface 17 or directly connected to a network 19 with a network interface such as Ethernet. FDDI or ATM broadband ISDN.
The server interface processor offers the client computer, or remotely located client stations, its services which comprise file storage, file access, file transformation file processing and file recovery operations. File storage and access services are offered by the underlying parallel file system. The parallel file system comprises a file server process 23 running on any one of the processors, for example the interface processor 28, and extent server processes 24 running on the disk node processors 29 (FIG. 2). As shown in FIG. 3, the file server process 33 receives from the server interface process 31 interface library 32 file creation, file opening and file closing commands, and interacts with extent server processes 34 to create new file entries in the D/rectory and in the Distribution index Block Table described below. Extent server processes run on the disk node processors 29 and receive commands either from the file server process 23 or from the server interface process 21. Disk node processors 29 which run extent server processes 24 and slave operation processes 27 are used for parallel file storage and access functions, for extracting in parallel visualization windows from extents, and for applying in parallel geometric transformations or image processing operations to image data read from the disks.
Disks are members of a pool. As shown below, the pool membership of a disk can be identified by analyzing its DiskInfo field located in the first blocks of the disk.
The parallel file system uses the following preferred data structures for the layout of information on the disks and for providing easy and quick access to files striped on multiple disks (FIG. 4). In the first part of each disk, a disk information structure 41 DiskInfo contains the current disk identifier, the size of the disk, its type, the name of the disk pool it belongs to, the disk's logical number within the pool and pointers 42 to the Block Allocation Table (BAT), to the Directory (DIR) and to the Distribution Index Block Table (DIBTable). The second part of each disk contains the Block Allocation Table (BAT) 43 made of a bitmap, where each block of the disk is represented by one bit, this bit being 0, respectively 1 depending on whether the corresponding block is free, respectively allocated. The third part of each disk contains the Directory (DIR) 44. Each entry in the directory contains one file name and a pointer to the corresponding Distribution Information Block (DIB) in the Distribution Information Block Table. The fourth part of each disk contains the Distribution Information Block Table (DIBTable) 45. Each table entry is associated with one Directory entry. An entry in the Distribution Information Block Table contains information which is generally found in index blocks of file systems and file image related information such as the image size in each dimension, the extent size in each dimension, the number of disks used by the specified file, a disk table specifying the disk identifiers of the used disks and, for each used disk, a pointer 46 to a File Local Extent Index Table (FLEIB). The DIB also contains a field for describing and pointing 47 to optional file metadata 48 (color palette, size of compressed file extents). This field specifies the disk where the metadata is located, the metadata size in bytes and the first block on which metadata is stored. Metadata is stored in continuous disk block locations.
Space for the Block Allocation Table (BAT), the Directory (DIR), and the Distribution Index Block Table (DIBTable) is allocated at pool initialization time. The DiskInfo, BAT, DIR and DIB disk spaces are replicated on each of the disks of the pool. This enables information about the pool to be recovered from any disk. At pool initialization, the file server process initializes its list of directory entries. For each file there is File Local Extent Index Table (FLEIB) on each disk on which the file is striped. The FLEIB table includes for each locally stored extent a pointer to its starting disk block and the effective extent size in bytes. Extents are stored in continuous disk block locations.
At file creation time, a directory and a DIB entry and, on each contributing disk, a file local extent index table (FLEIB) are created. At file writing time, disk blocks are allocated for each extent to be written on that disk. The pointer to the first disk block of each extent on the disk is placed at the corresponding location of the FLEIB table.
FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c show examples of one-dimensional, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional image files segmented into one-dimensional, 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional extents. Extents are numbered first in the x direction, then in the y direction and then in the z direction. For example, a 3-dimensional extent positioned as the ith extent in the x direction, the ith extent in y direction, and the kth extent in z direction gets the following ExtentNumber:
where NbOfExtentsInX and NumberOfExtentsIlnY are the number of extents required to cover respectively the width (x-axis) and the height (y-axis) of one plane of the considered 3-d pixmap image. FIGS. 5a, 5b and 5c give examples of how extents are numbered.
Extents are striped onto a subset of the disks available within the disk pool (contributing disks). The number of contributing disks (NumberOfDisks parameter) as well as the disk identifiers on which the file is stored are specified at file creation time.
The extents are striped according to their extent number on the contributing disks, as specified by the following formula:
At file creation time, any extent size having an integer number of pixels in each dimension can be chosen. Extents may cover a larger space than the space containing the image file information (see FIG. 5A, 5B and 5C). In order to obtain a balanced distribution of extents within a given image visualization window, the DiskNumber of one extent 61 and the diskNumber of the extent located one extent row below 62 should have a difference (disk offset) which is prime to the number of disks (FIG. 6A and 6B). Expressed mathematically, the greatest common denominator of the absolute value of this difference and the number of disks should be one:
The difference between an extent number and the extent number one row below it can be varied by changing the extent size in the horizontal direction (extent width). Reducing respectively enlarging the extent width increases, respectively reduces the difference between extent numbers of extents lying one below the other. As an example, FIG. 6a incorporates a file with 11 extents per extent row and FIG. 6b a file with 12 extents per extent row. According to equation (2), reduction or enlargement of extent width makes it possible to change the offset between the disk number of extents lying one below the other. FIG. 6a shows an example of a well chosen extent size where the disk offset is 2 for 9 disks. FIG. 6b shows an example of a badly chosen extent size where the disk offset is 3 for 9 disks, thus not fulfilling the condition mentioned in formula (3).
Experiments and simulations have shown that for disks having a throughput of 1 to 3 Mbytes per second, an extent size should be chosen so as to contain an amount of data between 50 Kbytes and 150 Kbytes. For image files, the size in bytes of an extent is obtained by multiplying the pixel size in bytes by the extent dimensions in all present dimensions. For example, the size of a 3-dimensional extent is computed as follows:
The file server process enables the initialization a disk pool made of a freely chosen number of disk nodes and of a number of disks per disk node ranging between 1 and 7 or between 1 and 15 depending on the type of SCSI bus interface used. It enables the creation of one-dimensional, 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional files by specifying their final size in each dimension, their pixel size in bytes, their extent size in each dimension, the fixed size or variable extent size mode in which the file is to be created, the size of the space to be reserved for metadata, the number of disks and the disk table specifying the identities of the contributing disks in the pool. In order to obtain good performances, the disks on which a given file is striped should preferably be located in different disk nodes.
The server interface process 21 accesses the functions offered by the parallel file system through library procedures of the interface library 22. There is a library procedure for creating a file of a given size in each dimension, with a given extent size in each dimension. This file creation library procedure transmits the file creation command to the file server process, which finds a free entry in its directory entry list, and forwards the file creation request to extent server processes, specifying the directory entry number of the new file.
A library procedure exists for reading a 1-dimensional, 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional pixmap image window from an existing file. The pixmap image window read from the file covers a freely specified window of the full file space. In order to read a window from an image file striped on several disks, the reading procedure performs the following steps:
(1) it computes the number of identifying every extent contributing to the required image file window;
(2) for every contributing extent, it computes the part covered by the required image file window 81 (extent window);
(3) it computes the disk number of each contributing extent according to formula (2);
(4) from the disk table stored in the DIB, it computes the disk identifier of each disk number;
(5) for each requested extent, it sends an extent window read request to the extent server running on the disk node connected to the disk storing the extent;
(6) it receives the required extent windows from the extent servers;
(7) it assembles all extent windows into the required image file window and returns it to the calling program.
A library procedure for writing an image file window into a previously created image file exists and works similarly to the image file window reading procedure, with the difference that extent windows are sent to the extent servers, that extent servers must access their disks to read the complete corresponding extents, write into them the extent windows and write back the complete extents to the disks.
