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I havent seen any posts here asking what a beginner should expect when they start that journey to learn Aikido. I am guessing that breakfalls would be one of the first things to start to learn. Saftey should be on the top of the list and unless you can protect yourself I wouldnt think you would be getting tossed around and dropped on your head
What was the first technique you learned when you started?
How many months till you were ready to take that first test?
I know this might be thinking back many years for some of you but I thought it would be informative to people.

If you´re new to the martial arts, almost everything will feel awkward, from putting the dogi, to tying the knot, stepping barefoot in the mat and sitting in seiza for the first time (ouch!).

The first lesson is perhaps the most important one, katate tori soto tenkan, it all begins there...apparently so simple and yet so profound, I would be happy if my only achievement was to master it. As for Ukemi it´s always easier to begin with backward half rolls, and most people will perform ushiro and zempo ukemi after a couple of weeks, but breakfalls...

The thing that I remember most about when I started was sore muscles that I didn't even know I had. As far as techniques, tenkan is the first thing I learned after basic ukemi, and I think one of the most essential movements to know.

"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."

"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."

I've been training in Aikido, after doing no other martial art ever, and no physical exercise at all in about the last 6 years

I started on the 10th April and have been training three times a week, so roughly 5/6 hours of training a week.

The techniques listed above seem to be along the same lines as those I have learned, I have a month before my first test (29th June), my rolls are coming along nicely (as the secondary instructor commented, at nearly 400lbs, and I'm rolling.. imagine how storming ahead I'd be if I were of a smaller size! ), and breakfalls are simply a hysterical way to hit the floor

Received no formal training with them just yet, but I have a go nonetheless. I usually start with attempts at breakfalls towards the end of class when I'm getting too tired to want to roll out of techniques

When I began training I found that for a good few weeks everything said went in one ear and out of the other, and I regarded this as some form of preparation, just a grounding in what your body was about to be put through, then quite literally, Blam! Blam! Blam! It ALL starts coming together, you begin to remember techniques, associate those awkward Japanese names with the techniques, and then even begin doing them correctly

I haven't stopped aching since my first session, and have no intentions of stopping aching anytime soon.

I'd say the first technique I learned was irimi-tenkans. Breakfalls are definitely not for beginners. I'm about 8 months into training and am sort of dipping my toes into them.

It's really important that you learn to fall right. So backrolls, half backrolls as Ignacio said, are some good first lessons. It's something you'll use throughout your training.

I think I'm ready for my first test. I definitely have the required days registered and I am confident that I would be able to do the techniques. It really depends on the individual though. YMMV as they say...

I have to honestly say that beginning aikido is different for everyone. I started out jumpy and frightened , but after a few weeks I was able to better tolerate physical contact.

If I remember correctly the first thing that I learned was Tenkan, followed by variations of Shihonage, Iriminage and a few others.

Break falling came into play about two months into my training when I moved up to train with the advanced class ( I started out taking a credited 1 mod class). Strangest thing is that I instinctively reverted to break falling , which made things so much easier when I was taught formally It also saved me from a few bone shattering throws. (Now if I started charging for all the break falls I take when training... woo I'd be bringing in some money...

Don't worry about break falls. focus on your techniques and move slowly. Don't be afraid to ask questions, or to ask someone to slow down.

my six month is coming up,too. and my beginning was very different. we are a small dojo and we all train together. Somebody was training for her Shodan test so we all did black-belt test techniques for my first month. when my test comes up, maybe the whole dojo will do my fifth-kyu training with me?

I waited 6 months to take 5th kyu. I wanted to absorb what was being taught. Its not a race to shodan. Infact I didnt join Aikido to learn how to preform martial arts techniques. I joined to sharpen my mind,learn discipline,etc. The mental aspects that comes from hard training was what I was after.

I always felt ukemi was alot tougher and demanding then learning techniques. So I would have my seniors after class throw me until I got the ukeme right. Ukemi is the best part of training IMO

The funny thing is is that I wasn't joking. It was the very first thing I was shown and I find I still don't do it right all the time. I sometimes find myself doing the motion just to get it done without putting myself in, what I think should be, the proper frame of mind.

Like I said, still needs work.

Bronson

"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."

My experience with throwing/falling martial arts is limited to Jitsu. First of all we learnt techniques such as wrist releases and some basic armlocks, during this time we practised ukemi-kata (forward rolls, backwards and sideways) from kneeling positions. Then we moved up to rolling from standing positions and then backwards off some poor uke's back. The first throws we learnt were the beginners' version of the Gari's (O Soto, Ko Soto, O Uchi and Ko Uchi) and the breakfall was simply a backwards breakfall from standing. However when it got to about 8 weeks of training, we were introduced to our first hip throw (Koshi Guruma - hip wheel throw) and we got hurt. Badly; hehe I'll never forget seeing my leg so bruised afterwards. Eventually we learnt how not to get hurt so much. The key was to relax(!)

More advanced forms of ukemi were kick-up and drops where you grab uke's dogi, kick up with both feet as high as you can and then drop to the floor, without hurting yourself, after two years I still found that this hurt a lot. Diving "over the belt" was fun too and we learnt that that was necessary for Kote Gaeshi, if someone decides to put one of those on you, HARD, then it's either dive to the floor or it's your wrist.

I have to say though that some of the breakfalling got stupidly dangerous and "macho" and that's one of the reasons why I stopped doing it...Forwards and backwards rolling off tables, and then doing forward drops off uke's shoulders...I thought it was a bit much...particularly as virtually all my friends who stuck with Jitsu and reached blue belt level have now had to stop due to back injuries.

I say this now because I want to take up Aikido soon and just thought that I would share my experiences in an art that incorporates throwing. Are these similar experiences to yours? I can breakfall fairly well, but I'm not jumping off any tables!

I wouldn't see a need for jumping off tables, unless you happened to be standing on one when you attacked nage

Bronson

"A pacifist is not really a pacifist if he is unable to make a choice between violence and non-violence. A true pacifist is able to kill or maim in the blink of an eye, but at the moment of impending destruction of the enemy he chooses non-violence."

Would I be guessing correctly that your Jitsu dojo is affiliated to 'The Jitsu Foundation'? The syllabus you described sounds rather familiar to me; I've trained their style for 7 years so far, and made it up to Dark Blue belt (2nd Kyu). Must admit that a lot of the advanced ukemi scares me silly half the time; I'm not the most gymnastic of people!

I started Aikido last September when I moved to Copenhagen, and it's been interesting to compare my experiences in the two arts. Being able to take the falls already (especially if you're au fait with over-the-belt etc.) will definitely be an advantage of course, but I did notice some differences in that (i) I never did much 1-armed rolling in Jitsu and (ii) some of the directions of the throws are a little unexpected compared with the directions in related Jitsu throws (iii) backwards rolls are diagonally opposite to Jitsu backwards rolls. Glad to say I haven't seen any 'macho' 'dangerous' ukemi thus far! Several of the techniques, especially the wristlocks, are very similar, but often with a subtlely different emphasis. It's always a good idea to look at them with a completely open mind, and enjoy exploring the similarities and differences between the two styles.

Indeed, I am talking about "The Jitsu Foundation", and I'm glad that someone shares my sentiments about the "scary" ukemi - I'm sure that I would be able to do some of that stuff but I just thought that some of it was too much - also incorporating Maki Komi's into the syllabus is something that I think is highly dangerous...I refused to do it once as I was paired up with a lady uke who was about a foot shorter and 5 stone lighter than I am! On the whole Jitsu training is safe but I wasn't prepared to take the very real risk of hospitalising someone by landing on them immediately after a hip throw!

Still, I do miss the teachings of Sensei Jonno, he cracked me up every time he was on the mat!

The 1-armed rolling was something I encountered when I trained sometimes with the BJJA and I could never quite grasp it, I was always putting my other hand out for support, a la Jitsu Foundation...

I am looking forward to comparing the styles and think I will benefit from knowing a bit about each.


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When you need to store a lot but can't spread out, go vertical. Lista standard and shallow depth eye-height modular drawer storage cabinets let you make the best of your vertical space. More height means more drawers and more storage flexibility. Six-drawer to 16-drawer units for each depth are available.

