Ink reservoir having continuous random sliver with stretch yarn
An apparatus for producing an ink reservoir material, the reservoir material itself, and a method for making the ink reservoir material, include use of false twist stretch yarn. The yarn is used together with a steam die heater to cause crimping of a yarn bundle, so as to tangle, forming a relatively strong, relatively stable fibrous body usable as an ink reservoir material having good ink-holding properties and to prevent leakers. The ink reservoir can be used with a film overwrap or extruded coating layer. An ink pen uses the ink reservoir material.
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This invention relates to an apparatus and a process for producing ink reservoir elements for use in marking or writing instruments, and to the ink reservoir element itself.
Ink reservoir elements for use in marking and writing instruments have conventionally been formed of a fibrous bundle compacted together into a rod-shaped unit having longitudinal capillary passageways which extend therethrough between the fibers and which serve to hold the ink and release it at the required controlled rate. For a number of years, the fibrous material generally employed was cellulose acetate fibers, which could readily be heatbonded together with suitable plasticizers into a unitary body, and which were compatible with all of the ink formulations then in use. In recent years, however, ink formulations became more sophisticated so that the writing instruments did not need to be capped to prevent the ink from evaporating. Such new ink formulations required formic acid, which was not compatible with cellulose acetate. For this reason, various thermoplastic fibers and, in particular, polyester fibers, had to be used in place of the cellulose acetate fibers for producing the ink reservoir elements.
Efforts to make polyester fibers into a unitary ink reservoir body have included use of adhesives to bond polyester fibers together, and have also included use of film-overwrapped polyester fiber ink reservoir elements.
Efforts made to heat-bond the polyester fibers to each other without any additive adhesive have not met with much success. Because of the narrow softening point of polyester, it has not been possible to heat-bond drawn polyester fibers such as tow. Undrawn polyester fibers could be heat-bonded together, but produced an unusable product because of shrinkage during processing and lack of stability in the presence of inks at the temperature required for storage of writing instruments. Consequently, polyester fiber ink reservoir elements have heretofore been commercially produced in the form of an unbonded bundle of fibers compacted and held together in a rod-shaped unit by means of a porous film overwrap, and generally including a small diameter plastic "breather" tube disposed between the fibrous bundle and the overwrap and serving as an air release passage. Sometimes, the design of the writing instrument barrel precludes the necessity of a separate "breather" tube.
The film-overwrapped polyester fiber ink reservoir elements, when made with parallel continuous-filament fibers, have had adequate ink holding capacity and ink release properties for use with certain types of marking or writing instruments, for element, those employing fiber tips. However, they have not been successful with the more recent roller marker type of writing instrument, due to the fact that the roller markers require a faster ink release than the conventional fiber tips. Efforts to lower the fiber density and/or change the fiber size to increase the ink release have had limited success because the release is not uniform from start to finish. Also, lowering the fiber density has been found to reduce the ink holding capacity of the reservoir. Forming the reservoir from staple fibers randomly laid, rather than from continuous-filament parallel fibers, has been found to increase the ink release properties of short-length reservoirs, but at the longer lengths required for adequate ink holding capacity, this construction lacks the capillarity to function. Thus, it has not previously been possible to form a polyester fiber ink reservoir element having the proper combination of ink holding capacity and ink release properties satisfactory for use in the roller marker type of writing instrument.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,286,005 issued to Berger relates to an ink reservoir element useful with various types of marking or writing instruments, including roller markers. The ink reservoir element has a combination of ink holding capacity and ink release properties for use with such roller markers. The element is formed of a coherent sheet of flexible thermoplastic fibrous material composed of an interconnecting network of randomly arranged, highly dispersed, continuous-filament junctions. The embossed sheet is formed or compacted and bonded into a dimensionally stable rod-shaped body whose longitudinal axis extends parallel to the embossed grooves. The ink reservoir element is provided with at least one longitudinal peripheral slot extending continuously the entire length of its body and serving as an air release passage if a "breather" passage is required for the particular barrel design. Such ink reservoir construction is compatible with all inks presently being employed and exhibits the proper combination of ink holding capacity and ink release properties so as to render it suitable for use with various types of writing instruments, including roller markers and plastic nibs. This reservoir element requires the use of relatively expensive material, having a complex shape, and has not found commercial acceptance for this reason. This product is not known to prevent pen "leakers".
U.S. Pat. No. 3,094,736 to Bunzl et al teaches a marking device having as the adsorbent body thereof a tow or tow segment comprising continuous filaments randomly oriented primarily in a longitudinal dimension and bonded at a plurality of spaced locations by a plasticizer for such filaments. An impermeable overwrap for such body is used to give rigidity to the body and serve as a handling casing. Filamentary tow was with its filament randomly oriented primarily in a longitudinal direction, and bonded at a plurality of spaced locations by a plasticizer for the filaments. The term "filamentary tow" is defined in this patent, and such continuous filamentary tows are also known in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,095,343 and 3,111,702. These tows usually comprise at least 50% cellulose acetate fibers. Such tow bodies, bound with plasticizers, provide rigidity.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,111,702 relates to products formed from continuous filamentary tows and also shows in FIG. 2 of the patent an apparatus for handling and steam-treating a tow; this patent is expressly incorporated by reference herein. This reference discusses forming a continuous body of fibers randomly oriented primarily in a longitudinal direction. The phrase, "randomly oriented primarily in a longitudinal direction" is intended to describe the condition of a body of fibers which are, as a whole, longitudinally aligned and which are, in the aggregate, in a parallel orientation, but which have short portions running more or less at random in non-parallel diverging and converging directions. This patent teaches bonding, tensioning and impregnating a raw tow into a plasticizer-impregnated layer of continuous uncrimped filaments, and then curing the continuous filamentary tow simultaneously with, or immediately after, gathering of such impregnated layer into a final raw shape. Apparatus is shown for handling such raw tow. The raw tow is taken from a supply bale through a device having jets to separate the tow, and a plasticizing device adds plasticizer to the fibers. The fibers are simultaneously gathered together and heated, thereby comprising a curing station.
Ink reservoir elements made by the prior art inventions are not compatible with some of the newer ink formulas, which have been changed from the prior art ink formulas in a manner which makes them incompatible with acetate. The use of film-wrapped ink reservoir elements binding polyester tow, having fibers which are substantially entirely parallel to one another, was made to attempt to overcome the deficiency of prior acetate fiber ink reservoir elements, so as to make the film-wrapped elements useable with such inks. With the introduction of the roller marker, a wetter system was required than is required with the conventional nib system. Two problems occured with such reservoir elements made from tow; (1) in order to achieve the wet system required for the roller markers, the low density polyester tow reservoir elements formed a very soft "rod" which gave difficulty in automatic handling equipment; and (2) these units held the ink so loosely that when they were dropped, "leakers" in these pens occured. Such "leakers" are tested for by dropping pens point first onto a hard surface. Should ink leak or spurt out, the pen is judged to be a "leaker". Such "leakers" are highly undesirable.
To attempt to overcome such pen leakers, polyester sliver having random fibers was used to attempt to hold the ink better at lower densities. These sliver-type polyester elements still had problems: (1) they still did not overcome the softness problem; and (2) such sliver is not uniform and therefore weights can vary excessively making it difficult to control ink flow to the roller marker.
The present invention relates to ink reservoirs using as a raw material stretch yarn, often referred to as "false twist stretch yarn". A number of patents are known relating to such "false twist" stretch material. Such material has unusual properties including the abiltity to stretch and curl or twist.
Such patents include for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,318 relating to false-twist texturing yarn with a torque jet; U.S. Pat. No. 3,774,388 to a method for producing synthetic torque yarns; U.S. Pat. No. 4,395,871 to a process for the manufacture of twistless or substantially twistless yarn; U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,614 to a voluminous filament yarn having three-dimensionally curled filaments without loops; U.S. Pat. No. 3,638,410 teaching textured filaments and using "den" terminology and other terminology peculiar to this art; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,938,314 showing a false-twist texturing process using hollow friction twist tubes and discussing "denier" count of the yarn to be crimped as well as other terminology used in this art.SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to make a continuous filament sliver with uniform weight and with good ink holding properties.
It is another object of the present invention to make a firm ink reservoir element which is readily handled on automatic processing equipment.
It is still another object of the present invention to use a sliver having sufficient bulk at a low density to make a firm ink reservoir element.
It is a further object of the present invention to use low density sliver having sufficient randomness (nonparallel fibers) to hold ink adequately to prevent leaks when the pen is dropped.
It is still another object of the present invention to form an ink reservoir structure strong enough so that it can be fed through an extruder die for film coating.
Parallel stretch yarn or other crimped yarn which is heat sensitive is combined and passed, countercurrently to the direction of yarn travel, into the entrance of a forming die together with a hot gas or steam. The hot gas causes these fibers to shrink and entangle and form a stable sliver. This sliver can then be film-wrapped conventionally and/or passed through an extruder die where a film of plastic forms a seamless overwrap.
Extrusion coating is used where the advantage is desired of running continuously at high speeds, without stopping to change bobbins in order to supply sufficient film wrap. Also, extrusion coating is used where it is desirable to avoid weak seams which sometimes pop open in high speed processing equipment.
Parallel stretch yarn, or "false twist stretch yarn", is advantageously used in the present invention to make ink reservoirs of a relatively consistent and uniform density, the density being controllable within a range according to the present invention. Since density can be controlled, reservoirs and reservoir material of any desired density within the permissible range can be made, while avoiding the necessity for an excessively high inventory of different raw materials.
An apparatus is used having a plurality of creels for supplying yarn to a yarn guide, a steam head, and nip rolls. The nip rolls supply a cooling head, garnitures, and a cutter head.
The steam injection die, or any other means of providing heat to the fibers, is used to induce curling of the fibers in a highly uniform and controllable manner.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a schematic side elevational view of an apparatus used to make the reservoir material according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view of a die head for heat-treating the fibers;
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the die head showing the internal openings in dotted outline;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a prior art ink reservoir;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another prior art ink reservoir;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a fibrous body, usable as an ink reservoir, according to the present invention; and
FIG. 7 is a side elevation view partially broken away, of an ink pen with an ink reservoir.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows an apparatus for forming a fibrous product, in schematic elevational view. The supply of fibers, in this instance stretch yarn, is indicated as creel 11. The creel 11 supplies fibers 23 to a yarn guide 12. The yarn guide 12 supplies the fibers 23 to a pair of nip rolls 13.
Nip rolls 13 supply the fibers to a steam head 14 which in turn supplies the fibers to a cooling head 15.
From the cooling head 15, the fibers are supplied to a first and a second garniture. The first garniture pulls the fibers from the head 15. From the first and second garnitures, the fibers in their processed form 26 are supplied to a cutter head 16. An overwrap supply 17 is seen in FIG. 1 as supplying the second garniture with an overwrap material. This can be omitted if the finished product is not to be used for ink reservoirs; however, for use as ink reservoirs the film overwrap is preferred and advantageously aids in preventing leakage of ink from around the ink reservoir material. Such film overwraps are well-known in the prior art for use with bundled fibers used as ink reservoirs.
The parallel stretch yarn used in the present invention replaces tow, which was previously used. The stretch yarn used in the present invention is processed further by the introduction of heat, as discussed hereunder, to form the final product. Yarns usable in the present invention include stretch yarn, often referred to as false twist stretch yarn. This type of yarn is widely available and is well-known.
FIG. 2 shows a sectional view of an apparatus forming the steam head 14. Steam head 14 has a block 21 with openings 19 therein. The openings 19 are connected to a supply of steam (not shown), the openings 19 communicating with an interior passage 18 of a member 23. The member 23 has an annular recess 25 to permit steam to flow around the member 23 and enter the passageway 18 via a plurality of generally radially-disposed bores 24. The bores 24 conduct steam to the interior of the passageway 18 where the steam heats the fibers 23. The bores 24 are disposed such that steam enters at an angle to the passageway 18, and countercurrently to the direction of the yarn travel. This countercurrent, non-parallel gas flow, assists, in a minor degree, in tangling of the yarn fibers.
The fibers 23 are received within a funnel-shaped member connected to the block 21, and which communicates with the passageway 18. The fiber bundle is drawn through the passageway 18 by any conventional means of drawing fibers through a treatment station, including pulling of the fibers by a mechanical device such as a belt, rollers, or pneumatically conveying the fibers at a downstream location so as to provide tension in the fibers and draw them through a passageway. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to such means of drawing fibers through, but may include other, more complex means, including, e.g., pneumatically conveying the fibers 23 into the block 21 itself.
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view as seen from the right of FIG. 2, showing the block 21. The funnel-shaped member 20 is seen in solid outline, and the fullest radial extent of the member 23 is seen in dotted outline. Also, the passageways 19 are seen in dotted outline in FIG. 3.
In operation, fibers 23 are supplied from the creel 11, the creel 11 including a plurality of bobbins for yarn. Automatic splicing is used at the end of the reels, to continuously provide the fibers 23, in the preferred embodiment. The combined fibers 23 entering the head 21, shown in FIG. 2, preferably have a combined weight of approximately 45,000 denier (formed of 150 strands of yarn each strand being 300 denier) going in, and due to the introduction of heat carried by the steam, the fibers (indicated as fiber bundle 26 in FIG. 2) have a weight of approximately 52,500 denier (due to crimping and tangling) going out. Thus, the material going into the block 21 must be conveyed at a higher speed than the material being pulled out, the greater weight being due to tangling and compressing which occurs in the stretch yarn due to the introduction of heat. This compares to tow products, which have weights of either 50,000 denier or 25,000 denier because the raw material is supplied this way.
In one example of the present invention, 150 bobbins of yarn are supplied from the creel 11, each bobbin having yarn of 300 denier, thereby producing a fiber bundle to the nip rolls 13 of 45,000 total denier. By varying the numbers of bobbins, a fiber bundle having any desired denier (in multiples of 300) can be attained. In contrast, tow is supplied only in bales having a range from 25,000 to 50,000 total denier. Therefore, to permit production of ink reservoir material in a range of weights from tow, a large number of bales of tow of different weights would be required. This necessitates keeping of a large inventory of tow bales, each bale having a different denier. With yarn as in the present invention, the inventory need include only a single yarn denier, with total denier varied merely by providing an appropriate number of bobbins of yarn. The number of bobbins in one example of the invention can range from 135 bobbins to 160 bobbins, although there is no actual limit on the number of bobbins which can be used, nor on the denier of yarn on each bobbin.
While steam is used to introduce heat, steam is not necessary to the present invention, but rather the introduction of heat to the fibers at a processing location is necessary to the present invention. This heating is the major cause of curling and tangling of the stretch yarn fibers 23, which do not bond together but remain together due to the above-described tangling. No moisture is required for this process to occur, and therefore other forms of introduction of heat, including passage of dry hot air, microwave heating, radiant heating, and the like could also be used with appropriate handling equipment such as would be known to anyone having skill in the heating arts.
The curling, tangling, or crimping of the stretch yarn due to the introduction of heat is caused by a return of the original crimp introduced to the fibers by the original manufacturer. The manufacturer, in winding of the stretch yarn, actually removes some of the crimp. The step of adding heat to cause the crimp to re-occur in the stretch-yarn fibers is referred to as "blooming", and in the present invention is preferably done within the steam head 14 itself. The velocity differential of fibers entering vs. fibers leaving the apparatus of the present invention in a preferred embodiment is in a range of approximately 10%-30%, which can vary further in speed depending upon the particular fibers used, densities desired, and other variables; however, this speed differential is representative. The preferred approximate range of speeds would be approximately 110%-130% of input relative to output. Thus, in the ideal range, the input speed of fibers 23 would be 10%-30% greater than the output speeds of the processed product. The maximum estimated range of a ratio of input speed to output speed would be from just over 100% to approximately 150%. Due to the processing limitations and the tangling which results, the ratio of input velocity to output velocity could not be exactly 100% or less than 100%.
Mere use of chopped yarn fibers, combined with an adhesive material for adhering the fibers together, would result in a felt-like material having a weight which is relatively non-uniform. The weight and density of such a material is difficult to control in uniformity, and therefore would result in non-uniform ink reservoirs, some of which would be likely to leak, and others of which would have undesirable ink-holding and ink-release properties.
The preferred stretch yarn weight is 150 denier, and two of these can be combined together, e.g. to form a weight of 300 denier. A commercially practical upper limit on the weight of the stretch yarn used in the present invention is approximately 600 denier. The present process has no actual lower limit; however, as a practical commercial lower limit, approximately 75 denier is preferred for reasons of efficiency and production speed. The range preferred for weight of the stretch yarn is approximately 100 denier to approximately 300 denier, with the weight of the stretch yarn being preferably approximately 150 denier. The higher the weight, the better for handling; for uniformity, however, the lower the weight, the better. The preferred range and the preferred weight of 150 denier is chosen in view of these conflicting considerations of handling and uniformity.
In the steam head 14, the fibers bloom and therefore bend in a generally transverse direction to the path of travel of the overall fiber bundle. Even without a film overwrap added at the station 17, the processed fiber product is stable due to the tangling of the fibers. No bonding of the fibers occurs, i.e. the heat does not produce "weld" spots nor is adhesive used. The film wrap, when applied, keeps ink within the reservoir and also serves to provide an additional reinforcement to hold the bundle together. The main use of the film wrap in the ink reservoir, however, is to keep ink within the reservoir, since the ink reservoir fiber bundle is itself stable in the present invention. In some cases, the fibers are wrapped around an air breather tube, depending upon the particular pen in which the ink reservoir is to be used. For pens having an air breather hole, such air breather tube is not necessary.
FIG. 4 illustrates in an exaggerated manner the orientation of fiber in a prior art "sliver" type of ink reservoir. As seen, a plurality of relatively short fibers are oriented generally longitudinally of a body 27, the individual fibers being generally individually randomly curved. FIG. 5 shows the "tow" type of prior art ink reservoir material. As can be seen, continuous fibers of the body 28 are oriented generally longitudinally. There is little or no tangling of the fibers of the body 28. This figure is also shown in an exaggerated fashion, to indicate the general nature of the fibers and their general orientation relative to one another.
FIG. 6 is a view of an ink reservoir body 29 formed according to the present invention of stretch yarn. The body 29 has a plurality of tangled fibers having curl and twist. The tangling and the depiction of the fibers is exaggerated somewhat for clarity. None of the FIGS. 4-6 are drawn to scale, but rather are illustrative of the product formed in the two main types of prior art ink reservoirs and in the ink reservoir according to the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a side elevational view, partially broken away to show a structure of an ink pen. The ink pen has a body 30 supporting a hollow tip 33. The tip 33 receives a wick 32, the wick 32 extending through the tip 33 and into an ink reservoir body 29. The tip 33 rotatably supports a roller ball 31 for writing. Such ink pen construction is known in the prior art.
According to the present invention, any stretch yarn can be used which is "heat sensitive", i.e., upon addition of heat to the fibers, the fibers shrink and entangle to form a stable material. The product of the present invention is referred to in the following as "test product #1" and "test product #2". Two prior art materials, well-known and commercially available, are referred to in the following as "Tow Transorb R" and "Sliver Transorb R", and are listed in the following Table I, together with two "test products" formed by the fibrous mass of the present invention. In this Table, cylindrical rods were tested having a "standard" diameter and length. Other lengths of the finished product can be made, as can other diameters. The test samples are generally cylindrical in shape. Other cross-sectional shapes can be used as well, such as square, oval, triangular and the like.
TABLE I ______________________________________ The following data is a comparison of the test products, #1 and #2, with commercially available grades of ink reservoir products of sliver and tow used commercially for ink reservoirs in pens. The commercial grade number is used for the sliver and tow products. The "WT. S.D." is defined as the standard deviation of weight measured from multiple test runs using multiple test samples of each type of product. Size (diameter, mm .times. Weight Wt. S.D. Hardness length mm) (grams) (grams) (AFC Test) ______________________________________ Tow Transorb R R-9529 6.4 .times. 92 .700 .005 95 R-9903 6.4 .times. 92 .629 .007 87 Sliver Transorb R R-9710 6.4 .times. 92 .548 .0369 75 R-7508 6.4 .times. 92 .677 .0211 85 Test Product #1 6.4 .times. 92 .668 .0015 138 #2 6.4 .times. 92 .648 .0038 131 *#3 6.4 .times. 92 .510 .0030 108 ______________________________________ *Test Product #3 was composed of 120 ends of 300 denier
The term "AFC Test" hardness as used herein and in the appended claims, is based on the following test. The testing apparatus is a Model 551 micrometer manufactured by Testing Machines, Inc. Mineola, N.Y. The micrometer has a dead weight loading of approximately 21/2 pounds with the weight on and exerts a pressure of 7 to 9 pounds per square inch. The size and weight are determined on rods. The micrometer is opened to its stop point of 0.3438 inches. The rod is placed on the lower anvil of the micrometer and the upper anvil is then released. The reading is immediately taken after the anvil has come to rest, with no waiting period. This reading is the final diameter of the rod, as compressed by the weight in inches multiplied by 1000.
The above data indicates that the test product referred to as #1 in the above is considerably harder than the tested conventional sliver and tow products. Also its tested standard deviation in weight among multiple test runs ("Wt. S.D.") is better (lower) than the tested products made from tow and considerably better than the tested products made from sliver. Thus, the products of yarn according to the present invention are much more uniform than those made from tow or sliver commercially available.
The low density polyester tow products were used for roller markers by ink pen manufacturers and these two products made a very soft rod which gave difficulty in automatic handling equipment. Also, these units held ink so loosely that when dropped, leakers in these pens occured. To overcome the pen leakers, the manufacturers of ink pens switched to polyester sliver products having random fibers which generally hold the ink better at lower density. These sliver-type products still did not overcome the softness problem. Also, such sliver is not uniform, and the weights and densities of the final product can vary excessively relative to a desired weight for ink reservoirs, thereby making it difficult to control ink flow to the roller marker. The present product is formed of stretch yarn, has relatively uniform weight, has sufficient bulk, and has a sufficiently low density, to make a firm ink reservoir material which can be handled on automatic equipment. Furthermore, the product of the present invention has sufficient randomness in its fiber orientation, i.e. sufficient non-parallel fibers, to hold the ink adequately to prevent ink loss when the pen is dropped, thus preventing leakers; and the structure of this product is strong enough so that it can be fed through an extruder die if desired, for film coating. Such film coating is optional and not necessary to the present invention. Other processing steps to make the product compatible with any writing implement are also contemplated as being within the scope of the present invention.
The advantages of extrusion coating are that the fiber bundles 23 can be run continuously at higher speed without stopping to change bobbins of film wrap. Thus, extrusion coating can be used to avoid use of film overwrap, and it has the advantage of eliminating the problems of weak seams formed by the film overwrap which sometimes pop open in high speed equipment.
An advantage of using stretch yarn rather than tow, together with the heat treatment of the present invention, is that any desired density of ink reservoir product can be made without requiring an excessively high inventory of different weights of starting materials, since according to the present invention the density can be controlled by controlling the relative speeds of the fibers going into the inventive apparatus and fibers leaving the inventive apparatus. Methods and apparatus for controlling fiber speeds per se are well-known in the filter arts, and in particular the cigarette filter arts, wherein such control of inlet and outlet speeds of fibrous materials is known and used. The product 26 formed according to the present invention can be used for a wick for any application where a wick would be used and is not limited to use as an ink reservoir.
While a preferred embodiment of the present invention has been shown and discussed, it will be understood that the present invention is not limited thereto, but may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.
1. A method of making a fibrous body for use in an ink reservoir, comprising the steps of:
- supplying a plurality of fibers of false twist stretch yarn;
- gathering said fibers in an unprocessed bundle;
- supplying a chamber for passage of said bundle of fibers therethrough;
- supplying a means for heating said bundle of fibers;
- said means for heating supplying heat to said chamber during passage therethrough of said bundle of fibers;
- heating said bundle of fibers by said means for heating;
- permitting tangling of said bundle of fibers in said chamber due to application of heat thereto by said means for heating;
- drawing said tangled bundle of fibers from said chamber;
- cooling said tangled bundle of fibers;
- said tangled gathered bundle of fibers upon cooling forming a relatively strong fibrous body.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a step of providing a film overwrap about said fibrous body.
3. A method claimed in claim 1, further compromising a means for shaping said gathered bundles of fibers to form a shaped product.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising providing a means for extruding a coating to surround said gathered bundle of fibers, said coating forming a relatively solid membrane about said gathered bundle of fibers.
5. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising providing a ratio of a fiber input velocity to an output velocity of yarn from said means for supplying heat of said gathered bundle of fiber, in a range of approximately 1.1:1.3.
6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said ratio is sufficient to cause a final product hardness according to the AFC test in a range of approximately 108-138.
7. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said speed ratio is selected so that said gathered bundle of fibers exiting said means for supplying heat has a weight standard deviation of approximately 0.0015.
8. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein said gathered bundle of fibers at a location downstream from said means for supplying heat, has a weight standard deviation of approximately 0.0038.
|3094736||June 1963||Bunzl et al.|
|3467564||September 1969||Dougherty et al.|
|3638410||February 1972||Scherzberg et al.|
|3774388||November 1973||Berger, Jr.|
|3938314||February 17, 1976||Trammell|
|3987614||October 26, 1976||Cardinal et al.|
|4286005||August 25, 1981||Berger|
|4395871||August 2, 1983||Smid et al.|
International Classification: D04H 154;


