text:
You will find usefull informations regarding to the different products.
See the answers by clicking on the appropriate question.
You can download all our lates documents here:
you may also have a look at the latest LemnaTec presentation of Plant Phenomics
Please find the latest documentation for LemnaLauncher and LemnaMiner here
the LemnaTec scanalyzer3D traing is scheduled for 3 Days and will cover the following issues:
- Introduction to Lemna Launcher,
- Introduction to LemnaTec Image Processing,
- Introduction to the LemnaTec DataBase Concept,
- Advanced Image Processing,
- Approach for unique Image Processing,
- Introduction to LemnaMiner Software,
- Import/Export of Data
Please download the full document here
Standards FAQ
The duckweed growth inhibition test is standardised in a number of states like France (AFNOR 1996), Sweden (SIS 1995, USA (ASTM 1991, EPA 1996, APHA 1992) and Canada (Environment Canada 1998). On the level of OECD (chemicals, plant protection) the final proposal for guideline 221 "Lemna sp. Growth Inhibition Test" is available (OECD 2000a). 37 participants successfully finished an international ring test in December 1998. The final version will be available soon.
The process of ISO standardization (waste water, soil, waste) started in summer 2000 with a complete draft developed and practically checked in Germany. The ISO standard ISO/CD 20079 is now available as "Water quality - Determination of the toxic effect of water constituents and waste water to duckweed (Lemna minor) - Duckweed growth inhibition test" (ISO 2001). Next decisive steps within the fixed schedule will be made as the beginning of 2002 in Philadelphia. Decision on a ring test will be made there. Comments on this document are invited and should be addressed together with detailed alternative wordings in English to the ISO´s member body in your country. View list here!
The separations of standards for testing chemicals and environmental samples partially vanished. According to the title of the ISO standard single chemicals may be tested as "water constituents". Other water constituents may be elutriates of soil and waste. For soil elutriates the duckweed test was validated successfully. In the appendix of the ISO standard CD 15799 "Soil quality - Guidance on the ecotoxicological characterizations of soil and soil Materials" (ISO 1999) the listed AFNOR standard will be substituted by the ISO standard to give the formal basis to use duckweed with soil elutriates.
The use of the OECD Duckweed guideline for waste water has some practical concerns using the test-medium. It was developed for the test of substances free of additional nutrients. Additional nutrients of the environmental sample cause additional growth relative to the controls in some cases and reduce sensitivity of the test.
The Duckweed test is mentioned directly in the revised draft guidance document on aquatic toxicity testing of difficult substances and mixtures (OECD 2000b) to test suspensions or turbid and dyed test solutions.
All standards are in full compliance with measurements made by image-analysis as image-analysis include the observation parameter frond number. OECD and the ISO standard include total frond area (alternatively to dry weight (OECD, ISO) or chlorophyll (ISO)) as a second observation parameter too. Most of the time consuming additional observations to be made in all standards (reduction of frond size, chlorosis, necrosis etc.) are quantified reproducibly without any additional workload by image analysis. Even special requirements can be achieved by image-analysis. For example the ASTM standard points out that only fronds with less than 50 percent chlorosis should be counted as living.
Standards and Guidelines
Determination of the inhibitory effect on the growth of Lemna minor XP T 90-337
Toxicity Part 8000 8-32-8-39 in: Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater 18th ed., APHA, AWWA, WEF, Washington}
Conducting static toxicity tests with Lemna gibba. Guide E 1415-91. Annual book of ASTM standards. Section 11 Water and environmental technology. Vol. 11.04. ASTM, Philadelphia, U.S.
Environment Canada 1998
Biological test method: test for measuring the inhibition of growth using the freshwater
macrophyte lemna minor Report EPS 1/RM/37
Ecological effects test Guidelines OPPTS 850.4400 Aquatic planttoxicity test using lemna ssp., Tiers I and II , EPA 712-C-96-156}
ISO/CD 15799 1999 Soil quality - Guidance on the ecotoxicological characterizations of soil and soil materials
"Water quality - Determination of the toxic effect of water constituents and waste water to duckweed (Lemna minor) - Duckweed growth inhibition test" ISO/CD 20079 August 2001
OECD 2000a
Proposal for Guideline 221 Lemna sp. Growth Inhibition Test OECD, October 2000
OECD 2000b
Revised draft guidance document on aquatic toxicity testing of difficult substances and mixtures, OECD, January 2000
Swedish Institute of Standards, Water quality - determination of growth inhibition (7-d) Lemna minor , duckweed SS 02 82 13
Media FAQ
Stoff |
Nährmedium nach |
Makroelemente |
e Molgew. |
mg/l |
mmol/l |
101,12 |
350,00 |
3,46 |
Ca(NO3)2*4H2O |
236,15 |
295,00 |
1,25 |
136,09 |
90,00 |
0,66 |
174,18 |
12,60 |
0,07 |
MgSO4*7H2O |
246,37 |
100,00 |
0,41 |
Mikroelemente |
Molgew. |
µg/l |
µmol/l |
61,83 |
120,00 |
1,94 |
ZnSO4*7H2O |
287,43 |
180,00 |
0,63 |
Na2MoO4*2H2O |
241,92 |
44,00 |
0,18 |
MnCl2*4H2O |
197,84 |
180,00 |
0,91 |
FeCl3*6H2O |
270,21 |
760,00 |
2,81 |
Titriplex III (EDTA) |
372,24 |
1500,00 |
4,03 |
Solution 1:
1. Makroelemente (50fach konzentriert) |
g/I |
Solution 1: |
17,50 |
4,5 |
0,63 |
Solution 2: |
MgSO4*7H2O |
5,00 |
Solution 3: |
Ca(NO3)2*4H2O |
14,75 |
2. Mikroelemente (1000fach konzentriert) |
mg/I |
Solution 4: |
120,0 |
ZnSO4*7H2O |
180,0 |
Na2MoO4*2H2O |
44,0 |
MnCl2*4H2O |
180,0 |
Solution 5: |
FeCl3*6H2O |
760,00 |
Titriplex III (EDTA) |
1500,00 |
Start Kultivating with:
20 ml Solution 1 bis 3
1,0 ml Solution 4 und 5
aqua bidest ad 1000 ml
autoclave at 121°C, for 20 Min. or use 0.2µm sterilfilter
OECD, 1998 – Culture and Test media for Lemna minor (SIS growth medium)
Substance |
Stock Solution |
Mediuma |
Element |
Stock Solution |
MgSO4 – 7 H2O |
15 |
75 |
NIb |
NaNO3 |
8,5 |
85 |
CaCl2 – 2 H2O |
7,2 |
36 |
Na2CO3 |
4,0 |
20 |
1,34 |
13,4 |
1,0 |
1 |
MnCl2 – 4 H2O |
0,2 |
0,2 |
Na2MoO4 – 2H2O |
0,010 |
0,010 |
ZnSO4 – 7 H2O |
0,050 |
0,050 |
CuSO4 – 5 H2O |
0,005 |
0,005 |
Co(No3)2 – 6 H2O |
0,010 |
0,010 |
Na2 EDTA |
1,4 |
1,4 |
VIc |
FeCl3 – 6 H2O |
0,84 |
0,84 |
VIc |
MOPS (buffer)d |
488 |
488 |
VIc |
PH Adjustment |
PH adjustment to 6,5 ± 0,2 by addition of NaOH or HCl |
Sterilization |
Stock solutions I to V are sterilized by autoclaving (120°C, 15 min.) or by membrane filtration (pore diameter 0,2 μm); stock solutions IV (and optional VII) are sterilized by membrane filtration only (i.e. , these should not be autoclaved). |
a |
Concentration of substance in Medium |
b |
Not indicated |
c |
Added after autoclaving |
d |
MOPS buffer is only required when pH control of the test medium is particularly important (e.g. when testing metals or substances which are hydrolytically unstable) |
Zitiert aus: Report EPS 1/RM/37; Dec. 1998,
Biological Test Method: Test for Measuring the Inhibition of Growth using the Freshwater Macrophyte, Lemna minor
Method Development and Application Section
Environmental Technology Centre
Environment Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
ASTM, 1991 – 20X-AAP Mediuma for Culturing and Testing Lemna gibba
Substance |
Stock Solution |
Medium |
Element |
Stock Solution |
MgSO4 – 7 H2O |
14,70 |
38,22 |
NaNO3 |
25,50 |
84,00 |
CaCl2 – 2 H2O |
4,410 |
24,04 |
Ca |
Na2CO3 |
15,00 / --- |
220,02 / 42,86 |
Na / C |
1,044 / --- |
9,38 / 372 |
0,18552 |
0,64920 |
MnCl2 – 4 H2O |
0,41561 |
2,30748 |
Mn |
Na2MoO4 – 2H2O |
0,00726 |
0,05756 |
Mo |
ZnCl2 |
0,00327 |
0,0314 |
Zn |
CuCl2 – 2 H2O |
1,2 x 10^-5 |
8 x 10^-5 |
Cu |
CoCl6– 6 H2O |
0,00143 |
0,00708 |
Co |
Na2 EDTA 2 H2O |
0,300 |
--- |
--- |
FeCl3 – 6 H2O |
0,160 |
0,66102 |
Fe |
MgCl2 – 6 H2O |
12,164 |
58,08 |
Mg |
PH Adjustment |
PH adjustment to 7,4-7,6 by addition 0,1N NaOH or HCl |
Sterilization |
sterilized by membrane filtration only (pore diameter 0,2 μm) |
Zitiert aus: Report EPS 1/RM/37; Dec. 1998,
Biological Test Method: Test for Measuring the Inhibition of Growth using the Freshwater Macrophyte, Lemna minor
Method Development and Application Section
Environmental Technology Centre
Environment Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
ASTM, 1991 – Modified Hoagland's Mediuma (no Sucrose or EDTA) for Culturing and Testing Lemna gibba
Substance |
Stock Solution |
Mediumb |
Element |
Stock Solution |
MgSO4 – 7 H2O |
NIc |
75 |
Ad |
85 |
Ca(NO3)2 – 4 H2O |
36 |
13,4 |
1,0 |
Bd |
MnCl2 – 4 H2O |
0,2 |
Na2MoO4 – 2H2O |
0,010 |
ZnSO4 – 7 H2O |
0,050 |
CuSO4 – 5 H2O |
0,005 |
FeCl3 – 6 H2O |
0,010 |
Tartaric Acid |
1,4 |
PH Adjustment |
PH adjustment to 5,01 ± 0,1 by addition of 1N KOH or HCl |
Sterilization |
Autoclave 20 min. at 121°C and 1,1 Kg/cm² |
a |
This medium is the same as Hoagland´s E+ medium exept the sucrose, bacto-tryptone, yeast and EDTA have been excluded |
b |
Concentration of substance in Medium |
c |
Not indicated |
d |
Add each chemical (A) to distilled or deionized water |
Zitiert aus: Report EPS 1/RM/37; Dec. 1998,
Biological Test Method: Test for Measuring the Inhibition of Growth using the Freshwater Macrophyte, Lemna minor
Method Development and Application Section
Environmental Technology Centre
Environment Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
LT Colony Counter FAQ
Choice of brightness/aperture and acquisition time
Getting the optimum brightness is a result of choosing good aperture and acquisition time pairs. To maximise sharpness of the image independent of the number of sharp objects the auto focus could use, aperture should have values higher than 4 best would be 8. As colonies generally do not move acquisition times up to 0.5 seconds could be accepted before there is a need to open the aperture.
