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A single fluid-pressure transducer unit, of the type in which sensed electrical capacitance is varied in accordance with electrode deflections induced by pressure changes, is rendered capable of characterizing a wide range of pressures extending from near-vacuum to atmospheric levels, with the aid of a distinctive composite-electrode capsule which interacts uniquely with a conventional type of sheet-metal diaphragm. While sensing relatively low pressures, the exhibited capacitance of the transducer is essentially that appearing between the diaphragm and a nearby electrode carried by the capsule, but, at or near atmospheric pressure, the diaphragm physically engages and deflects that electrode, which is elastically deformable, causing it to vary a further capacitance appearing between that deformable electrode and a companion stationary electrode which is also part of the capsule.
1. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus having a diaphragm in fluid-tight separating relation to regions exhibiting different fluid pressure conditions, said diaphragm including electrically-conductive capacitor electrode surfaces movable therewith, and composite capacitor means disposed in one of said regions, said composite capacitor means including a flexible member having electrically-conductive capacitor electrode surfaces movable therewith in closely-spaced relation to said electrode surfaces of said diaphragm and forming a first variable capacitor therewith, and a relatively rigid member mounting relatively stationary electrically-conductive capacitor electrode surfaces in spaced relation to said electrode surfaces of said flexible member and forming a second variable capacitor therewith, and means mounting said composite capacitor means in position relative to said diaphragm for said diaphragm to physically deflect said flexible member in response to and by amounts related to differences in pressures between said regions beyond a predetermined range, whereby said first variable capacitor exhibits cpacitances related to said differences in pressures within said predetermined range and said second variable capacitor exhibits capacitances related to differences in pressures beyond said range.
2. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said diaphragm comprises a sheet-metal member with said conductive electrode surfaces thereof on its side exposed to said one of said regions, and including means preserving said one of said regions at a low reference pressure, and means applying measured pressures to the other of said regions.
3. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said one of said regions is substantially evacuated and maintained at a near-vacuum condition, and wherein said predetermined range is of differences in pressures between those in said one of said regions under said near-vacuum condition and those in said other of said regions extending from near vacuum up to a maximum low pressure of measurement interest, and wherein said second variable capacitance exhibits measurable capacitances related to pressures at atmospheric levels appearing in said other of said regions.
4. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said diaphragm comprises a sheet-metal member with said conductive electrode surfaces thereof on its side exposed to said one of said regions, and insulating means electrically separating said conductive electrode surfaces of said diaphragm from conductive electrode surfaces of said flexible member when said diaphgram engages and physically deflects said flexible member in response to said differences in pressures beyond said predetermined range.
5. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 4 wherein said composite capacitor means includes as said flexible member a relatively thin and flat flexible insulating disc whose said capacitor electrode surfaces are formed by conductive metal thinly layered thereon, and said rigid member includes a hard body of insulating material whose said capacitor electrode surfaces are formed by conductive metal thinly layered on a substantially-planar face thereof which is oriented in a closely-spaced substantially parallel relation to said disc.
6. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 5 wherein said composite capacitor means is in the form of a hollow capsule with said flexible disc and hard insulating body united peripherally in a fixed relation with an internal cavity defined therebetween, capacitor electrode surfaces of said disc and said insulating body being in confronting relation to one another across said internal cavity and thereby forming said second variable capacitor.
7. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 6 wherein said insulating disc and said insulating body are of ceramic material, wherein said capacitor electrode surfaces are plated onto said ceramic material, and further comprising means electrically connecting said capacitor electrode surfaces of said diaphragm and of said insulating body, whereby total capacitance exhibited between said capacitor electrode surfaces of said disc and the interconnected surfaces of said diaphragm and insulating body is essentially the sum of the capacitances of said first and second variable capacitors.
8. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said disc and insulating body have circular outlines and united together impart a substantially cylindrical form to said hollow capsule, wherein said capacitor electrode surfaces of said capsule are substantially circular and central to said disc and insulating body, the diameters of said circular electrode surfaces being substantially the same, and wherein the spacing between said electrode surfaces of said insulating body and the undeflected disc is greater than the spacing between said undeflected disc and undeflected diaphragm.
9. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said disc and insulating body have circular outlines and united together impart a substantially cylindrical form to said hollow capsule, wherein said capacitor electrode surfaces of said capsule are substantially circular and central to said disc and insulating body, and wherein said electrode surfaces of said disc include further plated surfaces on the side of said disc adjacent to said diaphragm, said insulating means being disposed between said further plated surfaces and said diaphragm.
10. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said thin disc has an opening therethrough, wherein the same material plated to form said electrode surfaces on both sides of said disc is plated through said opening in an electrically interconnecting relation with said electrode surfaces on both sides of said disc, and wherein said electrode surfaces on both sides of said disc are of substantially the same diameter.
11. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein said insulating means comprises a relatively thin insulating glaze over said electrode surfaces on the side of said disc adjacent to said diaphragm.
12. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein the diameter of said electrode surfaces is about one-third the diameter of said insulating disc, wherein said disc and insulating body are of alumina, and wherein said glaze is of a glass and forms a flat thin button-like protrusion of diameter slightly in excess of the electrode surfaces on the side of said disc adjacent to said diaphragm.
13. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 9 wherein said electrode surfaces on the side of said disc confronting said internal cavity merge with a relatively narrow radial conductive tab integral therewith, wherein said insulating body has at least one opening therethrough into said internal cavity and aligned with said radial tab on said disc, and further including a flexible electrical contact extending from said radial tab and out of said internal cavity through said opening in said insulating body.
14. Capacitive pressure transducer apparatus as set forth in claim 13 including a further conductive electrical contact plated on the exterior of said insulating body and extending through said opening in said insulating body and electrically united with said electrode surfaces of said insulating body inside said cavity, said flexible electrical contact extending through said opening in said insulating body without engaging the plating therethrough.
15. A method for capacitively characterizing pressures over a wide range which comprises subjecting opposite sides of a diaphragm to pressures appearing in different regions sealed apart by the diaphragm and thereby causing related deflections thereof, establishing a first variable capacitance between first capacitor electrode surfaces movable with the diaphragm and second capacitor electrode surfaces carried by a flexible insulating member in one of said regions, and establishing a second variable capacitance between the second capacitor electrode surfaces and third capacitor electrode surfaces while holding said third electrode surfaces fixedly in position in the said one of said regions, said step of establishing the second variable capacitance involving physically deflecting the flexible insulating member in accordance with deflections of the diaphragm when the diaphragm deflections exceed a predetermined amount.
16. A method for capacitively characterizing pressures as set forth in claim 15 which comprises maintaining a substantially evacuated condition in the said one of said regions and exposing the other of said regions to pressures to be measured in terms of absolute pressure, and wherein said step of establishing the second variable capacitance involves physically deflecting electrode surfaces of said flexible member through electrical insulation which prevents electrical connection of the first and second electrode surfaces, and further comprising additively combining the first and second variable capacitance to capacitively characterize the pressures in the other of said regions in terms of absolute pressure.
The present invention relates to improvements in capacitance-related measurement of fluid pressures, and, in one particular aspect, to unique high-performance absolute-pressure transducers in which widely-different ranges of pressures, such as those near vacuum and at or near atmospheric levels, are advantageously characterized by a single assembly of economical and uncomplicated construction wherein a main diaphragm functions distinctively both as a movable capacitance electrode over one of the ranges and as a means for mechanically inducing variations in a further capacitance array over another range.
It has become common practice to sense and provide related measurements of pressure, and especially very low levels of pressure, in terms of the capacitances exhibited between a pair of closely-spaced electrodes, one of which is adjusted in position relative to the other in accordance with differences in pressures acting upon an associated diaphragm. In the case of so-called "absolute" pressure capacitance manometers, one of the pressures, which is maintained as a reference, is substantially gasless and usually as close to a perfect vacuum as it is feasible and practical to establish and hold on one side of the diaphragm. However, if any such device is to be counted upon to sense and usefully characterize pressures which are very small, its design features, including a relatively close electrode spacing, tend to render it unsuitable for dependable indications of the much larger pressures appearing at or near ambient atmospheric levels. Yet, reliable knowledge about such ambient pressures is commonly quite important to the user, who, among other things, must be able to determine when once-evacuated sensitive systems, monitored precisely while at low pressures, are being brought back up to or near atmospheric levels at which system openings and "dumping" may be ventured safely. It is for such reasons that auxiliary thermocouple-type gages have been used to furnish system operators with at least coarse information about pressures near atmospheric, and that the highly-sensitive capacitance manometers have come to be used in tandem with similarly-constructed manometers designed to function at higher atmospheric-level pressures. The latter expedients involve costs, bulk and complexities which it would of course be advantageous to avoid.
The present teachings provide for capacitance-related characterizations of pressures over widely-disparate ranges. by way of but a single uncomplicated transducer. In a preferred physical expression of such a transducer, a planar sheet-metal diaphragm is interposed in a generally-conventional sealed mounting between an evacuated reference chamber and a port communicating with a site of pressures to be measured. That diaphragm itself serves as a capacitor electrode, and, in a routine fashion, is movably positionable relative to a further cooperating nearby relatively-stationary capacitor electrode located in the evacuated reference chamber, responsive to changes in the measured pressures. However, the relatively-stationary further capacitor electrode is in this instance an element of a unique composite structure wherein its insulating suppot comprises a flexible ceramic disc peripherally united with a rigid ceramic body carrying a still further capacitor electrode in closely-spaced relation to the disc. That composite structure, which is preferably in the form of a substantially monolithic ceramic capsule having the electrodes plated onto certain of its surfaces, lies wholly within the reference chamber and its flexible disc is not subjected to pressure differentials which might cause it to deflect and thereby vary capacitance between its electrodes; nevertheless, such disc deflections, and attendant variations in the capsule's capacitance, do occur, but, quite differently, as the result of wholly mechanical action of the metal diaphragm pressing against the disc. When some measured system pressures are in a very low range, such as 0-10 Torr, the transducer capacitance is mainly that exhibited betweem the metal diaphragm and disc electrode, but, when the system pressure approaches much higher atmospheric levels, the metal diaphragm will have responded by pressing against the flexible disc and forcing it to reduce the spacing between the capsule electrodes, so that their exhibited capacitance increases. The combined capacitances may thus distinctively characterize sensed pressure, from near zero to ambient in the one transducer.
Accordingly, it is one of the objects of this invention to promote unique and advantageous capacitance-manometer measurements across wide ranges of sensed pressures utilizing a single small multi-electrode assembly of simple low-cost construction in which there are two different types of responses to the pressures.
A further object is to provide a novel and improved absolute-pressure transducer which is alone capable of characterizing both a low sensitive range of pressures and the very much higher pressures near and at ambient atmospheric levels.
Still further, it is an object to reduce the complexity and difficulty of performing absolute-pressure measurements spanning widely different ranges, by way of a diaphragm-type transducer which uniquely cooperates with an electrode capsule in two ways, one involving the diaphragm acting wholly as a capacitor electrode and the other involving the diaphragm as a force-applying member which mechanically alters other capacitance appearing from within the capsule.
Although the aspects of this invention which are considered to be novel are expressed in the appended claims, further details as to preferred practices and as to further objects and features thereof may be most readily comprehended through reference to the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view illustrating principal components of an improved absolute capacitance manometer in an "exploded" relationship along a central longitudinal axis, certain of the parts being cross-sectioned to further reveal details of construction;