Before I begin I need to mention that SADES sent me a review unit of this headset to test out for this review.
Today we are going to be looking at the updated 2016 version of the SADES SA917 USB Gaming Headset. As I'm sure you could guess from the name of this product, it is a USB gaming headset, meaning it has a single USB plug to power everything.
If you are interested in this microphone, it will set you back $33 on Amazon
What's In the Box
- Gaming Headset (mic & cable attached)
- Drivers: 40mm
- Frequency Response: 20Hz - 20kHz
- Sensitivity: 115 +/- 3dB at 1kHz
- Impedance: 32 Ohms at 1kHz
- Max Input Power: 15mW
- Frequency Response: 50Hz - 10kHz
- Polar Pattern (Not Listed): Omnidirecitonal (based on test)
- Mic Sensitivity: -38dB +/- 3dB
Performance / Features
The build quality of this headset is decent. It is still an all plastic build, but it feels sturdier than other headsets in the same price range. The padding on the ear cups and the headband is pretty comfortable, however, it does not form a tight seal around your ears. The microphone's joint feels a little bit too loose for my liking, which makes me believe that after a decent amount of use it will not stay in the desired position.
The cable is a standard 1.5m rubber USB cable with an inline controller. The control panel has a headphone volume control, microphone mute button, and a button to switch between different EQ settings. There are 4 options: (1) Off, (2) Red, (3) Green, (4) Blue. I don't know what each of these settings is because they did not list each of them. Based on listening, Red boosts bass frequencies, Green boosts high frequencies, and Blue boosts mid frequencies.
The headphones are not the best sounding that you will find. They lack a little bit in the high end and the audio in the lower frequencies is a little loose. The sound is still better than other headsets I've tested at a similar price point.
The microphone flat out does not sound good. It is very dull sounding, almost as if you were speaking through a sheet. It lacks a LOT of high end and once you get above 50% on the gain you start to hear digital artifacts. It is also an omnidirectional microphone which means it picks up quite a bit of keyboard noise while you're gaming. You also are unable to articulate the mic to move it closer or farther away from your mouth.
- Decent headphone sound
- USB Headset for easy setup
- Inline Controls
- Poor microphone quality
- Omni directional mic is not ideal for gaming
If you are on a tight budget and are looking for a headset that has decent audio quality from the headphones, this is a great option and I absolutely recommend it. On the other hand, if you are looking for a gaming headset that has great audio quality from the microphone, this is not the headset for you.
If you have any additional questions about this microphone, leave them on the youtube video, and I will try to reply ASAP.


