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SYSTEM FOR LASER TREATMENT OF AN EYE AND METHOD FOR PREPARATION OF THE SYSTEM
A system for laser treatment of an eye comprises one or more laser sources for producing laser beams of an adjustable power. One laser source produces an alignment (or aiming) laser beam, one laser source produces a treatment laser beam, and delivery means deliver the alignment beam on a target area of the eye in the form of a continuous beam and for delivering the treatment beam on a target area of the eye to locations shown by the alignment beam. The invention is also concerned with a method for preparing a laser treatment system for laser treatment and a method for laser treatment of an eye with the system.
RUMMUKAINEN TARU (FI)
ERÄLUOTO MARKKU (FI)
PCT/FI2014/050284
VALON LASERS OY (FI)
A61F9/008
Domestic Patent References:
WO2012131168A1 2012-10-04
US7766903B2 2010-08-03
BOCO IP OY AB (Helsinki, FI)
Claims:
1 . A system for laser treatment of an eye comprising one or more laser sources for producing laser beams of an adjustable power, the system comprising:
a) one laser source for producing an alignment laser beam,
b) one laser source for producing a treatment laser beam,
c) delivery means for delivering the alignment beam on a target area of the eye in the form of a continuous beam and for delivering the treatment beam on a target area of the eye to locations shown by the alignment beam, and
d) means for changing the energy level of the alignment beam between intended treatment locations from the energy level at the treatment locations.
2. A system of claim 1 , comprising means for reducing the energy level of the alignment beam between the intended treatment locations from the energy level at the treatment locations.
3. A system of claim 1 , comprising means for reducing the energy level of the alignment beam at the intended treatment locations from the energy level between the treatment locations. 4. System of claim 1 , 2, or 3, the delivery means reflecting the continuous alignment beam in the form of a pattern having the shape of e.g. a square, a circle, a line, a sector, a path of a curved line or an arc.
5. System of claim 4, the means for reducing the energy level dimming parts of the shapes in an extent by leaving spots of desired size to be clearly distinguished from the dimmed parts.
6. System of any combination of claims 1 - 5, wherein the delivery means consists of scanning elements.
7. System of claim 6, wherein the system further comprises a first processor controlling the scanning elements.
8. System of claim of any combination of claims 1 - 7, wherein the system further comprises a second processor controlling the alignment beam and the laser treatment system.
9. The system of any combination of claims 1 - 8, wherein the laser source is a laser source for green, yellow, red or infrared wavelengths.
10. The system of any combination of claims 1 - 9, comprising means for electrically controlling the power of the alignment beam and means for electrically controlling the power of the treatment beam. 1 1. Method of preparing a laser treatment system for laser treatment, comprising the steps of
a) producing a laser beam to be used as an alignment beam,
b) delivering the alignment beam on a target area of the eye in the form of a continuous beam, and
c) changing the energy level of the alignment beam between intended treatment locations from the energy level at the treatment locations.
12. Method of claim 1 1 , further characterized by reducing the energy level of the alignment beam between intended treatment locations from the energy level at the treatment locations.
13. Method of claim 12, characterized by reducing the energy level of the alignment beam at intended treatment locations from the energy level between the treatment locations. 14. Method of claim 1 1 , 12, or 13 wherein the power of the laser beam is less than 400 microwatt.
15. Method of claim 1 1 , 12, 13, or 14, wherein laser beam is reflected on the eye in the form of a pattern having the shape of e.g. a square, a circle, a line, a sector, a path of a line with bends or an arc.
16. Method of claim 15 wherein the parts of the shapes are dimmed in an extent by leaving spots of desired size to be clearly distinguished from the dimmed parts to work as intended treatment locations.
17. The method of any combination of claims 1 1 - 16, comprising means for electrically control the power of the alignment beam.
18. Method for laser treatment in a system comprising one or more laser sources for producing laser beams of an adjustable power, comprising the steps of
b) delivering the aiming beam on a target area of the eye in the form of a continuous beam,
c) producing a laser beam to be used as a treatment beam,
d) changing the energy level of the alignment beam between intended treatment locations from the energy level at the treatment locations,
e) delivering the treatment beam on the target area of the eye shown by the alignment beam in the form of treatment locations while keeping the alignment beam on.
19. Method of claim 18, further characterized by reducing the energy level of the alignment beam between intended treatment locations from the energy level at the treatment locations.
20. Method of claim 18, characterized by reducing the energy level of the alignment beam at intended treatment locations from the energy level between the treatment locations.
21. Method of claim 18, 19, or 20, wherein the power of the alignment laser beam is less than 400 microwatt.
22. Method of any combinations of claims 18 - 21 , wherein alignment laser beam is reflected on the eye in the form of a pattern having the shape of e.g. a square, a circle, a line, a sector, a path of a line with bends or an arc.
23. Method of claim 22, wherein the parts of the shapes are dimmed in an extent by leaving spots of desired size to be clearly distinguished from the dimmed parts to work as intended treatment locations. 24. Method of any combination of claims 18 - 23, characterized by electrically controlling the power of the alignment beam.
25. Method of any combination of claims 18 - 23, characterized by electrically shutting the treatment beam off between the laser pulses given at the treatment locations during the laser treatment.
The invention relates to a system for laser treatment of an eye and a method for preparation of a system for laser treatment of an eye.
Laser photocoagulation is done to reduce the risk of vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy. It is most often used to stabilize vision and prevent future vision loss rather than to improve vision loss that has already occurred. However, sometimes focal photocoagulation for macular edema caused by nonproliferative retinopathy can help restore lost vision. Diabetic retinopathy is a disease of the retina, the thin tissue that lines the back of the eye. If the disease is not noticed in time and the disease gets worse, it can cause gradual vision loss. Both eyes are usually affected by the disease. Early stages of diabetic retinopathy can be detected by regular eye exams especially of people with diabetes.
The early form of the disease, called nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy may not affect vision unless fluid and protein from damaged blood vessels cause swelling in the center of the retina (macula). This condition, called macular edema, can cause severely blurred or distorted central vision.
Proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the advanced form of diabetic retinopathy. The main feature of proliferative retinopathy is the growth of fragile new blood vessels on the surface of the retina. These blood vessels may break easily, bleeding into the middle of the eye and clouding vision. They also form scar tissue that can pull on the retina, causing the retina to detach from the wall of the eye (retinal detachment). Laser photocoagulation uses the heat from a laser beam to seal or destroy abnormal, leaking blood vessels in the retina.
One of two approaches may be used when treating diabetic retinopathy.
Focal photocoagulation treatment is used to seal specific leaking blood vessels in a small area of the retina, usually near the macula. The ophthalmologist identifies individual blood vessels for treatment and makes a limited number of laser burns to seal them off.
Scatter (pan-retinal) photocoagulation treatment is used to slow the growth of new abnormal blood vessels that have developed over a wide area of the retina. The ophthalmologist may make hundreds of laser burns on the retina to stop the blood vessels from growing. The person may need two or more treatment sessions.
In addition to proliferative and non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy, other treatments and pathologies that may benefit from laser photocoagulation include Choroidal neovascularization, Branch and central retinal vein occlusion, Age-related macular degeneration, Lattice degeneration, Retinal tears and detachments, Iridotomy, Iridectomy, Trabeculoplasty in angle closure and open angle glaucoma.
Retinal photocoagulation is typically performed point-by-point, where each individual dose is positioned and delivered by a physician.
Typically in laser treatment of retina, an aiming beam is used together with a treatment beam. The aiming beam shows the location of the retina to be treated by illuminating a given area within which the laser burns are to be directed. The illuminated area usually has a given form formed by separate spots. The aiming beam and the treatment beam are produced in separate laser sources and combined by optics into same beam path.
The separate interdependent variables available for setting in the laser treatment are concerned with e.g. the beam size, power, shape and size of the pattern or figure formed on the retina by the laser light beams, the duration and intensity of the treatment laser pulse, the mutual distance of the spots and the intensity of the aiming beam. These variables need to be selected for the actual treatment in order to ensure a safe and accurate treatment.
The program with which the settings can be adjusted in the system also produces a preview of the spot pattern to visualize the area to be coagulated or treated in the target tissue.
US patents 7,766,903 and 8,409,180 disclose such solutions for a patterned laser treatment of the retina. The solution uses an alignment beam from an alignment source to show the target locations for the real treatment beam in the form of a pattern of separate spots. The treatment laser beams projected from a treatment source must be accurately aligned since otherwise they will not hit the right place to be treated. By triggering a laser system, doses of laser energy are then automatically provided to the locations coincident with the alignment beam spots. A scanner can be used to sequentially move an alignment beam from spot to spot on the retina and to move a treatment laser beam from location to location on the retina. A processor controllably shutters the alignment and treatment beams between the delivered pulses to the target locations.
The solution does not provide a perfect alignment for aligning the treatment beam with the alignment beam due to multiple spot by spot movements.
The object of the invention is to find new ways for aiming the target location making the treatment more accurate and easy to perform for the ophthalmologist.
The invention is mainly characterised by the main claims and the preferable embodiments are presented in the sub claims. Thus, the system of the invention for laser treatment of an eye comprises one or more laser sources for producing laser beams of an adjustable power. One laser source produces an alignment (or aiming) laser beam, one laser source produces a treatment laser beam, an delivery means deliver the alignment beam on a target area of the eye in the form of a continuous beam and for delivering the treatment beam on a target area of the eye to locations shown by the alignment beam.
The method of the invention for preparing a laser treatment system for laser treatment, comprises the steps of producing a laser beam to be used as an alignment beam, and delivering the alignment beam on a target area of the eye in the form of a continuous beam.
The method for laser treatment in the system comprises the steps of producing a laser beam to be used as an alignment beam, delivering the alignment beam on a target area of the eye in the form of a continuous beam, producing a laser beam to be used as a treatment beam, and delivering the treatment beam on the target area of the eye shown by the alignment beam in the form of treatment locations.
A continuous alignment (or aiming) beam is used together with the treatment beam. The alignment beam shows the target locations of the retina to be treated by illuminating a given area or line within which or along with which the laser burns are to be directed.
As the alignment beam is not shut off for producing a pattern of separate spots as in prior art, a continuous alignment beam presentation is shown. There are different embodiments for presenting the continuous alignment beam.
In a first embodiment, the continuous alignment beam is shown as an illuminated area of a given pattern forming an outlined square or circle or other pattern with a sharp contour.
In a second embodiment the system has means for changing the energy level of the alignment beam between intended treatment locations from the energy level at the treatment locations by means of which the energy level of the alignment beam is changed son that it is either reduced or increased between the intended treatment (target) locations from the energy level at the intended treatment locations.
In a first variation of the second embodiment of the invention, the energy level of the alignment beam is reduced between the intended treatment (target) locations to enhance the illumination of the overall area to be treated. The intermittent reduction of the energy level between the treatment locations is made possible by the fact that the alignment beam is kept on throughout the alignment and it does not rely on a shutter for turning on or off the alignment beam for showing the exact target locations as the beam is moved between them.
In a second variation of the second embodiment, the energy level could instead be reduced at the target locations, while the locations between the target locations would be illuminated with an increased energy level.
The treatment laser doses are directed by means of said pattern performed with an alignment source. The treatment laser beam may be controlled by turning on or off the laser source, which has a shutter associated therewith. The alignment source is not turned off as the beam is moved from one target location to the next one, since the pattern draws up a continuous line or figure along with or within which the treatment beam is to be directed in pulses. In the first embodiment, wherein the alignment pattern is an outlined pattern of light of an even energy level, the laser doses are delivered to treatment locations inside the alignment frame (or pattern), which treatment locations are not co-located with special locations. There can be a first processor that controls a set of scanning elements that direct the alignment laser beam and the treatment laser beam and a second processor that controls the alignment beam and the laser system.
