text:
|ognizant Communication Corporation
The Regenerative Medicine Journal
Cell Transplantation, Vol. 19, pp. 133-146, 2010
0963-6897/10 $90.00 + 00
Copyright © 2010 Cognizant Comm. Corp.
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
Shotgun Proteomics and Network Analysis Between Plasma Membrane and Extracellular Matrix Proteins From Rat Olfactory Ensheathing Cells
Yisong Liu,1* Xiaohua Teng,2* Xiaoxu Yang,1 Qing Song,1 Rong Lu,1 Jixian Xiong,1 Bo Liu,2 Nianju Zeng,2 Yu Zeng,2 Jia Long,1 Rui Cao,1 Yong Lin,1 Quanze He,1 Ping Chen,1 Ming Lu,2 and Songping Liang1
1Key laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology
of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University,
Changsha, P.R. China
2Department of Neurosurgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University (163 Hospital of PLA), Changsha, P.R. China
Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) are a special type of glial cells that have characteristics of both astrocytes and Schwann cells. Evidence suggests that the regenerative capacity of OECs is induced by soluble, secreted factors that influence their microenvironment. These factors may regulate OECs self-renewal and/or induce their capacity to augment spinal cord regeneration. Profiling of plasma membrane and extracellular matrix through a high-throughput expression proteomics approach was undertaken to identify plasma membrane and extracellular matrix proteins of OECs under serum-free conditions. 1D-shotgun proteomics followed with gene ontology (GO) analysis was used to screen proteins from primary culture rat OECs. Four hundred and seventy nonredundant plasma membrane proteins and 168 extracellular matrix proteins were identified, the majority of which were never before reported to be produced by OECs. Furthermore, plasma membrane and extracellular proteins were classified based on their protein-protein interaction predicted by STRING quantitatively integrates interaction data. The proteomic profiling of the OECs plasma membrane proteins and their connection with the secretome in serum-free culture conditions provides new insights into the nature of their in vivo microenvironmental niche. Proteomic analysis for the discovery of clinical biomarkers of OECs mechanism warrants further study.
Key words: Olfactory ensheathing cells; Neural repair; 1D-shotgun proteomics; Plasma membrane; Extracellular matrix
Address correspondence to Ping Chen, Key laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, P.R. China. E-mail: email@example.com or Ming Lu, Department of Neurosurgery, Second Affiliated Hospital of Hunan Normal University (163 Hospital of PLA), Changsha, P.R. China. E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com or Songping Liang, Key laboratory of Protein Chemistry and Developmental Biology of Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, P.R. China. E-mail: email@example.com
*Both authors contributed equally to this work.
Guidance of Olfactory Ensheathing Cell Growth and Migration on Electrospun Silk Fibroin Scaffolds
Yixin Shen,1* Yuqiang Qian,1* Huanxiang Zhang,2 Baoqi Zuo,3 Zhenfeng Lu,1 Zhihai Fan,1 Peng Zhang,1 Feng Zhang,3 and Chunlei Zhou2
1Department of Orthopedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital
of Soochow University, Suzhou Jiangsu, P.R. China
2Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory of Stem Cell Research, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou Jiangsu, P.R. China
3Material Engineering Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou Jiangsu, P.R. China
Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) is a potential treatment for spinal cord injury (SCI). However, this process lacks extracellular matrix guiding cell growth, tissue morphogenesis, and remodeling. In order to solve this problem, we fabricated silk fibroin scaffolds (SFS) with different fiber diameters by electrospinning. The behaviors of OECs on 300 and 1800 nm SFS were studied by analyzing cell morphological feature, distribution, and proliferation. The results showed the 300 nm SFS with good potential to guide OECs growth. Subsequently, the properties of 300 nm SFS were further investigated along with PLL. With 300 nm SFS, the preservation of cell phenotype was confirmed by the presence of cell-specific markers, including nerve growth factor receptor p75 and glial fibrillary acidic protein. And the migration behaviors of OECs were also observed by Leica AF6000. In addition, migration tracks, turning behavior, migration distances, migration speeds, and forward migration indices were calculated. Furthermore, the expression of neurotrophic factors was assayed at transcription and protein levels using RT-PCR and ELISA. All these results indicated the diameter of the fiber played an important role in guiding cell adhesion, growth, and migration in vitro and the 300 nm SFS could be suitable to construct tissue-engineered scaffolds for SCI repair.
Key words: Olfactory ensheathing cells; Silk fibroin scaffolds; Electrospinning; Cell migration; Growth factors; Tissue engineering
Address correspondence to Yixin Shen, Department of Orthopedics, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, 1055 Sanxiang Road, Suzhou Jiangsu 215006, P.R. China. Tel: (+86) 512-6778-4815; E-mail: email@example.com or firstname.lastname@example.com
*These authors contributed equally to this work.
Death of Axotomized Retinal Ganglion Cells Delayed After Intraoptic Nerve Transplantation of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells in Adult Rats
Ming-Mei Wu,1* De-Gang Fan,2* Iman Tadmori,3 Hao Yang,1 Maya Furman,3 Xi-Ying Jiao,1 Wise Young,3 Dongming Sun,3 and Si-Wei You1
1Institute of Neurosciences, the Fourth Military Medical
University, Xi'an, China
2Institute of Orthopedic Oncology, Tangdu Hospital, the Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, China
3Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ, USA
Intraorbital transection of the optic nerve (ON) always induces ultimate apoptosis of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and consequently irreversible defects of vision function. It was demonstrated that transplanted olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) in partially injured spinal cord have a distant in vivo neuroprotective effect on descending cortical and brain stem neurons. However, this study gave no answers to the question whether OECs can protect the central sensitive neurons with a closer axonal injury because different neurons respond variously to similar axonal injury and the distance between the neuronal soma and axonal injury site has a definite effect on the severity of neuronal response and apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the effect of transplanted OECs on RGCs after intraorbital ON transection in adult rats. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-OECs were injected into the ocular stumps of transected ON and a significantly higher number of surviving RGCs was found together with a consistent marked increase in the mRNA and protein levels of BDNF in the ON stump and retina in the OEC-treated group at 7 days, but not 2 and 14 days, time point when compared to the control group. Our findings suggest that OEC transplantation induces the expression of BDNF in the ocular ON stump and retina and delays the death of axotomized RGCs at a certain survival period.
Key words: Olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation; Optic nerve transection; Retinal ganglion cells; Neuroprotection
Address correspondence to Si-Wei You, Institute of Neurosciences, The Fourth Military Medical University, Xi'an, 710032 China. E-mail: email@example.com or Dongming Sun, Department of Cell Biology & Neuroscience, W. M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854. E-mail: email@example.com
*Ming-Meu Wu and De-Gang Fan contributed equally to this work.
Effect of Neurotrophin-3 Genetically Modified Olfactory Ensheathing Cells Transplantation on Spinal Cord Injury
Yu-Hai Ma,1* Yong Zhang,2*# Li Cao,2 Jia-Can Su,3 Zhi-Wei Wang,3 A-Bing Xu,1 and Shao-Cheng Zhang3
1Department of Orthopaedic, Zhejiang Provincial Corps Hospital,
Chinese People's Armed Polices Forces, Jiaxing, China
2Department of Neurobiology, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
3Department of Orthopaedic, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai, China
Transplantation of olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) has emerged as a very promising therapy for spinal cord injury (SCI). Also, local delivery of NT-3 can counteract pathological events and induce a regenerative response after SCI. Supplement of exogenetic NT-3 might be a new approach to SCI repair. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effect of rat NT-3 gene-modified OECs transplantation on SCI. Rat NT-3 gene was transfected into OECs using a retroviral system. The engineered NT-3-OECs were tested for their ability to express and secrete biologically active NT-3 in vitro. Then NT-3-OECs were implanted into contused T9 spinal cord of the adult rats. Their ability of survival and NT-3 production was examined. The effect of axon regeneration was evaluated at the morphological level and promotion of locomotor functional recovery were assessed. The result showed that genetically modified OECs were capable of surviving and producing NT-3 in vivo to significantly improve the recovery after SCI.
Key words: Spinal cord injury (SCI); Olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs); Neurotrophin-3 (NT-3); Transplantation; Gene therapy
Address correspondence to Shao-Cheng Zhang, Department of Orthopaedic, Changhai Hospital, Second Military Medical University, Shanghai 200433, China. E-mail: email@example.com
*These authors contributed equally to this paper.
#Current address: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Olfactory Ensheathing Glia Transplantation Combined With LASERPONCTURE® in Human Spinal Cord Injury: Results Measured by Electromyography Monitoring
Albert Bohbot
Laboratoire de Recherches sur le LASERPONCTURE®, La Chapelle Montlinard, France
Preliminary results were measured by electromyography monitoring (electromyoscan) on three subjects suffering from spinal cord injury and who underwent a double therapy. The aim of this study was to evaluate regained voluntary activity below the injury in subjects who received a double therapy: 1) an olfactory ensheathing glia (OEG) transplantation using procedures developed by Dr. Hongyun Huang at the Xishan Hospital and Rehabilitation Centre, Beijing, China, and 2) LASERPONCTURE® developed by Albert Bohbt, Laboratoire de Recherches sur le LASERPONCTURE®, La Chapelle Montlinard, France. Materials uses were the LASERPONCTURE® device developed by Albert Bohbot; the PROCOMP5TM equipment with softwares BIOGRAPH INFINITI 5® and REHAB SUITETM; the sensors MYOSCAN-PROTM EMG (SA9401M-50) to record muscle activity, and FLEX/PROTM-SA9309M to record skin conductance were fixed on the skin. An infrared laser, whose frequencies and power settings cannot be disclosed due to its proprietary nature, was applied after an OEG injection performed according to Dr. Hongyun Huang's procedures. Three cases, two males and one female, were selected for this study. Presentation and comments of the graphs recordings of voluntary muscle activity below the injury are provided. This preliminary study suggests that the double therapy restores some voluntary muscle activity as measured by electromyography monitoring.
Key words: LASERPONCTURE®; Olfactory ensheathing glia (OEG); Paraplegia; Quadriplegia; Spinal cord injury; Electromyography monitoring
Address correspondence to Albert Bohbot, Laboratoire de Recherches sur le LASERPONCTURE®, Château Gaillard, 33 route du Canal, 18140 La Chapelle Montlinard, France. Tel/Fax: +33 248794361; E-mail: email@example.com
Brief Communication
Intracranial Transplant of Olfactory Ensheathing Cells in Children and Adolescents With Cerebral Palsy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial
Lin Chen,1,2 Hongyun Huang,1,2 Haitao Xi,1,2 Zihang Xie,1 Ruiwen Liu,1 Zhao Jiang,1 Feng Zhang,1 Yancheng Liu,1 Di Chen,1 Qingmiao Wang,1 Hongmei Wang,1,2 Yushui Ren,2 and Changman Zhou2,3
1Center for Neurorestoratology, Beijing Rehabilitation Center,
Beijing, P.R. China
2Beijing Hongtianji Neuroscience Academy, Beijing, P.R. China
3Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, P.R. China
Successful repair of damage in cerebral palsy (CP) needs effective clinical interventions other than simply symptomatic treatments. To elucidate the feasibility of using olfactory ensheathing cells (OECs) to treat CP in children and adolescents, we conducted a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) on 33 patients. The patients were randomly assigned into two groups (treatment group, n = 18; control group, n = 15), and OECs derived from aborted fetal tissue were injected into the bilateral corona radiata in the frontal lobes (a key point for neural network restoration, KPNNR). The Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) and the Caregiver Questionnaire Scale were used to evaluate the patients' neurological function and overall health status. Among the 14 patients who completed the 6-month study, six received the cell transplantation and the other eight served as controls. In OEC treatment group, GMFM-66 scores were 26.67 ± 25.33 compared with 19.00 ± 20.00 for the control group. Concurrently, the Caregiver Questionnaire Scale score decreased to 77.83 ± 15.99 in the treatment group in comparison to 138.66 ± 64.06 of the control group. This trial, albeit small in sample size, indicates OEC KPNNR transplantation is effective for functional improvement in children and adolescents with CP, yet without obvious side effects. This small-scale study suggests that the procedure may be a plausible alternative method to treat this not yet curable disorder, and we urge further evaluation with a large-scale RCT.
Key words: Cerebral palsy; Olfactory ensheathing cells; Transplantation; Clinical trial; Key point for neural network restoration (KPNNR)
Address correspondence to Hongyun Huang, M.D., Ph.D., Center for Neurorestoratology, Beijing Rehabilitation Center, Beijing, 100144, P.R. China. Tel: 86-10-5882-3400; Fax: 86-10-5162-5950; E-mail: email@example.com
Purification of Mouse Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells Promotes Ex Vivo Neuronal Differentiation
Mohammad Jamous,1* Adeeb Al-Zoubi,2* Mohamad Nidal Khabaz,3 Rana Khaledi,4 Mohammad Al Khateeb,6 and Zaid Al-Zoubi6
1Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan
University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
2Department of Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, College of Science, Philadelphia University, Amman, Jordan
3Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
4Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Arts, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
5Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan
6Jordan Orthopedic and Spine Center, Amman, Jordan
The main objective of this study is to test the potential of specific populations of mouse bone marrowderived stem cells (BMSCs) to differentiate into the neuronal cell lineage. Bone marrow of 33 mice was aspirated under general anesthesia. The collected marrows were analyzed for cell counts, compositions, and percentages of different stem cell types. We used the Midi MACS magnetic separator to purify specific populations of stem cells from the aspirated bone marrow. Cells were analyzed using flow cytometry. We assessed the presence of stem cell antigen-1 (Sca-1+) and prominin-1+ cells in the cellular fraction that was depleted of lineage-committed cells (lineage-). Both purified and nonpurified cells were cultured ex vivo using specific growth media with factors that drive the cells to differentiate into the neuroglial cell types. Cells were then analyzed by flow cytometry for expression of specific neuronal markers. Our results showed that there was an increase of Sca-1+ and prominin-1+ cells in the lineage<s>- fraction over the unpurified BM. After lineage depletion, the percentages of Sca-1+ and prominin-1+ cells increased from 4.9% and 2.6%, up to 76.1% and 59%, respectively. Unpurified mouse BM differentiated into fibroblasts, whereas Sca-1+ cells were able to generate astrocytes. Interestingly, purified prominin-1+ cells were able to generate neuronal cells. Purification of adult bone marrow-derived stem cells enhances their potentiality for differentiating into specific neuronal cell lineages.
Key words: Sca-1; Prominin-1; Neuronal differentiation; Adult stem cell; Lineage depletion; Magnetic separator
Address correspondence to Mohammad Jamous, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 3030, Irbid- 22110, Jordan. Tel: 0096279-9773827; E-mail: email@example.com
*These two authors contributed equally to this article.
Transplantation of Undifferentiated Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells Protects Against 6-Hydroxydopamine Neurotoxicity in the Rat
Fabio Blandini,1 Lidia Cova,2 Marie-Therese Armentero,1 Eleonora Zennaro,2 Giovanna Levandis,1 Patrizia Bossolasco,3 Cinzia Calzarossa,2 Manuela Mellone,2 Busca Giuseppe,4 Giorgio Lambertenghi Deliliers,5 Elio Polli,3 Giuseppe Nappi,1,6 and Vincenzo Silani2
1Interdepartmental Research Center for Parkinson's Disease,
IRCCS Neurological Institute "C. Mondino," Pavia, Italy
2Department of Neurology and Laboratory of Neuroscience, "Dino Ferrari" Center, Università degli Studi di Milano-IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
3Fondazione Matarelli, Department of Pharmacology, Chemotherapy and Medical Toxicology, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
4Medical Cardiovascular Institute, Maggiore Hospital Policlinico Mangiagalli e Regina Elena, Milan, Italy
5Ematologia 1, Bone Marrow Transplant Unit, IRCCS Maggiore Hospital, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
6Chair of Neurology, University of Rome "La Sapienza," Rome, Italy
Stem cells have been increasingly recognized as a potential tool to replace or support cells damaged by the neurodegenerative process that underlies Parkinson's disease (PD). In this frame, human adult mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) have been proposed as an attractive alternative to heterologous embryonic or neural precursor cells. To address this issue, in this study we implanted undifferentiated hMSCs into the striatum of rats bearing a lesion of the nigrostriatal pathway induced by local injection of 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), a widely recognized rodent model of PD. Before grafting, cultured hMSCs expressed markers of both undifferentiated and committed neural cells, including nestin, GAP-43, NSE, b-tubulin III, and MAP-2, as well as several cytokine mRNAs. No glial or specific neuronal markers were detected. Following transplantation, some hMSCs acquired a glial-like phenotype, as shown by immunoreactivity for glial fibrillary acid protein (GFAP), but only in animals bearing the nigrostriatal lesion. More importantly, rats that received the striatal graft showed increased survival of both cell bodies and terminals of dopaminergic, nigrostriatal neurons, coupled with a reduction of the behavioral abnormalities (apomorphine-induced turning behavior) associated with the lesion. No differentiation of the MSCs toward a neuronal (dopaminergic) phenotype was observed in vivo. In conclusion, our results suggest that grafted hMSCs exert neuroprotective effects against nigrostriatal degeneration induced by 6-OHDA. The mechanisms underlying this effect remain to be clarified, although it is likely that the acquisition of a glial phenotype by grafted hMSCs may lead to the release of prosurvival cytokines within the lesioned striatum.
Key words: Substantia nigra; Striatum; Graft; 6-Hydroxydopamine; Neuroprotection; Cytokines; Rat
Address correspondence to Fabio Blandini, M.D., IRCCS Neurological Institute "C. Mondino,", Via Mondino, 2 27100 Pavia, Italy. Tel: +39 0382 380416; Fax: +39 0382 380448; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Time-Dependent Migration of Systemically Delivered Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells to the Infarcted Heart
Ana Carolina M. Assis,1 Juliana L. Carvalho,2 Bruno A. Jacoby,1 Raphael L. B. Ferreira,3 Paula Castanheira,2 Simone O. F. Diniz,3 Valbert N. Cardoso,3 Alfredo M. Goes,2 and Anderson J. Ferreira1
1Department of Morphology, Biological Sciences Institute,
Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
2Department of Biochemistry and Immunology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
3Department of Clinical and Toxicological Analysis, Pharmacy Faculty, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil
In this study the time course of homing and the body distribution of systemically delivered bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) after myocardial infarction (MI) were evaluated. BM-MSCs were isolated from Wistar rats, expanded in vitro, and their phenotypical characterization was performed by flow cytometer. Rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, sham MI, and MI. BM-MSCs (5 x 106) were labeled with 99mTc-HMPAO and injected through the tail vein 7 days after MI. Gamma camera imaging was performed at 5, 15, 30, and 60 min after cell inoculation. Due to the 99mTc short half-life, cell migration and location were also evaluated in heart sections using DAPI-labeled cells 7 days after transplantation. Phenotypical characterization showed that BM-MSCs were CD90+, CD73+, CD54+, and CD45-. Five minutes after 99mTc-HMPAO-labeled cell injection, they were detected in various tissues. The cells migrated mainly to the lungs (approximately 70%) and, in small amounts, to the heart, kidneys, spleen, and bladder. The number of cells in the heart and lungs decreased after 60 min. MI markedly increased the amount of cells in the heart, but not in the lungs, during the period of observation (4.55 ± 0.32 vs. 6.34 ± 0.67% of uptake in infarcted hearts). No significant differences were observed between control and sham groups. Additionally, 7 days after DAPI-labeled cells injection, they were still detected in the heart but only in infarcted areas. These results suggest that the migration of systemically delivered BM-MSCs to the heart is time dependent and MI specifically increases BM-MSCs homing to injured hearts. However, the systemic delivery is limited by cell entrapment in the lungs.
Key words: Myocardial infarction; Mesenchymal stem cells; Homing; Body distribution
Address correspondence to Anderson J. Ferreira, Ph.D., Department of Morphology, Av. Anto^nio Carlos, 6627-ICB, UFMG, 31 270-901, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brazil. Tel: (55-31)3409-2811; Fax: (55-31)3409-2810; E-mail: email@example.com
Hepatocyte Transplantation and the Differentiation Fate of Host Oval Cells in Acute Severe Hepatic Injury
Chun-Hsien Yu,1,2 Mei-Hwei Chang,1,3,4 Chin-Sung Chien,1,3,4 Ya-Hui Chen,1,3,4 Ming-Fu Chang,5 and Hui-Ling Chen4
1Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, National Taiwan
University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine,
Taipei, Taiwan
2Department of Pediatrics, Buddhist Tzu-Chi General Hospital, Taipei Branch, and Buddhist Tzu-Chi University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
3Department of Pediatrics, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
4Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
5Graduate Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, National Taiwan University Hospital and National Taiwan University College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
Oval cells and hepatocytes rarely proliferate simultaneously. This study aimed to determine the impacts of hepatocyte transplantation on the response and fate of oval cells that are activated to proliferate in acute severe hepatic injury. Retrorsine + D-galactosamine (R+D-gal) treatment was used to induce acute hepatic injury and to elicit extensive activation of oval cells in male dipeptidyl peptidase IV-deficient F344 rats. These rats were then randomized to receive wild-type hepatocyte transplantation or vehicle intraportally. The kinetics of oval cell response and their differentiation fate were analyzed. Results showed that oval cells were activated early and differentiated into hepatocytes in R+D-gal-treated rats without hepatocyte transplantation. With hepatocyte transplantation, the oval cells were recruited later and continued to proliferate in parallel with the massive proliferation of transplanted hepatocytes. They formed ductules and differentiated into biliary cells. When hepatocytes were transplanted at the day when oval cells were at their peak response, the numerous activated oval cells ceased to differentiate into hepatocytes and remained in ductular form. The ductular oval cells were capable of differentiating into hepatocytes again when the donor hepatocytes were inhibited to proliferate. We conclude that hepatocyte transplantation changes the mechanism of liver reconstitution and affects the differentiation fate of host oval cells in acute severe hepatic injury.
Key words: Cell differentiation; D-Galactosamine; Progenitor cell; Regeneration; Retrorsine
Address correspondence to Hui-Ling Chen, Ph.D., Hepatitis Research Center, National Taiwan University Hospital, No. 7, Chung-Shan S. Road, Taipei 100, Taiwan. Tel: +886-2-23123456, ext. 67505; Fax: +886-2-23825962; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Brief Communication
Making Stem Cells Infarct Avid
Ming Zhao,1 Matthew R. Barron,2* Zhixin Li,1 Stacy Koprowski,2 Cherisse L. Hall,1 and John Lough2
1Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin,
Milwaukee, WI, USA
2Department of Cell Biology, Neurobiology and Anatomy, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA
A major factor limiting the engraftment of transplanted stem cells after myocardial infarction is the low rate of retention in the infarcted site. Our long-term objective is to improve engraftment by enabling stem cells to recognize and bind infarcted tissue. To this end, we proposed to modify the surface of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) with the C2A domain of synaptotagmin I; this allows the engineered stem cells to bind to dead and dying cardiac cells by recognizing phosphatidylserine (PS). The latter is a molecular marker for apoptotic and necrotic cells. The C2A domain of synaptotagmin I, which binds PS with high affinity and specificity, was attached to the surface of mouse ESCs using the biotin-avidin coupling mechanism. Binding of C2AESCs to dead and dying cardiomyocytes was tested in vitro. After the surface modification, cellular physiology was examined for viability, pluripotency, and differentiation potential. C2A covalently attached to the ESC surface at an average of about 1 million C2A molecules per cell under mild conjugation reaction conditions. C2A-ESCs avidly bound to dying, but not viable, cardiomyocytes in culture. The normal physiology of C2A-modified ESCs was maintained. The binding of C2A-ESCs to moribund cardiomyocytes demonstrates that the retention of transplanted cells may be improved by conferring these cells with the ability to bind infarcted tissue. Once established, this novel approach may be applicable to other types of transplanted therapeutic cells.
Key words: Stem cells; Acute myocardial infarction; C2A domain of synaptotagmin I; Phosphatidylserine; Apoptosis; Necrosis
Address correspondence to Ming Zhao, Ph.D., Department of Biophysics, Medical College of Wisconsin, 8701 Watertown Plank Road, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA. Tel: 414-456-4059; Fax: 414-456-6512; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
*Current address: Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, WI, USA.


