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After the Note 7 fiasco, Samsung is not going to leave any stone unturned to make their next big offering a hit. So coming up next from the Premium end of the Galaxy series is the highly anticipated Galaxy S8. The smartphone maker is banking on the upcoming S8 to repair all the damage caused by the Note 7 debacle. So, the Galaxy S8 will not only be loaded with high-end tech and features but the company will also make sure all of that works without any glitch or malfunction.
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The internet is flooded with pictures that show the possibility of what the upcoming Galaxy S8 might look like. Also, through a promotional video for their AMOLED display tech, Samsung had showcased an all new smartphone that is believed to be the S8. Supporting this belief are a few leaked images that have floated over the internet. So, if these images are to be believed, the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S8 will get a huge 5.8inch dual edge Super AMOLED display with a pixel density of 500ppi and QuadHD resolution. There are rumours that it will feature a display with 4k resolution. It will be pressure sensitive display that will be equipped with an Optical Finger-print scanner. It is expected to be fitted with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for protection.
The metallic unibody construction will be similar to the S7 Edge but will be more premium. Alike the previous S7, the S8 will be IP certified as well.
This is where Samsung will play a strong game. The Galaxy S8 will debut with Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 SoC that employs an Octa-core – 4 x 2.45 GHz Kryo & 4 x 1.9 GHz Kryo micro-architecture. Graphics duties will be taken care by Adreno 540 GPU. There are rumours that the S8 will be made available with 6GB and 8GB RAM, and the internal storage options will include 64 GB and 128 GB. For the single SIM version, there will be a dedicated MicroSD slot whereas the dual SIM version will make do with a Hybrid Dual SIM tray. The camera setup is expected to have received a major overhaul. The main camera will likely be an all-new 12MP dual pixel camera with f/1.7 aperture and at the front will be a new 8MP camera.
Samsung's battery folks screwed up big time with the power pack of the Note 7 that led to the infamous explosion gate of 2016 but this time there is no room for errors. The battery expected to be fitted inside the S8 will have a capacity little over 3,000 mAh. Quick Charge and wireless charging support will be standard.
As of now, we have seen leaked images of the smartphone showing the S8 in a shade of Black, Silver, and Gold but we expect more colour at the time of launch.
Samsung Galaxy S8 will roll out with the latest Android OS v7.0 Nougat with the brand's own TouchWiz UI on top.