The second processor has in the second embodiment, the function of lowering the energy level of the alignment beam between the target locations so as to link the target locations shown by the alignment beam to one another and so that a continuous line is formed between the intended treatment (or target) locations. The first processor of the second embodiment operates the scanning element to project a continuous line while the second processor controls the alignment source by switching to a reduced energy level between the target treatment locations and to an increased energy level at the target treatment locations or vice versa. In the second embodiment, wherein the alignment pattern is a pattern with dimmed parts of a lower energy level, the laser doses are delivered to the treatment locations to specially illuminated locations along the alignment pattern and those treatment locations are more accurately on the alignment beam on stronger illuminated locations. In said variation of the second embodiment, the laser doses are delivered to the treatment locations of a lower energy level.
In the outline mode forming the first embodiment, the alignment beam draws a frame around the area where the treatment pulses are to be delivered. This has a great advantage in that the alignment beam does not draw aiming spots in the locations to be treated and the doctor has a clear view of the retina inside the frame. The treatment locations are not covered by aiming beam spots and are therefore clearly visible inside the aiming frame. In some circumstances and because of personal preferences, the outline mode might be the preferred one.
In the second embodiment, an alignment pattern is projected that consists of one or more continuous alignment lines having parts that are illuminated with a reduced energy level as the line extends between treatment locations. The alignment pattern is illuminated at an increased energy level at the treatment locations (compared to the parts between the treatment locations) so that the alignment spots are joined or linked to one another by the lines. Analogously, in said variation, the alignment pattern is illuminated with a decreased energy level at the treatment locations (compared to the parts between the treatment locations) visually working in the same way.
Contrary to the prior art embodiment of having an alignment pattern with separate spots, the invention has the advantage that it does not require a processor that is configured to controllably shutter the alignment beam. The alignment beam is on as it moves from one intended treatment location to another so there is no shuttering of the alignment beam therebetween. It is thanks to the continuous delivery form of the beam that the invention does not need to shutter the alignment beam or projecting a plurality of separate alignment spots that are substantially co-located with the treatment locations. Not even in the second embodiment the invention, there is any need of the first processor to operate the scanning elements to project a plurality of separate alignment spots on the retina and to deliver doses of laser energy to treatment locations which are co-located with the separate alignment spots as in prior art. Instead, the first processor operates the scanning elements to project a continuous line extending between alignment spots to join the alignment spots.
A further advantage with the invention is that the alignment patterns have an additional function in that the patterns do not indicate only the areas to be treated, i.e. where the alignment spots are aligned with the individual treatment locations, because the alignment pattern also illuminates areas that are not to be treated with laser doses thereby providing enhanced illumination of the retina.
In the invention, there might be a shutter inside the laser source for the treatment beam, but not for the alignment beam since the alignment beam power is controlled electrically. The using a mechanical shutter in the way like in prior art might cause many problems.
Problems arise with the shutter in some circumstances if it has to be turned on and off repeatedly as is the case in prior art. The shutter is a mechanical component whereas the laser power is controlled electronically. Mechanical shutters are not as fast, reliable and accurate as electrical switching on/off. If a shutter is used as described in the prior art mentioned in the background section by closing and opening it repeatedly to create short laser pulses, the shutter lifetime might be very short in some situations. Even a very modest number of patients result in a lot of back and forth movements of the shutter in one year alone. The reliability of a mechanical shutter in such use is therefore a problem in use and a mechanical failure of the shutter more than likely happens at some point. The situation becomes much worse if the shutter also controls the power by chopping the beam even faster. Electronic components are very reliable compared to mechanical components and switching the power on and off is not a problem for modern electronics. Another question is the response time of a mechanical shutter compared to electrical control. Electrical control means like those preferably used in the invention can easily react in a very short time - in microseconds or even faster - as opposed to mechanical elements that always include some inertia for moving. A shutter may be fast enough but electronic control is much more accurate with a shorter and controlled pulse duration as a result.
A further disadvantage with having mechanical shutters as in prior art is that the laser beam is constantly on, which consumes a lot of electricity and creates more heat. Lasers typically need to be cooled down to very precise temperatures to operate as designed. The more heat is generated by the laser, the more heat has to be transferred out of the laser. In the invention, the laser beams is actually switched on and off, reducing the duty cycle of the laser. This reduces the heat generation and makes it a lot easier to keep the laser beam at a desired temperature. The laser diode and crystals inside a semiconductor laser need to be temperature controlled typically with an accuracy of +-0.1 degrees centigrade. Any extra heat leads to a more complicated and more efficient cooling system. Also a mechanical shutter creates extra heat because it has to be moved with a solenoid or some kind of a motor. Additionally, in the prior art implementation where a mechanical shutter is used to chop a beam that is always on consumes more power. If the beam is switched on and off electrically, the average power becomes lower because when no laser beam is delivered the power is switched off. Also the movement of the mechanical shutter consumes power and generates heat. In laser systems, heat plays an important role. The crystals inside the laser cavity have to be controlled very accurately, typically within +-0.1 degree of their set value for the laser to operate in the designed operating point. Any additional heat source makes controlling the temperatures more difficult and more energy has to be used for cooling down the system. Also by controlling the alignment beam electrically like in the invention, the alignment beam can be switched completely on and off. The alignment beam is turned off when the device is not used or in rest mode or during treatment but not during aiming. During aiming, the alignment beam it is in the first embodiment kept on all the time at the same level and in the second embodiment is switched between two levels (both on but with different intensity). This allows the use of the alignment beam as an additional illumination between the target locations in a pattern. In other words, drawing the target locations at higher intensity to indicate the spot locations and then use an aiming beam of a lower intensity to illuminate the area between the spots. The level of illumination can be easily adjusted by the user. In the variation, this can be inversed, and a lower intensity alignment beam can be used to mark the target locations to form spots and a higher intensity alignment beam to illuminate the area between the spots. In other words, having an electrical control of the alignment beam gives much more freedom in using different types of alignment beam modes from which the doctor can choose the one to be used. This is not possible by using only a mechanical shutter.
In the invention, two alternative ways of turning the treatment beam on or off, a physical shutter and electrical switching are preferably used. If one fails, the other one ensures that the laser treatment beam is not delivered unintentionally. The alignment beam is only controlled by electrically switching it on/off because the intensity of the alignment beam is low enough not to create any hazard. The additional safety by using a mechanical shutter is only used for the higher power treatment beam. As in our implementation, the alignment beam and the treatment beam are combined into same optical axis after the shutter, the shutter can stay closed in the aiming mode consuming zero power while the alignment beam is switched on and off electrically. This also further improves safety. While the alignment beam is on, the shutter stays closed and in case of a failure in the treatment beam control, where the treatment source would unintentionally produce treatment beam while in aiming mode, the treatment beam would be blocked by the shutter.
In other words, in our invention, the shutter preferably only works as a safety shutter for the treatment beam and the alignment beam can still be shown and switched on and off electrically when not in use or for treatment (during aiming it is on all the time). It is possible to keep the treatment source on and blocking it with the shutter while displaying the alignment beam. In the invention, the alignment beam is never completely switched off at aiming as the beam is moved from one target location to the next one. Instead, it is kept on all the time but in the second embodiment, the power is intermittently changed so that the target locations are shown as spots with higher density and the "lines" between the spots are shown with a lower density (or vice versa). It is also possible to do the same thing with the treatment laser beam so that it is kept on all the time also but at a lower power as it is swept between spots. In such an embodiment, the processor used is not configured to controllably shutter the alignment and treatment beams. The shutters can, if desired be kept half-open between the spots. The invention preferably uses two completely independent processors allowing an improved safety of the device. One processor controls the scanners that are used for directing the alignment and the treatment beam and another processor controls the electrical switching on and off the beams electrically. For example, if one processor stops working, the problem can be identified by the other processor and the laser delivery can be stopped. A potentially dangerous laser beam should not be delivered accidentally. Therefore, the system of the invention has been designed in such a way that one failure does not create a hazardous situation. For this to work, the processors are designed to be completely independent from eachother. The two processors can supervise each other and make sure they are both working properly. This invention can be used in laser treatment systems that use only one laser source for the alignment beam and the treatment beam as well as in in laser treatment systems that use two laser sources.
If only one laser source is used, then before the real treatment, the laser light produced with one laser source is used as an alignment beam, the power of which is allowed to be 390 microwatt, i.e. 0,39 milliwatt at the most of medical reasons. Usually, however, two laser sources, one for the alignment beam and another for the treatment beam, are used. Alternatively, a higher power laser source having an attenuator can be used also for the alignment beam, such as e.g. 50-100 mW. The invention can be used for treating different parts of the eye to perform for example panretinal photocoagulation, iridotomy or trabeculoplasty. Thus, even if the invention is in the first hand intended for retina treatment, which is presented in more detail in the detailed description, the invention can also be used for other treatments. It is an advantage that the laser system of the invention can be used for treatment of the eye, especially the retina, at a single location or multiple locations by using a continuous laser beam. Thus, the present invention provides a system that creates a visual alignment pattern on retina without having to interrupt and shut the beams spot by spot at the aiming (and not necessarily even at treatment) making the whole treatment much more accurate.
This also solves the problem of the visibility of the retina.
The laser system of the invention enables fast and effective treatment of retinal diseases. Connected to microscopes, it offers variable functions for transpupillary laser photocoagulation. Aside from standard single shot photocoagulation, varied laser scanning patterns can be produced enabling a faster and high-quality treatment.
In the following, the invention is illustrated more in detail by means of figures showing a preferable embodiment, to which the invention is not restricted.
FIGURES Figure 1 is a schematic view of a laser treatment system, wherein the invention is implemented.
Figures 2a - 2f presents various examples of alignment patterns used in the invention
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a laser treatment system, wherein the invention is implemented. The complete laser treatment system can consist of a trolley with a computer 8, a laser module 9 (with a laser source and a fiber coupling module), and a fiber 4, a slit lamp source 9c, a slit lamp mirror 9b, a slit lamp adapter 5, optics 9a to transport the laser beam and slit lamp light, and electronics of the device (not shown). The trolley can of practical reasons be on wheels and be easily movable.
Reference number 10 represents the eye of a patient to be treated.
The light from the slit lamp 9c and the laser beam from the laser source (which is inside the module 9) are combined and reflected on the eye 10 through the slit lamp adapter 5 and the optics 9a and further via the mirror 9b that turns the combined beam 90 degrees against the eye 10.
The computer 8 is preferably a Personal Computer (PC) connected to a monitor 7 with a touch screen 1 1 as a graphical user interface and is fixed to the trolley or to a slit lamp table. The computer 8 runs suitable software for the laser treatment and is used through the graphical user interface enabling the person that performs the treatment (such as a physician, ophthalmologist or doctor) to adjust suitable settings for the treatment.
An optical fiber 4 transmits the laser beam from the laser source 1 to a slit lamp adapter 5. E.g. a 532 nm laser beam produced by the laser source installed in the module 9 can be transmitted to a Slit Lamp Adapter, SLA, 5 by an optical fiber 4.
As the diameter of the optical fiber 4 can be very small such as e.g. 50 or 100 μππ, the laser beam has to be focused so that it would enter the optical fiber 4. A fiber coupling lens situated in the laser beam path between the laser source and the fiber focuses the laser beam into the entrance end of the optical fiber 4. The laser beam has to enter the optical fiber in an angle small enough, otherwise the fiber can not take the beam in it. Optical fibers have a numerical aperture defining the maximum angle in which it can take in a beam. The angle depends on the material of the fiber 4 and its refractive index.
The other end of the fiber 4 is connected to a slit lamp adapter 5 being a component, by which the laser beam coming out from the optical fiber 4 is collimated and lead through a laser aperture in the adapter 5 via scanner mirrors and possible other optics to the same optical axle with the light from a slit lamp 9c that also has been lead to the slit lamp adapter 5. The slit lamp 9c is an instrument consisting of a high-intensity light source that can be focused to shine light into the eye through an aperture integrated with the slit lamp for examination of the eye. The size of the slit lamp aperture can be adjusted to produce a rounded light spot or a trace of desired size.
