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Phase I Study of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and FOLFIRINOX in the Neoadjuvant Therapy of Pancreatic Cancer
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01446458
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : October 5, 2011
Last Update Posted : March 22, 2016
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
The purpose of this study is to determine whether using FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy and Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) prior to surgery in patients with pancreatic cancer is safe and well tolerated. This study will obtain preliminary data on the response of the cancer to this therapy by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and by studying the cancer after it is resected surgically.
In addition, the investigators will perform biochemical studies on the tumor tissue obtained from your tissue biopsy as well as from the tumor removed by the surgeon in order to measure the effect of treatment with FOLFIRINOX and SBRT on several proteins that may be important in the behavior of pancreatic cancer cells.
The data obtained from this trial will be extremely valuable to help improve the approach to treating pancreatic cancer in the future. If you do not undergo surgery after completion of FOLFIRINOX + SBRT, the investigators will request a second biopsy of the tumor under computer tomography (CT) -guidance in order to measure the effect of treatment on your tumor.
|Condition or disease
|Cancer of Pancreas Cancer of the Pancreas Neoplasms, Pancreatic Pancreas Cancer Pancreas Neoplasms
|Drug: Modified FOLFIRINOX Radiation: Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)
|Phase 1
The current standard of care for treating early stage pancreatic cancer involves surgery followed by chemotherapy and / or chemoradiotherapy using conventional fractionated external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). Despite the the incorporation of multi-modality adjuvant therapy following surgery, patients with surgically resected pancreas cancer have a high likelihood of recurrence of their cancer and/ or death from their disease. Patients with more advanced pancreatic cancers experience even worse outcomes in the face of unresectable disease or lower likelihood of achieving a negative margin resection. In these particular group of patients, chemotherapy and radiation given prior to surgery may help select patients who are more likely ultimately to benefit from a pancreaticoduodenectomy and may improve the rate of margin negative resection, factors which may influence their outcome.
Systemic chemotherapy traditionally used in the treatment of pancreatic cancer has included drugs such as gemcitabine or 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). Recently, a multi-agent chemotherapy regimen called FOLFIRINOX has shown significant efficacy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer with improved tumor responses and improved overall outcomes with a reasonable toxicity profile.
Stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is a unique radiation technique that allows higher doses of radiation to be delivered to the cancer over a significantly shorter period of time compared to conventional radiation. SBRT's advantages over conventional radiation include: shorter duration of therapy (one to three days versus two to five weeks) as well as the ability to deliver full doses of chemotherapy. In treating patients with pancreatic cancer, SBRT has been tolerated and has been effective when compared historically to conventional radiation. SBRT has been combined with chemotherapy and has also been very well tolerated in patients with pancreatic cancer.
This study will ask whether giving chemotherapy with FOLFIRINOX followed in short sequence by radiation therapy using Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT) is safe and feasible. This study will also begin to ask what is the effect of this approach on the rate of margin negative resection in patients who may subsequently undergo surgery for their pancreatic cancer.
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|13 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Single Group Assignment
|None (Open Label)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|Phase I Study of Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy and 5-Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin and Irinotecan (FOLFIRINOX) in the Neoadjuvant Therapy of Pancreatic Cancer
|Study Start Date :
|November 2011
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|March 2015
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|March 2015
Experimental: 5-Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan
5-Fluorouracil, Oxaliplatin, Irinotecan are administered as a modified FOLFIRINOX regimen every 15 days. Subjects receive bi-weekly cycles of therapy on the 1st week, the 3rd week, the 5th week and finally the 7th week for a total of 4 cycles. Assessments include history and physical, laboratory tests on a weekly basis throughout the treatment period prior to and including week 8 assessment for stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).
Drug: Modified FOLFIRINOX
Patients receive modified FOLFIRINOX Chemotherapy for 4 cycles (1 cycle = 15 days). Modified FOLFIRINOX: Oxaliplatin 85 mg/m2 intravenous infusion on day 1; Irinotecan 180 mg/m2 intravenous infusion on day 1; 5-Fluorouracil 2400 mg/m2 continuous intravenous infusion on days 1 to 3; pegylated filgrastim (neulasta) 6 mg subcutaneous injection on day 3.
Other Name: modifiedFOLFIRINOX
Radiation: Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)
Patients will receive Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) to pancreas tumor 2 weeks following chemotherapy. SBRT is given in 3 daily fractions at designated doses per treatment cohort. Starting dose level-Dose level 1: 10 Gy SBRT to primary tumor volume (PTV) / 2 Gy SBRT to the retroperitoneal margin daily for a total Gy to Gross tumor volume (GTV) of 36 Gy. There are weekly toxicity assessments for 4 weeks. This is a standard 3 + 3 design with 4 dose levels.
Other Name: SBRT
- Maximum tolerated total dose of stereotactic body radiation to patients with resectable or borderline resectable pancreas cancer following FOLFIRINOX chemotherapy [ Time Frame: Four weeks ]
A standard 3 + 3 design will be used for evaluating the safety and tolerability of SBRT radiation doses. Any grade 3 liver, gastric, small bowel or spinal cord toxicity or any grade 4 toxicity (hematologic or other non-hematologic except for diarrhea) will be considered a dose limiting toxicity (DLT).
Each cohort will consist of 3 patients, unless 1 of the patients experiences a DLT in which case the cohort will be expanded to 6 patients. The maximum tolerated dose (MTD) will be defined as the dose level below that which results in a DLT in 2 or more of the 6 patients in a cohort.
- Clinical and pathologic objective response rate as measured by MRI (clinical response) and histopathology and rate of complete resection (R0) (pathologic response) [ Time Frame: ten weeks ]
The overall pathologic (complete + partial) response rate and margin negative resection rate will be estimated using all registered patients and all resected patients (via the Intention to Treat principle for effectiveness assessment).
The overall objective clinical response rate will involve MRI assessment of pancreas tumors of all registered patients with comparison of baseline (pre-treatment) MRI measurement to post-treatment MRI measurement prior to surgical resection using the Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST). Measurements will involve all registered patients.
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|21 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria: Patients eligible must have:
- Histologic or cytologic diagnosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
- Radiographically resectable or borderline resectable disease as reviewed by an experienced surgical oncologist at Emory.
- Age 21 years or older.
- Not received prior chemotherapy or radiation for pancreatic cancer.
- ECOG performance status of 0-1 on the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scale.
- Adequate bone marrow function: absolute neutrophil count > 1,500/cmm, platelet count > 100,000/cmm.
- Understanding and be informed of the investigational nature of this study and must give written informed consent prior to the receiving of treatment per this protocol.
Exclusion Criteria: Patients who are not eligible have
- Histologies including endocrine tumors or lymphoma of the pancreas.
- A tumor which is less than 3 mm from the duodenum as measured by either CT or MRI.
- History of central nervous system (CNS) metastases.
- Liver dysfunction, including total bilirubin > 1.5 mg/dL; aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine amino transferase (ALT) > 5 times upper limit of the institutional normal.
- Creatinine ≥ 1.5 mg/dL.
- Albumin ≤ 2.5 g/dL.
- International Normalized Ratio (INR) ≥ 1.5 (in the absence of ongoing treatment with warfarin).
- Breast feeding.
- Serious active infection.
- Serious concurrent systemic disorders incompatible with participating in the study (at the discretion of the investigator).
- An active second primary malignancy (except in situ carcinoma of the cervix, or adequately treated basal cell carcinoma of the skin) within less than one year of enrollment into this study.
- Clinical evidence of distant metastatic disease.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01446458
|United States, Georgia
|Emory University Hospital Midtown
|Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30308
|Emory University Winship Cancer Institute
|Atlanta, Georgia, United States, 30322
|Principal Investigator:
|Natalyn N. Hawk, MD, PhD
|Emory University Winship Cancer Institute
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
|Responsible Party:
|Natalyn N. Hawk, Principal Investigator, Emory University
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01446458 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
WCI1998-11 ( Other Identifier: Other )
|First Posted:
|October 5, 2011 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|March 22, 2016
|Last Verified:
|March 2016
Cancer of Pancreas
Cancer of the Pancreas
Neoplasms, Pancreatic
Pancreas Cancer
Pancreas Neoplasms
Entry Term Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic Neoplasms
Digestive System Neoplasms
Neoplasms by Site
Endocrine Gland Neoplasms
Digestive System Diseases
Pancreatic Diseases
Endocrine System Diseases
Antineoplastic Agents
Topoisomerase I Inhibitors
Topoisomerase Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic
Immunosuppressive Agents
Immunologic Factors
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Gastrointestinal Agents


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The Museum doors have been locked for the night, but in the shadows a group of exclusive recruits stand ready to begin a night of top-secret KidSpy® training. This could be you! Perfect your alias and cover-story, check in at "Border Patrol," and prepare for a night of intrigue and adventure. As a spy school recruit, your mission begins with taking on a secret identity and gathering intelligence about real spy skills. During the night, you will transform yourself through disguise, make and break secret codes, uncover important secrets, interrogate real spies, and hunt for a mole within your ranks! At the same time, the adults lurking nearby will be kept on their toes with their own super-clandestine mission. As day breaks, enemy agents will be exposed in a dramatic finale, KidSpy agents and adults will reclaim their "real" (how do we know you are who you say you are?) identities and this adventure-filled mission will be accomplished.
*Operation Secret Sleepover is designed for kids age 9-13.
What You Need To Know About Operation Secret Sleepover®

subset: commoncrawl


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NonToxicRacing necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 84 diseños de 25 diseñadores freelance.
We are an ATV Offroad racing team sponsored by an organic home services company (Natural Home Solutions). We would like to have matching graphics on all our quads/gear. Those graphic elements are what we are looking for. If you are the winning designer we would invite you to provide or add your own company name/URL to the graphic collection that we will include on our Quads where they will be viewed by hundreds of other racers and many more spectators. We'll even include plugs for you as a sponsor when we are thanking sponsors from the podium (we win a lot). We will also put up a website (future/next contest) where we can post photos, results,bios and videos. We may not represent a ton of cash but we undoubtedly want to get more graphic work from the original designer and we should be great exposure and pretty cool for your portfolio as well.
Non Toxic Racing
The color green has to be integrated for obvious reasons but we all like to sport different color gear so something that utilizes primary type colors (like Google or...) would be best. The designs have to be cool, moto, youthfull, ecco conscious and hopefully a little counter culture or non traditional. Complete quad graphics are too much to ask for but we are hoping for more than just a logo. We need graphic eliments and variations that we can work into our many applications. We need a logo and graphic images that we can integrate into full graphics for our ATV's, Shirts, Riding Gear, Hoodies, Hats, Trailer's and an RV.
- Other than the racing team name we should probably have some minor inclusion of the corporate name. i.e. sponsored by Natural Home Solutions. Our Company name almost always includes Green - Clean - Safe - Smart so that should be worked into some of the graphic stuff as well not not into all of it - maybe a seperate graphic element.
- Something old, tired, corporate or boring
- Just a logo