But what is the right brightness to choose? There are two general rules to optimise the images:
First the LT counter software has no problems to analyse images, which are a little bit darker than the value the human eye would like to be optimum for manual count.
As a consequence underexposure is no problem for image processing while overexposure is one. If the background of a petridish is clear white it does not contain any more information. It cannot be assured that e.g. small colonies with bad contrast are not more to be seen on the image and therefore do not exist for the machine.
To assure visibility of all colonies the background even of the whitest or clearest plate in a measurement series should have a light colour.This can be easily achieved for backlight if the area around the plate has a slight grey colour.
If colonies tend to be very bright in top light avoiding overexposed i.e. maximum white colonies if needed if colonies should be separated properly.
Avoid any overexposured bright white area within the whole area of interest is best to assure best image processing possible.
Secondly further optimisation of image processing will be reached by maximising contrasts between colonies and background and borders between colonies according to visual impression. For this reason try if backlight ot toplight gives better contrasts for all colonies.
Focussing with LT Counter standard and digital
Optimising the focus is needed to get sharp images and good counts. The best basis for sharp images is to use a small aperture I. E. using high numbers for aperture in the camera configuration. Inly if time is getting linger than 0.5 s to reach optimum brightness aperture should be opened.
LT Counter standard
The Camera of the LT counter standard has the possibility to use the auto focus once when creating a new measurement series (Click on "set focus recommended"). This may be done to maximise sharpness if enough sharp objects are to be seen. If colonies are very small or do not have sharp rims manual setting of the focus is preferred. Using of permanent auto focus must be avoided as mechanics may be destroyed if the focus is not able to find a sharp object e.g. because no plate is in the counter. Additionally refocusing needs time and may make image acquisition more slowly.
Click on "set focus recommended" for use manual set of focus in each camera configuration to acquire sharp images.
LT Counter digital
The camera of the digital counter does not allow to fix a certain focus once defined. As aconsequence each image is focused individually. Using the fast advanced focusing technology this is no problem as long as the a maximum aperture possible is used (see above) and there are at least some larger sharp objects in the image. This is generally true as long as at least the rim of the petridish is visible on the image. This is of high importance esp. if the agar is very homogenous and colonies are extremely small or have no sharp rims and may appear at very low numbers.
Please ensure that one or more medium sized objects with sharp rims are on each image to be used by the auto focus.
How to handle lables with the LT Colony Counter
Labels on petridishes are generally a sign for automatation already started. If the label contains a barcode this could be used for naming the plate within the LT counter system too. Thus typing of the name of the plate, a time consuming part of sample handling and source of faults can be avoided. The LT counter is easily able to integrate barcode reading as additional option. To provide an optimised barcode reader some samples of the label with barcode, technical specification of the barcode (if available) and information on the nomenclature used should be available from LemnaTec..
But in detail labels can even provide some problems.
Optimally for image acquisition barcode is to be found at the side of the petridish as this opens all options for choosing the best illumination. Placement of the barcodes on the lid of the petridish is good as long as lid may be removed for image acquisition. If the barcode is on the lid not to be removed or on the bottom two different options are available. If the colonies have good contrast and have darker colour than the background they may be counted in Backlight after special adaptation of the image processing. For dark colonies, which may be counted on white background with top light, a white insert for the top light masks is available. This makes white labels almost invisible. In this case plates with label on the lid may be counted up side down while plates with label on the bottom will be counted in normal position. For pale colonies on almost clear agar the only option is to use preferably backlight and to extrapolate the number of colonies in the area of the label, as they could not be counted (except for labels based on black paper would be available).
Installation of the LT Colony Counter Demo software
Start Computer with Administrator privileges. Do not plug in Hardlock.
Insert CD and start setup.exe
The LTCounterSetup-window appears. Select between Deutsch (German) and English. Click on the install-button.
A message box appears with the headline "Update Microsoft Data Components". Click the Ja (Yes) button.
Press the ok button to start the MS-MDAC setup.
After the extraction of the necessary files you have to agree to the Microsoft End User License Agreement. Check the box before "I accept all of the proceeding license agreement" and click afterwards the "Next" button. Click the finish button to begin the installation.
After the setup has completed click the "Close" button and the installation of the Microsoft Jet Engine starts.
Click on the "Next (weiter)" button to start the installation of the Hardlock device driver.
Click on the "Next (weiter)" button to end the installation of the Hardlock device driver.
If you want you can change the installation folder of the LTCounter-Programm and/or the Database folder. Please keep in mind that the database folder might need a lot of free disk-space on your harddisk (~150 MB). We suggest to create an desktop icon by checking the checkbox before "Create desktop icon". Press the OK button to proceed with the installation.
First the LTCounter-Programm will be copied and afterwards the Demo-Database. This will take a few minutes because the size of the Demo-Database is about 125 MB.
After this a message box appears with the headline "Installation completed". Press the OK button.
Plug in the Hardlock. If the hardware wizard tells you that it has detected new hardware. Please click on its next button.
Have a look for the LTCounter desktop icon. By double-clicking the desktop icon you can launch the LTCounter application.
At the first lunch of the system you will see no folders with images in the database browser. Click on Edit/New query and type "%". "%" is the general wildcard in database queries. Click "Ok" and you will see all folders in the database. From now on all folders are shown in when opening the database which were displayed at the last shut down.
Arabidopsis FAQ
Arabidopsis thaliana is a small flowering plant that is widely used as a model organism in plant biology. Arabidopsis is a member of the mustard (Brassicaceae) family, which includes cultivated species such as cabbage and radish. Arabidopsis is not of major agronomic significance, but it offers important advantages for basic research in genetics and molecular biology.
Small genome (114.5 Mb/125 Mb total) has been sequenced in the year 2000 (AGI)
Extensive genetic and physical maps of all 5 chromosomes
A rapid life cycle (about 6 weeks from germination to mature seed)
Prolific seed production and easy cultivation in restricted space
Efficient transformation methods utilizing Agrobacterium tumefaciens
A large number of mutant lines and genomic resources
Multinational research community of academic, government and industry laboratories
Such advantages have made Arabidopsis a model organism for studies of the cellular and molecular biology of flowering plants. TAIR collects and makes available the information arising from these efforts.
History of Arabidopsis thaliana
"Arabidopsis thaliana was discovered by Johannes Thal (hence, thaliana) in the Harz mountains in the sixteenth century, though he called it Pilosella siliquosa (and it has gone through a number of name changes since). The earliest report of a mutant (that I know of) was in 1873 (by A. Braun). F. Laibach first summarized the potential of Arabidopsis thaliana as a model organism for genetics in 1943 - he did some work on it much earlier though, publishing its correct chromosome number in 1907. The first collection of induced mutants was made by Laibach's student E. Reinholz. Her thesis was submitted in 1945, the work published in 1947. Langridge played an important role in establishing the properties and utility of the organism for laboratory studies in the 1950s, as did Rédei and others (such as J.H. van der Veen in the Netherlands, J. Veleminsky in Czechoslovakia and G. Röbbelen in Germany) in the 1960s. One of Rédei's many important contributions was to write scholarly reviews on Arabidopsis, a particularly thorough one is in Bibliographica Genetica vol 20, No. 2, 1970, pp. 1- 151. He wrote a more easily found one in Ann. Rev. Genet. (1975) vol. 9,111-127. Both go through some of the early history of the use of Arabidopsis in the laboratory, though the longer 1970 one has all the details." --from Elliot Meyerowitz, 1998
Scanalyzer FAQ
Technical Details:
Camera (Fluoreszenz):
Camera high res. (IEEE)
Image System |
Image device |
Interline-transfer, 1/3 inch CCD |
Effective picture elements |
3 x [768 (H) x 494 (V)]= 1.2 Mio |
Sensing Area |
6.00 x 4,96 |
Optical system and functions |
Lens mount |
C mount |
Signal system |
NTSC colour system |
Scanning lines |
3 x 525 = 1575 |
Synchronization |
Internal / external |
Jitter |
Within ±50 nsec. |
Scanning frequenzy |
Horiz.15.734 Hz Vertical 59.94 Hz |
Horizontal resulution |
3 x 570 TV lines |
Vertical lines |
3 x 485 lines |
Minimum illumination |
31 lx (F2.2 GAIN + 18 dB at 100%) |
Sensitivity |
2000 lx (F5.6) |
Video output |
real RGB |
Video S/N |
59 dB |
Gain |
0 dB to 18 dB (1 dB increments) |
Shutter |
1/125, 1/250, 1/500, 1/1000, 1/2000, |
Accumulation |
Withe balance |
Auto / manual |
Camera Fluoreszenz |
Image device |
Effective picture elements |
752 (H) x 582 (V) |
Signal System |
Scanning frequenzy |
Horiz.15.734 Hz Vertical 50 Hz |
Minimum illumination |
0.1 lx |
Frame rate |
3.75 frames/s, 7.5 frames/s |
Sensivity |
20 lx at: F1.4, Gain + 18 dB |
tbd |
>Interface (optical): |
Imaging device |
Size |
1/2" |
Type |
CCD interline transfer, progressive scan |
Resolution |
Pixel size |
H:4.65 µm V:4.65 µm |
Lens mount |
C-mount |
>Interface (electrical): |
Supply voltage |
8 to 30 VDC |
Current consumption |
approx 280 mA (at 12 VDC) |
Sync in |
Trigger in |
separate trigger in |
Remote in |
Video out |
Sync out |
>Interface (mechanical): |
Dimensions |
H:50 mm W:55 mm L:110 mm |
Mass |
approx 250g |
>Adjustments (man): |
Gain (rmt) |
0 to 18 dB |
>Environmental: |
Max. temperature (operation) |
-5°C to 45°C |
Max. temperature (storage) |
-20°C to 60°C |
Magnification of Objects
The Scanalyzer is able to scan objects from 20 x 15 cm to 2 x 2 mm.