Various types of slit lamps can be used in the system. Several different models of slit lamps exist in the market. They can have different optics and the slit lamp adapter optics has to be adjusted to match the optics of the slit lamp.
The photocoagulation (or other treatment) to be performed by delivering a treatment laser beam to the fundus of the eye takes place with the assistance of the slit lamp 9c or a microscope and a contact lens.
The slit lamp adapter 5 can be integrated with compatible microscopes. Foreseen with computer controllable scanners it produces a variety of different predefined patterns to suit several treatment applications. The scanners deflect the laser beam delivered from the laser module 9 by an optical fiber. The scanner elements and the optics of the slit lamp adapter 5 direct the laser beam to desired locations on the retina in order to create alignment patterns. The scanners are turning mirrors, and usually there are two of them. They are turning mirrors, one of which controls the beam in an x-direction and the other one in the y-direction. A case envelopes the optics and the scanner electronics.
The laser can be operated via said touch screen 1 1 and a smart wheel, which gives the physician the freedom to choose a pattern without removing their eyes from the oculars. The smart wheel is a manual control button that allows the user to change figure, figure size, figure position, figure orientation and power during the treatment without having to use the touch screen 1 1 . The smart wheel is connected to the Universal Serial Bus (USB) port of the computer 8.
There is usually a foot switch (not shown) connected to the laser module 9 with which the turning on and off of the laser source can be controlled. The foot switch or some other switch used by the doctor starts the treatment process and the laser emission can be interrupted by releasing the foot. The information of the start goes through a first processor, which controls the laser system and the alignment. Another second processor controls a set of scanning elements. The treatment laser doses are directed by means of the pattern performed with an alignment laser source. The treatment laser beam may be controlled by turning on or off the laser source electrically, but it also has a safety shutter associated therewith.
The alignment source is not turned off as the beam is moved from one target location to the next one, since the alignment beam produced by the alignment source draws up a pattern consisting of a continuous line or figure along with or within which the treatment beam is to be directed in pulses.
The safety shutter of the treatment beam is not used to shutter the treatment beam between the target locations. The shutter is opened before the first treatment pulse and individual treatment spots are created by modulating the treatment beam by switching the beam on and off electrically.
At the same time with the start of the coagulation, or earlier, an eye filter should be placed to protect the eyes of the person giving the treatment, i.e. a doctor or an ophthalmologist. The eye filter protecting the eyes of the doctor attenuates the wavelength in question typically by 1 :100000.
To protect the doctor from reflections of the treatment beam, an eye filter that can be movable is used. During alignment, the eye filter is moved out so that the doctor can see the alignment spot or pattern. During treatment, the eye filter is moved in so that the laser light reflecting from the patient's eye to the doctor's eyes is attenuated by the eye filter.
The doctor can see the eye in spite of the eye filter. The eye filter typically filters away only a very narrow wavelength area, in this case the wavelength of 532 nm, and a narrow band (in the order of +- 10nm or even less) around it if the mentioned green filter is used. Thus, the doctor can see everything else but not the green laser light and he can also see where the burns are formed on the retina.
The photocoagulation (or treatment) to be performed entails the delivery of a treatment laser beam to the fundus of the eye with the assistance of a slit lamp or microscope (not shown) and a contact lens (not shown). A certified physician places several hundred laser burns (pulses) on selected areas of the patients' fundus. The burns are used to destroy abnormal blood vessels that are formed in the retina of a diabetic patient. This treatment reduces the risk of severe vision loss for eyes.
The treatment pulses within one pattern are not delivered simultaneously, but sequentially by e.g. 30 ms pulse durations. When the doctor presses the foot switch, the system moves to the first target location in the alignment pattern and delivers a 30 ms laser pulse, moving then to the next location and delivering another 30 ms pulse. This is repeated until all target locations in the pattern are delivered. This all happens with one press of a foot switch. The doctor presses and keeps the foot switch pressed, until the whole pattern is delivered. If the foot switch is lifted during the sequence, the process is interrupted. There is, however, also the option to treat a single target location at a time if the alignment pattern is formed as a pattern of a single target location.
Typically, for diabetic retinopathy, retinal vascular applications, and the treatment of retinal breaks, the retinal laser spot sizes range from 100 to 500 μππ, the pulse durations from 100 to 200 milliseconds, and the power from 50 - 1500mW, more usually between 100 and 750 mW.
The pulse duration is within the range of 10-650 ms, 10-30 ms in a multidose pattern mode. In a single spot mode, when individual spots are treated one-by-one, the longer pulses of more than 30 ms can be used. A base current driven to the treatment laser source enables faster rising times for the laser pulses. Although the current would be set below the laser threshold, the laser could theoretically produce some light if the drive current would change for some reason (such as interference, failure, environmental conditions). Blocking the treatment beam with a shutter ensures that any unwanted treatment beam is blocked. The alignment beam can still operate using the electrical switching on and off because the alignment beam source is not behind the shutter. The laser wavelengths used for the treatment beam can e.g. be green, yellow, red or infrared but the invention is especially signed for green laser light of e.g. 532 nm, which is successfully used for treating retinal diseases. Another is a laser light of yellow wavelengths in the range of 560-590 nm. A traditional red wavelength can be used as well. The wavelength chosen partly depends on the area of the eye to be treated and on which wavelength a given available laser source is able to produce.
The laser technology that can be used involves e.g. Diode-Pumped Solid-State (DPSS) lasers, which are solid-state lasers made by pumping a solid gain medium, for example, a ruby, a neodymium-doped YAG (Neodymium-Doped Yttrium Aluminum Garnet; Nd:Y3AI 5 0i2) crystal with a laser diode or a neodymium-doped YVO (Neodymium- Doped Yttrium Orthovanadate; Nd:YV0 4 ) crystal with a laser diode. An example of another laser technology that can be used are the Optically Pumped Semiconductor Lasers (OPSL), which use a lll-V semiconductor chip as the gain media, and another laser (often another diode laser) as the pump source. Further examples includes the Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting- Laser (VCSEL), which is a type of semiconductor laser diode with laser beam emission perpendicular from the top surface, contrary to conventional edge-emitting semiconductor lasers (also in-plane lasers) which emit from surfaces formed by cleaving the individual chip out of a wafer and the Vertical-External- Cavity Surface-Emitting-Laser (VECSEL) is a small semiconductor laser similar to a vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) to be used within the green, yellow, red or short Infra Red (IR) range.
The separate interdependent variables available for setting are the beam size, power, shape and size of the pattern or figure formed on the retina by laser light, the duration and intensity of the laser pulse, the mutual distance of the dimmed or strengthened parts of the laser beam and the intensity of the aiming (or alignment) beam. The program with which the settings can be adjusted in the system also produces a preview of the alignment pattern to visualize the area to be coagulated or treated in the target tissue.
Figures 2a - 2f present various examples of alignment patterns that can be used in the invention.
The alignment beam is formed by a low-power, usually red, laser diode. The power of the alignment beam is allowed to be 390 microwatt, i.e. 0,39 milliwatt at the most, which is a level that is considered safe for the eye. Said level below 390 μν is defined in the laser standards. In placing the alignment pattern, a contour line or an outline of a figure is drawn of light. The figure is a negative presentation in that the illuminated parts are represented in black colour. The dimmed parts are represented by grey colour.
The pressing on the foot switch starts the treatment beam having a higher power, which typically is green (e.g. of a wavelength of 532 nm) or yellow. At the same time with the start of the treatment beam it follows the alignment pattern. Both beams, e.g. the alignment beam and the treatment beam use the same optical path and the same scanners for the directing of the beam.
The alignment beam and the treatment beam can be but do not need to be produced in separate laser sources and they are combined by optics into same beam path. If the laser light beam to be used as alignment beam is produced with the same laser source as the treatment beam some special technical solutions or considerations are required. Usually, however, separate laser sources are used.
Thus, the alignment beam is aligned and reflected as a continuous beam on the patient's retina in the form of an outlined figure or an outlined figure comprising dimmed or strengthened parts that forms spots of target locations. The power of the alignment beam is partly determined by the size of the dimmed or strengthened parts when dimming or strengthening is used. The bigger spot(s) used, the less power is needed for the alignment beam. Figures 2b, 2d and 2f show patterns of the first embodiment, wherein the alignment patterns is drawn as an outlined figure inside which or at which the treatment pulses are are to be directed.
Figures 2a, 2c and 2e show patterns of the second embodiment, wherein the alignment patterns is drawn as an outlined figure as well but comprising dimmed parts of a reduced energy level.
Figures 2a, 2c and 2e also indicate the path of the light beam.
The second processor has in the second embodiment, the function of lowering the energy level of the alignment beam between intended target locations so as to link the target locations shown by the alignment beam to one another and so that a continuous line is formed between the treatment (or target) locations.
The first processor of the second embodiment operates the scanning element to project a continuous line while the second processor controls the alignment source by switching to a reduced energy level between the treatment locations and to an increased energy level at the treatment locations or vice versa.
Thus, the second processor keeps the alignment beam on during the entire process in both embodiments without either shuttering or turning off the alignment beam.
In the second embodiment, wherein the alignment pattern is a pattern with dimmed parts of a lower energy level, the laser doses are delivered to the treatment locations to specially illuminated locations along the alignment pattern and those treatment locations are more accurately on the alignment beam on stronger illuminated locations.
In the second embodiment, an alignment pattern is projected that consists of one or more continuous alignment lines having parts that are illuminated with a reduced energy level as the line extends between treatment locations. The alignment pattern is illuminated at an increased energy level at the treatment locations so that the alignment spots are joined or linked to one another by the lines. Available Patterns are e.g. a square like in figures 2a and 2b, a circle like in 2c and 2d, an arc or a line, a sector, triangle like in 2e and 2f or any other form. The pattern is chosen dependency on the form and size of the area to be treated. All these shapes can vary in size. In the second embodiment having a reduced (or increased) energy level between intended treatment locations so that they appear as target spots, the distance between the spots can vary and the extent of the energy reduction can be freely selected from an almost invisible level to a more visible one.
In figure 2a, the alignment beam goes through all the spots starting e.g. from the left upper corner and continuing to the right all the way to the right upper corner, continuing then downwards to the middle and then to the left, further downwards and then to the right all the way to the lower right corner. The beam can go through the spots in any order.
The dimmed or alternatively the stronger illuminated parts form areas of e.g. 50 μππ, 100 μππ, 200 μητι, 300 μππ and 400 μππ.
The alignment beam shows the target locations to be treated.
There is no shutter for the alignment beam. The aiming beam is modulated the same way as the treatment beam as controlled by the first processor, which also completely controls the scanners.
The alignment beam is in the invention preferably shut off and on electrically for use and rest modes and for the time of the treatment. During aiming it is on all the time and not shut off. If a shutter is used for chopping the alignment beam instead of said electrical shut off, the treatment source must be switched off while the shutter is chopping the aiming beam. Instead of switching the laser drive current completely off while in aiming mode, the treatment laser can be driven with a current that is just below or at the threshold when it starts producing light.
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I was so looking forward to seeing Cindy and James again. We had such a great time during their engagement session this winter. It was a frigid afternoon and Cindy and James were so "go with the flow" that I knew we'd have a lot of fun during their wedding day. If you remember their story, this cute couple met in college at Hofstra University, where they were both chemistry majors. They started dating after James convinced Cindy to spend more time with him under the disguise of a chemistry study group.
I imagined after I met Cindy and James that their families and friends must also be wonderful but their wedding day far exceeded those expectations. Let me tell you, these two are so loved! They were met with so much excitement and I was moved by how close they were to their own parents but also each others parents which are of course their new in laws.
I even witnessed this excitement after posting a sneak peeks the week of their wedding. Every one was commenting and sharing their excitement about every image. Yes, more of that please!! I love hearing that enthusiasm and feedback, it makes my work even more fun.
Cindy and James you have been such a pleasure to get to know. I know your future will be so wonderful together. Happy one month anniversary!