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Children with other conditions can be more at risk for severe infection from influenza.
In a study now on online in the prestigious British Medical Journal, researchers examined pediatric cases from dozens of emergency departments in hospitals around the world during the global influenza pandemic of 2009. The results enabled the team to pinpoint several clinical risk factors for severe infections in youngsters who arrive at a hospital with influenza-like illnesses due to H1N1 infections. The information would be invaluable during a pandemic, when emergency departments and primary-care facilities experience large surges of young patients who arrive with flu-like symptoms.
The study, which assessed each patient's clinical history and physical examination, identified the following predictors of severe H1N1 infection and potentially fatal outcomes in children:
- History of chronic lung disease
- History of cerebral palsy/developmental delay
- Signs of chest retractions (difficulty breathing)
- Signs of dehydration
- Requires oxygen to keep blood levels normal
- Heart rate that exceeds normal range (tachycardia) relative to age
"The basic question clinicians face when they are in the middle of an influenza epidemic like H1N1 is whether their patient is at risk of severe complications," said Stuart Dalziel, lead author of the study and a pediatrician at New Zealand's Starship Children's Hospital and The University of Auckland, and vice-chair of the Paediatric Research in Emergency Departments International Collaborative (PREDICT) network. "One of the key strengths of this study is that it provides clinicians with meaningful and more precise information that can enable them to identify those children with fever and flu-like symptoms who are at greater risk of severe complications."
The findings stem from 265 pediatric cases culled from 79 emergency departments of hospitals associated with the Pediatric Emergency Research Networks (PERN) in 12 countries.
"Having a more accurate idea of what to look for in pediatric cases, especially during a pandemic, would be especially important to clinicians because it provides crucial guidance for those who would be trying to direct the appropriate levels of treatment for many patients in a short time," said Nathan Kuppermann, professor and chair of emergency medicine at the University of California, Davis, one of the study's senior authors and a principal investigator in the Pediatric Emergency Care Applied Research Network (PECARN).
Because of its unparalleled global network of hospitals and patient data, the PERN study also added weight to the efficacy and use of the anti-viral drug oseltamivir (trade name Tamiflu) to treat the children with H1N1 influenza virus infections to reduce the severity of infection. Researchers noted there was good evidence of an association between oseltamivir treatment and a reduced frequency of death in children admitted to an intensive care unit for assisted ventilation.
"This study shows the incredible power of PERN, bringing together five pediatric emergency research networks and many emergency departments from around the world, to produce this very significant study which has the power to identify the most at-risk children in a future influenza pandemic," said Terry P. Klassen, the study's senior author, CEO and scientific director at the Manitoba Institute of Child Health in Canada and a site investigator with Pediatric Emergency Research Canada (PERC).
The global research collaborative is comprised of the five major pediatric networks, which are located in Europe and the Middle East (Research in European Paediatric Emergency Medicine, or REPEM), North America (PECARN, PERC and the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Collaborative Research Committee), and in Australia and New Zealand (PREDICT). Together, the five networks have access to data from more than three million pediatric emergency department cases annually from more than 100 hospitals, which are located in four of the six World Health Organization (WHO) regions.
Other study authors: John M.D. Thompson, senior research fellow, University of Auckland; Charles G. Macias, associate professor, Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital; Ricardo M. Fernandes, pediatrician, Hospital de Santa Maria, Portugal; David W. Johnson, professor at Canada's Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary; Yehezkel Waisman, professor, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel; Nicholas Cheng, pediatrician, Children's Hospital, Westmead, Australia; Jason Acworth, pediatrician, Royal Children's Hospital, Australia; James M. Chamberlain, professor, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, D.C.; Martin H. Osmond, professor, and Amy Plint, associate professor, University of Ottawa and Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Canada; Paolo Valerio, pediatrician, Onze Lieve Vrouwe Gasthuis, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Karen J.L. Black, pediatrician, and Eleanor Fitzpatrick, research coordinator, IWK Health Centre, Halifax, Canada; Amanda S. Newton, assistant professor, University of Alberta, Canada.
Funding: PECARN is supported by HRSA/MCHB/EMSC through the following cooperative agreements: U03MC00001, U03MC00003, U03MC00006, U03MC00007, U03MC00008, U03MC22684, and U03MC22685. Stuart Dalziel is supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand. John M.D. Thompson received funding from the Logan Campbell Trust, Auckland, New Zealand, to attend an investigator meeting, with time funded by CureKids, New Zealand. Investigators' time was funded by their host institutions and/or research networks. No funding bodies had any role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.


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Romance is no longer in the cards for Paris Hilton and Doug Reinhardt.
Paris split with her former reality star beau recently, a rep for the celebutante confirmed to Access Hollywood.
"The relationship between Paris and Doug is over," Paris' rep said in a statement on Thursday. "She broke up with him more than two weeks ago."
Doug, however, told Radar Online on Thursday that he and Paris actually broke up on Wednesday evening.
"Despite what many uninformed tabloid journalists are saying, Paris and I met at her house last night and have decided to split (again)," he said. "It's unfortunate that things are being said about us that are inaccurate. I continue to wish her only the best."
While Paris and Doug may no longer be an item, despite reports that surfaced over the weekend, the 29-year-old definitely hasn't moved on to Reggie Bush, former BFF Kim Kardashian's ex.
"Can't a girl have a night out in Las Vegas with her sister, without fake stories being posted. That story is a ridiculous lie. 100% FALSE," Paris Tweeted on Monday after rumors linked the former "Simple Life" star and the New Orleans Saints player after they were both spotted at the same Las Vegas club over the weekend.
Paris later added, "Aside from being @ the same club, Reggie and I didn't even say hi to each other. I was there with my sister and friends."
Related Content from AccessHollywood.com:
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Keepin' It Real With TV's Hottest Reality Stars!
VIEW THE PHOTOS: Paris Hilton's Journey From 'Simple' To Superstar!
PLAY IT NOW: Paris Hilton: Michael Jackson Had A 'Heart Of Gold'
PLAY IT NOW: Paris Hilton Celebrates Carnival At Bowlmor Lanes, NYC Opening
MORE ACCESS ON THESE TOPICS: Paris Hilton - TV - Reality TV - Former Couples


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Chicken Biryani/Paia Floyd StyleApril 14th, 2010
They said we want a floyd type meal to our lunch today, because we only watch the television, we fead up of being in the bush, we fead up of being the jungle. So i'm going to cook them a kind of biryani but it's not really a biryani, it's half biryani, half a paia. We are drawing on spain, africa, india and a bit of me.
- Pieces of free range chicken
- Lemons cut into quarter
- Hard boil eggs
- Sliced and Chopped tomatoes (2 kinds)
- Toasted almonds
- Deep fried crunchy onions
- Sultans
- Garden pees (where else does a pee come from i ask myself?)
- Red, green and yellow papers
- Chopped onions
- Basmati rice
- Ginger
- Cardamon seeds
- Curry powder
- Cinnamon
- Chillies
- Bay leaves
- Garlic
- Turmeric
- Melted butter (don't be shay…)
- Chicken stock


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Listen: The Invisible Way
Low (Sub Pop Records, 2013)
The release of a new Low album often feels like an unexpected gift. Not that all of their albums are unqualified masterpieces, but each of them contains a few gems that remind you of the evocative and poetic power of good songwriting.
Low's sparse, patient, and meditative songs have often been at odds with much of the hyperactive and sometimes superficial music of the day. At the band's heart are the beautiful and often sublime harmonies of singers, musicians, and spouses Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker.
The Invisible Way aptly displays the band's ability to surprise with simplicity. From the opening notes of "Plastic Cup" through the rest of the album's 11 tracks they explore a delicate interplay of acoustic guitar, bass, piano, and drums. Slow to mid tempo drumbeats punctuate big, unadorned open chords amidst lovely harmonies.
The spectacular sound, captured by the well-known musician and producer Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), allows for a more intimate experience of the music and voices. This is felt most keenly in the song "Mother." In this breathtaking ballad, Sparhawk's thoughtful lyrics stretch from tender moments of being held in his mother's arms as a child to the end of time, "when every child and mother will return . . . forever." The solemn tone struck between sadness and hope is perfect.
On previous albums Low has explored the ambiguities and challenges of religion in contemporary life. Some of these themes reemerge here in songs like "Clarence White" and "To Our Knees." Low adds perhaps one of its most beautiful religious expressions to date in the blues-tinged "Holy Ghost." With her soulful voice Parker attempts to express the complicated place of the Holy Ghost in her life. Rarely does one hear lyrics of such startling yet uplifting honesty. Her expression of fulfillment and struggle is a gift to us all.
This article appeared in the April 2013 issue of U.S. Catholic (Vol. 78, No. 4, page 42).


