text:
This seminar series provides both novice and experienced export compliance professionals with a comprehensive education on complying with regulations administered by the US departments of State, Commerce, and Treasury, and what the recent ECR changes and potential coming changes from a new administration mean for their compliance programs.
Download Seminar Agenda | Register to attend this Seminar
Export Control Reform (ECR) changes have relaxed the controls on most defense-related items and technology, but made understanding and complying with the regulations even more complicated. The shift of most military and space items from the ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) to the EAR (Export Administration Regulations) forces exporters to learn the highly complicated ins and outs of the EAR. The good news is that the complex rules impose significantly less compliance burdens and fewer compliance-based export delays. So if you learn these rules, you will be able to export sooner and reduce the costs of compliance, giving you a competitive advantage.
Download Seminar Agenda | Register to attend this Seminar
JOHN R. BLACK is a Principal of BSG Consulting and has been involved in US export and trade control matters since 1984. He advises US and foreign companies, law firms and governments on US export controls and has earned a reputation as one of the leading experts in the field. From 1984-88 he worked for the US Commerce Department, where he wrote the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and interpreted it for government and industry. He uses his comprehensive knowledge of the US rules that impact military and commercial companies to help his clients stay in compliance without missing legitimate business opportunities. He has been a featured speaker at hundreds of conferences around the world and has written numerous articles and several books on the subject.
SCOTT M. GEARITY is a Principal of BSG Consulting, bringing over a decade of consulting, training and corporate export compliance program management experience to bear for his clients. Mr. Gearity has substantial experience in military, dual-use and commercial export controls. His clients have ranged in size from small start-ups to some of the world's largest companies, with a particular focus on the information technology, telecommunications, networking and software industries. Mr. Gearity joined BSG from Microsoft Corporation, where he was based in Ireland and managed the company's export compliance program for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Mr. Gearity holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in international studies and economics from American University. He is a licensed US customs broker.
GREGORY CREESER is a partner with International Trade Compliance Strategies and a consultant to BSG Consulting. Prior to joining ITC Strategies as a compliance consultant, Mr. Creeser held the position of Corporate Director for International Trade Compliance with Goodrich Corporation's Washington Operations Office. Mr. Creeser began his career in the export arena by serving for 2 years as a licensing officer within the Office of Defense Trade Controls at the Department of State. Mr. Creeser held the position of President of the board of directors of the Society for International Affairs (SIA) from 2004-2006. He also held the positions of Vice President, Communications Director, and Conferences Director for SIA. Mr. Creeser received his Bachelor of Science degree in Political Science and Economics from Texas A&M University in 1987.
MARC BINDER is a partner with ITC Strategies. Prior to joining ITC Strategies, Marc was the Director of Customs Compliance for Goodrich Corporation, where he was responsible for managing the Corporate Customs Compliance program. Prior to that, Marc held trade compliance management positions at TRW and Lockheed Martin - Government Electronics Systems. Marc is a former two term member of the Department of Commerce Regulations and Procedures Technical Advisory Committee (RPTAC) and a former three term member of the Department of State, Defense Trade Advisory Group (DTAG). Marc is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society for International Affairs (SIA), where he is a Director of Planning and Education. Marc is a licensed Customs Broker, and is certified in the field of Hazardous Materials Transportation. Marc holds a bachelor's degree from Villanova University and has graduated from the Wharton Management Program, University of Pennsylvania.
MELISSA PROCTOR, founder of Miller Proctor Law PLLC in Scottsdale, Arizona, has been advising Fortune 500 companies, small and medium-sized companies, and startups on the full range of issues involving international trade (i.e., export controls, embargoes and economic sanctions, customs laws, anti-corruption compliance, and other government regulations) for over 20 years. Melissa focuses her export practice on the Export Administration Regulations (EAR), International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), Foreign Assets Control Regulations, and the Foreign Trade Regulations. In terms of her import practice, she advises clients on a wide variety of import and customs compliance issues. Previously, Melissa worked for two international trade boutique law firms and KPMG, served as Senior Corporate Counsel-Compliance for Amazon, and was a Shareholder at the law firm of Polsinelli P.C. Melissa holds an LL.M. in International and Comparative Law from the Georgetown University Law Center, a J.D. from Valparaiso University School of Law, and a B.A. in Spanish and Russian from Indiana University.
Source: ASDEvents
Date: Dec 12, 2018


text:
Bloody Scotland is all about.
We love to hear new voices emerging on the crime writing scene, and to help you, our readers, catch a glimpse of the future. I'm delighted, as co-founder of Bloody Scotland to promote Crime in the Spotlight a great opportunity for new writers to meet their audience, and for you the audience to meet the new writers.
Deadline for applications for intro spots onstage at this year's Bloody Scotland (11-13th September) is 18th August 2015: details here