text:
Andoh Delighted To Have Seized First Team Chance
@OfficialPVFC
Port Vale winger Enoch Andoh is delighted with the opportunity he has been given by manager Rob Page and says there is still more to come from him.
The 22-year-old Ghanaian youth international has dazzled Valiants supporters so far this season with his quick feet, tricky movement and pace on the left wing.
He has made five appearances for the first team already in 2015/16 having spent most of the previous campaign in the reserves.
Speaking to Valiant PlayerHD ahead of this weekend's Sky Bet League One clash with Bradford City, Andoh discussed how pleased he is to be featuring regularly.
"I'm very happy that the manager has given me this chance and that he trusts me and believes in me," he said.
"So I will try to do my best, work hard every day and help the manager, help the team and give the team something better."
Click on the icon below to watch the full Valiant PlayerHD interview with Enoch Andoh ahead of the Bradford game.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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These are solid 14ct gold 10mm cufflinks, shown in the main product image. They are handmade from scratch for each order by our goldsmiths and hallmarked individually.


text:
Loos Latin, Cyrillic, Georgian ExtraWide
Ilya Ruderman, Yury Ostromentsky, Daria Zorkina, CSTM Fonts
Men far och mor gingo visst inte och lyckönskade sig till något, utan i stället voro de ganska bedrövade. De voro ett fattigt husmansfolk, och deras ställe var inte mycket större än en trädgårdstäppa. Men far och mor gingo visst inte och lyckönskade sig till något, utan i stället voro de ganska bedrövade. De voro ett fattigt husmansfolk, och deras ställe var inte mycket större än en trädgårdstäppa.
ასწლიანი ომის 2019 მთავარი მიზეზი იყო ბრძოლა საფრანგეთის მიწებისათვის, რომლებიც ინგლისის მეფეებს ეპყრათ ჰენრი 2 პლანტაგენეტების დროიდან. ამ მიწებისათვის რამდე-ნიმეჯერ წამოწყებული ომი 12-13 საუკუნეები დასრულდა პარიზის ზავით, რომლის ძალით ინგლისმა შეინარჩუნა მხოლოდ აკვიტანია. დავა ამ სამფლობელოებისათვის დროდა დრო იწვევდა კონფლიქტებს. ასწლიანი ომის უშუალო მიზე ზად იქცა საფრანგეთის ტახტის მემკვიდრეობის საკითხი. ფილიპ 4 ლამაზის უმცროსი შვილის შარლ 4-ის სიკვდილით 1328 კაპეტინგების დინასტია შეწყდა.ასწლიანი ომის 2019 მთავარი მიზეზი იყო ბრძოლა საფრანგეთის მიწებისათვის, რომლებიც ინგლისის მეფეებს ეპყრათ ჰენრი 2 პლანტაგენეტების დროიდან. ამ მიწებისათვის რამდე-ნიმეჯერ წამოწყებული ომი 12-13 საუკუნეები დასრულდა პარიზის ზავით, რომლის ძალით ინგლისმა შეინარჩუნა მხოლოდ აკვიტანია. დავა ამ სამფლობელოებისათვის დროდა დრო იწვევდა კონფლიქტებს. ასწლიანი ომის უშუალო მიზე ზად იქცა საფრანგეთის ტახტის მემკვიდრეობის საკითხი. ფილიპ 4 ლამაზის უმცროსი შვილის შარლ 4-ის სიკვდილით 1328 კაპეტინგების დინასტია შეწყდა.
Loos is a closed-aperture sans serif with an impressive amount of styles: from Compressed to Extended, from Thin to Black. Simple yet distinctive structures, a slight stroke-contrast, generous counters and sidebearings make the typeface much friendlier than you might think it is when you first see it — it is indeed austere, but with a great sense of humour and its own particular voice.
Loos' important feature is that it comes with the inktraps that actually do trap the ink. In fat weights, acute angles are softened, while in thin ones stroke connections are significantly thickened — in both cases this brings a tangible, analogue feeling into the typeset text.
The visual idea for the typeface grew out of a cover lettering for Adolf Loos' book 'Why a Man Should be Well-Dressed: Appearances Can be Revealing' (Strelka Press, Moscow, 2016). And even though there is not much left from the original graphics, the name is still relevant — Loos gets back to modernist roots, all while keeping in mind the experience of the past century.
Beyond Latin and Cyrillic, Loos boasts supporting Georgian script. We offer four licensing options for Loos: you can purchase Latin and Cyrillic, Latin and Georgian, only Georgian set, or the all three script options. Advisers on Georgian — Alexander Sukiasov and Lasha Giorgadze.
Case sensitive forms, standard ligatures, proportional lining figures, proportional oldstyle figures, tabular lining figures, tabular oldstyle figures, fractions, two stylistic sets, contextual ligatures, slashed zero
Afrikaans, Albanian, Azeri (cyr), Azeri (lat), Bashkir, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Catalan, Chechen, Chuvash, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Esperanto, Estonian, Finnish, French, Gaelic (Irish), Galician, Georgian, German, Hungarian, Icelandic, Ingush, Italian, Kazakh, Kurdish (lat), Kyrghiz, Latvian, Lithuanian, Moldavian (cyr), Mongolian (cyr), Mongolian (lat), Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Slovak, Slovene, Spain, Swedish, Tadzhik, Tatar, Turkish, Turkmen, Ukrainian, Uzbek (lat)
Ilya Ruderman
Ilya is a type and graphic designer and teacher, lives and works in Barcelona. He is a graduate of the Moscow State University of the Printing Arts (2002), where his graduation project was done under the supervision of Alexander Tarbeev. He has a MA degree in type design from the Type & Media program at the Royal Academy of Art in the Hague (2005). After completing the program, he returned to Moscow, where he has collaborated for a number of media: Kommersant, Afisha, Moskovskiye Novosti, Bolshoi Gorod and Men's Health Russia. In 2005-2007 he was art director for Afisha's city guidebooks, following which he was art director for RIA-Novosti, a news agency, for several years. In 2007–2015 he has also supervised the curriculum in type and typography at the British Higher School of Art and Design in Moscow. He has been very active as a consultant on Cyrillic since 2008. In 2014 he founded CSTM Fonts with Yury Ostromentsky.
Typefaces by Ilya Ruderman: BigCity Grotesque Pro, Kazimir, Kazimir Text, Navigo, Permian (a typeface-brand for the city of Perm) and Cyrillic versions of: Austin, Dala Floda, Graphik, Marlene, Moscow Sans (as a consultant), Typonine Sans, Thema.
Yury Ostromentsky
Graphic and type designer, co-founder of type.today store. Graduate of the Moscow State University of Printing Arts (Department of Arts and Technical Design of Printed Materials). Yury worked as a designer and art director for publishers and design studios. From 2004 to 2012, he was art director with Bolshoy Gorod (Big City) magazine. In 2004, he and lya Ruderman, Dmitry Yakovlev, and Daria Yarzhambek launched the DailyType webpage. Later in 2014, Yury and Ilya Ruderman founded CSTM Fonts type design studio which released Pilar, Big City Grotesque, Kazimir, Navigo, Normalidad, RIA Typeface, Lurk, Loos, Maregraph typefaces and CSTM Xprmntl series, as well as Cyrillic versions of Druk, Graphik, Spectral, Stratos and Apoc. The works by Ostromentsky and CSTM Fonts were awarded by European Design Award, Granshan and Modern Cyrillic Competition.
Daria Zorkina
Daria Zorkina is a graphic and type designer based in Moscow. She had graduated from British Higher School of Art and Design in 2009 and a couple of years later took a Typeface design course supervised by Ilya Ruderman. In 2017-18 was an intern at CSTM fonts type foundry. Daria is an enthusiastic calligrapher. To find fresh design solutions she combines her understanding of the writing process with technological approach. Her scope of interests also includes linguistics and foreign languages, which feeds her experiments with non-Latin writing systems, such as Arabic and Greek. Daria is using her experience to develop logos, lettering and design murals.
Ilya Ruderman and Yury Ostromentsky (CSTM Fonts)
They are both graphic and type designers. Founders of CSTM Fonts (2014) type foundry and a new font distributor type.today (2016).
Graduated from Moscow State University of Print (Graphic Design Department), where they took Alexander Tarbeev's classes. Later Ilya Ruderman graduated from Type & Media (Royal Academy of Art), the Hague, the Netherlands. After graduation he was a tutor of Type&Typography course at British Higher School of Art and Design, Moscow (2008-2015), was an art-director of information agency RIA Novosti. He is an author of cyrillic versions of such typeface as Lava, Graphik, Neutraface and others, that was made for such studios as Typotheque, Commercial Type, Typonine and House Industries. He is an author of: Permian typeface, Big City Grotesque and several other corporate typefaces.
Before 2013 Yury Ostromentsky worked mostly as an editorial designer and art-director of BigCity Magazine, where he used his personal lettering, that was the base of the Pilar typeface, released by CSTM Fonts last year. He is an author of several book series designs and logotypes.
Both typefaces of Ilya Ruderman and Yury Ostromentsky were the winners of such type design competitions as Modern Cyrillic 2009, Modern Cyrillic 2014, Granshan 2011, European Design Award 2012. Kazimir typeface and Tele2 Typefamily, the CSTM Fonts's latest releases, were among the winners of Granshan 2015.
New typeface: Loos
Loos in use: Dina's wine
Roman Belyakov: "Understand something and get a little bit happier"
Anna Baydinger: 'You can't approach a Russian artist and just ask for help'
Loos in use: A room and a half
Loos in use: ქინძმარაული