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Sandra Rago signed Say NO to S.1209, the Passive Infanticide Bill in MA 2019-03-23 13:23:51 -0400
Say NO to S.1209, the Passive Infanticide Bill in MA
How extreme should Massachusetts be?
S.1209 legalizes infanticide. It is so extreme that it is opposed by citizens all across the political divide.
Say NO to extremism and state-sponsored irresponsibility towards our most vulnerable citizens. Sign the petition now and contact your legislator to oppose S.1209.
Read a full analysis of this deadly bill here.1,363 signatures
Do you believe...
...that a child in the womb at seven, eight, or nine months should be deprived of life, even though she is no physical threat to her mother? Because S.1209 does, changing our law to make abortion elective all the way up to birth.
...that abortion should be legal after birth? Because S.1209 does, allowing for passive infanticide by refusing medical care for any child born alive after an abortion.
...that a pregnant 13 year old should be abandoned to her sexual abuser, and forced into an abortion? Because S.1209 does, removing MA laws that require parental consent or judicial protection and supervision.
...that Massachusetts should increase its tax funding, using your money, to support abortions? Because S.1209 does, allocating "Healthy Start" funds towards abortion procedures throughout all nine months.
S.1209 legalizes infanticide, promotes sexual predation, and removes all protections for human beings in the womb even when viable, and more.
Oppose extremism, say no to the most anti-progressive, anti-woman bill currently on our legislative agenda, and Sign the petition here!


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The Saints and Texans, bitter rivals from centuries past, got into a little intersquad donnybrook yesterday and America's second-most beloved tight-end was somewhere in the middle of it. Shocking, right? (Get it? 'Cause that's his name.)
Are we being fair to Jeremy Shockey? Of course not. Houston's DeMeco Ryans was at least equally to blame (if not more so) for the altercation that began with a simple pass route, a grab of the jersey, a forearm to the head and all kinds of shoving. Plus, that was only the second fight of the day started by a Saints tight end. Buck Ortega started his own scrum against the Houston defense. Why so angry, America's tight ends?
One thing that everyone can agree on is that fighting in the preseason is a positive sign that demonstrates your team's determination to win ... or it's a horrible omen that exposes your team as wild and undisciplined. That's why we play the fake games!


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Recently published research from Euromonitor International, "Home Laundry Appliances in Denmark", is now available at Fast Market Research
Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 03/28/2014 -- Products with better energy efficiency, classified by the energy rating labels are the most popular to be sold in 2013. An example for that could be Miele A/S automatic washing machine W5741 which classified for the highest rank A+++. Together with the price, better energy efficiency remained as an important factor in the purchasing decision-making process in home laundry appliances for the majority of Danish consumers during 2013. Danish consumers are interesting in laundry appliances that...
Euromonitor International's Home Laundry Appliances in Denmark report offers a comprehensive guide to the size and shape of the market at a national level. It provides the latest retail sales data 2009-2013, allowing you to identify the sectors driving growth. It identifies the leading companies, the leading brands and offers strategic analysis of key factors influencing the market - be they new product developments, format trends or distribution issues. Forecasts to 2018 illustrate how the market is set to change.
View Full Report Details and Table of Contents
Product coverage: Automatic Tumble Dryers, Automatic Washer Dryers, Automatic Washing Machines, Built-in Home Laundry Appliances, Freestanding Home Laundry Appliances, Other Home Laundry Appliances, Semi-Automatic Washing Machines.
Data coverage: market sizes (historic and forecasts), company shares, brand shares and distribution data.
Reasons to Get This Report
- Get a detailed picture of the Home Laundry Appliances market;
- Pinpoint growth sectors and identify factors driving change;
- Understand the competitive environment, the market's major players and leading brands;
- Use five-year forecasts to assess how the market is predicted to develop.
About Fast Market Research
Fast Market Research is a leading distributor of market research and business information. Representing the world's top research publishers and analysts, we provide quick and easy access to the best competitive intelligence available. Our unbiased, expert staff is always available to help you find the right research to fit your requirements and your budget. For more information about these or related research reports, please visit our website at http://www.fastmr.com or call us at 1.800.844.8156.
Browse all Consumer Goods research reports at Fast Market Research
You may also be interested in these related reports:
- Home Laundry Appliances in the Czech Republic
- Home Laundry Appliances in India
- Home Laundry Appliances in South Korea
- Home Laundry Appliances in Poland
- Home Laundry Appliances in Hungary
- Home Laundry Appliances in France
- Home Laundry Appliances in the US
- Home Laundry Appliances in Indonesia
- Home Laundry Appliances in Sweden
- Home Laundry Appliances in Venezuela


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Up in New Jersey, a guy by the name of Doug Kelbaugh designed (and moved his family into) a passive solar home that's not only cozy in winter and cool in summer, but aesthetically pleasing to boot!
Yes, Virginia, a solar heated and cooled house can be beautiful. That, among other things, was what architect Douglas Kelbaugh set out to prove when he designed and built his family's all-new Princeton, N.J., solar home, and it shows!
The split-level dwelling's major design element — as you can see in the Image Gallery — is a massive, south-facing "collector wall" made of 15-inch-thick poured concrete that has been painted flat black and faced with 600 square feet of double-pane glass. (The two layers of glass are mounted in greenhouse-type aluminum channels, set 6 inches in front of the slab.) This passive collector not only heats the three-bedroom house in winter and helps cool it in summer, but lends aesthetic appeal to the structure as a whole, something that, until recently, has been missing from too many solar home designs.
How the Solar Heated Home's Collector Wall Works
In the diagram of the house design, the rays of the low winter sun (1) strike the glass surfaces of the collector wall nearly perpendicularly and (2) readily pass through to impinge upon the concrete slab (3), which, because it's painted black, absorbs slightly more thermal energy than it reflects. And, since glass is transparent to light but opaque to heat, about two-thirds of the warmth that is radiated from the slab is retained within the collector.
OK. As the air between the glass and the concrete becomes heated, it rises (4), drawing cool air into the collector wall via floor vents (5) on both of the home's two stories. The sun-warmed air then exits through vents (6) near the ceiling of both stories into various rooms of the house, where it mixes with cooler air, descends, and is ultimately drawn back through the collector again.
(Thanks to an adjustable damper halfway up the solar wall, each floor of the house can be heated independently. Without the damper, most of the warm air generated by the glass-and-concrete "heater" would go straight into the upstairs rooms.)
At night, the massive slab — which has been soaking up the sun's warmth all day — radiates Btu's into all the important rooms of the house, from the upstairs bedrooms and study to the single expansive downstairs "living area." (Doug wisely arranged storage space, a half bath and a formal entrance along the dwelling's "back" — or north — side, to buffer the living quarters from the cold.)
And that's all there is to it. That's the Kelbaugh solar heating system in a nutshell!
Three Sources of Supplemental Heat
The giant collector wall, huge as it is, nonetheless supplies Doug's house with "only" 2/3-to-3/4 of its winter heating needs. Thus, the Kelbaugh family relies on three additional sources of warmth to make their home habitable during cold, overcast weather.
The dwelling's primary "backup system" consists of a thermostat-activated, gas-fired, hot-air furnace located in a small basement. This unit's 58,000 Btu/hr. output is delivered to both floors of the house via a system of ducts and registers cast into the poured-concrete south collector wall.
The Kelbaughs also derive supplemental heat from a Heatilator wood-burning fireplace in the downstairs living room. Because the fireplace combusts warm air and sucks cold outside air into the house, however, Doug feels that it may, in fact, have a net negative effect on heating the structure. (Still, the fireplace does provide localized comfort. And it's certainly aesthetically warming!)
At the front of the building is a small greenhouse that opens into the downstairs living room, thereby expanding usable floor space and providing extra daytime warmth. (The greenhouse's thick concrete floor is — like the outer face of the collector wall — painted black, to increase its rate of heat absorption.)
Of these three sources of supplemental heat, the gas-fired furnace — by far — is used the most.
Warm in Winter and Cool in Summer
Even on a hot, muggy July day the Kelbaugh house is comfortable inside. (I know ... I visited Doug and his wife on just such a day!) One reason for this is that the light from the high summer sun, unlike the rays of the low winter sun, strikes the collector wall at an oblique angle (8) and largely "bounces off." (Note: Ole Sol's high summer rays hit the roof of the Kelbaughs' lean-to greenhouse much more squarely and tend to turn the little conservatory into an uncomfortably first-rate solar furnace during this time of the year if the lean-to's roll-down blinds are not deployed.)
Four small electric fans (9) in the eaves of the main building exhaust any hot air that does accumulate in the collector. According to Doug, though, it's seldom necessary to turn these fans on, since — if the eave vents are open — the natural "chimney effect" of the heated air between the glass and concrete walls tends to both purge the collector and cross-ventilate the house by drawing cool air from the north side of the structure.
Then too, the concrete of the collector wall, which tends to capture (and retain) the colder night air, makes some contribution to the cooling of the house during July and August.
Doug has added to his home's heating and cooling efficiency by packing the building's three frame walls and roof with "cellulosic fiber derived from recycled newspapers" (that's pulped and treated recycled newspapers, folks). All in all, enough of the insulation was used to achieve an R factor of 18-20 in the rough-sawn cedar plywood walls and 40 in the roof. In addition, a one-inch-thick and two-foot-deep layer of Styrofoam was placed around the foundation of the Kelbaugh residence.
The Kelbaughs' Experience in Their Solar Home
Doug and Meg Kelbaugh prefer a cool house, and that's pretty much what they got during their first winter (1975-76) in their new home. (The average downstairs temperature was 63 degrees Fahrenheit, upstairs, 67 degrees.) They made it through the 4,500-degree-day season in relative comfort, though, at a cost of only $108 (in fuel for the backup furnace), a far cry from the $500-plus it would have cost them to heat a comparably sized, non-solarized Princeton house!
The single largest mid-winter problem Doug and Meg have experienced with their new home thus far has been excessive heat loss through the greenhouse. (Over a third of all escaping Btu's went out via the attached lean-to.) Doug figures he's nearly cut that loss in half, however, now that he's converted the single layer of glass that was in the unit's original walls and roof to double glazing.
The Kelbaughs also noted last winter that the temperature inside the greenhouse often fluctuated as much as 25 degrees from afternoon to evening. Doug plans to take care of this by putting water-filled, black-painted five-gallon drums in the plant nursery to act as combination heat sinks and plant supports.
Operating and Maintenance Costs
About the only operating cost associated with the Kelbaugh heating/cooling setup (aside from that incurred by the backup furnace) is the cost of the electricity required to run the four small eave fans. And that's not much.
Likewise, maintenance costs should be next to nothing since (barring accidental glass breakage) the solar wall can be expected to work perfectly for at least 100 years.
Construction costs are a bit more difficult to pin down, since the solar heating "system" is actually an integral part of the house's overall design. Doug (who acted as his own general contractor) estimates that his solar heated and cooled house probably cost $8,000 to $9,000 more to build than a conventional house of comparable size and quality. The pay-back period for the "solar" part of the house, then, assuming a price escalation of 10 percent per year for domestic heating fuels over the next few decades (a fairly safe bet), figures out at about 13 years.
Pros and Cons
To be sure, Doug Kelbaugh's approach to solar heating and cooling has some limitations that cannot be overcome. For instance: The heat storage capacity of the system is much less than that of installations which employ water or rock heat storage. A mammoth glass-and-concrete "collector wall" can't be added onto an existing dwelling, at least, not easily. The builder must, in choosing this particular house design, be content with a linear east-west layout (so the structure's massive collector wall will face south).
Nonetheless, Doug's setup does offer an impressive number of advantages:
- Long life, probably more than a century.
- Lower initial, maintenance and operating costs than many "active" solar heating arrangements.
- The system cools the house as well as heats it.
- The collector wall is self-cleaning and operates more efficiently in winter than in summer. (It's most efficient, in fact, when there's a blanket of snow on the ground to reflect additional sunlight into the collector.)
- Solar heating is integrated into the design of the building. (It doesn't come from some added-on Rube Goldberg contraption.)
- The system's few moving parts are not essential. (The entire setup is never rendered useless when a $5.00 part fails.)
- A similar house could be built in a remote setting, where electricity isn't available.
- The whole thing is relatively simple to build and understand.
- And, it's aesthetically pleasing.
In Conclusion
If, like the Kelbaughs, you've been "driven to the wall" by high fuel costs and/or the engineering (and expense) complications of "active" solar heating systems, perhaps you should pattern your next house around this one. That way, you'll be able to satisfy your practical needs for an energy-efficient dwelling and, at the same time, answer your longings for a spacious, modern, solar heated home that's (yes, Virginia) beautiful!


