text:
Atrial Dilation and Altered Function Are Mediated by Age and Diastolic Function But Not Before the Eighth Decade
Author + information
- Received June 24, 2010
- Revision received October 21, 2010
- Accepted November 15, 2010
- Published online March 1, 2011.
Author Information
- Anita C. Boyd, BMedSc Hons⁎,†,‡,
- Nelson B. Schiller, MD§,
- Dominic Leung, MBBS, PhD⁎,†,
- David L. Ross, MBBS‡ and
- Liza Thomas, MBBS, PhD⁎,†,⁎ (l.thomas{at}unsw.edu.au)
- ↵⁎Reprint requests and correspondence:
Dr. Liza Thomas, Department of Cardiology, Liverpool Hospital, Elizabeth Drive, Sydney, New South Wales 2070, Australia
Objectives This study investigated changes in left atrial (LA) volumes and phasic atrial function, by deciles, with normal aging.
Background LA volume increase is a sensitive independent marker for cardiovascular disease and adverse outcomes. To use this variable more effectively as a marker of pathology and a gauge of outcome, physiological changes due to aging alone need to be quantitated.
Methods A detailed transthoracic echocardiogram was performed in 220 normal subjects; 89 (41%) were male and their age ranged from 20 to 80 years (mean 45 ± 17 years). Maximum (end-ventricular systole), minimum (end-ventricular diastole), and pre–a-wave volumes were measured using the biplane method of disks. LA filling, passive emptying, conduit and active emptying volumes, and fractions were calculated. Transmitral inflow, pulmonary vein flow, and pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging parameters were measured as expressions of left ventricular diastolic function. For purposes of analysis, subjects were divided by age deciles.
Results LA indexed maximum (0.05 ml/m2 per year) and minimum (0.06 ml/m2 per year) volume increased with age but only became significant in the eighth decade (26.0 ± 6.3 ml/m2, p = 0.02, and 13.5 ± 3.9 ml/m2, respectively; p < 0.001). Impaired left ventricular diastolic relaxation was apparent in decade 6 and was associated with a shift in phasic LA volumes so that LA expansion index and passive emptying decreased with increasing age, whereas active emptying volume increased.
Conclusions In normal healthy subjects, LA indexed volumes remain nearly stable until the eighth decade when they increase significantly. Therefore, an increase in LA size that occurs before the eighth decade is likely to represent a pathological change. Changes in phasic atrial volumes develop earlier consequent to age-related alteration in LV diastolic relaxation.
Enlargement of the left atrium has been used as a marker for left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (1) and is an independent predictor of major cardiovascular outcomes (2,3). An increase in left atrial (LA) size incrementally increases the risk of the development of atrial fibrillation (4,5), the incidence of which increases with age (6–8).
It has been assumed that normal aging exerts changes that increase atrial size and impair atrial function, thereby resulting in the observed proportional age-related increase in atrial fibrillation. There are conflicting reports in the literature in relation to age-related changes in LA size; some demonstrate no change (9) and others an increase (10–12). A detailed analysis of the changes in LA size and phasic function with each decade of increasing age has not previously been reported in a large healthy cohort. Knowledge of the contribution of aging to atrial enlargement is essential for segregating pathological from physiological alterations.
Thus, the aims of this study were to determine changes in LA volumes and phasic atrial function with normal aging. We hypothesized that with normal aging: 1) LA volume is unchanged until advanced age; 2) passive atrial emptying is progressively decreased in parallel with impaired left ventricular (LV) relaxation; 3) active atrial emptying is progressively increased in parallel with impaired LV relaxation; and 4) the LA expansion index is decreased due to decreased LA compliance with normal aging.
Study approval was obtained from the Committees for Human Research at Westmead and Liverpool Hospitals in Sydney, Australia, for recruitment and collection of data from healthy individuals. All subjects provided written informed consent before enrollment. Two hundred and twenty healthy volunteers were enrolled from the community through an advertising campaign involving presentations and posters. Subjects were screened by a detailed medical history and had to be free of any known cardiovascular disease or cardiovascular risk factors. Eighty-nine subjects (41%) were male, and ages ranged from 20 to 80 years with a mean of 45 ± 17 years. In addition to transthoracic echocardiography, all subjects underwent a detailed clinical evaluation including cardiovascular symptoms and history, medication history, family history, height, weight, blood pressure monitoring, electrocardiography, and normal blood tests to exclude any underlying pathology. Furthermore, all subjects were required to have normal findings on echocardiographic examinations, particular with reference to LV hypertrophy, regional and global LV function, and valvular abnormalities. Subjects were excluded if there was any indication of ischemic heart disease, significant valvular disease, peripheral vascular or cerebrovascular disease, hypertension or diabetes, or were on any cardioactive medications. Thus, despite the inherent limitations in selecting truly "normal" subjects, we have made every attempt in the current cohort to accurately represent a normal, healthy aging population.
Subject groups
The normal subjects (n = 220) were divided into groups based on decades of life; decade 3 (n = 51), decade 4 (n = 48), decade 5 (n = 30), decade 6 (n = 41), decade 7 (n = 31), and decade 8 (n = 19). Chronological aging was determined as years since birth. Advanced age was defined as ≥70 years and older in the current cohort.
Standard transthoracic echocardiography was performed according to established laboratory practice using commercially available ultrasound systems (Vivid 5 and 7 systems, General Electric, Horten, Norway). Measurements were performed offline using Echopac PC 6.1.0. (GE-Vingmed, Horten, Norway) (9).
LV and LA measurements
LV volumes were measured using the modified Simpson's biplane method of disks, and LV systolic function was determined by calculation of LV ejection fraction (13). LV mass index was also determined using the area-length method (14).
LA maximum volume (just before mitral valve opening), LA minimal volume (at mitral valve closure), and LA pre–a-wave volume (onset of P-wave on electrocardiography) were measured using the biplane method of disks (14). Phasic LA volumes and fractions were calculated as follows (9):
• LA total emptying volume = LA maximum volume − LA minimum volume
• LA total emptying fraction = LA total emptying volume/LA maximum volume
• Expansion index = LA filling volume/LA minimum volume
• Passive emptying volume = LA maximum volume − LA pre–a-wave volume
• Passive emptying fraction = Passive emptying volume/LA maximum volume
• Conduit volume = LV stroke volume − (LA total emptying volume)
• Active emptying volume = LA pre–a-wave volume − LA minimum volume
• Active emptying fraction = Active emptying volume/LA pre–a-wave volume
All volumes were indexed to body surface area and allometric height (height2.7) (15).
Doppler parameters
Transmitral inflow velocity by pulsed-wave Doppler imaging was obtained with the sample volume placed at the tips of the mitral leaflets. Peak velocity in early diastole (E-wave during early LV relaxation) and late diastole (A-wave during atrial contraction) were measured and the E/A ratio calculated. The velocity time integral of the A-wave was measured and the atrial emptying fraction estimated as the A-wave velocity time integral divided by the total mitral inflow velocity time integral. Additionally, the deceleration time and A-wave duration were measured (9).
Atrial ejection force was calculated from the following equation: atrial ejection force = 0.5 × ρ (density of blood = 1.06 g/cm3) × mitral orifice area × (peak A velocity)2, as previously described (16).
Pulmonary vein velocities were obtained by pulsed-wave Doppler examination from the apical 4-chamber view by placing the sample within the proximal 2 cm of the right upper pulmonary vein. Peak systolic, diastolic, and atrial reversal velocities were measured and the peak systolic–to–peak diastolic velocity ratio obtained. The systolic fraction was calculated as the systolic velocity time integral divided by the total forward pulmonary vein flow velocity time integral. The difference between the atrial reversal duration and the mitral A-wave duration were calculated.
Pulsed-wave Doppler tissue imaging was used to measure peak velocity in systole (S′), early diastole (E′), and late diastole (A′), with the sample volume placed at the septal and lateral annulus (17). The average of the 2 segments were calculated. The E/E′ ratio was calculated as a measure of LV end-diastolic pressure.
LV diastolic dysfunction was classified according to previously defined standard criteria (18,19) as normal (deceleration time = 160 to 240 ms, E/A ratio = 0.9 to 1.5, E′ velocity ≥10 cm/s), mild (deceleration time >240 ms, E/A ratio <0.9, E′ velocity <10 cm/s), moderate (deceleration time = 160 to 240 ms, E/A ratio = 0.9 to 1.5, E′ velocity <8 cm/s), and severe (deceleration time <160 ms, E/A ratio >2.0, E′ velocity <5 cm/s). If diastolic function was undetermined using these criteria, E/E′ ratio and pulmonary vein flow were additionally used for classification (18).
Ten studies were randomly selected for interobserver and intraobserver variability. LA volumes were remeasured by the same observer and by a second independent observer from the digital data using an offline system. Interstudy variability was performed on 10 subjects by repeating their imaging approximately 1 h after initial images were obtained.
All values are expressed as a mean ± SD. Differences among the decades were examined by 1-way analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc analysis. Stepwise linear regression analysis using body surface area, body mass index, and allometric height were performed to determine independent predictors of LA volumes. Linear regression analysis was performed to investigate the correlation of age with LA volume and function parameters, after adjusting for effects of sex. Nonparametric chi-square analysis was used to examine differences in categorical variables (sex and diastolic function grade) among the decades. The differences between grades of diastolic function with demographic and echocardiographic parameters were examined by unpaired Student t test analysis. Bland-Altman (20) analysis was performed to measure interobserver and intraobserver and interstudy variability. Data were considered significant if p < 0.05. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 15.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois).
The mean values for demographic and echocardiographic LV variables by decades are listed in Table 1. There were no significant differences in sex (p = 0.50), body surface area (p = 0.11), allometric height (p = 0.08), and heart rate (p = 0.74) among the decades. All patients were normotensive, although mean arterial blood pressures were significantly higher in subjects over decade 5. LV echocardiographic parameters were similar for all decades (Table 1).
LA volumes
The mean values for LA indexed volumes by decades are listed in Table 2. LA maximum and minimum volumes increased significantly only in decade 8 (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively), whereas pre–a-wave volume increased in decade 7 (p < 0.001). LA expansion index decreased in decade 8 (p < 0.001), whereas in the seventh decade, passive emptying decreased (p < 0.001) with a reciprocal increase in active emptying (p < 0.001) (Figs. 1 and 2⇓⇓).
Linear regression analysis was performed to determine independent predictors of LA volume using body size measurements (body surface area, body mass index, and allometric height). Body surface area was the only measurement that independently predicted LA maximum (R2 = 0.13, p < 0.001), minimum (R2 = 0.11, p < 0.001) and pre–a-wave volumes (R2 = 0.10, p < 0.001). Subsequent indexing of volumes to body surface area was used as the standard for all analysis.