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// Copyright (c) Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC and other VisIt
// Project developers.  See the top-level LICENSE file for dates and other
// details.  No copyright assignment is required to contribute to VisIt.

// ************************************************************************* //
//  File: avtEllipsoidSliceFilter.h
// ************************************************************************* //

#ifndef AVT_EllipsoidSlice_FILTER_H
#define AVT_EllipsoidSlice_FILTER_H

#include <avtPluginDataTreeIterator.h>

#include <EllipsoidSliceAttributes.h>

// ****************************************************************************
//  Class: avtEllipsoidSliceFilter
//
//  Purpose:
//      A plugin operator for EllipsoidSlice.
//
//  Programmer: pugmire -- generated by xml2avt
//  Creation:   Tue Jun 3 09:44:03 PDT 2014
//
//  Modifications:
//    Eric Brugger, Thu Jul 24 13:22:53 PDT 2014
//    Modified the class to work with avtDataRepresentation.
//
// ****************************************************************************

class avtEllipsoidSliceFilter : public avtPluginDataTreeIterator
{
  public:
                         avtEllipsoidSliceFilter();
    virtual             ~avtEllipsoidSliceFilter();

    static avtFilter    *Create();

    virtual const char  *GetType(void)  { return "avtEllipsoidSliceFilter"; };
    virtual const char  *GetDescription(void)
                             { return "EllipsoidSlice"; };

    virtual void         SetAtts(const AttributeGroup*);
    virtual bool         Equivalent(const AttributeGroup*);

  protected:
    EllipsoidSliceAttributes       atts;

    virtual avtDataRepresentation *ExecuteData(avtDataRepresentation *);
};

#endif


Report card on the National Plan for Research on Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders. The midway point.
A strong argument can be made that given the long-term impact of child and adolescent mental disorders, it is essential for the National Institutes of Health and other funding agencies in the public and private sectors to identify this as a priority in need of greater financial support. This document uses data provided by the National Institute of Mental Health and other sources to assess the impact of the National Plan for Research on Child and Adolescent Mental Disorders that was presented to Congress in 1990. Major gains are noted, particularly in the areas of services research and prevention. Investment in research training and career development has been modest and many deserving career development proposals have not been funded. A major shortcoming in the implementation of the national plan, thus far, has been that the National Institute of Mental Health has not yet taken steps to inform the public concerning the nature and impact of child and adolescent mental disorders. This report ends with an examination of the declining indicators of the status of children in the United States and the conclusion that concerted efforts are needed to educate all segments of society concerning the latest knowledge about these potentially devastating conditions and what can be done to prevent and treat them. Our most precious natural resource, our children and youth, is in jeopardy. It is time to build on advances in related fields of scientific inquiry and to continue to develop the knowledge-base needed to intervene effectively and lessen the enormous human and financial costs associated with these conditions.


[Application of electronic larynx in speech rehabilitation after laryngectomy].
An electronic larynx has been developed at this center and used among laryngectomees for speaking rehabilitation. The phonation rate was 98% in 4,520 patients from all over the country. The frequency characteristics of the artificial larynx is close to that of human sound. Other advantages of the electronic larynx are: the best sound conducting point at the neck; natural phonation actions; and on/off switch synchronized with speaking attempts. The electronic larynx is easy to use and worth to be recommended as an alternative to surgical intervention in speech rehabilitation after laryngectomy.


Grow in Humility Virtue Chart (2 Weeks)

That Resource SiteApril 4, 2016 @ 9:51AM

Apr 4, 2016 |

Help Very Young Children Learn to Be Humble.

Use this progress chart featuring a young girl painting to teach young Catholics about humility. Encourage students to track the times that they practice being humble in a two-week period. An introductory paragraph about humility is provided as well as examples of how to practice this most important virtue that fights the sin of pride.


Claiming race

A claiming race in thoroughbred horse racing is one in which the horses are all for sale for more or less the same price (the "claiming price") up until shortly before the race. Race types form a hierarchy in terms of the quality of horse they attract, with handicap races and graded stakes races attracting the "best" horses and maiden races the most unseasoned. Claiming races fall at the bottom of this hierarchy, below maiden races, and make up the bulk of races run at most US tracks. For example in Kentucky in 1999, 54% of all races run were claiming races, but had only 20% of the purse dollar value, the lowest average purse among race types.

The mechanics of claiming vary based on jurisdiction but in most cases almost anyone, or possibly anyone who is licensed to own racehorses, may claim. For example, the Illinois Racing Board stipulates that any horse may be claimed for its entered price by any licensed owner or agent or anyone who has filed an application and been granted a claiming license. Title to the horse typically transfers just before the start of the race, but the previous owner is entitled to the purse, if any, that results from the horse's performance in the race. Usually related parties such as the trainer or employees, or relatives, are prohibited from claiming, as are reciprocal agreements between owners to "protect" each other's horses. If a horse is purchased, a track official tags it (often with a red tag) after the race, and it goes to its new owner, assuming the new owner had sufficient funds on deposit.

Claiming races have claim amounts which vary, and higher amounts tend to have richer purses. The intent of this is to even the race; if a better-than-class horse is entered (with the expectation of an easy purse win), it might be lost for the claiming price, which is likely less than the horse is worth. Someone may wish to claim a horse if they think the horse has not been trained to its fullest potential under another trainer.

Claiming races serve several purposes. They are a quality classification, as well as a way of ensuring racing outcomes are less predictable, which in turn increases the handle, or amount of parimutuel betting, and a way to bring liquidity to the racehorse marketplace. Although many horses never rise above claiming races, some do. For example Stymie, a USD 1500 claimer, went on to earn over 900,000 USD, winning many storied grade 1 stakes and handicap races in the 1940s. General Quarters, a USD 20,000 claimer, won the grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes and ran in the 2009 Kentucky Derby. Make A Stand, claimed for £8,000 in 1995, won the 1997 Champion Hurdle.  In 2018, Maximum Security won a claiming race, but was not claimed, and went on to run in the 2019 Kentucky Derby, and initially appeared to win, but was disqualified for interfering with other horses.

References

Category:Horse racing


Well I have mine, and have set it up with a Turnigy 42-40-1050 running seperately on a 4s A123 pack, with the 5 servos and rec.on a 4.8v pack. I added flaps, but all else is as received. The problem I now have is that it will take about 10.5 oz a nose weight to balance, which seems exessive to me. How does this compare with what others have found?

Well I have mine, and have set it up with a Turnigy 42-40-1050 running seperately on a 4s A123 pack, with the 5 servos and rec.on a 4.8v pack. I added flaps, but all else is as received. The problem I now have is that it will take about 10.5 oz a nose weight to balance, which seems exessive to me. How does this compare with what others have found?

Arnie,

You say there are 5 servos and you added flaps. Can you provide more information on this layout? Did you take the aileron torque rods and run one servo off of them to make flaps? If so, how much aileron did you remove?

Share some pics if you can. I think that's the direction I'd like to go with the Escapade.

You say there are 5 servos and you added flaps. Can you provide more information on this layout? Did you take the aileron torque rods and run one servo off of them to make flaps? If so, how much aileron did you remove?

Share some pics if you can. I think that's the direction I'd like to go with the Escapade.

Sorry, but I don't have photos. The flaps are each 11'', which leaves the ailerons at 11 1/4''.Yes, I used the factory as built torsion rods, and hooked them together at the servo using the supplied rods. I made " Z " bends for the connector at the torsion end. One link is straight from the servo to the rod, and the other off-set, and connects to the straight link just before the servo.

Sounds exactly like the PTS-51 from H9, which works very well and is the easyest setup for flaps and ailerons. It also leaves the option for making the ailerons into spoilerons for airbrakes, like the H9 UltraSticks!

My real concern is with the amount of weight needed to balance. Short of loading the weight inside the motor mount, I see no easy way to balance. I am looking at ways to reduce the weight of the tail feathers, either by remaking from thinner balsa, or prehaps with foam parts. Am looking for feedback. This is my first "conversion plane ". Is this balance difficulty typical?

