text:
I've felt a huge amount of guilt, because yes, I did it again. I have another guitar.
I've kept it secret for quite a while now. As of the time of writing this (Sept 21), it been a month since I actually got hold of it. I won the auction on the 19th of August, and it arrived two days later.
This one's a little different though (that's what I tell myself). The guitar in question is a Casio PG-380 MIDI guitar. Around 1987, this was the top-of-the-line instrument in the line up - alder body, ebony neck, Gotoh licensed Floyd Rose, and it's own internal synthesizer.
I think when people hear the word "Casio" they think of cheap watches, but this's pretty cool. The guitar was produced in the Fujigen Gakki factory, so essentially this is a Casio-branded "Ibanez" strat! The passive pickups remind me a bit of the active pups on the Charvel I had, the single coils sounding strat-like, but a little fatter. It's kind of an 80s sound I'd think.
The guitar weighs similar to my Les Paul. I think it's due in part to all the electronics in the body. If Darth Vader was a guitar this would be him for sure.
The internal synth has quite a few useable sounds. There aren't any effects on the patches, but adding a delay or reverb externally they really come alive. There's also a ROM card port for even more sounds too. Casio no longer makes midi guitars these days. Roland has soldiered on with their models, but I think this system has a few advantages.
Roland uses a proprietary system which forces you to use one of their (sound) modules. The external Roland pickup has to be mounted either with double-sided tape, or screwed into one of your guitars.
The Casio system on the other hand is all built-in. It's as easy as plugging a standard midi cord directly from the guitar into the midi port of a external synthesizer, or into a USB to midi interface, controlling a soft synth on a computer. (I bought a Hong Kong USB to Midi from eBay Australia that does the trick).
I tried a Roland, and I find the tracking to be comparable. I can understand why guitarists haven't quite turned onto the midi side of things. This unintentionally funny Roland promotional Youtube video doesn't really do any favours towards the cause.
It does open up some nice possibilities of interesting sounds though. This impressive saxophone demo played on the cheaper MG model shows what these Casio guitars are capable of. I just have to decide whether I REALLY needed to have it :( If anyone makes me a nice offer, I might let it go.
While we're on the topic of Casio, I thought I'd mention a free fun, time wasting iPhone app I discovered called "Number Invaders". It's based on the Casio MG-880 space invaders game calculator. I don't remember owning it myself, but I remember playing it a long, long time ago.
I've been catching up on the 80s lately a lot. I've been listening to the "Electric Dreams" soundtrack. Remember that? A computer falls in love with the owner's girlfriend. "Moles!"
Damn I miss the 80s!
Saturday, 21 August 2010
Casio PG-380 Midi Guitar
I've felt a huge amount of guilt, because yes, I did it again. I have another guitar.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 2 comments
Monday, 16 August 2010
Kiss The Dirt Falling Down The Fuji Mountain
A great INXS song, and something that crossed my mind while climbing the biggest mountain in Japan. Ladies & Gentlemen, it's time to meet the one they call "Fujisan", otherwise known as Mt Fuji.
Every year I told myself I was going to do it THIS year, but due to circumstances, weather and just not finding willing people to join the "adventure", I kept putting it back.
The planets were aligned. I had time to go, and the weather could not have been more perfect.
On Monday we caught the 4:50pm highway bus (2,600 yen one way) from the Keio terminal, opposite Yodobashi Camera. During the day it was 36 degrees. I couldn't wait to get away from this heat for a while.
The night before I had trouble getting to sleep. There was a mix of nerves and excitement. For the two hour and twenty minute bus ride I was hoping to get a bit more rest but I found myself staying awake. As soon as I saw the first glimpse of Fuji I hurriedly grabbed my camera to capture this moment.
Everyone else was sleeping.
Almost everyone starts the climb not from the bottom of Mt Fuji, but from one of the 5th stations. For people from the Tokyo side, the most popular station is the one closest to Kawaguchiko. Arriving about 7:10pm everywhere was dark. There was only one store open selling (overpriced) souvenirs, food and walking sticks.
They say that at the top it's about 20 degrees colder than the normal temperature and windier, so we didn't leave until 9pm to time our arrival at the summit as close to sunrise.
By 9:39pm, we were already at the 6th station and didn't realize it. The path initially goes downhill a bit before accending so we thought we might be going the wrong way, but instead we were well ahead of time.
We arrived at the 7th station at 10:45. Still the climb is quite manageable. This first part of the climb gave us a false sense of security that this climb was going to be a piece of cake.
Between the 7th and 8th stations, you are literally rock climbing. Pulling yourself up large size boulders and using your walking stick as leverage, and the chain to pull on as well as roughly guiding the way. I had absent-mindedly left my backpack on the 7th station seat. I was wondering why it seemed easier until 50m up I realized my mistake. It sucked going back down the rocks in the dark, but luckily it wasn't too far away.
At each station you can get your walking stick branded for 200 yen. It would've been a nice memento, but I doubt I'm going to send my stick back to Australia.
Climbing Mt Fuji at night is the best way.
You don't have the sun in your face, and the view of the town lights getting further and further away, people's torch lights and the stars are truly beautiful.
Although I had a flashlight, I mostly had it off because there was ample light from the others. I DO strongly recommend a headlamp. I really had to keep one hand free to navigate up.
Getting to the 8th station was SO hard. I'm sure I said, "I'm dying" more than a few times. There's more than one 8th station so it felt like we were never getting much further. It's just up and up forever. We would finally be there at 1am.
After this point, the track becomes manageable for a while. It's mostly a sandy zig-zag path towards the 9th station. Around here there seems to be a lot more people, probably from converging trails and the inevitable bottleneck as we got closer to the top. My thighs were hurting quite a bit by this stage.
I passed by the 9th Station about 3:45. From around this area it was going to be start stop traffic until I reached the top. I was kind of relieved as it gave me a chance to catch my breath. From here on in, it's more rock climbing, but with up to five rows of people wanting to be at the summit by sunrise.
I think we all had a little inner panic when we saw day breaking. I passed through a torii gate etched with what looks like hundreds of coins, and then, two white lion statues. I reached the top at 4:40. I easily lost the others climbing up, but what do you know, my cell phone had perfect reception at the top of Japan!
The sun finally made an appearance about 4:55 and it was fantastic. Everyone sighed "sugoi" as it went from a semi-circle to a full glowing orb lighting up the mountains and Lake Kawaguchiko below.
Most of the way up I was wearing long cargo shorts and a t-shirt. I got hot from all the walking but once I finally stood still, I started getting cold shivers, although I wasn't feeling cold. Strange.
I had a hot tea, that warmed my body up, as well as rugging up a bit more, and I felt much better.
One of the others was feeling sick from the lack of oxygen so she started to go back down. I didn't want to leave until I saw the crater. It's not so often you get to see inside a volcano!
I'd have liked to have stayed longer to walk around the perimeter to the post office (yes there is!), and to the actual highest point but it wasn't going to happen.
About 6:00 I started my way back down the different Yoshida trail. The signs said 340 minutes to get back which made us panic a little. The time is a little incorrect meaning this is the time it takes to the 1st station, NOT the 5th station. It took only 3 hours (and fifteen minutes) for me to get there.
Going down was always a 40 degree sloped zig zag trail of volcanic sand. Here is another situation where a walking stick (two's even better) is ESSENTIAL. The sand is very slippery. I only slipped once, but it was one more than I wanted. Much funnier watching others kiss the dirt. It was cloudy on the way down, but thankfully we didn't get any rain at all.
At 9:15, we arrived back at the 5th station. Lots of people were around. It's much more lively during the day, and easier to see where everything is. Our bus was booked for 11am, but they let us catch an earlier bus at 10.
I think it's easier going down, helped along with gravity, but my knees were wrecked, and I had two massive blisters on my big toes. I wore my most comfortable shoes. Boots are better to stop sand getting in, but don't wear Docs. Some steps on the way up are quite high. It took about three days for me to get back to my normal self.
Was it worth it? After I got back I immediately thought not, but now that it's been a while since I got back I'm glad I did it, and if I exercised more I'd have handled it better for sure.
Here's a video of my way up. Enjoy.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 3 comments
Friday, 13 August 2010
Two Year Old Chocolate
I planned to use my old backpack for Summer Sonic and the Mt Fuji climb.
Cleaning out my bag I found a whole lot of things that I'd either forgotten about, or spent ages looking for elsewhere. One was the awesome train map that shows EVERY train in Tokyo and Kanagawa in English and in Japanese. Ever since I had my iPhone though I haven't had as much need for it as before.
Another surprise was a completely unopened Ghana chocolate block. The only thing is the due date was "2009/10".
I hate wasting chocolate, so I checked on the internet if it's ok to eat old chocolate. (I also found out how to unstuck two glasses we had together) On most sites it said that it was ok, so I went forth and chowed it down.
It was quite dried out, brittle and a paler brown colour but otherwise tasted all right. I hope I don't have to do that again. It definitely wasn't the same as eating a fresh one, that's for sure.
After I consumed the whole thing, I found the old Donki receipt where I had bought it.
On the receipt it said "2008/11/26". So in actual fact the chocolate was close to two years old. Seeing that made me feel slightly queasier, but now that it's been a while since I ate, I give it the all clear!
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 5:39 pm 0 comments
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Summer Sonic 2010
Last year I had to decide between getting a cheap ticket back home for two weeks, or seeing the 10th anniversary Summer Sonic three day event. The $500 return ticket was too hard to pass up, so I had to forgo the festival. Shame that. There were a lot of great bands playing such as Placebo and Nine Inch Nails.
I have quite mixed feelings though about Summer Sonic. On one hand the lineups are pretty impressive, BUT on the other hand, the way they scheduled each band there was inevitably going to be some compromises to how many you can actually see.
This year was no different. The best bands were playing around the same, or close to the same time, and because of the size of the location, getting to another stage by start time was no mean feat, even with those buses.
The second issue is tickets. The two day ticket "sold out" on the Thursday, and yet the one days were still available? This looks clearly like a grab for cash. Fortunately I managed to get the two day ticket, and at a nice reduced price as well.
For those outside of Japan, tickets can be purchased at Lawson (convenience stores) Loppi machines, so you might avoid the uncertainty of buying them over the internet.
Another thing that annoys me is the banning of cameras. At events like these, it would be great to take some "real" photos of your favourite bands. I had to resort to using my crappy iPhone quality for photos, which looking at them now pale in comparison to what I could take with my SLR.
Ok, enough of that rant. Let's get on with the show, shall we?
We got up nice and early to be able to see the opening bands of the day. None of the bands held my attention long enough to stick around.
Many people around this time took the opportunity to LINEUP to buy t-shirts from the "OFFCIAL" (lol) goods stands. By the end of the festival, there weren't too many shirts left. A lot of Japanese wore their Summer Sonic t-shirts from this year, and past years gone by. To me it's like wearing a Brisbane shirt in Brisbane, but I digress.
General Fiasco kicked off a great set on the Mountain Stage. For a three-piece, their sound was really full and they oozed a fair amount of stage presence.
It Hurts to watch this band (With a name like that, it's kind of like, asking for it). I heard their songs, "Better than Love" and "Wonderful Life" prior to coming here, and I REALLY wanted to like this band. The lead singer did a lot of strange "flourishes" with his hands. It came across as a more gay BROS (if that can really be possible).
Their backup singer looked way out of place looking like a supper club waiter. I liked their 80s sound (could use a guitar though), but too many overblown ballads. "Sunday" has a nice Killers kind of vibe though, if only the singer took stage presence tips from Brandon Flowers. Better still, go see The Killers. They're absolutely awesome live.
Yes Giantess had a nice disco sound reminiscent of early Michael Jackson, but a lot of their songs sound quite similar. Maybe they should change their synth presets a bit more often. Not a bad set though.
Jasmine and Maika had their times switched around. I prefered Maika's performance more than Jasmine. She had a Japanese "Alannis Morissette" vibe going on, whereas Jasmine was a wannabe Beyonce, incomplete with distracting (not in a good way) dancers.
We made our way back to the Marine Stage stadium to watch Eikichi Yazawa. For a 60 year old, he kicked off a rocking set and it was obvious he is revered among the Japanese.
It was quite bizarre watching everyone throwing their towels though during his set. What's up with that?
On the Beach Stage one band that I'm recently really digging was Clammbon (クラムボン). The singer has a really unique voice. Slightly similar to Chara, so much that the first time I heard this group I thought it was her. These guys have a bit more of a jazzy freeform sound, which live was a bit hard to get into. Want to know if you'd like them too? Listen to "Folklore" and then "Chicago". What do you think?
Next we watched Nickelback. I had to confirm how much I dislike this band. Yep, still do. Even before they came on stage, I saw the wall of guitar speaker cabinets. Nothing wrong with that if the songs are any good.
I liked "How You Remind Me" when it came out, but any band that starts a song with, "I like your pants around your feet" has lost me forever. Please learn a bit of street cred from Slash. Arigatou.
One of the big lures for me to this festival was a-ha. Being a kid of the 80s, I grew up with their hits, and hearing that they were disbanding, I had to see them live. Morten has a great voice but he was struggling with his foldback earphones and looked uncomfortable.
They played a lot of new songs which didn't do them any favours. The hits sounded great. I was hoping for "Manhattan Skyline", but it never came. A little disappointing.
We had a nice break after them, so we chilled with some African kebabs, while watching The Offspring on the live video feed from the Marine stage. I saw them many years ago back in Oz, so not a big loss there. We caught the end of Richard Ashcroft's set singing "Bittersweet Symphony". It sounded great.
I had to choose between Jay-Z and Smashing Pumpkins (Thank you organisers). I knew more Pumpkins songs so that's where we went. Like a-ha, the hits sounded awesome, but his newer material pales in comparison as well. Interesting ukelele bit. He worked the crowd well. Instead of catching the last set by Orbital we went home.
Day one was more consistent, but the second day had a LOT of filler. If it hadn't been for Stevie Wonder and Slash, I probably would've done just the first day.
I was hoping to arrive in time for Monkey Majik, but we only just got there at the end of their set. Damn.
K'naan did nothing for me, neither did My Passion coming across like a bad "My Chemical Romance". Surfer Blood weren't too bad, but it didn't hold my attention long enough to stick around. That's the nature of the music fest I guess.
In the lull, she got a t-shirt. I probably should have got one too, but none of them were calling out to me.
Next Orianthi. I can't help but think that without her "break" in Michael Jackson's band, she wouldn't be at the level she is now. She's not a bad guitarist. Her instrumental, "Self Esteem" certainly has some nice "Vai"-isms, but I felt like she's still finding her feet. "Bad News" sounded like "Get Me To The Bathroom". Go figure. I don't think she has commanding stage presence just yet.
Having said that.. Big Bang made Orianthi look like the next best thing since sliced bread. This Korean boy band were woeful. They have a lot of young adoring Japanese fans, but it's hard to sing and dance without microphones, right guys? Good thing ripping off the kids too with 4,000 yen plastic necklaces. Sheete.
SUM 41 had the arena floor fill almost to capacity. They sure had a lot of fans. I only knew "In Too Deep". Not my kind of music but what they did, they did well.
Courtney Love of Hole probably still has a hard time shaking the "Mrs Cobain" stigma. No one is going to say she has a good voice, but she put in a good enough performance with "Malibu" and "Celebrity Skin" hitting the high points.
Had a super quick look at Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, before making my way to see Slash.
I have to say it right now. Slash was hands down the best performance of the weekend. Ably helped along with fantastic vocals from Myles Kennedy, I was enthused from the very beginning.
Usually when the singer is replaced, the remaining guys feel like a cover band (eg. INXS, RIP Michael). In this case, when I heard a G'N'R tune, I believed I was hearing Guns and Roses! It just goes to show Slash was just as much G'N'R as Axl. His solo record material killed as well. I wished I could've stayed till the end of the set, if it hadn't have been Stevie Wonder I wanted to see.
It didn't help that Stevie Wonder got on stage a whole twenty minutes late. What can you say about Stevie? He was in fine voice. He knows how to work a crowd. His sing-a-longs sometimes were hit and miss with a mostly non-English audience.
He attempted to get us all to sing Jay-Z's, "Empire State of Mind", which even I didn't know the words to. All was forgiven when he got us singing, "I Just Called To Say I Love You". Corny as ****, but everyone could sing this.
I DID get a little bored with the ballads, and was thinking of Dream Theater that I was missing on another stage though. We made our way out when the end was near, to make a quick bus dash to see The Pixies.
I only had to hear one song, "Debaser", and I was able to go home satisfied.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 11:59 pm 0 comments
Sunday, 1 August 2010
Yokohama Fireworks
This summer I didn't want to miss a fireworks show.
We were going to go to the Adachi fireworks in Kita Senju but it didn't end up happening, and the Sumidagawa fireworks were on the same night as a party I said I was going to. So, I made sure we would go to Yokohama's Kanagawa Shinbun. We went last year and I really enjoyed it.
Last time we were a little far away, with the Intercontinental hotel blocking some of the view. This year we hoped to get to Rinko Park, much closer to the action. Unfortunately a lot of other people had the same idea, so instead we, along with many others sat down on a closed-off road just outside the Pacifico complex which gave an almost unobstructed view.
This time we brought some cracker and cheese snacks, along with some limited edition green tea Krispy Kreme donuts we bought nearby. Of course I had the mandatory chu-hi to celebrate the spectacle. I also brought along my tripod this time to avoid camera shake and "alcohol hands".
I took a LOT of photos. They turned out much better than last year. But due to the unpredictability of fireworks, the best came about solely by chance. Here's a few.
Posted by Jimmy In Japan at 10:07 pm 0 comments