Scanarea |
Scantime |
Resolution (Pixel) |
µm / Pixel |
100 x 150 mm |
<0,2 sec. |
752 x 582 per color |
130 |
50 x 75 mm |
<0,2 sec. |
752 x 582 per color |
75 |
The system can detect effects which are larger than 0,068 mm² or 0,017 mm² (depending on which lens you use)
LemnaTec offers also a high resolution Linecamera (color) This System is able to scan the following areas / Resolutions
Scanarea |
Scantime |
Resolution (Pixel) |
µm / Pixel |
50 mm x 1600 mm |
< 2 sec. |
2048 x 64000 |
25 |
100 mm x 1600 mm |
< 2 sec. |
2048 x 64000 |
50 |
200 mm x 1600 mm |
< 2 sec. |
2048 x 64000 |
100 |
The Scanalyzer has deferent types of illumination
Back light
Cloudy Day
LED blue
LED red
Duckweed FAQ
The Lemna-Test is the most standardized test using higher plants in bio testing. Till present it is applied mainly for testing of chemicals (OECD-REVISED DRAFT DOCUMENT 221) and sewage water (ISO/WD 20079, DIN-Normung) for possible adverse effects on higher plants. The adaptation of the test procedure to enable testing of soil elutriates and extracts is a demand of the German act on soil protection legislation (Bundes-Bodenschutzgesetz). The whole test procedure and especially the test medium to be used has to be validated on the basis of the ISO working draft. An inter-laboratory comparison will be performed testing different standard-, contaminated- and decontaminated soils along with different parameters as effect-endpoints. An automatic image processing system (LemnaTec Scanalyzer) is included in this testing program for further enhancement of the test performance and test results.
Research Grants: Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU), German Federal Foundation Environment
Comparison of the sensitivity algae vs. Duckweed - a simulation study
The toxicity of substances or mixtures is based on the interaction of the substances and the respective organisms. As organisms can be structured quite differently their different sensitivity is just logic consequence.
The sensitivity different organisms must be compared if substances should be detected with a maximum of sensitivity or biotest batteries should assess the hazards of environmental samples.
For this reason quite a lot of comparative studies between algae and daphnids have been done. In many cases the EC-values were calculated from inhibition values based on area under the growth curve (agc) or final biomass. But EC-values of almost exponentially growing systems, calculated from final biomass or age depend on test duration and the absolute growth rate of the controls (Nyholm 1985, Nusch1982). Figures 1 and 2 show the dependence of the EC20 and EC50 for growth rates typically found with duckweed (µ = 0.275 d-1; 0.325 d-1; 0.375 d-1) and single cell green algae (µ = 0.9 d-1; 1.4 d-1; 1.9 d-1) on test duration. EC-values based on growth rates drastically change with the test duration while the EC-values depending on growth rates remain constant. The longer the test and the higher the growth rate the higher is the EC-value based on agc and final biomass.
Fig 1: Influence of the absolute growth rate of the control and of the test duration on the inhibition of final biomass for 20 % inhibition of growth rate
Fig 2: Influence of the absolute growth rate of the control and of the test duration on the inhibition of final biomass for 50 % inhibition of growth rate
Adjustments (man):
To get a quantitative impression of this phenomena and its consequences on the evaluation of comparative studies, the basic scheme of some studies was used for numerical simulations. The aim of the work was to answer of the question in how far comparisons on the basis of the more sensitive calculation method final biomass results in different EC-values than the less sensitive but ecologically more relevant growth rate.
Three scenarios of comparison were chosen from literature. Some US-studies (Fairchild et al. 1997) used a test duration of 4 days for algae and duckweed (scenario D4A4), in the context of a screening test battery for pesticides (Grossmann et al. 1992) a one day test with algae was compared to a 7 days test with duckweed (scenario D7A1) and a third scenario used a 3 days test with duckweed (OECD, ASTM). In all simulations only the values based on final biomass were calculated as agc calculation result in relatively similar values if it is done on a non logarithmic basis (Nyholm 1985).Figure 3 shows the dependence of inhibition values on the absolute value of the growth rate for the D4A4-scenario. Especially inhibition of final biomass of algae can rise between different tests if growth rate rises from the minimum allowed level (0.9 d-1) to the high but common value of (1.8 d-1) from 57 to 77 % for algae (ECµ20). This results in EC-value differences of about factor 1.5 for steep (like 3,5 DCP) and about factor 3 for shallow (like K2Cr2O7) concentration-response-curves (crc). For duckweed the difference of ECbiomass-values for different growth rates (0.275 d- and 0.375 d-1) is only 3% for ECµ20 and 4 % for ECµ50.
If both organisms are compared the inhibition of final biomass for ECµ20 of algae is 35 % higher (30 % for ECµ50) than the value of duckweed if medium growth rates (0.325 d-1 for duckweed and 1.4 d-1 for algae) are considered.
35 % differences in inhibition result in an ECbiomass-value for duckweed about factor 2 higher than that of algae if a steep concentrations-response-curve is presumed. For shallow curves the difference of EC-value can reach factor 7 for the same EC-value based on growth rate.
Fig. 3: Dependence of the inhibition of final biomass from growth rate of the controls for duckweed (left) and algae (right) for the scenario D4A4 (test duration duckweed 4 days, algae 4 days)
This little example already shows that only inhibition values calculated on growth rates allow a scientifically solid comparison of different organisms sensitivities. Studies based on areas under the curve or final biomass can only demonstrate that one test design has a larger tendency to produce smaller EC-values than another test design.
In addition the scenarios with algae at different growth rates compliant to standards show high ostensible differences in sensitivity. This could explain some test to test or interlaboratory differences finally based on different but not documented growth rates. Generally the scenario D4A4 structurally tends to evaluate toxicity towards algae much higher than toxicity towards duckweed. But in a comparative study of 16 herbicides with selenastrum capricornutum and lemna minor calculated on final biomass the duckweed system led to smaller EC50 values for 8 substances (Fairchild et al. 1997).
Going beyond that again a rectilinear comparison of sensitivity of a 4 days duckweed test, 4 days tests with different algae and a 14 day test of submersed rooted macrophytes is not appropriate to measure sensitivities of test species. If the test design is a 7 days duckweed test compared to a 1 day test with algae (scenario D7A1), duckweed seems to be more sensitive if final biomass is the basis of calculation. Figure 4 shows that for a given growth rate inhibition and medium absolute growth rates inhibition duckweed has an inhibition between 2 and 10 % higher than algae. The fact that in real tests duckweed leads for most of the tested substances to EC-values equivalent or lower than that for algae just illustrates that the result is more a product of the test design than one of different sensitivities.
Fig. 4: Dependence of the inhibition of final biomass from growth rate of the controls for duckweed (left) and algae (right) for the scenario D7A1 (test duration duckweed 1 days, algae 1 days)
In the third scenario D7A3 a 7 days duckweed test is compared with a 3 days test with algae. In this case the test design for algae is 2 - 18 % more sensitive than that for duckweed (Figure 5).
Fig. 5: Dependence of the inhibition of final biomass from growth rate of the controls for duckweed (left) and algae (right) for the scenario D7A3 (test duration duckweed 7 days, algae 3 days)
Depending on the slope of the concentration-response curve 18 % difference correspond to EC-values differing between factor 1.5 for steep crc and factor 4 for flat crc. Future research projects, standardisation procedures and comparative studies should take these connections into consideration. As a consequence the allowed range of growth rate for standard tests with algae should be more limited than it is today if final biomass and area under the curve should be used.
The more consequent solution however would be to calculate at least additionally EC-values based on growth rates. Only growth rate based data are a valid basis for comparisons between different organisms. As Fig. 6 shows, data based on final biomass (or area under the curve) do not provide any basis for an appropriate comparison.
Fig. 6: Dependence of inhibition of final biomass for ECµ20 (left) and ECµ50 (right) from the growth rate of the controls for duckweed and algae
Waiting for a broad consensus for the appropriate method of data calculation test results should be presented with all calculation methods or the raw data should be easily accessible.
Bassi M., Corradi M. G. Favali M. 1990 Effects of chromium in freshwater algae and macrophytes, 204-224, in: Plants for toxicity assessment ASTM STP 1091, Wang W., Gorsuch J. W., Lower W. R. (eds.) ASTM Philadelphia
Cowgill U. M., Milazzo D. P. and Landenberger B. D., 1989. A comparison of the effect of triclopyr triethylamine salt on two species of duckweed (Lemna) examined for a 7- and 14-day test period. Water Research 23: 617 - 623.
Cowgill U. M., Milazzo D. P. and Landenberger B. D., 1991. The sensitivity of Lemna gibba G-3 and four clones of Lemna minor to eight common chemicals using a 7-day test. Research Journal of the Water Pollution Control Federation 63:991 - 998.
Fairchild J.F., Ruessler D.S., Haverland P.S. and A.R. Carlson 1997 Comparative sensitivity of Selenastrum capricornutum and Lemna minor to sixteen herbicides. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology 32, 353-357.
Fletcher J.S. 1991 Assessment of published literature concerning pesticide influence on nontarget plants. In: "Plant tier testing: a workshop to evaluate nontarget plant testing in Subdivision J pesticide guidelines". U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, EPA/600/9-91/041, Corvallis, OR, pp. pp. 28-36.
Fletcher J.S. 1990 Use of algae versus vascular aquatic plants to test for chemical toxicity. In: Plants for Toxicity Assessment, edited by W. Wang, J.W. Gorsuch and W.R. Lower. ASTM STP 1091, American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, PA, pp. 33-39.
