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DIRECTOR / ACTOR / PRODUCER / WRITER / TEACHING ARTIST
SARA GUERRERO (she/hers), a Southern California Chicana native of Mexican and Mestizo ancestry, is a professional, versatile theatre artist whose mission is to model, share, and create theatre-making opportunities for and with their community. A CalArts alum, she’s been recognized as a 2021 and ’20 Woman of Distinction (Senate District 34), 2020 Hispanic Lifestyle Latina of Influence Honoree,Community Engagement "COVID-19 ArtistGrant" Awardee, “People to Watch” by American Theatre Magazine, and “Best [Artistic] Director'' and “Person of Interest” by OC Weekly. As the founding artistic director of Breath of Fire Latina Theater Ensemble, she and the ensemble are artists-in-residence of California State University of Fullerton’s Grand Central Arts Center in downtown Santa Ana. Under Guerrero’s leadership, the organization serves as an incubator for excluded voices in theater by providing programming (online) and guidance in the art of storytelling. This past summer, through a partnership with Breath of Fire and University of Massachusetts Amherst, Guerrero, along with the ensemble, and Professor Elisa Gonzales (writer/performer) devised on the project “Olvidados: A Mexican American Corrido” a musically driven, theatrical re-imagining of untold stories of the Mexican Repatriation of the Great Depression, where over one million Mexicans and Mexican Americans were illegally and unconstitutionally deported, or repatriated to Mexico. A workshop production is to be presented as part of the University's 2022 season and directed by Guerrero. Guerrero is also scheduled, this season to guest to director a main stage production for California State University of Fullerton, "The Wolves" by Sarah DeLappe and Chapman University, "Native Gardens" by Karen Zacarias.
Guerrero is the writer and director of "Festival of the Dead”, commissioned by Pacific Symphony, a work celebrating the Day of The Dead, a traditional Mexican Holiday and presented with a 120+ piece symphony produced by the Symphony and presented at The Segerstrom Music Concert Hall of Costa Mesa and Meng Music Hall of Cal State Fullerton.
Guerrero is the writer and director, in collaboration with journalist - Gustavo Arellano, and conductor - Greg Flores, the play, “Canto De Anaheim” and commissioned byPacific Symphony. A project combining story, the symphony, and new and traditional music; to highlight the Latinx histories and experiences of Anaheim, Ca.
Additionally, Guerrero is a longtime teaching artist for South Coast Repertory (SCR), and has worked, directed, taught, lectured, and or collaborated with Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Center Theatre Group, Creede Repertory of Colorado, Pacific Symphony, University of Oklahoma, California State University of Los Angeles, California State University of Long Beach, Musco Center, Brown Bag Theatre of UC Irvine, Santa Ana Unified School District (SAUSD), Orange County School of the Arts, Educational Outreach Program of Los Angeles, Fringe Benefits Upward Bound, and many more. Previously, she served as the director for SCR's Dialogue/Diálogos Project (a two -year bilingual, community theatre-making project) and was producing artistic associate to the project’s production, “El Largo Camino de Hoy / The Long Road Today”by José Cruz González. Additional directing credits: “Blood Wedding”,A. Max Weitzenhoffer Theatre; “Atacama”, Breath of Fire Live Stream Reading; “Fresno”, Latino Theater Company Summer on the Spring Reading Festival; “The Festival for the Dead”, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall; “Canto de Anaheim”, Pearson Amphitheatre; “Policarpa”, TalkBack Theatre; “She Kills Monsters”, The Playhouse of Cal State University of Los Angeles; “Guadalupe in the Guest Room”, Creede Repertory Theatre, Co.; “The Madres”, (A National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere), Skylight Theatre, Los Angeles; “Rosado”,John Lion New Plays Festival, Cal State University Los Angeles; “Fabulous Monsters”, Latinx New Plays Festival of San Diego Repertory; “Real Women Have Curves”, Costa Mesa Playhouse; “Angel of the Desert”, South Coast Repertory; and holds an extensive list of additional credits and works with other major institutes, organizations, universities, schools, and communities.
During the pandemic Guerrero continued to direct, create & produce through her ensemble and other theaters online, while practicing safe distancing. Wear your mask! She's excited to return to the work, in person, and safely. Guerrero supports herself as a teaching & theatre artist: www.teatroguerrero.com .


1974 VW Super Beetle Convertible Complete Car Rubber Kit
**Contiguous U.S. only.
- Shipping & Returns
Our Body On Kit replaces all of the seals we offer to accomodate restorations where the body is left on the chassis, but all other body parts are removed, or at least their seals are, and need to be replaced.
Our Body Off Kit includes all of the parts in our Body On kit plus it includes the Pan to Body Seal and other seals and grommets that need to be replaced when the body is removed from the chassis.
However, if you've unbolted the body from the pan for a full "Body-Off" restoration, you'll want to select "Yes, add Chassis Seals". This will add all the rubber seals and grommets we offer for resealing the body back to the pan when that time comes. We also include various seals for sealing up the battery cable, heater cables, the fuel and brake lines, and other items to the pan and chassis.
The Chassis Seals Addition includes:
Our Complete Rubber Kit includes our one-of-a-kind Exterior Restoration DVD. The 1 hour and 15 minute DVD covers installing many of these seals on your classic VW Beetle. Additionally, you can check out our YouTube Channel for more installation videos.
We hand select all of the seals in this kits, so we are confident in the quality and are proud to offer a lifetime warranty on all of them.
Our Complete Car Rubber Kit includes more seals than most people end up replacing. Only the items listed above and selected through the drop downs are included. If you have any question as to whether or not a specific seal you are looking for is included, check the list above or feel free to give us a call or email!
Note this is a kit item, and sold as such. Items that are not needed have no individual value and are not returnable so please plan accordingly.
Body Rubber Kit Includes:
Body Rubber Kit.Hood, decklid, fenders, turn signals, & more.
Door Rubber Kit.Felts channels, scrapers and door seals.
Cal-Look Window SealsFront & rear window seals.
All seals in this kit are covered by our Lifetime Warranty.
1974 Convertible Super Beetles
w/ Cal-Look Style Window Seals
This kit features Cal-Look Windshield and Rear Window Seals. The rest of the body & door seals are the same as our American-Style rubber kit. Cal-Look Seals or Standard seals are window seals that do NOT accept original factory window inserts. "Cal-Look" is a style that originated in Southern California in the 1960's. Although style varies between cars and years, Cal-Look Beetles are generally lowered and have exterior decorative trim such as window molding, side molding & the bumpers are removed.
Cal-Look window seals are popular because they are less-expensive, and easier to install.
JBugs Complete Car Rubber Kits are designed for a hassle-free body restoration. Our Complete Exterior Car Rubber kits include all the exterior rubber for your car! Save time and money by purchasing a kit. Our Rubber Kits contains the finest replacement seals available and are LIFETIME GUARANTEED. This kit also includes our Exterior DVD to instruct you on how to put it all together. Our video is 1 hour and 15 minutes in length and covers all the basics.
Items Pictured:Hood Seal
Turn Signal Seals
Hood Handle Seal
Door Panel Clip Seals
Hinge Screw Hole Covers
Door Checkrod Seals
Door Checkrod Stops
Door Handle Seals
Bumper Bracket Seals
Decklid Handle Seals
Tail Light Seals
License Light Seal
Window Felt Channels
Vent Wing Flaps
Vent Wing Seals
Cal-Look Style Window Seals for Windshield & Rear Window
Items not Pictured that are Included with the kit:Exterior Restoration Video
Hinge Oil Hole Covers
License Lens Seal
Horn Wire Boots
Speedo Cable to Body Seal
Speedo Cable thru Drum Boot
Tail Light Wire thru Body Seals
Wiper Shaft Grommets
Wiper Nozzle with seal
Clutch Tube Boot
Rear Apron Plugs
Glove Box Stops
Battery Cable to Starter Grommet
Heater Cable Tube Sleeves
Rear Engine Seal
Brake Line to Body Seals
Fuel Line thru chassis Collar
Our Complete Car Rubber Kit includes more rubber than most people plan on replacing for the body and the doors. If however, you are pulling the body off of the pan, there are other rubber seals that are not included that you might want to replace such as the pan to body seal, shock and beam pads, etc. and will need to purchase those separately. Again, the chassis seals are not included.
Our Complete Car Rubber Kit includes more seals than most people end up replacing but it does not include every piece of rubber on the car. Items such as gas tank to body seal, fuel tank sending unit seal, chassis to body rubber spacers, the pan to body seal, among others are not included in this kit. Only the items listed above are included. If you have any question as to whether or not a specific seal you are looking for is included, check the list above or feel free to give us a call or email us!
Copyright © JBugs.
All rights reserved. All images protected by US and International copyright laws. No part of this website may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means. All Prices subject to change without notice or obligation. Not responsible for typographical or photo errors. "Volkswagen", "VW","Beetle", "Super Beetle", "Bus", "Ghia", "Type 2", "Type 3", "Thing", "Rabbit", "Cabriolet", "Jetta", and "Golf" are trademarked by Volkswagen of America and are used for descriptive purposes only.