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Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology
Print version ISSN 1516-8913On-line version ISSN 1678-4324
Braz. arch. biol. technol. vol.51 no.3 Curitiba May/June 2008
Cloning and characterization of the iron uptake gene iutA from avian Escherichia coli
Dorismey Vieira TokanoI, *; Marisa Emiko KawaichiI; Emerson José VenâncioII; Marilda Carlos VidottoI
IDepartamento de Medicina Veterinária Preventiva; CCA; Universidade Estadual de Londrina
IIDepartamento de Ciências Patológicas; CCB; Universidade Estadual de Londrina; Campus Universitário; C. P. 6001; 86051-970; Londrina - PR - Brazil
The aim of this work was to isolate, clone and characterize the iron uptake gene iutA from avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC). The iutA gene was isolated from the strain APEC 9, serotype O2:H9, which was cloned in the expression vector pET101/D-TOPO. The gene of 2.2 Kb was sequenced (AY602767, which showed high similarity to the iutA gene from three plasmids, two from APEC, pAPEC-02-ColV (AY545598.4) and pTJ100 (AY553855.1), and one from a human invasive E. coli strain, the pColV K30. The recombinant protein IutA was over expressed in E. coli BL21(DE-3) and was solubilized with urea and purified by Ni-NTA column. This method produced a relatively high yield of r-IutA of approximately 74kDa, which was used to produce the antibody anti-IutA. This anti-IutA reacted with the protein r-IutA and native IutA of APEC 9, as demonstrated by Western blot, showing that the r-IutA conserved epitopes and its antigenicity was preserved. The anti-IutA IgY was able to inhibit the IutA biological activity, inhibiting the sensitivity to cloacin DF13 of APEC9. However, it did not inhibit the growth of APEC9 in M9 and did not protect the chickens inoculated with the APEC, suggesting that the APEC possessed another iron acquisition mechanism distinct of aerobactin.
Key words: Avian Escherichia coli, iron uptake, aerobactin receptor, virulence factor, iutA gene
A proteína de membrane externa IutA (iron uptake transport) é o receptor para aerobactina férrica, um fator de virulência encontrado mais frequentemente entre as amostras de E. coli pathogênicas para aves (APEC) do que entre os isolados fecais de aves saudáveis. O gene iutA da amostra APEC 9, sorotipo O2:H9, foi amplificado e clonado no vetor pET101/D-TOPO. O gene iutA 2.2 Kb foi sequenciado (AY602767) e mostrou alta similaridade para gene iutA de três plasmidios, dois da APEC, pAPEC-02-ColV (AY545598.4) e pTJ100 (AY553855.1), e um da amostra E. coli invasiva humana, pColV K30. A proteína IutA recombinante (r-IutA) foi produzida em Escherichia coli BL21(DE-3), solubilizada com uréia e purificada em coluna de níquel Ni-NTA. A r-IutA tem aproximadamente 74kDa e foi utilizada para produzir anticorpos anti-IutA. Este anticorpo reagiu com a r- IutA e com IutA da APEC13, como demonstrado por Western blot, mostrando que a r-IutA tem epitopos conservados e sua antigenicidade foi preservada. O anticorpo anti-IutA foi capaz de inibir a atividade biológica da IutA, inibindo o teste positivo de sensibilidade à cloacina DF13 apresentada pela APEC 9, contudo não inibiu o crescimento da APEC9 crescida em M9 e não protegeu os pintinhos inoculados com APEC 9, sugerindo que a APEC possui outro mecanismo de captação de íons ferro distinto da aerobactina.
Escherichia coli is an important extraintestinal pathogen in the poultry, which causes significant world-wide economic losses in the production of chickens and turkeys (Gross, 1994). The avian pathogenic E. coli (APEC) strains cause colibacillosis, which usually begins by the bacterial multiplication in the upper respiratory tract, followed by the colonization of the air sacs and lungs, the bacteria then reach the blood and colonize the internal organs, causing airsacculitis, pericarditis, peritonitis and septicemia (Dho-Moulin and Fairbrother, 1999, Gross, 1994). The skin lesions caused by the avian cellulitis are also commonly observed (Brito et al., 2003).
Several characteristics associated with the virulence were detected in the APEC, such as many types of adhesins and temperature-sensitive hemagglutinin (Tsh), serum resistance, iron uptake systems, hemolysins, and ColV production (Delicato et al., 2002; Delicato et al., 2003, Dho-Moulin and Fairbrother, 1999; Rodriguez-Siek et al., 2005a, b; Vandekerchove et al., 2005; Vidotto et al., 1990). Some of the genes responsible for these virulence-associated factors are carried on large virulence plasmids (Ginns et al., 2000, Giddings et al., 2002; Rodriguez-Siek et al., 2005a; Schubert et al., 1998; Vidotto et al., 1990).
The iron uptake mechanism more frequently found in E. coli is the production of siderophores, which are low molecular mass iron chelators. Several pathogenic bacteria with invasive abilities have developed high affinity iron-acquisition systems, which can compete with the host siderophores such as the transferrin, and thus favor bacterial growth in a low iron environment (Griffiths 1987). The APEC isolates may possess multiple iron acquisition mechanisms, including the aerobactin (Delicato et al., 2003; Dho-Moulin and Fairbrother, 1999; Vidotto et al., 1990) and yersiniabactin (Janssen et al., 2001; Rodriguez-Siek et al., 2005a; Vandekerchove et al., 2005). The aerobactin iron-uptake system is encoded by the genes (iuc) for the aerobactin biosynthesis, and the iron uptake transport (iut) genes responsible for the receptor of the ferric aerobactin, which is induced by the iron stress (Neilands, 1991). The role of the aerobactin iron-uptake system in the virulence of the APEC has been investigated. Studies have shown that the prevalence of the aerobactin iron-uptake genes may be more than 80% in the APEC isolates (Rodriguez-Siek et al., 2005a, Vandekerchove et al., 2005). The deletion of the aerobactin encoding gene cluster was associated with a reduction in the virulence of an APEC strain (Dozois et al., 2003)
In previous studies, the pathogenicity of the APEC has been correlated with the aerobactin iron-uptake system (Brito et al., 2003; Delicato et al., 2003; Vidotto et al., 1990; Vidotto et al., 1994). The aerobactin system from a Brazilian APEC isolate was cloned and the restriction map showed similarity with the aerobactin system of pColV-K30 from the human invasive E. coli (Goes et al., 1993). A 74-kDa outer-membrane protein (IutA) was also identified, with the same relative molecular mass of the IutA receptor from the pColV-K30 (Goes et al., 1993) and that cross-reacted immunologically with it. The IutA protein wais a multifunctional receptor also involved in the binding and internalisation of the bacteriocin cloacin DF13 and the bacteriophage 74 (De Graaf et al., 1969; Roberts et al., 1989).
Despite the importance of the aerobactin system as a virulence factor in the extraintestinal infections, the possibility of using the aerobactin receptor (IutA protein) as a protective antigen has been little investigated (Roberts et al., 1989). Previous studies have suggested that the passive immunization with the polyclonal antibodies against the iutA protein protect the turkey and chicken from the disease caused by the APEC. In the turkeys challenged with E. coli, the inoculation of the rabbit antiserum against the membrane receptor of the aerobactin (IutA) significantly reduced the bacteremia and the severity of the lesions (Bolin and Jensen, 1987). In the chickens, the anti-iutA IgY injected intramuscularly in the broiler chickens was protective against E. coli strains (Kariyawasam et al., 2004). However, the murine monoclonal antibody to the ferric aerobactin was not efficient to protect the mice or chickens challenged with E. coli (Le Roy et al., 1995).
In this work, the cloning and characterization the iut A gene from a Brazilian APEC isolate was carried out and tested whether the antibodies raised against the recombinant IutA protein could inhibit the IutA biological activities.
Bacterial strain
The avian pathogenic Escherichia coli strain APEC 9 (previously called UEL9) used in this study was recovered from the trachea of a colisepticemic chicken. This strain showed resistance to tetracycline and ampicillin, resistance to serum complement, produced colicin V, an iron uptake system mediated by the aerobactin and carried one large plasmid of approximately 120 kilobases (Kb) (Vidotto et al., 1990). The APEC 9 strain presented serotype O2:H9:K1 (Moura et al., 2001) and was pathogenic to 1-day-old chickens by the means of the pathogenicity test, presenting LD50 of 1 x 105 cells/ ml. The iutA, tsh, iss, papC, papG and cvaC genes were detected in the E. coli APEC9 strain (Delicato et al., 2002; Delicato et al., 2003). The APEC9 also contained the gene fyuA (unpublished data). The APEC 9 strain was grown overnight at 37 °C in 3 ml of Luria Broth (LB) or M9 broth plus 2,2dipyridyl.
Cloning of iutA gene and DNA sequence analysis
The DNA from the APEC 9 strain was obtained by boiling and used to amplify the iutA gene by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The primers iutA F (5'-CACCATGATGATAAGCAAAAAG-3') and iutA R (5'-GACCAAAGGTGGGCCCCTG CC-3') were constructed according to the Genbank sequence (X05874). The CACC sequence from 5' end of the forward primer annealed to the overhang sequence GTGG in the pET101/D-TOPO® vector (5,7Kb) (Invitrogen, Carlsbad, CA, USA). The PCR was carried out in a total volume of 25 µl containing 5 µl of the DNA template, 1 µl each of the primers at 20 pmol, 200 µM of each deoxynucleoside triphosphates, pfx Platinum buffer 1X, 0.5 µl of 50 mM of magnesium sulphate, enhancer solution 0.5X (Invitrogen) and 2.5 U of Pfx platinum DNA polymerase. The PCR conditions were as follows: denaturation at 94 for 5 min followed by 30 cycles of the denaturation at 94°C for 1 min, annealing at 55°C for 2 min, and extension at 72°C for 1 min, followed by a final extension at 72°C for 7 min in a Thermal Cycler (Gene Amp PCR System 9700/Perkin Elmer). The 100-pb ladder (Promega, Madison, WI) was used as the standard in the determination of the molecular mass of the PCR products.
The amplification product was purified with the kit "CONCERT System of extraction from gel" (GIBCO BRL), and 20ng of the DNA were used to insert into the pET 101/D-TOPO® vector. The host strain TOP10 chemically competent E. coli cells (Invitrogen) were then transformed with the recombinant plasmid and the clones were spread on the selective plates containing ampicillin. The positive clones were grown in the LB containing ampicillin for the extraction of the plasmid by the alkaline lysis (Mini Prep) (Sambrook, 1989). The presence of the iutA inserts was confirmed by the restriction digests of recombinant plasmid with Xba I and Cla I, and by PCR. The recombinant pET101/iutA plasmid was sequenced using the primers T3, T7, iutA F, iutA R and internal primers. The DNA and amino acids sequence analysis were carried out with the computational programs "CAP3 Contig Assembly Program" and "Clustal W (1.81) Multiple Sequence Alignments".
Expression of the iutA gene and purification of recombinant his-tagged iutA
The E. coli BL 21 strain was transformed with the recombinant plasmid pET 101- iutA. The BL21/ pET101- iutA strain was grown to an optical density of OD600 nm = 0.5 to 0.8 (mid log), and IPTG (isopropyl-1- β- D- thiogalactopyranoside) was then added and aliquots were removed at different times to determine the best time for the expression. The IutA purification the BL21/ pET101- iutA strain was grown at 37ºC for 4 h. The cells were collected by centrifugation and treated with the buffer containing 6 M guanidine-HCl and sonicated on the ice with three 5-second pulses at the high intensity. The lysate was then centrifuged at 3000 x g for 15 min and the supernatant was transferred to ProBondTM resin (Invitrogen) previously washed with the Denaturing Binding Buffer (8 M urea, 20 mM NaPO4, 500 mM NaCl, pH 7.8). The supernatant and resin were incubated for 1h on a rotation wheel. After centrifugation at 2000 rpm, the resin was washed two times with the Denaturing Binding Buffer at pH 7.8, two times with the buffer at pH 6.0, and once with the buffer at pH 5.3. The protein was eluted using 8 M urea buffer at pH 4.0, dialyzed against 10 mM Tris (pH 8.0; 0.1% Triton X-100) overnight at 4 oC and concentrated on centrifugal microconcentrators (Centripep). The protein concentration was measured using the Bradford method and analyzed on SDS-PAGE.
Analysis of IutA by the SDS PAGE and Western Blotting
The lysates and purified protein were suspended in the electrophoresis sample buffer (0.025M Tris-HCl, 2% SDS, 15% glycerol, 2.5% 2-mercaptoethanol, pH 6.8), boiled for 5 min, and electrophoresed on the SDS-8% polyacrylamide gel (SDS-PAGE). The gels were either stained with the Comassie blue or set up for the Western blot. The proteins were transferred onto nitrocellulose membranes (Pharmacia Biotech) and the membranes were blocked with the blocking buffer (PBS + 0.1% Tween 20 + 5% nonfat dry milk) for 1 h at room temperature under agitation. The membrane was washed in PBS-T (PBS + 0.1% Tween 20) and incubated for 1 h in a 1:5000 dilution of Anti-His (C-term)-HRP (Invitrogen) directed against the hexamer histidine tag, and in a 1:250 dilution of IgY anti IutA and HRP anti-chicken IgG (Sigma Immuno Chemicals). The membranes were washed and the recombinant IutA was detected by the means of the enhanced chemoluminescence (ECL) Western Blotting System (Amersham International, Amersham, United Kindom). The protein molecular weight markers (RainbowTM colored, Amersham Life Science) were used as the standards.
Anti-IutA antibody production
For the antibody production, the recombinant IutA protein (approximately 100µg) was cut from the SDS-PAGE gel and intramuscularly inoculated with the complete Freund's adjuvant (v/v) into the hens. The animals were boosted with the injections containing 100 µg of the antigen mixed with incomplete Freunds adjuvant (v/v) at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after the initial immunization. The eggs were collected prior to the first inoculation and daily during the course of the immunization. The eggs were stored at 4°C until the antibody extraction. IgY from the yolk was isolated as described by Camenisch et al. (1999). The IgY antibodies were adsorbed with the BL21 E. coli strain that was negative for iutA, to prepare the specific anti-iutA IgY. The BL21 E. coli cells grown in the LB broth were washed three times in the PBS and inactivated with 0.4% formalin overnight. After washes with the PBS, the cells were added to same volume of the anti-iutA IgY and incubated overnight with shaking, and repeated three times. After the centrifugation, the concentration of the anti-iutA IgY was measured by the Bradford method (1976).
Growth curve of the APEC9 incubated with and without anti-iutA IgY
The APEC9 strain was grown in M9 broth plus 50 µM 2,2dipyridyl at 37°C. Thirty millilitres of the prepared bacterial culture were inoculated in 3ml of M9 broth plus 2,2dipyridyl and incubated at 37°C with shaking. The anti-iutA IgY preparation was sterilized by using a 22µm membrane filter. The APEC9 strain was incubated with 3 mg of IgY in M9 broth plus 50 µM 2,2dipyridyl at 37°C with shaking. Aliquots of samples (100µl) were taken at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h of incubation and spread on LB agar plates in duplicate. The inoculated plates were incubated at 37°C overnight and the number of colony-forming units per ml was determined. The growth curve of the APEC9 strain was obtained in LB at 37°C, with and without IgY. The turbidity of the culture (optical density at 600nm) was measured by a spectrophotometer at 1 h intervals. The growth curve was plotted until the stationary phase was reached.