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Written by Hal Wallis
In December 2014, at the opening of Malaysia's largest shrimp aquaculture project located in Sabah state on the northern part of the island of Borneo, Sabah's Chief Minister Sabah Datuk Seri Musa Aman said: "I am confident this project will help raise the living standards of the locals as it will generate more than 3,000 jobs besides the spin-over effects."
Over three years later and with 2300 acres of mangroves already cleared for aquaculture, the local indigenous communities have yet to benefit from even a fraction of the promised jobs, while suffering a range of adverse impacts to their health, environment, security and culture.
A further 1,000 acres of mangroves, upon which local communities depend for their food and security, are threatened with further shrimp pond developments. Bihahon Subonging, a leader from Kampung Boluuh and a member of the G6 collective which represents the interests of six indigenous communities in Pitas, including around 2500 people says: "We are poorer now, than before. Before the mangroves gave us food so we could sustain ourselves and now our pantry (the mangroves) are bare of food."
The Environmental Justice Atlas (EJA) reports a wide range of visible, negative environmental impacts, as well as health and socio-economic impacts, including the destruction of sacred areas and burial sites. The Pitas region is home to more than six indigenous communities who now rely on the remaining mangrove area for their livelihood. These communities have lived in the area for more than nine generations, supporting themselves in large part through foraging in the mangrove areas.
The visible impacts of the large project include biodiversity loss, food insecurity (crop damage), pollution through waste overflow with visible surface water pollution and decreased water quality. EJA reports a potential risk of large-scale disturbance of hydro and geological systems resulting from the project.
|Work by MAP shows the area of high quality mangrove losses based on overhead images from 2013 and 2018, available through Satellite imagery.
The Pitas development is a government initiative through state subsidiary company Inno Fisheries Sdn in collaboration with Sunlight Seafood (Sabah) Sdn Bhd, is reported to entail a RM1.23 bn (c US $320m) investment and the creation of about 1,500 shrimp ponds. Around 20% of the total funding is from state sources.
Yayasan Sabah's Inno-Fisheries is a government agency whose website states its mission as being "to uplift the quality of life of Malaysians in Sabah". Sunlight Seafood is one of the leading processors and exporters of frozen seafood products in Malaysia.
Local people, however, do not see the benefits. Noridah Samad, a local youth and a member of the G6 collective says: "Seeing our land being destroyed in the name of profit making, impedes us from sustaining our traditional livelihoods and culture. With the destruction of the 2300 ac, many youths will never learn the ways of our grandfathers and traditional knowledge will be lost."
The project was initially planned to include a hatchery, a research and development laboratory and a training centre for the commercial development of the Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). However, local people do not know where the hatchery is (or if there is one) and there is no sign of the promised training centre or processing plant.
Another local farmer and fisherman, also a member of the G6 collective, says that the shrimp farm developments over 2300 acres have significantly depleted resources and affected the livelihood of subsistence farmers and fishermen in the area. Speaking at a press conference organised by Sabah Environmental Protection Association (SEPA) in 2015, he said: "We now have remaining about 1,000 acres of mangrove land which has a sensitive biosystem and hold our livelihood as well as traditional practises like traditional medicine, building materials and sacred sites.
"We are concerned that any further expansion of the farm into this land will permanently and completely destroy our source of income and livelihood on the very ground that we have lived on for eight generations now."
Local sources report that the clearing of mangrove areas started in April 2013, over a year before an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) review meeting was even held. Though Sabah's Environmental Protection Department (EPD) issued a first stop work order in September 2013 after a ground report was submitted to the EPD by SEPA, and a second in December 2013, clearing work continued. In January 2014 EPD approved only infrastructure (water and electricity) works, but work on ponds and clearing continued, as can be clearly seen on satellite images, accessed by MAP.
Media in Sabah reported that Sunlight Inno Seafood Sdn Bhd, was issued with stop-work orders and fines last year after it clear-felled the area without receiving official approvals.
SEPA president Lanash Thanda commented on the abuse of process in this partly-state sponsored development: "Environmental laws have been put into place as safeguards for the benefit and protection of all our futures and the breakdown of this law and rule process should be as serious as any other crime and not as something that can be ignored".
According to her, the law is clear – there should be no development activities until the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is approved.
"This situation raises alarming questions with regards to other development projects. Does this mean that projects that are government linked do not have to follow the law?
She added: "Mangroves are crucial to our fisheries industry, to wildlife and the local community who rely on the sources of income derived from the natural resources available. You cannot rebuild a destroyed ecosystem such as this. And this project is 39 times the size of the Kota Kinabalu Wetlands, so it is a sizeable area that has been destroyed to do an aquaculture project."
Media Links and further sources
1) Feature article: 'Poverty alleviation' shrimp farms destroy mangrove forest, grab indigenous land'. The Ecologist (Camilla Capasso). 17th November 2016 [click to view]
2) News article: 'RM360 mil Pitas shrimp project bad idea'. Free Malaysia Today. December 31, 2013.[click to view]
3) News article: 'Thousands of Sabah poor rail against expansion of mega shrimp project'. Malay Mail on-line. 27 April 2016. [click to view]
4) News article: 'Pitas Shrimp Park needs EIA'. 12 Jan, 2015 The Star Online. [click to view]
5) News article: 'Pitas Shrimp Park, a $277 Million Project'. Shrimp News. December 21, 2014. [click to view]
6) News article: 'Sedia to develop 1,000 acres in Pitas for shrimp farming'. Daily Express (East Malaysia), January 24, 2014 [click to view]
7) News article: 'Pitas aquaculture park an eco-hazard, say villagers'. The Star, 2 March 2014. [click to view]
8) News Article: 'Destruction of mangroves continues in Pitas'. The Borneo Post. January 12, 2015. [click to view]
9) News Article: 'Sabah CM hails Pitas prawn project'. The Sun Daily. 20 December 2014. [click to view]
10) News Article: Mongabay Series: Global Forest Reporting Network: 'Communities struggle to save Sabah's shrinking mangroves'. 13 September, 2017. [click to view]
11) Call to Action for solidarity with the Pitas communities shared by Land Rights Now, 2017. [click to view]
12) MAP Action Alert: 'Save the Mangrove Forest in Pitas (Sabah), Eastern Malaysia'. January 2017 [Click here]
13) Video: 'Voices from Pitas'. A short documentary produced jointly by Caroline Pang with Sabah Environmental Protection Association. [click to view]
14) Video on the situation in Pitas. The last of the mangroves - Bakau Terakhir [click to view]
15) Picture: Villagers complain (image by Julia Chan) [click to view]


text:
Yumbox PANINO Lunchbox - Mystic Aqua
(ProductCode: YU4R0S734XXXXX)
Customer Reviews:
Introducing a new way to pack school or kindy lunch! The YumBox Panino lunchbox has 4 easy to fill compartments. No more packing big rolls or sandwiches that come home untouched.
There is a simple to follow picture on the base of your YumBox to give you a hand in the morning when coming up with lunchbox ideas can be the last thing you want to think about.
Yumbox is a leakproof container! Yumbox's silicone lid engages with the tray to create a tight seal keeping food contents in place, including wet foods like yogurt and applesauce (not water). Foods will not leak between compartments or outside of the box.
No need for all those annoying little containers anymore! If your house is like mine, the lids never match the containers! And when you finally find little containers with a lid, they won't fit in your lunch box!!!
Simple to pack, fun to eat!
Pack Yumbox for all of your meals on-the-go. School, travel, play and work.
Balance & Portion Control:Yumbox's pre-portioned illustrated trays guide you to packing healthy and hassle-free lunches! Now with two smart options: 6-compartment Yumbox encourages variety and healthy eating habits; and 4-compartment Yumbox Panino offers more volume for sandwich/salads, sides and your favourite dip or treat.
Leakproof Single Lid:Pack applesauce next to crackers with no worries! Yumbox's unique single lid, seals all food wells individually. Food won't touch or leak outside of the box. No baggies! No lost lids! No mess!
Reuse, Reduce and Save! Yumbox saves you money by eliminating the need forbaggies, multiple containers, plastic wrap and snack packs. Pack a waste free lunch. All food safe materials, BPA-free and phthalates-free.
Think Green:
Kid Friendly:Yumbox is lightweight and compact with an easy-open latch. It fits neatly into a standard size thermal lunch totes. Yumbox is ideal for toddlers, kids of all ages and adults. Pack Yumbox for school, play and work.
Educational & Fun:Turn your meals into a food adventure for you and your child. Offering a healthy variety of foods will instill good eating habits the fun way!
Size Info:
Yumbox is perfect for little kids! Yumbox is compact and easy for kids to fit in their bags.
Yumbox Original measures approximately 8.5 (L) x 6.5 (W) x 1.8 (H) inches and weighs 1 lbs 1.5 oz.
Care of your Yumbox:
Yumbox's exterior shell is not microwave safe. We do not recommend microwaving the inner tray. Yumbox is designed for serving cold or room temperature foods. If foods that require reheating are being packed, we recommend using removable silicone cups.
Yumbox is dishwasher safe. Top rack only. We highly recommend hand washing the outer shell and/or removing it before the heat dry cycle. Yumbox has been tested at temperature 65C/149F, 110 min. cycle. Yumbox is made with ABS (exterior box), Tritan (tray), and silicone (seal). Yumbox is designed with rounded edges and smooth surfaces to make hand washing easy.
Special Care instructions for the silicone seal: Please be sure to empty contents each day, hand wash with warm soapy water and thoroughly dry your Yumbox before storing. Also, if you live in a damp or humid environment, leave Yumbox ajar, not sealed when storing. If you pack oily foods regularly, coat with a baking soda paste once a week overnight to avoid build-up.
YumBox Ice Packs (4-pack)$19.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Mystic Aqua$44.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Stardust Pink$44.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Luna Blue$44.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Brooklyn Green$44.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Liberty Blue$44.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Tribeca Pink$44.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Bijoux Purple$44.95
Yumbox PANINO Lunchbox - Neptune Blue$44.95
Yumbox PANINO Lunchbox - Brooklyn Green$44.95
Yumbox PANINO Lunchbox - Luna Blue$44.95
Yumbox MiniSnack - Bijoux Purple$29.95
Yumbox MiniSnack - Cannes Blue$29.95
Yumbox MiniSnack - Cherie Pink$29.95
Yumbox MiniSnack - Neptune Blue$29.95
Yumbox Original BENTO Lunchbox - Neptune Blue$44.95
4-Compartment TAPAS Lunchbox - Amalfi Pink$51.95
4-Compartment TAPAS Lunchbox - Antibes Blue$51.95
5-Compartment TAPAS Lunchbox - Flat Iron Grey$51.95
TAPAS SPARE TRAY - 4-Compartment Clear$29.95
TAPAS SPARE TRAY -Compartment - New York$29.95
TAPAS SPARE TRAY 4-Compartment Flamingo$29.95
TAPAS SPARE TRAY 4-Compartment Hot Pink$29.95


text:
Status: Closed
Know more about this business than we do? Cool! Please submit any corrections or missing details you may have.Help us make it right
D & R Heating and Air provides heating and air conditioning services in Portland, OR and the surrounding areas.
D & R Heating and Air, Portland provide heating and air conditioning services in Portland, OR and the surrounding areas.
Be the first OregonLive.com user to add photos or videos of D & R Heating and Air, Portland
Excellent Service! I was very happy with the service provided by D & R Heating and Air, Portland.
by Mike M. Report Less
I'm really impressed by your good work. I will gladly recommend your service to everyone I know.
by Mike M. Report Less
D & R Heating & Air Conditioning can be found at Arndt Rd Ne 14122. The following is offered: Air Conditioning. The entry is present with us since Sep 8, 2010 and was last updated on Nov 14, 2013. In Canby there are 4 other Air Conditioning. An overview can be found here.
D & R Heating located in Portland, OR provides expert heating and air conditioning maintenance. Portland HVAC repair and maintenance is important to keeping your indoor environment comfortable. From gas furnace repair or maintenance, to duct cleaning to a complete heating and air conditioning system installed, D & R Heating will get it done accurately and professionally.