Is it the recomended E-setup? If the motor is lighter, or ther battery smaller, it could throw the ballance off quite a bit. Also, at this size, electric is generally much lighter, and the plane can have .40-.60 sized motors on them, plus heavy APC sport props. Thats a solid chunk of metal on the tip of the nose, vs. your small chunk of motor and the battery, which is behind the firewall. So even if your setup weighs the same as a .46 motor, half of that weight is behind the firewall in the battery. Being the nitro guy, I cant say this is typical, but it makes sence that nose weight would be needed, but I seriously daught 10+ oz. are ever needed, otherwise why go electric in the irst place if teh plane is going to weight 10oz. more than if it were nitro!?

The motor I am using is a 42-40-1050 and is 125kg, the recommended motor is a 42-60-800, and also weighs 125 kg. A draw. I did send a E-mail to Great Planes describing my set up and posed the balance question to them. Their response is that as long as I do not add more than 8 oz I would be ok. So adding 10.5 is not, since that so far is only the estimated amount.

I'd go with the biggest battery then. That would giv eyou more power, more flight time, more weight in the nose.

Are the servos mounted in the tail? If they are, or if they can be moved inside the fuse, move them farword as much as possible, an use lighter push rods. Use the plastic sleeved pushrods like Dubro's Lazer Pushrods which are easly setup, and will save a lot of weight inteh tail compared with metal rods.

Images

I'd go with the biggest battery then. That would giv eyou more power, more flight time, more weight in the nose.

Are the servos mounted in the tail? If they are, or if they can be moved inside the fuse, move them farword as much as possible, an use lighter push rods. Use the plastic sleeved pushrods like Dubro's Lazer Pushrods which are easly setup, and will save a lot of weight inteh tail compared with metal rods.

Good suggestions,Jake. This is an ARF, already covered, and very well done in my opinion, so changout of linkage would be difficult. The servos are in the fuse over the wing. By replacing the balsa spacer behind the motor with a thicker maple block, and adding a weight salvaged from an Art Tech Corsair in the front of the firewall, it looks like I am at about 6 oz away from balance. I will keep pecking away.

You could still replace the metal push rods with the plastic ones if the metal pushrods are in a sleeve, just pull them out, and slide in the plastic ones if they fit into the guide tubes that are already installed. I bet you that would save you as much as 2oz. from the empennage's total weight!

Sounds like your very close! Can you move the ESC and Rx farward into the nose one on either side of the battery? Also, do you need a seprate battery to operate the servos? If so, move that up against the firewall, under the battery tray, I bet these would put you on the mark!

I would consider 10.5, or even 8 ounces, to be excessive to get an ARF to balance as recommended. Especially if using standard components, or similar weight items.

Quote:

Originally Posted by arniebud

The motor I am using is a 42-40-1050 and is 125kg, the recommended motor is a 42-60-800, and also weighs 125 kg. A draw. I did send a E-mail to Great Planes describing my set up and posed the balance question to them. Their response is that as long as I do not add more than 8 oz I would be ok. So adding 10.5 is not, since that so far is only the estimated amount.

Picked up an Escapade today at my LHS. Looked great coming out of the box. Sadly, one of the wings has a broken lip on the leading edge that locks it into the fuselage. Not something I can fix so I'll see if I can get a replacement.

For those of you flying her, what servos are you using? I'm considering Futaba 3004's...good choice?

I'm hoping to acquire an AXI 4120/14 for this bad boy. I've got a couple of 5S that "might" fit. I want a fast, powerful, efficient setup.

Arnie: When you clipped the ailerons to add flaps, did you add another CA hinge to stop flutter? Or did you not run into that problem?

Hi Lee. No , I did not add hinge material. Since each flap and aileron is only 11'' and each has 2 factory hinges, I would not expect any problem. Due to exceptionally long streak of unflyable weather, I have not yet maidened.
You will find that without some serious rework, you will be limited to "standard size " servos due to the opening sizes provided.


One of the older businesses downtown, as most of them are closing down because it's to expensive now, Three buildings next to the parlor are empty now.

Dark Alley

I couldn't get a good picture of this alley, so i tried using my flash, and this is all i got.

Old Phone booth

People don't even use these hardly anymore, at least in Brentwood.

Delta Cinemas

This place has closed down and re-opened more times than i can care to remember. There are two theatres in it, and if i could afford to rent it, the left one has a stage and can be used as such.

Barber shop

On each side of the movie theatre is a barber.
Extreme competition, I'm sure, though i think they may be racially segregated in a sorts, not black and white, for mexican and not mexican i think, the left one was very spanish seeming but too boring for a picture.

his & hers

formal wear store downtown, i know the owner, she's a cool lady.

Cool picture

Newish building, has a few stores in it, but a big gate out front that's closed when the shops are.

Old house

An old house on First street, in the section with businesses, and people still live there. It has an eerie haunting feeling about it.

Emporium

For some reason the only picture I have of the Emporium is blurred. It's almost always open, i was there with a few other sf0ers when a shooting happened down the street.
Shootings don't happen in Brentwood.

The Emporium

Oldest building in Brentwood

I remember learning somewhere that this is the oldest building in Brentwood since they tore down the Brentwood Hotel

Vietfood

This place changes every like 6 months, I think it's Vietnamese food right now.
With ugly green lights.

Spaz

We ran into my friend Stephen as he was closing op the movie theatre as we turned back around on our route.

Hallmark

We had a hallmark store one time.
That would be crazy if it was still open.

Tree

In front of the furniture store building which once housed the Hallmark store, who knows how long ago.

Trees

All the trees downtown are lit up.

Chelsea

dodging the camera, she refused to let me take her picture all night, haha.

Another alley

that runs along the Chevron and old houses. Brentwood has a lot of old alleys in downtown, they count as streets, but they're really narrow and hardly used.

These signs

Had to happen

I'm so lucky she let me take this picture, and when she find it online I'm dead.

La Costa

Best burritos ever.

Mural

Old buildings have semi-old murals on them.

what is that?

Sweeny's lights

A bar and grill has bands out back on Friday for the bar, these are their lights.

Fire Department

Missile

Big ol' missile in front of the Vet Hall, it's so old it has a basement.

Shells

Big shells flanking a memorial marble thing.

Cannon man

This shadowy man mans the canon.

unmasked

His camo made him hard to see, I know.

Church

One of the churches downtown.

Buckle Up

Taken in the parking lot of the old post office, which is now like a school/day care

Gazebo

Man, this park is so closed at night, we are BREAKING THE LAWWWW!!!!!

Gazebo

Positively

NO biking, skating, or skateboard.

Entering Liberty

our old highschool

Wood thing

This thing did stuff with sawdust, i think. I was a drama kid, lol

Through The Fence

Pottery building, wood building, etc. and some narc-carts locked up in a new cage.

Quad

The Quad

Paint

It's summer, but they haven't cleaned the windows yet.

WHAT?!

A new building? A big one!
I remember them barely starting to build this.

New quad

A new quad with empty tree planter areas, gave it an empty, cold, sterile feeling.

My locker

Second locker from the left on the top, yea, that was mine for four years.
I let a friend use it one time, and next thing I knew i had like 10 other people using my locker, so I wrote "Get out or I'll throw your shit out." on the inside of it.
Looking back, that was pretty harsh.
Got the job done though.


Supporters of Iran's defeated presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi are staging mass demonstrations in the capital Tehran. The gatherings are in direct defiance of the country’s highest authority.

Iranian exiles in Germany have also taken to the streets

Thursday’s protests mark the fourth day Iranians have taken to the streets to voice their opposition to the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Defeated candidate Mousavi, who has led the protests since the weekend election, called Thursday a "day of mourning" to honor those killed in earlier protests on Monday. According to Iranian television, the number killed in protests was seven. Other sources, however, are claiming that over 20 people were killed.

Mousavi urged his followers to wear black to mark the occasion, one day after tens of thousands of protesters marched down a main street of Tehran in silence and with masks over their mouths.

