This is your overview of news from Slovakia on Wednesday, April 7, 2021. This is a free-of-charge service for our readers. If you want to support us, become a subscriber and get access to more detailed news and interesting feature stories from Slovakia.
The now-empty post of the labour minister in the Eduard Heger cabinet may be filled as soon as this Friday, April 9.
The Sme Rodina party will nominate Milan Krajniak for the post, the same person who left it in mid-March, in an attempt to bring a close to the coalition crisis.
The information was confirmed by the party’s chair and Speaker of Parliament Boris Kollár, who also told the media that the president wanted a person there who would not need the full 100 days to learn about the situation at the ministry.
It is still not clear whether and when Slovakia will start vaccinating with Sputnik V.
As the vaccine has not been registered by the European Medicines Agency, the Slovak authorities have been testing it so that the Health Ministry can decide on issuing permission for its administration.
However, the State Institute for Drug Control (ŠÚKL) is unable to say whether it is safe to use it, due to the lacking data from its producer and the inability to compare the vaccine batches used in various studies and countries.
Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee) wants to wait for the complete results of lab tests before making a final decision, as at the time ŠÚKL made its report, the results on only 11 out of 14 parameters were at its disposal. He expects to make this decision at the beginning of next week, the SITA newswire reported.
While all of Slovakia remains in the black tier of the Covid automat alert system, the situation in districts seems to be improving. Starting next Monday, April 12, only two out of the current 10 districts will remain in the black tier, while 36 will be in the dark red tier, 39 in the red tier, and two in the light red tier.
If the situation remains positive and the national parameters do not worsen in the days to come, the country may switch to the dark red tier as soon as April 19, the Health Ministry has confirmed. This means non-essential shops and district borders can reopen. Schools should also reopen for the final grades.
Health Minister Vladimír Lengvarský (OĽaNO nominee) confirmed certain changes could be made to the national COVID automat warning system, though they would not be fundamental. The group of epidemiological and immunology experts is scheduled to meet tomorrow (April 8) to discuss not only the warning system but also potential changes to the testing strategy.
Other Covid and vaccination-related news
- The number of people positive with Covid-19 identified by PCR tests increased by 1,161, which is 10.84 percent of 10,707 tests labs carried out on April 6. 1,946 antigen tests out of 250,206 (or 0.78 percent) were also positive.
- As much as 41.8 percent of respondents in the March poll by the Slovak Academy of Sciences, MNFORCE and Seesame would opt for the Covid vaccine, which is the most since April 2020. Respondents preferred the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine the most.
- Slovakia should receive 26,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the end of April.
Gallery of the day
The Bratislava City Council has introduced the winning project for the reconstruction of the SNP, Kamenné and Velvet Revolution Squares. Designed by the German team of Atelier Loidl Landscape Architects Berlin and BPR Dr. Schäpertons Consul, the project, totaling €20 million in costs, should be complete between 2024-2025.
Feature story for today
One important lesson from the governmental crisis may be that one needs to be able to decide when to speak and when to keep silent, said President Zuzana Čaputová. In an interview for the Sme daily, she talked about what the last straw was for her when she decided to call on Igor Matovič to step down as prime minister and how she handled the emotions the former prime minister provoked in her.
In other news
- The state assistance for gastronomy and tourism sectors will increase by a further €120 million, to €220,000. The businesses active in these sectors will be able to ask for the subsidy at no more than €200,000 under the same conditions (including if their revenues drop by more than 40 percent).
- Slovakia has expressed its concern over the current situation at the Russian-Ukrainian borders and called on restraint and de-escalation of tensions.
- Tax incomes for 2020 should drop by 2 percent, according to the Institute for Financial Policy, running under the Finance Ministry. Originally, they were expected to slump by as much as 6.9 percent, but the result was better than predicted due to Slovakia’s better economic performance.
- The International Monetary Fund has revised its prediction for Slovakia’s economic growth for this year to 4.7 percent of GDP, down from 6.9 percent as forecast last autumn. The growth should slow to 4.4 percent in 2022.
- The organisers of the Pohoda open-air summer festival decided to postpone it again, due to the unfavourable epidemiological situation. Instead, they plan to hold a series of smaller events at Trenčín Airport at the beginning of July 2021, titled Pohoda on the Ground.
- Slovak skier Petra Vlhová has ended cooperation with her Italian coach Livio Magoni after five years. “I am immensely grateful for your time, your infinite energy, perfectionism and the hope you have constantly placed in me,” she wrote on both Facebook and Instagram.
Don't miss on Spectator.sk
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Nearly three-quarters of Polish Internet users declare that they regularly participate in online meetings, according to the HX Study conducted by the Starcom media agency in cooperation with the Data Science department of the Publicis Groupe. The largest percentage of respondents, nearly a third of all respondents, connect remotely with family or friends several times a week.
This high percentage of people meeting remotely may explain the fact that 64% of respondents have limited the number of friends they meet in person. Many meetings also have to wait for an improvement in the situation, progress in the area of vaccinations and a lower number of newly infected people, which we are only now observing – says Agnieszka Jędrasik, Business Science & Strategy Manager at the Starcom media agency.
Two-thirds of the respondents declare that during the pandemic they participate in fewer live meetings and, moreover, the duration of the meetings is shorter than in the “pre-covid” times.
The most used communicator for remote meetings is Facebook Messenger, followed by Whatsapp. Interestingly, online conversations are most often initiated by adults, so this is not a technological novelty brought home by teenagers. Minor children as initiators of such meetings account for only 11%.
Half of the remote meetings are spontaneous, only 1/4 are arranged in advance.
Most often we meet in an intimate group. Online conversations with only 1 person dominate, followed by meetings of 3-5 participants.
Most of our online conversations, 44%, last between half an hour and an hour. Such meetings do not involve meals: most often they are meetings over tea or coffee, and 2/3 of participants do not consume anything on such an occasion.
Despite the progressive loosening of restrictions and the increasing safety of live meetings, we still plan to connect remotely and without a specific occasion.
The prevalence and high frequency of online meetings is noteworthy. Instant messaging is not new, it was available long before the pandemic, but a ‘higher need’ had to come into play for it to become part of our behavioral standards. The catalyst for change was the transition of millions of Poles to work and study remotely. – Agnieszka Jędrasik concludes –What is encouraging is that the same technological solutions have proven to be very useful in private life as well. We are now asking ourselves whether this form of communication will stay with us for longer, when we will be able to meet in person without fear. Certainly, we have missed face-to-face contacts and we will be catching up in this area. But let’s remember that in the long run, convenience and usability of solutions wins, which in the case of instant messaging is definitely fulfilled. And if something is so good, why give it up?


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Massive Disneyland Attraction Database
The Madame Toad's Largely Random Ride attraction, universally considered to be the best precision attraction at Disneyland
Madame Toad's Largely Random Ride
June 6, 2005
Avg. queue length:
Seven and a fraction Walts
Madame Toad is reported to be the worst bicyclist in Disneyland. On this attraction, you pretend that you are him, crushing Toad Hall, causing havoc in the borough, injuring copious innocent bystanders, and even finding your way to Frontierland!
- Warning: during a solar eclipse, this attraction will be full of children.
Guest Policies and Information
We are currently experiencing a minor problem with our Massive Disneyland Attraction Database. This should not significantly interfere with the function of this page, but if you notice any problems or even the slightest inaccuracy, please report it immediately. Thank you for your understanding.

domain: entertainment


Harvard vs. Cornell - 2/14/20 College Basketball Pick, Odds & Prediction
Cornell Big Red at Harvard Crimson
Friday, February 14, 2020 at 7:00 PM (Lavietes Pavilion)
Harvard Crimson -14 O/U: 139 Click Here for the Latest Odds
The Cornell Big Red and the Harvard Crimson meet in college basketball action from Lavietes Pavilion on Friday.
Cornell enters this game at 5-14 so far. The Big Red are 1-3 in their last four games, beating Princeton while otherwise falling to Brown, Yale and Penn during that stretch.
In the loss to the Quakers, Cornell’s Josh Warren led the team with 23 points, seven rebounds and two assists. Terrance McBride added 15 points, five rebounds and four assists there, and Jimmy Boeheim had 13 points.
Over on the Harvard side, they’re 14-7 on the year. The Crimson are 1-3 in their last four, beating Yale while otherwise dropping to Penn, Princeton and Brown in that time.
In the loss to the Bears, Harvard’s Robert Baker led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds. Both Noah Kirkwood and Christian Juzang had 10 points apiece, with a combined five assists and eight rebounds.
Harvard is 1-4 ATS in their last five after an ATS loss and 1-6 ATS in their last seven overall. The over is 3-1-1 in the Crimson’s last five overall and 26-9 in their last 35 Friday games.
Meanwhile, the Red are 1-4 ATS in their last five road games and the over is 6-2 in their last eight overall. The over is 5-0 in Cornell’s last five road games and 7-3 in their last 10 Friday games.
Cornell has done a decent offensive job over their last three games, with at least 71 points in each outing. The Big Red are no strangers to giving up sizable points totals though, such as 79 to Penn and 86 points to Yale.
Harvard is in something of the same situation, with at least 70 points in four of their last five games and a one-point differential in each of their last three. This one might get close, but I feel better about the Crimson here.


