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As I expected, posting on the burning of the Qur’an struck a nerve. A couple of friends have been doing some thinking here and here. Their thoughts are worthwhile. There’s another stone I hoped to turn over today. That is, a lot folks who don’t know about different religious traditions have a tendency to lump them all together. They say things like, “Religion has caused more bloodshed than anything else in human history.” I suspect that no religion, not even blood-thirsty Islam, can hold a candle to the religion of the state (Communism) in the 20th century. But I digress. These types of folks look at the worldwide bloodshed caused by Islam, shake their heads and say, “That’s just religion for you.” In some cases the ignorance typified in such comments is invincible by human means. In other cases, people simply don’t know and are not closed to learning. In such cases, the ignorance can be alleviated with some sound instruction.
What I am attempting to do in this post is to contrast the Christian takeover of Europe with the Muslim takeover of the Middle East and the northern parts of Africa. What I’m not attempting to do is say that everything done in the name of Christ is fuzzy bunnies, and that everything done in the name of Allah bloody carnage. I want to leave the reader with a distinct notion of the way Christianity spread, and I want that notion to be in vibrant contrast to the notion of the way Islam spread. These origins are important, as they necessarily reverberate and echo down the corridors of time, influencing the later practitioners of each religion. Christianity is what it is partially because of how it started and how it spread. Islam is what it is for the same reasons.
CHRISTIANITY: The main figure in Christianity is Jesus Christ. He’s the one who died a sacrificial death to redeem the world to God. He suffered to remove human suffering. He gave himself up to be tortured and murdered for the life of the world. Christianity started with self-sacrifice for the sake of others in execution of Jesus of Nazareth ca. AD 30. From the time of Christ’s resurrection, Christianity was persecuted, first by the Jews, later by the Romans. It was not religio licita (a legal religion that was free from official Roman persecution) until AD 313 and was eventually received as the official Roman state religion in AD 380. As Rome fell and the Barbarian tribes swept into Europe, there were wars, some of them involving Christological conceptions (Arianism) and blood was indeed shed. But more profoundly impactful were the great missionaries of the 5th, 6th, and 7th centuries. I’m not going to tell the stories, but they’re worth knowing. They’re worth retelling to your children, and they again to theirs. They’re stories of selfless heroism in service to Christ and to humanity. These missionaries gave their lives to extend Christianity through preaching and service. Many of them left their homes and families and went to distant countries and lands. They poured themselves out peacefully to serve Christ. St. Patrick, usually associated with Ireland, was actually English. Columba is associated with Scotland, but was Irish. Aidan is associated with England, but was Irish. Augustine of Canterbury is associated with England, but was Italian. Boniface is associated with Germany, but was English. You get the idea. Christianity is spread through preaching the Gospel, Baptism, the Eucharist. It takes lives dedicated to serve others to spread Christianity. HUBBA HUBBA!
ISLAM: The central figure in Islam is, of course, the prophet Muhammad. He was born, by Western (read: Christian) reckoning in AD 571. Maybe another time I’ll contrast the personal lives of Jesus and Muhammad, but suffice it to say that in 622, Muhammad fled from Mecca to Medina. In Medina, he basically took over, raised an army and, in 630, he waged war on Mecca. He took over Mecca and established Islam as the super-dominant religious, military, and social force in all of the Arabian Peninsula. Muhammad died two years after the conquest, in 632. The prophet died, but his conquest went on. There were conquests basically non-stop until ca. AD 750 (and they continue to this day). See the map to cover this time period. Also, see Wikipedia’s article for a lot more information.
Muslim Conquests to AD 750
These conquests were not “go preach the Word and serve people for Allah,” they were filled with violence and forced conversions (at the end of a sword). These conquests were “convert or be killed in the name of Allah.” Note the contrast of origins: Jesus was a selfless servant, one who gave his life for the world. Muhammad was a warlord, extending his rule through violence. Note the development: Christianity was under persecution for 300 years. Islam was the persecutor from the time of Muhammad. Note the takeover: Christianity flourished by the work of selfless missionaries. Islam flourished by murdering all that stood in its way.
Now, I submit that these two very different origins and expansions ought to be enough to show that Islam is vastly different from Christianity. It is enough to prove that not all religions are the same and cause bloodshed after the same fashion. I also submit that the subsequent developments of both Christianity and Islam are deeply influenced by the events outlined above. So, here’s a question for you: Which religion would you rather have take over your neighborhood? Maybe a more important question is which religion is responsible for creating the blessed society in which your neighborhood exists?
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A suspected gang member was arrested for alleged possession of firearms shortly before 7 p.m. Wednesday at his home on the 1100 block of Brookside Drive in Clovis, the Fresno Police Department said.
Steve Bracamonte, 27, a convicted felon, was wanted on a felony warrant for alleged possession of a firearm. Bracamonte is an accused member of a southwest Fresno street gang, Big Locotes Sureno.
A search of Bracamonte’s home allegedly produced a loaded Mini 14 rifle with high capacity magazines, police said.
Anyone with information related to this case is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at (559) 498-7867.

domain: news


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You’ve come to the right place to enter Kindle Nation Daily’s Kindle Fire Giveaway Sweepstakes!
Just scroll down to enter… and make sure you improve your chances to win Kindles and other valuable prizes by signing up for our Kindle Nation Daily Digest newsletter!
… but first, a word from this week’s Kindle Fire giveaway sweepstakes sponsor!
After a colleague at Denver’s top accounting firm dies in a mysterious skiing accident, Michael Chapman is assigned to replace him on an audit of software behemoth X-Tronic. At the same time, rookie journalist Sarah Matthews of the Denver Post starts nosing into rumors that may connect X-Tronic to her brother’s death. And the reclusive Aspen billionaire who founded X-Tronic thirty years ago begins to fear that events unfolding at his company will finally make him pay for a past he would love to forget: when he sold out friends and neglected family in his single-minded pursuit of success. Soon all three will discover just how much they are willing to risk to uncover the truth behind a conspiracy that will shock the world.
“The nature of Michael’s double life can be frustratingly elusive, but it’s exciting to watch him risk everything in order to unveil an elaborate, insidious conspiracy.” – Publishers Weekly
“Taut suspense…swiftly paced plot…an atmospheric backdrop…The strength of this debut will have many readers clamoring for more. Devore displays a sure hand in a tight, eminently readable thriller certain to draw a substantial following.” – Kirkus Reviews
“An engaging mystery story…Michael is no James Bond, but Devore portrays him with enough panache to keep the pages turning…The fascination is in the telling of how (the essential) conflicts play out. It is an enjoyable read.” – ForeWord Clarion Review
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(This is a sponsored post.)

domain: literature


Tired of schlepping around a digital camera and your cell phone? Soon, the two will merge into one integrated device. A number of makers of CMOS imaging devices are working on thimble-size modulesincluding tiny lenses and dedicated processorsthat can be dropped into cellular phone designs. By 2004, cell phones doubling as digital cameras, both storing and displaying digital images, are expected to be a big part of the global phone market.
Agilent, Sharp, STMicroelectronics, and other manufacturers are all working on reducing the size of CMOS camera technology and improving the sensitivity of built-in sensors, which will take the place of flashes. It's a game of inches, but CMOS imaging devices are rapidly getting smaller. Photobit Corp. recently built a CMOS imaging device the size of an aspirin tablet; when swallowed, it transmits color images of the gastrointestinal tract.
Mobile phone makers have already spotted the potential for allowing the storage, display, and wireless transfer of digital images. Nokia and other phone makers have already offered cell phones that can send, receive, and display images via infrared, and have demonstrated Bluetooth wireless technology handling the same tasks. The next challenge is integrating tiny camera technology with the cell phone itselffor one device that does everything.
The wild card there is image quality, but several players, including CMOS-imaging startup YMedia, foresee VGA-quality resolution on many camera-enabled cell phone handsets in the coming months.