FIG. 2 shows a prior form of single-electrode carrier known in earlier pressure transducers, the exterior proportions of which carrier can be advantageously matched by a multiple-diaphragm multiple-electrode capsule unit in the improved absolute capacitance manometer;
FIG. 3 represents in graphical form, and on two scales, the capacitance vs. pressure characteristics of an improved manometer constructed in accordance with the present teachings;
FIG. 4A is a side elevational view, partly in cross section, of two unassembled parts of a ceramic capsule unit for the improved manometer, in association with a portion of a metal diaphragm;
FIG. 4B provides a top plan view of the rigid upper-electrode portion of the capsule unit of FIG. 4A;
FIG. 4C supplies a bottom plan view of the same upper-electrode portion;
FIG. 5A is a top plan view of the thin and flexible diaphragm-type disc electrode portion of the capsule unit of FIG. 4A; and
FIG. 5B is a bottom plan view of the same disc electrode portion of the capsule unit.
Having reference to the drawings, wherein like numbers and characters designate identical or corresponding parts or features throughout the several views, and more particularly to FIG. 1 thereof, there are illustrated the various components which will, together, make up an improved absolute capacitance-type pressure sensor or cell, 6, in which the measurement range of the one unit extends from a sensitive low region of special interest near vacuum up to and including relatively high atmospheric pressures. In general form and size, the exterior, and much of the interior, of the assembly is advantageously virtually identical to what is found in a known prior capacitance manometer which serves but one limited range, and that is true, for example, of its joined (welded or otherwise bonded) metal main body parts 7 and 8, the thin planar sheet-metal diaphragm 9 held between and sealed with those body parts, the sealed fitting or pipe 10 through which one side of the diaphragm is fluid-coupled to some plenum and is thus exposed to site pressures which are to be characterized by the sensor, and a top metal cover 11 which is permanently joined to and sealed with the intermediate body part 7 and mounts the usual sealed off evacuation tube 12, getter provision 13 and insulated electrical lead-through pin 14 associated with a low-force electrode-contacting spring 14A. The latter spring depends from what is the inner (lower) side of the cover, where it is disposed to lie within and connect with a capacitance electrode in an evacuated sealed chamber maintaining a near-vacuum reference-pressure condition on the upper side of the diaphragm 9.
An assembly of components such as those described next above has been and continues to be successfully used in association with a monolithic inner electrode structure like that of FIG. 2, where a shouldered disk-like solid ceramic insulating element 15 carries a plated metallic electrode layer 16 on its planar lower face, in spaced confronting relation to the upper planar surface of the nearby circular sheet-metal diaphragm 9' (corresponding to the aforementioned diaphragm 9). The diaphragm and coated metallic layer above it form electrodes of a capacitor whose exhibited capacitance at any time varies as a function of sensed pressure acting on the bottom of the diaphragm while a reference (near-vacuum) pressure acts on its opposite top surface; as the edge-restrained sealed diaphragm bows upwardly to greater extents with increased sensed pressures, its spacings from fixed electrode "plate" 16 diminish and thereby cause the capacitor to exhibit higher values of electrical capacitance which conventional auxiliary electronic circuitry then translates into displays characterizing those sensed pressures. Physical spacings are of course highly critical, inasmuch as their uncontrolled variations will occasion error, and precise dimensioning and mounting of shouldered ceramic element 15 in a body part such as 7 are therefore correspondingly critical. Accordingly, both the shoulder 15A and other portions of element 15 and the mating inner shoulder 7A and other dimensionally-correlated portions of the sensor body are fashioned with the closest practical tolerances. Taking advantage of established high-precision physical parameters already appearing in the design of the body and diaphragm structure for such a sensor, improvements offered by the present teachings are very beneficially expressed via a capsule-like composite electrode structure, 17, which on the outside looks much the same as the prior item 15 and which has a like shoulder 17A and is otherwise conveniently so identical in certain dimensions as to be substituted for it in a line of assembly of transducers covering various ranges.
However, not only is electrode structure 17 distinctively different in respect of its composite construction, but its mode of cooperative functioning, mechanically and electrically, with the usual sensor diaphragm, 9, is unique as well. Specifically, composite electrode structure 17 forms a shallow generally-cylindrical capsule in which there is a separate internal variable capacitor whose two spaced planar capacitor electrodes 18 and 19A appear as thin metallic films respectively on the bottom recessed surface 17B of the rigid ceramic capsule member 17C and on the top of a relatively thin and elastically deformable ceramic disc-like capsule member 19(FIG. 4A). The capsule parts supporting those two capacitor electrodes are always exposed to the same near-vacuum reference pressure, because sealed diaphram 9 isolates them from pressures appearing at measurement sites, and because pressure within the inner cavity 20 formed between the rigid upper capsule member 17C and the securely-attached disc-like lower capsule member 19 is the same as the reference pressure, as will always be equalized via the capsule holes 17D and 19B. Therefore, although the capsule elastic disc 19 has the thin flat configuration of a pressure-responsive diaphragm, it does not behave in an expected way, inasmuch as it experiences no pressure differentials; instead, it is a member actuated by mechanically-applied force and may be deflected closer to the electrode 18 when the nearby elastic diaphragm 9 is sufficiently distended by sensed pressures below it to engage it and physically move it in an upward direction referenced to the central longitudinal axis 21--21 of the transducer (FIG. 1).
As the pressure appearing at a measurement site, and appearing also at inlet 10, change between an extremely low pressure near 0 Torr and some higher value, such as About 10 Torr, in a low measurement range of special interest, the capacitance exhibited between electrode surfaces offered by sheet-metal diaphragm 9 and electrode surfaces formed by the nearby metallic bottom electrode film 19C on disc 19, the transducer output capacitance varies rather uniformly about as shown by dashed-line curve 22 in FIG. 3 (in picofarads). That output capacitance represents a combination (summation) primarily of a first capacitance between electrode surfaces offered by diaphragm 9 and film electrode surface 19C, which over that low range tends to be a relatively large varying quantity, and the further capacitance between the electrode surfaces formed by the capsule's film electrodes 19A and 18, which over that same low range tends to remain substantially fixed and not so great as to mask the variations exhibited by the first capacitance. When some relatively low upper end of the low measurement range of special interest is reached, built-in physical parameters of the described transducer insure that the top central part of circular diaphragm 9 will first physically engage the bottom central part of the capsule structure 17 and will thereafter flex its disc 19 upwardly closer toward electrode 18 as pressures increase still further. Ultimately, when atmospheric pressure is reached, the flexible disc will have been pressed upwardly to substantially a maximum needed extent by the diaphragm, and the reduced space then appearing between its upper electrode film 19A and the fixed electrode 18 will result in a maximum combined output capacitance being displayed by the transducer. On another and broader scale, in FIG. 3, curve 23 characterizes the transducer output capacitance, which rises sharply over the low measurement range of interest, as shown along curve expanse 23A, and more slowly over the upper range which rises to and through atmospheric pressure (about 760 Torr), as shown along curve expanse 23B. The "knee" region 23C represents the transition when sheet-metal diaphragm 9 engages and starts to bottom-out against the capsule 17.
Such bottoming-out tends to be somewhat critical because interfacing engagements and disengagements of the metal diaphragm and capsule can involve undesirable "hysteresis" (i.e., are not always precisely the same for the same pressure changes); unavoidable roughness of the engaged capsule surfaces contributes to that problem, and improvement is realized when the area of contact is intentionally kept small, rather than being allowed to spread over most of the exposed bottom surface of the capsule. That small area of contacting also develops a preferred deflection characteristic for the disc 19, and a convenient way of promoting the desired effects is by fashioning a shallow but nevertheless protruding "button" 19D at the bottom of the capsule disc. Flexible insulating disc 19 is preferably of ceramic material, such as alumina, having known usefulness in prior capacitance-manometer structures, and the same is true of the cooperating shouldered rigid capsule part 17 with which it is integrally united about its periphery. The materials and bonding techniques involved with such ceramics are well established in the art and are therefore not elaborated upon here; the same is true also of the formation of the metallic film-thickness electrodes which appear on their various surfaces. The aforementioned flat insulating "button" or protrusion 19D may comprise a separate thin circular ceramic or glass member bonded to underside of disc 19, or, as illustrated, it may be in the form of a fired-glass glaze coating 19F. Preferably, the central circular electrode coatings 19A and 19C on disc 19 are about the same size and are relatively small in relation to the overall disc diameter, such as about one-third, or typically about one-half inch in diameter relative to an effective disc diameter of about one-and-one-half inches; the desirably smooth glaze coating 19E of the "button" 19D just overlies the lower electrode film 19C (FIG. 5B). The small (typically 1/16 inch) center hole 19B through disc 19 allows for the metallic film coatings forming upper electrode surfaces 19A and lower electrode surfaces 19C to be electrically joined by a like and simultaneously-deposited metallic film which extends through that hole. Many of the advantages of the improved transducer may be realized if only top electrode surfaces such as 19A are used, because a ceramic disc 19 of alumina has a very high dielectric constant (about 9.5, vs. 1 for a vacuum) and thus acts as though it were only about 1/10th its actual small thickness of about only 0.045 inch. However, it currently appears to be a better practice to have the lower electrode surfaces 19C in place to form the main sensitive-range capacitance with electrode surfaces of the metal diaphragm 9; the glaze 19E of course prevents any electrical shorting of that diaphragm with electrode surfaces 19C when they engage and the diaphragm bottoms out while forcing flexible disc upwardly under higher-pressure measurement conditions.
The electrode surfaces formed by sheet-metal diaphragm 9 are electrically as well as physically joined with the transducer metal housing or body parts 7 and 8, as by peripheral welding, and they are also caused to have good electrical connection with the upper inner capsule electrode 18, by way of a plated metallic ring 17E (FIG. 4B) around the upper peripheral surface of the rigid ceramic shoulder 17A. That ring is joined with electrode surfaces 18 by a plate-through 17F traversing the hole 17D in capsule membr 17, and it finds electrical connection with the transducer body, along with diaphragm 9, through conductive paths such as those provided by the overlying solid spacer-washer 24 and springy metal wovewasher 25, both interposed between shoulder ring 17E and the metallic cover 11 (FIG. 1) which is welded to body part 7 when the transducer assembly is about to be completed. Both the diaphragm 9 and the rigidly-positioned electrode 18 form the aforementioned important variable-capacitance relationships with the joined disc electrodes 19C and 19A, respectively, and it is of course necessary that there be a secure and separate electrical connection with those joined electrodes; internal conductive spring 14A, associated with the externally-accessible output lead 14, supplies such as connection by engaging and making good contact with a plated conductive radial tab 19F (FIG. 5A) which is integral with and simultaneously deposited with the disc electrode 19A (and 19C). For that purpose, contact spring 14A must reach tab 19F through capsule member 17 without connecting with any of the metallic plating associated with its electrode 18 and connection ring 17 and plate-through 17F, and it does so by passing freely through the relatively large accommodating hole 17D and pressing firmly against tab 19F.
Upper electrode 18, on the inside of capsule 17, is of substantially the same configuration and size as the cooperating parallel lower inner capsule electrode 19A, and the normal spacing between them, when the disc element 19 is undeflected, is typically only very small, such as about the order of a few thousandths (example: 0.008 inch). That spacing is determined essentially by the depth of the capsule cavity 20, the film electrodes themselves being exceedingly thin. An even closer normal spacing between the undeflected diaphragm 9 and the capsule electrode surfaces 19C above it is preserved by appropriate dimensions affecting confronting external surfaces of the capsule and internal shoulder surfaces of the transducer body 7, aided as may be necessary by an auxiliary washer-like shim 26 (FIG. 1).
In other constructions, the plated film-like electrodes may instead involve thicker and/or specifically-different conductive regions of material, and the capsule may incorporate a sheet-metal diaphragm-type member rather than a ceramic disc. Flexible lead wire may be employed in place of the illustrated contact spring, and an accommodating opening for its passage into the interior of the capsule may be separate from the plated lead-through. Separate leads may bring out the two variable capacitances independently, where appropriate. A fluid fill, such as one of silicone, may be employed to promote good deflection of the capsule disc by the main diaphragm. Further, the same principles and features of construction may be applied in capacitive pressure sensors other than those of the absolute type. Accordingly, it should be understood that the specific embodiments and practices described in connection with this specification have been presented by way of disclosure rather than limitation and that various modifications, combinations and substitutions may be effected by those skilled in the art without departure either in spirit or scope from this invention in its broader aspects and as set forth in the appended claims.
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Please note that the Lion Brand Yarn Company will be performing inventory from Tuesday, June 2nd through to Friday, June 5th. Regular shipping will resume Sunday, June 7th. We ask for your patience regarding the shipment of orders during this time. Thank you for your understanding!
SKILL LEVEL: Beginner (Level 1)
SIZE: Varies Varies according to the size of the purchased bangle or cardboard tube.
CORRECTIONS: None
Exact gauge is not essential to this project.
For ease in working, cut yarn into lengths of several yards (meters) and wind into balls before beginning to wrap Bracelets.