The call to rally again was in open defiance of the country's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who urged the nation to unite behind the Islamic state.

Germany in favor of protests

Meanwhile, in a rare show of unanimity, representatives from across the political spectrum in the German parliament have offered support for the demonstrations underway in Tehran.

Speakers from Germany's main political parties warned against forcing Iran into a position of isolationist politics. Deputy foreign minister Gernot Erler said Germany and Europe had an "existential" interest in including Iran in a "regional and global partnership."

"No one in Germany, no one in Europe wants an Iran in political isolation," said Erler, a member of the ruling coalition partner Social Democrats (SPD), in a debate in the lower house of parliament Bundestag on Wednesday. Following a carefully worded statement alleging "irregularities" in Iran's presidential election, Erler said Iran should "seriously and transparently" review the election results.

Speakers said the political debate was a show of support for democratic institutions and freedom of speech and not an attempt to impose Western values or political desires on to the Islamic Republic.

An international eye on Iran

Conservative politician Ruprecht Polenz from Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU) said "establishing international attention" on Iran was crucial. Polenz, chairman of the German parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, called for an open show of international support for the demonstrators. He said this would protect freedom of speech and impede violations.

Erler called for an immediate end to media restrictions and urged authorities to allow peaceful demonstrations. He said those arrested during the protests should be immediately released, condemning the use of force that has caused the deaths of at least seven demonstrators.

The liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) said it supported efforts by US President Barack Obama to extend an open hand to Iran. FDP foreign policy expert Werner Hoyer said this did not mean bowing to pressure from Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, but instead showing support for the so-called "homegrown" push for more democracy. This would include women's rights and changes to the Iranian penal system, which still includes the death sentence by stoning.

However, Norman Peach from the Left party warned the West against imposing its will on a country that had in fact elected Ahmadinejad. He said it was largely intellectuals who were clamoring for a re-election.

New elections, if necessary

Earlier on Wednesday, the co-chair of the Green Party, Claudia Roth, met with exiled Iranian opposition leader Mehran Barati. Roth said an active response from Germany and a united European response that could include a new UN-monitored election was necessary.

Iranian opposition politician Mehran Barati lives in Germany

"We are here to protest against the severe violations of human rights in Iran," Roth said following her meeting with Barati. "Human rights are universal so it is also our responsibility to make clear and to speak out loudly that we are deeply concerned about what is going on in Iran."

Roth said the election was "not at all fair," calling it "a democratic poll but manipulated."

"We ask for a new election," Roth said. "We ask for transparency. We ask that the opposition, that the power of reform is recognized in Iran."

Roth added that Chancellor Merkel and other European leaders needed to speak out more clearly against the situation in Iran.

"I think it is our common responsibility to now support those in Iran who are fighting for democracy," she said.

Protests on Berlin's streets

While politicians in the Bundestag were attempting to define what role the government should be playing, Iranian exiles and students took to the streets in Berlin to put pressure on the German government.

Iranian-German student Dorna was part of a small protest outside Berlin's Foreign Office.

"We want our voices heard all over the world," Dorna said. "Especially the Iranian people should know that we support them and that we are with them. We want Iran to be free and to be a democratic republic and not a republic of fundamentalism and dictatorship."

The debate in Germany comes ahead of a summit in Brussels where Chancellor Merkel will meet with other European leaders to discuss the situation in Iran. Iranian students have said they will coordinate Germany-wide demonstrations on Sunday, calling on Berlin to exert political and diplomatic pressure on Tehran that could include non-recognition of the new government and added economic pressure.


Posts tagged Leukemia

I am Andy Carstairs. Okay, I’m not. But that was the name given to me for an article that was written in 1977 about childhood leukemia. I knew this article existed–I saw it growing up, but only recently did I try to find a copy. Thanks to the good people at Parents Magazine, I now have a scanned copy. (And no, that’s not me in the picture below.)

It’s interesting to read about my story so many years after my diagnosis with acute lymphocytic Leukemia (now more commonly referred to as acute lymphoblastic leukemia or ALL). From my diagnosis in 1972 at age three to when I stopped taking my chemo pills at age seven, I never knew the pharmaceuticals I was taking. I only knew I had two white pills to take on Monday, one long one on Tuesday, six little yellow ones on Wednesday, etc. I now know what I received, and I can compare that to what the standard therapy is today. We’ve come a long way, baby! The article mentions, and I certainly remember (WAY too many) bone marrow aspirations and a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) or two (or three or a dozen). The article even said I had intrathecal injections! I don’t remember those, but hey, while they were drawing fluid out, they probably put some drugs back in without even telling me.

The article states some statistics, which are pretty scary looking back. I was lucky to have been enrolled in the clinical study for which much attention was paid to the treatment and outcomes. In fact, the article says that due to successful results in one arm of the study (not my arm), the patients in the other arm were retrospectively given additional treatment. It’s for this reason that I was given radiation treatment at age six. I didn’t question the additional treatment. I knew I had Leukemia, so I took the medicine (treatment) my doctor and mother told me to. Now I know why I needed radiation therapy. I accepted it unconditionally. Although, the permanent marker lines on my face that were used to line up the x-ray machine for each session, to avoid nuking certain critical parts of my head, were a drag. I was called “Indian” on more than one occasion that year. That hurt.

The relationship between me and my doctor was also explored in this article. From my perspective, the role Dr. Dvorak played was very much understated in print. Dr. D. was the most valuable member of my support team, second only to my mother. I will forever be grateful to Dr. D. (and to Mom, Sara, and Pasty & Dick). The role of a support group for a cancer patient, of any age, cannot be minimized. The patient’s team is critical.

Forty-four years after my diagnosis, I’m very thankful to have this personalized summary of my treatment.

If you are interested in reading the article in full, please send me a message through the Contact Me page and I’ll share a PDF copy with you.


Q:

AKKA: Shutting Down EventHandler

In order to notify external (to AKKA) components in case an error occurred within an Actor, we use an ErrorHandler listener per one of the SO solutions.
Some errors require a complete process / JVM stop. In which case unless we call:
EventHandler.shutdown()

It keeps the process up.
What would be a clean way to shutdown JVM process in this case? And if we do need to use EventHandler.shutdown(), what would be the most logical ( AKKA? ) place to invoke it from?

A:

If you're running the Akka Microkernel it will be done for you. If you're running it using an AkkaLoader in a ServletContainer, it will be done for you. Do you have a defined application lifecycle?


The Division – What’s Not Coming At Launch

We are just under two weeks away from The Division’s closed beta. Several story missions and the game’s PvP zone will be playable during the weekend-long beta. And I can’t wait to give it a shot. But, there is some news about what’s not coming to The Division at launch.

Player trading is a feature many of us want to see in these type of games. But I can see why developers are hesitant to include them. The production reason makes sense. The Division is a massive undertaking for the developers and features get cut all the time. But developers may also be worried about potential bugs and glitches that QA missed. Imagine a bug/glitch that allows players to duplicate high-level gear and share with their friends. Great for the friends. Not so great for the people going up against them in the Dark Zone mode.

Player trading isn’t that big of a loss. Yes, it would have been cool to have – but it’s not going to sway my decision to play the game or not.

Brooklyn will NOT be available at launch

Ok, this one is going to rub some people the wrong way. And the omission of Brooklyn does seem weird given the reveal trailer.

Creative Director Magnus Jansen explained why the focus is on Midtown Manhattan. “It is because of the 1 to 1 re-creation and the way the pandemic has [happened]. Basically, everything has been hit and there are no more resources because everyone tried to get out. There is no more gasoline in the cars, there is no traffic, you’re on foot.”

Magnus reiterated these comments in a video with Open World Games. When asked if the beta map is the scope of the map in the full game, Magnus said it “is pretty much the extent of the open-world of our game.” The rest of the interview dives into customization and the Dark Zone PvP mode.

So, what happens to Brooklyn? C’mon, it’s Ubisoft – of course there will be DLC. There hasn’t been any definitive announcement, but I would be shocked if The Division didn’t have major DLC post-launch.