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Just as different types of grapes will radically influence the flavor of a wine, the type (or types) of coffee beans that go into your coffee can drastically change its flavor, aroma, body and chemical composition. Learn about each of the major coffee varieties and cultivars, including where it's grown, how it's used, what it's like in the coffee cup and more with this guide.
Arabica coffee plants (Coffea arabica) are the preferred coffee species for most coffee growers. They make up about 70 percent of coffee production worldwide, despite the fact that they are less robust and harder to grow than the aptly named Robusta coffee plant. So why are they so popular? It's a matter of quality.
In the cup, Arabica coffee has a much more delicate, rounded flavor than Robusta and many other varieties of coffee. Although there are many types of Arabica coffee available from many different parts of the world (each exhibiting its own terroir), Arabica coffee beans can generally be described as sweet and soft, with notes of berries, other fruits and sugar. Many have a "winey" note (akin to a bold red wine, with plenty of acid and tannins). Some are sharp and tangy, some have a distinctive blueberry note after roasting, and some are floral, light and highly fragrant.
This range of flavors is highly influenced by terroir, and is a large part of the appeal to coffee drinkers. And this is part of the REAL reason why coffee growers prefer Arabica--money. Growers have a lower yield when they plant Arabica coffee, but can get more money for their coffee when they grow Arabica. The extra work and risk pays off for most growers because the extra cost is worth it for most coffee drinkers.
Arabica coffee varietals require a cool, tropical climate, and moist, rich soil to thrive.
Their trees usually prefer an altitude of 600 to 2000 meters. They are vulnerable to cold weather. Arabica plants are native to the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia, the Boma Plateau in southeastern Sudan and possibly Mount Marsabit in northern Kenya, but are now grown in many other regions around the world.
Arabica varieties, hybrids and cultivars and their growing regions include:
- Arabigo (a variety of coffee that evolved out of Typica in the Americas)
- Arusha coffee (a Typica or Bourbon cultivar grown in Tanzania and Papua New Guinea)
- Bergendal coffee (a Typica variety grown in Indonesia)
- Blue Mountain (a mutation of the Typica variety originating in Blue Mountain, Jamaica, but now also grown in Cameroon, Hawaii, Kenya and Papua New Guinea)
- Bourbon (a unique variety which originated on the French island of Reunion near Madagascar and later spread to Rwanda and much of Latin America, especially El Salvador; sometimes known as "French Mission" coffee when grown in Africa; this major subcategory of Arabica coffee has produced many commercially grown mutations and hybrids over the years; known for its balance and complex acidity)
- Catui (an Arabica hybrid grown in Latin America)
- Caturra (a high-yield mutation of Bourbon coffee plants grown in Latin America and Central America; known for its bright acidity)
- Chickumalgu (a variety of coffee that evolved out of Typica in India)
- Criollo (a variety of coffee that evolved out of Typica in South America)
- Ethiopian Heirloom (varieties of coffee that evolved out of Typica in Ethiopia)
- Gesha / Geisha (currently the world's most expensive coffee variety; originally from Gesha, Ethiopia, and now grown in Panama, Colombia, Costa Rica, Peru, Tanzania and Ethiopia; known for its clean, sweet, fruity flavor)
- Kents (a variety of coffee that evolved out of Typica in India)
- Kona (a variety of coffee that evolved out of Typica in Hawaii)
- Maragogype (a natural mutation of Typica coffee, originating in Brazil and grown in Latin America)
- Mayagüez (a cultivar of Bourbon currently grown in Rwanda)
- Mundo Novo (a Bourbon / Typica hybrid)
- Pacamara (a hybrid of Maragogype and Pacas bred for larger coffee beans and grown in Latin America; known for its balanced, citrusy, floral flavors when grown at high altitude)
- Pacas (a mutation of Bourbon from El Salvador; grown in Latin America)
- Pache Colis (a hybrid of Pache Comum and Caturra known for its large coffee cherries)
- Pache Comum (a mutation of Typica)
- Pluma Hidalgo (a variety of coffee that evolved out of Typica in Mexico)
- Ruiri 11 (a hybrid produced in Kenya; known to be lower quality than most Arabica beans)
- S795 (a hybrid planted extensively throughout Southeast Asia and known for its balanced cup with subtle mocha notes; Sulawesi coffee is S795 planted at high elevation in Indonesia; S795 is also known as Jember)
- San Bernado and San Ramon (varieties of coffee that evolved out of Typica in Brazil)
- Sidikalang (a Typica variety grown in Indonesia)
- SL28 (a drought-resistant hybrid from Kenya known for its black currant notes and overall citrusy flavor)
- SL34 (another Kenyan hybrid; citrusy, with a heavy mouthfeel and clean finish)
- Tekisic (a Bourbon cultivar developed in El Salvador; known for its low yields and intense, sweet flavors)
- Typica (one of the oldest coffee varieties; discovered in Ethiopia and since grown around the world; known for its clean, sweet, full-bodied taste)
- Villalobos (a particularly sweet mutation of the Bourbon variety; originated in Costa Rica)
Of these types of Arabica coffee plants, Blue Mountain, Bourbon, Colombian, Java, Kona and Typica are the most famous.
Interesting fact about Arabica coffee: it only has about two-thirds the caffeine of Robusta coffee. That works out pretty well for people who love guzzling good coffee, especially since it's much more enjoyable to drink than Robusta!
So if people are willing to pay so much more for Arabica than for Robusta, Robusta coffee must be pretty bad, huh? In a word... yes.
The Robusta coffee varietal (Coffea canephora) is almost exclusively used in instant coffees and in cheap coffee blends as a filler for the more expensive Arabica beans. Although Robusta was named for its robust growth and resistance to disease and pests (most notably to to the coffee leaf rust, or Hemileia vastatrix), its beans have a flavor which is just as "robust" as the plants. Most coffee connoisseurs describe the flavor of Robusta coffee as bitter, acidic and harsh. But to be fair, they sometimes add that it's also grainy in flavor with a peanut-like aftertaste. So, you know... there's that, too.
Vietnam is crazy for Robusta, both as a producer and a consumer. A whopping 97 percent of their production is from the Robusta plant.
Robusta coffee is not known for its hybrids, cultivars and varieties. However, there are several interspecific hybrids bred from Arabica and Robusta. These include:
- Arabusta (grown in Africa)
- Hybrido de Timor (as it's known in the Americas, a.k.a. Tim Tim or Bor Bor in Indonesia, where it's grown)
- Sarchimor (bred from the Timor hybrid mentioned above and a Costa Rican Arabica mutation)
- Catimor (a hybrid of Timor and Cattura)
- Java (although it usually refers to mutation of Arabica, the term "Java" may also refer to Robusta coffee and interspecific hybrids grown on the same island)
Interesting fact about Robusta: Although it's not that noteworthy as a coffee plant by people, it IS preferred by the civet-like animal that "produces" Kopi Luwak (a.k.a. "Cat Poop Coffee").
Other Coffee Varieties
Arabica and Robusta coffees make up the vast majority of coffee production in the world, but there are over 100 varieties of coffee in the world, some of which are actually noteworthy. These include:
- Coffea charrieriana (a caffeine-free coffee plant from Cameroon)
- Coffea liberica (a large coffee tree that is commercially grown in Liberia)

domain: food


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Essential Classics with Suzy Klein: Mozart's Concerto for two pianos, Tracy Chevalier, Tommy Thumb’s Pretty Song Book
Refresh your morning with a great selection of classical music, presented by Suzy Klein.
Suzy Klein with Essential Classics - the best in classical music.
0930 Your ideas for companion pieces on the Essential Classics playlist. This morning's starter: Mozart's joyous Concerto for 2 Pianos. Other music highlights include Debussy's Gigues conducted by Bernard Haitink, and Rebecca Clarke's haunting Dumka.
1010 Musical Time Travellers – stories behind the music-making of the British Isles.
1050 Cultural inspirations from our guest of the week, the author Tracy Chevalier, best known for her novel “Girl with a Pearl Earring”.
1130 Slow Moment - time to take a break for a moment's musical reflection - Canteloube's dreamy Bailero from Songs of the Auvergne.

domain: artistic


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A special service in honour of more than 200 people who donated their bodies to medical science in the 1960s and 1970s has been held.
A previously hidden large unmarked grave, at Bristol's Arnos Vale Cemetery, had been neglected and used as a rubbish dump for years.
It was recently discovered and volunteers worked to clear the area.
A plaque was unveiled earlier to commemorate the deceased.
Edward Finch Peck, who died in 1971, was one of the people buried there.
His son Rab Peck, from Cornwall, spent eight years searching for the site of his father's burial, and unveiled the plaque earlier.
Following a phone call from Mr Peck, cemetery services officer Sue Mackenzie pinned the location down to plot C905, which was not marked on any maps.
Paul James, a monumental mason who buried the bodies in the 1960s, led her to the spot, and made the plaque which now graces the burial site.
'Thoughtless and cavalier'
Mr Peck said: "Today is really, 39 years after he died, coming to say 'hello Dad' and wishing him bon voyage."
He described Bristol Medical School, which had dealt with his father's body, as "thoughtless and cavalier".
He said: "The fact that there was no recognition of the individual people in this grave, really at the time I was very cross and I wrote a very strongly worded letter to the Bristol Medical School.
"I know it was water under the bridge, but I was simply making the point that I felt they had behaved very, very poorly but hopefully that would not occur now."
Dr Jon Wakerley, head of the department of anatomy at Bristol University, said: "The arrangement at that time was that the university or the department had an arrangement with one or probably several funeral directors and at the end of the usage of the body, that body would be handed over to the funeral director for respectful disposal. That was part of the arrangement.
"The university would probably not really have been aware of where exactly those bodies would have been taken to.
"As far as the university was concerned, there was nothing here that was illegal, that was the normal arrangement at that time."
More than 300,000 people are thought to be buried at the Victorian Arnos Vale Cemetery, which opened in 1839.