text:
The Royal Raid – the warlord sets out for a revenge assault
Wilson’s Tales is a record of our region’s history, legends and people, first serialised in the Berwick Advertiser in the 1830s. The Wilson’s Tales Project is re-telling them for a modern audience.
The old estate of Henderland lies alongside the Meggett, a stream running into St Mary’s Loch. It was once the seat of the Cockburns: you can still see the ruins of their castle. In the 16th century, the area was covered in forest, with some of the largest stags in Scotland.
Parys Cockburn, the last laird of Henderland, had the inborn valour of a Borders chief. As was usual among Borderers in the 16th century, he applied it to pillage, petty larceny and strife with neighbours. But there was something different about him.
For all his lawlessness, he had a deep sense of fairness. He would fight almost to the death to take one cow, then give it away to the poor.
And no other warlord had a wife like Marjory Cockburn. Refined, civilised and beautiful, she loved Parys and their children as completely as she hated Border reiving.
She hoped he might abandon raiding for family life. And he seemed to warm to domestic pleasures. But then he would surrender to the heart-stirring stimulus of a raid.
She knew the signs. She’d spot his men stealthily restringing bows, or sharpening stone in the bailey. This was one of those times.
Adam Scott, of Tushielaw, provoked it with an assault on Henderland, wounding several of Cockburn’s men and carrying off 20 cattle. Parys would not resist the challenge, even though she urged him to.
There was double danger, she warned. Tushielaw was strong and ruthless. Moreover, she had heard that the young King James V was intent on suppressing lawlessness.
Pointing out the great elm tree planted by Cockburn’s grandfather, she reminded him of the prophesy of Merlin the Wild: “On Cockburn’s elm, on Henderland lee, A Cockburn laird shall hangit be.”
Cockburn laughed. What, ride out raiding when he might be playing with the children? The very idea! But soon after midnight he was gone.
She woke to the crash of the portcullis falling. A flash of lightning gave her a glimpse of Cockburn on the road to Tushielaw. The thunderclap echoed across the mountains like artillery fire, and the rain came down in torrents.
NEXT WEEK: The King brings his hangman.
Retold and adapted by Joe Lang, picture by Mike Fraser. Read the full story and background in Volume 1 of the Wilson’s Tales Revival Edition, £8.50, from Berwick booksellers or www.wilsonstales.co.uk

