text:
International Student and Scholar Services
International Students and Scholar Services provides international education services, consulting assistance, programming activities, and advocacy leadership in support of the University's international education goals.
We help students, faculty and staff, academic departments and divisions, other campus units, and the administration to expand the international dimension in learning, teaching, research, creative activities, and service. We are located in room 214 on the second floor of MacMillan Hall on Miami University's Oxford, Ohio campus. Our staff are available to assist you from 8am-12pm and 1-5pm, Monday through Friday (7:30-4:30 during the summer).Please make an appointment to meet with an International Student Advisor or a Study Abroad Advisor by emailing an advisor or calling the office
|Online services for
international students,
scholars & staff


text:
Welcome to your latest chance to win a free Compassion tee shirt. This week our tee party headliner is this fashionable gem, the Compassion Fade Tee.
Visit the Compassion store to see the tee work its fade magic altogether in one image. And while there, it'd be okay if you liked it so much that you bought one.
But it's also okay if you just leave a comment letting us know you came to our tee party. That'll enter you into our drawing for the free tee shirt. We'll announce the winner next Monday, just like this:
Derek Chalfant is not a fan of fish, but he is the winner of last week's free tee shirt giveaway. Congratulations Derek.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Latest News
June 7, 2013
Free Community Library Cards are Among the Many Library Resources
The Portland Observer's Donovan M. Smith reports that "Concordia University's George R. White Library and Learning Center is a hub for both the northeast Portland campus and the adjacent Concordia Neighborhood" in the Wednesday, June 5 edition.
For more information, go to http://portlandobserver.com/news/2013/jun/04/open-neighborhood/.
May 21, 2013
June 9 Funds Raised to Fight HIV
Northeast United and The Portland Barefoot have teamed up again to present the 2013 Portland Barefoot 3 x 3 Tournament & World Soccer Festival www.portlandbarefootsoccer.com June 9 at Concordia University. Registration is full, however, all are welcome to enjoy the festival including African music, Timbers/Thorns exhibitions-autograph signing and photo ops, soccer carnival.
For more information, go to:
May 8, 2013
Come one, come all
We hope you'll join us for the following free, public, summertime events at Concordia University, 2811 N.E. Holman St. in Portland, unless otherwise noted. For a full list of events, visit www.cu-portland.edu/calendar.
June 4 - July 20 - Portland Artists and David Haidle Art Exhibition in Concordia University's George R. White Library & Learning Center. www.cu-portland.edu/library/events
May 6, 2013
Oregon's fastest growing university adds new degree options, continues to grow online
Oregon's fastest-growing university, Concordia University, awarded a total of 660 undergraduate and graduate degrees on Sat., May 4, 2013.
This year's commencement ceremonies at the Christian, liberal arts university in Portland, was the largest in the University's century-long history at an increase of 44 graduates, or nearly 10%. Concordia graduates span the university's 26 undergraduate majors and four graduate areas of study.


text:
Report as of 8 am, Map as of 1 pm.
There are 3 new detections up Tassajara creek. One at 2.6 miles up on the ridge or even slightly into the church creek valley and 2 at 3.5 miles up Tassajara creek. These were all detected last night around 10:35 pm by the Terra satellite.
There are 5 new detections over the Oriyoki watershed ridge. 2 at 3.6 miles away detected by the Aqua satellite at 2:55 am this morning and 3 at 3.9 to 4.0 miles away detected last night at around 10:35 pm. These are all more of less WSW from Tassajara.
There is only 1 new detection to the SW at a distance of about 9 miles.
There are several new detections in the Indian's 10.0 - 10.3 miles distant.
There are many (~12) new detections to the WNW at the extremes of the NW portion of the Basin Complex fire at distances ranging from 11 - 17 miles. None of which seem to be moving closer to Jamesburg.
« Previous Day | Next Day »
This map will be updated approximately once a day.
The U.S. Forest Service updates this data hourly. There are instructions on the Tassajara web site for how to see this information via Google Earth.


text:
Shipping Information Close
- United States
- International
Shipping is free with orders of $100 or more!
Estimate Shipping
Enter your destination to get a shipping estimate.
Play video
Raja String Bottom
Some women prefer swimwear separates because every woman's body varies in shape and size. A bikini separate allows you to buy a swimsuit top in size Large and a bottom in size Small. If you are small waisted but busty, for example, that is the best way to go, but if you are flat chested and curvier in the bottom, swimwear separates allow you to do the opposite. When a bikini runs small or is narrow in the rear, buying swimsuit separates allows you to choose your coverage preference. Many designer swimwear styles now come in separates because not all womens bodies are exactly proportioned, and that's not a bad thing. Find, buy, and shop swimwear separates from designers, swimsuit separates on sale, or bikini separates with ring, crochet, or hardware detailing.


text:
In December 2011, the IRS issued long-awaited temporary regulations on the treatment of tangible property repairs. On March 7, it issued two revenue procedures detailing how taxpayers may obtain IRS automatic consent to the accounting method changes required by the rules.
Rev. Proc. 2012-19 addresses repair and maintenance, materials and supplies, and related method changes resulting from the temporary regulations. Rev. Proc. 2012-20 addresses depreciation, disposition, and related method changes resulting from the temporary regulations.
Rev. Proc. 2012-19 separates the accounting method changes into the following categories:
Rev. Proc. 2012-20 establishes new automatic accounting method changes for:
Each of the above accounting method changes has separate detailed rules for implementing it. The changes share the requirement that the Form 3115, Application for Change in Accounting Method, be sent to the Ogden, Utah, office instead of the national office and the requirement to use a single form when making a concurrent automatic change.
The revenue procedures are effective for tax years beginning on or after Jan. 1, 2012.


text:
home men's leather goods flasks hunter flasks
Hunter flasks
6oz hunter flasks £17.50
10oz hunter flasks £29.50
Hunter flasks
Handmade in England the Kiki James hunter flasks are crafted from the finest stainless steel covered in our gorgeous English calf-hide leather. And each hunter flask comes with 2 or 4 stainless steel cups so you can share your favourite tipple with your friends. Imagine how popular youll be on those cold frosty days when you need something warming!


text:
SUBSCRIBEWe will NOT sell your email address to anybody!
One year manufacturer's warranty on most items. Click for details
Orders received by 12 EST usually ship next business day. Click for details
Return any item in new condition for a refund or exchange. Click for details
Airgun or airsoft gun need fixing? Looking for peace of mind with our 10-for-$10 test or to save time with 20-for-$20 service? Our full service tech and repair shop can help! Click for details
Free ground shipping for orders over $150! Click for details
Shipping restrictions by location Click for details
|Sort by:
|Most Popular
Air Arms Air Tank, Fits T200, S200 & CZ200 Air Rifles
Add to Cart
Add to Compare
Add to Wishlist
|About this product
Starting at $119.95
4.0 (1 review)
From: Air Arms
* Air Arms 122cc air reservoir * Quick fill connector * Fits T200, S200 & CZ200...
CheckoutSubtotal (USD):
does not include shipping and tax


text:
This Cupcake Stand from KidKraft is the perfect accessory to your child's play kitchen. With five deliciously decorated cupcakes, even you'll have a hard time resisting them!
- Two-tier cupcake stand
- 5 pretend cupcakes – mix and match the tops and bottoms to make your own color combinations
- Smart, sturdy construction
- Made of wood
- Quick and easy assembly – it will takes just minutes of your time to have this set ready!
- Packaged with detailed, step-by-step assembly instructions
Ages: 3 years & up
Gift wrap not available.


text:
Arsene Wenger insists Arsenal cannot regret selling Robin van Persie to Manchester United as he called on supporters to respect their former player at Emirates Stadium.
Rafael Benitez will not allow his Chelsea side to get complacent about making the Europa League final after seeing Tottenham come a cropper against Basel earlier in the month.
Andre Villas-Boas says he would love Tottenham to have Chelsea's fixture congestion.
Harry Redknapp claims Queen Park Rangers will not be forced to sell their key players this summer and does not expect a mass clear-out.
Andros Townsend and Adel Taarabt have been ruled out of QPR's visit to Reading at the weekend.
QPR boss Harry Redknapp expects a flood of loanees to return this summer - but Joey Barton is unlikely to be one of them.
Stanislav Manolev hopes to make his loan move to Fulham permanent in the summer.
Roberto Mancini insists his confidence has not been knocked by seeing Manchester City lose their Premier League title with five games left to play - but admits United had more 'attitude' than the Blues.
West Ham manager Sam Allardyce, who will face City on Saturday, reckons the Blues will always trail United while Sir Alex Ferguson is in charge at Old Trafford.
United and City will fight it out for Borussia Dortmund striker Robert Lewandowski, from under the noses of Bayern Munich.
Steven Pienaar insists finishing above Liverpool has not replaced Champions League qualification as Everton's priority this season.
Newcastle United youngster Massadio Haidara doesn't want another late show at Liverpool - which means getting the job done early.
Paolo Di Canio's points target for Sunderland is easy... just win all the games.
Rob Elliot's form between the sticks for Newcastle United has persuaded the club their goalkeeping unit is strong enough.
Alan Pardew has demanded consistency and clarity from the FA regarding how they hand out retrospective punishments.
Alfred N'Diaye has revealed he has been given a licence to roam as part of Paolo Di Canio's red-and-white revolution.
Former Dell star Robbie Slater is backing fellow Aussie Trent Sainsbury to sign for Southampton.
Peter Pannu signed a 'secret' £1.5 million deal to join Birmingham with club owner Carson Yeung - who later DOUBLED his pay without telling other directors.
Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has shrugged off the Paolo Di Canio effect and vowed not to get wound up by the maverick who replaced his managerial mentor, Martin O'Neill, at Sunderland.
West Brom midfielder Graham Dorrans has admitted his Hawthorns future still hinges on his first-team chances.
Wolves have confirmed plans to award Jody Craddock a testimonial. The club has lodged a formal request with the Football League to mark the 37-year-old defender's 10 years' service.
In lamenting what he considers to have been a "wasted season" for Leeds United, out-going chairman Ken Bates has revealed how the protracted takeover saga thwarted his plan to sack Neil Warnock last October.
Leeds United goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown plans to stay with the club next season, despite his first year at Elland Road denying him a single minute of league football.
Brian McDermott says he will talk players rather than budgets with Leeds United's board as he sets his plans for the transfer window in motion.
Norwich City's on-loan striker Kei Kamara intends to sign off with a bang in the final two games of his current deal.
Defender Ryan Bennett's FA charge over comments made on Twitter will not affect his chances of facing Stoke City in Saturday's Premier League encounter, manager Chris Hughton has confirmed.
Nigel Adkins wants his Reading players to prove their worth before he decides if they have a future at the club.
Swansea are being linked with a move for Sevilla and Spain striker Alvaro Negredo. The 27-year-old is valued at around £15 million, with the likes of Tottenham, Everton and Borussia Dortmund reportedly among the clubs tracking his progress.
Ashley Williams has boosted Swansea City by insisting he knows nothing about links with Liverpool and Arsenal, and declared: "I don't know where they get the stories from."
Tony Pulis has revealed that his Stoke future - and the future direction of the club - will be decided at a scheduled summit meeting with the Coates family at the end of the season.
Australian defender Trent Sainsbury is on Wanderers' radar this summer but Dougie Freedman says reports the club have agreed a fee for the Central Coast Mariners star are premature.
Danny Murphy says he would be happy to stay at Blackburn Rovers next season if a sensible decision is made on the club's next manager.
Blackburn Rovers are due back in court today for an expected resolution to Henning Berg's compensation claim against the club.
Middlesbrough's players face a day of reckoning with Tony Mowbray at the end of the season. What's been a disappointing campaign comes to a close on May 4 at Sheffield Wednesday and, 48 hours after that match, the manager will hold one-to-one briefings with his entire first-team squad.
Dave Jones is urging his Sheffield Wednesday players to stay calm on what could be the decisive weekend in their survival battle.
Neil Lennon is adamant Celtic won't break the bank this summer - in case a spending spree wrecks their dressing room spirit.
Rangers' Andy Little has admitted the off-field turmoil at the Ibrox club has started to impact upon the players.
Imran Ahmad is almost certain to leave Rangers after an internal probe implicated the director in a series of rants published online condemning senior club figures, including Walter Smith and Ally McCoist.
Celtic are investigating the possibility of alcohol sales at Parkhead, more than 30 years after the practice was banned from Scottish stadiums.
The SRU has opened discussions with Rangers and Celtic over the staging a potential RaboDirect PRO12 final at Ibrox or Celtic Park.


