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[[wysiwyg_imageupload:3059:]]The Avengers Blu-Ray DVD is out on September 25th which saw the diabolical Loki attempt to decimate planet Earth.
While promoting the release, actor Tom Hiddleston mentioned his favorite super hero as well as the super power he would most want to have.
"As a kid, I loved Superman," Tom Hiddleston told SFX Magazine (via MTV). "For me, Christopher Reeve as Superman was the first superhero. I sat smack-bang in the middle of the audience for that movie. I was the right age at the right time, and I spent a lot of my childhood playing Superman games in the playground."
While Tom Hiddleston stated how he loved Supeman, his favorite powers do not go hand-in-hand with the Man of Steel, but something more akin to another fantastic Marvel super hero, and one that is probably a result of Hiddleston's stardom.
"I would love to have invisibility. Wouldn't it be fascinating to be able to walk around and not be seen? You could listen into everything and look around. It would be a huge freedom to not be seen," he said.
Tom Hiddleston continues, explaining just what he would do with those powers, something more reminiscent of his character in the Marvel Studios movies with Loki.
[[wysiwyg_imageupload:3060:]]"I would go and find out the truth about things I don't know about. I would want to go and sit in 10 Downing Street and the White House to listen to what they really say and what they really know. And then I would want to go around and play jokes on people that I know. That would be fantastic!"
Tom Hiddleston reprises his role as Loki for Thor 2, "The Dark World," currently filming in Bourne Wood, England.
The Avengers 2 assembles May 1, 2015 with Iron Man 3 on May 3, 2013, Thor: The Dark World on November 8, 2013, Captain America: Winter Soldier on April 4, 2014, and the Guardians of the Galaxy movie on August 1, 2014.
Head on over to the Cosmic Book News The Avengers Movie Hub for more news, images and trailers.


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Robinson, D. and Kotonya, G. (2008) A Self-Managing Brokerage Model for Quality Assurance in Service-Oriented Systems. In: High Assurance Systems Engineering Symposium, 2008. HASE 2008. 11th IEEE :. IEEE, 424 -433. ISBN 978-0-7695-3482-4Full text not available from this repository.
Service-oriented system quality is not just a function of the quality of a provided service, but the interdependencies between services, the resource constraints of the runtime environment and network outages. This makes it difficult to anticipate how the consequences of these factors might influence system behaviour, which in turn makes it difficult to specify the right system environment in advance. Current quality management schemes for service-oriented systems are inadequate for assuring system quality as they rely largely on static service properties to predict system quality. Secondly, they offer the consumer only limited control over the quality of service. This paper describes a self-managing, consumer-centred approach based on a brokerage architecture that allows different monitoring, negotiation, forecasting and provider reputation schemes to be integrated into a runtime quality assurance framework for service-oriented systems. We illustrate our solution with a small service-oriented application.
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|Uncontrolled Keywords:
|brokerage architecture ; consumer-centred approach ; forecasting scheme ; monitoring scheme ; negotiation scheme ; network outages ; provider reputation scheme ; quality assurance ; quality of service ; runtime environment ; self-managing brokerage model ; service interdependencies ; service-oriented systems ; forecasting theory ; software architecture ; software management ; software quality ; system monitoring
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|Lancaster University Management School > Lancaster University Management School - Other > Centre for e-Science
Faculty of Science and Technology > School of Computing & Communications
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|30 Apr 2012 16:44
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IHTM: I Tried a Skincare Product That Jacked Up My Skin Barrier So Here's How I Handled It
I basically called my mom for help. Except when I say mom, I mean an esthetician.
If I told you the skin under and around your eyes is more delicate than the rest of your face, you probably wouldn't gasp and fall out of your chair. (Though that would be kind of hilarious. Sorry.) Magazines and blogs have been telling you this for years, and that's probably after noticing it yourself.
That's why the directions of every face scrub and exfoliating mask in existence warn you to "avoid eye area." If they meant "don't get this stuff in your eyes," they'd say that, but they say "eye area" because it encompasses the eyeballs and the surrounding area.
Many chemical exfoliators rely on acids that are too potent for the eye area. On the other hand, if you were to use a mechanical exfoliator under your eyes, the little abrasive bits would mercilessly scratch up your thin under-eye skin; not to mention the mere act of scrubbing pulls at the skin, which is basically like saying, "Hey, under-eye bags, please droop more."
But if there were ever a part of your face that could benefit from some exfoliation, it's your eye area. Between fine lines and dark circles and little bumps and a general air of melancholy, it would definitely look a little better without dead-skin buildup--especially since it's trailing behind the frequently exfoliated rest-of-your-face.
Actually, chemical exfoliation is the answer. But instead of an acid, which can be too irritating, enzymes are the way to go.
Perricone MD has introduced Blue Plasma Orbital, which sounds like a newly discovered planet, but it's actually a daily peel for the eye area. Its main exfoliating ingredient: the enzymes in salmon roe (that's eggs, or caviar if you're a fancy bitch).
These enzymes are capable of zeroing in on just dead surface skin, exfoliating what needs to be removed and leaving newer cells untouched. That means no irritation! (The aloe in it doesn't hurt, either.)
You don't even have to rinse it off! Just leave it there like an eye cream. In fact, unless you have a really dry eye area, you don't even have to follow up with a separate eye cream. That's because of the hyaluronic acid, allantoin and copper in the formula, which hydrate and condition the skin.
There is a tiny bit of citric acid in Blue Plasma Orbital, but the amount is too insignificant to count as an exfoliating agent. It's probably just hanging out to keep the formula's pH level in check.
I've only just started using it, so I can't confirm if the 95% of folks who Perricone MD says used it for four weeks and reported smoother, brighter under-eye skin are so totally right. But I can tell you that it's not the least bit irritating, and you really can "forget" eye cream.
Because of the cool, gelatinous texture, it helps de-puff that slept-on-my-face look. Additionally, it didn't negatively effect my makeup application; there's a touch of dimethicone in the formula, which has a primer-like effect.
So far, I'm definitely impressed and poised to call it a Thing You Didn't Know You Needed. After a few more weeks, I have a feeling I'll be reporting only more good things about it to you guys.


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John W. Bianco, Vet. WWII U.S. Navy, beloved husband of Pearl, nee Dvorak; loving father of Joseph Bianco and Cher (Ronald) Angeles; fond grandfather of Becky Bianco and DeAnn (Eduardo)Resendez; great-grandfather ofGabriella, Eduardo III and Amelia Resendez and Annalise Bianco; dear brother of Daniel (Patricia) Bianco and Rosemary (Sam) DiGangi; fond uncle of many.
Past Grand Knight, Council 4200-K of C; past president of the Holy Name Society of St. Pius X in Stickney; past President of St. Vincent DePaul Society of Inverness, FL.; Ordained Deacon and Eucharistic Minister of the Catholic Church and Comptroller-Vice-President of Complete Reading Electric Co., retired in 1979.


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Be the first NJ.com user to add photos or videos of Visual Media-Wedding Masters
Visual Media Wedding Masters is located at 166 Chestnut St, Nutley, NJ. This business specializes in Video.


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Dare to Be Square Afghans - Crochet Pattern
Leisure Arts 6656
$9.99 Clearance Price: $5.98 + $3.49 shipping within the U.S.
Item: LA6656 - Type: Crochet Patterns.
Dare to Be Square Afghans from Leisure Arts lets you enjoy the ease of making fabulous throws in one big square, using patterns that give the look of motifs and quilt-inspired compositions. Each of the eight crochet designs by Lisa Gentry produces a captivating pattern of rich colors, with some resembling the artistry of patchwork quilts. All for medium weight yarn and Easy skill level, the designs include Log Cabin, Earthy Shadows, Jewels, Patchwork, Patriotic Lace, Pink Passion, Crosses and Blocks, and Sand and Sky. While some patterns appear to use motifs, strips, or panels, each design is actually worked in one piece to form a square; sizes range from 48.5 inches to 58.5 inches square.
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Atlas Copco vector logo free
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When the Boss Slacks Off
We've written before about bosses who have gotten fed up with the demands of the juggle and have made changes to their workplaces to relieve some of the pressures.
But is it possible to have a boss who takes work-life balance to such an extreme that "life" outweighs "work"?
A reporter I know had a boss who was a warm, sympathetic person –and when she focused on her job, was good at it. She left work every day no later than 6 PM and never checked in on weekends. All good things, in theory.
The problem was that her staffers were reporters covering beats in which a good bit of news broke on evenings and weekends, and the boss was M.I.A. While there were other editors to help cover, my friend said it would have been much better if her own editor was available to help steer her, especially when she had major questions about how to proceed and needed guidance. But she was simply unreachable, by choice. Ultimately, the situation got so frustrating that my friend left that job – and soon after, so did her boss. It was a bad fit.
Another good friend was in a similar boat. Her boss, a parent of young children, was so into work-life balance (for herself) that she made sure to leave work early and rarely checked in. But there was still lots of work to be done after she went home. That meant that a lot of the slack fell on her staffers, who were still required to pitch in — and felt resentful about it.
Anyone else have a manager whose work-life balance was out of whack, so that "life" outweighed "work"? How did you handle it?


