text:
NEW YORK and ENGLEWOOD, Colo., Aug 07, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ — DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH), the third largest pay-TV provider and the digital transition leader, and Ensequence, the interactive TV company, today announced that NBC Universal (NBCU) has selected them to transform NBCU's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games into a fully interactive experience.
DISH Network(R) will offer NBCU's 2008 Beijing Olympic Games coverage through its Interactive TV (iTV) mosaic, a multiple-screen showcase, available to more than 12 million iTV-enabled DISH Network subscribers. Airing from August 8 – August 24, 2008, the iTV mosaic will broadcast from six NBCU channels: CNBC, MSNBC, Oxygen, USA Network and two Olympic highlight channels. DISH Network subscribers can watch all six screens simultaneously or select one channel to watch in full-screen.
"DISH Network's iTV mosaic is an excellent platform to showcase NBCU's coverage of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games by giving customers a unique viewing experience that allows them to watch four live events and two highlight channels or select one channel for full-screen viewing," said Michael Kelly, executive vice president of DISH Network. "The mosaic is an important component of DISH Network's more than 25 existing iTV channels — the most offered by any pay-TV provider in the U.S. — and serves as a great option for fans of NBCU's 2008 Olympic Games coverage to follow their favorite events and athletes."
In addition, Ensequence was chosen by NBCU to provide a separate interactive application on DishHOME (DISH Network Ch. 100). NBCU's 2008 Beijing Olympic Games experience wraps interactivity around live programming on DISH Network. Viewers are able to use their remote control to instantly:
This represents the second time that NBCU and Ensequence have teamed up to deliver interactive television to viewers. "NBC Universal and DISH Network continue to set the pace for the entire industry with interactive television and we're excited to be partnering with them to create and deliver the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games interactive television experience," said Dalen Harrison, Ensequence CEO. "The world's most innovative programmers such as NBC Universal are realizing that interactive television delivers the engagement and accountability of the internet, giving them the best of both worlds."
Simplexity also operates the popular site Wirefly. The leading one-stop comparison cell phones and wireless plans shopping site that has been awarded "Best of the Web" by Forbes magazine and "Best in Overall Customer Experience" by Keynote Performance Systems. Wirefly offers free phone deals for AT&T Wireless, Sprint, Nextel, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless.


text: That was yesterday. I only remembered because of all the automatic emails I got from the forums I've joined to make one post on over the years. It seems many of them never remove inactive users. I spent my day fielding customer calls when my T1 network line went out of service for a few hours and no one could connect to the Internet. Then, at 8:30 last night I had to 3-foot-drive the bus over to a customer's house to set up the new system I put together for her. The bus has eaten another set of points in under 1000 miles. I suspect I have a coil that needs a ballast resistor. Today I'm completing the build of a system a customer ordered Monday and working on a laptop that is having speed issues. Who's going to Jerome this year? G2 On Sat, 29 Jan 2011 18:04:36 -0600 Dan Martin <danandkatrinamartin@xxxxxxx> wrote: > I think it is G2's birthday > > Sent from my iPod > > On Jan 29, 2011, at 5:37 PM, Denis Dodson <coocoo@xxxxxxx> wrote: > > > Nobody? All day? >

subset: commoncrawl


text: Looking at buying a 12 ga. for the wife who has a short LOP. She's been shooting a 20ga.O/U mostly for trap presently. She shot an 870 12ga.last week ( that was cut down) and her scores improved dramatically. The need to step up to a 12 seems emminent. I dont really want to spend a ton of money nor does she need a fancy gun, just one that is fuctionable. My thoughts are an 870 express w/ 28" barrel. No Matter what ,I'd have to cut the stock down and get a better recoil pad...I guess I'm just looking for an approval........your thoughts ? Remember this gun would be for trap and some sporting clays.


text:
Lithium-ion batteries have allowed manufacturers to design smaller, sleeker devices because they pack more power in a compact space. On the flip side, they're expensive and have a relatively brief lifespan -- usually two to three years [source: Musgrove]. And although Apple's iPod catalogue has evolved rapidly, battery capability hasn't followed suit. Following a few tips can help fill this technology gap.
First, don't store iPods in hot places, such as a glove box. The lithium-ion battery creates usable power through chemical reactions; heat excites those particular reactions. Therefore, if you leave your iPod sitting in a steamy car for extended periods of time, it depletes battery life more rapidly than it would otherwise. Although you aren't actively using the gadget, the battery wear and tear will accumulate. For that reason, Apple strongly advises storing iPods in temperate locations with the Hold button engaged.
When using your iPod, limit your use of the following functions [source: Apple]:
- Backlighting
- Equalizer
- Wi-Fi
- Third-party apps
Each of these require more battery power to activate.
The way you download and arrange your music also affects battery life. For starters, compressed files (160 kbps mp3s and 128 kbps AACs) eat up less battery power [source: Apple]. The iPod (excluding nano and Shuffle models) delivers that music from the hard drive to a memory cache, or temporary storage unit. The larger the file, the more frequently the iPod must reload its cache; that activity drains the battery. For similar reasons, fast forwarding through a series of songs also depletes the battery. Each time you skip a song, it requires extra energy for the iPod to reload the hard drive.
Fortunately for iPod addicts, part of keeping the lithium-ion battery healthy includes putting it to work. An idle lithium-ion battery will simply drain out if left alone long enough. Likewise, Apple urges customers to run through at least one full battery cycle per month [source: Apple].


text:
Video: Jay Z recruits the stars of the art world to make the video for Picasso Baby
A few weeks ago Jay Z was casually placing his new album Magna Carta Holy Grail next to the actual Magna Carta in Salisbury Cathedral. This week he blew everyone's minds again by hosting a very intimate, energetic show in New York for a mixture of fans and some key players of the art world.
Inspired by Marina Abramovic's 700 hour stare-athon back in 2012, Jay Z performs his new song Picasso Baby as a piece of performance art, explaining "Concerts are basically performance art but the venue changes, and just by nature the performance changes. A smaller venue is more intimate so you get to feel the energy of the people." Well, no one said he was Plato, but his choice of guests is second to none. Expect Judd Apatow, Lawrence Weiner, Marina herself and many, many more. Still sceptical? Just try not to smile while you're watching this video.
- Standards Manual return with catalogue of 400 objects relating to New York City Transit
- Emma King's publication rewrites Orwell's "1984" using Donald Trump's tweets
- It's a new dawn, it's a new day – it's Best of the Web!