text:
Our revolutionary 25mm tie-down system enables you to strap your bike onto your trailer and compress the forks, without scraping top yoke or fairing panels. The top strap features soft padding which passes over the top yoke, as well as handlebar guides, enabling you to route the ratchet straps away from the bike. Individual ratchet strap length: 72" (180cm) ** Part does not include top-strap ** 25mm Ratchet Straps ST0699 25mm Ratchet Straps ST0699
NB. 3D Products and Installation Guides may take a moment to load.
Product options and ordering information


text:
Computer Crime-Investigation of Internet Crimes
Class Code:
Subject Area:
- D - Digital Evidence
Class Location:
Class Description:
This 40-hour course is designed to provide investigators with the necessary training, skills, knowledge and practical experience to conduct on-line crime investigations. Instruction will also be provided on using the internet as an investigative tool including: internet protocols; LAN/WAN/GAN operations; e-mail tracing; and social networking sites as investigative resources. The course includes: Components of the internet; How the internet works; Laws relative to on-line investigations; Review of crimes committed on the Internet; E-mail and IP tracing; IRC, FTP, and Newsgroups; Overview of social networking sites, Detection and prevention of internet crimes
Teaching Methods:
Lecture, hands-on assignments and laboratory practice.
Students will understand crimes committed on the internet, use of the internet as an investigative tool, be able to conduct reactive and proactive investigations on the internet, and be able to use basic tools to gather evidence on the internet. Additionally, students will learn state and federal laws applicable to internet crimes and who to contact for additional resources to aid their investigations.
Students should be law enforcement personnel assigned to high technology crime investigation units, white collar crime units, fraud or forgery units, sex and vice crimes units. Additionally, any law enforcement officers with an interest in internet crime investigations may attend. Students should have the ability to effectively operate a computer in the Windows environment.
There is no cost to local law enforcement agencies. DOJ and local Crime Laboratory employees who qualify for this class must pay $1,229 for registration and materials.
Course Contact:
- Training officer Martin Balcazar at (916) 464-0460, FAX (916) 464-5818