domain: literature


text:
All documents associated with the event
GARVIN: Peacefully, at Kensington Village, London, Saturday, May 3, 2008, Alene Christena (Bossenberry) Garvin of Lon...
Alene Christena Garvin
April 13, 1912
Monroe County, New York, United States
The genealogies on this page came from a newspaper column titled "Early Rochester Family Records" which ran in the Ro...
Sarah Clark, Ira Clark, Hiram P. Nye and 39 others.
DORIS EVELYN GARVIN
Mary Vernon, Hannah (Vernon) Snodgrass, Isaac Vernon, Sr. and 40 others.
Annie Maria Bunderson, Thomas Henry Smith, Mary Elizabeth Barber and 209 others.
June 5, 1900
William (widower of Laura) and family in the 1900 Census living in Windsor township, Illinois.
Launie Clark Garvin, William Myron Garvin, William Garvin and 1 other.
June 28, 1880
William & Laura Garvin and family
Laura A Garvin, Eva Efflin Ramsey and William Garvin

domain: library


text:
Jungle hotel is located ideally in the very heart of a brick shaped cit. right between Yazd famous mosque (Jameh Mosque )and Alexander prison, which you can visit most of the attraction visiting places by walk.
The 13 rooms with 36 beds and 4 sofa combine the art of modern living with historical ambiance including (1 single,1 double,5 twin, 1 triple,1 four beds,1 five beds,1 VIP double rooms.
Highest roof top in the area
Free 24 hours tea
3 special rooms with panoramic ceiling
24 hours reception having 2 yards with terrace and arbour, pairs, solo travelers and families with children will feel right at home in our lovely furnished house.

domain: travel


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The best breakfast cereals for your diet
Although regular oatmeal is a great cereal choice in the morning, there’s not always time to cook. Here are some of the best cereal options for Canadian dieters
Blueberry Pomegranate Ancient Grains
Post’s Blueberry Pomegranate Ancient Grains has a delicious fruity taste, and the large-sized flakes give it great bite.
Per serving (54 g): 190 calories, 2.5 g fat (0.3 g saturated fat), 210 mg sodium, 9 g fibre, 14 g sugars, 4 g protein
Super High Fibre Museli
Super High Fibre Museli, Dorset Cereals
The coconut slices are delicious, and this cereal has a nice, toasty taste. There’s no added sugar, but it has plenty of sweet fruit.
Per serving (60 g): 220 calories, 6 g fat (3 g saturated fat), 20 mg sodium, 5 g fibre, 17 g sugars, 5 g protein
All-Bran Bran Buds
Kellogg’s All-Bran Bran Buds has a substantial amount of fibre in a 1/3-cup serving. Add some fresh blueberries for an antioxidant punch.
Per serving (30 g): 80 calories, 1 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 210 mg sodium, 13 g fibre, 8 g sugars, 3 g protein
Quaker Oatmeal Squares are great if you love oats but can’t be bothered making hot oatmeal. They’re crispy, yet have a light-and-airy bite.
Per serving (56 g): 210 calories, 2.5 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 190 mg sodium, 5 g fibre, 9 g sugars, 6 g protein
Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola
Pumpkin Flax Plus Granola, Nature’s Path Organic
The granola base is tasty, but what makes this cereal so good are the pumpkin “pepitas” and flaxseeds-both sources of omega-3s.
Per serving (55 g): 260 calories, 10 g fat (1.6 g saturated fat), 45 mg sodium, 5 g fibre, 10 g sugars, 6 g protein
Rice Chex, General Mills
This gluten-free option has a light bite, yet stays crunchy in milk and has a good flavour. And though it has some added sugar, it doesn’t taste very sweet.
Per serving (27 g): 100 calories, 0 g fat, 240 mg sodium, 1 g fibre, 2 g sugars, 2 g protein
Toasted Berry Crisp Cereal
Toasted Berry Crisp Cereal, Kashi
Thanks in part to the soy bits, this has 9 g of protein in 3/4 cup-about the same as a similar amount of black beans. The berry sweetness is nice, and this is very crunchy!
Per serving (51 g): 180 calories, 3.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 125 mg sodium, 8 g fibre, 10 g sugars, 9 g protein
Multigrain Flakes with Almonds
Multigrain Flakes with Almonds, Compliments Balance
Light and tasty at only 120 calories per 3/4 cup serving (170 calories with 1/2 cup 1% milk), and the almond flakes provide a refreshing crunch.
Per serving (30 g): 120 calories, 2 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 90 mg sodium, 4 g fibre, 7 g sugars, 3 g protein
Ancient Grains, President’s Choice Organics
Made with organic kamut flour, wheat bran, barley flour and quinoa, among other ingredients, this crunchy, tasty cereal delivers 12 percent of the daily value of fibre. Its sweetness comes from organic honey.
Per serving (30 g): 120 calories, 0.5 g fat (0 g saturated fat), 60 mg sodium, 3 g fibre, 3 g sugars, 4 g protein
Oatmeal Crisp & Almonds
Oatmeal Crisp & Almonds, General Mills
Although this cereal has added sugars, it also contains lots of vitamins, including 50 percent of your daily value of iron.
Per serving (60 g): 230 calories, 4 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 125 mg sodium, 5 g fibre, 16 g sugars, 6 g protein
Wheat Squares, President’s Choice Organics
A great-tasting cereal that’s rich in protein at 6 g per 1 1/4 cup serving, supplying 24 percent of your daily fibre needs.
Per serving (55 g): 220 calories, 1 g fat (0.2 g saturated fat), 330 mg sodium, 6 g fibre, 9 g sugars, 6 g protein
Flax & Fibre Granola Cereal
Flax & Fibre Granola Cereal, Compliments Balance
Crunchy and sweet, this cereal delivers 10 g of protein, or 20 percent of your daily recommended intake.
Per serving (55 g): 220 calories, 3 g fat (0.5 g saturated fat), 135 mg sodium, 4 g fibre, 10 g sugars, 10 g protein

domain: food


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Bloodborne Alpha Coming Back for One More Day, Will Include Co-Op
Are you part of the group that managed to play the Bloodborne alpha? Sad that it’s over? Well, you’ll be glad to know it’s coming back — though for just a day.
Alpha testers have revealed that emails were sent out by From Software letting them know that the Bloodborne alpha will be back this Sunday (October 19), and will even include co-op! You can check out the rest of the details in the leaked emails below.
Those not part of the privileged few will have to be content with watching gameplay footage from it. Hopefully, Sony releases a demo in the next few months so us peons can try some of that action.
Bloodborne will be out exclusively for the PS4 on February 6, 2015.

domain: game


As the world becomes more urbanized and poverty becomes an increasingly urban phenomenon, it is becoming clearer that a key contributing factor to the incidence of poverty is a shortage of adequate employment in growing cities and towns.
UN-HABITAT in 2005 conducted a detailed research study on the informal economies of six developing country cities, namely Bangkok, Delhi, Durban, Lima, Mexico city and Nairobi. The objective was to examine existing regulatory environment in each city and to identify innovative policies for improving the operational efficiency of the urban informal economy.
The final report, Innovative policies for the urban informal economy published in 2006, shows that complex and stringent regulatory requirements on the establishment and operation of micro-enterprises have contributed to the growth of the informal economy, notably in developing country cities.
The link between poverty and water in urban centers often seems convoluted to many, but this should not be so. As water vending activities expands, one need not look far to see that the expansion is happening mostly at the informal sector.
The reality is indeed ironically startling as the global urban population without access to improved water services rises from 107 million in 1990, to 170 million in 2004. Many of the inhabitants of these big cities live in slums and have no or inadequate access to running water.
Urbanization heightens the relationship between available water quantity and water quality as well as poverty. Cities are faced with mounting cost of water shortages, water treatment, well deepening and development of new sources. This is particularly true for cities in Africa.
They do not only have limited means with which to expand the water, and maintain the quality but they also need to expand water supply services to meet the ever increasing needs of industry and to support growing population with varying distribution of population and settlement patterns in rural and urban settings.
Compounding the existing difficulties facing these water utilities is the enormous task in providing water services for these expanding urban populations where population growth rates of 5-7% per year are raising fears of the doubling of existing population in the next ten years.
The consequence is that not up to 3 out of 10 people in many urban populations across the continent gets supplied water by utilities in many places. Worst hit are low income areas and/or people living in illegal estates or slums as squatters or settlers etc. To cover these water access gaps in many cities, alternative water suppliers now exist.
But who are these alternative water service providers? ……….They are mostly Non-state providers (NSPs) or informal water providers (IWPs) who provide basic water services to consumers on a long term basis and are paid for their services by their water customers directly. They could also be called Small Scale Independent Providers (SSIPs) and Small Scale Water Providers.
These alternative water service providers include water vendors using trucks, kiosk, carts and commercial boreholes. In a small city like Owerri in southeastern Nigeria these alternate water providers get their water mostly from privately owned but commercialized boreholes as well as from the Otamiri River, a major river catchment that drains the Owerri area.
The crucial support of alternative water providers to water utilities needs to be properly recognized by government in view of the fact that in creating access to water they aid in mitigating poverty. According to Collignon and Vezina (2000), over 75% of the urban poor in Africa get at least some of their water from such informal providers.
This is true because access to safe drinking water has been proven to have strong impact on wider development issues including poverty, a fact that has been summarized by the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) based in Geneva, Switzerland.
According to the WSSCC, access to water mitigates poverty because; the security of many household livelihoods rests on the health of its members; adults who are ill themselves or must care for sick children are less productive. The illnesses caused by unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation generate high health cost relative to income for the poor.
Healthy people are better able to absorb nutrients in food than those suffering from water-related diseases, particularly helminthes infections, which rob their hosts of calories. Access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation helps reduce household expenditure on health care; and the time lost because of long distance water collection and poor health contributes to poverty and reduced food security.
In aggregate, the total annual economic benefits of meeting the Millennium Development Goals targets on water supply and sanitation accrue to US$84billion; while global estimates for the additional annual investment to meet the MDG water and sanitation targets all arrive at about US$11billion, meeting the targets translates into 322 million working days per year gained at a value of US$750million.
As part of its recommendations to end the global water and sanitation crisis; the UN Millennium Project Task Force on water and sanitation had emphasized that Investment in water and sanitation must focus on sustainable service delivery, rather than construction of facilities alone.
Appositely, the Millennium Project Task Force had reported in 2005 that “expanding water and sanitation coverage is not a rocket-science”. Therefore to get rid of this migraine, systematic overhaul in the areas of vital reforms and targeted investments should continue to move in parallel.
Coupled to this is the need to mobilize all water vendors to the table and duly recognize them as important stakeholders. This is so because in embarking on this enterprise they have created employment for themselves and in so doing are working to meet the water needs of millions of households thereby closing the service gaps created by the water utilities.
Restricting or banning their trade as well as imposing unrealistic regulation on them as was recently the case in Nigeria’s Federal Capital City Abuja makes matters worse. This is so glaring to us all because the government has over the years grossly proved itself incapable of meeting the water needs of millions of its citizens.