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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – MIT received strong pitching and a bit of timely hitting to win both games against visiting WPI in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Briggs Field. The host Engineers took game one, 4-2, in extra innings before winning the second, 1-0, behind seven shutout innings from freshman Ellie Fodor (Trenton, Mich.). With the wins, MIT improves to 11-20 overall and, at 7-9, post the second-highest conference win total in program history. WPI falls to 24-14 overall and 9-7 in league play. Worcester's Engineers sit in a fourth-place tie with Wheaton College and will await their tournament fate, as announced by the conference later today.
Both teams' pitching staffs worked around trouble throughout game one, as they combined to strand 24 runners on base in the game. WPI left the bases loaded in three separate innings, including the eighth, when the Engineers stranded the tying run at second.
MIT freshman starter Karly McLaughlin (Edwardsville, Ill.) gave herself a 1-0 lead with an RBI-single in the first, scoring senior Nydia Ruleman (Germantown, Tenn.) and then worked out of a bases loaded jam in the bottom half of the frame with a strikeout and a pair of short fly-outs.
WPI evened the score in the second, as Nicole McDonough (Abington, Mass.) drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in Amanda Pierce (Ware, Mass.). McLaughlin was able to limit the damage however, getting Erin Beaulieu (Bethany, Conn.) to fly out to end the threat.
The hosts had their own chance to score in the fourth inning, loading the bases with a pair of singles and a WPI error. However, freshman Sarah Van Belleghem (Los Gatos, Calif.) was erased at home on a nice play by shortstop Lauren DiFelice (Acushnet, Mass.) and Ruleman struck out for the third out.
Van Belleghem would drive in the go-ahead run in the top of the fifth, reaching on a fielder's choice as junior Anna Christensen (Vernon Hills, Ill.) beat the throw home to put Tech on top 2-1.
It appeared the lead would hold up, as senior Jessica Iacobucci (Phoenixville, Pa.) was solid in relief of McLaughlin. However, WPI tied things back in the sixth on a run-scoring single by Katie Bumila (Raynham, Mass.).Neither team was able to generate anything in the seventh, sending the game into extra innings.
With junior Leah Alpert (Needham, Mass.) placed on second to start the eighth, Van Belleghem hit a slow roller to the third-baseman, who threw the ball away, allowing Alpert to come home and Van Belleghem to move into scoring position. Senior Katie Harrington (Lexington, Ky.) then delivered a two-out RBI to provide the Cardinal and Gray with an insurance run.
WPI would threaten in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases once again with a pair of singles by Janelle MacLaughlin (Lancaster, Mass.) and Allie Roche (Chelmsford, Mass.). That would be the end of the rally however, as Christensen made a great play at third to start the 5-2-3 double-play and Iacobucci struck out McDonough to end it.
Iacobucci earned the win (4-9), tossing six innings in relief, giving up one run on six hits while striking out seven. Allie Hardy (West Townsend, Mass.) took the loss to fall to 6-8 on the season, allowing a pair of unearned runs on just two hits and striking out a pair.
MIT struck first in game two, as McLaughlin hit a one-out single in the fourth and scored after back-to-back errors by the visiting Engineers. WPI starter, Erin Flaherty (Stoughton, Mass.), who started the game by setting down the first seven Tech batters, was charged with the first error after her errant throw sailed wide of first-base on a sacrifice attempt. McLaughlin was able to score what would prove to be the winning run from third when DiFelice was unable to handle Alpert's grounder at short. Flaherty would limit the damage, getting out of the jam with a pair of groundouts, to keep the deficit at one.
That would be all Fodor needed, however, as she worked around some trouble in the second, third and fifth innings. After a pair of base-hits put runners at second and third in the second, Fodor struck out Pierce and MacLaughlin to end the threat. A pair of singles by Juliana Fekete (Belgrade, Maine) and Bumila put runners and first and second in the third inning, but Fodor erased Fekete at third on a fielder's choice and got DiFelice to strike out looking. Fodor also worked around a base-hit and an error in the fifth to keep things scoreless.
Fodor did not allow a hit in the sixth or seventh innings to secure her third shutout win of the season and improve to 6-8 on her rookie campaign. Flaherty was the hard-luck loser for WPI, giving up just three hits and one unearned run over seven innings with seven strikeouts.
At 7-9 in league play, MIT finished just one game out of the sixth and final playoff spot. The Cardinal and Gray will wrap up its season with a non-conference doubleheader at home against Salve Regina University on Thursday, April 26 at 3:00 p.m. WPI will open up NEWMAC tournament play on Tuesday, April 24 at a location to be determined.


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Unicorn Baby Rattle
Unicorn Baby Rattle
Printed unicorn baby rattle from original watercolour illustration.
Perfect gift to celebrate the arrival of a new baby or Baby Shower gift.
Patterned cotton fabric on the back. If you would like a specific colour, please send me an email.
Cold hand wash only or Spot clean if possible.
Item, design and photography © thefoxintheattic 2017.
Pop me in your basket


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Tournament Manager
Located in the Level Navigation of the new user interface, for users with access, you can manage and create a tournament by choosing Tournament from the Level Navigation.
Once selected the main navigation updates to include the actions and functions to manage and create a tournament.
To manage a specific Tournament, choose the tournament you wish to manage from the pulldown. Then using the Tournament main navigation, choose the function you wish to perform. Once the main navigation is selected, the corresponding subcategories will display.
Tournament Navigation
Application allows you to manage Team, Players and Admins.
Stats allows you to view stats, score games, and view tournament reports.
Scheduling allows you to view and manage flights, schedules and fields and venues.
View allows publish and preview your tournament.
Allows you the ability to configure and create a tournament.
To return to the Association dashboard, choose Association, from the Level Navigation.