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Unpadded tights in insulating Thermolite® fabric
High Performance Repel TEFLON® fabric protector prevents fabric wetting out. TEFLON® is a registered trademark of DuPont used under licence by Endura Ltd.
Ideal for cold weather cycling, Thermolite® uses hollow-core fibre technology to create an insulating layer of warm air. The result is a lightweight, warm fabric with superior moisture vapour transport properties that doesn't get heavy even when wet. The Thermolite quality developed by Endura has the added benefit of a High Performance Repel TEFLON® fabric protector finish (from DuPont™).
Buy Endura Clothing from Chain Reaction Cycles, the World's Largest Online Bike Store.
If you're not completely satisfied with an item you may return it within 12 months of purchase. We'll give you a full refund if the item hasn't been used or the component hasn't been fitted.More information on returns


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This IBM Redbooks publication describes how to install and configure the Cisco MDS 9000 family in an IBM Fibre Connection (FICON), Fibre Channel Protocol (FCP), and Fibre Channel over IP (FCIP) environment. We have tried to consolidate as much of the critical information as possible while covering procedures and tasks that are likely to be encountered on a daily basis. Each of the products described has much more functionality than we could ever hope to cover in just one book. The IBM/Cisco SAN portfolio is rich in quality products that bring a vast amount of technicality and vitality to the SAN world. Their inclusion and selection is based on a thorough understanding of the storage networking environment that positions Cisco and IBM, and therefore its customers and partners, in an ideal position to take advantage by their subsequent deployment. In this book we cover the latest announcements related to the IBM/Cisco SAN family. We show how these announcements and the products can be implemented in both a mainframe and an open systems environment. We address some of the key concepts that they bring to the market, and in each case, we give an overview of those functions that are essential to building a robust SAN environment in an effective and concise manner.... 1 yes non-disruptive rolling 2 yes non-disruptive rolling 5 yes non-disruptive reset 6 yes non-disruptive reset Information is given with regards to which ... 100 % -- SUCCESS Syncing image bootflash:///m9500-sf1ek9-mz.1.3.5.bin to standby .
|Implementing the Cisco MDS 9000 in an Intermix FCP, FCIP, and FICON Environment
|Jon Tate, Paul Raytick, John Wickes, IBM Redbooks
|IBM Redbooks - 2004-12-22
You must register with us as either a Registered User before you can Download this Book. You'll be greeted by a simple sign-up page.
Once you have finished the sign-up process, you will be redirected to your download Book page.How it works:


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Items where Author is "Sagarka, N.B."
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Sharma, S. and Sagarka, B.K. and Chudasama, J.A. and Bhuva, H.M. and Sagarka, N.B. (2015) Impact of new herbicides on growth, development and yield analysis of groundnut (Arachis hypogaea L.). Research in Environment and Life Sciences, 8 (1). pp. 109-112.


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The Nigeria Police Force, on Monday, arraigned the National Commandant of the Peace Corps, Dickson Akoh before an Abuja Federal High Court.
Akoh was brought to court alongside other senior officers of the corps amid heavy security.
Recall that the National Commandant was on Sunday detained by the police over an allegation of illegal establishment of the organisation and the use of military training facilities for intended personnel of the Corps.
Akoh was arraigned before Justice Gabriel Kolawole.
Details Later….
Welcome to Street Journal Forum, Our motto is "We Disagree To Agree", you can have an open discussion here on anything, you can respond to Topics freely. Upload pictures you want to share and please invite your friends!
BREAKING: Police arraigns Peace Corps Commandant, Dickson Akoh, others in court
We Disagree To Agree.....Let discuss everything!
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Great finds at Pixel Dolls with Unit Bella. I tried to walk onto some of the Sci-Fi sims and be Lt. Uhura and put a head piece on and sit down and run the control panels but they kept wanting to kill me which wasn't much fun ,.. I don't remember her ever getting killed on Star Trek ....
Check out the new skin from Free Speerit!! Katherine! Awesome Possum!
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BOOTS: Shoes In Style - Overknee sexxxy Boots-jet black -$40L
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PGA TOUR Flat Front Solid Tech Short
Whether you're aiming to look suave or crush a golf ball or two, PGA TOUR Men's Golf Performance Flat Front Solid Tech Shorts have you covered. Easy Care allows these handsomely styled shorts to be machine washable and maintain their smoothness, a Comfort Waistband and Motionflux fabric enhance your range of motion, Driflux moisture management keeps perspiration at bay, and Sunflux 50 shields you from the sun's damaging ultraviolet radiation.
- Flat Front. Zip Fly Button Closure with Belt Loops. Two Front Slant Pockets, Two Back Welt Pockets and One Small Golf Tee Pocket
- Easy Care: Machine washable, maintains its smoothness
- SunFlux 50: protects your skin from the sun's harmful rays.
- Comfort Waistband
- MotionFlux: Innovative seams define range of motion. DriFlux: Moisture absorption and control for cooler, drier comfort.
- 100% Polyester


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It's amazing how quickly spring happens around here. It seems like less than a week ago, snow was still everywhere and my teeth were chattering. Today, Weasley and I sat on the porch for an hour, basking in the sun and reading. (Okay, it was only me who was reading.) There are more birds out there than you can shake a stick at, but my favorite is still this guy, the house finch:
Here he is with his lady friend. Sure, we get fancier birds with more dramatic plumage, but this guy sings the cutest little song. I just love it. Plus, he tends to hang out on my deck, so we've become close over time. I can't tell you how happy I am that the house finches are back! Yay!
Other signs of spring: Duck Duck and Mother are back. I'll put their picture up later. Duck Duck and Mother are a mated pair of geese who call Little Dog Orchard home. They aren't real social, but we love having them. Weasley wants to go meet them, but we won't let him. We're mean that way.
We've seen a wounded fox lately. If any of you know who I can call to have this poor thing picked up and fixed up, let me know. It's so desperate for food that it's eating the old nasty apples from last year. That can't be ideal for a carnivore. I'd leave food out, but I don't want to ruin the poor thing for normal life. I'll be researching fox rescue more this week.
Last, but certainly not least, a friend and neighbor just spotted his first muskrat! What a joy - now we'll all have The Captain and Tennille stuck in our heads for the next eight months. (See how I like to share?)


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|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|"Flachbart, Dirk (HP Software - TransactionVision)" <dirk.flachb...@hp.com>
|RE: Question about insert performance in multiple node cluster
|Mon, 28 Feb 2011 22:06:57 GMT
Nope, I'm on a Gigabit network. The windows task manager on both machines shows a network utilization of around 12 percent. Regards, Dirk -----Original Message----- From: firstname.lastname@example.com [mailto:firstname.lastname@example.com] On Behalf Of Peter Schuller Sent: Monday, February 28, 2011 12:53 PM To: email@example.com Cc: Ryan King; Flachbart, Dirk (HP Software - TransactionVision) Subject: Re: Question about insert performance in multiple node cluster > What's your replication factor? Which consistency level are you using? > Is the ring evenly balanced? Did you double the number of client > threads when you added the second server? And are you on 100 mbit networking? 9k requests/second inserting 1k, sounds suspiciously close to saturating 100 MB of bandwidth. -- / Peter Schuller
|View raw message


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Lower Phalen Creek Project and Slow Roll St. Paul are teaming to bring a slow-roll bike ride through the lower East Side St. Paul near Phalen Lake on Wednesday, Aug. 22, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Arbor Glen is helping Lake Elmo Elementary raise funds to build an all-inclusive playground. This will be an inclusive space where all Lake Elmo students can be a part of the play experience.
Washington County residents interested in becoming a licensed family child care provider in the county may take the first step and attend an orientation 6 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23.
Washington County Parks will have a Mars Party, hosted by Mike Lynch, 9 to 11 p.m. Friday, Aug. 31, at Lake Elmo Park Reserve. The gathering will be near the swim pond at the park.
The Good Acre in Falcon Heights is holding an open house on Thursday, Aug. 16, from 5 to 8 p.m.
It's a big day in tiny Lauderdale — plan to be at Lauderdale Community Park on Thursday, Aug. 16, from 4 to 7 p.m. for the Day in the Park and farmers' market. The market runs 4 to 7 p.m.
The Dakota County Historical Society (DCHS) will host a Genealogy & History Fair on Saturday, Aug. 18, at the Lawshe Memorial Museum from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Lawshe Memorial Museum is located at 130 Third Ave. N, in South St. Paul.
The Safe Summer Nights program is designed to provide opportunities for police officers to become acquainted with residents of the neighborhoods they serve over a meal rather than during times of trouble.
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JPB Partners Announces Hire of Tilghman HerringSep 08, 2017
COLUMBIA, MD - JPB Partners is pleased to announce its recent hire of Tilghman Herring, joining the Columbia, Maryland based firm as Vice President of JPB's Real Estate team. In this role, Mr. Herring will focus primarily on growing the firm's real estate holdings through strategic acquisitions within the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan market. Mr. Herring comes to JPB with 10 years of experience in commercial real estate brokerage and capital markets.


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Do some data entry
Presupuesto $10-30 USD
I need someone to copy information from some websites.
20 freelancers están ofertando el promedio de $22 para este trabajo
I am a highly motivated, self-driven, innovative, hardworking and dependable IT professional. . I work well under pressure, I am able to multi task on many projects at the same time and I require little to no supervis Más
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I've a bachelor degree in commerce with computer application along with the work experience of five years in the field of Customer support and Technical Support. I used to work with Cisco, McAfee and Omega Healthcar Más


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A Patriots fan's tweet Sunday night — intended for Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith — has ignited a firestorm on the web, raising new questions about the way online discourse intersects with real life.
"Hey, Smith, how about you call your bro and tell him all about your wi--- ohhhh. Wait. #TooSoon?" wrote Baltimore resident Katie Moody, posting as @katiebrady12, as Smith caught two touchdowns in the Ravens' 31-30 win over the Patriots. The game and the Tweet came less than 24 hours after Smith's younger brother Tevin Jones was killed in a motorcycle accident.
The comment immediately elicited angry reaction from Ravens fans and others online. But many went further, calling her vulgar expletives and wishing harm — even rape — upon her. Several commenters posted contact information for Moody's superior at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, where she works as a senior administrative coordinator.