There were no significant effects of sex on indexed LA maximum (p = 0.52), minimum (p = 0.41), pre–a-wave (p = 0.44), total emptying (p = 0.84), and conduit (p = 0.13), passive (p = 0.93), and active emptying (p = 0.81) volumes.
There were significant positive linear correlations (Table 3) between age and indexed LA maximum (B coefficient 0.05 ml/m2, SE = 0.02), minimum (B coefficient 0.06 ml/m2, SE = 0.01), and active emptying (B coefficient 0.05 ml/m2, SE = 0.01) volumes. LA maximum volume did not correlate with LV mass (R2 = 0.01, p = 0.18); however, none of the enrolled subjects had LV hypertrophy. Significant negative linear correlations were present between age and LA total emptying fraction (B coefficient = −0.004 ml/m2, SE = 0.01) and expansion index (B coefficient = −0.69 %, SE = 0.19). Age also correlated inversely with passive emptying volume (B coefficient = −0.05 ml/m2, SE = 0.11).
Diastolic function
The mean values for transmitral inflow and pulmonary vein flow parameters by decade are listed in Table 4. E/A ratio and E′ velocity decreased, whereas atrial fraction and systolic fraction increased as early as decade 4. Changes in peak E velocity were observed in decade 6.
LV diastolic function across the decades is listed in Table 4. The incidence of mild diastolic dysfunction was significant from decade 6; 86% of the subjects had normal diastolic function, and the remaining 14% had only mild diastolic dysfunction. There was no association between diastolic function and sex (p = 0.85). Subjects with mild diastolic dysfunction were significantly older (p < 0.001; 67 ± 9 years vs. 42 ± 15 years), with a higher mean arterial blood pressure (p = 0.03, 91 ± 8 mm Hg vs. 88 ± 8 mm Hg) and heart rate (p = 0.005; 74 ± 11 beats/min vs. 68 ± 11 beats/min). LA maximum (p = 0.29) and minimum (p = 0.07) volumes did not differ between the subjects with mild diastolic dysfunction and normal diastolic function. Mild diastolic dysfunction was associated with increased active emptying volume (p < 0.001) and fraction (p = 0.005) and atrial ejection force (p < 0.001). Conversely passive emptying volume (p < 0.001) and fraction (p < 0.001) were reduced with mild diastolic dysfunction.
Bland-Altman analysis for LA maximum volume demonstrated an intraobserver mean difference of −0.3 ml/m2 (95% confidence interval [CI]: −2.8 to 2.4 ml/m2), an interobserver mean difference of −0.2 ml/m2 (95% CI: −2.8 to 2.4 ml/m2), and an interstudy mean difference of −0.9 ml/m2 (95% CI: −3.8 to 2.0 ml/m2), demonstrating excellent reproducibility. Bland-Altman analysis for LA minimum volume demonstrated an intraobserver mean difference of −0.3 ml/m2 (95% CI: −2.0 to 1.6 ml/m2), an interobserver mean difference of −0.2 ml/m2 (95% CI: −2.0 to 1.6 ml/m2), and an interstudy mean difference of −1.8 ml/m2 (95% CI: −4.3 to 0.7 ml/m2). Bland-Altman analysis for LA pre–a-wave volume demonstrated an intraobserver mean difference of 0.1 ml/m2 (95% CI: −1.5 to 1.6 ml/m2), an interobserver mean difference of 0.1 ml/m2 (95% CI: −1.5 to 1.6 ml/m2), and an interstudy mean difference of 0.6 ml/m2 (95% CI: −1.4 to 2.6 ml/m2).
LA size is increasingly used as a marker for cardiovascular disease (1,4,5); therefore, enlargement and changes in atrial function due to aging need to be carefully quantitated to differentiate physiological from pathological changes. No study has previously examined LA changes and age-related LV diastolic dysfunction, categorized by decades of life in a large group of healthy individuals.
The salient finding of this study is that significant increases in LA volume occur only in the eighth decade with healthy aging. This observation confirms similar findings observed in a smaller group (12) and also in a large cross-sectional sample (n = 1,012) of middle-aged to elderly healthy subjects recruited from the community (21). The unique feature of our study is that it included adults of all ages and examined the temporal relationship between diastolic changes and changes in LA volumes. Therefore, an increase in LA size in all but the oldest normal subjects (free of atrial arrhythmias, diastolic dysfunction, and valvular disease) should be considered an indicator of underlying cardiovascular pathology. LA minimum volume, a correlate of LV filling pressure (22), also demonstrated an increase only at advanced age, similar to maximal LA volume. Indexed LA volumes were not altered by sex, as demonstrated previously (10). In this healthy cohort, no significant differences were observed between LA volumes indexed to either body surface area or to allometric height, as has also been recently described in an elderly population (23,24), whereas only body surface area was an independent predictor of LA size.
We observed that diastolic changes occurred in the sixth decade resulting in mild grade diastolic dysfunction. Klein et al. (25) also demonstrated significantly altered LV filling dynamics in subjects older than 50 years of age. Normal aging results in myocardial fibrosis, altered collagen properties, and abnormal calcium handling within the myocytes of the left ventricle (26,27). These ultrastructural changes likely result in reduced LV compliance and relaxation (28). This suggests that changes within the myocytes may occur earlier than chronologically advanced age. Therefore, physiological changes may occur before and are likely present for a significant period before manifestation as chronologically advanced age.
Interestingly, normal aging only results in a mild degree of diastolic impairment and the occurrence of worsening grades of dysfunction (e.g., pseudonormal or restrictive filling) may be due to coexistent pathology. Furthermore, this age-related mild diastolic dysfunction was not associated with immediate LA enlargement (29,30), which developed almost 2 decades later. This observation would support the concept that LA volume is a marker of the chronicity of LV diastolic changes, whereas transmitral Doppler imaging–derived LV diastolic measurements are more markers of the LA-to-LV pressure gradient at a time point (1,31–34).
Altered LV relaxation with reduced LV suction results in reduced passive atrial emptying, as previously described (9–11). Consequently, LA active emptying is augmented to compensate for the decreased volume transfer during early diastole (35,36). The reciprocal increase in active atrial emptying leads to augmentation of early LA relaxation (37,38), which is additionally reflected in the increased pulmonary venous systolic fraction with aging (39,40). Thus, it would appear reasonable to surmise that changes in LA phasic function occur largely as an adaptation to LV diastolic changes.
These LA compensatory mechanisms are effective for the sixth and seventh decades, but subsequently a plateau in active emptying fraction is observed in the eighth decade. This is accompanied by a decline in LA compliance, observed as a reduction in the LA expansion index in the eighth decade. The causes for reduced atrial compliance could be multifactorial. An increase in interstitial atrial fibrosis as part of the normal aging process (41–43), similar to that observed in the LV, may contribute to LA noncompliance. Additionally, the observed LA changes may in part be consequent to age-related LV diastolic dysfunction.
Altered LA compliance prevents further compensatory augmentation of active atrial emptying. Subsequently, atrial enlargement occurs when the LA stroke volume has to increase beyond that of the Frank-Starling relationship. Therefore, atrial enlargement likely occurs as a consequence of long-term adaptation to LV diastolic dysfunction and reduced atrial compliance, as a consequence of interstitial fibrosis at advanced age in healthy individuals.
Study limitations
The present study was performed with relatively small numbers of subjects, and the subset analysis by decades may lead to beta errors. However, similar changes in LA size at the extremes of age have previously been reported (12,21).
It was beyond the scope of the current study to perform exercise stress tests to confirm normal cardiovascular reserve and exclude underlying ischemia in 220 subjects. However, we made every attempt in line with what would be considered acceptable clinical practice to ensure that the current cohort accurately represents a normal, healthy aging population.
Correlation with histopathology would have permitted a better understanding of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms, but it was considered impractical to obtain biopsy specimens from healthy normal individuals.
The biological age score has been suggested to be superior to chronological age in assessing cardiovascular variables in healthy aging (44). However, derivation of a similar biological score was beyond the scope of our study.
Normal healthy aging does not significantly alter indexed LA maximum or minimum volumes until the eighth decade of life. However, changes in phasic LA function occurred as early as decade 6 as a compensatory response to age-related LV diastolic dysfunction. At advanced age, long-term adaptation to LV diastolic dysfunction together with reduced LA compliance results in atrial enlargement.
The authors acknowledge Karen Byth, PhD, DIC, C. Stat. RSS, for assistance with statistical analysis.
The authors have reported that they have no relationships to disclose.
- Abbreviations and Acronyms
- confidence interval
- left atrial
- left ventricular
- Received June 24, 2010.
- Revision received October 21, 2010.
- Accepted November 15, 2010.
- American College of Cardiology Foundation
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Fulton Presbyterian Manor recently completed renovations in the assisted living neighborhood, and now it's time to show off the progress. The Callaway County Chamber of Commerce will have a ribbon cutting at 1 p.m. Sept. 6 followed by an open house hosted by the campus.
Join us for a showcase tour of assisted living apartments and celebrate the grand re-opening of the assisted living neighborhood.
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The low-cost carrier, a subsidiary of Qantas Airways, will offer an additional two Sydney-Hawaii flights -- bringing the weekly total to five flights -- to replace the canceled Melbourne services.
The annual payout of the dividend is $1.24 a share, which equates to a yield of 5.7 percent based on yesterday's closing price.
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» Bennett Group Strategic Communications has promoted Lee Tokuhara to vice president. She will oversee public affairs, community relations and public policy for the firm's key clients, which include Whole Foods Market, Maui Land & Pineapple Co., Bank of Hawaii, Verizon Wireless and D.R. Horton Schuler Division. She has served the firm since 2005.
» Allana Buick & Bers has named Dana C. Bergeman as principal. He will continue to oversee the architectural and engineering firm's Hawaii division, with offices in Honolulu and Lahaina.
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The loss for the quarter ended in June was $17 million, or 12 cents per share, versus a prior-year loss of $14 million, or 10 cents per share. Excluding nonrecurring items related to a corporate restructuring and settlement, the loss in the 2007 quarter was $29 million, or 20 cents per share.
Revenue declined 2 percent year over year to $804 million from $822 million. On a constant-currency basis, revenue fell 5 percent.
Fourth-quarter net income climbed to $1.93 billion, or 31 cents a share, from $1.54 billion, or 25 cents, a year earlier, the San Jose, Calif.-based company said yesterday in a statement. Sales rose 18 percent to $9.43 billion in the quarter ended July 28, topping analysts' projections
Not so sunny. Server and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to reduce its work force as part of a new restructuring plan, according to a regulatory filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.


