text:
Bad news for anyone who was hoping "chip" debit and credit cards would save us from ATM hacking. We still have a long way to go.
The number of debit and credit cards that were compromised at U.S. ATMs and stores rose 70% in 2016, according to an analysis by the analytics and data company Fair Isaac Corporation (FICO). The company works with financial institutions to alert them about potentially compromised cards and analyzed all of the hundreds of thousands of ATMs and card readers it monitors to find out how widespread fraud was last year. The number of times ATMs and merchant devices were compromised also rose 30%. (That said, it was better than 2015, when the number of times increased more than 500%).
Although merchants and ATMs have been gradually upgraded to require EMV, or "chip" cards, many merchants and ATM owners have still not done so, said TJ Horan, vice president of fraud solutions at FICO. EMV stands for "Europay, MasterCard and Visa," three companies that collaborated to create the technology. These kinds of cards, experts say, cut down on fraud because many fraudsters attempt to copy credit cards with magnetic stripes by placing "skimmers" on devices where they are swiped. Cards with chips create a unique code banks use during every transaction to verify the payment, so they are not vulnerable to skimming in the same way.
Oct. 1, 2015, was the first day of a "liability" shift for credit cards; it meant that the party that hadn't switched to chip card technology (either the financial institution that issued a card, or a merchant) would become liable for counterfeit fraud on that card. And starting Oct. 1, 2016,that responsibility also fell on owners of ATMs who haven't made the shift to chip cards. But the deadline for switching to EMV technology on automatic gas pumps isn't until October 2020, meaning gas pumps are one spot at risk of being tampered with, Horan said. During this transition period, technology for creating skimming devices has become better and cheaper, Horan said.
Don't miss:Why that scuzzy ATM in the back of your favorite dive bar is about to disappear
There was some good news in the report. Technology for detecting hacked ATMs and merchants has also improved. As a result, in 2016, the average amount of time an ATM or merchant device was compromised was 11 days, down from 14 days in 2015.
There are warnings signs for consumers. Horan said people should be wary of any ATMs or merchants' devices that are hard to fit a card into. Those may be compromised with skimmers, he said. Consumers should frequently check their bank and credit card accounts to be sure they don't see any fraudulent charges, said Adam Levin, the chairman and co-founder of Credit.com and the author of "Swiped," a book about scamming and identity theft. He also suggested signing up for email and text-message alerts from financial institutions; some will notify consumers every single time they make a payment, which can make keeping track of transactions easier.
Some banks are updating their ATMs so customers can actually log into them using their smartphone. In other words, no card is required to access them, in another attempt to cut down on fraud. BMO Harris Bank and some locations for Bank of America
"That's where we're going, but until then, check your accounts," Levin said.


text:
I'm so happy to be home. Home really is the nicest word there is (thanks Laura Ingalls Wilder). When we get away, I feel like it gives me a new appreciation for the home/comforts/setup we have. Responsibilities don't seem so daunting but more rhythmic and welcoming. This week, I have all intentions of soaking in summer … around home.
. laundry catch-up – monday is the day for that
. going for coffee to this little coffee/market joint one day this week
. catching up some visiting days with friends – Judah will be so happy! he misses his friends (so I've heard daily from him since we left for idaho!)
. have some bloodwork and a midwife appointment – how can we be 29 weeks along already, little one?
. connecting with my me2 girls from this past year for a gourmet pizza night (my mouth is watering as I type this)
. get some more reading in
. hopefully get a thrifting time in … I'm on the lookout for some more unique outdoor chairs. but of course, when you are on the hunt for something, that is never what you end up finding!
. finishing up some thank you cards
. making something similar to this with the rhubarb from our neighbor
. possibly heading to some live music and having a picnic one night … we'll see!
With whatever this week ends up holding for you, I hope you view it with a refreshed perspective and excitement!
pic pix: the boys all spiffed up for the wedding this last weekend – they are SO cute! 18.Jul.2015, at home

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Jarrett Bay 64, Bench Mark (custom hull #55) will be on display to the public this coming week at the Miami Yacht & Brokerage Show off Collins Avenue. Currently for sale and listed exclusively by Bluewater Yacht Sales, Bench Mark will be located at their display off Collins Avenue Ramp 12, slips 523-527.
The Miami Yacht & Brokerage Show is a free event from 10am – 7pm beginning Thursday, February 14 and running through Monday, February 18, 2013.
We hope you'll join us there and see first-hand what a truly custom, cold-molded Carolina boat from Jarrett Bay is all about.
Exterior Gallery
23 Photos
Interior Gallery
29 Photos
Action Gallery
40 Photos
UPDATE: The Bench Mark has recently gone under contract and will not be in the Miami Show afterall – we will however have the 46′ Persistence on display in her place at Bluewater's show location.


text:
This weekend, after dealing with a leaking diapered baby boy while packing up the car for a long ride to visit my awesome big fat Greek family, a 3 hour car ride instantly turned to 6 hours when a distracted Mommy and Daddy realized after an hour and a half that we were headed the wrong direction! That is a painful mistake that you hopefully only make once in your life. The good news is that there's nobody else I'd rather be next to than my baby-daddy-Greek-husband, even if after 3 hours we were only finally back at our initial starting point. BTW, if you're wondering how many times a toddler can declare, "I'm thirsty" or ask "Where we going?" in the span of 6 hours: the answer is 12,752.
So what are the essentials to pack for your long car ride with the kids? As well as what you need to be forewarned and banish from the car?
1.) Music: But, please do NOT make the mistake of brining the nursery rhymes CD that your 2YO wants to hear on repeat for 2 hours. There are only so many times you can hear the hip hop version of "B-I-N-G-Oooooo!" before you begin to lose your mind. We learned from that great error and left it at home this time so that we could honestly say, we don't have that CD with us.
2.) EAR PLUGS! Really, because the folded up McDonalds napkins just don't work, I promise.
3.) Imagination: Now, of course, we never have ear plugs when you need them, so we entertain 2YO with the various made up games: daddy's favorite is the "car game" where he asks her to tell him the color of the car driving next to us. Then of course, there's the "Greek Word Game," where we point to objects and learn the Greek word for it. And finally, the "Song Game," where hubby and I sing a nursery rhyme to as many different styles of music we can think (opera, rap, rock, metal); obnoxious, but very entertaining, to say the least. Mommy's favorite is the "Let's pretend to take a nap" game, followed second by, "Who can be quiet the longest?"
4.) Snacks: just remember as we learned from yesterday, no cheese for 2YO. Read yesterday's post if you're wondering why.
5.) Extra diapers and wipes: because you really don't want to walk into that gas-station in the middle of nowhere and ask for diapers only to discover that their only selection is a dusty box of single unwrapped diapers that YES have a huge tick in one, and when you complain asking if they have wrapped ones, the guy flicks off the tick and asks, "what tick?" Yes, that happened last year, and I ran out of that store vowing NEVER to let that happen again. Thus, the huge bag of diapers in my trunk.
6.) Toys: but be very selective. Don't bring markers in the car, because never underestimate the power of boredom to persuade a 2YO to color her entire face a hue that makes you scream when you look back and see a Green and Orange Umpa loompa staring back at you.
Do you have any other essentials to add to the list? Or any games you play with your child in a long car ride?
Please vote for us in the top Mommy blogs by clicking to the right of this post. You can vote 1x per day. They reset the ranking of all to zero yesterday so it's a race to the top.
April 6, 2010
What NOT to pack for your long car ride . . .
Posted by Melodramommy at 1:09 PM
Labels: diapers, packing, road trip, what NOT to do
3 comments:
- Anonymous said...
ah, the essentials list. no mom should leave home without! found your blog from a friend's blog. just wanted to say hi! :)
- April 06, 2010
- Melodramommy said...
Hey alabaster cow. Hi back to you. Thanks for stopping by. I'll have to check out your page and learn about your cool name.
- April 06, 2010
- Heather said...
We once went through a 2 month period where all Charlotte wanted to listen to in the car was Cyndi Lauper's She Bop on repeat. Lovely.
- April 07, 2010
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
Total Control Anodizing
Landmark anodizing system is excellent for semiconductor toolmakers...
Semiconductor manufacturing is a high-stakes industry loaded with secrets. Among the most closely guarded are those secrets related to the complex tools used in the manufacturing process. "Tools" in this industry are the devices used to make semiconductor wafers, which are essentially complex vacuum chambers where plasma etching occurs. In this process, gas reacts to form a plasma, thereby etching surface areas not covered by a photoresistant masking material. This creates a micro-condition (a channel) on the face of a silicon chip.
Numerous parts within the chamber are anodized to protect the hardware from the corrosive effects of the plasma and gases. Anodizing also gives dielectric protection so that the plasma is sustained where it is needed. Dielectric strength, the voltage breakdown strength, is a critical measurement of the surface coating.
Featured Content
Confidentiality umbrellas cover virtually every aspect of tool design, function, manufacturing and finishing. Rare is the glimpse into this unique industry, where channels are one-fifth the dimension of a human hair and finishing is measured in billionths of an inch.
In 1995, Walgren Company, Grand Rapids, MI, was commissioned to design and build a landmark anodizing line for use in coating new componentry made by one of the world's leading semiconductor toolmakers. A secondary role for the line was in related technical anodizing markets and refinishing formerly anodized components. The line was installed at Treffers Precision, Inc., Phoenix, AZ, a subsidiary of Praxair Surface Technologies, Inc.
Walgren had supplied Treffers with an anodizing system and support equipment 20 years before. The equipment is still used for aerospace parts manufactured for Boeing, Allied Signal and major airlines. Aerospace work comprises a significant portion of Treffers' customer base.
System design was a joint effort between the toolmaker OEM, Walgren and Treffers. Repeatability of results, traceability and absolute process control were the primary objectives. Treffers also wanted the line to provide extensive data collection, detailed, long-range archiving and the capability to expand quickly and without disrupting production. The latter would be important both during the semiconductor industry's high-growth years and during years when growth levels off and the emphasis would be on developing projects in other market sectors to compensate for the loss.
Clearly, Treffers' system is one of the most automated anodizing lines operating in the United States. There are 34 stages, spanning 120 linear ft, and the line was engineered to operate on a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week basis. There are four independent computers. The first runs the hoists, activates the system's 20 rectifiers and governs the dwell time in each tank. The system has true random capability; separate recipes can be entered for each part and each load bar.
Managing conditions for the rectifiers (4 bays with 5 rectifiers in each) is the task of the second computer, which forwards its information to a data computer.
The analyzer computer manages and analyzes all of the physical and chemical parameters involved with system operation, such as temperature, concentration and conductivity. The fourth data computer compiles the system history and correlates the data from the other three computers.
Individual tanks are 7 ft long by 4 ft deep by 2 ft wide and are built in a chemical containment well. Tanks are serviced by two automatic hoists that run in series. An automatic analyzer checks each tank, maintains proper chemistry, automatically activates replenishment when needed and handles other critical line functions such as filtering process tanks and final rinses. Filter pressure is monitored continuously and automatically indicates when a cartridge change is warranted. Sensors also monitor air agitation. Except for programming, the line operates free of human intervention.
At the start of the cycle, the operator enters a part serial number. This generates a hoist and rectifier recipe and calls up a set of specifications indicating which tanks will be involved and for how long. It also indicates flow rates, chemical concentrations and temperatures. The system then determines what loads are currently in the line and confirms tank conditions. If all elements are within the specified parameters, the system will process the load. If some element is outside its target range, the system will not allow the operator to start and will hold the load until the conflict is resolved.
Processes in the system are an alkaline non-etch soap clean; ultrasonic clean; acidic deoxidize; alkaline etch, deoxidize; hard or sulfuric acid anodize; nickel acetate seal or deionized water seal; and dry. Triple counterflowed rinses separate each chemical stage. Resistivity sensors in the rinse tanks control the flow of high-purity deionized water.
As parts progress through the system, they are accompanied by a detailed history of every process they went through. This information, along with data on tank temperatures, chemical purity and other specifications, is also fed to a database that is accessible via modem dial-in. Therefore, the toolmaker, Treffers' management and technical support personnel can review and discuss system status and performance in detail and in real time.
The system provides continuous monitoring of every tank and every component of every aluminum alloy processed. Routine decanting prevents the accumulation of impurities such as dissolved aluminum in the etch tank and guards against metallic impurities such as copper. All analyzer instrumentation self-calibrates daily.
Cycle length is generally one to three hours, depending on the anodizing thickness specified and how long parts remain in the seal stage. To assure continuous operation, critical system components, including hoists, heat exchangers, chillers and pumps are redundant and can be activated with a simple turn of a valve. Air emission controls for the Treffers line were supplied as part of the Price Walgren package by Tri-Mer Corp., Owosso, MI. The fan/separator fume scrubbers are notable for their low water use, which is 60% less than average conventional scrubber designs. They also feature low internal static pressure, which translates to lower utility costs.
Both fan/separator units are manufactured from PVC. A 12,000-cfm unit serves the anodizing tanks. An 8,000-cfm unit serves the deoxidizing and etching tanks. Both operate continuously at 95% plus efficiency.
Wastewater treatment was also provided as part of the anodizing system package. The system provides continuous flow-through neutralization, clarification and filtration stages. Precipitates from the nickel seal bath, the only stage with a heavy metal component, are segregated and treated separately. The line generates only non-hazardous effluent, and there is no heavy metal discharge. The system operates free of cyanide, chromium and solvents and was recently recognized by the city of Phoenix for its pro-environmental policies and violation-free operation.
With the successful commissioning of the line, Treffers is poised for significant growth and expansion of its business base. Augmenting its important work with semiconductor etching is a project for the broader semiconductor industry, such as the processing of heat shields and the manufacture of aluminum-based medical devices used in laboratory testing and analysis, where aluminum is the preferred substrate and high traceability is critical.
Future expansion may also be facilitated by a blank spot left in the line where an additional tank can be added for a dye, bright dip or other stage. Provisions were also made for filtration of that "phantom tank" and for connecting it to the scrubber.
Treffers parent company, Praxair Surface Technologies, is one of the world's largest surface enhancement technical organizations.
Other quality control, such as thickness and surface roughness testing, is customer specific. All monitored line parameters flow to a database. Predictive software allows the generation of SPC charts and extensive statistical analysis. Thus, if something begins to trend away from the target, it can be corrected quickly and proactively.
Treffers Precision believes it is on track for the future. According to Dave Henderson, business group marketing manager, "The demand for tightly controlled and process of record anodizing continues to be strong. The tools we have, specific recipes, addition of other coatings in combination, repeatable variations of those recipes and the link to Praxair, put us in a unique position to develop new and better answers to customer problems. This will be part of the future for anodizing."
To learn more visit Price Walgren and Tri-Mer Corp.


