Moyamoya Disease: Background, Etiology, Epidemiology
BART: Failed Attempt To Manually Route Train After System Glitch Preceded Derailment, Fire
The investigation into the New Year's Day derailment and fire aboard a BART train has so far revealed that a manual repositioning of a failed track interlocking sent the train onto the wrong track, and the operator's attempt to reposition the train led to the derailment.
Nine people were hurt when the train partially derailed just outside the Orinda station Monday morning, forcing more than 100 passengers to evacuate from the train after a fire was sparked under two of the cars.
BART said in a press statement Wednesday that the section of track where the derailment occurred, including the interlocking, was recently replaced and was in good operating condition. The agency's train control system is currently being modernized in a major rebuilding project.
Computer communication issueBART said at 8:45 a.M., the computer system that monitors and manages the tracks lost communication with a field device that includes the interlocking between the Orinda and Lafayette stations, which meant the route alignments could not be controlled remotely. The system fails in a safe mode, BART said, allowing service to continue as crews troubleshoot the issue; one train passed through the area headed toward Antioch.
At 8:50 a.M., the BART Operations Control Center instructed the operator of an Antioch-bound train to manually align a straight-through route at the failed interlocking. The train operator left the cab to align the track route and confirmed the straight-through alignment to the control center, BART said.
UPDATE: BART service on Yellow line returns to normal following New Year's Day derailment
The control center told the operator to proceed and drive the train in manual mode through the area, but once moving, the train operator reported that the train was incorrectly crossing over to the opposite track, BART said. The train operator was then instructed to go to the opposite end of the train and move it back toward the SFO direction to clear the interlocking area and correctly align the train for a straight-through path, according to the agency.
Train alignment correctionOnce the train began to move back, two cars derailed under slow speed causing electrical arcing, smoke, and flames, BART said. Some riders immediately began self-evacuating using the emergency door release. At 9:05 a.M. The train operator reported to the control center that the train had derailed; the operator walked through each car instructing passengers to evacuate, BART said.
UPDATE: Disabled BART train between Concord, North Concord stations causes major delays; passenger injured
Orinda Police arrived first at the scene to help passengers evacuate safely. The Orinda Fire Department arrived to put out the flames. BART estimated that 100 to 150 passengers were safely evacuated from the train; the injuries reported were said to have been minor.
BART said the investigation into the derailment would continue and it would provide the California Public Utilities Commission with a report within 60 days of the incident.
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BART Revamps Civic Center Station
SAN FRANCISCO - On Tuesday, BART proudly showed off its refurbished, rehabilitated and reborn San Francisco Civic Center Station. It had become one of the most complained about and avoided stations of the 50 stations that BART operates.
For BART, the stations themselves frequently gave riders reason enough to make avoid BART.
BART called a press conference to update its new Safe & Clean Initiative, that initially targeted Civic Center station. The station has been described as problematic, dirty, unsafe, drug infested and crime-ridden.
Now it's as if night turned into day. "The Safe & Clean Initiative, to me, has been a turning point. For our agency," said BART Board President Bevan Dufty. "I want the riders to know, I hear them. All the new steps we're taking to bolster safety are in direct response to rider feedback," said BART Police Chief Kevin Franklin.
BART released a rider survey of regular users. Overall customer satisfaction with Civic Center Station rose from 68% in the third quarter to 77% in the fourth quarter; a 9% increase.
Platform cleanliness rose 17% from 31% to 48%. Interior station cleanliness rose from 32% to 50%, an 18% gain.
BART Fleet of the Future (File Photo). Photo: Bay Area Rapid Transit.
Rider safety rose 20% from 32%, less than a third of riders to over half. "These are all markers that I think demonstrate how hard we are working to have the faith and the goodwill and the patronage of our riders," said Dufty.