Leading indemnity provider urges doctors to remain vigilant for signs of elder abuse30th September 2008
With the elderly community set to be celebrated on International Day of Older Persons (1 October), a leading professional indemnity provider is urging its members to remain alert to potential indicators that senior citizens have been abused.
The Medical Protection Society (MPS) says it is issuing the advice partly because there is a greater tendency in the media, and society generally, to focus on abuse of children, rather than that of older people, which often remains invisible.
Despite this relative lack of awareness, MPS is drawing attention to claims from the charity Action on Elder Abuse, that 4% of old people in the UK have been abused. Figures from the Office for National Statistics, issued last month, have confirmed that, for the first time, there are now more people of state pensionable age in the UK than under-16s, with the over-80s being the fastest-growing group of all.*
Dr Stephanie Bown, MPS director of communications and policy, said: “Elder abuse can take various forms, physical and financial being probably the most common, but abuse can also be psychological or sexual. Statistics suggest a clinician could encounter at least one victim of elder abuse for every 20 to 40 older people they see.**
“Elder abuse can be difficult to recognise. There is no universally agreed test as to what constitutes it and there are no exclusive diagnostic signs. Elements of abuse can easily be attributed to other common problems in elderly people’s lives: accidental falls cause fractures, bruises, head injuries and lacerations, and weight loss can also be a sign of cancer or chronic diseases, for example.”
“Many victims of abuse are also socially isolated, cognitively impaired and detached from their care. They may be brought to the consultation by their abuser, acutely aware of what’s happening to them, but not wanting to let the clinician know.
“Abuse is sometimes a sign that carers are not coping and need help themselves, and the medical profession could do more to identify their needs.”
Dr Bown said the indicators of abuse could be subtle and doctors often faced an unenviable task in trying to uncover and deal with it.
She said: “Background indicators can include delays in seeking medical attention, inconsistent or even contradictory histories being delivered by patients and carers, and a disparity between assets and living conditions. They can also include extreme withdrawal, agitation or depression, and repeated admissions.
“Physical injuries signifying possible abuse include bruises and lacerations on certain parts of the body – the palms, soles, inner thighs and upper arm. They may also include multiple injuries at different stages of healing, malnutrition, dehydration, occult fractures and poor personal hygiene.”
Dr Bown said if doctors suspected abuse, they had a responsibility to act promptly.
She said, “Our advice to GPs is to follow the adult protection policy in the area and ensure immediately that the patient is made safe and receives medical attention. Then, make careful and comprehensive records of the history, examination and conversations with other health professionals.
“Also, take advice from a senior colleague or your medical defence organisation about other steps, which might include informing the police or the Adult Protection Enquiry Co-ordinator.”
Dr Bown said International Day of Older Persons was a particularly appropriate time to remind all doctors and healthcare workers about this widespread, but often concealed problem. Signs of elder abuse can be subtle and clinicians were understandably reluctant to raise concerns which may prove to be unfounded.
She added: “However, doctors have a key role in both identifying and preventing abuse, and a responsibility to protect vulnerable patients from harm. The patient’s interests must always be the doctor’s primary concern and, sometimes, this will mean probing more deeply to explore whether the patient’s symptoms are a manifestation of abuse.”
*The Office for National Statistics issued figures in August which showed the number of UK citizens of State pensionable age rose by 1.9% last year to 11.58 million, accounting for 19% of the population. The number of people aged under 16 totalled 11.5m. The figures indicated the over-80s accounted for over 5%, or 2.7m, of the population.
**Lach M, Pillemer K. 2 October 2004. Elder Abuse The Lancet Vol 364.
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Title: Leading indemnity provider urges doctors to remain vigilant for signs of elder abuse
Author: Martine Hamilton
Article Id: 8562
Date Added: 30th Sep 2008


text:
Now he wants his job back.
Former New Rochelle High School principalReginald Richardson, who resigned as principal on July 19th after the New York City Department of Education offered him a consulting job that it rescinded the next day, is now rescinding his resignation from NRHS.
The school board will meet to review his request on August 7th.
The New York Post reportedformer New Rochelle High School principalReginald Richardson, who had just announced that he would resign, briefly landed a new job at the New York City Department of Education. Then, The Post reports, Richardson was abruptly let go the following day after The Post called the DOE.
“Despite the fact that a simple online search yields a number of stories about his past controversies, Richardson told The Post that a team of DOE interviewers never asked him about them,” the Post reports, includingincluding a grade-fixing scandal, themurder of one studentand the stabbing of two others.
Richardson joined New Rochelle HS in 2013 after 15 years at the New York City Education Department.
photo courtesy New Rochelle High School