text:
This invention is directed toward a process for reducing transfusion related complications in a recipient of an allogeneic blood transfusion by adding to the blood to be transfused a photosensitizer comprising riboflavin, irradiating the blood and riboflavin with light, transfusing the irradiated blood into a recipient, and reducing a transfusion related complication by the recipient to cells in the donor blood. The invention is also directed towards a process for preventing rejection of a donor organ by a recipient comprising the steps of transfusing the recipient of the donor organ with treated platelets; and transplanting the donor organ into the recipient.
1. A process for reducing transfusion related complications in a human recipient due to human donor cells that may be present in an allogeneic blood transfusion comprising the steps of:
adding to the blood to be transfused a photosensitizer consisting essentially of riboflavin at a concentration of 50 μM;
irradiating the blood and riboflavin with light at a wavelength between 290-370 nm for around 8 minutes to reduce transfusion related complications in the recipient caused by the donor cells;
wherein the transfusion related complications are alloimmunization, Transfusion Associated Graft vs. Host Disease (TA-GvHD) or microchimerism;
transfusing the irradiated blood into a recipient; and
reducing transfusion related complications in the recipient.
2. The process of
3. The process of
4. The process of
5. The process of
6. The process of
7. The process of
8. The process of
9. The process of
This invention claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/714,682 filed Sep. 7, 2005. This instant application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/648,536, filed Aug. 25, 2003, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 10/377,524 filed Feb. 28, 2003, which is a continuation of Ser. No. 09/586,147, filed Jun. 2, 2000, now abandoned.
This invention is directed to methods of preventing transfusion related complications in a recipient of allogeneic donor blood.
Whole blood collected from volunteer donors for transfusion into recipients is typically separated into components: red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, plasma and plasma proteins, using apheresis or other known methods. Each of these separated blood components may be stored individually for later use and are used to treat a multiplicity of specific conditions and disease states. For example, the red blood cell component is used to treat anemia, the concentrated platelet component is used to control bleeding, and the plasma protein component is used frequently as a source of Clotting Factor VIII for the treatment of hemophilia.
In cell separation procedures, there is unusually some small percentage of other types of cells which are carried over into a separated blood component. When contaminating cells are carried over into a separated component of cells in a high enough percentage to cause some undesired effect, the contaminating cells are considered to be undesirable. White blood cells, which may transmit infections such as HIV and CMV also cause other transfusion-related complications such as transfusion-associated Graft vs. Host Disease (TA-GVHD), alloimmunization and microchimerism.
TA-GVHD is a disease produced by the reaction of immunocompetent T lymphocytes of the donor that are histoincompatible with the cells of the recipient into which they have been transplanted. Recipients develop skin rashes, fever, diarrhea, weight loss, hepatosplenomegaly and aplasia of the bone marrow. The donor lymphocytes infiltrate the skin, gastrointestinal tract and liver. Three weeks following transfusion 84% of patients who develop TA-GVHD die.
Alloimmunization describes an immune response provoked in a recipient by an alloantigen from a donor of the same species. Alloantigens include blood group substances (A, B, O) on erythrocytes and histocompatibility antigens.
Chimerism, or microchimerism refers to the small numbers of donor cells found in the recipient's body outside the region of the organ transplant. It is believed that the presence of these cells may contribute to the long term development of autoimmune diseases in the transfusion recipient.
Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) markers are found on the cell membranes of many different cell types, including white blood cells. HLA is the major histocompatibility complex (MHC I) in humans, and contributes to the recognition of self v. non-self. Recognition by a transfusion recipient's immune system of differences in HLA antigens on the surface of the transfused cells may be the first step in the rejection of transplanted tissues. Therefore, the phenomena of alloimmunization of recipients against HLA markers on donor blood is a major problem in transfusion medicine today. This issue arises in recipients of blood products due to the generation of antibodies against white blood cell HLA antigens in donor blood by the recipient.
Platelets also contain low levels of these HLA antigens because they bud from a megakaryocyte cell (a form of white cell) located primarily in the bone marrow. When a recipient of a whole blood or blood component transfusion generates antibodies against the HLA antigens on the white blood cells of the donor blood cells, a consequence is that these antibodies also lead to recognition and clearance of platelets that carry this same marker. When this occurs, it becomes necessary to HLA match the donor and recipient in order to assure that the recipient receiving the transfusion is able to maintain an adequate number of platelets in circulation. This is often a complicated, expensive and difficult procedure but a necessary one, since rapid clearance of the platelets due to antibody-antigen interaction would otherwise put the recipient at severe risk of bleeding to death. In cases where recipients are very heavily transfused with blood or blood products from multiple donors and antibodies to several different HLA markers are generated, or where no suitable matched donor for platelets is available, death frequently results for those patients who become alloimmunized and sustain a bleed.
Since the problem arises from the presence of white cells in the donated blood products, the elimination of white cells from these products would be expected to reduce the likelihood and frequency of reactions. Gamma irradiation of blood products, which kills the cells but does not remove them from the blood product to be transfused, has not been shown to be able to prevent alloimmunization reactions. It is likely that this is due to the fact that the treated cells are still present and capable of presenting antigens to the recipient's immune system.
Filtration of white blood cells from blood or blood products to be transfused has been shown to be capable of reducing alloimmunization reactions. This has been demonstrated based on an extensive clinical study known as the TRAP study. It was conducted as a multi-institutional study between 1995-1997 and results were subsequently published in the NEJM in 1997 (Trial to Reduce Alloimmunization to Platelets Study Group. Leukocyte reduction and ultraviolet B irradiation of platelets to prevent alloimmunization and refractoriness to platelet transfusions. N Engl J Med. 1997;337:1861-1869). The data from that study suggested that leukoreduction significantly decreased the likelihood of alloimmunization reactions in patients from 13% for non-leukoreduced, untreated products to 3-5% for leukoreduced products. As a result of this work, platelet products have been routinely filtered by a variety of methods to remove WBC. The remaining levels of alloimmunization that were observed were believed to be due to residual white blood cells that were not filtered out. Even the best WBC filters cannot remove 100% of the white blood cells and those left behind are potentially able to stimulate antibody production against the HLA markers on the remaining cells. A decrease in the occurrence rate from 13% of patients receiving platelets to 3-4% is significant, but still leaves several tens of thousands of cases occurring on an annual basis.
In the same TRAP study, treatment of platelet products with ultraviolet B (UVB) light was evaluated. In the case of the UVB treatment, the results were equivalent to those obtained through leukoreduction. The work was consistent with prior studies that showed that UVB treated platelet products possessed significantly reduced alloimmunization responses (Blundell et al. Transfusion 1996; 36: 296-302). This was believed to be due to changes in white cells induced by UVB that cause them to present their antigens and have those antigens processed differently from non-irradiated cells by the patient's immune system. The result is that antibody generation is significantly suppressed for UVB treated products. Although the results were positive, the UVB treatment described in the TRAP study was not adopted widely, because the UV dose required to suppress the alloimmunization response damaged the platelets to an extent which did not allow the platelets to be stored with adequate maintenance of their efficacy (Grijzenhout et al. Blood 1994; 84: 3524-3531).
Photosensitizers, or compounds which absorb light of a defined wavelength and transfer the absorbed energy to an electron acceptor may be a solution to the above problems, by inactivating undesirable cells contaminating a blood product without damaging the desirable components of blood.
There are many photosensitizer compounds known in the art to be useful for inactivating undesirable cells and/or other infectious particles. Examples of such photosensitizers include porphyrins, psoralens, dyes such as neutral red, methylene blue, acridine, toluidines, flavine (acriflavine hydrochloride) and phenothiazine derivatives, coumarins, quinolones, quinones, anthroquinones and endogenous photosensitizers.
As described above, ways to reduce the risks of transfusion related complications from white blood cells is either to reduce the number of white blood cells transfused into a recipient to an extent that no immune response is generated, and/or to effectively destroy the viability and capacity of any transfused white blood cells to function post transfusion.
What is not known is whether donor cells which have been subjected to pathogen reduction treatment with riboflavin and light have modified HLA surface markers, and therefore will not cause transfusion related complications such as alloimmunization, GVHD and microchimerism in the recipient.
It is to this second aspect that this invention is directed.
This invention is directed toward a process for reducing transfusion related complications in a recipient of an allogeneic blood transfusion by adding to the blood to be transfused a photosensitizer comprising riboflavin, irradiating the blood and riboflavin with light, transfusing the irradiated blood into a recipient, and reducing a transfusion related complication by the recipient to cells in the donor blood.
Also claimed is a blood product for transfusion into a recipient comprising inactivated blood or a blood product which has been treated with riboflavin and light. The treated blood or blood product will not cause transfusion related complications in the recipient when transfused.
The invention is also directed towards a process for preventing rejection of a donor organ by a recipient comprising the steps of transfusing the recipient of the donor organ with treated platelets; and transplanting the donor organ into the recipient.
Photosensitizers useful in this invention include endogenous photosensitizers. The term "endogenous" means naturally found in a human or mammalian body, either as a result of synthesis by the body or because of ingestion as an essential foodstuff (e.g. vitamins) or formation of metabolites and/or byproducts in vivo. When endogenous photosensitizers are used, particularly when such photosensitizers are not inherently toxic or do not yield toxic photoproducts after photoradiation, no removal or purification step is required after decontamination, and the decontaminated product can be directly administered to a recipient in need of its therapeutic effect.
Examples of such endogenous photosensitizers which may be used in this invention are alloxazines such as 7,8-dimethyl-10-ribityl isoalloxazine (riboflavin), 7,8,10-trimethylisoalloxazine (lumiflavin), 7,8-dimethylalloxazine (lumichrome), isoalloxazine-adenine dinucleotide (flavin adenine dinucleotide [FAD]) and alloxazine mononucleotide (also known as flavin mononucleotide [FMN] and riboflavine-5-phosphate). The term "alloxazine" includes isoalloxazines.
Use of endogenous isoalloxazines as a photosensitizer to pathogen reduce blood and blood components are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,258,577 and 6,277,337 both issued to Goodrich et al., and are herein incorporated by reference to the amount not inconsistent.
The process of using endogenous alloxazine and light to reduce the risks of transfusion related complications from contaminating white blood cells in blood or blood products are shown in
Whole blood to be transfused into a recipient is collected from a donor. If desired, the whole blood may be separated into blood components using any available procedures and/or extracorporeal blood processing machines. 50 μM riboflavin in PBS is added to the whole blood or separated blood components. The blood product and riboflavin are illuminated at a wavelength of between about 290-370 nm for a sufficient amount of time to reduce the number of white blood cells present in the donor blood or blood product to an extent that no immune response to the donor blood is generated by the transfusion recipient, and/or to effectively destroy the viability and capacity of any transfused donor white blood cells to function in the recipient post transfusion. An illumination time of around 8 minutes appears to be satisfactory. The inactivated blood product is ready to be transfused into a donor.
The following examples show that allogeneic and xenogeneic donor cells subjected to a pathogen reduction treatment with riboflavin and light will not cause transfusion related complications in a donor such as alloimmunization, TA-GVHD and microchimerism.
The intent of this study was to determine whether human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) treated with riboflavin and light (hereinafter known as treated cells) could be induced to proliferate in vitro when exposed to a growth stimulus, or whether the treated cells were rendered inactive by the treatment, and therefore could not be induced to proliferate. Untreated cells (control) are those human PBMNCs not treated with riboflavin and light.
For this study, PBMNC were obtained from three human donors, with each donor set being split into a treated and untreated subset. Each subset was subsequently tested using the in vitro test methods described below. PBMNC were isolated from platelets obtained from the donors using a standard apheresis procedure on a Trima� apheresis machine (available from Gambro BCT, Lakewood, Colo., USA). For treatment with riboflavin and light, the cells were added to ABO-matched platelet-poor plasma (PPP), which was then mixed with riboflavin and illuminated according to the procedure shown in
CD3 is the signaling complex of the T lymphocyte cell receptor. Anti-CD3+ antibody has been shown to induce proliferation of T cells. CD28 is a low affinity T cell receptor that interacts with B7 (ligand for CD28). CD28 is considered a co-stimulatory receptor because its signals are synergistic with those provided by the CD3 receptor in promoting T cell activation and proliferation. Signals from CD28 to the CD3 receptor also increase the synthesis of many cytokines. Cytokines are produced primarily by lymphocytes in response to a stimulus. Production of cytokines is therefore a measure of white blood cell health.
Preparation of CD3, CD3/CD28 or Control Coated Plates
PBS containing 10 μg/mL of anti-CD3 (NA/LE, Pharmingen), 10 μg/mL anti-CD3 and 4 μg/mL anti-CD28 (NA/LE, Pharmingen) or PBS alone were added to wells (50 μl per well) in a 96 well flat bottom plate. The plates were incubated for at least 90 minutes at room temperature. Following 2 washes of the wells with PBS, 100 μl of RPMI 1640 media containing 5% human AB serum, penicillin and streptomycin was added to all wells and the plates were incubated at room temperature for at least another 60 minutes. Then 100 μl of the treated or untreated cells at 2�106 cells/ml in RPMI 1640 containing 5% human AB serum, penicillin and streptomycin were added to the wells (replicate 6 wells per group).
1. A. The effect of treatment with riboflavin and light on the ability of PBMNC to proliferate in response to CD3 and CD3/CD28 stimulation.
As shown in
1. B. The Ability of the Treated or Untreated PBMNC to Produce Cytokines
A comparison of the levels of cytokines present in the supernatants of the wells after 2 days in culture indicated that both anti-CD3 antibody (Control cell+CD3) and anti-CD3/CD28 antibodies (Control cell+CD3/CD28) induced increased cytokine production by the untreated PBMNCs. As shown in
2. A. The Ability of Treated or Untreated PBMNC to be Activated in Response to PMA
Phorbol myristic acetate (PMA) is a stimulus that activates WBCs but does not cause proliferation. One of the results of this activation signal is the upregulation onto the surface of the leukocyte the activation antigen CD69. Activation through CD69 does not cause the cell to proliferate. This assay determined whether treatment with riboflavin and light interferes with the ability of the cells to be activated.
As above, WBC were obtained from the leukocyte reduction chamber of a Trima� machine following a double unit platelet collection. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNCs) were purified by Ficoll-Hypaque discontinuous gradient centrifugation. These PBMNCs were divided into 2 aliquots and one aliquot was placed in an Extended Life Platelet (ELP) bag containing autologous human plasma and exposed to riboflavin and light. Following the treatment, the PBMNC were collected by centrifugation, washed and then placed in a 50 ml tube filled with RPMI 1640 containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS). The cells were initially counted and then the following assays were performed:
Stock PMA (Sigma) at 0.5 mg/ml in DMSO was diluted to 1000 ng/ml in PBS. 50 μL of PMA or PBS was transferred to 12�75 mm tubes. Treated and untreated PBMNC were adjusted to 1�106/ml in RPMI-10% Fetal calf serum (R10 medium) and 450 μL of each was transferred to tubes containing either 50 μL of PMA or PBS. The tubes were incubated in a 37� C. water bath for 4 hours. 50 μL of cells were stained with 20 μL of CD8FITC, CD69PE, and CD3PerCP (Becton Dickinson, Fast Immune Kit) and analyzed on the FACScan Flow Cytometer (Becton Dickinson). Fluorescence of the cells containing CD69 and CD8 fluorescent markers was acquired by gating on the CD3+ PerCP positive cells, and quadrant analysis used to assess the level of lymphocyte activation.
The results are shown in Table 2A below. Summarizing this data shows that untreated (−) CD3+ cells (both CD4+ (helper T cells) and CD8+ (cytotoxic T cells)) expressed CD69 upon activation with PMA, while the treated (+) CD3+ cells (both CD4+ and CD8+) did not express CD69 upon activation with PMA. Thus treatment with riboflavin and light resulted in almost 100% inhibition of the ability of PMA to activate cells.
Other stimuli that have been shown to induce PBMNC to proliferate are mitogens such as phytohemagglutinin (PHA), which activates T lymphocytes (CD8−), and allogeneic stimulator PBMNC. Allogenic stimulator cells are cells from a different donor which initiates an immune response by presenting antigen to responder cells. The ability of treated or untreated PBMNC to proliferate in response to these stimuli was tested. Responder cells proliferate in response to antigen presentation by a stimulator cell.
To measure the proliferative response to PHA, PBMNC were adjusted to 1�106/ml in RPMI-10% fetal calf serum, and Phytohemagglutinin-M(PHA-M) (Gibco) was diluted 1:40 in R10 medium. Equal volumes (100 uL) of each were transferred to triplicate flat bottomed wells of 96 well micro plates (Falcon Primeria). After incubating for 3 days under 10% CO2 the wells were pulsed for 4 hours with 1 uCi of 3H-thymidine (Perkin Elmer/NEN). The cells were harvested on a multi well harvester apparatus (Brandel Scientific), and uptake of the isotope was quantitated on a liquid scintillation counter (Beckman).
To measure the proliferative response to allogeneic stimulator PBMNC, 1�107 cells/ml of allogenenic stimulator cells were treated with mitomycin C (Sigma) 33 ug/ml in R10 medium for 30 minutes at 37� C. Mitomycin C was removed by washing 2� with 30 ml of R10 medium. The experimental treated and control PBMNC as well as the allogeneic mitomycin C treated cells were adjusted to 1�106 cells/ml in R10 medium. The treated and control PBNMNC were transferred in 100 μL volumes to triplicate flat bottom wells (Falcon Primaria). After adding an equal volume of the mitomycin C allogeneic stimulators the plates were incubated for 5 days at 37� C. under 10% CO2, and cell proliferation assessed by uptake of 1 uCi of 3H-thymidine.
Table 2B below shows that treated PBMNC were unable to proliferate in response to either PHA or allogeneic stimulator cells.
While treatment with riboflavin and light appears to inhibit the proliferation of treated PBMNCs, there remains the possibility that although the treated donor cells themselves may not proliferate, they may act as stimulator cells to other responder immune cells in a transfusion recipient, causing the recipient's body to mount an immune response to the treated transfused cells, causing ultimate rejection of the cells. This was tested by measuring the ability of the treated and untreated PBMNC to stimulate the proliferation of allogeneic responder PBMNC.
The assay was set up as described in section 2 B. above. The experimental treated and control PBMNC as well as the allogeneic responder PBMNC were adjusted to 1�106 cells/ml in R10 medium. The treated and control PBMNC were transferred in 100 μL volumes to triplicate flat bottom wells (Falcon Primaria). After adding an equal volume of the allogeneic responder PBMNC the plates were incubated for 5 days at 37� C. under 10% CO2, and cell proliferation assessed by uptake of 1 uCi of 3H-thymidine as for PHA (see above).
The results in Table 2C below show that the treated cells do not stimulate proliferation of allogeneic responder cells.
While the results obtained using the in vitro assays above demonstrate that treatment with riboflavin and light inactivates the treated PBMNC, it remains important to confirm these results with an assay that measures the in vivo responsiveness of the treated or untreated PBMNC. One such assay is to measure xenogeneic GVHD responses in mice which have been transfused with human PBMNCs. These mice (Rag−/− γc−/− double knockout mice) lack T and B lymphocytes as well as natural killer (NK) cells, and previous studies have shown that the injection of human WBC into these mice results in xenogeneic GVHD that is characterized by xenoreactive T cells.
Characterization of Donor Cells
White blood cells were obtained from the leukocyte reduction chamber of a Trima� machine following platelet donation from 6 different human donors. The cells were separated into the mononuclear cell fraction using Ficoll-Hypaque discontinuous centrifugation and then placed in a platelet bag containing autologous plasma. Treated cells received treatment with riboflavin and light, while control cells received no treatment.
3. A. Induction and Clinical Observations of Xenogeneic GVHD Mice
Rag2−/−γc−/− double knockout mice were obtained from Taconic (Germantown, N.Y.).
Injection of Cells
The recipient mice received 350 cGy irradiation the night before injection. The number of donor cells either treated or untreated containing 30�106 CD3+ cells was determined and 3 mice were injected intraperitoneally with that number of cells per group. Each injected mouse was assigned a number. Mice receiving treated cells were given the prefix T, mice receiving untreated cells were given the prefix C.
Analysis of GVHD Response
Mice were weighed twice per week and observed regularly. Recipient mice that demonstrated a dramatic weight loss (usually >20%) and exhibited lethargy, hunched posture and ruffled fur were considered to have developed a GVHD response and were euthanized. Blood was collected by cardiac puncture using a heparinized syringe. In addition, the spleen, bone marrow from the femurs, liver and any intestinal lymphoid tissue that was observed was collected. The weight of the spleen was determined and then single cell suspensions were prepared from all organs by rubbing the organ on a screen. The liver mononuclear cell population was obtained from the liver cells by centrifuging the cells over a Ficoll-Hypaque discontinuous gradient and collecting the cells at the interface. The blood was centrifuged and the plasma collected and stored at −20� C. The buffy coat cells were collected and the red blood cells were lysed using RBC Lysis solution (Gentra, Minneapolis, Minn.). All mice that did not exhibit a GVHD response were euthanized by day 63 (designated as N/A in table below) and a similar analysis was conducted on all of these recipient mice as well.
Analysis of Cells
Cells were initially stained with PECy5 or PE anti-human CD45 or isotype control and then analyzed for the presence of human CD45+ cells in the organs of the transfused mice. CD45+ is a marker found on all leukocytes. The results are shown in Table 3A below.
The clinical evaluation of the mice found that one from 15 recipients per group injected with either untreated or treated cells died of unknown causes. No weight loss or human CD45+ cells were detected in the remaining 14 recipients injected with treated cells. These mice had an average spleen weight of 0.07�0.07 g and an average hematocrit of 53.8�2.8%. In contrast 12 of 14 recipients injected with untreated cells were euthanized because of GVHD symptoms including >20% loss of weight and hunched posture, ruffled fur and lethargy and 13 of 14 recipients had high levels of human cell chimenism. This recipient group had an average spleen weight of 0.27�0.27 g, which is significantly larger (p=0.0138) than that of the treated mice (p value<0.02), and an average hematocrit of 27.9�16.9%, which is also significantly lower than that of the treated mice (p value <0.02).
A summary of the results is shown in the following table:
If human CD45+ cells were detected and enough cells remained for further study, a second battery of staining was done in which the expression of leukocyte subpopulation markers including CD3 (all T cells), CD4 (T helper cells), CD8 (cytotoxic cells), CD14 (macrophages), CD19 (B cells), and CD56 (NK cells) was measured. The data shown in Table 3B below is expressed as % of total cells.
When examined in a donor by donor fashion, the results indicate that the makeup of donor cells trans fused can influence the type of cells that are present in different lymphoid organs and in which organs they will be found. CD3+ cells were found in varying numbers in the different lymphoid compartments and CD19+ cells were primarily found in the intestinal lymphoid tissue and in the liver. In contrast to these findings, no macrophages were found and only a limited number of CD56+ cells in a few mice.
3. C. The Level of Cytokines in the Plasma of Rag2−/−γc−/− Recipients of Treated and Untreated White Blood Cells
Plasma of recipient mice was collected when the mice were euthanized either because they were demonstrating symptoms of GVHD or because the experiment was terminated. The levels of cytokines associated with inflammation and acute phase response were measured using the CBA cytometric bead assay kits available from BD Biosciences. The measurement of cytokines associated with the inflammation response is another approach to determine if recipient mice develop an acute phase response to transplanted human cells and also helps define the nature of the xenogeneic GVHD response.
Results are shown in Table 3C below. As can be seen, human cells treated with riboflavin and light do not cause a significant production of inflammatory cytokines.
Another measure of human cell chimerism is to determine the level of human IgG and IgM present in the plasma of the recipient mice using an ELISA assay. IgG and IgM are antibodies produced by B cells in response to an antigen. The results shown in Table 3D below indicate that no human IgG (0.10�0.24 ng/ml) or IgM (0.27�0.68 ng/ml) was detected in the plasma of mice injected with treated cells. High levels of IgG (5980.8�2780.8 ng/ml) or IgM (1389.6�845.3 ng/ml) were detected in the plasma of all recipients in which human cell chimerism was detected (these mice received untreated cells).
In vitro studies showed that treatment with riboflavin and light abolished the functional activity of human WBC cells. Consistent with these findings, treated human WBCs did not appear to generate a xenogeneic GVHD response in vivo following injection of these cells into immunodeficient Rag2−/−γc−/− mice recipients. The lack of a xenogeneic GVHD response in the recipient mice also correlated with a lack of human cell chimerism as measured by immunophenotyping. The plasmas of these recipient mice were also found to lack human cytokines or immunoglobulins. These findings indicate that blood cells treated with riboflavin and light are unable to respond in vitro and in vivo and therefore should not induce TA-GVHD in a transfusion recipient.
This study evaluated the ability of treatment with riboflavin and light to modify the immune response to allogeneic solid organ transplants in rats.
Over a 10 week period, Lewis rats received 8 transfusions (shown by the small arrows in
As can be seen in
In summary, treatment with riboflavin and light prevented the development of an Ig response in transplanted animals. This inhibition of an Ig response, in particular IgG, shows that pre-transfusion of a solid organ recipient with platelets treated with riboflavin and light helps to prevent alloimmunization to the transplanted allogeneic organ. The lack of rejection of the allogeneic heart transplant in the absence of an IgG response indicates that the pre-treatment may be effective in preventing alloimmune refractoriness to platelets and pre-sensitization to transplants.
Patent Citations
Non-Patent Citations
Legal Events
Original Image