A library procedure exists for accessing and scaling-down an image file window into a smaller window (zooming). The procedure works in a similar way as the image file window reading procedure, the only difference being that the contributing extent servers are asked to subsample their extent window obtained from the disks and to send the subsampled extent windows to the library procedure which assembles all subsampled extent windows into the required scaled-down image window.
Library procedures exist for reading and writing aligned image windows. Since aligned image windows are aligned with extent boudaries, the procedures interact with the extent server processes in order to read or to write complete extents. In the case of a file opened in variable extent size mode, requests for writing complete extents include parameters specifying the extent sizes. Similarly a request for reading complete extents also returns the effective size of each extent.
Library procedures exist for writing and reading metadata from files. There are also library procedures for closing a file, for deleting a file and for listing the files present in the directory (DIR).
Further library procedures exist for writing and reading compressed files, for applying operations on file data, for creating redundancy files and for the recovery of files from a single disk crash. The functions executed by these library procedures are described in the description which follows.
The invented storage server also stores compressed image files. The content of each image file extent is separately compressed, preferably at the client location. A compressed image file contains metadata which specifies the compressed size in bytes of each extent. The file system supports the storage of extents having a variable size. When a file is created in variable size extent mode, the DIB will contain information relative to the corresponding uncompressed file (image size, extent size, number of disks, disk table). In the same way as for uncompressed image files, FLEIB tables are generated at file creation time. In variable size extent mode, one set of continuous disk blocks is allocated dynamically when a compressed extent is to be written to a disk. The block address of the written extents is stored in the corresponding FLEIB table entries. Each FLEIB entry also contains a field specifying the effective compressed extent size in bytes. A library procedure exists for writing a compressed image file to a file previously created in variable extent mode. The parameters to be transferred by the server interface process are a table specifying for each compressed extent its size in bytes and a pointer to its memory location. The library procedure sends complete extent writing requests to the extent server processes. Extent server processes allocate the disk blocks required for writing their extents, write their extents on these blocks and update the corresponding FLEIB table entries. A similar library procedure exists for reading compressed image files from the disks. If an aligned window is requested by the reading procedure, only the complete extents covered by the aligned window are requested from extent server processes.
One of the advantages of the invented multiprocessor-multidisk server is its inherent ability to perform in parallel operations on data read from the disks. The server comprises an operation master process 26 located in the server interface processor 28 and operation slave processes 27 located on disk node processing units 29. The server interface process may require an operation to be applied to a given file. It transmits to the operation master process the name of the file, parameters specifying the type of the operation to be performed, the data domain (for example, the image file window) on which it is to be performed and the form in which the results are to be given back.
As an example of an operation, the rotation of oblique rectangular windows lying in 2-dimensional pixmap images is described. The server interface process specifies to the underlying master operation process an oblique rectangular window within a given image file. The rotating task consists of rotating the image part lying within the specified rectangular window by a certain rotation angle so that its sides become aligned with the horizontal and vertical axes. The master process opens the corresponding file and gets its DIB. With the information in the DIB, it computes which are the file extents covered by the rectangular window. It also computes the continuous boundary of the oblique rectangular window within each extent. File reading and operation commands are transmitted to the slave operation processes residing on the disk node processors. Each slave operation process is asked to read those extents contributing to the oblique rectangular window, which are stored on the disks controlled by its disk node processor. Slave operation processes must also read additional pixel lines or columns from neighbouring extents in order to be able to perform resampling and interpolation operations at their extents' boundary. The operation they are asked to apply to each concerned extent consists of rotating by the required rotation angle the continuous boundary obtained by intersecting the extent boundary 91 with the oblique window boundary 92. This rotated boundary contains the contribution of the current extent to the whole rotated window 93. A target pixmap 94 circumscribing said rotated boundary is defined by its width 96, height 97 and by the relative position 98 of said rotated boundary. This target pixmap is scanned pixel by pixel, scanline by scanline by the slave operation process. Pixels whose pixel centers are lying outside the rotated boundary are set to 0 (black). The position in the non-rotated original pixmap file extent corresponding to a pixel center lying in the target pixmap inside said boundary is found by inverse rotation or by an equivalent incremental operation [Hersch85]. In order to compute its intensity, bi-linear interpolation is applied to the intensities of its 4 direct neighbour pixels in the non-rotated pixmap file extent. Once the full target pixmap has been scanned and one value associated with each pixel, it is sent to the master operation process together with the parameters specifying the vertices of said rotated boundary and specifying the location of a specific bitmap position (for example the upper-left pixel center) in the global image coordinate system. The master operation process receives the resulting target pixmaps from all contributing slave operation processes. It assembles the resulting rotated window subparts by superposing the target pixmaps associated with each of the contributing extents. It transmits the resulting rotated window to the requesting server interface process. Since all disk-node processors which have extents covered by the specified oblique window contribute in parallel to the window rotation process, the result is obtained in a much shorter time than if this operation had been done on a workstation hooked to a RAID disk array.
Existing RAID redundancy methods [Chen90]require generating redundant disk blocks for every file writing operation. Writing operations are slowed down and disk space is required for storing the redundancy information, even if the data to be made redundant is already backed up in archive memory.
The invented storage server comprises a cheaper alternative and a more flexible redundancy scheme. At first, data files are stored without any redundancy. On request, a background redundancy file creation process is run to create for each specified data file one redundancy file. Each redundancy file is stored on different disks than its corresponding data files. Thanks to the parity extents generation method described below, data files for which redundancy files have been generated can be recovered in the case of single disk failures. This redundancy scheme works due to the fact that a data file can be striped onto a specific subset of the disks of the pool, allowing its redundancy file to be stored on a complementary disk subset of the pool.
The redundancy file contains one parity extent for each set of subsequent extents of the original file striped into different disks. Let us assume that a data file is composed of k extents striped over d disks. The first parity extent of the redundancy file is obtained by computing for each of its bytes the parity of the corresponding bytes from the first d data file extents 0 to d-1. The so-generated parity extent is the first extent of the redundancy file. The jth parity extent is obtained from data file extents j*d to (j*d)+d−1. The redundancy file contains k+d−1 DIV d parity extents stored on a set of disks on which no extent of the original data file has been stored.
The invented redundancy scheme enables data files to be recovered in the case of single disk crashes. It has the advantage of being optional, thus saving disk space by avoiding the creation of redundancy files in the case of data files already saved on archive devices. Furthermore, since the redundancy files are separated from data files, they may be generated by a background redundancy file creation process 20 active only during the idle time of the storage server.
File recovery requests in the case of single disk crashes are executed by a file recovery process 25 locating the failed disk, opening the data file and its corresponding redundancy file, reading for each set of data extents stored on different disks those extents stored on valid disks as well as the corresponding parity extent, computing from corresponding data extents and parity extents the extents located on the failed disk and transmitting the recovered file to the requesting process or storing it on a set valid disks.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.
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|Boolos Timothy L.
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|Jun 26, 2003
|Shigeru Muraki
|Simulator having video generating function and simulation method including video generating step
|Jun 5, 2002
|Dec 11, 2003
|Axs Technologies
|Parallel resampling of image data
|Sep 5, 2002
|Mar 11, 2004
|Axs Technologies
|Dynamic image repurposing apparatus and method
|May 6, 2005
|Nov 24, 2005
|Sim-Tang Siew Y
|System for moving real-time data events across a plurality of devices in a network for simultaneous data protection, replication, and access services
|Aug 4, 2004
|Dec 1, 2005
|Nobuo Kawamura
|Backup method, backup system, disk controller and backup program
|Sep 17, 2004
|Mar 23, 2006
|Sim-Tang Siew Y
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|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Nov 9, 2009
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Apr 2, 2010
|Lapse for failure to pay maintenance fees