- Bolade Banjo photographs the perseverance of Detroit's student athletes
- Alex Grigg animates Steve Stoute's homage to Biggie Smalls
- Billy Clark applies his graphic sensibilities to his minimal yet textured illustrations
- Polaroid's creative director Danny Pemberton introduces new brand Polaroid Originals
- Artist Dominique Pétrin on creating her very own domestic product
- Universal Everything animate emotive wallpapers for new iPhone devices
- Herburg Weiland's meticulous editorial designs are typographically-driven
- The Visual History of Type author Paul McNeil selects and dissects his six favourite faces
- Breakdown Press' Joe Kessler picks out his most-treasured books


text:
Note: Information gathered in this report and more information not published here was turned over to ABC News who subsequently attempted to contact one of the subjects involved. According to their report, the subject flatly denied any involvement. Police know who the person is, but will neither confirm or deny the identity of the Wikipedia user, (whose computer equipment has been seized) at this point. Instead police will be releasing the Wikipedia user's identity next week, according to Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County, Ga., Sheriff's Department.
Yesterday it was widely reported by Fox News, the Associated Press, ABC News, digg and a host of other news sites (and originally on Wikinews) that an anonymous user on Wikipedia altered the online encyclopedia's article on Chris Benoit noting the death of the pro-wrestler's wife some 13-14 hours before police found the dead bodies of Benoit, his wife, and 7-year-old son. The incident is being treated as a murder-suicide.
What the anonymous user on Wikipedia may have failed to realize is that little about your activity on Wikipedia (or the rest of the internet) is anonymous.
Anytime an edit is made to a Wikipedia page, that information along with the user's IP address is logged by the site and publicly accessible. A simple check of these logs paints a much clearer picture of the person who made the aforementioned edits: not someone affiliated with the WWE as the mainstream media suggested, but rather a teenager from the University of Connecticut who just finished his first year of college and vandalizes Wikipedia on a regular basis.
The user who made the Benoit Wikipedia edit also made several changes dating back to May 16th of this year. In one edit to the page on Naugatuck, Connecticut page, he replaces the name of the town's mayor to Marc Dagz, adding Visar Tasimi as the deputy mayor and also adding the name Burton Barnes to the page.
When these names are cross-referenced on the social-networking website facebook, it is revealed that both Dagz and Barnes are friends and current UConn students whose hometown is, unsurprisingly, Naugatuck, Connecticut. A check to Tasimi's facebook and MySpace pages shows he is also a friend of the other two from Naugatuck and attending UConn. All of the three recently finished their first year of college. While not knowing which person made the edits for certain, given the specific nature of the other edits and corroborating evidence, it seems almost certain the edits were made by either Marc D'Agnone (Dagz), Visar Tasimi, Burton Barnes, or one of their close associates (and one might lean towards 'Dagz', given his sudden promotion to mayor of his own hometown).
The IP address associated with the user was also widely reported in the media as resolving to Stamford, Connecticut - the headquarters of the WWE. While these facts are in and of themselves true, what most media outlets neglected to mention was that the IP address resolves to the Internet Service Provider of the user and the physical location of the ISP's server. The ISP in this case is Optimum Online, a provider of high-speed internet access across Connecticut - and the location of this server is less than 50 miles away from Naugatuck.
The user was also warned several times in the past for vandalizing and posting erroneous information on Wikipedia. Among them:
On Stacy Keibler:
People want to fuck her in her lovely cunt and whip her ass til the dawn of day. Many people fantasize about ramming their cocks up her asshole.
Regarding Ron Artest:
Artest is a piece of shit nigger!!!!!!!
At one point he also replaces the entire page on the African Wild Ass with, simply, 'piss.'
No, this wasn't a person who had foreknowledge of a tragic murder-suicide, it was more likely an immature college freshman with too much time on his hands and a crass sense of humor... whose vandalism just happened to hit a little too close to home.
UPDATE: Wikinews (a seperate project from Wikipedia) is reporting that the user, logging in under the same IP address as the above edits, admits that it was indeed a huge coincidence. Wikinews administrators (and Wikinews logs) confirm it is the same IP address as the original Wikipedia user.
He confesses:
It is one of those things that just turned into a bizarre coincidence. That night I found out that what I posted, ended up actually happening, a 1 in 10,000 chance of happening, or so I thought. I was beyond wrong for posting wrongful information, and I am sorry to everyone for this. I just want everyone to know it was stupid of me, and I will never do anything like this again. I just posted something that was at that time a piece of wrong unsourced information that is typical on wikipedia, as it is done all the time.
Also, I'd like to apologize for my other wiki "updates" on other pages as they were immature and dumb, but I know I'm not the only one who has done this, but nonetheless I will never post anything like that again as I have learned from this.
UPDATE: The user has been contacted by authorities and his computer equipment tied to the posting has been seized by police.
"It is unbelievable what a hindrance this has put on our investigation," said Lt. Tommy Pope, a spokesman for the Fayette County, Ga., Sheriff's Department.
According to the Lt. Pope via the ABC News report, authorities will reveal the identity of the Wikipedia user next week.
Moral of the story: Your actions on Wikipedia, facebook, and MySpace are hardly anonymous and it would be wise not to treat them as such (and, if given the option, the media will run with half of a story that might turn out to be dubious, in the name of being first and provocative).


text:
Im 18 years old and i have a dark mark around my lip which. I skratcht area thats why i think the dark spot appeard. I have this for 2 years now. Please help me to get rid of the dark mark!
How to Get Rid of the Dark Spot Around my Lip?
Doctor Answers 1
Topical Melarase creams for the dark discoloration on the skin
{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
{{ voteCount >= 0 ? '+' + (voteCount + 1) : (voteCount + 1) }}
Dark spots and dark scars around the mouth can be improved with topical Melarase cream to the skin twice daily. Raffy Karamanoukian Los Angeles
Learn more: http://karemd.com/cosmetic-dermatology/11/scar-treatment.aspx
These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.


text:
Kate Bosworth: 30s brought peace
Kate Bosworth remembers how lost she felt before turning 30.
The blonde actress keeps herself busy with work, and her latest horror offering, Amnesiac, sees her play a psychopath who holds a man she claims to be married to prisoner.
Unlike her troubled alter ego, Kate is content at 32 and puts it down to the strong females around her.