text:
Hello warriors,
today, I'd like to bring one special event to your attention that is connected to the gaming community more than the game itself. I will give you the short version.
This is Lili, daughter of one of the World of Tanks Polish players from clan WHYOU. Unfortunately, Lili is very sick and needs a heart surgery. More details (in Polish, but can be googletranslated) can be found here:
The problem is that the surgery costs money - the family needs to gather 100 thousand zloty (cca 18k EUR). To help, major Polish bloggers and streamers have come together to run one big charity event - a weekend full of streams and contests - prizes of more than 200 thousand gold (mostly paid by Polish players and clans). This event is also supported by Wargaming (WoT) and My.com (AW) - both companies donated bonus codes and other things. The streams are taking place this weekend, starting tomorrow.
You can either win the prizes during the streams - or you can help directly by pressing Donate on the charity page.
Here's a timetable for the streams:
Other prizes will include:
- AW Founder's Packs and EA codes
- Various WG bonus codes including E-25, Type 64 and other rare stuff
- World of Warship codes
- a copy of the newest Batman Arkham game
- tons of gold and premium time codes
- a Valentine weekend in a luxury hotel in Poland
- much more
Links to Streams
10 – 12h Decha: http://www.twitch.tv/dechapl
12 – 14h Essiusz: http://www.twitch.tv/essiusz
14 – 16h Szczepanek: http://www.twitch.tv/szczepanek2222
16 – 18h Nazath: http://www.twitch.tv/nazathisoul
18 – 20h CzeslawPPL: http://www.twitch.tv/czeslawwot
20 – 22h Huntus: http://www.twitch.tv/xhuntus
22 – … Omen: http://www.twitch.tv/mromenx
This is something worth supporting, let's help with all we can!