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If you bank with Bank of America and use a debit card, then beginning next year you may see a new $5 monthly charge on your bank statement. Bank of America isn't the first bank to start charging a debit card fee but its $5 fee is higher than others and that is just one reason why it has been a popular topic in the personal finance news cycle.
Another way Bank of America will benefit from the fee
After news of the new debit fee started making its way to customers, many proclaimed that they would switch banks, start using cash or even begin using a credit card again. The last alternative, switching to credit, may actually be more beneficial for B of A according to this CNNMoney.com article quoting LowCards.com CEO Bill Hardekopf, "Banks are not only making money on the debit card fees but also pushing people to use their credit cards where banks make a heck of a lot more money down the road."
A SmartMoney.com staff writer examines the two main alternatives to a debit card, cash or credit, in this article. Although there are benefits to both the winners in this deal will likely be consumers that use credit but pay it off in full every month. Of course, that takes quite a bit of discipline and an increase in credit card use may lead to a rise in average consumer debt over the coming years.
Credit card debt is already on the rise
Consumer debt increased by $18.4 billion in the second quarter of 2011, which is an increase of 66 percent over the debt load increase seen in the second quarter of 2010. Unfortunately, the addition of debit card fees may mean that this number will continue to grow.
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Catherine New asks consumers what their plans are now that debit card fees are being implemented at several banks. Her article on DailyFinance.com has already drummed up more than 500 comments with many individuals planning to switch from a mega bank to a credit union.
Credit unions already seeing more business
In this SeattlePI.com article, Todd Pietzsch with BECU comments on the influx of customers to Washington's largest credit union, ""I think there's a lot of consumers realizing there are other options out there." Evidently the credit union was eyeing a new record in memberships on Friday and while it may just be coincidence that this happened right after B of A announced its new fee structure, my vote is that it was anything but a coincidence.
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The Scoop: The 5,000-square-foot restaurant opened its doors in May in D.C.'s Penn Quarter. The 160-seat, dessert-oriented lounge is outfitted in jewel tones and gold mosaic tile-clad walls and columns; plush, red velvet upholstery enhances the seating area. The restaurant is divided into three dining areas, offering intimate enclaves and spaces ideal for socializing. With a total square footage of 5,000, Co Co. Sala can host up to 250 guests; a rooftop event area can accommodate up to 400.
The Buzz: The restaurant's pastry bar tempts guests with a variety of espresso- and chocolate-based drinks. A humidity-controlled "chocolate room," which is showcased behind a glass window, features a small bar with five seats; chocolate classes are also offered. The restaurant hosts movie premiere after-parties, chocolate- and wine-tasting soirees and corporate dinners.
The Quote: "We aimed to create a sophisticated space that would illustrate the multiple functions it supports. Dramatic wave walls emulate flowing chocolate while defining intimate seating areas. Elegant displays enhance the intricate details of the jewel-like chocolates being showcased. Two glimmering bars serve as the perfect backdrop for the sumptuous pastries within and at night transform into a provocative atmosphere where tantalizing cocktails are served." — Alex Hurtado, IA Interior Architects, Co Co. Sala designer
The 411:
Co Co. Sala
929 F St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
The Place: The National Museum of Crime and Punishment
The Scoop: Since the museum's opening in May, it has become one of the city's hottest event venues. You don't have to be a glutton for punishment to enjoy the museum's many galleries and exhibits — including one called "Murderabilia" — and interactive crime-fighting games. Guests are submersed in the outlaw world of Wild West desperados and Depression-era mobsters; for those with a morbid side, medieval torture devices are on display. An entire level of the museum is a studio devoted to year-round filming of TV program "America's Most Wanted."
The Buzz: The 28,000-square-foot museum spans three levels, hosting receptions for groups up to 500 guests and seated dinners for up to 80 guests. Event-goers can munch on appetizers and sip cocktails among the exhibits and games thanks to the museum's generous catering policy, which permits food in most areas throughout the facility.
The Fans: Technology companies, tourism groups, investment bankers, local social organizations and government contractors are all clients. Unlike many other government-funded facilities in the D.C. area, the museum does not have restrictions on political events or fundraisers.
The Quote: "Where else in Washington can you find a spectacular view of the city, a functioning television studio, and the 'Bonnie and Clyde' 'death car'? There really isn't anywhere else where you can find such an elegant setting complemented with interactive exhibits." — Janine Vaccarello, chief operating officer
The 411:
National Museum of Crime and Punishment
575 Seventh St. N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
The Face: Laura Weatherly
The Biz: Engaging Affairs
The Scoop: Since its inception in 1996, Engaging Affairs has been on top of the wedding-planning game. The company has made Washingtonian Magazine's "Best of Weddings" list every year since 1998; Weatherly has been named "Best Overall Wedding Planner" by the same magazine for several years in a row.
The Buzz: The boutique-style business focuses on only a select number of events a year, allowing for individualized service for each client. The company's specialties range from lush garden weddings to cutting-edge cocktail parties. Weatherly shares her wedding industry knowledge by offering seminars twice a year in the D.C. area and by special request to private groups.
The Quote: "Engaging Affairs has become known for its 'fusion' weddings — the blending of religions and cultures into an event that showcases and honors both traditions. Since we are based out of Washington, our clientele is very international, and we've had the opportunity to create some amazing wedding celebrations for brides and grooms from every corner of the globe. We love the fact that no two Engaging Affairs weddings are ever the same!" — Laura Weatherly, founder
The 411:
Engaging Affairs
5443 Broadmoor St.
Alexandria, VA 22315
Select Event Rentals' new hand-painted gold dessert and salad plates are enhanced by floral and a touch of Asian flair.
Digital Lightning's decor company, Syzygy Event Productions, offers custom Lucite dance floors lit from beneath using changeable LED lighting. Dance floor height is adjustable.
Chocolate Graphics shows it is bipartisan with its new Obama/Biden- and McCain/Palin-embossed chocolates. Personalized chocolates are a sweet way of showing off a business logo or commemorating a wedding. The company's products are 100 percent chocolate; no inks are used.