"I have such great women in my life, from my mom to my grandmother to my really good girlfriends, who I can share my life with, and it continues to grow. My step-daughter Jasper is 17 now, and I can't believe it. Now that I'm in my 30s - everyone says this - I feel more calm," she told marieclaire.com. "Now when I see Jasper, and she's just starting to get the wind in her sails... I know it's going to feel choppy for a bit, but that the smooth sailing is just over the horizon. It's hard to really know yourself through the trials and tribulations."
Jasper's father is Kate's husband Michael Polish, who directed Amnesiac. The pair have worked together on several occasions and Kate enjoys every moment of it as there's a sense of comfort in proceedings.
Although she's happy with her career, Kate has backed other actresses who have spoken about sexism in the industry. Patricia Arquette and Robin Wright are among those to be open about the issue, and Kate agrees it has to be discussed.
"I think it's something that hasn't been talked about properly. I'm certainly a feminist in the sense that I feel both genders should be treated equally," she explained. "One of the greatest attractions to this role is that there are very few of them out there, where women get to play the villain in a multilayered, interesting, intriguing, intelligent way. I mean, can you think of the last one?"
© Cover Media


text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Apr 25, 2006
|Filing date
|Jun 14, 2001
|Priority date
|Jun 14, 2000
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Peter R. C. Gascoyne, Jody V. Vykoukal, Frederick F. Becker
|Original Assignee
|Board Of Regents, University Of Texas
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (53), Non-Patent Citations (75), Referenced by (52), Classifications (29), Legal Events (3)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/211,757 filed Jun. 14, 2000, entitled, "Method and Apparatus for Combined Magnetophoretic and Dielectrophoretic Manipulation of Analyte Mixtures" by Peter R. C. Gascoyne, Jody V. Vykoukal, and Frederick F. Becker. The entire text of the above-referenced disclosure, including figures, is specifically incorporated by reference herein without disclaimer.
The following issued U.S. patents are hereby incorporated by reference: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,858,192, 5,888,370, 5,993,632, and 5,888,370. The following patent applications are hereby incorporated by reference: pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/249,955 for "Method and apparatus for programmable fluidic processing" filed Feb. 12, 1999; pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/395,890 for "Method and apparatus for fractionation using generalized dielectrophoresis and field flow fractionation" filed Sep. 14, 1999; provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/211,515 filed Jun. 14, 2000 for "Dielectrically-Engineered Microparticles" filed Jun. 14, 2000; provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/211,514 for "Systems and methods for cell subpopulation analysis" filed Jun. 14, 2000; and provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/211,516 for "Apparatus and method for fluid injection" filed Jun. 14, 2000.
The present invention relates to an apparatus and methods for combined magnetophoretic and dielectrophoretic manipulation.
One of the most important capabilities that enables the characterization and preparation of bio-materials throughout the life sciences is the recognition of target components in a mixture and the ability to selectively manipulate, interact, and/or isolate them. Methods known in the art to accomplish these steps include magnetic labeling techniques. In these methods, magnetically-susceptible particles (herein termed "magnetic labels" or "labels") are used that can be attracted to a magnet and have modified surfaces that bind preferentially to target particles, cells, or molecules (herein termed "target analytes"). The surface characteristics of the labels that provide for preferential binding can include, but are not restricted to, antibodies, chemically-reactive groups, and receptor ligands. Such surface-modified magnetically-susceptible labels tend to become attached to target analytes to which they have preferential binding capacities within a mixture of analytes.
After attachment, the magnetic labels may be collected by an inhomogeneous magnetic field created by a magnet that is usually equipped with a mechanism for increasing the magnetic field inhomogeneity in the vicinity of the labels. Analytes in the mixture having negligible magnetic susceptibility and that have not become bound to the magnetically susceptibility labels to form analyte-label complexes are not collected by the magnet and can be washed away. Subsequently, the magnetic field can be removed and the analyte-label complexes can be released and collected in a separate fraction.
Thus, by using these differential trapping characteristics, current magnetic labeling methods allow target analytes to be isolated from a mixture of particles, cells, or molecules. These magnetic labeling methods can be used to retain the target analytes for further processing, analysis, or study (known in the art as "positive selection"). Alternatively, the analytes that are not retained by the magnetic field may be collected and used for further processing, analysis, or study (known in the art as "negative selection"). While the use of magnetic labeling methods is widespread, current methods have a number of significant disadvantages. For example, because all magnetic labels in a mixture are attracted to the collection magnet regardless of any differences there may be in their surface modification or binding state with target analytes, it is impossible to discriminate between, and isolate, multiple target analytes simultaneously. It is also impossible to determine the extent to which magnetic labels have bound a target analyte without additional measurement steps after magnetic collection. For example, it is impossible to distinguish between or isolate cell subpopulations that are characterized by variations in the number of labels bound to their surfaces since all cells that bind labels, regardless of the number, are collected by current magnetic methods. Finally, current methods depend on trapping the magnetic labels on surfaces in a collection chamber or column and the target analytes tend to be collected in clumps. This typically limits sample recovery because of adhesion to the chamber or column and may entrap unwanted unlabelled analytes within the labeled analytes thereby limiting the purity of the recovered target analytes.
A newer approach to the discrimination, manipulation, separation and isolation of target analytes from a mixture is based on the exploitation of the dielectric properties of the target analytes themselves or the use of dielectric labeling techniques. In U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,993,630 and 5,888,370 which are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference, certain of the inventors of the present application teach the use of dielectrophoretic methods for the discrimination, separation and isolation of particles by exploiting their intrinsic dielectric properties in conjunction with the characteristics of a hydrodynamic flow profile.
In a concurrently filed provisional patent application concerning dielectric beads for the identification and sorting of target agents, the inventors teach methods by which labels that incorporate useful dielectric and magnetic properties may be designed. Such labels allow target analytes to be discriminated and manipulated by dielectrophoretic methods. By combining magnetic and dielectric properties as useful attributes of the labels, those methods allow for additional levels of discrimination between both the labels themselves and analyte-label complexes. For example, the disclosure teaches how different types of labels may be designed that have distinct "dielectric fingerprints" that allow for the recognition of the different label types within a "cocktail" of different label types. Because analytes, labels or analyte-label complexes do not have to be trapped in a column in order to achieve separations in these dielectric methods, they are less susceptible to entrapping unlabeled analytes within clumps. In addition, all analytes can be kept away from potentially adherent surfaces during dielectric separations so that sample recovery efficiency is improved. Nevertheless, the intrinsic dielectric properties of target particles, cells, or molecules, or of their dielectric labels may still not allow for sufficient discrimination between multiple target analytes in complex mixtures.