domain: news


text:
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L.E. Modesitt, Jr., has gained a legion of devoted fans for his science fiction as well as his epic fantasy novels. The Ghost of the Revelator is one of the best displays yet of his ability to blend dramatic, imaginative stories with rigorous social and scientific extrapolation.
Doktor Johan Eschbach (the central character of Modesitt's popular alternate history SF novel, Of Tangible Ghosts) had hoped for a quiet life in retirement from the intelligence service, teaching environmental science at the University of New Bruges and living with his new wife, the vocalist Llysette du Boise. Llysette, a refugee from the burning remains of France, would herself like little more than to resume her singing career and forget her time in the prison camps of the Hapsburg Empire.
But an unusual invitation from the Mormon nation of Deseret inexorably drags Johan back into the spy business, though he isn't quite sure why or for whom. It quickly becomes apparent that he is being used as a pawn in a deadly game of international maneuverings that are leading the world closer to war.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Following up on the inventive Of Tangible Ghosts, L.E. Modesitt Jr. takes us back to his balkanized, techno-colonial vision of America, an alternate history in which the English colony at Plymouth failed long ago and New France, Columbia, Quebec, and the Mormon state of Deseret scheme and scrap for control of the continent and its resources. A land of dirigibles and difference engines, Modesitt's eerily refined world is compelling and coolly original, a place where you still drive to work in a car--albeit steam-powered--but think nothing of waving good morning to the zombies raking leaves off your lawn.
The protagonist of Tangible Ghosts, college professor and former secret agent Johan Eschbach, is back in this espionage thriller, now married to world-class singer and fellow former spy Lysette duBoise. Amidst intrigue and having barely survived an attempt on their lives, the two head off to Salt Lake City after Lysette is invited to sing there by Deseret's Mormon government. Of course nothing is quite as it seems: the situation quickly becomes complicated as Austro-Hungary tries to derail any cooperation between Columbia and Deseret, and a fanatic splinter group kidnaps Lysette to force Eschbach to summon the ghost of the Revelator, no less than Joseph Smith. With its smooth and measured action and its novel and well-developed characters and setting, Ghost of the Revelator is a rich, rewarding read. --Paul HughesFrom the Publisher:
"A most originally conceived and intelligently executed melding of history and fantasy. Fans of its predecessor will devour it...especially on account of its enchanting heroine." --Booklist
"A compelling tale of alternate-world intrigue." --Jack McDevitt
"Sequel to Of Tangible Ghosts, Modesitt's intriguing, flavor-some alternate-world yarn where ghosts are real and America doesn't exist...Appealing characters, agreeably labyrinthine plotting, a fascinatingly detailed backdrop." --Kirkus Reviews
"Modesitt's lucid prose and careful attention to detail lend substance to this tale of occult intrigue. For most SF collections." --Library Journal
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Book Description Tor Science Fiction, 1999. Mass Market. Condition: New. 1st Edition. WONDERFUL COPY IN GLOSSY ATTRACTIVE COVER. Seller Inventory # 011999
Book Description Tor Science Fiction, 1999. Mass Market Paperback. Condition: New. Never used!. Seller Inventory # P110812545362
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A variety of biophysical methods are available to characterize properties of biological macromolecules as well as their interactions.
Isothermal titration calorimetry
Surface plasmon resonance
SPR is a powerful technique that measures biomolecular interactions in real time. It is based on optical technology where mass concentration of biomolecules in close proximity to a sensor chip surface is measured (Figure 2.1). The typical sensor chip is a glass slide coated with a gold layer which has a carboxymethylated dextran matrix where the ligand can be immobilised. When biomolecules bind to the immobilised ligand at the sensor chip, they cause a mass increase and a corresponding increase in the refractive index. This will alter the angle of the reflected light. The SPR angle is measured by the detector which monitors the changes in the reflected light intensity (Figure 2.1 A, from I to II). This change is recorded as a function of time in a sensorgram (Figure 2.1 B). The response increases when the analyte associates with the ligand. When the injection is stopped and the analyte dissociates from the ligand due to displacement by added buffer (regeneration buffer or recovery solution), the response falls. The response is measured in resonance units (RU) and is proportional to the mass at the surface.
Multi-angle light scattering
Dynamic light scattering
DLS is a well-established method to characterise nanoparticles and biological macromolecules including proteins and polymers in the submicron region. This technique is mainly used to determine the size or size distribution, the molecular weight or the zeta potential of a particle. DLS analyses the Brownian motion of particles which have been hit by a monochromatic laser light, and measures the intensity fluctuation in the scattered light. Small particles diffuse quickly in fluid giving large pattern changes, while larger particles give smaller pattern variations (Figure 2.3). Thus, intensity changes result in an autocorrelation function which gives the rate of the particle diffusion. The size of the particle can then be determined by the use of the Stokes-Einstein relationship.
DLS is a good method to investigate conformational stability of a protein and their tendency to oligomerize and aggregate over time or depending on temperature.
Differential scanning fluorimetry
Circular dichroism spectroscopy
CD is a type of absorption spectroscopy that can examine various aspects of protein structure in solution including secondary structure composition, tertiary structure fingerprint and conformational changes, protein folding and denaturation. The principle is as follows: the difference between the absorption of left and right handed circularly-polarised light is measured as a function of the wavelength. Circularly polarised light consists of two polarised wavecomponents with the same amplitude and a phase difference of 90°. If the combined vector of the wave is rotated clockwise, right handed-circular polarised light is produced; vice versa for the left handed-circular polarisation. After passing through an optically active sample, the right and left handed polarised light have different amplitudes. The combination of the two unequal beams gives elliptically polarised light. Thus, CD measures the light that is not absorbed, as well as the change in optical rotation relative to the incident light (Figure 2.2 A). For the purpose of CD on protein and peptides, CD spectra are divided into two different regions, far-UV spectral region, which lies between 190 nm and 250 nm, and the nearUV range (250–350 nm). In far-UV, changes in the secondary structure can be studied (Figure 2.2 B), while CD in near-UV provides information about the tertiary structure.
CD can be used to gain structural information on proteins and peptides. Furthermore, it can be used for examining the effect of solvent conditions, pH and changing temperature on protein conformation and stability. It should be noted, however, that CD cannot provide information at residue level and it is thus low in structural detail.
Atomic force microscopy
AFM is a high resolution imaging method that can be used to study the surface topography in atomic resolution and the adhesion of e.g. nanoparticles, macromolecules and cells to a surface. Furthermore it can provide information on the mechanical, electrical and chemical properties of the material. The principle is based on a laser beam deflection system. Briefly, a laser beam is reflected from the back side of the cantilever onto a position-sensitive photodetector (Figure 2.5). In this arrangement, a small deflection of the cantilever will tilt the reflected beam and change the position of the beam on the photodetector. As the tip moves along the surface of the sample it goes up and down the contours of the surface and causing the laser beam to be deflected by the cantilever into a dual photodiode. A photodetector measures the difference in light intensity between the upper and lower photodiode and this difference is converted to a voltage.
Imaging can take place in different modes, where the most common are alternating current (AC) mode and contact mode. The AC mode allows high resolution topographic imaging of sample surfaces that are easily damaged and loosely hold to their substrate. Imaging is implemented by alternately placing the tip in contact with the surface and then lifting the tip off the surface. Thus, the cantilever oscillates near its resonant frequency using a piezoelectric crystal. During AC mode operation, the cantilever oscillation amplitude is maintained constant by a feedback loop. In contact mode the tip scans in close contact across the surface while the tip is constantly adjusted to maintain a constant deflection due to the feedback amplifier. The force on the tip is repulsive and set by pushing the cantilever against the sample surface with a piezoelectric positioning element. In addition to topographical measurements, AFM can also be used to measure forces on the cantilever as the tip comes close to the sample surface and is pulled off again. This technique can be used to measure a series of attractive and repulsive forces between the tip and the sample surface to map the local chemical and mechanical properties such as adhesion, elasticity and thickness of the adsorbed molecule layer.


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Product designer based in Croatia. Graduated in 2010, since then developing freelance projects and building my own studio.
Adoratorio is an award winning creative collective of designers with the aim to develop visionary communication...
Built on creativity, innovation & a DIY ethic.
Oui Will is a creative agency based in Sand Diego, California.
Almanac provides brand guidance and breakthrough marketing to the purpose-driven.

domain: artistic


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OctoberFeature Film | Drama, Romance
October is a 2018 Hindi movie directed by Shoojit Sircar starring Varun Dhawan, Banita Sandhu, Gitanjali Rao and Sahil Vedoliyaa. The movie is produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar and the music composed by Shantanu Moitra.
Release: April 13 2018
Genre: Drama, Romance
Director: Shoojit Sircar
Producers: Ronnie Lahiri, Sheel Kumar
Production Company: Rising Suns Films Pvt Ltd
Music Director: Shantanu Moitra
Plot: October is an intriguing tale of Dan who shares an unusual connection with Shuili. However, a tragedy befalls Dan and changes his perception towards love, life, and relationship.
Complete Cast & Crew
A beautiful and slow paced movie which ends on a sad note. Thats what 'october' movie is about. Varun Dhawan plays the... Show more
A beautiful and slow paced movie which ends on a sad note. Thats what 'october' movie is about. Varun Dhawan plays the role of a troublesome lad doing hotel management. Different from his regular song dance kind of role he manages to make a mark. Sadly the heroine Banitha Sandu has northing much to do except lie on the bed as a patient. OVERALL THE MOVIE IS BEAUTIFUL IN ITS OWN WAY!!
October IN THE NEWS
Varun Dhawan all set to play a laborer in YRF's Sui Dhaaga - September 11, 2017
Meet Varun Dhawan's new October girl! - September 04, 2017
Varun Dhawan and Deepika Padukone to come together for Shoojit Sircar's October - July 27, 2017


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We've whipped up a super simple and super delicious recipe for you to take advantage of while this spectacular fruit is ripe and ready (and a little easier on your pocket than usual!). Ooooh this one's so good and so summery!
MANGO & PASSIONFRUIT SMOOTHIE
🥭 1/2 fresh mango
🥭 1 large passionfruit (or 2 small ones)
🥭 250ml chilled water
🥭 1 x Mummy Smoothie sachet
🥭 1 x handful of ice
As always, we recommend blending all the ingredients first, and then add the Mummy Smoothie in for a final, gentle blend. This will prevent causing damage to the gorgeous probiotics that are ready to do their work.
Tell us your favourite recipe - we'd love to feature them on our socials!