subset: commoncrawl


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Leon Bailey Green gives fashion retailers five tips to think about for increasing revenue and sales.
1. "Pay Day" Orders
It's great being able to pre-order items not yet stocked, and it's even better to save them in a fashion or social bookmarking site (such as OSOYOU or Furl), but where's the in-between?
Luxury fashion and beauty purchases are usually more likely to take place when the buyer is in the money, i.e. pay day. Why not let people go to checkout with their order on the promise that the order will not be shipped or billed until their specified pay day?
That way when they're browsing the website during a mid month lunchtime, they can buy without feeling guilty!
2. Video
When you're in a clothing store the other shoppers help to create the vibe of the store. Video can be used to create the same atmosphere for a fashion retail website.
Creating videos with tips from fashion and beauty experts will make people feel they're not alone in using the store. Visitors want to feel there is someone on the other side of their laptop!
Videojug leads the way with expert beauty videos, and it can create the same feeling when you're walking past the beauty counter in a department store watching people have their make-up done.
Visitors also want confidence in the product. Sell designer bags at a discount prices? Try this.
3. Visitor Monetisation
Wouldn't it be great if everyone who came to your store (online or offline) was going to make a purchase? Unfortunately, people do window shop.
At least the internet allows you to monetise those window shoppers by providing them with relevant advertising.
Some may say advertising causes people to click off the website, making them less likely to purchase, though I would argue any visitors anywhere near the stage of purchasing would ignore the ads.
Anyway, if it's good enough for Amazon...
4. Look like your visitor
People associate with advertising images that looks like them. Or images that they aspire to look like.
Fashion and beauty have an element of both, so if you can profile your visitors and identify them via logins or cookies consider showing them clothing items on model images that will appeal to them.
This is particularly important for fashion brands that appeal to people of different ages.
5. And finally, Shazam for fashion?
OK, so they say technology can do anything, but can a computer tell you which shop to buy an item from just by giving it a photo?
Imagine if, like Shazam, when you hold your phone to music and it identifies the song, you could text a photo of a clothing item, either on someone or in a shop, and have the links of where to buy the item, or a similar looking item, online emailed to you. How great would that be?
Leon Bailey Green - online media professional for fashion, beauty and celebrity.
Comments (2)
A really good post here and as a new visitor, I thank you for your advice.
You forgot to mention having a really good fashion director!


text:
Financially strapped G. Heileman Brewing Co. said yesterday that it was scrapping plans to continue making and marketing PowerMaster because it is seeking to avoid a protracted legal battle over its new malt liquor's name.
LaCrosse, Wis.-based Heileman, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January, said it will discontinue the product because of the "economic burden a legal contest would entail."
The brewer has been told to change the name of PowerMaster, which has been brewed at the company's Halethorpe plant since its introduction last week, by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, which felt the name alluded to the malt liquor's high alcohol content -- 5.9 percent.


text: Aurora — An 18-year-old Aurora man was injured in gang crossfire Monday while playing basketball outside his girlfriend's house, according to police reports. Raymondo Diaz was playing ball near East and George Avenues when he was struck by gunfire from a car whose occupants were shooting at gang members on foot, the reports state. Diaz, who was shot in the right hip, was released Tuesday from Copley Memorial Hospital.