domain: history


Edward “Ned” Sloan Jr., a millionaire businessman who fought in South Carolina courts for decades for the legal rights of citizens to understand what point out and community general public officers did with power and taxpayers’ dollars, has died at 91.
A Citadel graduate and longtime Greenville businessman, Sloan’s enthusiasm for keeping officers accountable led him to employ a attorney and established up a foundation that filed lawsuits to pierce veils of govt secrecy erected by some of the state’s most strong general public officers.
Generally working with the S.C. Independence of Information and facts Act, Sloan’s lawsuits — which he frequently but not constantly won — shone light into government’s darkest corners, exposing slush money, secret govt expending on politicians’ pet initiatives and questionable makes use of of ability at community and condition stages.
Sloan’s targets integrated recent S.C. Lawyer Typical Alan Wilson, who recently awarded a questionable $75 million fee to his previous law firm for purported authorized get the job done, and former Senate President Professional Tem Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, who utilized his ability to secretly steer millions in taxpayer revenue and authorities services to his pet task, the restoration of at the time sunken Accomplice submarine, the Hunley.
At the time of his death, on Oct. 27, Sloan was mounting a lawful problem to Clemson University’s follow of supplying life time appointments to sure associates of its board of trustees.
“We lost a warrior,” explained Joe Taylor, chairman of Sloan’s S.C. Public Curiosity Basis, a previous S.C. Division of Commerce secretary and Columbia investor.
“He experienced an astounding capacity to see the variance between right and wrong, and he was a winner of the little male,” Taylor claimed. “He had a feeling of responsibility to make positive all people played by the principles, due to the fact when you play by the rules, fantastic points transpire.”
Jay Bender, South Carolina’s foremost FOI attorney, stated, “Ned was a hero. He was a male who thought in open up govt and backed his beliefs with his wallet.”
“Fortunately, he experienced the assets and a terrific lawyer in Jim Carpenter. They did a excellent occupation in bringing community bodies to heel,” Bender claimed.
Carpenter, the Greenville law firm who did most of Sloan’s legal function, recalled his longtime client.
“He did not just sit all-around and gripe about matters. He took motion, set his own revenue into it, took criticism and heat for it, made enemies, but he did what he imagined was appropriate,” Carpenter claimed.
Around some 20 a long time, Carpenter submitted additional than 100 lawsuits for Sloan, arguing them in demo courts and on several occasions in the S.C. Supreme Court.
An obituary pointed out that Sloan and his basis, the S.C. General public Curiosity Basis, experienced sued, among the other individuals: the South Carolina Typical Assembly, the governor, Price range and Regulate Board, Board of Overall health and Environmental Control, Department of Transportation, and Greenville County, the town of Greenville, the Greenville Clinic System, Clemson University and university districts. The disputes’ concentrate on were being as varied as procurement techniques, possession of non-tidal submerged land, payment of service fees to a witness subpoenaed by the point out, use of community resources for private reasons, federal government credit card debt limit, twin place of work keeping and several other issues.
What manufactured Sloan tick?
Carpenter reported that as a longtime prosperous paving contractor, Sloan acquired a close-up seem at how authorities insiders worked on bond challenges and other mainly non-general public dynamics involving the expending of general public income and turned certain that govt desired to be far more clear.
“If he observed some thing unlawful, we would file a lawsuit,” Carpenter said.
Sloan had a perception of humor. His obituary mentioned he was “a lapsed Episcopalian and a lapsed Republican.”
When he been given a test for legal expenses from a government overall body that missing 1 of his lawsuits, he would just take a image of it and put up it on his wall. “He reported it was like the aged farmer who tacks a skunk cover on his barn wall as a trophy,” chuckled Carpenter.
Sloan was identified as numerous issues: a watchdog, crusader, citizen activist, a David who took on Goliath.
But he was proudest of becoming known as a “gadfly,” an age-aged expression at first employed to explain just one of the West’s most renowned philosophers, Socrates, who was condemned to demise all over 400 BC by the rulers of Athens for inquiring concerns.
Happy of the nickname, Sloan wore a gadfly lapel pin.
He was tough.
Requested in a 2004 job interview with Columbia’s No cost Moments if he had ever been threatened or informed to back off, Sloan replied, “Suit me good to get threatened. I imagine I can defend myself.”
‘THE COURT’S Beloved GADFLY’
Sloan’s victories in the state Supreme Court and other courts benefited citizens in longtime approaches, attorneys reported.
▪ In a circumstance involving secret paying by the Close friends of the Hunley, a foundation that was presented hundreds of thousands in public money by a general public body referred to as the Hunley Commission, the Good friends of the Hunley at first refused Sloan’s FOI ask for to turn above fiscal information to Sloan and Carpenter.
Sloan sued. After the lawsuit, the Good friends of the Hunley finally turned in excess of the records but refused to pay out the courtroom expenses of the FOI lawsuit, saying it experienced specified up the information. After quite a few appeals, the foundation compensated some of Sloan’s authorized costs.
But Sloan experienced recognized a precedent: that if a citizen is forced to retain the services of a lawyer and file a Independence of Data lawsuit to get public records, and the general public system only releases documents immediately after a lawsuit is filed, the general public entire body will have to pay out court docket fees up to the time the data are released.
“That was a good lesson for general public bodies — that they couldn’t just dismiss requests for facts until they acquired sued, then convert over the facts and say, ‘Okay, you got your documents, now go away,’ ” Bender mentioned.
Sloan’s function also:
▪ Firmly recognized in the contemporary era the principle that in sure conditions of community great importance, standard citizens have “standing,” or the appropriate to file a lawsuit towards public officers or authorities organizations. Ordinarily, to carry a lawsuit, a celebration has to create a immediate fiscal or other curiosity in the dispute at hand.
In a choice involving citizen-brought circumstance which the S.C. Supreme Courtroom turned down Gov. Henry McMaster’s effort and hard work to give $32 million in federal public money to non-public educational institutions, the large court docket cited two Sloan-initiated lawsuits on standing and explained the citizen who sued McMaster had the correct to sue.
“The standing instances had been vital, simply because they opened the doorway for other folks to stand up and say, ‘This officer is performing this illegally,’ or ‘This motion is unconstitutional,’ ” reported Carpenter. “Sloan’s cases get cited in almost each circumstance in which public curiosity standing occurs.”
▪ Received “bobtailing” — the observe of attaching unpopular laws to common expenditures the Legislature passes — declared unconstitutional by the state Supreme Courtroom. Bills that come to be guidelines are only intended to deal with 1 subject space.
▪ Designed the S.C. Division of Transportation adhere to a legislation that said customers of its governing commissioners could provide no much more than a single consecutive time period. That point out Supreme Court docket conclusion resulted in the removal of a few of DOT’s commissioners.
▪ Compelled the S.C. Division of Revenue to adhere to the certain timelines established out in the Independence of Data Act that need general public companies to respond to requests for info or be sued. The DOR experienced claimed, primarily, that the moment it explained to a citizen it would release information, it then experienced unrestricted time to turn more than the paperwork, Carpenter claimed. “We won attorney’s fees on that all the way up to the Supreme Court docket.”
Carpenter estimated that over the many years Sloan invested at minimum various million bucks bankrolling lawsuits.
Sloan became these a standard in the condition Supreme Courtroom that in some cases, at the starting of one particular of his hearings, previous Main Justice Jean Toal would spot Sloan in the viewers and say, “Well, we’d like to welcome the court’s favorite gadfly, Mr. Sloan,” Carpenter recalled.
In his previous years, Sloan grew deaf but he kept up a continual stream of lawsuits.
In 2008, an editorial author with the Charleston Publish & Courier built an observation that has stood the test of time. “There is no other private citizen who has individually invested as much as Greenville’s Edward Sloan to make officials at all levels of South Carolina government adhere to the law.”


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Viswanath and Anantharam (1999) characterize the sum capacity of multiaccess vector channels. For a given number of users, received powers, spreading gain, and noise covariance matrix in a code-division multiple-access (CDMA) system, Viswanath and Anantharam present a combinatorial algorithm to generate a set of signature sequences that achieves the maximum sum capacity. These sets also minimize a performance measure called generalized total square correlation (TSCg). Ulukus and Yates (2001) propose an iterative algorithm suitable for distributed implementation: at each step, one signature sequence is replaced by its linear minimum mean-square error (MMSE) filter. This algorithm results in a decrease of TSCg at each step. The MMSE iteration has fixed points not only at the optimal configurations which attain the global minimum TSCg but also at other configurations which are suboptimal. The authors of claim that simulations show that when starting with random sequences, the algorithm converges to optimum sets of sequences, but they give no formal proof. We show that the TSCg function has no local minima, in the sense that given any suboptimal set of sequences, there exist arbitrarily close sets with lower TSCg. Therefore, only the optimal sets are stable fixed points of the MMSE iteration. We define a noisy version of the MMSE iteration as follows: after replacing all the signature sequences, one at a time, by their linear MMSE filter, we add a bounded random noise to all the sequences. Using our observation about the TSCg function, we can prove that if we choose the bound on the noise adequately, making it decrease to zero, the noisy MMSE iteration converges to the set of optimal configurations with probability one for any initial set of sequences.