text:
On antibiotics? Get proactive with probiotics
By Echelle, Pure Matters
A couple of weeks ago, what started as a head cold -- lots of headaches, fever, sniffles, sore throat, coughing, a cold sweat waking me up through the night, and zero energy -- turned into a sinus infection.
Nothing takes the wind out of my sail like having a sinus infection.
I was avoiding going to the doctor, but once the green gook appeared, and there just was no let up with the pressure and pain in my sinuses, it had to be done. I just couldn't take it anymore.
My doctor prescribed an antibiotic which took five days to complete the course. After taking the antibiotic for the third day, I did begin to feel markedly better, but I worried about what the antibiotics would do to my digestive system.
Even though antibiotics do a great job at knocking out an infection, they also kill the "good" bacteria in our gut that is essential to balanced flora. You might not think of your body as having those good bacteria, but they're there, working on your behalf. They're more commonly known as probiotics, and they help with ever-so-important things like improving digestion.
You've probably seen a note along the lines of "May contain live cultures" if you're a fan of yogurt -- that refers to probiotics. I made sure yogurt was a part of my regular breakfast routine as soon as I started antibiotics. And because it can take weeks to reestablish the good bacteria, I decided to be proactive and started taking a probiotic to replenish the good bacteria in my system along with antibiotic.
Thankfully, my digestive system is still humming and there are no signs of a sinus infection recurrence. Next time you get a bacterial infection and your doc prescribes an antibiotic, consider taking a probiotic as well. You'll be keeping your gut happy.
Source: http://blog.purematters.com/healthy-body/digestive-health/on-antibiotics-get-proactive-with-probiotics#more-717
Copyright 2015 by KSAT - All rights reserved.