Cloacin DF13 extraction
The DF13 cloacin was produced as described by De Graaf et al. (1968). Mitomicin C (Sigma) 1 ug/ml was added to E. coli F205 exponential culture in the BHI, and incubated for 10 min. at 37°C. After centrifugation, the cells were suspended in the BHI and incubated for 3 h at 37°C. Ammonium sulphate was added to the culture supernatant for the precipitation of the cloacin, which was dialyzed, sterilized by filtration and kept at -20°C.
Sensitivity to cloacin test and its inhibition by the anti-IutA IgY
Initially the APEC9 strain was grown at 37°C in M9 broth plus 2,2dipyridyl, and plated onto M9 agar plus 2,2dipyridyl. This strain was also incubated with IgY anti-IutA for 1h prior to the plating onto M9 agar plus 2,2dipyridyl. A crude preparation of the cloacin DF13 (20 µl) was deposited on each plate and then incubated for 18 h at 37°C. A zone of growth inhibition indicated that the strain was sensitive to cloacin, and the absence of this zone indicated that the strain was resistant to cloacin. The E. coli LG1315 and HB101 strains were used as the positive and negative controls, respectively.
Experimental infection of the chicks
Four groups of one-day-old chicks (n=6) were subcutaneously infected with the APEC 9 strain (1 x 107 cells). The strain was grown at 37°C in M9 broth plus 2,2dipyridyl, and after wash with the PBS the APEC9 was incubated with 0.1mg of anti-IutA IgY (group I), 1 mg of anti-IutA IgY (group II), and the PBS (group III) for 1 h at 37 ºC before the experimental infection. As negative control group IV was inoculated with the PBS. The chickens were monitored for the mortality during one week. The clinical signs and deaths were recorded daily.
Cloning of the iutA gene and its DNA sequence
The iutA gene from the APEC9 was amplified by the PCR. A DNA fragment of approximately 2.1 Kb was obtained, purified and cloned into the expression vector pET101/D-TOPO. The recombinant plasmid pET101-iutA was analysed by the digestion with XbaI and ClaI. The XbaI digestion resulted in a DNA fragment of 7.9 Kb, corresponding to 5.7 Kb of the vector plus 2.1 Kb of the insert. The ClaI digestion produced two DNA fragments with 6.0 and 1.8 Kb, showing that the iutA gene was inserted in the desired reading frame into pET101/D-TOPO vector.
The ORF from of cloned iutA gene from the avian E. coli APEC9 comprised 2173 bp from the start to stop codon (Genebank AY602767). The databank searches for the similar nucleotide sequence showed that the APEC9 iutA gene had 98 and 97 % identity with the plasmid genes from other APEC, pAPEC-02-ColV (AY545598.4) and pTJ100 (AY553855.1), respectively. Moreover, the APEC9 iutA gene showed 96% identity with the iutA gene from the pColV-K30 of the human E. coli (Krone et al.,1987) and 88 % with uropathogenic E. coli CFT073 (Welch et al., 2002). The IutA protein cloned from the APEC9 showed high similarity to other receptors of the ferric aerobactin from E. coli. Fig. 1 compares the amino acid sequences of IutA protein from APEC9 (AAT35536), APEC pTJ100 plasmid (AAS66997), APEC ColV-O2 plasmid (ABA54744), ColV-K30 plasmid (CAA29297), non pathogenic E.coli (CAE55774), and uropathogenic E. coli (AAN82071). Conserved amino acid residues in the putative TonB dependent/Ligand-Gated channel domain from APEC9 are underlined.
Expression and purification of the recombinant IutA protein in E. coli BL21
The IutA protein was better induced after the incubation of E. coli BL21/pET101-iutA, with 1 mM of IPTG for 4h. The profile of the proteins on the SDS-PAGE showed the presence of the induced IutA (Fig. 2A, line 2) in comparison with the clone BL21/pET101-iutA with no induction (Fig. 2A, line 1). The "his-tagged" IutA protein was purified from ProBondTM resin under denaturing conditions, presenting a MM of approximately 74 kDa (Fig.2A, line 3), which reacted with the anti-his monoclonal antibody on the Western blot (data not shown). A protein of approximately 50 kDa present on the SDS-PAGE stained with Comassie blue was probably a contaminating protein since it did not react with anti-IutA IgY, which was adsorbed with the BL21 E. coli strain. The clone BL21/ pET101-iutA was resistant to cloacin, since the recombinant IutA was not present on its outer membrane. The reactivity of the recombinant IutA with the anti-IutA IgY on the Western blot shown in the Fig.2B (lines 2 and 3), and nonimmune IgY at the same dilution, did not react with IutA.
Effect of the antibodies anti-IutA IgY on IutA biological activities
The growth curves of the APEC9 incubated with and without anti-iutA IgY showed similar pattern (Fig. 3), indicating that this specific IgY had no growth-inhibitory effect on the APEC9 strain when it was induced after growth in M9 broth plus 50 µM 2, 2dipyridyl (iron stress).
The APEC9 strain, which was sensitive to cloacin due to the presence of IutA protein, showed resistance to cloacin after incubation with the anti-IutA IgY (Fig. 4), demonstrating the inhibition of the IutA biological activities by the specific antibody. The sensitivity to cloacin DF13 assay was used because it was a good in vitro assay for checking the presence of the native IutA protein, since IutA was also a cloacin receptor and cloacin inhibited the growth of E. coli.
In in vivo experiments, the anti-IutA IgY did not protect the chicks of the experimental infection by the subcutaneous inoculation of the APEC9 strain in one-day-old chicks. All the six chicks died (100%), when infected with the APEC9 and the APEC treated with the anti-IutA IgY (groups I and II) or the PBS (group III), whereas all the chicks from the non-inoculated group (IV) survived.
The iutA gene of the pMV14 from the APEC14 expressed an OMP of approximately 74 kDa, the ferric-aerobactin receptor (Goes et al., 1993), which showed homology with the IutA protein of pABN1 from the human pathogenic E. coli strain (Williams, 1979), by restriction endonuclease mapping and hybridisation experiments. In this work, the sequence of the iutA gene cloned from another Brazilian avian E. coli (APEC9) presented high identity (98, 97 and 96%) with the iutA genes previously characterised from the pColV-02 and pTJ100 plasmids of APEC, and from the pColV-K30 of the human invasive E. coli strain, demonstrating that the IutA protein was highly conserved among the E. coli strains.
The IutA amino acid sequence of the APEC9 presented some differences to those of the uropathogenic E. coli CFT073 (AAN82071), but the amino acid residues in the TonB dependent/Ligand-Gated channel domain, underlined in Fig. 1, were highly conserved. The product of the TonB gene was necessary for the uptake of the iron by all the high-affinity iron-transport systems (Neilands, 1991).
It was observed that the antibodies IgY anti-iutA reacted with the denatured IutA proteins as shown by the Western blot (Fig 2B) and also reacted with the native IutA, inhibiting the sensitivity to cloacin of the APEC9 strain. This data agreed with the results obtained with the monoclonal antibody AB9 produced against the denatured IutA from the pColV K30 that also reacted with the native IutA of different enteric bacteria (Bouchet et al., 1994). In contrast, the antisera raised in the rabbits against the denatured IutA reacted only in the assays involving the denatured protein, and showed no inhibition of the biological activities of the native receptor (Welch et al., 2002).
Although the anti-IutA IgY reacted with the aerobactin receptor, it did not inhibit the growth of the APEC9 strain in M9 broth plus 50 µM 2,2dipyridyl, suggesting that APEC9 had means other than through the expression of the aerobactin to obtain the iron under low iron conditions. For example, the irp2-fyuA gene cluster, encoding the iron chelator yersiniabactin, has been found in E. coli isolated from the humans (Gophna et al., 2001, Schubert et al., 1998) and birds (Janssen et al., 2001, Rodriguez-Siek et al., 2005a, Vandekerchove et al., 2005). Furthermore, the presence of the fyuA was detected in the APEC9.
In addition, results showed that the anti-iutA IgY did not protect the chicks experimentally infected with the APEC9. This result was in disagreement with the findings obtained in the previous studies (Bolin and Jensen, 1987, Kariyawasam et al., 2004) and could be explained by the presence of the multiple iron acquisition mechanisms in the APEC9 and the presence of both the iutA and fyuA genes has been detected in 90 % of the E. coli strains isolated from the hens with the colibacillosis (Rodriguez-Siek et al., 2005b). It was also possible that in the present in vivo protocol low doses of IgY anti-iutA (0.1 and 1 mg of IgY) were administrated. In the previous studies, the doses as high as 100 mg of the purified IgY anti-iutA antibody or the rabbit antiserum specific to iutA protein diluted or undiluted protected chicken and turkeys from the E. coli septicemia, respectively (Kariyawasam et al., 2004). These observations suggested that the antibody specific to the iutA protein might provide the protection against infection by APEC.
In conclusion, the iutA gene from the Brazilian APEC strain showed high similarity to the iutA gene from others APEC strains and from a human invasive E. coli strain. The recombinant IutA protein induced the production of the antibodies in the chickens, which inhibited the aerobactin receptor biological activity.
The authors wish to thank Prof. L.C.J. Gaziri for help in revising the manuscript. This work was supported by the "Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico" (CNPq).
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Goes, C.R.; Vidotto, M. C. and Gaziri. L. C. J. (1993), Cloned genes of the aerobactin system of virulent avian Escherichia coli do not confer virulence to recombinant strains. Braz. J. Med Biol.Res. 26, 261-275. [ Links ]
Gophna, U.; Oelschlaeger, T. A.; Hacker, J. and Ron, E.Z. (2001), Yersinia HPI in septicemic Escherichia coli strains isolated from diverse hosts. FEMS Microbiol. Letters 196, 57-60. [ Links ]
Griffiths, E. (1987), The iron-uptake system of pathogenic bacteria. In: Iron and infection: molecular physiological and clinical aspects, Ed. By J.J. Bullen, E.Griffiths. Chichester: England. pp. 69-137. [ Links ]
Gross, W.B. (1994), Diseases due to Escherichia coli in poultry. In: Gyles, C.L.(Ed.), Escherichia coli in Domestic Animals and Humans, CAB International,UK, Wallingford, pp.237-259. [ Links ]
Janssen, T.; Schwarz, C.; Preikschat, P.; Voss, M.; Phillip, H. and Wieler, L. H. (2001), Virulence-associated genes in avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) isolated from internal organs of poultry having died from colibacillosis. Int. J. Med. Microbiol. 291, 371-378. [ Links ]
Giddings, C.W.; Horne, S. M.; Gibbs, P. S.; Wooley, R. E.; Skyberg, J.; Olah, P.; Kercher, R.; Sherwood, J. S.; Foley S. L. and Nolan, L. K. (2002), Location of increased serum survival gene and selected virulence traits on a conjugative R plasmid in an avian Escherichia coli isolate. Avian Dis. 46, 342-352. [ Links ]
Kariyawasam, S.; Wilkie, B. N. and Gyles C. L. (2004), Resistance of broiler chickens to Escherichia coli respiratory tract infection induced by passively transferred egg-yolk antibodies. Veterinary Microbiology 98, 273284. [ Links ]
Krone, W. J. A.; Stegehuis, F.; Koningstein, G.; van Doorn, C.; Roosendaal, B.; de Graaf, F.K. and Oudega, B. (1987), Characterization of the pColV-K30 encoded cloacin DF13/aerobactin outer membrane receptor protein of Escherichia coli; isolation and purification of the protein and analysis of its nucleotide sequence and primary structure. FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 26, 153-161. [ Links ]
Le Roy, D., C. Crouzier, M. Dho-Moulin, A. S. Dumont, A. Bouchet, J. P. Lafont, A. Andremont.(1995), Results of passive and active immunization directed against ferric aerobactin in experimental enterobacterial infections in mice and chickens. Res Microbiol. 146: 167-74. [ Links ]
Neilands, J.B. (1991), Mechanism and regulation of syntesis of aerobactin in E. coli K12 (pColV-K30). Can. J. Microbiol. 38: 728-733. [ Links ]
Moura, A.C., K. Irino, M. C. Vidotto. (2001), Genetic Variability of avian Escherichia coli strains evaluated by enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus and repetitive extragenic palindromic polymerase chain reaction. Avian Dis. 45: 173-181. [ Links ]
Roberts, M. K., H. G. Woolridge, S. I. Kuswandi, P. H. Williams. (1989), Inhibition of biological activities of the aerobactin receptor protein in rough strains of Escherichia coli by policlonal antiserum raised against native protein. J. Gen. Microbiol. 135: 2387-2398. [ Links ]
Rodriguez-Siek, K.E., C. W. Giddings, C. Doetkott, T. J. Johnson, L. K. Nolan. (2005a), Characterizing the APEC pathotype. Vet Res. 36: 241-56. [ Links ]
Rodriguez-Siek, K. E., C. W. Giddings, C. Doetkott, T. J. Johnson, M. K. Fakhr, L. K. Nolan. (2005b), Comparison of Escherichia coli isolates implicated in human urinary tract infection and avian colibacillosis. Microbiology. 151:2097-110. [ Links ]
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Schubert, S., A. Rakin, H. Karch, E. Carniel, J. Heesemann. (1998), Prevalence of the "high-pathogenicity island" of Yersinia species among Escherichia coli strains that are pathogenic to humans. Infect. Immun. 66: 480-485. [ Links ]
Tivendale, K. A., J. L. Allen, C. A. Ginns, B. S. Crabb, G. F. Browning. (2004), Association of iss and iucA, but not tsh, with plasmid-mediated virulence of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli. Infect. Immun. 72: 54-60. [ Links ]
Vandekerchove, D., F. Vandemaele, C. Adriaensen, M. Zaleska, J. P. Hernalsteens, L. De Baets, P. Butaye, F. Van Immerseel, P. Wattiau, H. Laevens, J. Mast, B. Goddeeris, F. Pasmans. (2005), Virulence-associated traits in avian Escherichia coli: Comparison between isolates from colibacillosis-affected and clinically healthy layer flocks. Vet. Microbiol. 108: 75-87. [ Links ]
Vidotto, M. C., E. E. Muller, J. C. Freitas, A. A. Alfieri, I. G. Guimarães, D.S. Santos. (1990), Virulence factors of avian Escherichia coli. Avian Dis. 34: 531-538. [ Links ]
Vidotto, M.C., V. A. Terra, G. S. C. C. Lima, A. F. Alfieri, C. R. Goes, J. M. C. Cação. (1994), Iron-regulated outer-membrane proteins of strains of avian septicemic Escherichia coli. Braz. Med. Biol. Res. 27: 1291-1297. [ Links ]
Welch R. A., V. Burland, G. Plunkett 3rd, P. Redford, P. Roesch, D. Rasko, E. L. Buckles, S. R. Liou, A. Boutin, J. Hackett, D. Stroud, G. F.Mayhew, D.J. Rose, S. Zhou, D. C. Schwartz, N. T. Perna, H. L T. Mobley, M. S. Donnenberg, F. R. Blattner. (2002), Extensive mosaic structure revealed by the complete genome sequence of uropathogenic Escherichia coli. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U S A. 99: 17020-17024. [ Links ]
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Received: May 29, 2006;
Revised: January 11, 2007;
Accepted: December 28, 2007.
* Author for correspondence