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July 2014 | VOL. 13, NO. 7 | www.McGowan.pitt.edu
Stem cells derived from human muscle tissue were able to repair nerve damage and restore function in an animal model of sciatic nerve injury, according to McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty members Johnny Huard, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Orthopaedic Surgery, Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Bioengineering, Pathology, Pediatrics, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Director of the Stem Cell Research Center, and Donna Stolz, PhD, Associate Director of the Center for Biologic Imaging, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Associate Professor in the Departments of Cell Biology and Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh, and researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that cell therapy of certain nerve diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, might one day be feasible.
To date, treatments for damage to peripheral nerves, which are the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord, have not been very successful, often leaving patients with impaired muscle control and sensation, pain and decreased function, said senior author Dr. Huard.
“This study indicates that placing adult, human muscle-derived stem cells at the site of peripheral nerve injury can help heal the lesion,” Dr. Huard said. “The stem cells were able to make non-neuronal support cells to promote regeneration of the damaged nerve fiber.”
The researchers, led by Dr. Huard and Mitra Lavasani, PhD, first author and Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, Pitt School of Medicine, cultured human muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells in a growth medium suitable for nerve cells. They found that, with prompting from specific nerve-growth factors, the stem cells could differentiate into neurons and glial support cells, including Schwann cells that form the myelin sheath around the axons of neurons to improve conduction of nerve impulses.
In mouse studies, the researchers injected human muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells into a quarter-inch defect they surgically created in the right sciatic nerve, which controls right leg movement. Six weeks later, the nerve had fully regenerated in stem-cell treated mice, while the untreated group had limited nerve regrowth and functionality. Twelve weeks later, treated mice were able to keep their treated and untreated legs balanced at the same level while being held vertically by their tails. When the treated mice ran through a special maze, analyses of their paw prints showed eventual restoration of gait. Treated and untreated mice experienced muscle atrophy, or loss, after nerve injury, but only the stem cell-treated animals had regained normal muscle mass by 72 weeks post-surgery.
“Even 12 weeks after the injury, the regenerated sciatic nerve looked and behaved like a normal nerve,” Dr. Lavasani said. “This approach has great potential for not only acute nerve injury, but also conditions of chronic damage, such as diabetic neuropathy and multiple sclerosis.”
Drs. Huard and Lavasani and the team are now trying to understand how the human muscle-derived stem/progenitor cells triggered injury repair, as well as developing delivery systems, such as gels, that could hold the cells in place at larger injury sites.
There are two ways that a cell can die: necrosis and apoptosis. Necrosis occurs when a cell is damaged by an external force, such as poison, a bodily injury, an infection or ischemia (lack of blood flow/oxygen) such as would occur during a heart attack or stroke.
Apoptosis, on the other hand, is when a cell commits suicide. It is sometimes referred to as programmed cell death.
Apoptosis is a form of cell death that eliminates compromised or superfluous cells (in other words, “maintenance”). It is controlled by multiple signaling and effector pathways that mediate active responses to external growth, survival, or death factors.
One routinely used method for identifying apoptosis via DNA fragmentation is the TUNEL assay. This technique can detect early-stage apoptosis in systems where chromatin condensation has begun and strand breaks are fewer, even before the nucleus undergoes major morphological changes.
The McGowan Institute Histology Core Laboratory is offering 30% off Tunel staining for the month of August with mention of this ad. Contact Lori Walton (email@example.com, 412-624-5265) at the McGowan Core Histology Lab and ask about our staining specials.
As always, you will receive the highest quality histology in the quickest turn-around time. Did you know the more samples you submit to the histology lab the less you pay per sample? Contact Lori to find out how!
The research work of McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Anna Balazs, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Chemical Engineering and the Robert v. d. Luft Professor, Department of Chemical & Petroleum Engineering, University of Pittsburgh, was featured on the May 15, 2014, edition cover of the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters. The cover art corresponds to her paper entitled “Designing Bioinspired Artificial Cilia to Regulate Particle-Surface Interactions.”
The paper’s abstract reads:
- Biological cilia play a critical role in a stunning array of vital functions, from enabling marine organisms to trap food and expel fouling agents to facilitating the effective transport of egg cells in mammals. Inspired by the performance of these microscopic, hair-like filaments, researchers are synthesizing artificial cilia for use in lab-on-a-chip devices. There have, however, been few attempts to harness the artificial cilia to regulate the movement of particulates in these devices. Here, we review recent computational studies on the interactions between actuated artificial cilia and microscopic particles, showing that these cilia are effective at transporting both rigid and deformable particles in microchannels. The findings also reveal that these beating filaments can be used to separate microparticles based on their size and stiffness. Importantly, these studies indicate that artificial cilia can be used to prevent fouling by a wide variety of agents because they can expel both passive particulates and active swimmers from the underlying surface. These results can help guide experimental efforts to fully exploit artificial cilia in controlling particle motion within fluid environments.
The research interests of Dr. Balazs center on statistical, mechanical, and computer modeling of complex chemical systems and developing theories for the properties of polymer blends and the behavior of polymers at surfaces and interfaces.
Illustration: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Mark Richardson, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, director, Brain Modulation Laboratory, and the director, Epilepsy and Movement Disorders Surgery Program, both in the Department of Neurological Surgery. Dr. Richardson’s clinical specialization is comprehensive epilepsy surgery and deep brain stimulation (DBS) for movement disorders.
Dr. Richardson started the interventional-MRI DBS program at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Today, UPMC is a leader in treating movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease with DBS, and now offers both standard and MRI-guided asleep DBS, depending on a patient’s condition.
“The problem is, there is a significant population of patients with Parkinson’s who are too anxious, or too symptomatic, or both to undergo awake surgery in the frame,” according to Dr. Richardson.
Surgeons perform the procedure on patients who stay “under” the whole time using customized software and an MRI machine. Surgeons attach an aiming device to the skull and the surgeon maps the trajectory of the electrode in real time.
DBS delivers electrical stimulation to targeted areas in the brain that control movement, blocking the nerve signals that cause abnormal movement. DBS gives significant benefit to about 70 percent of people who undergo the procedure.
Less than 2 years ago, a brain-computer interface designed at the University of Pittsburgh allowed Jan Scheuermann to control a robotic arm solely with her thoughts. Using the arm to bring a chocolate bar to her mouth and taking a bite was a sweet victory for Ms. Scheuermann, who has quadriplegia.
The feat also was a victory for scientists developing the brain-computer interface technology, which is poised to help other patients with quadriplegia or amputated limbs. Much work still needs to be done to advance the technology for routine medical use, however.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Xinyan “Tracy” Cui, PhD, associate professor of bioengineering in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering, was recently awarded a $2.9 million 5-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to move the technology forward. Dr. Cui will focus on the microelectrode arrays, or brain implants, that are used to connect mind and machine. As the primary investigator, she will explore ways to coat the microelectrodes with biological molecules that could not only better maintain the connection between the brain implants and computers that operate devices like robotic arms but also strengthen that connection.
Research has shown that, over time, microelectrode arrays can elicit an inflammatory response and cause damage to neurons, weakening the link. While the harm to the patient isn’t significant, poorer recordings of neural impulses can limit the functionality of the technology and the quality of information reaped by researchers.
“For the first few months, the data are good, but it starts to decline,” she says. “It’s a common trend to see the amplitude of the recorded signal go down, and it becomes lost in the noise. After a year, we lose half the channels.”
“What we hope to do is camouflage [the microelectrode needles] with biochemicals that can escape the immune surveillance response and protect neurons around the electrodes,” Dr. Cui continues. She has high hopes for a cell adhesion molecule called L1, which has shown positive results in animal models. In addition to gaining better understanding of the mechanisms behind L1’s preliminary success, Dr. Cui also plans to pursue and test several other targets.
Dr. Cui’s work could advance not only brain-computer interface technology but also other technologies that use microelectrode arrays to help restore sight, hearing, movement, ability to communicate, and cognitive function.
Dr. Cui’s co-investigators are Pitt School of Medicine faculty member Andrew Schwartz, PhD; McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Carl Lagenaur, PhD, associate professor of neurobiology; and Alberto Vazquez, PhD, research assistant professor of radiology, as well as T.K. Kozai, PhD, research assistant professor of bioengineering in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering.
Regenerative medicine is increasingly finding translations from the bench to the bedside. As stem cells are integrated with biomaterials for in situ tissue engineering, the complexity of the procedure is increasing and it is becoming important to monitor how these processes interact over time in vivo. Translation of this non-invasive monitoring into patients requires the development and implementation of appropriate approaches. McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Michel Modo, PhD, associate professor, Department of Radiology, University of Pittsburgh, recently received a 3-year, $921,374 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to pursue one approach.
Dr. Modo’s team’s proposal aims to develop chemical exchange saturation transfer, a non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique, as a core platform to visualize multiple cell types, as well as biomaterials, while maintaining the ability to characterize newly forming tissue with other MRI techniques, such as magnetic resonance spectroscopy, as well as diffusion and perfusion MRI. Very significant technological, as well as neurobiological challenges, however, will be addressed before integration of this multi-parametric MRI into an efficient non-invasive assessment of in situ tissue engineering.
The proposed studies aim to address these challenges and provide a framework within which the team—which includes co-principal investigator McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine deputy director Stephen Badylak, DVM, PhD, MD, professor of surgery, University of Pittsburgh—can eventually explore the therapeutic potential of this approach. If a newly functional tissue can be generated to replace that which is lost due to the stroke, this approach could indeed dramatically change the long-term outcome after stroke.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members recently received grants from the University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Medical Innovation (CMI) through its 2014 Round-1 Pilot Funding Program for Early Stage Medical Technology Research and Development.
CMI, a University Center housed in Pitt’s Swanson School of Engineering (SSOE), supports applied technology projects in the early stages of development with “kickstart” funding toward the goal of transitioning the research to clinical adoption. Proposals are evaluated on the basis of scientific merit, technical and clinical relevance, potential health care impact and significance, experience of the investigators, and potential in obtaining further financial investment to translate the particular solution to healthcare. Since 2011, CMI has awarded over $483,000 in funding to 29 research groups.
“This is our third year of pilot funding, and our leadership team could not be more excited with the breadth and depth of this round’s awardees,” said Alan D. Hirschman, PhD, CMI Executive Director. “This early-stage interdisciplinary research helps to develop highly specific biomedical technologies through a proven strategy of linking UPMC’s clinicians and surgeons with the Swanson School’s engineering faculty.”
The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty projects are:
Contained Morcellation Device: Award to design, build, and test an improved morcellation device for laparoscopic surgery, preventing the accidental release of cancerous tissue into the body.
- Pamela Moalli, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Division of Urogynecology & Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
- Alan Rosenbaum, MD, Resident Physician, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Magee-Womens Hospital
- Jeffrey Vipperman, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, SSOE
Auxetic Structures for Urogynecological Implantations: Award to design, build, and perform in vivo testing of a new class of surgical meshes for treatment of pelvic organ prolapse without the complications of currently marketed devices.
- Steven D. Abramowitch, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Bioengineering, SSOE
- Pamela Moalli, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Division of Urogynecology & Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery, Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC
Fade to Clear High Visibility Sutures: Award to develop and test a new suture which is highly visible during placement and becomes transparent during patient recovery, thereby improving aesthetic outcomes.
- J. Peter Rubin, MD, Chair of the Department of Plastic Surgery, UPMC Endowed Professor of Plastic Surgery, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Pittsburgh, Co-Director of the Adipose Stem Cell Center, and Founder and Director of the Center for Innovation in Restorative Medicine in the Department of Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh
- Eric Beckman, PhD, George M. Bevier Professor of Engineering and Co-Director, Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovation, University of Pittsburgh
PerioMag GBR Barrier Membrane: Award to develop a resorbable barrier membrane for faster and lower cost guided bone regeneration (GBR) in periodontal applications.
- Charles Sfeir, DDS, PhD, Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh Department of Oral Medicine and Pathology with secondary appointments within the Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University
- Andrew Brown, BS, Graduate Student Researcher, Department of Bioengineering, SSOE
- Steven Little, PhD, Chair, Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering and Associate Professor and CNG Faculty Fellow in the Departments of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, Bioengineering, Immunology, and Ophthalmology, University of Pittsburgh
Surgically Implantable Prosthesis for Prevention of Tracheobronchial Distortion after Lobar Lung Resection: Award to develop a prosthesis to prevent bronchial kinking after removal of one or more lobes of the lung. The device will prevent post-surgical complications that impact recovery and quality of life for lung cancer patients.
- James Luketich, MD, Henry T. Bahnson Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Chief of the Division of Thoracic and Foregut Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Director of the Heart, Lung and Esophageal Surgery Institute at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- William Federspiel, PhD, William Kepler Whiteford Professor in the Department of Bioengineering with secondary appointments in Chemical Engineering and Critical Care Medicine and the Director of the Medical Devices Laboratory at the McGowan Institute
- Arjun Pennathur, MD, Assistant Professor Surgery, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UPMC
- Diane Strollo, MD, Visiting Associate Professor, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UPMC
- Valentino Bianco, DO, Research Fellow, Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, UPMC
Illustration: Center for Medical Innovation.
Although the development of artificial vascular grafts has advanced, one of the drawbacks is a high rate of aneurysms, which lead to rupture and massive bleeding. However, engineers at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering are exploring the use of new polymers in arterial replacements to better prevent aneurysm formation as they remodel into ‘neoarteries.’
Post-doctoral researcher Arturo Valentin, PhD, is the recipient of an American Heart Association Great Rivers Affiliate Postdoctoral Fellowship for “A predictive computational tool for creating tissue engineered arteries” (Award Period: January 1, 2014- December 31, 2015). Dr. Valentin focuses on mechanobiology in the Swanson School’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science. Dr. Valentin’s mentors for the fellowship are McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty members Anne M. Robertson, PhD, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Bioengineering, and Yadong Wang, PhD, the William K. Whiteford Professor of Bioengineering. Paolo Zunino, PhD, Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, is also a faculty mentor.
“The development of artificial vascular grafts holds tremendous promise for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, especially since the ability to transplant healthy grafts is often limited by availability or immune rejection,” Dr. Valentin explained. “Artificial grafts are designed to degrade as the body naturally repairs the artery, but if the graft dissolves too quickly there is a greater risk of aneurysm. We want to determine the exact way in which this degradation rate affects the chemical and mechanical factors which control how living cells transform grafts into neoarteries.”
Dr. Valentin notes that by studying the underlying biological mechanisms at work in neoartery formation, researchers can develop a more effective graft that reduces risk of aneurysms. “This AHA fellowship will support our research to build replacement arteries utilizing advanced synthetic polymers as grafts that better treat patients with peripheral artery disease or who must undergo cardiac bypass surgery.” Dr. Valentin believes that over the next several years his research will move to clinical trials in humans and “ultimately help bring much improved arterial replacements to patients.”
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member David Hackam, MD, PhD, has been inducted into the Association of American Physicians (AAP). Dr. Hackam is the Watson Family Professor of Surgery, professor of surgery, cell biology and physiology, and associate dean for medical student research, University of Pittsburgh. He also serves as co-director of the Fetal Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. His research focuses on understanding the gastrointestinal mechanisms of conditions such as Crohn’s disease, intestinal inflammation, and necrotizing enterocolitis.
The AAP is a nonprofit, professional organization founded in 1885 for “the advancement of scientific and practical medicine.” Election to the AAP is an honor extended to individuals with outstanding credentials in biomedical science and/or translational biomedical research, and is limited to 60 persons per year. Today, the AAP serves as an association of the country’s most accomplished physician-scientists, as a forum to create and disseminate knowledge, and as a source of inspiring role models for upcoming generations of physicians and medical scientists. The AAP recognizes researchers who have made significant contributions to medical science over the course of their careers, unlike the Association of Clinical Investigation (ASCI), which is affiliated with the AAP, and recognizes high levels of achievement by members relatively early in their careers.
The staff at Orthopedics This Week recently conducted a survey of thought leaders in the sports knee realm. The results named McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine faculty member Freddie Fu, MD, Distinguished Service Professor and the David Silver Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, one of the 28 top North American sports knee surgeons.
From the survey it was noted, “Dr. Fu is a true pioneer in sports medicine and leading us into the next generation in the field. He has tremendous energy that is infectious; he is persistent and has built a superb research team at Pittsburgh. Over the last decade he has devoted his research endeavors towards the anatomy and biomechanics of the ACL. He is a very thoughtful innovator who takes a critical look at his results.”
Dr. Fu is known worldwide for his pioneering surgical techniques to treat sports-related injuries to the knee and shoulder and his extensive scientific and clinical research in the biomechanics of such injuries. He performs surgery at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and sees patients at the Center for Sports Medicine. Because of his reputation, Dr. Fu attracts both athletic and non-athletic patients from all over the globe and has been featured in several publications.
McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine affiliated faculty member Anthony Delitto, PhD, University of Pittsburgh professor of physical therapy, associate dean for research, and vice president for education and research for the Centers for Rehabilitation Science, was recently honored with the American Physical Therapy Association's Helen J. Hislop Award for Outstanding Contribution to Professional Literature.
Dr. Delitto, whose clinical work specializes in the treatment of low back pain, has been honored for scientific writing as well as research in physical therapy and has won multiple awards for excellence in clinical research.
“The field of physical therapy has changed drastically since 1979. The training is so much more in-depth, and we're now an access point where people can get first contact with health care. I think physical therapists as well as other health care professionals, including occupational therapists, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners, can play a major role in helping more people access health care as we face physician shortages.”
The Regenerative Medicine Podcasts remain a popular web destination. Informative and entertaining, these are the most recent interviews:
Human white adipose tissue stained for a mitochondrial marker (green), lipid marker (red) and nuclei (blue). Confocal reconstruction.
Photo by Donna Stolz, Center for Biologic Imaging.
|Authors:||Dutta-Moscato J, Solovyev A, Mi Q, Nishikawa T, Soto-Gutierrez A, Fox IJ, Vodovotz Y.|
|Title:||A multiscale agent-based in silico model of liver fibrosis progression|
|Summary:||Chronic hepatic inflammation involves a complex interplay of inflammatory and mechanical influences, ultimately manifesting in a characteristic histopathology of liver fibrosis. We created an agent-based model (ABM) of liver tissue in order to computationally examine the consequence of liver inflammation. Our liver fibrosis ABM (LFABM) is comprised of literature-derived rules describing molecular and histopathological aspects of inflammation and fibrosis in a section of chemically injured liver. Hepatocytes are modeled as agents within hexagonal lobules. Injury triggers an inflammatory reaction, which leads to activation of local Kupffer cells and recruitment of monocytes from circulation. Portal fibroblasts and hepatic stellate cells are activated locally by the products of inflammation. The various agents in the simulation are regulated by above-threshold concentrations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and damage-associated molecular pattern molecules. The simulation progresses from chronic inflammation to collagen deposition, exhibiting periportal fibrosis followed by bridging fibrosis, and culminating in disruption of the regular lobular structure. The ABM exhibited key histopathological features observed in liver sections from rats treated with carbon tetrachloride (CCl4). An in silico “tension test” for the hepatic lobules predicted an overall increase in tissue stiffness, in line with clinical elastography literature and published studies in CCl4-treated rats. Therapy simulations suggested differential anti-fibrotic effects of neutralizing tumor necrosis factor alpha vs. enhancing M2 Kupffer cells. We conclude that a computational model of liver inflammation on a structural skeleton of physical forces can recapitulate key histopathological and macroscopic properties of CCl4-injured liver. This multiscale approach linking molecular and chemomechanical stimuli enables a model that could be used to gain translationally relevant insights into liver fibrosis.|
|Source:||Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. 29 May 2014|
|Title||Applying extracellular matrix technology to neuroprotect and to repair injured retina and optic nerve|
|Summary:||ECM technology as an early preventative for reducing secondary ocular trauma. After ocular trauma, secondary injury due to inflammation and a default healing response that forms scar tissue, in injured central nervous system (CNS) tissues, are major factors contributing to permanent vision loss. To address this problem, we are developing an injectable, ECM hydrogel and an ECM biohybrid wrap. Both platforms are designed to stabilize trauma to the retina or to the optic nerve and limit inflammation, edema, and scarring. ECM technology uses natural ECM bioscaffolds, derived by decellularizing specific tissues or organs, to promote a positive healing response in tissues the body is unable to repair functionally by default. In both preclinical and clinical models, ECM bioscaffolds can facilitate site-specific, functional repair in various peripheral tissues, including heart, lung, esophagus, muscle, tendon, skin, and peripheral nerves among others. Though the exact mechanisms are unknown, ECM bioscaffolds act, in part, by attracting endogenous stem cells and promoting site-appropriate differentiation, vascularization, neurogenesis, and a pro-repair M2 phenotype in macrophage and microglia. We hypothesize ECM technology will preserve or restore visual function by altering the default healing response to retinal or optic nerve injury in four key areas: 1) Increase RGC survival and axon regeneration. 2) Increase endogenous stem cell recruitment to the wound. 3) Increase M2 polarization in macrophages and microglia at the wound site. 4) Decrease glial scarring.
Aim 1: To determine if ECM derived from fetal CNS tissue is more efficacious than ECM derived from adult, non-CNS tissues in vitro. Compared to controls, fetal CNS ECM will: Hypothesis 1.1: Increase M2 polarization in primary microglia and macrophage. Hypothesis 1.2: Increase primary RGC survival and axon regeneration.
Aim 2: To determine if tissue-specific ECM hydrogels can modulate the default immune and glial scarring responses to acute retinal trauma in vivo. Compared to controls, fetal ECM hydrogel will: Hypothesis 2.1: Increase M2 polarization in microglia and macrophage. Hypothesis 2.2: Decrease glial scarring at the wound.
Aim 3: To determine if tissue-specific ECM biohybrid nerve wraps can modulate the default immune response to acute optic nerve trauma in vivo. Compared to controls, ECM hydrogels will: Hypothesis 3.1: Increase M2 polarization in microglia and macrophage. Hypothesis 3.2: Increase stem cell recruitment. Hypothesis 3.3: Decrease glial scarring in the optic nerve. Hypothesis 3.4: Increase RGC survival and axon regeneration.
Aim 4: To determine if ECM biohybrid nerve wraps preserve visual function after optic nerve crush. Compared to controls, ECM biohybrid wraps will: Hypothesis 4.1: Slow or prevent RGC axon degeneration as measured by MRI. Hypothesis 4.2: Slow or prevent vision loss as measured by electroretinography.
Study Design: ECM bioscaffolds will be optimized for M2 microglia/macrophage polarization and retinal ganglion cell survival and axon regeneration. Optimized ECM bioscaffolds will then be used for pre-clinical in vivo studies as an injectable temperature sensitive hydrogel to repair acute retina incisional trauma and an ECM biohybrid wrap to repair acute optic nerve trauma. Controls will include untreated, injured only, sham, and groups receiving non-ECM collagen injections or non-ECM wraps. Military Benefit: If successful, ECM hydrogel based technology will provide the filed combat ophthalmologist an easily administrable therapy to minimize secondary ocular trauma, increasing the potential to preserve visual function. Though outside the scope of this proposal, this technology is also applicable to various injuries throughout the body (i.e. peripheral nerve repair and corneal burns).
|Source:||DOD CDMRP Translational Research Award|
Newsletter Comments or Questions: McGowan@pitt.edu