text:
No Travelocity Cancellation Fee
Book, change, or cancel almost any hotel without paying a Travelocity fee.
Book, change, or cancel almost any hotel without paying a Travelocity fee.
Planning a great trip to Caribbean? Travelocity is your best resource for finding cheap deals and discounted rates on hotels in Caribbean. Whether you're on a budget or looking to splurge on a luxury 5-star hotel, Travelocity will help you get the best rate.
Your next great travel adventure is just within reach. And if your plans ever change, Travelocity offers free and flexible cancellations. Rest easy knowing Travelocity has no hiddens fees for changing or cancelling your stay in Caribbean.
Enter your travel dates to find the best deals and savings in Caribbean. Now go and smell the roses.
4.1 out of 5 (830 reviews)
3.9 out of 5 (993 reviews)
4.0 out of 5 (2,160 reviews)
3.5 out of 5 (859 reviews)
3.8 out of 5 (1,070 reviews)
4.7 out of 5 (908 reviews)


text:
Share what you love with your friends or followers & See the videos your friends want to share
One of the most renowned comedy clubs in the world, the Laugh Factory Hollywood is the #1 comedy club on the famous Sunset Strip.
Have you ever wanted to see Buzz Lightyear, Santa Claus, & Tim "The Toolman" Taylor all in one place? Now is your chance with special guest star Tim Allen performing live from Hollywood!
Comedy Bazaar is an eclectic assortment of the best & brightest up & comers as well as legendary comedians with a splash of Middle Eastern flavor. A show for everybody! Don't miss this hot Hollywood show every Monday; you never know what might happen or who might show up!
Host Kevin Nealon, from Showtime's Weeds & SNL, has taken the concept of a stand up routine and warped it with his own special flavor! The dazzling line up of comedians end up in the hot seat next to Kevin live on stage.
The Laugh Factory Hollywood offers a VIP room for our customers who need a bit more privacy or want to hold a party at our club.
See who's trending in comedy! Hosted by John Campanelli and featuring an all-star line up.
Laugh Factory gift cards are a perfect present for any occasion: birthday, anniversary, thanks, congratulations, I love you, I'm sorry, get well soon, or just because.
8001 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90046
(323) 656-1336 Ext. 1
Sponsored By


text:
Lawmakers tried it in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010—and failed. It's been years since the nation's immigration system has been comprehensively reformed. Why would 2013's attempt be any different?
The past notwithstanding, experts and advocates say this time is different. The conditions for comprehensive immigration reform have changed, they say. And momentum is growing. Eight senators—four Democrats and four Republicans—introduced a framework for reform on Monday and another bipartisan group of four introduced a bill aimed at revamping the nation's approach to highly skilled immigrants on Tuesday. And President Obama pitched his own vision for reform later that day.
It's a heavy lift, but lawmakers and the public may be ready. Here are five reasons why immigration reform could actually happen this time around:
1. The Borders Are Alright
OK, that's debatable. But the Obama administration has focused heavily on enforcing the nation's immigration laws, addressing a key conservative critique of the ultimately doomed 2007 reform effort, says Neil Ruiz, a senior policy analyst at the Brookings Institution.
"In that sense, the Democrats do have the credibility, since they have been focusing pretty much solely on that in the last four years," he said. In fact, as Wonkblog's Suzy Khimm points out, most of the border-security goals in President George W. Bush's 2007 effort have already been reached:
The 2007 bill proposed to erect 300 miles of vehicle barriers, 370 miles of fencing, 105 radar and camera towers, and four drones; by 2012, we completed 651 miles of vehicle fencing—including 352 miles of pedestrian fencing and 299 vehicle barriers—300 towers, and nine drones, according to Customs and Border Patrol.
By the 2011 fiscal year, the nation had 21,444 Border Patrol agents, well surpassing the Bush bill's goal of 20,000, according to the post. The bipartisan plan offered up by a group of eight senators on Monday also makes a new path to citizenship contingent on strengthening the nation's borders, further neutralizing the argument that comprehensive reform would encourage more illegal border crossings.
2. Look Who's On Board
It's a risky move for Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., but he's firmly attached his name to immigration reform. He was one of the eight senators to issue the bipartisan plan on Monday, and he was one of four senators to introduce the Tuesday bill opening the door to highly skilled immigrants.
Why it matters: Rubio is Hispanic, a rising conservative star, a 2016 presidential hopeful, and a tea-party darling. He has a lot riding on this. As The Christian Science Monitor's Liz Marlantes points out, achieving reform could be a huge boost not only for Rubio, but for his party: "It could mark an important step in changing the GOP's image to one that's more inclusive and minority-friendly." That matters because minorities are a rapidly growing segment of the population, and the GOP has to make huge gains in those communities to stay competitive.
In joining the bipartisan effort, Rubio is backing options he once denounced as amnesty. There's an argument that his reversal could be a sign of things to come: His political calculus has changed, and his party's may follow.
3. "Terrorism Fatigue"
Hesitation surrounding the influx of immigrants has waned over the past decade, with a significant shift toward allowing working immigrants who are here illegally to remain. It's what Michael Wildes, managing partner of Wildes and Weinberg and an immigration law professor, calls "terrorism fatigue."
"The political dynamic has changed. We're so many more years away from 9/11, where people are getting tired of addressing the war on terrorism year after year after year. I believe that there's terrorism fatigue," said Wildes, a member of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Partnership for a New American Economy, which touts the economic benefits of immigration reform.
That idea is supported by the results of a new CBS News poll, which shows that a slim majority of Americans back letting working illegal immigrants stay in the country and pursue citizenship. The results are a significant jump from public attitudes in September 2011, CBS News reported:
The percentage of Americans overall who would like to see illegal immigrants stay in the U.S. with the opportunity to become citizens is similar to what it was last fall, but it has risen 14 points since September 2011. Back then, 38 percent said illegal immigrants working in the U.S. should be required to leave the country.
Support for giving illegal immigrants the opportunity to become citizens has risen among many demographic groups since 2011, even across party lines. Among Democrats, support has gone up 15 points since September 2011. Republican support has risen from 24 percent to 35 percent now.
4. How Can You Say No to That Voting Bloc?
The most obvious argument that comprehensive reform stands a better chance this time around stems from the results of the recent presidential election.
Immigration reform maynot be a top priority for Hispanics, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, but roughly one-third have said it's "extremely important" to them. And President Obama won in November with more than 70 percent of the Hispanic vote, giving him a stronghold on one of the nation's largest immigrant groups. Republicans have to win its members over, and immigration reform could provide the perfect opportunity. As National Journal's Ronald Brownstein wrote at the time, the election results force the GOP to ask a key existential question:
After these results, the big question facing the GOP is whether it can improve its performance among minorities, especially Hispanics, without returning to George W. Bush's support for immigration reform that provides a pathway to citizenship for those living here illegally. That policy shift would face impassioned resistance from conservatives. "Looks like a brawl coming soon," says longtime GOP strategist Mike Murphy. "The question is: Will the party base accept these facts, since they chose to ignore similar facts after Obama's election four years ago?"
"It's clear, electorally, that they need to do something, so that's where we stand," says Brookings's Ruiz. "The conditions are perfect now."
5. It's the Economy
The ailing economic recovery offers up one more reason to pursue reform, advocates argue. Comprehensive reform could lift caps on visas for highly skilled workers and offer more incentives for them to attend school, work, and stay in the United States, helping to grow the economy. The bipartisan bill offered up Tuesday would do just that and enjoys support among some advocates for reform.
"There are a lot of good ideas in here," said Susan Cohen, the founder and head of the immigration practice at the law firm Mintz Levin. "Many of them match things that I've been advocating on behalf of the employers with whom we work."
But it's not just highly skilled workers who can benefit the economy. "We can make an economic argument, both on the high-skilled part, on which I think everyone agrees, but also on the undocumented and lower skills," Ruiz said.
The exact impact of granting citizenship is difficult to track, but one recent study pegged the value of an aggressive naturalization push over 10 years at between $37 billion and $52 billion. Even that, the authors write, is "likely a severe underestimate" the total sum, which would be larger due to secondary effects, such as matching employers with employees who were previously illegal to hire.