text:
'To invent is to provide the world a new means to enrich their lives'. This is a quote unheard of by anyone. This is because we prefer to stick to the old quote 'Necessity is the mother of invention' and do not try to delve into the hitherto unexplored world of invention-related quotes. Oh well, or maybe this is because I just made this quote and that is why you would
have never heard of it. But that's beside the point.
The point is, what will I invent? A quote? Nah. Oh, I know! If I were to invent something, I would invent … a vehicle which would purify the air! I would call it … (drum roll) 'The Air purifying vehicle'! (See? Creativity showing its true colours!). No, wait. People can question me on the originality of the name (because the name is so awesome that people will think it
was plagiarized). So, unfortunately, I would have to change the name. There goes the brilliant name from where it came. Oh, wow! This rhyme could lead me to fame. So, if I get a better name for my invention, I can forget all my tension, and my creation could be worth a mention.
So, how about the 'air cleaner'? Or 'The air suck-clean- thrower'? I know! I'll call it 'A Whiff of Pure Air'! Now all that needs to be decided is what should it do? Purify air? Obviously. But how? Wait, I am thinking. All right, I got an idea.
The contraption would be like a vehicle with seats for two in the front, and a huge cavity filled with filters and a turbine at the back, closed and sealed apart from two exhaust-like- structures protruding from the back. In the cavity, there would also be a small fan like machine, whose chief role would be to create low pressure in the vehicle. The vehicle would run on the energy produced by the turbine, and not on diesel or petrol. So, when we insert the key and turn it, the fan starts rotating and creates a low pressure, thereby sucking the air in.
Now, the question must be arising in the minds of the marvels who haven't fallen asleep by now that if the vehicle does not run on any fossil fuel, then when we put the key in the slot (the term is ignition, but we cannot use it as there is nothing to ignite) how does the fan start? That is easily answered. The answer is … witness the power of magic! Just joking. So, there are many gears connected to the key in the slot (hereupon, I am going to call it the 'start button'). When we put our key in the start button and turn it, the gears start moving. The gears are connected to the fan, and the gears are placed in such a way that whenever
they are rotated even the slightest, they will make the fan move. Fine? Awake now? Okay, let's continue.
So, when the air is sucked in, it moves the turbine as it rushes to the fan, which is creating the low pressure. The energy thus produced by the turbine is utilized by the vehicle, making this vehicle a 'green' vehicle. After moving the turbine, the only thing left standing in the way of the air is the three-layer filter, consisting of the pre-filter, the deodorizing filter and the true HEPA (stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter.
The air passes through the filters, which relieves the air of the pollutants, with the result that the air is now clean. This clean air now enters a tube which is connected to the other exhaust, and this air is discharged into the atmosphere. This cycle continues, and results in cleaner, fresher air. People fall prey to many diseases due to the innumerable pollutants and
contaminants present in the air. This vehicle can clean the air and rid it of the various pollutants. This will provide pure air for all to breathe, reducing the health hazards faced by people.
Now there is no need to cover you face with a mask as soon as you step out of the house. You can always wear your best smile as you walk happily down the street. These vehicles will revolutionize outdoor breathing and will befriend every nose. There will be a number of them in each city, constantly on the move, providing citizens with clean, healthy air. On
each vehicle, there will be a slogan in big, bold letters,
"Your illness needs a cure,
It needs air that is pure;
We are doing that for sure,
Your future we secure!"
Pranay Mathur
Class 8A
CHIREC International School


text:
|Via Mostly Opera
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Stuttgart Ring: Siegfried
4 comments:
Fafner should have been a gangsta', then!!!!ReplyDelete
@Placido Zacarias I think he was a hubristic industrialist!ReplyDelete
That pristine showroom of a bedchamber looks a lot like the home of the elderly Dave Bowman in 2001: A Space Odyssey. Perhaps during the Götterdämmerung, Brünhilde becomes a Space Baby after the immolation scene.ReplyDelete
Seriously though, this production looks quite interesting and I appreciate your review. I have a lot of enjoyment for more experimental approaches to opera stagings and this one appears to work well.
@Nullifidian Thanks for the comment! A possible allusion to 2001 was something I hadn't considered, though surely some opera director must have tried it somewhere by now (I'm not sure I should count the Dorrie Rigoletto...?) I am enjoying my own experimental phrase as a viewer of experimental stagings.ReplyDelete


