How Are Medical Robots Used?

Imagine a surgeon who can perform surgery with extreme precision, smaller incisions, decreased blood loss, less pain, and quicker healing time. That is one of the primary roles of robotics in modern medicine. Although technically considered to be teleoperated devices robotic surgical system such as the da Vinci and Zeus surgical systems are proving to be an invaluable tool for surgeons. Robotic surgical systems utilize the same technology that an autonomous robot would employ for motion control, imaging and tactile feedback while remaining under the control of a human surgeon.

Robotic surgery or robotic-assisted surgery allows the surgeon to perform surgery using a computer to control tiny surgical instruments remotely. When compared to traditional open and laparoscopic surgery, robotic instruments can perform task in hard to reach locations inside the human body through smaller incisions with minimal trauma.

Robotics can increase precision by helping eliminate hand trimmers and other involuntary movements that could influence the precision of the surgeon. Cardiac surgeons, for example, have found that they can meet or exceed the level of precision achieved through conventional methods of open-heart surgery without having to split the breastbone.

Although not the classic robot as we might picture it robotic instruments play a major role in diagnosis. The CAT scan is one diagnostic robot that most of us are familiar with. Robotic laboratory equipment reduces the risk of human error by analyzing blood and tissue samples for diagnostic purposes. Their automated techniques provide consistency and accuracy helping to eliminate miss-diagnosis.

There is ongoing research into robotic replacement hearts, limbs, eyes, ears and other organs. The greatest challenge facing researchers in robotic organs is the body’s natural immune response to foreign objects. They must also develop ways to prevent dangerous chemical interactions between the robotic organ and organic tissue.

For those who have suffered a stroke, brain or nerve damage robotic exercise platforms can be used to improve limb function while monitoring their condition during rehabilitation.

Reboots are used in the production of medications; here they provide invaluable assistance by protecting the human workers from dangerous chemicals and accidental drug exposure. The use of robotics also helps protect the medication from human transmitted contaminates while providing consistency in the manufacturing process.

Although not necessarily considered medical robots, search and rescue robots are beginning to play an important role in protecting first responders. Rescue and flight robots can provide reconnaissance in areas that may be too dangerous for human rescue workers. Just a couple of the practical uses for flight and rescue robots are high rise structural fires and accidents involving hazardous materials. There is also ongoing research and development of rescue robots that are capable of physically removing an injured person from a hazardous situation and transporting them to the first responders.

Virtual Iraq: Treating the Traumas of Reality with Virtual Reality

You have returned from a tour in Iraq, you decide to take a trip to Disneyland to unwind. The cannons are fired from the ship, just part of the show, right? Not for one former Army staff sergeant with the Army's 4th Infantry Division. While in Iraq the staff sergeant barely survived a roadside bombing and mortar attack, when the cannons of Disneyland fired he suddenly found himself flat on the ground crawling for cover. Intellectually he knew he was at Disneyland but he could not stop himself from reacting physically to the sound of the cannons, the results of post-traumatic stress disorder.

What if the staff sergeant could go back and re-live the attack in a safe, controlled environment. In this way he could allow himself to not only face his fears that he is aware of but also dig up the repressed memories of the most traumatic experience of his life. The "virtual Iraq" system will allow him to do just that.

Virtual Iraq was originally adapted from the video game "Full Spectrum Warrior" and is credited to Dr Albert "Skip" Rizzo, a clinical psychologist from the University of Southern California. The system is available for both research and clinical use. Virtual Iraq is a form of virtual reality exposure therapy; the patient is virtually exposed to stimuli to allow them to face the traumatic experience that led to their PTSD.

To help the patient overcome post-traumatic stress disorder using virtual Iraq a therapist will first ask the subject to tell them about the event as they remember it. They will be asked to do this several times; the virtual scenario will be programmed based on this account.

The goal of Virtual Iraq is to re-create the stress and anxiety of the original event that led to the PTSD. In doing so, the suppressed or hard to describe memories and emotions become easier to grasp and vocalize. The virtual Iraq system has been compared to a backhoe, capable of digging up even the most repressed memories.

