| Eye-controlled robot to make surgery safer
London: British researchers are developing a medical robot that can work out the intentions of a surgeon performing surgery, making it easier and more precise. They hope the new software will lead to less invasive operations, for example when conducting a cardiac bypass or tumour removal, allowing patients to recover quickly. The improvements have been made to the most advanced robotic surgeon on the market, the Da Vinci. It allows surgeons to sit at a viewing console directing the movement of the mechanical arms inside the patient. The research team is working on using the surgeon's eye movements to direct the robot, getting the best out of both human and machine. "We want to empower the robot and make it more autonomous," said computer scientist Professor Guang Zhong Yang, of the Hamlyn centre for robotic surgery at Imperial College London.
Emilio Regaining Consciousness
Hospital officials say Tejano music star Emilio Navaira, who was severely injured after his tour bus crashed, is slowly regaining consciousness. Navaira opened his eyes and moved his arms and legs Wednesday evening, according to a statement from Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. He remains in critical condition at the hospital. The 45-year-old singer early Sunday morning was thrown through the windshield of his tour bus when it slammed into a collection of freeway barrels that mark the interchange of Interstate 610 and U.S. Highway 59 in Bellaire, a southwest Houston enclave. His injuries have required two brain surgeries, the most recent one Tuesday evening. Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. .
Tejano music star regaining consciousness, doctor says
HOUSTON -- Tejano music star Emilio Navaira is showing signs of improvement, including opening his eyes and moving his limbs, days after being severely injured when his tour bus crashed, his neurosurgeon said Thursday. Navaira, who had been in a coma since the accident, is slowly regaining consciousness. He moved his arms and legs Wednesday evening, said Dr. Alex Valadka, with Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. "The fact he has made so much progress already is a very encouraging sign," Valadka said. "But whether that trend will continue is impossible to say. Hopefully he will be getting better and better." While Navaira has opened his eyes, doctors can't tell how aware the singer is of those around him, Valadka said. Navaira is still using a breathing tube and can't speak.
For Roman Catholic Nun, Collecting Saintly Statuary a Devotion
She must have been in the first grade or so when the whole thing started. Brenda Query and her family visited her great-aunt, Sister Aubrey, who was a Catholic nun, a Sister of Charity. After their visit, Sister Aubrey gave little Brenda a statue of St. Catherine. About 100 years before, St. Catherine had been one of the same order. Back in the '60s, about the time of this family visit, the Sisters of Charity were called "Big Bonnets." And, indeed, the little china figurine, about 5 inches tall, was of a nun wearing a habit with a large, winged bonnet. "Somehow, I always had a devotion to the saints," said Brenda, a sister herself now. She paused thoughtfully. "I like to think of the saints as God's Hall of Fame." That first religious statue was joined by more presents to a little girl with an unusual enthusiasm for religious figures.
Sometimes we just want to drive
When prices go up at the pump, the nation's gas consumption slows down -- a sign that people under pressure do find ways to scale back their driving.So far in 2008, gasoline demand is down in the U.S. by several percentage points from a year ago, gas retailers say.The decline is remarkable, since gas use should be rising about 1 percent annually just to keep up with the population, said Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J."The public has gotten used to $3, just like it got used to $2.50 or $2.75," Kloza said. "But $3.25 seems to be that point where you start to see some behavioral changes."The News & Observer recently asked readers to keep travel diaries for a week. Many said they were keeping stricter gas budgets or combining trips, but few said they had made drastic cuts yet.
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