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Mitt's foreign policy test
Mitt Romney's criticism of President Barack Obama over the U.S. embassy attacks in North Africa has spiraled into a debate over the GOP nominee's incendiary remarks on the subject.
Democrats accused Romney of looking unserious, responding to a news cycle, and even some Republicans agreed, acknowledging the moment is a potentially pivotal test for a candidate who has not made foreign policy or national security central tenets of his candidacy.
Story Continued Below
( Also on POLITICO: Obama's Libya moment)
Some Republicans believe Romney can seize on what has been a difficult 24 hours and use it to make his policy statements more dynamic, especially in advance of an October presidential debate that will focus solely on foreign policy and now looms larger.
The criticisms of Romney's reaction to the attacks came from foreign policy hands and congressmen — including a raised eyebrow from GOP House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers to MSNBC's Andrea Mitchell and Nicholas Burns — and columnists like The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan, who said on Fox News that to say "nothing" is sometimes better than saying something.
If the broader Republican coalition didn't exactly dive into the breach with Romney on Wednesday, some Romney surrogates argued that this is a potentially important moment for Romney to deliver a larger national security critique of the president.
( PHOTOS: Obama, Clinton visit State Department)
Republicans traditionally have a foreign policy edge, but in this cycle, that and counterterrorism are among the areas where Obama's polling numbers are the highest despite war weariness among voters. Republicans said Wednesday that the unraveling of the situation in Cairo and Benghazi could be an important corrective to Obama's triumphal national security narrative.
"The Arab Spring is an opportunity, but it also presents certain risks, and now what we want to do is lead strongly so we can influence events in a constructive direction. [Romney] made the point that the Obama administration has failed to do that in a number of areas, and that has left a vacuum," said former Missouri Sen. Jim Talent, a top Romney adviser. "In something like this, the appropriate thing to do is to recognize the human tragedy involved and then raise [criticism] in a constructive way."
Talent argued that Romney was not attacking Obama's personal values or patriotism when the campaign charged that the administration's first impulse was to "sympathize with those who waged the attacks" in North Africa.
"We're not saying the president wanted this to happen or believes the people who caused it are good people," Talent said. "I think the situation is so fluid here that everybody is stepping back and trying to figure out what the best options are. And I think that's true on both [sides]."
John Bolton, the former U.N. ambassador under President George W. Bush and a Romney adviser, called it "inexplicable" that some believe Romney should have offered a softer response to violence abroad.


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Dear Bingo Crushers,
I'm sure you will notice that Bingo Crush forums has now been upgraded
You will see now you have credits that are earned in various ways for various activities (details will come on this later).
Also, we now have 2 private free bingo games available via the GAME LOBBY. Please be patient and ensure you have Flash installed as this is only available to those with Flash installed and enabled.
My plan is to schedule Bingo Tourneys (in the Bingo Crush tourney room) -- the other game I will schedule for automatic games.
A lot of this is new to me so please bear with me whilst I find my way around and get everything sorted
Please of course let me know (by posting a reply here) if anything looks odd or if you have any questions
The other free games are in the ARCADE section with all your scores preserved -- I will aim to reset the high scores monthly from the start of April going forward.
Whilst I'm learning new things about the new software there may be the odd occasion when the forum is disabled whilst I adjust things a little but I'll do my best always to show a notice with a good estimation of time needed to complete any such adjustments.
I also need to add a few more bits like the banners showing etc - but this will be done as and when I have time
Good luck and Happy Gaming Always!
What happened to the game corn pile?????
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)


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Not Your Mother's Signage! DSE 2012 Recap
Digital Signage Expo (DSE) was full of energy this year and the continued expansion of the digital signage market was clearly evident. I've watched the digital signage industry evolve over the past five years from static content on traditional screens to customized, rich media content on a multitude of connected devices. At this year's DSE the continued innovation and excitement was undeniable. The exhibit hall floor was packed with attendees who were eager to learn about the advancements in the technology and the industry as well as how to get the most out of their digital signage deployments. Throughout the EXPO floor, speaking sessions, and events the buzz was around interactive and engaging signage.
Cisco announced new digital signage innovations, delivered through the Cisco® Interactive Services solution set, that provide enhanced interactive capabilities through video, Web applications and touchscreen digital signs. Cisco also announced new customers that showcase the continued expansion of the digital signage market, including the Canadian city of Edmonton and parx casino® in Pennsylvania. In addition, Cisco received four Apex Awards, handed out by the Digital Signage Federation recognizing innovation and excellence in the digital signage industry. For more insight from the show floor, check out this video of Erica Schroeder, Director of Marketing for Enterprise Video at Cisco.
EXPO Floor Demos:
The Cisco booth was filled with attendees eager to learn about the latest innovations from Cisco and Cisco's ecosystem partners including video walls, live video streaming to a digital sign, live remote expert capabilities with the touch of a button and engaging interactivity.
The newly announced Cisco® Interactive Services solution set demo featured applications for key verticals including transportation and retail. Live content from Cisco's MTA New York City Transit deployment was the highlight. MTA New York City Transit improves the passenger experience, generates new sources of revenue, and increases operational efficiency with the Cisco Interactive Services solution set. MTA New York City Transit has what it calls "On the Go Travel Stations" which are deployed across multiple stations including: Penn Station, Grand Central, Bowling Green, 74th/Roosevelt, and Atlantic-Pacific and give rider's interactive access to real-time service status, customized travel directions, transit system maps, and information about local restaurants, shopping, and places of interest.
Keynote/Speaking Sessions:
Erica Schroeder, Director of Marketing for Enterprise Video at Cisco, participated in the keynote thought leadership panel – Digital Signage 2020: Eyes on the Future sharing her vision of the digital signage industry's future while also addressing the challenges and opportunities for the industry's growth. The room was absolutely packed, which was pretty impressive for a 7:30 am start time the second day of the show.
Dave Gutshall, lead of network design at Harley-Davidson, led a session that focused on how Harley-Davidson's Cisco Digital Signage deployment is playing an important role in bridging the company's culture of legacy and the need to communicate consistently and effectively regardless of location.
Cisco Wins 4 APEX Awards:
Cisco was awarded four APEX Awards:
Gold – Parx Casino; arts, entertainment & recreation category
Gold – Melbourne Airport; transportation category
Silver – Harley-Davidson York Vehicle Operations; business, industry & government category
Bronze – LIVESTRONG Sporting Park; event venues category
Digital Signage has grown far beyond the delivery of static information and advertising and organizations are looking for new ways to communicate, connect, and engage with customers, employees and citizens. Cisco is driving this new era of interaction and engagement by providing richer experiences with new levels of interactivity and personalization. With a broad portfolio of media endpoints, video infrastructure and digital signage management software on a network-based platform, Cisco is uniquely positioned to broaden the use of digital signage
I'm excited to see what's in store for DSE 2013! Mark your calendars for next year's event: February 26-28, 2013.
Click here to learn more about Cisco Digital Signage
Click here to learn more about Cisco Interactive Services
Click here to learn more about Cisco Video
In an effort to keep conversations fresh, Cisco Blogs closes comments after 60 days. Please visit the Cisco Blogs hub page for the latest content.


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Phoebe Venable: Bitcoin has potential to become money of the future
Technology continues to amaze us and revolutionize the way we interact with the world.
For those slow to embrace change, technology also can be challenging. Challenges include gaining a basic understanding of new technology, its impact on our daily lives, the security threats it can pose, its functionality, and so on.
It seems the younger generation embraces this constant influx of technology with open arms, ready to dive into the newest gaming systems, phones, tablets and computers with almost a religious zeal. But many of the older and wiser among us hold onto a healthy amount of skepticism when we hear about technology that potentially could change our lives.
Imagine a virtual currency.
Have you heard about the Bitcoin concept? Believe it or not, technology has introduced a new type of digital currency that is gaining a lot of attention in headlines and capital markets. The buzz is not just here in the U.S.; Bitcoin has momentum around the world.
What are bitcoins?
Bitcoins are digital, online-only currency. They are a new form of payment and an alternative form of money. Bitcoin has no central bank that regulates and controls the currency like the Federal Reserve does the U.S. dollar. It is a decentralized peer-to-peer payment network powered only by its users. There are no central authorities or middlemen. It has been described as "cash" for the Internet. No banks, no borders, no imposed limits are involved with these transactions.
For users, Bitcoin is a mobile app or computer program that provides the user with a Bitcoin wallet and allows the user to send and receive bitcoins. Two people, anywhere in the world, can conduct a transaction without a bank account or a credit card. Payments are made from the digital wallet application on your smartphone or computer by entering the recipient's address and the payment amount, and then simply pressing "send." To make things even easier for users, many wallets can obtain the address by scanning a bar code or even by touching two phones together. Both the buyer and seller are issued an e-receipt for the transaction.
What can I buy with bitcoins?
Bitcoins are growing in popularity but are is still a relatively new phenomenon.
Overstock.com, WordPress.com and CheapAir.com are among businesses accepting bitcoins. But it will be a while before we can use bitcoins everywhere. Most businesses probably will wait until customers are asking for the ability to pay with bitcoins before they begin accepting them.
Where can I get bitcoins?
One of the more interesting aspects of this new currency is the ability to earn bitcoins through competitive mining. Miners use sophisticated computer processes to solve algorithms that result in a payment of bitcoins. Pick-axing for gold sounds a lot easier, but bitcoins are created from a finite supply in the world. Less complicated ways to obtain bitcoins include purchasing them at an exchange or receiving them as payment for goods or services.
There are about 12 million bitcoins currently in circulation, with a market capitalization of about $13 billion. Just like the value of the U.S. dollar or the Euro, bitcoin exchange values change based upon supply and demand. It also is measured against local currencies. Instead of USD for the U.S. dollar, bitcoin's standard unit is BTC.
While we wait for bitcoin ATMs to appear, rest assured we will hear more about this interesting technology. Some investors speculate about the future value of this virtual currency, but it will be a long time before such an investment proves worthy for the average investor.
Phoebe Venable, chartered financial analyst, is president and COO of CapWealth Advisors LLC. Her column on women, families and building wealth appears each Saturday in The Tennessean.