text:
Computer controlled subjective refractor
A computer controlled subjective refractor includes a microcomputer based remote hand control connected to an enclosure which houses the optical elements of the refractor and which controls their operation for the examination of a patient. The enclosure has a beam splitter extending at its bottom and a forehead rest extending near its bottom such that a patient's eyes are positioned near the bottom of the enclosure to view into the beam splitter and thereby materially reduce accommodation which would otherwise interfere with the accurate refracting of the patient's eyes. Movement and position location of the optical elements are achieved through a microcomputer based electronic controller which is in communication with the microcomputer remote hand control. Additionally, a microcomputer based target projector assembly may be used to selectively project any of a wide number of images comprised of eye charts and the like for testing the patient's vision. The subjective refractor thereby provides a network of microcomputer based electronic controls for very accurately positioning a plurality of optical elements and determining their position in order to determine the refractive correction of a patient's eyes. The handheld remote control includes an optical display and a number of finger controls through which an operator may actively interact with the subjective refractor as the patient is examined.
There are many instruments in the prior art directed to determining the refractive correction of a patient's eyes. With the advent of computers, instruments have become commercially available which utilize computers in an attempt to automate what was previously a manual operation. However, almost all of these instruments suffer from the problem of instrument accommodation which may significantly impact the measured correction. This phenomena relates to the patient's tendency to "accommodate" or unconsciously adjust their eyes as they bring their face close to an instrument. This results in squinting, straining, or otherwise forcing the eyes to adjust and focus near rather than the patient relaxing and letting the instrument "correct" for the eyes' deficiency at distance. While various techniques have been developed in an attempt to control accommodation, such as fogging one eye while refracting the other, by and large these have met with only limited success in automated instruments.
Adaptation of computers to these instruments has provided some advantages, such as providing digital outputs, electronic measurement of lens positions to provide greater accuracy, more sophisticated operator input and control over the testing process, etc. However, all of these supposed advantages have not been realized due to the inherent problem of accommodation which has not been solved. Furthermore, in such prior art devices as are known to the inventors herein, the needs of the user have not been addressed such that computer controlled devices have become more complex and difficult to operate than the prior art manual devices instead of easier and simpler. The concept of "user friendliness" has not been addressed so as to minimize the training required for an operator to effectively use a device to achieve an accurate measurement of a patient's refractive correction.
In order to solve these and other problems in the prior art, the inventors herein have succeeded in designing and developing a subjective refractor which is elegantly simple in design and which utilizes programmed microcomputer technology to simplify its operation such that users are logically guided through the examination process. Another significant advantage of the present invention is its approach in reducing the patient accommodation phenomenon. The instrument is conveniently mounted at the end of an arm, much as a prior art refractometer, except that it is positioned at the patient's forehead and extends upwardly therefrom. The only portion of the instrument which extends downwardly into the patient's line of sight is a beam splitter through which the patient may clearly view the far wall or any other background provided in the room. This "fools" the patient into believing that there is nothing close to his face or eyes and reduces the patient's tendency to subconsciously "adjust" his eyes. By dramatically reducing patient accommodation, the instrument's ability to accurately refract the eye has been greatly improved over those instruments in the prior art. Additional improvement in accuracy has been attained by utilizing separate microcomputers for controlling various parts of the instrument, with the microcomputers being in communication. An operator's remote control is hardwired to the instrument to permit an operator to move about the patient freely during the examination. The remote control unit includes a number of finger controls through which the operator may control the operation of the instrument during the examination, and has a display to indicate to the operator the eye target being displayed to the patient as well as the refractive correction indicated by the instrument, all on a real time basis. An operator may watch the patient's eyes adjust during the examination which provides a direct indication to the operator of the patient's response.
Still another feature of the present invention is a computer controlled electronic target projection assembly which permits an operator to selectively project any one of a series of pre-programmed eye charts, or any other customized eye chart, for patient viewing in the far vision mode. This target projection assembly is conveniently mounted internal to the instrument and eliminates the use of eye charts positioned at inconveniently long distances from the patient. Furthermore, the ability of an operator to switch from one eye chart to another permits him to adjust for a patient's "learning" the chart and to otherwise provide interest to the patient during the examination, thereby further distracting him from the process and minimizing accommodation. This feature also provides for extending the functionality of the present invention to permit patient testing for information regarding neurological and physiological diseases of the eye which are not generally considered to be characteristic of refraction. These tests are conveniently formed within the enclosed refractor system of the present invention which allows a better control of the environmental conditions in which the patient is being tested. One example of these other tests includes a type of response test administered by varying the contrast present in any one of the pre-programmed eye charts. This test measures the patient's detection of the contrast ratio between the brightness of the chart items and the brightness of the background that the items are displayed upon. Secondly, a glare test can be performed by shining one or more bright lights into the patient's eyes while the patient is viewing a chart. Patients with cataracts or other media opacities will see streaks and glares of light which "wash out" the chart. A patient's subjective responses may be solicited to quantify the amount of visual degradation. This increased functionality of the present invention extends it from being considered solely as a refractometer into a more generalized vision platform.
The instrument also includes another microcomputer for controlling the movement of various optical elements contained within the assembly. These movable optical elements include those which are moved to adjust the refraction of the instrument, their position thereby being indicative of the refractive correction, as well as those optical elements which must be moved to change the patient's line of sight from a near vision to a far vision path, or vice versa. While the instrument is binocular, the microcomputer may also occlude one eye or the other for monocular measurement, or for other purposes as known in the art. For measuring near vision, a reading card is manually positioned by an operator and its distance is measured and input to the computer by an encoded distance measuring device which extends outwardly from the back of the instrument.
As mentioned, the three microcomputers are electronically linked and are in communication under a master-slave relationship providing operator control through the handheld remote control. Thus, with the present invention, microcomputers have been adapted to the instrumentation to simplify it instead of making it more complex. Furthermore, microcomputers provide digital input and output which allows communication with other computers in the doctor's office to automatically record the measured patient's refractive correction and store it without recopying onto a patient's card or the like which may result in error. These microcomputers not only provide more accurate measurement, but the inventors' approach of locating the optical and electronic assemblies in an enclosure which is positioned at eyebrow level and above dramatically decreases patient accommodation such that this increased accuracy is not "lost" in the distortion caused by patient accommodation. It is believed that the present invention will provide dramatic improvement in the quality of optical services provided for these reasons.
While the principal advantages and features of the present invention have been described above, a more complete and thorough understanding of the invention may be attained by referring to the drawings and description of the preferred embodiment which follow.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the optical elements included in the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the arm mounted enclosure which contains the electronics and optics of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a final assembly drawing providing further detail of the interior of the enclosure;
FIG. 4 is an assembly drawing further detailing the mechanical arrangement of the optics;
FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the various components comprising the base plate assembly;
FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the cylinder assembly;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the near vision gate assembly;
FIG. 8 is a plan view of the handheld remote control including display and control buttons;
FIG. 9 is an electrical schematic of the microprocessor based handheld remote control;
FIG. 10 is an electrical schematic/block diagram of the microprocessor based motor control unit;
FIG. 11 is an electrical schematic of the microprocessor portion of the motor controller unit;
FIG. 12 is an electrical schematic of the motor driver section of the motor controller;
FIGS. 13a-c are electrical schematics of the data encoder portion of the motor controller;
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of the microprocessor based target projector assembly;
FIG. 15 is a back view of the enclosure detailing the Prince rule for measuring the near vision working distance; and
FIG. 16 is a simplified schematic block diagram showing some of the interconnections of components in an embodiment of the invention.DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Before providing a detailed description of the various components of the present invention, it may be helpful to briefly describe the instrument in summary fashion. Generally, the subjective refractor of the present invention includes a main enclosure containing opto-mechanical elements that are moved by motors, elements that are moved manually, and elements that remain static. There are two major motor driven opto-mechanical assemblies that provide the variable optical power of the refractor: the trombone assembly which linearly translates mirrors M1 and M2 to provide variable spherical power; and the cylinder assembly which both translates and rotates lenses L5 and L6 to provide both variable cylinder power and axis (see FIG. 1). Other motor driven assemblies are included to move optical elements in and out of the optical path (like the occluder), and to adjust the inter-pupillary spacing. A manually controlled element (which could be readily motorized) and a motor controlled element allow the refractor to be toggled between far vision and near vision patient sight paths and also to correctly position the patient with respect to the instrument. A number of static optical mounts maintain the position and alignment of the fixed optical elements and serve as the platform for mounting the moveable elements.
Referring to FIG. 1, the subjective refractor 20 shown is comprised of a plurality of optical elements which may be conveniently moved for testing a patient's visual acuity when the patient is viewing either a very distant object and the patient is not accommodating, or a closely placed object. Only one side (for the left eye) of a fully binocular system is shown in FIG. 1. All of the adjustable optical elements included as part of FIG. 1 are also present in a mirror image for the other eye and perform the same optical functions as described for those as shown in FIG. 1. Both eyes share the optics of the common chart projector assembly (described below) as the light from the illuminator source is divided into two paths by a beam splitter that is located in the collimated section of the projector optics.