domain: biology


Water from the bottle: the Solar Dripper makes for an optimum water supply for plants – from orchids to tomatoes. Photo: Solar Dripper
Bottles instead of the Watering Can
Summer holidays may be the most beautiful time of the year for most people. Sun, sea, relaxation and good food – you can never get enough of that. Often, though, the joy of all those good times comes to an abrupt end upon returning home. Especially when the plants in your garden or on your balcony have not survived due to insufficient watering.
Optimal water supply
An invention from France aims to save us these worries in future. The Solar-Dripper system does not take a lot: a stable plastic bottle with a screw cap, a matching Solar Dripper Attachment and house plants are optimally supplied with water for one month and balcony and/or garden plants for a week.
The special, patented technology adapts the water supply automatically to the plants’ needs. This means the flow rate is higher on a sunny day and lower when it is overcast. No power is needed since the water flow is triggered by thermal changes. The heat of the sun makes the air volume trapped inside the bottle expand; when the temperature comes down it retracts again. With heat water drops are therefore pressed out and with cold air bubbles are sucked in.
For plants big and small
The flow rate depends on the size of bottle and/or how full it is. For a low flow rate the bottle should be filled up to 90%; for a high rate it should be filled half.
The Solar Dripper comes in two versions: the standard version SD is designed for plants up to one metre high and, hence, suited for many indoor plants as well as balcony and garden plants such as geraniums, petunia, roses, and begonia, to name but a few.
The red XL version ensures more intense irrigation for bigger plants (tomatoes, pumpkins, sun flowers, and shrubs) and in the event of a heatwave.
Which bottles are best?
The Solar Dripper can be purchased with ready-to-use, pre-calibrated bottles of rigid plastics. However, recycled bottles work just as well with the dripper attachments. What counts is that the bottles are relatively rugged – be they made of glass or plastic – and that the bottleneck is 28 mm long. Glass bottles principally slow down water flow by some 20% to 40%. The bigger the bottle the higher the flow rate.