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theSamuraiGuy necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
2 ganadores han sido elegidos entre 156 diseños de 30 diseñadores freelance.
The Samurai Guy offers multi-day workshop experiences that explore issues of ethics, leadership, communication and teamwork. The concept of Bushido is central to both our offerings and the way we approach business. The seven virtues of Bushido inform our actions - things like honour, respect, courage and benevolence - and we seek to find ways to apply them in the modern corporate, educational and community context.
Alongside their martial skills, Samurai were also proficient in the arts - poetry, the tea ceremony, flower arranging, meditation. We also encourage active consideration of the benefits of both in our work.
The workshop experience (like our 'reframing Leadship' offering) has at its heart The Samurai Game (tm) http://www.samuraigame.org. It is a highly intense and engaging experience that challenges participants to be present in every moment and be all that they can be. I have attached the brochure we used for this year's workshops.
In addition to the workshop experience I am expanding my business to include speaking on the topics of leadership, ethics, the importance of understanding values. (There is a lot of opportunity to talk about these things but The Samurai Guy workshop experience is about spending some time living them, a making choices and accepting the consequences.)
The logo is required for use on my website and business cards.
The workshop audience can be split into three groups.
1. Corporations/ businesses looking for a unique and challenging but proven experience to engage their employees. Human resources and training and development departments are the target but the logo should also speak to the employees themselves
2. Schools and Universities (yr 7 and up) looking for a safe and challenging experience to develop leadership skills in their students. It is the teachers and administrators who are the target not the students.
3. General public looking for personal development opportunities - something a little out of the ordinary.
The logo needs to be suitable for all three. Women are 51% of the audience so overtly masculine designs will be rejected.
The key point here in communicating the brand is conveying the contradictions. It is intense and challenging but voluntary and safe. It uses a combat metaphor but no special physical abilities are required (eg. wheelchairs are ok). The Samurai Game itself is unique but has been proven time and again over the last 20 yrs world wide to be effective.
For the speaking aspect of the business the logo needs to convey a feeling of "expert".
The principles of Aikido are also important - blending, circular motions that are respectful of the opponent but powerful.
Bold and decisive. Dynamic. Things to note:
0. It can be just a logo but ideally a logo that you will show works alone and with text like "the Samurai Guy" or "reframing Leadership".
1. No Cartoons
2. Typeface should be clear, simple and bold. Something that stands out.
3. Please do not use any stock images or clip art in the logo.
4. Kanji for 'samurai', 'bushido' (see the website) or any of the samurai virtues may be included but are not mandatory. Am very open to other imagery that touches on the artistic side of the Samurai - don't just focus on swords!
5. You need to demonstrate how the logo works in colour and B&W and maybe as a negative - white on black. If you visit the website you will see the colours are currently orange (#ff9933), black and white which I want to retain but I am open to the addition of other colours - but you will need to convince me!
I want to get the best out of this contest so I will be offering regular feedback on your designs.
The files we will require are:
For print - .indd or.tiff (CMYK)
For Web - .jpg and layered .psd (RGB)
I intend to ask the winning designer to do additional work for us building on the logo.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Healthcare Industry News: Cooled Radiofrequency
News Release - March 1, 2013
Studies Published in Pain Medicine Demonstrate Effectiveness of Minimally-Invasive Cooled Radiofrequency Treatment for Low Back PainPatients Treated with Kimberly-Clark's Cooled Radiofrequency System Experienced Durable Relief of Discogenic and Sacroiliac Joint Pain
ROSWELL, Ga., March 1, 2013 -- (Healthcare Sales & Marketing Network) -- Kimberly-Clark today announced the publication of two separate studies that achieved positive outcomes following use of Cooled Radiofrequency (RF) to treat discogenic and sacroiliac joint (SIJ) pain in the low back. The studies evaluated Kimberly-Clark's TransDiscal Cooled Radiofrequency System and SInergy Cooled Radiofrequency System and demonstrated that both treatment options provided patients who suffer from chronic low back pain with much-needed pain relief and improved quality of life benefits. Results were published in Pain Medicine, the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, the Faculty of Pain Medicine of the Australian and New Zealand College of Anesthetists, and the International Spine Intervention Society.
"Discogenic low back pain accounts for the majority of chronic low back pain. Traditional treatment options include pharmacologic, physiotherapy and surgical options such as spinal fusion or artificial disc replacement. These data are particularly encouraging because there is now additional, compelling evidence to suggest a minimally-invasive approach, such as Cooled Radiofrequency, can provide sustained relief to a carefully selected group of patients," said lead clinical investigator Leonardo Kapural, M.D., Ph.D. "In this study, patients treated with the TransDiscal Cooled RF System experienced clinically significant improvements in physical function compared to those in the control group."
In the same edition of Pain Medicine, a retrospective chart review found the use of cooled RF to be significantly effective for the treatment of SIJ low back pain. The European study, led by Dr. Wolfgang Stelzer of the Medical University of Vienna, Austria, examined the electronic records of 126 patients treated with Kimberly-Clark's SInergy Cooled RF System for SIJ pain. The retrospective chart review showed promising, durable improvements in pain, quality of life and reduction in medication usage.
At the one-year follow-up, 67 percent of patients stopped or decreased use of opioids, 48 percent of patients reported significant reduction in pain scores and 85 percent stated quality of life was improved or much improved. In some patients, relief was maintained up to 20 months.
These results echo published study findings from Dr. Nilesh Patel of Advanced Pain Management in Green Bay, Wis., in which patients treated with the SInergy Cooled RF System showed significant improvements in pain, disability and quality-of-life outcomes at the three-month mark. Durability of relief was maintained at the nine-month follow-up and 59 percent achieved treatment success[i].
Low back pain is the second most common cause of disability in U.S. adults[ii] and a common reason for lost work days[iii], [iv]. Cooled RF is a minimally-invasive non-pharmacological treatment option for those suffering from low back pain. RF energy heats the nerve tissue while circulating water moderates the temperature in close proximity to the electrode. This combination creates large volume lesions without excessive heating at the electrode. Patients are typically placed under little-to-no sedation and are released the same day.
"The promising results from these two studies further validate the effectiveness and role of Cooled Radiofrequency as a minimally-invasive treatment option for low back pain," said Lisa Kudlacz, General Manager, Global Interventional Pain Management, Kimberly-Clark Health Care. "Patients with difficult-to-treat, chronic low back pain have an option that has demonstrable benefits � reduction in medication usage, significant improvement in quality of life and improved functionality � to get back to their active lifestyles."
Kimberly-Clark in the Healthcare Environment
Around the world, medical professionals turn to Kimberly-Clark for a wide portfolio of solutions that improve the health, hygiene and well-being of their patients and staff. As part of their healing mission, caregivers rely on Kimberly-Clark to deliver clinical solutions, hygiene & cleaning offerings, and educational resources that they can depend on to prevent, diagnose and manage a wide variety of healthcare-associated infections. This more than $1 billion global enterprise of Kimberly-Clark Corporation holds the No. 1 or No. 2 market share position in several categories, including infection control solutions, surgical solutions, pain management, hygiene solutions and digestive health. And throughout the care continuum, patients and staff alike trust Kimberly-Clark medical supplies and devices, KLEENEX tissues, KLEENEX & SCOTT skin care products and SCOTT towels for day-to-day needs. For more information, visit http://www.kchealthcare.com and http://www.kcprofessional.com.
About Kimberly-Clark
Kimberly-Clark and its well-known global brands are an indispensable part of life for people in more than 175 countries. Every day, nearly a quarter of the world's population trust K-C's brands and the solutions they provide to enhance their health, hygiene and well-being. With brands such as Kleenex, Scott, Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex and Depend, Kimberly-Clark holds the No. 1 or No. 2 share position in more than 80 countries. To keep up with the latest K-C news and to learn more about the company's 141-year history of innovation, visit www.kimberly-clark.com.
[i] Patel, N., A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study to Assess the Efficacy of Lateral Branch Neurotomy for Chronic Sacroiliac Joint Pain., Pain Medicine, March 2012, V. 13, Issue 3, pages 383�398. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-4637.2012.01328.x/abstract
[ii] From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Prevalence of disabilities and associated health conditions among adults�United States, 1999. JAMA 2001;285 (12) 1571- 1572
[iii] Stewart WFRicci JAChee EMorganstein DLipton R Lost productive time and cost due to common pain conditions in the US workforce. JAMA 2003;290 (18) 2443- 2454
[iv] Ricci JAStewart WFChee ELeotta CFoley KHochberg MC Back pain exacerbations and lost productive time costs in United States workers. Spine 2006;31 (26) 3052- 3060
Source: Kimberly-Clark
Issuer of this News Release is solely responsible for its
Please address inquiries directly to the issuing company.


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Premium 2-in-1 USB-C™ and Micro USB cable
Premium 2-in-1 USB-C™ and Micro USB cable
Compatible with USB Type-A and USB-C™/Micro USB
Use this 2-in-1 cable to charge and transfer data from standard USB Type-A ports to both USB-C devices and a wide range of Micro USB devices including cameras, headphones, tablets, laptops or smartphones.
Premium design & quality
The CP-ABCP150 is exceptionally durable, elastic and strain-resistant thanks to its high-quality nylon composite construction. The stylish design is also available in grey.
Wide-diameter cable for 6x faster charging
Sony's wider diameter cables offer a faster charging speed. With compatible devices, Sony's USB cables support a full 3.0 A output, for up to six times faster charging than other USB 2.0 cables.
Long-lasting and durable
The CP-ABCP150 cable lasts up to three times longer than conventional USB cords thanks to the wide-diameter cable and the use of quality materials. Tested to withstand over 10,000 bends and connection cycles, for safe and reliable performance with both charging and data transfer.
Ideal for every location and situation
Available in a 1.5m (4.92 ft) length, this cable is ideal for office or home use, or on the go. Use it for PC data transfer or USB charging from wall-plug AC adaptors, portable battery chargers and car chargers.
High speed data transfer
Enjoy fast data transfer speeds of up to 480Mbps.
Designed for safer charging
Sony USB cables are USB-IF (USB 2.0) compliant for enhanced safety, dramatically reducing the risk of fire, overheating and disconnections compared with other USB cables.For USB-C connections a 56kΩ resistor is also in-line for safe connection to older USB devices


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A perennial plant (or simply, perennial) is a plant that lives for many years. Perennials are generally less work, and generally bloom once or twice per season.
LANDSTYLIST responds to the need for a coherent, online destination for anyone who wants to put together components of a landscape themselves in an urban setting. This site offers a systematic approach to landscape architecture categories of materiality, detailing, sustainability and related accessories and where to find them. Landstylist also offers overviews of each topic including: soil, grading, paving, and furniture, breaking down each category into their related sub-topics. Also helpful are interviews and featured articles by leading experts in the field, new technologies, and high-end researched, easy, and affordable "go-to" sources for plants, paving, and furniture.
Landstylist | 370 Clinton Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11231, United States