text:
Strand Garden
Project Title: Strand Garden
Date: 2016
Size: 700 Square Feet
Materials: Oak, Concrete, PLA, Chardonnay Skin Powder, LEDs
Location: Miami, FL
Client: Maison Perrier-Jouët
Exhibition: DesignMiami/2016
Inspired by the organic curves of Art Nouveau and translated through Matsys's unique approach to digital craftsmanship, these new pieces explore the champagne-making process and its emblematic materials.
Strand Garden's three screens of curved strands, evoking tree trunks or vines, mark out a central area: "You're in a small clearing," Andrew Kudless explains. "You get hints of what lies beyond, but it's an inward-looking, reflective space."
The oak tops of his interlocking benches evoke Perrier-Jouët's riddling racks and wine presses, while the concrete of their legs has been specially crafted to resemble the chalk that shelters the Maison's cellars and nourishes its vines.
The table in the center of the space is 3D-printed in a clear bio-plastic that conjures up glass: its filaments sparkle in the light to suggest the fine, vibrant bubbles of Perrier-Jouët's distinctive wines.
Finally, the ice bucket takes the organic relationship with champagne to the limit, by 3D-printing ground Chardonnay skins into rippled petals that recall the wrinkled skin of a raisin.
Design: Andrew Kudless
Programming: Clayton Muhleman
Concrete: Concreteworks
3D Printing: Emerging Objects
Screen Assembly: Sitou Akolly, Marianna Munguia-Chang, Mengjie (Tina) Shen, Xiaoxue (Amy) Guo, Sam Villasenor, Armughan Faruqi, Taylor Metcalf
Prototyping: Anh Vu, Ania Burlinska
Carpentry: Ania Burlinska, James Seckelman, Emery Cohen
Confluence Park Pavilion
Project Title: Confluence Park BHP Billiton Pavilion
Date: 2014-2017
Size: 7000 Square Feet
Materials: Concrete
Location: San Antonio, Texas
Design Team: Matsys, Lake|Flato Architects, Rialto Studio, Architectural Engineers Collaborative
Client: San Antonio River Foundation
Project Website: Confluence Park Website
The San Antonio River Foundation Confluence Park provides a unique opportunity to celebrate the ecology of the South Texas region, demonstrate the value of our natural resources, and foster environmental stewardship in a traditionally underserved area adjoining the San Antonio River. With education as its core purpose, Confluence can be understood as an intricate teaching tool that will inspire people to become more involved with the river, practice environmental stewardship, and gain a greater understanding of Texas ecotypes. At every corner, visitors will find an opportunity to learn through observation, engagement, and active participation. The principal designers of the park and park structures, Rialto Studio, Lake|Flato Architects, and Matsys, have been working closely with the San Antonio River Foundation and the San Antonio River Authority to realize the visionary goals for Confluence Park.
The programmatic elements and educational features include opportunities to experience and learn more about five ecotypes that occur in the region:
- The Grassland ecotype is a central feature in the park around which the paths and other ecotypes are organized.
- The San Antonio River Improvement Project ecotype demonstrates the species of plants used along the river as part of SARA's ongoing restoration project.
- The Trans Pecos/Chihuahua Desert ecotype demonstrates the use of west Texas plants that thrive in San Antonio. This ecotype spreads into the parking lot providing dapped shading for cars.
- The Texas Oak Conservatory ecotype demonstrates the many types of oak trees that thrive in our region.
- The Texas Love Oak Savannah provides shade around the edges of the pavilion and help to block unwanted winter winds from the pavilion space.
The BHP Billiton Pavilion – the primary pavilion – is constructed of large concrete forms that together, create a geometry that collects and funnels rainwater. This lofty pavilion provides shade and shelter while simultaneously allowing visitors to understand the cycle of water at Confluence Park and how this cycle relates directly to the San Antonio River watershed. The pavilion speaks of the confluence of water systems and is oriented to point directly toward the confluence of the San Antonio River and San Pedro Creek.
A site-wide water catchment system collects all the rainwater that falls on the site and feeds this water into an underground water storage tank.
The BHP Multi-Purpose Room has a green roof providing thermal mass for passive heating and cooling. This space can be used for classroom and meeting space as well as pre-function space for the primary pavilion. A photovoltaic array will provide 100% of the energy use for the project on a yearly basis.
A supporting actor to the primary pavilion structure, the building's lowered elevation makes it appear to emerge from the ground and gradually grow out of the earth, becoming a fluid part of the landscape.
Satellite pavilions create distinct gathering nodes throughout the site and are derived from the same form as the BHP Billiton Pavilion.
Both the unique design of the park and its accompanying structures engage visitors at every corner. Structures are geometrically integrated with supporting sustainable systems, creating beautiful yet functional mechanisms that work symbiotically with the landscape to preserve the park's ecology.
[Text by Lake|Flato Architects]
Public Anemone
Date: 2014
Size: 3m x 3m x 3m
Materials: Fiberglass Composites and LED lights
Tools: Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Weaverbird
Location: Market Street, San Francisco
Exhibition: Market Street Prototyping Festival, April 9 – 11, 2015
Public Anemone is a piece of urban street furniture that advocates for provisional, ambiguous, and playful interaction with the diverse populations of Market Street. Rather than falling into a neat category of "street art", "bench" or "play structure", Public Anemone is all of these and more. The design recognizes that Market Street must cater to populations of vastly different backgrounds, interests, and perspectives and provides a structure that invites both cultural and physical interpretation by all people. The structure is simultaneously an urban icon that would draw tourists and locals, a simple, yet playful bench, and a stage set for music and dance performances. At night, its arms subtly glow and pulsate creating an urban campfire around which people can meet up before heading out into the city.
As a prototype, the project explores a variety of ideas:
Branding: The structure is designed to be an iconic symbol for the Embarcadero district of Market Street. The multi-armed design of Public Anemone resonates with a variety of sea creatures and almost appears as if it had pulled itself up out of the nearby Bay. In addition, the design builds on the Embarcadero's reputation for activating space through civic events, recreation, and art. The design acts as a welcoming symbol for the SF Art Market as people arrive from and the Embarcadero Bart Station and further up Market Street.
Playfulness: The structure is designed to encourage play on, under, and around it by all ages. Almost like the roots and branches of a tree, the structure twists and turns and invites the public to discover new ways to crawl under, sit on, and climb over it. Specifically, the elephantine legs of the structure will draw children to move between them and play in a space that is only large enough for them.
Modularity: The design is made out of 24 identical fiber-composite arms. Each arm is rotated around a central node and composed of two parts: a translucent composite shell that would be backlit at night with low-power LEDs and an opaque composite shell that provides more structural rigidity.
Scalability: The modularity of the arm design allows it to scale up to multiple sites or even multiple arm designs in the future (e.g. longer arms that could provide more seating, bicycle parking, etc.)
Mobility: The use of fiber-composite construction means that the structure is both strong and lightweight and could be easily moved during the festival to multiple locations. This enables the structure to be reconfigured as needed for specific events such as potential music and dance performances.
Durability: The fiber-composite structure also makes the structure resistant to wear as well as waterproof. The use of a modular design means that parts could be quickly and inexpensively replaced if damaged.
Interactivity: The prototype design currently uses a modest, pre-programmed pattern of pulsating light however this could be developed further to explore how the lighting change according to real-time data acquired from either local sensors or online databases.
Andrew Kudless (Design); Stephanie Stockwell, Rhett Cowen, Mosaab Alsharif (Prototyping); Kreysler & Associates (Fabrication Consulting)
P Fold
Date: 2014
Size: N/A
Materials: Plaster, Nylon Fabric
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Evolving out of the P Wall series of projects, P Fold explores the use of linear constraints on a flexible fabric formwork. The focus of this early stage of the research has been on the digital simulation of the inflation process. The system developed subdivides a wall into a number horizontal and vertical constraints on the fabric surface that prevent it from inflating when the liquid slurry is cast into the formwork. Unlike previous projects exploring flexible formwork, the P Fold wall is cast vertically instead of horizontally. This may allow the wall to be cast in-place instead of tilt-up or prefabricated.
Scripted Movement Drawings Series 1
Date: 2014
Size: 910mm x 650mm
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, HAL, ABB IRB-6640 Robot, Pentel Aquash Water Brush, Ink
For information on purchasing these drawings, please contact the Salamatina Gallery.
We are moving towards an a future where the terms "nature" and "technology" will not be seen as opposites. Natural systems are increasingly being augmented, modified, and hybridized by the hardware and software that enables contemporary life. Likewise, the systems we make are increasingly life-like. Our technologies are not quite alive, not sentient, but still resonate with a vital energy.
In this context, I am interested exploring work that is both natural and technological. I try to decode the underlying structures of natural systems and then use these in the production work that is complex without being complicated. Using a variety of digital technologies, from scripting languages to digital fabrication, the work is both grown and made. That is, I focus on creating the literal code, the rules and parameters of a system, and then allow the system to take on a life of its own as it's deployed.
In the Scripted Movement Series of drawings/paintings, I have begun to experiment with the use of industrial robotics. Typically used in the production of cars or other mass-produced items of contemporary culture, these robots are essentially larger, stronger, and more precise version of the human arm. Made up of a series of joints that mimic yet extend the movements of shoulder, elbow, and wrist, the robot has a wide range of highly control motion. The real value of these robots is that, like the human arm, their usefulness is completely determined by the tool that is placed in its hand. Although with industry these tools include welding torches, vacuum grippers, and saws, really any tool can be used.
Presented with an opportunity to use one of these robots, I decided that trying to teach myself and the robot to draw would be a good first step in understanding the nature of the machine. Each of the works produced in this series was entirely programmed and drawn through software and hardware. None of the lines or curves was manually drawn either within the computer or in physical reality. Rather, I created a series of different scripts or programs in the computer that would generate not only the work shown here, but an infinite number of variations on a theme. Essential to the programming was understanding the relationships between the robot and human movement and control. Unlike a printer or plotter which draws from one side of the paper to the other, the robot produces the drawings similarly to how a human might: one line at a time. The speed, acceleration, brush type, ink viscosity, and many other variables needed to be considered in the writing of the code.
The contents of each drawing/painting explore a variety of themes but all in some way touch on difference and repetition. I am interested in how a singular element (a line, a circle, a triangle, etc.) can be drawn again and again in an infinite number of different ways to produce something that is more than the sum of its parts. The work is inspired by the techniques of artists such as Sol Lewitt and others who explored procedural processes in the production of their work. The script, or set of rules, as well as the ability or inability of the robot to follow these instructions is the focus of the work. There is almost a primitive and gestural quality to the drawings created through the tension between the rules and the robot's physical movement. Precisely imprecise.
Parametric Drawing
Date: 2012 – 2014
Size: Various
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Human, Lunchbox, FabTools, Illustrator
Although the use of parametric 3D models has become common, the use of parametric tools to produce evocative and engaging 2D representations has been less developed among architects, designers, and artists. Standard parametric modeling programs like Revit, although highly capable of handling relational geometries, are rather limited in terms of allowing for representational experimentation. Programs such as Processing have enabled the non-programmer to more easily enter into the word of procedural design, yet they still require working in traditional, text-based programming environments. And graphic design tools such as Illustrator are enormously powerful in creating evocative visual representations, yet largely the workflows within these software packages are highly manual and allow for little parametric functionality.The parametric modeling plugin Grasshopper offers a potential middle ground that provides parametric control, ability to manage complexity, and a highly intuitive graphic user interface.
This research was initiated through an interest in the body of work produced by the Minimalist, Op-Art and Conceptual Art groups in the 1950′ through 1970's. Artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, Sol Lewitt, Eve Hess, Bridget Riley and many more explored the construction of drawings and paintings through procedural techniques. Since this period, a number of other artists including both analog and digital artists have explored generative rule-sets in the production of their work (Casey Reas, Jared Tarbell, etc). Yet in most cases, the work is heavily based on scripting, a technique difficult for many architects, designers, and artists to learn (even Processing). This project explores how more intuitive digital techniques can be leveraged to give artists, designers, and architects opportunities to develop experimental and generative drawings and diagrams.
The work has been conducted both as a solo project and as a collaborative project with colleagues and students. I would like to thank Andrew Heumann for his excellent Human plugin for grasshopper that has enabled much of this work. In addition, I would like to thank Adam Marcus who co-taught the first workshop in 2013 with me exploring these ideas. Finally, I would like to thank all of the students and attendees in the courses and workshops I have taught on this topic as your ideas and questions have contributed to the exploration of the work.
Spore Lamps
Date: 2013
Size: 0.75m x 0.75m x 0.75m
Materials: Composite paper-backed cherry wood veneers from Lenderink Technologies.
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo
Inspired by the microscopic spores of various plants that float through the air and find purchase on all types of surfaces, these lamps are designed to not have a "correct" orientation. Rather, the lamps can be positioned in any orientation and repositioned as needed by the user. Hung, sitting on the floor, or even clustered with other Spores, the lamps fill the space with a warm and complexly patterned glow. Each cell of the Spore is laser cut and hand assembled from wood micro-veneers.
Mariko Kobayashi (Schematic Design), Seth Barnard (Assembly)
Roka Akor SF Restaurant Wall
Date: 2013
Size: 36′ x 11′ x 3″
Materials: Precast Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
Location: Roka Akor, 801 Montgomery St, San Francisco, California
Fabrication: Concreteworks, Oakland, California
Matsys was commissioned to design and prototype a feature wall for the main room at Roka Akor. Inspired by tall bamboo grass, the wall uses a linear constraints on a flexible fabric mold to produce the striated and undulating pattern on the concrete.
Roka Akor SF Bar Wall
Date: 2013
Size: 36′ x 6.5′ x 6″
Materials: Amber Plyboo
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper
Location: Roka Akor, 801 Montgomery St, San Francisco, California
Fabrication: S/U/M, Oakland, California
Matsys was commissioned to design and fabricate a feature wall for the new bar of Roka Akor. The wall's gentle undulations evoke the region's rolling hills while also making resonating with waves and wind. Inspired by Japanese screen paintings of cloudy mountain scenes and the existing vertical wood rib theme found elsewhere in the Bar, the new wall adds a distinct element to the Bar's main seating area.
Similar to the Zero/Fold Screen completed in 2010, Matsys was interested in minimizing material waste in the fabrication of the wall by using parametric modeling to align adjacent ribs next to each other when cut. The back side of one rib becomes the front side of the next.
P_Wall (2013)
Date: 2013
Size: 6.1m x 3.6 x 0.3m
Materials: Fiber-Reinforced Thin-Shell Precast Concrete Panels mounted on Steel Frame
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo
Location: FRAC Centre, Orleans, France
Fabrication: Concreteworks, Oakland, California
P_Wall (2013), part of on-going research by Matsys into the use of flexible formwork (see earlier projects in the series here, here, here, and here), celebrates the self-organization of material under force. The form emerges through the interaction of the elastic fabric formwork and the liquid slurry of plaster. The designer has control over the locations of the constraints on the fabric which inform the overall form of each panel, but the specific curvature is determined solely by the system finding a state of equilibrium between mass and elasticity.
This iteration of the wall focused on three areas of innovation in reference to past iterations. First, this wall is the first to be constructed out of fiber-reinforced concrete rather than plaster. Rather than solid panels, each panel is only 2cm thick, vastly reducing the weight of each panel and allowing them to be much larger than previous installations. This process entailed the use of five original fabric-cast plaster patterns and subsequent rubber molds for the thin-shell concrete fabrication process.