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Central Florida’s sunny weather is great for relaxing outdoors. However, residents and tourists are not the only ones out enjoying the Sunshine State’s warm climate; pests are too. In particular, mosquitoes breed in humid, warm temperatures and are sure to disrupt your outdoor enjoyment. If you’re seeing mosquitoes on your Orlando property when the temps start to rise, here are a few mosquito control tactics you can try to keep the pests away from your outdoor living space.
5 Mosquito Control Methods
You can control nuisance mosquitoes and keep your backyard a safe space for outdoor fun by:
Clearing standing water
Mosquitoes are attracted to water and humid climates. In fact, the pests spend 75% of their life cycle in water, so dumping stagnant water is a crucial step in controlling them. Some common areas to check for standing water include gutters, birdbaths, flowerpots, and buckets.
Keeping your grass cut
Besides standing water, mosquitoes like to rest in the shade. Tall grass or bushes can provide shady areas for mosquitoes to hover around. Mowing overgrown vegetation and exposing your lawn to direct sunlight can help curb your mosquito problem.
Adding repelling plants
Citronella, marigold, and lavender serve as natural mosquito repellents. The plants contain chemicals and strong fragrances that irritate mosquitoes, so planting them in your garden can help keep the pests away.
Fans can simultaneously keep you cool and blow mosquitoes away by making it difficult for the pests to land nearby.
Insecticides are commonly used to kill mosquitoes and their eggs and larvae. While spray repellents can help rid your property of mosquitoes, they often contain strong chemicals that can be unsafe for you and the environment. Therefore, it is recommended to have professionals spray your property for mosquitoes using non-toxic and eco-friendly methods to ensure the mosquitoes are the only living thing that gets eliminated.
Effective Methods for Mosquito Control
The professionals at Critter Control® of Polk County rely on the low-impact IN2Care Mosquito Trap to target and permanently remove disease-transmitting mosquitoes on your property.
Our safe and effective mosquito control trap keeps you and your surrounding environment safe while it works to provide you with 24-hour protection from nuisance mosquitoes. Using reduced chemicals, our device’s technology is pet-friendly and does not affect plants or beneficial insects like bees and butterflies.
Reliable Mosquito Control Services in Orlando
Trust the experienced mosquito control technicians at Critter Control® of Orlando to quickly and efficiently remove nuisance mosquitoes from your property and keep them from returning. To schedule your inspection and receive a free mosquito control estimate, call Critter Control® of Orlando today at 407-295-7194.

domain: biology


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National Referendum on May 26th, 2019
On April 5th, President Klaus Iohannis has invited the political parties for consultations on next Thursday and Friday on the topic of justice. PSD president Liviu Dragnea claimed that he will not be going to the consultations but a delegation from his party will attend.
On April 4th, Klaus Iohannis announced the themes for the May 26th Referendum: stopping the amnesty and pardon for corruption allegations and stopping the adoption of Government Emergency Ordinances on judicial matters. He also stressed that the Government should not give any Emergency Ordinances on justice until the referendum is completed.
Previously, on April 1st, Iohannis announced that before the referendum he will have consultations with the Parliament on broadening the scope of the referendum to make it more efficient. He further expressed his concern to the fact that this Government issues too many Emergency Ordinance, thus not respecting the separation of powers.
On April 4th, Senate leader Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu asked the Committee for Legal Matters from the Senate to vote on the DNA request to begin the prosecution of him. The Committee for Legal Matters was supposed to give an answer to this request in December 2018 but instead kept postponing the deadline. The Committee had a scheduled debate on this topic on Tuesday, but the quorum was not met.
On April 3rd, the simple motion against the Minister of Transport was rejected in the plenum of the Chamber of Deputies.
On April 1st, 2019, parliamentarians from PNL and USR have filed with the Senate another simple motion against the Minister of Jusitce, Tudorel Toader.
On April 3rd, twelve Embassies from different states, including Germany, France and the United States, expressed their concern regarding the rule of law in Romania, especially regarding the Government Emergency Ordinances on justice. They called on Romanian Authorities to avoid changes that weaken the rule of law. In response, PM Viorica Dăncilă claimed that she will not allow ambassadors to determine the PM’s agenda and that the ambassadors refused to have individuals talks with Government representatives.
On April 3rd, Guy Verhofstadt the ALDE leader in the European Parliament, sent a letter to the ALDE EU president recommending excluding ALDE Romania from the group given the anti-justice measures taken by the Romanian Government. The spokesman of ALDE EU, Didrik de Schaetzen replied that the group will discuss this on June 28th, 2019, at a general meeting.
Economic & Fiscal Updates
On April 5th and 6th, the informal meeting of the EU Finance Ministers will be held in Bucharest. The conference will be centered around an Eurogroup meeting on Friday and discussions on the priorities for the next institutional cycle and the way forward for the Union of Capital markets.
The Minister for Public Finance, Eugen Teodorovici, regarding the discussions in the EU Council regarding a Directive to introduce quotas for products subject to the excise tax, such as tobacco and alcohol, has stated that he believes discussions will not lead to an increase in taxes in the near future, intense though they may be.
Teodorovici has stated again that the objective for Romania is to join the euro zone in 2024……………………………………………………

domain: news


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When I was younger, I believed my inconsistency was due to my youth. I believed that age would teach me all I needed to know and that when I was older, I would have learned the lessons of life and discovered the secrets of true spirituality. I am older - a lot older - and the secrets are still secret from me.Mike Yaconelli
Lily Jane Collins is a British-American actress, model, and writer. The daughter of English musician Phil Collins, and an American mother, Jill Tavelman, she was born in Surrey and moved to Los Angeles as a child. Her first screen role was at the age of two in the BBC series Growing Pains. She went on to study broadcast journalism at the University of Southern California and as a teenager, wrote for Seventeen magazine, Teen Vogue, and The Los Angeles Times. She was named International Model of the Year by Spain's Glamour magazine after being selected by Chanel to wear one of their gowns at the Hotel de Crillon in 2007. In 2008, she was named Newest Red Carpet Correspondent and One to Watch in 2008.
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American filmmaker, actor, comic book writer, author, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy film Clerks , which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted in as the character Silent Bob of stoner duo Jay and Silent Bob. Jay and Silent Bob have appeared in Smith's follow-up films Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Clerks 2 which were set primarily in his home state of New Jersey. While not strictly sequential, the films frequently featured crossover plot elements, character references, and a shared canon described by fans as the "View Askewniverse", named after his production company View Askew Productions, which he co-founded with Scott Mosier.
William Edward Burghardt "W. E. B." Du Bois was an American sociologist, historian, civil rights activist, Pan-Africanist, author, writer and editor. Born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, Du Bois grew up in a relatively tolerant and integrated community. After completing graduate work at the University of Berlin and Harvard, where he was the first African American to earn a doctorate, he became a professor of history, sociology and economics at Atlanta University. Du Bois was one of the co-founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People in 1909.
Lucy Maud Montgomery, OBE , published as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning in 1908 with Anne of Green Gables. The book was an immediate success. The central character, Anne Shirley, an orphaned girl, made Montgomery famous in her lifetime and gave her an international following.
Once I had learnt my twelve times table (at the age of three) it was downhill all the way.Fred Hoyle
Positive thinking is more than just a tagline. It changes the way we behave. And I firmly believe that when I am positive, it not only makes me better, but it also makes those around me better.Harvey Mackay
For me, every single thing I do seems to be about the process of letting go because that's what I so desperately need to do with so many things: with fear, with what people think of me, and all these things I've worried about my whole life.John Grant
There weren't any astronauts until I was about 10. Yuri Gagarin went into space right around my 10th birthday.John L. Phillips

domain: celebrity


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- RELEASE DATE: Now Available on Blu-ray/DVD/CD Combo Pack (Click Here to Purchase a Copy)
- WRITTEN BY: Lex Ortega, Sergio Tello
- DIRECTED BY: Lex Ortega
- STARRING: David Aboussafy, Laurette Flores, Aleyda Gallardo
Torture porn; I fucking hate it…a lot. So when I received a review copy of ATROZ; a new torture porn shocker from Unearthed Films; a company that specializes in this sort of thing. Will ATROZ change my mind on the subject? I think we both know the answer to that.
The story of ATROZ is simple; two drunken men hit a woman with their car, and when the police arrive on the scene they find a video camera. They of course watch the footage on said camera, as you do. What follows is the sickening death of a prostitute at the hands of the men in the car. As the investigation continues more charming footage is found and we are treated to those hoary ol’ chestnuts; rape, torture, and murder.
This movie wasn’t for me; I’m no fan of the genre, and I derive zero pleasure from watching torture for torture’s sake. But, I have to be honest; while the story isn’t particularly original, the film is rather well done. The switch between found footage and more conventional film making is effective, and the gore (which is plentiful) is incredibly well done. The only problem some may have is that the film is presented in Spanish (it was filmed in Mexico), and so you’ll have to bounce from the action to the subtitles, and I know that gets some of you creep’s knickers in a twist. On an interesting side note; this flick gets some horror street cred in that it was produced by CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST’s Ruggero Deodato; a man instrumental in popularizing extreme, torturous gore in sin-ema.
Another way in which this release shines is the package Unearthed has put together; you get both the Blu-ray and DVD versions of the film, the soundtrack on a separate CD, and plenty of behind-the-scenes featurettes.
So there you go; if torture porn is your bag baby, then give ATROZ a go; its brutality and slick effects will no doubt tickle your sadist bone…but for the rest of us, you can just walk on by.