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There are no classes or courses that match your search criteria. To expand your search, start by selecting " All Part of Terms", or "All Campuses" from the drop-downs above or Click on the Advanced Search link to clear any filters OR search by subject course, day or times.
Try searching by: course title, for example "Biology I", subject and course number, for example "BIOL 1406" or professor's last name, for example "Smith" or specific areas, for example "Economics or College Prep
The San Jacinto College District is committed to equal opportunity for all students, employees, and applicants without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, citizenship status, age, disability, pregnancy, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, genetic information, marital status, or veteran status in accordance with applicable federal and state laws. The following College official has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the College's non-discrimination policies: Vice Chancellor of Human Resources, 4620 Fairmont Pkwy., Pasadena, TX 77504; 281-991-2659; email@example.com


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CSD necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 472 diseños de 148 diseñadores freelance.
Custom Sectional Design http://www.CustomSectionalDesign.com
I am a furniture retailer that specializes in CUSTOM built sectionals, sofas, chairs and ottomans. What makes my business unique is that I am one of less than ten in the whole country that will build furniture in ANY size, ANY shape, ANY color, ANY direction and ANY material - to order. Further, because I sell right out of my factory warehouse, my product is of a higher quality than the big retailers and at significantly less cost.
Every customer that comes in says the same thing, "I wish I had known about you sooner!" and/or "You need to get the word out about yourself!" So that is exactly what I'm trying to do. I'm moving to a fresh, contemporary location and I'm looking for a cool, hip, contemporary, modern logo that coveys that feel but really gets the message of CUSTOM across.
I think the above covers it pretty well....People need to know that they don't need to "settle" for just what the big retailers have on their floor. They can come to me, get it their way, at superior quality and a lower price. My slogan is "With prices this low, you'd never guess it was custom!"
As I said above, I'm really looking for a clean fresh look that is contemporary and exciting. I want something that's going to reach out and grab the public when they drive by and see my new sign on my building or on my website (still under construction). I'm looking for fresh, modern, edgy....I'm open to anything that's gonna "Wow!" people, and still get the message of CUSTOM across. Boring is not on the menu.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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|Image from here
I have a pretty simple beauty regime:
Face/neck - cleanse, moisturise, occasional mask (not often enough some would argue). I also use mascara, foundation and lipstick on work days.
Body - exfoliate weekly, body butter/moisturiser most days, deodorant daily
Hair - shampoo and condition every two days
I wouldn't say that I am high maintenance at all.
I haven't had a lot of turn-over in the beauty product department in the last couple of months. I did run out of foundation but found another one tucked in the bathroom cabinet, so that problem was averted. For now.
This week my facial cleanser ran out, and just like that I have had to come up with a solution.
The only thing I could think of to do was make my own. I am no stranger to DIY beauty products. My sisters and I used to cook up some lovely home-made recipes straight out of the Dolly magazine back in the day. I remember mess and difficulty keeping it fresh for more than a day (thankfully we were three happy adolescents in those days so were able to use the stuff up in no time).
So as I pondering my situation and squeezing the last drops out of my store-bought, chemical containing cleanser, I came across this post by Little Eco Footprints. The honey facial cleanser. Could honey be my saviour?
Well, I tried out my honey cleanser this morning (a little drizzled on my face-washer and applied to my face) and I have to say that I was impressed! I know a single day experiment is not much of a quality study, but I am just happy that I didn't have to cook up a stinky paste to clean my face the organic way. Simple. Neat. Inexpensive. Win. Win. Win. I am going to keep it up and see what my skin thinks.
Thankfully, I haven't had to think much about the other items in my beauty product list. One thing at a time suits me much better than a complete overhaul all at once. The shampoo/conditioner combination is looking to be the next casualty, so I will have to work on a plan for them next (bicarb soda and apple vinegar anyone?)
Have you tried cleansing in honey? What are your thoughts? How about other natural hair care and/or beauty products? Share your recipes and suggestions!


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| December 19, 2012, 5:18 am
Got a Neil Gaiman fan on your holiday gift list? Here's a $17.99 solution to your problem, thanks to Gaiman and illustrator Adam Rex.
This slight picture book, written in a Chinese tea shop whilst Gaiman was visiting the native habitat of giant panda bears, tells about a little bear with an explosive sneeze.
In one of Gaiman's "Sandman" books, this might be part of a quirky character's backstory.
Here, the little panda stands front and center, with hovering parents worriedly watching for the sign of a sniffle until they're distracted by a circus.


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NEW YORK — If you didn't watch any of the game on TV and only looked at the final score — the Brooklyn Nets beating the Orlando Magic 97-88 at Barclays Center — the temptation would be to assume the Magic suffered yet another lopsided loss on the road.
The Magic did lose, but the game wasn't lopsided.
In fact, a group of Magic reserves — Tobias Harris, Doron Lamb, E'Twaun Moore, Andrew Nicholson and Ronnie Price — cut the Nets' lead to 87-81 with 5:27 remaining.
Orlando had a chance to win, but Magic coach Jacque Vaughn elected not to sub in any of his starters until Nicholson fouled out, and then he only brought Dewayne Dedmon off the bench. Why didn't Vaughn play Arron Afflalo, Victor Oladipo, Maurice Harkless or Kyle O'Quinn at all in the fourth quarter?
"I think overall I've talked to the guys about having different guys finish the game," Vaughn answered after the loss. "It was good to have Doron and [E'Twaun] lead our charge and have Ronnie in the game. He's earned the right to be in the game and have a group out there of young guys who can be in the end of a game, be in the fourth quarter and try to finish."
Skeptics would say that, with odds for the 2014 NBA Draft Lottery at stake, Magic officials hope to finish the season with the league's third-worst record.
With the Magic trailing just 87-81, Nicholson collected a defensive rebound with 5:04 to go, giving the team a chance to cut the Nets' lead again. But Nicholson committed a foul on the ensuing offensive possession. On the Nets' next trip down the court, Marcus Thornton sank a 3-pointer to begin to put the game out of reach.
With the loss, the Magic (23-57) remained in sole possession of the third-worst record in the NBA.
The defeat also dropped Orlando's road record to 4-36. Because the Magic have just one road game remaining — tonight against the Chicago Bulls — the Magic are guaranteed to set a franchise record for the worst road win-loss mark in a single season.
The 1989-90 Magic, the first team in franchise history, posted a franchise-worst 6-35 road record.
"Learning how to win on the road is tough," Oladipo said. "Something you've got to learn how to do is win on the road, and it's going to take a while. Not a long while, hopefully, but it's a process."
Vaughn said: "We'll get to the point where we'll win on the road. We'll get to a point where we'll win more games. We're in that period of trying to get there, but we'll get there."
Harris scored a team-high 18 points for the Magic while Mirza Teletovic scored a game-high 20 points for the Nets.
Center Nik Vucevic, who had missed Orlando's four previous games with a sore left Achilles tendon, didn't play Sunday and has been shut down for the rest of the season. Veteran point guard Jameer Nelson sat out the game because of a strained left groin, an injury he sustained during the first half of the Magic's loss Friday night to the Washington Wizards.
Even without Vucevic and Nelson, the Magic led 59-55 midway through the third quarter. The Nets' Deron Williams missed a 3-pointer, but Dedmon and O'Quinn both elevated for the rebound, and Dedmon accidentally tipped the ball in.
The mistake ignited a 15-0 run by the Nets.
The run gave the Nets (44-36) control of the game until midway through the fourth quarter.
Asked how he reacted to being one of four starters who didn't play in the fourth quarter, Afflalo responded, "No reaction. It's a good time for those guys [who were on the court] to get valuable experience. It was just the way the game shook out today."
firstname.lastname@example.com. Read his blog at OrlandoSentinel.com/magicblog and follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.


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Icon Design Blog We help getting your app designed and to market Tweet App Icon UI Design Blog Welcome to an app design blog from Aimup Apps. We're definitely better at drawing than writing so please feel free to check out some of our work here. App icon sizes and filenames - iPhone, iPad and iTunes guidelines Here is a handy list of the complete app icon sizes required and also the correct filename structure for your app store submission. For the full guidelines on the properties your icon should have read the Apple app icon guidelines. Includes icons sizes required for the new Retina screen iPad. iTunes filename - itunesArtwork (No file extention) filename - itunesArtwork (No file extention) iPhone 57px x 57px filename - Icon.png iPad Settings filename - Icon-Small.png 58px x 58px Spotlight Home screen launcher icons, what are they? and how to add one to your website? Apple touch icons or Website launcher icons whatever you prefer to call them are simply the icons which are used if you save a website to the home screen of your smart phone. This quick blog post will show you how to add the high quality launcher icons to your website header Name them accordingly: These files will then need adding to the root folder of your website Why you should start your app with Icon Design not only finish it! If you are a iOS Developer looking for just for app icon design please spare a thought for the rest of the app too we would love to work with you on the whole UX of .the app. Recent Posts Background image sizes and filenames - iPhone, iPad guidelinesApp icon sizes and filenames - iPhone, iPad and iTunes guidelinesWhat influences your app purchases most?Home screen launcher icons, what are they? and how to add one to your website?Why you should start your app with Icon Design not only finish it! Tags Archive
Clker.com is owned by Rolera LLC, 2270 Route 30, Oswego, IL 60543 support\at\clker\dot\com


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In a unanimous vote Tuesday night, the Manchester Community School Board approved the recommendation to hire Brooke Airgood as the varsity girls' basketball coach for next year. Ms. Airgood will be a physical education and health teacher at Manchester Junior-Senior High School, replacing her retiring mentor, Ms. Bobbi Lautzenheiser.
After moving to Arizona from North Manchester during high school, Ms. Airgood was a three sport athlete and NJCAA All-American in track and field at Scottsdale Community College and a scholar athlete at New Mexico State University earning All Conference honors in the javelin.
For the past 12 years, she has been teaching and coaching in California serving as a physical education teacher and basketball coach. She has experience coaching at all levels, both boys and girls, and has coached volleyball and track and field as well as basketball. In 2004, she was elected to coach the All-Star game for Division 1, Southern Section California.
"We are excited to welcome Brooke Airgood back to Manchester as a teacher and coach," according to Nancy Alspaugh, MJSHS Principal. "She has outstanding qualifications to take over our girls' basketball program and is thrilled to have an opportunity to coach and teach in her Indiana hometown."