Referring now more specifically to the elements shown in FIG. 1, the target projector assembly 22 includes a projector lamp P shining light through a liquid crystal display (LCD) chart image C and a field lens L13. The light then travels through lenses L12-L10 and reflects off mirror M6 to enter the optics common to the far and near paths of the left eye side shown in FIG. 1. Mirror M5 moves in and out of the optical path to switch between the near and far vision paths. The mechanical mechanism for moving mirror M5 is described in greater detail below. When M5 is out of the path, light is able to travel from the target projector assembly 22 into the shared vision path optical elements 24. Light from the target projector assembly 22 is incident upon a moveable pair of lenses L5 and L6 which control the variable cylindrical power of the subjective refractor 20. The distance between the lenses changes the power of the focusing light. The rotation of the L5 and L6 lens pair about the optical axis controls the axis of the cylindrical power. After the L5 and L6 lens pair is an aperture A0 which contains interchangeable optics 26. For example, this port can be supplied with a prism for beam deviation, an occluder to obstruct the beam (for monocular operation), or a clear aperture so the beam remains unaffected. Still another example for optics 26 is a variable prism pair which can be rotated relative to one another to provide a large prism diopter range, including a zero prism diopter deviation. This permits measurement of phorias which are deviations of the eye away from the optical axis of the object being viewed. After aperture A0, the light reflects off mirror M4 and travels through the lens pair L3-L4 onto mirror M3 and into the trombone assembly 28. Mirrors M1 and M2 comprise the optical elements included in this trombone assembly 28 and they are moved in synchronism to provide the variable spherical power of the system by changing the path length between lens pairs L3-L4 and L1-L2. The remainder of the common optics 24 are stationary and consist of the lens pair L1-L2 and the beam splitter BS1. Light reflected off beam splitter BS1 impinges on the patient's left eye and is sharply focused onto the retina when the subjective refractor 20 has been adjusted to compensate for the refractive errors present in the eye 30.
The near vision optical elements 32 share the common vision path optical elements 24 when mirror M5 is moved into its dotted line position as indicated in FIG. 1, i.e. in the light beam path. When so positioned, light reflected from object 34 reflects off mirror M8, through lenses L9 and L8, off mirror M7, through lens L7, and off mirror M5 to join the common vision path optical elements 24. Typically, object 34 may be a near vision reading card or other eye chart as known in the art for detecting near vision correction. A Prince rule, such as a wire type distance encoder 29 as shown in FIG. 15 may be used to electronically encode the distance between object 34 and the patient's eyes. When mirror M8 is not being used for near vision refraction, it is flipped up into its dotted line position as shown in FIG. 1 to clear the patient's view to his surroundings. Thus, a patient's eye 30 may conveniently see through beam splitter BS1 and beyond to the far wall or other physical objects as the patient's line of sight is unobstructed. During far vision refraction, the target projector assembly 22 projects its target which is apparently displayed to the patient via beam splitter BS1 such that it appears to be "projected" at infinity against the far wall of the room in which the patient is positioned.
As shown in FIG. 2, beam splitter BS1 is mounted to and extends downwardly from the enclosure 36 within which the subjective refractor 20 is mounted on an arm 38 for movement and adjustment about the patient's face. A forehead rest 40 is pivotally mounted to the lower portion of the front side of the enclosure 36 and provides a convenient physical positioning of the patient's forehead during an examination. With this orientation, it may be readily understood that the enclosure 36 extends from a point above the patient's eyes upwardly such that the patient's eyes are aligned with the beam splitter BS1 to look out into the room beneath enclosure 36. This greatly reduces any patient accommodation by giving the patient a feeling of open space and reducing the tendency for a patient to feel that his face is near or adjacent any other object.
Having provided an overview of the optics and general arrangement of the subjective refractor 20, a more detailed description of the various mechanical and electronic assemblies comprising the subjective refractor 20 will now be explained.
Basic Refractor Assembly
The subjective refractor 20 (see FIG. 3) includes a pair of base plates 42, 44, one for the right eye opto-mechanics and the other for the left eye opto-mechanics. Optical elements and moving assemblies of the subjective refractor 20 are mounted on both sides of each base plate 42, 44. The base plates 42, 44 are moveable to the left and right about the refractor center (approximately the location of the patient's nose) to adjust for the variable inter-pupillary spacing encountered in the patient population, as is more fully explained below. Briefly however, as shown in FIG. 4, base plates 42, 44 are mounted to a framework 46 with a threaded shaft assembly 48 driven by a motor 50 for remote adjustment thereof by an operator prior to examination. The target projector assembly 22 is mounted to framework 46, and framework 46 is mounted to enclosure 36, as shown in FIG. 3. With this mounting arrangement, the target projector assembly 22 is mounted independently of the base plates 42, 44 such that their adjustment does not alter the projected target. The output from the target projector assembly 22 is split in a collimated optical space and directed into the optics of each base plate 42, 44 at any inter-pupillary distance.
As shown in FIG. 4, the same beam splitter BS1 is also shared by base plates 42, 44 and is permanently mounted at a 45.degree. angle relative to the base of enclosure 36 by a pair of brackets 52. The forehead rest 40 is adjustable with respect to enclosure 36 to permit an operator to control the distance from the patient's corneal surface to the subjective refractor 20. Most appropriately, this adjustment will position the patient's corneal surface at the vertex distance expected in a pair of spectacles, i.e. the distance from the cornea to the back surface of the spectacle lenses. Adjustment guides may be provided to assist the operator in correctly positioning the patient's eye. As shown in FIG. 2, a mount 54 for mounting the subjective refractor 20 to arm 38 provides both tilt and rotation adjustment to provide a comfortable patient position in the refractor forehead rest 40. A pair of PC boards 56, 58 may conveniently mount the electronics for the subjective refractor 20 (and another ancillary device), except those which are provided in the remote control 60 (see FIG. 8). The trombone assembly 28 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) provides the simultaneous mechanical displacement of mirrors M1 and M2 required to introduce variable spherical power in the subjective refractor 20. Trombone assemblies 28 are located on both base plates 42, 44, allowing independent adjustment for the right and left eyes. As shown in FIG. 5, mirrors M1 and M2 are permanently oriented with respect to each other to provide a fixed 180.degree. beam turning in the optical path between the fixed lens elements L1-L2 and L3-L4. By varying the path length between the fixed lens elements L1-L2 and L3-L4, the spherical power of the system is changed. The mirrors M1 and M2 are mounted on a precision machined bracket 63 which holds the mirror front surfaces at a constant 90.degree. with respect to each other. The bracket 63 is in turn precision mounted on a carriage 64 which is driven on a linear ball bearing slide 66 by a threaded shaft 68 driven by a miniature DC servo motor 70. Magnetic encoder feedback is provided to reproducibly acquire and maintain a commanded position for the microcomputer which controls the movement of mirrors M1 and M2 (see the Electronics Section).
Cylinder Assembly
A cylinder assembly 72 (see FIG. 6) provides the mechanical motions of lenses L5 (a plano convex cylindrical lens producing plus cylinder power) and L6 (a plano concave lens producing negative cylinder power) required to produce both variable cylindrical power and variable cylinder axis. Two cylinder assemblies 72 are utilized, one mounted on the right base plate 42 and the other on the left base plate 44. This allows the completely independent setting of cylindrical power for each patient's eye. To produce varying cylindrical power, the lenses are linearly displaced relative to each other, i.e., the spacing between the lens centers is increased to increase the cylindrical power. At the null position of the cylinder lenses, when they nearly touch at the lens centers, the combination of L5 and L6 produces no power at all. As the lenses are driven apart from one another, the cylindrical power is increased. The lenses are moved in a 2:1 ratio, with lens L6 moving twice the distance of lens L5. The mechanical assembly simultaneously translates both lenses in carriers geared to a linear threaded drive assembly 74. The required 2:1 ratio is provided in threaded drive. The drive shafts 75, 77 are driven by a miniature DC motor 76 through a pair of gears 78. The cylinder assembly 72 also provides the required variable cylinder axis angle for the refractor 20. This is accomplished by jointly rotating the lens pair L5, L6 about their common optical center. The cylinder power axes of lenses L5 and L6 are precisely co-aligned during assembly. This common axis of power is then rotated to vary the axis angle observed by the patient. In the mechanical assembly, this is accomplished by rotating the entire linear threaded drive assembly 74. Thus, for any linear displacement of the lenses L5, L6, they may be rotated to any angle. It is sufficient that the lenses L5, L6 rotate through a 180.degree. angle as the optical system is symmetric. This rotation is achieved by a DC motor 80 and gears 82.
Inter-pupillary Distance Assembly
The inter-pupillary distance (see FIG. 4) of the refractor 20 is adjustable by moving the two base plates 42, 44 apart or together relative to the refractor center line. The base plates 42, 44 are adjusted by the operator to bring the optical axis of each base plate 42, 44 into alignment with the patient's pupils, for example when the patient is focused at infinity. This allows the patient to binocularly view the eye chart. The two base plates 42, 44 are driven simultaneously from a single threaded shaft assembly 48 mounted to the framework 46 and driven by a stepper motor 50.
Prism-Occluder Assembly
The prism-occluder assembly 84 (see FIG. 5) is located at the aperture AO in FIG. 1. Although it is possible to mount a variety of optical elements at this position in the refractor 20, currently both a prism 86 to produce vertical dissociation and an occluder 88 are utilized. These elements 86 and 88 are rotated in and out of the optical path under computer control to produce the desired effect during testing. Both the prism 86 and the occluder 88 are directly driven by a DC motor 90. A prism-occluder assembly 84 is mounted on each base plate 42, 44 to provide independent testing of each eye.
Near Vision Optical Elements
The conversion of the subjective refractor 20 from far vision to near vision is achieved by moving both mirrors M5 and M8. Mirror M5 must be inserted in the optical path. Mirror M5 directs the patient's view through the remainder of the optical path, while mirror M8 deliberately blocks the patient's view through beam splitter BS1. The patient views the test object 34 and surrounding area through the near vision optics 32 of the subjective refractor 20.
As shown in FIG. 4, M8 is mounted by a pair of brackets 92' to framework 46 and has a finger knob 94' for moving M8 between a downward, near vision position and an upward, far vision position. As shown in FIG. 7, M5 is pivotally mounted to a support bracket assembly 224 and has a DC drive motor 226 which drives a lever arm linkage assembly 228 for moving M5 between a downward near vision path and an upward far vision path. As would be clear to those of ordinary skill in the art, mirror M8 could also be motor driven, or a mechanical linkage secured between mirrors M5 and M8 such that a single motor could drive them both between a near vision and far vision position. However, these details are considered to be design choice and the inventors are disclosing that which they consider to be their preferred embodiment at this time.
Operator's Remote Control
The operator's remote control 60 is shown in FIG. 8 and is coupled with a hardwired connection to the electronics in enclosure 36. The remote control provides the interface for an operator with the subjective refractor 20 and permits feedback through information displayed on the display screen 92. As shown therein, the right side of the display 92 includes the refractive correction for the left eye (which is on the operator's right) and the left side of the display screen 92 includes the refractive correction for the right eye. Shown in the center portion of the display is a reproduction of the eye chart being shown to the patient. Along the lower portion of the display are a number of icons which correspond to the menu soft keys 94 as required for the operator to interact with the computer controlled remote control 60. A chart control 96 is provided along the right side of the remote control 60 along with increment/decrement buttons to enable an operator to "thumb" through the charts. An occlusion button 98 permits the operator to occlude rapidly either one of the right or left eyes, as desired for monocular examination. A menu control button 100 permits an operator to progress through the function menus. A complete and detailed description of operation for the handheld remote control 60 may be found in Exhibit B attached.