subset: commoncrawl


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July 26 - August 2, 2014
For Singers Who Love to Dance and for Dancers Who Love to Sing
The Country Dance and Song Society exists to celebrate and promote participatory dance, music, and song. There is no place where that celebration is as tangible as it is at The Harmony of Song & Dance. The magic of Pinewoods Camp – nestled between two ponds and amid the pines – serves as the backdrop for the remarkable community that forms through the experience of a week of singing, dancing, and eating together. There is a space for YOU at The Harmony of Song & Dance: no matter whether you have years of experience as a dancer, singer, or both; or you are new to these cherished activities, and are looking for an experience to build skills and find confidence; or you want a situation that will allow you to take risks, find support, and be inspired; or you want simply to relax in a beautiful place, surrounded by music and dance. In the words, sung by former staff member Kathy Bullock; "You are welcome in this place." The experience will be richer for all participants if you grace us with your presence.
The theme of the week is community music making, based on the foundation of the riches of traditional song and dance, and the understanding that new songs and dances grow out of the old. Each staff member has deep roots in the song and dance traditions they are teaching, and their teaching reflects how these dynamic traditions are continuously evolving. Staff was all chosen for their expertise, but also for their ability to teach and nurture, as well as for their willingness to engage fully as members of the camp community.
Be part of the community at the Harmony of Song & Dance: engage, be inspired, feel supported; sing, dance, and make music!
You wake up in your cabin, walk along a wooded path between tall slender pines to another cabin for your shower and ablutions. You join your greater family of singers and dancers at the dining hall for a hearty breakfast and a cup of coffee or tea. Then you climb over the wooded hill past a village of tiny cabins and down the other side to the C# minor pavilion where your vocal coach is starting vocal warm-ups and – if needed – helping you find your vocal part. By 9:00 AM nearly one hundred and fifty singers are sitting on benches, and the daily 75-minute All Camp Chorale has begun.
During the Chorale, the singing staff take turns leading songs, some by ear, some from written music, some a little of both. The repertoire may include American country harmony, South African choral music, shape note and gospel, contemporary a cappella, and new arrangements of traditional songs. By the end of the week, we will share a common repertoire; you may find yourself in impromptu choir with some of your fellow campers, singing your way through your favorite All-Camp Chorale songs…perhaps on one of the tree-lined paths, or on the dock, or outside of the Dining Hall. The Chorale sets the mood for your day; be engaged by the diversity of repertoire, be inspired by the expertise of the staff song leaders, and be supported by your fellow participants and other staff members. It is the daily, all-inclusive opportunity to raise your voice, together with your fellow campers. Your abilities and comfort as a singer will be met with the support you need to participate fully in the experience.
After a short break, the entire camp splits into three groups for an hour of social dancing: English country; contras and squares; and the traditional English ritual dance known as Morris dancing.
Then swimming in the lake, jamming on the porch, visiting the bookstore, and socializing with friends old and new. And we haven't even had lunch yet.
As lunch is wrapping up, there is "Singing on the Porch" with participants taking turns leading pub type chorus songs. After lunch, classes include a potpourri of singing, instrumental music making, and dancing.
After dinner there is a concert in the cozy gathering place known as the Camphouse, where staff members perform solo, or in small group collaboration that is always amazing, sometimes amusing. The concert is followed by the evening dance – including contra, square, and English – at the C# pavilion, just a short walk down another lovely Pinewoods path.
The evening dance allows us to end our day as we began it – as whole camp community – this time to move together on the dance floor. Dance leaders Michael Cicone and Nils Fredland, supported by the stellar instrumental staff, take pride in their ability to create a diverse program of dances that will engage everyone, from the most novice to the most knowledgeable. Say yes, step onto the dance floor, and be swept up in the magic.
The dance ends with a closing song, bringing the day full circle.
Nils Fredland, Program Director
Program Directors
Keith Murphy & Becky Tracy
Mary Alice Amidon *
Peter Amidon *
Rani Arbo
Karen Axelrod
Adam Brown
Jeff Davis
Pascal Gemme
Scott Higgs
Cindy Kallet
Naomi Morse
Anna Patton
John Roberts
Emily Troll
Mary Wesley
* Advisors, plus Nils Fredland, Steve Howe
|Hot Breakfast served cafeteria style
|Cold Breakfast Coffee/Tea available
|Vocal Warm-ups
All-Camp Chorale: Singing Staff
Dance Classes
|Swimming, Bookstore staffed
Singing on the Porch: Ellen Epstein
Percussive Dance and Vocal Jam: Gillian Stewart
A Lonesome Sound: Andrew VanNorstrand
Shape-Note Songs, Old and New: Brendan Taaffe
Finding Your Own Voice: English Traditional Solo Singing: Adam Broome
Harmony By Ear: Cindy Kallet, Grey Larsen
Band Lab: Betsy Branch
Blues Dance, Roots and Branches: Nicole Singer
Arranging for Vocal Ensemble: Michael Cicone, Cindy Kallet, Ellen Epstein
Afrolacia, The Imaginary Kingdom: Brendan Taaffe
Body Awareness for Singers and Instrumentalists: Jaige Trudel
Music Theory for Anyone: Betsy Branch
Old-time Fiddle Traditions of Brown and Monroe Counties, Indiana: Grey Larsen
Tune Session/Exchange: Daron Douglas
Advanced Dance Potpourri: Michael Cicone, Nils Fredland
Community Chorale: Brendan Taaffe
Songwriting: Cindy Kallet
Irish Session Repertoire for All Instruments: Grey Larsen
Ballad Swap: Daron Douglas
Maritime Music: Nicole Singer
|Swimming, Bookstore staffed
|Staff Concert
|Evening Dance Party
|Late Night Activities


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Contact Number: (818) 241-3369
Fax: (818) 242-0640
Hours of Operation: 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m., Monday - Friday
When you need to have an imaging study done, it is easier to have the test done at a facility that is close to home and simple to find. Our facility is conveniently located at 624 S. Central Avenue in Glendale, CA, 91204. Our site has plenty of parking and is close to major thoroughfares such as Interstate 5 and California State Routes 2 and 134. We are just a few blocks away from the highway exits and are centrally located near popular shopping destinations at the Glendale Galleria and Americana.
When you arrive at our facility, you will be warmly greeted by our office staff. Our patient waiting area has plentiful seating where you and your family can relax. Our staff works to minimize your waiting time so you can get back home. We offer our solid commitment to putting our patients first. We provide a respectful, positive experience for both the patients who visit us and the referring physicians who need the study results.
Our staff is ready to help you schedule an MRI or PET scan imaging study at your earliest convenience. Call our Glendale office today at 1-818-241-3369 to speak with a courteous member of our scheduling department.


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EON Reality Norway AS
IDC & VR Innovation Academy
Grønnegata 83
2317 Hamar, Norway
Terningen Arena, Hamarvegen 112
2406 Elverum, Norway
- CEO – Knut Henrik Aas
Sales Inquiries – Morten Wenstad
- School Admissions – Marit Berg Strandvik
School Program Director – Bård Gunnerud
The Norwegian Interactive Digital Center (IDC) is a partnership between the Municipalities of Elverum and Hamar, Hedmark County, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, and EON Reality. The IDC will help address local and regional development needs through Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR).
EON Reality Norway has its headquarters and production center in Hamar. The center provides access to state-of-the-art Virtual Reality showroom, development lab, and a VR Innovation Academy, an one-year further education programme, Add-On Programme in Augmented and Virtual Reality, at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences. The IDC also has a sub-division in Elverum which has a state-of-the-art showroom and development lab.
Application submission is now closed for academic year 2019-2020.
For academic year 2020-2021 – Application deadline for applicants:
From outside the Nordic countries – December 1, 2019
From the Nordic countries – April 15, 2020
Stage 1 – Theoretical and practical training – 4 months
- General knowledge on Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, and Mixed Reality
- Project management tools and techniques while working on AR and VR immersive projects
- Development of 2D and 3D visual assets
- Modelling, Texturing, Rigging and Animation of the assets for AR and VR applications
- Interactive application development basic and advance
- Scripting and programming techniques within interactive application development
- Development and deployment of the VR applications for immersive systems
- Creation mobile 3D applications with VR and AR functionality
- Publishing applications for Android, iOS and for EON Studio based educational platforms
Stage 2 – Project based training – 7 months
- Collaborative work in multi-skilled groups
- Student's individual development path via experience working on projects
- Idea promotion and incubation of the creativity
- Support the operations of global production
- Team building exercises
- Mentoring to assist with CV preparation and interview skills for possible recruitment with EON Reality or beyond
- Entrepreneurship development