PROF. DR.-ING. NAIM BAJCINCA
Gebäude 42, Raum 262
- Stochastic oystems (WS10/11/12/13/14, TU Berlin)
- Theory of optimal control (SS13/14/15, TU Berlin)
- Maschinendynamik (since WS15, TU Kaiserslautern)
- Mechatronik (since SS16, TU Kaiserslautern)
- Regelungstheorie (since SS16, TU Kaiserslautern)
- Hybrid dynamical systems (since WS16, TU Kaiserslautern)
- Machine learning (since WS17, TU Kaiserslautern)
- Data-driven control (since WS21, TU Kaiserslautern)
- Autonomous systems (since WS21, TU Kaiserslautern)
PUBLICATIONS (recent selected)
Average Dwell-Time Conditions for Input-to-State Stability of Impulsive Systems.
21th World Congress of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), Berlin, Germany, July 2020. DOI.
P. Bachmann, N. Bajcinca.
On robustness of impulsive stabilization.
Automatica, Volume 104, 2019, Pages 48-56. DOI.
P. Feketa, N. Bajcinca.
A hybrid Petri net formalism and resource allocation in distributed control systems.
Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing (2015).
N. Bajcinca. , E. Modaresi, M. Ruan.
Geometric approaches to state-feedback for continuous and switched linear systems.
Asian Journal of Control, 2055-2071 (2015).
N. Bajcinca, D. Flockerzi.
Spectral conditions for strict positive realness of symmetric descriptor systems.
European Control Conference, Linz, 3528-3535 (2015).
N. Bajcinca, Y. Wei.
Method of moments over orthogonal polynomial bases.
Chemical Engineering Science, 295-309 (2015).
N. Bajcinca, S. Hofmann, K. Sundmacher.
Spectral conditions for symmetric positive real and negative imaginary systems.
European Control Conference, Zurich, 809-814 (2013).
N. Bajcinca, M. Voigt.
Analytic solutions to optimal control problems in crystal growth processes.
Journal on Process Control, 224-241 (2013).
On the quadratic stability of switched linear systems associated with symmetric transfer function matrices.
Y. Kouhi, N. Bajcinca, J. Raisch, R. Shorten.


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MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Friends of a young woman shot during a drive-by shooting in South Minneapolis Monday night say she is not doing well.
Nineteen-year-old Tomika Swoope remains in critical condition at Hennepin County Medical Center, after being shot in the 3200 block of Columbus Avenue South.
The shooting happened right outside her home.
Police say a second person was shot in the hand. Investigators have not released any information on possible suspects or a motive.
We’ll have more on the shooting — including an interview with Swoope’s best friend — tonight on WCCO 4 News At 6.

domain: news


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- Contact Us
Very often people use generic terms to describe specific types of plastic film. For example one of the most popular generic terms used to refer to film is “Acetate”. However, Acetate is specific type of cellulosic based polymer that is one of the oldest types of material used for making plastic film. This is why it is so commonly used to refer to plastic film. The meanings of these generic terms can vary from industry to industry. An example of this situation is use of the name “Mylar®”. Mylar® is the registered trademark owned by the E.I. Dupont Corporation for Bi-Axially Oriented Polyester Film. There are dozens of different types and grades of Mylar®, however, the term is generically used to describe a range of different films. For example people who work in the Architecture or Engineering business usually use the term Mylar® when discussing matte drafting film, which is a translucent base polyester film with a matte coating that can be drawn with a pen & ink. People who work on Graphic Arts, Printing, or Document Archiving areas tend to use the term Mylar® to refer to Clear Polyester Film. Emco Plastics stocks a wide variety of different kinds of plastic film products, in a variety of thicknesses and finishes.
No, the gauge or thickness of plastic film is expressed in thousands of an inch, said as “mils”. For example, .005″ is said “5 mils”. These are all different forms of measurement. One millimeter = .039″ or “39 mils” thick.
For example, a piece of copier paper is about .004″ (4 mils) thick.
Each item is different and should be checked. However, Emco Plastics usually does not stock film thinner than .001″ (1 mil) or thicker than .060″ (60 mil). See the Equivalency Chart below.
|Mils (Thousands of an inch)||Microns||Millimeters|
If material needs to be supplied in narrower rolls than we have available, then we put the roll on a machine called a slitter. This “cuts” the rolls to the width needed. This is called slitting. The narrowest that we can slit is 1″ wide. We will not slit less than 100’ of material. Our slitter has a +/- 1/16″ tolerance. There is a converting fee for this custom manufacturing which becomes much more cost effective with larger quantities.
This is when you need a shorter length of material than normally available on the master roll. This allows us to supply the length you require for your application. There is converting fee for this service.
Sheeted material is supplied from stock master rolls. We can also cut oversized non-square sheets from these master rolls. Then the sheets are subsequently square cut to the desired size. There is a +/- 1/16″ tolerance for these cut sheets. We can only square cut sheets.
Many people use the term “acetate film” to generically refer to plastic film. However, acetate film is really a specific type of plastic material called cellulose acetate. It is made of a polymer that is made from wood-pulp and or cotton fibers. Cellulose Acetate comes in two derivatives, Di-Acetate and Tri-Acetate. Emco Plastics is one of the largest stocking converters of Cellulose Di-Acetate in North America. We also stock Tri-Acetate but in a lesser variety or quantity than Di-Acetate. Acetate film is produced by two mechanical methods: solvent casting or forced extrusion. Because of its superior clarity and surface quality, solvent cast or cast acetate is the type of acetate we stock at Emco Plastics. Because Acetate is made from wood-pulp, it has certain attributes that are sometimes desirable and sometimes something you want to avoid – all depending on your application. See the table of attributes below:
Attributes of Emco’s Cellulose Acetate Film:
Mylar® is often used to generically refer to plastic film, however, it is a registered trademark owned by Dupont Tejjin Films for specific types of plastic film products made from the resin Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET). The true generic term for this material is Polyester Film. Polyester Film is manufactured in a range of different styles, finishes and thicknesses.
Vinyl, otherwise known as polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, is a thermoplastic material that can be reprocessed using heat. Because of this trait, there are a broad range of formats in which it can be manufactured. However, with respect to what we do, we refer to vinyl as a thin film that ranges in thickness from .003″ to 1/4″. Vinyl film is produced by two mechanical methods: calendaring or forced extrusion. Calendared PVC Film is the type of vinyl that Emco stocks, because of its superior clarity and surface. See the attributes below:
Attributes of Emco’s Rigid PVC Film:
Yes, rigid vinyl is available in clear, white and several other standard colors.
Yes, the manufacturer recommends calendared UVI vinyl for extended outdoor use.
Yes, both steel rule and Class A dies work very well for cutting rigid vinyl.
Solvent cements and PVC cements work well with rigid vinyl, as do ultra high bond tapes which offer a non adhesive attachment option.
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Pitt is the urban school in a Steelers Country, so its football coach probably needs to be a fighter as much as a winner. And Pat Narduzzi usually doesn’t pull punches.
He also has won enough games over the past couple of months to push the Panthers into the ACC Championship Game against the Clemson Tigers.
Still, neither the program’s first division title since joining the ACC nor several signature wins stand out in the Narduzzi era compared to some of the things he says. He is the guy who regularly jostles with local reporters, repeatedly jabs at his Penn State counterpart, and only a few months ago jumped at the chance — in front of a roomful of Pitt faithful — to predict he would next see everybody “in Charlotte for the ACC championship game.”
So, it’s been a bit out of character for Narduzzi to mostly play it safe in the days leading up to the Panthers’ most prominent contest since Walt Harris was Pitt’s coach.
This week, the coach who hasn’t always followed the coaching playbook when it comes to avoiding the courting of controversy, has, if not pulled his punches, at least mostly played it safe. The most ears-burning comment from Narduzzi has involved him saying he has done “nothing” better in his fourth season at Pitt than he had in previous campaigns. Otherwise, his hot takes were most notable for praising every facet of Clemson’s program and describing the Panthers as “a non-name Pittsburgh football team” and “just a bunch of guys.”
“We must have done it with smoke and mirrors, I guess,” Narduzzi said.
Well, the Panthers did smoke five of its past six ACC opponents with an offense that mirrored the best running games in the program’s storied rushing history. The Panthers averaged 330 yards in five wins that transformed their season.
The running was grounded by the Hurricanes in a loss at Miami last Saturday, and sophomore center Jimmy Morrissey’s season-ending ankle injury looms large as the Panthers prepare for a Tigers’ defensive front that is disruptive in a manner similar to the Hurricanes.
Maybe the prospect of reality — his Panthers aren’t as deep or talented or esteemed as the Tigers — had convinced Narduzzi to avoid throwing a shot at Clemson. Or perhaps his plan was to rally players around the widely-held belief they cannot pull of an upset of the second-ranked Tigers for the second time in three seasons.
But Narduzzi has never taken a measured approached since Pitt approached him to replace a departing Paul Chryst.
Four years ago, when Chryst picked his alma mater Wisconsin over continuing with a Pitt program he had stabilized in the wake of a few seasons marked by coaching chaos, Narduzzi dared to demand a lot of his potential future employer. He sought pledges for increased spending on assistant coaches, facility upgrades, and a final say in any/all football-related decisions. Pitt must have come through because Narduzzi said he wouldn’t have left his then role — as the longtime defensive coordinator at Michigan State — for just any job, even if Pitt would be his first head-coaching gig.
At his introductory news conference, Narduzzi went out and talked about winning a national championship.
Pitt hasn’t won one of those since Tony Dorsett’s historic 1976 season. They haven’t won a major bowl game since Dan Marino hit the late John Brown in the final seconds of the 1982 Sugar Bowl.
It’s probably not a coincidence that Pitt’s trajectory under Narduzzi changed upon the arrival of a quarterback who shared some of his traits and an appreciation for embracing the Panthers’ long-ago past.
Late last season, during a practice, defensive back Dennis Briggs was to blitz quarterback Kenny Pickett, then a true freshman. Briggs, so highly regarded that he was then a junior captain, ran as he had been coached — toward Pickett’s downfield shoulder. “He spun out of it,” Briggs said. “I’m, like, ‘Who is this dude?’”
That dude might be remembered as The One for Narduzzi. A top-10 recruit amongst pro-style prep quarterbacks, Pickett had picked the Panthers for the same reason offered by Narduzzi.
“When I first came here, I wanted to get this team back into championships, and lead this like it was in the old days,” Pickett said. “That’s what I wanted to do.”
He raised expectations by sparking an upset of the then-No. 2 Hurricanes in Pitt’s regular-season finale last year. What had been Narduzzi’s worst season — the Panthers finished his third campaign at 5-7 after winning eight games each of a couple of previous seasons — somehow ended with things looking up for Pitt. It seemed like there was real potential for the teaming of an offense led by a quarterback of Pickett’s pedigree and a defense designed by the reputable Narduzzi.
In fact, when looking back at what Pitt had going for it coming out of training camp in August, Narduzzi’s luncheon prediction — “The next time we’ll see you is in Charlotte, for the ACC championship game, because we’re going” — doesn’t seem as lubricious as it had when the Panthers dropped three of five games in September.
Narduzzi had a full recruiting cycle under his belt. His quarterback was promising. And his division, the ACC Coastal, has been won by five different programs in as many seasons. If ever there was a year for Pitt to be it (on some level), this probably was that season.
Nobody could confuse for dynamic Pickett’s first season as a starter. His passing statistics — 1,825 yards, 12 touchdowns and a 131.3 rating — paled in comparisons to, say, Will Grier of the neighboring-state West Virginia Mountaineers. Pickett’s teammates are the first to argue that statistics are not all that go into quarterbacking, especially when quarterbacking a team built by a defensive-minded coach.
Maybe it’s fitting, then, that one of Narduzzi’s defensive stalwarts offered the most telling description of what has separated Pickett from other recent Pitt quarterbacks.
“That offensive huddle is an intimate setting,” Briggs said. “I can tell in guys’ eyes they trust him (in that huddle). That’s a great thing for our guys to be able to really trust a guy you’re going out there to battle with.”
Added senior running back Qadree Ollison: “When I look at Kenny, I see a guy who’s focused, someone who’s confident, someone ready to lead, to make a play, somebody composed and real calm. He never shows any kind of frustration. He’s always the same.” In that way — that sameness — Pickett is also very much like Narduzzi. Only whereas the quarterback is calm, the coach is charged.
Senior defensive lineman Shane Roy said that Narduzzi has “the same amount of fire and energy” during a game as he had four years ago, and probably as he had all those years at Michigan State.
“It’s definitely been helpful on defense; I mean, it’s like we’ve got two defensive coordinators sometimes,” Roy said. “If you do something wrong, you’ve got you’re position coach, then you’ve got coach (and defensive coordinator Randy) Bates, and then you’re going to have Narduzzi calling you later in the day, after he’s seen it on film, saying, ‘Hey, what the heck man?’
“There’s more accountability, I guess.”
If Narduzzi’s ultimate plan for the Panthers to prowl — not just into an ACC Championship Game, but in regular pursuit of the conference title — is to promote accountability throughout his program, it’s sensible that he would pick the biggest week of his tenure to pull a punch. Nothing he says about Clemson is going to change nobody outside the Pitt program giving the Panthers decent odds to upset the order in college football on Saturday night.
Of course, Narduzzi’s Panthers did exactly that two years ago by winning at then-No. 2 Clemson a week after a dispiriting loss at Miami. And do you know what happened in the days leading up to that game?
“I remember that entire week,” Briggs said. “He had us focused on us.”
Listening to an unusually subdued Narduzzi this week, what he didn’t say might be the big takeaway for his first Pitt squad chasing a championship. If the Panthers are going to knock out the ACC’s heavyweight championship program, it’s going to have to be about more than their coach’s words.
(Top photo: Rob Kinnan/USA TODAY Sports)