As mentioned above, the handheld remote control 60 includes electronics which are shown in greater detail in FIG. 9. The operation of the handheld control 60 is centered in microprocessor 102 which may be a 68HC11E1 or equivalent, with a supervisory chip 104 to provide reset timing during power-on or low power supply situations. Microprocessor 102 utilizes a PROM memory 106, a RAM memory 108, and PROM memories 110-116, as required, for storing its control program, addressing information, operational data, etc. A latch register 118 performs capture of lower order address bits for extending the addressing capabilities of microprocessor 102, as is known in the art. Similarly, latch register 120 facilitates addressing the PROMs 110-116. Buffers 122 and 124 provide microprocessor access to the signals received from the finger controls 94 on remote control 60 as transmitted through a connector 126. Data register 128, data buffer 130, and control register 132 facilitate communication between microprocessor 102 and the LCD display 92 through connector 134. An RS232 driver circuit 136 facilitates communication between the microprocessor 102 and other microprocessors as described below such that microprocessor 102 permits an operator to control the subjective refractor 20 from the handheld control unit 60. Lastly, a voltage regulator circuit 138 regulates the voltage for the electronic circuit elements as shown in FIG. 9 and as are contained in the handheld control 60.Motor Controller
As explained above, there are a number of miniaturized dc drive motors for moving various portions of the subjective refractor. The electronics to achieve the controlled movement thereof, including monitoring the data indicative of the position of various optical elements, etc. of the subjective refractor 20 are shown in FIGS. 10-13c. Turning first to FIG. 10, an overall block diagram is shown therein detailing the interconnections between the microcontroller unit 140 connected to motor driver circuitry 142 and encoder circuitry 144. The microcontroller unit 140 is shown in greater detail in FIG. 11 and includes a microprocessor 146 connected to a PROM memory 148 and a RAM memory 150 in which are stored the control program, addressing information, operational data, etc. A PAL address decoder 152 and lower order address bit register 154 provide the addressing capability for microprocessor 146. Control registers 156-160 receive and hold motor driver control signals which are written by microprocessor 146. Data buffer 162 is used to prevent overloading of the microprocessor data bus. Address decoders 164 and 166 decode and provide write control signals to counters 168-180 (FIG. 12) which, in turn, provide pulse width modulated enable signals to the six motor drivers 182-192. These drivers are connected to the six DC motors 70, 76, 80 for the trombone and cylinder assemblies on slave plates 42 and 44 contained in the subjective refractor 20. Depicted in FIG. 13 are seven quadrature decoders/counters. Six of those counters, counters 194-204 convert the quadrature signal to position data for each of the six motors 70, 76 and 80 on slave plates 42 and 44 in the subjective refractor 20. The last counter 206 measures the position of the Prince rule for data entry into microprocessor 146.
FIG. 13b depicts motor connections and driver circuitry associated with the right base plate 42 of the subjective refractor 20. Motor drivers 230 and 232 control the prism and occluder dc motor 90, while motor driver 234 controls the stepper motor 50 used for interpupillary spacing adjustment. Also depicted are a set of optical sensors 236, 238 and 240 which are used to determine an absolute reference point for the trombone and cylinder assemblies, 70, 76 and 80.
FIG. 13c depicts motor connections and driver circuitry associated with the left slave plate 44 of the subjective refractor 20. It is functionally identical to FIG. 13b.
The target projector assembly is shown in FIG. 14 and includes a microprocessor 208 in communication with the other microprocessors through RS232 interface 210. An address decoder 212 facilitates the addressing of data in a PROM memory 214 and a RAM memory 216. PROM 214 includes the control program and targets comprised of eye charts for display. A video processor with RAM 218 is driven by the microprocessor 208, and in turn drives an RGB (Red-Green-Blue) to NTSC (National Television Systems Committee) converter 220 to generate control signals for LCD drivers 222 which, in turn, illuminate the LCD display C for generating the projected image 284.
Additional memory, programs, displays, and other data or software may be conveniently input to microprocessor 208 through interface 213 by insertion of a PCMCIA card in card reader slot 215. This provides for convenient system upgrade, configuration changes, and implementation of other functionality with the same hardware configuration. The card reader 215 could be used with any of the microprocessors included in the instrument.
Flow charts for the control programs for each of microprocessors 102, 146, and 208 are attached hereto as Exhibit A. These flow charts describe the functional operation of each of these control programs to facilitate the operation of the subjective refractor 20.
FIG. 16 shows a plurality of motors 70, 76, and 80 for moving some of the optical elements electrically coupled to (as indicated by 270, 276, and 280, respectively) and controlled by motor controller 140, which is connected to remote control 60. The projection unit 22 is also connected to remote control 60. The feedback connections between the motor controller 140 and the motors 70, 76, and 80 are shown at 272, 278, and 282, respectively.
There are various changes and modifications which may be made to the invention as would be apparent to those skilled in the art. However, these changes or modifications are included in the teaching of the disclosure, and it is intended that the invention be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
1. A subjective refractor for determining refractive corrections for each of the patient's eyes, said subjective refractor comprising:
- (a) a plurality of optical elements contained in an enclosure, said enclosure being adapted for positioning entirely above the patient's eye level, said optical elements including a beam splitter extending downwardly from said enclosure and adapted for positioning in the patient's line of sight through which the patient may view his surroundings as said subjective refractor is used;
- (b) a movable near vision mirror contained in the enclosure for each of the patient's eyes for reflecting light off a near vision testing object and through at least one of said optical elements into the patient's eyes;
- (c) distance measuring means extending externally from the enclosure for determining a distance between the near vision testing object and the patient's eyes;
- (d) a target projector for projecting a target through said plurality of optical elements and into said patient's eyes, said projector being located in said enclosure;
- (e) a plurality of motors for moving at least some of said optical elements;
- (f) a motor controller electrically coupled to said motors for monitoring and controlling said motors to thereby adjust positions of said optical elements, said positions corresponding to said refractive corrections; and
- (g) a control unit electrically coupled to said motor controller for an operator to enter commands to adjust said projected target and said optical element positions in response to the patient's responses.
2. The subjective refractor of claim 1 wherein said target projector projects a selected one of a plurality of standardized eye charts.
3. The subjective refractor of claim 2 wherein said target projector includes a target projecting computer including a display screen, said target projecting computer being responsive to signals from said control unit for selecting one of a plurality of targets for display on said display screen.
4. The subjective refractor of claim 3 wherein said plurality of optical elements includes some elements in a far vision path, other elements in a near vision path, and still other elements in a shared vision path, said plurality of motors including a sight-line changing motor for moving said movable near vision mirror to change a patient's sight line of at least one eye between said far vision path and said near vision path, and vice versa.
5. The subjective refractor of claim 4 wherein said plurality of motors includes an optical element moving motor for moving at least some of said plurality of optical elements into and out of said patient's sight line.
6. The subjective refractor of claim 5 wherein said control unit includes a display for displaying an indication of which of the targets is being projected and an indication of the refractive correction for each of said patient's eyes.
7. The subjective refractor of claim 6 wherein said target projector is positioned solely in said far vision path.
8. The subjective refractor of claim 7 and further comprising a distance encoder to measure the distance to a near vision target.
9. The subjective refractor of claim 4 and further comprising an interpupillary distance adjuster.
10. A subject refractor for determining refractive corrections for each of a patient's eyes at least for far vision distances, said refractor comprising a plurality of optical elements, at least some of which are moveable, a first computer for monitoring and controlling the movement of said moveable optical elements, a second computer including a target projector for projecting a target through said optical elements and into the patient's eyes, and a third computer, said third computer including a plurality of finger controls for an operator to input commands, said third computer being electronically connected with said first and second computer so that said first and second computers carry out said operator commands.
11. The subjective refractor of claim 10 further comprising means for determining a refractive correction for each of a patient's eyes at near vision distances.
12. The subjective refractor of claim 10 wherein at least one of said computers includes a display for displaying an output representative of said refractive correction.
13. The subjective refractor of claim 10 wherein said plurality of optical elements includes some elements in a far vision path, other elements in a near vision path, and still other elements in a shared vision path, and further comprising a plurality of motors for moving said moveable optical elements, said first computer controlling said motors to thereby move selected ones of said moveable optical elements to change a patient's sight line between a far vision path and a near vision path.
14. The subjective refractor of claim 13 and further comprising feedback means between said plurality of motors and said first computer for monitoring the position of those of said moveable optical elements whose movement adjusts the refractive correction of said plurality of optical elements, so that said movement is accurately controlled.
15. The subjective refractor of claim 14 and further comprising an interpupillary distance adjuster.
16. The subjective refractor of claim 15 wherein said target projector is positioned solely in said far vision path and said first computer includes a distance encoder for monitoring the position of a near vision target.
17. The subjective refractor of claim 16 wherein said third computer includes a display for displaying said refractive correction as said subjective refractor is used and an identifier of the target being displayed by said target projector.
18. The subjective refractor of claim 17 wherein said target projector projects a selected one of a plurality of standardized eye charts.
19. The subjective refractor of claim 10 further comprising means for inputting data into at least one of said computers.
20. The subjective refractor of claim 19 wherein said data input means comprises a memory card reader.
21. The subjective refractor of claim 20 wherein said second computer comprises a memory card reader.
|December 1969
|October 1970
|Cornsweet et al.
|March 1971
|VanPatten et al.
|January 1972
|May 1972
|June 1972
|February 1974
|Kratzer et al.
|June 1974
|Bellows et al.
|April 1975
|Howland et al.
|May 1975
|May 1975
|May 3, 1977
|July 31, 1979
|December 25, 1979
|Persson et al.
|December 16, 1980
|Williams et al.
|March 3, 1981
|May 12, 1981
|Trotscher et al.
|October 6, 1981
|Kohayakawa et al.
|October 6, 1981
|Wada et al.
|December 8, 1981
|October 12, 1982
|Nohda et al.
|January 4, 1983
|Kitao et al.
|February 8, 1983
|Matsumura et al.
|February 15, 1983
|Crane et al.
|June 28, 1983
|Nohda et al.
|July 26, 1983
|August 2, 1983
|October 4, 1983
|October 18, 1983
|December 20, 1983
|Matsumura et al.
|April 24, 1984
|Simon et al.
|June 12, 1984
|Takahashi et al.
|July 16, 1985
|July 30, 1985
|August 6, 1985
|January 20, 1987
|February 3, 1987
|April 28, 1987
|October 6, 1987
|Sekiguchi et al.
|November 17, 1987
|March 15, 1988
|April 26, 1988
|June 28, 1988
|August 2, 1988
|September 20, 1988
|Fukui et al.
|January 10, 1989
|Fukuma et al.
|March 7, 1989
|Okada et al.
|April 11, 1989
|Kohayakawa et al.
|May 9, 1989
|May 30, 1989
|Howland et al.
|July 18, 1989
|Kato et al.
|July 18, 1989
|August 22, 1989
|Fukuma et al.
|November 7, 1989
|April 17, 1990
|Kato et al.
|August 28, 1990
|April 30, 1991
|April 30, 1991
|June 25, 1991
|Waltuck et al.
|August 27, 1991
|June 16, 1992
|Waltuck et al.
|October 20, 1992
|May 4, 1993
|May 11, 1993
|Ishikura et al.
|September 28, 1993
- Brochure entitled "Auto Kerato-Refractometer Kr-3000", Topcon, 104. Brochure entitled "Auto Ref-Keratometer RK-2", Canon, 1-6. Brochure entitled "TRS-1200 Total Refraction System" Marco Technologies, 1-4. Brochure entitled "AR-1200 Automatic Refractor", Marco Technologies, 1. Brochure entitled "ARK-2000 Automatic Refractor/Keratomoter", Marco Technologies, 1-2. Duane's Clinical Opthalmology, vol. 1, Chapter 67, entitled "Automated Clinical Refraction" by David L. Guyton, Revised Edition, 1992. 1994 edition of IC Master, vol. 1, pp. 2, 3, 726, 727. Programmer's Guide to the EGA/VGA, Sutty and Blair, 1988, p. 10. GE Owner's Manual, VHS Video Camera/Recorder, 1987, (3 pages). Sony Corporation, Multiscan Operating Instructions, 1986, pp. 2, 3.
Type: Grant
Filed: Jun 15, 1994
Date of Patent: Apr 1, 1997
Assignee: Metaphase Ophthalmic Corp. (St. Louis, MO)
Inventors: Tadmor Shalon (Brentwood, MO), Marvin L. Pund (Chesterfield, MO), Susan L. Bragg (University City, MO), James D. Houseman (Lake Saint Louis, MO), Steven W. Free (Bridgeton, MO)
Primary Examiner: Huy Mai
Law Firm: Howell & Haferkamp, L.C.
Application Number: 8/260,027
International Classification: A61B 302;