GrowFlow Magnetic Water Conditioners (water magnets) are manufactured in Newcastle, New South Wales by our parent company International Magnetic Solutions, an Australian company with a commitment to excellence in the manufacture of high quality, rare earth permanent magnets. Our company has a scientific and technical team at the leading edge of world magnetic technology.
GrowFlow water samples are tested by water specialists with many years experience treating rural and industrial water problems. These test results based on scientific analysis of your current water sample are used to determine your precise needs and grade selection.
International Magnetic Solutions brings you world-class expertise in the latest magnet technology and its application to water treatment.


Ke Ga Lighthouse is located on Ke Ga Island, 300m offshore of the mainland, which belongs to Tan Thanh Commune, Ham Thuan Nam District, Binh Thuan Province. It is the tallest and oldest lighthouse in Southeast Asia.
Ke Ga Island, also called hon Ba, covers 5ha with hundreds of huge blocks of granite and 100-year-old Su (Plumeria) trees.
According to lighthouse keepers on Ke Ga Island, in the late 19th century Ke Ga Island was considered to be in a very important position because ships had difficulty navigating the sea route from Phan Rang to Vung Tau. Many boats and ships crossing the area sank because they could not define their co-ordinates and position. To ensure the safety for transport ships of French troops and foreign merchant ships, the French built a big lighthouse on the island in 1897. It was completed in 1899 and was put into operation in 1900.
Ke Ga Lighthouse was designed by a French architect. The building is 65m high with a 35m granite lamp tower. Granite blocks were shaped carefully to fit in each position. During construction, they placed the stones correctly in position using mortar. The top of the tower used a 2000W lamp with an effective radius of 22 nautical miles or 40km.
Inside the tower is a spiral staircase made with steel with 183 steps leading to the top. All the materials to make the staircase and the dynamo and lamp were imported from France.
At the foot of the tower is a concrete road leading down to the bottom of the hill. Both sides of the road are shaded all year round by two rows of old Su trees planted by the French when the lighthouse began construction.
Despite the impact of wind, waves and typhoons, the 112 year-old Ke Ga lighthouse still stands without damage.
Currently, Ke Ga Island and the lighthouse are an attractive destination for tourists to Binh Thuan Province. On nice days, about 10km offshore from the mainland, ships and boats still see the old lighthouse with its unique architecture.


Discussion in 'MacBook Pro' started by exizeo, Jan 19, 2015.
I'm contemplating getting the $1489 rMBP 15.
Is it worth it to get it now, in the sense that it'll be competent by 2019-ish when I plan to upgrade to Cannonlake? It'll be used for schoolwork, Python, and general web use.
It's the late-2013, with little difference to the 2014. Should I get the 2013, 2014, or hold out for Broadwell?
That's a pretty good price for a 15" MacBook Pro with Retina display in my opinion, especially since the differences between that model and the current model aren't very significant. What are the specifications on it in terms of RAM and storage?
8gb ram and 256 ssd. It's the one on then Apple refurbished page.
Not bad especially being an Apple refurbished unit you're essentially getting a like-new unit with full warranty. I'd do it.
I've had that exact model for 2 weeks now and I am very happy with it.
Just got mine last week, love it! Considered buying a 2014, I can afford it, but it seemed a waste of money to get it over the 2013 model.
Get the late-2013, or wait for Broadwell.
I got a late 2013 rMBP a few months ago. Loving it. If you're looking for a new computer, don't hesitate. You won't regret it. And the late 2013 is a great deal since the 2014 is just a speed bump upgrade.
If you can wait, you'll always get a better computer. It's just a matter of how long you want to wait and how much you want to spend.
I'm probably gonna get one. Wish I could get 16GB RAM, but oh well. 8 is enough.