Stop Making Sense
Saturday 4 p.m.
Talking Heads emerged as one of the bands playing at legendary New York club CBGBs in the mid-1970s and made their album debut with "Talking Heads:77".
The quartet consisted of David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison. Six years later they had another four albums behind them and in 1983 they were on tour after the release of "Speaking in Tongues".
The band had recorded in itself large doses of funk and world music, on top of a unique form of punk & art rock. To perform their expansive and rhythmic expression, Talking Heads had expanded the line-up with an additional five musicians; two singers, keyboardist, guitarist and percussionist.
The band decided to make a concert film and to entrust the direction to Jonathan Demme (1944-2017). The film was financed by the band themselves. it was recorded at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood over four concert days in 1983 and first released in 1984.
The film made David Byrne one of rock's most distinct and different frontmen. Not least thanks to the fact that he disappears from the stage for a while in the film, while bassist Weymouth and drummer Franz perform a song from their side project, Tom Tom Club, and then appear in an oversized suit. From there, Byrne's white XXL suit is one of rock's most famous and spectacular outfits.
The concert starts with Byrne alone with acoustic guitar and boom box on stage and develops into an exuberant dance and absurd theater show of epic format.
When both band and audience are finally drenched in sweat and nothing but broad smiles, Byrne rounds off with: "Does anyone have any questions?"
The question could have been: Is this the best concert film of all time? Many up-and-coming music fans would say just that.
When the film was re-released in 4K in autumn 2023, the audience danced between the rows of seats in the cinemas. In 2021, "Stop Making Sense" was selected into the "National Film Registry" by the Library of Congress for "cultural, historical and aesthetic significance".
The Halden International Music Film Festival's friendship festival, Sonisk, in Trondheim is so happy with "Stop Making Sense" that they have decided to show it every year.
HIMF aims to make the screening of "Stop Making Sense" at the Aladdin Stage, under the "Make Halden Smile" banner, a cinematic and audio event that no one should miss.


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Midfielder Colin Clark drilled a penalty kick in stoppage time to send the Dynamo to a 1-0 victory over Real Salt Lake.


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The partnership Colonic Therapy office continues with Colon Hydrotherapist
Mary Jo Navarra, B.S., Certified Colon Therapist
Heartland Healing lists Colonic Therapist Mary Jo Navarra, B.S., RP in our Directory.
With over 20 years experience in the Healthcare and Wellness field, Ms. Navarra is the leading Colonic Therapist in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area.
Contact her today for a free phone consultation at: 402-506-3321
Visit www.HolisticHealingOasis.com for more information.
John Welbes, D.C., Director of Dr. Welbes Natural Health Center
After over 40 years of practice, Dr. Welbes is stepping aside to find further enjoyment in life. He thanks each and every one of you who has trusted him to help you on your journey toward health and wellness.
2914 5th Avenue
Council Bluffs, Iowa
See map & directions

domain: health


Led Zeppelin (ˈlɛd ˈzɛpəlɪn
- British rock group (1968–80); comprised Jimmy Page (born 1944), Robert Plant (born
1948), John Paul Jones (born 1946), and John Bonham (1948–80): recordings include
Led Zeppelin I (1969), Led Zeppelin IV (1971), and Physical Graffiti (1975)
Example Sentences Including 'Led Zeppelin'
Bartok, Debussy and Tchaikovsky interspersed with Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin.
The Devil's Door
Best advice for the Led Zeppelin reunion: Get another monster for the drum kit.
Globe and Mail (2003)
COM, the Led Zeppelin legend is currently producing the band's album in Jacobs Studios in Surrey.
NME (New Musical Express) (2004)
My ardour for Status Quo, Led Zeppelin and other, as it were, `tangible' groups began to wane.
MUSIC FOR BOYS (2003)
Robert Plant, the former frontman of Led Zeppelin , is to release his first studio album in nine years.
Times, Sunday Times (2002)
Rock pioneer Jerry Lee Lewis and heavy-metal gods Led Zeppelin were among a slew of veteran acts who were given lifetime-achievement awards.
The monitor also clearly showed Eamon (favourite albums: Nevermind by Nirvana, Physical Graffiti by Led Zeppelin and Is This It?
MAN AND WIFE (2002)
Tony had broken both his arms, so that was the end of the Led Zeppelin reunion tour.
A MULTITUDE OF SINS: Golden Brown, The Stranglers and Strange Little Girls (2004)
to comment on this word.