text:
|97 posts found
After reading the praise from critics and player base i decided to give it a go. I got the game for 20 buck and was very excited. I mean two quality B2P games and holiday season..what could go wrong right?
I have been playing it only for sometimes so my impression is from point of view of someone who is fairly new to the game. But the more i played the more i started to realise why this game went to B2P and failed as a P2P MMO.
At first i thought that maybe it is because of its complex gameplay and niche settings but i think problems are lot more deep rooted. And its 'niche' nature is just used to cover up the real issues I will go through these issues one by one which really spoiled the game experince for me.
1.) The 'End OF Days' Event.
What does this event rewards to its players?
The top 1000 players will receive a unique title, Hero of Ages, so their contribution to the world may be remembered for all time.
Good compeition on paper but fails completely when put into practise. Thanks to slow reponse by the dev team, this event even though ending on 7th Jan has been exploited from day one. Now since i can not mention the exploit openly and many TSW players are already aware of it, it is sad state of affairs that it has been allowed to continue without any strict action from FC.
What is even more interesting is that any topic regarding this exploit of farming 'mayans' is immediately removed from forums which in beginning gave a false impression that dev team will crackdown on this exploit and those who are using this exploit.
I as a new player though wasn't aware of it and when i questioned the tactics in general chat i was told to 'shove it' and 'mind my own business'.
However, once the final results come up for this event and you see list of top 100 players, it would be hard to take their win seriously. Not saying all 100players exploited but how can you really tell?
Moving on to next issue of this poorly thought out event.
Random spawns of zombies much higher than your level. When i just started playing i entered kingsmouth and immediately got attacked by a zombie which was red to me. As expected i died quite quickly. I inquired about this in general chat and i was told that this zombie will continue to attack me till i kill it and pick up its remains.
I asked for help in general several times but i got no help so decided to continue playing. I got jumped by this zombie several times in middle of fighting other mobs and i died many many times that day. I decided to take break in frustration and give it another go next day.
Next day after several hours i managed to find help of a high level player to kill it and pick up remains. The attacks by aggressive zombie stopped.
As i thought it was the end of it, i started getting zombie spawns right on top of me (non aggro) while fighting other mobs. And it happens so fast that before you reliase that you hit that non aggro zombie you are dead.
And all this in starter zone.where new players are just starting to learn the game.
But i kept it together (i am avery patient man) and continued to play. As i got half way through Kingsmouth i realised i can join Fusang. (how exciting!!)
2.) Fusang PVP
I am an illuminatti player and had no idea that i joined faction which owns Fusang in Group C 24 hours a day. Yes 24 hours constant farming of white marks for PVP gear. And how it is done?
Join Fusang (queue time is anywhere between 40 minutes to one hour), rush towards a facility, stand in there afk as you get your 3000 White Marks, leave fusang, convert them to Black Marks, rejoin queue..rinse and repeat.
On ocassion if you get 4 or 5 payers from Templars or Dragons zerg them with 15 players and camp their spawn point. This is the state of PVP in Group C. I have heared that same situation exists in Group A only difference is that Templars own Fusang 24 hours a day.
Because of this imbalance, Templars in Group A and illuminati in group C are geared to the teeth in 10.4 which leaves other factions in their groups with no fighting chance.
There is no buff for under dogs and at most you can get is 2 or 4 white marks in 3 minutes where as the over populated faction can farm upto 140 marks in 3 minutes.
3.) Error; 'Disconnected from community server' ;
Every 30 minutes to one hour you get kicked out of Fusang, raid groups and Market goes down. During this period all community functions are unavilable. This usually lasts for 10 minutes and you have to rejoin PVP queues and reform your raid groups just to fall apart again after an hour or so.
This has been happening since the day patch 1.5 was launched. So far the reasponse has been that 'devs are also human beings and they need off time in holidays'. So this will get fixed once dev team is back from holidays.
Fair enough. I mean if my MMO is a huge succes i would also go take long extended holidays..what is there to worry about right?
4.) Character Customization
I know this must have been talked about many many times before. But since i am a new player i just can not get over the hideous faces that i get to choose while making my character. No other MMO has put me off so badly on character creation screen before.
Considering the 'modern day' settings of the game i find it really un settling that all players are blessed with perfect and chiseled physique. There is no place for various body sizes in modern world and some magic pill has transformed eveyone into these models right out of an episode of Bay Watch but.... with very hedious faces. There is a plastic surgeon in New York but even that poor guy can not fix the faces which look like as if hit by a bus.
5.) Lag and game freezes.
Horrible lag, constant server disconnects and game freezes is a part of daily life in TSW now.
Regarding which i was told by other players that even though FC opened the doors to more players with B2P model they forgot to upgrade their servers which is causing major performance issues for the players. At first i though that maybe it is my internet connection. So i fired up all other MMOS that i could like GW2, SWTOR, STO, EQ2 etc.
All these MMOS ran without any problems and latency was normal. But as i got back into TSW, i started getting very high latency, game would just freeze randomly and disconnect from server along with all other players in my group making dungeon runs almost impossible.
Despite all these problems is there a fun game hidden in there somewhere? yes maybe but as a new player i have come to the conclusion that in its current state regardless of cheap box price, i value my sanity a lot more.
The story, atmosphere, cut scenes, skill wheel all are very interesting and top notch and game can be fun when it works. Sadly it works for vey little in its current state.
I believe that the poor support by FC and delayed and slow fixes is the reason that caused it to be a failure as P2P MMO and not its complex game design or niche settings. And if FC wants it to be a long lasting success this time in my opinion they really really need to be more aggressive.
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.'
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid."
Login or Register to never see this panel
Apprentice Member
Joined: 12/21/12
Thanks, that was quite an amusing read. As for the hideous faces, I could not agree more. I have never spent so much time in character creation trying to make a vaguely passable representation of a person.
currently playing: DDO, AOC, WoT, P101
Novice Member
Joined: 12/26/12
just like on their forums now, with more players comes more of the complaints that sunk the game in the first place. basically they don't have a really solid title. it has bright spots that pop up every so often and get covered up by the many bungles.
Originally posted by Rthuth434
They have a soild title. They just don't have a solid and more aggressive team to back up their title. A good game is nothing without good support.
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.'
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid."
Novice Member
Joined: 9/24/10
The problem with censorship is ********
sigh...so fusang is still utterly broken....
I just got the game as well but haven't got the chance to drop in, won't be anytime soon either with XCOM taking my time.
Novice Member
Joined: 12/26/12
Originally posted by Doogiehowser
yes, but the team and the foundation title are what make the MMO. can't have one without the other. they didn't have the crucial piece at full strength, and certainly don't have it now.
Advanced Member
Joined: 11/08/08
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results.
pvp in fusang is a joke. I knew folks who logged in just to capture an area you got a 5 minute timer. So they would leave and go do something else come back in 5 minutes capture an area. Most folks just do that I hardly seen any real pvp everybody was capturing the area and avoiding each other.
As far as character creation went I spend about 1 hour creating mine and just finally decided to go with what I had despite the fact I really did not like it that much but it was the closest representation to myself that I could come up with.
2 I like. I like that its not steadily camping mobs and there's hard stuff you have to avoid. Also sounds like you picked up that cursed talisman from the cave, yeah that zombie will keep following you until you fry it on the church doors. But imo hard is good.
5 sounds like a pc or internet provider issue, game ran smooth for me on my mid range pc, never had a crash, the servers were really good no lag problems. You do need a better pc than for the likes of eq2 and wow, tsw is a much more technically advanced game. I'm suprised you had worse performance than swtor though, that runs terrible for me with more than 10 people on screen.
2 I agree with, 4 also to a degree, although you do get a lot of options in how you dress your character as you play.
Oh one more thing all the tsw servers are east coast. Not a problem for me from UK, actually get a better connection to usa than for instance France! But if you're playing from Russia or something might be a problem.
Spotlight Poster
Joined: 2/05/11
OP you should have read up about the game first. As many of your issues are not issues to others (I couldn't care less about "events" or PvP or pretty character customization). I find the setting, interesting quests and freedom to make my own class much more important than a pretty character or seasonal events. To bad you didn't read up about the game first or you would have realized that PvP was going to be REALLY difficult to balance with this type of skill wheel setup and likely that PvP would suffer. Luckily you didn't spend much on it and can move on without much thought.
Your system issues definitely are not something I've experienced.
Originally posted by ShakyMo
I never said anything about hardware performance issue but i was talking about latency and server disconnects and freezes caused by high latency. I get constant FPS of 40 in game which is quite good.
If i was alone suffering from this problem i woudl call my internet provider asap but when after 5 to 6 seconds of freeze suddenyl the general chat looks like this..
Player 1; LAGGGGGGG
Player 2; Omgaddd lagggggggg..
Player 3; Did everyone freeze? for f*** sake FC get your shit together..
Player 4 ; Arggghhh i died to lagg again......
You know you are not alone.
Also the zombie i am talking about is specificaly related to End Of Days event and not the one related to cursed talisman. it stops spawnig once you kill it and pick up it remains but problem is that it is red to new players.
I really felt that i was being trolled by FC when that red zombies killed me in 4 hits as soon as i got in Kingsmouth feeling all tough and cocky with biceps flexing out of my sleevless top.
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.'
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid."
Apprentice Member
Joined: 12/21/12
Originally posted by Doogiehowser
My major issue with the game is that the players lack any imagination when coming up with names.
currently playing: DDO, AOC, WoT, P101
Apprentice Member
Joined: 6/11/08
I think with my heart and move with my head.-Kongos
I've seen the exploit in action, but it doesn't look so much like an exploit as it does players who are willing to constantly do the same thing over and over and over and over again. Those players are always going to be at the top of the food chain. Sad, but true.
I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.
Originally posted by Mardukk
So you don't care about the exploits and you don't care about PVP either. Fair enough. But i don't know what reading up on game means? i read on it and i still stand by the things i said i enjoyed like atmosphere, settings, skill wheel etc
But that doesn't change the reality that TSW has some very glaring issues which can not be over looked especially by a new player, you know the kind of player they want to attract with new B2P model?
You are telling me that it is really difficult to balance PVP in TSW when a simple fix like under dog buff which gives decent amount of white marks or black marks can encourage more players to join the game even though on losing side?
I am not even goign to touch on the issue of glance tanks and clear the path spammers in PVP and what should be done about it. I am simply talkign about giving more incentives to under dog faction.
"The problem is that the hardcore folks always want the same thing: 'We want exactly what you gave us before, but it has to be completely different.'
"Online gamers are the most ludicrously entitled beings since Caligula made his horse a senator, and at least the horse never said anything stupid."
Elite Member
Joined: 5/12/10
1. first part I can't say much since I'm not interested in the top100 race. Second part, you're somewhat right, the spawning Servants could be a pain in the *** especially for a newcomer. It's maybe not a good move to give them this first impression on the game. Luckily it's only a few more days. (and for higher players the event is fun I think)
2. I never go to Fusang, so I skip this one :)
3. Agree, it annoys me as well... hopefully they will fix this issue soon
4. Agree partially, it's pretty much limited, and then you're directed to the plastic surgeon. Not a nice move... but on the other hand I could make my characters to my liking (maybe I was just lucky)
5. I agree with ShakyMo, I never had any crashes, and only a very few lag (very few I mean probably less than 10 times since I play altogether). Probably some ISP issue. LotRO also has this, a big part of the playerbase notice nothing, and a few players have constant lag... It's very hard to backtrack the source of the problem, I can only wish the best for you with the lag issue.
Beyond all those, as you said too "The story, atmosphere, cut scenes, skill wheel all are very interesting and top notch and game can be fun when it works." You should check back after the event is over, at least the first issue will be solved by then :)
Apprentice Member
Joined: 6/09/12
Originally posted by Doogiehowser
So becuase YOU get lag and lots of DC's that means we ALL get them, is that correct?
I have suffered 2 disconnects in the months of playing TSW, lag has been non existant, I'm not denying ppl suffer from Disconnects or lag but members from my multi gaming guild complain about the exact same issues in WoW which this week suffered a 12hr issue that prevented nearly all of the EU from entering the game, and there was some pretty pissed off ppl I can tell you.
As for exploits well you gotta be some kind of idiot to think a forum won't delete any thread that mentions them, wether to explain how they work or that they exist, your advertising the fact there is an exploit out there to those that are eager to abuse the game, you report the game in-game via the ticket system if you come across a problem, you don't go and tell the whole world on the open forums.
I don't think the skill wheel is a balance issue considering everyone can spec the same skills if they want (or build a fotm counter)
Most of the pvp problems stem from
A) not sticking to the original plan of 1 character per account
B) having a pvp system that rewarded you faster for actively avoiding pvp.
The actual combat / skill wheel could make for good pvp in a gw1 arena type way.
Fusang will never compare to gw2 or ps2 and probably TESO too. However it is better than ilum in swtor and no worse than wintergrasp in wow imo.
Novice Member
Joined: 5/15/06
The doctors say his chances are 50/50...but there's only a 10% chance of that.
Originally posted by Mardukk
yeah he should have read more about the game to see its one you like. ooooook lol. or did you mean read to see funcom failed to add and fix pvp? or both lol. and of course because mardukk claims no performance issues experienced then the game has none...heh
El Psy Congroo
Apprentice Member
Joined: 7/13/12
Same for me, i bought it for 15$ on Amazon, i played 1hour then... uninst.. you know what
With an ssd the loading screens are no issue, then loads very fast - same as gw2 on ssd,bit slower than ps2, way faster than swtor where having ssd seemed to make no difference.