Furthermore, the existing dielectric methods having the most discrimination between different analytes (termed Dielectrophoretic Field-Flow Fractionation (DEP-FFF methods) exploit a balance between dielectrophoretic and sedimentation forces on analytes in the sample mixture. Such a balance can only be realized if there is a specific orientation of the apparatus with respect to a gravitational or centrifugal field. This precludes or limits the use of the methods for applications in microgravity environments such as space. The need to attain a balance between dielectrophoretic and sedimentation forces also places constraints on the relative densities of the suspending medium that carries the analyte mixture and the analytes to be separated. For example, the target analyte or, in the case of dielectric labeling, the analyte-label complex, must have a density that is slightly (typically 2–20%) higher than the suspending medium for effective DEP-FFF separation. Finally, because the sedimentation force acting on a target analyte or target analyte-label complex is usually small and uniform in space within the separation chamber, it typically takes many minutes for analytes or analyte-label complexes to reach positions in the dielectric separation apparatus where a balance of forces occurs.
Thus it is often necessary to allow a sample to sit for some "relaxation time" after it is introduced into a DEP-FFF separator to give analytes time to sediment before separation steps are initiated. Since this relaxation time is often comparable to the time taken to complete all of the rest of the separation steps combined, this step significantly slows the separation procedure and is inconvenient.
To overcome these problems in both magnetic and dielectric separation methodologies, the present invention discloses novel labeling methodology and manipulation procedures in which target analyte-label complexes are subjected to not only magnetic but also dielectric forces simultaneously. The use of two externally applied and controllable forces rather than one introduces versatility for manipulation of the labels and a greatly improved ability to discriminate between analyte-label complexes.
The methods disclosed herein depend upon positioning target analytes to different heights within a hydrodynamic flow profile. Whereas previous methods achieved such positioning through the balance of gravitational and dielectrophoretic forces, the present invention achieves positioning through a balance of dielectric and magnetic forces. Specifically, disclosed herein is a new apparatus and methods that allow dielectrophoresis, magnetopheresis and hydrodynamic effects to be exploited simultaneously for the discrimination, manipulation, fractionation, identification and/or isolation of analytes.
The following objects of the present invention are made possible as a result of this enhancement. First, the methods of the present invention allow several target analytes to be discriminated and isolated simultaneously in a single separation step. Second, target analytes do not have to be collected in the separator and, indeed according to the present invention, can be prevented from contacting any surface to which they may adhere during separation. This not only greatly reduces the problem of trapping of unwanted analytes within target analyte fractions, but also improves analyte recovery efficiencies. Third, apparatus according to the present invention can operate in any orientation, as well as in microgravity environments. Fourth, it is an object of the present invention to obtain discrimination that is much greater than that obtainable by previous methods. Fifth, because both the magnetophoretic (MAP) and dielectrophoretic (DEP) force fields used to position the analyte-label complexes are inhomogeneous in space, the positioning force may be greater than a sedimentation force, thus positioning according to the present invention can occur quicker than in cases where gravitational sedimentation is used. This reduces or eliminates the "relaxation time" prior to separation. Sixth, the present invention introduces improvements that allow bead labeling methodologies to be fully exploited.
To fully understand the new methods it is helpful to introduce the key physical principles that underlie their operation. To accomplish this, dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces are discussed and shown to vary spatially in the vicinity of arrays of electrodes (as used herein, "electrode" means any electric pathway, for example an array of conductors) and magnetrodes (as used herein, "magnetrode" means any magnetic pathway, for example, a strip of paramagnetic material having a high permeability), show the conditions for these forces to be brought into balance when they act on bodies having both dielectric and magnetic susceptibilities, and discuss hydrodynamic flow profiles. Exemplary embodiments and applications will then be given.
1) The Dielectrophoretic Force, FDEP
Consider a particle (which may include a solid, cell, virus, bacterium, molecule, or any other localized arrangement of matter that is distinct from and carried within a suspending medium) of volume v and complex permittivity ε*p suspended in a medium of real permittivity ε*s and complex permittivity ε*s that is subjected to simultaneous dielectrophoretic (DEP) and magnetophoretic (MAP) forces. What if these forces are imposed by arrays of electrodes and magnetrodes that give rise to electrical and magnetic field inhomogeneity distributions? Let us further assume that at a given point in space with coordinates x, y, z referred to the electrode/magnetrode coordinates frame, the electric and magnetic fields are E(x, y, z) and H(x, y, z), respectively. (It is to be understood that the magnetic field may also be generated by an array of permanently magnetic elements for the purposes of this disclosure).
According to the dipole approximation, the DEP force is given by:
Here, R is the radius of the particle, which for simplicity is assumed to be spherical, the fCM factor is the Clausius-Mossotti factor, which reflects the frequency-dependent dielectric polarizability of the particle with respect to its suspending medium, and ωE is the frequency of the AC electrical field. It is understood that in the case of non-spherical particles and to describe situations in which quadruple and higher order DEP force components are significant, more complicated expressions than equation (1) will apply as is known in the art (see for example the analysis of higher order poles set forth in X. J. Wang et al).
Further background on dielectrophoretic forces may be found in Thomas B. Jones, "Electromechanics of Particles," Ch. 3 (Cambridge University Press, 1995).
2) The Magnetophoretic Force, FMAP
A particle of volume v and magnetic permeability μ*p placed into an inhomogeneous magnetic field will experience a magnetophoretic force
The inventors note that equation (2) is the magnetic analog of dielectric equation (1). Alternately, if the particle has a permanent volume magnetization m, then the magnetophoretic force will be
It is possible for a particle to have both permanent and inducible magnetic polarization components. In that case a combination of equations (2) and (3) may apply. For example, a particle may have a high permeability and at the same time demonstrate magnetic remnance.
Further background on magneticophoretic forces may be found in Thomas B. Jones, "Electromechanics of Particles," Ch. 3 (Cambridge University Press, 1995).
3) Spatial Variations of Electric and Magnetic Fields
Assume that the inhomogeneous electrical and magnetic fields are created by applying an alternating voltage to an electrode array and a magnetizing force to a magnetrode array.
Here FDEP0 is a constant for a given applied voltage and given particle properties, h is the distance of the particle from the electrode plane, and hDEP is a constant that depends on the geometry of the electrode array.