text:
The storyline of Season 3 of the anthology series follows a macabre crime in the heart of the Ozarks, and a mystery that deepens over decades and plays out in three separate time periods.
Ejogo will play Amelia Reardon, an Arkansas schoolteacher with a connection to two missing children in 1980. As previously announced, Ali plays the lead role of Wayne Hays, a state police detective from Northwest Arkansas. It’s still unclear whether Hays will have a partner, as the investigators on the first two seasons all did.
Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room) will executive produce and direct the new season alongside series creator Nic Pizzolatto.
Joining Pizzolatto and Saulnier as executive producers will be the original True Detective trio of Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson and Cary Fukunaga, as well as Scott Stephens and Anonymous Content’s Steve Golin, Bard Dorros and Richard Brown.
Ejogo can be seen in this weekend’s new Denzel Washington film, Roman J. Israel, Esq and is currently one of the stars on Season 2 of Starz’s anthology series The Girlfriend Experience. She also stars in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film franchise and recently wrapped shooting the sequel, The Crimes of Grindelwald.


AMITE, LA (WVUE) - State Fire Marshal deputies have arrested a Kentwood woman for allegedly setting fire to her family’s property twice in one day.
Laura Smith, 37, was booked into the Tangipahoa Parish Jail on Thursday (Feb. 14). She faces two counts of aggravated arson and one count of simple arson.
That morning, Tangipahoa Fire District #1 responded to multi-structure fire in the 18000 block of East Bell Road in Amite. Firefighters discovered a house on fire, along with a fire in one room of an occupied manufactured home 150 feet from the house. A travel trailer near the home also had fire and heat damage.
Investigators determined that the fire had been deliberately set. While gathering witness statements off-site, a new fire call came in to the same address reporting the manufactured home was once again on fire.
After assessing the new scene and gathering additional information, Smith was identified as the suspect and was placed under arrest.
There was no word on a motive.


text:
This printed colour book is signed by the Author Ian Mackenzie. Limited number available.
Discover the secrets behind Ian Mackenzie’s luxury art and how he creates both beautiful and controversial artwork.
Have you ever desired to know the story behind the painting? Have you ever wanted to own artwork of such richness and value? Then this book is for you.
Finding out how to turn life experiences into luxury art, here Ian Mackenzie reveals all.
He takes you on a motivational journey of emotion and humour from his early days of creativity with twists and turns of life, through to his current artwork, describing his thought process behind each piece with the passion and desire of a painter and storyteller that will evoke, challenge and inspire you.
“What makes an artist? You could ask this question to many an artist and get a different answer but underlining most would be the one word - life. And in this book Ian Mackenzie gives an honest account of his and how it effects his art. A truly inspirational story of someone following his dream.” Gareth Hughes Broadcaster and Journalist.
£15.99 Regular Price


The suspended EEA Life Settlements fund is on the verge of reopening after investors approved the restructure of the product.
The fund - which invests in second-hand life insurance contracts sourced from the US - has been suspended since November 2011 when previous regulator the FSA announced a proposed ban on retail sales of such funds, dubbing them “toxic”.
But EEA now hopes to reopen the fund next month after investors agreed with the group’s proposal to offer investors - who have been locked in the fund for nearly two years - three options:
• selling their stake to institutional investors;
• continuing their investment; or
• opting for a ‘run-off’ share class which will gradually repay their investment through as the contracts mature.
Simon Shaw, chairman of EEA Fund Management, said: “The board was strongly of the view that this proposal offered the best way forward for shareholders and they have overwhelmingly agreed.
“We know this period has been extremely frustrating for them and we are grateful for their understanding and support. We continue to have confidence in the ability of the life settlements asset class to deliver attractive returns. A large number of shareholders share that view and have elected to remain long-term investors in the asset class by opting for the continuation share class.”


text:
Today's MetroDeal takes you to the Pearl of the Orient, Hong Kong. For P5500 instead of P12780, experience a unique getaway from stresses of every day life: With this unique package, you will get a comprehensive city tour and a ride-all-you-can daypass at Hong Kong Disneyland. You will stay at the cozy Rambler Oasis hotel, which features large oasis-like swimming pool and offers free WiFi internet to all its guests.
On first acquaintance Hong Kong can overwhelm. Navigate its teeming, tightly packed sidewalks and you’re met at every turn with neon signage, steam-filled canteens, molasses-slow traffic and a Babel of chatter.
Once this first sensory wave has rolled over you, though, take a deep breath and start swimming with the current, because you’ll find Hong Kong is a place to delight in. Utterly safe and fantastically well organised, it offers little moments of perfection. You may find them on a plastic stool enjoying a bargain bowl of beef brisket soup or simply gazing at the thrilling harbour vistas. You’ll find them taking afternoon tea in the cool of your hotel lobby or enjoying balmy open-air beers in the party zones.
During your city tour, you will visit famous sights such as the Avenue of Stars, the Aberdeen fishing village, the passby mid levels of Victoria Peak, the famous jewellery factory and factory outlet. Don't forget to bring your camera for unforgettable memories!
Day 1 : Arrival. Meet & transfer to Hotel. Free time
Day 2 : Hotel Breakfast. Pick up for Compulsory Hongkong City Tour to visit Avenue of Stars, Aberdeen Fishing Village, passby Mid levels of Victoria Peak, Jewellery Factory and Factory Outlet. After, transfer to Disneyland for Disneyland Tour. Disneyland Tour until Fireworks Display. After, transfer to Shenzhen by train. Meet & transfer to Green Tea Hotel or similar class for Overnight
Day 3 : Hotel Breakfast. Pick up for Shenzhen Tour to visit Lotus Flower Mountain, The Mangrove Park, Windows of the World, Shopping at a Mineral and Silk Factory & Factory Outlet. After, free time until pick up for transfer to Hongkong International Airport for flight back to Philippines
Room 201 and 204 #317 Jackson Shoe Building Libertad Street Pasay City
TEL #: 544-6786
Mobile Numbers: 0943-6031667, 0927-8633749, 0919-3647536
DHEL B. BARIA
TEL #: 543-4069
Mobile Numbers: 0906-5582983, 0919-5370880, 0932-5898687
JONA F. DOROJA
TEL #: 569-9871
Mobile Numbers: 0932-1490552, 0916-3432730, 0947-2086851
GRACE DELA FUENTE
TEL #: 544-6782
MOBILE Numbers: 0928-7384308, 0932-3632969
AURA ELYSSE MARIANO
TEL #: 569-9870
Mobile Numbers: 0923-1486538, 0927-2685408

domain: travel


text:
I ordered from an advertisement placed in Everton's Genealogical Helper. The book is on sale now for $52.00 + $6.00 postage and handling. It takes approximately 6 weeks to receive it. You can write to Higginson Book Company; 148-GH Washington St., Salem, MA 01970
The book is called: "Harbaugh History by: Cora Bell Harbaugh Cooprider and J. L. Cooprider". Mention the advertisement for the "Fall Sale".
This book lists both Casper Harbaugh and Yost Harbaugh descendents.
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Rob Papen presents Punch-BD, a powerful bass drum synth and sample player in VST, AU and AAX plugin formats. Also available as a Reason Rack Extension for Reason DAW producers.
Punch-BD is based on the BD module of its award-winning Punch drum synthesis/sampler software instrument and allows you to use a total of six bass drums pads. Each pad can be used in drum synthesis or sample mode. You can load via drag & drop, your personal samples in .wav & .aiff formats or use the built-in drum synths with four different effects units. 31 effects are available for each of the four units. Each pad also has its own distortion and EQ.
In Drum MODE you can choose from four synthesis Models, together with a familiar-sounding range of Classic electronic bass drum samples. Also, Rob Papen says “…a nice range of built-in acoustic and fantasy bass drum samples.”
Punch-BD features eight categories of presets: Dance, hip-hop, Acoustic, Special, Oddiction, JoMal, Rob Fabrie and Z-old. All sounds have a great, high-quality sound (44100 khz stereo wav) and are very comprehensive for many music genres. From classic electronic bass drum samples and smooth bass drums to plastic clicks and clacks sounds, all are in here.
Drum Pads Features:
- Each pad can be used in drum synthesis or sample mode
- 4 different synthesis models and built in 4 classic electronic BD samples and 31 punch samples.
- Dual Sample slot, each with there their own amp/pitch envelopes & filter and filter envelope.
- Each drum has it’s own ‘easy controls’, distortion (20 different models)and output destination (to dry or any of the 4 fx channels).
- 3 bank graphic EQ per pad with frequency, bandwidth and gain control
- Tune bypass button per pad to avoid keyboard tuning response in ‘Tuned Stack’ or ‘Tuned Seq’ mode
- Easy bypass button per pad to avoid response of the sound in the EasyPage
- Each drum can be previewed and selected by clicking in the Drum Preview Pad.
- Each drum pad has solo and mute.
- Each drum pad has right mouse menu command functions.
Punch-BD also features 2 envelopes, 2 LFO’s and 8 modulation slots, which allow you to use a wide variety of modulation sources to control Punch-BD’s parameters.
The GUI is very nice design, in the specific style of Rob Papen plugins, with a very intuitive, easy to use and clean look.
Punch-BD offers many sound design possibilities. Perfect suitable for any music producer and for any music genre approached. EDM, Hip Hop, Trance, House, Techno, Dance, Pop, etc. Punch-BD is the right tool to get the needed kicks and bass sounds.
If you own Punch-BD, don’t forget to rate it using the stars bellow.
You can also read: 10 Best Drum Machines VST Plugins
Rob Papen Go2 Now Available!