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The Necessities of Life
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|In 1952, an Inuit hunter named Tivii with tuberculosis leaves his northern home and family to go recuperate at a sanatorium in Quebec City...
|Directed by:
|Benoît Pilon
|Denis Bernard, Antoine Bertrand, Paul-Andr? Brasseur, ?veline G?linas, Elisapie Isaac, Louise Marleau, Vincent-Guillaume Otis, Luc Proulx, Guy Thauvette, Natar Ungalaaq


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Kogan Seiju Bob Mammoser is the abbot and osho (priest) at Albuquerque Zen Center.
A Chicago native and graduate of Northwestern University, Seiju began training with Kyozan Joshu Sasaki, Roshi, in 1974 at Mt. Baldy Zen Center in southern California. He underwent monk ordination in 1978 and in 1980 was appointed vice abbot of the Bodhi Manda Zen Center in Jemez Springs, N.M. He was ordained an osho in 1984. He trained with Roshi until Roshi retired from teaching in 2013.
Seiju founded AZC in the fall of 1989, moving into residence in the rented property on Madeira. He initiated a regular schedule of daily zazen, dharma talks, discussion groups and zazenkai (all-day sittings). After morning zazen Seiju worked a day job, and evenings found him back in the Zendo leading sitting periods.
A steady flow of sangha contributions to the Center allowed Seiju to "retire" from his day job and focus exclusively on Albuquerque Zen Center's development. He is currently working with the Board and a group of committed sangha members to organize maintaining the Center and nourishing the sangha for future Zen practitioners.


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Hot LZ
Games information:
|Games name: Hot LZ
| It's 1968, You have been drafted to Vietnam to fight in the defense jungle in a fire fight for your life. Can you live the madness? can you survive 365 and a wake up! To complete 52 weeks by collecting the ammo parachutes to fuel your trusty M16 in order
Arrow keys- To move.
Space bar- To fire M16.
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|Add this media to your blog, or website! or shared:
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The 1998 Global Witness report entitled 'A Rough Trade: the Role of Diamond Companies and Governments in the Angolan Confict' was the frst of many exposés that demonstrated the links between corporations and governments doing business (buying diamonds and selling arms) with despotic governments and warlords.
These early NGO campaigns and reports preceded a mainstreaming of the issues through popular media, such as the 2006 Hollywood flm Blood Diamonds, or the lyrical juxtapositions of affuence and bare existence posed in "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" by musician Kanye West. As well as affecting consumer consciousness, this campaign activity has also created industry awareness of a threat to its image, provoking the beginnings of reform within the multi-billion dollar sector.1
Companies were relatively quick to realize this trend, and its potential to affect their bottom line. Ethical jewellery currently accounts for less than 1% of the $56bn annual jewellery market.2
Nevertheless, large multinationals, in expectation of future growth, have responded by engaging with numerous processes such as the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative or Global Reporting Initiative, and more recently the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) (see links).IRMA is a multi-sector effort to develop standards and assure mine site compliance with environmental, social and human rights issues. They are yet to publish standards or certify any minerals or any mines. However movement towards independent third party verifcation should be seen as a welcome change to a large number of voluntary, self reporting corporate social responsibility promises.
While large scale mining is at a very preliminary stage of establishing a verifable supply chain, several initiatives are already underway for Artisanal and Small Scale Mining (ASM), a sector where the need for sustainable economic and social development is perhaps the greatest. ASM is usually characterized by smaller operations that use less technology and mineral resources that are easy to access with small amounts of capital investment.
Conservative estimates by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in 1999 found that ASM employs a staggering 11 to 13 million people in over 30 countries, and between 80 and 100 million people depend on it as part of their livelihood strategies.3
Furthermore, these miners produce about $2bn worth of gold, gems and other precious metals per year. It is important to note that as commodity prices soar, more people are turning towards mining as a way to cope with their poverty. This means that there is a growing need (and opportunity) for small scale mining to evolve into a rewarding activity.
Unfortunately, good statistics about artisanal and small scale miners are hard to come by because the majority of ASM operations are informal, and often miners do not have legal titles to the area which they mine. National governments have also been reluctant to pursue progressive policies of formalization (more often they channel their resources into attracting larger mining companies within their borders) and have usually chosen to ignore small mining or interpret it as a problem rather than an opportunity for development. This means that small scale miners continue to work in highly insecure and remote environments, lack direct market access and are frequently forced to use profteering middle men which reduce their economic gains. Most experts agree that formalization of this sector is a necessary prerequisite for development, as well as for a responsible and traceable supply chain of precious minerals and gems.
In October 2007, the frst "Ethical Jewellery Summit for Artisanal and Small Scale Miners" was convened at the World Bank in Washington D.C. (home of the Communities and Small Scale Mining Secretariat). Stakeholders discussed how standards and third party verifcation for jewellery products labelled ethical or fair trade might work.
The most high profle initiative for responsible jewellery is the Kimberley Process Certifcation Scheme (KPCS) (www.kimberleyprocess.com) which was established in 2003 by stakeholders who wanted to protect the integrity of the diamond industry by stopping the fow of confict diamonds onto the legitimate market. This process aims to stop diamond money funding rebel groups by using a 'chain of custody' to trace diamonds from extraction to retail.
The Kimberley Process is a joint effort between 48 countries (with the European Union being one member), industry associations, multinational retailers, traders, cutters and NGOs. Member countries who implement the process agree to only export or import diamonds with other members who meet minimum requirements (mainly traceability and transparent reporting of diamonds and revenues).Estimates suggest that confict diamonds now represent a fraction of one percent of the international trade in diamonds, compared to up to 15% in the 1990s.4
This progress is substantial, and has reinforced ongoing efforts for peace in diamond rich countries in Africa. There is still a lack of capacity and/or political will from some member states to meet requirements. In June 2008, for example, a coalition of civil society groups made calls for the removal of Venezuela from the process because of a lack of reporting, and an unwillingness to have an external evaluation. Although civil society activism is always a vital watchdog, one would expect that with such a large buy in from governments and big business, the process would have better ways to regulate its membership, and penalize non-compliance.
For industry, consumer confdence in the confict free claims is essential, and has been the primary reason that they have invested time and money to implement the process. Yet, industry and civil society are solely observer participants in the process, with governments taking the lead on implementation. Thus, Kimberley's strength may also be part of its limitation. It has brought governments and industry together to develop global regulation to prevent overt confict. However, this sphere of global governance may makes it challenging to expand objectives to broader social dimensions.
Kimberley is unlikely to ever guarantee that diamonds are mined in good labour conditions, that human rights are respected, or that royalties are spent by governments in an accountable way. Since many other factors are necessary for natural resources to be translated into poverty alleviation for diamond diggers,
the Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) (www.ddiglobal.org) was created in 2007 as multi-stakeholder NGO (mainly resourced by Kimberley participants)5 to engage with the political, social and economic challenges facing artisanal diamond miners and their communities.
Currently, the DDI is formulating principals and standards for governments, donors and civil society out of consultations that happened in Sierra Leone. They also expect to begin working in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo in the near future. The DI is also scoping out the potential of certifying diamonds 'ethical' with a holistic set of indicators, and an independent verifed supply chain.
The Association for Responsible Mining (ARM) (www.communitymining.org) is a Colombian based organisation with global aspirations to certify fair trade gold and make artisanal and small scale mining a 'formalized, organized and proftable activity.' One of the most pioneering aspects of ARM is that it is rooted in a bottom-up approach and the leadership has consistently worked to include miners in the decision making and standards setting process. Miners, NGOs, academics and industry are all represented on the Board of Directors. ARM has also supported the development of national and regional producer organisations to link miners and encourage learning amongst them.
This philosophy of collective decision making has a lot to do with how ARM was founded. It was born out of the Oro Verde or Green Gold (www.greengold-oroverde.org) experience that has been producing a responsible and traceable supply chain of gold since 2004. Oro Verde was successfully able to demonstrate that there is a vibrant niche market of consumers who are demanding that the jewellery they buy is produced in a sustainable manner.
Yet, the 194 Afro-Colombian families from the Chocó region of Colombia who collectively own Oro Verde, and produced about 6.5 kg of certifed gold and associated platinum last year, cannot possibly produce enough for the growing number of ethical consumers. As a response, the leadership of Oro Verde 6 decided to 'scale-up' their model by incubating ARM. Its mandate is to develop a universal set of standards applicable to various types and regions of artisanal and small scale mining, provide support to producers who are working towards certifcation, and advocate for more ormalisation of this sector.
Currently they are pilot testing a fairtrade gold standard at nine mining operations in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. This standard has been developed in extensive consultation with miners and practitioner-researchers in all the pilot regions, as well as in Mongolia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Uganda and Mozambique. The network is experimenting with different methodologies7 to break power relations so that miners, academics, and experts can sit together and debate standards.
On the distribution side, ARM is attempting to create alternative sources of income through initiatives such as its partnership with the UK based affliate, the Ethical Bullion Company (a refning and trading branch of the supply chain). Negotiations are currently ongoing to establish formal ties between the Ethical Bullion Company, ARM and producer associations. This should include channelling back a percentage of profts from the sale of gold to producer associations and their communities to create a long-term source of development fnance. It should also ensure that the Ethical Bullion Company retains the values of the miners and their vision for responsibly produced jewellery. Within the year, ARM aims to wrap up the frst phase of pilot projects in Latin America, fnalise standards, and get certifcation of fair trade gold underway. Future plans include certifying platinum and silver as well as coloured gem stones.
ARM still needs to come to a decision about who they will use to independently certify their gold, adapt their model to regions outside of Latin America, and formulate a plan to distribute and market the gold. One option is to brand the jewellery under an existing ethical certifcation. Both ARM and the DDI have started to explore the possibility of certifying with the international Fairtrade Labelling Organisation (www.fairtrade.net), or perhaps creating another brand that is exclusively for jewellery.
In any case, it seems that some kind of ethically verifed jewellery may not be that far off. Of course ethical consumers still need to be asking diffcult questions of any claims that jewellers may be making. But the dream of linking genuine grassroots development projects with sympatheritic western jewellery consumers look close to being realised.Natasha Khamis is currently a Research Intern at the International Development Centre (IDRC) in Ottawa, Canada. The opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily represent the views of IDRC.
Most consumers can be fairly sure that diamonds on the market now are confict free - it is harder to determine if they were produced under socially and environmentally sound conditions. De Beers currently produces 40% of the world's diamonds, and they claim that all of them are confict free; which is not surprising because they no longer source from African countries with a history of confict.
Even so, there is no source of independently verifed ethical diamonds – in large scale or small scale operations. As for gold, Oro Verde is the only source of third party assured ethical gold, and supplies UK based Cred Jewellery (www.credjewellery.com) and Fif Bijoux (www.ffbijoux.com), two independent jewellers.