Now, before we all grab our digital pitchforks and take aim at Ubisoft’s social media accounts – The Division’s map is still large. There are plenty of alleyways and building interiors to walk through. We won’t be just jogging down streets.

I’m going to wait until I play the beta before I get all worked up about the size of the map. Still, it is a concern and one we should all be looking at next weekend when playing the beta.

I’m just pumped to get my hands on a third-person Tom Clancy game. It’s not Ghost Recon, but it might do the trick until Ghost Recon: Wildlands comes out.


This software offers a solution to users who want to convert Word files from English to French and vice versa. The user can specify a list of files or an entire folder to be processed and then choose the language pair before starting the process. This software uses Google Translate as the backbone for translations and requires a Google Translate API key. Instructions for obtaining a key are found within the software.


Can we take maybe a minute and
introduce ourselves? Sure. Yeah,
I guess I hate to start
early, but yeah, no,
that's absolutely fine. I can
reintroduce myself. I'm done
with the, with the, uh, um,
environmental studies and chemistry
departments at Emory & Henry.
Thank you. Um,
I'm Amanda Bishop and I'm an admissions
counselor here at Emory & Henry
college. Um, Cody, if you,
or if any other students jump on, um,
if you have any questions throughout the
session, please feel free and type, uh,
type them in the chat bar below. Um,
we'll definitely get to them at the
end and I've also typed up a few sample
questions as well. Um,
but yeah, I guess, uh, Dr.
Hainsworth feel free and take it away.
Should we go ahead and get started?
It's three o'clock so, all right, well,
I want to thank everybody for
joining me here on this glorious,
Southwest Virginia afternoon. It
really is beautiful outside. And, um,
and I want to start by acknowledging
that we are in trying times right now,
um, to say the least, we have a
global pandemic against a backdrop of,
of ongoing racial unrest in this country,
and it means that things
are uncertain, but, um,
one thing is absolutely certain and
that is the education is the path to
opportunity.
And so I I'm here this afternoon to
talk a little bit about opportunities at
Emory & Henry College, uh,
for people who are interested
in environmental studies
and for being outside.
So I put together a little
PowerPoint presentation
and I would like to, um,
share that,
let me share my screen here it is.
And I want to,
Can everybody see that? Is that all right.
So, um, this is just going to be a
very brief introduction with, um,
pictures of fun things, uh,
to the environmental studies program
at Emory & Henry College. And again,
I'm Dr.
Laura Hainsworth and I teach in both
environmental studies and in the chemistry
department. And so, um,
our environmental studies
program has two tracks, uh,
to the major.
One of those tracks is a science
track and it emphasizes, um,
some general science courses. Again,
just more science based courses, uh,
courses like general chemistry,
but general biology are part
of those ecology courses. Um,
we have a course called
environmental monitoring, um,
and it is that track is designed more
to prepare students who want to go on to
careers,
maybe in wildlife biology
or into graduate study in,
um, an environmental field.
We also have a policy track and
that track is a little bit more, um,
emphasized, uh, in courses like,
um,
economics and public policy and community
service and courses that will prepare
students to work maybe with local
environmental organizations,
um,
with municipalities who are
doing environmental planning
and that sort of thing.
So, um, the, the two tracks
have quite a bit of overlap,
but then there are, are other
courses, uh, in between.
And we meet together again for the
environmental studies senior center.
Okay. One of the things that we really
emphasize at Emory & Henry and the
environmental studies
program is experience,
and we through the coursework that our
students do and through the research
experiences that our students do
and extracurricular experiences,
we really try to emphasize experience
and getting outdoors as much as possible.
And so, um, uh,
if it's things like tagging black
bears and studying black bears on,
uh, in Mount, on the Mount Rogers area to,
uh, carry out water quality
monitoring projects, um,
to doing soil studies Mmm.
All kinds of activities like that,
we really love when we can get students
out into the field and we can get
ourselves out into the field. Wow.
And part of that is that we'd like
to work with local environmental
professionals.
So this is a photo I'll talk a little
bit later about the Bartlett Crowe field
station. I'm sitting at the Bartlett
Crowe field station right now.
It's a beautiful resource that
we have here. Um, this is,
uh, uh, Bryan Ledford, who works with
the Virginia Department of Forestry.
He's one of only two foresters
here in the Southwest region.
And he comes out every other year to
assist with us doing a controlled burn.
And so we manage some of the land here
at the field station by burning sections
every two years. And then we
look at ecological succession.
So our students have the opportunity
to work directly with Brian with, uh,
uh, um, career forrester.
And that kind of experience
is really invaluable. Um,
we also have students that work with, um,
professionals from department of game
and inland fisheries and with other
environmental organizations.
And so I think it's a real
highlight of our program that,
that we have these connections
with the community,
and we can open doors for students
and getting students, getting our,
to know some of the people working
in environmental fields in our area.
Um, here's another example of
that. This is, uh, a group, our,
this is our wildlife monitoring course,
and these are students working
with professionals from, uh,
department of game and inland fisheries.
And they're doing a stream shocking,
uh, activity this time.
So they've got, uh,
electrodes that shot the
streams and the fish float up.
And they're doing a stream survey,
uh, in this, in this photo.
So these are Emory &
Henry students, again,
working with local
environmental professionals.
Another thing that we offer
are research opportunities.
And this is where I think as a small, uh,
college Emory & Henry really has
tremendous opportunity for undergraduates.
And that is, um,
it's that we can tailor research
opportunities for just about any student
interest that comes
along. We have, um, uh,
students who are
interested in, in biology.
We have students who are
interested in more earth science.
We can work with our faculty,
the flexible enough that we can work
together and we can put together research
opportunities, um,
for students in a tremendous
variety of, of different fields.
And so, uh,
that is part of what Emory &
Henry calls a handcrafted education.
You know, we will work with you and
with work with your interests to try to,
um, put together, uh, um,
projects and opportunities
that match your passion.
And here's, uh, just a little bit
about the Bartlett Crowe field station.
This is something, you know,
I guess you can think about the things
I've said and many environmental studies
programs offer those sorts of things.
They offer experiential
learning and they offer, um,
student research opportunities.
One thing that we have that most other
undergraduate institutions don't have is
this Bartlett Crowe field station.
And the field station is a property that
was donated to the college about six
years ago, seven years ago.
And it is 75 acres.
We have half of it is wooded.
About half of it is a open field.
And we have a half mile of riverfront
on the middle fork, Holston river.
Um, we have two ponds, we
have Springs, we have caves,
and it is a tremendous
resource for any kind of,
uh, research or environmental opportunity
that you might be interested in.
Uh, the, the field station has a
residence here that we use as a home base.
The photo I have there,
there's me sitting almost in
the same place right here,
um, talking with another
professor and a group of students.
And we were planning some research
projects at that time. And so, so,
um, uh,
the Bartlett Crowe field station
really is a tremendous resource.
And if any of you are interested in,
have a opportunity to
come visit the college,
I would love to take you for a walk
around the grounds and give you a tour of
the field station. And we can
talk a little bit about, um,
some of the opportunities out here.
We have a new research project that we're
launching, uh, recently, and that is,
um, a study on blue burrowing crayfish.
We have a population of burrowing
crayfish in the wetland about 16 acres of
wetland. And, um,
it turns out that these crayfish may be
undescribed mean it doesn't mean that
we're discovering the crayfish. People
have known that they're here all along,
but they have not been
scientifically described.
And so they may be a
new species of crayfish.
So that's something that we have
going on here. That's exciting.
It's just one example of, of all of the
opportunities that we have to offer.
So this is part of the college campus.
It's only 15 minutes away
from the main campus.
I bring my classes and my
labs out to the field station,
and we do a lot of work out here. Um,
this is where we do the controlled burns,
and it really is a tremendous resource.
And it's a unique resource among
undergraduate institutions.
Um, we also have the Emory &
Henry College organic garden,
and we have a lot of students who come
here and who are interested in food
sciences, food production,
organic food production,
and we are launching a new program, a new,
a new minor in organic food
production and organic food studies.
And so if you're interested in gardening,
if you're interested
in food production, um,
there are opportunities out here at
the Bartlett Crowe field station, uh,
as well or at the Emory &
Henry organic garden as well.
And then for the last little bit here,
I want to talk about connecting
education to the world of work, um,
because we are in uncertain times and it
is critical that the education that we
provide at Emory & Henry College be
valuable and be practical and be a step
toward a career in the
environmental field.
So that is a critical, um, goal for,
for us and in the environmental
studies program. Um,
we work very hard to
connect our students again,
to environmental
professionals in the region,
and to prepare our students for
careers that they may, um, uh,
encounter. And so here's one of
our former students Will McBride,
and he's now working for a drilling
company and he's doing environmental
consulting. I've got several
of these. We have Karen Gilmer,
who's a former student,
and she is the chief
environmental specialist at
one of the local power plants
in Lynchburg, Virginia. And, um,
has been recognized in that position. Uh,
we have Blake Logan,
who's working now for department of
game and inland fisheries, and he,
this is a photo of his, um, internship.
One of the ways that we connect
education to the world of work is through
meaningful internships. And so Blake
spent his summer working with gaming,
inland fisheries in a
local lake doing, uh,