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- North Korea is a secretive nation of 25 million people led by Kim Jong Un.
- Its isolationist policies have hurt the country’s economy, but we don’t know the depth of its struggles because North Korea doesn’t release detailed data.
- Here are nine mind-blowing facts about North Korea’s economy.
- Visit Markets Insider’s homepage for more stories.
North Korea is one of the most secretive nations in the world.
The dictatorship of 25 million people has been ruled by the Kim dynasty for more than 70 years.
North Korea’s economy has struggled because of its isolationist policies, yet the exact extremes of the country’s hardships are unknown, as the nation doesn’t release detailed data.
We do know it’s a nation where the average worker takes home less than $2,000 a year, much of the population is undernourished, and citizens pay upwards of $17,000 to defect.
Here are nine surprising facts about North Korea’s economy:


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Love Stories: Uplifting True Stories about Love from the Internationally Bestselling Author of Boy Swallows Universe Audible Audiobook – Unabridged
Trent Dalton, Australia's best-loved writer, goes out into the world and asks a simple, direct question: "Can you please tell me a love story?"
A blind man yearns to see the face of his wife of 30 years. A divorced mother has a secret love affair with a priest. A geologist discovers a three-minute video recorded by his wife before she died. A tree lopper's heart falls in a forest. A working mum contemplates taking photographs of her late husband down from her fridge. A girl writes a last letter to the man she loves most, then sets it on fire. A palliative care nurse helps a dying woman converse with the angel at the end of her bed. A renowned 100-year-old scientist ponders the one great earthly puzzle he was never able to solve: "What is love?"
Endless stories. Human stories. Love stories.
Inspired by a personal moment of profound love and generosity, best-selling author, and one of Australia's finest journalists, Trent Dalton spent two months in 2021 speaking to people from all walks of life, asking them one simple and direct question: "Can you please tell me a love story?" The result is an immensely warm, poignant, funny, and moving book about love in all its guises, including observations, reflections, and stories of people falling into love, falling out of love, and never letting go of the loved ones in their hearts. A heartfelt, deep, wise, and tingly tribute to the greatest thing we will never understand and the only thing we will ever really need: love.
- Get this audiobook free then 1 credit each month, good for any title you like - yours to keep, even if you cancel
- Listen all you want to the Plus Catalogue—a selection of thousands of Audible Originals, audiobooks and podcasts, including exclusive series
- Exclusive member-only deals
- $16.45 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime
|Listening Length||9 hours and 7 minutes|
|Whispersync for Voice||Ready|
|Audible.com.au Release Date||27 October 2021|
|Best Sellers Rank|| 33 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) |
1 in Fiction Short Stories
1 in Short Stories (Books)
1 in Romance Anthologies & Short Stories
Review this product
Top reviews from Australia
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I preordered this audiobook then counted the days to its release like a kid waiting for Christmas.
I desperately wanted these stories to thrum in my chest and resonate with the sort of love I know to be true and real. So much expectation, but Trent Dalton does not disappoint.
I’m not yet finished because I want to savour each beautiful story, and continue sitting on the corner of Adelaide and Albert.


The Big Jim BJ740-3PH features a hammer weight of 740 lbs, total weight of 1,679 lbs, minnimum hammer height of 4'2" or 6'2" and a maximum hammer height of 9'6" or 11'6". It includes a 2 position bolt on hammer, standard round post hugger and solid steel post rollers. The stabilizer legs prevent shock loads to loader or three point hitch. This post driver features a left/right mast tilt of 20° from centre and a forward/backward mast tilt of 13° from centre.
AVAILABLE IS 3 MODELS


Upper Kirby street construction update
Published 4:15 am, Thursday, April 14, 2011
Upper Kirby roadway reconstruction continues this month along Kirby Drive between Richmond and US 59, Buffalo Speedway between US 59 and Bissonnet. Wakeforest roadway construction is now complete allowing for unhindered vehicular movement between Richmond and US 59.
Buffalo Speedway Construction
Traffic along this stretch of roadway will remain unchanged this month. One lane in either direction is being maintained along the west side of the roadway with a continuous left turn maintained in the center.
Southbound traffic should expect to be transitioned from two lanes to one lane just south of US 59 and northbound traffic should expect a similar shift to the west just north of Bissonnet.
Work over the coming month will consist primarily of underground utility duct bank construction and existing underground utility relocations that will allow current overhead utility providers to begin the transfer of services to new underground facilities. Workers are hopeful to complete this work within the month at which time they will demobilize and allow utility transfers to take place.
The goal for completion of the entire reconstruction of Buffalo Speedway is November 2011. Between now and November, overhead utilities will be moved underground, the four-lane roadway will be repaved as a six-lane roadway to address the serious congestion issues along this stretch, the storm sewer system will be upgraded and a complete streetscape will be implemented to include pedestrian lighting, enhanced sidewalks and crosswalks, pedestrian amenities and improved landscaping and irrigation.
Kirby Drive Construction
Construction on Kirby Drive has appeared to be on hold over the past several months. This is certainly not the case. While roadway construction crews have been demobilized, utility providers have been at work transferring overhead services to the recently constructed underground duct banks. This process generally takes between 45 and 90 days and is nearly complete on Kirby. Utility providers have indicated that roadway construction crews will be clear to mobilize around mid-month and begin paving activities along the west side of Kirby.
Existing construction barriers will remain on the west side of the roadway over the next several months as paving work commences.
Motorists should expect four lanes to remain unobstructed as utility crews proceed with the transfer of overhead services underground and even after paving work has begun later this month. Southbound motorists should expect the curbside lane approaching Richmond to remain right-turn-only throughout this phase.
This section of Kirby Drive is scheduled to be substantially complete in November 2011.
Wakeforest between Richmond and US 59 is now completely paved and striped and open to traffic. This improvement will provided much needed relief to Kirby Drive traffic through the current construction zone by providing a viable alternative route for motorists to access the US 59 frontage road from Richmond. The new roadway allows for one through lane in either direction and provides parallel parking space on both sides of the road.
The final touches on Wakeforest are being added over the next two weeks. Sidewalks will be complete by the end of this week and street-tree installation will take place next week.
For more information on Upper Kirby construction projects and for issues and concerns as construction progresses, contact Travis Younkin at 713-524-8000 or email firstname.lastname@example.org


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By BiSM1LLah-empiritrage. Mirror. At Sunday, February 10th 2019, 20:58:56 PM.
Brighten up your entry. Mirrors placed in a foyer or entryway is a welcomed sight for guests. They reflect light and open up a dark entry and give a place for guests to check themselves while entering your home. Place a lighting fixture to bathe your mirror with soft light.This is a very effective way to make your foyer soft and homey not to mention extremely relaxing especially for family members and guests who want to enter to a relaxing room after a particularly stressful day.
A collection of small mirrors can add great interest to a wall. When using a group of mirrors, concentrate on choosing interesting frames in a variety of shapes and sizes. To create a cohesive grouping, you may want to consider using mirrors with the same or similarly colored frames. To arrange a group, hang the largest mirror first, and then add a smaller one of similar shape. Finish with yet another small mirror in a different shape. Space them all evenly on the wall.
Mirrors are a great design accessory, and when strategically placed, they can liven up a room, making it appear brighter and larger. It is use since old times to enhance the design of a room. Designers have been putting mirrors on furniture for over 100 years. Here are some ideas to take advantage of the mirror and add light to your room, create depth or highlight an interesting focal point:

domain: design


use: Dust suction and drain hoses Suction and drain hoses for wear-resistant, wear-resistant, water-repellent, for vacuum or gravel trucks, sand, gravel, cement powder, dry fertilizers, iron ore and abrasives for processing from grains. Note. This hose is not designed for batch processing, for example, for the removal of railway transport. Litho Hydraulics is designed specifically
Hosecraft USA Rubber Hoses of Every Style
RP5-AS hose assemblies are used for delivery of fuel oil in many services. Good for fuel oils, gasoline, kerosene, diesel, and bio-diesel. Abrasion, kink, and weather resistant cover, and Nitrile oil resistant tube. 1" to 1-1/2" diameters, in 25ft increments starting at 100ft. -40F to 180F.
Delta Pull-out Hose Assembly-RP44647 - The Home Depot
Repair your kitchen or bathroom faucet by choosing this Delta Pull-out Hose Assembly. Features plastic material construction.
Hand Shower Hose & Gaskets - 69" UltraFlex - Delta Faucet
Training courses available include Delta Hand Shower Hose & Gaskets - 69" UltraFlex
Rubber Parts | Rubber Manufacturer | LORD Mounts | LORD
DELTA FLEX ® A Rubber Parts Company. ® DeltaFlex is a multi-faceted rubber parts company. From our line of industry leading LORD Corporation Vibration, Shock & Motion Control products to our Standard Rubber Products (grommets, bumpers, O-rings,..) to our custom manufacturing capabilities and engineering expertise, we have the rubber parts
Refuel Hose, Refuel Hose Suppliers and Manufacturers at
Refuel Hose, Wholesale Various High Quality Refuel Hose Products from Global Refuel Hose Suppliers and Refuel Hose Factory,Importer,Exporter at .
Customised products - Ridderflex
Ridderflex excels in the production of customised products and parts. We are happy to advise you about the possibilities and the application of our products. We also help you match our products to each other.
3/4 Fuel Hose | eBay
Goodyear Flexsteel Futura provides superior, long-lasting service from anadvanced multi-fuel dispensing hose with a synthetic rubber cover that's incredibly resistant to ozone cracking and wear. For u
Hose for Fuel Transfer, Petroleum, Gas, Diesel, Biodiesel
Complete line of Hose from the John M. Elsworth Co., Inc. Products include Fuel Transfer Hose, Petroleum, Gas, Diesel, Biodiesel, Dispensing and more.
High Temperature Plastic Pipe | Products & Suppliers
Find High Temperature Plastic Pipe related suppliers, manufacturers, products and specifications on GlobalSpec - a trusted source of High Temperature Plastic Pipe information. non-corrosive, and wear resistant; designed to protect and prolong equipment life. Keep life-cycle costs and environmental impacts down by replacing metal pipes
JGB Hoses - Hoses by Application - Extensive line of
JGB's Industrial hose line consists of Vacuum, Water, Garden, Chemical, Hot Tar & Asphalt, Air and Multi-purpose hoses. JGB has a wide variety of specialty application hoses. JGB specializes is FDA approved Sanitary hoses that can be used for any food and beverage application.
Aircraft Spruce from Aircraft Spruce
Page 124: Nylo-seal Tubing Poly-flo Tubing , Poly-flo Polyethylene Tubing, Nylo-seal Nylon Tubing, Nylaflow Nylon Tubing, Super Heavy Pulse Line, Clear Blue Fuel Line, Neoprene Hose , Polyurethane Tubing, Tygon Tubing, Bing Alcohol Resistant Fuel Line, Parker Super-flex 397 Series Fuel Line Hose, Vinyl Tubing, Black Max Nylon Brake Line
Delta 75007 140 60-Inch Stainless Steel Replacement Hose
The Delta hose works and looks fine, but it replaced a Hansgrohe 28276003 Techniflex B Hose (leaks every year). The problem I have with it is the inside diameter of the hose is smaller and the water flow is noticeably reduced.
How to Install Faucets Using Plastic Water Lines | Home
Measure the diameter of the copper pipes at the supply and faucet connections, usually 1/2 inch at the fixture and 1/2 or 3/8 inch at the supply pipe. Buy flexible plastic tubing with the right size connectors on each end in a length that will connect the two points easily.
AQUAFLEX - KS Distribution
Multipurpose Hose AQUAFLEX AT-MP20S Multipurpose..19 Aircraft Refuelling Hose Ozone and Hydrocarbon Resistant Temperature Range: -30°C to +100°C Potable Water Hose Typical Application White Text on a Transparent Stripe Branding AQUAFLEX AT-PW20H POTABLE WATER SUCTION & DELIVERY WP 20 BAR


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Google have finally revealed launch titles for their cloud gaming platform Stadia. The platform will have only 12 games on launch which disappointed some players who expected a lot more games.
Google Stadia is set to arrive next week - 19 November 2019 - and today, Google have decided to reveal all titles that will be available on their could gaming platform on launch. The list includes a couple of blockbusters but despite this, players are a bit disappointed with Stadia's offering.
Google Stadia launch titles:
- Assassin’s Creed Odyssey
- Destiny 2: The Collection
- Just Dance 2020
- Mortal Kombat 11
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Rise of the Tomb Raider
- Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition
- Samurai Shodown
As you can see it's a lot less than initially revealed but Google promise that more games will arrive pretty soon. Still, players think that the lineup won't drive console and PC gamers to even consider Stadia with this lineup of games. "It's a tremendously weak lineup anyone who says otherwise is lying, this won't drive an Xbox owner or a PlayStation owner or even Nintendo owner to touch Stadia," one Reddit user wrote.
Interestingly, players will be able to play three Tomb Raider titles on launch and we wonder if some players prefered to see some other genres instead of at least one Tomb Raider game.
Many hoped that more AAA games such as Borderlands 3, would be available on launch but as things stand, they are scheduled to launch sometime later. It remains to be seen how many games will be added by the end of the month and if some of the Stadia showcase titles such as 2016's Doom will also join the pack soon.

domain: game


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Discovering the history and culture of 1000 year capital, a unique harmonious blend of old Vietnamese traditions with modern French style; a contradictory place where modern meets very ancient qualities of Asian lifestyle, and glorious Halong bay of Vietnam and be captivated by the warmth of the friendly people you meet on the way. Enjoying your 4-day leisure in Hanoi and Halong Bay, we make sure that you will have an unforgettable and wonderful holiday.
Discovering the floating Vung Vieng village
Cooking demonstration with traditional Vietnamese food
Enjoying street food around the Old Quarter
DAY 1: HANOI ARRIVAL (NONE): AIR PLANE
Upon your arrival at the airport in Hanoi, you are met and picked up by our local tour guide and transfer to the hotel for check-in. Overnight at hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 2: HANOI – HALONG BAY OVERNIGHT ON BOAT (B/L/D): BUS - CRUISE
7:45: Hotel pick-up.
12:30: Arriving Hon Gai Harbor, Halong City.Transfer to Cruise by tender (5 -10 minutes)
12:45: Enjoy welcome drink
13:30: Cruising through Bai Tu Long & having lunch with Set Menu
15:30:Exploring Vung Vieng Village :Guest choose to discover the daily life of the fisher communities with bamboo boat (one hour)
16:30:Swimming, Sunbathing and Relaxing at Ban Chan Beach
17:30: Relax and enjoy the sunset cocktail while the boat is cruising to Cong Dong - Cong Do area. Docking for overnight
18:00: Taking part into cooking class on boat : Learning how to cook traditional Vietnamese cuisines
19:30: Dinner serving onboard
21:00: Free evening or taking part in some activities of board games or squid fishing, karaoke (on request)
Taste the variety of drink at our luxury sundeck bar (chargable) with wines, cocktails, brandy, juices…
DAY 3: HALONG BAY – HANOI OVERNIGHT AT 3* HOTEL (B/L): CRUISE – BUS
6:30: Doing exercises with Tai chi on the sundeck.
7:30: Having breakfast
8:00: Exploring the Thien Canh Son Cave.
9:30: Checking-out and relaxing on sundeck or watching fruits carving demonstration
10:30: Enjoy the last of the Halong Bay scenery over lunch (a la carte) as the boat cruises back to shore.
12:00 Transfer back to Hanoi.
16:30: Drop-off at hotel in Hanoi.
DAY 4:FOUR HOURS HANOI STREET FOOD (B): NONE
After breakfast at the hotel, you are free time in the morning. We start a street food walking tour with an insight into traditional Vietnamese food at different eateries. Well, the first stop is near the Cathedral to savour cakes called “Pillow Cake” due to the same Pillow shape and taste top ten street foods in Hanoi is Banh My Hanoi
Now, it’s time for drinks. Enjoy local beer (draught beer) with Potato chips at the “international” corner Ta Hien where each night, hundreds of travellers and a large number of locals flock here to hang out. Especially, all seats just need small plastic stools, drink beer and relax and enjoy the local daily life follow the characteristic way at the Old Quarter.
The guide will then take you to one of Hanoi’s best kept secrets, a dark narrow alley leading to the cafe. It may be difficult to find for visitors, but it is well worth the effort. It makes you feel like mystery. You’ll be so surprised until you savour the Egg-Coffee which is absolutely delicious and has the unique taste among Vietnamese coffee. After that, back to your hotel, tour finished.
- Accommodation in a shared twin or shared double room
- Meals as mentioned (B= Breakfast, L= Lunch, D= Dinner)
- English speaking guide
- Tours and transfers as mentioned by group air conditioned vehicle
- 1 night on cruise as mentioned in the itinerary
- Entrance fees for mentioned visit.
What's Not Included
- Travel insurance
- Tax & service charge
- Tips and personal expenses
- Pick up from hotel or stay outside Hanoi's Old Quarter
- All other services not mentioned in the itinerary
This is the combo ticket, price per 2 guests, if an odd number would go by the customer must pay parity
There is no review for this tour/accommodation. Please visit later!


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Circle of Care for families of children with cancer
Circle of Care inspires hope by providing emotional and financial assistance to families affected by childhood cancer.
Our vision is to alleviate the burdens of childhood cancer through a caring community.
Circle of Care, based in Wilton, CT, was founded 10 years ago by a small group of families whose children have battled and survived cancer. We are dedicated to supporting newly diagnosed families from the time of diagnosis to recovery and beyond. Our programs currently offer support to families of children being treated for cancer in Connecticut and Westchester County at; Smilow Cancer Center at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center in Hartford and Maria Ferari Children’s Hospital in Westchester.

domain: medical


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Martin Sorrell's pay falls to £3.1 million
campaignlive.co.uk, Thursday, 30 April 2009 09:55AM
LONDON - Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of WPP, was paid £3.1 million in salary and bonus payments last year, a decrease from the £3.6 million he received in 2007.
Sorrell, who also owns shares worth about £75 million, hit the individual and financial targets that were set out for him. However, he recently conceded that in 2009 the group would miss its revenue targets.
WPP's annual report also revealed that Sorrell's contract means that he is able to leave "at will", without the need for a statutory notice period, while the group is also able to terminate his contract without notice.
Earlier this week, WPP announced a decline in first quarter revenues of nearly 6 per cent. The group attributed the decrease to the fall in client spending induced by the economic crisis.
This article was first published on campaignlive.co.uk
- Senior Account Director- Ceative Agency Spectrum 360 Recruitment £45k - £50k, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Account Manager- Creative Agency Spectrum 360 Recruitment £28k - £34k, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Account Executive - Creative Agency Spectrum 360 Recruitment £21k - £24k, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Account Director- Ceative Agency Spectrum 360 Recruitment £40k - £45k, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Project Manager- Creative Integrated Agency Spectrum 360 Recruitment £26k - £35k, London (Central), London (Greater)
- Land Rover to move global ad account into Spark44
- WPP's Martin Sorrell reconsiders strength of newspapers
- Group M retains £80m Lloyds media
- Twitter hunts for UK marketer as it targets £180m ad revenues
- Gogglebox stars encourage viewers to vote
- Dave Trott at Ad Week Europe: Ads have become overcomplicated


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I made this fun glass faux pearl necklace. The large glass beads are 3/4 inch large. All new but vintage findings that I designed myself. This hooks up t0 20 inches so you can wear it long or high on your neck.
Beautiful Vintage Jewelry Makes Great Christmas Presents!
Looking or Searching for Vintage Jewelry We Gift Box and Ship Immediately!