text:
05/26 19:39
Download In today's digital age, web content accessibility for visually impaired individuals has become a matter of huge importance. Expensive lawsuits and imminent regulatory changes in recent years have fueled the need for affordable, automated solutions to address accessibility. This white paper describes key accessibility regulations, what it means to make PDFs accessible, the limitations of traditional methods and how automation can simplify the production of accessible content in high volumes.
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subset: commoncrawl


text: WATERTOWN, Mass., July 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Doble Engineering Company is pleased to announce that industry veteran John Gagnon has joined Doble Engineering as Vice President of Global Sales. In his new position, Gagnon will lead Doble's worldwide sales and commercial teams, focusing on the company's global expansion and Doble's new and enhanced products and solutions. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110728/NE43357LOGO ) Gagnon has over 20 years of experience in the utility and energy industries with an extensive background in global sales. He held senior leadership and sales positions at GE Energy's Meter and Test Equipment business units and most recently served as Senior Vice President of Utility Sales at Comverge. "Not only does John have exceptional leadership skills and extensive international sales experience, he has the utility, regulatory and Smart Grid knowledge that is critical in our evolving industry," said David B. Zabetakis, President, Doble Engineering Company. "John will be a driving force behind our growth worldwide as we continue to partner with our clients, providing them with the products and services they want now – and the solutions they'll need in the future." "It's an honor to be a part of the Doble Team and a world-class organization," said John Gagnon, Doble's Vice President of Global Sales. "Doble presents an exciting opportunity to build upon the tremendous knowledge and skill sets already in place today and to expand our global footprint through our international offices and new solution platforms." Founded in 1920, Doble Engineering Company works with clients around the world to help minimize risk and maximize the performance of their power systems. Doble has a reputation for excellence, earned through the expertise of its engineers and the quality of its products and services.


text:
The Frontier Caverns
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EditThe Frontier Caverns
The Frontier Caverns are located through a passage in the ground to the right of the right most barricade in the Shadow Fort. This passageway will not be accessible until the last Act of the game, and serves as one of the game's last dungeons. Within The Frontier Caverns players can expect to encounter some very tough enemies. Included are Hellhounds, Succubi, and a Gore Chimera, amongst others.
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text:
Carelessly uneasyMature
It seemed a simple enough plan and for her efforts, Alice was rewarded with a long kiss that for once carried a hint of real emotion behind it. He sent Tyler off to recruit an army big enough to take each city in turn. They planned a direct route around Xanthe's continent and relaxed for a few hours before Tyler returned, reporting that he had amassed an army of two thousand demons under such short notice.
'Only two thousand? We don't have all fucking week to take the entire continent!' Jet raged.
'Risk of civil war, Jet. Demons enjoy fighting, but not amongst themselves. We're too lazy to fight each other. We want the comfortable life if we're not fighting.'
'Do I look like I give a fuck? Do I? I am not the demon they should be disobeying. Tell them I'll fucking kill 'em if they don't join up. Much higher chance of surviving in the army, than out, y'understand?' Jet's voice filled the room with anger that made Tyler tremble he nodded and left again.
'We need more than two thousand?' Alice questioned. Jet spun to face her, ready to beat the shit out of something, but he breathed heavily and growled, doing his best to not destroy something.
'Xanthe does not mess around. We are not the "demon elders" for no reason. I have the misfortune of my opponent being trained by someone just as good as Jaska. Maybe better, I don't know. He was killed by Lucifer for something. I forget, it was a few millennia ago, now.' Jet stopped; his voice was grave. He looked away from Alice, out of the window.
'Oceania will not be easy to take from her.'


text: Accepting only Mainland Chinese citizens, Qingdao Lanting Hotel offers accommodation with free parking. Free WiFi is accessible in all areas. Tstingtao Brewery is 2.4 miles from Qingdao Lanting Hotel. Qingdao Beer Street is 2.6 miles from the property. It takes 24 minutes by car to Qingdao Railway Station. Qingdao Liuting International Airport is 10.6 miles from the property. Each room in Qingdao Lanting Hotel is fitted with a TV. Free toiletries, slippers and a hairdryer can be found in the private bathroom. The front desk is at service for 24 hours.


text:
My friend wrote this......
She doesn't have an account, cause she is to active to sit down writing all day, so I got her permission to post this for her......
A lways wondering
N ever knowing
A ll things considered.
C an't be human if
A ll people are
B rainwashed
A nd
N ullified from truth.
I f
L aws are kept from people,
L ives will be changed,
A nd total chaos will erupt.


text:
Scene Four
the forest
HANSEL and GRETEL exit SR. ENSEMBLE are still dotted around the stage in tree positions, except now they make two distinct paths starting CS and ending SL and SR respectively. RED RIDING HOOD enters SL.
NARR. 1: We left Little Red Riding Hood walking through the forest yesterday morning to take a basket of food to her elderly grandmother.
NARR. 2: And this morning... She's still walking through the forest to take a basket of food to her elderly grandmother.
NARR. 1: She must be a really slow walker.
NARR. 2: Really slow.
NARR. 1: But then she reached a cross in the roads.
RED RIDING HOOD reaches CS.
RED RIDING HOOD: Oh no... I can't seem to remember which way I should go...
NARR. 2: Despite having walked to her grandmother's every day.
NARR. 1: So she's both a slow walker and has short term memory loss. Great.
NARR. 2: But then, luckily, a random wolf came strolling through the forest.
Enter WOLF SL.
WOLF: My my, what is a pretty thing like you doing all alone in the forest?
RED RIDING HOOD: Oh, I was just going to visit my grandmother, who's sick in bed. But I can't seem to remember which path I should take...
NARR. 1: Luckily, this wolf knew the forest very well.
WOLF: Luckily, I know the forest very well. And I'm sure that you should take the left path. It's a shortcut.
NARR. 2: (to NARR. 1) No it's not! What's he doing? (NARR. 1 shrugs)
RED RIDING HOOD: Oh, thank you so much! Well, I'll see you later, then.
RED RIDING HOOD walks along the stage right (audience left) path and exits SR.
WOLF: Ha ha ha! Little does she know that in fact she should have taken the right path! Now I can get to her grandmother's house first!
He runs along the stage left (audience right) path and exits SL.
NARR. 2: Is it just me, or is he incredibly irritating?