text:
Americans at War in Foreign Forces
A History, 1914–1945
Only 4 left in stock
About the Book
The role of Americans in the two world wars is well known, but with a glaring exception—one that reveals a little-known aspect of the common history of the United States and Canada. By the time of the American entrance into World War I in April 1917 and World War II in December 1941, tens of thousands of Americans had already fought and died in those conflicts in the uniforms of other nations.
Most had quietly traveled over the northern border to join the ground, air and naval forces of the Commonwealth nations, others to France, Poland, China and the other nations and armed forces that played a role in the continuing world conflict of the first half of the century. In preceding their own nation to war, they influenced the course of events in those years and, though threatened with loss of citizenship, were ultimately met with the acceptance of their own government. This book tells the story of who these Americans were, why they took the actions they did, their experiences in war, and the effects of their presence as Americans in foreign forces.
About the Author(s)
Writer Chris Dickon is an Emmy-winning former public broadcasting producer, reporter and writer. He has published several books on lesser-known aspects of American history. He lives in Portsmouth, Virginia.
Bibliographic Details
Chris Dickon
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 240
Bibliographic Info: 54 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2014
pISBN: 978-0-7864-7190-4
eISBN: 978-1-4766-1537-0
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Preface 1
One—The French American 3
Two—World War I 21
Three—An American Legion 34
Four—Canada 51
Five—Trenches and Clouds 65
Six—Splendid Work 77
Seven—Whisky and Soda 90
Eight—Some Come Home 99
Nine—A Troubled Respite 114
Ten—Spain and China 124
Eleven—World War II 136
Twelve—In the Sky and on the Sea 146
Thirteen—Americans in London 158
Fourteen—American Eagles … 170
Fifteen—… and Flying Tigers 180
Sixteen—Transitions and Transfers 192
Seventeen—Sorting the Dead 202
Afterword 212
Chapter Notes 217
Bibliography 225
Index 231
Book Reviews & Awards
Choice Outstanding Academic Title
"The author's contribution is that he has gathered together information formerly available only in newspaper and magazine articles scattered over a century. His documentation, excellent bibliography, good index, and well chosen photographs are all assets, and a lucid and terse writing style make this an easy, enjoyable read. No other book covers this topic…highly recommended"—Choice; "for both the First and Second World War, Dickon provides a first rate discussion of the burial and commemoration of the Americans who served and died in Commonwealth forces…a valuable step…interesting and the prose is very readable. The subject matter is presented in an approachable way, and the author tells the story well, skillfully blending the stories of individuals to describe a broader movement. Many of these stories will be unfamiliar and intriguing"—Canadian Military History; "Dickon's book tells a largely untold story, and is very much worth reading for that reason"—The NYMAS Review; "tells a largely untold story, and is very much worth reading"—Strategy Page; "the chronological treatment weaves their stories together in a narrative style, revealing why they enlisted in foreign militaries, their experiences, and their impact on the foreign military"—ProtoView.