text:
Thoughts from the world of brand marketing and design.
"Craft" is a word at the heart of the American experience, emphasizing the mix of skills, smarts and strength of character necessary to create something truly remarkable. A commitment to craft demonstrates that your work is not just "a job," but rather a passion or true calling. It's why someone chooses to work in a patient care field that requires difficult personal sacrifices, but the satisfaction of helping those in need strongly outweighs the hardship. We see the commitment to craft all around us. As a consumer and marketer, I relish spotting someone that has chosen a field that aligns wit...Read More
Let's face it, few smells in the world are as distinct as an overused stadium restroom or company breakroom when someone burns microwave popcorn. As your mother might say, "This is not good dinner conversation…" but the reality is, a savvy business owner understands that ensuring a pleasant environment makes good business sense. Cintas is the nation's leading provider of products and services that help businesses improve their cleanliness, image and safety. When the company created its Signature Series™ Air Fresheners to combat the disagreeable smells of American workplaces and public areas, i...Read More
Though the image of the solo creative genius is inspiring, you might be surprised to know that, for centuries, artists regularly used assistants and apprentices – Michelangelo, Rembrandt and Rubens all relied quite heavily on them in their studios. With the proper support, the work of one genius can be magnified. This is strikingly evident when viewing Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and then learning of the extensive support he received from numerous assistants who helped with everything from mixing paints and scrambling up and down ladders, to one highly trusted assistant being allowed to pain...Read More
More and more lately, as I'm scrolling through Facebook updates from friends and family of the Baby Boomer generation, the captions I'm reading are pretty impressive, almost to the point of envy: "We just got back from a two-week biking tour through Italy," "Dad has been playing the best golf of his life down here in Hilton Head, even got a hole in one today," or "My Mom, so excited about finishing her first 10k, she's now training for the NYC marathon next fall." These Facebook posts are not the exception, but the norm. Baby Boomers, ranging generally in age from 53-70 years old, are far from...Read More
Consumers can be fickle, deliberate, organized, chaotic, or all the above in a matter of minutes (or seconds). We know this as marketers, because we spend our days trying to better understand what they want and need. Not only that, but we are consumers as well. I try to remember my role as both marketer and consumer when I fill my Amazon shopping cart and then check prices at other sites in an attempt to get the best deal; or when my mom or sister recommends a new kitchen gadget and texts me a link. I think of this dual role when I'm comparing hotel rooms and flights, attempting to squeeze eve...Read More
Next month's Super Bowl 50 might as well be a national holiday. The game itself is sacred to the most loyal of fans. The real spectacle though, will be the events surrounding the game, from pregame festivities and the halftime extravaganza, to the national conversation about the best commercials. At $5 million per 30 seconds, these ads had better spark attention! If nothing else, Super Bowl 50 validates the old adage, "Go big or go home." From "go big" to "small and smart." Dwarfing other 2016 events, the grandeur of Super Bowl 50 and all the attention it receives makes a marketer's heart flut...Read More
Nothing can make a somewhat hip parent feel old like an afternoon of hanging out with a pack of 11-year-olds. You enter their world and it's a swirl of synthesized music, pounding beats, bright colors and styles, and even a stylized lingo that only they seem to fully understand. These kids are a regular cyclone of sounds and snacks, eating and singing their way across what you once considered a tranquil home, but now appears as a colonized tween nation. Then in a split-second, they've moved off to the seclusion of bedrooms and rec rooms, sanctuaries away from "uncool" parents, leaving you sitt...Read More
As a kid in third grade, I was the founding member of the "KISS Kool Klub." Like millions of young fans across the globe, KISS spoke to my friends and I musically and visually. Actually, my fascination with the group also landed me in hot water. Even back then, I was obsessed with drawing and graphic design. Well, give a youngster who loves to sketch a ballpoint pen and the school bus seat in front of him as a canvas, and you can imagine what happened next – I drew the KISS logo and the faces of the band members on that seat. I thought it was quality work, but it got me kicked off the bus for...Read More
On several occasions, I've gotten to experience what I can only describe as the startup rush – that shot of adrenaline our team feels when meeting with a new client preparing to enter the marketplace. It's inspiring to witness the undeniable gleam in a client's eyes and their sense of determination as they share how their product or service will succeed in winning over customers and investors in a competitive landscape. These startup clients already have a strong advantage – they recognize that branding is not a luxury, but a vital investment of their capital. As soon as they had enough busine...Read More
New York City has long been known as the ad capital of the United States but, when it comes to brand marketing, the Queen City aims to be King. Cincinnati, Ohio has been making a solid case for becoming the next great marketing hub in the U.S. In fact, Ad Age recently called Cincinnati "the center of the consumer marketing universe." The strong concentration of consumer branding has, over time, attracted a broader range of marketing communication professionals – bringing fresh thinking to a town once solely known as P&G country. 3 Reasons Cincinnati is No Longer a Flyover Town in the Marcom W...Read More


text:
Laurel, Gary and Mark Practice Zorba Ahead Of Paniyiri Greek Festival!
We are so excited for the 2015 Paniyiri Greek Festival that we decided to get a head start on our Zorba.
Watch Laurel, Gary and Mark spreading cheer around the office on a Friday!!
Guaranteed for some laughs!
See you at the Paniyiri Greek Festival from 23 - 24 May 2015!


text:
Would you believe that my baby went and turned six months old yesterday? How dare he! This half year mark has sure come around quickly. Having said that, there have certainly been days (and nights for that matter) that have felt like entire lifetimes! But on the whole time has flown and I'm left feeling a bit sad that his babyhood seems to be happening ever so hastily.
Yet even with all my sentimentality, I still haven't quite managed to keep on top of documenting all his progress like I should be. At this point in Amelia's little life I think we'd already filled an entire external hard drive with photos of her! So, I'm afraid he's suffering from classic second child syndrome in that respect. But to mark his six month milestone yesterday I thought I should at least pull out a camera other than the one on my phone and snap a few pics of him at this sweet stage. At six months he is full of smiles and laughter, jabbers away in his own language, has started solids and proven to be a very good eater, rolls, does 'the worm' and army crawls his way around the room, is always ready to greet you with a wet open mouth kiss, and is generally just a total joy to have around … except for when he's teething or very tired – then we've been known to have thoughts of selling him to the gypsies. You know you've all thought the same with your kids too!
But if by miracle I had a few more hours in the day, a couple extra pairs of hands or was just slightly more of a Super Mum, then here are a few ways I would be documenting my baby's development.
There are a whole slew of ideas and inspiration via Pinterest (which is where I found the images above), so take a look and remember your baby's first year goes by fast – so regardless of how creative, just capture what you can!