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Make your feet happy. Relaxing is easy thanks to these foot-friendly slippers from Vionic. Soft terry material, an adjustable strap, and built-in orthodic design put your feet in a happy place. From Vionic.
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domain: design


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Forget posed perfection, I capture emotion. From candid moments to artistic expressions, your wedding story goes beyond photos, it becomes art. I'm here to capture your genuine, authentic selves, the throw your head back kind of laughter, the tears rolling down the side of your face, the pure joy. It's not just how your wedding looked, it's how it felt, and that's my art.
If you’ve found yourself here, you are likely in search of the perfect photographer to document your love story. You're hoping for romantic, timeless photos that feel and look natural. Being in front of the camera isn't an everyday thing for you, which is why you are wanting a photographer that feels more like a friend, someone who can guide you. You’re drawn to true-to-color imagery and photographs capturing honest, genuine moments.
So, throw my name in the hat and if you vibe with what you’re seeing here, then you’ve met your match. I'm honored to be considered.
From the fine details to the heartfelt, "in-between" interactions, I approach wedding photography with an emphasis on candid, story-driven, natural moments.
Whether you’re surrounded by all of your favorite people for the best party you’ve ever been to or simply having an intimate, private celebration being fully present & enjoying all the emotions of the day is at the top of your list. You're hoping for a balanced mix of artfully candid moments, raw emotion, and photography that feels story focused in essence.
states we've visited
Our story together feels like an unexpected gift, one that was destiny for me to unwrap. We’re parents to my first love: an extra large German Shepherd, Jax. He sleeps in the bed with us, up on (Scott's) pillows, while Scott sleeps with his feet dangling off the bed. And yes, we plan our social lives around being able to bring him along. Don’t ever tell him he’s a dog, it’ll break his heart. Chasing sunsets, adventures & dreams while seeing the world together.... it doesn’t get much better than this.
When we aren't photographing weddings, traveling, or posing in photos like the real life Rip and Beth from Yellowstone, you can find us at home hosting dinner parties with friends, working in our yard, hanging out with our dogs, going to concerts, and enjoying a simple + fulfilling life together.
Aside from being a photographer, I fell in love with my person after meeting at a Red Rocks concert. You’ll hear me talk about Scott often, because he’s my absolute favorite person who makes my face hurt from smiling. He's also my occasional second photographer! It’s true that we have the kind of love that makes the storybooks jealous.
times we've lost our passports. "WE" AS IN SCOTT
years we've been together
Growing up, I was the girl who couldn’t stand to see somebody eating alone. Being the proud daughter of a gay man in the South gave me a front row seat to the realities of a society that didn’t embrace inclusivity. This produced in me a blend of compassion, sass and a unique ability to read the room.
I talk freely and proudly of my family and unique upbringing with immense gratitude, and credit my deep love of people and wit for it. This has translated deeply into who I am as a photographer & how I approach working with those in front of my lens. Creating a sense of comfortability so that you feel natural and confident is my most important focus as your photographer.
We are able to relive the most precious day for us as a couple through Caroline’s beautiful imagery that she so eloquently documented. Her photography is unassuming, candid & the way she captures genuine moments was what we loved about her photos from the start. She captures the feeling you never want to forget, and does it beautifully. What caught my attention was how well she interacted with our families and guests - she made everyone so comfortable. Thank you does not encompass the emotions she has brought to the surface each time I look at the photos, but it's all I have to offer. Her talent is artistically transcending and surpassed any expectations we had for photography.
Nora + Colby
Engaging Caroline for our wedding was the easiest & best decision we made. She works in a way that leaves us camera shy folks feeling confident and might I say posh?! What we appreciated most was how she made us feel. Both of us felt semi-nervous when initially thinking of being in front of a camera. After our engagement session, we knew choosing Caroline as our photographer was the best decision we could have made. She gave us all the direction we needed & our photos looked natural, relaxed, and not stiff or cheesy. Caroline makes the process fun & enjoyable from start to finish.
We loved working with Caroline. She knows what she’s doing, her photos captured our day and all of the details perfectly, she's also funny as hell. Caroline feels more like a friend than she does a wedding vendor. She knows how to make people feel comfortable and does it in the most natural effortless way.
Caroline was recommended to us by a friend. After meeting her, we knew she was the one. We adored her style & appreciated the fact she had diversity in her portfolio. Her personality is what we fell in love with & further solidified why we chose her to document our day. She worked with us on timelines, finding & securing our vendor team, and made it a point to truly get to know us & our families. Caroline was truly the full package & turned into a quick friend from the second we met with her. She's a true artist, and every bit of spunk and fun!

domain: artistic


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Would you like to play more golf for exactly the same dollars you are still spending? Would you enjoy the challenge on playing golf on courses which can be new for your requirements? Or perhaps you love making the rounds and teeing up at the various courses in your city or state; even better, perhaps you travel for business or pleasure and get a chance to play a circular or two of golf at a potpourri of courses over the United States. If this describes you, identifying discount golf courses to patronize can save you loads of money on green fees and tee times.
If you don’t have an unlimited budget allotted to your golfing activities, playing multiple holes of golf when you wish and golf course design companies where you need could possibly get rather expensive in a hurry. Why burn in an opening in your pocket when you are able immediately start saving lots of money on your green fees and tee times by planning your golf excursions at discount golf courses or courses that offer substantial savings through the purchase of membership passes.
Many avid golfers are not aware of the truth that for a tiny investment they are able to play more golf for less money than what they are still spending to enjoy a common sport. There is really you should not pay for high green fees when you are able received a discount, as high as 50%, at discount golf courses over the United States and Canada.
Don’t let the term “discount ” fool you, the courses are often part of the network of courses you’ll normally play, and some are even better. It’s just that “informed golfers” do not pay full price!
Based on the National Golf Foundation, in 2002 golfers spend an estimated $25 billion dollars a year on just equipment and course fees alone. Approximately 80% of the amount is spent on green fees for both public and private courses; about $5 billion is allotted for golf equipment.
Statistics from 2004 show that Americans played over 500 million rounds of golf; anyone who tees up for a lot more than 25 round of golf annually would be considered an “avid” golfer. This segment accounts for two-thirds, or $16.5 billion of all golf related expenditures. By purchasing discount golf cards or discounted membership passes you are able to spread your golf budget much further, and thereby play more golf for the amount of money you are still spending. Also, utilizing booking services to schedule is a superb choice for the budget conscious golfer.
There are numerous local companies and organizations that market membership passes that provides significant discounts at local golf courses. These may be great bargains whenever you elect to play near home; you can find several offers within a few minutes by surfing the Internet. For folks who love to visit and partake in a common past-time there are numerous companies that offer discount golf cards which can be accepted at numerous highly rated public and private courses over the United States and in Canada.
Just visualize yourself teeing up at well-known destinations in the united states; not only are you fulfilling your dream of living the greatest golfing experience, but you certainly can do so without having to blow out your golf budget. Although several courses will honor the discounts during the golf season and on weekends, in the event that you would like to spread exactly the same dollars around to play more golf, playing off-season is a superb way to accomplish so. Regardless, fall is peak amount of time in just about any just about any location.
Remember, if you’re watching you golfing expenditures, playing off-season can translate into great savings; fall obviously, is prime amount of time in nearly every location. So get smart, plan your golf excursions at discount golf courses by purchasing a membership pass, discount golf card, or by booking your tee times through the numerous booking services that provide a reduce rate.
Do it, spread your golf dollars and join the smart golfers who’re playing more rounds of golf at discount golf courses for exactly the same dollars you are still spending to play less!
Jay Land is an author, webmaster and an enthusiastic golfer who loves to visit to various destinations around the globe and take on the challenge of playing the neighborhood golf courses.

domain: finance


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BOC Sciences is committed to providing effective and reliable amino acid asymmetric alkylation synthesis strategies to meet the different needs of customers.
Amino acids are the basis of peptide and protein synthesis, play an important role in the reaction process of oxidation, reduction, hydrolysis and carbon-carbon bond formation in vivo, and determine the properties of peptides and proteins. Among them, optically active amino acids and their derivatives have a wide range of uses in physiology and pharmacology, which has aroused great research enthusiasm of scientists, and methods for asymmetrically synthesizing optically pure amino acids continue to emerge.
Asymmetric alkylation is an asymmetric synthesis in the form of an alkylation reaction. Asymmetric alkylation of amino acids has important applications in medicine, biochemistry, protein and genetic engineering. We use the asymmetric alkylation reaction strategy to realize the efficient synthesis of optically active amino acids, which provides an important tool for the synthesis of active natural products, functionalized peptides and proteins, and the study of the reaction mechanism of biologically active substances.
Various chiral auxiliary agents, such as oxazolidinone, thiazolethione, camphorsultam, prolinol, oxazolidine-2-phenylamine, etc., are widely used to induce asymmetric alkylation reactions, showed a good inducing effect. We use chiral auxiliaries to induce electrophilic substitution reactions of reaction substrates to form carbon-carbon bonds to synthesize optically pure amino acids. Most of the electrophilic reagents are halogenated hydrocarbons (iodohydrocarbons, bromohydrocarbons, chlorinated hydrocarbons), aldehydes, ketones, etc.
Steps for asymmetric synthesis using chiral auxiliaries
We synthesized optically pure α-substituted amino acids by forming Schiff bases to activate carbon-hydrogen bonds. If the aldehyde or ketone group is connected to a chiral group, the α-position substitution of the α-amino acid will be induced by the chiral group and have certain enantioselectivity.
Phase transfer catalysis is characterized by mild reaction conditions, simple operation, and cost-effectiveness. We use phase transfer catalysis for the asymmetric alkylation of amino acids to synthesize various unnatural amino acids. With α-amino acids and their derivatives as substrates, α-hydrogen protons are removed under alkaline conditions. An alkyl group is then introduced on the α-carbon of the amino acid by an electrophilic substitution reaction. The substrate and the base are placed between the two phases, and the proton exchange is assisted by a phase transfer catalyst. α-Amino acids and their derivatives can be prochiral, and a chiral environment can be provided by a chiral phase transfer catalyst or a chiral inducing group, so as to obtain certain enantiomeric excess amino acids.
The Strecker reaction is particularly suitable for the synthesis of N-substituted α-amino acids. Chiral amines react with aldehydes or ketones to form Schiff bases containing chiral auxiliary groups, which are widely used as precursors of chiral α-amino acids, and can be used for the synthesis of chiral α-amino acids after Strecker reactions. Commonly used chiral amines include α-phenylethylamine, β-amino alcohol and its derivatives, etc.
The Mannich reaction can be used for the synthesis of chiral α-amino acid and β-amino acid derivatives. The Mannich reaction of glycine Schiff base and imine can be used to synthesize chiral α, β-diamino-substituted amino acids and their derivatives.

domain: literature


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Grammy Award-winning, genre-defying band The Mavericks have received two Grammy nominations for their critically acclaimed album Brand New Day. The album received the nod for BEST AMERICANA ALBUM, while the beautiful, sentimental track “I Wish You Well” was nominated for BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG. Brand New Day is the group’s first independent studio album, released on their own Mono Mundo Recordings.
And now, The Mavericks bring Holiday Cheer to all with their first-ever original Christmas song “Christmas Time Is (Coming ‘Round Again)” and their rousing rendition of the soulful classic “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”. Both tracks are currently available on 10” white vinyl, digitally and on streaming services.
Led by the masterful vocals of Raul Malo, drummer Paul Deakin, guitarist Eddie Perez, keyboardist Jerry Dale McFadden, along with longtime auxiliary multi-instrumentalists The Fantastic Four — Max Abrams (sax), Julio Diaz (trumpet), Ed Friedland (bass) and Michael Guerra (accordion) — The Mavericks create their own wall of sound on these festive holiday recordings.
For the better part of three decades, The Mavericks have marched to the beat of their own drum, uniquely blending elements of rock, swing, soul, Latino, folk, blues and country like no one before or since. Their sound has never been neatly confined to one genre or style, despite many debates. Perhaps with “Christmas Time Is (Coming ‘Round Again)” and “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)”, everyone can agree on one genre The Mavericks can easily fit into this time of year – Christmas!