fish shocking and fish surveys. And
they were able to find this giant,
I think it's a Flathead catfish or
something like that. But, um, um,
he's now working with that organization.
He's preparing to go back to graduates
And Amanda Silvera, again,
she's working with an
environmental consulting firm
and she's learned the skills
that she is using on the job, um,
while she was here at Emory & Henry,
one of the big steps forward
that we've taken in that is that,
um, uh, this last year we,
we were funded by the department of
environmental quality in a citizen's
monitoring grant.
And so the department of environmental
quality gave us funds to purchase
equipment so that we can, um,
I can work with students and we can do
water quality monitoring using the exact
same system,
the exact same monitoring
equipment that DEQ uses itself.
And so the students, um,
we have the opportunity to train our
students to learn on the exact same,
uh, method, the exact
same system that DEQ uses.
And so students coming out of this
experience will be ready to step into a
position with department of environmental
quality. Um, and at the same time,
the data that we are generating through
this grant is directly usable by the
department of environmental
quality. So we are going to be,
um, uh,
you're going to be providing DEQ with
level three certified water quality data,
which is really a wonderful thing.
It's data that they can directly use to
preserve the water quality in our local
rivers and streams. So, um,
that's kind of an exciting
partnership that we've got, um,
that is just ramping up right now.
Um,
you might be interested with people
sometimes are interested in study abroad.
And I just wanted to mention that the
environmental studies program has, uh,
has hosted many study abroad
trips. This is one that, um,
I took along with my colleague Ed Davis
and we went to Belize and we spent a
week out at a, uh,
biological research station.
This was a service learning
project that we undertook there,
where we were helping, um, they
were reattaching their dining hall.
And so we were helping with that
project, um, with this beliefs class,
we spend a week in the mountains in
the Mayan mountains, in the rainforest,
and then a week snorkeling
on the, on the, um, uh,
islands in the barrier reef off of the
coast of Belize. And so it's really,
it's an amazing trip and it's,
it's an amazing opportunity to perhaps
maybe stretch your yourself a little bit.
And then finally we just, um, we'd
love you to join us. Uh, we've got,
uh, terrific students, very,
very passionate students here.
We've got terrific faculty at
my colleague. Ed Davis is, um,
one of the most amazing professors
I've ever known in my life. Um,
we also work with, uh, colleagues
in the biology department, uh,
in the, um,
sociology department and in
the geography department.
And we've got the environmental studies
program sort of branches out and draws
from lots of different areas. We're very,
um, we can be very flexible that way.
Um, but the common theme is that
everybody that's working in the program is
passionate about the environment, um,
and passionate about what we can do
to make this world a better place.
And so that's all I have. The last one is,
is I'm happy to answer any questions
that you might have about, uh,
our program. Um,
I don't believe any have
come in so far, but, um,
students please feel free to type any
questions that you have into the chat bar.
Um, I do have a few prepared in
case nobody asks any though. Um,
so I'll just dive into
a couple of those. Okay.
Let me, let me go back.
You do it from the current slide.
We'll keep going down here.
Just went off the end,
I guess. There we go.
All right. Um,
what would you say to someone who is
undecided about what they want to study in
college,
but they're maybe leaning towards the
sciences or environmental studies?
Well, the, we have a really
terrific intro course,
the intro to environmental
studies course. And, um,
if you think you might
be interested in, uh,
in a career in the environmental field
that intro to environmental studies
course is a great place
to start. Um, we also,
the environmental studies program works
very closely with like the biology
department, um, and also sociology
and geology department. And so,
um, for most students when
they come to Emory & Henry,
um,
if you really aren't sure what you want
to do the first year has tremendous
opportunity to sort of put your little
feelers out and try different things.
And so, um,
there are a lot of different ways that
you can interact with the environmental
studies program. You don't have
to launch in with both feet. Um,
there's quite a bit of
flexibility. And in fact,
in your beginning of your college
career, there's a ton of flexibility and,
um, you can try some things out and if
it's not what you thought it might be,
or you want to go in a different
direction, um, uh, you know,
there's always room, uh,
to find your passion.
The other thing is that we have
very active environmental, um,
student organization, uh,
the climate coalition.
And so one way to get involved in
the environmental studies program,
if you're not ready to jump in and take
classes is to get involved with that
student group as well. And it's, again,
it's a big group of very
passionate students and, um,
and it's a nice way to get connected
and sort of find your tribe.
Great. Thank you. Um,
do many students in the environmental
studies department have a minor?
And if so, what are some common example?
That's a great question.
And the answer is yes,
many students do end up with a minor.
One of the very common minors
is biology. And in fact,
biology and environmental studies
work very closely together.
We have students that have a major in
biology and a minor in environmental
studies or the other way around. Um,
sometimes it can be in
chemistry because I'm a chemist.
That is the one that
makes me really excited.
We have a student that graduated with, um,
may have been a double major in
chemistry and environmental studies, um,
who was working, uh, as, um,
an ecologist with DuPont now.
And he's doing aquatic toxicology,
meaning he's working with
the DuPont corporation,
giant multinational corporation
and helping that corporation,
um, monitor the toxicology
of its product. And so,
and we certainly don't want
to have consumer products
that are toxic in aquatic
environments. And so they hire
environmental specialists and, um,
uh, let's see, another very
common minor is geography.
A lot of students will major
in environmental studies
and minor in geography.
That's another common one and
then lots of other ones, music,
sometimes religion sometimes. So again,
so many opportunities.
And I think that's really the brilliant
thing about a small institution.
Yeah, I definitely agree. Um, what
is your favorite class to teach?
Oh, that's a great question too. Um,
I teach a course called environmental
monitoring and environmental monitoring is
EMV S 200. So it's for students,
you've taken the first class, the
intro to environmental studies class.
It's the next class that you
take. And in that course,
we learn about the chemistry and the, um,
the science of the environment.
And we also learn about the steps that
you need to take to effectively monitor
environmental change.
So we start out with aquatic chemistry
and we do water quality monitoring,
and we, um, uh, visit rivers,
local rivers and streams
and students are, uh,
they choose a water quality monitoring
site and they go back and visit that site
over and over throughout the
semester. Um, then we talk about, um,
uh, not just water chemistry,
but also physical monitoring.
And so there are some
activities that we do.
It's something called a racial stability
index where we actually get in and walk
across the stream and measure the
texture, the size of the cobbles in those,
in the stream bed. Um,
we do aquatic macro invertebrate studies
where we use the little organisms,
the tiny little, um, NIMS
and larva may fly larva,
caddisfly, larva, and we capture
those. We count them, we meet, um,
organize them and we can determine the
water quality by the organisms that live
there. Uh,
then we start off with system
air atmospheric monitoring,
and we do, uh, the Emory & Henry weather
stations. We pay attention to those,
take those apart and
redeploy them. So, um,
the thing I love about this class is that
it's a lab class and every single lab
is an outdoor lab. I'm a
chemist. So part of my,
a lot of my work is indoors in
a chemistry lab. And I always,
I always kind of laugh and
I make my colleagues in
chemistry jealous when I say,
well, we're going out to
the field station today. Um,
cause we're going to do some forestry
techniques or something like that. And so,
um, I love that class
because I love the outdoors.
That's why I'm I in the position
that I'm in and I'm in that class,
I get a chance to be
outdoors every single week,
every week we spend
our lab outdoors. Yeah.
That's really great. Um,
sort of to kind of jump off of that
and to tie everything together.
What is one of your favorite things
about Emory & Henry College?
Oh, I have so many
favorite things. I've been,
I've been a professor here
for 22 years now. And,
um,
my favorite thing about
Emory & Henry College is,
um, is the professors that we have,
my colleagues are absolutely brilliant
and absolutely passionate and absolutely
student centered.
And I think that student centeredness
is the very crux of what makes Emory
Henry an amazing place. And, um, you know,
I've spent time at big institutions.
I was a grad student at the
university of Maryland college park,
giant institution,
what 42,000 students or
something like that. Um,
the classes that I was working with,
their general chemistry classes of 300
students in a class professor cannot get
to know 300 students. You just can't.
And so I'm in at Emory and Henry college,
my largest class,
I think I taught a weather and
climate class with 30 students,
and that was a big class. Most
of my classes have 10 students,
maybe 12, maybe 15.
And so if I have 12 or 15
students in a class, um,
we can really dig into, um,
the interests that those
students have, and we can, um,
take the time to really
personalize that education. And so,
um,
that student centeredness
and the incredible stellar
quality of the colleagues
that I have here at Emory and Henry,
those are the things that I think I
love the most about this place. Well,
thank you very much. I
certainly agree. Yeah. Uh,
again, uh, thank you all so
much for joining us today. Um,
if any of the students
have any questions, um,
that you think of at a later time, please
feel free to reach out to admissions.
Um, I'm sure you can reach out
to dr. Haynesworth as well. Um,
we would be more than happy to answer
those questions for you and help you out
any way that we can. Um, and I
think that just about wraps it up.
Absolutely. Well, thank you so much.
And, and again, if you get a chance,
I don't know what the visitation
situation is right now. Um, um,
but if you would like to visit
and we can make that happen,
visiting the Bartlett profield station
is a wonderful way to see this amazing
resource and I'm happy to hike
the trails with you. Well,
thank you all so much. Um, and I hope
everyone stays safe and has a lovely day.
Thank you. You too. Thank you.
[inaudible].