A magnetic analog for this also applies. If the electrodes 2 and 3 of
Now consider the case where electrical and magnetic forces are applied simultaneously. Both electrode and magnetrode arrays may be present simultaneously on a supporting substrate. Further, the geometric characteristics of the electrode and magnetrode arrays may be similar or dissimilar. When geometrical dissimilarity exists, or other prevailing conditions act to distort the magnetic or electric field with respect to one another, the value of the parameters hDEP and hMAP will differ from one another and the electrical and magnetic forces acting on a particle will exhibit different dependencies on the particle distance from the plane of the electrodes and magnetrodes.
While magnetophoretic forces are usually positive (i.e. attractive) in sign in biological labeling applications, conditions may be chosen to make the dielectrophoretic forces negative in such applications. In this case it is possible for the dielectrophoretic and magnetic forces acting on a particle to oppose one another. If hDEP<hMAP in equations (4) and (5), then it is possible to find a unique value for the distance h from the electrode and magnetrode plane where the forces balance, using equations (1) and (2) as:
Alternately, if the particles have a permanent magnetic moment or their magnetic moment has reached a saturation value, then the magnetophoretic force described in equation (3) will fall according to relationship (5) and the decay constant hMAP in
In this case the dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic fields can be generated from a spatially coincident electrode-magnetrode structure. Note also in this case that while the dielectrophoretic force depends on the square of the applied voltage, the magnetic force depends linearly on the applied magnetic field. It is assumed in equation (10) that the magnetic field, of the magnetic particle remains aligned with the magnetic field from the magnetrode array. If magnetic particles are unable to fully align in this way with the applied magnetic field, then the magnetophoretic force will be smaller than that given by equation (3), as is known in the art. Note also that the height at which DEP and MAP forces balance will be described by an alternative set of equations if the magnetrodes and electrodes are not coplanar and that alternative equations may be derived to describe the dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces for other configurations of electrodes and magnetic elements. This disclosure is intended to cover all such cases and the above equations are meant to be for illustrative purposes in teaching the art.
4) Hyperlayer Field Flow Fractionation
A fluid moving under a laminar flow regime through a thin channel assumes a hydrodynamic flow profile whereby the velocity of the fluid increases with distance from the channel walls up to a maximum velocity at the center of the channel. If the flow profile is parabolic, for example, then the velocity is given by
The method of field-flow fractionation (FFF) depends upon positioning particles within a hydrodynamic flow profile by one or more applied force fields which differentially affect particles having different physical properties. Particles positioned at different heights in a flow profile through the influence of the force fields are carried by the fluid at different speeds and are thereby separated.
The present invention discloses methods by which the positions of particles to be separated are controlled within a hydrodynamic flow profile by balancing opposing dielectrophoretic and magnetic forces. It is understood, however, that gravitational forces may also act on the particles and affect their positions or velocities in the hydrodynamic flow profile. In such cases, a combination of gravitational, electric and magnetic forces will determine particle positions and velocities. The effect and use of gravity in DEP-FFF applications has been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,993,630 and 5,888,370 already incorporated herein by reference.
To exploit DEP and MAP forces for positioning particles, a channel is utilized that incorporates electrodes and magnetrodes (or permanently magnetic elements) that generate inhomogeneous electric and magnetic fields within the channel. These fields create dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces on particles within a carrier fluid introduced into the channel. The position of the particles with respect to the channel is influenced by these forces. If the carrier fluid flows through the channel, then the velocity of the fluid at a given position in the channel will depend upon that position, and the velocity with which a particle will be carried by the fluid will therefore be influenced by the effect of the dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces on the particle position.
For example, if a given particle is susceptible to both magnetic and dielectric forces, its height may be controlled by the balance of dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces according to equation (8) or equation (10) and the fluid will carry the particle at a velocity given by equation (11). The MAP and DEP forces acting on a particle 18 and the hydrodynamic flow profile 16 are shown in
Particles possessing similar physical properties will all be positioned at the same characteristic height in the flow channel and therefore be transported by the fluid at the same rate. Particles having different physical properties will be positioned at different characteristic heights where the fluid flow velocity is different. Therefore, they will be transported through the chamber at different rates. Using this principle, the fractionation of a mixture of different particle types can be accomplished. For example, if a sample containing a particle mixture is introduced at one end of such a flow chamber and carried through the chamber by fluid flow, then different particle types will be carried at different velocities and emerge from the outlet end of the flow chamber at different times where they may be collected in separate fractions. The time taken for a given particle to travel from the inlet to the outlet end of the flow channel is known in the art as its "retention time". The present invention concerns the combination of dielectrophoretic, magnetophoretic and hydrodynamic principles to control the positions and/or retention times of particles in a channel for the purposes of fractionation, separation, isolation, identification and characterization of analytes.
Dielectric and Magnetic Properties of Particles
The factors influencing the dielectric and magnetic properties of particles are well known in the art. In the case where the particle is comprised of an analyte-label complex, it should be appreciated that the properties of the complex will, in general, differ from those of an uncomplexed analyte or an uncomplexed label. This has important implications for the discriminating ability of the invention disclosed herein. Specifically, it should be recognized that the association of a magnetic label with a non-magnetic analyte will result in a magnetic analyte-label complex that has dielectric properties that differ from those of either the label or the analyte, and magnetic properties that differ from those of the analyte.
In general, the label and analyte will contribute dielectric and magnetic properties to the complex that depend on their relative permitivities, permeabilities, volumes, and influences on the charge distributions of the suspending medium. Because the separations describe herein depend upon a balance of dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces, analyte-label complexes will therefore usually exhibit elution characteristics in a DEP-MAP separator that differ from those of labels having no associated analytes.
The methods according to the present invention therefore allow labels to be discriminated and separated according to their association state with respect to analytes. For example, cells that have bound different numbers of magnetic labels will exhibit different characteristics during separation, allowing for their discrimination, characterization, and isolation. Therefore, cells having fewer binding sites for antibodies against EGF receptors may be separated from cells having a greater number of receptors, for example. As another example, labels that are uncomplexed can be separated from labels that are associated with cells, particles, molecules and other target analytes.
In addition, "cocktails" consisting of different types of labels may be produced in which each type of label has a different dielectric and magnetic "fingerprint". Each type of label in the mixture may then be independently discriminated, separated, identified, and characterized according to its respective binding state with a different target analyte. Such cocktails of labels allow for the simultaneous analysis of multiple analyte targets within a mixture in a single separation step.
Influence of Gravity
It is to be understood that these gravitational effects may be eliminated by appropriate alignment of the separation apparatus with respect to the gravitational field, or that they may be exploited in order to take advantage of density characteristics of the labels, analytes or analyte-label complexes.