text:
The village elders, known locally as "salishi sabha" (Griebance Committee) meted 'rape' as punishment after the women failed to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 ($400) slapped on the two for going against the mores of the community. The man was able to raise the fine. The woman told The Hindustan Times "It's horrific. They (rapists) are all our neighbours and I call some of them as kaka (uncle) and some others as dada (elder brother) or bhai (brother)."
Police arrested the 13 men involved in the heinous act after the family complained and took the young woman to hospital in critical condition. This is not the first time such incidences have in reported in West Bengal.


text:
***THIS ARTICLE WAS WRITTEN BEFORE MONDAY'S EPISODE OF RAW*** Welcome to the 1st FATP of 2014! Hopefully you all had a great Christmas and if you need some reading material while you're nursing a New...Read More →
WWE Raw Results – November 25th, 2013 We are in Long Island with our WWE Champion Randy Orton opening the show. We are told Michael Strahan is the special guest host tonight. Also we will...Read More →


text:
Reported cases of whooping cough have been dropping across Massachusetts since 2007, but Bay State health officials are still worried about the disease. Officials and doctors are echoing a new federal recommendation that all adults be vaccinated for whooping cough — also known as pertussis — a highly contagious respiratory disease that sickens hundreds of people in Massachusetts every year.
Reported cases of whooping cough have been dropping across Massachusetts since 2007, but Bay State health officials are still worried about the disease.
Officials and doctors are echoing a new federal recommendation that all adults be vaccinated for whooping cough — also known as pertussis — a highly contagious respiratory disease that sickens hundreds of people in Massachusetts every year.
An advisory panel to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in late February said adults 65 and older should receive the vaccine for whooping cough, named for its distinctive whooping sound during bouts of rapid, violent coughing.
The agency has gradually expanded which age groups should be immunized since 2005, when the government deemed a new vaccine safe for adolescents and adults. Until now, the CDC urged only people over 65 to receive the shot if they had direct contact with infants.
Locally, current recommendations from the Gloucester Health Department show a change in thinking since that time.
"Infants receive five doses of DTaP (Diptheria, Tetanus and Pertussis vaccine) beginning at two months, but their immunity (or protection from Pertussis) wanes when they are in middle school," explains Gloucester Public Health Nurse Chassea Golden Robinson. "It is recommended that children receive another dose of vaccine when they are 11 or 12 years of age. Adults often do not realize that they are not protected from Pertussis or Whooping Cough unless they receive a dose of vaccine during adulthood. The TDaP (Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis) vaccine is a one-time dose that all pregnant women should receive, as well as new fathers, grandparents and any caregivers of young children because Pertussis can be deadly in young infants.
"In addition, all adults should receive a tetanus booster every 10 years," adds Robinson. "If an adult is due to receive the booster from their doctor, they should ask to make sure their doctor gives them the TDaP vaccine if they haven't received a Pertussis vaccine yet in their adulthood."
Since 2007, the disease has been on the decline, and health-care professionals largely credit more widespread vaccination for the significant drop.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH), 1,188 cases of whooping cough were reported in the state in 2007. Flash forward to last year, when that number took a drastic drop to only 273 cases.
Whooping cough is also becoming less and less common on the North Shore, as reported cases have dropped by 71 percent since 2007. That year, 127 cases were reported, but in 2011 only 37 cases were reported in the 34 communities on the North Shore.
The disease has also been on the decline locally, with seven cases reported in Gloucester during the time period of 2007-2009, compared to only one case reported in the city since that time. There have been no cases reported so far in 2012. Numbers such as these are the norm rather than the exception, according to the Gloucester PHN.
"These numbers are not surprising," says Robinson. "The Gloucester Public Health Nurse has worked closely with partners in the community over the last two years to make sure that the TDaP vaccine was available to all adults. The PHN has done outreach to daycare providers, local medical providers, Addison Gilbert Hospital, and the largest pediatric office on Cape Ann, Cape Ann Pediatrics with the message that any adult in close contact with children could be referred to the Gloucester Health Department for a free TDaP vaccine. The PHN applied for, and received, a grant from Sanofi Pasteur in 2010 (the manufacturer of the TDaP vaccine) which has enabled the Health Department to provide the vaccine to residents at no cost."
Kid vs. adult cases
The age of diagnosed individuals seems to vary from one community to another, as some municipalities have seen most cases in adults, while others have seen more cases in children.
Data from the DPH suggests in Essex County, the number of diagnoses in adults is quite close to the number of diagnoses in children.
Last year there were a total of 18 reported cases in individuals younger than 21 years old, while there were 19 cases in individuals 21 and older. Those numbers were close again in 2010, as 20 cases were found in those younger than 21, and 14 were found in those 21 and older.
Of the nearly 76,000 children who started kindergarten last school year, only 1.1 percent received exemptions from required vaccinations, state health records show.
The state allows exemptions from school vaccinations only when a doctor asserts that a vaccine will medically harm a child, or for religious objections.
Statewide diagnosis
Statewide, diagnoses dipped to roughly 1,180 in 2005 and slipped below 1,000 in 2008. Instances of pertussis have continued to drop since then, totaling about 275 last year. In each of the last four years, cases among adults over 21 accounted for more than 40 percent of all diagnoses statewide.
While the CDC says whooping cough tends to ebb and flow in three- to five-year cycles, Dr. Al DeMaria, director of communicable disease control at the DPH, said he is encouraged by the decline.
"Overall, the rates are lower in the teens and young adults than they had been," he said. "In general, we've seen a decrease in numbers."
Health-care officials are hoping that by expanding the vaccine to seniors, diagnoses could drop even lower, which could mean fewer opportunities to spread the life-threatening illness.
The disease can be fatal for babies and very young children, DeMaria said.
"The idea is that you reduce transmission in the community," he said. "In the infants who haven't had time to get all their shots yet, it really can be devastating."
Today, the CDC recommends infants receive five doses of the TDaP vaccine, which prevents tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough, starting at 2 months. The agency said children should get another dose when they are 11 or 12 years old.
The vaccine also is recommended for children and adults, especially pregnant women, if they have never had it, according to the CDC.
Katrina Powell contributed to this report.