text: In a conference call with representatives of West Virginias media Thursday, U.S. Senator Joe Manchin says law-abiding gun owners in West Virginia support him.I have spoken with lots of West Virginia citizens that are in favor of my common sense approach to gun control, he said. My proposals meet the test for law-abiding gun owners in West Virginia.Manchins comments come just one day after his plan to expand background checks on firearms sales as well as a proposal to ban some semi-automatic weapons modeled after military assault weapons was defeated in the U.S. Senate.We had 55 votes for it and 44 against, Manchin said.Manchin added that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, cast a "no" vote to secure the ability to bring the measure up again.It could be brought back in a few days or it could be a few months, but Senator Reid said clearly that it would be brought back again, Manchin said.Manchins bipartisan plan with Republican Senator Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania would have expanded background checks to include private sales at gun shows and all Internet sales, while continuing to exempt most sales between family members and friends.Unless the sale between friends and family members was some type of commercial listing or online transaction it would remain exempt under this plan, Manchin said. There is a lot of false statements and misinformation being put out there about this plan.Manchin said the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other groups and individuals were wrong to mislead the public about the proposed legislation.Either they cant read, which we know isnt the case, or they are intentionally trying to mislead and misrepresent this plan, he said.Ive included special exceptions for private sales and gifts of guns among relatives and friends, Manchin explained. Ive made sure veterans arent forever banned from owning guns just because the VA says they are ill. And Ive made it clear that background records will not be used to compile a national registry of gun owners. Anybody who tries to create a registry can go to prison for 15 years.What Ive done is to present the Senate with bipartisan legislation that fixes the background check system that is already in place so that gun show sales are treated the same as gun shop sales, Manchin added. The idea is to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the violently mentally ill. Its just using common sense to keep people safe and, possibly, save lives.Manchin said to read the proposed legislation and for other information about it and Second Amendement rights, log on to his Web site at www.manchin.senate.gov


text:
He Who Opens the Twilight Gate
The Hall of Heroes Celebrates The 2012 Call of Cthulhu World Champion
"He knew that he was close to one of the gates which a few audacious, abhorred, and alien-souled men have blasted through titan walls betwixt the world and the outside absolute." –H.P. Lovecraft with E. Hoffmann Price, "Through the Gates of the Silver Key"
Who or what is Tom Capor? Have portals cracked between the realms and permitted terrifying beings from beyond to exert their influence over our world? Has one such being begun to reveal himself to the cultists and investigators of Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game? Is this Tom Capor's secret? Is he the avatar of an Ancient One? A servitor? Is he a heroic and independent agent working to prevent such horrific entities from entering this reality? Or is he just a dreamer playing in a world of fancy and changing it with his will?
November's World Championship Tournament for Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game may not have truly answered these questions, but they answered one question with authority. "Can Tom Capor be stopped?" The answer: "Not this year."
Today, the Hall of Heroes celebrates Tom Capor, the 2012 Call of Cthulhu World Champion, as well as his unbroken and unparalleled streak of four straight World Championship Titles.
2012 Call of Cthulhu World Champion Tom Capor
2012 Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Champion, Tom Capor
At the FFG World Championship Weekend in November, Tom Capor added to his legacy of greatness with his fourth Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Championship.
In the World Championship Finals, Tom Capor played against three-time European Champion Graham Hill in a dream match-up of two of the game's greatest players. Despite the epic nature of the pairing, Tom was able to find all the right answers to Graham's challenges and won in just ten short minutes.
Tom shared his insights into the match:
"Things simply went my way, and they did so immediately. It started with winning the ability to go first and a first hand containing a Twilight Gate (Twilight Horror, 12) and domain acceleration for a second turn Nyarlathotep (Journey to Unknown Kadath, 117). I was in great shape.
I followed my turn two Nyarly with a turn three Nodens (Kingsport Dreams, 36) in an attempt to clear the board, but Graham chose, instead, to drain all of his remaining domains to save his team via Professor of Folklore (Ebla Restored, 48). This gave me my second chance to contest stories unopposed, allowing me to end my turn with three, three, and four success tokens among the three story cards and both Nyarlathotep and Nodens at the ready.
It was here that Graham realized his impending doom. He made one last attempt to win a story. Then, on the following turn, I sent a character to each story for the win. With no one to block and my Pushed into the Beyond (Touched by the Abyss, 109) ready for any of his surprise defenders, Graham offered me his hand and his congratulations."
Tom Capor playing in the preliminary rounds of the 2012 World Championship
Tom's 2012 World Championship Deck
Given the nickname, "Dinner," Tom's deck is designed to accelerate quickly to four resources under a single domain, then spawn a horde of nasty, icon-rich characters that allow him to outmuscle and outmaneuver his foes.
Characters (38): 2x Basil Elton 3x Black Dog 1x Corrupted Midwife 2x Displaced Cthonian 3x Facless Abductor 2x Glaaki 3x Grasping Cthonian 3x Hungry Dark Young 3x Many-angled Thing 2x Master of the Myths 3x The Mother's Hand 1x Nodens 2x Nyarlathotep 3x Stalking Hounds 3x Twilight Cannibal 2x Y'Glonac
Events (11): 2x Broken Space, Broken Time 3x Feed Her Young 3x Pushed into the Beyond 3x Twilight Gate
Support (1): 1x Under the Porch
Beyond the Portal
Tom said that the win was "huge" and meant a lot to him. It isn't every day that a three-time World Champion faces off against a three-time European Champion, and Tom wanted to offer his thanks to all involved:
- To my family for their support.
- To my "local" playgroup: Mike Mazur, Chevee Dodd, Rhett Jenkins, and Ryan Boosel
- To Ron Kotwica, owner of Mr. Nice Guy Games, for allowing us to play
- To FFG for holding a wonderful event and for the surprise copy of the new Star Wars™: The Card Game Core Set
- To my fellow competitors – it is always a pleasure to see you all!
In closing, Tom encourages all you cultists and investigators to participate in next year's Call of Cthulhu: The Card Game World Championships. "I encourage anyone and everyone to attend next year. Be it for fun, learning, or to meet old and new friends, you'll be sure to have a great time, and it is well worth the trip, regardless of whether you're a grizzled vet or a fun-loving new player."
Tom Capor with his 2012 World Championship trophy
Congratulations to Tom Capor, our 2012 Call of Cthulhu World Champion! You can learn more about Tom Capor at his place of honor on FFG's website.
in our forums!


text:
Imaging Modalities
Requirements for medical imaging services
Requirements at the site:
- Developed as an integral part of national health care systems, according to the needs and social and economic structure of the country, region and area;
- Regulated by governments in accordance with international standards;
- Appropriate to the level of the health care system at which they are provided;
- Appropriate to the therapeutic capabilities that are available.
Requirements at the national level:
- Government commitment and support;
- National plan for diagnostic imaging services;
- National radiation protection control authority;
- National regulations on medical devices and radiation protection;
- Specialist advisory groups;
- Inventory and needs assessment;
- Upgrade, repair and maintenance of existing facilities and establishment of new services, as appropriate;
- National quality system.
Furthermore, regardless of the type of equipment and procedures used, the following infrastructure is required:
- Trained medical, technical and engineering staff;
- Radiation protection measurements and regulations;
- Reliable supplies of clean water, electric power, spare parts and consumables.


text:
This is the absolute BEST version of the classic Daylight Seance effect ever. But instead of a black cloth, you use a newspaper, something everyone is familiar with!
The basic routine is simple, but you can take it as far as your imagination can reach! This gimmick gives you a "third hand" so you can use one of your hands to secretly lift objects, move objects or even toss objects from behind the newspaper.
How about this? Walk out onstage carrying a folded newspaper. Unfold the paper and start to read. As you are holding the paper with both hands, weird things start to happen! A bell rings behind the newspaper, on its own! A handkerchief floats along the top edge of the paper! An apple flies out from behind the newspaper and bounces on the stage! All kinds of strange things happen - all while you are holding the paper with both hands!
It is comical and truly magical!
This trick works through the use of a gimmick which fits an adult hand. Sorry, it is not appropriate for children.
Blend this with any other tricks you do with a newspaper, such as a Torn and Restored Newspaper routine (available at MagicTricks.com). You can turn this one trick into an entire newspaper-themed act.


text:
Voter Registration
The Student Accessibility Services (SAS) Office can assist students with disabilities in the process of registering to vote. Voter registration forms are available, upon request, in the SAS office located in room L115 in the Library.
To qualify to register, you must be:
· A U.S. citizen;
· 18 years old, on or before the general election day;
· a resident of Ohio for at least 30 days.
To vote, you must be registered at least 30 days before election day.
Persons with disabilities may also receive assistance marking their ballots in the voting booth. Ohio law provides that persons who tell an election official, at the polling place, that they need assistance are entitled to receive assistance marking their ballots.