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Liver Disease Information
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American Liver Foundation
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New York, New York 10006
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Home > Healthcare Professionals > DSA Award Recipients
Dr. Raymond F. Schinazi, PhD, DSc, Frances Winship Walters Professor of Pediatrics, Director, Laboratory of Biochemical Pharmacology, Senior Research Career Scientist, and Director, Scientific Working Group on Viral Eradication, Emory University Center for AIDS Research
Dr. Schinazi has made extraordinary contributions to science and to human health, particularly for individuals infected with HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV). In the early 1980s when scientists realized that AIDS was caused by a virus, Dr. Schinazi set up the first HIV laboratory at Emory and pursued the development of novel antiviral drugs. Four different drugs that his group discovered and developed have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of HIV-1 infections, as well as three for HBV and one for HCV. It is estimated that over 94% of people infected with HIV take one of his drugs and that his innovative work has saved over 6.5 million lives. His contributions related to HCV are expected to have a profound positive impact on the approximately 170 million people worldwide suffering from chronic infection.
Dr. Schinazi received his BSc (1972) and PhD (1976) in chemistry from the University of Bath, England. He has authored over 500 peer-reviewed papers and 7 books and holds over 92 issued U.S. patents and 120 non-U.S. national stage patents and patent applications, which have resulted in 12 New Drug Applications (NDA). A world leader in nucleoside chemistry, Dr. Schinazi is best known for his pioneering work on HIV and HCV drugs d4T (stavudine), 3TC (lamivudine), FTC (emtricitabine/Emtriva), LdT (telbivudine), and most recently sofosbuvir (Sovaldi), which are now approved by the FDA. Dr. Schinazi is internationally recognized as one of the most influential persons in the life science sector.
Charles M. Rice, PhD
The Rockefeller University – 2013
Allan W. Wolkoff, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine – 2012
Robert H. Purcell, MD
National Institutes of Health – 2011
George K. Michalopoulos, MD, PhD
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine – 2010
Snorri S. Thorgeisson, MD, PhD
National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD - 2009
Neil Kaplowitz, MD
University of Southern California School of Medicine - 2008
Roberto J. Groszmann, MD
West Haven VA Medical Center, West Haven, CT -2006
Nelson Fausto, MD
University of Washington School of Medicine – 2004
Harvey J. Alter, MD
National Institutes of Health – 2002
Nancy L. Bucher, MD
Boston University School of Medicine - 2001
David A. Shafritz, MD
Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY -2000
James L. Boyer, MD
Yale University, New Haven, CT - 1999
Irwin M. Arias, MD
Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA -1998
Francis V. Chisari, MD
The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA- 1997
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Sarah Hofstetter, vice president of emerging media and client strategy at 360i and a keynote speaker at the upcoming IAB Social Media Marketplace, discusses how her client Reckitt Benckiser gets social-media marketing right and how newcomers can learn from early adopters' mistakes. Read the full interview by Smartbrief Publisher Merritt Colaizzi on our SmartBlog on Social Media.
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Iran's masses showed the world their disdain for their current rulers in 2009 when they took to the streets in droves to protest. They were met with very little global support, and were brutally quelled by a regime that refuses to relinquish power.
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It was once believed that it was only Arab governments that feared Iran's push for hegemony, while Arab public opinion viewed Iran quite differently. Our polling demonstrates that while that might have been true in 2006 and 2008, by 2011 this is no longer the case.
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Marines practice amphibious war, storm US beaches
ABOARD THE USS WASP A small group of Marines trudged onto the beach sands in pitch-black night with an armada of U.S. Navy warships sailing just off the shore. Their mission: root out insurgents that threatened to attack another American force to the south.
The careful operation under cover of darkness wasn't an assault in the Middle East or Asia. It was a training exercise on the coast of Virginia and North Carolina, designed to return thousands of Marines to their amphibious roots and train for a more modern version of the well-known beach assaults conducted during World War II.
Military officials say the operation being conducted in Virginia and North Carolina is the largest amphibious training exercise they've attempted in at least a decade. Marines have been fighting wars in landlocked countries like Iraq and Afghanistan for years, and many have never even set foot on a Navy ship. That's of particular concern as the military shifts its strategic focus toward the coastal regions of the Middle East, such as Iran, and the Pacific, where North Korea and China are drawing increasing attention from the U.S.
"Sooner or later, the nation is going to require a sizeable force to go somewhere where folks don't want us to go. So, no, the image is not Iwo Jima, Tarawa and so forth, but nevertheless, when we go to shore someplace where we're not wanted ashore, we have to be ready to defend force to accomplish the mission and then to sustain the force once it's ashore," said Brig. Gen. Christopher Owens, deputy commanding general of 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force.
About 3,500 Marines made landfall on the beaches near Camp Lejeune, N.C., and Virginia Beach beginning Monday, days before an aerial assault and insertion of Marines launched from sea is made on Fort Pickett in Virginia.
About 6:30 p.m. Monday, between 120 and 150 Marines traveled by landing hovercraft from the USS New York - an amphibious landing dock ship - to the cold shores of Fort Story, a military base along Virginia Beach hidden away from nearby high-rise resorts.
After unloading equipment about an hour and a half later, they made their way about 2.5 miles to raid a mock village playing host to a terrorist training camp. The Marines were receiving reconnaissance from about 10 of their brethren who had been hiding out undetected for the past few days gathering intelligence after swimming ashore.
Suddenly, among the wooden darkness, gunfire, pyrotechnics and shouting filled the bitter air as about 50 Marines entered the camp. Helicopters circled low overhead and light armored vehicles neared the village to tend to any wounded and clear the site.
Once clear, "killed" enemy combatants were searched for intelligence, civilians were moved to a secure location and the Marines blew up a booby-trapped weapons cache before returning to the beach and to their ship - all within four hours.
The raid was operated at night to simulate typical conditions in which such raids are made.