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I'm sorry to hear of this with your Shih Tzu. If many vets haven't been able to diagnose her properly, please consider having a specialist veterinary dermatologist attend to her as can be found here: rvc.ac.uk/small-animal-referrals/dermatology
I'm going to post my synopsis of the pruritic (itchy) dog for you so you have a broad overview of all the conditions we need to consider in such a dog as yours. Please take your time perusing it and then return to our conversation with additional questions or concerns.
Pruritic (itchy) dogs are suffering from an allergic dermatitis in the great majority of cases. Allergies to flea saliva, environmental allergens (atopic dermatitis) such as pollens, molds, dust and dust mites, and foods should be considered. (Paw and extremity licking indicates both atopy and a food intolerance and so it behooves vets to distinguish one from another.) In many instances, a concomitant pyoderma (bacterial skin infection), yeast infection (Malassezia), or mange mite (Demodex or Sarcoptes) might be contributory.
Your Shih Tzu's vet can check a sample of her skin surface microscopically (a “cytology”) for abnormal numbers of bacteria and yeast and skin scrapings can be taken in an attempt to find mites. Pyoderma is treated with a minimum of 3-4 weeks of an antibiotic in the cephalosporin class such as cephalexin (Keflex) plus antimicrobial shampoos containing either chlorhexidine or benzoyl peroxide and yeast is addressed with ketoconazole plus shampoos containing either ketoconazole, miconazole, or clotrimazole for at least a month.
Our dermatologists tell us to apply an effective over the counter flea spot-on such as Advantage/Advocate, a fipronil-containing product such as Frontline or one of the newer prescription products available from her vet even if fleas aren’t seen. Dogs can be such effective groomers so as to eliminate all evidence of flea infestation. Dogs who remain primarily indoors can contract fleas because we walk them in on us and flea eggs and larva can remain viable in your home for months. As the weather warms or you turn on heaters at this time of year, egg hatches are common. If the area between the edge of her rib cage and tail (the “saddle” area) is particularly excoriated, a flea saliva allergy should be the most important differential diagnosis. In severe cases, an anti-allergenic prescription glucocorticoid such as prednisone will work wonders for dogs allergic to the saliva of the flea. If you have other pets they may have fleas too but may not be allergic to the flea’s saliva.
Environmental allergies (atopy) are usually initially addressed with prednisone as well. In some dogs an over the counter antihistamine such as clemastine (Tavist) at a dose of 0.025 - 0.75mg/lb twice daily or diphenhydramine (Benadryl) dosed at 1-2mg/lb twice daily (maximum dose of 50 mg at any one time) may be effective. Antihistamines, however, aren’t reliably effective. Adding fish oil to the diet at a dose of 20mg/lb daily of the EPA in the fish oil might synergize with antihistamines to provide better anti-pruritic action. The omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil are antiinflammatory but may take 8-12 weeks to kick in. The new cytokine antagonist oclacitinib (Apoquel) is likely to revolutionize how we address atopic dogs and should be discussed with her vet. Oclacitinib works as well as a steroid without a steroid's adverse effects. Please note that atopy, at least initially, should have a seasonality to it while a food intolerance should cause pruritis regardless of the season. Chronically atopic dogs may be pruritic year round.
Food intolerance/allergy is addressed with prescription hypoallergenic diets. These special foods contain just one novel (rabbit, duck, e.g.) animal protein or proteins that have been chemically altered (hydrolyzed) to the point that her immune system doesn't "see" anything to be allergic to. The over the counter hypoallergenic foods too often contain proteins not listed on the label - soy is a common one - and these proteins would confound our evaluation of the efficacy of the hypoallergenic diet. The prescription foods are available from her vet. There are many novel protein foods and a prototypical hydrolyzed protein food is Hill’s Prescription Diet z/d ultra. (I prefer the hydrolyzed protein diets because it avoids the possibility of my patient being intolerant to even a novel protein.) A positive response is usually seen within a few weeks if we’ve eliminated the offending food allergen. Food intolerance can arise at any age and even after our patient has been eating the same food for quite some time.
We need to consider seborrhea in such a patient as well. This is skin disorder of keratinization and maturation. It's a diagnosis of exclusion of the above mentioned skin disorders and can be suggested by skin biopsy.
As mentioned above, you also have the option of having a specialist veterinary dermatologist attend to her. You can expect some combination of skin scrapings, cytology, bacterial culture and sensitivity, fungal culture, skin biopsy, intradermal or blood allergy testing, or presumptive hypoallergenic diet trials to be performed.
Please respond with further questions or concerns if you wish.


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Naujan Mayor Mark Marcos’ new hobby is drying kalamyas
Naujan Mayor Mark Marcos found a new, tasty hobby during the quarantine: drying kalamyas.
He talked about his new favorite activity in a Facebook post, where he shared a photo of himself working on the kalamyas.
According to him, the summer heat brought an abundance of kalamyas and he decided to dry them so that they could still be used in the coming months.
He said the dried kalamyas could be used in so many dishes.
He didn’t mind spending hours under the sun, because it gave him an abundance of kalamyas, he added.
Enjoy the fruits of your hard work!
“MAGBILAD NG KALAMYAS–Are baga pong pagtutuyo ng kalamyas ang naging libangan kong gawin bago pumasok ng opisina nitong kasagsagan ng quarantine dahil mainit ang panahon at maraming kalamyas. Mainam pag may imbak na tuyong kalamyas dahil maraming mapagsasangkapang pang-ulam. Kaya naman kahit nawala na ang aking kutis-likas papaya dahil sa init, maraming tuyong kalamyas naman ang sa akin ay ipinalit!!!–ATTY. MARK NAVARRO MARCOS,” Marcos posted.

domain: agronomy


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The challenges of developing construction and how Specifiers can future-proof their designs
How does the construction sector adapt to changes with the industry?
Hush Acoustics believe that by challenging industry norms and creating continuous innovative acoustic solutions, it is possible to design soundproofing within the construction process that stands the test of time and copes with any future changes. We believe that our forward-thinking approach will allow specifiers to foresee trends and to ensure their designs are ‘future-proof’.
Evolution of the urban environment and habitation
The rise in popularity of new build multi-occupancy residential buildings being developed within towns and cities highlights the shift of people wanting to live in more urban environments. Here, modern apartments are designed and furnished to embrace a more open-plan living arrangement. Carpets have been replaced by hard flooring. Walls making up separate rooms have been replaced by larger open spaces. Ornaments and other interior furnishings have been replaced by a generally more minimalist approach to décor.
Effects of these new developments on acoustic capabilities
All the above factors result in significantly reduced acoustic capabilities of interiors which in turn leads to higher levels of reverberation, impact noises and flanking transmission levels. These noise levels occur because of deficiencies in construction and design of such residential buildings. Even though they may comply with UK Building Regulations Approved Document E (England & Wales), Section 5 of the Scottish Building Standards (Scotland) and Approved Part G (Northern Ireland), it suggests that building regulations do not conform to modern living standards.
What does this mean for specifiers?
The two most important factors to consider when designing future-proof acoustic solutions in build projects are to fully understand the principles of acoustics i.e. the causes of impact, airborne and flanking transmission noise levels, and what acoustic products and systems can be used to reduce such noise sources. The second factor is for specifiers and all industry professionals to embrace and adopt the new technologies available and integrating them into the project specifications and designs.
Future-proof soundproofing and effective specification
By truly understanding the basic principles of acoustics, specifiers are then able to design innovative acoustic solutions that embrace changing social trends. Minimalism is currently on-trend and larger open spaces and hardwood flooring mean reverberation levels are ever increasing.
Sound refractions bounce easily off the hard surfaces causing uncomfortable background noise levels. By creating effective acoustic solutions into early design concepts and incorporating the most suitable acoustic material, specifiers can create soundproofing solutions that are effective in significantly reducing reverberation and impact noise levels.
New Technologies – Building Information Modelling (BIM)
The introduction of BIM is a significant technological development and involves a more collaborative and cohesive approach to designing buildings; enabling a seamless transition of information through the project lifecycle.
For specifiers, BIM is crucial in providing a more innovative approach to soundproofing solutions within build projects and can be an important tool in safeguarding their specifications in future build projects.
Implications of Prefabricated Constructions
Another technological advancement that specifiers need to be aware of is the rise of prefabricated constructions, where building components are constructed off-site and then engineered together on-site. By developing acoustic solutions into early design prefabrication concepts, it safeguards their relevance and effectiveness in the construction process.
How can Hush Acoustics Help You?
We design acoustic products and systems that far exceed Building Regulations and are much more focused on modern lifestyles and future trends, rather than simply complying with Building Regulations.
Our friendly and experienced team works closely with specifiers and contractors to develop acoustic solutions for all budgets and for all interior styles.