US 6493093 B2
Bat wings are removed at step discontinuities within the coherence length of the light source of a vertical-scanning interferometer. A first height profile is obtained from a correlogram using a coherence-sensing technique. A second height profile is obtained from phase measurements at the best-focus frame position of the scanner. The two profiles are compared, and phase ambiguities are removed in conventional manner. In addition, during unwrapping the differences in height between two adjacent pixels obtained both by coherence sensing and by phase measurements are compared to fλ/4. Where the inter-pixel height difference calculated by coherence sensing is smaller and the inter-pixel height difference calculated by phase is larger than fλ/4, the phase measurement is corrected by 2π increments until both coherence and phase inter-pixel height differences are within fλ/4. This additional step removes bat-wing effects from profiles obtained by phase measurement.
1. A method of reducing diffraction effects that cause erroneous measurements in a sample surface profiled by vertical scanning interferometry using a broad-bandwidth light source, the method comprising the following steps:
(a) producing a coherence height-profile of the sample surface using a coherence-sensing technique;
(b) producing a phase height-profile of the sample surface using a phase-sensing technique;
(c) correcting the phase height-profile to eliminate 2π ambiguities;
(d) calculating a coherence interpixel-change from the coherence height-profile and a phase interpixel-change from the phase height-profile at pixels approaching said step discontinuity;
(e) comparing the coherence interpixel-change and the phase interpixel-change to a predetermined quantity; and
(f) at each location where the coherence interpixel-change is smaller than said quantity and the phase interpixel-change is larger than the quantity, correcting the phase height-profile by multiples of fλ/2, such as to produce a resulting phase interpixel-change that is smaller than the quantity;
wherein f is a numerical-aperture factor of an objective and λ is a wavelength of a light source used to carry out steps (a) and (b).
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10. Apparatus for reducing diffraction effects that cause erroneous measurements in a sample surface profiled by vertical scanning interferometry using a broad-bandwidth light source, comprising the following:
(a) means for producing a coherence height-profile of the sample surface using a coherence-sensing technique;
(b) means for producing a phase height-profile of the sample surface using a phase-sensing technique;
(c) means for correcting the phase height-profile to eliminate 2π ambiguities;
(d) means for calculating a coherence interpixel-change from the coherence height-profile and a phase interpixel-change from the phase height-profile at pixels approaching said step discontinuity;
(e) means for comparing the coherence interpixel-change and the phase interpixel-change to a predetermined quantity; and
(f) at each location where the coherence interpixel-change is smaller than said quantity and the phase interpixel-change is larger than the quantity, means for correcting the phase height-profile by multiples of fλ/2 such as to produce a resulting phase interpixel-change that is smaller than the quantity, wherein f is a numerical-aperture factor of an objective and λ is a wavelength of a light source used in the apparatus.
11. The apparatus of
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15. The apparatus of
16. The apparatus of
17. The apparatus of
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related in general to the field of white-light interferometry. In particular, the invention relates to the removal of bat wings from discontinuous surface profiles using a combination of coherence and phase data.
2. Description of the Related Art
One method of determining surface height involves the use of a broad-spectral-width light source in an interferometer and measuring the degree of modulation contrast as a function of optical path difference (OPD). The approach is typically referred to in the art as vertical scanning interferometry (VSI). Due to the large spectral bandwidth of the source, the coherence length of the source is short and good contrast fringes are obtained only when the two paths of the interferometer are closely matched in length. By looking at the position of the sample surface for which the fringe contrast is maximum while the optical path difference is varied, the height variations across the sample can be determined. In this measurement there are no height ambiguities or focus errors because the interferometer is adjusted to have the sample in focus when the OPD is zero.
There are many algorithms for finding the coherence peak of VSI correlograms. However, while this is a very good technique for measuring many surfaces, it does not work well in the vicinity of step heights that are less than the coherence length of the light source. A diffraction effect at the discontinuity causes the coherence envelope of the correlogram to skew and the peak to shift. The problem has been referred to in the art as a “bat wing” effect because of the shape of the erroneous information produced by VSI data. Bat wings are produced by every well-established coherence-peak-sensing algorithm used in the art and it can be shown that diffraction effects modify the coherence envelope more than the phase of the correlogram. Thus, phase-shifting interferometry (PSI), herein also referred to as phase sensing, is preferred when steplike discontinuities cause bat wings.
FIG. 1 illustrates bat-wing effects obtained using various VSI algorithms in measuring the surface profile of a 460-nm height standard (VLSI Standards Inc., SHS 4600 Å). FIG. 1A is a surface profile processed using a centroid algorithm, as disclosed by Ai et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,715. FIG. 1B is a profile obtained from the centroid of the recovered modulation contrast by the Fourier transform algorithm. FIG. 1C is a profile obtained from the centroid of the recovered modulation contrast by the Hilbert transform algorithm. FIG. 1D is a profile obtained from the phase slope in the Fourier domain. The light source used in the measurement had a coherence length of 1.2 microns. Bat wings clearly appear in all profiles because the coherence length of the light source exceeds the step height. The top portion close to the edge of the step discontinuity, whose height is less than the coherence length, typically appears higher and the bottom portion appears lower than they actually are. From FIG. 1 it is clear that the effect is named bat wings because of its appearance.
The combination of phase and coherence-peak sensing techniques (PSI with VSI) has been explored for some time to provide the advantages of both methods. U.S. Patent No. 5,133,601 to Cohen et al. discloses a technique, referred to as PSI “on the fly,” whereby the resolution of VSI is improved by calculating phase around the peak of the coherence envelope. U.S. Patent No. 5,471,303 to Ai et al. combines independent VSI and PSI data to improve the accuracy of height measurements in steep regions and in areas with large inter-pixel steps in the test surface. In U.S. Patent No. 5,953,124, Deck further refines the combination of VSI and PSI analysis applied to a single 3-D interferogram to produce an improved height profile. However, no experimental results have been reported that teach the removal of bat wings. This invention is directed at providing a method and apparatus for eliminating bat-wing effects using a coherence-peak-sensing technique in combination with a phase-unwrapping algorithm.
The primary objective of this invention is a method for removing bat-wing effects from the surface profile of step discontinuities that are less than the coherence length of the light used in vertical scanning interferometry.
Another object is a procedure that produces an improved surface profile by combining coherence-peak detection with phase measurement using vertical scanning interferometry data and phase unwrapping to eliminate 2π ambiguities.
Finally, a goal of the invention is a procedure that is suitable for implementation with relatively minor modifications to existing interference microscope objectives and interferometric surface profilers.
According to these and other objectives, the present invention consists of performing white-light vertical scanning interferometry to produce a three-dimensional interferogram corresponding to a sample surface. A first height profile is obtained from the correlogram using a coherence-peak-sensing technique. A second height profile is obtained from phase measurements. The two profiles are compared, and phase ambiguities are removed according to the invention using a phase-unwrapping algorithm that eliminates the effects of diffraction at the edges of relatively smooth surfaces that are separated by step discontinuities within the coherence length of the light source of the system. According to one aspect of the invention, the unwrapping step is carried out starting from pixels in relatively smooth areas of the sample surface and moving toward pixels at the edge of step discontinuities. Thus, the unwrapping process is designed to progress from areas of reliable data, such as evidenced by a high energy profile, toward step boundaries, where the energy profile is lowest.
According to another aspect of the invention, the unwrapping algorithm includes a novel step whereby the differences in height between two adjacent pixels obtained both by coherence-peak and by phase measurements are compared to a predetermined height considered empirically to be approximately as large as the largest interpixel diffraction effect produced by the coherence-peak technique. Since it has been established that diffraction effects cause greater artifacts in the coherence envelope than in the phase data, in each instance where the inter-pixel height difference calculated by coherence-peak detection is smaller and the inter-pixel height difference calculated by phase is larger than the selected height, the phase measurement is corrected by 2π increments (i.e., height increments of fλ/4, as defined below) so that both coherence and phase inter-pixel height differences are within the selected height. In practice, it was determined that approximately ¼ the mean wavelength of the light source is a suitable value for the selected height when measuring smooth flat and round surfaces.
This additional step in the unwrapping procedure has been found to practically remove all bat-wing effects from profiles obtained by phase measurement. The resulting quality of the height data in each of the step regions is thus kept to within the resolution of the PSI measurements even at the step edges.
Various other purposes and advantages of the invention will become clear from its description in the specification that follows and from the novel features particularly pointed out in the appended claims. Therefore, to the accomplishment of the objectives described above, this invention consists of the features hereinafter illustrated in the drawings, fully described in the detailed description of the preferred embodiment and particularly pointed out in the claims. However, such drawings and description disclose but one of the various ways in which the invention may be practiced.
FIGS. 1A-1D are surface profiles of a 460-nm standard sample generated by four alternative algorithms.
FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic representation of a conventional Mirau interference microscope.
FIG. 3 is a typical correlogram obtained from a detector cell in the image plane of an interferometer as the OPD is varied by vertically scanning the test sample, including a plot of corresponding phase information.
FIGS. 4A-4C illustrate the effectiveness of the phase correction of the invention in profiling the smooth curved surface of a ball bearing using 90° white-light phase shifting.
FIGS. 5A-5C illustrate the effectiveness of the phase correction of the invention in profiling the smooth curved surface of a ball bearing using 270° white-light phase shifting.
FIG. 6A is a profile of the energy distribution along the pixel positions of a cross-section of a 460-nm height-standard sample.
FIG. 6B is the surface profile of the 460-nm height-standard sample of FIG. 4A calculated using a coherence-peak-detection technique.
FIG. 6C is the surface profile of the 460-nm height-standard sample of FIG. 4A calculated using a phase-measurement technique.
FIG. 6D is the surface profile of the 460-nm height-standard sample of FIG. 4A calculated using the unwrapping technique of the invention.
FIG. 7A is the profile of the step standard obtained using a conventional coherence-peak-sensing algorithm with a filtered tungsten light source.
FIG. 7B is the profile of the sample of FIG. 7A obtained using the technique of the invention.
FIG. 8A is the profile of the step standard obtained using a conventional coherence-peak-sensing algorithm with an unfiltered tungsten light source.
FIG. 8B is the profile of the sample of FIG. 8A obtained using the technique of the invention.
The heart of this invention is based on the realization that bat wings at the edges of step discontinuities of surface profiles obtained by interferometric measurements result from diffraction effects that modify coherence-envelope readings more greatly than phase measurements. This property is advantageously used to provide a straight-forward criterion for correcting the profile obtained by phase data at pixels approaching the edges of step discontinuities, thereby substantially removing bat-wing effects.
As is well understood by those skilled in the art, the interference intensity distribution along the vertical scanning direction, herein called a “correlogram,” is attenuated by the coherence envelope with its peak (best contrast fringes) being at about the best focus position. At the same time, this best focus position (peak of the coherence envelope) occurs when the optical paths of both arms of the interferometer are equal. Thus, by finding the peak of the coherence envelope, the position (relative height) of the object point as seen by the detector is estimated.
Many algorithms exist for finding a peak of the coherence signal. See, for example, G. S. Kino et al., “Mirau Correlation Microscope,” Appl. Opt. 32, 3438-3783 (1990); S. S. C. Chim et al., “Three-Dimensional Image Realization in Interference Microscopy,” Appl. Opt. 31, 2550-2553 (1992); P. J. Caber, “Interferometric Profiler for Rough Surface,” Appl. Opt. 32, 3438-3441 (1993); P. de Groot, “Surface Profiling by Analysis of White-Light Interferograms in the Spatial Frequency Domain,” Journal of Modern Optics, 42(2), 389-401 (1995); K. G. Larkin, “Effective Nonlinear Algorithm for Envelope Detection in White Light Interferometry,” J. Opt. Am. A. 13, 832-843 (1996); C. Ai and E. L. Novak, U.S. Pat. No. 5,633,715 (1997); P. Sandoz, “Wavelet Transform as a Processing Tool in White-Light Interferometry,” Opt. Lett. 22, 1065-1067 (1997); J. Recknagel et al., “Analysis of White Light Interferograms Using Wavelet Methods,” Opt. Commun. 148, 122-128 (1998); and M. Hart et al., “Fast Surface Profiling by Spectral Analysis of White-Light Interferograms with Fourier Transform Spectroscopy,” Appl. Opt. 37, 1764-1769 (1998). Some of these algorithms find the coherence peak in direct way, while some of them estimate it indirectly. However, it is not necessary to find the peak of the coherence envelope because other parameters of the coherence signal also relate to the position of the object (for example, the position of the minimum or the maximum of the strongest fringes). Moreover, analysis of the coherence signal can be done in the spatial/time as well as in the frequency domain because equivalent processes/analyses can be done in both domains. Thus, different algorithms analyzing the coherence signal may find different parameters of the coherence signal, but all of them relate to the peak of the envelope. Accordingly, for the purposes of this invention, the terms coherence-peak-sensing, coherence-peak-detection, coherence sensing and similarly phrased terminology referring to algorithms and techniques for estimating the peak of the coherence function associated with a correlogram are all intended to encompass any algorithm that estimates the coherence peak or a different, peak-related parameter. Similarly, the term phase sensing is intended to encompass all algorithms and techniques based on phase-shifting and similar phase-based approaches.
Referring to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated throughout with like numerals and symbols, FIG. 2 illustrates in schematic view the basic configuration of a conventional Mirau interference microscope used to practice the invention. The interferometer 10 comprises a light source 12 directing a beam of light L through a collimator 14 and a beam splitter 16 downward in the direction of a test surface S. The light passes through a microscope objective 18 focused on the test surface S. The objective incorporates an interferometer comprising a beam splitter 20 and a reference mirror 22. The sample stage is adapted for relative movement with respect to the reference mirror, so that interference fringes are produced as a result of the optical path difference between the reference mirror 22 and the test surface S. The beams reflected from the reference mirror and the test surface pass back up through the optics of the microscope objective 18 and upward to the beam splitter 16, which diverts the wavefront to optics 24 that focus it onto a solid-state detector array 26 in a camera 28. Typically, the detector array 26 consists of individual CCD cells or other sensing apparatus adapted to produce a two-dimensional array of digitized intensity data corresponding to light signals received at each sensor cell as a result of the interference of the coherent light beams reflected from individual x-y coordinates or pixels in the surface S and from corresponding coordinates in the reference mirror 22. Appropriate electronic hardware is provided to transmit the digitized intensity data generated by the detector to a microprocessor 30 for processing and to a monitor 32 for direct observation. A piezoelectric means 34 is typically used for varying the optical path difference. In addition, the stage holding the sample S is adapted for vertical movement, typically with a finely tuned gear motor, to focus the image of the test surface on the detector array 26.
The invention was tested using a Mirau interferometer (Veeco Model WYKO NT -2000). A Nikon 50X magnification objective 18, with a numerical-aperture factor (NA) of 0.55, was used because bat-wings effects are significant for large numerical apertures. Correlograms were detected with a conventional CCD video camera. A piezoelectric transducer (Queensgate Instruments Model NPS-Z-15B, stage position) was used to ensure equally spaced scanning steps between frames. The broadband light source was either an unfiltered tungsten bulb or a filtered source with a center wavelength at about 600 nm and an 80-nm bandwidth. The former gives better resolution in coherence-peak-sensing techniques, while the latter is preferred for PSI with high-magnification objectives.
According to the invention, a white-light correlogram is obtained from conventional techniques. It is understood that the terms white light and broadband light are used interchangeably for the purposes of the invention to refer to any light source having a sufficiently short coherence length to enable the use of coherence-peak-detection algorithms. There are two basic ways to find the coherence-peak position between frames from discrete modulation-contrast data. One is a least-squares fitting approach that assumes a function form for the coherence envelope from the source distribution. The other is based on the calculation of the centroid of the correlogram. In an ideal, noise-free correlogram, the two approaches yield identical results.
For example, the modulation contrast M at each pixel can be calculated at each step of vertical scanning (i.e., at each frame) using the expression
where I1-I5 are five consecutive frames of intensity data measured for each pixel, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Typically, the phase step a between frames is set at 90° (corresponding to a scanning step Δ=λ/8, where λ is the mean wavelength), or to 270° (a scanning step of Δ=3λ/8). The top portion of FIG. 3 illustrates a typical correlogram with data points corresponding to both scanning steps.
When the modulation M is at its maximum, the best-focus scanning-frame position (step number) is determined. Thus, the coherence envelope is calculated by first finding the best-focus frame for each pixel during vertical scanning. Then the peak location of the coherence envelope is calculated from the best-focus frame by a least-squares fitting of the modulation contrast. As is well understood in the art, the position of the coherence-envelope peak can be expressed as
Ln representing the logarithm of the modulation contrast value Mn, and 0.4 being a parameter related to the parabolic function used to model the coherence envelope. The correction term Δz is important to carry out the phase unwrapping process addressed below.
The phase difference Δφ between the zero optical path difference and the best-focus scanning position is then evaluated by use of the following well-known five-frame algorithm
and I3 is the central frame of reference. See P. Sandoz et al., “Unambiguous Profilometry by Fringe-Order Identification in White-Light Phase-Shifting Interferometry,” J. Mod. Opt. 44, 519-534 (1997). On the basis of this algorithm, the surface height can be expressed in terms of phase difference Δφ as follows,
where f is the numerical-aperture factor (NA). The factor f appears in Equation 6 to account for the fact that the numerical aperture of an interferometric microscope objective can affect the fringe spacing, and thus also the surface heights measured with the objective.
In calculating Zphase(X,Y), phase ambiguity can be avoided if the central intensity I3 is recorded within the zero fringe (that is, the fringe of maximum contrast). However, since it is difficult to ensure this condition, especially for the 270° phase step between frames, Equation 6 should be rewritten as
where k is the fringe order, which has to be determined in the unwrapping process.
The bottom portion of FIG. 3 illustrates the phase information retrieved from the white-light correlogram using this known algorithm. The filled circles in the figure indicate five consecutive intensity data points separated by 90° phase shift (i.e., a scanning step of λ/8), while the open circles indicate five consecutive intensity data points separated by a 270° phase shift (a scanning step of 3λ/8). As illustrated, the phase difference Δφ is the relative phase from the best-focus position, where Nα represents the absolute best-focus position (N being the number of steps in the scan measured from an arbitrary reference point).
FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate the effectiveness of the coherence-peak and the phase algorithms in profiling the smooth curved surface of a ball bearing using 90° white-light phase shifting. FIG. 4A is a height profile determined by the coherence-peak-sensing technique of Equation 2. FIG. 4B is a height profile determined by the phase measurement using Equation 6.
Similarly, FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate the effectiveness of the same algorithms in profiling the smooth curved surface of a ball bearing using 270° white-light phase shifting. FIG. 5A is a height profile determined by the coherence-peak-sensing technique of Equation 2. FIG. 5B is a height profile determined by phase measurement using Equation 6.
As indicated, the novelty of this invention lies in the unwrapping process used to resolve 2π ambiguities. The two profiles obtained by coherence-peak-detection and phase measurement [zenvelope(x,y) and zphase(x,y)] are compared at each pixel in order to remove 2π ambiguities (fλ/2 in height) in conventional manner. In particular, zphase(x/y) and Zenvelope(x, Y) are compared at each pixel x,y to see whether the height difference between them is less than fλ/4, that is
where the offset is a measure of the constant phase shift on reflection, which can be estimated if the average of the difference between the two surface profiles is taken; i.e., offset ˜1/ZΣ(zenvelope−zphase) over Z data points. As one skilled in the art would readily understand, the resulting, corrected height profile from phase data is as good as that obtained from regular PSI.
According to the invention, the process of correcting 2π phase ambiguities and removing diffraction effects is carried out in multiple steps. In the first step the phase-unwrapping process is preferably started from a reliable position, such as from pixels corresponding to a smooth surface. The modulation contrast of the correlogram can be used as an indicator of a smooth surface. However, we found that integrating the energy through the vertical scan, such as shown in FIG. 6A, is a preferred indicator of smooth surface areas 40 in a sample with step discontinuities. As seen in the figure, the energy reduction at points near the edges of discontinuities in the height standard are clear. Thus, according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, unwrapping is performed from relatively high-energy positions 40 to energy minima 42, as illustrated by the arrows A in FIG. 6A. FIGS. 6B and 4C show the coherence-peak-detection and phase-measurement surface profiles calculated using Equations 2 and 6, respectively, after correction for phase ambiguities.
If the coherence length of the light source is larger than the step height, bat wings are expected to be significant in the profile obtained by the coherence-peak-sensing technique. Similarly, the process of phase-ambiguity removal reflected in Equation 8 is effective for the continuous portions of the surface, but cannot remove 2π jumps at positions close to the edges because of the bat-wing effects.
Thus, an additional step in the unwrapping procedure according to the invention consists of comparing the difference in height between two adjacent pixels obtained by coherence-peak and by phase measurements to a predetermined value, H, considered empirically to be approximately as large as the largest interpixel bat-wing effect produced by the coherence-peak technique. In essence, the slope of the height profile at each pixel is compared to a preselected value. Since it is known that diffraction effects cause greater artifacts in the coherence envelope than in the phase data, in each instance where the inter-pixel height difference (or slope) calculated by coherence-peak detection is smaller and the inter-pixel height difference calculated by phase is larger than the predetermined value H, the phase measurement is corrected by multiples of 2π to bring both inter-pixel height differences to within the arbitrary value H. Thus, for every pixel where the following relations are met,
the height corresponding to a 2π phase-change is repeatedly added to or subtracted from zphase(x,y) until the conditions
are satisfied. Note that the notation (x−1,y−1) is used here to refer to any neighboring pixel with respect to the position (x,y), irrespective of direction and/or immediate proximity (that is, for example, the algorithm of the invention could be used equivalently by comparing pixels located diagonally and not immediately adjacent to the x,y position).
In practice, 2π in phase corresponds to fλ/2 in height. Therefore, H needs to be selected with a value less than fλ/2 but large enough to meet the requirement of Equation 9 at the edges of step discontinuities. As those skilled in the art would readily recognize, a larger H is needed for smaller-resolution systems, and a range of suitable values can be used to practice the invention. Testing and empirical data make it possible to select a value that works well with a particular type of sample surface. We found that fλ/4 (note the inclusion of the system's numerical-aperture factor) is a good practical value for H when measuring smooth surfaces with steps in a white-light system. Accordingly, Equations 9-12 are modified such that, for every pixel where the following specific relations are met,
the quantity fλ/2 is repeatedly added to or subtracted from zphase(x,y) until the conditions
are satisfied. FIG. 6D shows the surface profile of FIG. 3C after full correction and removal of bat wings according to this process.
It is noted that bat wings usually have a lateral extension over several pixels from the edge of a step, and their maximum height is less than 200 nm when measured with a white-light source that has a mean wavelength near 600 nm. Therefore, it can be assumed that bat wings introduce an error to the height difference between adjacent data points of less than fλ/4 for most cases.
A step-height standard (VLSI, SHS 4600 Å) measurement was conducted to demonstrate the technique of the invention. FIG. 7 shows a comparison between the profile of the step standard obtained from the coherence-peak-sensing algorithm of Equation 2 and from the method of the invention. A tungsten light source with an 80-nm bandpass filter at the center wavelength of 600 nm was used. FIG. 7A is the profile produced by a conventional coherence-peak-detection algorithm. FIG. 7B is the corresponding profile obtained using the technique described above. The height-resolution improvement is clearly seen, as well as the removal of bat-wing effects, from the comparison of the two figures.
Similarly, FIG. 8 illustrates a comparison between the results produced by conventional VSI and the present invention on the same step standard using an unfiltered tungsten light source. FIG. 8A is the profile produced by the conventional coherence-peak-detection algorithm. FIG. 8B is the corresponding profile obtained using the technique of the invention after 2π phase correction and bat-wing removal.
Thus, it has been demonstrated that the technique of the invention can be used to remove bat wings from step discontinuities in profiles generated with VSI measurements. The invention can also be used advantageously to eliminate occasional spikes that appear in smooth surfaces as a result of artifacts or local aberrations in the data collected during scanning. The algorithm expressed in Equations 13-16 has been found to virtually eliminate these spikes as well. FIGS. 4C and 5C illustrate the height profiles of FIGS. 4B and 5B, respectively, after correction of 2π ambiguities using the algorithm of the invention.
Various changes in the details, steps and components that have been described may be made by those skilled in the art within the principles and scope of the invention herein illustrated and defined in the appended claims. Therefore, while the present invention has been shown and described herein in what is believed to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is recognized that departures can be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is not to be limited to the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent processes and products.