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Our Bureau
Mumbai, July 26
Morarjee Textiles Ltd has reported an 42.67 per cent rise in profit after tax for the first quarter ended June 30, 2006 at Rs 2.24 crore against Rs 1.57 crore in the corresponding quarter last year. Mr Harsh Piramal, executive Vice-Chairman, Morarjee Textiles, said, "The profit is basically the result of a weaving capacity expansion we undertook last year. This is the first full year that this revenue has come in."
XThese are links to The Hindu Business Line suggested by Outbrain, which may or may not be relevant to the other content on this page. You can read Outbrain's privacy and cookie policy here.


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How to: Host a Community Event
ROSE Blog: Rikki's Open Source Exchange
PHP Women's LornaJane Mitchell is writing a series of blog posts about hosting events. In part 1, she offers tips for preparing for your event. Part 2, posted today, provides practical advice for handling the day of the event. She says, "Most of all, remember that if your guests have the impression that the event is going smoothly, then it probably is! As an organiser you see all the small behind-the-scenes crises, but if they are invisible to the average attendee, then you're doing really well." Check back on her blog for Part 3 in her event series.
In 2008, we also ran an article by Emma Jane Hogbin about organizing events. In that article, Emma shared her advice for event hosting and included examples from her experience organizing the HICK Tech event.
getting startedUmar,
Maybe you could start by organizing a small meetup at a coffee shop? I know our local meetups are a great way to meet people and network. Sometimes they are organized in advance, other days it's more spontaneous and people meet over lunch.
how to host a community eventI wish i knew how to host a community event, I really want Linux and FOSS taking off in the North of England and in Pakistan. I know in Pakistan is very behind in adaption of FOSS considering their weak economy and for some reason all technical jobs are going South instead so the North has become stagnant in IT market. (excuses I guess, I know how to make them at least)
Issue 175/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
Code.org and College Board Team Reach Out for Talented High School Coders
New partnership will bring more and better CS training to US schools
A Peek Inside TeslaCrypt Ransomware
Criminals offer online help over Tor network
Mumblehard Still Spams
Sophisticated malware is still present on Joomla and WordPress sites around the world.
Launchpad Gets Git
Future versions of Ubuntu's code service will support the popular Git version control system used with Linux and other open source projects.
AMD Posts Code for Linux GPU Driver
New release marks the arrival of AMD's unified driver strategy.
30 Percent of New Server Equipment Goes to Cloud Infrastructure
A new study by IDC charts big changes in the big hardware market.
Windows Might Go Open Source
Azure CTO says Redmond has already considered the unthinkable.
Linux Mint Will Stay with Ubuntu
Lead developer quells rumors that the Debian version is slated for center stage.
Microsoft Frees Code for .NET Build Engine
MSBuild is now just another GitHub project as Redmond continues its path to the light.
Researchers Demonstrate Hack by Heat
Malware could pass data and commands between disconnected computers without leaving a trace on the network.


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Mellow yellow is a locally born boutique created by the talented owner/designer 'Meesook' that was opened in 2010. Mellow yellow has most unique and fashionable cloths and accessories. We are laced with handcrafted jewelries by artists around the world, latest fashions from runways of New York to Paris, designer handbags, and scarves and hats that are un-parrell to any other. What separate us from others is not only delightfully unique style and highest quality, but also amazingly affordable prices you will love. You will feel good and fair in our offering. As Giorgio Armani quoted, The difference between style and fashion is quality…and at mellow yellow this is what you get!
Introducing "Birth Month Club"
Join our Birth Month Club to receive exclusive FREE coupons just for you. Just send us an email to firstname.lastname@example.com with your birth month.
As you may know already, we do not send lots of email, only 10 times a year, other than the Birth Month Club coupon. So, join us and save!
We are re-locating to Northern Virginia and will announce the location soon. Thank you for the patronage in the past.
Hope you visit us when you are in our neighbor in the future. Thank you, friends!!


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" With a fine steakhouse, exceptional service, casual lunch, top shelf scotch, and Dueling Piano show ... the BrickYard is a place with multiple personalities! "
Make your Mother's Day Brunch reservations now reservation times begin at 9:30 am until 2:00 pm.
Dueling Pianos
Featuring Local Players, Brews, Spirits and Food
Every Friday and Saturday night the BrickYard hosts "Dueling Pianos" starting at 10:00pm. The show is an all request sing along, dance, laugh and an all around great time. And, ask about our nightly $3.00 draft beer rotator running from 10:0pm until close. Now that's a deal!
Brickyard Music
This weekend sceduled to play Friday April 17th, & Saturday April 18th featuring dueling pianos with Jason Buckalew, Lacey Troutman and on the drums (& Vocals), AdamTroutman, playing all requests starting at 10pm.
For an extended music calendar and ticket information on upcoming events, follow us on Facebook!


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RE: Cheap accommodation in Swansea
Anywhere selling accomodation for £15 to £20 a night would not advertise on the Internet as prices normally start from around £25 or £30 a night.
Youth hostels are your best bet but these usually allow you to stay for a short time, not a month.
Telephone the tourist office in Swansea and see if they can help. Failing that, when you arrive in Swansea, take a walk down the sea front road (Mumbles Rd) where there are many guest houses and small hotels.
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INL Invention Could Aid Mars Probes' Search for Life
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho, May 24 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Future Mars rovers could have smaller, cheaper and more sensitive life-detecting instruments, thanks to a new invention by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Idaho National Laboratory.
The INL team has found a new way to generate complex electric fields, which will make it easier to direct ions, or charged particles, along specified paths. The researchers just filed a patent application for their Total Ion Control method, a key advance in the field of mass spectrometry. TIC-based equipment could make the Mars Organic Molecule Analyzer (MOMA) — part of the ExoMars mission scheduled for launch in 2018 — a better life-detecting tool.
"This is a novel way to shape electric fields for moving ions around," said INL engineer and TIC co-inventor Tim McJunkin. "It can improve MOMA, and it could improve commercial instruments."
MOMA, a mass spectrometer, will vaporize and ionize Martian dirt with a laser. The charged particles will flow through an inlet, down a channel and into a trap, where MOMA will scan them for signs of life like amino acids.
To get ions into the trap, most mass spectrometers rely heavily on air flow created by pumps. This system isn't ideal for Mars missions, though; pumps are heavy and energy-hungry.
TIC technology could assist MOMA. TIC-based inlets generate intricate electric fields that efficiently guide ions into the trap, greatly reducing the need for pumps.
Several other technologies attempt to do the same thing, but INL's invention boasts many advantages. First, TIC-based inlets should be cheaper and more robust, because they're simpler to construct and have fewer parts. Other devices that generate elaborate, complex fields tend to be elaborate and complex themselves. They have multiple, precisely configured electrodes, interspersed with insulators.
But TIC-based solutions use only a single electrode and don't need insulators. They can be made from many different semi-conducting materials. And the fields TIC inlets generate are incredibly flexible, so they can be incorporated into many spectrometer designs.
Space missions demand low-weight, low-power equipment; INL's invention hits that mark, too. TIC-based inlets weigh less than an ounce, and they require 100 milliwatts of power at most — 1,000 times less than a 100-watt light bulb.
TIC also delivers outstanding performance, shepherding 10 times as many ions into the trap as commercially available inlets do. Such efficiency is key to MOMA, since any signs of life in the Martian soil will likely be scarce, if they exist at all.
The INL researchers are talking to the U.S. MOMA team about incorporating the technology into MOMA. But the invention could also find many other applications, according to INL scientist and TIC co-inventor Jill Scott.
"This is an enabling technology," she said. "If you want to move ions around cheaply and robustly, and without much weight, this is the way to do it."
Read the full story at www.inl.gov. Follow @INL on Twitter, or visit our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/IdahoNationalLaboratory.
SOURCE Idaho National Laboratory