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Chicago Cars.com will host a Webinar focused on helping dealers increase profits by using online tools to acquire, retail and remarket their used-car inventory. The free, hour-long event, "From Online Auction to Listings: Getting the Competitive Edge," begins at noon EDT this Friday, April 11. The Webinar is part of Cars.com's monthly DealerADvantage LIVE series.
"On the retail side of the business, shopping sites such as Cars.com have transformed how dealers advertise their listings and connect with in-market buyers," said Ralph Ebersole, Cars.com director of automotive consulting and dealer training. "Today, the Internet is also transforming the wholesale side of the business. Dealers can now use online tools to manage every aspect of the used-car sales process, In this seminar, we are excited to showcase how internet wholesaling can work together with online retail operations for maximum online success."
Led by Ebersole and Greg Lubrani, sales director for OPENLANE, a leading online wholesale automotive auction company, the Webinar will examine how dealers can use online auctions to purchase in-demand vehicles for their stores and move aging inventory or cars acquired through customer trade-ins that they do not want.
Topics will include:
- Overcoming the fear of buying and selling your inventory through online auction
- Realizing the benefits of selling vehicles online, both wholesale and retail
- Leveraging online tools to find and optimize inventory, determine competitive pricing and effectively merchandise listings
- Optimizing both wholesale and retail operations online for maximum profit
Dealers interested in attending or learning more about this month's DealerADvantage LIVE webinar may visit Cars.com's DealerCenter at Dealers.Cars.com/LIVE. Dealers do not have to be Cars.com customers to join the Webinar, but they must download free WebEx software from WebEx.com to participate.

domain: economics


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The Christmas Wishing Gift
We turn into the parking lot and search for a space. My mommy is upset already. “We are so late. Stick with me. I don’t have time to go looking for you.” I look up into her beautiful porcelain face and say “OK. Mommy.” She grabs my hand and we start walking quickly into the store. “Remember, stay with me. I have a lot to do and very little time. The last thing we will do is take care of you. After all it will take a long time it is a very long line. Are you sure you want to do this? I want you to enjoy this so lets finish shopping then we will take care of you OK.”
Again I look up and for one minute mommy looks like my doll. I don‘t know which question to answer so I just say “Yes, Mommy.”
We walk quickly to each store and mommy makes her purchases. I am staying really close. It is hard because all I see are legs. Mommy’s look like the model in the magazine so it is easy to see her. The problem is all of the people pushing me out of the way. I search and search, but it is hard to stay close. There she is. I run and grab her leg. “You are doing a great job. Stay close as we leave.”
“OK Mommy. Is it time?”
“Almost, I have to get one more thing.” She looks down and smiles and asks me if I am excited.
“Oh, Yes Mommy.”
We enter the last store and the line seems so long. People are yelling and babies are crying. I will not cry. I want to get in the big line even if it does take a long time. I want the candy. Mommy never lets me have candy. “Hold this for me sweet heart.” Mommy gives me two bags to hold as she grabs the socks my daddy needs for his trip. Mommy grabs my hand and we head for the lady who takes the money. “Yea. We are almost done aren’t we Mommy?”
“Yes, sweet heart. This might take a while there are lots of people here.” Mommy says I have the patience of Job. I don’t know who Job is but I’m glad I have patience. Finally it is our turn and mommy gets anther bag. Thank you she says and we start to head out the door. Now it is my turn. We turn left and head towards the longest line I have ever seen. “Is this the line Mommy?” Yes. We enter and area that is roped off and we wait. It seems like forever. I look in all of the windows of the stores we pass and I am amazed at all beautiful clothes. There are so may lights and beautiful colors that I start to get excited. I remember that Mommy told me not to get too excited because it is never good to show too much emotions. I want to scream because I am so happy.
I look at the line and it is moving again. We are half way there. I love to watch people. I look at the man ahead of us. He is in a suit and he has two little boys with him. They are misbehaving. My mommy would spank me if I said those words. I wrinkle my nose and purse my lips. They are bad boys. Why is their daddy letting them act like that. I look behind me and see a woman with three kids. One that has plugs in his ears. Mommy says that is for listening to music. Why would he listen to music when there is so much to do right here, There is a little girl with them. Gross. She looks to be my age and she is not happy. She is picking her noise and she is crying. “I don’t want to be here anymore. Can we go home Mom.” “After we stood here for three hours. Hell no we’re staying.” The baby is sleeping. How can anyone sleep with all this noise.
I look up at mommy and see that she is reading. She is always reading. I wish I brought my book. “Mommy, The line is moving.” We move forward a few feet and the line curves. I see the end of the line through the trees. I smile. We are almost there. I see a man sitting down his cheeks are red and he looks grumpy. There is a little girl who looks like me talking with him. She starts to cry as the man reaches for her hand. I look over to the left and see the fountain. There are kids all around it throwing coins in. How odd. “Mommy, why are they throwing money away?” She looks behind me and smiles. “That is a wishing well. They throw their change in and make a wish.” That is stupid, I thought. Wishes don’t come true. If they did then my grandpa wouldn’t have died. I wished and wished for that when were went to the hospital last month.
I look again through the trees and see dirt on the old mans cloths. He should wash them I thought. The little girl is still crying. The line moves again and a woman is asking mommy questions. I look past the woman and see the candy. “Yea, it’s almost my turn, Mommy.”
“Yes it is. You have been very good baby. Now remember be polite. It is very important for you to be honest.” Mommy is putting her book away and she reaches for the packages that I am holding. I look up and watch as the little boy before me goes up. He has the potty mouth. I bet he makes wishes. He climbs the stairs and jumps up and sits down on the old mans knee and starts to talk. The looked at the old man again and he is smiling. His teeth were yellow. Mommy says that smoking makes your teeth yellow. I bet his breath smells like an ashtray. I don’t know what an ashtray smells like. But Daddy says its just as bad as garbage. The man is now bending towards the little boy and whispers into his ear. His face is getting red and he looks like he is going to cry. Why is he making everyone cry. The old man pushes his glasses back on his nose and looks down at the boy and shakes his head. The little boy wipes away tears as he is leaving. Now I wonder what he said to him to make him cry.
It is my turn and I think I feel like the girl behind me. I don’t want to go. We waited so long and I do want the candy. I walk towards the old man and I notice that he is very fat. Mommy says never judge a book by its cover. So I step up the steps and he looks down on me. “Would you like to sit on Santa’s lap.” He says. “OK.” He reaches down and picks me up. I look up into his eyes and he doesn’t look so scary anymore. He looks like my dead grandpa. I reach my hands up and I hug him. He looks at me and asks, “What would you like for Christmas?” I don’t smell garbage. I smell peppermint candy.
“Oh, I am not here for me. I don’t need nothing. But my mommy needs new shoes. Hers have holes in the bottom and its cold outside. My daddy needs a job, but that would be hard so could he have a new robe and slippers. My brother needs a new winter coat, because he’s grown out of his. And my Grandma wants my Grandpa, but he’s dead so can she have lots of love.” He looks at me and there is a tear in his eye. “Are you crying Santa?” I ask. “No, little lady. I am surprised that you don’t want anything?”
“ But I don’t need anything.” I said.
“You don’t want a doll?” he said.
“Do you want an easy bake oven?” he said as he pushed his glasses back on his nose.
“No, I am lucky, I get to help mommy with the cooking everyday.”
“Do you want a puppy.” he said.
“No, I like kittens." I looked into his twinkling eyes and said. "I really don‘t need anything”
He sat there looking at me for a moment. He was very quiet. "Alright, Then for you I will grant every wish.” he chuckled and said with a twinkle in his eye.
I smiled and said, “Thank you.” Now I get my candy. I thought.
He reached down and pulled something out of the red bag next to him. I look at the small box wrapped in gold paper. There is a pretty lace ribbon on top. “This is for you. When you get home, you are to place this under your tree. Don’t open it." I took the pretty package and noticed that it was very light. “Can I open it on Christmas morning?” I asked.
“No this is a very special gift. It is never to be opened. As long as you live, your every wish at Christmas will be granted. Be careful. Do not be greedy. For if you wish for too much you will get nothing.” I looked at the gift again. “One more thing Elizabeth, this is a secret between you and me.” He looked into my eyes and winked.
“How did you know my name?” I asked. He chuckled and said, “It’s my business to know every little boy and girl.” He gently placed me on the ground and I walked towards Mommy with a smile in my heart. I looked back and saw that the little girl who picked her nose was next.
“Well, Was it everything you expected.” Mommy asked.
“Oh, Yes.” I said as I hugged my gold box.
I got home and placed the little gold box under the tree. I told Mommy and Daddy that it was very special and it could never be opened. They just looked at each other and smiled.
The next morning my little brother got me up and we raced down the hall to wake up mommy and daddy. We opened the door, but no one was there. We turned back around and went into the kitchen and we saw Mommy crying. “Oh, no. Did Grandma die?”