However, there is another well researched position. "I think BART is overplaying its hand," said Laurence McQuillanm, Senior Fellow at the Independent Institute, one of the top think tanks in the nation and a libertarian think tank focused on political, social, economic, legal and environmental issues. "It's trying to turn on survey result into implying that their culture has changed. One period snapshot of conditions is not an indicator of the overall trend of a sustained effort," said McQuillan,
BART has promised all these improvements for years. "You want a system-wide assessment. You don't want to look at just one station," said McQuillan.
With massively depressed ridership, only the long game will do. "They're just gonna have to be, you know, a tighter, leaner operation that's really focused on the customer to bring people back," said McQuillan.
Still to do: Civic Center will be the next station to get fare gates to make sure that all 8,000 daily riders that board here pay.
Uncombable Hair Syndrome
Uncombable hair syndrome is a rare condition that typically causes dry, frizzy hair that you can't comb flat. It usually happens before age 3 but may show up as late as age 12. The condition usually goes away in childhood.
Other names for the condition include:
Uncombable hair syndrome is a rare condition that can cause dry, frizzy hair that you can't comb flat. It happens before age 3 but may show up as late as age 12. The condition usually goes away in childhood. (Photo credit: Photodisc/Getty Images)
Symptoms of uncombable hair syndrome usually appear between 3 months and 12 years of age in children with blondish silver or straw-colored hair. The hair color may change over time. The amount of hair you have usually isn't affected, but it grows slower. The hair grows in different directions and stands out from the scalp. In some cases, it's impossible to comb flat against the scalp.
Your hair usually isn't more fragile than hair of people without the condition, but constant brushing or styling may be more likely to cause damage.
Uncombable hair syndrome usually happens on its own, but in some cases it may be linked to other conditions that require medical treatment, including:
It's important to find out whether uncombable hair syndrome is linked to these and other conditions in order to help form a treatment plan if you need one.
Other symptoms that may happen in some uncombable hair syndrome cases include:
Uncombable hair syndrome only affects the hair of the scalp, not hair on body parts. If your child has the condition, they may not have all of the symptoms.
Uncombable hair syndrome typically happens on its own because of changes or "mutations" in three genes that give instructions on how to make strands of hair on your scalp. These genes are:
You typically inherit these gene mutations when both your parents carry a copy of the mutation, though your parents may not have the condition. Scientists think that some people may also get the condition when only one parent carries a mutation.
These mutations change the shape of the hair shaft from tubular to more angular like a triangle or heart shape. This changes the texture, makes it harder to brush, and causes the light to reflect in a way that gives the hair a certain color.
In some cases, people get uncombable hair syndrome without mutations in these genes. Scientists continue to study the cause of the condition in these cases.
How rare is uncombable hair syndrome?
How frequently uncombable hair syndrome occurs isn't known, but it appears to be rare. Scientists know of more than 100 recorded cases. But there are likely many more cases that doctors don't diagnose because the condition often goes away in childhood.
Diagnosis will come with a review of medical history and a physical exam. Your doctor will look for typical symptoms of uncombable hair syndrome like hair color, texture, and wild growth patterns.
Uncombable hair syndrome tests
Other tests could include:
Hair shaft test. With this test, your doctor will remove a hair and look at the hair shaft (the part of the hair that sticks up from the skin) under a microscope for the telltale triangular or kidney shape with a long groove that runs along its length.
Genetic test. Your doctor will look at a blood sample to check for a gene mutation that leads to the condition.
There is no cure for uncombable hair syndrome, but it usually gets better or goes away completely around the start of puberty. Doctors typically suggest being gentle with your child's hair if they have uncombable hair syndrome. That means:
Some people think that biotin supplements can improve the appearance of your hair if you have uncombable hair syndrome. More studies are needed to be sure. Talk to your doctor before you start yourself or your child on any type of medication or supplement.
Uncombable hair syndrome isn't serious on its own, though in rare cases, it may be a symptom of a more serious condition, which is why you should talk to your doctor if you suspect the condition in yourself or your child. Symptoms include hair that's dry, rough, and grows in different directions.
In general, you won't need treatment of any sort and the condition will go away on its own in the teen years. Using certain hair care techniques can help with symptoms.
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