Second, we were interested in exploring the boundary between modularity and repetition. At what point is something that is modular also repetitious? At what point does a pattern emerge that conflicts with a desired informal landscape? Using a tiling pattern of four panel sizes and five modules rotated in two directions, the pattern is never repeated across a total of thirty-four panels.
Third, using digital simulation models, a rough approximation of the wall was created virtually that allowed many more rounds of design iteration and testing in comparison with earlier projects in the series. Using a spring-network of meshes, the elastic fabric and the mass of the liquid plaster slurry could be modeled within an acceptable range of accuracy based on physical testing.
SEAcraft Eggs
Context: Advanced Architecture Studio at the California College of the Arts
Instructor: Associate Professor Andrew Kudless
Location: San Francisco, California
Date: 2013
Materials: Wood, Plastic, Composites, Paper, etc.
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo, various traditional fabrication methods
Dimensions: 12″ x 12″ x 16.5″
In Malcolm McCullough's 1996 book, Abstracting Craft, it is posited that craftsmanship can (and should) be extended to digital media. In this argument, craft is not tied to traditional tools or techniques but rather to an approach to the artisan's chosen medium that rests in an alchemical mixture of expertise and improvisation. The craftsperson, drawing on a deep well of skill-based knowledge, works and reworks their medium in a feedback loop that integrates a multitude of simultaneous and often conflicting performance criteria that range from the technical to the poetic. This understanding of craft as a deep relationship between maker and medium allows the term to be extended to any process of creation, even those whose "materials" are the notionally immaterial pixels, vectors, and 3D geometry that populate the digital realm.
This advanced architectural design studio at the California College of the Arts focused on the relationship between craft and design. The studio was divided into three roughly equal-length phases, each exploring a different aspect of craftsmanship. In the first phase, students focused on developing a range of digital and physical modeling skills that allowed them to become experts in a particular material system. Rather than focus on site or program, the two traditional generators of architectural form, the students were asked to develop several eggs that simply researched the relationship between form, fabrication, and materiality. The goal of this phase was to produce a studio culture that focused on the value of making as a design generator.
In the second phase, students applied their skills to a specific design problem: a new ferry terminal for the Seattle waterfront. Beyond the necessary docks, waiting areas, and ticketing booths of the terminal, the project integrateed a number of other programs to support the maker and craft cultures of the Seattle region such as fabrication, retail, and exhibition spaces. During a visit to Seattle in early March, students researched both the urban environment of Seattle and its emerging maker community. Students met with the founders of Makerhaus as well as the design software company McNeel & Associates (the maker of Rhino).
During phase three, students continued to develop their design proposals through a limited number of highly crafted representations including physical models, drawings, and renderings.
The studio supported students who are interested in the value of making in contemporary culture. It celebrated the re-emergence of craft-based personal production embodied by entities such as Maker Faire, TechShop, and Etsy as a viable alternative to the anonymity and blandness of industrial mass-production. The studio did not presuppose any level of skill in digital or physical modeling, but required students to be rigorous, motivated, and open to experimentation as they developed their craft.
Ji Ahn, Maria Araujo, Nathan Booth, Vanessa Carvalho, Logan Kelly, Shawn Komlos, Alessandra Marsh, Rena Montero, Mehdi Nikseresht, Anthony Quivers, Gry Taraldhagen, Hugh Vanho, Jason Vereschak, Brendan Williams, Alex Woodhouse
Location: Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana
Date: 2013
Materials: Wood Lathe, Stainless Steel Bolts
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo
Dimensions: 35′ x 35′ x 7′
Project Description
This project was developed during a fast-paced 3-day workshop with students at Tulane University. Building on the earlier gridshell research conducted during the SmartGeometry 2012 workshop, this grid shell attempted to improve on various aspects of the earlier prototype. In an effort to both increase fabrication speed while decreasing material waste, the parametric model integrated more material feedback and analysis. First, the model would warn the user if the timber member length exceeded the available timber members in order to eliminate the need for splicing members together. Second, the model would produce warnings whenever the maximum bending radius was exceeded, assuring that the surface curvature was producible at full scale. Third, the edge beam members were doubled to increase the overal stiffness of the beam.
Initial Parametric Modeling and Workshop Instructor: Andrew Kudless
Design, Fabrication, and Assembly: Charles Boyne, Jack Waterman, Kyle Graham, Sam Naylor, Sarah Cumming, Dennis Palmadessa, Elizabeth Kovacevic, Lauren Evans
SCIN Cube
Location: London Design Festival, SCIN Gallery
Date: 2012
Materials: 3D Printed Concrete
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Weaverbird
Dimensions: 20cm x 20cm x 20cm
Project Description
SCIN, a material resource center for designers and architects in London, asked a small group of emerging designers to produce a small cube that represents their approach to design, materiality, and technology for an exhibition that coincides with the London Design Festival. Our submission reflects the reoccurring presence in our work of cellular solids, a transmaterial grouping characterized by high strength to weight ratios. The cube was designed using a network of digital cellular bodies that are first relaxed to produce a more uniform field and then structurally differentiated in relation to their distance to the outside surface. The inner core's cell edges are extremely thin and fragile yet are protected by the multiple layers of increasing more robust edges closer to the cube boundary. For the exhibition we collaborated with the fabrication consultancy Emerging Objects to create a simple yet lightweight cube that is digitally printed from concrete. This sample of our work embodies our interests and facility with digital craft, material innovation, and structural performance.
Andrew Kudless (design), Emerging Objects (fabrication)
Shellstar Pavilion
Date: 2012
Size: 8m x 8m x 3m
Materials: 4mm Translucent Coroplast, Nylon Cable Ties, Steel Foundations, PVC and Steel Reinforcement Arches
Tools: Rhino, Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Python, Lunchbox, Rhinoscript
Location: Wan Chai, Hong Kong
Event: Detour 2012
Shellstar is a lightweight temporary pavilion that maximizes its spatial performance while minimizing structure and material. Commissioned for Detour, an art and design festival in Hong Kong in December 2012, the pavilion was designed to be an iconic gathering place for the festival attendees. Located on an empty lot within the Wan Chai district of Hong Kong, the design emerged out of a desire to create a spatial vortex whereby visitors would feel drawn into the pavilion center and subsequently drawn back out into the larger festival site. Working fully within a parametric modeling environment, the design was quickly developed and iterated with the 6 weeks of design, fabrication, and assembly. The design process can be broken down into 3 processes that were enabled by advanced digital modeling techniques:
The form emerged out of a digital form-finding process based on the classic techniques developed by Antonio Guadi and Frei Otto, among others. Using Grasshopper and the physics engine Kangaroo, the form self-organizes into the catenary-like thrust surfaces that are aligned with the structural vectors and allow for minimal structural depths.
Surface Optimization
The structure is composed of nearly 1500 individual cells that are all slightly non-planar. In reality, the cells must bend slightly to take on the global curvature of the form. However, the cells cannot be too non-planar as this would make it difficult to cut them from flat sheet materials. Using a custom Python script, each cell is optimized so as to eliminate any interior seams and make them as planar as possible, greatly simplifying fabrication.
Fabrication Planning
Using more custom python scripts, each cell was unfolded flat and prepared for fabrication. The cell flanges and labels were automatically added and the cell orientation was analyzed and then rotated to align the flutes of the Coroplast material with the principal bending direction of the surface.
Schematic Design: Andrew Kudless / Matsys
Design Development and Prototyping: Andrew Kudless and Riyad Joucka
Fabrication and Assembly: Art Lab / Ricci Wong, Wong Sifu, Geoff Wong, Wilton Ip, Justin ling, April Lau, Andrew Kudless, Riyad Joucka, Eric Lo, John Thurtle, Garkay Wong, Felice Chap, Kenneth Cheung, Godwin Cheung, Quentin Yiu, Rena Li, Garesa Hao En, Cheryl Ceclia Lui, Huang Xinliu, Horace Cheng
3D Scanning of Built Structure: Topcon HK using a Faro Focus3D Scanner
Shell Star Assembly and Construction from Riyad Joucka on Vimeo.
Photo: 3D Scan of Shellstar: No. of scanned points: 170 Million, No. of Set-ups: 10, Scanner: FARO FOCUS3D, Scanning Time: 1.5 hrs, Data Processing: ~15 minutes, Avg. Pt. Spacing : ~5 mm
Seed (p_ball)
Size: 96″ x 96″ x 96″
Location: University of California, Berkeley Botanical Garden, Redwood Grove
Material: Fiber-Reinforced Concrete
Exhibition: Natural Discourse: Artists, Architects, Scientists & Poets in the Garden
Project courtesy Salamatina Gallery. Please contact the gallery for more information on the project.
Description: The latest iteration of the "P" series of projects (P_Wall(2009), P_Wall (2006), P_Wall (Weathering)), the Seed takes the series into a new dimension. Inspired by the vitality of the Redwood Grove at the UC Botanical Garden, the Seed attempts to embody the fertility, wonder, and strength of the redwoods through the placement of this mysterious concrete object within the Grove. The form is composed of 32 thin-shell fiber-reinforced concrete panels that are based off of plaster patterns made from casting liquid plaster into fabric forms. The fabric expands under the mass of the plaster slurry until it finds a state of equilibrium with the tensioned fabric. This play between the pressure of the liquid versus the tension in the fabric fibers mirrors the dynamic conflict that exists within every cell of organic bodies.
Credits: Andrew Kudless (Design), Ron Rael of Emerging Objects for the fabrication of the 3D-printed concrete prototype, Mark Rogero of ConcreteWorks for the generous donation of fabrication support, David Shook for engineering support, and Shirley Watts and Mary Anne Friel (curators and organizers of the exhibition, and all of the staff of the Botanical Garden for their support.
Inflation Test 01 from Andrew Kudless on Vimeo.
Chrysalis (III)
Size: 190cm x 90cm x 90cm
Materials: Composite paper-backed wood veneers from Lenderink Technologies. Cherry veneer (exterior) and poplar veneer (interior).
Tools: Grasshopper, Kangaroo, Python, Lunchbox, Rhinoscript
Location: Permanent Collection of the Centre Pompidou, Paris, France
Exhibition: Multiversites Creatives, May 2 – August 6, 2012
Project courtesy Salamatina Gallery. Please contact the gallery for more information on the project.
Description: The latest in a series of projects exploring cellular morphologies, Chrysalis (III) investigates the self-organization of barnacle-like cells across an underlying substrate surface. The cells shift and slide across the surface as they attempt to find a more balanced packed state through the use of a relaxed spring network constrained to the surface. Each cell is composed of two parts: a cone-like outer surface made from cherry veneer and a non-planer inner plate made from poplar veneer that stresses the outer cone into shape. Each of the 1000 cell components are unfolded flat in the digital model, digitally fabricated, and hand assembled.
For more information about the exhibition, please download the Multiversites Creatives press releases in English or French.
Credits: Andrew Kudless (Design), Jason Vereschak and Emily Kirwan (Fabrication Support), Maciej Fiszer (for the lending of assembly space in Paris), and the Pompidou Centre Industrial Prospectives Department (Valerie Guillaume, Hélène Ducate, Dominique Kalabane, and Marguerite Reverchon)
Vorlax in 2D from Andrew Kudless on Vimeo.
Vorlax on Surface from Andrew Kudless on Vimeo.
SG2012 Gridshell
Location: Smartgeometry 2012, RPI, Troy, NY
Size: 11m x 7m x 4m
Material: Straight Wood Lath
Workshop: Gridshell Digital Tectonics
Workshop Instructors: Mark Cabrinha, Andrew Kudless, David Shook
Description: This 4-day workshop at SmartGeometry 2012 focused on the design and construction of a wooden gridshell using only straight wood members bent along geodesic lines on a relaxed surface. Using parametric tools, the design was developed and analyzed to minimize material waste while maximizing its architectural presence in the space. In addition, a feedback loop was designed between the parametric geometric model and a structural model allowing for a smooth workflow that integrated geometry, structures, and material performance.
More information on the Smartgeometrty website.
Workshop Collaborators: Elif Erdogan, Giuseppe Giacoppo, Alexander Jordan, Chu-Hao Pan, Lara Alegria Mira, Elliot Mistur, Artyom Maxim, Sarah Murray, Dan Reynolds, Oliver Sjöberg, Caressa Siu, Elsa Wifstrand, Katja Virta
Catalyst Hexshell
Date: 2012
Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota
Size: 25′ x 30′ x 12′
Material: 1/8″ Corrugated Cardboard
Description: This project was the result of a 4-day workshop taught with Marc Swackhamer at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture in March 2012. The workshop explored the design and fabrication of shell structures. Inspired by the work of designers such as Guadi, Otto, and Isler, the workshop explored how digital tools could be used in the design, simulation, and fabrication of a contemporary thin-shell structure. The workshop was structured in the following way:
- Day 1: Parametric Modeling Tutorials and Lecture on Thin-Shell Structures
- Day 2: Design Competition among student teams
- Day 3: Fabrication
- Day 4: Assembly
Credits: The project could not have happened without the amazingly talented and dedicated students at the University of Minnesota who designed and built the structure using the tools that I provided them at the beginning of the workshop. Thanks to all of them:
Namdi Alexander, Daniel Aversa, Tia Bell, Alex Berger, Amy Ennen, Andrew Gardner, John Greene, Kelly Greiner, Artemis Hansen, David Horner, Jonathon Jacobs, Hwan Kim, Jenn McGinnity, Shona Mosites, Kristen Salkas, Stuart Shrimpton, Paul Treml, Katie Umenthum, Pablo Villamil.
P_Wall (Sevenstar)
Date: 2011
Size: 1.93m x 1.75m x 0.3m
Materials: Fiber-Reinforced Plaster
This project belongs to the larger P_Wall series of projects that investigate the self-organization of material under force. Using nylon fabric and wooden dowels as form-work, the weight of the liquid plaster slurry causes the fabric to sag, expand, and wrinkle before finding a state of equilibrium. The form that emerges resonates with the tension between our own elastic skin and fluid interior. Using digital tools to design and simulate the process yet allowing the forms to develop according to the inherent physical forces, there always exists a welcome gap between the designed and the emergent in the work.
Fabrication and Installation: Andrei Hakovich, Sean Wong, and Nathan John
P_Wall Reinstalled @ SFMoMA
SFMoMA has reinstalled the P_Wall (2009) piece in their 5th Floor Gallery overlooking the Sculpture Garden. The wall is part of their "The More Things Change" exhibition focusing on the work of emerging artists over the last decade. The exhibition closes on November 6, 2011.
(Note: The amazing chair shown in the images is, unfortunately, not mine. The chair is by Dutch designers Tejo Remy & René Veenhuizen. The curators at SFMoMA did a great job pairing the wall and chair together.)
Aldgate Aerial Park
Project Name: Aldgate Aerial Park
Year: 2010
Location: London, UK
Aldgate, one of the medieval gates of London, sits between the old City and the new eastern development for the 2012 Olympics. The Aldgate Aerial Park resists the binary relationship of the traditional gate typology. More than just a singular threshold between one urban zone and another, the network of vaults span multiple streets and pathways. Rather than a simple opening between one place and another, it expands out into the city and forms its own identity as a new urban park. The aerial park creates a space of relaxation and community above the chaos of the city streets. The cells of the park include amphitheaters, gardens, restrooms, and open spaces. Rather than reinforce the dividing line between new and old London, the new gate attempts to create a spatial blur that brings people together.
Diploid_B Lamp
Year: 2010
Size: 20″ x 20″ x 20″
Description: Working with an updated version of the script that produced the earlier Diploid Lamps, this new lamp is fabricated entirely without glue. Every connection is a locking tab that enables the lamp to be built quickly despite the nearly 1000 parts. For price, please email firstname.lastname@example.com
Zero/Fold Screen
Year: 2010
Size: 10′ x 10′ x 3′
Location: Kasian Gallery, University of Calgary, Canada
Description: Although digital fabrication has allowed architects and designers to explore more complex geometries, one of the byproducts has been a lack of attention to material waste. Often digitally fabricated projects are generated from a top-down logic with the parameters of typical material sheet sizes being subordinated to the end of the design process. This project attempts to reverse that logic by starting from the basic material dimensions and then generating a series of components that will minimize material waste during CNC cutting while still producing an undulating, light-filtering screen in the gallery.
Diploid Lamp Series
Year: 2009
Size: 36″ x 12″ x 12″
Description: The Diploid Lamp series explores multiple patterns inspired by nature such as scales, honeycombs, and barnacles. Using parametric modeling, scripting, and digital fabrication, the light's geometry is created, refined, and produced. Each lamp is custom designed and hand assembled from digitally fabricated paper components. The series is composed of five individual lamps and is an ongoing project.