###### What are the new findings

-   Patellar tendinopathy is difficult to manage in active athletes.

-   Conservative management is not always successful.

-   Traditional surgery is no better than exercise therapy.

-   Patellar tendon debridement has demonstrated promising results.

-   There was significant improvement in validated outcome measures.

Introduction {#s1}
============

Patellar tendinopathy is a common overuse condition and difficult to treat.[@R1] Conservative management using loading regimens is first line treatment. Both painful eccentric quadriceps training[@R3] and heavy-slow resistance training[@R5] have demonstrated promising results, but certain subgroups cannot return to full training and sports.[@R6] Alternative loading programmes, such as isometric exercise approaches[@R8], and adjunct interventions such as Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy[@R10] and injection therapy,[@R11] have shown mixed and limited results.

Surgery is considered after failed conservative treatment, but traditional intratendinous approaches demonstrate varying and unreliable results.[@R16] Using similar principles as polidocanol[@R11] or high volume[@R12] injection, interference with the peritendinous nerve and vessel rich region outside the deep (dorsal) aspect of the proximal patellar tendon,[@R21] an US and DP-guided arthroscopic-debridement procedure has demonstrated positive outcomes in four clinical studies.[@R18]

There is no clear relationship between changes in structure, pain and function in tendinopathy, with some therapies leading to improved pain and function without structural change[@R27] while other therapies leading to improved structure with changes in pain.[@R30] To evaluate structure, there is a lack of objectivity and reliability using 2D US+CD or MRI.[@R31] Recently, ultrasound tissue characterisation (UTC) has been used to visualise tendon structure and quantify tendon matrix integrity.[@R32]

This prospective case series aimed to establish outcomes post-US+DP-guided arthroscopic tendon debridement in participants with persistent painful patellar tendinopathy. Clinical status and function using the VISA-P, and tendon structure using UTC, was used for evaluation.

Material and methods {#s2}
====================

Participants presenting with persistent painful patellar tendinopathy at Pure Sports Medicine (London, UK) between August 2013 and October 2017 and could be evaluated at 6 months, were included. There were 19 males and 4 females (mean age 28.1 years, ±8.2) with a mean symptom duration of 24.8 months (±21.1). All had previously failed conservative management including progressive loading (eccentric training n=13; heavy slow resistance n=10) and intermediate interventions including injection therapy (cortisone n=8, high volume n=5, sclerosing polidocanol n=1) or shockwave therapy (n=10). All were active in sport including nine from rugby, five from endurance running, four from football and one from track and field, tennis, cricket, Gaelic football and cross fit. Sixteen were elite athletes.

Ultrasound (US)+colour Doppler (CD) (GE logic E10) was performed using a high frequency linear probe (MHz 6--15) with the participant in supine position with the knee extended. In all subjects, US*+*CD showed a thickened proximal patellar tendon with irregular structure mainly deep and central in the tendon, including focal hypoechoic regions and high blood flow arising from the Hoffa's fat pad and infiltrating into the focal hypoechoic regions. There were also changes on the superficial side of the tendon in 17 cases demonstrating localised thickening of the paratenon including high blood flow [figure 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}. In four cases, there was a bony spur or calcification distal to the inferior pole of the patella.

![Blood vessels on superficial proximal patellar tendon.](bmjsem-2020-000803f01){#F1}

UTC was performed with participants in a seated position with the foot on the floor and the knee flexed to 100°. The transducer was placed perpendicular to the long axis of the tendon. Using UTC, the echo structure of the patellar tendon was quantified for a distance of 20 mm from the proximal insertion of the patellar tendon to the mid-portion of the tendon. Contours were performed on this region of interest prior to quantification using a computer algorithm.[@R32] Quantification was expressed as a percentage of organised and disorganised tissue with percentage of type I and II echopixels consistent with organised tissue and type III and IV echopixels consistent with disorganised tendon tissue.

Surgical procedure {#s2-1}
------------------

US+CD-guided arthroscopic tendon debridement was performed with general (n=5) or local anaesthesia (n=18). Participants were supine with extended knee. Standard anteromedial and anterolateral portals, pressure-controlled pump and no tourniquet were used. A routine arthroscopic evaluation of the knee joint was performed. Simultaneous US examination (longitudinal and transverse views) guided the procedure ([figure 2](#F2){ref-type="fig"}). Careful debridement was performed using a 4.5 mm full radius blade shaver, aiming to remove vessels and nerves adjacent to the tendinopathic change on the deep side of the tendon (separating Hoffa's fat pad from the patellar tendon) ([figure 3](#F3){ref-type="fig"}). This technique is based on previous biopsy studies showing sensory and sympathetic nerves located close to blood vessels.[@R21]

![Surgical patellar tendon debridement procedure using ultrasound guidance.](bmjsem-2020-000803f02){#F2}

![Arthroscopic patellar tendon debridement using ultrasound guidance.](bmjsem-2020-000803f03){#F3}

If coexisting pathology was present such as bony spur or calcification at the inferior pole of the patella, careful excision using a shaver was performed. In these cases, it was necessary to also remove some tendinopathic tissue, but emphasis was placed on removal of less tendon tissue. The portals were sutured and 20 mL of local anaesthetic (Levobupivacaine 2.5 mg/mL) was injected into the knee joint.

Subsequently, the superficial part of the surgery was performed. The decision to perform a superficial scraping was based on focal superficial tendon tenderness on palpation together with abnormal US findings on the superficial aspect of the proximal patellar tendon. Via a vertical longitudinal incision in the skin and bursa, the locally thickened paratenon was visualised (see [figure 1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}). The richly vascularised fatty infiltration located under the paratenon on the superficial side of the tendon was carefully excised until normal underlying tendon tissue was visualised. Careful haemostasis was achieved. Resorbable sutures were used subcutaneously, and non-resorbable sutures were used for the skin. Local compression was applied.