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Mountain Jam Adds Avett Brothers, Gov't Mule and More to Lineup
Mountain Jam celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, and it's celebrating with its biggest lineup ever, including sets by the Avett Brothers, Antibalas, Gov't Mule and more.
As previously reported, the Allman Brothers, whose 'Mountain Jam' song was the inspiration for the festival, are headlining the fest.
The annual fest just announced its daily lineup, which includes a wide range of artists playing over the four days, like Pretty Lights, Lucius, Bob Weir & Ratdog, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Moon Taxi and the Ghost of a Saber Tooth Tiger, which is led by Sean Lennon.
You can see the entire daily schedule here.
The festival will take place from June 5- 8. For more information on Mountain Jam or to purchase tickets, visit the festival's site.


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How much do I know about Greek cuisine? "Not enough". Is that gonna keep me back from having fun with it? "Not at all". While Greek Lam will never be in my bucket list to make, the rest of Greek indigenous vegetables, cheeses and herbs are to die for. Lucky me, I live in Golden State and green vegetables and herbs follow me everywhere, so I've made them inevitable from my diet.
Very long a go, I saw my beloved chef "Ina Garten" making a Greek orzo pasta salad with nearly half the ingredients of my Greek pasta salad. The first time I actually made my Greek pasta salad was purely Ina's recipe, but then over the course of the years, I could not stop my self from adding additional treats to it. And eventually her Orzo pasta graduated to Rotini pasta in my repertoire, since I have difficulty believing in Orzo!
Yamas...clink, clink...
1 lb Rotini pasta
2 large eggplants, diced in 3/4-inch cubes (you may not peel them)
2 large red bell peppers, diced in 1-inch squares
2 medium-large red onions, diced in 1-inch squares
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped
1 cup scallions, chopped thinly
1/2 cup parsley, chopped finely
1 cup sweet basil, tear each leaf by hand to pieces
8 oz Greek feta for garnish, diced in 1/2-inch cubes
Rock sea salt for cooking the pasta (or just kosher salt)
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
For the Dressing
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 medium cloves of garlic, minced to paste
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
For the dressing, combine and whisk everything together, and set it aside at room temperature, letting the flavors to marry. You will need to whisk it one more time before adding it to the pasta.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
For the roasting part, you'll need one extra large sheet pan (21"x15") or two large-medium ones. I also cover the sheet pan with foil for easy cleaning. Toss the chopped eggplants, bell peppers, and onions with salt, black pepper and olive oil on your sheet pan and even out in single layer. Place it in lower level of the oven, and roast them for about 30-40 minutes, until lightly browned, half way through cooking toss and turn them with a spatula for even roasting.
Meanwhile, in a large pot, cook the pasta according to its box instruction until a little softer than "al dente". Don't over cook it, just a bit softer. I often, generously season the pasta's cooking water with rock sea salt. It gives the pasta a nice subtle briny flavor. Drain and transfer the pasta to a very large mixing bowl. Carefully, add the roasted vegetables to the pasta, without squashing anything. Toss it lightly. Then whisk the dressing again, add to pasta mixture, and toss it gently. Taste your salad at this stage for seasoning, and if it needs additional salt and black pepper, add it. Then add the sun dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives, scallions, parsley, and basil. Combine every thing together again. Transfer the salad to a serving bowl, and serve at room temperature.
- For Pasta salads, I prefer to cook the pasta a bit (2 minutes to 4) longer than "al dente", because after draining the pasta, there is no more warm sauce or ongoing cooking, so pasta tends to firm up. Draining pasta in "al dente" stage is only important when baking or cooking with the pasta afterward.
- Always use olive oil bottle with "pour spout" to control the oil and get even coverage or you'll over oil the roasting vegetables.
- For this salad, change the shape of the pasta to your liking, but keep it to small scales and flat shapes like Fafalle, Shell or orzo pastas instead of big and pipe-form shapes like Penne and Rigatoni (those are for another salad).
- This Salad is delicious at room temperature, but feel free to heat it up as a main entrée and pair it with your choice of proteins like shrimp and chicken.


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The picture was taken from the corner of 3rd Ave and B Street in downtown San Diego; the building on which this is painted is at 4th and C. The building itself is a gem; the old "California Theater." Shuttered now. – Mitch Paluszek
This Spanish Colonial Revival theater was built in 1927 and seated over 2200 patrons. Once a premiere venue for the city, the theater has been in disuse for decades. Although the California was renovated in 1988, two years later it was again scheduled for demolition. Now, in addition to restorations, plans call for a wide redevelopment of the entire area, which should bring the theater back into the spotlight and out from the shadows of time. – Cinema Treasures
The New California Theatre was one of the last two old movie palaces (Balboa being the other) . When opened in 1927, it was heralded as "the cathedral of the motion picture" and "an enduring contribution to the artistic beauty of the entire Southland". Ceilings were gold leaf, murals were scattered throughout the theatre. A huge Wurlitzer organ was installed. The theatre had a seating capacity of 2200. The Aztec Theatre on Fifth was built in 1905 as a meat market and entered the show business in 1919 as the California Theatre — it became the Aztec in 1930, allowing the New California Theatre to drop the "New."
The New California Theatre was owned by the West Coast Theatres and backed by San Diegan C. S. Judson. At its grand opening on April 22, 1927, the theatre presented Constance Talmadge and Antonio Moreno in "The Venus of Venice", Fanchon and Marco's "Book ideas", and Al Lyons and his band. Bernard's Inc., an apparel store for women, occupied the entire second floor in 1927. Movies were discontinued in 1976, but the theatre was available for special performances.
The architecture is Spanish Colonial Revival and combines theatre, shops, and office in a three-level, reinforced concrete structure. The nine-story portion faces Fourth Avenue and incorporates theatre entrance and offices. The proscenium area is six stories and the auditorium almost five stories. The parapets of the flat roofs have red tile trim, decorated cornices and dentils or arched corbeling. Bands of cast ornamentation continue around the building at various levels and are trimmed with urns. Some windows have arches and baroque surrounds.
The side walls of the auditorium imitate a Spanish church. The "C" Street wall of the rear has a sign painted on it. On the office section, the windows are recessed and plain in style from the fifth floor upwards. A small penthouse is on the north side of the roof. The marquee faces Fourth Avenue. Cement quoins marking the corners of the first three floors include niches for statuary.
The Old Globe Theatre used the California Theatre downtown while its Balboa Park home was rebuilt after the 1978 arson fire.
A 1988 renovation of the building restored much of the appearance of the 1920s. The marquee "circus" box office was removed, new carpeting was installed, and the ornate sculptural decorations were restored. There were some changes made in the marquee. The building appears much as it did when built.
The building was scheduled for demolition in the summer of 1990 but is still standing in 2000. The Wurlitzer organ was moved to Trinity Presbyterian Church in Spring Valley, but in March of 1996, an arson fire destroyed the organ console and most of the pipework. – San Diego Historical Society
Mitch- I didn't find much on the Barbary Coast – San Diego's "In Spot" but I did find these cool movie posters (Barbary Coast – and maps of the actual Barbary Coast!
Internet resources:
- San Diego Historical Society – New California Theatre – Theatre History in the Nineteenth Century
- Cinema Treasures – California Theatre
- Printsellers dot com
- Internet Movie Poster Awards Gallery