text:
a large shop that sells many different things in different sections
Harrods is probably the world's best known department store.
a large shop that sells mostly food and household items
a shop that sells food
sells fresh fruit and vegetables
sells fresh meat
sells fresh bread and cakes
sells fresh fish
sells medicines and toiletries
sells newspapers and magazines
sells paper goods
sells glasses / contact lenses
sells things for home improvement
DIY stands for 'Do it yourself'
sells hard goods, such as nails and screws
a shop that sells food (cooked meat, cheese, wine, ...) from other countries
sells books
sells pets and pet food
like a cafe, but sells tea and cakes
sells petrol, car products and sometimes food
a shop where you can get a haircut or a shave
sells shoes
sells clothes
a large building with a lot of shops, restaurants, and sometimes a cinema
market traders (people who work on a market) have stalls that sell fruit and vegetables, clothes, household items and so on
a group of stalls selling old furniture or clothes
a shop where they arrange and sell flowers
a shop that sells CDs, records or musical instruments
a shop where you can buy rings, bracelets, necklaces etc.
sells all kinds of toys
a shop where people can plan holidays and make travel arrangements


text:
That's right, ladies. No more nicks.
Spring Essentials: The Season's Best From Tom Ford Beauty
Between clumsy cuts, ingrown hairs, and irritation, we're desperate for the shaving tools to keep our skin safe and smooth! Next time you're in the market for a shaving cream re-stock, consider these gentle gels — because, let's face it, hair removal shouldn't hurt.More
We love Aveeno for its incredible healing powers over sensitive skin, and is there anything more delicate than the cautious hand gliding the blade up and down a woman's hairy legs? Enhanced with emollients and essential vitamins, this smooth-on gel deeply conditions skin and hair so that removal is made easy, and cuts less likely.
Skintimate is pretty much our go-to for shaving essentials due to its price and skin protection. Loaded with vitamin E, olive butter, and lanolin, this shower lotion removes hair easily while aiding flaky skin in desperate need of moisture.
9 Nail-Strengthening Formulas to Prevent Sudden Breaks