After the programming is complete the patient will stand or sit on a "base shaker" and wear a virtual reality headset. The headset gives the visual images based on the patients scenario, as the patient turns their head, looks up or down the scenery changes accordingly.

The base shaker simulates the feeling of an explosion by vibrating violently sending the sensation throughout the patient's entire body. Through a pair of headphones the sounds of the battle are introduced, the therapist can also introduce smells into the scenario, diesel fuel, body odor, smoke etc. The therapist will add each new element slowly. The objective is to re-create the situations as realistically as possible. Blood pressure, heart rate, respiration, and levels of perspiration are monitored closely as the therapist introduces new elements to the scenario. Monitoring these responses is critical in order to strike a balance between comfort and anxiety.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta tried out Virtual Iraq in November 2006 as part of a CNN report. On his blog, he described his experience with Virtual Iraq as overwhelming. He was initially skeptical, not because he didn't believe in the technology, but because he had only spent a few weeks in Iraq and this is not comparable to the tours of the average soldier. After beginning his virtual trip back to Iraq he described it as reliving some of the most terrifying moments of his life, including all of the emotions of fear, helplessness and panic. With each new session he could feel his anxiety dissipate.

Army Col. Michael J. Roy describes the experience in an article on defense.gov:

"You feel like you're going to die: Your heart's beating out of your chest, your blood pressure's going up and you want to just get away from it all but you can make it through it. And you realize you're going to be OK."

Col Roy goes on to describe some of the success stories:

"We've had guys who were avoiding going out in public, not using the Metro, not going shopping, not going to sporting events and the movies. Then they go through this, and suddenly they're able to do those things."

Virtual reality is also being used by civilian therapist to treat common phobias such as the fear of flying or driving. Virtual Afghanistan is currently under development.

An Overview of Human Rights in North Korea

To most of the world it appears that the apparent devotion of North Korean citizens to the “Deer Leader” is motivated by fear rather than genuine devotion. Under the close watch of Ministry of People's Security North Korean citizens are required to spy on each other and report any potentially critical conversations they may hear. Those who dare to speak out against Kim Jong-il could find themselves imprisoned in one of the ten concentration camps maintained in North Korea.

It is believed that as many as 200,000 t0 250,000 people are currently held in the camps. In many cases the alleged perpetrators of “political crimes” are not told what they are charged with nor do they have their day in court. Those who dare to speak against the “Dear Leader” are simply arrested without explanation, and taken to the camps. After arriving, they may be tortured for a confession, sentenced to a life of hard labor or in some cases executed.

With the authorities acting on the motto: “Factionalists or enemies of class, whoever they are, their seed must be eliminated through three generations.” the accused is not the only one to suffer as a result of their momentary inability to hold their tongue. Under this motto originally instituted by Kim Il Sung in 1972 and still enforced today the parents, children and in some cases the grandparents of the accused can find themselves in the camps as well.

Travel outside of North Korea is forbidden as is listening to news from any foreign source. Information, including religious sermons is strictly controlled by the government and is geared toward praising the “Dear Leader”. It has been reported that the authorities arrest those who poses un-authorized mobile phones or watch South Korean videos.

Public executions are commonly used as a method of sending a message to would-be political dissidents or those who would attempt to leave North Korea. Hanging and death by firing squad are the preferred methods of carrying out such executions.

The North Korean government maintains the world’s fifth largest military and a research program aimed at developing nuclear weapons and long rang missiles. In stark contrast to the military spending malnutrition is rampant among the average citizens. Almost three quarters of the North Korean populations are currently facing a daily shortage of food. The current crisis is believed to be as bad as the food shortages of the 1990’s when an estimated 3.5 million people died of starvation. South Korea has traditionally been one of the largest donors of rice and fertilizer to the North, Do to strained relations North Korea has failed to request the aid that the general population so desperately needs. Despite the travel ban, many North Koreans are forced to cross the border into China in a desperate attempt to provide food and other supplies for their families.

North Korea is commonly believed to be the most oppressive regime in the modern world. Under the rule of Kim Jong-il, North Korea seems destined to continue to live in isolation as the “secret state”.

