Dr. Bill Krissoff, age 61, is closing his medical practice, enlisting in the US Navy Medical Corps, and hoping to receive an assignment to a field hospitol in Iraq. Dr. Krissoff's son, 1st Lt Nathan Krissoff, a counterintelligence officer, was killed in Al-Abar Province in Iraq in December 2006 (http://iraq.pigstye.net/article.php/KrissoffNathan). Dr. Krissoff's commissioning was hastened after a meeting with President Bush (http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-doctor1dec01,0,7221630.story?coll=la-home-center).
Dr. Krissoff deserves our thanks, not only for the sacrifices and service of his son, for his service, but also for setting an example with his personal courage and sacrifice. Both father and son are heroes.
Friday, November 30, 2007
The Iranian Subs at Sea
The USS Vicksburg recently spotted two of the reported three Iranian kilos running on the surface in the Persian Gulf. Highlighted in a story from the Navy Times:
The scary part of this article is that apparently, they Vicksburg was unaware of their presence until they spotted them on the surface. While it is erroneous in my opinion to connect this incident to the incident when the Chinese submarine surfaced in the middle of a battlegroup (as the Navy Times did), there there seems to be a pointed need for either enhanced ASW training and capability for surface ship crews, an enhanced submarine presence to perform ASW missions, or both. I see this as becoming more vital given the current escalating tensions between the US and Iran combined with Iran's stated,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghadir_(submarine)). Bubblehead also has some news concerning the Iranian program (http://bubbleheads.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-iranian-submarine-certainly-looks.html).
Another disturbing side of the Ghadir Class is Iran's claim the boats can reach Israel's coast. Whether or not it is true, this couls also be an attempt to interfere with the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks by a nation with an acknowledged goal of the destruction of this key American ally.
Officials aboard the cruiser Vicksburg spotted and photographed two surfaced Iranian Kilo-class submarines in the Persian Gulf a few weeks ago, the ship’s skipper told Navy Secretary Donald Winter during a visit to the ship on Saturday.
The Russian-designed diesel-electric attack subs were tracked and photographed by sailors onboard the Mayport, Fla.-based ship, said Capt. Chip Swicker. Crew members showed Winter the photographs of the surfaced subs. The Vicksburg did not communicate with either of the subs, Swicker said.
“They watched us and we watched them,” he said.
Crew members aboard the cruiser didn’t consider the encounters hostile, although it wasn’t clear if the Iranian boats surfaced within view of the cruiser or if the U.S. warship happened to see the Iranian subs while they were already running on the surface. Iran has a fleet of three Kilo-class SSKs, according to Jane’s Fighting Ships.
Swicker indicated the Vicksburg was close enough to Iranian waters at the times of the encounters that crew members didn’t consider it out of the ordinary to see Iranian navy vessels.
The scary part of this article is that apparently, they Vicksburg was unaware of their presence until they spotted them on the surface. While it is erroneous in my opinion to connect this incident to the incident when the Chinese submarine surfaced in the middle of a battlegroup (as the Navy Times did), there there seems to be a pointed need for either enhanced ASW training and capability for surface ship crews, an enhanced submarine presence to perform ASW missions, or both. I see this as becoming more vital given the current escalating tensions between the US and Iran combined with Iran's stated,(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghadir_(submarine)). Bubblehead also has some news concerning the Iranian program (http://bubbleheads.blogspot.com/2007/11/new-iranian-submarine-certainly-looks.html).
Another disturbing side of the Ghadir Class is Iran's claim the boats can reach Israel's coast. Whether or not it is true, this couls also be an attempt to interfere with the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks by a nation with an acknowledged goal of the destruction of this key American ally.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Math to Save Lives, From the Naval Academy
I am creating this blog mainly as a way of exploring my thoughts while getting active feedback from a diverse audience. As you read these posts, a great many things about me will be revealed as these are my thoughts, my interests, and a sort of inner monologue made public.Two of the greatest interest in life are Applied Mathematics and my loving wife. My wife, being the smartest woman I have ever known in my life, does not share my interest in mathematics being much more creative and artistically inclined than I. Recently, however, the two came colliding together.
First, I have to divulge some background information. Two years ago, at the age of 29, Mrs. Whizzer was diagnosed with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease, more commonly referred to as Kidney Failure). Her family was tested to see if they could possibly be a donor, but because she was adopted their chances are no better than the normal population of being a match. Due to her blood type, here in Hawaii, the average wait time for a transplant is 7(+) years. Her doctor gives her 4 years, due to other complications. So we are moving to Connecticut. The waiting time in Connecticut is a little over three years, and trending down.