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BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Europe has won the immediate battle to save the euro, but the war to make the single currency sustainable in the long run has only just begun.
Relief in Brussels is palpable: the European Central Bank's conditional promise to act as buyer of last resort for the bonds of troubled euro zone members has removed an existential threat, at least for the time being.
And crucially, some northern countries that had previously paid only lip service to the impossibility of a euro break-up now mean what they say, according to officials.
As a result, the 17 countries sharing the single currency have gone into overdrive to build the supporting institutions that should have been in place soon after the euro was launched in 1999.
The euro zone now has a permanent rescue fund. An embryonic banking union to break the death clinch between highly indebted sovereigns and banks is being formed. There is even talk of a separate budget for the euro zone to cushion economic blows.
"There's lots of progress that you couldn't have imagined politically two years. Things are moving fast," said Diego Valiante, a researcher with the Center for European Policy Studies, a think tank in Brussels.
Yet the new architecture may take a decade to complete and even then, the institutional pillars will not ensure the euro's long-term viability.
For that, growth and convergence are needed — the reverse of the divergent north-south economic, fiscal and financial trends still balkanizing the euro zone and preventing the ECB from delivering a single monetary policy for the entire area.
A recent global survey of chief financial officers by BDO, an auditing and business services firm, showed a high degree of wariness about investing in southern Europe.
"The politicians have made a lot of promises, but delivery of those promises doesn't seem to have the confidence of CFOs yet," said Martin van Roekel, BDO's chief executive.
On some levels, debtor countries are making progress in rebalancing their economies, albeit at the cost of harsh austerity measures that have brought down governments, triggered violent protests and left much of Europe in recession.
Greece, Portugal and Spain all had current account deficits exceeding 10 percent of GDP in 2007. This year, only Greece's will top 3 percent. Not all the improvement is due to a collapse of imports. Spain's exports are up 23.6 percent since the fourth quarter of 2008, according to Deutsche Bank.
Assuming current trends persist, the gap in unit labor costs that opened between peripheral countries and Germany, the euro zone's anchor, might close in most cases by 2015-16, Deutsche economists Thomas Mayer and Markus Jaeger estimate.
Countries are also making headway in reducing their budget deficits. To better assess medium-term debt sustainability, Mayer and Jaeger take account of the fact that the euro zone is at the low point of the economic cycle, thus reducing tax revenues and boosting entitlement spending.
On this cyclically adjusted basis, in 2013 only Ireland will run a budget deficit of more than 3 percent of GDP, the euro zone threshold. Italy will be in surplus.
"Crudely assuming medium-term nominal GDP growth of more than 3 percent, the peripheral countries are close to reaching an underlying fiscal position consistent with the stabilization of the debt-to-GDP ratio," they wrote in a report.
But, as Deutsche Bank notes, economic growth has been disappointing. This is where the short-term relief in Brussels gives way to worries about the capacity of economies to reinvent themselves.
Take Spain, which is likely to have suffered a permanent loss of output due to the collapse of its construction sector after its housing bubble burst. Unemployment is at a record 25 percent and the economy has shrunk for five quarters in a row.
"At least five or 10 years of adjustment will be needed," a senior official at the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, said.
There has been no shortage of reports down the years pinpointing how Europe can raise its game, from removing barriers to cross-border competition to building pan-European energy and transport networks.
Nevertheless, the labor productivity gap between the European Union and key competitors has widened in the past decade. Innovation capacity is poor — the 'Where is Europe's Google?' question — and even Chinese firms now spend more on research and development than EU companies.
Giles Merritt at the Friends of Europe, another Brussels research group, said the challenge posed by Asia had not yet sunk into the political debate: "The competitive alarm bell hasn't been rung loudly enough."
The size of firms is illustrative of the deep-seated reforms that academics advocate.
Research by Bruegel, a Brussels think tank, shows that large companies typically are much better exporters than small firms, thus contributing to their countries' competitiveness. Large businesses also invest more in human capital and R&D.
Yet regulations in many countries discourage expansion, Guntram Wolff, Bruegel's deputy director, said. A French company, for example, has to set up a works council once it has 50 employees.
"We know from our research that only big firms are really innovative and productive and are likely to export a lot," Wolff said. "You're not going to export to China with a firm of 49 people."
France is not alone. Italy, which also has rigid labor markets, has the worst productivity record of any member of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a 34-strong club of industrial democracies.
Italy's GDP per capita has been declining steadily since 1995. Its stagnation is priced in.
It is the more recent decline in the competitiveness of France, reflected in a record trade deficit of 70 billion euros in 2011, that is of increasing concern.
France is enjoying record low bond yields for now, but some investors are growing uneasy at the reluctance of President Francois Hollande to embrace reform.
The risk is that the economies of France and Germany will continue to diverge, driving a political wedge between Europe's core couple. While France's share of global trade has shrunk in recent years, Germany's has continued to grow.
"Germany has been seeing strong productivity gains, which is a trend that will continue as they keep investing. This is a problem for France because its productivity, although high, is stagnating," a senior international economist said.
The nervousness is shared by some officials in Brussels. They know they have earned only a respite the long war to save the euro. They are just crossing their fingers that when the truce ends, they will not face a big attack on the French front.
"France is on a pathway to become like Italy, with little sign of an appetite to reform and little incentive to do so as long as the markets continue to treat it kindly," one official said.
Editing by Mike Peacock


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Foster care association brings two adoption programs to mid-Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY - Foster children will have more opportunities to find homes thanks to two new programs coming to mid-Missouri.
The Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association announced Wednesday night it was selected to be part of the "30 Days To Family" and "Extreme Recruitment" programs.
"Missouri has quite a few kids in care, but not enough homes and this year, we want to focus on getting that balance back," Executive Director Deanna Alonso said.
Adoption Program Manager Amy Martin said the new programs will make life a lot easier for the foster children.
"It's always traumatic for a child to have to leave their home, but if they're able to leave their home to go into another family home or someone they're familiar with or a kinship placement, that's much less traumatic," Martin said.
Alonso added the programs are "really showing to be effective in the rest of the parts of Missouri."
"30 Days To Family" uses a private investigator to help expand a foster child's family tree and match the child with a relative. "Extreme Recruitment," drawing inspiration from "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," aims to significantly reduce the time it takes to find a foster child a home.
The announcement came during the association's "Light The Way" event where people released balloons, instead of the originally planned lanterns, into the sky as part of national foster child awareness month.
"A village really does raise a child, and so we really wanted families to come out and release a [balloon] together just for hoping for a child to find a family or go back to a family," Alonso said.


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A Nokia exec spoke about the company's upcoming products, adding fuel to rumors that a Windows 8 tablet is on the way.
In an interview with the Financial Times (you need a subscription to read it), Nokia chairman Jorma Ollila said the company is working on new handsets and "hybrid" devices.
Here's the full quote from Ollila when asked about future products from Nokia:
Tablets are an important one, so that is being looked into, and there will be different hybrids, different form factors [handset designs] in the future.
That seems to back up previous rumors that Nokia will release a Windows 8 tablet once the operating system is ready to go. As far as "hybrids" go, we're guessing that either means a tablet/phone combination like Samsung's Galaxy Note or a tablet/laptop convertible device.