text: With a gracious and genuine business style, Alaina Freeman offers an unwavering commitment to setting and meeting her clients' goals. Always one to put her own life aside to help those who seek her guidance and expertise, Alaina approaches every transaction with a well-focused and forthright effort on her clients' behalf. "I view every home sale or purchase as a journey that we are on together – and play a vital role in contributing my knowledge to ensure a successful end result." Prior to her career in real estate, Alaina experienced the true definition of a 'heavy workload' and as such, she has a keen understanding of the importance of staying focused, organized, and efficient throughout the entire process. Be it business or pleasure, Alaina approaches each day with an optimistic view and welcomes any challenge that may come her way. The tireless time that she dedicates to assisting abused and neglected children through the Washoe CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) program is a fine example of Alaina's desire to help those who need it most. With a well-balanced life, Alaina's lighter side of life includes time in the kitchen, digging in her garden, and enjoying all the pleasures that life can bring with her husband and Mini Dachshunds by her side. Energetic and eager to please, Alaina can be contacted through Chase International's Sparks, NV office.


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yOU PICK TWO SUMMER SPECIAL!
At Intrigue Dance, we know how busy day to day life can be! For your convenience, we offer our semester payments in a simple, all-inclusive fee! No hidden costs, 'extras', or surprises! Intrigue also offers monthly payment plans for those that wish to spread their payments over time. Based on an 8-week summer, your dancer can take classes from only $6-$16.50 per class! The more they take, the less you pay (per class)! Invest in your child's dance education today!