text: Upload your favourite photo to create a personalised mousemat, an ideal gift for friends or family. This 8″ × 10″ mousemat is made from high quality materials, combining a non-slip backing with a wipe clean surface to create a highly durable product. The photo image is inserted and sealed, not printed onto the surface. Mouse not included.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
South-east Rügen Island has a multi-faceted coastal landscape with long sandy beaches, salt marshes and beech forests, coastal cliff-faces and briny lagoons cutting deep inland.
Representing harmony between man and nature, the reserve can claim a wide range of species and a landscape as varied as it is beautiful. The coast itself ranges from expanses of white sand to pebble beach and cliff-face. Huge boulders punctuate the landscape, relics of the last ice age. With a bit of luck, you might find a fossil of a mollusc or sea urchin on the beach. But for real nature lovers, the unspoilt island of Vilm holds a special allure. Part of the core of the biosphere reserve, it is open to visitors only in the form of guided walking tours. The rare animal and plant species such as grey seals and orchids are well worth seeing here. Equally worth a visit is the 75-hectare landscaped park in Putbus, home to exotic specimens such as sequoia and cedar trees. As a managed landscape, the area covered by the biosphere reserve bears traces of human activity going back to the Mesolithic Age.
Two useful shortcuts for using the zoom function of your browser:
Zoom in: +
Zoom out: +
For further assistance from your browser provider click the icon:


text:
Difference between revisions of "2013 Lab 8"
(Created page with "==Introduction== thumb|300px|Incubator with cultures A general tutorial introduction to cell culture techniques in research. Dr Mark Hil...")
|Line 348:
|Line 348:
** [http://www.jove.com/index/details.stp?ID=755 Trypsinizing and Subculturing Mammalian Cells]
** [http://www.jove.com/index/details.stp?ID=755 Trypsinizing and Subculturing Mammalian Cells]
** [http://www.jove.com/index/details.stp?ID=320 Cell Capture Using a Microfluidic Device]
** [http://www.jove.com/index/details.stp?ID=320 Cell Capture Using a Microfluidic Device]
== References ==
== References ==
Revision as of 06:35, 21 May 2013
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Objectives
- 3 Cell Culture Basics Seminar
- 4 Basic Tissue Culture Equipment
- 5 Types of Cell Culture
- 6 Culture Method
- 7 Cell Observation
- 8 Contamination
- 9 Cell Growth
- 10 Cell Maintenance
- 11 Typical Cell Lines
- 12 Cell Analysis
- 13 Practical Methods Video
- 14 Lab 8 Individual Assessment
- 15 References
- 16 Supplier Information
- 17 Links
- 18 Terms
A general tutorial introduction to cell culture techniques in research.
Dr Mark Hill has used tissue culture (TC) techniques from his own Honours year to today. Currently he coordinates the two shared SOMS tissue culture labs:
Before beginning any research:
You should be aware and clearly understand the Legal and Ethical Issues related to research practice (See also primary tissue culture).
Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research has two parts:
- Part A advocates and describes best practice for both institutions and researchers.
- guidance is provided on how to manage research data and materials, how to publish and disseminate research findings, including proper attribution of authorship, how to conduct effective peer review and how to manage conflicts of interest.
- Part B provides a valuable framework for handling breaches of the Code and research misconduct.
- helps institutions and researchers to understand their responsibilities in the event that a breach of the Code occurs or an allegation of research misconduct is made.
- guides institutions through the appropriate responses and explains the responsibilities and rights of researchers if they witness research misconduct.
- designed to ensure there are agreed, clear, fair and effective processes in place in the event of an allegation of research misconduct.
You should be aware and clearly understand all Health and Safety (H&S) issues that relate to your project (your supervisor or PI).
You should be aware of the legislation and risks associated with working with Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs).
- the Australian Gene Technology Act was first introduced in 2000 and has been recently updated in 2011.
- legislation has requirements for research facility design, record keeping, spills, release, transport and disposal of GMOs.
- researchers should be aware of the risks and hazards associated when working with specific vectors and the genes placed in these vectors.
- Links: UNSW Gene Technology | Gene Technology Amendment Regulations 2011 | Guidelines for the Transport, Storage and Disposal of GMOs
External Links Notice - The dynamic nature of the internet may mean that some of these listed links may no longer function. If the link no longer works search the web with the link text or name.
- Understand the use and limitations of in vitro cell analysis
- Understand the basic requirements for a tissue culture laboratory
- Understand the basic techniques of tissue culture, sterile technique, contamination analysis, bio-waste, cell storage
- Understanding the differences between primary and cell line cultures
- Brief understanding of cell growth requirements
- Brief understanding of analytical techniques
Cell Culture Basics Seminar
Usually at least once a year commercial presentation to researchers of current technologies in either SOMS or Lowy.
The linked online commercial publication (shown below) by ECACC gives a good general introduction to tissue culture techniques.
- Links: ECACC Handbook
Basic Tissue Culture Equipment
- Personal Protective Equipment PPE (enclosed shoes, gown, gloves, eye protection)
- Decontamination (bleach, ethanol, Viraclean)
- Autoclave (clean, dirty) LOWY
- Waste facilities (clean, chemical and biowaste) (hazardous waste)
- Biohood Class 2 (sterile environment)
- Fridge/freezer (4C, -18C, -80C, liquid nitrogen)
- Water bath (37C, warming solutions)
- Centrifuge (bench-top,low speed, capped carriers, 15 and 50 ml tubes)
- CO2 Incubator (gas regulated environment, CO2 gas)
- Microscope (inverted phase, digital camera)
- Consumables (tissue culture plates, media, buffers, enzymes, antibiotics, pipettes, sterile filters, 15ml and 50 ml tubes, cells ......lots of consumables)
- Note - most of these consumables are now available through Biostore.
A Grant......
Types of Cell Culture
|Low risk
|Medium risk
|High risk
Cell Lines
Also called Continuous Cultures.
Cell lines may be established or generated by individual research groups or available from a larger cell supplier (bank). There are two main suppliers worldwide of cell lines, ATCC and ECACC. Different cell lines will have different growth properties, passage-ability and characterization.
Importation of commercial or research lab provided cells need to conform to AQiS guidelines.
Note - SOMS holds a school-wide AQIS licence for the importation of a variety of cells and cell products. (contact Anastasia for more details)
American Type Culture Collection
American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) was established in 1925 when a committee of scientists recognized a need for a central collection of microorganisms that would serve scientists all over the world. The early years were spent at the McCormick Institute in Chicago until the organization moved to Georgetown University in Washington, DC in 1937. As research in the biosciences expanded, ATCC began to diversify its holdings, and as the collections grew ATCC occupied a series of sites, each providing more storage space. ATCC moved to its current state-of-the-art building in 1998. Bacteria, Bacteriophages, Cell Lines and Hybridomas, Filamentous Fungi and Yeast Plant Seeds, Protozoa and Algae, Viruses and Antisera.
- "...global nonprofit bioresource center that provides biological products, technical services, and educational programs to private industry, government, and academic organizations around the world. Our mission is to acquire, authenticate, preserve, develop, and distribute biological materials, information, technology, intellectual property, and standards for the advancement, validation, and application of scientific knowledge.
- Links: ATCC | Cultures and Products
European Collection of Cell Cultures - ECACC
European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC), a Health Protection Agency Culture Collection.
- "The European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC) was established in 1984 as a cell culture collection to service the research community and provide an International Depository Authority recognised patent depository for Europe." "The collections currently hold over 40,000 cell lines representing 45 different species, 50 tissue types, 300 HLA types, 450 monoclonal antibodies and at least 800 genetic disorders."
- Links: ECACC | General Cell Collection | ECACC Handbook
Primary Culture
- Primary cell cultures are derived from rat, mouse and human in the Lab. The majority of cultures focus on the growth of either neurons and/or glia. Cultures can be generated from embryonic or adult: cortex, retina, spinal cord, dorsal root ganglia, sympathetic ganglia. Depending on the preparation technique either neurons, glia or neurons and glial cultures can be generated.
- primary cell culture refers to the cells the first time they are placed in culture.
- Once these cells have been subcultured are no longer primaries and should not be described as primary culture.
- The advantages of primary cultures are that the cells have not been "modified" in any way (other than enzymatic or physical dissociation).
- The disadvantages of primary cultures are the mixed nature of each preparation, limited lifespan of the culture and the potential contamination problems. In some cases these cells can also be stored frozen for future use.
- Remember that in the adult (except for olefactory and ventricular) neurons are post-mitotic and will not proliferate unless transformed.
- All primary cell culture experiments using animals need Animal Ethics approval and must comply with Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Use of Animals for Scientific Purposes, National Health and Medical Research, Council (6th edn, 1997).
- All primary cell culture experiments using human material need Human Ethics approval.
Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS)
Uses fluorescent labelled antibody bound to the surface of living cells to identify and sort cells from a mixed population using a laser to detect the fluorescence.
Links: MBoC Figure 8-2. A fluorescence-activated cell sorter
Culture Method
Adherent Cultures
- cells grow until they cover the surface area available or the medium is depleted of nutrients
- some cells are "contact inhibited"
- once a monolayer is formed and cells contact each other, they cease proliferation
- these cells will need to be separated from the substrate
- mechanically (scraper)
- enzymatically (trypsinization)
- both enzymatic and mechanical
Semi-Adherent Cultures
- mixed population of cells some adherent and some in suspension
- both cell populations need to be preserved in passaging
- not a common culture
Suspension Cultures
- cell cultures derived from blood (e.g. lymphocytes)
- grow in suspension, not adherent to a sustratum
- some cell lines may grow as single cell suspensions or in clumps (e.g. EBV transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines)
- clumping cells may require centrifugation and resuspension by pipetting generate a single cell suspension (for counting)
Cell Observation
Phase Contrast Microscopy
- refractive index differences within cellular components and between cells and their surrounding aqueous medium
- enhances contrast in transparent specimens
- "phase halo" - can be either bright around dark objects or dark surrounding bright objects
- diffracted light passes through the phase ring as well as the nonphase areas and interacting at the image plane
- light diffraction and interference and not of the optical path of the sample
- phase contrast microscopy was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physics, 1953.
Links: MBoC Figure 9-8. Four types of light microscopy | Nikon - phase microscopy | phase alternatives
See also cell growth section.
- sudden change in pH
- cloudiness in the medium
- slight whiteish film on the cell surface of plates, dishes, bottom of bottles of medium (dissipates when vessel is moved)
- thin filamentous mycelia and denser clumps of spores
- fungi are usually slow growing
- in advanced stages a fuzzy growth (either whitish or black) seen without a microscope
- cannot be detected by the naked eye or typical light microscopy
- mycoplasma contamination must be detected by testing
- Infection can: alter of growth rate, induce of morphological changes, lead to chromosomal aberrations, alter cell metabolism and decrease viability upon resuscitation of frozen ampoule. EEACC Mycoplasma Testing
- Detected by PCR, DNA Stain or Culture Isolation.
- ATCC Mycoplasma
- Persistent Exposure to Mycoplasma Induces Malignant Transformation of Human Prostate Cells
- appear as round or ovoid particles smaller than mammalian cells
- mostly seen as "budding" from other yeast particles (chains of 2,3+)
- in advanced stages can appear as multi-branched chains of particles
- Links: Yeast contaminated culture | Cell Culture Contamination | Index of Typical Cell Culture Contaminants | Sigma - Cell Culture Tested Antibiotics
Cell Growth
Cell Media
Basic Constituents of media, inorganic salts, buffering systems, carbohydrates, vitamins, proteins/peptides, fatty acids/lipids, trace elements.
- cells require pH conditions in the range 7.2 - 7.4 and close control of pH.
- phenol red acts as a pH indicator, culture medium should be changed if the color turns yellow (acid) or purple (alkali).
- bicarbonate/CO2 buffering systems need to be maintained in incubator atmosphere of 5-10% CO2.
Different Cell Metabolic requirements
- Neuronal cells - High glucose (4500 mg/L) Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (D-MEM) (1X) liquid (high glucose)
- Non-neuronal cells - low glucose (1000 mg/L) Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (D-MEM) (1X) liquid (low glucose)
- Heat inactivation - involves heating at 56°C for 1 hour to inactivate complement components and prevent the occurrence of complement mediated lysis in cell cultures.
- Safety testing - different between countries: No safety testing required (USA/Canada, New Zealand, Finland and Denmark), Safety testing may be required (Australia, Mexico, Central America).
Serum-Free Media
- Stem cell and human therapeutic applications.
- Allow growth in a fully-defined media.
- No batch to batch sera variations.
- Eliminate cross-species contamination/interactions.
Cell Maintenance
Cell Counting
- Rice University Using a Counting Chamber
- Automated Cell Counting Countess - Automated Cell Counter "The uses trypan blue staining combined with image analysis algorithm to produce accurate cell and viability counts in just 30 seconds. The algorithm also measures average cell size of live, dead, and total cells."
- Links: How Countess Works | Video
Cell Storage
- Continuous passage
- Freezing (passage number)
- short-term -80C freezer
- long-term cell storage in liquid/gas phase liquid nitrogen.
Freezing Cells
- High protein (sera) media (dispensable for some lines)
- DMSO cryoprotectant (variable 10%) toxic to cells.
- Methylcellulose or polyvinyl pyrrolidone can be used for serum free cell lines.
Links: DMSO Cell Culture Tested | Commercial freezing media
Typical Cell Lines
C2C12 Myoblast
- Mouse (Mus musculus) muscle cell line
- Original Reference Blau HM, et al. Plasticity of the differentiated state. Science 230: 758-766, 1985. PubMed: 2414846
- ATCC ATCC C2C12 | ATCC C2C12 images
- Blau Lab Protocol Blau Lab - C2 Mouse Myoblast Culture
PC-12 Pheochromocytoma
- Rat (Rattus norvegicus), adrenal gland cancer
- Original Reference Greene LA, Tischler AS. Establishment of a noradrenergic clonal line of rat adrenal pheochromocytoma cells which respond to nerve growth factor. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 73: 2424-2428, 1976. PubMed: 1065897
- ATCC ATCC PC12 | ATCC PC12 images
3T3 Fibroblast
- Mouse, Swiss albino (Mus musculus)
- Original Reference Todaro GJ, Green H. Quantitative studies of the growth of mouse embryo cells in culture and their development into established lines. J. Cell Biol. 17: 299-313, 1963. PubMed: 13985244
- ATCC ATCC 3T3 | ATCC 3T3 images
HeLa Epithelial
- Human (Homo sapiens) cervical adenocarcinoma
- HeLa cells were named for Henrietta Lacks, who died in 1952 from cervical adenocarcinoma and her physician Margaret Gey then began working with these cells used throughout the world for medical research.
- ATCC ATCC HeLa | ATCC HeLa images
Cell Analysis
Cells can be analysed in many different experimental techniques
- Living or Fixed
- Microscopically
- Time lapse
- Confocal microscopy
- Immunohistochemistry
- In Situ hybridization
- Biochemically
- DNA (Southern)
- mRNA (Northern)
- Protein (Western)
- Microarray
- Flow cytometry
Practical Methods Video
Journal of Visualized Experiments
- Journal of Visualized Experiments
Lab 8 Individual Assessment
Peer assessment of group project work.
- Each student will carry out an assessment of all Group projects other than their own.
- This written assessment should then be pasted on the actual project discussion page and your own individual student page.
- The peer assessment for each project should be concise and include both positive and negative critical analysis of the current project status.
- The actual assessment criteria (shown below) can be used if you like.
- Each student assessment should be your own work and be completed before the next Lab.
Group Assessment Criteria
- The key points relating to the topic that your group allocated are clearly described.
- The choice of content, headings and sub-headings, diagrams, tables, graphs show a good understanding of the topic area.
- Content is correctly cited and referenced.
- The wiki has an element of teaching at a peer level using the student's own innovative diagrams, tables or figures and/or using interesting examples or explanations.
- Evidence of significant research relating to basic and applied sciences that goes beyond the formal teaching activities.
- Relates the topic and content of the Wiki entry to learning aims of cell biology.
- Clearly reflects on editing/feedback from group peers and articulates how the Wiki could be improved (or not) based on peer comments/feedback. Demonstrates an ability to review own work when criticised in an open edited wiki format. Reflects on what was learned from the process of editing a peer's wiki.
- Evaluates own performance and that of group peers to give a rounded summary of this wiki process in terms of group effort and achievement.
- The content of the wiki should demonstrate to the reader that your group has researched adequately on this topic and covered the key areas necessary to inform your peers in their learning.
- Develops and edits the wiki entries in accordance with the above guidelines.
Molecular Biology of the Cell
Alberts, Bruce; Johnson, Alexander; Lewis, Julian; Raff, Martin; Roberts, Keith; Walter, Peter New York and London: Garland Science; c2002
Growth Factor Model Image: MBoC Ch18 Fig 45 MCB Figure 6-5. Stages in the establishment of a cell culture. Image: MBoC Ch18 Fig 46/47
- Some Landmarks in the Development of Tissue and Cell Culture
- Serum-free, Chemically Defined Media Permit Identification of Specific Growth Factors
Molecular Cell Biology
Lodish, Harvey; Berk, Arnold; Zipursky, S. Lawrence; Matsudaira, Paul; Baltimore, David; Darnell, James E. New York: W. H. Freeman & Co.; c1999
The Cell- A Molecular Approach
Cooper, Geoffrey M. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates, Inc.; c2000
Search Online Textbooks
- "cell+culture" Bookshelf
JoVE Videos
Neural Culture
- Dissection and Culture of Commissural Neurons from Embryonic Spinal Cord
- Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Cultures
- The Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Culture Model for Examining Neuronal Injury
- Isolation and Culture of Pulmonary Endothelial Cells from Neonatal Mice
- Nucleofection and Primary Culture of Embryonic Mouse Hippocampal and Cortical Neurons
- Preparation of Dissociated Mouse Cortical Neuron Cultures
- Isolation and Culture of Post-Natal Mouse Cerebellar Granule Neuron Progenitor Cells and Neurons
- PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that includes over 18 million citations from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles back to 1948. PubMed includes links to full text articles and other related resources. PubMed
- PubMed Central (PMC) is a free digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) allowing all users free access to the material in PubMed Central. PMC
- Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a comprehensive compendium of human genes and genetic phenotypes. The full-text, referenced overviews in OMIM contain information on all known mendelian disorders and over 12,000 genes. OMIM
- Entrez is the integrated, text-based search and retrieval system used at NCBI for the major databases, including PubMed, Nucleotide and Protein Sequences, Protein Structures, Complete Genomes, Taxonomy, and others Entrez
Search Pubmed
- "tissue culture" Entrez all databases
- "cell culture" Entrez all databases
- Animal Cell Culture: A Practical Approach ed R.I Freshney
Supplier Information
Sigma Cell Culture Manual (on line)
ECACC Handbook Cell Culture Virtual Stockroom
GIBCO Media/Serum Cross Reference -¬EU GIBCO Media/Serum Cross Reference - US
Media Expert Media Formulations Mediatech - product cross reference chart MSDS/COA Search On-Site Stocking/Inventory Management
Videos cell-culture-video micropipette video
Invitrogen Mammalian-Cell-Culture Primary Cell Culture
3D Cell Culture 3D-Cell-Culture Collagen I, Rat Tail AlgiMatrix Reduced Growth Factor Basement Membrane Matrix Stem Cell Research Stem-Cell-Research
- Protocol Online - Cell Culture
- UMBC general TC method description
- Wikipedia Tissue culture
Polyethyleneimine - attachment factor for weakly anchoring cell lines and primary cells. Used in lipofection protocols, more reliable and increases the yield of expressed products with commonly used cell lines such as PC-12 and HEK-293 cells.
Hibitane - commercial name for Chlorhexidine gluconate (5%), an antiseptic effective against a wide range of bacteria, yeasts, some fungi and viruses. Disinfection (removal of surface bacteria) of the skin.
sterile (aseptic) technique - carrying out tissue culture procedures without introducing contaminating microorganisms from the environment.


