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The soda can rolled down the chute inside the buzzing machine and landed in the little compartment. I stuck my hand in quickly and felt the freezing cold metal in my hand.
Orange soda.
The holy grail of my childhood was always soda.
I was not normally allowed to have junk food or sweets. My mother, not wanting us to consume all that sugar, always made sure a can of soda was split between me and my siblings…
I felt the satisfaction shiver down my spine as I clicked the tab of the soda can open, and heard the familiar, delicious fizz of the pressure releasing. I looked down into the crystalline, orange liquid.
A can all to myself. A whole can. All to myself!
This felt powerful. Finally, something that could be all mine. That I didn't have to share.
And then I heard the words: No, that is not just for you. You have to share!
I don't know what happened in that moment. Normally, I complied.
But today, I felt tired. I felt a feeling of despair and anger rise up in my chest.
I felt so exhausted from having to share everything all the time, and not have anything to myself.
I didn't want to be the good, easy child. Not today.
Today I wanted for once to have what I wanted. All. To. Myself.
My sister innocently reached out for a gulp of the fresh, clear, artificial orange liquid.
No! I said, moving my hand away from her, wanting to keep just this one thing to myself.
Lisa! I told you, you cannot have that can for yourself! You have to share with your sister!
My mother's sharp words rung out into the air, warning.
And something in me broke. I completely lost it.
My mother had to drag me, spanking me, screaming and crying, across the sidewalks into her car. I pitched a fit the likes of which she had never seen.
And all along I clung to that orange soda can, willing to receive whatever beating, punishment, or trouble that may come from asserting my own desires, and having them be heard just once.
I was spanked. Hard. All along I raged, fighting until my last breath if I had to, refusing to submit.
Why do you always have to be so difficult?, my mother said.
You were never like the other babies, she says.
You were posterior. You wanted to be born facing the sky, instead of downwards like all babies need to do to come out of the birth canal smoothly. I was in labor with you for 17 hours.
From the moment you were born, I went to check on you in the nursery.
All the babies were sleeping peacefully. You were wide awake, looking everywhere!
You never slept!
The nurse said your brother had the worst colic she had ever seen, and I told her she should have seen you when you were a baby. Yours was 100 times worse.
You would not stop crying. It was horrible.
At that moment I understood why some people shake babies to death.
You were a very difficult baby.
This is what I was told when I would ask the adults in my life to tell me stories about myself as a child.
Difficult. Challenging. Strong-willed.
I have heard this my entire life. It became a secret shame I carried inside of me.
When someone didn't want to be my friend. When someone didn't love me back.
It always came back to this for me: you are hard to love because you are difficult.
As I grew older and became more aware of my own desires, every time I would voice them, resist, or say I wanted something different, I always heard it, again — Oh Lisa, why do you always have to be so difficult?
You have no sense of humor. Stop being so sensitive. Why do you always have to want to do things differently? Why are you so emotional? Why can't you do exactly what I say? Why can't you lose 40 pounds? Why can't you stop speaking up about what feels wrong to you?
When I look back on it now, my mother had me at 21. By 27, she was working full time, trying to manage three children. And she had a very powerful, wiser-than-her-years, seer for a daughter — one with a definite sense of what she wanted, and what worked for her.
With three children, and her being so young, I can imagine she was overwhelmed. I don't think she had any idea what to do with this powerful little girl who knew what she wanted, and could see right through her, down to her soul.
And when we are overwhelmed, or baffled by a child, we sometimes seek the quickest solution to make a problem go away: shaming them. It was easier for her to use a little bit of guilt and shame by branding me "difficult." In that way, I'd try to go out of my way to prove I wasn't difficult. That meant I would behave and do as she said, always.
It worked like a charm.
But not always.
A person's true nature is not something that can long be repressed.
It was the end of my fourth year in business and I was so tired.
I was frustrated with my team.
I was still driving everything, always having to stick my hands in the administrative piece of the business, when I needed to be focused on my zone of genius.
No one could do anything without me telling them exactly what to do.
I went through team member after team member, not understanding why I couldn't get the support I needed. I was so burned out, and it was clear my team was not supporting me like I needed to be supported.
But I kept picking people who couldn't support me, who were not up to the task, who balked at the slightest bit of pressure.
It took me a year with my therapist to realize, it was because deep down, I had this belief that I was difficult. Therefore, I did not deserve to have the support I needed.
Who could support such a difficult person? Might as well pick anyone. Difficult women don't deserve proper support because well, they are difficult.
This is the same belief in different flavors I work on now with my clients — successful women who have created the most amazing things in their worlds, wondering why they aren't feeling as fulfilled or happy as they should feel.
Even though I had team members tell me I was the best person they had ever worked for, and the kindest "boss," I still kept carrying people on my team that should have been fired long ago.
Because I still believed that I was difficult. I paid my penance for being difficult by choosing people who couldn't support me and couldn't leave me free to do what I really loved. I picked people over and over who left me feeling half supported, and who really didn't have my back.
I drove myself to the point of exhaustion by perpetuating this belief.
Only then could I prove that I wasn't difficult.
That I was good.
I worked 5 years with a mentor who created a huge change in me. I loved her to death.
She was so important to me. I still think she was instrumental to my growth as a human.
And then, little by little, I noticed it creeping in. The implication that I was the "difficult" type.
In how I was classified… In little laughs and knowing looks along the way… I don't even think she realized that she was doing this. It was in her blind spot. But I saw it.
In our last interaction, I was told I needed to look at this "thing I have" around respect.
As if there was something… difficult… about that aspect of me.
Years later another mentor, when I recounted this story to her, told me, what is wrong with respect being such an important value to you in your relationships? Why is wanting people to be as respectful to you as you are to them, "something you need to work on or look at"? You don't need to work on that. It's okay to desire respect in your relationships. That is not you being difficult, she told me.
I was fired from my bartending job when I was in my mid-twenties.
The reasons?
I stood up to a woman who was bullying everyone and taking more tips out of the jar than anyone else…
I refused to pretend I would possibly one day exchange a blow job or sex with one of the managers in exchange for preferential treatment…
I didn't hike my shirts down low to please the male customers…
I reported unfair treatment of female bartenders to the manager I got along with the most.
I thought he would want to know.
He seemed disappointed.
He told me so.
He thought I was, different than the kind of woman who complains about such things.
He thought I was the sweet, good girl who would do as she was told and act pleasant, slightly flirtatious, and submissive.
Instead, I was being difficult.
I got liposuction.
I went on a million crash diets and fainted a million and one.
I starved.
I left puddles of sweat in the gym.
I lost 45 pounds over and over again.
I took pills that made my heart race and made me productive.
I got a prescription for Adderall, for my real-life ADD, with the secret motive of it helping to tame my difficult appetite which refused to be ok with eating only a handful of nuts for lunch.
I gained the weight back.
My appetite and my body refused to comply.
My mother, shaking her head over and over again… every time I came back home with the weight back on me.
My grandmother telling me, you have such a beautiful face! If you just lost 10 pounds you would really be a beauty. Why don't you straighten your hair? It looks so much prettier than that difficult unruly mess it looks like when it's curly.
The way I laughed was too loud. Like a fat girl, a so-called male friend said to me over the phone.
Nice, classy women don't cuss.
Don't be a femi-nazi by calling out the sexism in the internet marketing party you just went to.
Laugh and pretend to be flattered, as that man from the networking event's first words out of his mouth, when he meets you, turn you into an object of fetish: "You're a Latina? That's sexy!"
Don't be difficult and demand that he look you in the eye and treat you like a living, breathing human.
Difficult body.
Difficult spirit.
Difficult woman.
Because I have fully formed desires.
Because my body refuses to comply with a standard set by someone who was not in their right mind.
Because I take up space.
Because I speak up and have a voice.
Because I am powerful.
Because I am powerful.
And that scares them. It's scares them because they don't know their own power.
Lisa, when I met you, I was triggered as fuck, my best male friend in the whole world, Sam, tells me one day.
Because I knew that in order to be close to you, in order to be your friend, I was going to have to step it up as a man. I knew I was going to have to be the best version of myself to really get inside your heart. You weren't demanding this verbally or expecting it. But I knew it. You didn't operate at the level than most of the women I knew at that time. Your presence required me to be my best self and drop the BS.
Thank you. You have made me a better man. And I am so grateful to be your friend.
I am so glad that I decided right then and there that I was going to step it up, to meet you where you are.
I am paraphrasing this a bit for the sake of brevity, but those words washed over me as I felt a little whimper leave my heart, and get stuck in my throat.
I felt seen. I felt really, really seen.
I felt so loved.
Something in me began to heal on a primal level.
I thought about those words recently.
I met a man who wouldn't let me in. Not fully. I felt an invisible hand pushing me away every time I tried to connect and be friendly. Sometimes I felt a slight feeling of resentment coming off of him when I spoke about things that mattered to me, and initiated deep conversations. He kept it as surface-level-friendly as possible.
I couldn't figure it out. Why was he acting this way towards me?