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August 24 2009, 10:48 PM
Lapis Exilis
Rear Admiral
Location: Underground
Re: True Blood-Freaky porno
LeahBoBo wrote:
I don't have HBO so I can't check out True Blood anymore. But honestly, when I had it, I wasn't a real big fan of the show.
I've tried to watch it a couple of times, and enjoyed the Sookie Stackhouse book that I read. I wish the show had more of the sensibility of the opening credit sequence, which is fantastic. Unfortunately the show itself is way too campy for my tastes. It lost me round about episode three when Sookie shows up at Bill's house for the first time and three vamps come to the door posing and hissing, you know, 'cause they're eeeeeviiilllll!
Don't try to win over the haters; you're not the jackass whisperer. - Scott Straten
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Identification of functional cis-regulatory elements by sequential enrichment from a randomized synthetic DNA library
1 Department of Plant Microbe Interaction, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linne-Weg 10, Cologne 50829, Germany
2 Mass Spectrometry Group, Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research, Carl-von-Linne-Weg 10, Cologne 50829, Germany
3 Current address: INRES - Crop Bioinformatics, Universität Bonn, Katzenburgweg 2, Bonn 53115, Germany
BMC Plant Biology 2013, 13:164 doi:10.1186/1471-2229-13-164Published: 18 October 2013
The identification of endogenous cis-regulatory DNA elements (CREs) responsive to endogenous and environmental cues is important for studying gene regulation and for biotechnological applications but is labor and time intensive. Alternatively, by taking a synthetic biology approach small specific DNA binding sites tailored to the needs of the scientist can be generated and rapidly identified.
Here we report a novel approach to identify stimulus-responsive synthetic CREs (SynCREs) from an unbiased random synthetic element (SynE) library. Functional SynCREs were isolated by screening the SynE libray for elements mediating transcriptional activity in plant protoplasts. Responsive elements were chromatin immunoprecipitated by targeting the active Ser-5 phosphorylated RNA polymerase II CTD (Pol II ChIP). Using sequential enrichment, deep sequencing and a bioinformatics pipeline, candidate responsive SynCREs were identified within a pool of constitutively active DNA elements and further validated. These included bonafide biotic/abiotic stress-responsive motifs along with novel SynCREs. We tested several SynCREs in Arabidopsis and confirmed their response to biotic stimuli.
Successful isolation of synthetic stress-responsive elements from our screen illustrates the power of the described methodology. This approach can be applied to any transfectable eukaryotic system since it exploits a universal feature of the eukaryotic Pol II.


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Mending a broken hearth
When it comes to minor damage, fixing up your tiles is easy
Amidst the orderly geometry of a field of ceramic tiles, just one damaged square can stand out like a sore thumb, immediately drawing eyes to its imperfect existence. And unlike drywall or solid wood — which everybody knows can be filled, patched, and sanded to erase signs of damage — there is a mystery to tile repair that keeps it off weekend warrior to-do lists. Some jobs should be left to the experts: If damage is extensive, like a fault-line crack that runs across a whole floor or an entire wall of bathroom tiles dropping by the dozen, you've got underlying structural troubles that may need the attention of a professional. But more common minor damage, such as that crack that appeared when you dropped a big chunk of maple on the tiles under the wood stove, is easily remedied.
1. Start by removing the grout from the perimeter of the repair area using a grout saw (available at hardware stores), a utility knife, a masonry chisel, or even a hacksaw blade. The idea is to isolate the repair from the rest of the tiles so they won't be disturbed by what comes next. With a hammer and masonry chisel, chip out the broken tiles; you want to remove the bad tiles without transmitting the force of the blows to surrounding good ones. Once you get the tiles up, you'll expose the setting adhesive, either organic mastic (which looks like hardened beige glue) or thin-set mortar (which looks like, well, mortar). Again, use chisels or scrapers or anything it takes to get down to the substrate, which might be concrete, plywood, or cement backer board. When every speck of old grout and adhesive has been scrupulously removed, vacuum thoroughly.
2. It's important that your repair use the same type of adhesive as the original, or the new tiles may not sit flush with the old ones. Organic mastic is a premixed adhesive, usually sold in a can. Thin-set, a generic term for setting mortars, is usually sold in a bag, and mixed with water before use, but many stores now carry premixed thin-sets, convenient for small repairs.
3. Following the manufacturer's recommendations, apply adhesive to the substrate using a flat trowel, then "comb" the adhesive with a notched trowel. (The U- or V-shaped notches in the trowel ensure that just the right thickness of adhesive is applied.) Set the tiles, pressing them down firmly or tapping with a rubber mallet; for a good bond, you want to see a bit of adhesive squeezing out from around the tile edges. Once the adhesive has set for a few minutes, remove any excess from both the face of the tile and from the grout joints in between (a utility knife works well for the joints). It's important to do this before the adhesive has fully cured or it will be very difficult to remove.
4. Next day, to grout. If your joints are in the neighbourhood of 1⁄8″, use plain or "unsanded" grout. Wider joints require "sanded" grout, which has more strength over a wider span. In either case, look for grout labelled "polymer modified," which indicates it has additives to make it more flexible and resistant to fading and moisture.
5. Mix up a batch of grout according to directions until it reaches a spreadable consistency, then let it rest, or "slake," for a few minutes to allow it time to fully absorb all the water. Then remix. If it's too dry, add a bit more liquid, but don't overdo it. Dump a pile of grout over your repair, then use a rubber-soled grout float to spread the grout and work it into the joints. Holding the float at about 30˚ to the surface, pack the joints full and tight. When they're nicely filled, hold the float at right angles to the surface and scrape off the excess, working diagonally so you don't end up stripping grout from the joints. There will still be grout smeared over the surface of the tiles — leave it be for now.
6. After the grout has set for 10–15 minutes, clean the surface of the tiles with water and a sponge (you can pick up scratchy sponges made for just this purpose). The sponge should be very damp, but not dripping. Work it around, rinsing it in a bucket, until your tiles are shiny clean. If the original tiles were protected with a sealer, apply it to the repair, and you're done. Let the repair cure for at least 24 hours before dancing, showering, or filleting fish and it will be better than new. But no more splitting kindling on that fireplace hearth. And absolutely no boat anchors in the bathroom.
This article was originally published on April 1, 2005
No comments


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The St. Marys Area Flying Dutch basketball team advanced to the District 9 Class AAA championship game by defeating the Clearfield Bisons by a 50-23 score last night at the SMAHS Dutch Oven.
The Dutchmen will meet the Bradford Owls at a time and site to be announced by the District 9 basketball committee. Bradford edged the Punxsutawney Chucks by a 41-38 score in overtime. That game was played at Punxsutawney.
KANE - The Lady Crusaders of Elk County Catholic played an excellent game on Thursday night as they came up with a 59-46 victory over the Lady Wolves of Kane Area High in the District 9-A quarterfinals held at the Wolves' Den in Kane.
The Lady Crusaders never trailed in the ball game as they went out to a 6-0 lead early in the game and then held on for the victory. Three times during the game the Lady Wolves cut the Elk Catholic lead to one or two points, but each time the Lady Crusaders regrouped and pushed the lead back up to five or six points.


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YADKINVILLE — A South Carolina man was charged last week in a child sex abuse case in Yadkin County.
Augustin Perez Jr., 22, of Blackville, South Carolina, was arrested by the Yadkin County Sheriff's Office last Thursday and charged with one felony count of first-degree sexual offense, one felony count of indecent liberties with a child and one felony count of second-degree sexual offense. He was given a $300,000 secured bond.
In November 2012, the sheriff's office received a report from a family in Yadkin County that a close family friend, who was living in Yadkin County, had victimized their child. After an investigation, warrants were taken out for Perez.
His location at the time was unknown. He was subsequently located in South Carolina and brought back to Yadkin County.


text: over penetration [Archive] - Glock Talk Glock Talk > Go Ask The Expert Forums > GATE Self-Defense Forum > over penetration PDA View Full Version : over penetration jkm06-20-2011, 16:04Do you know of any case where a round over penetrated its target, passed thru, and then struck someone? Thanks....Jeff Mas Ayoob06-20-2011, 21:16Yep. A while back, in my "Self Defense and the Law" column in Combat Handguns magazine, I documented 25 cases of people wounded or killed by over-penetrating bullets that went through and through the intended human target and hit an innocent person who didn't deserve to be shot.l That was just the tip of the iceberg. This is the single main reason why our society allowed cops to switch almost 100% to "controlled expansion bullets" (read: hollow points) that were designed to open up and stay in the intended target, as best as would be possible in the almost infinitely variable circumstances of a gunfight. best, Mas jkm06-20-2011, 22:10MA - Thanks very much for the response. ...Jeff vBulletin® v3.8.7, Copyright ©2000-2015, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.