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Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions - Crisis Fund
We Are Here For You.Anytime there is a crisis, we know how overwhelming things can be. Therefore, a list of frequently asked questions has been compiled for your reference.
Active, regular, full and part-time employees and their immediate family members. Officer level and above are not eligible to apply.
Immediate family member is defined as an employee's child, spouse, domestic partner, civil union partner, parent and any other relative who is a member of the employee's household. Please Note: a child is defined as a biological, adopted or foster child, a stepchild, a legal ward or a child of a person standing in place of the parent. A parent is defined as a biological parent, a parent-in-law, or a legal guardian.
The PSEG Employee Crisis Fund provides short-term, emergency support to employees or eligible dependents that are experiencing a financial hardship resulting from a sudden, severe, overwhelming and unexpected event that is beyond their control. The event results in significant financial hardship impacting the employee's means to cope with the situation.
Your situation must fall into one of the following four categories:
Natural Disaster: Situations such as a wildfire, flood, tornado, hurricane, severe storms or earthquake that have damaged or destroyed the employee's primary residence. The Fund cannot pay to repair other property and cannot pay to replace non-essential items, e.g. electronics, etc. Photographs and/or insurance reports may be required.
Catastrophic Illness or Injury: The Fund is not a substitute for medical insurance; employees do not automatically qualify for a grant when they, or their dependents, are diagnosed with or suffer a life-threatening or serious illness or injury. There must be resulting financial need placing significant pressure on the family's financial resources. . Doctor confirmation and/or medical documentation will be required.
Death Incident: This includes the death of the employee, spouse, or eligible dependent(s). The loss of income or the cost of funeral expenses or medical bills must significantly impact the family's resources. The Fund may also be able to pay expenses to bring a child whose parents have died to live with a new family, typically a relative. The Fund cannot pay for travel to funerals, caskets, grave markers or other funeral expenses.
Catastrophic or Extreme Circumstances: This includes but is not limited to: fire, major home damage that could not be prevented, serious crime against the employee (robbery, arson, assault, domestic abuse or another reportable crime) that significantly impacts the family's financial resources. Police, fire, or other official incident report may be required.
Assistance grants do not include reduced work hours or pay (lost compensation due to missed time from work); expenses associated with divorce settlements or child custody cases; items covered by insurance, insurance co-pays, premium or deductibles; credit card bills; home foreclosure; car repair; accumulated financial distress; accidental damages due to negligence; legal fees.
The Community Foundation of New Jersey staff is available to assist all applicants. Call 973-267-5105 with questions or concerns. The Criteria for Funding and Application can be found at http://www.cfnj.org and can be submitted electronically or by paper. In the event of a sudden death of an employee, a supervisor/manageror family member may apply. The completed application should be mailed or emailed directly to:
Community Foundation of New Jersey
Attention: PSEG Employee Crisis Fund
Post Office Box 338
Morristown, NJ 07963-0338
Questions can be directed to Faith Krueger at email@example.com
Employees seeking assistance need to complete an application in its entirety and provide all requested documentation. It is important to note that in the case of a catastrophic illness or injury, the employee and his/her healthcare provider must complete Attachment A of the application. When Attachment A is completed, the health care provider should return Attachment A directly to the Community Foundation of New Jersey to consider the application process complete.
Supporting documents are necessary for evaluating and determining the eligibility of the grant request. Examples include but are not limited to:
- Vendor documentation (bills to be paid)
- Mortgage Coupon or Statement/Lease
- Lodging Receipts in the case of evacuation
- Insurance Claim Forms
- Medical documentation by the healthcare provider is required (See Attachment A) along with an Explanation of Benefit (EOB)
- Police, Fire, or other official incident report if for Catastrophic Circumstances
- If death incident, please provide a copy of the death certificate or obituary
The Community Foundation of New Jersey will contact the applicant with questions or requests for any additional documentation. Grants cannot be made before an employee has demonstrated an immediate financial need and provided all required documentation.
Confidentiality is respected throughout the process. CFNJ may contact the PSEG Human Resource Employee Business Center to verify employment status since the application is publicly available on the PSEG website. Employee name and number are all that is shared with the Business Center. Non-identifying statistical information will be reported to PSEG on a periodic basis.
The Community Foundation of New Jersey is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is an alliance of families, businesses and foundations that work together to create lasting differences in lives and communities. Donors can establish a charitable fund to focus charitable dollars on causes, organizations and communities they believe in. The PSEG Foundation has established a fund within the Community Foundation of New Jersey to assist PSEG employees in times of crisis.
The Community Foundation of New Jersey was selected to administer funding based on their experience in handling these types of funds for other companies.
All applications are screened directly by the Community Foundation of New Jersey. In its sole discretion, the Foundation determines incident eligibility and award amount.
The maximum grant amount available for assistance is $5,000. The maximum award is not guaranteed, and in some cases, a lesser amount will be awarded. All payments are made directly to vendors as bill payments; assistance funds are not sent directly to applicants.
No. Money received by the employee from the Community Foundation of New Jersey as part of the Employee Crisis Fund is not taxable.
No. Crisis funding through the Community Foundation of New Jersey is not a loan and does not require repayment of any kind.
A representative from the Community Foundation of New Jersey will notify the applicant if their application has been approved for funding.
If approved, applicants will receive funding within ten business days of the Community Foundation of New Jersey's approval of the application.
The Employee Crisis Fund is funded by the PSEG Foundation and by contributions from other sources such as employees.
Any individual or group can make a donation to the Employee Crisis Fund. Individual donations may be eligible for matching through the Power of Giving Program.
- Donations to the Fund can be made by credit card or check.
- Credit card gifts can be made at the Community Foundation of New Jersey's website at http://www.cfnj.org/pseg where you can direct the gift to the PSEG Employee Crisis Fund.
- Checks should be made payable to the Community Foundation of New Jersey and mailed with the appropriate form and specific instructions to direct the donation to the PSEG Employee Crisis fund.
Donations to the PSEG Crisis Fund cannot be targeted to a specific individual by IRS rule. Moreover, donor names or recipient names will not be disclosed unless authorization from the recipient is received.

domain: finance


text:
If you are a gay man who likes visiting glory holes, you wouldn't be alone. A lot of guys like getting serviced through a circular carve-out by another guy.
my Where glory is hole closest
Within hours I had three male friends, all gay Gen-Xers, eager to evangelize. The main concern is breaking indecent exposure laws. Speaking of which, June 11th marked the 10th anniversary of former Sen. News Ticker.
1. Make sure its legal
That sounded… implausible. In some cases, small holes have been pierced through the partitions. To experience a safer time at a hole when it comes to anal play, it is recommended that a condom be used.


text:
A Zoo icon: Queenie
Postcard of Queenie, Melbourne Zoo elephant, c. 1942
Promotional greeting card of Queenie, Melbourne Zoo elephant, c. 1930
Public Record Office Victoria
VPRS 8850/P1 unit 48
Free for educational use. Contact Public Record Office Victoria for permission to reproduce in other contexts: http://prov.vic.gov.au/copyrightCopyright
State of Victoria
Queenie was a much loved and controversial figure in Melbourne Zoo’s history. A ride on Queenie was a major zoo attraction for over 40 years until she tragically crushed her keeper in 1944.
Visitors to Melbourne Zoo would queue for hours to ride on Queenie’s back for the price of a tuppence. She gave rides around a circuit, where children would leave apples and peanuts on the posts for her to eat. She gave up to 500 rides each day and travelled an estimated 165 000 kilometres during her working life. Queenie was known and loved for her gentle nature.
On September 19, 1944 Queenie crushed and killed her keeper, Wilfred Thomas Mory Lawson, inside her enclosure at the end of her working day.
After this tragic incident the zoo retired Queenie from giving rides and, after public support, decided to keep her as an exhibit. Sadly in 1945, she was put down. The reason given for this was that it was wartime, fodder was scarce and the zoo could not afford to keep her.
Queenie’s Last Ride, Mary O’Brien, The Age, August 9, 2006
150 years Melbourne Zoo, Zoos Victoria, Bounce Books, 2012

domain: history


text:
New group aims to prevent whale entanglements
PROVINCETOWN — Off U.S. shores right now, at least four North Atlantic right whales are entangled in fishing gear or lines. As they swim and dive, the fishing gear follows, lugging down the large whales and tearing into their skin.
Some manage to rend free of their binds, but others do not. In a population that hovers at about 320, any death is one step closer to extinction for this endangered species.
Right whales are not the only cetaceans affected by man-made gear. The Vaquita harbor porpoise in the Gulf of California is also in trouble, as is the Argentinean river dolphin.
Around the globe, any place whales and dolphins inhabit the same waters used for fishing, there will be entanglements. For this reason, 25 scientists and experts from six continents have formed the Cetacean catch Action Network.
The World Wildlife Fund and the new group will announce plans today for a global response team aimed at halting entanglements in gear and netting, also known as bycatch, according to fund spokeswoman Jan Vertefeuille.
Through the Cetacean catch Resource Center's Web site, the network will offer studies, papers and tips, said David Mattilla, a senior scientist with the Center for Coastal Studies in Provincetown and a member of the new group. For developing countries without access to information, a virtual library will be at their disposal.
Mattilla said New England members will be able to offer help on disentanglement methods, something the Center for Coastal Studies has been doing since 1984.
"It is very clear to us that disentanglement is not the answer to this problem," Mattilla said. "It's a small Band-Aid placed over a gaping wound. We need a preventative solution."
Vertefeuille said the World Wildlife Fund timed the announcement to reach scientists and experts who are in Boston today for a public hearing before the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy.
The Oceans Act of 2000 established the commission to undertake an 18-month stud then make recommendations to the executive and legislative branches.

domain: biology


text:
An astonishing 50 million people in the US alone deal with chronic pain. That’s on top of the 19.6 million folks who suffer from high-impact chronic pain.
High-impact chronic pain is worse, though — it also restricts at least one primary activity. That includes being unable to go to work or school, or even performing daily house chores.
Either way, being in pain can be devastating and debilitating. So much so that an estimated 85% of people who deal with chronic pain also have depression.
There’s some good news, though: CBD cream for pain relief may be able to help.
Ready to learn how such topical CBD products can help and how to use them to address pain? Then let’s dive right into it!
What Is CBD?
CBD stands for cannabidiol, and it’s one of the 60+ known phytocannabinoids. Phytocannabinoids are cannabis-produced chemicals that interact with endocannabinoids. Endocannabinoids, on the other hand, are substances produced by the mammalian body.
CBD doesn’t appear to have psychoactive effects, though, even if it comes from cannabis. Some researchers also say that it counters the well-known psychiatric effects of THC. THC, or tetrahydrocannabinol, is the cannabinoid primarily attributed to cannabis’ psychoactivity.
More than that, CBD has shown the ability to relieve pain in numerous animal studies. That’s because cannabidiol has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties. In scientific studies, it has proved to reduce both pain and swelling in animal models.
How Much CBD Cream Should You Apply?
Most published CBD-related studies involved animal models. In one study, for instance, the researchers applied CBD gel on arthritic rats. They found that 6.2 mg and 62.3 mg of CBD application for four days led to a significant reduction in joint swelling.
The researchers also discovered that doses lower than 6.2 mg didn’t have any notable effects.
A couple of other studies on skin disorders also specified the use of 25 mg to 150 mg of CBD a day for three months. According to the researchers, this dose range didn’t cause any adverse drug reactions. Moreover, the patients reported positive results for their severe skin inflammatory conditions.
The lack of human studies is the reason why there’s no strict standard CBD dosage yet, except on a few oral products. As such, most people who use CBD cream for pain go through some trial and error first. You may have to do the same until you find a dose that’s most effective in reducing your pain symptoms.
With that said, if your doctor gave you “dosing” instructions, follow those religiously. If you’re only trying out a topical CBD cream for pain, stick to the instructions on the label first. If it doesn’t specify an amount, you can gradually increase it until you notice a change in your symptoms.
Fortunately, most studies share a similar safety finding: it takes a lot of CBD to cause side effects. They reported that daily doses of up to 1,500 mg of cannabidiol do not cause such adverse reactions.
With all that said, let’s take a look at the steps involved in applying CBD cream for pain relief.
Identify the Specific Pain Areas
Most topical products, including CBD creams, only target localized areas. This means that they need to go on the specific area of treatment; otherwise, they may do little to nothing at all. As such, it’s important to pinpoint where exactly your aches and pains are coming from.
Let’s say that you have a painful sprained ankle, which occurs in at least 23,000 people in the US every day. In this case, it may be best to spread the topical CBD from above the tibia to below the talus area. The tibia is the shinbone, while the talus is the leg bone.
Always Prepare the Treatment Area
External cannabinoids already have low skin permeability. Research also showed that CBD doesn’t meet the therapeutic rate of skin permeability. It can penetrate the skin, however, if applied to a larger skin surface area.
Still, scientists have found that cannabidiol is more permeable and stable than tetrahydrocannabinol. In vitro studies that used human skin have shown that CBD has a 10-fold higher permeability than THC.
Either way, it’s vital to free up your skin of as much dirt and debris prior to applying CBD cream. If you have many pain points spread throughout the body, feel free to take a long shower. What’s important is to get rid of as much skin contaminants as you can before using CBD topicals.
The cleaner, clearer, and drier the treatment areas are, the easier it might be for your skin to absorb the CBD cream.
Work the Cream In With Massaging Motions
Spread the CBD topical on your skin using deep but gentle massaging motions. Do this whether you’re using a CBD ointment for pain or a cream-based product. A CBD gel may dry out faster, though, so be careful as massaging dry skin may cause friction injuries.
To start your CBD massage, place two or three fingertips on the sore body part. Give the area a firm but gentle press. Keep the pressure on while you move your fingers in a circular manner.
Do this for one to two minutes, or less, if it’s too painful to keep going. Feel free to let your body rest for a few seconds before massaging in the topical again.
Wash your hands after applying the CBD product. You may have to wait for a few minutes before you start feeling CBD’s pain-relieving effects.
Note as well that most cannabidiol topicals reach their peak effect after one to two hours. Also, since CBD doesn’t appear to have side effects in much higher doses, feel free to massage it in a few times a day.
Give CBD Cream for Pain Relief a Shot Now
There you have it, your ultimate guide on what is and how to use CBD cream for pain relief. Just keep in mind that CBD products, including topicals and oils, have varying CBD content. That’s why it’s always a good idea to buy only those that have undergone independent lab testing.
This way, you can be sure that the CBD product doesn’t contain any unwanted or harmful components.