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How we overhauled our approach to customers and got personal
Monday, February 22, 2016/
Are you driving people away by giving them poor experiences? Customers come first, but often SMEs can be too slow to think of innovative ways to look after them.
Whether you're an online retailer or a brick-and-mortar store, it might be time to update your approach to customer service to expand your reach, boost brand awareness and keep up with increasingly high expectations.
Individualised support for customer satisfaction
For web app-based security solution Cammy, establishing a dedicated customer support team for responding to queries on a one-on-one basis has been essential for remaining competitive.
The Cammy app lets you watch over your home, family, possessions and pets from anywhere, any time. This is a product where the customer needs to feel they are receiving a personalised service, according to Cammy digital marketing manager Jason Allan.
And the more personable the better. Addressing the customer by their name in emails, including a photo of the customer service operator and using language that speaks to one person and not a group are all valuable tactics, Allan says.
"This might not seem innovative in the digital age where everything is automated, but it's invaluable to customers and it is one area where SMEs have an advantage over larger companies."
Use data to better understand your customers
Over time the business has realised the importance of data for managing customer satisfaction by keeping better track of a customer's actions within the app.
"The data can show us whether a customer is yet to try a feature we think is important to their experience, or tells us when we should set up auto messages," says Allan.
Data also provides deeper insights such as what phone device is being used, how long someone has been a customer and how many cameras they may have set up.
Claire Roberts, Executive General Manager of Local Business Banking at Commonwealth Bank, also emphasises the importance of regularly examining your data for insights.
"Analysing the business landscape and your customer priorities can help a business see itself through fresh eyes and point them towards the right questions to ask," she says.
Knowing these details by being able to access and interpret data gives you more information more quickly and shows the customer you care about them and their experience.
Get ahead with tech
If you're looking to better understand customer needs, consider taking advantage of tools such as Survey Monkey, which allows you to analyse your target market, or Intercom.io to assist with customer communication.
Implementing technology that makes any and all processes easier for customers is a key part of good service. This might mean providing easy and flexible payment options for your customers, such as mobile EFTPOS terminals, says Roberts.
But it's important to remember that customer innovation can extend beyond the use of technology; it's about cultivating rich, valuable relationships.
"Innovation also involves a form of partnership and advice," says Roberts.
"At CommBank, we aim to work alongside our customers to help them incorporate innovative thinking in their business plans and to empower them to deliver long term success."
Drive business with social media
Many of your best customer service advocates are of course your customers. During your online social interactions, there's no reason why you shouldn't be transparent in your communication to build trust and rapport, advises Allan.
"By using Facebook ads, we target people who look like our customers but we also include existing customers who actively respond to comments and help sell our product for us.
"We even follow customers on social media to help build brand awareness and keep a very high response rate to comments on Facebook."
At CommBank we believe innovation starts by asking questions. Discover new ways to keep your business moving.
Written by: Thea Christie
Innovation starts with your team
Wednesday, February 17, 2016/
To become innovative and encourage a culture of creativity, you need to start with your team. They are going to be a rich source of solutions for stagnant or out-dated processes within your business.
To do this well, you need to know how to foster a culture of creativity and innovation.
Leadership starts with you
Business owners and leaders need to have a clear picture of where their business is heading and involve their team in that vision, says Claire Roberts, Executive General Manager, Local Business Banking with the Commonwealth Bank.
"When employees believe in the change, it allows leaders to focus on the mechanics of making the change happen, involving their team throughout the journey, giving them accountability and ownership," Roberts says.
Ashleigh McInnes, director of PR and communications company Paper Mill, says she realised that if her business was going to stay viable in an industry undergoing rapid change, she needed to build an innovative team culture.
"The challenge is how to define your team culture while it's happening around you," McInnes says.
"We have a culture of learning by doing," she says. "We always try and reflect on what we've done, what we can do better and share that with the whole team."
McInnes says these values have helped her business innovate and fast track growth.
"In any business there are things that aren't going to go your way," she says. "But as long as you can learn from that situation and take it on board it's invaluable."
Fresh eyes can make all the difference
A recent Commonwealth Bank innovation survey found that nearly half of Australian businesses (45 per cent) believe one of the biggest challenges to innovation is coming up with new ideas, whilst more than one-third (34 per cent) say the challenge is having the time to look at their business with 'fresh eyes' that makes the difference.
Small business owners face a lot of time pressures, but there are still ways of getting a renewed perspective without dedicating massive amounts of your own time.
"Leveraging customer insights (such as online data analytics) is a good example of a small step towards innovation," Roberts says. "These insights are relatively easy to obtain and can have a huge impact on business processes."
Paper Mill's Ashleigh McInnes says that business owners need to realise they can't do everything themselves and that they should occasionally relinquish control to allow their team to take over some of the burden of innovation.
"I was getting pulled in so many different directions, in terms of strategy and operations to HR, I realised I was not the person to implement the changes needed," she says.
"We actually brought someone in last year and part of their job was to implement new systems and processes and put in place those changes quickly – it's been invaluable."
Even small actions speak louder than words
When it comes to promoting innovation internally, getting the ball rolling through small actions is a lot more helpful than just talking, says Roberts.
"As a business owner, it's important to help the business overcome roadblocks by demonstrating how simple exercises can be innovative," says Roberts. "Often it's about asking the right questions and following through on what is uncovered."
McInnes started a system where after every completed event or project her team would reflect upon how it went and work out how they could do things better in the future.
"Through that process and relating to our values, we looked at how we interact with our clients and our public," she says.
"By using this approach we ask people to grow and adapt at a much faster rate than if they were forced to look at things form a solo perspective."
Work with your team
Engaging your employees in innovative thinking can not only help further your team's professional development, but also open up new opportunities.
Also, find out about your team members' hobbies and interests – it can help you identify where their talents may be best directed, says McInnes.
"Learning what my team members are interested in outside of work has allowed me to get to know what their passions are and provide them with specific projects accordingly," she says.
"I've found sometimes staff members can come up with some of the most brilliant ideas. Why not utilise that instead of putting them in a box?"
At CommBank we believe innovation starts by asking questions. Discover new ways to keep your business moving.
Written by: Jacob Robinson
The change journey
Thursday, February 4, 2016/
Businesses of every size know that there is no such thing as a constant market.
Whether it's technological advances, new competitors or shifting consumer preferences, change is always on the way. Most SMEs realise that to survive, they must be adaptable and agile. An innovative business is a sustainable business.
Claire Roberts, Executive General Manager of Local Business Banking at Commonwealth Bank, says innovation provides an opportunity for small businesses to stay competitive.
"Businesses of all sizes need to be continually innovating to keep up with the evolving needs of their customers and stay competitive," says Roberts.
"For small businesses innovation is particularly important as customers are increasingly going digital. Local businesses are finding themselves competing against larger businesses with bigger budgets."
According to a recent Commonwealth Bank survey, smaller businesses value innovation more so than larger businesses. But many of these small enterprises are unsure of how to start innovating.
"Business owners often think of innovation as involving technology, however, more often it involves thinking critically to better understand business challenges and opportunities," says Roberts.
While small businesses may not have the budgets of larger companies, she explains, they are often more agile and can be more responsive to changing markets.
Some have decided to put innovation and agility at the centre of their approach. One such company is Annex Products, co-founded by friends Chris Peters and Rob Ward.
Their core business is Quad Lock, a phone mounting system. Users can use a Quad Lock product to attach their smartphone to their car dashboard, arm or their bike, so they can be used hands-free while driving, running or riding.
Ward, a toolmaker by trade, and Peters, a designer, made their first product after seeing the success of other projects on crowdfunding website Kickstarter.
"We thought, 'Gee this is a great way to get an actual consumer grade product to the market, and to see if people would like to buy it,'" recalls Ward.
The pair used the funds from the success of their first product on KickStarter to create the first Quad Lock product, which launched on Kickstarter in 2012. From the beginning, the founders have had direct contact with customers, allowing them to stay informed about changing preferences and market conditions.
At first, they went to product with a bike mount. Now, Quad Lock offers a car mount, a running band arm mount, a tripod, a belt clip, and cases for mobile devices.
The pair's decision to go straight to consumers through Kickstarter, rather than waiting until the product was perfect, means that innovation is built into the company's DNA, says Ward.
"You understand the customer, what they want and what they want to achieve, and – for better and worse – what can be changed.
"We've kept adding to the product. You've got to have your core concept solid. But I think every product goes through a 'feature creep'," says Ward.
According to Roberts, innovation is often a continual process which is supported by checking in with customer preferences.
"Innovation is not necessarily a single big idea or an overnight change. At Commonwealth Bank, we believe that innovation can be as simple as making small, incremental changes and usually involves a form of partnership," she says.
"This means businesses can continue to deliver on products and services, while regularly dedicating time to asking questions to help better understand customer needs and thinking long term about solutions for success."
At CommBank we believe innovation starts by asking questions. Discover new ways to keep your business moving.
Written by: Jessie Richardson
What the technology revolution means for Australian SMEs
Friday, January 29, 2016/
The technology revolution has turned every small business into a technology company – whether they like it or not. What once was the domain of large corporations has now filtered down into every aspect of the economy.
From payroll and project management to communication and file storage, these technologies have not only streamlined the way businesses work, but made processes incredibly cheap. Combined with the app economy, SMEs now have improved solutions for doing business, communicating, and collaborating in real-time.
But many small businesses in Australia still see technology as an afterthought. A 2014 report from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found there was a "lack of urgency to change", among SMEs. They are deliberately choosing to be late adopters in fear of wasting money and resources.
However, it was also found the more knowledgeable and confident SMEs become about digital communications technology, the "easier the path to adoption becomes".
Steven Strange heads one of these early adopter SMEs. As the head of health technology group Health Metrics, Strange's company produces software and technology solutions for workers in the aged care industry.
Internally, technology has rapidly streamlined Health Metrics' own services and processes. It has transformed the company into a faster, leaner and more productive work place, says Strange.
"We use Xero for accounting, we use SmartSheet to collaborate, and services like Trello to manage the collaborative development side of things.
"We're always keen to use anything in the cloud and to work online."
The reason for this is twofold – it saves money and encourages collaboration no matter where an employee is located. By using subscription based services like Xero, and other SaaS solutions including Trello, the business is able to connect no matter where they are.
For Strange, this is a perfect solution, as it means he can manage the business while on the road seeing clients and gaining new business.
"I can be on my smartphone and see staff positions at any time of the day, on anything. It's a big difference to where I was a few years ago, where you were only beginning to see these types of collaborative and cloud-based tools emerging – now, they're so commonplace."
But this hasn't been simply a case of adopting a technology and then looking the other way. Strange says businesses need to adopt a strategic mindset to embracing new technology no matter their stage of business growth.
Indeed, the ACMA report on technology found that newer businesses were more likely to adopt these technology solutions.
Strange believes businesses need to challenge the existing paradigms, disrupt themselves and be willing to change their culture for new technology if necessary.
"We're aiming to disrupt the healthcare space, and so we have to be able to disrupt ourselves as well."
The result is not chaos, but greater efficiency.
"We've got a stack of people who don't even come into the office, and they're creating all kinds of creativity from wherever they are," he says. "Ideas never slow down, and…it's been a real marker of our success.
"I honestly don't know if we would have been successful if we were operating in another time, because we have all these digital tools now."
These digital tools haven't just allowed for the company to be more nimble – they change the way all staff think.
"These tools have generated a framework of ideas," he says. "If we're using these great tools, our organisation needs to be as good, or better, than those [tools]."
At CommBank we believe innovation starts by asking questions. Discover new ways to keep your business moving.
Written by: Patrick Stafford
How we got set to grow: Pana Chocolate's story
Monday, December 14, 2015/
Most small and medium-sized business owners have growth on their mind. To some, that growth will mean getting more staff on board to improve their processes. Others are hoping to deliver their products to new markets, or to expand their offerings to their loyal customers.
No matter the goal, growth requires agility and innovative thinking.
One such ambitious entrepreneur is Pana Chocolate founder, Pana Barbounis, who launched his artisanal chocolate business in mid-2012.
"I've always been passionate about food and artisanal crafts, so when a friend introduced me to raw chocolate I just knew this was the journey for me," recalls Barbounis.
Big ambitions
After the seed of inspiration was planted, Barbounis spent six months working on Pana Chocolate's signature raw chocolate recipe and training in the UK and Belgium before kicking off the business.
Now, Pana Chocolate's 10 flavours of raw vegan chocolate are stocked in approximately 2,000 stores in over 20 countries. Locally, the two Pana Chocolate shops, which offer raw desserts, cakes and chocolates, have boosted the brand's social media following to 220,000.
"It's a big change from the days of delivering orders off the back of my Vespa in Melbourne," notes Barbounis.
Even in those days, however, Barbounis had high expectations of growth for his business.
"Our goals haven't changed; we want to be the number one raw and organic chocolate in the world."
His long-term vision is to become a "global brand with global recognition".
"We want to open more Pana Chocolate shops in major cities around the world, we want to continue building and nurturing creative and innovative thinking and we want to increase the demand for products that are better for you."
Growing pains
Facilitating that level of expansion in the relatively short lifespan of the business hasn't been without its difficulties.
"With rapid growth comes bigger demand on all areas of the business and it's been challenging at times with suppliers of our raw organic ingredients to keep up," he explains.
No enterprise works in complete isolation, but especially when growing, a business can find itself out of step with both its supplies and suppliers.
For those SME owners used to taking a hands-on approach to running all departments, expansion can also require them to relinquish control and adjust to new management styles.
"It also means bigger teams requiring a lot more people management as well as a lot more time management, and of course, as the owner, just letting go on certain areas," Babounis says.
Innovation and expansion
Underpinning Pana Chocolate's rapid climb has been the company's spirit of innovation and strong creative culture.
"We really place value on creating an amazing culture at Pana Chocolate," says Barbounis.
By making a deliberate effort to foster innovation, the business is able to better understand and encourage its employees and their ideas.
"At the very basics, we encourage creative speech, bringing ideas to the table and allocating employees' time to develop new ideas and new products."
Innovative practices, however, don't just apply to internal staff, but to external collaborators.
"We also work closely with our wider family, amazing third parties in the creative and innovative fields which help build the brand inside and out," Barbounis explains.
One thing the team haven't changed, despite the swelling demand for their products, is their core ideals.
"We are everything we say we are – raw, organic and vegan. Our products are good for your insides and good for the earth, and we are very much handmade and hand wrapped."
At CommBank we believe innovation starts by asking questions. Discover new ways to keep your business moving.
Written by: Jessie Richardson
Stuck in old habits? 5 ways to get efficient
Monday, December 7, 2015/
It's easy to become established in your old ways and comfortable with your level of growth as a small business. But it's vital to identify any inefficiencies or areas of potential to spur on growth.
Sue-Ellen Watts, founder and CEO of HR consultancy business wattsnext, says that it's a business owner's responsibility to be constantly looking for ways to improve their business.
"It's the job of a CEO or managing director to look at how you can do things better and more efficiently," Watts says.
Never say you're too busy to look at improving efficiency, because it's part of your role as an owner, she says.
Watts shares five key ways to challenge stale workplace habits and improve efficiency.
1. Workplace flexibility
"Technology has allowed us to be much more flexible and actually deliver better outcomes, but I think that we're not utilising that enough," says Watts.
"Look at the technology available and think about how you can reduce costs. We can all be connected all the time, so why do we all need to work in an office with set hours?"
Instead, focus on working where your energy best suits you, whether or not that's different to the standard and expected working hours. Technology has made this possible, she says.
2. Cut down documentation, focus on outcomes
One of the most time-consuming areas of managing staff is the amount of unnecessary documentation involved.
"There is an enormous amount of inefficiency, so we need to focus on cutting out all that noise and focus on what are trying to achieve," says Watts. "We need to be outcome focused."
"Policies are really about reducing risk within your business," says Watts. Yet company policies, often running into several pages, typically contain only a few important points. This not only wastes time compiling the policy, but means the purpose is not being achieved, she says.
3. Ditch the traditional performance review
Watts believes traditional performance reviews can also cause more damage than good.
"Any business that is doing annual performance reviews, or performance reviews based on a whole lot of documents, need to get rid of that straight away," she says.
Instead, managers should regularly keep in touch with their employees to ensure they're on the right track and their role is properly structured.
"Roles become what they are because people take on new responsibilities when they need to – but it's not very effective."
4. Recruit right, not just fast
When filling a gap in your staff, the temptation is to get someone on board as quickly as possible. But it's worth taking the extra time to ensure you hire the right person, Watts says.
"It's a speed thing and I understand why, you need to fill a role and you want to do it quickly," she says. "But it can have such a dramatic impact if you get it wrong."
Instead, outlining the role's responsibilities in detail, conduct extra interviews and ask more in-depth questions to find the appropriate person.
"People go straight out to market to try and find someone," she says. "But they're not recruiting the right people for the role – this creates enormous inefficiency for you later."
5. Encourage a disruptive mindset
It's not just business owners who should think disruptively. Owners should encourage an innovation mindset within their teams to improve upon the way processes have always been done.
Listening and responding to employee feedback not only helps you identify areas for improvement, but can expose you to different ways of thinking, Watts says.
"Getting people thinking about what others are doing in your businesses space and how they can do things better – this can be valuable to any business."
At CommBank we believe innovation starts by asking questions. Discover new ways to keep your business moving.
Written by: Jacob Robinson