It's because you are existing at a whole other level than the women he is used to. He can feel he's going to have to step it up just by being around your energy, and he does not want to step it up. So, your natural energy that would be received well by an open-hearted man, one who wants to meet a woman in that place, to him it feels like a challenge. And he resents it.
This is what Sam would say to me. He's said it before about other men who acted strange around me.
After a week of trying, I gave up.
Because I don't have to prove to him that I am not difficult. I don't have to punish myself by trying to create intimacy by making myself less powerful, so that the natural flow of my energy is not intimidating to this man. I don't have to make myself likable to his standards so that he is more comfortable with me.
Because I am not difficult.
I never was.
And you are not difficult, either.
To have desires and standards is not difficult.
It is knowing yourself.
It is honoring and respecting your life force, deeply.
To have a voice that refuses to stay silent when things are not fair or hurt others is not difficult.
It is refusing to be a coward in exchange for a false sense of acceptance into the mind-numbing "norm." It is courageous and honorable.
To have and love a body that takes up more space than what society has deemed "acceptable" is not difficult.
It is an inspiration and a mirror for the truth that beauty is diverse.
It gives men and women everywhere permission to love what they love, without judgment.
You don't have to keep paying penance because some overwhelmed adult long ago, who did not know how to handle your powerful energy, and your strong will, didn't know what to do with you.
You don't have to keep shrinking and dimming your mind-blowing glow, because someone is uncomfortable with how you ask them to love themselves through the mere presence of your being.
You don't have to keep trying to act like a "likable person" because someone shamed you, and made you believe you aren't, in order to get you to conform.
You don't have to defend your desire to have a whole can of orange soda to yourself.
I feel the power that was beaten out of me that day coming back to me, from every corner of the earth.
Repeat after me now.
I am not difficult.
I am powerful.


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Flowers at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Tech specs: Canon EF-S 10-22 mm lens at 20 mm, f/4.5, 1/250 sec., 400 ISO.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Grey Day at the St. Louis Art Museum
Early morning fog, ISO 400, 28mm, f/8.0, 1/125, hand held using Nikon D100 and Nikkor 24-85mm f/2.8-4. This is a great shot for revealing sensor dust :)
Monday, February 18, 2008
Gecko at Botanical Garden
I took this looking through the glass of the cage at the Missouri Botanical Garden. It was dark, so had to use ISO 1600, f/1.8 at 1/500 sec. Taken with the Canon 50 mm lens.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Lohmeyer Bridge in Snow
Friday, February 15, 2008
Botanical Garden Waterfall
I took this picture on Feb. 10 standing behind a "waterfall" at the Missouri Botanical Garden. Shutter speed was 1/800 at 800 ISO.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Three Ducks, Forest Park
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
INTRODUCTION ON Materials for Microfluidic Chips Fabrication
A microfluidic chip is a pattern of microchannels molded or engraved. Output holes are built through the chip and serve as links between the microchannels network and the macro-environment. Presenting sometime valves for active flow control, Microfluidic chips can easily handle fluids no matter the area of application.
Depending on the desired application (lab-on-a-chip, detection of pathogens, electrophoresis, DNA analysis etc), the microchannels network design must be adapted to meet the requirements to deliver the coveted result. Thus, the materials for microfluidic chips employed should also be adequate and present the appropriate properties.
Silicon and glass were the original materials first used for microfluidic applications, however as time passed by and new technologies advances occurred, new materials including polymer substrates, composites or paper were used as materials for microfluidic chips. For research purpose, the materials used generally prioritize versatility and performance of the device whereas in commercialization, cost of production, reliability and ease of use are placed above all[1]. Moreover, each material employed naturally corresponds with specific microfabrication strategies and certain native properties of the device[2]. Therefore, the material for making microfluidic chips plays an important role in microfluidic technologies.
Materials for microfluidic chips can be organized into three broad categories: inorganic, polymeric, and paper. This Review mainly focuses on some of these materials and their properties for the fabrication of microfluidic chips. The information gathered is mainly from the excellent articles of Nge et al. 2013, and Wu et al. 2013 among others[3].
I. Materials for Microfluidic Chips Fabrication: Inorganic Materials
I.1. silicon microfluidic chip
The first material used for microfluidics was silicon even though it was quickly replaced by glass then polymers[4]. Silicon was first selected due to its resistance to organic solvents, ease in metal depositing, high thermo-conductivity, and stable electroosmotic mobility[5]. However, this material is not easy to handle owing to its hardness which doesn't make it easy to create active microfluidic components such as valves and pumps. Dangerous chemicals used during the fabrication process also require protective facilities[6]. Adding high cost to the problems, all these downsides make silicon all the more an unattractive material to use for building microfluidic chips[7].
Transparent to infrared, silicon is an opaque material and thus cannot be seen through. Consequently, fluorescence detection or fluid imaging would be rather difficult to perform though this issue can easily be overcome by grafting to transparent materials such as polymers or glass in in an attempt to get a hybrid system ready to be used[8]. Silicon surface chemistry is based on the silanol group (−Si−OH), a well-developed chemistry, so using chemical modification of silicon surface could be a way to reduce non-specific adsorption or improve cellular growth for instance[9]. Its elastic modulus is quite high (130−180 GPa) and devices using silicon are fabricated through wet/dry etching or additive methods such as metal or chemical vapor deposition[10]. Droplet-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or nanowires for label-free cardiac biomarker detection are possible applications for silicon microfluidic chips.
I.2. Glass microfluidic chip
After the initial focus on silicon, glass was the material selected to build microfluidic chips[11]. Glass or quartz capillaries for gas chromatography and capillary electrophoresis (CE) microchannels had already been used prior its integration to the microfluidic field[12]. Optically transparent and electrically insulating, glass is an amorphous material. This material is generally processed with standard photolithography or wet/dry etching methods[13]. Unless special etching techniques are employed, etched glass channels have rounded sidewalls.
Glass is compatible with biological samples, it is also a material not permeable to gas and has relatively low non-specific adsorption[14]. Because gas can go through glass chips that generally present enclosed channels and chambers, this material cannot be used for long-term cell culture. One major application of glass chips is capillary Electrophoresis (CE). This cheaper method is more convenient than standard CE since it is easier to set parallel analysis, and it can also offers valve-free injection by directly utilizing the electroosmotic flow, which can separate analytes within seconds[15].
Other typical applications include on-chip reactions droplet formation, solvent extraction and in situ fabrication[16]. Finally, due to its high thermo-conductivity and stable electroosmotic mobility on its surface, microchannel made of glass provides better performance than other materials[17]. Just like silicon, glass modification chemistry is silanol based[18]. Similarly, due to its hardness and the high fabrication cost, many limits to glass application in microfluidics arise (protective facilities, super clean environment for bonding, high temperature and pressure required in the fabrication process, etc)[19]. These limitations are the origin to the development of alternative low cost chip materials that can be easily fabricated and are compatible for broader biological applications.
I.3. Ceramic microfluidic chip
The LTCC technology is well established both for low-volume, high-performance (military, space) and high-volume, low-cost (portable wireless, automotive) applications. LTCC has good electrical and mechanical properties, high reliability[20]. Sophisticated micro-electromechanical systems and micro-opto electromechanical systems packages made using LTCC technology integrate electronic measurement, control, and signal conditioning circuits[21]. Moreover, electrical, optical, gas, and fluidic network systems are realized in one package.
Microfluidic devices made from ceramic are generally using low-temperature cofired ceramic (LTCC). This ceramic is an aluminum oxide based material that comes in laminate sheets that are patterned, assembled, and then heated at elevated temperature[22]. It has been demonstrated that LTCC device presented low non-specific adsorption[23].
The advantages of the LTCC structure are a much lower price and a shorter development time[24]. LTCC technology also allows the inclusion of integrating heaters, sensors, and electronics (control and measurement electronics, and a light detection system) into one module, which is the main advantage of this technology over silicon, glass, and polymer technologies as it simplifies the measurement system[25]. Thick film materials offer the possibility of manufacturing not only a network of conductive paths in a package but also of other electronic components, sensors, and microsystems[26].
Microfluidic device made from LTCC (from Nge et Al. 2013)
(a) Multilayer stacking to create a screen-printed gold/LTCC microchannel device.
(b) Photograph of a microchannel device with an edge connector.
(c) Top down view of a device.
(d) Cross-section view of the microchannel showing the four gold electrodes. The width of the chip in panel d is not drawn to scale.
II. Materials for Microfluidic Chips Fabrication: Polymers
Polymer-based chips were introduced several years later after silicon/glass chips[27]. The vast variety of polymers grants great flexibility in choosing suitable material with specific properties[28]. Polymers are easy to access and inexpensive compared to inorganic materials, they are now the most-commonly used microchip materials[29]. According to their physical properties, polymers can be classified into elastomers, thermoplastics and thermosets, and the first two groups are much more employed as materials for microfluidic chips[30].
II.1. Elastomers
Elastomers consist of cross-linked polymer chains that are normally entangled; they can stretch or compress when external force is exerted, and return to the original shape when the external force is withdrawn[31]. They present weak inter-molecular forces and most of the time they have a low Young's modulus and high failure strain compared to other materials[32].