“No angel, Daddy just got off the phone. He starts his new job on Monday. I am crying because I am so happy." she said as she hugged my brother and me.
“Lets go open presents.” Daddy said as he reached for his coffee.
Come on Granny." my brother said.
We went into the living room and I watched as Mommy opened her gift. It was a pair of new shoes. I looked over when my brother said “Cool!” He was putting on a bright red winter parka. Grandma came into the living room with her coffee and leaned against the chair smiling. “This is what life is all about. Sharing beautiful moments with the people you love.” This is the best Christmas ever. All of my wishes came true. All because of the little gold wishing box that was still under the tree. “Elizabeth, there is one more gift.
"Oh, Mommy I can't open the little gold box. Remember."
"This box is red and it has your name on it.” I looked at it knowing it must be a mistake. I didn’t ask for anything. I lifted the top and inside was a beautiful white kitten. “Oh, look a kitten. Thank you Mommy and Daddy.” The kitten was wearing a red collar with the name Noel on it.
They looked at each other perplexed. “Grandma did you get Elizabeth a kitten?” Daddy asked.
“No. Didn’t you?” Grandma whispered.
I smiled inside. I knew who got me the kitten.
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We're very excited to present an action packed weekend of music and arts in 2013. Find out more below, and be sure to check back here frequently as we add to the programme.
What's on when?
Friday7.00pm to 10.45pm
Saturday10.00am to 10.45pm
Highland troubadour Rachel Sermanni has been casting spells across the country with her beautifully crafted folk-noir. The Scottish singer has supported Mumford & Sons, Michael Kiwanuka and Elvis Costello winning over audiences with her range of captivating ballads.
Rachel mixes up fast flowing poetical verses, rousing choruses and and tender moments with ease, 'As close to a perfect folk record your likely to hear this year' Say's 'The Line of best Fit'.
Multi-instrumentalist, singer and double award winning musician, Tim was 2012 BBC Radio Two "Best Musician of the year" and "Best duo" (BBC Folk Awards 2012) with harmonica guru Brendan Power. Tim at just 33, has toured the world and recorded with most of the major names in Celtic roots music including; The Chieftains, Michael McGoldrick, Seamus Begley, Christy Moore, Sharon Shannon, The Barra MacNeills, JP Cormier, Shaun Davey, Lunasa and more.
THE OLD DANCE SCHOOL
The Old Dance School's forward thinking sound combines flavours of folk, classical, electronica and jazz, one moment rip-roaring, the next beautifully delicate. Duelling fiddles, soaring brass crescendos, foot-stomping grooves and some of the most ambitious arrangements you're ever likely to hear, their new show draws on three widely applauded studio albums, and five years together that have taken the band from cowshed rehearsals, to remote lighthouses, to main stage appearances at international festivals.
Bella Hardy’s soaring and captivating voice inhabits her characters and spins her stories with an equal balance of strength and sensitivity. Winner of the BBC Radio 2 Best Original Song 2012 for The Herring Girl, her own songs range in subject matter from fairytales to English working class history, via childhood nostalgia, myth, murder and the human condition, touching on both the fantastical, story telling elements of Kate Bush, and the lovelorn songwriting craft of Carole King.
THE LONG NOTES
The Long Notes’ ensemble synergy magically surpasses the sum of its parts, with captivating arrangements of Irish, Scottish, French-Canadian, Galician, Quebecois and old-time tunes. In addition, The Long Notes have honed their writing skills producing some stunning original compositions.
All the way from Santiago de Cuba, Son Yambu's irresistible Afro-Cuban 'Son' is guaranteed to turn Sunday afternoon into a fiesta! Dynamic lead vocalist Yuri Moreno has been compared to a young Celia Cruz and the band members, who all have a lifetime’s experience playing Latin music, both as recording artists and in live performances around the world, and are all passionate about maintaining the traditions of the genre.
Bison is a horns-front, hoof-stomping party beast from Sheffield. Their sound is diverse, centred on ska but taking in swing, soul, hip hop, electronica, and anything else that takes their fancy. The emphasis is firmly on songs, orangeness and knees.
Fetching out old songs from the silent archives of the traditional canon, and winching up new songs from her imagination, she then sets them both to work alongside each other. In this way, she can play with certain dynamic tensions that are perpetually at work in the world: the past and the present, the natural and the civilized, the extraordinary and the familiar, the symbolic and the real, the pillar and the post etc.
A smokin’ new band from Hackney, east London, mixing up bluegrass, old time, blues and folk. With soulful vocals and tight arrangements from a classic acoustic line up, Kidnap Alice bridge the gap between vintage R’n'B and Appalachian mountain music.
JACK MCNEILL & CHARLIE HEYS
Jack and Charlie’s idiosyncratic approach to folk music and song writing has earned them an enviable reputation as two of the most exciting, heartfelt and challenging musicians around. Writing songs that seem to grow out of the ground and tunes that tell stories in their own right, Jack and Charlie’s original music strings together the past, present and what might yet be of folk music.
Twin fiddles, guitar, voice, bouzouki, viola – beautifully arranged old and new tunes and songs rooted in the traditions of Scotland, Ireland and Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Skyhook are Cath James, finalist in the 1995 BBC Young Tradition Award and 2008 and 2011 Niel Gow International Fiddle Composition Award, Martin Harwood, ex-Caravanserai, and Eoin Teather, accompanist to some of the giants of Irish music, including master fiddle player Tommy Peoples.
“Lyrics that involuntarily swerve your gaze to the sky” (Music Week) and “really, really gorgeous songs” (BBC Radio 2). His music is steeped in timeless roots traditions, laced with lyrical twists that narrate modern life. Following on from his 3 EPs (The Balloon, The Bubble, The Box), in 2012 he released “a serene and nuanced debut album” (Guitarist), acoustic at heart and sensitively embellished with a creative band of musicians who add their distinctive sounds to Dan’s muse, including pedal steel legend BJ Cole.
Richard Grainger is steeped in the Northumbrian tradition and the English folk scene. He comes from a musical family and has been a professional performer since 1986. He is a prolific writer of music, poetry and plays, and his work as an interpreter of traditional songs has received critical acclaim. His repertoire ranges from ‘hard as iron’ to ‘romantic and ethereal’ featuring strong tunes and well-crafted lyrics.
STORYBAG THEATRE15 min Casablanca"
Local group Storybag Theatre are pleased to be bringing their own brand of madcap mayhem to the Edale Folk Festival this year. Two hours of a great classic movie condensed into fifteen minutes. Is it possible? Come along and find out. If you blink and miss it, try asking Sam to “play it again”.
BCAC is pleased to support Storybag Theatre at Edale Folk Festival. Bamford Community Arts & Crafts (BCAC) is a charity providing opportunities for local residents to participate in and benefit from arts activities, enabling us all to know each other better and to build a deeper sense of community within the village and surrounding area.
Gren is touring relentlessly either solo, as a duo or with the full band. The workshops he hosts in guitar playing and songwriting have been described as “brilliantly fresh”. Gren is truly the future of folk songwriting, using his influences from folk and blues traditions to bring something unique to this modern day troubadour. He is an artist not to be missed.
THE MACCAFERRI CLUB
The Maccaferri Club are a Folk Collective from London Music Colleges. They've been behind endless performances all over the city for the last two years whether it's the Jamboree in Limehouse, or busking on the Streets of Greenwich. With influences ranging from traditional folk music to a uniquely varied set of musical pedigrees, from intense classical study to jazz and experimental electronic music, the group possess a distinctly captivating and energetic sound.
After a year of performing her folk/americana-tinged songs as a solo artist at venues and festivals around the Midlands, Louise Petit attracted an experienced band of acoustic players from all over the UK. Louise and band are performing her melodic, hook-ridden song-stories and dynamic live shows at quality venues and festivals throughout 2013. They’ve also supported international folk and other artists including Scott Matthews, Hope & Social, The Musgraves, Louise Jordan, Sally Sweet and Old Man Luedecke.
"Blending tight Appalachian vocal harmonies with ukulele strums and delicate rhythms, this Sheffield collective are a loveable bunch with a penchant for blues, bluegrass and folk. (Their songs) of particular note....are ‘Brother Fox’ and ‘Benny Boy’, a lover’s farewell as her man goes to war." - Sam Walby, Now Then
THE BLACK HARES
Manny Grimsley and Benjamin Trott, although an English folk band they have continued to play whatever pleases them and do not rule out any musical style or genre. Whether from any part of Great Britain, Scandinavia or North America all music is considered fair game. The Black Hares have become well known in Sheffield and Derbyshire for their driven renditions of traditional music and variety.
Jonathan Day is a singer and songwriter from Shropshire. Fascinated by the curve of a bird’s wing as it cuts the wind and the stirring intuitions that shimmer and call in the buzzard’s mewl, the tension between songs of stillness and the endless road – from the Blue Ridge Mountains to the crowded rooftops of Hong Kong – led to new songs which he is bringing to Edale. He is accompanied by Simon Smith on string bass, (Stevie Nicks, Wilson Phillips, Idina Menzel) “Great, poetic, elemental **** –Q, "visionary" –fRoots
FOLK CHURCH SERVICE with MASON's APRON
There will be a service in the village church on Sunday morning for about an hour followed by refreshments. Local folk musicians will be playing for us. Start your Sunday with some prayerful singing and worship in good company.
Everyone welcome, including those who are not attending the festival - no tickets required.