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Due to the delicate taste of this particular vegetable, this soup may not be suitable for people who have a "mcdonaldised" sense of taste, meaning those who need a pound of salt in everything and two pounds of cheese on top. Although this recipe can be made exactly that way, only then it doesn't taste of cauliflower at all, which makes the whole exercise a bit pointless.
- Large cauliflower
- Large onion
- Medium carrot
- 1.5l of water
- a spoonful of oil
- a spoonful of butter
- laurel leaves
- parsley leaves
- sea salt
- black pepper
- a pinch of curry powder
- Blender
- Knife
Dice the onion and carrot. Wash the cauliflower thoroughly and remove the leaves. You can also remove the hardest, ugliest part of the stalk. Cut off a handful of those pretty cauliflower roses (or two handfuls if you have small hands) and set them aside. Chop up the rest of the cauliflower any old how.
Heat up the oil in a pot and stir-fry the onions, carrot and as much of the cauliflower as you can fit that will still fry (and not just sit on top of the rest). Add the butter and a tiny pinch of curry powder to the frying and watch out so you won't burn anything. 5-7 minutes of this is enough. When the onion is pleasantly yellow, pour the water in and add the rest of the ingredients, apart from the pretty roses and parsley. Cover the pot up and boil for as long as you like.
When the vegetables are nicely soft (preferably falling apart by themselves), take the laurel leaves out and use the blender to make a smooth mixture, then add the roses you set aside, the parsley leaves and the laurel leaves again. This is done to make the soup look prettier, so you don't absolutely have to do it - it also prolongs preparation time a bit because now you have to boil the roses again. But it's worth it.
You can serve it with cream, or croutons, or cheese, or all three, but there's honestly no need.


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Jan 05, 2018
Located in the heart of SoHo, 12,000 Francs embraces the chic vibe and multicultural spirit of the bustling district. The unique restaurant serves European cuisine with the most distinct and delicious twist.
In 1795, Napoleon Bonaparte had offered 12,000 Francs to anyone who could devise a method for preserving food for his conquering armies. A connoisseur of confectionary at the time, a man named Nicolas François Appert, devised a technique that went onto win him the emperor's prize and appreciation.
He used wine bottles to store food. The bottles were heated till boiling point and then sealed. This method became so well known that it is even used today.
We're all looking for ways to preserve our friendships, here at Mozaic. So why not, we asked ourselves, plan our next event at a restaurant whose theme centres around preservation?!
Preservation is at the heart of what 12,000 Francs tries to achieve with its cooking style. The restaurant employs preservation methods like smoking, salting, curing, etc., both traditional and contemporary, to prepare food for its customers. The menu itself is reflective of this style and is divided into four major sections: Pickled + Potted, Smoke + Salted, Vacuum + Fire and Sugar + Sweet.
Operated by the husband and wife duo Chris Woodyard and Bronwyn Cheung and captained by Chef Beach, the restaurant serves a variety of portions and sizes. It has a wide range of starters, brunch, mains, sharing plates and desserts. The menu includes items as varied as sourdough bread, smoked coral trout, tiger prawn rillettes, cote de boeuf with whisky and cocoa nib butter emulsion. Apart from the meat, the place also serves some lip-smacking vegetarian dishes.
The dessert selection of the restaurant is also something that you would not want to miss out on. The signature Nutella and Toast doesn't just look tempting, but tastes amazing too! People have gone as far as to say that it is better than Nutella itself!
The restaurant space is a total charmer, lending to a relaxed place for conversation and observation alike. Designed by Australian designer Emma Maxwell, the space is a quiet respite from the hubbub of SoHo. Enter the restaurant to the urban elegance of teal coloured walls with soft lighting. The vintage patterned tiles add to the European character of the place. The guests are greeted at the communal Sommelier's Table. This area is perfect for enjoying wine before or after the meal. The Sommelier's Table also gives the restaurant an opportunity to switch from a cosy dining place to a dazzling night bar, depending on who wants to experience what!
Apart from the food, the restaurant serves an array of wines. Their wine collection includes as many as 80 different labels, with the majority being new world wines. There are some boutique wines as well, making the wine menu quite an intriguing read. Cocktails are also a much-loved part of the menu, with the barrel-aged Manhattan and the Gin and Tonic on Tap being crowd favourites.
This restaurant, with its brilliant ambience, carefully chosen wine selection and sumptuous food menu makes an ideal venue for Mozaic Club's January 2018 Happy Hours event. With everything going for this centrally located, elegant little restaurant, Mozaic Club has chosen this space to host a warm, intimate wine tasting, just for their members. We're looking to kickstart the New Year with this Happy Hours event, and looking forward to all our members joining us!
12,000 Francs' reputation, especially when it comes to wine, makes it top the list of restaurants at which to hold a wine tasting. The wine menu provides an opportunity to try the newest wines in the market.
Our short but intense wine tasting includes a selection of 4-red and 4-white, both new- and old-world wines.
In addition to tasting these wines, the event also presents the perfect opportunity for the old members to meet after the New Year's celebrations to discuss ideas, and for new members of the club to reconnect with the regulars.
So, enjoy the wine, the preserved delicacies and the sparkling conversation while you toast the young new year with old friends and new!
Mozaic Club is pleased to host a complimentary Happy Hour at 12,000 Francs, 43a Elgin Street, SoHo, on January 10, 2018, from 7 – 9pm for all club members. If you would like to join us, please let us know by Monday, 8 January 2018.