II.1.1. PDMS microfluidic chip
PDMS has been widely used in microfluidics for rapid prototyping because it is easy to fabricate, it bonds strongly to glass and PDMS substrates, and has good optical transparency and elastomeric properties[33].
PDMS is the most common microfluidic material used in research laboratories due to its reasonable cost, rapid fabrication, and ease of implementation. Device molds are formed via conventional machining or photolithography methods, and PDMS microstructures are cast and cured on these molds[34]. Complex microfluidic designs can also be created by stacking multiple layers[35].
PDMS has a low elastic modulus (300−500 kPa), making it suitable for valves and pumps fabrication[36]. Its gas permeability can be advantageous for oxygen and carbon dioxide transport in cellular studies, however bubble formation from passage of gas through PDMS can be problematic[37]. PDMS is susceptible to nonspecific adsorption and permeation by hydrophobic molecules due to its intrinsic hydrophobic nature causes[38]. Chemical modification of PDMS can address these issues, in fact Plasma exposure will hydrophilize the exposed PDMS surface[39]. However, after this treatment the newly formed hydrophilic surface is not stable and can be reverted to its original hydrophobic form shortly sometime after[40].
The tendency for absorbing and dissolving hydrophobic molecules that causes its swelling when in contact with nonpolar solvents is also one of the consequences of PDMS hydrophobic surface[41]. Furthermore, adsorption of biomacromolecules such as proteins on channel walls is also a common problem for microfluidic devices fabricated from PDMS[42].
II.1.2. Thermoset polyester (TPE) microfluidic chip
Insoluble and highly resistant to creep, thermosets are polymers with chain irreversibly bound together when cross-linked[43]. They are easy and fast to craft polymers that are optically transparent and inexpensive[44]. They don't melt, don't swell with certain solvents and they are not gas permeable, which make them inadequate material to use for long-term cell cultures[45].
Their high mechanical and physical strength is due to a highly cross-linked polymeric structures, and they harden when heated[46]. One major advantage of thermosets is for 3D microfabrication using photopolymerization. Thermosets are improper for the fabrication of valves due to their high stiffness, and with their high cost, their applications in microfluidics are limited[47].
Thermoset polyester (TPE) is one of the most used thermoset in microfluidics. It is a transparent material in the visible and has a higher elastic modulus (1−100 MPa) than PDMS but a lower one than typical thermoset plastics (>1 GPa)[48]. TPE is a thermally initiated material formed by the polymerization of polyester and styrene through UV or heat[49]. This hydrophobic material requires surface modification through buffer additives or chemical reactions to allow water to flow readily through microfluidic channels[50]. Chlorinated solvents can dissolve TPE though it is resistant to many other solvents[51]. Lastly, the fabrication of TPE valves similar to those made of PDMS is also possible.
II.2. Thermoplastic polymers
Thermoplastics are material that can be remolded multiple times by reaching glass transition temperature (Tg)[52]. They are highly crosslinked polymers that can retain their shape after cooling[53], and they are also suitable for micro-machining processes. Optically clear polymers, thermoplastics are resistant to permeation of small molecules, and stiffer than elastomers. Barely permeable to gas, their sealed microchannels are unsuitable for long term cell cultures[54]. Plus, thermoplastic valves are difficult to make because of their rigidity.
Thermoplastics are fabricated by thermomolding, a process requiring templates in metal or silicon for using at high temperature. It allows the production of thousands of replicas at high rate and low cost, and is excellent for commercial production but not economical for prototypic use[55]. Rapid prototyping using transfer molding uses PDMS as replication intermediate and enables the transfer of micropatterns to thermoplastics from easy-to-prepare photoresists[56]. This technique is limited to thermoplastics with Tg's below 150 °C because PDMS releases gas during molding at higher temperatures[57]
Unfortunately, thermoplastics cannot form conformal contact with other surfaces unlike PDMS[58]. Their surface can be modified by dynamic coating or surface grafting depending on their applications[59]. Covalent modified surfaces are generally more stable for thermoplastics than PDMS. For example, it is possible to easily integrate electrodes for flexible circuits, and thermoplastics surfaces can retain hydrophilicity for up to a few years after treatment with oxygen plasma[60].
II.2.1. Polystyrene (PS) microfluidic chip
Polystyrene (PS) is optically transparent, biocompatible, inert, rigid, and its surface can be easily functionalized[61]. Its hydrophobic surface can be made hydrophilic by various physical and chemical means including corona-discharge, gas plasma, and irradiation[62]. However, the necessity of expensive equipment required to realize complex chips from such polymer (injection molding, hot embossing) could be a hindrance for its use[63]. PS is adapted to mass manufacturing processes, thus it could facilitates translation of currently used manufacturing process to microscale systems.
Some PS microfluidic chips (protoypes) take advantage of the shrinkage properties of thermoplastic PS sheets. In fact, after heating, etched microfluidic channels become thinner and deeper than the tooling[64]. Faster than soft lithography, this technique includes a simultaneous rapid bonding step, and complex PS multi-layered microchips can thus be completed in a matter of minutes[65]. PS is the most commonly used material in cell-culture mainly due to its commercial availability and interesting price. This polymer has become central to cell culture research and due to its popularity, scientists are looking for potential use for it other than cell bio-assays[66].
Due to its popularity in this field, cell culture on microfluidic chip (organ-on-chip) can be a potential application[67]. It is possible to modify PS surface to enable cell adhesion and growth while also preventing bubble formation, and to that extent material can be treated with oxygen plasma prior to bonding[68]. However, plasma treatment can modify bond strength by altering the chemical composition at the surface of PS. alternatively, protecting the top surface with a masking layer is also an option. Another method could consist in pre-coating microchannels with extracellular matrix proteins prior to cell seeding, in order to promote cell adhesion[69]. The use of PS microfluidic chips also present other limitations such as difficulties encountered in the thermal bonding step[70]. Moreover, when width-to-height aspect ratios are too high considering microchannels, there are more channels collapsing[71].
II.2.2. Polycarbonate (PC) microfluidic chip
Polycarbonate (PC) is a durable material created by polymerization of bisphenol A and phosgene, resulting in repeating carbonate groups. PC is suited for DNA thermal cycling applications due to its transparency in the visible and its very high glass transition temperature (∼145 °C)[72]. The others advantages of PC are its low cost, high impact resistance, low moisture absorption and good machining properties[73].However, PC include poor resistance to certain organic solvents and absorbance in UV[74].
As previously mentioned, PC is the material of choice for a range of microfluidic applications in biomedical studies and bioanalyses that include polymerase chain reaction (PCR)[75]. This polymer also offers a convenient alternative to well established protocols based on lithography and molding in PDMS for fabrication of multilayer devices[76].
Although some scientists successfully built PC chips, they used thermal bonding procedures which is unfortunately known to be a process that doesn't provide good bonds even when the temperature is slightly too low[77]. Moreover, thermal bonding also significantly alters the geometry of the channels when the temperature is high enough to ensure bonding[78].
PC micro-features are fabricated by hot embossing with subsequent annealing of two layers using thermal bonding. It is possible to build peristaltic PC pumps, and this material also enable the creation of a continuous flow PCR in a device plate[79]. Microfluidic cassettes made of polycarbonate are able to perform sample lysis, enzymatic amplification, nucleic acid isolation, amplicon labeling, and detection of pathogens[80].
A microfluidic electrochemical biosensor chip entirely made of PC sheets can be fabricated for micro flow-injection amperometric determination of glucose[81]. To build a PC chip for this particular application, a microchannel network is embossed onto a PC sheet[82]. Micro-gold film electrodes bases are then prepared on a PC cover sheet with a photodirected electroless plating technique. This developed micro flow-injection biosensor system with PC can successfully be applied to the determination of glucose content in pharmaceutical injections[83].
II.2.3 Poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA) microfluidic chip
PMMA is a cheap polymer which is the least hydrophobic one in the common plastic materials[84]. PMMA is a commonly used material in microfluidic systems, and it is particularly useful for disposable microfluidic chips because of its low price, rigid mechanical property, excellent optical transparency, and compatibility to electrophoresis[85]. This polymer also features others properties such as its ease of fabrication and modification[86].
Thanks to its ability to decompose into methyl methacrylate (MMA) at a high temperature, PMMA is an ideal material for preparing "green microchips" and can be reused [87]. Most of the time, PMMA microfluidic chips are usually composed of channel plates and cover plates (or cover films) that need to be bonded to form microfluidic chips of which the polymer material can be obtained via methods based on the in situ polymerization of MMA in molds[88].
Microfluidic systems in PMMA are easily produced by CO2-laser micromachining, a suitable method for controlling the dimensions of the microstructures fabricated[89]. Besides, there is a variety of methods developed for mass production of PMMA micro-devices with high fidelity, which include hot embossing, solvent imprinting, thermal bonding, injection molding and laser ablation[90]. PMMA has been used as substrates for a great number of microfluidic devices including mixing analysis chip, DNA sequencer and electrophoresis chip[91]. However, so far there are barely full PMMA valve or pumps reported[92].