text:
Expert Reviewed
wikiHow to Treat Heat Stroke in Dogs
Three Methods:Recognizing Heat Stroke in DogsTreating Heat Stroke in DogsPreventing Heat Stroke in DogsCommunity Q&A
Dogs are not as efficient at releasing heat as we are; they are built to conserve rather than release heat and tend to heat up faster than we do.[1] As such, we may not be aware of the fact that a dog has become overheated until symptoms suddenly develop. Heat stroke in dogs is a very serious condition and its onset can be sudden, escalating into an emergency situation in a matter of minutes. Knowing how to treat a dog experiencing heat stroke may be vital to saving your dog's life.
Recognizing Heat Stroke in Dogs
1Be aware of the temperature. It helps to know what the temperature is at the time of the dog's symptoms. You may want to write down the temperature as well as the conditions (ie: direct sunlight) and the dog's activity level prior to and at the start of symptoms so that you can communicate this information to a veterinarian.
- In the event of a dog being trapped in an area such as a car, you may not know the exact temperature, but if you note that it felt much hotter than the outdoor temperature of 90 degrees, a vet may have enough information to effectively assess and treat the dog.
2Watch for initial heat stroke symptoms. Catching a heat stroke in its early stages can help prevent permanent damage to your dog's internal organs. Some early signs of heat stroke include:[2]
- Excessive or loud panting
- Extreme thirst
- Frequent vomiting
- A bright red tongue and pale gums
- Skin around muzzle or neck doesn't snap back when pinched
- Thick saliva
- Increased heart rate
3Look out for signs of worsening heat stroke. The dog's heat stroke can be worsening if he begins to exhibit any of the following:[3]
- Increased difficulty breathing
- Gums that turn bright red, then blue or purple
- Weakness and/or fatigue
- Disorientation
- Collapse or coma
4Take the dog's temperature. One of the best ways to assess whether the dog's internal temperature is elevated is to take his temperature rectally. A dog's temperature is normally between 99.5 and 102.5 degrees Fahrenheit. A dog is overheated if his temperature is 103 degrees Fahrenheit or higher. A temperature of 109 °F (42.8 °C) is usually fatal.
- Obtain a digital rectal thermometer (preferably one made for pets).
- Lubricate it with a lubricant such as petroleum or KY jelly.
- Ask a helper to hold the dog by holding the head and front part of the body.
- Locate the rectum and lift the tail for access.
- Carefully insert the thermometer into the rectum about one inch (2.5cm); do not let go of it.
- Wait until the digital thermometer beeps. When this happens, carefully remove the thermometer and read the temperature.
- Write down the dog's temperature so that you can communicate it to a veterinarian.
Treating Heat Stroke in Dogs
1Remove the dog from the heat. If possible, move the dog indoors to an air-conditioned area. If that is not possible, move him to a shaded area outdoors, preferably with decent airflow. You will also need to restrict the dog's activity at this point; do not allow him to run around until the danger of heat stroke has passed.
- If you can, carry the dog to a cool place, rather than ask him to walk.
2Allow the dog to drink cool water. Keep the quantity of the water small at first. It is not advisable to give the dog human sports drinks. If the dogs seems uninterested in water, cool or room temperature (low-fat, unsalted) beef or chicken broth is an acceptable substitute.[4]
- Do not force feed water to the dog if he cannot drink freely on his own.[5] Instead, wet his lips, gums, and tongue with water squeezed from a facecloth or clean towel.
3Cool the dog with water. If possible, wet the dog with a stream of cool water. If the water is coming from a hose, be sure that the pressure is reduced. Do not submerge your dog underwater completely, as he can lose temperature too quickly, which may lead to other complications.[6]
- Be sure that the water is not overly cold. Very cold or ice water can actually slow the dog's cooling processes.[7]
- Give priority to wetting his extremities such as paws, head and tail. Also place towels soaked with cool water between his back legs and in his armpits.
4Contact an emergency veterinarian. Even if your dog is responding well to cooling treatments, it is imperative that you contact (and go to) an emergency vet. Internal (organ) damage is a possible side effect of a heat stroke. Undiagnosed complications can be fatal to your dog.[8]
5Place rubbing alcohol on the pads of the dog's paws. Dogs release heat from the pads of their feet, so putting rubbing alcohol on the pads can help draw some of the heat out.[9] Be sure that the feet are uncovered and exposed to cool air.
- Do not use too much alcohol, as it can be harmful if ingested.
6Do not cover or confine the dog. You can wipe the dog down with cool, damp towels, but do not drape the towels over him, as they can trap in the dog's body heat. Similarly, do not place the dog in a closed crate that will hold the heat from his body in around his body.[10]
- Place the dog on a cool tile floor, and have a fan blow air over him.
Preventing Heat Stroke in Dogs
1Be aware of conditions that may cause or exacerbate heat stroke. Dogs that are elderly, obese, or have a history of heart disease or seizures are more likely to suffer from heat strokes and may have a lower tolerance for increased heat.[11]
- Dogs with shorter snouts (like Pugs or Bulldogs) have a harder time panting out their body heat, so may be at higher risk.
- Certain breeds do not tolerate heat as well as others. Some breeds that should be avoided in areas that have extremely hot climates include: Bulldogs (English and French), Boxers, Saint Bernards, Pugs, and Shih Tzus.[12]
2Do not leave a dog in a car in the summer. A dog should never be left in a vehicle in the sun, even if the temperature is mild.[13] Even with the windows cracked, the temperature inside a car can increase exponentially in a matter of minutes, often with fatal results for unfortunate dogs.
3Groom dogs appropriately for the season. Dogs with particularly long and thick fur may need to be shaved or trimmed during the hottest part of the summer.[14] A professional groomer will likely know the best approach for providing a weather-appropriate style for your dog.
4Leave your dog inside during very hot days. If the weather is extremely hot, allow your dog to stay inside an air conditioned house during the hottest parts of the day.[15] If this is not possible, then ensure that he has access to a safe, shaded area outdoors.
5Provide your dog with shade and water. If your dog is outside on a very hot day, be sure that he has access to water and shade.[16] Some people even put ice on the ground for their dogs to lie on if it is particularly hot outside.
6Let your dog swim safely in hot weather. If your dog has access to a river, stream, or pond, he will likely swim in order to remain cool on a hot day. Allowing a dog access to water for swimming, or even hosing him down (gently) with water can help prevent heat stroke.
- Be sure that you supervise your dog's swimming and do not leave him near deep water (particularly swimming pools, which can be difficult for dogs to exit) if he is not a strong swimmer.[17]
- If you do not have access to pet-friendly public pools or beaches, purchase a kiddie pool just for your dog. These can be found at most department stores for as little as ten dollars. Kiddie pools are also a great alternative for pets that are not strong swimmers, that cannot be trusted off leash, or that are uncomfortable around other dogs and strange people.
- Never allow your dog to drink from or swim in water that is contaminated with algae, as this can be toxic to dogs.
7Allow your dog to rest if he is working in the heat. If you have a working dog, such as a herder, you should allow him time to rest during hot days.[18] During rest times, be sure that he has access to plenty of shade and cool water. If possible, allow him to swim or wet him during a break.
Community Q&A
If a dog is panting loudly, has thick saliva, and not moving, does this mean he has heat stroke?Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian, Royal College of Veterinary SurgeonsWhat you have described are classic symptoms of heat stroke. If the dog is in a hot environment, then this makes heat stroke a distinct possibility and you should remove the dog to a cool spot before checking out his temperature and starting to cool him. However, these signs are not exclusive to heat stroke, for example a dog could have a foreign body stuck in his throat or be suffering from advanced heart disease, so always check with a vet when in doubt.
Would a dog have heat stroke while outside or could it happen when right after he came into a cool house?Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian, Royal College of Veterinary SurgeonsJust like a pan of milk boiling on a ceramic hob, the milk still boils for a time after you turned off the heat. It's entirely possible that the dog's temperature stayed dangerously high for a period of time after he came indoors, purely because the dog has limited ways of losing heat quickly. Indeed, the act of walking indoors generates heat from muscular contraction, so getting inside was a trial in itself and he's not going to cool down instantly.
What do I do if a puppy with heatstroke won't eat for two days?wikiHow ContributorHeatstroke can cause unseen problems, such as swelling of the brain, kidney failure, and abnormal clotting of blood, get immediate veterinary attention. Loss of appetite in dogs can indicate illness, and it is important to seek veterinary care if you notice changes in your dog's eating habits. It is especially important to respond promptly to a refusal to eat in dogs that usually eat well.
My dog was in the heat a lot yesterday, and today her eyes are rolled back and glazed over. What should I do?wikiHow ContributorTry to keep her cool by using a cool cloth or towel or by letting her play in the water. Just make sure the water is not cold.
My dog seems weak, has a temperature of 99.7 degrees, and has vomited. Could this be heat stroke?wikiHow ContributorThe normal body temperature for a dog falls within the range of 100°F to 102.5°F (about 38°C to 39.2°C). If your dog's temperature is outside of this range, you should contact your veterinarian. Body temperature over 104°F or under 99°F indicates an emergency situation.
How do I treat a dog when it's in heat?
We have a dog that suffered from heat stroke. He's moving and calm but not able to walk well. I called the emergency clinic and they said to bring the dog in for a full night of IV with an IV pump. This site says take the dog to a vet but doesn't say what a vet can do. Please explain.
- For information on preventing heatstroke, read How to prevent heat stroke in dogs.
- Equally important for your dog's sense of calm is keeping yourself calm. If you panic, your dog can sense this and may also panic, exacerbating the situation. Instead, remain as calm as possible, work methodically to restore their normal temperature and make fast arrangements to transport him to the vet. Stay focused so that you can stay reassured that you're doing all you possibly can to increase the chances of your dog's survival.
- Shaving a double coated dog is NOT advisable to control heat...The undercoat is designed to help cool in warm weather and vice versa in cool weather.
- Mix the alcohol 50/50 with water to soak the dog's paws in.
Sources and Citations
- ↑ Merck and Merial, The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health, p. 3, (2007), ISBN 978-0-911910-99-5
- ↑ http://www.austindogzone.com/all_things_dog/know-the-signs-of-heat-exhaustion-in-dogs/
- ↑ http://www.austindogzone.com/all_things_dog/know-the-signs-of-heat-exhaustion-in-dogs/
- ↑ http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-health/dog-heatstroke-survival-guide.aspx
- ↑ http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1375
- ↑ http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-health/dog-heatstroke-survival-guide.aspx
- ↑ http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-health/dog-heatstroke-survival-guide.aspx
- ↑ http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/pet-safety/protecting-pets-from-heat
- ↑ http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/pet-safety/protecting-pets-from-heat
- ↑ http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-health/dog-heatstroke-survival-guide.aspx
- ↑ http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/resources/tips/pets_safe_heat_wave.html
- ↑ http://dogtime.com/dog-breeds/characteristic_lists/poorly-suited-for-hot-weather
- ↑ http://www.austindogzone.com/all_things_dog/know-the-signs-of-heat-exhaustion-in-dogs/
- ↑ http://pets.webmd.com/hot-weather-tips-pet?page=2
- ↑ http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1375
- ↑ http://www.drsfostersmith.com/pic/article.cfm?aid=1375
- ↑ http://pets.webmd.com/hot-weather-tips-pet?page=3
- ↑ http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-health/dog-heatstroke-survival-guide.aspx
Article Info
Categories: Emergency Dog Care
In other languages:
Español: tratar el golpe de calor en perros, Italiano: Trattare il Colpo di Calore nei Cani, Português: Tratar a Hipertermia em Cães, Русский: действовать при тепловом ударе у собак, 日本語: 犬の熱中症治療, Deutsch: Hitzschlag bei Hunden behandeln, Français: traiter une insolation chez un chien, Bahasa Indonesia: Mengatasi Serangan Panas pada Anjing, Nederlands: Behandel een hitteberoerte bij honden, ไทย: รักษาโรคลมแดดในสุนัข, العربية: علاج ضربة الحر عند الكلاب, Tiếng Việt: Điều trị say nóng ở chó
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Malda (WB), Dec 17: Two infants died in the state-run Malda Medical College and Hospital here, an official said today.
Both the infants - one two-day-old and the other 28-days-old - were low birth weight babies, Medical Superintendent cum Vice Principal, A Dawn, told reporters here.
The newborns did not respond to treatment before their death yesterday, he said.