Participants rested overnight and allowed to partially weight-bear with crutches. All participants were reviewed the next day. If a knee joint effusion was present, an aspiration was performed under US-guidance using strict sterile conditions. In the absence of any postoperative complications such as a major superficial haematoma, rehabilitation was started using a specific postoperative rehabilitation plan ([table 1](#T1){ref-type="table"}). The general rehabilitation principles were derived from an expert consensus statement on rehabilitation of patellar tendinopathy,[@R7] but there was often a need to individualise the programme dependent on the functional requirements of the participants. Sutures were removed at 3 weeks. All participants were reviewed at 6 months with clinical assessment and collection of VISA-P and UTC results.

######

Postoperative rehabilitation principles

  Duration    Rehabilitation principles
  ----------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Week 1--2   Full weight bearing walking, range of motion exercises and quadriceps isometric exercises
  Week 3--4   Introduction of closed-chain compound isotonic quadriceps exercises and proximal and distal kinetic chain strengthening
  Week 5--8   Progression of strength training to achieve strength goals: as a general rule, participants aim to squat body weight and perform a single leg incline press at 1.5× body weight for at least eight repetitions per set
  Week 9+     Introduction of plyometrics and sports specific training once strength goals achieved

Outcome measures {#s2-2}
----------------

The primary outcome measure was the VISA-P, to evaluate the clinical outcome.[@R34] This was completed independently by the participant, in the absence of guidance from the treating clinician, at both baseline (preoperative) and 6 months (postoperative).

The secondary outcome measure was tendon structure determined using UTC, measured by a single investigator (LM) at baseline and at 6 months.

Participants were instructed to report adverse events to a single investigator (LM).

All participants provided informed written consent for inclusion in the study.

Statistical analysis {#s2-3}
--------------------

Statistical testing was completed using Microsoft Excel for MacOS (Microsoft, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA). Mean differences and associated 95% CIs were calculated for all variables to reflect postoperative outcomes. In addition, a Cohen's *d* was calculated to determine the size of identified interactions, interpreted as small (\<0.2), moderate (\>0.5) and large (\>0.8), respectively.[@R35]

Results {#s3}
=======

Primary outcome (participant function) {#s3-1}
--------------------------------------

VISA-P scores increased from 40.0 (±21.0) at baseline to 82.0 (±15.0) at 6-month follow-up (MD=42.0, *d*=2.4, 95% CI 32 to 53). In addition, 21/23 participants returned to their prediagnosis activity levels.

Secondary outcome (tendon structure) {#s3-2}
------------------------------------

Organised echo pixels (type I+II) increased from 55.0% (±17.0) at baseline to 69.0% (±15.0) at 6-month follow-up (MD=14.0%, *d*=0.7, 95% CI 2 to 21) ([figure 4](#F4){ref-type="fig"}).

![Pre-UTC (above) and post-UTC (below) findings confirming increased organised (green) tissue postdebridement. UTC, ultrasound tissue characterisation.](bmjsem-2020-000803f04){#F4}

Adverse events {#s3-3}
--------------

There was one knee joint effusion, presenting 1 day after the procedure. This hemarthrosis was aspirated under US guidance. There were no serious adverse events.

Discussion {#s4}
==========

This case series demonstrated that US-guided patellar tendon debridement for recalcitrant patellar tendinopathy improves pain, function and tendon structure at 6-month follow-up. A majority (21/23) of the participants returned to prediagnosis activity levels.

The most interesting finding in this study was the significantly improved tendon structure at 6 months after surgery. To the best of our knowledge, this finding has never previously been demonstrated after surgical patellar tendinopathy treatment. The relationship between tendon structure and symptoms is controversial, particularly in relation to changes that occur following treatment. Some studies, using US and MRI, have reported no relationship between improvements in clinical symptoms and structural change.[@R31] A more recent systematic review including more reliable imaging techniques such as UTC found that there was an association between improvement in clinical symptoms and reduction in tendon thickness and neovascularisation.[@R36] The current study used UTC to define changes in aligned fibrillar structure 6 months after surgery and demonstrated significant improvement after arthroscopic patellar tendon debridement. Recent studies have shown that scanning of the patellar tendon in a similar position demonstrates good intrarater and inter-rater reliability, and intrarater minimal detectable change is estimated to be 5.5%.[@R37]

The cause for the improvement in tendon structure is unknown but could be directly related to this surgical technique. This debridement surgery uses US and CD to detect peritendinous regions with high blood flow. Seminal studies assessing biopsies from patellar tendinopathy tissue detected abnormal sensory and sympathetic neural infiltration in close relation to blood vessels in the peritendinous regions.[@R21] Removing this abnormal neural ingrowth through US-guided tendon debridement could reduce pain and allow for more aggressive rehab with improvement in symptoms and structure. Alternatively, the positive effects of this surgery could be attributable to indirect effects of enforced rest and progressive rehab that would not have occurred if surgery had not been performed. Further studies using a reliable and quantifiable imaging modality, preferably with randomisation and an exercise control group, are required for more definitive conclusions to be drawn about the cause of structural improvement in this type of tendon surgery.

This surgical procedure is primarily extratendinous and differs substantially from more traditional intratendinous surgical techniques.[@R16] There are several advantages in using an extratendinous technique, the most important being that it allows for early full weight-bearing loading of the tendon. It could be argued that a randomised study comparing the US-guided arthroscopic debridement method with the traditional intratendinous revision surgery should be performed. However, this may raise issues since the results after intratendinous revision surgery has been shown to be poor and no better than non-operative treatment with eccentric training.[@R16]

The US+CD-guided arthroscopic debridement is the main surgical procedure during this treatment, but we also did a minor superficial debridement procedure. The justification for this superficial procedure is based on our findings that many subjects with longstanding symptoms have focal tenderness corresponding to US findings of localised thickening of the paratenon on the superficial surface of the proximal patellar tendon. Biopsies performed by our group (unpublished data) from this superficial tissue reveal richly vascularised fatty infiltration containing abnormal sensory and sympathetic nerves, which is similar innervation to the tissue on the deep aspect of the proximal patellar tendon.[@R23] Therefore, it seems appropriate to excise this tissue. However, the importance of this procedure to optimise clinical outcome should be evaluated in a randomised controlled trial.

This is a short-term follow-up study, but the positive clinical outcomes demonstrated with this method are not surprising since they are in keeping with results of a previous randomised controlled trial and a 4-year follow-up study[@R19] on this procedure. In addition, this method appears to be safe.

A limitation of this study is the lack of a control group of enforced rest or exercise therapy. Therefore, the changes in pain, function and structure cannot be directly attributable to the surgical procedure but may be related to the indirect effects of surgery or natural history. However, as the majority of participants in this study had long duration of symptoms and reduced function unresponsive to loading regimens, it seems unlikely that the changes are entirely attributable to natural history.

Conclusion {#s5}
==========

US-guided patellar tendon debridement for persistent patellar tendinopathy improved symptoms and tendon structure without complications at 6-month follow-up. A majority (21/23) of the patients returned to their preinjury activity level. Further studies with longer follow-ups, preferably randomised and controlled, are needed.

**Twitter:** \@lorenzo_masci

**Contributors:** LM was the main researcher and primary author. HA contributed to the research and writing of the paper. BN contributed to the statistics and writing of the paper. WWB was involved in data collection.

**Funding:** The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

**Competing interests:** None declared.

**Patient and public involvement:** Patients and/or the public were not involved in the design, or conduct, or reporting, or dissemination plans of this research.

**Patient consent for publication:** Obtained.

**Ethics approval:** Ethical approval was granted by the Umea University, Umea Sweden (Dnr 04-157 M).

**Provenance and peer review:** Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

**Data availability statement:** Deidentified clinical and UTC data will be available from first author on reasonable request via email lorenzo\@sportdoctorlondon.com.


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