Bonding techniques are of critical importance in the fabrication of PMMA-based microfluidic chips, and hot-press bonding is the most commonly employed method[93]. Others bonding techniques could be used with PMMA such as microwave bonding, thermal fusion bonding and adhesive bonding[94]. To prevent channel from collapsing during the bonding process, PMMA microfluidic chips have been developed by using specific solvent conditions and sacrificial materials such as paraffin wax[95].
II.2.4 Poly-ethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) microfluidic chip
Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) is a material sharing some properties with PDMS such as water stability, optical clarity, and low background fluorescence[96]. However, it shows less nonspecific adsorption and has greater resistance to permeation of small hydrophobic molecules than PDMS[97].
This polymer could be considered as a convenient material since polymerization can occur rapidly at room temperature and doesn't require too much energy. Considered biologically inert, this polymer has good and variable mechanical properties which could explain its frequent use for tissue engineering as scaffolds. Poly-PEGA can be used to build robust microfluidic valves and pumps in different shapes for application in small volume assays[98]. Microfluidic devices made of poly-PEGA are usually fabricated using similar fabrication processes to polydimethylsiloxane[99]. Though poly-PEGDA elastic modulus (∼0.1 GPa) is too high for use in self-collapsing valves, it has strong potential for application in latch-valve designs[100].
Due to its resistance to nonspecific adsorption, poly-PEGA can have broad use in small volume analysis and biomedical research since it is a biocompatible polymer. Moreover, this material is not immunogen, and also resistant to protein adsorption, however it doesn't permit cell adhesion[101].
Schematic of a three-layer poly-PEGDA valve. (A) The left inset is a cross-sectional view along the dashed line for an open or closed valve. Top-view images on the right show an open (top) and closed (bottom) valve with green dyed fluid added for contrast. Valve diameter (D) is 700 m, pedestal width (P) is 30 m, and the fluid channel width is 100 m. (B) Top-view photomicrograph of a valve before filling with liquid. Interference fringes indicate that the membrane is deflected upward after the final bonding step. White scale bar is 200 m. (C) SEM of a three-layer valve device cross-section along the dashed line in (B)-From Rogers et al. 2013
microfluidic chip made of Teflons: Perfluorinated compounds (PFEP/ PFA/PFPE)
The fabrication and usage of all-Teflon chips with excellent solvent resistance is quite recent[102]. Teflons are extremely inert to chemicals and solvents, they also present nonsticky and antifouling properties[103]. They are optically transparent, soft enough to make diaphragm valves, and moderately permeable to gases[104]. Although their melting temperatures are high (over 280 °C), it is possible to generate complex microstructures with nanometer resolution with high-temperature thermo-molding and thermally bond the material to form various microfluidic devices[105]. Moreover, micro-structured features made of perfluorinated compounds maintain their elastomeric properties up to 200 °C[106].
Perfluorinated compounds inertness makes them attractive for microfluidics. In fact, the material surface is not only oleophobic but also hydrophobic[107]. Most fluoro-elastomers are polyfluoropolyethers, and are sometimes described as "liquid Teflon[108]. Two particular perfluorinated polymers, perfluoroalkoxy (Teflon PFA) and fluorinated ethylenepropylene (Teflon FEP), are used to build microfluidic devices and structures[109]. Those materials are thermo-processable and can be thermally bonded to other material to create composites such as glass−FEP used to build latch-valve devices, which are even resistant to highly corrosive solutions[110]. However, the bonding of perfluorinated materials to glass and similar substrates tends to be very weak[111].
PFA is a slightly opaque perfluorinated compound, and its optical transparency still allows use of fluorescence and cellular imaging[112]. Being one of the most promising materials for the fabrication of cheap, solvent resistant and reusable microfluidic chips (can be recycled for multiple uses without risk of contamination), PFA requires high-temperature hot embossing (∼260 °C) to mold devices, hence the use of a high-density and densely crosslinked PDMS mold[113]. It's an appealing material due to its melt-processability by conventional thermoplastic processing methods, optical transparency, adequate mechanical strength, resistance to elevated temperatures, organic solvents, corrosion and stress-cracking, as well as to molecular adsorption and molecule leaching from the polymer bulk to solutions[114].
Some microfluidic devices utilize polyfluoropolyether diol methacrylate (PFPE-DMA) because of to its numerous attractive properties. PFPE-DMA is viscous liquids at room temperature prior to curing and exhibit low surface energy and high durability and toughness[115]. Besides, this material is extremely chemically resistant, possesses high gas permeability, and low toxicity[116]. Polyfluoropolyether diol methacrylate could be utilized to make valves similar to ones in PDMS, and it shows less swelling in the presence of organic solvent with a Young's modulus of 3.9 MPa[117]. Though this value is 10 times higher than PDMS, it still possible to use this class of materials for valve applications[118]. FPE-DMA could be molded with resolutions as small as 50 nm, and UV-cured PFPE can be bonded strongly to PDMS[119].
Potocurable PFPEs have the potential to greatly extend the use of microfluidic devices to a wide variety of new chemical applications[120]. With the added advantage of photocuring capability, the production time of microfluidic devices can be reduced from several hours to a matter of minutes. Valves similar to ones in PDMS can be fabricated in polyfluoropolyether diol methacrylate[121]. Besides, PFPE channels shows no evidence of swelling as solutions traveled easily through them, and unlike PDMS, PFPE is compatible with all solvents involved in DNA synthesis reactions. The channel features in this device design are widely spaced to simplify layer alignment[122].
All these Teflon micro-devices show cellular compatibility over 5 days and good gas permeability[123]. They also have low nonspecific protein adsorption compared with PDMS and PS[124]. Such low-cost and fast fabrication of chips presenting good and convenient properties could greatly extend and broaden future applications of microfluidics.
II.2.6. Polyurethane (PU) microfluidic chip
Polyurethane (PU) elastomers are characterized by their high-mechanical strength, resiliency, and good resistance to abrasion[125]. Polyurethanes have been widely used in various applications such as the artificial heart, intra-aortic balloons, pacemaker leads, heart valves, or hemodialysis membranes[126]. This class of materials presents hydrophobic surfaces that are essentially water repellent[127]. The utility of polyurethanes can be improved by making the surface more hydrophilic. A number of in vivo and in vitro studies have been carried out to assess the cellular and tissue responses of PU, and it is crucial to considerate its biocompatibility but also its protein adsorption[128]. To limiting non-specific adsorption, modification of the surface with hydrophilic polymers can be done[129]. It is also possible to use photo-chemical reactions or various grafting techniques for this purpose[130].
Although various methods for surface modification exist, such modification has been demonstrated on open surfaces or films of PU and not inside microfluidic channels[131]. Surface modification inside microchannels present a different set of challenges, such as rapid depletion of reagents due to high surface to volume ratio that the modification chemistry has to take into account[132].
Traditionally, solvent moulding techniques such as vertical dipping, rotating mandrel and rotating plate are used to fabricate PU parts such as sheets, membranes and tubing. The rotating plate method is used for fabricating PU films and sheets, while vertical dipping and rotating mandrel are used for fabricating cylindrical parts, like tubing[133]. However, these fabrication techniques are not suitable for replicating the complex and detailed microscale features present in microfluidic devices[134].
PU-based microfabrication typically involves injection moulding, imprinting, plasma etching, sacrificial material and reaction polymerization, and these methods are not suited for rapid prototyping as they use high-cost intermediate moulds and expensive fabrication equipment[135]. Moreover, the substrates produced are rigid and not transparent, that is why solvent casting is more suitable since intermediate moulds can be fabricated using photolithography and the fabrication equipment is low cost[136]. However, the substrates that are produced are opaque, do not bond well and are difficult to connect with tubing[137].
III. Paper microfluidic chip
Paper is a flexible, cellulose-based material that has recently become as a promising microfluidic substrate for several reasons[138]: this biocompatible material is a cheap substrate that can readily be chemically modified through composition/formulation changes or through surface chemistry. Easily available around the world, paper can be simply disposed by burning or natural degradation. However, paper can only be used for a limited type of applications due to its weak mechanical properties and limited technologies. Papper can be used for biochemical analysis and medical and forensic diagnostics. Detection of analytes in paper microfluidics can be either colorimetric, electrochemical, chemiluminescence, and electrochemiluminescence. However, most paper microfluidic analytical devices rely on colorimetric detection. Paper-based microfluidics rely on the passive mechanism of capillary action to pull solutions through a device.
Methods available for patterning process are numerous and they define the width and length of paper microfluidic channels, with each method having its own set of advantages and limitations. For instance, inkjet and solid wax printing enable easy pattern definition and functionalization. Paper porous structure also allows for a combination of flow, filtering, and separation. paper is biologically compatible, and the normally white background provides a contrast for color-based detection methods.
Microfluidics has been increasingly involved in biological research and bio mimicking. Hydrogels, resembling the extracellular matrix, have been widely used to serve as cell support for various applications. The applications of hydrogel devices are mostly cell related unlike PDMS devices that are more commonly used to study tissue-level cell culture[139]. Microchannels can be built in the hydrogels for the delivery of solutions, cells, and other substances[140]. Hydrogels are 3D networks of hydrophilic polymer chains that situated in aqueous medium, mainly composed of water. They are highly porous with controllable pore sizes, allowing small molecules or even bioparticles to diffuse through[141].