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Many Nigerians woke up in the morning of the 11th April, full of apprehension. Their apprehension could be explained because on that day, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was scheduled to conduct the governorship and State House of Assembly elections in 29 of the 36 states of the federation. Reason being that the tenure of seven governors was yet to elapse. With palpable tension in the air, the electorate trooped out to elect candidates of their choices. The 2015 election had generated so much tension in the country. Politicians campaigned from ward to ward wooing the electorate with promises, food items and even money. The campaigns had been long mainly because of the postponement of the general elections by six weeks due to the security challenges experienced in the northern part of the country.
Abians were also turbo-charged for the election. They eagerly awaited the arrival of the day to cast their votes in other to elect representatives of their choices. In Arochukwu, the story was not different as people came out of their respective abodes early to be accredited. Accreditation proceeded smoothly as INEC ad hoc staff arrived early and conducted themselves orderly. After accreditation, voting proper commenced. About t10 minutes later, rumour spread like wild fire all through Arochukwu and its environs that materials deployed by INEC were fake, especially the result sheets. Voting immediately stopped while many made calls to candidates contesting the elections to ascertain the truth. As if that wasn't enough, agents of the two main parties in the state accused each other of foul play.
As confusion reigned, many of the already accredited voters who already were on the queue to vote, left for their respective homes and didn't return after normalcy returned. In the midst of the bedlam, I made contacts with some senior colleagues in Lagos and also informed some electronic media about what was going on. My senior editor furnished me with the phone numbers of Mr. Kayode Idowu, spokesman to INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega. I put a call through to him (I must commend Mr. Idowu for making his line available at that time) and after pleasantries, I told him about the confusion. His reply was, "how can you differentiate between an original and fake result sheet?" He advised that election should go on, that the issue of fake result sheet was a wicked rumour.
Armed with that information, I spoke and convinced many people to go ahead and cast their votes. At Atani Hall and Mgbana Ekpe, I was also able to convince people to go ahead and perform their civic duties. At Mgbana Ekpe, while I was speaking with the INEC staff, I was accused by an aggrieved party agent of being an agent of a rival party. After a while, tempers were calm and voting recommenced. Meanwhile, several who left in the ensuing confusion didn't return to cast their votes. I was also shocked by the attitude of some "top party officials" who were supposed to educate the electorates better.
Rather than do that, they retired to their respective homes and even asked some of the electorate not to cast their votes and even helped to spread the rumour. I confronted one of them on why he asked that voting should stop; his explanation wasn't tenable. I then reminded him that accreditation had already been done and the card readers has captured the number of voters in each polling booth, if voting is not done, results can be written based on the accreditation already done.Due to the hiccups, voting didn't end at 3pm; it extended well into the evening, after which the votes were counted and results announced.


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George Clooney on Dating, Sting on American Idol, Sienna Miller on Herself: The Week in Quotesby Free Britney at .
Many thanks to Us Weekly for this compilation:
"I was 11... just walked up to her and said, 'Hey, do you want to be my girlfriend?' And she said yes, and then I didn't talk to her for the rest of the school year because she was now my girlfriend, which I do continue that same pattern."
-- George Clooney on his first girlfriend
"I'm just stubborn, is basically it."
-- Sienna Miller on why she doesn't have a stylist
"Wait until you're 45 like me and you'll be having a hot flash during a talk show."
-- Rosie O'Donnell on Sienna Miller saying she feels old at 25
"They should name it 'Ellen Night,' and I'm not being egotistical, I'm being real."
-- Ellen DeGeneres, on changing the name of the Oscars
"As a teenager I really did not enjoy the way I looked... I was a teenager and I thought I was ugly."
-- Christina Ricci
"I actually feel a bit of compassion for [the contestants]. You're out there with your dreams, and your dreams are shattered by one comment. That's tough."
-- Sting, on American Idol
"It's weird when you watch women's tennis now with all the grunting and shouting. It's a bit like phone sex. So you have to be very careful not to get too excited."
-- Robin Williams on phone sex and tennis
"I made myself a check for $10 million four years before I actually got it. I postdated it Thanksgiving 1995, and I got it six months before."
-- Jim Carrey, on always knowing he'd be successful
"He was really sweet. I sort of hobbled around and moved from my crutches to his arms."
-- Michelle Williams, on falling for Heath Ledger after a knee injury
"Every day, I have daydreams: 'Today I'm going to move to Hawaii, write a book. The next day I'm like, 'F--k Hollywood. I'm going to be a travel writer.'"
-- Drew Barrymore


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Cirrus 820Learn More
Cirrus 920Learn More
Cirrus Truck Campers
Join the all new camping revolution! The luxurious and innovative Cirrus truck campers have what every adventurer is looking for. Your journey starts here...
More About the Cirrus Truck Camper
Cirrus Truck Campers Are Different
In November of 2014, Pleasant Valley Teardrop Trailers ventured into uncharted waters and created a prototype of a very unique truck camper. Less than a year after sharing it with the RV community, the Cirrus Truck Camper was being manufactured on a full-scale production line. The colors, shape and featured amenities present in the Cirrus was something the industry had never seen before. s.
We Started Out Building Teardrop Campers
Pleasant Valley was founded in 2005 and started by producing a classic, retro teardrop reminiscent of those in the 1930's and 40's. Over the next decade, the company focused on building innovative teardrop camper trailers of different sizes and with different features. As business exploded, the doors to RV dealers across the country flew wide open and a demand quickly developed for more and different products.
We Saw an Opportunity to Build Truck Campers Differently
Seeking to answer the call of the market while strengthening and diversifying the product line, nuCamp forayed into the truck camper arena. The opportunity to breathe life back into a fairly dull, if not forgotten, sector of the RV industry was appealing. nuCamp employed many of the same design elements and innovations in the Cirrus Truck Camper that were present within the TAB Teardrop Camper.
Cirrus Truck Campers are Different by Design
The Cirrus Truck Camper was met with great enthusiasm as well as a slew of awards, including Rollin' on TV's 2016 Truck Camper of the Year, Truck Camper Magazine 1st (Hydronic Heating) and 2nd (Modular Sleep System) Place Best Truck Camper Innovation of 2015. Despite the early success, the Cirrus had to be further refined. Gathering feedback from dealers, owners, experts and the community at large, we continue to further improve flow and functionality.


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At JLA Investment Corp, we purchase, manage and lease commercial property to retail, wholesale, industrial and commercial tenants.
Our team ensures the rental until is move in ready. We can remodel buildings by working with contractors for tenant improvements.
We offer units in various sizes between 900 square feet to 80,000 square feet, Most units come with 10 to 25% interior office and showroom space. Some units are ground level, some are dock height and some are both.
JLA Investment Corp have a broad mix of tenants from retail, wholesale, manufacturing, distribution, service, assembly, restaurants, bars, cafes, lodging, auto repair facilities, car rental, auto related businesses, churches, storage, adult businesses, and office use.
So on many occasions do we collect our users/visitors details (like IP, email, Location, ISP details, Personal details like: name, home address, country, town, phone number, gender and lots more) either manually or otherwise. Also third parties (such as AdRoll, Goodle AdsWords) may place cookies on our visitor's browsers for targeted advertising purposes.
What do we use your Information for?
Any of the information we collect from you may be used in one of the following ways:
To personalize your experience
(your information helps us to better respond to your individual needs)
To improve our website(By sending of targeted advertising)
(we continually strive to improve our website offerings based on the information and
feedback we receive from you)
To improve customer service
(your information helps us to more effectively respond to your customer service
requests and support needs)
To process transactions
(Your information, whether public or private, will not be sold. exchanged, transferred,
or given to any other company for any reason whatsoever, without your consent.
other than for the express purpose of delivering the purchased product or service
How to opt of Targeted Advertising?
Kindly clear cache and cookies of your browser and you are free from our targeted ads.
Please kindly let us know if you have any complain or question concerning the aforementioned notes