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There are two main camps with very different rationale regarding dungeon loot etiquette – specifically in looking for dungeon (LFD) groups. These dungeons are queued up with an interface that, after a wait (much shorter for tanks and healers), dumps you in a dungeon with random players. Chances are you've never seen these other players before, they're probably from a different server, and you'll probably never see them again. Then, along with this new-found group of temporary companions, you proceed to trounce a bunch of enemies, bosses, and hopefully collect some loot. Here is where the issue comes into play. In a LFD group, the "Need" roll, or highest priority option, is limited solely by class. A Paladin in the group, regardless of the role they've chosen (tank, healer, or DPS), can roll need for plate tanking, dps, or healing gear (including rings/necks wither either intellect, strength, or tanking stats). The two camps of thought vary dramatically at this point. One side thinks that it's okay to need on anything your class can use, anything at all that is an upgrade (as is allowed by the game system) while the other firmly believes that some courtesy should be shown and the player should limit their need rolls to the role they have chosen (unless the gear is not needed by the player filling the role). So which side is right and which side is a selfish, entitled, wanker?
Posts Tagged 'lfd'
Daily Thoughts: To Need Or Not To Need – A Dungeon Loot DiscussionPosted: October 18, 2012 in Daily, Uncategorized
Tags: dungeon, dungeon conflicts, lfd, loot, loot conflicts, loot ninja, loot-roll, main spec, ms>os, need, need-roll, ninja, off spec, random players, role, should I need loot?, steal, warcraft, world of warcraft, wow


text: A baby monkey named Charlotte clings to her mother at the zoo in Oita in southern Japan in this photo released Wednesday by the Mount Takasaki Wild Monkey Park. AP hide caption toggle caption AP The Two-Way Zoo In Japan Reconsiders 'Charlotte' For Name Of Newborn Monkey May 7, 2015 Echoing the British royal family's announcement, a Japanese zoo said its newborn macaque also would be called Charlotte, after the name got the most votes in an online poll. Complaints were made.


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Common mode electrical noise can cause system shutdowns relating to signal transmission problems.
Over the years, we've spent considerable time in covering electrical noise phenomena that travel around by wire pathways. In past discussions, we've reviewed the effects of electrical noise circulating in our NEC wiring systems and their impact on digital signal systems. The name for this bothersome culprit, the mystery noise not easily understood or identified, is common mode noise. Let's look more closely at this problem area.
What's it about?
By definition, common mode noise is electrical noise that occurs on all conductors of an electrical circuit at the same instant. You'll see that it's illusive since, when you measure line-to-line or line-to-neutral voltages, there will be no voltage difference at any point in time. But, while you're reading zero volts on your measuring device, there may be significant voltage between a conductor or neutral and the safety ground connection.
One effective way to "see" this noise is to measure between the power system neutral in a panelboard and the case ground (signal reference) of a load device having a digital signal system. A system where the power system neutral and the equipment case ground are not referenced to the same potential may experience very sharp surges or spikes similar to the steep waveshape shown in Fig. 1.
The level of regular ambient noise in the wiring system (perhaps 1V to 2V) can even interfere with the low level signal voltages of the digital systems. The character of this disturbance can be described in terms of a signal-to-noise ratio. In addition, as newer digital systems with lower and lower power and logic voltages are coming into our marketplace, and this ratio is being reduced. What is a very positive ratio of 30V signal: 1V noise, or 15:1, or even 5:1, is getting close to a 1:1 ratio. Or even less, in some instances, perhaps 1:2! At this level, our digital signal system tries to run on the noise voltage level (which appears higher) instead of the correct logic voltage. Finding no secure signal interface, the system now "reports" to the main processor that there is no signal. As a result, the overall system shuts down rather than attempting to run when its operational integrity is at risk.
How do we eliminate the problem?
Since we can't monitor this noise by connecting our disturbance analyzer line-to-line or line-to-neutral, we have to make a phase-to-ground or a neutral-to-ground connection. The latter connection may seem like nonsense, since the steady state voltage reading of neutral-to-ground is supposed to be zero. However, this connection shows us when ground loops are active in our wiring circuit. (Again, note the 200V "killer" spike of [ILLUSTRATION FOR FIGURE 1 OMITTED]) Remember, this measurement between the power system neutral and the case ground of a piece of digital signal equipment is the best way of finding out what's going on in our signal reference circuit.
Noise coupling: How does it get there?
Are there any other ways to inject electrical noise into wired circuits or sensitive equipment? If only 60-Hz power conditions are considered, we might answer, "No, since the power follows the wires." Even with such a simple answer, we would have forgotten about the electrical and magnetic fields associated with 60-Hz currents, and how they might "couple" their influence into other metallic circuits. Also, the effects of different frequencies, especially the high frequencies associated with high-speed transmissions, must be considered. While this subject matter is vast and worthy of extensive study, let's look only at some of the basics to get a handle on the dangers of neglecting noise coupling overall.
Many site visits and case studies have shown that forgetting the different means of injecting noise leads to "weak links" in our noise rejecting and protecting methods. Let's begin with noise coupling through the wires of our facility.
One of the valuable tools used to cancel or slow the effects of high frequency noise traveling in a wiring system is the coil or choke. Remember that an electrical coil resists a very fast voltage spike trying to force itself through the circuit. The term used for the coil's performance is inductive kick. Actually, the coil develops a voltage that opposes the high-speed spike's travel, thus softening or reducing its effect on the circuit. The usual application of a choke or coil is in series in a circuit where such a dangerously high spike might damage or destroy sensitive components.
The same results are obtained when we make an air core coil. This is done by simply coiling six to seven loops of an extension cord that may be in the power circuit of a sensitive device experiencing circulating spikes coming down the ground wire in an actual ground loop. This is shown in Figs. 2A and 2B. Here, the problem affects a CRT workstation; a suggestion is given to make the temporary coil to determine if the problem is really a high-speed voltage traveling down the grounding conductor.
Case history
Several years ago, we were asked to help a man trying to make a final test facility "keep running." When we examined the conditions, the man said he needed to have an uninterrupted four-hour period of operation in order to validate the final production test for his product. He was bothered by power quality problems, which he assumed were due to unstable power delivery from the local electric utility.
With the assumption of a power problem, the man bought all kinds of power conditioners: Voltage stabilizers, line conditioners, even a small battery-supported UPS. (With the UPS, he reasoned that "surely nothing would get through to the test equipment.")
If the problem was on the power line, he would have been correct. But it turned out the disturbances were coming out of the ground reference for the digital signal drivers and receivers in the test circuit. Thus, all of the "cures" (in the form of power equipment), while doing fine for line-to-line noise, did nothing for common mode noise.
We disconnected the test equipment and made temporary coils in the cord sets to see if we could stop any high-speed traveling spikes on the grounding conductor. As we suspected, the disruption stopped, and the test equipment did its job while running without interruption, even with all the power conditioning devices removed.
Notice that this is a neat diagnostic trick, even if you don't see the same results seen in our example here. What do we mean? Well, if you do see the same kind of improvement, you know that the disturbance is traveling down the ground wire. You then use a transformer or a balun as a permanent fix.
But would you learn anything if you did not get results? The answer is YES; you would have settled the issue of noise spikes coming down the wires. In other words, this method gives you an answer in either case. Either you know what's there and can fix it, or you know what's not there. If no results are obtained, you don't need to continue to look for the "wired" form of noise, but can look for some other means for the noise to be disturbing to the host equipment. This is invaluable as a quick check on where to start. Consider the following example for a practical study of this quick check idea.
Another case history
A commercial building housed a computer service company; its workstations were behaving fine until some recent activity. Then the CRT screens began to wobble.
We were called in and tried the coil test as outlined above, taking the power cords to the CRTs and making five to six turns for an air core choke. The results: Nothing! We then knew that we were looking for some other pathway for the disturbances to enter the workstations. Thus, the ground loop problem was eliminated as the culprit by this simple test.
Next, we started hunting for something coming through the air. We put a CRT on a rolling desk chair and moved it slowly away from the outside wall of the building. As we did, the wobble grew less and less, until we were 7 to 8 ft away from the wall. Then, the wobbling stopped completely.
We'll leave you in suspense until Part 2 in next month's issue! This is only the beginning of an even more mysterious behavior of noise coupling through the air - noise impulses that are electrically and magnetically coupled into sensitive devices, without contact with the building wiring at all.


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We recently completed a series on dealing with power outages from the perspective of loss of power to the facility, but what about loss of power to an area of the plant? One common cause of localized power loss is a transformer failure. The good news is adequate maintenance can prevent this loss.
With liquid-filled transformers, these typically receive some partial maintenance. Unfortunately, the dry-type transformers are usually not maintained at all. With either type, the typical maintenance is grossly inadequate. Loss of power isn't the only potential consequence of inadequate transformer maintenance. A transformer failure can result in loss of human life and catastrophic loss of the facility.
Have you evaluated your transformer maintenance program lately? In Part 2, we'll begin examining what a good program includes.