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U.S. panel says agency should cut levels slowly over next decade to protect public health
TUESDAY, April 20 (HealthDay News) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration should take steps to lower the amount of salt in the American diet over the next decade, an expert panel advised Tuesday.
In a report from the Institute of Medicine, an independent agency created by Congress to research and advise the federal government on public health issues, the panel recommended that the FDA slowly but surely cut back the levels of salt that manufacturers typically add to foods.
"Reducing American's excessive sodium consumption requires establishing new federal standards for the amount of salt that food manufacturers, restaurants and food service companies can add to their products," a news release from the National Academy of Sciences stated.
The plan is for the FDA to "gradually step down the maximum amount of salt that can be added to foods, beverages and meals through a series of incremental reductions," the statement said. "The goal is not to ban salt, but rather to bring the amount of sodium in the average American's diet below levels associated with the risk of hypertension [high blood pressure], heart disease and stroke, and to do so in a gradual way that will assure that food remains flavorful to the consumer."
FDA insiders have said that the agency will indeed heed the panel's recommendations, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.
The Salt Institute, an industry group, reacted to the news with shock. "Public pressure and politics have trumped science," said Morton Satin, technical director of the institute.
"There is evidence on both sides of the issue, as much against population-wide salt reduction as for it," Satin said. "People who are equally well-known in hypertension are arguing on both sides of the issue."
But Dr. Jane E. Henney, chairwoman of the committee that wrote
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All rights reserved


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2015 Festival of Trees
"It's a wonderful life"
November 27 - December 2, 2015
The 2015 Festival plans are underway. More information to come soon.
The Friends of Hospice
Since 1986, the Friends of Hospice has carried out its mission to raise funds for Talbot Hospice Foundation by sponsoring the annual Festival of Trees. This event continues be immensely successful and is made possible through the work of hundreds of volunteers. The Festival annually assists with Hospice's operating budget which benefits terminally ill people living in Talbot County.
The Friends of Hospice has donated over 2.8 million dollars to the Talbot Hospice Foundation all generated from the Annual Festival of Trees event.
Each year for the past 30 years, a group of dedicated volunteers
has produced an incredible community event:
The Festival of Trees
The Festival kicks off our holiday season with something for everyone.
Decorated trees, dancing, shopping, carolers,
and even a walk/run the day after Thanksgiving.
Learn how to become a Sponsor of the 2014 Festival of Trees.
Dinner at The Crab Claw
A very special thank you to Sylvia Jones and Tracey Jones-Wass for another wonderful Dinner at the Crab Claw to benefit The Talbot Hospice Foundation. Patrons enjoyed a delicious dinner, presented by their wonderful staff, with all proceeds benefiting The Talbot Hospice Foundation.
This year, co-owner Ms Jones-Wass, Wayne Bridges General Manager and Justin Gordy, Assistant Manager, presented a check for $6,900.38 proceeds donated from the Crab Claw Restaurant to The Festival of Trees to benefit The Talbot Hospice Foundation.
The Crab Claw has donated $71,850 since 2001 to the Festival of Trees, all in support of The Talbot Hospice Foundation.
Join us next year in helping them celebrate their 50th year in business.
All proceeds from the Festival of Trees directly benefit the Talbot Hospice Foundation.
For more information about the Festival of Trees, we invite you to Discover the Festival of Trees.
For more information about the Festival of Trees, we invite you to Discover the Festival of Trees.


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Cheap CPH to Iqaluit flights
Popular Flights from Copenhagen, Denmark
Top Copenhagen Flights to US Destinations
Top Copenhagen International Destinations
Popular Flights from Iqaluit, Nunavut
Top Iqaluit Flights to US Destinations
Top Iqaluit International Destinations
CPH to YFB Route Map
Copenhagen to Iqaluit Flights, Stats and Airplanes
Route information for flights from Kastrup to Iqaluit NU.
2,686.79 miles
CPH - Kastrup Airlines
Browse the most popular airlines servicing the Copenhagen (CPH) airport. Visit their flights pages to learn more about the most popular routes these carriers fly.


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Originally written on Waiting For Next Year | Last updated 11/16/14
Following last night's win against the Cavaliers, All-Star center Al Horford was very flattering of the opponent's fans. Cleveland fans are great! Very impressed with the way they support their team. — Al Horford (@Al_Horford) December 29, 2012 Horford was teammates at the University of Florida for two seasons with another center in the association who's not quite so fond of the city or its fans. The Cavaliers, despite the third-worst record in the league are currently averaging just under 17,000 fans per game, good enough for 18th in the league, ahead of Atlanta's 25th-ranked fans by nearly 2,500 fans per night. The team was celebrating "Anderson Varejao Wig Night" last night, which may have helped the turnout.
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From quiz shows to reality TV, Siddhartha Basu has come a long way
Laughing aloud, Anita Kaul Basu draws an interesting analogy between them (she and her hubby Siddhartha Basu) and millions of people who every year head to the Gulf countries to work. Well, the Gulf in this case is Mumbai — the hub of the entertainment industry — where the TV world's power couple has recently moved to since they merged with Adlabs Films — a Reliance ADA Group company — and got rechristened as BIG Synergy (Synergy Adlabs Media) from Synergy Communications. "Mumbai is very work-centric. I feel like a Gulf-returnee when I am in Delhi," says Anita, the Managing Director of BIG Synergy. Mumbai means work, and Delhi — where the duo has a beautiful house in Sainik Farms and an office in Zamrudpur — is home. For somebody like Siddhartha and Anita who have spent a good part of their life in Delhi and loved it, making such comparisons is natural.
Before Siddhartha became a big name in the area of non-fiction programming in the TV industry, it was here that he studied, did theatre with Barry John, romanced Anita, married her and finally started Synergy, a TV production company which took TV quizzing to another level altogether. There was the unforgettable "Quiz Time" on Doordarshan, "Spectrum", "The IndiaQuiz" "Mastermind India", "University Challenge" on BBC World and many more that Siddhartha says were produced out of Delhi, adding that something as huge as "Kaun Banega Crorepati" — which brought the Big B onto the small screen for the first time and changed Siddhartha's fortunes — was also done here. "We still roll out shows like "Khelo Jeeto Jiyo" and "Aap Ki Kachehri (AKK)" from here. Our entire content and research team is in Delhi because it is easy to find people with that background here rather than in Mumbai," says Siddhartha, the Chief Managing Director of the company.
Reality shows
His appreciation of academics, knowledge, research and content is understandable. After all, Siddhartha gave a new spin to the television quiz shows and thus came to be known as the father of television quiz shows in India. Explaining his departure from such an intellectual exercise to shows like "Sach Ka Saamna (SKS)" "Dus Ka Dum (DKD)" that run high on commercialism and reveal human fallacies, Siddhartha says, "We got stereotyped there. The SKS is an accurate reflection of what's going on in real life and that's dealt with compassion. You allow people to tell their stories. You decide how far you want to go with the truth. People are concentrating on sex questions but that's just a small part of it. In any case, people know of the questions beforehand. The biggest thing about reality shows is how do you deal with them? We deal it with fidelity. There is fidelity to research and quality of content. In AKK, drama is intrinsic to it and it has both conflict and resolution."
Siddhartha is particularly proud of "India's Got Talent", a talent hunt show inspired from the famous U.K. show "Britain's Got Talent", aiming to give a platform to the untapped talent in various parts of India. "It had a sense of India. Most importantly, it wasn't contrived. Isko gaali do, usse lado, all this wasn't there. You know, the Orissa-based Prince Dance Group which won the show had painted themselves blue for the act because they didn't have money for the costume. It was a real celebration of India," explains the erstwhile quiz master.
But does he borrow from his experience as a quiz master at times to guide the celebrities who host these reality shows like "KBC", "Kya Aap Panchvi Paas Se Tez Hain", "DKD"? "Yes, we are hands-on producers. We are involved with everything. Salman is not a conventional host. He is most uncomfortable with anything that has to be memorised but he has a great connect with people and a good sense of humour," says Siddhartha, defending the level of questions asked on DKD by saying that they are to do with values and habits of people.
The man. who can be given the credit for redefining the television viewing in India, misses Delhi amidst all this. "You don't see the sky in Mumbai. There are no seasons. It's a little bit of an island culture in Mumbai. In Delhi there is a thriving university culture. People are not so insecure here."
Siddhartha Trivia
Siddhartha did his early schooling from Besant Montessori, Cathedral in Bombay and later moved to Frank Anthony in Delhi.
He is an English literature graduate from St. Stephen's college and postgraduate in the same subject from Arts Faculty, Delhi University.
In his college days, he formed a group with Barry John called TAG (Theatre Action Group). Lilette Dubey, Mira Nair and Pamela Rooks were part of it.
He even tried to make a living out of it and stayed for a year in Kolkata but that didn't work out.
At that time, St. Stephen's used to be a boys' college and the women actors were imported from the neighbouring colleges. For a play called "The Serpent" Mira Nair recommended Anita Kaul Basu who was her junior in Miranda House then, to Siddhartha. That's how the two met.
Siddhartha's career in television began in 1977 as a documentary filmmaker.
Starting with "Quiz Time" on the DD network, he moved on to host and produce "Spectrum", the 7 nation SAARC Quiz, "The IndiaQuiz" and "The Beanstalk Quiz Summit" (On DD), "Mastermind India", "University Challenge" on BBC World, and "India's Child Genius" on STAR World.
He started Synergy in 1988.
Next on his radar is fiction programming.
Keywords: Siddhartha Basu, Anita Kaul Basu, KBC, Mastermind India, Beanstalk Summit, quiz