text:
A great read for grammar fanatics. 🙂
Today marks an important day for word users and language speakers everywhere. It's National Grammar Day! There are all kinds of ways to celebrate this special occasion: Proofread an e-mail message before you hit "send." Show some Facebook friends you care by correcting their grammatical mistakes in the comments section of their posts. Read a grammatical page-turner, like Woe Is I or Eats, Shoots & Leaves. Try your hand at a quick Facebook editing contest hosted by Grammarly, called "Edit This." Or, for goodness' sake, just take care to craft a structurally sound sentence with all your commas and apostrophes in the right places.
In honor of the holiday, here are 10 heartfelt sentiments to send to someone you love. Enjoy!
In honor of the day, tell us—which grammatical mistake makes your skin crawl?


text:
In the 60s, Donald Horne, of the liberal left mixed in with a bit of Aussie radicalism, wrote The Lucky Country and that was all about myths.
While Chris Snowdon has it right about the current situation, not being Australian or not having spent extended periods imbibing the local "culture" makes it understandable that he might think this new-fascism is a relatively recent thing.
BBC News magazine has a feature that, unintentionally perhaps, supports Snowdon's thesis. According to Nick Bryant:
Sports grounds … offer a vantage point from which to view the country's surprisingly officious and authoritarian streak. At cricket matches, beach balls that transgress onto the playing area are confiscated and punctured. Fans who start Mexican waves face eviction. Those queuing up for beer have to remove their sunglasses to prove they are not half-cut …
Its claim to be a laid back country, meanwhile, is belied by the bewildering array of rules and regulations, from strict border protections to the bylaws which stipulate that cars should be parked in the same direction as the flow of traffic.
This isn't the whole story, of course, as Australia: What the rest of the world gets wrong clearly demonstrates. Bryant does however make this damning observation:
In the face of this authoritarianism, the supposedly anti-authoritarian Australians are unexpectedly meek and acquiescent.
Australians, in general, are orthodox and compliant.
The greatest myth, of course, is in sport. Seen as almost a religion, mainly to watch with a few tinnies and a few mates and to an extent, to play, it's not a particularly healthy country. Ditto with the bronzed ANZAC tradition and one of the most famous plays in Australian history is The One Day of the Year, by Alan Seymour, himself another leftist:
The One Day of the Year dramatised the growing social divide in Australia and the questioning of old values. In the play, Anzac Day is criticized by the central character, Hughie, as a day of drunken debauchery by returned soldiers and as a day when questions of what it means to be loyal to a Nation or Empire must be raised.
So it's been going on for a long, long time, this white-anting of the culture and Seymour's choice of the most revered day in Australian history to pillory did not go down well with patriots. And naturally, it soon found it's way into schools as required reading and indoctrination of students.
It was a very fascistic state in many ways in the 50s and early 60s, there were things you never said, never saw [censorship] and the Australian was quite conformist in his faux-radicalism, especially when compared with French youth in '68. Much of this is Australia's own fault, just as our state over here is largely the people's fault. Australians have always had a certain naive, easy-going way, interspersed with jingoistic violence. The myth is not just believed but is an essential part of the national makeup.
One of the myths is that Australians always go for the underdog and it is true that they'll barrack for another team if the other team are battlers but then that is undercut by "Going for gold" in the most jingoistic fashion imaginable. Broadcaster Norman May even made his own countrymen and women cringe in his Olympic calls at the top of his voice: "Gold! Gold! Gold!"
The AIS was set up as a direct result of "humiliation" by the Eastern bloc and that is as close to Soviet Russia as it got before the current day. Incidentally, May himself pointed out one of the national divides:
NORMAN MAY: Well, the thing with that one was a different sort of situation in Moscow. I've always been involved since 1963 in Olympic fundraising. And that was the time that Malcolm Fraser, the prime minister, didn't want the team to go. And I'm trying to raise funds for the team. And it got very emotional. The country was divided…
GEORGE NEGUS: I thought politics and sport should be kept apart.
NORMAN MAY: The ABC ran a survey with 'This Day Tonight' and 52% wanted the team to go and 48% didn't. That's almost 50/50. So there it was. And once the team got there all this problem was there but the public opinion changed. And once I got a race which I didn't think they'd win, all of a sudden they're winning and I'm going up in the air like a broadcaster if they'd lost I would've gone down like a lead balloon.
Australians do get het up about things and are not always as easygoing as they'd like the world to think. England has never thought it on the cricket field anyway.
Apartheid was one of the worst issues, especially through the Springbok rugby tour and though I was a rugby player of no note at the time, my politics was then of the left and thus I was anti-apartheid. Within the same family, people could fall out over it.
Bigger than that was Vietnam and that led to the coup d'etat of 1975. By the way, I've spoken to Malcolm Fraser by telephone and he's changed over the decades. Division, spite, split down the middle – that was Australia.
When you think of Australian film, what do you think of? Crocodile Dundee, Picnic at Hanging Rock? Half of Australians don't go there – 56% or so are in the two major cities and up to 90% are urban, suburban or in towns. If you fly into Sydney from across the great space, you're struck by how Sydney seems to cling to the side of the land for grim life and if you then fly down to Melbourne, it's a similar tale.
And the cultural cringe is a well-argued phenomenon.
Enough of the negatives – what is absolutely fabulous in Australia are the big, multicoloured skies inland, the burnt browns and greens, the eucalypts by the creeks and the wildlife – the wildlife is quite unique and on the whole, soft, as distinct from the image the Aussie likes to project. The only things which might kill you are a couple of species of snake and the redback but I'm not even sure if the latter kills or not. Oh and mustn't forget the jellyfish and cane toad.