Fletcher J.S. 1990 Use of algae versus vascular plants to test for chemical toxicity. In: "Plants for Toxicity Assessment", ASTM STP 1091, Wang W., J.W. Gorsuch and W.R. Lower (eds) American Society for Testing and Materials, Philadelphia, pp. 33-39.
Garten C.T. and M.L. Frank 1984 Comparison of toxicity to terrestrial plants with algal growth inhibition by herbicides. Publ. No. 2361. Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN.
Grossmann K. Berghaus R. Retzlaff G. 1992 Heterotrophic plant cell suspension cultures for monitoring biological activity in agrochemicals research. Comparison with screens using algae, germination seeds and whole plants Pesticide Science 35, 283-289
Hartman W.A. Martin D.B. 1985 Effects of four agricultural pesticides on Daphnia pulex, Lemna minor and Potampogeton pectinatus
Nusch EA (1982) Evaluation of growth curves in bioassays. ISO/TC 147/SC 5/WG5 N62. Nederlands Normalisatie-instituut, Delft, The Netherlands.
Nyholm N (1985) Response variable in algal growth inhibition tests - biomass or growth rate? Wat Res 19:273-279.
Nyholm N (1990) Expression of results from growth inhibition toxicity tests with algae. Archives of Environ Contam Toxicol19:518 - 522.
Peterson H.G., C. Boutin, K.E. Freemark, P.A. Martin 1997 Toxicity of hexazinone and diquat to green algae, diatoms, cyanobacteria and duckweed. Aquatic Toxicology 39: 111-134.
Peterson H.G., C. Boutin, P. Martin, K.E. Freemark, N.J. Ruecker, and M. J. Moody 1994 Aquatic phyto-toxicity of 23 pesticides applied at Expected Environmental Concentrations. Aquatic Toxicology 28: 275-292
Roshon R.D., McCann J.H., Thompson D.G., and G.R. Stephenson (in press) Effects of seven forestry management herbicides on Myriophyllum sibericum, as compared with other non-target aquatic organisms. Canadian Journal of Forest Research
Sloof W.J., H.Canton and J.L.M Hermens 1983 Comparison of the susceptibility of 22 freshwater species to 15 chemical compounds. I. (Sub)acute toxicity tests. Aquatic Toxicology 4, 113-128.
Wang W.C. 1990 Literature review on duckweed toxicity testing. Environmental Research 52, 7-22
Wang W.C., Williams J.M. 1988 Screening and biomonitoring of industrial effluents using phytotoxicity tests. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 7, 645-652
Duckweed growth inhibition tests and standardisation
The duckweed growth inhibition test is standardised in a number of states like France (AFNOR 1996), Sweden (SIS 1995, USA (ASTM 1991, EPA 1996, APHA 1992) and Canada (Environment Canada 1998).On the level of OECD a guideline was completed as draft in June 1998 (OECD 1998). 37 participants successfully finished an international ring test in December 1998. A revised draft document (10/2000) is available.
The process of ISO standardisation started in summer 2000.The separations of standards for testing chemicals and environmental samples successively vanishes. The OECD-guideline will offer the opportunity to test not only chemicals but even environmental samples but there are some concerns about the test medium used for L. minor. On the other hand DIN and ISO standards classically made for water samples are more and more opened for soil elutriates and all substances dissolved in water. This includes even pure chemicals. All standards are in so far compatible to measurements made by image-analysis as image-analysis includes the observation parameter frondnumber.
OECD and the DIN/ISO standard will contain total frond area as a second observation parameter at least equal or more sensitive than frond number. Even special requirements can be achieved by image-analysis. For example the ASTM standard points out that only fronds with less than 50 % chlorosis should be counted as living. Switching to new fields of growing importance the duckweed growth inhibition test is an integrated part of standards for soil quality (ISO/CD 15799 1999) and difficult substances (OECD 1999). In these fields the duckweed test shows its power in being able to cope with suspensions and turbid or coloured test material.
Standards and guidelines:
AFNOR 1996 Determination of the inhibitory effect on the growth of Lemna minor XP T 90-337
APHA 1992 Toxicity Part 8000 8-32-8-39 in: Standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater 18th ed., APHA, AWWA, WEF, Washington
ASTM, 1991. Conducting static toxicity tests with Lemna gibba. Guide E 1415-91. Annual book of ASTM standards. Section 11 Water and environmental technology. Vol. 11.04. ASTM, Philadelphia, U.S.
Environment Canada 1998 Biological test method: test for measuring the inhibition of growth using the freshwater macrophyte lemna minor Report EPS 1/RM/37
EPA 1996 Ecological effects test Guidelines OPPTS 850.4400 Aquatic plant toxicity test using lemna ssp., Tiers I and II , EPA 712-C-96-156
ISO/CD 15799 1999 Soil quality - Guidance on the ecotoxicological characterisations of soil and soil materials
OECD 1998 Draft Test Guideline: Lemna growth inhibition test
OECD 1999 Difficult substances
SIS 1995 Swedish Institute of Standards, Water quality - determination of growth inhibition (7-d) Lemna minor), duckweed SS 02 82 13
Using the Duckweed Growth Inhibition Test to detect and evaluate soil contamination
Besides the classic scope of biotests chemical notification procedures and the control of sewage water- the ecotoxicological analysis of presumably contaminated soils gains more and more interest. The detection of biological available contamination as well as assessing the hazards of contaminated or remediated soil are the main focuses of biotests. To assess any risk in ground and surface water but also just as sensitive, readily available detectors aquatic organisms like algae, daphnids and duckweed are used for soil elutriates. Duckweed can be used in a wide range of pH-values. Even intensively coloured, turbid solutions or even suspensions of solids do not interfere with the test. This makes testing with duckweed more robust and flexible than tests with algae if soils or sediments are to be tested. To maximise sensitivity even organic extracts can be used. The great advantage of the duckweed test over germination and growth tests with e.g. cress or lettuce, often used in testing elutriates lies in the highly homogenous plant material. While all duckweed plants are clones, in the seeds different charges weight distribution and the general heterogeneity of the genetic make-up leads to large standard deviations of seed. Generally speaking, comparing the sensitivity of different organisms/biotests has to be done with care. Besides, the intrinsic sensitivity of the organism, test duration, growth rate of the control and the growth model underlying the calculation method of inhibition have great influence on the results(see: Comparison of the sensitivity algae vs. Duckweed - A simulation study, LemnaTec 1999).All studies on hand comparing test systems on a rational basis indicate that none of the systems algae, duckweed or cress is more sensitive in all classes of tested toxicants then any other. This is readily explained by the different classification as lower plant, monocotyledon and dicytoledon. Biotest batteries often leave a gap where a fast biotest with higher plants is wanted; duckweed offers efficient possibilities of testing there. A large number of standards (see below) allow the use of duckweed for soil elutriates. But not in all cases the recommended growth media are suitable. As our experience shows these should not contain organic additives to minimise the growth of bacteria and they should be concentrated enough to minimise hormesis caused by nutrients in the elutriate. Good experience were made by us with the Steinberg-medium which will be the standard medium DIN. Further research on duckweed and soil elutriates is under way at moment. As a part of a larger DBU-project (Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt) "Ecotoxicological test-batteries" the Chair of Biology V of the Technical University of Aachen, supported by LemnaTec, is developing a test procedure adapted to elutriates.
APHA 1992 Toxicity Part 8000 8-32-8-39 in: standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater 18th ed., APHA, AWWA, WEF, Washington
ASTM, 1991. Conducting static toxicity tests with Lemna gibba. Guide E 1415-91. Annual book of ASTM standards. Section 11 Water and environmental technology. Vol. 11.04. ASTM, Philadelphia, U.S.
Environment Canada 1998 Biological test method: test for measuring the inhibition of growth using the freshwater macrophyte lemna minor Report EPS 1/RM/37
ISO/CD 15799 1999 Soil quality - Guidance on the ecotoxicological characterizations of soil and soil materials
OECD 1998 Draft OECD test guideline: Lemna growth inhibition test
Observation Parameters in the Duckweed Growth Inhibition Test
The Colour of duckweed
The colour of the plant, in this case duckweed, is as important for the assessment of plant vitality as the number and area of fronds and their habitus. Often chlorotic and necrotic areas but also fronds coloured in a lighter green occur in biotesting besides reduction of fronds area and number. This shows that substances have a direct or indirect negative impact on the photosystem. But even the intensification of the green colour which occurs with low concentrations of triazines can indicate that the plant tries to compensate a toxic impact on its photosystem. This gradual classification of vitality by colour in biotests can be done in three ways if no image-analysis system is used.
1) Measurement of extracted chlorophyll
At the end of the test the duckweed has to be crushed in hot ethanol and extracted overnight. The next day chlorophyll will be quantified photometrically. This analysis needs additional work but if all conditions are held exactly, the results lead to a very sensible and reproducible toxic endpoint. As the measurement is destructive and no aliquots can be made no curves of growth are attainable. Only in combination with total frond area, deepened colour can be distinguished from a higher amount of biomass.
2) Manual report
According to test guidelines all changes in the test organisms should be noticed at any measurement of the parameters. This kind of qualitative description has a highly subjective part and significantly rises the time needed. But nevertheless, these data are not adapted in toxicological endpoints. Furthermore, later reanalysis or reconstruction of the real test event remains difficult, because of subjectively classification of fronds.
3) Visual frond classification
To avoid the equal assessment of healthy, damaged and dead fronds, ASTM and OPPTS-guidelines have decided that only healthy fronds with less than 50 % chlorosis must be counted as living. This method enhances the counting method but on the other hand it results in another increase of time and a significant amount of subjective influences.
What the LemnaTec Scanalyser can achieve by image-analysis of colour
Image-analysis systems are by far superior to human eyes if reproducible detection and quantitative classification of colours is necessary. For this reason it is very important to transfer the colour information of every image pixel into ecotoxicological relevant information.
1) Distribution of colours of total frond area
To assess the vitality of the fronds the pixels are divided into colour-classes corresponding for example to healthy (green), lightly damaged (pale green), chlorotic (yellow) and necrotic (grey or brown) frond areas. Without additional work this method leads to an objective integrative assessment of chlorotic and necrotic structures in relation to the influence of the testing material (Fig.1).