Bruadar is the Gaelic word for "dream". The liqueur a beautiful merging of single malt scotch whisky, sloe berries and honey. On the palate it is sweet and fruity the combine with the full bodied taste of good highland whisky. Its not too sweet and not to strong. It is a fantastic liqueur for all occasions, as an after dinner aperitif, as a cocktail or over ice.


Build 1901 of the Embraer E-175 Version 2 is released. First base pack only includes the New Winglet version of the E-175 series aircraft. Updates include updates to the FDE, Performance Optimization, Lighting, Bump Map Texturing, and minor model improvements. E-170 and E-175 with Old Winglets will follow in the near future. Visit the E-Jet Family Page to Download.
Build 1901 of the CRJ-1000 series is released. Updates include changes to the FDE, Performance Updates, and inclusion of bump mapping on the model. Download the new model now from the CRJ Page.
Build 1812 of the CRJ-700 is released. Updates include changes to the FDE, Performance Updates, and inclusion of bump mapping on the model. Download the new model now from the CRJ Page.


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text:
junior oilers 19/20 april
jocam9
Junior oilers 20 April
Another quiet week for the junior oilers. Some oilers like NZO, CPN, SUR, BUY, AMU, ICN and COE regularly have days when they are not traded but this week they were joined by companies that just a few months ago were highly sought after like NWE, CVN, and FAR. All three companies failed to trade on at least two days this past week. Another example I guess of the extent to which the oilers have gone out of favour in this current bear market.
And if you need more convincing have an occasional squizz at the daily volume in Looksmart (LOK). In any one day last week the value of its shares traded was greater than the value of all the shares traded in 32 of the 33 junior oilers on my watch list! Easy to see where the speculative dollar is going.
With the war in Iraq all but over and the coalition moving into the reconstruction phase, oil prices were supposed to drop. But Nymex Crude closed up a dollar on Thursday at $30.55. OPEC¡¯s forthcoming meeting where Oil Ministers are expected to agree on production cuts may account for the price resilience.
Gas prices too are strong with Nymex Henry Hub closing the week up at $5.71. April is usually a month of weak gas demand so we assume restocking of inventories is keeping the price from collapsing. Many analysts predict that gas prices will not fall to the $2 level of previous northern summers but hold around $4 this year. If true that¡¯s good news for Aussie oilers in the USA like AMU, FAR and of course PSA.
Of the 33 stocks on my watch list 13 rose, 13 fell and 7 stayed the same. (Last week 10 up, 16 down and 7 neutral so slight improvement in the stats this week)
There were some good gains registered by AWE which was up seven cents or 10% and Petsec Energy (PSA) which ran up 10.5 cents or 25% with half those gains recorded on Thursday when the stock went for a run on small volume (535,662 shares).
There has been no particular news in the market this week to account for AWE¡¯s recent return to favour so one assumes it is due to investors taking another look at its strong underlying fundamentals. Perhaps it is a delayed reaction to the company¡¯s presentation of 20 March which contains just about all you need to know about AWE (see ASX website).
AWE does have a well coming up in EP320 (Red Back) and I think a development well is planned for Jingemia mid year. Then there are two more wells in the Carnarvon Basin (Cerberus and Snitch) in July/August. Tui 2 looks like it will be drilled before year¡¯s end as does Trefoil, a very large prospect in the Bass Strait (T/18P). AWE seems to be quite excited by what it has found at Tui in the Kapuni F sand, so much so that the pressure is on to get the seismic finished in May so a follow up well can be drilled next southern summer.
I had expected some weakness in AWE¡¯s share price post Perth Basin drilling so recent price appreciation is a bit of a surprise. Be interesting to see if it can be sustained.
One theory attributes PSA¡¯s strong rise this week to the word getting around that it is about to announce strong cash flows from West Cameron, news that some of us who have been on board for a while anticipated months ago. So to the extent that is true, PSA¡®s March quarterly news may already be factored in to the share price.
I would be more inclined to agree with this thesis if the volumes had been higher on Thursday. But with only 535,000 shares changing hands it is hardly what you would call a run on the stock. I think we will see Petsec go higher still given that in this market immediate free cash flow cannot be ignored and the size of PSA¡¯s recent monthly flows is yet to be fully appreciated.
As posters here noted during the week, the fact that PSA is tightly held, that it is not really one for the daytraders (whiteyg you are the exception!) and that the serious buying has yet to take place, suggests that the stock has some way to go yet.
On Thursday PSA closed with some 40 bids and only 12 offers with a gap between 55 and 60 cents and only 26,000 shares on offer at 55 cents or less. I think we will see a further appreciation next week before some profit taking sets in.
Further down the track the reality is that reservoirs at West Cameron will begin to decline and new ones will need to be brought on line by a work over rig. Production rates could get a bit ¡°lumpy¡± as a result of down time.
And there is the liklihood summer¡¯s gas prices will be lower than current highs, despite the fact that so far prices have been abnormally strong. So I wouldn¡¯t expect PSA¡¯s recent cash flows to continue at the extraordinary levels of February and March, at least until next winter. But they will still be very healthy. All the more so since PSA will have recouped its entire initial investment in West Cameron in four months. The next three years or more of cash flow is money for jam.
Drilling the next two prospects at West Cameron will obviously run the risk of failure but given PSA¡¯s track record over the years of something like 90% success rate, these look to me more like development wells than wildcats, particularly as they have been chosen with the benefit of data from the currently producing reservoirs.
I know also the company has high hopes for its Vermilion leases and it will be interesting to get more info on what is planned for these at the forthcoming AGM. One insider is firmly convinced success at Vermilion will take PSA shares to $2.
Vermilion 258 was one of the most sought after leases in the 1993 MMS lease sales following gas discoveries there in 1988 and oil and gas discoveries on neighbouring lease 245. Curiously the lease was handed back in 1998 so PSA picked it up in the late 90¡¯s and have this year added the contiguous leases 246 and 257. Another contiguous lease, Vermilion 245, has been a good money earner for Chevron with both oil and gas production. Chevron was understood to be wanting to sell 245 a couple of years ago so it would be interesting to see whether PSA goes after that as well.
I would like to know who had Vermilion 258 between 1993 and 1998 and what they did with the lease but it takes some time to trawl through the MMS data bases. I suspect the discoveries on the leases were judged too small at the time when prices were low and development costs high. Now of course all that has changed. Good thing about the leases is that PSA knows there is at least one 8 bcf resevoir down there. It was discovered in 1988. That¡¯s enough to pay for a lot of drilling elsewhere in the Vermilion leases. Infrastructure is close at hand with Shell¡¯s Central Gulf Gathering System right next door on Vermilion 247.
The other interesting thing to watch with Vermilion is who farms in to the lease. PSA has made it clear it wants to farm out some of its 100% interest. It¡¯s possible it might be another Australian company, perhaps one or more of the China jv partners, which means ROC, FAR and/or HZN.
And that brings us to Beibu which is looking very promising. Interpretation of the 3D shot over this field suggests it maybe up to 100 million barrels recoverable from very good reservoirs. Roc¡¯s CEO John Doran seems to be quite excited about China and he doesn¡¯t get excited easily. The Chinese are not used to giving out information about their oil activities so don¡¯t expect too much publicity for this field until October/November when a drill is planned.
PSA has an $US 11 million exploration budget this year which is very conservative when you consider that it should have $US 11 million comfortably in the bank by the end of April. Gives it the opportunity to do things that we haven¡¯t even heard about as yet.
Amity Oil (AYO) continued its strength of recent weeks rising two cents to 75 cents though failing to recapture its recent high close of 77 cents on 9 April. AYO was last at these levels on 20 January when it topped out at 80 cents. It fell through February and early March to record a low of 58 cents on 12 March.
The next day, that is 13 March, AYO announced its first half year profit and revealed a healthy cash balance. A day later on 14 March it announced a major drill proposed for southern Turkey (Yesitelpe). AYO shares were back at 68 cents within a week. Who can doubt the value of good public relations? Media releases like those are great for timing entries into a stock like Amity and I am kicking myself for not realising it at the time. Those that bought then are looking at good profits.
But Amity shares are now entering a volatile period with the start of a two well drilling program. Cayidere spudded on 16 April and should reach target depth of 900 metres in eleven days. It is targeting 15 bcf of gas in a prospect 33 kms to the south east of the producing Gocerler field. Adatepe, another gas well if I am not mistaken, will spud on 25 April. AYO has a 50% interest in both wells. No need to say what success or failure means for the share price.
In June AYO hopes to drill Yesitelpe a potential elephant of a prospect in southern Turkey. It currently has 100% interest in the exploration license but intends to farm down to 60%. It will be interesting to see how many takers AYO has for the prospect given the farm in market is almost comatose.
If the gas wells are dusters and AYO share price falls there may be an opportunity to buy in for a ride up to the Yesitelpe drill. Longer term the news from Amity this week that its daily production rates and one assumes sales rates, were up to 14.5 mcf was encouraging. Amity has to get these rates up if we are to see a sustained rise in the share price. Overall the company¡¯s prospects look pretty sound but timing an entry to coincide with the start of a drilling program is not a good strategy. I will have another look at AYO a bit further down the track.
Beach Petroleum was another winner this week with its shares up 1.5 cents to close at 32.5 cents on small volume. Beach has been struggling to get attention for some time despite being one of the success stories of 2002. Now that it is about to start its 2003 drilling program interest may return.
BPT may be a candidate for ¡°buy early sell before spud ¡° investors though the small targets it is chasing may limit the anticipatory upside. Last year before Maslins, a target of some five million barrels BPT ran up to 42 cents but following that duster it range traded between 29 cents and 33 cents. A break out of 33 cents would suggest the stock is on the way to being rerated.
BPT has an eight wells firm, three wells contingent drilling program in the second half of the year, so it will be quite busy. With its good revenue flows from the Bodalla fields BPT can finance its program without needing to raise extra funds. The first well in the program is Moana 1 in PEL 107 targeting 1.8 million barrels of oil. The well is some 17 kms from Sellicks. Announcement of a date for Moana¡¯s spud could be the trigger for the punters to buy back into BPT.
Of the 13 stocks that fell last week most showed only minor deviations from the previous week with the exception of Carpathian which fell 15% or 1.5 cents. But this is a very thinly traded stock, thought that said it has had its moments in the past.
Thich leads me to one of the unloved stocks I talked about earlier, Sun Resources.
Sun Resources first floated at 25 cents January 1994 and ran pretty quickly to more than 70 cents. It fell back to just below 40 cents in the middle of that year before going for another run in the second half of 1994 which saw it hit 65 cents. But in the last months of the year the stock nose dived to 20 cents.
It spent much of the next three years around that level with the occasional spike to 30 cents then from 1998 to 2000 range traded between 10 and 20 cents. Since the end of 2001 SUR has spent most of its time under 10 cents. In fact the chart looks bloody terrible.
So there is nothing in SUR¡¯s past which suggest the stock is going to go for a run any time soon. Indeed it would be out of character for it to do so. And even after nine years of exploration it has yet to develop a revenue stream of any kind.
However what it does have is a healthy cash balance of some $9.2 million at the end of December with most of that the proceeds of a successful sale of its interests in Basin Minerals when the latter was taken over by Iluka Resources last year. With the proceeds SUR paid a generous 4 cents special dividend to shareholders which is the only return long suffering shareholders had seen for some time.
Another plus for SUR is the fact that it has a relatively small 95 million shares on issue. It also has some 11 million June 05 options. At a recent price of 8.5 cents SUR is capitalised at $8 million which is less than the cash it has on hand and gives no value whatsoever to its exploration acreage which is considerable.
SUR¡¯s interests are widespread and include the Dampier Sub Basin in the Carnarvon Basin, probably its most valuable assets, the Offshore Exmouth Sub Basin, the Onshore Sydney Basin, (coal seam gas), PEP 38330 with PCL in East Coast, New Zealand (where Waigaromia was drilled last year) and in the San Joaquin Basin , California with Victoria Petroleum and First Australian Resources (Eagle and Kingfisher). It also has some interests in Paua New Guinea in PPL 228 a lease containing a number of large prospects including Maipe, Muir and Guy River.. (For a detailed review of Sun interests see its March quarterly activity report).
Unfortunately for Sun Resources it has had a bad run of drilling failures with Waingaromia, Eagle, Kingfisher, Ceres, and Argos some of the most recent. One wonders when its luck with the drill bit will change. Maybe it is about to.
As miningnut has noted these past couple of weeks SUN is participating in another Carnarvon Basin well, Kilauea 1 in WA 257P. Apache is the operator and SUN as a 7.5% interest acquired last December. The target is 419 bcf of gas and 10 mmblo if oil is present. Gas seems more likely if the well is successful. There has been little pre drill interest in SUN and the spud is scheduled for May.
Be interesting to see what happens to SUR¡¯s share price in the run up the drill. Given Apache¡¯s poor hit record in recent months it would be about time for a success. Good luck to miningnut on this one.
It seems to me that SUR would be better off rationalising its interests and concentrating on a few prospective areas rather than chasing things like CSM in Wollongong. You would have to wonder also about continuing to be in PNG. Perhaps it should have a good hard look at the strike rate of a number of its partners, including Pancontinental, Victoria Petroleum and First Australian Resources and ask itself if it is keeping the right sort of company!
Whatever happened to this well?
This was a well drilled by SUN, VIC and FAR and some other US interests in the Joaquin Valley in California targeting oil and gas in reservoirs called the Upper and Lower Gatchell Sandstones. The trap was stratigraphic and prognosed to contain 24 million barrels of oil and 62 billion cubic feet of gas. Given the proximity of big city markets and the price of gas on the West Coast success at Eagle would have been very significant for the small Australian companies involved. There was a lot of interest in Vic Pet at the time of the drill.
Mechanical problems (not to mention a defaulting jv partner) plagued the well which was eventually suspended with a drill head stuck in the reservoir zones. The plan was to drill through the stuck pipe and drill head with a coiled tubing unit. Expert advice was sought on how best to test the well and that advice was to drill a new well entirely. The joint venture has accepted the recommendation. With the resolution of the problem of the defaulting jv partner, and given that the well will cost $US 3 million, Victoria Petroleum on behalf of the partners is seeking to farm out a portion of their interests. And that apparently is where this project stands.
That it for yet another week Remember seek expert advice before you invest you hard earned in the speccie sector of the market. The above is largely to stimulate an exchange of ideas and information.
Disclosure: I hold BUY, COE, FAR, FAROA and PSA.