text: About The Yiddish Book Center is a nonprofit organization working to recover, celebrate, and regenerate Yiddish and modern Jewish literature and culture. Our Story The history of the Yiddish Book Center About Us Our mission and programs Why a Goat? It's a question we're asked a lot: why is the klor vays tsigele—the small white goat—the symbol of the Yiddish Book Center? Staff Meet the members of our staff Board of Directors Our board members come from academia, the arts, business, journalism, and philanthropy. Employment Job and volunteer opportunities News The latest news from the Yiddish Book Center, plus media contacts Contact Us How to reach us by phone or email


text: This video was uploaded yesterday and holds more truth than many people know and yet are not prepared to understand. The society in which we live in does not seem to be in the favor of prosperity of its people, and not all of it's people; only those who fit a specific category. This young black woman in the video below that you will see will discuss private prisons, college education, debt, corporations, and more. All of these things play a major part on the decision in why free education is necessary and very possible. Save our page and come back and watch this during common hour. Peace.


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Public Participation Is Important for Conservation of Forests
Chief Minister Smt. Vasundhara Raje has said that the state government was making efforts for conservation of forest areas in Rajasthan. But, these efforts need continuous support and participation of general public, environmentalists and tourists in particular.
Smt. Raje was speaking on the occasion of a book launch on Rajasthan's wildlife 'Jawai – Land of the Leopard' at Bikaner House in New Delhi on Thursday. This book, authored by Smt. Anjali Singh and Shri Jaisal Singh, depicting uniqueness and beauty of state's forests and wildlife to aim at promoting tourism in Rajasthan.
The Chief Minister said that tourism not only contributed to government revenues, but could also help in better environmental management and planning, awareness building, protection and preservation. However, conservation benefits also to a large extent, depend on the choices we as tourists make in destinations we pick out, the travel options we choose, the activities we participate in and how the money we spend is redistributed. She said that public-private partnership was equally important for forest conservation and promotion of tourism.
Smt. Raje said that Rajasthan was among India's foremost tourism destinations. Along with Forts, Palaces and Heritage, Nature Tourism is one of the prime attractions. While understandably, Tigers are popular (thereby making Ranthambhore and Sariska favoured places to visit), the Aravalis and the Desert also offer a magnificent collection of landscapes, terrain and wildlife.
The CM said that if there were Bustards in the Desert, Tal Chappar offered 40 species of Raptors – the highest anywhere in the world. If the Chambal promises a glimpse of the Gharial, the Aravalis were likely to allow a sighting of the Sloth Bear.
Smt. Raje said that with 2 National Parks and 23 Sanctuaries, 3.5 % of Rajasthan is under the Protected Area Network. These protected areas other than performing conservation and ecological services, also bring in tourists and in the process the local economy gets support. Direct and indirect livelihoods were created.
On this occasion, Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs (Independent Charge) Shri Vijay Goyal, Former Minister Shri Mani Shankar Ayair, Dr. Karan Singh, Embassadors of Several Countries, Former CM of Delhi Smt. Sheela Dixit, Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi, Rajasthan Additional Chief Secretary Forest Nihal Chand Goyal, Rajasthan Tourism Secretary Smt. Roli Singh, Members of Chief Minister Advisory Council Smt. Malvika Singh and Smt. Meera Mehrishi, Member of Rajasthan State Wildlife Board Shri Valmik Thapar, Shri Tejvir Singh, Smt. Sanjana Kapoor, Shri Anshoo Jain and other dignitaries were present.
Jaipur, 22nd September 2016


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A Chadian opposition supporter was shot dead during a banned demonstration on Sunday in the capital N'Djamena, a day before the inauguration of President Idriss Deby Itno.
A police officer and the opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo confirmed to AFP that "the young man died from his injuries after live bullets were fired by security forces".
The demonstration, organised by the opposition for Saturday and Sunday denouncing the government, was dispersed on both days by riot police.
The demonstration is expected to continue on Monday as the opposition has called for a nationwide "dead city" strike defying the ban issued by the interior minister Ahmat Mahamat Bachir on Thursday.
Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Yoweri Museveni of Nigeria and Uganda respectively have already confirmed their arrival in the capital N'Djamena for the swearing-in ceremony of President Deby who is serving a fifth term.
Tomorrow I will join other Heads of State and Govt in N'Djamena for the inauguration ceremony of President Idriss Deby Itno of Chad— Muhammadu Buhari (@MBuhari) August 7, 2016
I have left for a two-day working visit to Chad. I will also attend President Idriss Deby's swearing-in tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/RK6L26cGWA— Yoweri K Museveni (@KagutaMuseveni) August 7, 2016
Also confirmed to be in the country are Malian president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and the President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame.
MALI | Le Pdt #Keita à l'investiture d'Idriss Déby Itno : MALI & TCHAD, UNIS CONTRE LE TER.. https://t.co/schOiaTsup pic.twitter.com/48qLULugyp— Presidence Mali (@PresidenceMali) August 8, 2016
President #Kagame arrives in N'Djamena, Chad for the Swearing in of President Idriss Déby.— Presidency | Rwanda (@UrugwiroVillage) August 8, 2016
About a dozen African heads of state and other guests are expected at the ceremony including French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian who is already in the country.
The U.S. Delegation attending #Déby's inauguration has been announced https://t.co/RxiM1r815L #Tchad #AFRICOM pic.twitter.com/xfndNlFGCY— Ian Platz (@Ian_Platz) August 5, 2016
Idriss Deby Itno who has been in power since 1990, was re-elected in April in the first round with nearly 60% of the vote, far ahead of his nearest rival, the opposition leader Saleh Kebzabo with 12.77%.


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Trekking Update
I had my girls over for a photo shoot and I bring you the final results:
Left to right:
#109 purples, plain 2 x 2 rib sock (Ann Norling pattern) knit by Carla, modeled by Carla.
#71, blues, plain 2 x 2 rib sock (Ann Budd Knitter's Handy Book of Patterns) knit by Emily, modeled by Emily.
#133, pink and purple, (Ann Budd book again--it comes in handy if you are knitting socks for several sizes of people) knit by Emily, modeled by Molly.
#108, blues with browns and a little orange, plain 2x2 rib sock (Ann Norling pattern) knit by Jodee, modeled by Jodee.
Not pictured is Lydia, who was too busy doing her own trek on the golf course to join us. She finished a sock in #91. Must catch you later, Lydia!
Here'a an additional one started by Carla:
#107, pattern: RPM from Knitty.
A closer shot of Molly's #133. I loved this colorway so much I've started a sweater out of it.
# 155, a cool boy colorway, kind of camoflage-y. Next time I will hold the photo shoot as soon as the socks are done, not after they have been worn all summer.
#69, browns. Knit by Emily, modeled by Dave. What, doesn't everyone flag their husband down on his way to work for a quick photoshoot of socks?
Kids say: Whats going on over there? A photoshoot of feet? Gotta get in on that action....


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CacaoRich Original Hot Chocolate Jar
450gm per jar
A smooth, milky and aromatic chocolate beverage is a result of blending superior quality cocoa and milk solids through a process of agglomeration. Our signature original hot chocolate uses wholesome Favorich alkalized cocoa powder made from quality beans. The flavonoids in cocoa which include antioxidants are known for their heart-healthy effect.