text:
On his blog today Michael Kimsal asks a question that hasn't come up much in recent months - with all of the advancements browsers are adding in, why aren't there better hooks for measuring file downloads?
This current tirade stems from implementing a file upload progress meter in PHP5. Yes, PHP5.2 has some hook, and there's a PECL extension. [...] I realize this is partially a PHP issue I'm ranting about, but it's ultimately a hacky workaround to a basic piece of functionality that browsers should support.
He mentions an example where he basically directly asked a member of the IE team about it. It wasn't greeted seriously and still hasn't managed to be included in most of the popular browsers of today.


text:
In the movies, pretty adults are supposed to have sex. The male lead and the female lead need to be our idealized selves in an ideal relationship and they need to have attractive people sex. But in the real world, people find a way to fall in love and get it on even if they don't have chiseled abs or amazing breasts. And then there are those people where, due to their physique, we wonder if sex is even an option and we're sure that thought has crossed their minds as well. And no matter our physique, we've all probably wondered if we'll ever find love. Those thoughts—of finding love and sex—crossed the mind of writer and poet Mark O'Brien. At the age of six, O'Brien's body was ravaged by polio and he was placed in an iron lung, which he could only leave for a few hours at a time. As John entered his 40s, he still hadn't had sex or found love, and in Ben Lewin's The Surrogate—a movie based on O'Brien's real experiences—he searches for both. The Surrogate comes right up to the line of being painfully sentimental and mawkish, but strong direction and amazing lead performances make the film inspirational, funny, and genuinely heartwarming.
Mark (John Hawkes) is intelligent, religious, witty, and would have women tripping over themselves to be with him except for one thing: being stuck in an iron lung and the inability to move one's body makes courtship somewhat difficult. When he's asked to write an article on sex and the disabled, Mark seeks out a sex surrogate and finds Cheryl (Helen Hunt). Cheryl clarifies that she's not a prostitute because she doesn't want repeat business. She and Mark will have six sessions where she teaches him how to maintain an erection, have prolonged sexual intercourse, and basically enjoy the sex non-disabled people have. With the counsel of his compassionate priest Father Brendan (William H. Macy), Mark explores the mixed feelings he has about his sexual awakening, his desire for love, and his complicated feelings for Cheryl.
The film relies heavily on characters voicing their thoughts. Mark provides voiceover narration, talks about his feelings with Father Brendan, and Cheryl takes voice notes on her sex sessions. For Mark, the voice-over is essential since Hawkes is denied body language beyond facial expressions. After this year's Oscar nominees, I'm done predicting who will get nominated. All I'll say is that John Hawkes gives an Oscar-worthy performance. It's in the tradition of My Left Foot where an actor is denied some of their most essential tools and nevertheless manages to give an unforgettable performance. Some may be a bit put off by Hawkes' voice, but it's not a thoughtless affectation. The voice makes total sense when you consider that someone who's force to lay on their back all the time and who has breathing problems may talk a little different. It's this kind of attention to detail that adds even more authenticity to a performance that's wry, sad, insightful, and never manipulative.
The supporting cast is also terrific with Macy providing both comic relief and an understanding sounding board for Mark. The Surrogate explores (although not in as much detail as other parts of the story) how Mark's religious guilt conflicts with his desire to live a fuller life, which involves having sex outside of marriage. However, the religious aspect is scaled back once Father Brendan gives his consent for sex outside of marriage (he believes the Lord will give Mark a pass). While Mark's Catholicism does color his character, it's mostly used as device to provide Mark with the ability to confess his feelings.
Hunt gives one of the bravest and best performances of her career by making Cheryl completely comfortable with not only her body but her approach towards sex. We've never really seen a character like Cheryl, a woman who has the demeanor of a therapist, but also someone who is going to a place of intimacy that could easily move beyond the physical and become emotional. This is all underneath the character's emotional journey where she begins to have feelings for Mark, but also feels close to her husband (Alan Arkin).
Despite the multifaceted aspects of Cheryl's character, the film is at its best when we're with Mark. For him, it's not simply a matter of wanting to have sex before he dies. His actions aren't spurred by the specter of death but by his willingness to embrace life. What makes his journey so bittersweet is that his time with Cheryl is only a window into a life he never had. But it's how he deals with his obstacles that makes Mark an inspiration. The thoughtful conflict is how a man who has had to ignore his body must finally understand what his body can do rather than what it can't do. But this conflict never feels heavy-handed because Lewin's script is always honest to Mark's emotions. The night after Cheryl tells Mark that their first session will involve "Body Awareness Exercises", he lays awake in his iron lung, looking at a portrait of the Virgin Mary, and thinking, "Holy Mother of God? What are body awareness exercises?" This wonderful blend of humor and honest emotions runs throughout the film.
The Surrogate takes the story of a man whose defining physical attribute is his disability, and finds a way to turn it into a universal story about the fears and hopes we all have about sex and love. Mark O'Brien isn't trying to be just like the rest of us. He already knows he's different and he's not embracing a Hallmark card reading "It's what's on the inside that counts." It's about making sure that's what on the inside doesn't stagnate, and having the courage to make sure your actions count.
Rating: A-
For all of our coverage of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, click here. Also, here are links to all of my Sundance reviews so far:
- The Ambassador
- Arbitrage
- Bachelorette
- Beasts of the Southern Wild
- Black Rock
- Celeste and Jesse Forever
- Corpo Celeste
- The End of Love
- For a Good Time, Call…
- Hello I Must BeGoing
- The Law in These Parts
- Monsieur Lazhar
- The Raid
- Red Hook Summer
- Red Lights
- Safety Not Guaranteed
- Smashed
- Wrong


text:
WASHINGTON -- Inside and outside the Beltway most of the talk this week has centered on whether the country will plunge over the "fiscal cliff," for doctors' drastic cuts in Medicare reimbursements hang in the balance.
Medicare Cuts Loom as 'Cliff' Nears
Physicians are preparing for a 28.5% cut in Medicare payments that will take effect on Jan. 1. That figure includes a 26.5% cut under Medicare's sustainable growth rate (SGR) reimbursement formula and a 2% cut mandated by the Budget Control Act, the piece of legislation that outlined the dramatic tax increases and drastic spending cuts that define the fiscal cliff.
"Given the current progress with the legislation, CMS [the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] must take steps to implement the negative update," the agency said in a notice on its website.
CMS will continue to pay claims for services rendered on or before Dec. 31 at current rates and made it a point to remind doctors of the agency's payment schedule: "clean" electronically transmitted claims are paid no sooner than 14 days after submission, and payment on clean paper claims takes at least 29 days.
Supreme Court Denies Birth Control Petition
The Supreme Court refused to grant a temporary injunction that would exempt two for-profit companies from complying with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision that requires employers and their insurers to offer free contraceptive coverage to employees.
Arts-and-crafts chain Hobby Lobby and its sister company, Christian bookstore chain Mardel, argued they faced heavy fines if they failed to provide their employees with birth control, which they object to based on the religious beliefs of their owners.
The ACA mandate, which took effect Aug. 1, says all new insurance policies must provide birth control coverage with no copayment or deductibles. Companies that do not comply face fines, penalties, and enforcement actions.
FDA OKs Drug for Rare Lipid Disorder
The FDA has approved the lipid-lowering drug lomitapide (Juxtapid) as add-on therapy in patients with a rare lipid disorder, the agency announced.
The drug is for homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) patients and is designed to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
HoFH is a rare genetic condition that, if untreated, can cause extremely high cholesterol levels, typically between 400 mg/dL and 1,000 mg/dL. HoFH affects roughly one in 1 million people in the U.S.
GAO: CMS Can Learn Much on Pay Incentives
The Medicare program needs to look to certain private-sector practices to strengthen physician incentives for quality and efficiency as it tries to move away from a fee-for-service system, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report said.
Specifically, CMS should reward doctors for performance improvement as well as hitting pre-set benchmarks for quality, the GAO said in a report. The agency should also make more timely payment adjustments to better reflect performance.
The GAO gathered information from 12 payment incentive programs conducted by nine private insurers including Cigna, United Health, and different Blue Cross Blue Shield plans. The watchdog arm of Congress compared those programs to what CMS is piloting or trying to start as alternative payment models.
Next Week
Members of the 113th Congress will be sworn into office Wednesday. One of their first tasks may be to vote on a deal to solve or delay the series of tax increases and automatic cuts in federal spending including the SGR.
All else in Washington is pretty quiet as eyes shift to Congress and the White House to craft a long-term solution to the country's spending.


text:
Possible Duplicate:
What is duplicate content and how can I avoid being penalized for it on my site?
I'm not referring to the duplicate content where you copy content from another site and publish it on your own. I am talking about original content that you produced. If on 10 pages on your site you have more or less the same content, would this affect your ranking with Google?