An overview of Thomas Young's contributions to the fields of vision and light

Thomas Young was best known as a physician and physicist with a strong interest in sensory perception however he was a man of many interests.  Not only was he a gifted scientist and physician he was also fluent in several languages and studied Egyptology. In 1814 he began to study the Rosetta stone and went on to help translate the language of the ancient Egyptians.

Young made his first notable discovery while still in medical school when he found that the lens of the eye changes shape as it focuses on objects at varies distances. He went on to discover the cause of astigmatism in 1801.

Thomas Young and Hermann Ludwig Ferdinand von Helmholtz developed what would become known as the Young-Helmholtz trichromatic theory.  This theory speculated that there were three types of cones in the human retina, which receive color stimulus and transmit it to the brain.  According to their theory each of the three types of cones are sensitive to one of three colors, red, green, or blue. Today our best understanding of the cones is that there are between 6 and 7 million with 64% being sensitive to red, 32% to green and 2% to blue.

Young began his experiments into the phenomenon known as interference in 1801 and this led to his wave theory of light. By splitting a beam of light from a single source and then recombining it he noticed that the light produced dark and light fringes. He concluded that the fringes were the result of the light acting as a wave with the peaks and troughs reinforcing or cancelling out one another.

English scientist did not immediately accept Young’s theory because it defied Newton’s theory of light.  According to Newton’s theory, which was published in 1704, light was made up of particles emitted by their source. Young’s theory began to be more widely accepted after he worked with French physicists Augustin Fresnel and Francois Arago. Fresnel had also experimented with the laws of interference although he achieved little notoriety for his work in optics. He is perhaps best known for developing the compound lens that replaced mirrored lenses in lighthouses. Arago made major contributions to the study of electromagnetism and the phenomenon of magnetic rotation. Along with French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel he discovered the principles governing the polarization of light, a key discovery in establishing the theory of light as a wave.

Young is credited with giving the word energy its scientific significance; he also worked on elasticity, surface tension of liquids and measuring the size of molecules.

Convincing Signs of Global Warming Today

It seems that over the past two hundred years in our rush to the modern age we contributed greatly toglobal warming while doing little to protect our environment. We most now begin to take the necessary steps to slow the process or risk doing irreparable harm to not only ourselves but every living thing on this planet.

In November 2007 the U.N. panel on climate change issued a warning calling on all nations to take immediate action on global warming calling the situation "frightening" "urgent" and "dire'. With carbondioxide levels at the highest they have been in millions of years one of the greatest concerns is that human activity is accelerating the melting of the arctic ice sheets. The arctic ice melt is the most dramatic evidence of global warming and could result in rising sea levels and the flooding of millions of communities along coastlines.

In 2007 the arctic sea ice melt-rate accelerated compared to previous years shattering the record for ice loss in a single season. The remaining ice was 38 percent less than average and 23 percent less then the old record. Satellite photographs showed that the remaining sea ice was also much thinner than normal; this could result in rapid melting and the loss of even more ice. 550 billion tons of ice melted that summer alone. In August 2008 another record was broken when the ice retreated at the fastest rate ever recorded.

Greenhouse gases are necessary because they keep the planet's surface warm enough to sustain life. But, as the concentrations of these gases continue to rise the Earth's temperature is climbing to historic highs. For The past 200 years, our use of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, combined with deforestation has caused the concentrations of heat-trapping gases to increase significantly. These gases prevent heat from escaping, like the glass panels of a greenhouse

The effects of global warming are already being felt around the world say many experts. Birds are laying eggs earlier, plants are blooming earlier, migratory patterns are changing and animals that hibernate are waking earlier in the spring. Many animals are moving to higher elevations than they have in the past as well as moving closer to the north and south poles indicating warmer temperatures. One resent study shows that over 150 species have already been affected and this could easily disrupt the natural connective balance between species and also lead to extinction of many.