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Is it possible to have muscle separation 6 months post op after tummy tuck? (photos)
Doctor Answers 3
Is it possible to have muscle separation 6 months post op after tummy tuck?
Your photos do not demonstrate your area of concern. You need to submit a good-full set of photos- clearly demonstrating the bulge. If the muscle was repaired , and one or two of the sutures have come undone- then you may experience a bulge. Only time, and repeated physical exams will determine this fact
Is it possible to have muscle separation 6 months post op after tummy tuck?
Yes, it is possible that abdominal wall laxity (not necessarily separation of muscle plication) can be the cause of the "bulge". On the other hand, adipose tissue and/or redundant skin may also cause this concern, at this stage after tummy tuck surgery.
Generally, at this point, I would suggest that you continue to exercise patience. Do your best, through healthy diet/exercise to maintain a long-term stable weight and continue to follow up with your plastic surgeon. Repeat physical examination one year out of surgery will be helpful when it comes to differentiating the cause of any residual fulness.
Best wishes for an outcome that you will be pleased with long-term.
Web reference: http://www.poustiplasticsurgery.com/Procedures/Procedure_tummyTuck.htm
Possible Bulge at 7 Months Post-Op
Swelling can persist for several months and will gradually improve and will look better at three months, six months, and even one year. It may also take several months for a tummy tuck patient's scars to soften, for sensation to return, and for relaxing of the tight sensation in the abdomen. In the case of extensive surgery, abdominoplasty recovery can be uncomfortable and may take longer. Scars may stay red, become thick or widen. It can take 12-18 months for the scars to settle. If you have incisions in the muscle that have come undone then it may not be swelling that is continuing. It would be best to have continued follow-up appointments with your surgeon to have the area examined to determine what may be causing this and if it still continues what can be done to resolve this issue.
Note that revision surgery is unusual but may be desired for several reasons. Most revisions should be done after 9-12 months. One cause for revision surgery are "dog ears" at the ends of the incisions. These are small folds of excess skin that do not flatten over time. They can be excised, suctioned or both. Excess fat or loose skin may require liposuction and skin excision to obtain the best result. Good luck!
Web reference: http://www.horowitzmd.com/plastic-surgery-procedures-newport-beach/abdominoplasty/
You might also like...
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


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Yas Island hotel is conveniently located on Yas Island, a stunning island place with amazing views. It is an outstanding place for a luxurious getaway. Love driving? The hotel is just minutes away from the Formula 1 Race Track. Love golf? The Links Golf Course is short walk away.
This hotel is unsurprisingly rated 4 stars being one of the most visited deluxe hotels in Abu Dhabi. The rooms are of the highest quality. Yas Island assures international flair and a personalised service for all of its guests. The staff members are kind, friendly and multilingual, there's a slim chance you'll see a member of staff without a smile on their face.
There are great bars and clubs in the hotel where you can do a range of things. Have a seat and watch the sports in the Y bar or have a cocktail with your meal in the Rangoli. Looking for a seat in the sunshine? The sunny and sandy beaches are never far from walking distance in Abu Dhabi. If you're driving in the area the hotel has valet parking and car or limousine rental. The Yas Island hotel has its own currency exchange service and doctor's on call.
Distance from Airport:
6 miles - Abu Dhabi Airport
There are 281 rooms with 21 suites in the Yas Island hotel. The smallest room is 35sqm. Each room has its own safe, bathrobes and hairdryer as well as a high-speed Internet connection and satellite television with multiple channels. There is a daily housekeeping service to keep your room fresh throughout the day as well as a 24 hour room service menu.
Transfer time:
15 minutes
Eating and Drinking:
Choices Buffet features a variety of international foods where you can have a buffet for breakfast and a buffet for dinner as well as desert if you have enough room afterwards. At lunch there will be a salat and desert buffet, main course a la carte and set menu which will be changed daily. It is paradise for the hungry!
Fancy a drink? Aquarius offers light refreshments and cocktails. Your certain to find the entertainment you desire in one of the many bars and lounges in Yas Island.
. Breakfast: 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
. Lunch: 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM (A la carte)
. Iftar: Sunset - 9:00 PM at AED 165.00 ++ (food only)
. Dinner: 09:00 PM -11:30 PM (A la Carte)
* Island Cafe
Opens from break of fast onwards.
No alcohol Served during the holy Ramadan month
* Y Bar
Opens from 07:30 PM - 02:00 AM
No music
* Aquarius
* Blue Grill Restaurant
Normal Operation
* Rangoli
Normal Operation
Club Rotana
* Alcohol served only from 7:30 PM onwards
* The entrance door will remain partially closed during the day time
* Banquet
Operate as normal. Coffee breaks will be served inside the meeting rooms
**The following schedules will operate during the month of Ramadan.**
Room Service
•24 hours Room Service menu
•Suhoor served from 1:00 AM- 04:00 AM (Set Menu) at AED 75.00 ++ For Centro Yas Island and Yas Island Rotana (food only)
Choices: Operate as normal
•Breakfast: 6:00 AM - 10:30 AM
•Lunch: 12:00 PM - 03:00 PM (A la carte)
•Iftar: Sunset - 9:00 PM at AED 165.00 ++ (food only)
•Dinner: 09:00 PM -11:30 PM (A la Carte)
Island Cafe
•Opens from break of fast onwards
•No alcohol Served during the holy Ramadan month
Y Bar
•Opens from 07:30 PM - 02:00 AM
•No music
Blue Grill Restaurant
•Normal Operation
•Normal Operation
Club Rotana
•Alcohol served only from 7:30 PM onwards
•The entrance door will remain partially closed during the day time
•Operate as normal. Coffee breaks will be served inside the meeting rooms
Swimming pools:
The hotel features an outdoor temperature-controlled swimming pool, saunas, steam rooms and even a pool for children. You'll also find a Jacuzzi on site for the ultimate watery relaxation.
Right choice:
The hotel is fantastic for anyone with a desire for peace and sunshine. Everything you need is close by in the Yas Island hotel, with such exceptional facilities you're all set for the perfect holiday in Abu Dhabi.
Suitable for:
Individuals, Business Trips, Families, Couples.


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Home > Seniors Exercise > How to Keep Going
How to Keep Going
Exercise for Seniors
For many older adults, motivation to keep exercising and doing physical activities isn't a problem. They say that regular physical activity makes them feel so much better that it would be hard to stop.
Others say that, while physical activity makes them feel better, a little extra motivation helps them get going. For example, one woman says she puts on headphones and listens to recorded books borrowed from the library to make her 40 minute walks more interesting. Now, she mall walks for an hour, 5 days a week, with a friend. Having that companionship is a good motivator, she says.
We have included this section on motivation because physical activity needs to be a regular, permanent habit to produce benefits. So does staying motivated!
Recording your progress and feeling yourself improve can be an excellent motivator to exercise. But don't get discouraged if you see that have improved by only a few seconds or just one or two lifts of a weight. In terms of real life benefits, those slight improvements are multiplied many times over as you include them in your everyday activities. You incorporate that extra little bit of endurance and strength into everything you do, and it adds up to a lot.
But no matter how enthusiastic you are about exercise, there may be times when you need extra motivation. It's common for beginning exercisers, especially those who are frail, to make fast progress at first. You might get discouraged when the improvements you were making taper off at times.
These leveling-off periods are normal. Often, they mean that it's time to gradually make your activities more challenging. If you have any doubts about whether you are doing the right things to progress, check with your doctor or a qualified fitness professional.
When you need extra motivation, try the following:
- Ask someone to be your exercise buddy. Many older adults agree that having someone to exercise with helps keep them going.
- Listen to recorded books or music while you do endurance activities.
- Set a goal, and decide on a reward you will get when you reach it.
- Give yourself physical activity homework assignments for the next day or the next week.
- Think of your exercise sessions as appointments, and mark them on your calendar.
- Keep a record of what you do and of your progress. Understand that there will be times that you don't show rapid progress and that you are still benefiting from your activities during those times.
- Plan ahead for travel, bad weather, and house guests. For example, an exercise video can help you exercise indoors when the weather is bad.
When it comes to motivation, the first month is crucial. If you can increase your physical activity for a month and keep going after that, you will have passed a critical landmark. It's a good sign that you are on your way to making exercise and physical activity regular, life long habits.
You may also find of interest...
Disclaimer: The material on this Web site is not intended to replace advice from your doctor or fitness professional. Please consult with your physician before beginning any fitness program or fat or weight reduction program. FitnessandFreebies.com takes no responsibility for individual results, or any claim made by a third party.