Finally, it should be noted that the electrical fields used to provide the DEP force are easily switchable and may be customized to particular applications and programmed during separations to achieve specific desired types of discrimination. The process of changing the field over time during separation is called programming. Use of programmability to improve DEP-FFF separations is described in pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/249,955, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference. It is to be understood that the magnetic field may also be programmed to further enhance the flexibility, discrimination and capabilities of the invention disclosed herein.
Two exemplary embodiments of separators are described that exploit analyte positioning by a combination of dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces. In the first embodiment, which does not exploit the flow velocity profile of the carrier fluid and is suitable for continuous processing of samples, analyte mixtures may be flowed continuously through a chamber equipped with arrays of electrodes and magnetrodes. Analytes are then subjected to the combined dielectrophoretic and magnetophoretic forces resulting from the electric and magnetic fields. Providing they spend sufficient time within the flow channels, these forces move analytes sufficiently close to characteristic positions in the carrier medium flow profile stream at which the DEP and MAP forces balance so that they may be identified, separated, or isolated. Therefore, analytes emerge from the flow channel at positions that depend on their dielectric and magnetic characteristics. Different analytes may be characterized or separated according to the positions, with respect to the flow channel walls, at which they exit the flow channel by use of an appropriate arrangement of exit ports.
In the second type of embodiment, in which the flow velocity profile of the carrier fluid is exploited and which is best suited to batch processing of samples, a similar apparatus and mode of operation is employed, except that the sample analyte mixture is injected as a single sample that is usually much smaller in volume than the separation chamber. This aliquot is then carried through the flow channel by a carrier medium. Again, provided they spend sufficient time in the DEP and MAP fields, analytes move sufficiently close to positions in the carrier fluid flow profile where the DEP and MAP forces acting on them are balanced so that they may be discriminated or separated. Because the analytes are then carried at different speeds according to their positions in the carrier medium flow profile, they emerge from the flow channel at different characteristic times. It should be understood that a "sufficient time", as used above, means that analytes, labels and analyte-label complexes spend enough time in the MAP and DEP force fields to move to positions at which they may usefully be discriminated, detected, or separated. In practice, this may be less than the time taken for them to come to positions where the MAP and DEP forces exactly balance.
Specific aspects of the apparatus for the two embodiments will now be described. Except for the exit ports, which must be multiple to achieve separation and isolation of analytes for the continuous mode embodiment, other aspects of the two embodiments may be identical. However, it is to be understood that the embodiment having multiple outlet ports may also be operated in batch mode.
Exemplary electrode arrays for dielectrophoretic manipulations are shown in
Exemplary magnetrode arrays for magnetophoretic manipulations may have similar or different patterns to those shown in
Exemplary electrode and magnetrode combinations suitable for simultaneously providing magnetic and electric fields are shown in cross-section in
Exemplary magnetic field excitation schemes are shown in
An exemplary embodiment of a separator using the dielectric and magnetic separation principle for batch mode separation is shown in enlarged form in
In alternate embodiments, the flow channel may be derived from a slot cut directly into one or both of the side walls by etching, machining, ablation, lithographic means, or by any other procedures known in the art. Alternately, the flow channel may be derived from material that is applied to one or both side walls by sputtering, spin coating, printing or thin film deposition, may be cut or formed into the body of the device, or may be injection molded, produced by any other procedures known in the art.
Arrays of electrodes VII and magnetrodes VIII are present in the flow channel. These may be within the channel interior itself, be supported by one or more walls of the chamber, or be outside the chamber. Electrical signals are connected from a single generator IX. A magnetic field is provided from magnet X via buses XI and XII to the electrodes and magnetrodes, respectively.
A second embodiment for continuous mode separation is shown in
Description of batch-mode operation
In an exemplary separation using the batch mode, the following steps are ufndertaken:
(1) A sample containing one or more analytes is mixed with labels having dielectric and magnetic properties and binding affinity to one or more types of target analyte. If desired, labels having distinguishable magnetic and dielectric properties and binding affinities for different analytes may be used in combination in this step.
(2) After an incubation period that is sufficient to ensure adequate binding between target analytes and labels, a measured aliquot of the analyte/label mixture is injected into the inlet end of the separation channel.
(3) Magnetic and AC electrical fields are applied to the magnetrode/electrode arrays in the separation channel. This step may precede or follow the sample injection step.
(4) Following a suitable relaxation time during which analytes and analyte-label complexes approach sufficiently close to positions with respect to the electrode and magnetrode arrays where the MAP and DEP forces balance, flow of carrier medium is initiated at the inlet end of the separation channel.
(5) The carrier medium establishes a hydrodynamic flow profile within the separation channel and carries analytes and analyte-label complexes through the separation channel at velocities depending on their positions with respect to the channel walls. This position depends upon the applied magnetic and AC electrical fields and may, in exemplary embodiments, be influenced by the hydrodynamic flow profile and by gravity.
(6) Different analytes and analyte-label complexes will emerge from the outlet end of the chamber at different times and may be collected in separate fractions or detected by various measurement methods. Because analyte-label complexes having similar magnetic and dielectric properties will be positioned similarly by the synergistic action of the magnetic and dielectric forces acting in the separation channel, they will be carried at similar velocities by the carrier medium and will emerge together at the channel outlet in a single elution peak. In contrast, analytes and analyte-label complexes having different properties will be differentially positioned by the synergistic action of the magnetic and electric fields, will be carried at different velocities by the carrier medium, and will emerge from the channel outlet at different times. In this way, a mixture of analytes may be discriminated and separated temporally into several characteristic peaks or bands. Either of the exemplary embodiments may be operated in batch mode.
(1) A sample containing one or more analytes is mixed with labels having dielectric and magnetic properties and binding affinity to one or more types of target analyte. If desired, labels having distinguishable magnetic and dielectric properties and binding affinities for different analytes may be used in combination in this step. The mixture is allowed to incubate for sufficient time that adequate binding between target analytes and labels occurs.
(2) Magnetic and AC electric fields are applied to the magnetrode and electrode arrays in the separator channel.
(3) The analyte/label mixture from (1) is continuously injected into the inlet port of the flow channel.
(4) Carrier medium is withdrawn from multiple exit ports of the separator (see
In this way a mixture of analytes and analyte-label complexes may be continuously separated into fractions that emerge from different exit ports.
Release of Magnetic Particles by Dielectrophoretic Forces
The invention disclosed herein describes methods for analyte, label and analyte-label complex discrimination that depend upon an interaction (specifically a balance) of MAP and DEP forces.