The diffusion of nutrition and oxygen through gel is not adequate to support thick layer cell culture; the cells may behave differently along the gradient, and most of the time necrosis starts to occur at the depth of several hundred micrometers[142]. The introduction of microfluidic channels into the gel matrix can realize rapid mass transfer through the bulk, offering similar function as the natural bifurcating blood system, allowing bulk 3D culture of cells[143].
Due to low density at the macromolecule scale (and low strength), hydrogels support only lower resolution (micrometer scale) in microfabrication than other polymers (nanometer scale)[144]. In addition, hydrogels with cells encapsulated may not be compatible with some microfabrication processes[145]. To create microchannels, two methods are adopted. One is the direct writing method, including LDW and gelation of gel solution from a moving nozzle, which can generate arbitrary 3D structures with low speed. The other involves two steps: generation of channels followed by channel sealing[146].
Most hydrogels are gelled at mild conditions in aqueous solutions; thus, they can be molded from masters made of almost any material insoluble in water[147]. In contrast to the ease in molding, the bonding is challenging. Normally, hydrogels generally do not stick with simple contact. Reported bonding strategies include melting a thin layer of the bonding surface by heating or chemicals right before attaching; utilizing a second linking agent at the interface[148].
III. Materials for Microfluidic Chips Fabrication: Composite Materials
Cyclic-olefin copolymer (COC) microfluidic chip
Amorphous material, cyclic olefin polymers (COP) are a class of polymers based on cyclic olefin monomers and ethene. There are many COP materials commercially available but under different brand names. Since the polymers are made from more than one type of monomer, they are usually referred to as cyclic olefin copolymers (COC). They are synthetized by chain copolymerization of cyclic monomers with ethene, or by ring-opening polymerization of various cyclic monomers followed by hydrogenation.
Cyclic olefin copolymer is a new polymer that present interesting properties compared to commonly employed thermoplastics that have been used for quite a time now such as PC and PMMA[149]. COC is relatively easy to fabricate (good moldability) and is a low cost material[150]. That's why it is widely used in microfluidics aside from its innovative properties including excellent optical transmission, biocompatibility and high chemical resistance[151]. This class of material has a low moisture absorption rate, a high water barrier and heat resistance too[152].
However, COC also presents a number of potential disadvantages, such as brittleness and low heat diffusivity, which may limit its use in some applications[153]. This material can also be attacked by non-polar organic solvents, such as toluene and hexane. Besides, COC Microfluidic devices necessitate surface modification to separate hydrophobic compounds since the material present strong hydrophobic interactions[154]. To reduce adsorption (of proteins or other compounds), The COC chip surface can be coated using UV-initiated grafting of polyacrylamide for instance[155]. Coating the inner walls of microchannels also keeps a low electroosmotic mobilities while increasing the hydrophilicity of the channels walls[156].
Using cyclic olefin copolymers as the molding material, the higher the molding temperature and compression force, the less the COC microfluidic chip thickness decreases[157]. As for patterning on COC, pattern transfer fidelity is independent of the molding temperature and compression force[158]. Whitening caused by mechanical stress on the device surface is due to the molding temperature and the cooling rate of the mold/device assembly[159]. Finally, the bond strength between the layers of a laminated device is function to the lamination temperature[160].
Paper/Polymer hybrid microfluidic chip
Microfluidic immunoassay devices have interesting features such as high surface-to-volume ratio and microliter volumes of microchannels, which however leads to significant decrease in analysis time from hours to minutes[161]. To address issues from conventional microplates, microplate-format microfluidic devices have been developed for immunoassays, but even then, they had to be adapted to be suitable for bioassays. They are mainly employed for Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), one of the most widely used laboratory disease diagnosis methods. Performing ELISA in low-resource settings is limited by long incubation time, large volumes of precious reagents, and well-equipped laboratories[162].
Miniaturized paper/polymer hybrid microfluidic microplates (PMMA, PDMS, etc) are developed to address the issue mentioned above and to reduce costs[163]. Paper-hybrid devices are based on paper microfluidic chips concept while correcting its drawback[164]. They enable rapid immobilization of biomolecules and offer high performance in flow control, feature that purely paper based devices can't operate[165]. For instance, some PDMS/paper hybrid microfluidic system have been developed, and paper facilitates the integration of graphene oxide-based nanosensors on the chip, without any complicated surface treatment[166].
Those hybrid devices show high throughput, and facilitate point-of-care disease diagnosis[167]. One of their numerous advantages is to avoid complicated surface modifications mandatory when using polymers (PEI or APTES treatment, CNT functionalization) [168]. To that extent, rapid antibody/antigen immobilization and efficient washing is performed by using porous paper in flow-through micro-wells[169]. Micro-channels can transfer reagents to multiple micro-wells, method more convenient and accurate that repeated manual pipetting or costly robots[170]. Moreover, results of colorimetric ELISA can directly be observed within an hour without the help of measuring instruments like fluorescence microscopy [171].
Materials for Microfluidic Chips Fabrication: conclusion
Since its introduction, microfluidics keeps advancing along with technology, and the micrrofluidic application field is also expanding to many other disciplines. Biological and medical applications are a major focus of current research along with other areas. In terms of materials and functions, while glass and silicon have important uses, polymeric materials have become the material of choice in this field, and each comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Though PDMS is still the more commonly used microfluidic material substrate, new materials and composites presenting interesting features are created in order produce weven more adapted to mass production with lower-price and greter adaptability. In fact, a reliable materials must not only be adapted to the application the device is meant to but also present .
Microfluidics is multidisciplinary and requires continued coordination between different fields, engineering as well as physical and biological sciences, to keep improving and find materials which advantages completely outbalance the drawbacks and issues. Finally, some material are used to built affordable eco-friendly devices that could be disposed of after use such as paper based microfluidic chips.
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For more tutorial about microfluidics, please visit our other tutorials here: «Microfluidics tutorials».
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Scenes: 10. Roles: Male (2) , Female (2) , Neutral (0)
Holly has to spend New Year with the grumpiest pair of farmers who ever ploughed a field. Luckily, she meets a faery called Tom, whose magic and mischief brighten up her days and transform her stay in a real adventure. 'A show that addresses children's intrinsic sense of things unspoken and their capacity to embrace the realm of enchantment.' Time Out


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Abbeywood Tots Christmas Party
The party was filled with games, dancing and lot's of christmas cheer! We saw some magic tricks and played pass the parcel with some silly forfeits and sweeties inside.
We all then shared a tasty christmas lunch together, yummy sandwiches, festive satsuma's and homemade pizza.
Abbeywood Tots were lucky enough to have a special visit from Father Christmas! He heard the children singing his favourite christmas carols and came to give out some early christmas presents to all of the children.
Merry Christmas from everyone at Abbeywood Tots!


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Welcome to SoFlo Market! We are working on a new application and should be up and running soon! In the meantime, please feel free to send us an email to firstname.lastname@example.com and we will be happy to send one to you!
Thanks and we can't wait for you to join us!


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Marine Corps Logistics Command
Marine Corps Logistics Command is the largest tenant organization aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia.
Under the command of Brig. Gen. Joseph Shrader, MARCORLOGCOM provides globally responsive ground equipment inventory control and integrated operational-level logistics capabilities to maximize Marine Corps materiel readiness and sustainment.
Established May 8, 2003, MARCORLOGCOM supports the operating forces, supporting establishment and the acquisition community by providing value-added integrated logistics solutions. MARCORLOGCOM consists of a Headquarters Group and three subordinate commands: Blount Island Command, Marine Depot Maintenance Command and Marine Force Storage Command.
Marine Corps Logistics Command has seven essential tasks focused on providing operational-level logistics support to Marine forces, life cycle logistics support to program managers and materiel management/inventory control of Marine Corps ground equipment. These tasks are (1) enterprise depot-level maintenance, (2) prepositioning and war reserve, (3) ground equipment inventory management, (4) distribution, (5) storage, (6) weapon system life cycle support, and (7) operational-level logistics. MARCORLOGCOM's primary focus is to provide maximum equipment readiness to go to war, sustain military operations through mission accomplishment, and support redeployment/retrograde operations.
Marine Corps Logistics Command Headquarters Group is MARCORLOGCOM's command structure that ensures adherence to the Marine Corps' professional standards and training requirements; maintains good order and discipline; and provides for the health, welfare and safety of all Marines assigned to the command. Under the leadership of a commander and senior enlisted advisor, the group is the formal chain of command for Headquarters Company East in Albany, Georgia and Headquarters Company West in Barstow, California.
Blount Island Command
Blount Island Command (BICmd) provides technical assistance to Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) commanders for all aspects of planning, deployment, arrival and assembly, and reconstitution of prepositioned assets. Directly supporting power projection during global crises.