Shorter winters, earlier spring snow melts and longer hotter summers have scientist believing the effects of global warming are being felt in Montana. Long-term studies have also shown changes in certain plants in Wisconsin and animal hibernation patterns in Colorado. In Alaska the growth of White Spruce trees have been significantly stunted by warming temperatures and in the Arctic the reduced snow fall, less sea ice and freezing rain in winter have led to the appearance of mosquitoes and robins, never before seen in the region.

Nearly half of the total carbon on the earth’s surface is contained in the boreal forests located in Canada, Alaska, Scandinavia and Russia. Scientists now fear that increasing temperatures and human activities could be releasing this carbon. As carbon is released back into the atmosphere it adds to the greenhouse gases thus increasing the warming effect. The release of carbon has many causes including warmer temperatures leading to permafrost melting, wild fires, rotting trees and pine needles; also construction and deforestation are a big factor. The release of this carbon combined with other pollution results in higher ozone levels which in turn results additional damage to plants affecting their ability to absorb carbon dioxide, in other words, a cycle of increasing climate change.

As we all know the facts can be manipulated to support any theory one would like, “Global warming is caused by human activity”, “it’s just a natural cycle and it is not a threat to humans” or “it’s all a hoax”. The fact remains that in-action based on misguided information will result in catastrophe for future generations; however, if our actions to prevent global warming are misguided we will simply leave a cleaner world.

Peter Hale: I'm Still in Love with My Wife Who Tried to Kill Me

Joanne Hale appeared in Bristol Crown Court for sentencing after being found guilty of attempted murder. Peter Hale, her husband and intended victim, sat quietly only yards from Mrs. Hale as she was sentenced to six years in prison. In an unusual twist, Mr. Hale was not in court to see justice done but to support his wife and attempted murderess.

This unusual story of love, betrayal, and attempted murder began on December 27 2008 when Joanne Hale convinced her husband, Peter, to take a natural aphrodisiac known as "horny goat weed". She then enticed him into a nearby wooded area in Stoke Park, Bristol with promises of sex. Peter Hale stated in Bristol Crown Court that a migraine mask had been placed on him obscuring his vision, he went on to tell the jury: 'It was just a kind of sexual game. I enjoyed the game but I lifted it up because I wanted to see."

After rolling around in the leaves and some flirtatious foreplay Joanne Hale rolled on top of her husband, cut his throat and stabbed him several times. Before she could inflict a fatal wound Hale was interrupted by a passer-by, Timothy Walker, she told him that she had discovered the injured man and would go for help. She then drove to Bristol Parkway railway-station to pick up Philip Sudol, a married postal worker she had met online. The couple had arranged to meet for a romantic encounter. The pair was arrested at Joanne Hale's home later that evening, Sudol apparently had no knowledge of the crime and was later released.

In an unusual display of devotion her husband and victim has been her greatest supporter and ally throughout the trial. Peter Hale has reportedly sent several letters to the court stating that he has forgiven his wife and declaring his love for her.

During sentencing, Justice John Royce said the loyalty and apparent love between the two "produces a serious sentencing dilemma'. He went on to say "this is an extraordinary case, and I hope and trust that when you are released you and Mr. Hale will be together again enjoying a happy life and steer clear of Horny Goat Weed in the future.'

After hearing the sentence Peter Hale told reporters: "I suppose the sentence is the best we could have hoped for. My evidence was very confused and I hope that we have grounds for an appeal. I still love her very much." He went on to say "I am still very much in love with my wife and will certainly be standing by her when she is released."

Joanne Hale, who has reportedly attempted suicide two times since her arrest, must serve at least half of the six-year sentence before she will be eligible for parole. Six years is the minimum sentence allowed by law for the charge of attempted murder.

Peter blew a kiss to Joanne as she was led away to begin serving her sentence.

On the First Day of Christmas My True Love Gave to Me.... A Divorce Gift Voucher?

Lloyd Platt & Company, a London law firm, is offering what could easily be described as the most unusual "must have" gift of the season. For £125 you can give your true love a divorce gift voucher good for one session with an attorney to receive advice pertaining to your potential divorce or possible alternatives.

Ms Lloyd Platt, senior partner at the firm, told the Telegraph: "We hope through the vouchers that we can offer clients all the practical options available to them - divorce being only one of the options." The firm has reportedly sold over 50 vouchers in the run up to Christmas.