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When Spoleto Festival USA organized a public art exhibition in 1997 called "Human/Nature: Art and Landscape in Charleston and the Low Country," one of the participating artists, Martha Jackson Jarvis, seized the opportunity to create a work that made reference to the city's controversial history and its magnificent natural environment.
Jarvis, a Washington, D.C., artist who specializes in outdoor installations and work inspired by nature, created two stylized oyster-shell houses and four mosaic water basins. She decorated the objects with sculpted redfish, images of rice stalks and mosquitoes, colorful pieces of glass and stone and swirls that indicated the flow of water or time or energy.
The ensemble of objects, titled "Rice, Rattlesnakes and Rainwater," was installed at St. Luke's Reformed Episcopal Church on Charleston's in East Side neighborhood and drew attention from residents and passersby interested in the way Jarvis made tangible the link between her art and their heritage.
On Wednesday, the installation was relocated to the garden of the Spoleto Festival USA building on George Street. The church no longer could accommodate it, but festival General Director Nigel Redden wanted to ensure it remained available to the public.
"I wanted the piece to remain in Charleston - and, fortunately, Martha agreed that it should remain in Charleston," Redden said.
Jarvis, long interested in the interplay between nature and art, and curious to discover the secrets of the past, said her oyster-shell houses referred directly to slavery and rice cultivation in the Lowcountry, to the mosquito-infested coast and the malaria-resistant West Africans whose experience and technical know-how enabled Charleston's landowners to establish an important cash crop and grow rich in the process.
"This is like a living, breathing archaeological dig," she said, as she supervised three men positioning the objects in the garden.
The use of shells, stone, glass and other natural materials was meant to mimic the natural environment, allude to its manipulation and pay tribute to the enslaved Africans (and others) whose labor transformed it, she said.
"It's important to articulate this legacy," she said.
Redden said today's landscape deceives contemporary residents and visitors, and the original show, "Human/Nature," was meant to highlight this fact.
"Charleston is a manmade environment ... there's nothing that's really original, or very little that's original to South Carolina," he said. "So what we wanted to do is reveal it in different ways."
Now Jarvis' installation has found a new home where it can continue to remind viewers of the culture from which it sprung and the significance of creative human endeavor.
Reach Adam Parker at 937-5902. Follow him at www.facebook/aparkerwriter.


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Katrina Sanders is a graduate and recipient of countless awards from the University of Minnesota's School of Dentistry Division of Dental Hygiene. She is proud to currently serve on the alumni society for one of the most prestigious dental schools in the country.
Upon moving to Phoenix, Arizona, Katrina sought opportunities to extend patient awareness beyond her operatory by exploring and performing non-traditional clinical roles such as developing outreach programs to further educate targeted populations. Katrina coordinated and implemented educational programs through participating schools and their districts as well as holistic grocery stores.
Katrina's professional career emerged as an educator when she attained full-time employment with a career college in Phoenix, Arizona. Teaching both clinically and didactically in a variety of core dental hygiene content, Katrina employed her understanding of pedagogy with her theatre training to establish and maintain a unique and respectful learning environment. During her time in these capacities, Katrina introduced and directed countless forms of program development and educational methodologies in a profound way, and her efforts were instrumental in programmatic accreditation by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. In addition, Katrina spearheaded curriculum design, redesigned program objectives and created policy manuals.
Katrina also served as the faculty representative for community partnerships, led her faculty team and student organizations, completed audits for quality assurance and directly supervised all evaluations on students as well as faculty. A physical manifestation of Katrina's commitment to her professional development is in her written textbook focusing on preclinical dental hygiene studies and codeology. Katrina has also been contracted to create curriculum for Bachelor's degree completion and nationally recognized continuing education coursework in local anesthesia. Katrina proudly holds her Master's Degree in Educational Leadership with distinction through Northern Arizona University as a Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society distinguished member recognized for her 4.0 GPA status.
Currently, Katrina practices as a clinical dental hygienist for multiple offices throughout the Phoenix/Scottsdale metro area where she refines her skills in laser therapy, local anesthesia delivery and the provision of care for special needs patients.
Katrina is the owner of Katrina RDH, LLC, a company delivering continuing education coursework nationally to dentists and dental hygienists on a variety of core content. In tandem with Dental Hygiene Culture, Katrina lectures on unique, fresh and innovative topics to dental professionals throughout the country. Katrina was also a finalist with Smiles At Sea Dentistry's Got Talent 2017 event in which she lectured on point of service HbA1c testing for diabetic patients and the autoimmune disorder Celiac Disease.
She has also developed and currently delivers a National Boards Preparatory course entitled "Sanders Board Preparatory". This preparatory course is offered every spring and fall to dental hygiene students who wish to prepare for their examination and subsequent careers with passionate, caring and supportive education.
Katrina serves on the editorial board of ModernHygienist.com, a website dedicated to helping the dental hygiene community flourish and succeed. In addition, Katrina's published article "Gen Y Aren't They in Your Office" is featured in Dentaltown Magazine. Katrina also writes dental hygiene articles for Today's RDH with Kara, RDH.
Katrina's 2018 includes a national tour with Smiles At C.E., a lectured codelology tour with Dental Hygiene Culture, spring and fall offerings of Sanders Board Preparatory under the support of sponsorships, and a lecture on Social Media through Smiles At Sea's trip to Cozumel, MX.
Stay tuned for additional publications and articles written by Katrina, as well as future continuing education opportunities delivered in a unique style.
Interests: Theatre, Choreography, Jazzercise, Pilates, Wine Sommelier, Cooking
Causes: dental care to underserved populations, music & theatre in school curricula, rescue of abused and neglected animals
"I enjoy the energy and passion Ms. Sanders brings to the classroom, and I can definitely tell that Ms. Sanders cares very much about the dental hygiene profession and the quality of treatment patients receive. I appreciate the way Ms. Sanders is open to questions and providing feedback in a constructive way."
"Ms. Sanders is an incredibly entertaining instructor. She is very patient and very understanding throughout the course. We are so fortunate to have her as such an amazing mentor. "
"Being in class and learning from Ms. Sanders is my favorite part. She knows so much and is a wonderful teacher. I truly did look forward to being in her class. She made all of her lectures fun; I believe I laughed in all of her lectures."
"I highly respect Ms. Sanders so it was nice to be able to learn from her and also get an insight as to how she teaches. I feel I have learned so much from her, and she consistently provides the tools necessary to be successful with my patients."
"Ms. Sanders' strong words of encouragement and willingness to understand the students' point of view are two great skills she possesses, and I'm honored to be her student. Without her support or guidance as a lead instructor, I would feel lost. I am grateful to have her in my corner. Thank you, Ms. Sanders, for being you."
"Getting to learn from Ms. Sanders has been one of my most privileged experiences. Ms. Sanders gave the same opportunity to every student, and made herself available to walk with her students along their journey. She took extra time to analyze my learning style and meet with me in a place where I can grow as a student and dental hygienist. She is a hard worker who shares her passions and commitments freely; this is where I have learned most. By watching Ms. Sanders, I learned I didn't have to keep the love for what I'm doing a secret. Thank you, Ms. Sanders, for always being an instructor that challenged me, and believed in me even when I had started giving up on myself."