Now, let's talk about my other obsession - mathematics. A frequent problem within mathematics is optimization and/or minimization. Currently, 74,072 persons are listed nationally on the waiting list at the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Regionally (for Hawaii) there are 349 people listed, 89 of the same blood type as my wife. In 2007, for her bloodtype, there have been 3 deceased donors, 1 living donor (http://www.unos.org/).Advances in the field of kidney transplantation have made it possible to perform multiple transplantations at the same time. For example, let's say I decided to donate a kidney to my wife, but I can't because of mismatched bloodtypes. If a possible match could be made with another donor where I matched the patient and their donor matched Mrs. Whizzer, then we could do a swap and two patients would have a new kidney, a new life.Transplantation from a living donor has many advantages to transplantation from a deceased person. It is more cost efficient than dialysis over the long term, it is minimizes the time the patient is on the waiting list (thus minimizing the impact of kidney damage to other organs such as the heart and liver and shortening the list for persons with no donors), and the survival rate of the transplant is higher over the long term (http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/kidney/kidney2.htm).
Recent research involving graph theory have led to advances that could increase the number of kidney transplants, maximize compatibility of donor recipient pairs, and thus increase the long term survivability of the transplanted organ. The idea of using mathematical optimization to help these patients was discussed in a 2005 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/293/15/1883). Since the original publication of this article, it has been shown that this algorithm maximizes the number of transplants in every case, "it maximizes the total number of transplants while selecting matches with greater compatibility and closer proximity" (http://blog.sciencenews.org/mathtrek/2007/08/kidney_matchmaking.html).Yet, knowing this optimization exists, the logistical challenges are standing in the way of implementing this program to improve the lives of all persons awaiting kidney transplants. "To me, these results are not important until they're implemented," she [Gentry] says. "This theoretical work shows that these allocations can be done in a sane way, and if we're smart about it, we might get a large number of additional transplants in a year."Organ donation is an important lifesaving gift to those in need, those who are waiting with their life on hold. If you are able, please sign up to be an organ donor.
For more information on organ transplant and donation, in general, visit http://www.unos.org/.
For more information concerning paired kidney transplantation between incompatible pairs, visit http://www.paireddonationnetwork.org/ or for more information on the optimization of this type of donation, visit http://www.optimizedmatch.com/learn_index.php.
For more on the mathematics of this algorithm, visit http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dabraham/papers/abs07.pdf
Also, if you are an organ donor, discuss your wishes with your family and the people who will make the decisions at the worst times. Their grief can, and often has unfortunately, canceled the donor card in someone's wallet. This discussion, as unpleasant as it can be could save someone's life.
First, I have to divulge some background information. Two years ago, at the age of 29, Mrs. Whizzer was diagnosed with ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease, more commonly referred to as Kidney Failure). Her family was tested to see if they could possibly be a donor, but because she was adopted their chances are no better than the normal population of being a match. Due to her blood type, here in Hawaii, the average wait time for a transplant is 7(+) years. Her doctor gives her 4 years, due to other complications. So we are moving to Connecticut. The waiting time in Connecticut is a little over three years, and trending down.
Now, let's talk about my other obsession - mathematics. A frequent problem within mathematics is optimization and/or minimization. Currently, 74,072 persons are listed nationally on the waiting list at the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). Regionally (for Hawaii) there are 349 people listed, 89 of the same blood type as my wife. In 2007, for her bloodtype, there have been 3 deceased donors, 1 living donor (http://www.unos.org/).Advances in the field of kidney transplantation have made it possible to perform multiple transplantations at the same time. For example, let's say I decided to donate a kidney to my wife, but I can't because of mismatched bloodtypes. If a possible match could be made with another donor where I matched the patient and their donor matched Mrs. Whizzer, then we could do a swap and two patients would have a new kidney, a new life.Transplantation from a living donor has many advantages to transplantation from a deceased person. It is more cost efficient than dialysis over the long term, it is minimizes the time the patient is on the waiting list (thus minimizing the impact of kidney damage to other organs such as the heart and liver and shortening the list for persons with no donors), and the survival rate of the transplant is higher over the long term (http://www.livingdonorsonline.org/kidney/kidney2.htm).
Recent research involving graph theory have led to advances that could increase the number of kidney transplants, maximize compatibility of donor recipient pairs, and thus increase the long term survivability of the transplanted organ. The idea of using mathematical optimization to help these patients was discussed in a 2005 article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/293/15/1883). Since the original publication of this article, it has been shown that this algorithm maximizes the number of transplants in every case, "it maximizes the total number of transplants while selecting matches with greater compatibility and closer proximity" (http://blog.sciencenews.org/mathtrek/2007/08/kidney_matchmaking.html).Yet, knowing this optimization exists, the logistical challenges are standing in the way of implementing this program to improve the lives of all persons awaiting kidney transplants. "To me, these results are not important until they're implemented," she [Gentry] says. "This theoretical work shows that these allocations can be done in a sane way, and if we're smart about it, we might get a large number of additional transplants in a year."Organ donation is an important lifesaving gift to those in need, those who are waiting with their life on hold. If you are able, please sign up to be an organ donor.