text:
>> Back to Chocolate & Zucchini <<
Log in to check your private messages
Last posts feed
Log in
A Question of Manners ?
Goto page
Chocolate & Zucchini Forum Index
Other things
View previous topic
View next topic
Joined: 23 Jan 2006
Posts: 1324
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:50 am
Post subject: A Question of Manners ?
This situation came up recently, I'm curious to know what others think--
Some neighbors of ours have decided their new home dictates that all guests remove their shoes upon entering the house! (They have no cultural claim to traditional shoe-removal, and the floors are not unique, just mid-priced nice flooring--they installed it themselves). (Borrowed MY biggest Pyrex measuring cup to mix the grout.)
To me, it says "I'd rather have you get your socks dirty than have you get my floor dirty."
Am I being persnickety or are they?
Back to top
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 456
Location: california
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:05 am
Post subject:
What do you think they'll do when summer rolls around and everyone is wearing sandals? Think they'll want all those bare footprints on their floors?
This is a toughy, and we've probably all encountered it. When I have, however, it's been without warning, so I felt I had no choice and had to remove my shoes (silently hoping that my socks/stockings were whole and not "hole" that day). And...it seems to me...my situation involved a new, light-colored rug -- not that it makes much difference.
I don't think you are being persnickety, but the question remains how you'll respond. You could tell them that your feet get cold if you don't wear your shoes, or that it's just too slippery with socks on bare floors --both valid, in my book. It depends on how offended you are, I suppose. Maybe you just don't want to visit them very often? With time, perhaps their position will become a bit more realistic...especially if they see that no one comes to see them anymore!
A few years ago, we visited Quebec and stayed in a sweet, small hotel. Because of the snow and ice outdoors, the owners tried to keep their rugs, stairs, etc. clean, dry, and safe. They provided each guest with his/her own pair of hand-crocheted "booties" for wearing inside the hotel. Maybe your neighbors could do the same...
Back to top
Joined: 07 Aug 2005
Posts: 151
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 6:22 am
Post subject:
Well Gingerpale, in my house, I always had to take my shoes beause we had light colored carpet, and my mother wanted to keep clean. Since it was her house, I listened. And I also have some friends and relatives in the states who have this same requirement so I don't even bat an eyelash. And having lived in Japan and South Korea for a few years, it really doesn't phase me. But I guess, for a lot of people if it isn't the norm, it would seem strange. I've always been of the mind, if I'm a guest, you do as asked. But I hope they replaced your Pyrex.
Live as if to die tomorrow. Learn as if to live forever.
Mahatma Gandhi
Back to top
Joined: 21 Feb 2005
Posts: 861
Location: Paris
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 10:47 am
Post subject:
That is tricky. We have a rule in our building that you are not to wear shoes in teh appartements - only slippers or socks. But we are in a really old building and you can hear every sound made by your neighbours, especially walking on the wooden floors.
If it is a normal house though, I think I would prefer to keep my shoes on when visiting. Depends on how close you are to them and whether the extreme informalness of going barefoot in someone elses house is accepted in your relationship.
I think they are probably in teh "honeymoon" phase of their new floors and don't want them marked. Give them a few months and I think the standards will slip.
If you cannot feel your arteries hardening, eat more cheese. If you can, drink more red wine. Diet is just "die" with a "t" on the end. Exercise is walking into the kitchen.
Back to top
Joined: 24 Jan 2006
Posts: 72
Location: Limburg Province, The Netherlands
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:16 am
Post subject:
I can't really comment whether it is rude or not, but since you know that is their policy, how about taking a pair of slippers with you when you go?
Back to top
Joined: 09 Jun 2006
Posts: 932
Location: England
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 12:55 pm
Post subject:
Wot Melly said... or even cute crocheted booties!
Alternatively you could take a piece of gorgonzola in your pocket and let it heat up a little... then pretend it's you and leave. Next time they'll positively insist you keep your shoes on!
A friend of ours used to have that policy until she had four cats living with her. Then you had to keep your shoes on because wriggling toes were just too tempting to the cats!!
Confusion comes fitted as standard.
Back to top
Joined: 18 Oct 2004
Posts: 1654
Location: Within view of Elliot Bay, The Olympics and every ship in the Sound
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 1:25 pm
Post subject:
I also grew up in a no shoes allowed household and have a similar policy for my home with one exception; guests are exempt. I have a big messy dog, so I don't even know why I bother........
I do like Griffin's idea for the gorgonzola.
I'm not sure whether that specificly is rude or not, but they sound a bit inconsiderate in general. Good luck with all of that. I had neighbor problems a while back and they can be a devil to deal with.
"It's watery....and yet there's a smack of ham."
"It's hot ham water."
Back to top
Joined: 05 May 2006
Posts: 357
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 2:33 pm
Post subject:
No shoes in the house! I've always had that rule because if no one wears shoes in the house, then the floors will stay clean. It drives me crazy when someone walks around with shoes, contaminating everything with street dirt. We sit on our rugs regularly - and even have indoor "picnics" there, so shoes on them would be a great offense.
I never ask a guest to remove his or her shoes, since I feel like putting them on the spot would be rude. I'd say half the time they notice us removing our shoes at the door and follow suit, the rest of the time they go trapsing obliviously through with shoes on. Visits like that make me cringe.
My mother is a strict western traditionalist in this respect, insisting on wearing shoes all over my house. After many years of shoed visits, she bought a pair of felt clogs to wear only indoors, like slippers. I was so relieved!
I think if I were a hostess in America who was going to insist my guests remove their shoes, I'd be sure to keep a basket of clean slippers by the door for them to change into. It's true, they're usually not expecting it and it could otherwise be awkward.
For my part, I remove my shoes whenever I visit someone else's house. I just feel it's considerate. Of course it frequently means I go away with dirty socks!
Back to top
Joined: 16 May 2006
Posts: 456
Location: california
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:43 pm
Post subject:
I am stunned at the number of stocking-footed (nice word...) C&Zers! As this was/is not our family practice, I've never given it much thought. No judgment offered here, just surprise. While I can see a "no shoes" rule for family, I would think it could become awkward for guests.
Booties Rule!
Back to top
Joined: 30 Sep 2004
Posts: 1855
Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 4:50 pm
Post subject:
It's pretty normal around here for people to take their shoes off when visiting----and some people even keep a cache of paper slippers for their guests. For 4-6 months you track snow in from the outside and for another 2 or 3 you track in mud---and at my house for the rest of the year you track in cut grass! I take my shoes off when I get home but I don't ask guests to (although many do) since with the menagerie of 5 dogs I have they track in enough snow, mud and grass that any tracked in by quests would be superfluous. As for getting one's socks dirty off of someone else's floor---well I mean how often does one change one's socks anyway? So I'd just go along with the neighbours personally--don't see it as much of an issue personally
Griffin you slay me!!!!!
Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!
Back to top
Joined: 05 May 2006
Posts: 357
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 7:49 pm
Post subject:
I don't know why the paper slipper idea cracks me up - maybe it because running the idea through my head - "may I offer you some paper slippers?" - makes me think of a turkey dressed up in those ruffled paper shoes.
Griffin, your gorgonzola trick is probably the smartest idea.
Back to top
Joined: 08 Dec 2005
Posts: 224
Location: kingston, ny
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 9:46 pm
Post subject:
We also have the no shoes rule, but with a couple of really good reasons. 1) the apartment has wall-to-wall beige carpet [ps- i hate beige and wall-to-wall, lol] and 2) both my parents worked in human services so they
what was on their shoes.
As SBJ said, "street dirt" is just that. Not what I personally care to have all over the house. As for guests, I think they get the gist when they see a pile of shoes next to the door b/c that's as far as they seem to make it. At other people's homes I usually ask what their preference is on shoes on/off.
Clearly it is not the lovelorn sufferer who seeks solace in chocolate, but rather the chocolate-deprived individual, who, desperate, seeks in mere love a pale approximation of bittersweet euphoria. Sandra Boynton.
Back to top
Jennifer K
Joined: 08 Jan 2008
Posts: 16
Location: Paris
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:27 pm
Post subject:
My first post!
First of all, I completely understand asking guests to remove their shoes if it is snowy, wet or muddy outside, or if the host comes from a culture where this is the norm. Also, I always remove my shoes when asked, since I am a guest and I feel guests should abide by the host's rules.
That said, I know someone who always asks her guests to remove their shoes, even when the weather is nice and dry, regardless of the condition of her current home's carpeting or flooring. She gets a little miffed if someone refuses, even her elderly father. Frankly, the message this conveys to me is: "I value things, such as carpets/floors, more than I value the comfort of my guests." Also, feet, even clean feet, have all kinds of fungi and other fun stuff on them. Sometimes I wonder if feet in socks are actually tracking more nasty stuff into the home than feet in shoes.
Of course, the host has the right to decide whether to ask guests to remove their shoes. I think providing a chair or bench near the door, space allowing, is thoughtful in case older or less-flexible people are visiting
Back to top
Joined: 18 Dec 2005
Posts: 368
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:28 pm
Post subject:
At least two people I know have medical reasons to leave their shoes on at all times, in fact they can barely walk without them. Hopefully homes with no-shoe policies will be supportive of those who have real difficulties.
On the other hand, the very notion of 'street dirt' makes me want to rip out my carpet and start over. Ick.
Back to top
Joined: 03 Aug 2005
Posts: 135
Location: Seattle, WA
Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2008 11:48 pm
Post subject:
I have to contradict the shoe rule - a la Carrie Bradshaw - my shoes are part of my outfit! I too, have a no shoes poilicy at home, for residents and perhaps for casual, frequenting guests, but for a full fledged party - No Way! Too informal, and I don't really want to see peoples socks or feet. I hate the rule, and have been caught off guard with less than attractive or holey socks! What ever happened to door mats? Or a vacuum after your party?
I was recently at a party - a fairly dressy xmas party - and there was a sign on the front door - no shoes. I simply wiped my feet very carefully and walked past in my patent leather stilletos. Now, who is the more rude - those who ask you to be barefoot at a formal cocktail party, or me who ignored the hosts request?
Back to top
Display posts from previous:
All Posts
1 Day
7 Days
2 Weeks
1 Month
3 Months
6 Months
1 Year
Oldest First
Newest First
Chocolate & Zucchini Forum Index
Other things
All times are GMT + 1 Hour
Goto page
Jump to:
Select a forum
Chocolate & Zucchini
C&Z Guidelines and Announcements
Suggestion box
Cooking & Eating
The Chocolate & Zucchini Cookbook
Recipe Box
Restaurants & Travel
Paris & France
Around the world on a zucchini
Other things
Other things
post new topics in this forum
reply to topics in this forum
edit your posts in this forum
delete your posts in this forum
vote in polls in this forum
Powered by
© 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