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Carrie Gets Lunch
The bus ride was humiliating. People gave Eliza weird looks as she got on the bus and she could hear people whispering behind her back. The rest of the school day was even worse. There was no respite from the pointing and taunts and everything else that teenagers come up with to harass each other.
"Eliza! What happened to you? You look...different."
Carrie had been trying to make eye contact with Eliza all day and every one of her attempts at conversation had been thrown back in her face. At lunch, Carrie had finally managed to corner her friend and force her to talk.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Eh, we've been through worse than wardrobe changes."
Carrie pushed Eliza into a seat at an empty table and opened her lunch box. She gave her food a disgusted look and reluctantly opened the bag that contained her ham and cheese sandwich. It looked like it had been through a nuclear armageddon, for it was all squished and mauled beyond recognition. The cheese looked old and the ham was slimy, but Carrie never complained. Her life was hard enough to know that food was not to be wasted, even if it was weeks old and was covered in black mold.
Carrie took a bite of her sandwich, but Eliza snatched it from her hand and threw it into a nearby trash can.
"I'll buy you lunch if you promise not to make fun of me when I tell you why I'm dressed like this."
Carrie wasn't a complainer, but the thought of food that wasn't going to give you food poisoning later in the day was always an appealing thought.
"I won't laugh, I promise."
Five minutes later, the girls returned to their table with their trays of food. Eliza's held the usual pizza and french fries, but Carrie had piled everything she could get her hands on into the tray.
"Please don't tell me you intend to eat all of that. You'll get ill."
"My mother has not gone grocery shopping in two weeks. If I have to, I'm going to carry this stuff out of here in the pockets of my jacket, but right now, that's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about you and your sudden change in taste."
"Alright, I'll tell you, but you can't think I'm crazy. The other night I was cleaning out my closet and I came across some clothes that I don't remember buying. Mom said I got them at the mall two weeks ago, but I have no idea where I got the money from to buy them, or even going to the mall at all. In fact, I don't remember anything from two weeks ago."
"Maybe everything just became so dull that last week became an unimportant blur."
"Maybe, but where did the clothes come from? Mom wouldn't lie to me about something like that."
"If you hate them so much, then why are you wearing them?"
"This morning I got up and found these clothes at the foot of the bed where I usually lay out my clothing for the next day the night before, but I don't remember anything past dinnertime last night and I don't remember setting out these clothes. I'm also starting to think that my alarm clock was set deliberately later so that I would have no choice but to be in a hurry and wear these. When I went into the bathroom, there was a note on the mirror that said, 'enjoy.' All my makeup was gone and had been replaced by different stuff. I don't know what's going on, but I'm really worried."
"It really just sounds like someone is playing a joke on you. It's mean, but it's not serious. No one's going to get hurt. Just play along and whoever it is will lose interest and stop harassing you. Your makeup might not be returned, but you can always get more."
"Yeah, sure."
Eliza wasn't convinced that a prank was the only thing that was causing her problems, but it seemed like the best idea there was.
Except Eliza knew that she was avoiding the truth. She knew that there was another reason that she was losing her memory and having strange things happen to her, but it wasn't one that she wanted to entertain. The loss of memory she could attribute to stress. Eliza couldn't think of any reason for why she had heard a voice in her head the night she had discovered the clothes.
I must be losing my mind.


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Consider the late illustration including the city of New York. furthermore, its contractual worker called SAIC. In 2000, New York City contracted SAIC for a task called CityTime, a worker time administration framework planned at $73 million. After outrageous overbilling and kickbacks, the aggregate venture cost had swelled to over $600 million. In 2005, a SAIC informant cautioned powers about this huge overbilling. This prompted a criminal extortion charge, and, in March of this current year, SAIC (now called Leidos) conceded wrongdoing and consented to a settlement of over a large portion of a billion dollars.
This benefit over-guideline methodology is considerably all the more aggravating when it misuses vital taxpayer supported organizations. Such was the situation when Hewlett Packard overbilled New York City $163 million on an update of the city's 911 crisis correspondences framework. During a period when the city was attempting to pay for early adolescence training, youth projects and fire organizations, the overwhelming impacts of government stealing on citizens was clear.
In fact, overbilling on work expenses is regular, particularly when temporary workers charge for unconfirmed hours. In any case, this issue can be tackled with innovation that equitably tracks and reports billable hours.
TransparentBusiness, a globally acclaimed cloud-based coordination device, is doing only that. Assigned by Citigroup as the "Top People Management Solution," TransparentBusiness screens and tracks continuously all the PC based action of any geologically circulated workforce. By catching and putting away, with CIA-grade security, standard screenshots from representative PCs, government venture administrators can actually check each billable moment. Such innovation shields governments from expanded billable hours, as well as expansions profitability by up to 40 percent by making each billable moment responsible. Astoundingly, TransparentBusiness offers genuinely necessary assurance from overbilling at no expense to governments.
We have the devices. It's an ideal opportunity to quit composing unlimited free passes to government temporary workers who blow up their billable hours. It's a great opportunity to actualize a straightforward arrangement of business that will spare citizens several billions of dollars.


text: Optimization and audit of radiation dose during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplastyRoshan S. Livingstone, B. S. Timothy Peace, Sunil Chandy, Paul V. George, Purendra PatiJournal of medical physics2007The percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) is one of the interventional procedures which impart high radiation doses to patients compared to the other cardiologic procedures. This study intends to audit and optimize radiation dose imparted to patients undergoing PTCA. Forty-four patients who underwent PTCA involving single or multiple stent… (More)


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Online 8 months ago
Rent budget
Preferred stay length
Move date
Recently returned to Scotland after 5 yrs on the Gold Coast. My new job and resettlement back home has not been a great sucess and I have decided to return to the Gold Coast after 3 months. Am Social Worker with solid work history and have employment opportunities lined up with previous employer Qld Health but am okay financially to pay in advance.. I left my 5 yr old Spoodle dog Ruby with a foster carer and I would like to have her back when I return which will be within next week or so. I do smoke but always outdors . Essentially just looking for somewhere to stay close to Robina hospital.
Kevin is also interested in Teaming-Up and starting a new share house.