Lloyd Platt & Company may have stumbled into a gold mine for the New Year; Family law practices across the UK are reporting a spike in new consultations to discuss filing for divorce. One UK law firm expects January to be one of the busiest periods ever recorded for divorce. Family law specialist, Shelley Hesford, told the Guardian: "People have been battling to keep marriages intact, but many have simply cracked and crumbled under the relentless pressure of recession. People see the Christmas break as a hiatus in their lives during which they can end one chapter and try to start the next."

Quickie Divorce Ltd, a firm specializing in divorce in the fast lane, has had to triple their workforce over the past year to keep up with demand. Their director, Adrian Hill told Wales Online: "Last year we had 15,000 people request one, whereas this year we've had around 25,000 - that's an 80% increase. Just a year ago we had five members of staff, now we have 14 just to cope with the demand." Their success has been credited to the emulation of celebrities.

The divorce gift vouchers have not been without criticism, some of which includes treating divorce like buying a handbag and an "ambulance chasing" technique for divorce lawyers.

Despite the criticism the vouchers may just be a hit, they are catching on with everyone from friends using them as a suggestion to wives husbands and mistresses. I wouldn't be surprised to see a few mother in laws giving them as a present to their married children.

It appears that the divorce gift voucher can take its rightful place at the top of the list of unusual Christmas gifts. Some other contenders are: Squirrel Feet Earrings, the Fetus Cookie Cutter, and the Decapitated Teddy Bear Lamp.

Who Are The Homeless?

For many of us there is the stereotypical image of a homeless man forever etched in our mind, this image is often of a lazy, dirty, drunken panhandler standing on the corner of any city street asking for a handout. Based on this misguided yet common misconception we might not ever see the real faces of homelessness, listen to thevolunteers in New York or hear the first hand accounts from Dallas. We might not take the time to learn the truth about homelessness in our own community.

In America we have what are commonly referred to (if referred to at all) as the hidden homeless. The hidden homeless represents a large portion of the homeless population however; in most cases we will not see them or in many cases even hear about them. To dispel the myth we should ask ourselves one important question: who are the homeless?

Inherent in the nature of homelessness is an inability to accurately determine the exact numbers, the estimates below represent the best efforts of The National Coalition for the Homeless and The National Coalition For Homeless Veterans.

Children

A 2003 report from National Law Center on Homelessness and Poverty reported that 39% of the homeless population was minors under the age of 18, 42% of these were under 5 years old. In addition, 5% of the urban homeless population was comprised of unaccompanied minors.

Families

Families with children make up an estimated 23% of the homeless population, they also currently represent the fastest growing segment of the homeless population. At the 2008 conference of mayors those with current data reported an increase in families requesting food assistance for the first time, the increase was most notable among working families.

Veterans

Although there is no national databank tracking homeless veterans the Veterans Administration estimates that on any given night there are 131,000 veterans homeless. Nearly twice that many will be homeless at some point Over the course of a year. To put these numbers in perspective, an estimated one out of three homeless men are veterans, this represents 23% of the total homeless population in America.

Victims of domestic violence

In 2005 the U.S. Conference of Mayors surveyed 24 cities to determine what role domestic violence plays in homelessness. 50% of the cities surveyed reported that domestic violence was a primary cause of homelessness. On a national level the situation is much worse with an estimated 50% of homeless women and children becoming homeless as a result of an attempt to escape domestic violence.

The mentally ill

According to the 2008 Annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress an estimated 26% percent of the homeless living in shelters suffered from severe mental illness.

Working homeless

The number of working homeless has been on the rise over the past few years, in 2005 the estimated number of homeless persons who were employed was 13%; this number has now grown to around 25% in the 24 cities surveyed. It is believed that on a national level the percentage of employed homeless persons may be much higher. Insufficient wages, lack of affordable housing, and foreclosures (including foreclosure of rental property) has contributed to the number of people who are employed but homeless.