The HI98301 DiST®1 TDS tester is a rugged and reliable pocket-sized tester that offers quick and accurate readings. The HI98301 DiST®1 has a 0.5 conversion factor that is used for drinking water, water conditioning, reverse osmosis, wastewater, laboratories, aquaculture, and aquarium applications. This meter features graphite electrodes to reduce polarization effects and an exposed temperature probe for fast response when compensating for temperature changes. Manual calibration is performed to a single point.
Exposed temperature sensor
Low range TDS 0 to 1999 ppm
0.5 EC to TDS conversion factor


text:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/021,112, entitled “PHOTOMETRIC CALIBRATION OF LIQUID VOLUMES” filed Dec. 12, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,741,365 issued on May 25, 2004, and owned by a common assignee. The contents of the related application are incorporated herein by reference.
- BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device and method to calibrate spectrophotometers. More particularly, the present invention is a calibration plate with one or more references of selectable absorbance characteristics.
Many analysis methods used in biology, chemistry, biotechnology, pharmaceutical and other industrial and research laboratories require accurate measurement and/or calibration of small volumes of liquids. These small volumes can range from nanoliters to microliters. Small volumes of liquid are dispensed from liquid delivery devices, such as pipettes, either sequentially or simultaneously into one or more vessels, such as cuvettes.
In the interest of evaluating a large number of samples of liquid in a desired period of time, multiple charges of liquid samples may be dispensed into a plurality of vessels and analyzed simultaneously or sequentially. Preferably, the plurality of vessels is contained in one or more microtiter plates during testing. A microtiter plate contains a large number of individual wells and, for photometric measurements, a transparent base. Microtiter plates enable the ability to perform more research on a shorter time scale. As a result, they have become the standard analysis platform. The wide use of microtiter plates has resulted in the creation of entire classes of supporting equipment, including various types of analytical instrumentation, such as spectrophotometers capable of measuring individual wells within a plate.
Under the photometric analysis method, the liquid sample under test is contained in the sample vessel and subjected to a light beam of a spectrophotometer. The amount of light from the incident light beam that passes through the vessel and the sample to an opposing detector of the spectrophotometer is dependent upon the characteristics of the liquid sample and the beam path length. It is important that the spectrophotometer provide accurate readings to ensure the accuracy of the liquid sample evaluation.
The Beer-Lambert law defines one useful equation to determine an important characteristic of a sample. Specifically, Beer-Lambert states that the absorbance of light by a liquid sample under test equals the path length traversed by the light beam multiplied by the molar absorptivity of the chromophore in the liquid sample and the concentration of the chromophore in the liquid sample. Knowing the molar absorptivity of the chromophore, and the path length of light, the absorbance measurement provided by the spectrophotometer enables calculation of the particular concentration of the chromophore in the liquid sample. If the path length is not known, or known with sufficient accuracy, the concentration calculated will be approximate, and possibly outside a permitted error range. In addition, if the spectrophotometer is out of specification, the absorbance values obtained from the measurement will be in error and the calculated concentration also in error. It is therefore important to maintain an accurate calibration of the spectrophotometer.
There are several types of spectrophotometers used to measure sample light absorbance. The conventional spectrophotometer transmits a light beam horizontally across the sample vessel. One type of specialized spectrophotometer transmits a light beam vertically through the sample vessel. In horizontal beam spectrophotometers, specific or fixed path lengths can generally be established, as the transmission path length is a function of the fixed cross section of the sample vessel rather than the volume of the sample in the vessel. However, the light transmission and detection method associated with a horizontal beam spectrophotometer is not suitable for use with a microtiter plate arrangement because a filled microtiter plate cannot be properly inserted into the horizontal beam path.
Vertical beam spectrophotometers generally measure solution samples in microtiter plate wells. In one form, the vertical beam spectrophotometer transmits through the sample to a detector on the opposing side of the sample, either from above the sample down through it, or from below up through the sample. The path length for the sample is potentially—and likely—variable from one sample to the next in any given microtiter plate, since the path length is directly dependent upon the volume of sample solution in the well. Other factors that contribute to variations in path length are the ionic strength of the sample solution and the surface characteristics of the plate material, which together define the curvature characteristics of the solution meniscus. All of these factors result in an undefined path length and thus imprecision in vertical beam measurements. Nonetheless, vertical beam measurements are desirable in that multiple samples may be measured more quickly than is possible using a horizontal beam spectrophotometer.
For a horizontal beam spectrophotometer, a common calibration approach used to determine the optical response for a given solution on a given instrument is to either create a series of dilutions of the solution of interest, or measure the solution in different, but known path lengths. In this approach, the ability to use a known path length allows for highly accurate determinations of the optical response of a solution and direct comparison of results from one spectrophotometer to another, or from one solution to another.
One method presently used to calibrate horizontal and vertical beam spectrophotometers involves the measurement of light absorption through a known stable glass filter referred to as a Neutral Density (ND) filter. These filters are pieces of gray-tinted sheet glass that have nearly flat absorbance characteristics over a broad range of wavelengths. ND filters are commonly sent to reference laboratories for certified measurement, which provides results that are traceable to national standards. Once standardized, the ND filters are measured in the horizontal or vertical beam spectrophotometer and the absorbance results are compared to the reference laboratory results as a gauge of accuracy of the instrument.
Although this is a common calibration method, a method that relies on ND filters alone gives little or no information about various optical effects such as: 1) out of band transmission (light passing from the source through the wavelength selection device and the sample to the detector, but outside of the desired wavelength range), 2) wavelength selection accuracy, 3) bandpass of the wavelength selection device, or 4) the shape of the transmission curve of the bandpass selection device. Therefore, reliance exclusively on instrument calibration using ND filters can lead to inaccurate absorbance results, especially when comparison is made between different instruments.
One alternative method for calibrating vertical beam spectrophotometers involves the testing of samples of reference concentrations. Solutions containing different concentrations of the specific dye or chromophore are dispensed into different wells of a microtiter plate. Measurements of optical response are then conducted on the solution-filled wells. This method has several sources of error that limits its usefulness. First, the solution may not obey the Beer-Lambert law exactly, but may slightly deviate from a linear relationship between the concentration of dye and the resulting absorbance of the solution. Second, in order to provide quantitative results, highly accurate control over the amount of liquid dispensed into each well is required. Third, the exact dimensions of the wells in the microtiter plate must be known. Fourth, any meniscus present at the surface of the solution can add to the overall error since it directly affects the path length of light through the solution.
- SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, what is needed is an apparatus and related method for calibrating vertical beam spectrophotometers. The apparatus should be configured and arranged to be compatible with the arrangement of vertical beam spectrophotometers. The apparatus and method should allow the spectrophotometer operator to account for out of band transmissions, wavelength selection accuracy, the bandpass selection characteristics of the particular spectrophotometer, and the shape of the transmission curve of the bandpass selection. Further, the apparatus and method should resolve deviations in the linear relationship between the concentration of any reference dye in a sample under test and the resulting absorbance of the sample, be independent of the sample volume used to calibrate the spectrophotometer, allow accurate control over the path length, and eliminate meniscus errors in the light beam path.
The present invention is an apparatus and related method for calibrating spectrophotometers. The apparatus is configured and arranged to be compatible with the arrangement of vertical beam spectrophotometers, but may also be used with horizontal beam spectrophotometers. The apparatus and method enable a spectrophotometer operator to account for out of band transmissions, wavelength selection accuracy, the bandpass selection characteristics of the particular spectrophotometer, and the shape of the transmission curve of the bandpass selection. Further, the apparatus and method enables resolution of deviations in the linear relationship between the concentration of any reference dye in a sample under test and the resulting absorbance of the sample. The apparatus and related method provide accurate control over the path length, independent of the sample volume used to calibrate the spectrophotometer. Finally, the present invention eliminates meniscus errors associated with vertical beam measurements. While the description of the present invention will be directed to its advantageous use in a vertical beam spectrophotometer, it may also be used to calibrate horizontal beam spectrophotometers as well.
These and other features are achieved in the present invention through the arrangement of a calibration plate having one or more sealed calibration cuvettes, each cuvette containing a solution having one or more chromophores of selectable reference concentrations. The present invention provides the operator with the ability to calibrate a vertical beam spectrophotometer at wavelengths that correspond exactly with the solutions to be tested, rather than using the broad spectral response of ND glass. For example, if a specific dye is used as an absorbance indicator in an assay, a set of solutions with increasing concentration of the specific dye may be made and inserted into the cuvettes in the calibration plate. The calibration plate is then used to calibrate the optical response of the vertical beam spectrophotometer over the expected absorbance range of the specific dye. The potential exists for incorporating more than one dye in each cuvette, so long as the multiple dyes do not significantly overlap in their absorbance responses.
The present invention provides further advantage in its stability as a standard. Specifically, by sealing a standard in a cuvette retained in the calibration plate, the present invention minimizes changes in the standard caused by its prolonged exposure to air. An expansion zone is maintained within the cuvette to allow for thermal expansion and contraction of the solution therein during any thermal cycling. The expansion zone may be established in a variety of ways, including the means to be described herein. An expansion zone isolator is preferably included in the cuvette to isolate the expansion zone from the portion of the cuvette exposed to the spectrophotometer beam. Options on the form of the isolator will be described herein.
The cuvette is oriented in the calibration plate such that it presents to the vertically aligned light beam a fixed path length through the solution. Further, that cuvette orientation displaces any meniscus from the beam path. In effect, the present invention provides a fixed path length, defined by the cross section of the cuvette, to a spectrophotometer, whether a vertical beam type or a horizontal beam type.
The calibration plate includes means for retaining one or more cuvettes. Each retained cuvette defines a test section of the plate and may include a unique chromophore solution for calibration. However, it is to be understood that a single test cuvette may be deployed in the calibration plate, and that multiple cuvettes may contain the same chromophore solutions. Each test section of the plate may be further defined by one or more transparent beam ports for the light beam to pass to and through the solution in the retained cuvette. Each port establishes a fixed path length cell based on the cuvette's cross section. The calibration plate optionally includes a test section including an ND glass filter for selectable comparison to that standard.