Fig. 1: Change in the areas of different colour classes with rising concentration of potassiumdichromate.
2) Colour classes and single fronds
The LemnaTec Scanalyser is able to separate single fronds. The colour classes can be analogously determined for every single frond. This vast amount of information can be handled if the colour classification is combined with the distribution of frond area. The result is an objective and evident information if small or fully grown fronds are primarily damaged. Final reports can therefore be made on a highly and well documented basis. Fig. 2 shows the different steps from the original image to the frond area distribution combined with colour class information. Especially younger fronds and very large fronds are damaged by chlorosis and necrosis.
Fig. 2: Original image, colour class image and frond area distribution combined with colour classes. Brown colour represents chlorosis and necrosis.
3) Frond classification
Following the ASTM guideline image-analysis fully supports the classification of fronds in living and dead. For this purpose only the percentage of colour classes has to be fixed according to the guideline. Without additional work the fronds can be classified in living and dead using data for the calculation of growth inhibition or rates of death.
Fig.3: Classification of fronds in living and dead (more than 50 percent chlorosis or necrosis)
4) Specific green-values
If colour-analysis is made in fine steps and the results are correlated with chlorophyll an "image-analysis green-value" can be assessed. This allows to use a value similar to chlorophyll contents without additional work and -more important- in a non destructive method. This makes it possible to use this sensitive endpoint in kinetic studies. Like chlorophyll, green-values integrate vitality in a single value.
Colour is an important parameter to assess vitality of duckweed in ecotoxicological test systems. The LemnaTec Scanalyser provides the unique possibility to use this colour information in compliance with international standards. Instructive colour quantification combined with analysis of frond area and frond number leads to comprehensive, objective and comfortable test documentation and toxicity assessment.
Collembola FAQ
Collemboles represent the largest Order in the group of insects. They are small, primarily wingless animals, characterised by a typical jumpfork (FURCA) on the underside of their belly. Using the furca they are able to jump, covering comparatively large distances. The Collemboles are grouped together with the Protura and Diplura as Entognatha.
Worldwide more than 6000 species are known,about 2000 of these are found in Middle-Europe.
Collemboles live in almost every habitat.They are found beyond the ice-border in mountain ranges, as much as in arctic and Antarctic Regions where they feed upon algae and pollen. The majority of species live in the top- layers of soil, on waste-fauna, sometimes they live on the water. Their populations are sometimes enormously big.
Body: Small animals, 0.2 to 10 m, mostly 1 to 2 mm, elongated cylinder-shape or stout spherical, often grey to brown, sometimes colourless or tainted. Often very hairy.
Mouth: Mouthtypes are of the chewing-biting or stinging-sucking type. The parts are set into the head capsule (endognath). Eyes: The eyes consist of max. 8 ocelles, there are no complex eyes. In soil-dwelling species they are partly reduced (although even these animals are able to react light-sensitive).
Abdomen: The abdomen consists of 6 segments. On the first segment a ventratubulus inserts.
Collemboles develop without metamorphosis. The undergo 6 to 8 (some species up to 40) changes of skin, but reach their maturity before the last stage. Mostly they live in several generations every year. All stages are able to hibernate. Food: They feed upon rotting vegetation, bacteria, fungi, pollen and other organic substances. Some species live raptorial . Under favourable circumstances in one liter of light, forest humus-soil, one finds up to 2,000, on one square meter up to 100,000 individuals. The number decreases fast in deeper layers of oil. It is possible to find them 2 meters deep, but in 15 cm deep soil only a fraction of the population from the top is found. Sometimes mass-populating happens, the surface of the floor becomes a living body. Therefore, in 1918 it was earnestly considered to use the animal's body-fat in oil-production.
The collemboles transfer the semen indirectly.
Colemboles have many enemies: Spiders, bugs, beetles, and other insects, more than anything else they are hunted by rduberische mites.
Unobtrusive as they might appear, they play are major role in the rotting of soil and in the food-chain of many ecosystems. Some species may cause problems in green-houses, mushroom plants etc. Sminthurus viridis is e.g. an important varmint in Australia.
The collemboles are grouped together in 4 Subclasses and 20 families. Here only the most important ones: Subclasses:
Arthropleona lengthy body .
Symphypleona stout body,


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Photo: Ruven Afanador For the first time ever, Oprah's appearing on the cover of O without blow-drying or straightening her hair. She says that wearing her hair naturally—as she often does on weekends and on vacation—makes her feel unencumbered. But there was a time when she wanted to just cut it all off. "I wanted to wear it close-cropped a la Camille Cosby but her husband Bill convinced me otherwise. 'Don't do it,' he said. 'You've got the wrong head shape and you'll disappoint yourself.' I took his advice," she says. Although, never one to shy away from a style update, Winfrey is a firm believer that changing your hairstyle can change what we see and feel is possible. "I even notice a change in my dogs when they get their summer cuts: they're friskier and livelier, feeling more themselves once the weight of the hair is released."
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[JURIST] Leading Thursday's corporations and securities law brief, former HVB Group [corporate website] executive Domenick DeGiorgio has pleaded guilty to fraud and tax evasion for his role in creating and selling illegal tax shelters for HVB and its customers. Though auditing firm KPMG [corporate website] was not named in the trial, the firm is under criminal investigation for the tax shelters [JURIST report] DeGiorgio sold. DeGiorgio's case involves the first criminal charges brought in connection with the KPMG tax shelters. DeGiorgio could face up to 50 years in prison but is expected to receive a shorter sentence in exchange for his plea and cooperation with authorities in future trials. The plea comes as rumors of a KPMG settlement to avoid indictment [New York Times report] have surfaced. AP has more. In other corporations and securities law news...
[JURIST] Lobbyist Jack Abramoff [Wikipedia profile], once a close friend of US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay [official website], was indicted Thursday by a federal grand jury on bank fraud charges. The charges are related to a 2000 purchase by Abramoff and his partners of SunCruz Casinos [corporate website] and an alleged phony wire transfer that defrauded two lenders financing the acquisition of $60 million. Read the US DOJ press release on the indictment. DeLay, who was not mentioned in any lawsuits involving the SunCruz deal, has asked the House Ethics Committee [official website] to examine separate allegations that Abramoff or his associates covered the costs of DeLay's foreign trips, contrary to House rules. DeLay has denied knowing that the expenses were paid by Abramoff. The Republican congressman from Texas also made headlines Thursday when a Federal Election Commission audit of a fundraising committee he founded [PDF] showed that the committee failed to report more than $300,000 in debts [AP report] and improperly financed its activities with funds from another group tied to Delay. AP has more.
[JURIST] Leading Thursday's states brief, the Oregon Supreme Court has denied a timber company state compensation after the company was barred from logging trees around a bald eagle's nest by ruling [PDF text] today that state wildlife regulation of private property in the form of barring logging does not amount to a taking. Furthermore, the court found that the state constitution clause guaranteeing compensation when private property is taken for public use applies only when full economic use of the property is denied. In 1998, the Oregon Department of Forestry [official website] barred the company from logging 9-acres of a 40-acre parcel after the discovery of a bald eagle's nest. The ruling reversed a Court of Appeals decision [text]. AP has more. In other state legal news ...
[JURIST] The Environmental Protection Agency [official website] will soon release federal standards regulating how data from toxic pesticide studies on humans can be used, but politicians and some medical experts are claiming that children and pregnant women involved in the studies may be at risk. Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility [advocacy website; press release], who received an early copy of the standards, said the regulations would limit pesticide manufacturers' toxic chemical testing on children and pregnant women, and would create an independent board to determine if established ethical standards are being met. The new rules, however, do not apply to studies undertaken before the guidelines become law. Though an EPA spokeswoman called the new regulations "very rigorous protections," Senator Barbara Boxer [official website; press release] (D-CA), a leading opponent of pesticide testing on humans, said in a letter to the EPA that the proposal does not do enough to protect the vulnerable from "tests in which human subjects swallow, inhale, are sprayed with, or are otherwise exposed to toxic pesticides." In April, under political pressure, the EPA cancelled CHEERS [JURIST report; EPA notice], its own Children's Environmental Exposure Research Study on the effects of pesticides on children. Thursday's Washington Post has more.
[JURIST] A court in Switzerland ruled Thursday that the arrest [JURIST report] of former Russian Energy Minister Yevgeny Adamov [Wikipedia profile] complied with the law. A source at the Russian embassy in Bern said both the US and Russian requests for Adamov's extradition were also found to be legal. Adamov, formerly in charge of the Russian Federal Atomic Energy Agency (FAAE) [NTI backgrounder], was arrested in May 2005 in Bern, Switzerland under a US warrant on charges of fraud and money laundering. He has been accused of diverting $9 million dollars in funds provided by the US Energy Department [official website] for improving Russian's nuclear security to various investment projects and US firms he controls. The Swiss Federal Justice Directorate will decide in the coming months whether to deport Adamov to Russia or the US. MosNews has more.
[JURIST] Haitian Justice Minister Henri Dorlean on Wednesday pressed for the release or expedited trial of hundreds of prisoners being detained without charge. Dorlean said it was a violation of human rights for judges and prosecutors to use their positions to hold individuals in jail in violation of the law and he also called on authorities to only pursue and punish actual criminals. Human rights groups have denounced Haiti's interim government [Amnesty International report], installed with US support after the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide [BBC profile] in February 2004, for jailing members of Aristide's political party, including ex-Prime Minister Yvon Neptune [JURIST report] in violation of Haitian law. Dorlean, who claims 95 percent of the 1,300 prisoners at the national jail had been held for months without being charged or tried, said he had requested that Neptune be released or charged. Reuters has more.
[JURIST] UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan [official website] said Wednesday that the United Nations would be increasing surveillance of its procurement department after recent accusations that a senior official accepted close to $1 million in bribes from contractors. An internal investigative team at the UN on Monday arrested purchasing official Alexander Yakovlev [JURIST report] for pocketing about $1 million from the winners of $80 million in UN contracts. Benon Sevan, the head of the oil-for-food program [official website; JURIST news archive] from 1997 to 2003, was also accused of receiving $150,000 in kickbacks [JURIST report] from a Swiss-based trading firm. Sevan has adamantly denied taking bribes and nonetheless may not be able to be extradited from his native Cyprus [JURIST report]. Annan said he would meet with his new undersecretary-general for management, Christopher Burnham, later this week to discuss ways to ensure the integrity of procurement. US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton [official profile], commenting on the ways to reform the UN, said the lessons learned from the current scandals must be used to take "UN governance and management into the future." Reuters has more. Read a full transcript of Bolton's remarks.