DEP forces may also be used to overcome a common problem associated with permanent magnets in magnetic labeling applications. Specifically, current magnetic separation technologies depend upon the ability to remove the magnetic field in order to release the magnetic labels and analyte-label complexes after they have been collected. Magnetic separations are normally accomplished by using a separation chamber or separation column to which a magnetic field is applied by exterior means, such as a permanent magnet or an electromagnet. After collection of the magnetic labels and analyte-label complexes, the separation chamber or column must be removed from the vicinity of the permanent magnet, or the electromagnet turned off, so that the labels and label-analyte complexes are released. This requirement to remove the magnetic field in order to release the collected analytes precludes the use of permanent magnets or arrays of permanent magnets that are located within the separation chamber itself.
The present invention allows this limitation to be overcome. This is because apparatus according to the present invention allow for the magnetic labels and label-analyte complexes to be repelled from the magnetic elements in the collection chamber by DEP forces. For example,
Elsewhere in this specification, it is assumed that the DEP force is sufficient to prevent attachment of the magnetic labels and analyte-label complexes to the magnetrodes or permanent magnetic elements. However, in an alternate mode of operation, the DEP force is switched off or kept at a low level while the magnetic field is present. In the absent of a counterbalancing DEP force, the magnetic labels and analyte-label complexes are attracted to, approach, and contact the magnetic elements and become immobilized on them. In this mode of operation, the separation chamber therefore initially functions like a conventional magnetic separation chamber or column and retains the labels and analyte-label complexes from the suspending medium.
After collection, however, the DEP force is switched to a sufficiently high level to repel and dissociate the collected magnetic labels and analyte-label complexes from the magnetic elements without the need to remove the magnetic field. It should be noted that the dissociation of the magnetically collected species by the DEP force by raising the voltage applied to the electrode array from a small to a high volume over a period of time, different labels and analyte-label complexes may be released at different times and may be flushed from the separation chamber and collected in different fractions.
This mode of operation allows permanent magnetic elements to be incorporated into separation chambers, a feature that is especially useful in microfluidic embodiments. By allowing the incorporation of permanent magnet elements, the need for more powerful external magnets is eliminated. Alternately, by eliminating the need to remove the magnetic field, fixed external magnets may be used if desired.
Exemplary Applications
Using apparatus and methods according to the present invention, various matter may be magnetized. Particularly, with the present invention, discrimination, separation, identification, detection, manipulation and isolation of the following matter may be accomplished:
(a) cell subpopulations including, for example:
(b) mycoplasma, fungal, and viral particles subpopulations including those from blood, urine, saliva, amniotic fluid, needle biopsies;
(c) potentially pathogenic cells, viral particles, mycoplasma, fungal spores, bacterial spores from the environment for water analysis in public health maintaining food processing plants, food distribution, restaurants, homes, biowarefare, bioterrorism detection.
(d) molecular subpopulations including proteins (such as in diagnostics and prognostics, separations for biotechnology, research, pharmaceuticals);
(e) minerals such as for benfication of ores, environmental samples, diagnostic and prognostic samples (such as deposits, bone, etc.);
(f) for space medicine (gravity-, centrifuge-, large magnet-free separations);
(g) cellular organelles and other biological structures including,
(h) cells, organelles or other particles with respect to the extent of binding to labels. (For example, different cell subpopulations characterized by different numbers of EGF receptors may be discriminated by labels modified with monoclonal antibodies for EGF).
(8) giving
(10) giving
All of the compositions and/or methods disclosed and claimed herein can be made and executed without undue experimentation in light of the present disclosure. While the compositions and methods of this invention have been described in terms of specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that variations may be applied to the compositions and/or methods and in the steps or in the sequence of steps of the method described herein without departing from the concept, spirit and scope of the invention. All such similar substitutes and modifications apparent to those skilled in the art are deemed to be within the spirit, scope and concept of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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Owner name: BOARD OF REGENTS, THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS SYSTEM,
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Devils "Rock" Canes in Game One
Posted April 16, 2009
Ouch. That was brutal.
The build-up, the anticipation, the excitement, the hype... All followed by the massive let-down.
The Carolina Hurricanes were chewed up and spit out on Wednesday night. Dominated, owned, man-handled. Call it what you will, the New Jersey Devils were a far superior team to the Canes in Game One. We'll borrow the nickname of the Devils' home arena and say the Canes got "rocked" at The Rock. Wednesday night at the Prudential Center was an embarrassing loss for a proud Hurricanes team. I think - no, I know - the Canes are better than what we just witnessed in a 4-1 loss to the Devils.
Perhaps the Hurricanes are just "happy to be there." Maybe the raised level of play that Caniacs enjoyed in the surge to reach the playoffs was the extent of the gusto this team possesses. Is it possible that the Canes' ultimate goal for the 2008-09 season has already been achieved? When you miss out on the post-season for two years (in particularly heart breaking fashion last year), maybe focusing on the big prize is shoved aside in favor of concentrating on the door prize.
It certainly didn't seem as if the Carolina Hurricanes came to Newark to contend for the Stanley Cup. The Canes didn't appear to be a team full of heart, courage, fervor or determination. Instead, the Hurricanes looked like a team that didn't belong in the playoffs at all. They were outpaced in nearly every facet of the game.
The Devils are clearly a more physical team than the Hurricanes. Hard to find someone to argue that. But, on Wednesday they were also the faster team, the smarter team, the grittier team, and the more disciplined team. Each of those surprised me. I wish that time of possession was still a statistic tracked by the NHL. I bet the Devils would have had a 2:1 advantage in that category over the Canes in Game One.
If you're looking for positives you can point to Cam Ward and Matt Cullen. Ward made a handful of incredible saves while facing 39 shots; 30 shots in the first two periods. Carolina could have lost this game 8-1, or worse. There were plenty of good scoring chances for the Devils as the Hurricanes defense was soft and lethargic, while the back-check from the forwards left a lot to be desired.
Meanwhile, Cullen finally got into a game after missing the last eight contests of the regular season with an injured foot. He looked very much like the play-maker that centered the Canes' super-productive second line for much of the season. After just two shifts in the first period, Cullen got on the ice six times in the second period, then had eight shifts in the third. He told me after the game that Paul Maurice was easing him back into the line-up, but I tend to think Maurice was looking for that old Cullen/Whitney/LaRose magic as the game progressed and the deficit on the scoreboard increased. After the familiar Canes' second line was back together from the second period on tonight, I suspect the 13/8/59 line is here to stay.