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When your girlfriend (or boyfriend, god bless his soul) eats a large amount of corn the day previous to partaking in anal intercourse. This results in your genitalia becoming, effectively, corn on the cob.
Man, I was cobbin' it with lopez last night, I feel like a farmer.
by Boskette October 18, 2010
When a B.B.D (Big Black Dick) is too big for a girl suck so she has to approach the penis from the side, moving up and down the shaft, like she's eating a "corn on the cob."
"That guy's dick was so big, that bitch was cobbin' it."
by Euph0rium March 27, 2015


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The Army Again
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 209
The Army Again
Well it happened last night. "Sgt. Blowhardt" called and asked for my daughter. This took me completely off guard, pushed all of my rightous anger buttons and launched me into the completely incoherent rage stage. I said "I have two words for you, depleted uranium". He then predictably replied Uh huh, what? Then I said "you ain't getting my daughter" and I then hung up the phone. Later I began to ponder all of the other things I could have said.
Why should I support my daughter going into the military? Well it's patriotic.
Yeah but the United States is dead, didn't you hear?
Well yeah, we arrest six year olds, taser grandmothers and nine year olds. We pay 50% of our income to the government so they can give it to Dick's company for work not performed while our economy is about to collapse.
Even from a purely business point of view America is on a downhill slide just like the product life cycle curve. Would you invest in a company that makes 8 track players?
Then Sarge might say "But we are offering college tuition assistance of 20,000 dollars".
Ya, so what, that ain't getting her into a real school and that depends on if, and this is a really big if, she actually gets out of the military when you people say she will. I doubt it.
Then he might say "I can't believe you feel nothing for your country".
Ya, well it ain't my country anymore, it belongs to George and all his other yuppie assholes.
So I told both of my daughters that if they call again just give me the phone. I want another opportunity. Maybe next time I can control the fury.
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Like so many else Petr Pavlícek and Adam Ondra are now at Melloblocco in Val Masino, Italy. Petr told me a little bit about the new project:
We decided to make a new "big" film at last. It will not be only about Adam and not only about climbing. But of course, climbing will be a big part of it...
I want to shoot it in a totally new way, new cameras, equipment, helicopter shots for everything - climbing, Nature shots, traveling... I hope that we get enough money for it, because the potential for making something unique is really big. We will do so many amazing things there!
On Thursday we go to Italy to Mello and to the Trento film festival, to present our old film and also new project to the potential sponsors.
Sounds like a plan!
For those of you who haven't seen the "old" movie, The wizard's apprentice, yet, here is a new excerpt:


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Anonymous User wrote:jchoggan wrote:Have law firms/associates been switching over to Westlaw Next very much (for those that used Westlaw)? How useful has it been? It seems like an interesting system, but I didn't want to start working with/get used to it if folks don't like it.
I work for a govt agency that uses it, though we use it in conjunction w/ Westlaw. It has significant limitations IMO that make both Westlaw and wlnext a must.
Like what?


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Sierra Leone reports rare case of #monkeypox
A rare case of monkeypox has been reported in Western Africa, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
In a joint statement issued with Sierra Leone's Ministry of Health and Sanitation on Friday, WHO confirmed that a 35-year-old male remains in hospital in the coastal Pujehun district near the Liberian border.
The man first was admitted more than a month ago, and laboratory tests completed in Kinshasa confirmed just the third known case of monkeypox in Sierra Leone. The first reported case was in 1970, and the second in 2014.
Monkeypox is a rare viral disease seen in the rainforests of Central and West Africa. It is transmitted to people primarily by infected animals, including squirrels, rats, mice and monkeys, with limited transmission between humans. Nonetheless, careful monitoring continues in the affected community, including 13 people known to be in close contact with the patient but who remain without symptoms.
Those symptoms include fever, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a skin rash. They can normally be treated – monkeypox has a fatality rate of between one and 10 percent. Preventive measures include avoiding bush meat, and the public is advised to stop any trapping of animals for food, especially monkeys and squirrels.
The most recent monkeypox outbreak was in Central African Republic in 2016, with 26 cases and two deaths reported. It was first identified in Democratic Republic of Congo nearly 50 years ago.


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This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. A similar meme, This Week in Books is hosted by Lipsyy Lost and Found.
Why not join in? Just answer the following three questions in a post and then put a link to that post in the comments over at Taking on a World of Words.
This meme will be categorised together with my book reviews. All links will get you to the book's Goodreads listing, as always 🙂
What I'm currently reading
I'm still on the sequel to ADSoM but I'm very nearly there now. It's been a bit slower than ADSoM and not as good in my opinion, but I have still enjoyed it and if you've liked ADSoM then you'll like this one, too!
For some reason this is a slow read for me and my mind keeps wandering. This series is definitely an oddity for me because I enjoy it and I love the different Londons and Lila, but at the same time it feels slow and I'm looking forward to being done. It's a positive oddity?
I definitely recommend it, because it is a great read! If you've liked ADSoM, you'll like AGoS.
Four months have passed since the shadow stone fell into Kell's possession. Four months since his path crossed with Delilah Bard. Four months since Rhy was wounded and the Dane twins fell, and the stone was cast with Holland's dying body through the rift, and into Black London.
In many ways, things have almost returned to normal, though Rhy is more sober, and Kell is now plagued by his guilt. Restless, and having given up smuggling, Kell is visited by dreams of ominous magical events, waking only to think of Lila, who disappeared from the docks like she always meant to do. As Red London finalizes preparations for the Element Games—an extravagant international competition of magic, meant to entertain and keep healthy the ties between neighboring countries—a certain pirate ship draws closer, carrying old friends back into port.
But while Red London is caught up in the pageantry and thrills of the Games, another London is coming back to life, and those who were thought to be forever gone have returned. After all, a shadow that was gone in the night reappears in the morning, and so it seems Black London has risen again—meaning that another London must fall.
What I recently finished reading
I won't go into too much detail here because I've already reviewed it. It was a great book, I can definitely see what the hype is about, and you should read it if you haven't already! Which you probably have, because I joined the hype late.
You can read the review here.
Kell is one of the last Travelers—rare magicians who choose a parallel universe to visit.
Grey London is dirty, boring, lacks magic, ruled by mad King George. Red London is where life and magic are revered, and the Maresh Dynasty presides over a flourishing empire. White London is ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. People fight to control magic, and the magic fights back, draining the city to its very bones. Once there was Black London—but no one speaks of that now.
Officially, Kell is the Red Traveler, personal ambassador and adopted Prince of Red London, carrying the monthly correspondences between royals of each London. Unofficially, Kell smuggles for those willing to pay for even a glimpse of a world they'll never see. This dangerous hobby sets him up for accidental treason. Fleeing into Grey London, Kell runs afoul of Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She robs him, saves him from a dangerous enemy, then forces him to another world for her 'proper adventure'.
But perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, Kell and Lila will first need to stay alive—trickier than they hoped
What I think I'll read next
I'm still a little intimidated by the size of this book (it has tiny writing to go with the many, many pages) but I've put it off for long enough. I've heard many good things about it, including that it's a fast read despite its length, so I'm really looking forward to starting it!
After that I'll definitely read something shorter again, though. I have a feeling it'll take me a while to get through this one, and it would be nice to have a short book I can look forward to afterwards.
Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen.
The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.
A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.
Have you read any of these and would like to chat about it? I look forward to hearing from you if you do – just leave a comment below and we can get this book club started!


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La Liga Matchday 22
El Sadar
La Liga Matchday 22
El Sadar
"This is somewhere where the difference between the league leaders and the bottom side isn't all that evident", added the Whites' coach.
The Captain reached this milestone in the game against Osasuna.
Their teammates gave them commemorative jerseys for their 500 and 100 official games as Real Madrid players respectively.
"I never thought I'd reach this milestone and I'm very happy; Now I have to go for another 100 and keep on winning games", he explained.
"We won thanks to our determination and grit", stated Marcelo.


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Creative website design
A website is a crucial communications tool for companies today. You can use your website as an advertising tool that will enable your company to work with the outside world
A well designed website is a great marketing and sales tool. It will help cement your company's brand identity, therefore enabling you stand out from the competition.Websites also help people get a perception about your company before they deal with you.
We design and develop websites that are:
- Responsive: Viewable on desktops, phones and tablets
- Functional: Provides visitors with the capabilities they need on the website
- User Friendly and easy to use: Easy to look at and navigate
- Transactional: Integrated with payment system
We also integrate content management system on the backend that enables you to update the website easily and quickly.
Intranet design
Intranets are corporate communication platforms usually for communicating news within the company.They can also be collaborative tools that enable knowledge management and sharing, while also allowing the tracking of business processes.
We design intranets solutions from the ground up or using Bitrix intranet.
Intranet design involves setting up the intranet on your local network or on the cloud . We then customize the look and feel of the intranet according to your corporate colors and design guidelines
Extranet design
Do you need an external portal for your customers? Maybe a CRM or helpdesk solution that will help you stay connected to your customers? Then, you may consider creating an extranet portal. The portal can be a part of your existing project initiatives or a stand alone system, which may be accessible from your website.
Extranet projects can also be designed as part of Intranet projects.
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