[JURIST] In a backlash against recent proposals for sweeping changes to Britain's terror laws [JURIST report], senior judges in the UK have warned lawmakers that they will stand against any move to undermine their independence in an effort to ensure a democratic society. Their uncompromising stance comes after a series of clashes stemming from accusations made by British politicians. Tory leader Michael Howard [official website] Wednesday accused judges of aggressive judicial activism and urged courts not to interfere with terror laws [JURIST report]. Tony Blair had earlier warned that he would renounce part of the European Convention on Human Rights [JURIST report] and fight against courts that might attempt to block the deportation of Islamic extremists. Lord Carlile of Berriew, a deputy High Court judge, warned that it would be "foolish" to meddle with judicial authority, saying judges could strike back if their historic independence is threatened. The Independent has more.
[JURIST] AP is reporting that President Bush has said that new Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [BBC profile; official website, in Farsi] will be given a US visa so that he can attend UN meetings in New York. Earlier this week, the State Department had indicated it was considering denying Ahmadinejad's visa application [JURIST report] due to allegations that Ahmadinejad was involved in the 1979 hostage crisis.
[JURIST] The US military is scheduled to complete ongoing renovations to some areas of Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] by Monday, creating improved facilities for detainees who are deemed no longer a threat to the United States, Brig. General Jay Hood revealed in an affidavit filed in federal court earlier this week. The military plans to house the nonthreatening prisoners in a renovated section with home electronics, including televisions, and a view of the ocean. The military has spent weeks renovating Camp Iguana [Wikipedia backgrounder] to provide an environment of communal housing that is air conditioned and allows flexible eating and bathing schedules. Hood's affidavit was filed by the government in the case of two Chinese Uighurs who the US says were captured in Pakistan in 2001 as they fled a Taliban training facility. Rights groups have called for their release [JURIST report] after they were found not to be enemy combatants. Some detainees who have been determined to be "No Longer Enemy Combatants," or NLECs, will be eligible to live in the renovated housing. AP has more.
[JURIST] Two political parties went to court in Kenya on Thursday to try and block a vote on a draft constitution, claiming that President Mwai Kibaki [official profile] manipulated the text to increase his powers. Both the opposition Kenya African National Union [Wikipedia backgrounder] and the Liberal Democratic Party [Wikipedia backgrounder], part of the ruling coalition, joined to ask the High Court to prevent the referendum from going forward [Xinhua report]. The constitution as written has drawn protests from citizens [JURIST report] despite official bans and attempts by Kibaki to drum up support. Reuters has more.
[JURIST] After last week's initial meeting [JURIST report], the Indonesia-East Timor truth commission officially opened Thursday in Bali. The commission to investigate the 1999 violence in East Timor [Wikipedia backgrounder] is aimed at reconciliation and continued improving relations between the two countries [Jakarta Post report], but, to the dismay of the UN, will not bring prosecutions. Despite a recommendation [PDF report] by the UN's independent Commission of Experts, Indonesia opposes a UN-led tribunal [JURIST report], calling it "unnecessary." Australia's ABC News has more.
[JURIST] Proponents of a ballot initiative backed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger [official website] that would change the way political districts are drawn in California have lodged an appeal with the state Supreme Court asking that the issue be reinstated for the upcoming vote. Proposition 77 [PDF text, advocacy website], if approved by voters, would give a panel of retired judges the power to draw districts. Currently, the state legislature does so. On Tuesday, a lower court ruled that the measure could not be part of the November election [JURIST report] because petitions circulated to collect the necessary signatures for the initiative to appear on the ballot did not contain the same wording. Thursday's San Francisco Chronicle has more.
[JURIST] AP is reporting that former WorldCom CFO Scott Sullivan has been sentenced to five years in prison for his role in the company's $11 billion accounting fraud, the largest in US history. Sullivan is the fifth former executive from WorldCom to receive a prison sentence. In July, former WorldCom CEO Bernard Ebbers [JURIST news archive] received a 25-year prison sentence [JURIST report] after being convicted of fraud, conspiracy and filing false documents with regulators. Also in July, Sullivan and two others entered into civil settlements [JURIST report] with investors over their roles in the WorldCom accounting fraud [JURIST news archive].
[JURIST] Taysir Hayb, a former Israeli soldier, was sentenced Thursday to 8 years in prison following his manslaughter conviction by a military tribunal [JURIST report] for the shooting of Tom Hurndall [JURIST report], a British peace activist [Guardian obituary]. The case is the first time an Israeli soldier was found guilty of killing a foreign citizen. Hurndall was killed [Wikipedia backgrounder] while trying to move Palestinian children out of danger. Hayb faced as many as 20 years in prison for manslaughter and three for obstruction of justice after his conviction on both charges, but the court granted a lighter sentence upon consideration of the combat situation surrounding the death and Hayb's poor educational background. The Jerusalem Post has local coverage.
[JURIST] Under new antiterrorism measures [JURIST report] announced last week by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, UK police Thursday detained 10 foreigners, from countries including Jordan, Lebanon, and Algeria, who have been deemed to pose a security threat and scheduled them for deportation. The controversial policy of deporting those preaching violence or hatred or posing a threat to national security has drawn criticism from lawmakers [JURIST report], and the UN says such deportations might be a violation of international law [JURIST report]. British law forbids deportation to countries that practice torture, but Blair said he has agreements with some nations not to torture deportees and is trying to reach similar agreements with other nations as well. Most recently, the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office said Wednesday that it had entered into agreement with Jordan [Xinhua report] that any Jordanians deported would not be tortured or otherwise mistreated and would not face the death penalty. The Independent has local coverage; AP has more.
[JURIST] Iraqi leaders continued to work on hammering out the final details of their new Constitution Thursday, with a Monday deadline looming over the talks. Debates over federalism and the role of a centralized government [JURIST report] are still a key stumbling block, although it's unclear if this clash will result in a delay in the process. Some Shiite leaders are demanding the same sort of autonomy now given to the Kurds; opponents say such decentralization will lead to a harmful divide across the country. Despite the ongoing disputes, a US State Department spokesman said the recent discussions are "moving forward" and "the political process in Iraq is on track" [press briefing transcript; AFP report]. The State Department also said that other key issues still being resolved include rights issues and issues of resource sharing. If the constitution meets the August 15 deadline for completion, a national referendum to approve the constitution will be held October 15 with general government elections later in December. Reuters has more.
[JURIST] Diplomats at an emergency meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency [official website] are working Thursday on a resolution that expresses "serious concern" over the restart of Iran's nuclear program [JURIST report], but stops short of asking the UN Security Council to impose sanctions. Instead, the IAEA draft states a desire to resolve the matter through negotiation. Iran's representative in Vienna, Mehdi Akhoundzadeh, rejected the resolution saying that under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty [PDF text; Wikipedia backgrounder], Iran's uranium conversion activities are not illegal [International Herald Tribune report]. Akhoundzadeh also said Thursday that the draft resolution being considered by the IAEA is seen by Iran as unnecessary pressure exerted by Europe and that the resolution will not improve the atmosphere of negotiations [IRNA report]. AP has more.11:09 AM ET - Reuters is reporting that the IAEA has unanimously adopted the resolution expressing "serious concern" over Iran's resumption of uranium conversion and has demanded that Iran suspend all nuclear activities. Diplomats from the European Union have said that if Iran does not comply they will refer the matter to the Security Council.11:56 AM ET - Under the resolution, the IAEA Board of Governors:
1. Expresses serious concern at the 1 August 2005 notification to the IAEA that Iran had decided to resume the uranium conversion activities at the Uranium Conversion Facility in Esfahan, at the Director General's report that on 8 August Iran started to feed uranium ore concentrate into the first part of the process line at this facility and at the Director General's report that on 10 August Iran removed the seals on the process lines and the UF4 at this facility; ...3. Urges Iran to re-establish full suspension of all enrichment related activities including the production of feed material, including through tests or production at the Uranium Conversion Facility, on the same voluntary, non-legally binding basis as requested in previous Board resolutions, and to permit the Director General to re-instate the seals that have been removed at that facility;
[JURIST] The Republican National Committee has spent over $722,000 on lawyers from the highly-regarded Washington firm Williams & Connolly [firm website] to defend James Tobin on vote tampering charges, an RNC spokesperson confirmed Wednesday. Tobin, President Bush's 2004 campaign chairman for New England, faces four felony charges that he conspired [JURIST report] to jam phone lines and block Democratic voting drives during the 2002 Senate election in New Hampshire, which Republican John Sununu won in a tight race. Earlier this week RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman reaffirmed the party's commitment to a zero tolerance policy on voter interference but the RNC is footing Tobin's legal bills because they say they believe Tobin's assurances that he committed no crime. AP has more.
[JURIST] New documents on the legal career of US Supreme Court nominee John Roberts [JURIST news archive] are expected to be released Thursday by the National Archives and the Ronald Reagan presidential library, but Senate Democrats are continuing calls [JURIST report] for even more material to be made available for scrutiny in advance of Roberts' confirmation hearing next month. At issue are documents relating to Roberts' work in the Solicitor General's office [JURIST report] during George H.W. Bush's presidency. Last week, the Department of Justice denied a request [JURIST report] to turn over such information, citing privilege. US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said [JURIST report] releasing such information would be "detrimental to the operation of the office." Reuters has more.Meanwhile, an advertisement from a pro-choice group opposing Roberts has drawn criticism from a non-partisan media watchdog and even from some other pro-choice groups. The advertisement [recorded video, NARAL press release], sponsored by NARAL Pro-Choice America [advocacy website], discusses Roberts' work advocating the government's position that a law designed to protect freed slaves from the Ku Klux Klan did not apply to abortion clinic protests. Factcheck.org has declared the ad to be "false" [Factcheck.org analysis], using "especially misleading" images. Other pro-choice groups expressed concern about the ad, including one group leader that says the ad "goes over the line" and urged NARAL to pull it. Progress for America [advocacy website], a conservative group is preparing rebuttal ads [recorded video]. Thursday's New York Times has more.