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Serenade No. 2 in A minor, Op. 16 (1859)
Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)
In the late 1850s, young Austro-German composers struggled with the so-called “anxiety of influence.” Beethoven had transformed the symphony into a musical blockbuster, a monumental dossier of the most intense human emotions. In the post-Beethovenian, mid-nineteenth century central Europe, it was an overwhelming task for composers to delve into the symphonic world; the weight of the struggle can be sensed in the German critic Hermann Reiters’s remark from 1871, that “even the decision to write a symphony must be reckoned a noteworthy event.”
Brahms in his early twenties also underwent such anxiety. He was working as a conductor, pianist, and piano teacher at the court of Detmold in northern Germany between 1857 and 1860. Most of his compositions until then were songs and piano music, yet they possessed symphonic idioms and scopes that led Schumann to described them as “veiled symphonies.” Perhaps it is only natural that Brahms conceived his first orchestral work from piano music: his first piano concerto, Op. 15 (1858), was originally written as a sonata for two pianos and later expanded into a symphonic work. Another work from the same year, Serenade No. 1, Op. 11, was conceived as a wind and string octet and then reworked as an orchestral piece. In 1859, Brahms finally composed Serenade No. 2 in A minor, Op. 16, the first work he envisioned as orchestral music from its conception. Yet, even after completing the three orchestral works, it took him more than a decade to complete his first symphony, which he began sketching in 1855 and finished in 1876.
The choice of the genre of serenade indicates that Brahms was easing into the symphonic world; it also evidences that he was studying musical forms from previous centuries. As a popular musical genre of the seventeenth century, the serenade was played in open air to honor or entertain. Compared to symphonies, serenades are less expansive, use more wind instruments, and have richer dancelike elements. Mozart provided many great examples of such serenades, and Brahms seems to have studied them, as well as those by Schubert and Beethoven, in efforts to expand his musical vocabulary. While Brahms’s Serenade No. 2 naturally bears many similarities to serenades by older composers, Brahms adds an interesting personal touch, namely omitting the violins altogether so that the main melodies are carried by the woodwinds. Without the violins, the resulting sonority is mellow and warm, a quality reinforced by the favoring of the bassoons and the lower clarinets.
The gracious first movement proceeds in a relaxed manner; only in the extensive middle development section, where the music is carried to the remote key of D-flat, is the easy-going character disrupted slightly. The Scherzo and Trio second movement, marked Vivace, is an energetic and folkish dance movement. Agility is enhanced by humorous rhythmic displacement, in which the consistent emphasis of the third beat is occasionally disrupted by the “correct” stressing of the first beat. Clara Schumann—to whom the Serenade is dedicated—admired the reflective third movement, Adagio non troppo, which is the emotional centerpiece of the Serenade. It looks toward Brahms’s mature works with the use of the ostinato-like bass line treated in a contrapuntal manner, rich two-against-three hemiolas, dramatic horn writing of the middle section, and the overall bold harmonic language. Another dance movement lightens the mood, but it has some introspective qualities that make it undanceable. The heaviness is partially due to the use of the compound duple meter of 6/4, rather than the triple meter typically used for a minuet—hence the movement’s title, “Quasi Minuetto.” The fifth movement is a high-spirited and brilliant Rondo. Hunting-horn idioms and the use of the piccolo, which has been saved for this movement, create an outdoorsy quality. Its elegant and charming second theme, played first by the oboe and then answered by the cello, provides opportunities for expressive development in the middle section.
- Jung-Min Mina Lee, Duke University, Music Department

