Majarkeun

Long time no see!

I know its been forever since I posted last... Sorry, things have been busy. Well I just wanted to do a quick post that we have a legitimate reason to be away this week... Were on vacation!!

Were sailing away today on The Freedom of the Seas cruise ship by Royal Carribean to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. Were going to the Bahamas, St. Thomas, and St. Maarten. I cant believe weve been married 3 years now!

Yesterday we went to Universals Islands of Adventure with my friend Sarah who lives in Tampa. It was a ton of fun! Today we made the drive to the port in our rental car and it only took about 15 minutes to board(!). Now were just sitting by the pool sipping boat drinks and listening to the band.

I will do a big recap post or two after we get home. I hope you all have a fabulous week, I know we will ;)

P.S. Im blogging from the app, so I hope this works!!

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Long weekend and have a happy 4th

Been working. Time to draw the Nina stories have taken a big hit, so the planned book of Paper Biscuit 3 is on hold. Ive worked out the issue and roughed out an outline but have had to leave it alone. Ill get back into it in a few weeks. Be really ahead for next year, eh? I tried to do a little ditty for San Diego -- not Nina based--but even that turned into something larger. I gotta learn to make smaller stuff.


Drawing done in Photoshop with a customized brush. Image at the top of the post links to a larger image. This detail for those who couldnt be bothered.

Drawing has been opening more aspects of relaxation in the line. When you relax and not put the mind into a performing stance the images appear. I wonder if there are exercises to achieve this with more certainty. Or maybe it is just time. Whatever it is, I am having the best time ever drawing (that I can still say that amazes me no end). And, even though I cant draw for myself every day, I have this kind of hunger I know I can rely on later to bring me to that spot.

Rambling now ceasing. I bring you back to your regular programming. Happy fourth, people!

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long winter

Whew, this winter is draggin on like no ones business. Tough time for mtb because in order to ride the trais you need to go out when the ground is frozen, but when it gets nice they turn muddy (except for gap trail system).

Went out on a nice day this weekend and that was a mistake.

Funny thing though is it isnt bothering me too much, in fact it might be a good thing. Its a pain because its painfully cold sometimes and it limits potential bike commuting. But at the same time Im busy and lifting so I dont feel bad if its a bleak day.

In a few more weeks Im going to hit a short endurance phase where I need to get one or two long rides in a week and then Ill be bummed if it is still this cold. But after that Ill be heading in to the interval stage and I wont mind at all if its nasty.

Sometimes when its nice out it is more depressing because if you cant get out and are busy then the woe is me songs gets sung a little. But Im hoping to commute more by bike.

Regardless of anything Im glad that I lifted this year. My body feels more balanced, and I hope I can continue one day a week.

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Long Wave Infrared Imaging A new detection method for ADHD

Detecting ADHD using the long-wave infrared spectrum:

I always enjoy covering new breakthroughs in the diagnosis and treatment methods in the medical field. A new study just came out which may have a number of potential applications to aid in the diagnostic process of ADHD, which I believe is worth sharing. Called Long-Wave Infrared Imaging, this method utilizes the infrared spectrum to detect biological activity (namely bloodflow patterns) via the differences in radiation emitted by these activities. The study, titled Sensitivity and Specificity of Longwave Infrared Imaging for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, found that this method may be a surprisingly powerful way of separating ADHD from other related disorders, aiding in the always-difficult process of differential diagnosis.

The basics of Long-Wave Infrared Imaging:

The term "long-wave" is a relative term, of course, referring to wavelengths of approximately 10 nanometers (or only one one-hundred millionth of a meter). Differential bloodflow patterns can result in temperature differences by a full degree (Celsius), making this technology useful in tracking bloodflow disorders. A recent publication in the Journal of Medical Physics by Bagathaviappan and coworkers suggests describes how this long-wave infrared imaging can detect areas in the circulatory system where bloodflow activity is sluggish or reduced. Typically, these areas appear "cooler" on the spectrum, due to the lack of a new, replenishing blood supply.

Applications for ADHD:

A number of studies have confirmed the hypothesis that individuals with ADHD have reduced bloodflow levels marking a recuction of activity to multiple key brain regions. Additionally, while several disorders have a number of overlapping symptoms (which can make the diagnostic process more complicated, especially if multiple comorbid disorders are present), differential blood flow patterns to the brain may be able to help make these distinctions. For example, blood flow patters to the brains of ADHD and OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorders) can show pronounced differences, which can aid the diagnostic process between these two disorders (while ADHD and OCD are often considered to be on "opposite" ends of the spectrum with regards to neuro-chemical signaling levels, these two disorders can often exhibit similar symptoms, such as a severe impairment in the response to verbal directions. This is especially true in younger children).

This technology may even be extended to measuring or predicting which medications may work for an individual diagnosed with ADHD, based on blood flow in specific localized brain regions. Cerebral blood flow patterns may help predict the response to common ADHD drugs such as methylphenidate (Ritalin, Concerta, Metadate, Daytrana). For example, a study by Cho and coworkers found increased blood flow in at least three different brain regions for individuals who showed poor response to methylphenidate treatment compared to their peers who did show improvements under the drug.

While the medication response study was done utilizing a different type of brain imaging device known as SPECT, which utilizes gamma rays and radioactive tracers to detect brain activity in 3-dimensional patterns. While SPECT has proven to be an extremely powerful and effectively safe method of detection (the radioactive isotope used in this method is relatively non-invasive and breaks down quickly, and the gamma rays are carefully controlled), concerned parents may still have an inherent fear of the terms "radioactivity" and "gamma rays" tend to shy away from this powerful detection method on their kids.

While this blogger personally has a very high opinion about the use of SPECT as a diagnostic tool for ADHD and related disorders, it is at least worth mentioning the possibility that long-wave infrared imaging methods may be a viable alternative method in at least some of these imaging cases (SPECT technology has been around for over 30 years, but the recent advances in computational power resurrected this technology in the very recent past, similar possibilities may abound by this infrared technology, which has been around even longer).

Keep in mind that the studies utilizing this range of infrared imaging technologies for detecting and differentiation disorders such as ADHD are still relatively scarce. Nevertheless, long-wave infrared imaging appears (at least in this bloggers personal opinion) to be a powerful diagnostic tool for ADHD and related disorders in the near future.

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Long time no see

I had all of these grand plans to get back to blogging more frequently and then I got busy (as usual!). Well, heres what weve been up to the last few weeks!

This February it felt like we had more snow than usual (along with most of the country)! Im hoping that we can say that we wont be seeing any more snow until next year... However, it was fun and I loved seeing the dogs play in the snow. Rory really loved it, Darcy didnt like it that much. He doesnt like how it sticks to his long hair ;)
On March 2nd, Kevin and I celebrated 10 years since we started dating. We dont usually do much for this anniversary, but we decided that 10 years of anything is cause for celebration! We went to Second Empire for dinner, it was delish, as always. Second Empire is definitely my favorite restaurant in Raleigh, you must go if you havent. And, you must ask for the fois gras!!
This past week, we celebrated Kevins birthday! His birthday was on Wednesday and we celebrated all week long. On Saturday we had dinner at my parents and went out in Downtown Raleigh to see our favorite local musician Adam Pitts perform. Always so much fun!

Ill be back soon to talk about all of the things we are working on around the house to get ready for Spring. :)

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