text: When we ask you to enter private information, such as your credit card number, we encrypt it so that it can't be read by others. We use your information only to process orders, to provide an enhanced and personalized shopping experience and to inform you of special Mercato offers. We will not release your personal information to any third party unless you have granted us explicit permission to do so.


text:
Caught in a sudden dust storm on the Las Vegas Strip
Kathryn and I were out for an evening stroll on the Las Vegas Strip last night when a sudden dust storm — or haboob as the weathercasters like to say nowadays — rolled in. After we took shelter under the escalators of the pedestrian bridge over Las Vegas Blvd. in front of Bally's, I shot a few seconds of video. As one YouTube commenter stated, it was worse than the video lets on.
After the dust started to subside, we started walking towards the High Roller where we'd catch the shuttle back to our off-Strip hotel. The shortest path took us through Flamingo, but our shortcut was cut off by an incident related to the dust storm. Apparently a window shattered, sending shards of glass everywhere, including into some guests. They closed off a major corridor inside the casino as crews treated injured guests and dealt with the storm damage.


text:
Through eloquence the couple riding in the taxi's darkened backseat elevates their smut into an elegance unusual to Las Vegas.
Most of what the driver Lewy hears during his night-into-day shift is worse than repetitive. It's boring, demonstrating a lack of inventiveness as well as class.
Lewy considers himself doubly fortunate. Not only is the fare lengthy, but the pair seated behind him mark early morning miles with intricate rather than mundane or raunchy conversation. To put a cherry atop all this they also converse in Italian.
Before the ride commences, Lewy gauges his passengers. Under hotel valet lights he appraised them, then once they climbed inside from the rearview mirror. Somewhere in their 50s, he intuits that while together they aren't an established couple. His workweeks consist of seeing many pairs who've used the "anything goes!" behind Las Vegas to temporarily sidestep propriety and fidelity.
Fortunately, he never put much stock in morality. Especially others' morality.
Unlike prior fares he's briefly noted then immediately dismissed, this pair has earned his attention. They carry themselves confidently, not arrogantly.
Given the circumstance Lewy thinks threads them together, he decides she projects intelligence rather than cunning; the man grudging sureness. If regret weighs them, neither tries lightening this burden with innocence of the indignant kind.
The woman, Virna, told Lewy an address. Unconsciously, though, she recited it in Italian. She never realizes he comprehends. So caught up in the subject and her companion Pier Paolo Virna misses the slip.
Had either of them asked, Lewy believes the explanation would've garnered their approval. Not of Italian heritage himself, he grew up among a great many third-generation Americans who could do better than trace their immigrant heritages. All they needed doing was point at either grandma or grandpa.
Whether from stubbornness or rustics' attachment to Old Country continuity, such people spoke English sparingly in their homes. While English was fine for their children, "the Americans," and beyond the home, the old tongue prevailed between their walls.
In a manner that coerced as well as educated, the eldest generation used Italian when conversing with its youngest. So unless replies were conjugated in the strange tongue grandpa might feign deafness; and grandma could be less likely to serve up any plates of hot steaming old village delicacies.
And Lewy, a frequent guest in these homes, loved and still loves Italian cuisine. His belly attests to his fondness. A long-time Northeasterner fairly recently arrived to Las Vegas, Lewy's Italian has rusted. Initially he struggles to keep up with his passengers. But as the tale and miles unfold his comprehension increases and absorption improves.
Defying stereotypes neither passenger talks gregariously or flourishes his or her statements with florid gestures. Their mien is thoughtful and calm yet intense nevertheless.
He finds what Virna and Pier Paolo present nice perks. Of course since they skew older than evening passengers commonly hailing him their discourse should be elevated. By demeanor and attire he takes them to be educated, if not altogether refined. Much better them than the accustomed youthful revelers who've visit Vegas to sic their worst aspects and behavior upon an unsuspecting and undeserving public.
Lewy lets Pier Paolo and Virna prattle. The distant address and his moderate speed allow a vivid canvas to unfurl.
He gathers the subject consists of two women. A pair Virna and Pier Paolo spied hours earlier in the evening. One is a streetwalker, the other her pickup; the former black, the latter white. Or as Pier Paolo paints them: "The darkest of night entwined among the brightest of day."
Virna asks which of the pair would be passive. "Is the prostitute in the role of being acted upon? Or does her Jane insist upon being 'engaged'?"
Pier Paolo scoffs. "You saw them. The blondie, she was hesitant. She was unsure. She's mush. The other, the melanzana, the whore, she led. She determined the pace. No doubt she would insist upon what occurred, the pace itself."
Warming to his topic, he continues. "The whore. No mistaking her. She looked wary. Probably turns fierce in a moment. I find this admirable in whores."
Naturally Virna wonders how he'd acquired such admiration. More pointedly she asks the number of prostitutes with whom he's commingled. She does both impishly.
Inferring from Pier Paolo's dismissive reaction, the answer can be "numerous" or "put that out of your mind."
Virna sniffs and smirks at male prerogative.
"Wonder, though, if behind closed doors, their roles reverse?" she asks. "Say, the weak gains character. The Jane, she has a taste. She has a yearning. One that can't be filled in any other way, nowhere else but here. Ah! She becomes assertive. As we know, the anonymity here, what doesn't it make possible?"
These two pass complicit side-eye glances which confess plenty through silence.
Pier Paolo claims neither demands the other undress. They just disrobe then tumble into bed.
Virna disputes him. She rebukes him.
"A male view behind male intentions," Virna scoffs. "For the Jane, and I insist she is the lead actress throughout, undresses in an excruciating manner while the prostitute does so matter-of-factly. Because for her it is routine. But maybe her Jane makes demands. She wants to lengthen the moment. Make it more than just sex."
"So she comes to Las Vegas like many do in order to find and indulge or resume the sort of investigations her own home can't or won't provide," Pier Paolo says. "And if it's available there the selection is so limited the partners become repetitive. And routine dulls."
"Or like drugs," Virna says. "After a while only a higher dosages maintain the same highs."
"Tolerance isn't all it's cracked up to be sometimes," he remarks.
The blonde watches her prostitute undress. Maybe to her the process recalls countless repetitions watched surreptiously in locker rooms. There should be more. A voice. Hers. It commands, no, it instructs on how garments should be shed.
Perhaps this insistence surprises the streetwalker. Hey, maybe it also surprises the woman giving the commands. Had the hooker misjudged her "date"? Based on first impressions, had she entered that room thinking the client nervous, an inexperienced novice? One whose previous likely small town experiences sufficed to whet her appetites yet failed delivering satiety. Had her plans to simply satisfy the other as quickly as possible been unexpectedly sidetracked?
Pier Paolo and Virna hoped so as did Lewy. His passengers tell a story. They weave details in an interchangeable manner common to long-time or merely intimate couples. One speaker doesn't so much interrupt the other but elides his or her same verbal thread.
Was this a moment where the hired girl recalibrates her task? If so, did she grin? Had they both grinned from understanding their new balance? Wouldn't the hooker have then followed instructions? In fact mightn't she have made a show of it? And wouldn't the Jane have looked past her condescending nature because such was the sort of control she's always sought and imagined?
Just another way to satisfy the Jane.
The ebony ramrod stands naked before the blonde. The client's gaze might be mistaken for close inspection. Blissfully close inspection. Hers becomes the visual equivalent for devouring.
The proud stock-still ebony figure swallowing her attention compels their eyes to level. Neither flinches but the blonde achieves an ease at removing her own clothing. A new experience because all her previous ones, few as they are, involved exorcising certain measures of shame as each item of clothing rested upon some handy surface or piled at her feet.
Tonight nothing hinders gravity or blunt exposure.
Expectant regarding the money to be earned, the streetwalker becomes coolly anxious; the white one hungry, no, desirous. Before her is flesh she may wantonly explore, meld with, exult within. Given such deliverance, the white woman may actually sigh deepest held secrets to a stranger whose anonymity guarantees those confessions remain unrevealed.
They'd have fallen into bed. They'd entwine. Only the Jane's embrace would be heartfelt; that of her consort constricts from a mercantile nature. Hers an initially held distance that gradually reciprocates the blonde's ache – or so those listening and relating hoped as the imagined coupling developed.
Virna and Pier Paolo debate the actresses' contrasting flesh. Do pale arms slash across the black woman's lean back? Given her longer legs, do the prostitute's own swirl around the client's thick lower limbs in some kind of phantasmagoric sexual clutch? How does the black woman respond to her patroness' romantic veering entreaties? It's not business to the customer but release. Therefore, wouldn't she cross the carnal commerce threshold and attempt introducing emotions into the proceedings?
The Jane and her whore find then extract delights from another. Knowing which manipulations deliver pleasure serve to reply in kind. Familiar curves instead of male masses further favor the senses. Rather than any man's hirsute bulk, smooth supple skin welcomes one another.
Upon pillows and sheets the two women quietly begin to rage. The linen which they stain becomes a continuously shifting landscape. A terrain that absorbs sweat increasingly tinged by musk. Whether moved by compulsion or seeking restraint because forfeiture of such erases her profession's necessary barrier, the whore strives to resist any meaningful component the Jane attempts inducing.
Neither woman simply yields.
"The Jane doesn't understand," Virna says. "While her prostitute understands very well. Their congress is physical and no more. Its purpose is discharge into exhaustion, not intimate fulfillment. She seeks deep-rooted gratification when the sole reward at hand is momentary satisfaction. That poor woman."
Both Pier Paolo and Virna agree. The Jane will let the moment run away. Her small, warm lips will seek the whore's cool wide pair. The black woman's mouth wouldn't be pliant at first. In fact wouldn't it be unreceptive, herself resentful of the other's impertinence? Knotted as they are, one evasive the other insistent, each struggles.
Their exchange becomes a match of imposition versus resistance.
Certainly there is more, though not for Lewy's ears. They reach the address. The ride finishes in a cul-de-sac. Weak streetlamps barely outline the residences. Reverting to English, his passengers effusively thank Lewy for his services. They also apologize for filling his ear with Italian babble and tip nicely for their "inconsideration."
"Business," Pier Paolo explains.
Virna's accompanying smile is brittle one on the way to sad. She confirms Pier Paolo's lie. "Yes, business."
The last Lewy sees of Pier Paolo and Virna they resemble underworld shades. Scant luminesce hardly distinguishes them from night.
Perched on a flight of steps leading into the front door, she sits sideways atop his lap. Her legs dangle off his thighs. Both heads bow towards another in a universal sign recognized for earnest discourse. Distance now rewards their ears alone.


text:
Now that I'm not traveling as much, this awful northern winter is really getting to me. I'm finding myself looking back at photos from the beach and happily thinking of warm weather. I actually do have quite an archive of surfing photography that I should share one day. Here are a few images that I recently ran across. They were all taken near the Cocoa Beach Pier using my 100-400 CanonRead more 1
Month: February 2015
I had the pleasure of working with the Naperville Jaycees recently on the design and marketing for their Mardi Gras fundraiser event. This year, I decided to play up the glamour of their new location and went with a rich color scheme of purples and gold. To make the text seem dimensional like gold foil (but without the cost!) I used a gradient gold background for the lettering. I also created Facebook images toRead more 0
Have you ever been confused about why your logo, which looks crisp and clear on your website, like, say, this: Prints out all fuzzy, like this? The logo on your website is called a low resolution image. Images on the web are usually published as .jpg or .gif files at 72 DPI, or dots per inch. They are meant to be viewed on a screen. When the dots are viewed on a screen, they are calledRead more
Catherine and I worked on photographs for Zurich Insurance to accompany an article for Fortune Magazine. Zurich is working on a new building for their corporate offices. The article talks about how they are moving away from traditional desks and cubicles, and instead are designing different types of areas suited to how their employees function best. There will be places for people that like to work standing up, spots for people that like to workRead more 0
DVD drives are on their way out, look no further than the latest iMac to see that. How then, do you transfer gigabytes of data to a client? Cloud storage might be able to handle it to an extent, and there are certainly services such as dropbox and google drive that work for smaller projects, but for huge files and less-than-speedy internet connections, it's not always the best solution. Flash drives are still one ofRead more 1
I'm sure there must be some grumpy people somewhere in Vietnam, but I certainly didn't run into any of them. While photographing at a school there I was literally mobbed by hoards of happy kids. They all kept jumping in front of the camera. It wasn't quite what I expected going into it, but it was certainlyRead more 2


text:
Located in Mrągowo, To Tu offers direct access to Lake Czos. Each classically decorated room offers a view of the lake or the lush garden surrounding the property. Free WiFi is available in public areas.
Rooms come with a flat-screen TV. Some also feature a seating area with a sofa. Featuring a shower, private bathrooms also come with a hairdryer. Extras include a desk and bed linen.
At To Tu you will find a 24-hour front desk and a restaurant. Other facilities offered at the property include a shared lounge and a pier. An array of activities can be enjoyed on site or in the surroundings, including cycling and hiking. The property offers free parking.
The guest house is 1,000 feet from Amphiteatre Mragowo, 1.2 miles from Mrongoville and 1.9 miles from Townhall of Mragowo.