domain: artistic


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News & Events from the English Department at Western Michigan University
Monday, October 31, 2011
Poets Gerald Stern and Anne Marie Macari Read Their Work: Fall 2011 Gwen Frostic Reading Series
We welcome you to join us for our third reading of the Fall 2011 Gwen Frostic Reading Series. We’re honored to have poets Gerald Stern and Anne Marie Macari read their work this Thursday, Nov. 3rd. The reading will take place at the WMU Little Theatre, starting at 8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing you there.


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US University has pro-Hamas student groups and only Florida has initiated action against them .
‘Hindus for Human Rights’ proudly flaunts its anti-Modi toolkit, urges followers to rally against PM Modi during his state visit to the US
The dubious organisation 'Hindus for Human Rights' has come up with a "special toolkit" to propagate against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a State Visit to the US
ISI’s hate toolkit unveiled: Twitter trends, protest rallies, and posters planned to disrupt PM Modi’s US visit
Intelligence sources indicate that the ISI has been operating actively in America over the past few days with the aim of thwarting Prime Minister Modi's visit
International toolkit gets activated as Punjab Police continues its manhunt against Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh
The sympathisers of Amritpal Singh insinuated that the Sikh community isin danger in India and that the pro-Khalistan leader is a martyr of sorts.
Delhi Excise Policy scam: CBI probes ‘toolkit module’, finds prima facie evidence of financial wrongdoings, comedians represented by OML also on radar
Apart from this toolkit, Financial dealings by Hyderabad-based individuals and companies, that obtained licences to sell liquor in Delhi, are also being investigated.
International Toolkit activated again: Mehdi Hassan, footballer Mesut Ozil, Padma Lakshmi demonise India over ‘Muslim persecution’
With increased violence on Hindus on their festivals, rampant campaign against Hindus in India has spread on a global scale
From demography change in Bharuch to post-poll violence in WB to toolkit controversy, Kashi Vishwanath Corridor: Top 15 stories covered by OpIndia in 2021
As 2021 draws to a close and we prepare ourselves to ring in the new year, it is an opportune time to reflect on top stories covered by us in 2021
Disha Ravi is the co-author of the anti-India toolkit of the farmer protest, which was inadvertently posted on Twitter by Greta Thunberg.
Not satire: In a bid to attack PM Modi, ‘Liberals’ in India hail Islamist group Taliban for ‘holding press conference’
So what if they beat up women, indulge in public flogging and execution, have zero regard for human rights. At least Taliban held a press conference!
Six months after Greta Toolkit expose, Justice DY Chandrachud says Greta Thunberg had brought change when she was 15
Justice DY Chandrachud praises Greta Thunberg for her activism, says age is no bar for bringing change