text:
I'm probably not the first person to think of this, but it is amusing all the same.
That's screen, running in a vertical split inside Yakuake. In case you've not used it before, Yakuake is a drop-down terminal emulator that works in the same fashion as a few famous first-person shooter games. Ordinarily it's not something that is particularly entertaining to me (mostly because of the KDE underpinnings, which might be avoidable), but for some reason I thought it might be nice to anchor a screen session in there.
Like I said, I'm not the first person to think of it (I never am the first person to think of things), but now that it's in place, it's rather fun. As you can see I run a Windows XP-Classic-esque desktop in Arch, and while it's a complete mismatch for that look, it is very nice indeed to be able to poke one button and check rtorrent or htop. Press the same key again, and it rolls back up into the heavens, out of the way and out of sight.
Of course, Yakuake as it stands supports multiple terminal instances anyway, so screen is hardly necessary there. Terminal emulators are just too darned flexible these days. Adding screen or dvtm or both to a tabbed emulator is multiplying your work potential in a mind-boggling way. …
I'll probably uninstall Yakuake as soon as I get finished writing this, but it's a curious idea. Rather than kicking out a terminal window every time I need to check rtorrent and then detaching it when I'm done, this can just show it continuously. My console "screensavers" work just fine, mouse controls are supported in mc, the vertical and horizontal splits work … everything as it ought to be.
Just appearing, and disappearing, in roller-blind fashion. Cool. 😀


text:
Thursday, March 02, 2017
Animated Flow Mapping
The Canvas Flowmap Layer is a library for the ArcGIS JavaScript API which allows you to map objects flowing from one location to another.You can see the Canvas Flowmap Layer in action on this demo, which uses the library to add animated flow lines to a world map.
The library uses Bezier curves to visualize the movement of objects from one location to another. One purpose of using Bezier curves is that you can show the direction of flow by using either a convex or concave curve on your flow line. The direction of flow is also visualized by the library with animated dots which travel along the flow map lines in the direction of flow.
The library allows you to adjust the speed of the animated flow dots and provides options to use linear, ease-out or ease-in animations.
Posted by Keir Clarke at 11:30 AM
No comments:
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text: Pets.Lallabi.com is one of the fast growing Pets Web Portal in Dhamtari. Here You can Buy, Sell Online pets in Dhamtari. You can also adopt pets, Online Free pets Adoption in Dhamtari. Online pets Food Products, Accessories, Grooming, Kennels for sale in Dhamtari. Here you can find online pets and pets food & Accessories Supplies and Suppliers in Dhamtari. So you can register with Lallabi Pets Corner and buy or sale online pets and accessories in Dhamtari.


text:
South by Southwest music begins to flow
South By Southwest and the surrounding unaffiliated hoopla have slipped into hyperdrive as the music portion of the annual conference and festival opens this week.
Kanye West and Jay Z are headed to Austin, Texas, the cherry on top of a gloriously all-over-the-place gathering that also will feature Lady Gaga as a keynote speaker, Lil Wayne as an interview subject and 2,000 other acts vying for attention.
Here are five things to look for in Austin — besides a great enchilada:
Goo-goo for Gaga: No one creates a spectacle like Lady Gaga and she's got her monster claws all over two days of the conference. She'll perform at the relatively intimate Stubb's on Thursday night before giving a keynote speech Friday morning. It's been a tough year for the pop provocateur, and SXSW offers her a chance to restart the conversation.
Hip to the Hop: In conference as in life, hip-hop is taking over at SXSW. There are so many rappers worth seeing it's impossible to list them all. A few: Kanye and Jay Z together, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, Nas, 50 Cent, Tyler, the Creator, Earl Sweatshirt, 2 Chainz, Future, Action Bronson, Childish Gambino ... and don't forget ScHoolboy Q, who takes a victory lap in Austin after his new album opened at No. 1.
Grrrunge: Break out those hole-y jeans and fly that flannel, Soundgarden's going to party like it's 1994 on nostalgia night at the iTunes Festival. The grunge rockers celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Superunknown" by playing the landmark album live front to back for the first time. Dude.
Time for 'recess:' Grammy Award-winning DJ and producer Skrillex, the most identifiable face in the electronic dance music world, will be previewing new music as he kick-starts his album launch for "Recess" in Austin.
Go find it: There are more than 2,000 chances to hear something cool in Austin. Wade through all the pop stars and publicity stunts and at its heart SXSW is still about discovery, falling in love with bands and sounds you've never heard before.
Here are four promising acts to get your quest started: Scotland's We Were Promised Jetpack, Nashville's Clear Plastic Masks, Los Angeles duo Johnnyswim and Chicago's Chance the Rapper.


text:
We had a reader send in the following question:
"Do long term capital gains count in determining AMT? And thus potentially increasing 15(20) percent effective rate?"
We wrote a post a couple of weeks ago about there being ten different long-term capital gains tax rates beginning in 2013. Well, we can probably at least two or three more for the effect of Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT) on our effective rate calculations.
The good news is that AMT taxes long-term capital gains and qualified dividends at the same rate for federal income tax purposes. The bad news is if your income is at a certain level, each additional dollar of capital gains phases out 25% of your allowed AMT exemption. Without getting too technical, this means that for 2013, if your AMT income is between roughly $75,000 to over $300,000 depending on your filing status, this may apply to you.
For example, assume a married couple is in the range where the phase-out applies and their adjusted gross income on the tax return is $250,000, with $10,000 of capital gains. Since they are below the net investment income tax (NIIT) threshold, their capital gains tax rate is 15%. However, this extra income caused $2,500 of their AMT exemption to phase out and the net effect on this is either $650 or $700 (depending on their AMT rate). This makes their effective capital gains tax rate either 21.5% or 22%.
Now if we bump their income over the NIIT threshold, this increases their net capital gains tax rate by another 3.8% pushing it up to 25.3% or 25.8%.
Now on top of it, if we have the 3% of itemized deductions apply to their AMT situation (sometimes it won't), then the final maximum rate could be almost 1% higher.
As you can see, depending on their overall AMT situation, their net capital gains tax rate could be as low as 15% or as high as almost 27%. Since the AMT exemption is usually fully phased out when the maximum 20% capital gains tax rate kicks in, we won't quite get over 30% due to AMT.
Since it looks like we can have three additional capital gains tax rates due to AMT, I think we are not at an official bakers dozen (and it is really more than that based on your number of personal exemptions claimed on the return).


text:
The Zephyrs got a lead-off home run from Josh Rodrgiuez, and that was it, unfortunately that was it for both teams. The very first hitter of the game decided this one as New Orleans squeaked by Iowa, 1-0.
At the Plate:
- Chris Valaika had one of the two hits on the night for Iowa, he went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts.
- Logan Watkins, who didn't start tonight, had the other hit for Iowa. He went 1-for-1 off the bench, the I-Cubs were 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. Just one of those nights.
On the Mound:
- Tsuyoshi Wada was brilliant, and almost untouchable for the second straight outing, unfortunately he took the loss in this one. Wada worked eight innings, giving up one run on three hits, while walking one, and striking out five.
- Marcus Hatley continued his spotless work out of the pen, as he worked a scoreless inning, giving up one hit in the process.
Thud. Such a tough loss for the Smokies as they held a precarious 2-0 lead heading to the ninth, that's when Jackson scored five times to steal a win right out from under Tennessee. Tough break for Ivan Pineyro who was stellar in this one, but walks away with a no decision.
At the Plate:
- John Andreoli is starting to swing the bat better, he went 1-for-4 with a walk, a double, a stolen base, and a run scored.
- Kris Bryant continues to mash the baseball, he was 2-for-4 with his fourth home run of the season, an RBI, and a run scored.
- Jeudy Valdez had another solid game in this one, he went 2-for-4 from the nine spot in the order.
On the Mound:
- Ivan Pineyro did everything he could to get the win tonight, he worked 6.2 scoreless innings, giving up two hits, while walking one, and striking out eight.
- Ryan Searle came on in relief, and was good, until the ninth. Searle worked 2.1 innings, giving up five runs on five hits, while walking two, he took the loss.
That other thud you heard tonight was the Kane County seven game winning streak coming to a crashing halt. It was a good run though, and there really wasn't much doubt about tonight as the Cougars were chasing all night long, and just couldn't find their way back in it.
At the Plate:
- Jacob Hannemann went 1-for-4 with a strikeout from the lead-off spot tonight.
- Carlos Penalver had a solid game, he went 1-for-2 with two walks in the loss.
- Daniel Canela, Danny Lockhart, and Shawon Dunston all went 1-for-3 with a single.
On the Mound:
- Juan Paniagua got the start tonight, and struggled with his command right off the hop. Paniagua worked five innings, giving up five runs on six hits, while walking four, and striking out one.
- Justin Amlung struggled mightily out of the pen, he worked just 1.2 innings, giving up four runs on five hits, while walking one.
- Josh Davis was able to calm things down but it was too little too late. Davis worked 1.1 scoreless innings, giving up one hit, and striking out one.


text:
Adenomatous polyps, also referred to as adenomas, are well-established precursor lesions to colorectal cancer (CRC). Other polyps commonly found in the colon and rectum is hyperplastic polyps (HPs). HPs have long been considered benign lesions. However, recent evidence suggests that HPs and the histogenetically- related serrated adenomas may progress to malignancy along a separate """"""""serrated pathway"""""""". There is compelling and consistent data that links both high and low penetrance genes to CRC, and it is likely that specific genes or genotypes may be associated with different colorectal neoplastic pathways. Recently, genomic studies of colorectal cancer have made great strides with genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identifying 10 CRC susceptibility loci at different sites in the human genome;these loci may be relevant to the genesis and progression of precursor lesions, such as certain types of colorectal polyps. In this application, we propose to determine the risk of adenomas and HPs associated with: 1) the specific polymorphisms identified through GWAS, including the following: 8q24 (rs6983267), 18q21/SMAD7 (rs4939827), 15q13/CRAC1 (rs4779584), 10p14 (rs10795668), 8q23.3/EIF3H (rs16892766), 11q23 (rs3802842), 14q22.2/BMP4 (rs4444235), 16q22.1/CDH1 (rs9929218), 19q13.1/RHPN2 (rs10411210), 20p12.3 (rs961253), and 2) the genes or regions of the genome that house these loci using a tagSNP approach. This research is ancillary to an existing study, """"""""Colon cancer pathways: hyperplastic polyps and adenomas"""""""" (CA 097325), aimed at comparing the epidemiologic risk factors and molecular features of adenomas and HPs with the goal of learning more about the clinical importance of HPs and the serrated adenoma pathway. Our study population includes 1,765 colonoscopy-defined adenoma cases, HP cases, and controls who were members of a large integrated health plan. All participants completed standardized interviews covering demographics and colorectal-cancer risk factors. In addition, study participants provided buccal cell samples for DNA analysis, and all cases are undergoing a standardized pathology review to confirm the diagnosis and to further categorize the pathologic features of their polyps. This proposed project will increase the body of knowledge surrounding the mechanisms for early colorectal carcinogenesis and help elucidate the genes important to different colorectal cancer pathways. In addition, it may provide clues about the clinical importance of HPs and other polyps hypothesized to be on the serrated pathway, including sessile serrated polyps, by linking these lesions to known CRC susceptibility genes.
Project Narrative Most colorectal cancers (CRC) arise from polyps, but the genes important to colorectal polyps have not been fully characterized, and the debate about the clinical importance of some polyps, such as hyperplastic polyps (HPs) is ongoing. Recent genome wide association studies of CRC have indentified 10 loci that are associated with CRC. By examining these same loci in relation to adenomas and HPs we will learn more about genes and mechanisms involved in early carcinogenesis and further characterize the malignant potential of HPs.
|Burnett-Hartman, Andrea N; Newcomb, Polly A; Hutter, Carolyn M et al. (2014) Variation in the association between colorectal cancer susceptibility loci and colorectal polyps by polyp type. Am J Epidemiol 180:223-32


text:
We have an application that needs to be built and are looking for some Java based portal framework. In last few days we have gone through over 10 different open source option Liferay, JetSpeed2, GateIn etc.
But they are all too complex to be judged so quickly. Can anyone suggest some framework which is ease to use but has the functionality to handle complex situations.
Most importantly, the portlets will run Flash/HTML5 content.