[JURIST] Omar Bakri Mohammed, the British cleric who fled to Lebanon [JURIST report] after being named in an investigation into possible treason charges [JURIST report] for allegedly praising the London bombings, was detained by Lebanese police Thursday. Bakri, who has dual Lebanese-Syrian citizenship, arrived in the country on Saturday, shortly after the British government announced plans to deport and exclude from the UK those who advocate violence. Bakri is alleged to have praised the bombers and promised not to tell authorities if he learned about plans for future terrorist attacks. He denies talking about the bombings [AFP report] and says he plans to return to London. Lebanese police cited no reasons for his detention. CNN has more.
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text: Report Abuse Home > Poetry > Free Verse > Always There Always There By BeautyandBeast, St.Peters, MO More by this author Your always there for me. Caring. Wondering. You make me feel better, always . You are my my inspiration for everything. I wish I was there for you more. But, you told me you'd always be there for me. Even when we're gray and old. « Previous article More by this author Next article » Post a Comment Be the first to comment on this article!


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One of the main research interests of the semiconductor industry is to improve the performance of semiconducting devices and to construct new materials with reduced size or thickness that have potential application in transistors and microelectronic devices. However, the most significant challenge regarding thin film semiconductor materials is measurement. Properties such as the thickness, composition at the surface, and contamination, all are critical parameters of the thin films. To address these issues, we need an analytical technique which can measure accurately through the depth of the of the semiconductor surface without destruction of the material. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy is a unique analysis method for this purpose. It can give us information regarding in-depth profiling in a non-destructive manner. However X-ray photo electron spectroscopy (XPS), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and Auger electron spectroscopy are also able to study the depth-profile of semiconductor films. Table 1 demonstrates the comparison between those techniques with RBS.
Method | Destructive | Incident particle | Outgoing Particle | Detection limit | Depth resolution |
RBS | No | Ion | Ion | ~1 | 10 nm |
XPS | Yes | X-ray photon | Electron | ~0.1-1 | ~1 µm |
EDX | Yes | Electron | X-ray photon | ~0.1 | 1.5 nm |
Auger | Yes | Electron | Electron | ~0.1-1 | 1.5 nm |


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The Commission on Presidential Debates is a Conspiracy!
Submitted by Zak Carter on Sun, 04/21/2013 - 17:40Did you watch the "3rd Party" Presidential debate last year that was hosted by Free and Equal Elections Foundation? The one in Chicago that was moderated by Larry King and watched by an estimated 20 million people? Did you know that debate and the one that followed it were put together on the fly by Christina Tobin and a very small team of people with the simplest of plans?
Our plan was - to A. Get as many cameras there as possible, and B. Line up as many alternative media outlets and organizations as sponsors to help us get the word out there. And it worked! Enough people watched them that it was one of the top trends on twitter the night of the first debate and the next day, and Jimmy Kimmel made fun of us while Lawrence O'Donnell on MSNBC stated that 3rd party candidates deserved a spot in the national conversation after he watched them, and we were inundated with foreign media reporters wanting to talk to Christina Tobin who previously had no idea there were anything but Democrats and Republicans in America.
Ever so minutely we nudged the national conversation and in a big way we demonstrated that there is a demand for 3rd party candidates and the answers they offer to our nations biggest problems that we weren't hearing from Obama, Romney and company…
I had the idea that those debates had the potential to be game changers while listening to an attorney talk about how he was going to open the presidential debates via a lawsuit, and I listened to Judge Jim Gray talk about the very same thing recently – I respect you greatly Judge, but I've heard of 3rd party lawsuit attempts for as long as I've been voting when I turned 18. I'm 40 now, and it's time to try something different.
We put those 3rd party 2012 debates together in a few months – and now we have a few years to create something truly game changing in 2016.
1. Free and Equal - http://freeandequal.org/?v=1 - is hosting events that will keep the Free and Equal name out there in the public via earned media (local and national) and will both build awareness and serve as a platform to help build interest in our 2016 debates. As we make our case in as many states as possible between now and 2016, not only will be making more people aware of Free and Equal Elections Foundation, the CPD and our flawed electoral system and helping them craft local solutions, we'll be building our organization of F&E state caucus leaders. We plan on asking these state leaders to go to their local MSM TV and radio networks in 2016 to ask that they also broadcast our debates.
2. In the summer of 2012 a handful of Gary Johnson supporters were able to get through to 2 companies and 1 organization (Phillips, BBH New York and the YWCA) that had been sponsors of the CPD's debates and educate them about their debates being closed. We were late on the ball in trying to bring them on as sponsors of our debates in 2012, but we plan on really promoting this approach to our supporters in 2016 in starving the CPD of their sponsorship dollars, and doing all we can to welcome these companies and organizations on as sponsors of our debates. If we can get just one of these companies to sponsor us, it will create an opportunity for a huge national news story.
3. A Liberty TV Network - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7fITwuzPoM - This is a real game changer and of paramount importance if we are going to challenge the status quo and stand our ground when the pushback comes from the MSM - and it will come -
4. Hosting our debates in LA and NYC. We got lucky with Ora.tv helping us bring Larry King in to moderate our Chicago debate, we weren't so lucky in DC. While Thom Hartmann is well known, he's not nearly as big as the names who were interested in moderating our 2nd debate had we been in LA or NYC. Larry King generated incredible amounts of press for us, and we plan on bringing in more names the entire country knows and cameras can't help but follow to moderate our debates in 2016.
5. Two tiers of sponsors. Our second tier sponsors will expand on the 57 media and organization sponsors we had for our 2012 debates. These sponsors paid nothing, but reported on the debates, a number of them interviewed Christina Tobin and they really helped us spread word of them. Our first tier sponsors are going to be a real game changer - we're looking to raise at least 20 million dollars, enabling us to then take that money to the major networks to run promotional ads and getting at least one of them to air our debates on top of the networks that carried them in 2012. (Al Jazeera, RT America, CSPAN, Link TV, Free Speech TV and Ora.tv all carried our 2012 debates in addition to a large number of alternative media outlets)
6. At least 8 to 10 debates. We'll start our 2016 debates late spring/early summer, and space them out so that the last one takes place right before the CPD's debates start. Last year viewers could vote online for their favorites and we plan on expanding that to voting via text message, and one candidate going home after every debate until 2 are left at the last debate. The plan is to create demand for the candidates to be included in the CPD's debates. If they don't allow them to debate, the American people will become very aware of the fraud, and we'll continue hosting debates with our two remaining candidates on the same nights the CPD's debates are held and at the same time as well as a debate between their VP's. We'll ignore them just as they've ignored us. We also plan for a reality TV show that will showcase each of the candidates before the first debate airs.
Viva la r3volution! I hope to see you in Little Rock, Arkansas this coming June 22nd with Jesse Ventura, Ben Swann, Josh Tolley, Larry Pratt, Elizabeth Imus-Zero, Amber Lyon and more at the Verizon Arena!
In Liberty, Zak Carter
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A solution to a problem..
I wish Alex Jones and company would put a little more effort into solutions...
Ball is in your court Mr. Jones!;)
Hope to see you in Little Rock!
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in general is a conspiracy. It's a conspiracy to make people believe politicians can actually have any effect on their lives. Mainly it's a conspiracy to convince peace officers that they have duties other than keeping the peace.
Fortunately this condition is quite easily solved by reading the constitution, accepting the contract with a public servant regarding their oath of office... and ignoring all the crap these politicians try to make us believe.
I'm now soliciting confessions from those of you who have not THOROUGHLY studied the constitution - I'm not speaking of the once-over or that you have a couple gems from it memorized...
Visit the Mission Command Center & Join Our Ranks!
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Yes, but..
You got to do politics...
Or politics is going to do you;)
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Great post Zak! Hope you're doing well.
Been a while since we talked.
I watched those debates with interest. I fully support Free and Equal and I agree that the Presidential Debates Commission is a rotten, cheating organization.
When they were created they were headed by ex-officials from the DNC and RNC!
What does that tell you?
They have ONE GOAL and that is to keep any 3rd party OUT. Because when Ross Perot scared the crap out of both parties they united to never allow that to happen again.
Right after he ended his 2008 prsidential campaign, Ron Paul held a meeting the National Press Club in Washington and gave each 3rd party candidate who was going to be on the national ballots in November the opportunity to speak for 5 minutes.
Bob Barr stabbed him in the back by not showing after earlier agreeing to do so.
But the point is Dr. Paul gave them all press and visibility.
He also explained that the League of Women Voters used to run the presidential debates, but they lost that authority after the Ross Perot thing (Remember - Perot was a 3rd party candidate in the Reform Party).
BOTTOM LINE: ANY PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE WHO IS GOING TO BE ON THE MAJORITY OF NATIONAL BALLOTS iN NOVEMBER SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO DEBATE!
So keep up the good work Zak.
And Viva la R3volution indeed!
"We have allowed our nation to be over-taxed, over-regulated, and overrun by bureaucrats. The founders would be ashamed of us for what we are putting up with."
-Ron Paul
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Thank you Pawnstorm!
Call me when you have a minute - I lost your #!
And yes, life is amazingly good! Remember that big project we talked about that we both knew we needed but had no idea where to start? Yeah, buddy!!:)
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Use signs in the background at mainsteam candidate appearances
wherever they speak! Having people strategically placed in the background holding up signs promoting the events, in plain view of the mainstream news cameras, could be very effective. Perhaps you could even have a toll-free phone number on the sign where viewers could call to get more detailed recorded information about your debates. The recording could talk about the fact that the CFD is controlling the message and that Americans deserve to have a more open debate process. The message could then urge them to contact their local media to request that they air your events. This is cheap advertising and puts you squarely in the face of the establishment and their candidates. People will start to ask who you are and then hopefully ask the MS Candidates if they will be appearing in your debates.
"Liberty tastes sweetest to those who fight for it, and most bitter to those who work to deny it!"
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I don't work for
Individual campaigns anymore - but guerrilla marketing like that is something I've employed in the past, and it works!
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Good work Mr. Carter.
Good work Mr. Carter.
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Thank you! Working on putting the plan into action now...
Next stop - Little Rock!
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I recorded this in 2006...
...the audio is a little bad, but the relevant part starts at 3:25.
Ventura talks about the Commission on Presidential Debates.