Located in Jacksonville, Florida, aboard Marine Corps Support Facility Blount Island, this industrial base and a robust local Navy support infrastructure provides an advantage not readily available to other sites. The MPF is comprised of two Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadrons that carry the combat equipment and sustainment to support up to two Marine Expeditionary Brigades of roughly 18,000 Marines and Sailors each. BICmd also manages the Marine Corps Prepositioning Program-Norway and the Marine Expeditionary Unit Augmentation Program in Kuwait.
Marine Depot Maintenance Command/ Production Plant Albany
Production Plant Albany's motto says it all: "What YOU do is IMPORTANT. Every day a MARINE'S LIFE will depend on it!"
Marine Depot Maintenance Command is the Marine Corps' ground combat equipment maintenance depot; it is headquartered in Albany, Georgia, and Barstow, California.
MDMC supports the Marine Corps and other customers with the repair of ground-combat and combat-support equipment. As a subordinate command and integral part of Marine Corps Logistics command, MDMC provides critical support to the equipment used in overseas contingency operations.
With a diverse workforce of more than 2,300 civilians, contractors and active-duty Marines, MDMC concurrently works more than 400 production lines at once, producing more than 12,000 pieces of equipment annually. As the Marine Corps' organic depot maintenance provider, MDMC provides depot-level maintenance, rebuilds and repairs, engineering, manufacturing and other technical services to maximize readiness and sustainability of ground weapons systems and equipment to include assault vehicles, combat vehicles, ordnance systems, small arms, automotive vehicles, engineering equipment and secondary repairables.
Marine Depot Maintenance Command's staff also provides calibration support and inspect-and-repair-only-as-necessary support to various Marine Corps customers, as well as prepares for shipment and care-in-store support to remote storage activities.
More than 80 percent of its workforce is cross-trained to work in more than one commodity area. With this type of diversity, the workload can be adjusted literally overnight to meet the mission-critical requirements.
Marine Depot Maintenance Command's multi-commodity maintenance concept works — it is responsive to the Marine Corps' requirement, it is paid for with less than 4 percent of the total Department of Defense dollars dedicated to depot maintenance and is an integral part of the nation's 9-1-1 force-in-readiness.
Production Plant Albany, formerly known as Maintenance Center Albany, was established Feb. 1, 1954, as the Repair Branch, Marine Corps Depot of Supplies, Albany, Georgia, and began repair production Oct. 1, 1954.
On July 1, 1956, the name changed to Repair Division, and during July 1968, it became an Industrial Fund Activity, which meant it operated its business using the financial principles and practices commonly found in the private sector.
During the 1960s and 1970s, Repair Division provided significant support to Marine Forces worldwide, including the Vietnam conflict. Maintenance Center Albany received a Meritorious Unit Commendation in August 2004 for providing more than 1 million pounds of armor kits for vehicles involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Today, the command continues to accomplish a variety of innovative projects and support activities. Other notables include:
- 2004 — Meritorious Unit Commendation from the Secretary of the Navy for providing, under cost and under budget, more than 1 million armor kits for vehicles involved in Operation Iraqi Freedom.
- 2005 — Secretary of Defense Robert T. Mason Award for Depot Maintenance Excellence. This prestigious award recognized the organization for outstanding maintenance contributions within the Department of Defense.
- 2006 — Marine Logistics Unit of the Year.
- 2007 — Second award, Robert T. Mason Award for its design and prototyping effort of several Marine Corps requirements.
- 2008 — Theory of Constraints International Certification Organization's Achievement Award, which represents the best organization in improving efficiencies in production facilities.
- 2008 and 2009 — Joint Depot Maintenance Excellence Award (Individual).
- 2009 — Robert E. Fox Award for Management Excellence.
- 2009 — Marine Corps Merit Award for Safety.
- 2010 — Excellence in Innovation.
- 2010 — Albany-Dougherty Economic Development Commission award for Excellence in Innovation.
- 2010 — Office of Secretary of Defense Continuous Process Improvement Award.
- 2010 and 2012 — Georgia Department of Economic Development Manufacturer of the Year.
- 2011 — Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold Award.
- 2011 — Marine Corps Continuous Process Improvement Excellence Award.
- 2014 — Marine Corps Ground Safety Award.
- 2015 — A third Robert T. Mason Award, this one for the Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment Program. MDMC is the only Depot in the Department of Defense to win this prestigious award three times.
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2317
Born in the depths of the Great Depression, the American Federation of Government Employees formed in 1932 at one of the most uncertain periods in our nation's history. Elected officials had crippled the civil service, wage cuts and furloughs were on the rise and promotions and leave privileges were hard to come by. Back then, federal employees lacked many of the basic rights they enjoy today, such as health insurance, overtime pay and weekends without work.
During the next two decades, new chapters began to pop up across the country, bringing with it greater leverage to represent their members. In 1945, after years of pay freezes, AFGE secured a near-16 percent pay increase with the passage of the Federal Pay Act — the largest single-pay increase before or since. In the 1950s, AFGE fought for and won the introduction of within-grade pay increases, transportation allowances for transferred workers and payment for accrued annual leave, overtime and night and holiday work.
But even up to the 1960s, AFGE didn't have true bargaining rights. After years of work, President John F. Kennedy in 1962 proclaimed that "the right of federal employees to deal collectively with the federal departments and agencies in which they are employed should be protected" in Executive Order 10988, which established for the first time the right of federal employees to exercise their voice in the workplace.
In the half-century since winning real bargaining rights, AFGE has extended the dignity of a union contract to more than 670,000 government employees in thousands of federal and Washington, D.C., government facilities across the country. Today AFGE stands as one of the largest and most influential forces for worker, civil and human rights in the world.
The union is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and divided into 12 geographical districts consisting of some 1,100 locals. More than one-half of AFGE's members are consolidated into agency-wide bargaining units. Agencies with the highest concentration of union membership include the Department of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Social Security Administration and the Department of Justice.
American Federation of Government Employees, Local 2317 is in the fifth district and is the second-largest local union, representing about 2,200 bargaining unit employees here that include Defense Commissary Agency, Defense Logistics Agency, Non-Appropriated Fund Instrumentality and Marine Corps employees.
AFGE, Local 2317 is in Building 3600; its phone numbers are 229-435-3800 and 229-639-5526.
Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services
Defense Logistics Agency Disposition Services, formerly known as Defense Reutilization and Marketing Service, a field activity of the Defense Logistics Agency, should be your first source of supply. Any equipment on its website can be obtained and shipped to Department of Defense activities at no cost to your command to include shipping.
Department of Defense activities are saving millions of dollars every year through the DLA Disposition Services "Reutilization Program." From routine supply requirements to specialized equipment, a wealth of excess, "ready-to-reuse" property is received daily by DLA Disposition Services. By taking advantage of their Reutilization Program, DOD activities can reduce procurement costs and eliminate unnecessary repair dollars. Every dollar's worth of property reutilized is a supply dollar saved.
Staff also provides the DOD best value services and delivers great performance to customers for the reuse, transfer, donation, sale or disposal of excess/surplus property. Marine units from around the world have taken advantage and reutilized DOD excess property.
Marine Corps Logistic Base Albany is serviced by DLA Disposition Services personnel from Fort Benning, Georgia. Scrap metal will be accepted at the scrap yard on base from 8 a.m. to noon Tuesday. For scrap turn-ins, contact Dan Gibbs, 706-545-6027 or DSN 835-6027; cell 706-580-2778.
To turn in usable property, call Disposal Service Representatives at 229-639-5848, 706-545-7318 or 706-545-6026, or CP 706-
580-5008. Fort Benning's DSN is (835). There is a representative from Fort Benning at MCLB Albany Monday through Friday unless leave or holidays fall during those days. For more information, call 229-639-5848 or CP 706-580-5008.
Steve Nace, at MCLB Albany, Georgia, is the major command representative with DLA Disposition Services for the Marine Corps; email email@example.com or call 269-986-6699.
Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Albany, GA.
A distribution center of Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, DLA Distribution Albany, Georgia, is the primary source of wholesale and retail storage and distribution processes of secondary repair parts and expendables for Marine Corps Logistics Command aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, Georgia.
The wholesale storage and distribution section stocks a wide range of commonly ordered items by the military services and other Department of Defense customers. Items stored include meals ready-to-eat, clothing and textiles, construction materials, electrical supplies, electronic components, secondary repair parts, as well as many more items. In addition to the basic receive, store and ship mission, DLA Distribution Albany, Georgia, performs preservation and packaging; stock readiness inspection, unit, kit and set assembly; marking; and reclassification of material.
The retail storage and distribution section stocks a wide range of retail items used in support of Marine Depot Maintenance Command. Items stored include vehicle data plates, weapons parts, nuts, bolts and washers. DLA Distribution Albany, Georgia, performs kitting and inventories of the lineside stock items in support of the various production lines within the local maintenance activity.
The distribution center performs unique missions that include providing all transportation management functions for MCLB Albany and tenant activities, storing Nuclear Biological and Chemical Personal Protective Equipment and box fabrication. Resources managed include special storage for radiological material, dehumidified storage for subsistence and storage for textiles and clothing for all DOD services worldwide.
It also facilitates the transportation for all inbound and outbound shipments of material for everyone on the base except the Marine Corps exchange and Commissary.