text:
'The Bachelor's' Ben Flajnik — Hunk of the Day [PICTURES, VIDEO]
Ben Flajnik learned on 'The Bachelorette' that what doesn't kill you gets you your own reality show. After Ashley Hebert rejected his marriage proposal on national television, ABC decided to make Flajnik the newest 'Bachelor.'
"I had my heart broken. I did," he says in the upcoming season's trailer. "Going through that experience, it really did open me up." Now, he's ready to find love, even if that means he has to ski around San Francisco shirtless or go skinny dipping. He'll do it… Actually, he did do it.
Apparently these theatrics actually work for some of his suitors, who'll you'll hear say stuff like, "I'm falling, hard," over the course of only a few days. We all know they're really falling in love with his pecs, though.


text:
I recently installed the OS 18.104.22.1682 on my Curve 8900. After this, the icon of App World is gone. I cannot find it anywhere, although if I check the list of applications installed in my BB it is shown as present. Moreover, if I try to upgrade any program previously downloaded from App World it says that App World is missing from my BB. I tried to disinstall it and reinstall it twice but with no success
What can I do? Should I try to install a newer version of the OS, or should I go back to the previous version (188.8.131.521)?
I will appreciate any help you can give me.
Have a great day!


text:
11.20.18, IONTBfb, Skyway Bridge: Expect delays northbound on the bridge due to police activity atop the Skyway. #MoveOver later: Delays now southbound as well. Vehicle left on top of the span. later: Confirmed jumper witnessed by road ranger. Mid aged white maleTwitter:https://twitter.com/chris_machesney11.20.18, Anon, St pete, (male), Knew a girl who dated him. Apparently at 5 am he was pulled over at the top of the bridge for a few hours and no one stopped to check on him. His final tweet posted was "It's for the best." Body has yet to be found.
So sad! He was so young.


text:
20% Free Shipping
Nehru Jacket
20% Free Shipping
4 / 5Product Rating
10 ratings and reviews
Georgette Layered Straight Pant Suit
Susan West
Cambridge, United Kingdom | Sep 06 2019
Very good fit, nicely made.
Blue Embroidered Georgette Saree
xzcv xvzx
vcbbb, India | Jun 06 2019
Decent saree
Exquisite Plus Size Kalidar Suit
sonia mahabir
| May 23 2019
Very very cute !
Green N Purple Lehenga Saree
Annapurna Ganipiredd
Dublin, United States | Apr 23 2019
High quality embroidery and stitching.
Prem Ratan Dhan Payo Orange Sherwani
Kodanda Kalava
Plymouth , United States | Jun 12 2019
Very good quality and fits well!
Black Georgette Tunic
Sonya Dean
Midlothian, United States | Jun 05 2019
Perfect fit and perfect stitch, perfect quality. This one blew my expectations out of the water. I love it
Off White Georgette Layered Draped Gown
Latha Revakala
Branford , United States | Apr 29 2019
Very good and beautiful
Delightful Yellow Chiffon Saree
Rozina Akhter
Westbury, United States | Jun 11 2019
very soft and like this saree .
Pink Net Neha Dhupia Gown
Mahendri Krishanduth
Richards Bay, South Africa | May 29 2019
Great. Nice design.
Pink N Magenta Viscose Ombre Dyed Saree
arpita banik SAHA
Lewisville, United States | Apr 25 2019
Like the saree. Thanks
"You can use these coupons in the APPLY COUPONS section of checkout page. Please click Buy Now or Add to Cart to go to checkout page"
Measurements will be taken after placing the order
"You opted for multiple quantities. so, measurements will be copied for other quantities"
Measurements will be copied for other quantities
"You opted for multiple quantities. so, measurements will be copied for other quantities"
Please select size
Best Price: USD $58
Red shade jute Nehru
Includes taxes and customs duty
*Delivery date:4 - 7 business days from the dispatch date
Tap to Close
EthnoVogue Design Consultation is a 20 to 30 minutes one on one consultation with our EthnoStylists. During this consultation, your requirement of a design would be discussed and an appropriate solution to your needs would be provided. This consultation is important to understand about your outfit requirement, so that we can launch your preferred product online for you to purchase.
We provide one chance to reschedule their meeting with our EthnoStylists.
The fee you pay for the consultation with EthnoStylist and it cannot be refunded or returned or adjusted against any transaction.
We use WhatsApp or Skype for consultation calls.
Tap to Close
Guest User
For the perfect customer service experience kindly provide us with your email id
Questions? Call Now!
USA, UK, AUS Support Time:
Available 24/7 from Monday to Sunday
INDIA Support Time:
9:00 AM - 6:00 PM IST from Monday to Saturday
Dear Customer
Please provide us with feedback about your previous shopping experience
On completing the survey, you are eligible for an exclusive Store Credit* that you can use on your next purchase. We appreciate the time you've taken to help us improve our services.
Please Enable Cookies to Log In
Your browser cookies are not enabled. Please enable your browser to accept cookies and then refresh the page or close and restart your browser to login.
Treat Yourself !!!
We value friendship.
At exactly
Refer your friends & they'll each get $10.
On top of that, we'll give you $10 for
each friend who places their first order with us.
Share now with your friends & get credit when they place their first order with us
Get treated again with a credit for yourself when they make a repeat purchase with us.
What could be better?
Note:* The credit value is upon the order value purchased by your friends.


text:
We, and our partners, set cookies and collect information from your browser to provide you with website content and understand web audiences. See our privacy notice to learn more about how we manage your data and your rights. See our cookie policy to understand how we use cookies and tracking technology.
Happy Hands classes are suitable for parents or carers to bring babies and children from newborn to 4 years of age. We have lots of fun singing, dancing, with sensory play such as bubbles and parachutes and lots more. All welcome with no need to book, just pop along to any class. The current timetable running from Pontypool Active Living Centre is:
Cost: £4
Last Modified on: 13-12-2018
Are you a local business, community group or individual, located in Torfaen, and in need of a website?
If so, Webster can help you. Its FREE!
© Copyright 2020. Torfaen County Borough Council.


text:
8 Deadly Sins of Site Design
This recent infographic from Nexus Themes targets 8 common mistakes that drive customers away from your website. These sins include:
- Bad Navigation
- Too Many Ads
- Bad Content Structure
- Obtrusive Use of Audio & Video
- Registration Requirement
- Boring Content, Boring Design
- Poor Legibility
- Lack of Frequency
Yahoo Has More Users Than Gmail – Introduces A Faster, Cleaner Email Interface
Yahoo has begun pouring effort into updating their email platform across all platforms. A more modern design is being implemented in hopes of attracting users to actually use their Yahoo! Mail account, instead of using it as a repository for junk mail. Via Marketing Pilgrim.


text:
Contribute to ReadWriteThink / RSS / FAQs / Site Demonstrations / Contact Us / About Us
Download the plug-in tools you need to use our games and tools, or check to see if you've got the latest version.
Looking for ways to engage your students in online literacy learning? Find more interactive tools that help them accomplish a variety of goals-from organizing their thoughts to learning about language.
Home › Classroom Resources › Student Interactives
Student Interactive
Profile Publisher
|6 – 12
|Interactive Type
|Writing & Publishing Prose
|Tech Requirement
Students can use the Profile Publisher to mock up or draft online social networking profiles, yearbook profiles, and newspaper or magazine profiles for themselves, other real people (including historical figures), or fictional characters. The tool could also be used for profiles of nonhuman living creatures, inanimate objects or abstract concepts (e.g., profile of an amoeba, an historical monument, or friendship). See a completed sample Profile for a fictional character based on Christopher Myers' Wings to see what a student profile might look like.
Lessons That Use This Interactive
Grades 6 – 8 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
Developing a Definition of Reading through Investigation in Middle School
Students collaboratively interact with a variety of texts as they define reading and develop their own Reader's Profiles modeled after online social networking sites.
Related Classroom & Professional Development Resources
Grades 2 – 5 | Lesson Plan | Standard Lesson
In this lesson, students practice a way to communicate without words by using a glyph. They create a name card using information about themselves. Students also interpret glyphs made by others.
Grades 9 – 12 | Lesson Plan | Recurring Lesson
Tell Me Your Story: Video-Inspired Vocabulary Writing
Students watch a sample of artistic video clips online and respond through creative writing while using the vocabulary words they are currently studying.
Grades 6 – 12 | Mobile App | Writing & Publishing Prose
Use the Profile Publisher to draft profiles for self or other characters.
Grades 3 – 8 | Calendar Activity |  August 1
The prototype for the World Wide Web was created in 1990.
Students look at pictures from the past using the WayBack Machine and brainstorm a few websites to explore to think about how they have changed over the years.
Grades 6 – 12 | Strategy Guide
In this Strategy Guide you will learn how online reading differs from offline reading and strategies to build and reinforce the skills that online reading requires.
Grades 6 – 12 | Strategy Guide
This Strategy Guide describes the strategies involved in ensuring that students understand how to be safe when they participate in online discussion and join social networks.
Grades 6 – 12 | Strategy Guide
This Strategy Guide describes the processes involved in composing blogs in the classroom, the process of writing regular posts, or entries, that are published online.
Grades 8 – 12 | Professional Library | Book
Literacy Remix: Bridging Adolescents' In and Out of School Literacies
This resources promotes the use new literacies to help students connect to school texts.