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PASSUR(R) Aerospace Reports Revenue Increase of 51% for First Quarter FY2011
STAMFORD, Conn., March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. (OTC Bulletin Board: PSSR), a business intelligence software and solutions company, reported a revenue increase of 51% to $3,510,000 for the quarter ended January 31, 2011, compared to revenue of $2,323,000 in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year. Income from operations increased approximately 70% to $661,000, compared to $389,000 in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year. Net income was $310,000 or $.06 per diluted share, compared to $25,000 or $.00 per diluted share in the same quarter of the previous fiscal year.
"Our year-over-year increase reflected growth across all markets," said Jim Barry, President & CEO of PASSUR Aerospace. "We closed a major contract with the U.S. Government (the FAA and the TSA), introduced the PASSUR Departure Metering Program, an entirely new way of managing departures with direct applications to NextGen, and executed on several large contracts with our expanded professional services program. We are pleased with our results, but have a long way to go to meet our own high expectations. Aviation remains a challenging environment, and we will continue to invest in our important mission of providing business analytics to help the industry reduce costs, improve operating efficiencies, and enhance the flying experience."
"We've made significant investments in the Company and they are paying off. We have built what we believe to be the largest commercial air traffic surveillance network in the world, and the value of that network, combined with the suite of business intelligence solutions we have created, have helped to deliver the 51% sales increase – confirming that our strategy is working," said G.S. Beckwith Gilbert, PASSUR Aerospace's Chairman of the Board.
About PASSUR Aerospace
PASSUR Aerospace, Inc. is a business intelligence company which provides predictive analytics built on proprietary algorithms and on the concurrent integration and simultaneous mining of multiple databases. We believe we provide the industry standard in business intelligence dashboards and predictive analytics for aviation organizations. PASSUR serves dozens of airlines (including 5 of the top 6 North American airlines, and all 5 of the top hub carriers), more than 50 airport customers (including 22 of the top 30 North American airports), approximately 200 corporate aviation customers, as well as the U.S. Government, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). PASSUR's system is driven by proprietary, patented, business intelligence software, which is powered by a unique North American network of 154 passive radars, company-owned, with a radar covering 98 of the top100 North American airports. Other PASSURs are located in Europe and Asia. Flight tracks are updated every 4.6 seconds, thereby providing a system which is user friendly and useful for decision-making.
Visit PASSUR Aerospace's website at http://www.passur.com for updated products, solutions, and PASSUR news.
The forward-looking statements in this press release relating to management's expectations and beliefs are based on preliminary information and management assumptions. Such forward-looking statements are subject to a wide range of risks and uncertainties that could cause results to differ in material respects, including those related to customer needs, budgetary constraints, competitive pressures, the success of airline trials, the profitable use of the Company's owned PASSURs located at major airports, the Company's maintenance of above average quality of its product and services, as well as potential regulatory changes. Further information regarding factors that could affect the Company's results is contained in the Company's SEC filings, including the October 31, 2010 Form 10-K and January 31, 2011 Form 10-Q.
Contact: James T. Barry President & CEO (203) 622-4086 email@example.com
SOURCE PASSUR Aerospace, Inc.


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This week the English ensemble "Alamire", directed by David Skinner will again be featured on In the Mode, this time with music by Josquin. Skinner writes that Josquin Desprez is widely recognized as the greatest of the Renaissance master musicians who became and iconic figure whose art captivated musicians and scholars for centuries. We'll hear some of his earliest chansons and motets. A Fresno native, David Skinner graduated from McLane High School and from CSUF. He then moved to the UK, getting his masters in music from Edinburgh University and in 1995 gained his doctorate from Oxford, and now researches and reconstructs early music where parts have been lost.
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transport, or terrorist acts, agents must move with indoor aerosols, wastewater, or solid waste streams before they potentially impact internal occupational receptors and/or progress to the outdoor environment at large. Following media transport paradigms commonly employed by industrial hygienists and environmental engineers, each route—airborne, wastewater, and solids—is isolated and analyzed by the EIS, from a routine, but limited facilities design perspective.
With respect to protecting biological indoor air quality as well as the immediate outdoor air quality, the committee finds the following key design parameters and mechanical heat, ventilation, and air conditioning redundancies in accordance with or exceeding guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American National Standards Institute and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (ANSI/AIHA 2003), and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH 1999, 2001) developed expressly for such high-exposure environments, specifically regarding: air exchange rates, vestive flow regimes, differential pressure systems, staged filtration, and protected heat transfer equipment. While special indoor air quality engineering features were presented in this context, the performance, reliability, and security concerning the operations and maintenance of indoor air quality systems were not addressed in the EIS or its associated hazard assessment. Such an analysis would include, but would not be limited to: special contextual confirmation of mixing and flow regimes using widely accepted tracer tests under multi-season heating/cooling scenarios; the confirmation of filter blow-by under both clean and ripe conditions (in addition to smoke testing); and periodic stress challenges of critical pressure-sensitive infrastructure (in addition to Magnehelic calibration).
Unlike the maintenance of indoor air quality, reliable inactivation of the capricious wastewater flows that contain potentially high concentrations of pathogenic agents relies on satellite in-situ laboratory pre-treatment prior to its transport and treatment in the building-centralized systems proposed under the USAMRIID expansion. With respect to treating comingled wastewater flows from the facility (apart from in-situ chemical pre-treatment), the committee finds key containment, transport, and design parameters in accordance with or exceeding the standards of the American Society of Microbiology (ASM 2007), CDC/NIH (2007), the American Public Health Association (APHA), the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), the American Water Works Association (AWWA), and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) (APHA/AWWA/ WEF 2005; ASCE/WEF 1992; WEF 1990, 1992, 1997), and guidelines written expressly for handling and treating combined wastewater flows containing discarded culture media and the biological fluids and sanitary sewage generated by USAMRIID's animal testing. While special engineering features were presented in this context, the performance, reliability, and security concerning the operations and maintenance of USAMRIID's wastewater treatment and conveyance systems were not addressed in the EIS.
Like its wastewater counterpart, reliable inactivation of pathogenic agents entrained in or on solid materials leaving the USAMRIID laboratories (exclud-