Defense Logistics Agency - Document Services
Defense Logistics Agency -Document Services is the primary source of full-service document solutions for MCLB Albany and the tenants aboard the base.
In addition to printing and duplicating, there are other document-related services including building libraries of digital documents allowing for online access, the provision of multifunction devices (that print from networks, copy, fax and scan) in the customers' workspaces and conversion of paper documents to standard digital formats.
With the large-format document scanner, staff can scan or copy a wide range of sizes from 8.5 inches by 11 inches up to 36 inches by any length, with a resolution of 600 DPI, assuring excellent output to digital files or hard copies for distribution to many formats to meet customer requirements. Offline bindery such as screw posting, spiral binding, tape binding and stitching are available. Color printing, laminating and poster prints are also part of the many varied services offered.
For example, the Electronic Document Management Service is used to assist the Defense Distribution Center in electronically capturing, processing, managing and storing millions of documents such as invoices, packing lists and bills of lading that help identify receipt, transportation and inventory transactions used in supplying U.S. military units.
A web-based system for ordering services from DLA Document Services is available at www.dla.mil/HQ/InformationOperations/DocumentServices. Following the user-friendly instructions, customers can design job specifications, submit a document file and receive a cost estimate prior to finalizing their orders. Customers can even electronically proof a job in progress. When print orders are completed, DLA Document Services will ship it to any location or have it ready for pickup at a convenient facility. DLA Document Services Online is designed for military and government agency customers. It meets all government security requirements, specifically for the Department of Defense.
Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency Humanitarian Assistance - Excess Property
The Department of Defense, Defense Security Cooperation Agency Humanitarian Assistance-Excess Property Program at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany, permits the DOD to make available, prepare and transport non-lethal excess property to foreign countries when requested by the Department of State.
Through the excess property program, the DOD donates and distributes excess property to U.S. government efforts to avert humanitarian crises, promote democratic development and regional stability and enable countries to recover from conflict. Examples of excess property typically provided include medical equipment and supplies, generators and other electrical equipment, school supplies, tools, furniture, tents, blankets, sleeping bags and clothing.
Excess property made available for humanitarian relief purposes is transferred to the Department of State, which is responsible for the distribution to the intended recipient (normally a host nation government, a charitable-type organization or a nongovernmental organization).
When a natural disaster occurs, the HA-EP facilities can assist by providing disaster-relief supplies such as medical supplies, tents, blankets and humanitarian daily rations. This way the program can also be used to stave off or mitigate the effects of acute crises and therefore minimize the need to deploy U.S. forces.
The HA-EP warehouse in Okinawa, Japan, provides EP storage, refurbishment and shipment for U.S. Pacific Command. Additionally, the HA-EP warehouse in Livorno, Italy, provides storage and shipments for U.S. European and African Commands.
The consolidated EP facility in Albany, Georgia, prepares the property for shipment for U.S. Central Command and U.S. Southern Command recipients.
Detachment 2, Supply Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 453
The mission of Detachment 2, Supply Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 453, is to train and field Selected Marine Corps Reserve Marines to augment the active-duty component by providing task-organized, direct support and intermediate-level ground supply support to the operating forces as well as being prepared to deploy worldwide as operational situations dictate.
The Marines hail all over Southwest Georgia, North Florida and even parts of Alabama. They represent various backgrounds and civilian occupations: college students, firefighters, law enforcement officers, railroad workers, lifeguards, correction officers, accountants and mechanics. This diversity brings many additional skill sets to enhance their MOS and combat skills training. Thus, Detachment 2 is able to fully complete its training with the opportunities that are available.
The Detachment also aggressively supports and assists the base and local community in many ways. Some examples are (list is not inclusive): providing color guard and funeral details, casualty assistance and the annual Toys for Tots Program, which provides gifts for less-fortunate children in the Southwest Georgia area. At the Detachment, an Inspector-Instructor staff provides equipment, training, administrative and logistical support necessary for the Marines of Detachment 2 to accomplish its mission in the most efficient and proficient manner possible.
General Account and Reparable Issue Point, Supply Branch, Marine Forces Reserve G-4
The General Account and Reparable Issue Point serves as intermediate supply points for more than 161 Marine Forces Reserve sites dispersed across the United States. Its 120,000-square-foot warehouse facility serves as a receiving, storage and distribution point for assets required by Marine Forces Reserve units with a focus on Class II individual combat equipment and Class IX consumable and reparable items. Additionally, the facility supports the storage and distribution of initial issue and provisioning project codes for the Reserve Force.
For more information, call the officer-in-charge or the staff noncommissioned officer-in-charge at 229-639-6596/6595.
Joint Program Executive Office-Chemical, Biological Defense Enterprise Fielding and Surveillance Dir
On June 1, 2012, the Joint Program Executive Office expanded its current surveillance mission by integrating the JPEO-CBD Enterprise Fielding and Surveillance team, formerly known as the Joint Equipment Assessment Program and their proven surveillance processes into fielding events. Surveillance is a process that has been used to effectively gather data which, with appropriate analysis and interpretation, can provide an accurate, real-time evaluation of the performance condition of a CBD acquisition system. The JEFS team is working closely with Joint Project Managers to execute this new responsibility in support of JPEO's goal to deliver a more efficient and cost-effective total package fielding process to the warfighter.
JEFS is also responsible for accountability and disposal of chemical, biological defense equipment and test management services throughout the Department of Defense.
Mission Areas
Fielding and Surveillance Teams (FSTs)
Conduct on-site baseline surveillance of wholesale assets in conjunction with fielding events of newly procured items and material. Assist the JPMs and JPEO-CBD by identifying, reporting and analyzing production issues and deficiencies in an effort to improve product quality. The FST also provides support to the overall fielding event. By request, the FSTs will schedule and conduct CBD equipment surveillance site visits for the services. Surveillance site visits provide unit commanders with invaluable feedback on their CBD equipment readiness and also provide training to CBD personnel on proper care, maintenance and storage procedures for CBD equipment.
Test Management Services
Develop and maintain technical expertise in support of DOD requirements for production lot, fielding and sustainment testing as necessary to accomplish total life cycle management of CBRN-D equipment.
Defense Accountability, Reutilization and Disposal
Maintain accountability and proper disposal of all CBRN-D assets identified as controlled items. Maintain accurate records of receipt, inventory, disposal, training, recycle and serviceable assets. JEFS, DARD project will utilize better business practices for process improvement and cost efficiencies and ensure proper demilitarization or recycling of unserviceable CBRN-D equipment under its control.
Marine Corps Systems Command
Marine Corps Systems Command, in conjunction with the Corps' Program Executive Officer Land Systems, outfits Marines with everything they drive, shoot and wear. Specifically, the command's mission is to serve as the Department of the Navy's systems command for Marine Corps ground weapons and information technology system programs in order to equip and sustain Marine forces with full-spectrum, current and future expeditionary and crisis response capabilities.
The command has management authority and accountability for assigned Marine Corps expeditionary forces weapons and IT system programs with the exception of naval aviation programs and that authority and responsibility specifically assigned to a PEO or direct reporting program manager. MCSC also has dual-reporting responsibilities. For research, development and acquisition matters, MCSC's commander, reports to the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition. For in-service support, execution of logistics sustainment and operating forces support, the commander reports to the Commandant of the Marine Corps.
Marine Corps Systems Command's focus is the young Marine in harm's way, protecting him or her, and providing this war fighter the wherewithal to execute the mission. With the help of contracted specialists, MCSC's team of professional Civilian-Marines and active-duty Marines equips the war fighter to win. They listen, learn, research, develop, test, procure and sustain — whatever it takes to get Marines what they need, when they need it — and according to MCSC officials, they do it efficiently and for the best value possible.
Collectively, MCSC's team of professional Civilian-Marines and active-duty Marines works hard to be timely and consistent in providing quality systems and equipment to the operating forces. They then expertly manage systems and equipment during their entire lifecycles.
The technological advantage MCSC provides helps Marines to shoot straighter, move faster and communicate more effectively so they can continue to win battles in every clime and place. The command cares deeply about each and every Marine and works hard daily with one thought in mind: to provide Marines with the systems and equipment necessary to ensure they return home to their families safe and sound.
Marine Corps Systems Command personnel aboard Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany are involved in the product support management of ground combat equipment and information technology systems. The roughly 350 Marines, Civilian-Marines and civilian contractors are structured under the command's Competency Aligned Organization to be members of integrated product teams in support of the Marine Corps Program Management Offices, program managers and product managers. They support MCSC's acquisition mission through product support management of ground combat equipment and information technology systems.
Naval Facilities Engineering Command
The mission of the Facilities Engineering and Acquisition Division is to enhance the readiness and capabilities of supported commands by safely delivering quality services and construction on time and within budget. FEAD Albany is a field office and reports to Naval Facilities Engineering Command Mid-Atlantic, headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia.
The FEAD office is responsible for awarding and administering service, construction and engineering contracts at MCLB Albany.