For many who are homeless and unemployed it is not out of a desire to remain unemployed, these people will often find themselves in a position of having to choose between looking for a job or insuring food and shelter for the immediate future. Shelters and food services for the homeless are usually on a tight schedule, attempting to go to a job interview or even starting a new job can result in losing your only sources of food and shelter. If you accept a job offer, in most cases it will be two weeks or more before you receive your first paycheck. The question now becomes how do you survive until Payday?

Examining the Heritage High School shooting

On Thursday May 20, 1999 at around 8:15 AM Cecil Brinkley, Heritage High School’s Assistant Principal, found himself in a uniquely terrifying situation for which his years in education could not have prepared him. Brinkley was face to face with a scared and desperate 15-year-old student who had put the barrel of a handgun into his mouth as he knelt on the front lawn of the school.

The student, Thomas (TJ) Solomon, Jr., was described as a pleasant 15-year old boy who attended church regularly and was a boy scout. Thomas was a sophomore at Heritage High School in Conyers, Georgia and had recently broken up with his girlfriend. Before May 20, 1999 we could have easily described him as just another typical teenager.

The course of events that led Solomon and Brinkley to this point had begun early that morning when TJ stole a 22-caliber rifle and a 357-handgun from his stepfather’s gun cabinet. He rode the bus to school as usual; the only thing different was the rifle he had concealed inside his pant leg and the handgun in his backpack.

At around 8:03 AM TJ walked into the students common area where hundreds of students gathered before school began, he had a determined look that would later be described by one student as a “hate look” on his face. Seconds later shots rang out, many students mistakenly believed they were hearing firecrackers exploding. Tj continued to fire randomly into the crowd. One witness described TJ as having a dazed look on his face. The attack was described as appearing almost reluctant. TJ did not aim the rifle at anyone nor did he chase anyone, he was literally shooting from the hip and aiming low.

After firing a dozen rounds, TJ fled the commons dropping his rifle as he exited the building. Once outside witnesses say he pulled the handgun from his backpack, dropped to his knees, and put the barrel in his mouth as if he intended to commit suicide.

Assistant principal Cecil Brinkley began to talk to the young gunman, as he did TJ took the gun from his mouth, began to cry, and repeated the words “I’m so scared” over and over. TJ surrendered his weapon and was taken into custody by the Rockdale County Sheriff’s department.

In all, six students were injured in the shooting, Brian Barnhardt, age 16, Stephanie Laster, age 15, Jason Cheek, age 17, Cania Collins, age 15, Drake Hoy, age 18, and Ryan Rosa, age 18. Although Stephanie Laster was seriously injured there were no fatalities.

Could his shooting have been prevented? Did anyone take Thomas Solomon Jr seriously before the shooting began? Did he give any of the warning signs that should have given away his state of mind?

After being released from the hospital shooting victim Ryan Rosa told Time"He'd be the last person I'd think would do something like this, he was normal. Just like me." Rosa also said that Jason Cheek had repeatedly picked on TJ, presumably because he was a quiet kid who didn’t fit into Jason’s “click”. Cheek denied picking on TJ. Donald A. Peccia, the Superintendent of the Rockdale County Public Schools,said:''The disciplinary record would not indicate he had been any significant trouble, We had no reason to suspect this student at all.''

Other students and friends painted a different picture. One account indicates that as late as Wednesday TJ indicated that he wanted to commit suicide; he wasn’t taken seriously because “a lot of kids say that”. Testimony given at his trial revealed that TJ had bragged about how he could do better than Columbine, and he had said that it should have happened at Heritage High School long ago.

According to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, a letter written by TJ revealed teenage despair. In the letter TJ expressed his loyalty to the trench coat mafia, a group of social outcast at Columbine. The letter also stated that he would be laughing at his victims as they drop to their knees praying for their lives. Three pages of bomb-building instructions were also found in his room.

To add mystery to the Heritage High School shooting, TJ reportedly had at least basic shooting skills and knowledge of the weapons in his stepfather’s gun cabinet. With this in mind the questions remain: Why did he not aim the weapon? Why did he appear to shoot low? Why did he choose the lowest caliber weapon to fire into the crowd yet save the largest for himself? Who did TJ really believe would die that day?