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An Approach to Concept Development for Compliant Mechanisms Possessing High Coefficients of Restitution
The design of structures and mechanisms subject to impact loading has historically involved designing in such a way as to minimize damage induced by the impact. This has historically been accomplished by absorbing and dissipating the energy of the impact. However, in some applications it is desirable to harness the energy and return it to the impacting object to maximize the coefficient of restitution (COR), resulting in large rebound velocities. The use of traditional rigid-body mechanisms to achieve high-COR mechanisms is limited by issues of friction, durability, poor strain-energy distribution and others. Compliant mechanisms do not possess the same limitations and are well-suited to these types of applications. The principles needed to realize these types of designs are found in existing literature but are confined to very specific applications such as hollow-body golf club heads. The contribution of this thesis is an approach to the generation and evaluation of compliant mechanism concepts for use in impact applications where a high COR is required. This approach is based loosely on common general concept development processes found in literature. This thesis describes the process of including the use of lumped mass or mechanical models, the categorization of strain-energy storage, the use of both closed-form and finite-element static models and the use of dynamic finite-element models to determine if a configuration is eligible to be used in a final design process. This thesis also contributes a case study in the development of configurations for metalwood golf club driver heads.
College and Department
Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Mechanical Engineering
BYU ScholarsArchive Citation
Woolley, Brandon H., "An Approach to Concept Development for Compliant Mechanisms Possessing High Coefficients of Restitution" (2003). Theses and Dissertations. 135.
Date Submitted
Document Type
Compliant Mechanisms, Coefficient of Restitution, Concept Development


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A new non-Aprils fools day Nintendo Direct came out Wednesday, and as always, there was a cornucopia of news. Here is a quick rundown on some of the major announcements:
Super Smash Brothers receives a lot of love from Nintendo:
- Mewtwo, who was previously announced as a DLC character, finally has a price and a release date. Mewtwo can be downloaded starting on April 28th of this year for either $3.99 for one version of Smash or $4.99 for getting him in both the 3DS and Wii U versions of Smash.
- As promised last year by Nintendo, if you have purchased the Wii U and 3DS versions of Smash 4, and registered them before March 31st on Club Nintendo, you will receive a download code on April 15th for your Mewtwo.
- With the announcement of Mewtwo came another surprise. Lucas, a fan favorite, and one of the disappointing exclusions to Smash 4, will once again be returning to Smash, but this time as a DLC character. There was no specific date or pricing for Lucas other then he will be out sometime in June. It can only be assumed that the price of Lucas will be around the same as Mewtwo's.
- Along with being able to buy Mewtwo and Lucas, you will be able to purchase new costumes for your Mii Fighters. Some costumes featured were based on the Zelda series, Xenoblade chronicles, and the Megaman series. The first wave of costumes will be released on April 15th for $.75 for downloading them on one version and $1.15 for getting them on both the 3DS and Wii U versions. The bundle pack that will come with all the costumes will be $6.00 for each individual system and $9.20 for both versions.
- One of the biggest pieces of news for Smash 4 was the announcement of a fan poll called the Fighter Ballot that will give players the chance to submit fighter ideas for Smash 4. Finally, players will have a chance to make their dreams of playing Ridley from Metroid or Geno from Mario RPG into a reality.
- To submit a character idea, all you have to do is go to the Official Super Smash Brothers website and click on the Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot link, or just click here. Once there, you can submit an idea for a character and make a case for including him/her in the game.
- Last but not least, there was an announcement of a new update for Smash, pushing the game up to version 1.0.6. This update includes the downloadable content, plus character balancing, and probably the coolest thing, is the new sharing functionality on the Wii U. The sharing functionality includes being able to share Mii fighters, replays, and custom stages.
Big news on the Amiibo front:
- The biggest news comes with an official release date for the new wave of Ambiios. The first set which will include Ness, Jigglypuff, Charizard, Pac-Man, Wario, Lucia, Robin, and Greninja will come out on May 29th. This will be followed by Dark Pit and Palutena sometime in July and Dr. Mario, Ganondorf, Zero Suit Samus, Bowser Junior, and Olimar sometime in September.
- A special Yoshi Ambiio made out of yarn will be released alongside Yoshi's Wooly World this fall. This yarn Amiibo will come in three different colors: green, pink, and blue. If used with Yoshi's Wooly World, a special Yoshi will appear to "help you out," or as director of marketing for Nintendo America Bill Trinen put it, "So you'll never have to feel alone".
- Another surprise announcement came in the form of new Splatoon Amiibos. You will be able to purchase an Inkling Boy or Girl separately, or in a package that will also contain a Squid. These all launch alongside the game on May 29th. When used in the game, each character will give you a special mission to complete, and once completed will unlock special weapons and gear you can only get from using the Ambiios.
Lastly, Mario Kart 8 will be receiving a huge update and a new DLC patch.
- The DLC will include 3 new racers Isabelle, Villager, and Dry Bowser. It will also include 4 new vehicles, 8 new courses, and two new Cups. The new DLC will be released on April 23rd for $7.99.
- One of the biggest additions to Mario Kart 8 will be the 200cc difficulty level. This will be the hardest difficulty setting that has appeared in any Mario Kart and will also be available on April 23rd for free.
The Nintendo Direct in all its 48 minute glory.


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The Creative Assembly is currently working on a Total War game set in the Warhammer universe.
Posted By Ravi Sinha | On 14th, Jan. 2015 Under News
The Creative Assembly's next iteration in the Total War franchise will be set in the Warhammr universe and called Total War: Warhammer. This was revealed in "The Art of Total War" book that was to be ship by the end of the month. One fan got his hands on an early copy and posted the interview with Mike Simpson on the official forums (via Kotaku) where the existence of Total War: Warhammer was mentioned.
The announcement isn't that much of a surprise considering Sega signed with The Games Workshop, which created the Warhammer franchise, in December 2012 to create a new title in the franchise. It will be interesting to see how elements of the Total War franchise, which is concerned with realistic tactics and strategy, fits in with the Warhammer universe.
What are your thoughts on Total War: Warhammer? Let us know in the comments and stay tuned for more details as an official announcement arrives.
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Institute for Internal Controls
"Promoting an effective internal controls environment"
TheIIC Advisory Board
Governance for the Institute for Internal Controls is provided by the Advisory Board, whose members are displayed below. The Advisory Board is headed by the Chairman. Its members are appointed and serve on a voluntary basis. All members of the Advisory Board must hold the CICA or CCS designation and be a member in good standing.
Meet the Advisory Board
Dr. Frank Nasuti, Ph.D., CPA, CICA, CFE, CGMA is Chairman (Emeritus) and founder of The Institute for Internal Controls. He has over 30 years of experience in internal controls. His past positions and experience include internal controls consulting and forensic accounting, internal audit and Big 4 Public Accounting, and law enforcement at the Federal and State level. He has extensive research experience and has taught in the doctorate and masters programs at Nova Southeastern University, in the MS in Accounting program at Widener University, and the undergraduate programs at Rutgers University and Temple University. He has also delivered lectures to graduate students in the MBA program at Arcadia University.
Professor Thomas M. Brinker Jr.. CICA, CPA, CFE, ChFC, PFS, AEP, is a Professor of Accounting and Executive Director of the M.B.A. Program at Arcadia University. Professor Brinker holds master's degrees in taxation (MST) and accounting (MSA) from Widener University, a juris doctorate in international law from Columbia Pacific University, and an LLM in international taxation from Regent University School of Law. He has published articles in numerous journals, including The Journal of International Taxation, The Tax Adviser, The CPA Journal, and The Journal of Financial Service Professionals. Brinker gives numerous presentations throughout the year on tax planning and compliance. His interests include financial accounting, tax planning and compliance for individuals and businesses.
Edmund (Eddie) Saunders, CICA, CFE, FCIB, C.Dip.A.F. (ACCA) has several decades of expertise in the areas of internal controls, internal audit and fraud examinations. Eddie is the founding President of the Poland Chapter of the IIC, the largest local chapter in Europe and serves as The IIC European Coordinator. He is also President of IIC-Polska, Founder & Honorary President of PIKW, Co-Founder of the ACFE Poland Chapter (received the ACFE Distinguished Achievements Award) and Vice President of United Kingdom & Ireland Chapter of TheIIC. In 2012 Eddie was awarded the first Chairman's Award for his dedication to TheIIC.
Robert "Trim" Blair, CICA, CFE, is a retired military veteran and presently serves as a financial and fraud prevention professional. He retired from the US Air Force in 2011 as a Lieutenant Colonel with 25 years of service. During his military career he served as the Chief Investigator under the Inspector General for CENTCOM and worked on over 1000 successful cases. Trim is also a former member of the Board of Regents of the ACFE. He is currently a Special Investigator for the FDIC, fighting bank fraud in the Atlanta region.
Chris Doxey, CICA, CAPP, CCSA, CISA, is presently a management consultant for Doxey Inc. and has held senior finance and controller positions at DEC, Compaq, HP, MCI, APEX Analytix, and BSI Healthcare. Chris has earned bachelor's degrees in English and Accounting, a MBA, and a graduate certificate in project management. She is currently developing a certification program for controllers for the Institute of Finance and Management (IOFM) and has written numerous articles and published two handbooks: AP Leadership Skills and Implementing a Controls Self Assessment Program for Accounts Payable.
Dr. Robert E. Davis, DBA, CICA, CISA is a senior audit manager/consultant, a freelance author as well as a university-level professor. His unique qualifications encompass over thirty years of internal control practice and scholarship experience. Dr. Davis has provided data security consulting and information systems auditing services to a highly regarded government agency and corporations of various employee sizes. His past teaching experience includes positions with Temple University, in the Master of Science in IT Auditing and Cyber-Security program, and the undergraduate programs at Bryant & Stratton College and Cheyney University. He has also served as a Temple University Master of Science in IT Auditing and Cyber-Security Advisory Councilmen and CISA in Residence.