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The Oakland Athletics traded popular pitcher Sean Doolittle to the Washington Nationals as part of a five-player deal that also included fellow reliever Ryan Madson on Sunday -- and it appears Doolittle was as sentimental about his departure as the fans were to see him go.
Doolittle took to Twitter on Sunday to thank the fans for their support and look back on his time in Oakland. He even shared an adorable picture of him in A's gear as a kid.
"Well A's fans, here it is: the tweet that an athlete does where he thanks the fans and the organization for everything," Doolittle wrote. "But in this case it's not a cliche. I grew up in the green and gold and I appreciate all the things the A's have done for me over the last 10 years. For the kid who fell in love with baseball at the Coliseum when he was four years old, getting drafted by Oakland was a dream come true. And I could not be more grateful for the organization for giving me the opportunity to convert to pitcher (aren't you guys glad you don't have to hear that story anymore?). Shoot, I've been with the organization so long that I have gray hair and I need glasses now. I want to thank the fans -- for embracing me and making me feel so at home here. I was fortunate to play for you and call the The Town home for so many years. There will always be a special place in my heart for the East Bay. Thank you."
Doolittle was the final player left on the A's who was part of all three postseason teams from 2012-14.
-- Alex Tekip
Sean Doolittle says goodbye to Oakland, thanks fans after being dealt to Nationals on Sunday
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The Manufactory is an idea and place that has evolved from Tartine's dedication to flavor, craft, health and the human food experience. Beyond a place, it is a platform powered by partnerships and meaningful collaborations.
Coffee Manufactory was created as an ever-evolving project and collaboration dedicated to the continual quest of: "what makes good coffee?". Whether grain or coffee, we believe, without a doubt, it all starts at the farm and in the soil. Our partnership with farmers is the foundation of our operation. Seasonal sourcing of exceptional coffees ensures quality, flavor and freshness from farm to cup.
The beautiful conversion of the little bean into a beverage, that becomes a daily ritual and platform for human connection, is our craft.
We partner with coffee producers and supply chain partners to deliver exceptional coffees in a sustainable manner. Our team's long history of working with farmers allows us to work in a collaborative way to continually improve on quality and build successful and lasting businesses. We believe that partnerships over certifications is a more effective approach to sourcing.
Each of our coffees are transparent to the source. We pay premium prices to ensure that quality is effectively managed. Reinvestment at the farm is made and the environment and social aspects of the coffee farming supply chain are managed responsibly.


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How is your COPD? Take the COPD Assessment Test (CAT)
This questionnaire will help you and your healthcare professional measure the impact COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is having on your wellbeing and daily life. Your answers and test score, can be used by you and your healthcare professional to help improve the management of your COPD and get the greatest benefit from treatment.
If you complete the questionnaire on-line, for each question below, click your mouse to place a mark (X) in the box that best describes you currently.
I am very happy
I am sad
Print your results and bring them to your doctor to discuss the impact of your COPD symptoms and optimal COPD treatment. Use the Doctor Discussion Guide to prepare for your doctor's visit.Click to get your total Score Print Results


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"Entrepreneurial laboratory
The book "Entrepreneurial laboratory" is published by the Institute of Economics – Skopje. The book is a result of the project "Establishing entrepreneurial laboratory at the Institute of Economics, University "Ss. Cyril and Methodius"- Skopje", financed with the funds for integrative functions of the University "Ss. Cyril and Methodius" in Skopje, with Prof. Dr. Tatjana Petkovska Mirchevska and Asst. Prof. Dr. Zoran Janevski as principal researchers.
The book is a result of the research effort by the principal researchers in the context of a concept and methodology development for entrepreneurial laboratory within the Institute of Economics - Skopje. It arises from the analysis of the current situation in the country in several segments that are related to the entrepreneurship and elaborates on the need for establishing an entrepreneurial lab that will focus on activities pertaining to tests, experiments and research in the field of entrepreneurship, development of entrepreneurial skills, managing start-up businesses and development of entrepreneurial companies. The entrepreneurial lab will support start-up businesses in verifying their ideas based on scientific methodologies, techniques, instruments and tools.
During the preparation of the book the principal researchers applied modern methodological approach, adjusted to the nature and importance of the research topics. What makes this book particularly significant is its scientific and applicative dimension. Applying scientific methodology, the book offers specific possibilities for promoting entrepreneurship in the country, thus scientifically supporting the applicative solutions and increasing their opportunities for success in the market.