text:
Ways to get involved in promoting the Victorious Gospel
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
One of the most revealing places to look at how humans are manipulating Gods word, is of course message boards and christian websites. The Word of God is being massacred on message boards, and many are getting their daily bread from these routes of Gods Word.The Word of God is transfigured by the Holy Spirit, people who think they have the Holy Spirit, are really transfiguring Gods word on their own. The real change is comming from THEIR minds, THEIR belief, not the Holy Spirit! Oh but you can't tell them that, they can't hear that.And thats how many manipulate Gods Word, by not hearing the Holy Spirit.Now, let me show you some hardcore truth! The Holy Spirit " Dominates" in its teachings, its conversation, its conversions, its thought process from it to the human, IT Dominates! It will complettely compel the mind, totally teach, universally engulf your thoughts, leaving no room for error!And I want to go into that. This most important thumbprint of the Spirit.Peace.


text:
Litigator of the Week: Gregory Garre of Latham & Watkins
Navigating his way through racial politics, education policy and U.S. Supreme Court precedent, Garre won a ruling this week that preserves student affirmative action at the University of Texas at Austin.
What's being said
Comments are not moderated. To report offensive comments, click here.
Preparing comment abuse report for Article# 1202663664330
Thank you!
This article's comments will be reviewed.


text:
Starting from
High Roller View Deluxe King
What Makes This Room Different
Stay and play in a Harrah's Las Vegas Deluxe King room, where you'll take in the bright lights of the High Roller right from your room. This stunning attraction stands 550 feet tall, making it the world's tallest observation wheel. Other features include round-the-clock room service, TV with movie rentals, hair dryer, iron with ironing board and internet for a nominal fee. Take playtime to the next level and ride the High Roller, only a short walk from your hotel.
Room Features
Room Amenities
Square Footage : 340 sq ft
Smoking/Non-Smoking : Both Available
Decor : Classic
Sheets : Triple Sheeted
Mattress : Extra-Soft-Pillow-Top
Workspace : Yes
Furniture : Game Table & Two Chairs
Window Treatments : Shear & Blackout Curtains
Bath Products : Shampoo/Conditioner/Soap/Lotion
Makeup Mirror : Yes
Tub/Shower : Combinaton Tub/Shower
Shower Head : Standard
Phone : Wall Mounted Phone
Television : 42-Inch HD Flat Screen
Telephone : 2nd Phone in Bathroom
Alarm Clock : Digital Alarm Clock
Iron w/ Board : Yes


text:
Santa has been helping us deliver gift cards and spread holiday cheer since 2007. But now he's gone missing and we need your help finding him in time for the holidays. Fill in the form below the picture for a chance to win one of four $25 Visa® Gift Cards.
Paparazzi captured a picture of Santa. Can you tell where he is?
This is one of 25 exclusive Regional Santa designs, customizable with your recipient's name and mailed in a complementary greeting card. Follow the link to see if Santa visited your city.
The Contest
Every day from December 11th through December 20th, follow a link from our Facebook page or Twitter to see a clue for Santa's last known whereabouts. Answers are submitted through a form on each clue's page. Each correct answer is worth one entry into the "Where's Santa Drawing" but is only valid until the next clue is posted. There's no limit to the number of guesses, but only unique guesses count as a valid entry. At the end of the contest, four random entrants will win a $25 Visa Gift Card with the regional Santa design of their choice.


text:
The Disposable Pool Liner will also fit the La Bassine Pools.
Pool Liners for La Bassine and our other pools will strengthen your water birth pool and make clean up easy and fast.
A floor liner protects your carpet and wood floors.
Pool Cover for La Bassine
Retain heat easily with this cover
La Bassine ® Custom Fit Liner
For La Bassine pool
0.22 mm eco vinyl
MAXI Birth Pool Cover by La Bassine
(Photo of Reg La Bassine. New Photo coming soon.)
MAXI Birth Pool Liner by La Bassine
0.22mm eco vinyl
ClearFit Pool Cover
for Birth Pool in a Box
Retains heat
ECO Generic Water Birth Pool Liner
For water birth pools.
4 ml Thickness Polyethylene
Free of Phthlates, lead, bpa and cadmium!
Fits: All in flatable birth pools & AquaDoula
Note: This liner is not a form fitted product and will fit loosly on any pool. It is not uncommon to find very small trace amounts of water in pool as it is impossible to produce a "water-tight" liner.
Liner Only - for MINI Birth Pool in a Box 0.20 mm thickness
Eco-Friendly Vinyl
Aquaborn Original Liner
Can be used with or without blue shroud.
0.20mm Eco Vinyl
Plastic Mattress Protector
8' x 8' ~ 4ml plastic sheet.
Protect your mattress during home birth.
Protective Floor Liner
For home water birth
Protect your carpet and hardwood floors!
8' x 8' heavy 4 ml plastic sheet.
My Anchor
Birth pool strap
Adjustable single-use strap


text:
Episode 144.5: STAR WARS CRANK'D, OR EVEN J.J. ABRAMS HAS AN IDIOT UNCLE
In this Point Five Episode, we examine the News From A Land Far, Far Away that J.J. 'Lensflare' Abrams is going to direct Star Wars: Episode Seven. Along the way Derrick and Tom discuss the hazards of The Casting Game, why society is producing so many snotty kids, and create the latest Jedi Knight sensation and his Light-Knuckles! Even Jason Statham has had to fail, so get to clicking!
(P.S….most singularly bizarre and funny BITD album cover eeeever. Expect it later tonight)
Two Guys Outta Brooklyn Talk Movies
Two Guys Outta Brooklyn Talk Movies
Silver Age Comics Through Modern Eyes
Silver Age Comics Through Modern Eyes
Join us now at www.earth-2.net!
Nocturne, The City That Lives By Night….needs a darker shade of protector
THE SHADOW LEGION http://welcometonocturne.blogspot.com/
THE SHADOW LEGION http://welcometonocturne.blogspot.com/


text:
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Martynas Bareika (Kedainiai, Lithuania) and Drazen Zlovaric (Novi Sad, Serbia) each scored 20 points as the Chattanooga Mocs (3-7) ran past Reinhardt (5-6) 108-78 Friday afternoon in McKenzie Arena. The 108 points are the most for Chattanooga since posting 111 against UNCG in double overtime on January 27, 2011.
Bareika had a career day with new highs of 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals in 21 minutes off the bench. His effort paced four double-digit scorers including two other reserves as the Mocs tallied 61 points from its bench.
Zlovaric had his second career 20-point effort. Farad Cobb (West Palm Beach, Fla.) had 14, while Alex Bran (Memphis, Tenn.) added 12 as the two shared the point guard spot for 34 of the game's 40 minutes combining for 26 points, seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Reinhardt led 10-8 when Chattanooga took control of the game. In the final 14 minutes of the first half, the Mocs went on a 52-23 run to take a 60-33 lead into intermission. From there the team cruised to the 30-point win. The largest lead of 32, 76-44, came on a Ronrico White (Knoxville, Tenn.) tip-in with 13:54 to play.
Xavier Mayfield and Larricus Thomas each had 13 points to lead the Eagles. Gabe Mathis chipped in 11 points. Leading scorer Quinton Wood was held to 10 point less than his average with eight tonight while grabbing a team-high five rebounds.
UTC dominated the glass with a 30-rebound advantage, 56-26. That was more pronounced in the second half as the Mocs limited Reinhardt to just 10 boards while grabbing 30 of their own. Sam Watson (Knoxville, Tenn.) had a game-high eight rebounds with Z. Mason (Nashville, Tenn.), Gee McGhee (Baton Rouge, La.) and Bareika each claiming seven.
The Mocs had a season-high 22 assists with White leading with four and Casey Jones (New Orleans, La.), Bran and Cobb each adding three apiece.
Chattanooga is off until December 28-29 hosting the annual Dr Pepper Classic. Austin Peay and Utah Valley tip off the 23rd edition of the event at 4:30 p.m., followed by UTC and High Point at 7. The consolation round (4:30 p.m.) and championship games (7 p.m.) are on the 29th. Tickets are available on GoMocs.com or by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
Listen to the exciting play-by-play from "Voice of the Mocs" Jim Reynolds on ESPN 105.1 the Zone in Chattanooga, or world-wide on GoMocs.com. MocsVision has the live video (PPV) and audio (Free) action online. You can follow @GoMocsMBB on twitter for news, notes, stats and links to game notes, live stats and more.GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page, www.facebook.com/ChattanoogaMocs, or on Twitter, www.twitter.com/GoMocs. Find out how to join the UTC Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.


text:
Chancellor's Scholars Program
UTC is pleased to present the Chancellor's Scholars Program for First-Time Freshmen applicants who meet the following criteria:
3.75 GPA and 30 ACT composite (1340 SAT) will receive $4,000 per year. Students may also receive an additional $4,500 in Tennessee HOPE Lottery Scholarship funds.
First-Time Freshmen are encouraged to apply with UTC Admissions when their 2015-2016 application is available August 1, 2014. The next step is to apply for scholarships within 3-5 days of their acceptance by UTC Admissions. Both applications are required for candidates to be considered for a scholarship. Since funding is limited, priority will be given to students who have a completed UTC Admissions file (application, $30 application fee, high school transcript, and ACT/SAT score) by December 1, 2014. Students' qualifying test scores/GPA must also be submitted to UTC Admissions by December 1, 2014 as well.
*The Chancellor's Scholars award is renewable for up to three additional years based on the student's academic performance (refer to their award notification letter for renewal criteria). Students must be enrolled full-time each fall & spring term to continue to receive the award in future terms. Funding for the Chancellor's Scholar Program may come from many sources including the University of Tennessee National Alumni Association, the University of Chattanooga Foundation, and other institutional sources.
**We ask that you APPLY EARLY. Scholarship funds are limited and the awarding process is competitive. Meeting the eligibility requirements does NOT guarantee a student will receive a scholarship. The best way to improve your candidacy is to submit all required materials as soon as possible. Again, after being admitted, you must complete the UTC Online Scholarship Application to be considered for any scholarships.