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Greek Tragedy According to Aristotle Analyzed
with a little romance thrown in for good measure. Of course, character, is Aristotles second category. Avenue Q encompasses the stories of the residents of this street who are
none survived. Aristophanes and Plato wrote about him indirectly; Platos Socrates was a central character in much of his work, and certainly in his early dialogues (Carr, 1997).
such was not subject to moral interpretation. He draws the conclusion that man is free only to the extent that he is cognizant of the world in respect to
of what he or she may learn, is an important and "right" aspect of being a lawyer. Dilemmas arise when cherished values conflict. The example of an attorney faced
is happy, but for Aristotle, that is not happiness. Why? It seems rather arrogant to suppose that these creatures who are not analytical and do not possess advanced degrees are
means some should be spoken and some should be sung (Aristotle). Perhaps the most important part of his observation, and one that is always mentioned in connection with him, is
tragedy is "higher and more philosophical than history" because history simply tells us what happened, but tragedy dramatizes what happened, or is happening, or may happen (McManus). Historical events may
of these two famous Greek philosophers with help from Jenny Goellnitzs excellent essay, "Plato Vs. Aristotle." With help from Goellnitz and her essay, this paper will attempt to define the
ancient Greece population was not that abundant, with large plots of land essentially keeping people separated from one another, there was no pressing need to establish any laws; however, as
No. It appears that the pride that he feels goes to his own humanity. A tragic hero is not superhuman. Rather, he is lifelike. And while Oedipus in part is
views on the soul of the Greek philosophers who have come before him. This includes Aristotles reaction to Platos position. Platos ideas on the soul are intrinsically tied to his
According to Aristotle, there are two specific types of virtues, "intellectual and moral, intellectual virtue in the main owes both its birth and its growth to teaching (for which
realm and the transcendent realm of forms" (Platos theory of forms). The theory of forms allows us to solve both the problems listed above: "By detaching ourselves
action, his deeds. Therefore, a writer would presumably write about a man who was better off than man really was, or conversely, worse off that he really was. Comedy represents
that purpose is not present because we do not observe the agent deliberating. Art does not deliberate. If the ship-building art were in the wood, it would produce the


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We all learned a hard lesson on the night of November 8. Nearly every single election poll had Hillary Clinton winning by a sizeable margin. The gold standard, Nate Silver's 538 website, which mashes hundreds of state by state polls into their algorithm had her winning with 302 electoral votes, 32 more than needed. Their model projected that there was only a 10.5% chance that Clinton would win the popular vote and lose the Electoral College. To make matters worse, they had already adjusted for likely voters, so turnout should hardly have affected their conclusions. Despite being so wrong this time, like everyone else, in 2008 and 2012, 538 got every single state and DC right in their model. My question is very simple: If the most sophisticated and redundant survey systems available got a simple binary choice wrong, how can we trust the surveys we use in business (which are much more complicated) to make decisions about where to invest media and marketing money and what the intended result will be? Maybe it's time for a little review on surveys.
Steve Fajen
Steve Fajen is President of Steve Fajen Consulting. SFC conducts media agency reviews, relationship repair and media resourcing. The firm also advises agencies on business development matters and both clients and agencies on compensation. &nbs… read more


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Endocrinology (Diabetes and Metabolism) >
Diabetes >
Type 2 diabetes
It's a chronic condition that begin at any age.
Your Marshfield Clinic health care team can diagnose and treat all forms of diabetes.
When your body can't make enough insulin or can't use insulin, it is called type 2 diabetes.
Insulin helps the cells in the body absorb glucose, or sugar, for energy. Without insulin, glucose builds up in the blood resulting in high blood sugar.
Type 2 diabetes is a chronic disease that has no known cure. It is the most common type of diabetes.
The exact cause of type 2 diabetes is unknown. It seems to run in families.
But, it often takes other factors to bring on the disease such as obesity, physical inactivity, or taking certain medicines.
Risk factors for type 2 diabetes include:
Age, people age 45 or older are at higher risk for diabetes
Family history of diabetes
Being overweight
Not exercising regularly
Race and ethnicity (African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and American Indians are more prone to develop type 2 diabetes than white Americans)
History of gestational diabetes (pregnancy induced diabetes)
Giving birth to a baby who weighed more than 9 pounds
A low HDL (high-density lipoprotein, or the "good cholesterol")
A high triglyceride level
Being a smoker
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include:
Frequent bladder and skin infections that don't heal easily
Unusual thirst
Frequent passing urine
Weight loss despite an increase in appetite
Blurred vision
Nausea and vomiting
Extreme weakness and fatigue
Irritability and mood changes
Dry, itchy skin
Tingling or loss of feeling in the hands or feet
Some people who have type 2 diabetes don't have symptoms. Symptoms may be mild and almost unnoticeable. Half of all Americans who have diabetes do not know it.
The symptoms of type 2 diabetes may look like other conditions or health problems. Always see your healthcare provider for a diagnosis.
There are several ways to diagnose diabetes. It is best to repeat the tests on a second day to confirm the diagnosis.
A1C. The hemoglobinA1C test measures your average blood glucose for the past 2 to 3 months. Diabetes is diagnosed if your A1C is 6.5% or greater.
Fasting plasma glucose (FPG). This test checks your blood glucose levels after 8 hours of fasting. You usually get this test before your first meal of the day. This is called your fasting blood glucose level. Diabetes is diagnosed if your fasting blood glucose is greater than or equal to 126 mg/dl.
Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). For this test, your glucose level is measured before and then after 2 hours after you drink a sugary drink. This test tells your doctor how well your body processes glucose. Diabetes is diagnosed if after 2 hours, your blood glucose is 200 mg/dl or higher.
Random glucose test. This blood test is done at any time of the day. Diabetes is diagnosed if your blood glucose is 200 mg/dl or higher with symptoms of hyperglycemia or hyperglycemic crisis.
Your healthcare provider will figure out the best treatment based on:
How old you are
Your overall health and medical history
How sick you are
How well you can handle specific medications, procedures, or therapies
How long the condition is expected to last
Your opinion or preference
The goal of treatment is to keep blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible without letting them get too low. To do this, you will need to control your blood sugar (glucose). You will also need to check it regularly. Regular physical activity, meal planning, and routine healthcare are also important.
You may be able to control type 2 diabetes with weight loss, exercise, and healthy eating habits. But, in some cases, you will also need either oral or injected medicines or insulin. You will also need to check your feet regularly.
Treatment also includes:
Taking oral medicines, other medicines, or insulin replacement therapy, as directed by your healthcare provider. There are various types of medicines to treat type 2 diabetes. Oral medicine of several different types are available. Each type works in a different way to lower blood sugar. One medicine may be combined with another one to improve blood sugar control. When oral medicines are no longer effective, insulin may be required.
Regularly checking your hemoglobin A1C levels. Experts recommend testing at least twice a year if the blood sugar level is in the target range and stable, and more often if the blood sugar level is unstable.
Untreated or poorly controlled diabetes can cause problems with:
Blood flow
This can lead to:
Kidney failure
For these reasons, it is important to follow a strict treatment plan.
When your body can't make enough insulin or is unable to use insulin, it is called type 2 diabetes.
Insulin helps the cells in the body absorb glucose for energy. Without insulin, glucose is left in the blood resulting in "high blood sugar."
The exact cause of type 2 diabetes is unknown. However, it runs in families.
The goal of treatment is to keep blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible without making them too low. Emphasis is on control of blood sugar (glucose) by monitoring the levels, regular physical activity, meal planning, and routine healthcare.
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:
Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen.
Before your visit, write down questions you want answered.
Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your provider tells you.
At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you.
Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are.
Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways.
Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean.
Know what to expect if you do not take the medicine or have the test or procedure.
If you have a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit.
Know how you can contact your provider if you have questions.
If this is a medical emergency, call 911.
(Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.)
If you have diabetes, taking steps right away to control it will help you prevent more health problems later. This quiz will help you see how well you know the facts.


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KINGSTON, Jamaica, Friday February 6, 2016 – GraceKennedy Money Services (GKMS), a member of the GraceKennedy Group and authorized agent of Western Union, is expanding operations into the Turks and Caicos Islands.
With this new market, GraceKennedy now serves as Western Union's agent in 11 countries across the Caribbean, including Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Montserrat, the British Virgin Islands, and the most recent addition, the Cayman Islands — which saw four service centres opened in November 2015..
"This expansion is aligned with GraceKennedy's strategic vision of becoming a Global Consumer Group delivering long term consumer and shareholder value, through brand building and innovative solutions in food and financial services, provided by highly skilled and motivated people," said GraceKennedy Group CEO, Don Wehby.
"With two and a half decades of expertise in the money services industry, we look forward to meeting the needs of customers in the Turks & Caicos Islands."
Chief Executive Officer of GKMS Michelle Allen said the computer would also continue its investment in robust compliance systems, which are critical to its business.
Click here to receive news via email from Caribbean360. (View sample


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Donny Osmond is performing his Basically Yours Tour in Connecticut at the Oakdale in Wallingford on Wednesday and the audience will dictate the show.
"This is for the audience, whatever they want to hear," he said.
Hear what he had to say and sing, when he was in the NBC Connecticut studio on Monday. He also answered some questions that our viewers posted on Facebook.
The doors open at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. The show starts at 8 p.m.