So, what now? Cullen, Ray Whitney and Tim Gleason all told me after the game that this loss will be easy to put behind them. I'm not so convinced. The Devils made a pretty bold statement on Wednesday, "We're the better team." New Jersey hopes that proclamation is ringing loudly in the Canes' ears.
This series isn't over, far from it. But the Canes better snap out of whatever haze they were in on Wednesday by 7:30 on Friday night. Another performance like Game One, and 2009 is in the books. Here's hoping Game One was the exception, and not the rule.
Adam Harris covers the Carolina Hurricanes for 99.9 FM The Fan & wralsportsfan.com. He is in New Jersey for the Canes' opening round series of the Stanley Cup Playoffs vs. the Devils


text:
The Spain international was initially worried about leaving his homeland for Germany, but is delighted with the way things have gone since
The Spain international arrived in Bavaria in August for a €40 million fee, and although he was insecure at first, he is happy with the way life has gone for him at the Allianz Arena.
"I have adapted well because people have been very welcoming," the 24-year-old told Uefa.com.
"I was scared to come to a new city, with a new language, but I feel really good here. My team-mates have helped me integrate so well, it's as if I have already been with them a long time."
Roja coach Vicente del Bosque recently lauded Martinez's leadership skills, and the 24-year-old revealed his pride at being praised by the national team boss.
"For the Spain coach to say that makes you feel fantastic. I always try to lift my team-mates and give them energy," he continued.
"I hope I can be half as good as Patrick Vieira, because for me he has always been an idol, a role model – a football great. Mind you, he is Vieira and I'm Javi – we are different too."
Martinez is currently preparing for the second leg of his side's Champions-League last-16 clash with Arsenal on Wednesday.


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May 31, 2011 BY Aaron Hope
From the Valentine's Day 'Amor' edition to the recent collaboration with Liberty of London, 2011 has been a strong year for womens' Nike Air Force 1 Lows. Look for that to continue with this trio of new colorways that all share a simple yet downright satisfying construction. Each of these three new Air Force 1 for ladies comes with a white leather upper that's accented by patent leather on the Swooshes and heel tabs. That same shade carries over to the tongue tag and translucent sole for a crisp template that looks great with Solar Red, High Voltage or Bold Berry, and you can see more images of all three after the jump. via Step
Nike WMNS Air Force 1 '07
White/Solar Red-White
White/High Voltage-White
White/Bold Berry-White
Filed under: Nike Air Force 1s Upcoming Sneakers WMNS
Tags: Nike Air Force 1 Low


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Brooke Hamann graduates from dental school
Brooke Hamann, a 2002 Perham High School graduate, received her Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree from the School of Dentistry, at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Campus, on May 14.
Dean Patrick Lloyd, DDS, MS, welcomed faculty, family and friends to the 121st U of M's dental school graduation ceremony, with the commencement address given by Linda C. Niessen, D.M.D. from Dallas, Texas, who is a clinical professor in the Department of Restorative Sciences at Baylor College of Dentistry. The dental class consisted of 101 graduating dental students from throughout the United States, primarily the Midwest, and 10 foreign countries.
The night prior to the graduation ceremony, the 17th Annual Senior Awards Banquet was held at the Nicollet Island Pavilion, in Minneapolis. Dr. Hamann was honored with an award from the Operative Dentistry Division, receiving the American Academy of Gold Foil Operators Award. She was selected by her faculty as an individual with outstanding qualities as a scholar and clinician in Operative Dentistry as well as possessing qualities of professional attitude and achievement, technical skill and clinical judgment in preventive and therapeutic phases of restorative dentistry.
Brooke has returned to the Perham area with her husband Andy. She joined her father's dental practice on June 15 and is available for appointments.


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BALTIMORE — The Rays had their reasons to be feeling good after Tuesday's 8-6 win over the Orioles.
They'd come back once with a five-run eighth then came back to win it in the 10th on a three-run homer by Carlos Peña, and they were talking a lot about tenacity and determination and even about 2008.
"That's one of those wins," Peña said, "that are really important."
The theory is that it was the kind of win they could build on and draw from in how they didn't quit, how they found a way to win another close game. Manager Joe Maddon even went somewhere he doesn't normally go, to their 2008 championship season.
"Extra-inning wins on the road are really impressive to me," he said. "In 2008, and I'll make a comparison, we did that. … That always to me is an indication of the tenacity of your group."
But there also was some reason for concern as the bullpen, specifically lefty reliever Randy Choate, nearly cost them again.
Shackled by dazzling rookie Brian Matusz (two infield singles in the first seven innings) and what Maddon termed "absolutely raw" conditions with temps in the 40s after a daylong rain, the Rays — after a decent effort from Jeff Niemann, showing no effects of last week's early knockout — rallied on five singles and a double to take a 5-3 lead in the eighth.
But the bullpen blew it up, Dan Wheeler making the first mistake with a one-out walk and Choate the big one, allowing a two-out, two-run tying homer to lefty Luke Scott.
With J.P. Howell sidelined at least until mid May, the Rays have had to use other relievers, particularly Choate, their lone lefty, in higher-leverage situations. And thus far it hasn't been pretty.
He got racked around in Saturday's loss and gave up a two-run game-deciding homer to Jorge Posada on Sunday then Monday's blast by Scott. Choate has faced 15 batters this season (over five games) and nine have gotten hits.
Maddon said it's simply a matter of Choate's sinker not sinking, and insisted, "I have not lost confidence and he'll be right back out there (today) in the same situation."
Choate didn't sound too sure what the problem was.
"You can come ask me questions, I can beat my brains out, I don't know," he said. "I don't know if it's not the same confidence, when it rains it pours, whatever you want to use, I can't explain it.
"Maybe I just need to get p----- off and go out there and pitch, and this definitely did that for me. Not that the other two (games) didn't make me mad but this one really did it. You can't come in and get out a guy when it's specifically your job? You better start doing something right."
There was some solace for Choate in how it ended. When the batter after Scott reached on an error, Peña came to the mound to console him.
"He said, 'Don't worry, popi, I'll pick you up, I'll take care of it,' " Choate recalled.
Peña admitted he was speaking in generalities about hoping to get the opportunity and didn't really know how it was going to end — that Ben Zobrist and Evan Longoria were going to walk to open the 10th and that he was going to crush Matt Albers' 2-and-2 fastball over the rightfield fence.
"So," Peña said, "I'm glad the story kind of ended that way."
Marc Topkin can be reached at email@example.com.