I'm a serial entrepreneur and liberty activist from Texas!
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We are
Completely open to other ideas too! See a flaw in this plan? Got something better? Something to add to it? Please share!
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Champion post Zak!
These are the golden nuggets of the Liberty Movement.
Experience sharing and best practices are key to continuing our decentralized success.
I just subscribed to JAG TV on YouTube; thanks for the link. Looks like it will be a great broadcast platform.
Watch this dry yet astonishing Dr. Robert Beck cancer treatment lecture on Google Video - search "Suppressed Medical Discovery" - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkiX0jJJozk
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I know, I know..
Not as exciting as an Alex Jones conspiracy lol
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Excellent News
Jesse, Ben, & Larry!
"I, __________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
There is no duration defined in the Oath
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It will be truly epic!
I know more names will be added to that list too!
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The latest edition of my monthly Search Engine Report newsletter is now online, recapping top stories in search from the past month. You can read it online or receive it via email for free by signing up here.
If you're a Search Engine Watch member, the latest edition of Search Engine Update newsletter has also been posted. That newsletter carries more items than the Search Engine Report newsletter and goes out twice per month.
Meet Your Favorite Search Engine Watch Contributors
Many of SEW's leading expert contributors will be at ClickZ Live, the new online and digital marketing event kicking off in New York (March 31-April 3). Hear from the likes of:
Thom Craver,
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Waterfront Casita One Minute from Bocas Town [#115554] | View Property
Bocas del Toro
Cottage, 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bath (Sleeps 2-4)
From $75per nt $450/wk
Write a Review
Traveler Reviews (11)
Fun Convenient Location
Fun Convenient Location
- Guest julieanna (Flagstaff, AZ)
- Date of stay 12/22/12
- Review Submitted 01/18/13
Loved Carenero. There is a great surf break, surf school, good restaurants, and I enjoy the smaller feel. Being behind the Aqua Lounge was convenient. You can get drinks there, the staff is amazing, and Christian is SUPER helpful. We were there over the holidays. The parties started ramping up around the new year. If you are there to party and be in the mix this is the place for you during the holiday. It wasn't too loud prior to the new year and the casita was nice. The location and the assistance of Christian made this place worth it.Recommended for: Adventure seekers, tourists without a car.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0
Not for a family
Not for a family
- Guest leslie (carmel, Ca)
- Date of stay 07/09/12
- Review Submitted 08/03/12
This is a good place for young late teen-early twenty backpacker type of travelers. The upstairs unit is really pretty and if it was just my husband and I we would have stayed there. The downstairs unit is really dirty. We had to leave because the so called sofa beds were so disgusting. You are advised to keep everything locked at all times and you shouldn't even open your windows, is what we were told. We ended up not even staying because the downstairs was in no way suitable for a family. I would stay here if you are a young traveler and want to be close to the hip bar the aqua lounge. I'm sure many young people have had lots of fun in this location. It just wasn't for us and I would in no way recommend it for a family. Wish we could have gotten our deposit back because we didn't even make it for one night. Bummer!Manager response: Gee, Leslie, I wish you had asked me for your deposit back. I always refund when it does not work out. So sorry about the downstairs. We are completely remodeling. We are taking out the sofa beds, and making it into a lovely second bedroom. And I agree that the casita, and Bocas itself, may not be the best place for a family. Bocas is a lively, funky town, great fun for people who like to surf and party.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 0/0
Gorgeous, waterfront and very accessable to town, beaches and surfing!
Gorgeous, waterfront and very accessable to town, beaches and surfing!
- Guest DB (Boston, MA)
- Date of stay 02/14/11
- Review Submitted 04/20/11
Casitas are clean, modern and comfortable. The location is easily accessable from the town of Bocas de Toros by water taxis. We had our meals on the outdoor patio under a palaba and enjoyed the waterviews and daily activies of this small native community. There are resturants, bars and convienent stores within walking distance and many options across the water in Bocas. We also walked to a cool surfing location through the mangroves. You can even rent surfboards nearby. Staff was friendly and accomodating!Recommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, tourists without a car, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4
Perfect place!
Perfect place!
- Guest Enosh (Tel Aviv. Israel)
- Date of stay 01/13/11
- Review Submitted 04/14/11
We were looking for a private place for our honey moon, where we can enjoy staying in a beautiful tropical island and at the same time go to some good restaurants and bars when we feel like it. the casitas were perfect, beautiful and comfortable. located in an amzing small island only two minuts by boat from town. we watched the boats go by from the balcony and then walked around the island and explored it's amzing remote beaches. then we came back to the casita to relax, watched a movie and went to town for dinner. the casita includes a nice hot tub, Wi Fi, Cable TV, and a small kitchen to cook. highly recommended. Enosh And MiaRecommended for: Adventure seekers, age 55+, families with teenagers, families with young children, girls getaway, tourists without a car, pet owners, romantic getaway, sightseeing.
Manager response: I am so glad to hear you had a great honeymoon! Thanks for the feedback, it means a lot.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3
Think Twice about renting on Carenero Island
Think Twice about renting on Carenero Island
- Guest ANONYMOUS P (California)
- Date of stay 04/02/10
- Review Submitted 04/11/10
The communication with the owner and the property manager, and financial transactions were quite simple as long as you have PayPal. Despite the nice condition of the property grounds, the local dock out in front is quite a busy area, with many locals trudging through the property at all hours. The jacuzzi tub water pressure was so low that it would have taken hours to fill the tub, and there was no wifi. Bring earplugs if you plan on sleeping here. The casitas have also been recently burglarized three times. I fell victim to this last week during my stay when someone broke into the upstairs casita, ripping out the patio door. My camera and some of my girlfriend's jewelry were stolen. Despite the efforts of the property manager and the owner to make this a secure place, I cannot endorse this location. Its very central location makes it easy to get back and forth to Bocas town, but if you're looking for comfort and security, there are many other places around Bocas, and just outside of town where you can find more spacious comfortable rooms. It might be slightly more expensive, but it might be worth your safety.Manager response: I am so sorry about this guest's experience. The police did catch the gang responsible for many robberies in the Bocas area, the water pressure is fixed, and the Wifi is working. In the summer of 2010, my neighbor, Christian, the owner of Aqua Lounge, took over managing the property, and taking care of my guests when I am not in Panama. His constant presence, and his team of security people, cooks, maids, handymen, and gardeners are always available, and Aqua Lounge is able to offer breakfast, maid service, and laundry services, in addition to being a fun place to swim, eat and drink.
Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4
- Guest Anonymous
- Date of stay 01/19/10
- Review Submitted 01/19/10
I had a great time! It was a perfect combination of luxury and authentic experience of Caribbean native culture. Bocas is a young, lively place where the party never stops. And Viki's casitas provided a nice retreat from all the activity when I needed the down time (I'm a young 60 year old). The location is perfect. You're a short water taxi ride from the center of Bocas. The casitas are on another island, but separated from town by a narrow strait about 1000 feet wide. I especially enjoyed having my cocktail from the upstairs veranda overlooking the sights and sounds.Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 3/3
- Guest r f (NYC)
- Date of stay 01/18/10
- Review Submitted 01/18/10
We've stayed in these great little guest houses on three different occasions, both in the upstairs and the downstairs apartments. They were perfect. Weekends can be a bit noisy, but that's Bocas! Staying here definitely beats staying in a hotel. We will stay there again!Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1
- Guest Julia and Dan (Connecticut)
- Date of stay 07/10/09
- Review Submitted 07/10/09
What a beautiful place to spend a vacation! We loved being so close to the water taxis and Bocas Town, and having such a beautiful view of the sunset. It does get very loud at night, so the casitas would not be a place to stay if you like to get to bed early. We stayed in the upstairs casita which had a beautiful porch we spent many hours on. The only thing better than the casitas was the manager, Tyson, who was always there to give us some advice and help us set up activities to do in the area. Tyson was helpful, trust-worthy and kind-- and he became our friend! We thank Tyson so much for all his care and dedication. We cannot wait to return!Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4
Guest comment entered by manager
- Guest N/A
- Date of stay 10/07/08
- Review Submitted 10/06/08
Guests have all loved the casita, but people looking for peace and quiet should know that Bocas, on weekends, is a party town, and the music from the bars can be too much for some. for those seeking pristine paradise check out vrbo 115147 .. your own private water retreat. viki kiman, ownerDid you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 2/3
- Guest Doug9 (Ontario, Canada)
- Date of stay 09/30/08
- Review Submitted 09/30/08
Great place, worked out awesome. Good location and easy to get into town at anytime. Take the bug spray for the sand fleas though!Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 1/1
- Guest Karen56 (NY, NY)
- Date of stay 02/25/08
- Review Submitted 02/25/08
My husband & I just got back. The place was even better than we imagined. Where do I start... You have a lovely patio (with a kitchen) overlooking the sea, an amazing sea view shower, a Jacuzzi tub, and a flat screen TV with HBO, etc.; and Bocas town is a quick water taxi ride away. Best of all, Viki will take great care of you. It was heavenly.Did you find this review helpful? Yes | No Helpful votes: 4/4


text:
Meet Gary Soule (above) and his wife, Janis. He survived a heart attack after being treated by Crouse Hospital's nationally accredited Chest Pain Center's team. Our rapid "door to balloon" time saved Gary's life. Crouse has achieved the highest level of chest pain center accreditation with PCI, one of only 11 in New York State to do so. Lucky for Gary he said, "Take Me to Crouse."
Meet Pat Herrick, firefighter and paramedic for the Moyers Corners Fire Department. The day he had chest pain, he said, "Take Me to Crouse." Hear Pat explain why...
Remember: At the first sign or symptom of a heart attack call 911 and get to the nearest emergency room.
Tribute Evening 2012 Honored Bill & Sandra Pomeroy
View photo album from the event. more >
14 Minutes to a Mended Heart
Crouse's Chest Pain Center team acts quickly to save lives.more >
The Best Cardiac Care Put His Heart at Ease
A prominent Syracuse journalist shares his Crouse heart care experience.
download pdf >
CPR for Adults: Steps that Could Save a Life
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Heart Attack vs. Cardiac Arrest
Learn the difference between these two serious heart conditions.more >
Grateful Patient
Thank a physician, nurse or staff member with a donation to the Crouse Health Foundation.