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The Profetto Family, Davie, Florida
January 5, 2002
Welcome to the Profetto Family, Rufus!
The mailman came at 5:00 with the box that we knew contained Rufus. When Stasi woke up from her nap, she was so excited. Already very materal and very protective! Ruby was glad to see Rufus. She has been a part of our family since Stasi was diagnosed in 1998. It's been a little chilly in sunny South Florida, so soup was for dinner along with a bike ride. Rufus rode in front, sitting in Stasi's bike basket, getting acquainted with the neighborhood!
Good Night, Rufus-Sleep tight, my friend! Welcome again!
January 6, 2002
What a beautiful day we had. Stasi has never slept in so late EVER! But, with Rufus by her side, she was so content! We had a blast together at Chuck E. Cheese's, played 'til we dropped. Helped us with the groceries, watched "Twister" on DVD and had ice-cream at Dairy Queen. Thank goodness you like sprinkles on your low-fat ice-cream. Thank you also for sharing with Stasi. She couldn't have it all! Hope you're ready for a full week, Rufus. There's lots of activities that you'll be going to with Stasi. Oh, by the way, thanks for helping me make the kid's lunches for school tomorrow. Love having you in our family! NITE-NITE!
January 7, 2002
You were all ready for pre-school today, Rufus. Stasi was so excited to bring you to her class and introduce you to her teacher and all her friends. Her teacher, Miss Laurel, was so excited to hear about the great work Rufus was doing for all the families across the country and all the happiness it's bringing to all these precious children of ours with Juvenile Diabetes. Stasi also brought you to her dance class. She got so frustrated when you wouldn't fit into her dance bag, but she couldn't go to class without you! She's so attached to you! She did so great in dance learning her routine for her recital in June. (I think it's because she wanted you to see how great she's doing in preparing!) You both fell sound asleep at 8:00.
January 8, 2002
It is COLD, isn't it, Rufus?! We're sure you imagined Florida to be sizzling hot, but this morning it was in the low 40's. OUCH! Bundled you and the kids, and off to school you went. The kids in Stasi's class learned all about you today and each of them got to hold you. We brought a printout to Miss Laurel about your travels, and she was wonderful enough to explain to the class how special you are and what joy you're bringing to all the families you're visiting. The children got a real kick out of you and finally got their answers on why Stasi was bringing a bear to school everyday! You even traced the letter "C" with Stasi. You're so smart Rufus! After school, it was off to the bowling alley to join in Jimmy and Stasi's Bowling League. Good going on that strike! The kids love bowling and they do this once a week until the end of March.
We're already preparing for the Walk-A-Thon this year, which wll be on March 23rd. Ready to go to the printers and order our team t-shirts. I think red, white and blue lettering would be appropriate this year. Our team name is "Stasi's Miracle Marchers." We are fortunate enough to have our sponsor, Chris, who owns a local raw bar named Landlubbers, sponsor us for the 3rd year. He's a real Godsend. Never has he flinched an eyebrow when it came time to sponsor Stasi or JDRF. He has a giving heart and truly believes in the search for a cure. It is 8:22 and you are being hugged and held by Stasi so tightly to sleep! It's adorable. Oh and Rufus, sorry about the cheeseburger that you ate at Burger King tonight. I forgot to tell them no pickles, only ketchup. I'll know better next time!
January 9-21, 2002
Oh Rufus, what a great time we've had! From early morning wake-up calls to go to school, birthday parties, kick-off meetings for the annual Diabetes Walk and just being a part of our family...It has been wonderful. It's hard to let you go. That's the reason we couldn't let you go, because Stasi wouldn't let go until she got her very own Rufus which arrived in the mail on Friday the 18th! So, now you're all set and ready for your next adventure with your new family. Thank you for bringing us and my little girl so much joy! Off to the post office you go tomorrow, along with your goodies you've collected from Florida... HAPPY TRAILS RUFUS!
The Profetto Family
Peter and Roula, Jimmy (9), Stasi (5-dxd 4/98)
My neighbor Victoria, my bear Ruby, me (Stasi), Rufus and my brother Jimmy on his arrival.
My friend Yosef, my teacher Miss Laurel, me (Stasi) and Rufus at my preschool.
This is the preschool project my teacher did with the rest of the students in my class.
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Copyright Notice:
Rufus and Ruby, the bears with diabetes, is the creation of Carol Cramer, who owns the copyright to Rufus and Ruby. The graphics of Rufus are from Rufus Come Home, written by Kim Gosselin and illustrated by Terry Ravenelli, and are used by permission of the author.
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Tuesday, November 20, 2012
i grew up believing that what goes around comes around. I believed that the way you treat others is how you will be treated. I believed that when you give you will be repaid tenfold. I believed when you went out of your way for others, others would do the same back. I didn't think it was equal, not those who you did for would always do back but I thought there was a certain structure to the world. Now I am left with doubts. I thought charity was an insurance against poverty. I thought including others was a guarantee against loneliness. I thought my innate goodness would bring better times. Now I cry alone.
Posted by still waiting at 3:47 PM 4 comments:
Monday, August 6, 2012
Im 37 years old and single. Please don't speak to me as you would to a 21 year old, with their life and dreams ahead of them. Please don't speak to me as you would to a 24 year old, telling them to try to enjoy life while they have the freedom to run and do. Please don't speak to me as you would to a 30 year old, telling them its about to come. Please speak to me with sensitivity and care as you would to anyone else who has suffered, watching the years go by. Please speak to me with the realization that my dreams have been dashed time and time again. Please speak to me knowing that my friends have already made bar mitzvahs and chosen high schools, and will iyh soon marry off their children. please speak to me in a way that shows you have stopped to think about what I am going through and that you really feel my pain.
Posted by still waiting at 7:12 AM No comments:
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Dear well meaning lady who I don't even know I really appreciate that you've devoted your time to "dabbling" in shidduchim. That's really very noble of you. However, when you see my professional picture taken at a family simcha and its still not good enough for you, how do you think you make me feel? You don't know me, you probably don't know the guys youre sending my information to either. So how do you know that they are insisting on specific looks? When you give a speech about presenting myself in the best light what makes you think that the external is as important to my future date or husband as it is to you? I am BH attractive and put together. So why are you so sure that my few extra pounds will get in the way. Why do you feel that only the skinniest, the prettiest and the best dressed are deserving to date. Has it never occurred to you that guys are actually interested in the likes of me? That my style and personality come through even though in your eyes I will never be good enough? That I am accomplished and frum and giving and that these qualities will get me further in life than whatever you deem important qualities in a single? So again, I thank you for trying to help me out but in fact all you've done is ruin my day. Sincerely, an amazing single
Posted by still waiting at 7:08 AM 4 comments:
Thursday, April 12, 2012
30s going on 20s
single and living alone is not a normal place to be at this point in my life. I find myself involved in juvenile activities from which I would have moved on had I married and had a family. I spend an unreal amount of time watching tv or surfing the web. I play online games. I still kvell over my nieces and nephews and babysit or take them out to be helpful to their parents (my younger siblings). While none of these things are negative in their own rights they just add to the feeling that I am doing things generally reserved for college age kids.
Posted by still waiting at 5:58 AM No comments:
Monday, April 9, 2012
chol hamoed and the single
Chol hamoed is once upon on us and with it all the usual question. What are your plans? I have worked hard over the years to make chol hamoed into a week of no expectations. Rather than focus on the lack of companions with whom to do activities I view it as any other day, spent relaxing and maybe including an outdoor activity. But as much as ive made peace with it the questions still manage to bring me down. Brought on simply as a topic of conversation the questioner does not realize the hurt they are bringing up. So as I attempt to get through this week of questioning and loneliness I hope it will somehow make me stronger. And better equipped to handle the upcoming question- what are your summer plans?
Posted by still waiting at 8:01 AM 2 comments:
Saturday, March 17, 2012
too late
Sometimes it just feels too late. That what others don't seem to get. They still think theres hope, it can happen, you never know. And that may be true. But also true is the fact that even if it does come, its coming close to twenty years too late. Yes I may get married. Iyh I hope to someday have kids. But I will never have my youth back. will never be a young mother, chasing her kids. Will never have the luxury of bringing my kids to my parents. Will never look at anything with the same fresh attitude as a young wife in her twenties. Can happiness still come? Yes. Will it be great and perhaps even better than for some who married young? Absolutely. But the fervent hope that things may change for me does nothing to undo the years of hurt that I have endured.
Posted by still waiting at 7:29 PM 3 comments:
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
I am now being set up with a piece of paper. Gone are the days of phone calls where someone met a nice boy and thought of me. Actually meeting the person before setting him up is a thing of the past. Now the callers excitedly tell me about how nice the guy appears on his resume. More often than not I can explain why they are wrong, not about his niceness but about the whole impression they misread about the person. Apparently there are individuals who take it upon themselves to send out emails of resumes by the masses. Upon reading these my sisters or other well meaning friends will call me in excitement, sure they have found my bashert based on a piece of paper. and when i do not share their excitement they shake their heads in disapproval, dismayed over my pickiness.
Posted by still waiting at 4:51 AM No comments:
Labels: frum, frum single, resumes
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|ognizant Communication Corporation
Cell Transplantation, Vol. 10, pp. 665-671
0963-6897/01 $20.00 + 00
Copyright © 2001 Cognizant Comm. Corp.
Printed in the USA. All rights reserved.
Co-Grafts of Fetal Ventral Mesencephalon and Fibroblasts Expressing Sonic Hedgehog: Effect on Survival and Function of Dopamine Grafts
David M. Yurek,1 Anita Fletcher-Turner,1 Jennifer Moore,1 Ling Chai,2 and Nagesh Mahanthappa2*
1Department of Surgery/Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky
College of Medicine, Lexington, KY 40536-0305
2Curis, Inc., 45 Moulton Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Fibroblasts derived from the Rat2 parental cell line were genetically modified to express the cell-associated form of Sonic hedgehog (Shh) and then co-grafted along with E14 fetal ventral mesencephalon (VM) tissue into the denervated striatum of F344 rats; fetal VM grafts alone or co-grafts using the nonexpressing Rat2 fibroblasts served as controls. Seven weeks after grafting, co-grafts of fetal VM and fibroblasts expressing Shh (Rat2/Shh) contained significantly more tyrosine hydroxylase-positive (TH+) neurons than either the fetal VM grafts or co-grafts of fetal VM plus nonexpressing fibroblasts (Rat2). Despite a significantly higher yield of grafted TH+ neurons in the fetal VM + Rat2/Shh co-grafts than in either of the other two control groups, amphetamine-induced rotational behavior scores were not significantly different between any of the three treatment groups. The number of TH+ neurons in the Rat2 (nonexpressing) co-grafts was significantly lower than the other two treatment groups. The results from this study suggest that fibroblasts expressing Shh may improve the number of co-grafted dopamine neurons, but do not improve the functional capacity of the graft in terms of improving amphetamine-induced rotational behavior.
Key words: Neural transplantation; Sonic hedgehog; Parkinson's disease; Dopamine; Rodent; Genetically modified fibroblasts; Fetal ventral mesencephalon
Address correspondence to David M. Yurek, Ph.D., Department of Surgery/Neurosurgery, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Health Sciences Research Building, Lexington, KY 40536-0305. Tel: (859) 257-8219; Fax: (859) 323-6343; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
*Current address: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 130 Waverly Street, Cambridge, MA 02139.
Subretinally Transplanted Embryonic Stem Cells Rescue Photoreceptor Cells From Degeneration in the RCS Rats
Ulrich Schraermeyer,1 Gabriele Thumann,1 Thomas Luther,1 Norbert Kociok,1 Stefan Arnhold,2 Klaus Kruttwig,2 Christian Andressen,2 Klaus Addicks,2 and Karl Ulrich Bartz-Schmidt1
1Department of Vitreoretinal Surgery and 2Department of Anatomy, University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Str. 9, 50931 Cologne, Germany
The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rat is an animal model for retinal degeneration such as the age-related macular degeneration. The RCS rat undergoes a progressive retinal degeneration during the early postnatal period. A potential treatment to prevent this retinal degeneration is the transplantation into the subretinal space of cells that would replace functions of the degenerating retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) cells or may form neurotrophic factors. In this study we have investigated the potential of subretinally transplanted embryonic stem cells to prevent the genetically determined photoreceptor cell degeneration in the RCS rat. Embryonic stem cells from the inner cell mass of the mouse blastocyst were allowed to differentiate to neural precursor cells in vitro and were then transplanted into the subretinal space of 20-day-old RCS rats. Transplanted and sham-operated rats were sacrificed 2 months following cell transplantation. The eyes were enucleated and photoreceptor degeneration was quantified by analyzing and determining the thickness of the outer nuclear layer by light and electron microscopy. In the eyes transplanted with embryonic cells up to 8 rows of photoreceptor cell nuclei were observed, whereas in nontreated control eyes the outer nuclear layer had degenerated completely. Transplantation of embryonic stem cells appears to delay photoreceptor cell degeneration in RCS rats.
Key words: Electron microscopy; RCS rat; Stem cell; Transplantation
Address correspondence to Dr. Ulrich Schraermeyer, Department of Vitreoretinal Surgery, University of Cologne, Joseph Stelzmann Str. 9, 50931 Cologne, Germany. Tel: 49-221-4785730; Fax: 49-2131-745746; E-mail: email@example.com
Lipid-Mediated In Vivo Gene Transfer Replaces the Loss of Choline Acetyltransferase Activity After Unilateral Fimbria-Fornix Aspiration
Carla Weis, Walter A. Kaufmann, and Christian Humpel
Laboratory of Psychiatry, Clinic of Psychiatry, University Hospital Innsbruck, Austria
In Alzheimer's disease cholinergic neurons degenerate, resulting in loss of hippocampal acetylcholine. The fimbria-fornix aspiration is a well-known animal model mimicking hippocampal cholinergic deficiency. The aim of the present study was to use in vivo lipid-mediated gene transfer to introduce an expression vector coding for the acetylcholine synthesizing enzyme choline acetyltransferase into the hippocampus to replace the loss of enzyme activity after unilateral fimbria-fornix aspiration. Our data show that the lipid FuGene is useful to transfer DNA in vitro into 3T3 fibroblasts, C6 glioma cells, and primary astroglia and to express the respective enzyme. Lipid-mediated gene transfer in vivo resulted in a marked but transient expression of green fluorescent protein below the injection site peaking 5 days after the injection. Unilateral fimbria-fornix aspiration led to a marked reduction in the activity of choline acetyltransferase in the hippocampus, which was completely replaced 5 days after lipid-mediated gene transfer of the choline acetyltransferase vector. In conclusion, our data provide evidence that lipid-mediated gene transfer using FuGene is a useful tool to replace loss of choline acetyltranseferase activity in the hippocampus after fimbria-fornix aspiration; however, the lack of good gene transfer efficiency and the transient nature of expression limit its use for clinical applications.
Key words: Acetylcholine; Alzheimer's disease; Choline acetyltransferase; FuGene; Nonviral; Gene therapy
Address correspondence to Dr. Christian Humpel, Clinic of Psychiatry, Anichstr. 35, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. Tel: +43-512-504-3712; Fax: +43-512-504-3713; E-mail: email@example.com
Automated Method for Isolation of Adrenal Medullary Chromaffin Cells From Neonatal Porcine Glands
Caterina Vizzardelli, Elizabeth D. Potter, Thierry Berney, Antonello Pileggi, Luca Inverardi, Camillo Ricordi, and Jacqueline Sagen
Diabetes Research Institute and The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami School of Medicine, Miami, FL, 33136
An automated method for the isolation of neonatal porcine adrenal chromaffin cells is described. Adrenal chromaffin cells are potentially useful for therapeutic transplantation, but current isolation methodology suffers from labor intensiveness and variability in yield and viability due to imprecision of manual techniques, enzyme purity, and gland age and species. The described approach utilizes an adaptation of an automated procedure previously described for isolation of pancreatic islets. Results from neonatal porcine adrenal glands revealed consistent cell yields with high (approximately 99%) viability. Catecholamine assays showed that the resultant cultures continue to produce and secrete norepinephrine and epinephrine. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated that the majority of cells in the preparation are chromaffin cells and adrenal cortical cells. The procedure meets the following requirements: 1) minimal traumatic action on the adrenal chromaffin cells, 2) continuous digestion in which the adrenal cells that are progressively liberated can be saved from further mechanical action, 3) minimal human intervention in the digestion process, and 4) high yield and viability of the isolated adrenal chromaffin cells.
Key words: Adrenal gland; Chromaffin cells; Catecholamines; Neural transplantation; Isolation; Automated methodology
Address correspondence to Jacqueline Sagen, Ph.D., The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami School of Medicine, Lois Pope LIFE Center, 1095 NW 14th Terrace (R-48), Miami, FL 33136. Tel: (305) 243-5618; Fax: (305) 243-6017; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Nonviral Transfection of Intact Pancreatic Islets
J. R. T. Lakey,1 A. T. L. Young,1 D. Pardue,2 S. Calvin,2 T. E. Albertson,2 L. Jacobson,2 and T. J. Cavanagh2
1Department of Surgery, Surgical-Medical Research Institute,
University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada T6G 2N8
2Roche Molecular Biochemicals, Indianapolis, IN