text:
Formats and tools
- Unit Description
- Reconstruct the unit from the xml and display it as an HTML page.
- Assessment Tool
- an assessor resource that builds a framework for writing an assessment tool
- Assessment Template
- generate a spreadsheet for marking this unit in a classroom environment. Put student names in the top row and check them off as they demonstrate competenece for each of the unit's elements and performance criteria.
- Assessment Matrix
- a slightly different format than the assessment template. A spreadsheet with unit names, elements and performance criteria in separate columns. Put assessment names in column headings to track which performance criteria each one covers. Good for ensuring that you've covered every one of the performance criteria with your assessment instrument (all assessement tools together).
- Wiki Markup
- mark up the unit in a wiki markup codes, ready to copy and paste into a wiki page. The output will work in most wikis but is designed to work particularly well as a Wikiversity learning project.
- Evidence Guide
- create an evidence guide for workplace assessment and RPL applicants
- Competency Mapping Template
- Unit of Competency Mapping – Information for Teachers/Assessors – Information for Learners. A template for developing assessments for a unit, which will help you to create valid, fair and reliable assessments for the unit, ready to give to trainers and students
- Observation Checklist
- create an observation checklist for workplace assessment and RPL applicants. This is similar to the evidence guide above, but a little shorter and friendlier on your printer. You will also need to create a seperate Assessor Marking Guide for guidelines on gathering evidence and a list of key points for each activity observed using the unit's range statement, required skills and evidence required (see the unit's html page for details)
- Self Assessment Survey
- A form for students to assess thier current skill levels against each of the unit's performance criteria. Cut and paste into a web document or print and distribute in hard copy.
- Moodle Outcomes
- Create a csv file of the unit's performance criteria to import into a moodle course as outcomes, ready to associate with each of your assignments. Here's a quick 'how to' for importing these into moodle 2.x
- Registered Training Organisations
- Trying to find someone to train or assess you? This link lists all the RTOs that are currently registered to deliver UEPMNT312B, 'Maintain industrial pressure vessels'.
- Google Links
- links to google searches, with filtering in place to maximise the usefulness of the returned results
- Books
- Reference books for 'Maintain industrial pressure vessels' on fishpond.com.au. This online store has a huge range of books, pretty reasonable prices, free delivery in Australia *and* they give a small commission to ntisthis.com for every purchase, so go nuts :)
Elements and Performance Criteria
Plan and prepare for the work
Work requirements are identified from request/work orders or equivalent and clarified/confirmed with appropriate parties or by site inspection
Occupational Health and Safety standards, statutory requirements, relevant Australian standards, codes of practice, manufacturers' specifications, environmental requirements and enterprise procedures are identified, applied and monitored throughout the work procedure
Resources required to satisfy the work plan are identified, obtained and inspected for compliance with the job specifications
Relevant plans, drawings and texts are selected and interpreted in accordance with the work plan
Correct size, type and quantity of materials/components are determined, obtained and inspected for compliance with the job specifications
Work is planned in detail including sequencing and prioritising and considerations made, where appropriate, for the maintenance of plant security and capacity in accordance with system/site requirements
Coordination requirements, including requests for isolations where appropriate, are resolved with others involved, affected or required by the work
Potential hazards are identified and prevention and/or control measures are selected in accordance with the work plan and site procedures
Work area is prepared in accordance with work requirements and site procedures
Where appropriate, the teams and individuals roles and responsibilities within the team are identified and, where required, assist in the provision of on-the-job training
Remove associated equipment to facilitate maintenance
Equipment isolation and depressurisation is confirmed visually and manually, as required in accordance with the work plan
Pressure vessels are disconnected in accordance with the work plan
Pressure vessel associated equipment is removed in a manner which will assist in replacement in accordance with the work plan
Pressure vessel is inspected for abnormalities in accordance with the work plan
Dismantle and maintain pressure vessel
Hazardous material is identified and arrangements made for clearance from work site in accordance with statutory requirements
Internal and external components are systematically dismantled, marked and recorded in accordance with work plan
Components are refurbished, catalogued and stored for re-assembly in accordance with work plan and manufacturer specifications
Gasket and seal requirements are assessed, manufactured or obtained in accordance with the work plan and manufacturer specifications
Vessel mountings are maintained as required in accordance with the work plan and manufacturer specifications
Internal piping or tubing is tested and expanded, or replaced as required in accordance with the work plan and manufacturer specifications
Reassemble pressure vessel
Internal/external components are systematically reassembled in accordance with the work plan and manufacturer specifications
Associated equipment is aligned and replaced in accordance with the work plan
Fastenings are torqued in accordance with specifications and the work plan
Vessel is pressure tested, monitored and adjusted if required in accordance with the work plan and site/statutory requirements
Complete the work
Work is completed and appropriate personnel notified in accordance with site/enterprise requirements
Work area is cleared of waste, cleaned, restored and secured in accordance with site/enterprise procedures
Plant, tools and equipment are maintained and stored in accordance with site/enterprise procedures
Work completion details are finalised in accordance with site/enterprise procedures


text:
It has been announced that The Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and other members of The Royal Family will attend a memorial service for the late Lord Snowdon.
Princess Margaret's former husband died peacefully at the age of 86 in the January of this year.
The service will take place in St Margaret's Church at Westminster Abbey on Friday 7th April.
The Dean of Westminster, The Very Reverend Dr John Hall, will conduct the Service of Thanksgiving.
Lord Snowdon and Princess Margaret had two children together before they separated, David Armstrong-Jones, Viscount Linley, and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones.
The announcement of his engagement to Margaret, on 26 February 1960, took the press by surprise. Margaret had taken care to conceal the romance from reporters.
On 11 July 1978, the Snowdons' divorce was finalised. It was the first divorce of a senior Royal since Princess Victoria of Edinburgh in 1901. Though her marriage to Lord Snowdon had begun with great happiness, with the addition of their children David and Sarah, their unhappiness began to be well known within the family and eventually in March 1976, an announcement was made regarding their separation.
In December 1978, he was married again, to Lucy Lindsay-Hogg and they had a daughter, Lady Frances, the next year. He continued his womanising ways and had a long affair with journalist Ann Hills, who committed suicide in 1996. At the age of 68, he fathered a son, Jasper, with 33-year-old Melanie Cable-Alexander, also a journalist. After this, he and Lucy finally divorced.
He became increasingly disabled from his childhood polio, although he continued to travel and work as a photographer.


text:
23: Dedication in the front of JILL MANSELL'S next bookPosted: March 13, 2011 Filed under: Book dedication | Tags: Jill Mansell 31 Comments
ITEM: Dedication in the front of Jill Mansell's next book.
DETAILS: Hi, I'm Jill Mansell, romantic comedy novelist. I've written twenty two books and sold over five million copies to date.
For this auction I'm offering the dedication which will be printed in the front of every edition of my next book, due to be published next February. Something along the lines of: This book is dedicated with grateful thanks to XXXXXXXXXXX for so generously supporting Authors for Japan, set up on 12th March 2011 to raise funds for victims of the earthquake. (But it doesn't have to say that – it can be whatever you would like the dedication to say. Within reason!)
And of course I'll sign and send the very first copy off to you before the rest go into the shops.
Please bid for this – I'll look such a numpty if no one does!