For more information on organ transplant and donation, in general, visit http://www.unos.org/.
For more information concerning paired kidney transplantation between incompatible pairs, visit http://www.paireddonationnetwork.org/ or for more information on the optimization of this type of donation, visit http://www.optimizedmatch.com/learn_index.php.
For more on the mathematics of this algorithm, visit http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dabraham/papers/abs07.pdf
Also, if you are an organ donor, discuss your wishes with your family and the people who will make the decisions at the worst times. Their grief can, and often has unfortunately, canceled the donor card in someone's wallet. This discussion, as unpleasant as it can be could save someone's life.
Supporting Service Members During the Holidays
I received an e-mail today urging me to send a Christmas card to:
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NWWashington,D.C. 20307-5001
As a member of the Armed Services let me first assure you that we all appreciate the sentiment involved in actions such as these. Whether or not you support the war, your support of the service members involved is very much welcomed. Having said that, let me give you the unfortunate news. Cards, gifts, boxes, etc. addressed to generic service members can not be delivered. The USPS won't deliver them, and if one slips through, the installation is not allowed to accept it. This policy is purely for security reasons, and in consideration of the health and well being of our troops and their families.
In light of this, there are many ways to show your support for service members without knowing their specific name, here are a few:For more on this policy as well as better way to show your support of the troops, visit:Walter Reed Army Medical Center's site: http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/Lists/WRNews/DispForm.aspx?Id=24&.
The America Supports You website: http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx
the United Service Organizations (USO) website:http://www.uso.org/
Thank you for your support.
A Recovering American Soldier
c/o Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue,NWWashington,D.C. 20307-5001
As a member of the Armed Services let me first assure you that we all appreciate the sentiment involved in actions such as these. Whether or not you support the war, your support of the service members involved is very much welcomed. Having said that, let me give you the unfortunate news. Cards, gifts, boxes, etc. addressed to generic service members can not be delivered. The USPS won't deliver them, and if one slips through, the installation is not allowed to accept it. This policy is purely for security reasons, and in consideration of the health and well being of our troops and their families.
In light of this, there are many ways to show your support for service members without knowing their specific name, here are a few:For more on this policy as well as better way to show your support of the troops, visit:Walter Reed Army Medical Center's site: http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/Lists/WRNews/DispForm.aspx?Id=24&.
The America Supports You website: http://www.americasupportsyou.mil/americasupportsyou/index.aspx
the United Service Organizations (USO) website:http://www.uso.org/
Thank you for your support.
SSN 780
Finally, a name is known for the SSN 780. She is now declared the USS California.
Six ships have previously carried this name for the US Navy, starting with a wooden steam boat originally named the USS Minnetonka (launched July 3 1867, renamed May 15, 1869) during the Civil War and culminating with CGN 36, the lead ship of a nuclear powered cruiser class, she was decommissioned in Oct 1, 1998.
During the interim, the intervening ships were:
ACR-6, a Pennsylvania class armored cruiser,
SP-249, protected NYC harbor during WWI,
SP-647, protected San Franscisco harbor during WWI, and
BB-44, sunk during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 she was refloated, repaired and took the fight to the enemy in the following combat actions: the invasions of Saipan, Guam, and Tinian, the Leyte Campaign (including the Battle of Surigao Strait), the Battle of Lingayen Gulf (where she was damaged in a kamikaze attack, but sailed on for two weeks in support of the operation), and the Okinawa Campaign (http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-c/bb44.htm).
Now SSN 780 will be joining this historical and honored tradition.
Six ships have previously carried this name for the US Navy, starting with a wooden steam boat originally named the USS Minnetonka (launched July 3 1867, renamed May 15, 1869) during the Civil War and culminating with CGN 36, the lead ship of a nuclear powered cruiser class, she was decommissioned in Oct 1, 1998.
During the interim, the intervening ships were:
ACR-6, a Pennsylvania class armored cruiser,
SP-249, protected NYC harbor during WWI,
SP-647, protected San Franscisco harbor during WWI, and
BB-44, sunk during the Attack on Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941 she was refloated, repaired and took the fight to the enemy in the following combat actions: the invasions of Saipan, Guam, and Tinian, the Leyte Campaign (including the Battle of Surigao Strait), the Battle of Lingayen Gulf (where she was damaged in a kamikaze attack, but sailed on for two weeks in support of the operation), and the Okinawa Campaign (http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-c/bb44.htm).
Now SSN 780 will be joining this historical and honored tradition.
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