Ex vivo gene transfer offers a potential means to introduce genes into cells, which may play an important role in preventing graft rejection and inducing graft tolerance. This study examined the efficiency and toxicity of several lipid-based transfection reagents (LipofectAMINE, DOTAP, and DOSPER) in intact pancreatic islets. Isolated islets were transfected with a pCMV-b-galactosidase plasmid using several DNA/liposome ratios (1:12) of liposomes (3-72 ml) and DNA (3 and 6 mg). Transfection efficiency was quantified by microscopic evaluation of b-galactosidase gene expression in whole intact islets. Functionality of the transfected islets was measured by insulin response to glucose solutions. All transfection reagents evaluated in this study transfected cells within the islets. As expected, untransfected controls and transfected islets with DNA alone did not express b-gal. The highest transfection efficiency and functional viability were obtained following a 48-h incubation after exposure to the transfection mixtures as follows: 3 ml DNA and 18 ml DOTAP/ml (1:6 ratio), 6 mg DNA and 12 ml DOSPER/ml (1:2 ratio), or 6 mg DNA and 12 ml Lipofect-AMINE/ml (1:2 ratio). The highest rate of transfected cells per islet was obtained using DOTAP. In vitro functionality was not significantly different between DOTAP and nontreated controls. However, optimal transfection efficiency doses of LipofectAMINE and DOSPER significantly reduced the stimulated insulin response of the transfected islets (p < 0.05, ANOVA). The calculated stimulation index (SI) was 7.8 ± 0.6 (mean ± SEM) for DOTAP-transfected islets compared with 8.4 ± 0.5 for nontransfected control islets (p = ns). The SI of DOSPER- and LipofectAMINE-transfected islets was significantly lower (6.1 ± 0.5 and 3.4 ± 0.5, respectively, p < 0.05). Lipid-based transfection using DOTAP at a DNA/lipid ratio of 1:6 provides an effective means of ex vivo gene delivery without compromising in vitro functionality of the transfected islets.
Key words: Islets; Liposomes; Transfection; Diabetes; Transplantation
Address correspondence to Jonathan R. T. Lakey, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery, Surgical-Medical Research Institute, University of Alberta, 1074 Dentistry/Pharmacy Building, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2N8 Canada. Tel: (780) 492-3077; Fax: (780) 492-1627; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Characterization of an Important Enzymatic Component in Collagenase That Is Essential for the Effective Digestion of the Human and Porcine Pancreas
Ruo L. Chen and Roger F. L. James
Department of Surgery, University of Leicester, RKB, Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK
Recent clinical results from Edmonton have demonstrated the feasibility of achieving normoglycemia in type I diabetic patients by islet transplantation. One of the key issues in obtaining this success was transplanting sufficient numbers of islets by sequential transplants. Although the development of semipurified endotoxin-free Clostridium histolyticum-derived collagenase (Liberase) has improved islet yields from the human pancreas, batch-to-batch variation and loss of activity with time still hampers progress in obtaining consistent islet preparations. In order to define key components of crude collagenase, a panel of monoclonal antibodies (McAbs) was raised against crude collagenase. Monoclonal antibodies were generated by fusions between splenocytes of BALB/c mice immunized with Boheringer P collagenase and the myeloma cell line NS-0. These monoclonal antibodies were used as probes to study molecular differences between effective and ineffective collagenase batches using Western blotting. Two monoclonal antibodies (LDS71 and LDS81) were raised and characterized as recognizing separate epitopes on a 125-kDa component. Western blotting indicated that the 125-kDa band was rapidly broken down by storage or by dialysis in the presence of dithiothreitol. However, this breakdown could be prevented by the addition of leupeptin (a protease inhibitor) to the dialysis buffer. On testing fractions at 5-min intervals from the "Ricordi" digestion circuit during porcine and human pancreas digestion, the 125-kDa component was rapidly broken down in relatively ineffective collagenase batches but in effective batches was present throughout the digestion process. The correlation between the presence of the 125-kDa band and effectiveness of pancreas digestion suggests that this may be a key component in the formulation of C. histolyticum collagenase.
Key words: Collagenase; Pancreas digestion; Monoclonal antibody; Western blotting
Address correspondence to Dr. R. F. L. James, Department of Surgery, Robert Kilpatrick Building, University of Leicester, Royal Infirmary, Leicester LE2 7LX, UK. Tel: 0044 116 252 3138; Fax: 0044 116 252 3179; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Polyurethane Foam/Spheroid Culture System Using Human Hepatoblastoma Cell Line (Hep G2) as a Possible New Hybrid Artificial Liver
Yo-ichi Yamashita,1 Mitsuo Shimada,1 Eiji Tsujita,1 Shinji Tanaka,1 Hiroyuki Ijima,2 Kohji Nakazawa,2 Ryoichi Sakiyama,2 Junji Fukuda,2 Tadayoshi Ueda,3 Kazumori Funatsu,2 and Keizo Sugimachi1
1Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical
Sciences, and 2Department of Chemical Systems and Engineering,
Graduate School of Engineering, Kyushu University, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka
812-8582, Japan
3Dainippon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Enoki 33-94, Suita, Osaka 564-0053, Japan
The risk of xenozoonosis infections poses the greatest obstacle against the clinical application of hybrid artificial liver support system (HALSS). Primary human hepatocytes are an ideal source for HALSS, but the shortage of human livers available for hepatocyte isolation limits this modality. To resolve this issue, we used human hepatocytes with replication capacity (fetal hepatocytes, Hep G2, and Huh 7) in a polyurethane foam (PUF)/spheroid culture system in vitro, and analyzed liver functions such as ammonia removal and albumin synthesis capacity; results were compared to those of porcine hepatocytes. Human fetal hepatocytes, Hep G2, and Huh 7 formed spheroids spontaneously within 24 h in a PUF/spheroid culture system; ammonia removal activity (mmol/106 nuclei/h) was upregulated, as was albumin synthesis activity (mg/106 nuclei/day). In particular, Hep G2 spheroids demonstrated high ammonia removal and albumin synthesis activities: 85% of the ammonia removal activity and 171.7% of the albumin synthesis activity of porcine hepatocytes in the monolayer culture. These results indicate the possibility of the development of a multicapillary PUF (MC-PUF) packed-bed culture system of hepatocyte spheroids as a HALSS using Hep G2.
Key words: Hybrid artificial liver support system (HALSS); Human hepatocytes; Hep G2; Polyurethane foam (PUF)/spheroid culture system
Address correspondence to Yo-ichi Yamashita, M.D., Department of Surgery and Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka 812-8582, Japan. Tel: 81-92-642-5469; Fax: 81-92-642-5482; E-mail: email@example.com
The Efficacy of Prevascularization by Basic FGF for Hepatocyte Transplantation Using Polymer Devices in Rats
Kohei Ogawa,1 Katsuhiro Asonuma,1 Yukihiro Inomata,1 Ildeok Kim,1 Yoshito Ikada,2 Yasuhiko Tabata,3 and Koichi Tanaka1
1Department of Transplantation and Immunology, Kyoto University,
Kyoto, Japan
2Suzuka University of Medical Sciences, Mie, Japan
3Institute for Frontier Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
This study used polymer devices implanted in rats to investigate the effect of prevascularization by basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on hepatocyte transplantation (HTx). Lewis rats served as both donors and recipients. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) sponges with either hydrogel containing bFGF (bFGF group) or distilled water (control group) were implanted between the mesenteric leaves of recipient rats. Hepatotrophic stimulation was induced by a portacaval shunt and a 70% partial hepatectomy. After 1 week of prevascularization, hepatocytes harvested from the donor Lewis rats using a collagenase digestive method were injected into the sponges. Specimens were harvested at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months after HTx. Histologic examination revealed that the control groups contained small numbers of hepatocytes restricted to the peripheral areas of the sponges. However, a large number of hepatocytes, including clusters, was found distributed uniformly in the bFGF group. In the bFGF group at 2 weeks, 1 month, and 2 months, the percentage of the sponge occupied by hepatocytes was 7.21 ± 2.64%, 6.98 ± 2.59%, and 5.58 ± 3.77%, respectively. The corresponding ratios for the control group were 0.40 ± 0.39%, 0.40 ± 0.40%, and 0.87 ± 1.51%. In addition, the mean number of new blood vessels in the bFGF group was significantly greater than that in the control group at 0 days, 2 weeks, and 1 month after HTx. These results suggest that bFGF strongly induced vascularization, which enabled a large number of hepatocytes to survive in the polymer devices.
Key words: Hepatocyte transplantation; Polymer devices; bFGF; Prevascularization
Address correspondence to Kohei Ogawa, M.D., Department of Transplantation and Immunology, Kyoto University, Shogoinkawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan. Tel: +81-75-751-4323; Fax: +81-75-751-4348; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
The Effect of Coculture With Nonparenchymal Cells on Porcine Hepatocyte Function
Paul G. Gregory, Christopher K. Connolly, Bryan E. Gillis, and Susan J. Sullivan
Organogenesis Inc., Canton, MA 02021
Porcine hepatocytes are currently being investigated as a therapy for patients suffering from acute liver failure. Incorporating hepatocytes in an extracorporeal device that would stabilize a patient until transplantation or recovery could dramatically decrease the mortality rate associated with this disease. The ability to maximize hepatocyte function would contribute significantly to being able to provide the required cell mass in a device of reasonable size. Several approaches have been effective at increasing rat hepatocyte function in vitro, including coculture with nonparenchymal cells. In this study, we investigated the effect of the addition of 3T3 cells to porcine hepatocyte culture and found that while there was an increase in albumin secretion, there was little or no effect on urea synthesis or cytochrome P450 activity.
Key words: Porcine hepatocytes; Coculture; Differentiated function; Nonparenchymal cells
Address correspondence to S. J. Sullivan, Organogenesis, Inc., 150 Dan Road, Canton, MA 02021. Tel: (781) 401-1050; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Comparative Phenotype and Immunogenicity of Freshly Isolated and Immortalized Rat Hepatocytes
Vincent Kaulek,1,2 Philippe Saas,2 Eliane Alexandre,1 Helen Grant,3 Lysiane Richert,1,4 Daniel Jaeck,1 Pierre Tiberghien,2 Philippe Wolf,1 and Agnès Azimzadeh1
1Laboratoire de Chirurgie Expérimentale, Fondation
Transplantation, 5 Avenue Molière, 67200 Strasbourg, France
2Laboratoire de Thérapeutique Immuno-moléculaire, EFS/EA 2284/Inserm E-0119, 1 Bd A Fleming, BP 1937, 25020 Besancon cedex, France
3University of Strathclyde, Bioengineering Unit, Wolfson Center, 106 Rottenrow, Glasgow 64 ONW, Scotland
4Faculté de Médecine et Pharmacie, Laboratoire de Biologie Cellulaire, Place Saint Jacques, 25030 Besancon, France
Immortalized hepatocytes are an attractive cell source for hepatocyte transplantation and gene transfer. We compared the phenotype and immunogenicity of freshly isolated (FIH) and immortalized (IMH) rat hepatocytes. Effect of culture and proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-\GK\a, IFN-g) was studied on phenotype. FIH were isolated by collagenase digestion. Two SV40 immortalized hepatocyte cell lines were tested (RH1 and P9). Immunophenotyping was performed by FACS analysis using anti-rat-specific antibodies. Immunogenicity was evaluated by a mixed lymphocyte hepatocyte reaction (MLHR). FIH suspension was an almost homogeneous parenchymal cell population with few (1-2%) CD8+ cells. FIH showed a positive staining for ICAM-1 (20-35%) and for Class I (RT1A, 30-60%) but no staining for Class II (RT1B). After 48 h of culture, the already ICAM-1-positive cells were more strongly stained and additionally 3.6% of the cells (possibly endothelial cells) were Class II positive. IMH showed a consistent expression of Class I (93-97%) and ICAM-1 (95-97%) but no expression of Class II. Culture of IMH for 48 h had no effect on Class II expression but increased ICAM-1 expression. Addition of TNF-a at 1000 UI/ml to cultures of FIH or IMH increased Class I and ICAM-1 expression whereas IFN-g (50 or 1000 UI/ml) had no evident effect. Hepatocyte immunogenicity, assessed in MLHR and appreciated by the stimulation index (SI) test/SI syngeneic control, was similar for IMH (RH1: 2.68 ± 0.89; P9: 2.37 ± 0.78) and FIH (2.52 ± 0.18). In conclusion, despite some quantitative immunophenotypic differences, FIH and IMH induced the same proliferation rate of allogeneic T lymphocytes. Thus, immortalized hepatocytes may constitute an appropriate cellular model to study the prevention of hepatocyte rejection by gene transfer.
Key words: Allotransplantation; Freshly isolated hepatocytes; Immortalized hepatocytes; MHC; Intercellular adhesion molecule-1; CD8
Address correspondence to Pr. Philippe Wolf, Hôpital de Hautepierre, Service de Chirurgie générale et de Transplantation multiorganes, Avenue Molière, 67098 Strasbourg Cedex, France. Tel: (33) 388 12 72 79; Fax: (33) 388 12 72 86; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Wound Dressings Alter the Colony-Forming Efficiency of Keratinocytes in Cultured Sheet Grafts
Lea Ann deGraffenried and R. Rivkah Isseroff
Department of Dermatology and Tissue Bioengineering Laboratory, Universityof California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616
Cultured keratinocyte grafts transplanted for skin wound repair are often affixed to a wound dressing to facilitate handling. In this study, the ability of five different types of wound dressings to support cell viability and maintain stem cell populations in the cultured grafts was determined. Postconfluent keratinocyte (NHK) sheets were attached to wound dressings for 24 h and then released by trypsinization. Cell viability was determined and NHKs were assessed for clonogenic capacity by colony-forming efficiency (CFE) assays. CFEs for NHKs exposed to a collagen-bonded, bilaminate membrane and a polyurethane film were significantly less than control. On the other hand, CFEs for NHKs exposed to a collagen/alginate dressing and to petrolatum-impregnated gauze were significantly greater than control. The choice of a wound dressing carrier has implications for maintaining long-term viability of the transplanted sheet of epithelium.
Key words: Keratinocyte transplantation; Colony-forming units assay; Stem cell; Biological dressings
Address correspondence to R. Rivkah Isseroff, M.D., Dermatology Research TB 192, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616. Tel: (530) 752-9767; Fax: (530) 752-9766; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
In Vitro Expression of Cartilage-Specific Markers by Chondrocytes on a Biocompatible Hydrogel: Implications for Engineering Cartilage Tissue
Makarand Risbud,1,2 Jochen Ringe,1 Ramesh Bhonde,2 and Michael Sittinger1
1Tissue Engineering Laboratory, University Medical Centre,
Charité, Humboldt University of Berlin, Tucholskystrasse-2,
10117 Berlin, Germany
2Tissue Engineering and Banking Laboratory, National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune 411 007, India
Natural cartilage tissue has a limited self-regenerative capacity; thus, strategies to replenish the lost cartilage are desired in reconstructive and plastic surgery. Tissue-engineered cartilage using biodegradable polymeric scaffolds is one such approach gaining wide attention. We have earlier demonstrated the biocompatible nature and ability of chitosan-gelatin hydrogel to maintain differentiated populations of respiratory epithelial cells. The aim of the present study was to evaluate its suitability as a substratum for inducing chondrocyte growth and differentiation. Electron microscopic (SEM) analysis of freeze-dried hydrogels showed a highly porous morphology with interconnections as seen in cross section. Chondrocytes were observed to attach and exhibited a differentiated phenotype with proper cell-cell contact on three-dimensional freeze-dried hydrogels. When cultured on two-dimensional hydrogel films they showed higher growth rates (4-6%) compared with a polystyrene (TCPS) control until 6 days (p > 0.05), which slowed down after 10 days. Immunofluorescent microscopic studies revealed that chondrocytes on hydrogel films exhibited comparable expression of b1 integrin (CD29) to TCPS controls, indicating the ability of the hydrogel substrate to maintain normal expression of b1 integrin. RT-PCR analysis of chondrocytes grown on hydrogel films showed that chondrocytes express the mRNA for extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen type IIa1 (COL IIa1), COL III, COL IXa3. Expression of COL I was less prominent than COL II as indication of differentiation. Expression of COL X could not be detected, suggesting an absence of chondrocyte hypertrophy. Chondrocytes also showed weak mRNA expression of aggrecan, a cartilage-specific proteoglycan. All of these results point out the ability of the chitosan-gelatin hydrogel to induce the expression of mRNAs for cartilage-specific extracellular matrix proteins by nasal septal chondrocytes. This hydrogel needs to be further evaluated for its ability to support chondrocyte-specific marker expression to explore the possibility of forming a tissue resembling natural cartilage in vitro.
Key words: Chitosan; Gelatin; Hydrogel; Tissue engineering; Chondrocytes; Collagens
Address correspondence to PD Dr. Michael Sittinger, Tissue Engineering Laboratory, University Medical Centre, Charité, Humboldt University of Berlin, Tucholskystrasse-2, 10117 Berlin, Germany. Tel: 049 30 450 513 198; Fax: 049 30 450 513 943; E-mail: email@example.com
Locomotion of Human Skin Keratinocytes on Polystyrene, Fibrin, and Collagen Substrata and its Modification by Cell-to-Cell Contacts
Justyna Drukala,1 Laura Bandura,1 Kazimierz Cieslik,2 and Wlodzimierz Korohoda1
1Department of Cell Biology, The Jan Zurzycki Institute of
Molecular Biology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
2Ludwik Rydygier Speciality Hospital in Kraków, Department of Burns and Plastic Surgery, Poland
Epithelial wound repair assures the recovery of the epithelial barrier after wounding. During wound healing epithelial cells migrate to cover the wound surface. The presented experiments were carried out to compare the migration of human keratinocytes from primary and secondary culture on polystyrene, collagen, and fibrin glue used in clinical techniques. The images of migrating keratinocytes were recorded and analyzed using computer-aided methods. The results show that the character of the substrate strongly affects the speed and turning behavior of keratinocytes locomoting over it. The highest motile activity of human skin keratinocytes was found on fibrin glue substratum. It was found that locomotion of freely moving isolated cells was much faster than that of cell sheets. The autologous keratinocytes cultured in vitro were applied with fibrin glue to cover trophic wounds. The transplantation of human autologous keratinocyte suspension in fibrin glue upon long-lasting trophic wounds appeared to induce rapid and permanent wound healing.
Key words: Keratinocytes; Wound healing; Fibrin glue; Locomotion
Address correspondence to Justyna Drukala, Ph.D., Department of Cell Biology, The Jan Zurzycki Institute of Molecular Biology, Jagiellonian University, ul. Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland. Tel: +48-12-252-61-45; Fax: +48-12-252-69-02; E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com