text:
- Nano Express
- Open Access
Influence of Y-doped induced defects on the optical and magnetic properties of ZnO nanorod arrays prepared by low-temperature hydrothermal process
- Chung-Yuan Kung†1Email author,
- San-Lin Young†2Email author,
- Hone-Zern Chen2,
- Ming-Cheng Kao2,
- Lance Horng3,
- Yu-Tai Shih3,
- Chen-Cheng Lin1,
- Teng-Tsai Lin1 and
- Chung-Jen Ou4
© Lin et al.; licensee Springer. 2012
- Received: 29 November 2011
- Accepted: 22 June 2012
- Published: 7 July 2012
One-dimensional pure zinc oxide (ZnO) and Y-doped ZnO nanorod arrays have been successfully fabricated on the silicon substrate for comparison by a simple hydrothermal process at the low temperature of 90°C. The Y-doped nanorods exhibit the same c-axis-oriented wurtzite hexagonal structure as pure ZnO nanorods. Based on the results of photoluminescence, an enhancement of defect-induced green-yellow visible emission is observed for the Y-doped ZnO nanorods. The decrease of E2(H) mode intensity and increase of E1(LO) mode intensity examined by the Raman spectrum also indicate the increase of defects for the Y-doped ZnO nanorods. As compared to pure ZnO nanorods, Y-doped ZnO nanorods show a remarked increase of saturation magnetization. The combination of visible photoluminescence and ferromagnetism measurement results indicates the increase of oxygen defects due to the Y doping which plays a crucial role in the optical and magnetic performances of the ZnO nanorods.
- Y-doped ZnO nanorods
- Wurtzite
- Saturation magnetization
- Photoluminescence
- Ferromagnetism
The II-VI semiconductor zinc oxide (ZnO) with a direct wide bandgap (3.37 eV) and a large exciton binding energy (60 meV) has attracted substantial attention in the research community [1–3]. Although ZnO had been researched for the past decades, the renewed interests are focused on the low-dimensional nanostructures, such as nanoparticles [4], nanowires [5], nanarods [6], and nanotubes [7], due to brand new fundamental physical properties and applications of nanodevices. Progressive studies on the performance improvement of these one-dimensional nanostructured ZnOs for optoelectronic device applications have been performed by various growth methods, such as hydrothermal methods [8], vapor–liquid–solid [9], metal organic vapor-phase epitaxy [10], and pulsed laser deposition [11] and doped with impurities, such as Ag [12], Li [13], and P [14]. Besides, effective mass production process of ZnO nanowires by a modified carbothermal reduction method has been also reported [15]. Recent researches further denoted that nanostructured ZnO with large effective surface area is suitable for ultraviolet devices and photovoltaic applications, such as light-emitting diodes [16], nanolasers [17], photodetectors [18], field emitters [19], chemical sensors [20], and photo-electrodes in dye-sensitized solar cells [21].
Recently, the observation of ferromagnetism with high Curie temperature in III-V and II-VI semiconductors has also attracted a great deal of attentions [22–24]. Room temperature ferromagnetism of ZnO doped with transition metals has been also theoretically predicted and experimentally confirmed for spintronics applications [25, 26]. In order to form diluted magnetic semiconductors, ZnO nanostructures have been doped with magnetic metal elements, such as Mn, Co, or Ni [27]. Recently, some researches declared that ferromagnetism had been obtained from undoped nanostructured ZnO and suggested to be induced by defects [28]. Non-magnetic elements, such Bi [29] or Li [30], have been doped into ZnO and room temperature ferromagnetism has been also observed. Therefore, ferromagnetism would not originate from the non-magnetic dopants since they do not contribute to ferromagnetism.
Based on the previous reports [1–30], one of the effective ways to approach the optical and magnetic properties of these nanostructured materials is the doping with selective elements. By choosing suitable rare-earth dopant, modification of the properties can be anticipated. In this present study, we will focus on the doping effect of larger non-magnetic element Y on the structural property of Y-doped ZnO (ZnO:Y) nanorods. In addition, the defect-related origin of optical and magnetic properties will be also discussed.
The ZnO and ZnO:Y nanorod arrays were fabricated by hydrothermal method on the ZnO-seeded silicon substrate. Pure ZnO seed layers for both nanorod compositions were firstly deposited on silicon substrate by spin coating technique. Then, the source solutions for ZnO and ZnO:Y nanorods growth were prepared using the precursors, zinc acetate dihydrate Zn(C2H3O2)22H2O and yttrium acetate hydrate Y(C2H3O2)34H2O, in stoichiometric proportions within a blending solvent of de-ionized water and HMTA ((CH2)6 N4). Then, the seeded substrate was placed upside down into the solution contained in a closed vial at 90°C for 3 h to grow the nanorods. Finally, the samples were rinsed with de-ionized water and dried in air for characterization.
The crystal structure was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectrum using a Rigaku D/max 2200 X-ray diffractometer (Rigaku Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) with Cu-Kα radiation. Morphological characterization was observed using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM, JEOL JSM-6700 F, JEOL Ltd., Akishima, Tokyo, Japan) at 3.0 kV. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) was utilized to identify the elemental distribution. Room temperature photoluminescence (RTPL) spectroscope was used to measure optical emissions from 350 to 645 nm using the He-Cd laser with wavelength of 325 nm. Raman spectra of the samples were measured with an excitation wavelength of 532 nm from argon laser. Finally, the magnetization measurements were performed using a MicroMag™ 2900 alternative gradient magnetometer (AGM) (Princeton Measurements Corp., Princeton, NJ, USA) at room temperature to investigate the magnetic properties of ZnO and ZnO:Y nanorods.
Results and discussion
Under the hydrothermal conditions, HMTA will hydrolyze and release NH3 to provide (OH)−. Finally, the reaction of Zn2+ and (OH)− brings the products, ZnO and H2O. It is obvious that HMTA plays a key role to form Zn-O bonds. The (002) plane of wurtzite-structured ZnO is terminated with Zn2+, resulting in polar top surfaces with positive charge. In the chemical solution, non-polar HMTA will precedently chelate the non-polar facets except the polar (002) plane for epitaxial method. Therefore, a preferential growth along (002) is reasonably observed. Meanwhile, substitution of Y for Zn during the growth of nanorods can be obtained, which is similar to the synthesized process of Ce-doped ZnO nanorods [32]. Compared with ZnO nanorods, the XRD spectrum of ZnO:Y nanorods exhibits obvious single diffraction peak of (002) and two slight peaks of (101) and (100) as shown in the inset of Figure 1. The obvious decrease of (002) diffraction peak intensity for ZnO:Y nanorods shows the restrain of the crystallization compared with ZnO samples. The result also indicates the suppression of growth rate along (002) crystal plane and slight enhancement of growth rate along (101) and (100) crystal planes. Besides, the decrease of a-axle lattice constants from 3.2526 to 3.2576 Å and c-axle lattice constant from 5.1849 to 5.1904 Å is obtained from the 2θ angles of diffraction peaks measured from ZnO and ZnO:Y nanorods. The reason is that the radius of Y3+ ion (0.92 Å) is larger than that of Zn2+ ion (0.74 Å), and the doping of Y into ZnO nanorods should lead the increase of a- and c-axis lattice constants and, correspondingly, the shift of all diffraction peaks towards lower 2θ angle.
ZnO and ZnO:Y nanorods have been successfully synthesized at a low temperature by hydrothermal method. The correlation between the Y-doped induced defects in the ZnO:Y nanorods and their structural, optical, and magnetic properties was studied in details. It was found that the doping of Y results in the increase of defects which also affects the corresponding structural, optical, and magnetic properties of the nanorods. The XRD spectra show that crystallization is suppressed by the doping of Y in the nanorods. The increase of visible emission in RTPL spectra and E1(LO) intensity in Raman spectra demonstrates that the doping of Y will increase the doping-induced defects in the nanorods. Magnetization curve measurements show the room temperature ferromagnetism of both nanorods. Finally, the combination of the optical and magnetic measurement results reveals that the oxygen defects play a crucial role in introducing ferromagnetism which can be enhanced by the doping of Y in the ZnO nanorods.
Authors' information
C-YK is a professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University. S-LY, H-ZC, and M-CK are professors of the Department of Electronic Engineering, Hsiuping University of Science and Technology. LH and Y-TS are professors of the Department of Physics, National Changhua University of Education. C-CL and T-TL are Ph.D. students. C-JO is a professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Hsiuping University of Science and Technology.
This work was sponsored by the National Science Council of the Republic of China under the grant numbers NSC 101-2221-E-164-004 and NSC 99-2221-E-005-103.
Authors' Affiliations
- Özgür Ü, Alivov YI, Liu C, Teke A, Reshchikov MA, Doğan S, Avrutin V, Cho SJ, Morkoç H: A comprehensive review of ZnO materials and devices. J Appl Phys 2005, 98: 041301. 10.1063/1.1992666View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Lim JH, Kang CK, Kim KK, Park IK, Park SJ: UV electroluminescence emission from ZnO light-emitting diodes grown by high-temperature radio frequency sputtering. Adv Mater 2006, 18: 2720. 10.1002/adma.200502633View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Norton DP, Heo YW, Ivill MP, Ip KA, Pearton SJ, Chisholm MF, Steiner T: ZnO: growth, doping & processing. Mater Today 2004, 7: 34.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Segets D, Marczak R, Schafer S, Paula C, Gnichwitz JF, Hirsch A, Peukert W: Experimental and theoretical studies of the colloidal stability of nanoparticles − a general interpretation based on stability maps. ACS Nano 2011, 5: 4658. 10.1021/nn200465bView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Wei Y, Wu W, Guo R, Yuan D, Das S, Wang ZL: Wafer-scale high-throughput ordered growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanowire arrays. Nano Lett 2010, 10: 3414. 10.1021/nl1014298View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Zhang BP, Binh NT, Wakatsuki K, Segawa Y, Kashiwaba Y, Haga K: Synthesis and optical properties of single crystal ZnO nanorods. Nanotechnology 2004, 15: S382. 10.1088/0957-4484/15/6/012View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Li Q, Kumar V, Li Y, Zhang H, Marks TJ, Chang RPH: Fabrication of ZnO nanorods and nanotubes in aqueous solutions. Chem Mater 2005, 17: 1001. 10.1021/cm048144qView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Solís-Pomar F, Martínez E, Meléndrez MF, Pérez-Tijerina E: Growth of vertically aligned ZnO nanorods using textured ZnO films. Nanoscale Res Lett 2011, 6: 524. 10.1186/1556-276X-6-524View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Yang L, Yang J, Wang D, Zhang Y, Wang Y, Liu H, Fan H, Lang J: Photoluminescence and Raman analysis of ZnO nanowires deposited on Si(1 0 0) via vapor–liquid–solid process. Physica E 2008, 40: 920. 10.1016/j.physe.2007.11.025View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Wu CC, Wuu DS, Lin PR, Chen TN, Horng RH: Effects of growth conditions on structural properties of ZnO nanostructures on sapphire substrate by metal–organic chemical vapor deposition. Nanoscale Res Lett 2009, 4: 377. 10.1007/s11671-009-9257-2View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Son HJ, Jeon KA, Kim CE, Kim JH, Yoo KH, Lee SY: Synthesis of ZnO nanowires by pulsed laser deposition in furnace. Appl Surf Sci 2007, 253: 7848. 10.1016/j.apsusc.2007.02.098View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Kim K, Debnath PC, Lee DH, Kim S, Lee SY: Effects of silver impurity on the structural, electrical, and optical properties of ZnO nanowires. Nanoscale Res Lett 2011, 6: 552. 10.1186/1556-276X-6-552View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Lin CC, Young SL, Kung CY, Chen HZ, Kao MC, Horng L, Shih YT: Structural dependence of photoluminescence and room-temperature ferromagnetism in lightly Cu-doped ZnO nanorods. IEEE Trans Magn 2011, 647: 3366.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Limpijumnong S, Gordon L, Miao M, Janotti A, Van de Walle CG: Alternative sources of p-type conduction in acceptor-doped ZnO. Appl Phys Lett 2010, 97: 072112. 10.1063/1.3481069View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Zhou Z, Zhan C, Wang Y, Su Y, Yang Z, Zhang Y: Rapid mass production of ZnO nanowires by a modified carbothermal reduction method. Mater Lett 2011, 65: 832. 10.1016/j.matlet.2010.12.032View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Sadaf JR, Israr MQ, Kishwar S, Nur O, Willander M: White electroluminescence using ZnO nanotubes/GaN heterostructure light-emitting diode. Nanoscale Res Lett 2010, 5: 957. 10.1007/s11671-010-9588-zView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Zhang C, Zhang F, Xia T, Kumar N, Hahm JI, Liu J, Wang ZL, Xu J: Low-threshold two-photon pumped ZnO nanowire lasers. Opt Express 2009, 17: 7893. 10.1364/OE.17.007893View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Dhara S, Giri PK: Enhanced UV photosensitivity from rapid thermal annealed vertically aligned ZnO nanowires. Nanoscale Res Lett 2011, 6: 504. 10.1186/1556-276X-6-504View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Li C, Fang GJ, Liu NH, Li J, Liao L, Su FH, Li GH, Wu XG, Zhao XZ: Structural, photoluminescence, and field emission properties of vertically well-aligned ZnO nanorod arrays. J Phys Chem C 2007, 111: 12566. 10.1021/jp0737808View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Park JY, Choi SW, Kim SS: Fabrication of a highly sensitive chemical sensor based on ZnO nanorod arrays. Nanoscale Res Lett 2010, 5: 353. 10.1007/s11671-009-9487-3View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Baxter JB, Aydil ES: Nanowire-based dye-sensitized solar cells. Appl Phys Lett 2009, 86: 053114.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Coey JMD, Venkatesan M, Fitzgerald CB: Donor impurity band exchange in dilute ferromagnetic oxides. Nature Mater 2005, 4: 173. 10.1038/nmat1310View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Liu C, Yun F, Morkoc H: Ferromagnetism of ZnO and GaN: a review. J Mater Sci Mater Electron 2005, 16: 555. 10.1007/s10854-005-3232-1View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Mishra DK, Kumar P, Sharma MK, Das J, Singh SK, Roul BK, Varma S, Chatterjee R, Srinivasu VV, Kanjilal D: Ferromagnetism in ZnO single crystal. Phys B: Condens Matter 2010, 405: 2659. 10.1016/j.physb.2010.03.047View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Xu H, Rosa AL, Frauenheim T, Zhang RQ: N-doped ZnO nanowires: surface segregation, the effect of hydrogen passivation and applications in spintronics. Phys Status Solidi (b) 2010, 247: 2195. 10.1002/pssb.201046059View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Ahmad M, Zhu J: ZnO based advanced functional nanostructures: synthesis, properties and applications. J Mater Chem 2011, 21: 599. 10.1039/c0jm01645dView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Pearton SJ, Norton DP, Ivill MP, Hebard AF, Zavada JM, Chen WM, Buyanova IA: ZnO doped with transition metal ions. IEEE Trans Electron Devices 2007, 54: 1040.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Seshadri R: Zinc oxide-based diluted magnetic semiconductors. Curr Opin Solid State Mater Sci 2006, 9: 1.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Xu C, Chun J, Kim D, Chon B, Joo T: Structural characterization and low temperature growth of ferromagnetic Bi-Cu codoped ZnO bicrystal nanowires. Appl Phys Lett 2007, 91: 153104. 10.1063/1.2791005View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Yi JB, Lim CC, Xing GZ, Fan HM, Van LH, Huang SL, Yang KS, Huang XL, Qin XB, Wang BY, Wu T, Wang L, Zhang HT, Gao XY, Liu T, Wee ATS, Feng YP, Ding J: Ferromagnetism in dilute magnetic semiconductors through defect engineering: Li-doped ZnO. Phys Rev Lett 2010, 104: 137201.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Sugunan A, Warad HC, Boman M, Dutta J: Zinc oxide nanowires in chemical bath on seeded substrates: role of hexamine. J Sol–gel Sci Tech 2006, 39: 49. 10.1007/s10971-006-6969-yView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Jung YI, Noh BY, Lee YS, Baek SH, Kim JH, Park IK: Visible emission from Ce-doped ZnO nanorods grown by hydrothermal method without a post thermal annealing process. Nanoscale Res Lett 2012, 7: 43. 10.1186/1556-276X-7-43View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Selim FA, Weber MH, Solodovnikov D, Lynn KG: Nature of native defects in ZnO. Phys Rev Lett 2007, 99: 085502.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Zhao X, Shen D, Zhanf D, Li J, Wang X, Fan X: ZnO nanorod arrays grown under different pressures and their photoluminescence properties. J Lumin 2007, 122–123: 766.Google Scholar
- Li D, Leung YH, Djurisic AB, Liu ZT, Xie MH, Shi SL, Xu SJ, Chan WK: Different origins of visible luminescence in ZnO nanostructures fabricated by the chemical and evaporation methods. Appl Phys Lett 2004, 85: 1601. 10.1063/1.1786375View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Li GR, Lu XH, Wang ZL, Yu XL, Tong YX: Controllable electrochemical synthesis of La3+/ZnO hierarchical nanostructures and their optical and magnetic properties. Electrochim Acta 2010, 55: 3687. 10.1016/j.electacta.2010.01.111View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Liu W, Li W, Hu Z, Tang Z, Tang X: Effect of oxygen defects on ferromagnetic of undoped ZnO. J Appl Phys 2011, 110: 013901. 10.1063/1.3601107View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Cheng HM, Hsu HC, Chen SL, Wu WT, Kao CC, Lin LJ, Hsieh WF: Efficient UV photoluminescence from monodispersed secondary ZnO colloidal spheres synthesized by sol–gel method. J Crystal Growth 2005, 277: 192. 10.1016/j.jcrysgro.2004.12.133View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Kenanakis G, Androulidaki M, Vernardou D, Katsarakis N, Koudoumas E: Photoluminescence study of ZnO structures grown by aqueous chemical growth. Thin Solid Films 2011, 520: 1353. 10.1016/j.tsf.2011.04.123View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Zhao Y, Jiang Y: Investigation of room temperature UV emission of ZnO films with different defect densities induced by laser irradiation. Spectrochim Acta A 2010, 76: 336. 10.1016/j.saa.2010.03.015View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Yatsui T, Shimizu T, Yamamoto Y, Kourogi M, Ohtsu M, Lee GH: Near-field ultraviolet photoluminescence spectroscopy for evaluating the crystallinity of polycrystalline zinc oxide. Appl Phys Lett 2001, 79: 2369. 10.1063/1.1410357View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- McCluskey MD, Jokela SJ: Defects in ZnO. J Appl Phy 2009, 106: 071101. 10.1063/1.3216464View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Alim KA, Fonoberov VA, Shamsa M, Balandina AA: Micro-Raman investigation of optical phonons in ZnO nanocrystals. J Appl Phys 2005, 97: 124313. 10.1063/1.1944222View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Calleja JM, Cardona M: Resonant Raman scattering in ZnO. Phys Rev B 1977, 16: 3753. 10.1103/PhysRevB.16.3753View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Rajalakshmi M, Arora AK, Bendre BS, Shailaja M: Optical phonon confinement in zinc oxide nanoparticles. J Appl Phys 2000, 87: 2445. 10.1063/1.372199View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Sharma SK, Exarhos GJ: Raman spectroscopic investigation of ZnO and doped ZnO films, nanoparticles and bulk material at ambient and high pressures. Solid State Phenom 1997, 55: 32.View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Wang X, Li Q, Liu Z, Zhang J, Liu Z, Wang R: Low-temperature growth and properties of ZnO nanowires. Appl Phys Lett 2004, 84: 4941. 10.1063/1.1760594View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Wu JJ, Liu SC: Catalyst-free growth and characterization of ZnO nanorods. J Phys Chem B 2002, 106: 9546. 10.1021/jp025969jView ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Iqbal J, Liu X, Zhu H, Pan C, Zhang Y, Yu D, Yu R: Trapping of Ce electrons in band gap and room temperature ferromagnetism of Ce4+ doped nanowires. J Appl Phys 2009, 106: 083515. 10.1063/1.3245325View ArticleGoogle Scholar
- Coey JMD, Venkatesan M, Fitzgerald CB: Donor impurity band exchange in dilute ferromagnetic oxides. Nat Mater 2005, 4: 173. 10.1038/nmat1310View ArticleGoogle Scholar
This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.