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New events, idea hubs and even table tennis await when the new season of the European Poker Tour begins this summer.
Barcelona was the setting for the very first EPT and it's now the only city the tour has visited every year since 2004.
That year Sweden's Alexander Stevic won a 1-day, €1,000 tournament for €80,000. Last year the main event was won by John Juanda, who turned his €5,300 buy-in and a year layoff from poker into over €1m in a week.
What's in store for voracious poker fans this year? Plenty more.
Almost as Big as WSOP
With 64 events on the calendar for EPT Barcelona 2016 it's now almost reached the 69-event lineup the WSOP had on offer this summer - except jammed into just 12 days.
Apart from the standard No-Limit Hold'em and Pot-Limit Omaha, events will also include plenty of Stud and Mixed events - all in a variety of formats from Deepstack to Hyperturbo.
The companion Estrellas Main Event has become so big they can't handle it in two days anymore.
Who's next?
With 3,292 players last year, that was the breaking point so this year for the first time there will be three starting days.
A few of the more interesting and most important events of the Barcelona poker festival:
- €10,300 High Roller; Aug 17-19
- €440 PokerStars Cup; Aug 17-22
- €1100 Estrellas Main Event; Aug 17-22
- €50,000 Super High Roller; Aug 20-22
- €2200 Estrellas High Roller; Aug 21-23
- €150 Right to Play Main Event; Aug 22
- €5300 buy-in Main Event; Aug 22-28
- €25,500 Single Day High Roller; Aug 23
- €10,300 PLO High Roller; Aug 24-26
- €10,300 High Roller; Aug 26-28
Satellites from 55 Cents
If you're looking to get in to the action on the cheap satellites on PokerStars will carry on until August 8 when the last qualifier – a €320 NLHE – starts just after midnight.
Play your way in live right here.
At the moment there are still over 50 tournaments in the satellite section of the PokerStars lobby.
Direct satellites have buy-ins from €27 to €320 but there are plenty of feeder tournaments running from as low as 55 cents.
There will also be live satellites at the Gran Casino in Barcelona, both for the EPT Main and other events.
Take on Darius Knight
Barcelona will be all about poker for the second half of August, but there'll be plenty of side diversions as usual.
Throw down w/ the champ.
If you win your way to the EPT main event don't miss out on the Players Party at The Pascha. The roof terrace is fantastic and the Spanish bar staff pour drinks like nobody else on the EPT.
If you need to cool off between tournaments there'll be plenty of water activities. Right next to the casino you can hop on pretty much everything between a Crazy Sofa to a jet boat to a luxury yacht.
Try out Fly boards, Hover boards or ride a Jet Ski. You can get all of this within a few minutes' walk. Too much action? Take a city tour on a Segway and hang out at the street party Fiesta de Gracias.
If FC Barcelona is your thing there's a League match on August 20 and you can get a ticket through EPT Travel.
Are you good at table tennis? Prove it and play against English champion Darius Knight. The best player wins a ticket to the "Right to Play" charity event.
PokerStars has also invited everybody to take part in discussions with representatives on different topics of the industry. Bring your ideas on how to improve the EPT, the traveling, new games, sportsbook and casino.
Every day from August 22-25 there will be open meetings with everyone who's interested. If you have any suggestions drop them in the chat box or post them on our Facebook page and we'll forward them when we're on location.


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This is posted at the request of an old and good friend Handjojo Limono and I have no personal or professional interest in the matter, in 2009 having severed all ties with Ignatius Leong together with all associations with the bodies he holds position in.
I have long ago moved on but this clarification is necessary as many well wishers have called me after misunderstanding the intention as they wrongly assumed I am still bitter and am choosing to waste my time in some quarrel.
Let me assure my friends that there is no need to put one plus one together to reach three and so sorry to disappoint some others with my indifference but at this point in my life I have other priorities now and really everyone needs to look after themselves in their own way!


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Welcome to our new site!!
It is our goal to build the best site on the web for BOP Inmate families.
This site is for YOU, so please help us build it!
We have found the best and cheapest way for you to talk with your loved one. You can save over 80% on all phone calls starting today!
We will print your pictures and words on the best 5x7 glossy postcard we could find. Mailed quickly to your inmate.
Build a web page you can give to others. Help your inmate by providing a place for others to contact them.
Send books, newspapers and magazines to your loved one. We'll find the way how. You send them! Also, reccomend and disucss books that others like.
Everyone wants a letter from home. Write letters on your phone and computer. We'll print and mail them! How easy is that?
Meet others and talk with those in similiar situations.


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Back Vitalizer
The Back Vitalizer is an amazingly effective air cushion where gentle and on-going movement of air is transmitted to the body structure. This unlocks the tension and almost instantly stops the pain!
7 in stock
Additional information
|.5 kg
|32 × 21 × 4 cm
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Back Vitalizer
Back Vitalizer
The Back Vitalizer is an amazingly effective air cushion where gentle and on-going movement of air is transmitted to the body structure. This unlocks the tension and almost instantly stops the pain!
Recommended by health professionals and used by thousands of people with back pain it gives quick and effective relief from pain. It means that you can start sitting down again without pain and enjoy the simple pleasures like watching TV, going to a movie or driving a car. Compact, it is ideal to use when travelling long distances. You may never have back pain when sitting again!
How does the Back Vitalizer work?
The Back Vitalizer is a specially designed rectangular air filled low back cushion that you can use either behind your low back or you can sit on it. It was created after researchers discovered a novel way of encasing air so that it could continuously flow and then used that knowledge to create a very special cushion that has unique pain relieving properties.
Sitting on the Back Vitalizer enhances the hydration of spinal discs, improves blood circulation to the tissues and helps reduce back pain. The core muscles become activated as if to stabilize your pelvis on a pocket of air. Like sitting on an exercise ball it stimulates your sense of balance while encouraging you to stay straight and tall. By changing the level of inflation the Back Vitalizer cushion may be used as an exercise device to mobilize the lumbar spine, strengthen the abdomenal and spinal muscles while stimulating and training the balance system.
When used as a cushion the Back Vitalizer is extremely helpful for people who spend a lot of time sitting and feels remarkably comfortable; it is suitable for people of all ages and is ideal to use at work, home, when taken to sporting events, the theatre, in your car or on an airplane. The Back Vitalizer is very robust; tested to 180KG for eight hours, and cleverly designed to be compact; you can take the cushion anywhere as it folds flat to the size of a magazine. This special cushion is the perfect travellers companion for anyone who suffers from low back discomfort yet has to spend hours sitting while in transit.


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LANCE Ultra Lysis Buffer 2 is used in select LANCE Ultra cellular phosphophorylation detection kits. This buffer is already provided in these kits, but can be ordered separately.
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For research use only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
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LANCE TR-FRET technology is widely used in both basic research and in high throughput screening. Given the wide range of possible applications for LANCE and LANCE Ultra assays, many different buffer types and compositions may be considered for use in LANCE assays. We provide a selection of buffers validated for LANCE assays that may be ideal for your needs.
|Automation Compatible
|Detection Method
|Time-Resolved Fluorescence (TRF), TR-FRET
|Product Brand Name
|LANCE Ultra
|Shipping Condition
|Blue Ice
|Target Species
|Unit Size
|100 mL