text:
Power Electronics Testbench Engineer (Munich)
Job description:
Attached to the division for validation of power electronics systems (inverter, charger, DC/DC, …), you will:
- You will be working in the Test Center department where power electronics component for automatic transmissions, hybrid and full electric powertrains are built and tested
- You will be part of the testbenches development team
- Together with your team, you are responsible for the development and acquisition of new test systems for various components according to the Punch Powertrain development products
- You translate new test requests in test system requirements
- You will write hardware and software requirements for new test benches in close cooperation with various R&D stakeholders
- You will develop test system concepts
- You will define acceptance criteria for newly purchased test equipment and execute the validation test plan
- You will discuss these specifications with suppliers. Based on these discussions, you assist the purchasing team in the supplier choice
- You will follow-up the supplier during all steps of the project and organize review meetings with all stakeholders at defined milestones
- You will establish and continuously update your knowledge of market competitive test systems and methods
- You will build up a network of prominent external partners for test equipment
- You have a master degree in engineering (electronics, mechatronics, electromechanical or mechanical,…) or equivalent by experience
- You have experience in the field of automotive testing (in preference in the field of powertrain or transmission testing)
- You have good knowledge of hybrid and E-vehicles powertrains
- You have a strong Q-mindset, you are familiar with 5S, housekeeping, preventive maintenance and safety regulations
- Thanks to your clear communication skills and good knowledge of English, you are proficient in reporting knowledge and results
- You have a structured, analytical and methodical way of working
- You are able to organize and plan your work taking into account all boundary conditions and involving all stakeholders
- You are business fluent in English and feel confident with speaking another language (e.g. German, French)
As part of a highly technical project team, you will participate in all the development phases of our products together with the design teams.
Our offer:
- You will join a respected company with an outspoken international orientation in the challenging world of automotive industry
- We offer a dynamic work environment, the chance to grow within the company and to develop your competences in new technologies
- You can count on motivated colleagues, professional space for creativity and initiative and short communication lines.
- We provide an attractive salary package.
Email your CV and application letter to firstname.lastname@example.com.
For more information, please contact Kenza Fischer-Rochd +49 89 411 444 59.
For more job opportunities go to http://www.punchpowertrain.com/en/careers or watch our corporate video on www.punchpowertrain.com.
Apojee News
- 29/11/2018WinSiC4AP Project: First 30kW rack expected in 2019
- 26/11/2018New premises for 'APOJEE by Punch Powertrain' in Munich
- 16/10/2018APOJEE becomes Punch Powertrain France


text:
Debbie Reynolds "Make 'Em Laugh" Book Giveaway!
Qualifying Entry Task for TWITTER Contest
Happy to say it's time for our next giveaway! CMH will be giving away EIGHT copies of Make 'Em Laugh: Short-Term Memories of Longtime Friends via TWITTER, courtesy of Harper Collins and authors Debbie Reynolds and Dorian Hannaway, from January 4 through January 30. (plus TWO more copies via Facebook, details to follow on Wednesday).
In order to qualify to win one of these prizes via this Twitter contest giveaway, you must complete the below entry task by Saturday, January 30 at 10PM EST. However, the sooner you enter, the better chance you have of winning, because we will pick two winners on four different days within the contest period, via random drawings, as listed below… So if you don't win the first week that you enter, you will still be eligible to win during the following weeks until the contest is over.
- January 9: Two Winners
- January 16: Two Winners
- January 23: Two Winners
- January 30: Two Winners
We will announce each week's winner(s) on Twitter @ClassicMovieHub, the day after each winner is picked at 10PM EST — for example, we will announce our first week's winners on Sunday January 10th at 10PM EST on Twitter.
If you're also on Facebook, please feel free to visit us at Classic Movie Hub on Facebook for additional giveaways — because we'll be giving away TWO MORE copies there as well!
ENTRY TASK (2-parts) to be completed by Saturday, January 30 at 1oPM EST — BUT remember, the sooner you enter, the more chances you have to win…
1) Answer the below question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog post
What is one of your favorite Debbie Reynolds movies and why?
2) Then TWEET (not DM) the following message*:
Just entered to win the Debbie Reynolds "Make 'Em Laugh" #BookGiveaway courtesy of @ClassicMovieHub & @WmMorrowBks @DebbieReynolds1
*If you do not have a Twitter account, you can still enter the contest by simply answering the above question via the comment section at the bottom of this blog — BUT PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOU ADD THIS VERBIAGE TO YOUR ANSWER: I do not have a Twitter account, so I am posting here to enter but cannot tweet the message.
About the Book: From her acclaimed performances to her headline-making divorce from Eddie Fisher, raising a famous daughter to hitting the road with a successful one-woman show, Debbie Reynolds has been in the spotlight for decades. She's met presidents, performed for the Queen of England, and partied with kings. A show business icon, she continues to sing and dance—and can drop more names than Andy Cohen. In this fabulous personal tour, she recalls wonderful moments with the greats of the entertainment world—Lucille Ball, Frank Sinatra, Bette Davis, Phyllis Diller, and many, many more—sharing stories that shed new light on her life and career and the glittering world of Hollywood then and now. Debbie has plenty to tell—and in Make 'Em Laugh, she dishes it in the warm, down-to-earth voice her fans adore.
About the Authors:
Debbie Reynolds, often referred to as "America's Sweetheart" is an actress, comedienne, singer, dancer, and author best known for her leading role in Singin' in the Rain. After more than six decades in the entertainment industry she is a true Hollywood legend.
Dorian Hannaway co-author of Debbie's New York Times best-selling 2013 memoir, Unsinkable, was the director of late-night programming at CBS for more than 15 years working on the Late Show with David Letterman and the Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Craig Kilborn and Tom Snyder.
Click here for the full contest rules.
Please note that only Continental United States (excluding Alaska, Hawaii, and the territory of Puerto Rico) entrants are eligible.
And — BlogHub members ARE eligible to win if they live within the Continental United States (as noted above).
And if you can't wait to win the book, you can purchase it on amazon via the below link (click on image):
Good Luck!
–Annmarie Gatti for Classic Movie Hub


text:
Short Summary
Concrete silos and silage bunker walls are prone to biochemical corrosion. Depending on the concrete quality, this may lead to porosity or even hairline cracks. Even protective coatings may become permeable over time.
Effective protection can be provided for the inner wall surfaces by means of suitable rehabilitation measures. Following installation of a drillable protective nonwoven, the 1.5 mm linings are welded together and held in place by clamping strips. Wall penetrations can be readily incorporated in the lining and a post-completion leakage test makes the installation perfect. The retrofitted FPP-membranes are resistant to liquid manure and digestate and are highly UV resistant.
Benefit from the advantages of our Covertec concrete rehabilitation
- Time-tested FPP-membranes
- Long-lasting, flexible concrete protection with lining
- Incl. post-completion leakage test
- Suitable for open and sealed containers
- Suitable for use of agitators
- High UV resistance
- 10-year warranty
Why choose Covertec concrete rehabilitation?
Membranes for concrete rehabilitation have the advantage of allowing considerably larger areas of cracks to be covered, as compared to coatings, which are limited to the micron range. In addition, the use of membranes allows verifiable testing of imperviousness. The Covertec concrete rehabilitation system is an innovative form of retrofitted concrete protection, which effectively prevents any further corrosion.


text:
Vistazo General
Done y sea Voluntario
Parks, natural fun starts in parks
Titular 1:
Titular 2:
Titular 3:
Titular 4:
Titular 5: Online camping reservations for Kelly, Magnolia, Moss and Trimble Parks will open at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, June 5 (no group camping); reservations will not be accepted over the phone or by email.
Clarcona Horse Park's camp sites will be available in-person only, on a first-come, first-served basis, after 8 a.m. on Friday, June 5.
Titular 6: All youth, adult and senior programs and gatherings are suspended; all pavilion and room rentals are suspended; all fitness centers, gyms, game rooms, playgrounds, basketball courts, hockey rink, volleyball courts, splash pads, Kelly Park swimming area and the Fort Gatlin Pool are closed until further notice; and league play is cancelled at Lake Cane and Fort Gatlin tennis centers.
Titular 7: Orange County Parks and Recreation's 11 public boat ramps and kayak and canoe launches are open.
Titular 8:
Titular 9:
Titular 10:
Tent and RV camping are available at this park; for more information, see our Camping Guide.
To reserve an individual campsite, please visit us at Camping & Environmental Education and click "Online Camping Reservations."
Hikers, cyclists and bird watchers will enjoy the beauty of the Lake Apopka Loop Trail (map).
Orange County Parks' signature events at Magnolia Park
Weekly Programs
On October 20, 2011, Lovell's Landing State Historic Marker was dedicated on the shore of Lake Apopka at Magnolia Park.
Orange County Parks and Recreation
4801 W. Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32808
Email: email@example.com
Teléfono: (407) 836-6200
Línea Telefónica para Conocer los Eventos en los Parques: (407) 836-6280
Lista de Eventos en Facebook: Condado de Orange, Florida
Twitter: @OrangeCoParksFL


text:
Jan 03, 2017 | ISBN 9780399585005
Jan 03, 2017 | ISBN 9780425282847
"I LOVE THE GRAY MAN."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child
"BOURNE FOR THE NEW MILLENNIUM."—New York Times bestselling author James Rollins
Praise for Back Blast
"Mark Greaney reigns as one of the recognized masters of action and adventure. Back Blast is no exception."—New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Steve Berry
"Fast-paced [and] tightly written…A great ride."—New York Times bestselling author Larry Bond
"Takes the best of Clancy and Ludlum and mixes them into a fantastic story with an unforgettable character."—James O. Born, author of Scent of Murder
"A blistering thriller that builds to a soaring and explosive climax. Fast, tough, enthralling, and the best so far in the amazing Gray Man series."—Bestselling author David Bell
"Punches with bone-busting power…Flesh-and-blood priceless."—New York Times bestselling author Stephen Templin
"Greaney is a master among the top thriller writers in the world…Intense, explosive, daring, funny, and ultimately just flat out awesome."—New York Times bestselling author Ben Coes
"Greaney's unraveling of the Back Blast mystery is masterly, but it's the Gray Man's ability to outthink and outgun…that will keep readers glued to the pages."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"[A] high-energy thriller…Clancy fans will have a blast."—Kirkus Reviews


text:
Our Masks are Back: Shop the collection in support of City Harvest. Shop Now
Enjoy Complimentary Ground Shipping
End-of-Season Sale: Enjoy up to 65% off New Spring Styles | Shop Now
A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO: The latest on our store re-openings & more. READ NOW
Enjoy a complimentary gift with your full-price purchase of $1,298+. Automatically added at checkout. SHOP NEW ARRIVALS
A palette to brighten your day—rich shades of pink bring warmth & vibrance to every wardrobe.
Create an account to check out faster,
save favorite styles, and access your order history.
Update your browser to view this website correctly.
Update now
To ensure the best experience on our website, we advise to use any of the most popular browsers, e.g. Google Chrome