text:
|Five Things You Need to Know: The Joke's On Us. Also, the Tab.
By Kevin Depew JUN 26, 2008 1:00 PM
You know that plan awaiting action in the Senate to help ease the foreclosure crisis and how it's not really a bailout of banks? It turns out it's really a bailout of banks.
Kevin Depew's Five Things You Need to Know to stay ahead of the pack on Wall Street:
1. The Joke's On Us. Also, the Tab.
You know that plan awaiting action in the Senate to help ease the foreclosure crisis and how it's not really a bailout of banks? It turns out it's really a bailout of banks, which makes sense considering it was actually proposed by banks.
The Washington Post today takes a look at the mechanics of the proposal, first suggested by Credit Suisse (CS), which will essentially allow hundreds of thousands of homeowners to refinance their mortgages with lower-cost government-backed loans, very conveniently relieving the banks of the impaired debt. Bank of America (BAC) soon got in on the act with a more elaborate proposal of their own.
According to the Post article, lobbyists for the banks suggested banks take less than full payment for the distressed loans but, importantly, be allowed to take cash out of foreclosed properties that would otherwise sit on their books. "Since the new loans would be guaranteed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), taxpayers would ultimately pay for defaults," the Post notes. The price tag, according to the Congressional Budget Office? $1.7 billion over five years.
"The alternative to having the banks as participants was a massive federal bailout," House Financial Services Committee Chairman Rep. Barney Frank told the newspaper. "They [the banks] benefit, but they benefit by losing less."
2. Credit Markets In Driver's Seat
While the media focus this morning is on Research In Motion (RIMM), Oracle (ORCL) and tech stocks, markets are really under pressure because of the news from Belgium-based bank Fortis, which last night said it will need to raise capital to the tune of $12.5 billion USD. The bank also canceled its dividend.
This has rattled European credit markets, particularly the credit default swaps market, and has spilled over into U.S. credit markets.
Equities will eventually recognize that their future path is credit-contingent and that share prices are a manifestation of financial market health and stability, not a driver of it. That process of recognition may be happening even now.
3. Speaking of Foreclosures...
According to a piece this morning in USA Today, 61% of local and state homeless coalitions report seeing a rise in homelessness since the foreclosure crisis began in 2007. A study released in April by the National Coalition for the Homeless asked respondents where they into to move once their property is foreclosed on. Seventy-six% of displaced homeowners and renters said they were moving in with relatives and friends. About 54% reported moving to emergency shelters. And 40% said they were already on the streets.
"Six cities reported a rise in the number of homeless people who used emergency shelter and transitional housing programs in the past year, and 10 cities reported an increase in households with children seeking help, according to a 2007 survey done in part by the U.S. Conference of Mayors," the newspaper reported.
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, the rate of new foreclosures hit 0.99% in the first quarter, the highest since record-keeping began in 1979. USA Today also noted "mounting utility bills, the surge in gas prices and the rise in unemployment" as factors contributing to tilting former homeowners into homelessness.
4. Discover Reports Increased Delinquencies
Discover Financial Services (DFS) is off nearly 4% today after reporting second-quarter profit was hurt by an increase in customers delinquent on monthly payments. Delinquent loans by 30 days or more rose to 3.54% from 2.71% a year ago and 3.63% in the first quarter. DFS said they expect their fully-year averag managed loss rate to come in somewhere above 5%.
The company said card sales volume for the quarter was up 2%, driven largely by increased consumer spending on fuel, but lower levels of spending on categories such as home improvement.
Meanwhile, DFS noted that funding the business is "challenging" given issues being seen in the asset-backed securities market. "Spreads are wider than a year ago, the buyer universe is narrower, and subordinated bonds generally are being retained by the issuers," Roy A. Guthrie, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer said on the firm's call.
5. Oshkosh Reveals Intensifying Lack of Housing Containment
Oshkosh (OSK) probably isn't on a lot of folks' radar. The company makes specialty commercial and military trucks, rescue vehicles, fire and emergency trucks. Probably seems kind of niche to many people. But think about who their primary customers are; namely, municipalities. The company, which reported earnings today and slashed third quarter guidance, delivered a grim conference call. Among the items of interest:
Hard to believe that it was already 14 months ago since Five Things was combatting phrases such as "well contained":
Five Things You Need to Know, April 24, 2007:
Housing Slump Well Contained
If ever you find yourself beginning to doubt that problems in the economy related to housing are not well contained, just sit down and listen for a moment. Because soon enough a Federal Reserve official or the US Treasury Secretary will remind you that housing problems are indeed "well contained." Take a look.
The information on this website solely reflects the analysis of or opinion about the performance of securities and financial markets by the writers whose articles appear on the site. The views expressed by the writers are not necessarily the views of Minyanville Media, Inc. or members of its management. Nothing contained on the website is intended to constitute a recommendation or advice addressed to an individual investor or category of investors to purchase, sell or hold any security, or to take any action with respect to the prospective movement of the securities markets or to solicit the purchase or sale of any security. Any investment decisions must be made by the reader either individually or in consultation with his or her investment professional. Minyanville writers and staff may trade or hold positions in securities that are discussed in articles appearing on the website. Writers of articles are required to disclose whether they have a position in any stock or fund discussed in an article, but are not permitted to disclose the size or direction of the position. Nothing on this website is intended to solicit business of any kind for a writer's business or fund. Minyanville management and staff as well as contributing writers will not respond to emails or other communications requesting investment advice.
Copyright 2011 Minyanville Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