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Carey Wilder, contributor for TheAntiMedia, writes this article about the FBI maintaining a child pornography TOR server for several weeks while only convicting a small fraction of users.
The FBI is under fire after Department of Justice court filings revealed agents operated a large child pornography site for two weeks in 2015. The FBI originally hacked the site, called Playpen, to identify visitors. However, they continued to run it, leaving illicit images and videos of children not only available, but shareable, during the period they ran the site. It was the third time it had done so. Though FBI agents insist their tactic is ethical and necessary to catch predators, the practice faces scrutiny from critics who accuse the FBI of committing the same crimes they are trying to prevent.
When the FBI took control of Playpen on February 20, 2015, it had 215,000 registers users, and by the FBI's own admission, it was the largest child pornography site in the world. Court documents show image and video categories included "toddlers" to "pre-pubescent teens."
Located on the Dark Web, the website was only available through Tor, network software that makes users' web activity virtually untraceable. To attain control of Playpen, the FBI employed hacking to bypass the site's security. It injected malware into the site to crack the anonymity Tor provides. As USA Today explained, in 2015 and in two previous cases, "the FBI infected the sites with software that punctured that security, allowing agents to identify hundreds of users." The FBI calls this a "Network Investigative Technique."
When the bureau obtained control of the site, Playpen housed links to over 23,000 images and videos of children and 9,000 files that could be directly downloaded, albeit unknowingly, from the FBI.
Agents tracked the site to servers in North Carolina, and upon seizing control, moved those servers to their own facility in Newington, Virginia.According to Colin Fieman, an attorney for one of the users caught in the sting, 100,000 users visited the site while it was under the bureau's control. The Department of Justice has said in court filings the FBI was able to obtain the "computer addresses" of 1,300 users, and 137 of them had been charged with crimes. It declined to provide further information about those prosecutions.
The DOJ has also said in court filings that no agents uploaded child porn to the site, though the documents admit the FBI did not take down any content and continued to allow users to upload child pornography. Further, agents were unable to prevent downloaded images and videos from being shared on other sites.
Though the FBI touted its arrest of a visitor to Playpen in October, admitting it operated the website for two weeks, the story did not receive widespread attention. In July of last year, Vice News reported on the FBI's use of hacking to take control of the site, but the story has received more coverage in recent weeks as more court documents have emerged.
This is not the first time the FBI has hacked Dark Web child pornography sites with malware and used that control to lure pedophiles. The first known instance occurred in 2012, when the FBI hacked a child porn site that had servers in Omaha, Nebraska. FBI Special Agent Jeff Tarpinian admitted in court that the agency "relocated two servers to an FBI facility here in Omaha and we continued to let those child pornography run – websites operate for a short period of time." The operation yielded 25 federal child pornography cases, however, nine of the defendants are referred to in court documents as "John Doe." The anonymous names imply the FBI was unable to correctly track the true identities of users.
Agents again hacked a child pornography site in 2013, identifying the suspected operator, Eric Marquez, who is now expected to the extradited to the United States from Ireland, where he is a resident. The charges against him are sealed.
The FBI insists its tactics are necessary to weed out nefarious, criminal pedophiles.
"We had a window of opportunity to get into one of the darkest places on Earth, and not a lot of other options except to not do it," said Ron Hosko, a former senior FBI official. He was involved in one of the agency's first operations of this kind. "There was no other way we could identify as many players," he said.
Justice Department spokesman Peter Carr also commented on the operation. "The government always considers seizing an illegal child pornography site and removing it from existence immediately and permanently," he said, arguing the FBI's strategy of running the site was essential to curbing the spread of illicit content. "While doing so would end the trafficking of child pornography taking place on that one website, it would do nothing to prevent those same users from disseminating child pornography through other means."
Even so, critics point out that the FBI is merely committing the same crimes it seeks to eliminate. Elizabeth Joh, a law professor at University of California, Davis who has studied undercover investigations, questioned the efficacy of the program: "At some point, the government investigation becomes indistinguishable from the crime, and we should ask whether that's OK." She added, "What's crazy about it is who's making the cost/benefit analysis on this? Who decides that this is the best method of identifying these people?"
The FBI is no stranger to undercover sting operations that often employ criminal behavior. Agents have notoriously and repeatedly lured vulnerable individuals into contributing to elaborate terrorist plots. Though the plots are never carried out, the FBI uses undercover tactics to encourage subjects into committing enough transgressions to warrant charges — and to warrant declarations that the agency successfully thwarts terror plots.
Child pornography, like terrorism, is an ill many Americans believe should be stopped at any cost. Though few would disagree that child pornography must be combated, the FBI's willingness to perpetuate that very vice raises questions about the agency's integrity and priorities.