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New, scandalous changes to the Energy Act may further aggravate the situation of the free electricity market. Between the two readings of the Bill on Amendments and Supplements to the Energy Act, the Chairman of the Parliamentary Energy Commission Valentin Nikolov, who is also the originator of the draft bill for amendments to the Energy Act, voted at first reading, together with the deputies Dimitar Boychev and Alexander Nenkov, an additional proposal for changes. The new texts, which raised concerns among market participants and producers of renewable electricity, envisage limiting the rights of renewable energy producers to sell electricity under long-term contracts.
The proposal for amendments to the draft law before the second reading states that "the producers with a total installed capacity of 1 MW and above 1 MW under the Renewable Energy Act, carry out transactions on an organized stock market exchange in segments: „Day ahead“ and „intraday“. Such a market constraint will create new problems for RES producers and also shows the unwillingness of the legislator to develop this environmentally friendly production in our country. Another important point is that originator of the draft offer balancing groups in the future not be able to combine with a common financial settlement. Such a restriction could be detrimental to part of the RES companies in the country because at present the producers of different types of electricity such as sun and wind, for example, managed to unite to jointly balance their productions. This improves the performance of the power system and does not disturb its balancing by dispatchers. At the same time, both industry and ESO as a network operator minimized the financial implications of the different RES groups. The changes do not bode well for green energy producers, commented the industry. Such restrictions on transactions in long-term contracts will bring financial instability to companies because companies will not be able to secure long-term means of their work. The restriction is also contrary to free energy market rules, experts recall. In their opinion, instead of going to the end of the process of liberalizing the market in Bulgaria, the administrative regulation is being sought through these changes.
Changes made to the market since last year have actually helped to develop it, and green and brown energy producers have already begun to adapt to new conditions. The current request for changes will collapse anything that has been achieved and will discriminate against market participants. It is important to know that these are just suggestions, on which September, will be sought opinions from the Ministry of Energy, as well as business associations and after consulting the European Commission. This was explained by the proposer and Chairman of the Energy Committee in Parliament Valentin Nikolov


The Celtics have left Las Vegas and so have I. It was a pretty good trip for everyone, as many of the Celtics came away from the week with something positive. Here, in case you missed any of the coverage, is a wrap up of the week.
First and foremost, I want to thank the good folks at MBR Radio in Maine, especially Program Director Matt Boutwell for the help this week. None of this would have been possible without them. So let me start with a few items I did for the MBR Radio network:
- I spoke to Dionte Christmas after the E’Twaun Moore trade. In this piece, I focused on him and Fab Melo and whether they’d be willing to accept an assignment to the Maine Red Claws. Here is a related story written for Red’s Army. It includes the full interview with Christmas.
- I spoke to Kenny Hayes, the D-League’s most improved player last year as a member of the Red Claws. He talks about being so close to an NBA dream, and the struggle between fielding international offers and trying to get that NBA call up
- I also spoke to Austin Ainge, who says the Celtics are excited to experiment with how to use the Maine Red Claws now that they own the team.
Please check those out. Each piece has an accompanying audio piece with interviews.
Here on Red’s Army, our Summer League coverage started with a conversation with Doc Rivers. He seemed pretty excited about Jason Terry, but his praise of Terry also involved a shot at Ray Allen. He also revealed that Paul Pierce shouldn’t have been playing on his sprained knee during the playoffs.
Doc and Danny Ainge also spoke a bit about the rookies, and while they each have things to work on, they clearly like what they see so far.
Rajon Rondo showed up for a couple of games, and took the time to pull guys aside and give them some guidance.
Dionte Christmas was maybe the biggest story of the week, saying first he was mulling big-money offers to play overseas… and then later confirming to me that he was going to accept a training camp invitation from the Celtics.
And then after the last game, I caught up with Jared Sullinger, who spoke about his week, shooting 3’s, and how Vanilla Ice plays into keeping him healthy.
All in all, a fantastic week. A trip to the Vegas Summer League is well worth it for a fan looking to get out to Vegas for a few days and enjoy a little basketball. Guys are often available for autographs, and you never know what current NBA stars will show up.
How was I supposed to know the post-game interviews weren’t by the craps tables?


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§ Lord Lucas
asked her Majesty's Government:
In the context of the draft Mental Health Bill, what evidence they are aware of as to the reliability and consistency of the diagnosis "dangerous severe personality disorder"; and whether they are aware of any studies which demonstrate biases in this diagnosis in terms of gender, social class, or (in respect of the distribution of each characteristic in the population as a whole) the "likeability" of the patient as perceived by the person making the diagnosis. [HL5312]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton)
"Dangerous severe personality disorder", or DSPD, does not exist as a clinical or legal diagnosis in its own right. There are no specific "DSPD" provisions in the draft Mental Health Bill. The term is a working definition. It is designed to cover individuals who show significant disorder of personality; present a significant risk of causing serious physical or psychological harm from which the victim would find it difficult or impossible to recover, (eg homicide, rape, arson; and in whom the risk presented appears to be functionally linked to the personality disorder.
A developmental process of assessment designed to operationalise the above criteria is currently being piloted at HMP Whitemoor. The assessment process is comprehensive and, within a 16-week period, a number of instruments for the assessment of serious re-offending and severe personality disorder are completed. Prisoners are also observed and clinical judgements are made about the functional relationship between their disorder of personality and their serious offending behaviour.186WA
Due to the developmental nature of the assessment pilot and the fact that DSPD, as currently conceptualised, does not exist as a clinical disorder, no previous research has been conducted specifically into the reliability and consistency of its "diagnosis". However, the assessment pilot is currently being independently evaluated. The aims of the research, among others, are to evaluate the reliability of the process and to consider whether it is objective and does not discriminate against any particular group of individuals in respect of social, cultural or ethnic background. The evaluation does not consider the issue of gender because all prisoners eligible for the HMP Whitemoor pilot are male.
The assessment process for DSPD does, however, build upon an existing evidence base about the assessment of severe personality disorder and the risk assessment of dangerous offending behaviour. Research shows that the instruments that are being used as part of this process are consistent, in that different clinicians are highly likely to arrive at the same diagnosis, and the measures are also shown to be stable across time.
There is no known evidence to suggest that the tools used in the DSPD assessment process have a gender or social class bias. However, the evidence base on the assessment of dangerousness and severe personality disorder is evolving. Research is currently ongoing to consider these issues.
There is also no known research to suggest that the "likeability" of the patient, as perceived by the person making the diagnosis, influences the assessment. However, the need to guard against the possibility is well recognised. The assessment for DSPD therefore makes use of objective assessment tools in order to help eliminate, as much as possible, any subjectivity in the assessment process.

domain: law


text:
Jourdan Dunn spent days preparing for her Met Gala look which paid tribute to her Rastafarian grandfather.
Jourdan Dunn's Met Gala hair took ''days of preparation''.
The 27-year-old model wanted to interpret the event's Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination theme in a way which paid tribute to her Rastafarian grandfather, so her hairstylist Lacy Redway created dreadlocks - as the style is often associated with the religious movement of Jamaican culture - with faux hair and embellishments to complete her look.
She explained: ''The hair took days of preparation leading up to the event, hours upon hours of work to create the dreadlock look.
''The dreads hold a lot of personal meaning to me. The idea of incorporating them into my look this year was to pay homage to my grandfather who is Rastafarian.''
Jourdan is a veteran of the event and has walked the red carpet 10 times in previous years and this time worked with Diane Von Furstenberg's creative director, Nathan Jenden, to create a floor-length white gown with a matching structured cape, which she said was important for her to be ''very involved'' in the process.
Speaking to Vogue.com, she said: ''I was very involved in the entire process which meant a lot to me to have that support from the entire team at DVF.
''We had a total of three fittings between London and New York, there was a lot of discussion and many ideas bounced around between myself and the team at DVF, which made it a very collaborative and organic experience.''
And the Victoria Secret model had to ''pump up'' her skincare routine to get her skin ready for the big night, so she made sure to moisturise leading up to the event.
She revealed: ''At the Met Gala you definitely have to pump up the routine! I'm a skincare enthusiast, so I really kept my routine leading up to the event very nourishing and moisturising to prep my skin for the big night.''
With the Jonas Brothers, Westlife and Backstreet Boys getting back together recently, we should hardly be surprised that New Kids on the Block are...
Our all-time favourite Prodigy songs from their entire back catalogue.
In memory of Keith Flint, we look over at some of his iconic moments caught on camera.
If there was ever a reason for you to try something fresh and new then Poppy Ackroyd is surely it.
The New Zealand musician is a big fan of the Emerald Isle.
An exclusive interview with ambient folk artist Runah.
Are they in love or just incredible actors?
Pablo Honey was released on this day (February 22) in 1993.

domain: celebrity


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11:30am to 12:00pm
Zumba Gold® is a fun way to get fit! Invigorating dance and fitness sessions that provide modified, easy-to-follow, low impact moves.
This is a GOLD event suitable for seniors.
Not required. For more information phone Melanie from BFit4Life on 0415 651 290.
Meet at the hall.
Elorac Place Community Garden, 11a Southhampton Road, Ellen Grove
Come along for bedtime stories and discover a world of characters and imaginary places to dream about. Ideal for children aged 2-5 years and their carers...
Are you into blokey books and talking with like-minded people about books? If the answer is yes, then come along to Brisbane Square Library on the fourth...
Drop into the library to get creative with free art and craft activities. Ideal for children aged 2-10 years.
Drop in for some hands-on experimenting with simple circuit boards, robots and more. Explore coding, circuits, motion and robotics in an open learning...

domain: library


Regarding oil additives, a lot of these solely embody what is in oil already. What is crucial, although, is to make use of the oil that’s instructed on your automobile. When you use the incorrect grade of motor oil, it may presumably destroy your engine.
Key Automotive Nc
When you’re asking this query to the mechanic, you can even ask them about the qualifications and coaching of the mechanic. Ask them how lengthy they’ve been within the enterprise. Are you aware of the fashionable know-how utilized in new models? Are they aware of the most recent features of the automobile? Lastly, just be sure that they cost an affordable price for the services.
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Simply bear in mind that you are more prone to save your organization money when you choose to accumulate automotive badges and symbols from an internet specialist. Normal auto detail stores and different like corporations which might be in your general area of journey usually overcharge for these things as a result of they are thought-about to be a specialty. That is why you’re more doubtless to save money when coping with an internet firm that actually focuses their entire business on these types of inventive advertising objects.
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Though most trendy automated transmission require little or no upkeep, most producers require periodic services. So what’s involved in servicing an automatic transmission? Most likely not as much as you assume. For essentially the most part, transmission servicing involves replacing the fluid and the filter. However earlier than we get started, lets discuss for a minute about why it is essential to service your automatic transmission. The within of your automatic transmission is a hostile place with operating temperatures reaching well over 200 degrees.
Disclosure of This Case
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43 year-old Technical Wire Jointer Charlie Zerbe from McBride, loves to spend time squash, . and fossils. Last month very recently visited Strasbourg â€“ Grande Ã®le.