text:
Rust cuts deep—literally, according to a new study conducted in Sweden. Cars that show merely superficial rust may be considerably more dangerous in the event of a crash.
The insurance company Folksam and the homeowner organization Villaägarnas Riksförbund of Sweden performed crash tests on a handful of used Mazda and Volkswagen cars that showed signs of typical rust. The results they released earlier this month show a major degradation in the cars' safety structures.
MORE: How to be sure you're buying a safe new car
The Swedish firms subjected Mazda 6 mid-size cars and Volkswagen Golf hatchbacks to the same kind of crash-testing that would have been performed when they were new cars about 15 years ago.
In the videos they released, the Mazdas' rusty rocker panels crumbled in both the frontal and side-impact collisions. Researchers noted that the cars' chassis rails separated from the floor, their footwells ruptured, their sills gave way, and the driver and passenger-side seat mountings moved when they should have remained stationary.
Folksam said that the chance of a fatality increased by as much as 20 percent because of the weakened structure caused by corrosion largely invisible at first glance.
DON'T MISS: Automatic emergency braking to become standard in most new cars
The Golfs fared better in the barrage of tests, in part because of superior rustproofing when they were new. However, they still showed some signs of weakened structures even though their rusty panels were not as immediately visibl..
Folksam pointed out that rust is usually more than a cosmetic concern and should be taken seriously to help assure crashworthiness.