Software Ideas Modeler is a UML diagramming tool.
UML diagrams are used in professional software development. The diagrams allow developers to see the big picture without all the distracting details in source code or before a single line of code has been written.
Fpelletier added SIM to the database about an year ago but didn't create a thread in the forums. Now, one day after the release of SIM 5.00, I decided to finally create a thread for it.
In spring 2011, I was looking for a portable UML tool with GNU/Linux support. I only found BOUML and SIM, and BOUML is discontinued. SIM requires .NET 3.5, but it's not a problem for me.
Besides fulfilling my basic requirements, SIM is also able to create some non-UML diagrams including UI mockups. In addition, it's quite lightweight: some tools (especially well know ones like astah*) require a couple hundred megabytes of disk space, while SIM only takes about eight (v5) or five (v4) megabytes.
As the system seems to be gaining some traction in areas beyond just development, would be nice to have a UML tool here on the site. Good add.
I haven't had time to track updates for some time, and I missed Ascend4nt's comment about Software Ideas Modeler 6.
I've seen this private entry so many times!
joby_toss wrote: I can't take it anymore!
joby_toss wrote: Edit: not stealth.
Previous versions of Software Ideas Modeler can also be downloaded.
So there's a prompt that shows up when you try to close the program and thereafter when you start it that Smaragdus pointed to.
Despite all these issues, the program is portable and still has a ton of good features. As a result I updated the entry (https://www.portablefreeware.com/index.php?id=1817) and voted for it. Ultimately there is no good freeware Visio alternative apart from LibreOffice Draw, and even that's a stretch. Further, there are a lot of other functions including a Venn Diagram and swimlane tool that are much easier to use than Visio.
* Most of the tools only export to images, not SVG or similar file types that might be functional elsewhere.
* Their tweak on the ribbon view is a little confusing. I recommend clicking one of the items and then click the small up arrow in the lower-right corner of the ribbon to get it to dock normally.
Also worth mentioning: When adding a new diagram, pick "Mixed Diagram" from the category "Other". The sidebar/toolbar will then list ALL available shapes and connectors sorted by category (right-click for more options per category). You can freely mix connectors and shapes from different categories.
Yes! I have updated the entry with better extract instructions. And thanks for the note about the new diagram trick. That's a big help.


Venture Trust funding has helped Lucy Pangbourne (year 10) to develop and excel at Mathematics and has in part funded a maths challenge at Bletchley park where Lucy and her team came first. The Venture Trust funding has enabled Lucy to attend masterclasses at the Royal Institute and to travel to and study at Imperial College in London.
Well done Lucy who looks set to achieve very highly in her academic career.


There are a number of historic churches dotted around the Marsh, so I thought it would be a good idea to do an occasional series of posts giving some details on them – in case you choose to visit them whilst staying at the cottage.
The obvious place to start, as the cottage is in Lydd, would be All Saints in Lydd itself. 'The Cathedral of the Marsh' as it is known. I'll leave that to a later date, however, because you will see St Clement as you drive to the cottage, on the Lydd Road.
I drove passed it countless times as I was renovating the cottage and it always cheered me to know that the long drive was nearly over! I finally managed to pop in to have a look, in August.
It is thought that the church dates back to the eleventh century, as dedications to St Clement relate to when the dane, Canute, was King of England.
Although now well inland, back then, Old Romney was a port – which is significant because St.Clement was martyred by tying his neck to an anchor and casting him into the Black Sea.
In 1250 and in following years, a series of violent storms broke through the coastal shingle banks, flooding significant areas and returning much of the area to marsh, and destroying the harbour.
The present church dates from the mid twelfth century and had various additions up to the late thirteenth century.
There are a number of unusual features. Three seventeenth century commandment boards are still in their original place behind the altar. I found it quite amusing to think about the priority different sins seemed to have!
The other unusual feature is the box pews painted pink! Restoration in the early 1960s was financed by the Disney company who filmed "Dr. Syn" (vicar by day, smuggler by night) here, and the parishioners liked the colour so much they decided to keep it!
The film maker Derek Jarman is buried in the churchyard and is commemorated by a headstone simply bearing his signature.
I will post more in future on the story of Doctor Syn and Derek Jarman's garden at Dungeness.