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|All Artists: Diana Ross
Title: Force Behind the Power
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: EMI
Release Date: 7/3/2000
Album Type: Import
Genres: Pop, R&B
Styles: Classic R&B, Motown, Soul
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
|Diana Ross
Force Behind the Power
Genres: Pop, R&B
1991 Release On Motown. Now Out Of Print In The USA.
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Album Description
1991 Release On Motown. Now Out Of Print In The USA.
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CD Reviews
Diana's Classic Pop Album
M. Edwards | Buckinghamshire United Kingdom | 04/22/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There are times when even a Diva of Diana Ross' standing simply can't win:
When her previous studio album, "Workin' Overtime" was released, the knives were out (particularly in the USA). Some critics accused Diana of trying to keep up with the likes of Janet Jackson, Jody Watley and Paula Abdul. So, Ms Ross chose to concentrate on more familiar music territory with this album release, yet the brickbats and player haters were out again, this time accusing the chanteuse of releasing "blue eyed soul"!
Diana opted to play it safe with this album by NOT following any music trends. She enlisted the services of British producer Peter Asher, with whom she worked with in 1988 - he produced the classic "If We Hold On Together", which went down a storm in Japan - it remained in their top 20 charts for 2 years! Diana also teamed up with James Carmichael and old Motown label mate, Stevie Wonder.
The best way to describe "The Force Behind the Power" is to state what is isn't; it isn't a red hot R&B album, and it was never intended to be. Instead, it's a contemporary collection of pop songs, with occasional R&B moments.
On its release, the album quickly gained platinum status is the UK. It also signalled a magnificent run on the UK pop singles charts for Diana. All 5 singles lifted from the album were hits, and two of them (the beautiful "When You Tell Me That You Love Me" and "One Shining Moment") made the Top 10.
The ballads are outstanding here. The first, "When You Tell Me That You Love Me", took the UK charts by storm, and was held off the #1 slot by "Bohemian Rhapsody", that had been released following the death of Fredi Mercury. It starts of softly, and builds into an emotional crescendo, complete with a rousing electric guitar solo.
"Blame It One the Sun", a Stevie Wonder cover, is also a lovely, poignant track.
"Battlefield" is the rousing, stomping track with traces of that old Supremes'/Holland-Dozier-Holland magic. It was never released as a single, though.
The title track, and uptempo R&B track that was written and produced by Stevie Wonder, is a song with a powerful social message. The rhythm is tight!
My personal favourite track - "One Shining Moment" - is just a pleasant modern pop song, with an easy-on-the ear melody.
"You're Gonna Love It" is the killer R&B track that'll have you shuffling your feet in no time! The album closes with the fabulously sensual duet with Al B Sure, "Not Matter What You Do", which was a hit on the R&B Billboard charts.
The album didn't burn up the Billboard charts, but that is not a true reflection of its quality. The UK and the USA record buyers clearly have different tastes. For example, look at "Missing You" (from the Swept Away Album) - it was a Top Ten US Pop hit (#1 R&B) yet it bombed in the UK.
There's something for everyone here. If this underrated album isn't part of your Ross collection, I suggest that you give it a try.
Diana Ross Returns To Form
Ian Phillips | Bolton, Lancashire, UK | 06/06/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Diana Ross' recording career had taken a bit of a slide commercially in the late 1980's. The electric Red Hot Rhythm And Blues (1987) went by with barley any acknowledgement whilst the hip-hop sounds on the Workin' Overtime (1989) album was virtually ridiculed. However in 1991 she returned to her passion for love ballads on The Force Behind The Power album which saw Diana Ross zoom back into the Top 10 charts in the U.K and catapulted her back into view with the media.
There were 5 U.K Top 40 entries, two of those going Top 10. The album would be variably produced by James Anthony Carmichael, Stevie Wonder and Diana herself. Apparently she turned to old Motown stable mates Smokey Robinson and the record labels founder, Berry Gordy for inspiration for this studio set which as she quoted herself was because "they know what songs I like singing and know what I sing well". The Force Behind The Power was carefully conceived and stands as one of her most timeless collaborations in the latter-day Ross catlogue.
The breathtakingly beautiful ballad, When You Tell Me That You Love Me was once said by Diana to be a definitive record she would like to be remembered by. Tugging emotivley with the lyrics and the sparse, vibrant orchestrations makes this one of her all-time great ballads. Dianas performance is truly impeccable and magnificent. When You Tell Me That You Love Me raced to No.2, remaining there for weeks on end in the U.K becoming a contender for the U.K christmas No.1 of 1991 but this was narrowly beaten by Queen's classic, Bohemian Rhapsody which had enjoyed an enormous re-issue. Still Diana Ross was floating hgh in the charts again and in the media's eye she could do no wrong.
The superb title track, written by the genius Stevie Wonder, was released as the projects next extract in the U.K. The atmospheric musical arrangements are complimented by a shimmering performance from it's star and a glorious and effective gospel-backing choir. The Force Behind The Power didn't enjoy the success of the previous single where it all too briefly entered the Top 40 charts, peaking at No.27.
However Diana Ross returned to the U.K Top 10 charts in the Spring of 1992 when the gloriously assembled ballad, One Shining Moment was issued as the third extract from the album. Diana's full-throated vocal delivery truly ignites this sparse number.
If We Hold On Together was released in late 1992 and had origanally been recorded back in 1988 and used as the soundtrack to the classic Steven Speilberg animated movie, The Land Before Time. If We Hold On Together also topped the Japanese charts and remained in their charts for over an incredible two and a half years and became Japan's biggest ever selling foreign single. This beautifully delivered and masterful ballad is soothing and touching in it's tone which has always been the genius of Diana Ross and is coated with sensual and exotic musical arrangements. If We Hold On Together quickly became a Top 15 hit in the U.K.
Heart (Don't Change My Mind) was issued in early 1993 in the U.K. This strongly emotive ballad with it's sweeping, epic musical arrangements is delivered with another firm and concentrated vocal performance from Diana which was what has always made her music so long-lasting. Heart (Don't Change My Mind) fell just outside the U.K. Top 30 Singles Charts.
In the U.S the exotic Soul/Pop track, Change Of Heart was issued as a single. This nifty, upbeat tune features a robust guirtar riffage at the bridge of the song and is ignited by a fantastic performance from Diana. Despite it's infectious rhythm and a feel-good performance from Diana, the track died and failed to brace the U.S Hot 100.
Also issued was another exotic number, Waiting In The Wings. Containing a warm reggae beat and a strong and sensual performance from it's star, Waiting In The Wings still stands of strong musical merit and was one of the best featured recordings on The Force Behind The Power album. However it was ignored in the U.S where interest for Diana Ross was seemingly solely generated on constant re-packagings of her more vintage classics. Waiting In The Wings disappointingly failed to hit the Top 100.
The rest of the album is a remarkable affair that is stunning both musically and lyrically. The raw, soulful Battlefield brings back compelling Supremes moments. The repetitive infectious beat is broken up by a highly effective harmonica interlude which really creates that urban mood intended to reflect the ethos of the track.
You're Gonna Love It is a muscular Hip-Hop number where the well-assembled musical arrangements are coated with a strong performance from Diana who proves she hasn't lost any of that fire and sassiness from her earlier days. This red-hot, infectious number with its pulsating rhythms and crashing sound effects sounded like an indeal choice for release as a single but instead remained hidden away on here.
Blame It On The Sun, written by Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright (female Motown star of the early 1970's), continues in the tradition of strong-quality love ballads where Dianas delivery is breathtakingly beautiful whilst of equally strong musical merit was the glorious, Heavy Weather, which is another catchy affair.
The dramatic and epic arrangements on You And I proved Diana hadn't lost her penchant for melodrama. All of Dianas duets proved phenomenal and her recordings with the likes of Marvin Gaye and Lionel Richie remain timeless. She duets with R&B singer, Al. B Sure on the breathy, No Matter What You Do. A sizzling sexual chemistry between the two harmonies combined together is what emerges on this recording which was also released as a single in the U.S but alas it once again failed to reach the Top 100. Still, it's a cracking ballad and Diana proved that she was still as an utterly dynamic vocalist as she always!
Though The Force Behind The Power never made it into the U.S Top 100, her career was re-vitalised in the U.K where the album jumped into the Top 15, enjoying extravagent sales, widely praised and recognised by the critics and became a big hit all over Europe too! Diana Ross had returned and was back on top!


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In less than two months, "Pretty Little Liars" will return to ABC Family with a brand new episode that will see the Liars well-settled in their lives.
A sneak peek from the second half of the season, as well as Tuesday's special "Five Years Forward" episode gave fans a glimpse into what the Liars have been up to in the five years since they left Rosewood.
It has already been revealed that Spencer and Toby will drift apart when the former leaves Rosewood to make a career as a lobbyist. But there's still hope of reconciliation.
Executive producer Marlene King on Wednesday posted on Instagram a still from season 6B that showed Toby and Spencer together. "#Spoby season 6B #prettylittleliars. Onward. We continue. Drama ensues. Stay tuned to see if love prevails. #5yearsforward," she captioned the picture.
Even if they do get together, things will be difficult for Toby and Spencer, as Tuesday's special episode hinted at a person named Lyvonne Phillips becoming an important part of Toby's life.
Toby meets her after he saves her from a burglary. However, at present, not much is known about the character.
As for the relationship status of the other Liars, Emily seems to be single and Hanna is engaged to someone who isn't Caleb. Aria, in the meantime, is dating someone named Liam and Alison is married to Dr. Rollins. Spencer is single.
Here are a few other takeaways from Tuesday's special:
- Paige and Emily might start dating again in season 6B.
- Ezra is an alcoholic
- Tyler Blackburn's Caleb will be showing a lot of skin.
- Not everyone is enthusiastic that Charlotte will soon be released from the psychiatrist ward. Mona is one of them.
- Emily seems to be the one person who is most damaged by what happened in the past. She also loses her dad, forcing her to quit college. "I think Emily comes back with the biggest secret" said King, but refused to drop any other clues regarding the storyline.
"Pretty Little Liars" returns on 12 January on ABC Family.


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The new Channel 4, E4 and 4oD series written by the brilliant Russell T Davies. Of course when this began it was pitched as an LGBT show based in Manchester and of course I had my reservations, I feared RTD was trying to recreate Queer as Folk (RTD's 1999 series) but after I'd watched the first episode it became clear that he wasn't, this was just also based in Manchester.
We're currently 6 episodes in and until last nights episode (26th February) it was a little flat, sure it was enjoyable there were some brilliant plots, some great lines and some great characters.
But last night, all kinds exploded. RTD knows when to throw in a wild plot twist (which I already knew from continuous 2005 – 2010 Doctor Who watching). Last nights episode shocked from the beginning giving the information that a central character was going to die, this made you instantly begin to anticipate what would happen, when would it happen, how it would happen, we then had a reasonably pleasant look at this characters life, seeing from his birth to the day we were at and by the time we'd gotten to that bit the information that he was going to die was gone, it'd just been forgotten.
Throughout the 6 episodes of the series we've seen many characters come and go, we've seen many characters develop and we've formed opinions on characters, whether we like them, whether we dislike them and there was a certain character I disliked from the off, I thought he was a bit of, to put it lightly, a prick tease and was reasonably wary of him, last night that wariness flew off the scale.
I found Episode 6 of Cucumber chilling and frightening and a harsh reality was flung from the screen right at me as I sat and I watched it. It was terrifying as, I am just about reaching my twenties, I never ever really experienced a truly homophobic nation but Cucumber made me realise, made me remember that unfortunately the nation is still reasonably homophobic and that is terrifying, that there are people living day after day hating others because of their sexual ordination and that 'Gay Panic' is still around – I first heard about that two years ago whilst putting on a production of the Laramie Project and even then I couldn't believe it.
If you haven't already I truly recommend Cucumber, Banana and Tofu. As each episode is a fantastic piece of television and writing whilst through brilliant actors performances, the stories and characters feel so real and so true that you cannot help but get drawn in.
Bravo RTD!
Character names have been left out this post to avoid spoilers.