text:
Fly Our Colors! Our yard sign will help your sale
ADDvantage recommends that sellers display our sign (view sample).
- Realtors DO NOT welcome FSBO signs. Three major reasons for this:
- To a Realtor, FSBO = no commission. This causes confusion when they arrive for a showing.
- They fear that their buyer will attempt to make direct contact with the By Owner seller and cut them out.
- They associate FSBO with the poor service that MOST flat fee companies offer.
- Since Realtors sell at least 86% of all homes, the odds are greater that an agent will find you a buyer than you will find one yourself. You should be doing whatever you can to make them feel comfortable about working with you as a self-represented seller.
- If you do find a buyer yourself, the odds are that it will not be as a result of a drive-by and call off of your yard sign. More likely the lead will come from an internet listing source such as Realtor.com. Therefore the #1 purpose of your sign should be to send the right message to agents while still displaying your direct contact info—but in a more inconspicuous way.
- ADDvantage has an excellent reputation with agents. Agents who see our sign know they will be treated with respect and the utmost professional service.
The power behind the ADDvantage sign
Marketing notes behind the ADDvantage sign:
- Seller's phone number is the only number on the sign and it reads "contact seller" in small print above the number.
- Our sign is professional and effective…
- Bright colors that can be seen from a distance.
- Displays "The ADDvantage Network" (nothing about "flat fee" nor does the name suggest discount service).
- Realtors associate The ADDvantage sign with a positive experience and commission.
©2006-2019 GetMoreOffers.com Real Estate


text:
F4 Master - FROM £229
The sensational new F4 car, with 185bhp and a paddle-shift gearbox. Exclusive to Brands Hatch.
RaceMaster - £189
Anyone can drive the class-leading BMW M4 and a single seater race car around Oulton Park with RaceMaster!
BMW M4 Master - From £99
Let loose in the exhilarating, class-leading BMW M4 at Donington Park, Brands Hatch, Oulton Park or Bedford Autodrome!
RallyMaster - From £99
Enjoy an authentic, tail-out rally-driving experience with RallyMaster at Brands Hatch or Oulton Park.
MudMaster - From £99
With waist-high passes, axle twisting angles and supreme gradients, MudMaster at Brands Hatch or Oulton Park is a real test of driving skill!
SuperRide - From £29
Experience the mindblowing performance of our high-speed Le Mans racer or a Caterham with a SuperRide.
PalmerSport - From £594
PalmerSport is the ultimate driving day and one that you will remember for a lifetime!
YoungDrive! - £85
Give your youngster a headstart before they hit the public roads at Brands Hatch, Donington Park, Oulton Park, Snetterton or Bedford Autodrome.
YoungDrive! Plus - £109
Once you have completed YoungDrive! you can take the next step with YoungDrive Plus at Brands Hatch, Oulton Park, Snetterton or Bedford Autodrome.
Driving ExperiencesF4 Master
BMW M4 Master
Rally SuperRide
YoungDrive! Plus
Our VenuesBrands Hatch
Donington Park
Oulton Park
Cadwell Park
Bedford Autodrome
Other ExperiencesPalmerSport
Track Days
VouchersAdrenaline Voucher
Ignition Voucher
RallyMaster Voucher
MudMaster Voucher
YoungDrive! Voucher
SuperRide Voucher
Special Offers
Monetary Vouchers
MSV Driving GiftsHome
Season Passes
About MSV
Opening Times
8:30am - 7:00pm
Sat, Sun & Bank Holidays
8:30am - 3:30pm
Please call our experienced Retail Sales team on
0843 453 1000*
*Calls to 0843 453 1000 are charged at 7 pence per minute plus your phone company's access charge.


text:
New Nexus 7 'Razor' benchmarks, specs revealed (update: Best Buy pre-orders live)
It seems like new Nexus 7s are everywhere, so we're not surprised one of the tablets floating around has finally been subjected to a quick round of benchmarking. Android Police has dug deep into the specs, confirming this slate -- device codenamed "Razor" -- has internals nearly identical to the Nexus 4, with a Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU running at 1.5GHz and 2GB of RAM behind its 1920x1200 7-inch screen. Running the 3DMark and AnTuTu benchmarks revealed scores slightly higher than the Nexus 4, but we'll probably have to wait just a little longer to find out exactly what its Android 4.3 OS is bringing to the table.
Update: Droid-Life points out that Best Buy has kicked off pre-orders early for the 16GB and 32GB variants. The pricing ($229 and $269, respectively), release date (July 30th) and specs are all well-known by now, but if you're willing to be the next person to buy one, you can get in line at the link below.
Source:Android Police, Droid-Life, Best Buy
Read more http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/second-generation-nexus-7-razor-benchmarks-specs/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget


text:
DOWNEY - Joe Ray Alcon, a decorated World War II veteran, passed away April 12. He was 84.Alcon was born in New Mexico and served in the Army during World War II. He was a PFC Rifleman and was awarded three Bronze Battle Stars, a Presidential Citation, a Good Conduct Medal, and a WWII Victory Medal. He lived in Downey for 23 years. Alcon is survived by his wife, Michelle Alcon; and nine children, Lance, Nathan, John, Mark, Jake, Ray, Michelle, Vanessa and Vianca. A funeral service was held yesterday at Linaje Escojido Church in Downey.
********** Published: April 17, 2009 - Volume 7 - Issue 52