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How to plan and create spectacular effects in Vue 6 xStream, such as a bird's-eye view of clouds or a cityscape.
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Posted on 2015-05-20As you gaze upon us from the perch of wisdom bequeathed unto you by the ninety years that have passed since your birth, and you see us sometimes wallowing in our folly; forgive us Brother Malcolm. You gave so much and taught so well, but, frequently, we have been unworthy recipients of your grace, unworthy students; forgive us Brother Malcolm. You were engulfed in the jungle of racist oppression, beating back the thickets and the thorns, braving the vipers and other hazards, miraculously pulling yourself out of the quicksand, just to make a road for us to traverse; and… Read More
Posted on 2015-05-08If we lived in sane times, we would be searching for the particular psychosis that afflicted the wretched souls who attempted to shoot up the asinine "Draw Muhammad" gathering in Garland, Texas. Unfortunately, there are plenty of deluded Muslims who will declare the shooters were "defending the honor of the Prophet (peace upon him)." Only someone divorced from reality can see an act which would take the lives of innocent people as defending the honor of the Prophet (peace upon him)? I ask anyone seeking their glorious three days of Tweeter or Face Book notoriety through a callous act of… Read More
Posted on 2015-05-03When we talk about Islamic education and our children, the discussion usually revolves around strictly academic issues related to technical aspects of curriculum development, testing standards and methodologies, balancing between secular and religious education, and similar concerns. Sometimes we miss the greater objective of an Islamic education. That objective, in terms of what is necessary for the immediate success of our children in this world, and their ultimate success in the next, is nurturing balanced, wholesome, honest human beings who live lives based on principle and who exemplify good character in their dealings with other people. The basis for… Read More
Posted on 2015-04-09This poem is based on Bob Dylan's song, "Only a Pawn in Their Game." Bullets from the back of a bush a dune or a mount Shells too numerous to count The hatred he cannot surmount And the religion he flaunts So blindly he aims No crime brings him shame Emotion has stolen his brain But he can't be blamed He's only a pawn in their game. An Arab of Asian Jihadi recruiter Admires his skill with a computer He's searching for justice to uproot her Or rape her… Read More
Posted on 2015-03-22As empty as the words of murderers masking gangster-like executions behind justifications ripped like raw flesh from the bones of the Holy Book. As empty as the words of a professional liar, as he glibly dismisses the political aspirations of a people rendered invisible behind the ghetto walls of their manufactured despair. As empty as the arguments positing Shiites and Sunnis have always been at each others' throat, so who needs to consider invasions and occupations, imperial strategy or energy politics when debating their self-destructive barbarism. As empty as the hearts of the gangsters and banksters and… Read More
Posted on 2015-03-20Mommy's Not Coming Home She merely step off the ill-fated bus, Her killer, In God, he did not trust, So ashes-to-ashes and dust-to-dust, Mommy's not coming home. Baba went to the mosque to pray, Not realizing he'd never see another day, A suicide murderer blew him away, What else is there left to say? Baba's not coming home. The girl lied down on her little bed, While visions of sugar plums danced in her head, Mama was deliberate in every word she read, Baba quietly nodded his head…… Read More
Posted on 2015-03-17"Muslim college received formal academic accreditation this past weekend, making it the first officially recognized Islamic institution of higher learning in the United States". By Jack Jenkins, March 10, 2015 On Sunday, Zaytuna College, a liberal-arts school based in Berkeley, California, announced that it was formally accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), one of the six official academic bodies responsible for the authorizing public and private colleges and universities in the United States. "Today, Zaytuna's accreditation roots this vision in a reality recognized within American higher education," Hamza Yusuf, president of the… Read More
Posted on 2015-03-15We're very excited to be joined by renowned scholar Imam Zaid Shakir for this month's episode. By Zaki Hasan and Parvez Ahmed, Oakland, CA. March 15, 2015 As a founding member of Zaytuna College, the first accredited Islamic college in the United States, Imam Zaid discuss the school's history and its mission, and then shares the amazing story of his own journey to Islam, in the process helping to add yet more layers to the ongoing tapestry of the American Muslim experience that we've been weaving together ever since our very first show. It's a fascinating conversation with one of… Read More
Posted on 2015-02-26When murder becomes an end, in and of itself, all principles are cast aside. The fact that the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ severely condemned Usama bin Zayd, when he killed a captive who had pronounced the Muslim Declaration of Faith (Shahadah), is meaningless to the shot-callers of ISIS when they decided to murder Abdur Rahman Kassig, a captive aid worker who had uttered the Shahadah. Where are we to place their actions in light of the Prophet's ﷺ condemnation of Usama? The mass murder of randomly kidnapped Coptic Christians by ISIS demands that we ask a similar question. Where do we… Read More
Posted on 2015-02-11As-Salaam Alaikum, Our condolences to the families of Deah Barakat, Yusor Abu Salha and her sister Razan, the three young Muslims who were murdered yesterday in North Carolina. May their entrance into Paradise be swift and sure, as is the case for the martyr. Many are complaining of the lack of media coverage around this event. The sad fact is that the mainstream media that recently brought us "I am Charlie" has no interest in humanizing Muslims. The deceased were too full of life and positive energy to meet the media-fueled stereotype of the evil, sneaky, not to… Read More
Posted on 2015-01-26From a rally in front of Dallas City Hall to an interfaith gathering inside a North Dallas church, hundreds of North Texans spent Sunday decrying terrorism — and denouncing those who blame the entire Islamic religion for the violent acts of an extremist few. By Brandon Formby and Claire Z. Cardona, Dallas TX, January 25, 2015 Staff Writers From a rally in front of Dallas City Hall to an interfaith gathering inside a North Dallas church, hundreds of North Texans spent Sunday decrying terrorism — and denouncing those who blame the entire Islamic religion for the violent acts of an… Read More
Posted on 2015-01-20Mockery: Behavior or speech that makes fun of someone or something in a hurtful way. Mockery of entire groups has effectively been criminalized in Western societies. One would think thrice before publicly mocking Jews, African Americans, homosexuals or many other groups. Yet when it comes to Muslims, all bets, and societal protections are off. To quote Yeats, "we traffic in mockery." From his moving poem, "Nineteen Hundred Nineteen": "Come let us mock at the great That had such burdens on the mind And toiled so hard and late To leave some monument behind, Nor thought of… Read More
Posted on 2015-01-13By Brian Stelter (CNN) It is a message of defiance, but also forgiveness—and many Muslims responded with similarly mixed emotions. It is a magazine cover depicting the Prophet Mohammed with a tear falling from his cheek, holding a sign that says, "Je suis Charlie," the slogan that became a worldwide meme. Above Mohammed are the words "All Is Forgiven." On Wednesday, two Muslim extremists attacked the offices of Charlie Hebdo, a French magazine with a history of mocking Mohammed. Twelve were killed, including several top editors, by two men with terrorist connections who said they were avenging… Read More
Posted on 2015-01-11Muslims are messengers of mercy to humanity. This message is being buried under the mountains of distortion and defamation being directed towards our community and the gasoline that some ignorant, misguided or devious Muslims are wittingly or unwittingly pouring on smoldering embers of hatred, fear and insecurity that some anti-Muslim forces are spreading here in the West. We are directly commissioned by our Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah upon him) to undertake this mission of mercy when he mentioned to a group of his companions: "You will not enter Paradise until you are merciful." Those assembled replied, "All of… Read More
Posted on 2015-01-03If you have been blessed to experience beauty this day or night, praise Allah! If you are in a cold climate yet have a warm home, praise Allah! If you have been blessed with good health, praise Allah! If you have ample resources or adequate wealth, praise Allah! If you have books to read and pens with which to write, praise Allah! If you have food each time that you open the fridge, praise Allah! If you have running water healthy and clear, praise Allah! If your loved ones are safe and… Read More


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Glenn Guilbeau / Gannett Louisiana
BATON ROUGE Ah, the NFL Draft is finally over. We can get on with the rest of our lives now.
It was fun and interesting beginning Thursday when it started not four months ago when the crazies started talking about it every day like drug addicts. Mel Kiper, Todd McShay, Mike Mayock go away now. Just go away.
The best thing about the NFL Draft is that it means the end of the mock drafts. Mock drafts can be fun much like fans filling out brackets for the NCAA Tournament, but brackets do not lead a sports cast for four months like mock drafts often do. And most people only do one bracket, and they do not do them until just before the NCAA Tournament actually starts.
Some of these draft 'experts' do two dozen or more mock drafts. That way they can get it right at least once. Kiper, McShay and Mayock, who thankfully only does one mock draft just before the draft, no doubt have informative relationships with NFL general managers and other league personnel, but that does not mean an accurate mock draft.
NFL GMs and coaches are extremely sneaky and dishonest about who they may or may not draft, which is understandable. They rarely tell one another what they're doing. They bring players in for workouts to throw other teams off. They sometimes do not bring the player they are really interested in for a workout to throw other teams off. The Saints did this with first round pick Brandin Cooks, who never even spoke to the Saints after late February and never visited the teams' facility. So why would NFL teams be up front with Kiper? Mayock said his top rated player was linebacker Khalil Mack of Buffalo. Four players were picked before him.
Mock drafts are a joke. Yes, they are extremely popular. But so is the Real Housewives of Atlanta. That does not make either worthwhile pursuits.
Some of these draft analysts are very good, though. Mayock is one of the best, but all of them go a little nuts as the draft gets closer. Listen to what Mayock said on the Dan Patrick Show Thursday before the draft:
'My gut tells me that both Bortles and Manziel get through that top eight,' he said.
Wrong. Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles went to Jacksonville with the third pick of the first round. So Mayock missed that one by at least six spots. He was right about Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel getting through the top eight, but he did not say Manziel would get through the top 20.
'And if they do, where do they land? And I think all hell's going to break loose tonight,' Mayock said. 'All I know is if he (Manziel) gets on the board when Dallas is picking, I just think it's going to be the best moment in the history of the draft. If one or both makes it through the first eight picks, it's going to be fun television.'
Wrong again. Manziel was available for Dallas with the 16th pick of the first round, but the Cowboys took offensive tackle Zack Martin of Notre Dame. Manziel did not get picked until the 22nd selection by Cleveland.
All hell is going to break loose? The best moment in the history of the draft? Gee, is Mayock working on some sort of TV ratings commission?
These guys like Mayock and Kiper and Lashay are all very smart and successful, but they need to devote their tremendous energy, knowledge and study habits to something more valuable than meaningless mocks. How about world peace?
The quote of the 2014 NFL Draft, though, goes to someone who saw it more up close and personal than most. Mark 'Guffa' Quinlivan, the uncle of former LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger, lived the draft with his sister's son. Mettenberger went from a projected second round pick on Monday to a sixth round pick on Saturday because of some fishy news stories about him having too much water in a urine test and a back condition. Mettenberger has no serious back issue and may well have not had any drugs in his system at the time of that test in February.
'The draft is such a game,' Quinlivan told Gannett Louisiana Saturday after Mettenberger was picked by Tennessee. 'These people on TV - nobody really knows how it's going to play out. Zach's agents were here Friday night. They didn't know what was going on either.'
The best moment in the history of the draft will not come until they move the draft up to March and end all mock drafts.