Despite uncountable efforts by civil society to create sustainable communities, the elements still do not add up to produce a representative model of sustainability. Why do they not add up? Why do the fervour and commitment of community leaders, civil society organisations, charities, social enterprises, resident associations, corporate and individual volunteers, as well as many others working tirelessly with targeted communities, at times separately and at other times collaboratively, not result in a flourishing of sustainable communities throughout the country? What are the missing parts in this puzzle?
How can the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development play the pivotal role as the catalyst for sustainable community development above and beyond its responsibility for the social welfare of disadvantaged groups and people who have fallen behind economically? As a grassroot-oriented Ministry, it is well-positioned to be the driver of sustainable communities as the next frontier of economic growth.
But first, why are the myriad activities of community organisers and civil society organisation leaders and workers not able to bring about a great transformation to sustainable living? These are highly capable social entrepreneurs, great mobilisers who are skilled in managing diversity, people who are passionate and deeply committed to their mission, and they do not give up. They work with indigenous communities, remote highland communities, the urban poor, the battered and downtrodden, riverine communities, people living in dilapidated housing and polluted surroundings, and many more communities that need help. They have one thing in common. They invariably lack funding. They also lack technical experts and staff and volunteers who have specialised skills.
The lack of funding for community-based work has a lot to do with the wide inequality in the disbursement of our national budgets. States and local governments are not able to help fund community development work because our national revenues and expenditures are monopolised by the federal government, which is a level of government furthest away from the needs and influence of ordinary people and communities.
The 2018 budgets of all 11 states plus Sabah and Sarawak amount to RM23.7 billion which is 8.5% of the federal budget of RM280.3 billion. In other words, the federal budget is 11.8 times the combined budgets of all the states in Malaysia. With such excessive concentration of national money at the federal level, what is the ability of state and local governments to fund activities to build sustainable communities at the local level? The answer is little ability.
Selangor has a population of 6.5 million or 20% of the country's population, but its annual budget of RM3.1 billion is a miniscule 1.1% of the federal budget. With such disproportionate financial power between the state and the federal government, how can the state finance activities at the community level adequately and meaningfully? No wonder all the local governments – city, municipal and district – under the state are underfinanced and find it hard to work with community-based organisations to implement sustainable development.
Our current governmental financial system will not be able to support the principles enshrined in Agenda 21. It needs to be reformed.
In June 2018, the Prime Minister announced that government Members of Parliament (MPs) would be allocated RM500,000 and opposition MPs RM100,000 each. This is the amount of money MPs get to undertake constituency development work. With 222 MPs, the total allocated would be roughly RM71 million. With this miniscule sum, non-government organisations, civil society organisations, charities, resident associations and community organisations can go to their MPs to beg for help and financial support, but there simply will not be enough money to go around for community development work. Compare this with the federal budget of RM280 billion in which 27 MPs and 1 Senator that form the Cabinet have decision-making power over. If there are lopsided development among communities and constituencies in the country we should not be surprised given the acute disparity in political and financial decision-making influence among MPs themselves.
So, despite the numerous whole-hearted efforts of civil society to create sustainable communities, their work could not add up to a large-scale transformation in the country. Without a large-scale transformation of living conditions, habits and practices at the community level, our people, society and country will never achieve the sustainable development goals and may succumb to climate-related disaster of planetary scale.
We hope the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development will step in and take the lead in making the necessary reforms in our governmental financial system to ensure adequate funding to local governments and, hence, sustainable community development activities. A significant portion of our national budget should be devolved to the state and local government levels. With sufficient funds to local governments, the Ministry can help foster greater cooperation between civil society organisations and local governments so that the efforts to build sustainable communities will add up. Skills development will also be needed, and, here, appropriate TVET programmes can be created. For follow-up discussion on this issue, readers are welcomed to contact us at the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University.


text:
Muszkowo – wieś w Polsce położona w województwie lubuskim, w powiecie sulęcińskim, w gminie Krzeszyce.

W latach 1975–1998 miejscowość administracyjnie należała do województwa gorzowskiego.

Zabytki
Do wojewódzkiego rejestru zabytków wpisane są:
 kościół ewangelicki, obecnie rzymskokatolicki, kościół filialny parafii w Krzeszycach pw. św. Jana Chrzciciela, z 1814 roku, 1892 roku.
 cmentarz przykościelny.

Przypisy

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In today's beauty world where false eyelashes have never been so popular (I admit, I feel like I have 'bald eyes' when I step out in the evening without my fluttery friends) Superdrug launches something different to keep the beauty industry excited – a New hand-made false lash collection!
Lashes are seriously big business, Superdrug sells millions every year. To ensure that everyone can pick up lashes that will enable them to create their perfect lash look, Superdrug has created its first ever collection of false lashes.
The hand-made collection has been created to offer a complete wardrobe of lash looks, from light and pretty natural lashes to full on intense double volume. Each lash is clearly shown on the pack so beauty lovers can see exactly which lash effect they'll be able to achieve.
I usually swear by Eyelure lashes, whether it be the Girls Aloud range or the Naturalite range. These are just part of my everyday make up kit and I'm sure I'm amongst millions of ladies when I say that. However, this new range looks very tempting as there are so many different versions, they will be ideal for every kind of look!
Superdrug lashes launch 6th July in all Superdrug stores and are available at a special introductory price (until 2nd August 2011) of £3.99 for single thickness and £4.99 for double volume (£4.49 and £5.49 each respectively from 3rd August).


The FBI keeps a Hate Crimes Incident Report Form which collects data on hate crimes in the U.S. There's nothing on the report form that documents crimes against Sikhs.
Back in April, 92 members of Congress signed a letter to the Department of Justice urging the FBI to collect information on hate crimes committed against Sikh Americans.
"Our understanding is that the FBI may be relying on older forms which count hate crimes against Sikhs as anti-Islamic (Muslim) hate crimes," the letter says. "We believe that not including Sikhs within hate-crime data-collection may diminish the safety of the 500,000-strong Sikh-American community and weaken the quality of essential hate crimes data overall."
As of the recent Sikh temple shooting in Wisconsin, it appears that the FBI's form hasn't been changed.


Information about the Boknis Eck database is found here.
A list of methods and instruments used at Boknis Eck is found here.
Wet laboratory on board research vessel "Littorina"
Dry laboratory on board research vessel "Littorina"


It also allows advertisers avoid running ads on sensitive content—like news or politics—that don't violate YouTube guidelines but don't fit with a company's brand. Those methods appear to have failed.
So far, just one major advertiser—Baltimore-based retailer Under Armour—had said it had withdrawn its advertising in the wake of the CNN report, though the lull lasted only a few days last week when it was first notified of the problem. After its shoe commercial turned up on a channel known for espousing white nationalist beliefs, Under Armour worked with YouTube to expand its filters to exclude certain topics and keywords.
When are we going to stop pretending as if we don't know that the CIA/NSA/FBI are MAJOR investors in Google/Facebook/Twitter?
What Injects a Toxin that Controls the Mind without killing its victims? = F.A.N.G.
In the latest discovery, CNN reported that social media is a major drain on CNN's advertising revenue, and needs to be shut down.
I'm more worried about Nazis and other scum advertising on popular videos than I am about the CIA, NSA, or FBI. That seems to be the main toxin being injected.


text:
The Telephone Hills are a low mountain range in the interior California Coast Ranges, in western Kern County, California.

References

California Coast Ranges
Mountain ranges of Kern County, California
Mountain ranges of Southern California


Learning how and when to ice fish is a process. There are some things you need to consider when you are going out ice fishing. Here are a few tips to help you become a successful ice fisher.
You can get dialled in to a great fishing location a couple of different ways.
1.Start by connecting with people in the fishing community. Tackle stores and community outdoor stores will provide you with a good deal of information about where the fish are active.
2. Reach out to outdoors clubs in your community. These clubs provide membership-based user groups that actively participate in outdoor fishing.
3. Online social media is another super way to get good information and form lasting relationships. Start an Instagram profile and focus on following fishing people in your region. This can really improve your chances of knowing where to go.
Fish respond to changes in the climate. If the barometric pressure changes, this can and will adversely affect fish-feeding behaviour. Cold or warm fronts moving in or volatile changes in weather are strong indicators fishing conditions will be tough.
Take it from me, I go out when my percentages are higher. Catching fish is the objective. Focus on watching the weather where you would like to fish in advance by using a weather app. It is good if you have three days of consistent weather. If the weather is consistent then fish will adapt.
A good ice fishing rod and reel is important. A strong, medium-strength rod with a medium-action tip has the backbone to set up bigger fish. Your line should be new every season, and I like to use a six-pound mono for my fishing.
I adjust my drag system depending on the size of fish I am targeting, which is usually big walleye (pickerel). I will also frequently use a 10-pound fusion braid line to a two-foot, forty-pound p-line leader in case big northern pike are around and they are in the mood to bite. I typically fish a jig and minnow on the bottom and I actively work my rod, jigging it consistently.
I usually focus on actively fishing just one line while moving holes frequently. Bring an ice auger or go with someone that has one. Get a gas or electric auger. Hand-drilling holes is a great way to stay in shape but one gets tired of cranking all day especially when the ice gets thick.
Having a good quality flasher is important. A flasher is an electronic device used in ice fishing that helps you catch fish. It uses SONAR to determine depth and when fish are near your bait. You can get these devices relatively inexpensively, but I recommend getting a good one. In an upcoming blog I will cover what I think will be best for you to use in a flasher comparison review.
Having an ice shack is important if you are going to be fishing on really cold days and if there will be wind. There are a lot of good products on the market today that are not that expensive.
Having a variety of tackle is helpful. When I am not fishing a weighted jig to be on the bottom, I will use lipless rattling crank baits to draw fish to the area.
People may tell you where to fish. It will be up to you to pick a spot when you get there. How do you do that? Research your fishery and find a topographical map (topo).
A good place to start, is in areas where there are steep drops ranging from nine feet to a 17 to 21 foot drop off. Topo maps will show you drops and depths so you can plan your day.
Actively move within 15 minutes if fish are not biting. Always make sure to know what the ice thickness is where you are fishing. Weedy bays are also good areas for transitioning fish (actively feeding and moving). So setting up in four to seven feet of water will produce fish as well. Anytime there is structure (weeds, sandbars, shoals) fish will be in the area as these are good ambush locations for feeding. Good luck out there and have fun.