domain: medical


If you want an audience to take heed of what you have to say, sometimes the messenger who delivers it for you can be just as important as the message itself. Depending on the nature of your communiqué, you may find it has a much greater impact on your intended audience if it is conveyed a a sympathetic figure who can tug at people's heartstrings (e.g., a child, a Native American, a mother, a veteran) or a respected figure whom viewers perceive as knowledgeable about the subject at hand (e.g., a judge, a policeman, a college professor).
A messenger who brought both those qualities to the table was Koko the gorilla, a primate who purportedly understands approximately 2,000 words of the spoken human language and can communicate her thoughts to humans via her use of more than 1,000 signs of what 'Gorilla Sign Language' (a modified version of American Sign Language). In 2015 two non-profit organizations, the Gorilla Foundation (who oversee Koko's care and training), and NOE Conservation (who seek to safeguard biodiversity), teamed up to produce a Public Service Announcement (PSA) featuring Koko in conjunction with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (also known as the COP21 Climate Conference) held in Paris in December of that year:
That video captured Koko supposedly signing about the importance of our protecting and preserving nature, a message that (given the nature of the proceedings it was associated with) was interpreted as a plea to acknowledge the issue of climate change. The NOE said as much, declaring that the video captured "Koko reacting after she has been informed about what is at stake at COP21." And the press release issued with the video by the Gorilla Foundation asserted that Koko was indeed being "clear" about wanting to convey the notion that "Man is harming the Earth":
Because of her unique ability to communicate with humans in sign language, Koko is a natural ambassador for endangered species, and thus we agreed to co-produce a short video PSA (Public Service Announcement) contingent on Koko's willingness to participate.
Koko was clear about the main message: Man is harming the Earth and its many animal and plant species and needs to "hurry" and fix the problem.
We humans may disagree on the possibly deleterious effects our activities are having on our global environment, but how could we possibly ignore a poignant plea from a gorilla — a message delivered by a personification of Nature itself, who is not coincidentally regarded as sympathetic and knowledgeable regarding the subject at hand?
Some viewers took the video a little too literally, however, and were surprised at Koko's pithy and timely exhortation to heed the perils of global warming. But nothing about the video indicates that Koko can actually entertain, much less communicate to humans, thoughts about environmentalism.
For starters, as noted in a 2014 Slate, human-ape communication may be far more about anthropomorphization than actual linguistic expression, especially when it comes to the expressing ideas rather than communicating basic needs:
[C]onceding that the scientific jury is still out on whether gorillas are capable of sophisticated emotions doesn't make headlines, and admitting the ambiguity inherent in interpreting a gorilla's sign language doesn't bring in millions of dollars in donations. So we get a story about Koko mourning Robin Williams: a nice, straightforward tale that warms the heart but leaves scientists and skeptics wondering how a gorilla's emotions can be deduced so easily.
Koko is perhaps the most famous product of an ambitious field of research, one that sought from the outset to examine whether apes and humans could communicate. In dozens of studies, scientists raised apes with humans and attempted to teach them language. Dedicated researchers brought apes like Koko into their homes or turned their labs into home-like environments where people and apes could play together and try, often awkwardly, to understand each other. The researchers made these apes the center of their lives.
But the research didn't deliver on its promise. No new studies have been launched in years, and the old ones are fizzling out. A behind-the-scenes look at what remains of this research today reveals a surprisingly dramatic world of lawsuits, mass resignations, and dysfunctional relationships between humans and apes.
Unlike us, it seems that apes don't care to chitchat. Psychologist Susan Goldin-Meadow points out that studies with Kanzi (a bonobo) show that only 4 percent of his signs are commentary, meaning the other 96 percent are all functional signs, asking for food or toys. Similar skepticism about Koko emerged in the 1980s, when Herb Terrace published a fairly scathing critique of ape language research. Among other criticisms, Terrace asserted that Koko's signs were not spontaneous but instead elicited by [her handler's] asking her questions.
In any case, Koko's supposed message about climate change and biodiversity is completely lacking in context: the viewer has no idea what any offscreen handlers might have said or done to elicit the signing she produces, or whether the video is anything more than a collection of disjoint, completely unrelated signs strung together into a narrative fashioned by humans rather than a gorilla. Even if we were to assume the (highly unlikely) possibility that Koko's signing was completely spontaneous and unguided, her "message" is highly ambiguous and non-specific — outside of humans' suggesting a framework for us to employ in interpreting it:
I am gorilla. I am flowers, animals. I am nature. Man Koko love. Earth Koko love. But Man stupid. Stupid! Koko sorry. Koko cry. Time hurry! Fix Earth! Help Earth! Hurry! Protect Earth. Nature see you. Thank you.
For all we know, this discourse might have been prompted by Koko's having just witnessed a clumsy gardener on a power mower carelessly amputating a crop of blooming roses in a nearby flowerbed, and she's expressing that she wants someone to repair the damage by reattaching the severed buds to their stems.
Even the Gorilla Foundation admitted that Koko was "briefed" on the subject at hand and provided with a "script" for the video, which was "edited from a number of separate takes":
Turns out Koko was very interested in the subject [of preserving biodiversity], which we briefed her on via a recent issue of National Geographic titled "Cool It!"
We also presented her with a script drafted by NOE (as any celebrity ambassador asked to do a PSA would expect) and allowed her to improvise during s series of brief daily video discussion sessions, in which Koko also had to learn a few new signs, such as "Protect" and "Nature."
The resulting PSA was edited from a number of separate takes, for brevity and continuity.
Barbara King, a biological anthropologist at the College of William and Mary who writes about human evolution, primate behavior, and the cognition and emotion of animals, commented on the the Koko PSA thusly for NPR:
[R]eminds me of earlier attempts by the Gorilla Foundation to showcase Koko's ability to understand things that there's little chance she could understand, at least in the ways suggested.
Anthropomorphism — the projection of so-called human qualities onto other animals — is not inevitably wrong. Other animals may share with us many ways of thinking and feeling, and recognizing that fact is often appropriate.
But the anthropomorphism in this video is not appropriate. Not even linguistically inclined apes comprehend anything close to the dynamic interplay between humans and nature that underlies anthropogenic climate change.
King also quoted Sherman Wilcox, professor of linguistics at the University of New Mexico, as saying in reaction to this video:
This is obviously a doctored video composed of highly edited clips of single signs pieced together to make it look like Koko is actually saying something, when she's not. It is disconcerting on so many levels. I fear it diminishes the seriousness of the climate change issue. Climate change deniers already feel like scientists are lying to the public. We don't need to give them fake videos.
A Huffington Post article on the topic similarly quoted skeptics from the fields of linguistics and primate research:
But can a gorilla really grasp abstract concepts like climate change and biodiversity?
"Of course not," Herbert Terrace, director of Columbia University's Primate Cognition Lab, told The Huffington Post. Terrace criticized the video as "highly misleading" because "we don't know what Koko's trainer was signing to her before she uttered the various signs ... attributed to her."
Frans de Waal, director of Emory University's Living Links primate research center, suggested that the conservation video hurts the credibility of those who study animal intelligence.
"Koko's human-coached message goes well beyond anything that a gorilla understands or cares about, such as human global impact," de Waal told HuffPost. He added that "stunts" like this one "have given the ape-language field a bad name, whereas there is so much more to discover if we just study what cognitively advanced animals can do of their own accord."
"The problem comes in when we take an ape's accomplishments and then ... insist ... on putting her forward as a wise old woman, and she's not," [Barbara] King said.
The Koko climate change PSA is a novel and compelling way of focusing viewer attention on a political message, but it's basically just a staged commercial, not an expression of sagacity about Nature issued by a non-human creature.


text:
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