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Download our in-depth report: The Ultimate Guide to IT Security Vendors
Box.net recently introduced a new set of tools to enhance the security of data being stored on its servers.
"The tools include the ability to limit who can view a file or folder, and tracks log-ins from multiple devices and various authentication options, Box.net said Dec. 15," writes eWeek's Fahmida Y. Rashid.
"These security options are intended to make it more secure for enterprises leery about employees storing corporate data on cloud servers without reliable data protections," Rashid writes.
Go to "Box.net Adds Enterprise-Class Security-Access Controls to Cloud Storage" to read the details.https://o1.qnsr.com/log/p.gif?;n=203;c=204650394;s=9477;x=7936;f=201801171506010;u=j;z=TIMESTAMP;a=20392931;e=i
For regular security news updates, follow eSecurityPlanet on Twitter: @eSecurityP.


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Saturday, January 1, 2011
2011: a new year, and strangely, new hope. within the terrors of this last year, i found an ember alive, and i intend to nurture it with the care one derives from deep appreciation. it's odd, to discover that really, one can take so much. and go on.
I have a new career, and am encouraged, excited and challenged. and not in an "i wish" way. our son m is engaged to his darling girlfriend a, so a wedding will highlight 2011. we visited c and his wife today, sharing laughter and a rare afternoon of his feeling good. turns out both c and mr. view have sported mustaches in the past...mr. view's dating to 1975, but still. a mustache is a mustache.
life really goes on, babe. watch for it.
1 comment:
Please let me be the first to welcome you back to active blogging, Jadie, after such a gruesomely challenging year.ReplyDelete
"Jesus H. Christ!," as we say in my family. Those are some wallops to take and still have the chutzpah to get back up off the floor! Bravo!
Congratulations on having resurrected a new career from the crucifixion of the old one. That is extremely gratifying, I'm certain. I wouldn't mind having one of those--a career. I'm inspired by your example, so who knows what might be around the corner in 2011.
Please accept my condolences in the loss of your own mother; my sympathy in the illness of your friend's son; my wish for stamina in the situation with your father; and complete solidarity regarding the dispatching of your uterus--I might as well not have had one for all the good my own did me...
That is an enormous amount of loss to sustain in one 365 day cycle. I am in awe of your phoenix's rise from the ashes and will be looking forward to hearing from you here as 2011 unfolds day-by-day!


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