The calibration plate of the present invention includes one or more cuvettes that allow for insertion of solutions of interest. The solutions may be user defined and unique to the user's interests, or standardized solutions available commercially. In the later case, the filled cuvettes could be referenced to a spectrophotometer in the manufacturer's facility in the manner described in the related patent. The solution-filled cuvettes function as optical standards for calibrating the spectrophotometer response, or can be used to establish a relation between a given concentration of a solution and the absorbance exhibited. The solutions retained therein, the sealed arrangement of the cuvette(s), and the arrangement of the cuvette(s) within the calibration plate provide an effective means for spectrophotometer calibration, while avoiding the deficiencies in the vertical beam spectrophotometer calibration techniques in existence.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other advantages and aspects of the apparatus and method of the present invention will become apparent upon review of the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
FIG. 1 is a simplified perspective view of the calibration plate of the present invention with a plurality of cuvettes and an ND glass filter shown in phantom.
FIG. 2A is a top view of a cuvette of the present invention showing the crimp top and a first expansion isolation means. FIG. 2B is a side view of the cuvette of FIG. 2A
FIG. 3 is a top view of a cuvette of the present invention showing the crimp top and a second expansion isolation means. FIG. 3B is a side view of the cuvette of FIG. 3A.
FIG. 4A is a top view of a cuvette of the present invention showing the crimp top and a third expansion isolation means. FIG. 4B is a side view of the cuvette of FIG. 4A.
FIG. 5A is a top view of a cuvette of the present invention showing the crimp top and an optional expansion means. FIG. 5B is a side view of the cuvette of FIG. 5A.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 6A is a top view of the cuvette of FIG. 5 showing the optional expansion means in a pressed form. FIG. 6B is a side view of the cuvette of FIG. 6A.
A calibration plate 10 of the present invention is shown in FIG. 1. The calibration plate 10 includes a plurality of light beam ports 11 through which a light beam may pass from a top calibration plate side 12, through one or more cuvettes 13 to a back side (not shown) of the calibration plate 10. (Alternatively, the light beam may pass from the back side to the top calibration plate side 12, dependent upon the operation of the particular spectrophotometer to be calibrated.) The frame of the calibration plate 10 that defines the structure of the calibration plate 10 is preferably fabricated of a rigid opaque material including, but not limited to, a metallic material, a rigid plastic material, or a combination thereof. The frame of the calibration plate 10 is preferably fabricated of two or more sections detachably connectable to one another. The cuvettes 13, and an optional ND glass filter plate 14 are removably captured in the calibration plate 10. Specifically, they may either be inserted into, or removed from, the calibration plate at a front end 15 thereof, or by connecting/disconnecting a top calibration plate 16 to/from a bottom calibration plate 17.
With continuing reference to FIG. 1, each cuvette 13 is fabricated of a transparent material, such as glass. The cuvette 13 includes a body 18 of fixed cross sectional dimensions, an expansion allowance zone 19, a neck 20, and a head with a sealing cap 21 that seals the contents of the cuvette 13 therein. The expansion allowance zone 19 is positioned with respect the body 18 such that when the calibration plate 10 is positioned in a vertical beam spectrophotometer, the light beam ports are positioned only over the body 18 and not over the expansion allowance zone 19. Each cuvette 13 is preferably substantially filled with a liquid solution having a reference concentration or concentrations of one or more chromophores. Providing the calibration plate 10 with a plurality of cuvettes 13 allows for a range of absorbance values to be used to calibrate the optical response of a vertical beam spectrophotometer.
The cuvettes 13 are formed in a substantially rectangular shape and formed with a flanged cuvette head to enable crimp sealing thereof. Hellma International of Plainview, N.Y., is capable of providing such a cuvette arrangement. The cuvettes 13 are placed flat in their long dimension within the calibration plate 10 when the calibration plate 10 is in use to allow the calibration solution to be sealed in the cuvette 13 for long periods of time. Unlike prior calibration cuvettes, the cuvettes 13 of the present invention are sealed by sealing cap 21 to minimize or substantially eliminate gas or fluid exchanges between the solution in the cuvettes and the external atmosphere. The sealing cap 21 is a crimp top seal applied with a crimping tool in a manner well known to those skilled in the art of crimping materials onto container tops. A nonporous film is applied to the cuvette head prior to affixing the crimp top to the cuvette 13. The film is preferably a polymeric film such as Parafilm™, a plastic wrap material manufactured by Pechiney Plastic Packaging of Menasha, Wis. The crimp top itself is a layered liner fabricated of a combination of an interior nonmetallic material and an exterior metallic material. For example, Wheaton Corp. of Millville, N.J., provides a commercially available material that includes an Aluminum/Teflon/Grey Butyl combination suitable as the crimp top material. Inside the sealed cuvettes 13, the expansion allowance zone 19 includes a compressible component that may be a bubble of gas, such as air. The compressible component is established in the cuvette 13 to allow for the solution to expand/contract due to thermal fluctuations.
The compressible component must be held out of the light path defined by the ports 11, or it will adversely affect the absorbance values measured. A bubble control apparatus 23 is therefore used to hold the compressible component in place in the expansion allowance zone 19, out of the beam path near the top of the cuvette 13. While the compressible component may be displaced within the body 18 of the cuvette 13 during transport, shaking of the calibration plate 10 in any manner commonly employed in the field of liquid analysis, and the positioning of the calibration plate 10 in a vertical orientation will move the compressible component into the expansion allowance zone 19 where it is retained in place once the calibration plate 10 is returned to a horizontal orientation by the bubble control apparatus 23.
As indicated, the ND glass filter 14 is an optional component of the calibration plate 10. The ND glass filter 14 may be used to check the long-term stability of the solution filled cuvettes 13. The ND glass filter 14 is preferably a gray-tinted sheet glass, which provides a non-changing, relatively flat absorbance over large portions of the visible spectrum. Unlike its application as a calibration device in and of itself, the optional ND glass filter 14 of the present invention is used mainly to test potential degradation of the solutions in the cuvettes 13. Specifically, the operator of the spectrophotometer under calibration may track the test responses of the solution-filled cuvettes 13 versus the ND glass filter 14, rather than using the ND glass filter 14 itself to calibrate the spectrophotometer. This is accomplished by establishing a relationship between the optical response of the ND glass filter 14 at a given wavelength, and the response of a solution-filled cuvette 13 at the same wavelength. This relation may be established by the manufacturer and passed to the user, or can be established directly by the user. The relationship can be a ratio or a simple difference of the absorbance measured at a given wavelength. As the calibration plate 10 is used in the field, a comparison may be made between the ND glass filter 14/solution-filled cuvette 13 relationship measured on the date of manufacture and the relationship measured on the current day. The manufacturer or user can set tolerance limits, which will define whether one or more specific cuvettes 13 of a particular calibration plate 10 is out of specification and in need of recertification. Thus, the ND glass filter 14 is preferably optionally used as a standard reference point for checking the solution-filled cuvettes 13.
As illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a first bubble control apparatus 30 is a shelf positioned adjacent to top wall 31, spaced away from back wall 32, and located between sidewalls 33 and 34 of the cuvette 13. The shelf 30, preferably fabricated of Teflon™, provides a physical barrier and holds the compressible component (bubble 19) in place mainly by surface tension. Alternatively, the shelf 30 may be fabricated of glass and fused to the interior of the cuvette 13, such as on the interior of cuvette 13 between sidewalls 33 and 34 during cuvette manufacturing. For purposes of the description of this invention, a top wall is the portion of the cuvette 13 within the top calibration plate 16 that is adjacent to the light beam ports 11 when the cuvette 13 is in position in the calibration plate 10 as shown in FIG. 1, and a bottom wall is that portion of the cuvette 13 within the bottom calibration plate 17 that is adjacent to the underside of the calibration plate when the cuvette 13 is positioned therein. All references herein to a top wall or a bottom wall of the cuvette 13 are based on this orientation. As illustrated in FIGS. 3A and 3B, a second bubble control apparatus 40 is a piece of tubing, preferably fabricated of silicone, spaced adjacent to the top wall 41, away from the bottom wall 42, and wedged into place between sidewalls 43 and 44. It too operates as a physical barrier for entrapping the compressible component (again, in this instance, bubble 19). As illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B, a third bubble control apparatus 50 is a bladder filled with the appropriate amount of gas to allow for solution expansion. In the device of FIGS. 4A and 4B, the compressible component is contained within the bladder 50, which extends within the cuvette 13 substantially from top wall 51 toward bottom wall 52, about from sidewall 53 to sidewall 54, and partially into neck 20. The bladder 50 is sized to prevent its passage into the cuvette body 18. Each one of these control mechanisms ensures that the compressible material will remain out of the light path during spectrophotometer calibration.
A fourth bubble control apparatus 60 is shown in FIGS. 5A-5B and 6A-6B. The apparatus 60 is a porous compressible or crushable material, such as foam. The material 60 wedged between cuvette top wall 61 and bottom wall 62. It may also be spaced between sidewalls 63 and 64, or spaced away therefrom. The bubble control apparatus 60 preferably extends into a portion of the neck 20. It holds a majority of the necessary gas in its interior. Under pressure, it will either compress to a smaller overall volume and re-expand upon release of that pressure, if compressible, or it will be crushed to that smaller volume and remain that way if the material 60 is only crushable. A crushable material may be preferred for the purpose of making a rapid visual determination of solution expansion within the cuvette 13. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 5A and 5B, under standard temperature, the solution within the cuvette 13 is of a certain volume that, in combination with the volume of the material 60, essentially fills the cuvette 13. When a change of temperature causes the solution in the cuvette 13 to expand, the material 60 is compressed, thereby reducing its volume, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B. At all times the path length through the cross section of the cuvette 13 remains the same. It is to be understood that any of the cuvettes 13 may include a combination of any two or more of the bubble control apparatuses described herein. For example, the shelf 30 may be used to retain the bladder 50 in place, or the compressible material 60. Alternatively, the tubing 40 may be used in place of the shelf 30 for the same purpose.
A method of calibrating a vertical-beam spectrophotometer using the calibration plate 10 includes the steps of inserting the solution-filled cuvettes 13 into the calibration plate 10, arranging the calibration plate 10 such that the compressible component is retained in the expansion allowance zone 18, and inserting the calibration plate 10 into the spectrophotometer. The cuvettes 13 are preferably filled with one or more solutions having one or more chromophores of reference absorbance characteristics and concentrations. The spectral analysis is then performed and absorbance values for the solutions in the cuvettes 13 are obtained. Those values are then compared with the reference values. The spectrophotometer operation may then be adjusted as necessary to establish a match of measured and reference absorbance values. The measurements are preferably re-run after spectrophotometer adjustment to confirm the results. The ND glass filter 14 may be used to confirm the absorbance values for the solutions in the cuvettes 13 over time as described hereinabove.
The present invention is an apparatus to calibrate the optical response of a vertical bean spectrophotometer. It allows for use of absorbance standards specific to the chromophores of interest. In effect, a chromophore commonly analyzed in assays may be used to create specific absorbance characteristics and the response thereto may be acquired using a vertical beam spectrophotometer. While the present invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments of the calibration plate 10 and the designs of the cuvette 13, it is to be understood that it includes all reasonable equivalents thereof as defined by the following appended claims.

domain: chemistry