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Petrol, Diesel Price Today: Petrol and diesel costs remained unchanged throughout the 4 metros, for the 19th consecutive day, on Friday, September 24, 2021. In the nationwide capital, petrol costs have been regular at Rs 101.19 per litre and diesel charges have been additionally unchanged at Rs 88.62 per litre, in line with Indian Oil Corporation. In Mumbai, petrol is bought at Rs 107.26 per litre and diesel charges stand at Rs 96.19 per litre. (Also Read: How To Check Latest Petrol And Diesel Rates In Your City).
Among the 4 metro cities, gas charges are the very best in Mumbai, in line with the state-run oil refiner. Fuel charges differ throughout the states as a result of value-added tax or VAT.
Here are the petrol and diesel value throughout the metro cities:
State-run oil refiners corresponding to Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum revise the gas charges every day, by considering the crude oil costs in worldwide markets in addition to the rupee-dollar alternate charges. Any adjustments in petrol, diesel costs are applied with impact from 6 am on daily basis.


Wednesday, 10 a.m. “I am, literally, the average person,” said Kerry Wood, a Republican who wants to be state schools superintendent. The computer programmer from Leesville would do away with textbooks and replace them with laptops. Kids would have less to lug around. He also wants smaller classrooms. How would he pay for it all? The money’s already there: “I believe there’s a lot of waste in the system.”
Mr. Wood is one of the three candidates least likely to get into a runoff. For more info on this race, check what I wrote about the superintendent debate, and see our endorsement (which only deals with the front-runners, frankly).


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This crucifix from Jeweled Cross features a walnut finish cross, an antique gold finish corpus and an antique gold finish plaque with crystal stones. Comes in a 2-piece gift box for easy gift-giving and a keyhole on the back for easy hanging.
Catholics see the Celtic Cross as an emblem of the Celtic Christian Church dating back to the days of Saint Patrick, the great Irish evangelist who converted an entire island of pagans to the Catholic faith. They believed the circle on the Cross is a symbol of eternity that emphasizes the endless ness of God's love.
Our Irish Cross is an inspired Celtic design and art characterized by elaborate interlacing bands. The centerpiece of this cross bears the Claddagh symbol of hands, heart and crown. Adorned with four shamrocks reminding us of the Trinity, this makes a great gift for those devoted to St. Patrick, Wedding, Birthday or any special occasion.


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There is very little if any evidence that DMT can cause tolerance or physical withdrawal symptoms. For this reason, experts do not believe that DMT is chemically addictive. Furthermore, this is no evidence suggesting that using DMT on a long-term basis significantly changes or damages a person’s brain.
However, DMT can cause psychoemotional dependence when an individual repeatedly uses it to experience a “trip” or escape reality. Some DMT users consider it to be therapeutic and take it regularly for this reason. When an individual uses DMT in this manner, they may eventually find themselves unable to quit using DMT and other hallucinogens.
Limited research on DMT dependence suggests that DMT users can experience drug cravings and psychological distress when they cannot obtain or use it. In addition, someone who develops a DMT habit is more likely to incur its effects on their health. Behaviors that indicate DMT dependence include the following:
- Taking increasing amounts and more frequent doses of the drug
- Gathering supplies for use
- Spending a significant amount of money on the drug
What Is DMT?
DMT (N, N-Dimethyltryptamine) is a chemical that occurs naturally in the brain and plants native to Central and South America. It is typically found in the form of white powder. To experience its effects, users can smoke DMT out of a pipe or brew it into drinks, such as ayahuasca.
Additionally, DMT is sometimes injected by users, although this is relatively uncommon. DMT is sometimes called “fantasia” or “dimitri,” which is one of the minor commonly-used drugs in the U.S. and worldwide. Most people who experiment with DMT have already used other hallucinogens.
Effects and Risks of DMT
DMT instigates the production of serotonin, a brain neurochemical that induces feelings of pleasure and reward. As a result, DMT causes users to experience intense euphoria, hallucinations, and altered perceptions of reality which people often describe as life-changing. A DMT trip can onset almost instantly and generally lasts less than an hour when the drug is smoked.
Users who drink DMT as tea often begin to encounter hallucinations that last for 4-6 hours after the onset, which takes about thirty minutes. Some users report mild lingering effects that persist for several days. On an emotional level, DMT can produce adverse side effects.
The possible physical side effects of DMT include:
- Dilated pupils
- Rapid eye movement
- Increased body temperature
- Increased heart rate
- Loss of muscle control
- Nausea and vomiting
- Pain/tightness in chest
Although many users laud the benefits of DMT, the drug is not entirely safe. In fact, DMT can substantially harm an individual’s physical health and mental well-being. Because DMT causes the brain to release serotonin, excessive doses may cause a condition known as serotonin syndrome, which can provoke seizures, hinder breathing, and induce a coma. As a result, DMT can cause a person to die or suffer significantly.
While some DMT users have reported having positive psychological experiences while under the influence of the drug, others have had DMT trips which they describe as confusing and terrifying. The psychoactive effects of DMT can be traumatizing, especially for those living with mental health issues, especially schizophrenia.
Dangers of Serotonin Syndrome
Like LSD and magic mushrooms (psilocybin), DMT produces its effects by attaching to serotonin receptors in the brain. However, taking DMT combined with other drugs that influence serotonin levels can cause a potentially fatal condition called serotonin syndrome.
Serotonin syndrome occurs when the brain and body accumulate an extreme amount of serotonin. The risk of developing this condition is exceptionally high among those who take SSRI antidepressants, such as sertraline (Zoloft), fluoxetine (Prozac), citalopram (Celexa), paroxetine (Paxil), and others.
SSRIs prevent the reuptake of serotonin into brain neurons, thereby increasing serotonin levels in the brain. DMT works pretty much the same way. And although more serotonin can be beneficial o relieve depressive symptoms, too much can be dangerous and even lethal.
Symptoms of mild-moderate serotonin syndrome include the following:
- High fever
- Impaired coordination
- Changes in blood pressure
- Rapid heart rate
Severe cases of serotonin syndrome can lead to seizures, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ACDS), kidney failure, coma, and death.
Getting Help for Drug Abuse
Just Believe Detox and Just Believe Recovery offer multifaceted, individualized programs for those seeking to break free from the use of substances. We provide those we treat with the care, support, and tools they need to become abstinent from drugs or alcohol and maintain long-lasting sobriety and wellness.

domain: medical


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A program able to convert PDF files into Power Point files.


text:
By Rebecca Reed
It’s hard to persuade children to get into reading. With the current gadgets and social platforms, the idea of reading a physical book when there are so many games and apps out there seems like an old-fashioned concept.
The main reasons for children not reading are – they do not want to read a book because they prefer doing other things, or they cannot read a book and are held back by their literacy skills. These both seem to link in a vicious circle. All is not lost, there are methods of introducing children to the fantastic world of reading.
1. Strike a Deal.
Let them stay up later, not too late, but 30 minutes later as long as they are reading. While it may not seem much but its the perfect way to get them hooked on a novel and they will strive to get to the next chapter before bedtime.
2. Watch the movie, read the book.
So, the latest children’s literary adaptation has hit cinemas and they want to see it. It’s the perfect opportunity to tie reading into the experience. Encourage them to read the book after seeing the film, then compare the two. Did they prefer the film or the book? Also, the main differences between the two.
3. Series Fiction.
A fantastic book series is one of the best ways to get those reluctant readers hooked on a great piece of fiction. A well written main character that grows alongside your child as they read can encourage them to read not only the first book but its sequels.
Before you know it, they have read five different books!
4. Comic Books
The opinion surrounding comic books and graphic novels not being a recognized source of literature is slowly dispersing. Comic books are one of the best ways of getting children to read. If your child is a fan of the superhero films or loves to watch the animated versions on a Saturday morning a comic book is an easy way to get them interacting with something they are interested in, whilst increasing their skills.
5. Silly Books
Who doesn’t love a silly book? So get them hooked on something that will make them cackle. With the Diary of a Wimpy Kid as well as the David Walliams novels. Children’s fiction is full of some great books that will have you howling with laughter too.
Have you used any of the above tips to get your child into reading? If you have tried a different approach, tell us in the comments. We love hearing about children’s introduction to the wonderful world of reading.

domain: entertainment


Primarily constructed at the Boeing site in Mesa, Arizona, the AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter is one of the greatest assets in the U.S. military and consistently supports our service members on the battlefield.
The Apache represents the backbone of the U.S. attack helicopter fleet and supports thousands of jobs in the state where it undergoes extensive flight testing. Recently, the company delivered its 500th Apache to the US and allied forces.
With unprecedented performance, advanced sensors, and connectivity, the Apache stands as the world’s most advanced multi-role combat helicopter that has accumulated more than 4.5 million flight hours, with more than 2,400 Apaches delivered since 1984.
From peacekeeping roles to security missions, the Apache continues to deliver in both battlefield dominance and technological innovation.