text:
Professionals working with sanitation, hygiene and water supply issues, respectively, are specialists because the nature of their work can be very different. For example, solutions to water supply problems might be engineering- or governance-related, while for sanitation, they may depend more on social, cultural or other aspects.
But beyond the very specific nature of the respective displines, there are crosscutting aspects which apply or are relevant to sanitation, hygiene and water supply work. In this section, we explore a number of crosscutting issues, including:
Capacity building
Capacity building of individuals and organizations through education and training improves and strengthen the performance of NGOs, public and private organizations in the WASH sector at large.
Disabilities and WASH
Relatively small adjustments to water and sanitation services can ensure that the needs of disabled persons are not overlooked, improving the dignity, health, and overall quality of life of those already disadvantaged.
Gender and WASH
A gender approach to WASH services refers to assuring that all people, regardless of gender, benefit from, and are empowered by, improved water and sanitation services and hygiene practices.
Operation and maintenance
Regular operation and maintenance are indispensable to ensure long-term provision of water and sanitation services.
Transparency and integrity
Good governance – integrity, transparency, accountability, and honesty – increases the chances of sustainable and equitable use and delivery of water supply and sanitation services.
WASH in schools
Children should be given the benefit of a good education in schools that provide child-friendly water and sanitation facilities.
Research in the WASH sector
Research on improving access to water supply, sanitation, and hygiene is a development motor; it contributes to evidence, knowledge generation, and sustainable solutions for the sector.


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Rhino Rugby has been providing gear for the world's best rugby athletes for thirty years. For the first time, Rhino Rugby is available in the United States.
Wear the Ellis Pant for a warm-up or cool down. Draw cord waist band. Three-quarter length side zipper on the leg. Embroidered Rhino logo. Striped jersey lining.
Items run small due to European sizing. Ordering one size larger is recommended.
100% polyester.
|This is an official Rhino product.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Author: Grace Carter
Celebrated by:
Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos
April 13 to 15
How to say Happy New Year:
"Sawadee Pee Mai!"
A thousand years ago, it was customary for the Tai farmers of China's Yunnan province to begin farming during the fifth moon of the new lunar calendar. Those farmers were the ancestors of Thailand's present day population. Over the years, water became a symbol of the renewed fertility of the land in spring. For centuries, Thai people have sprinkled the hands of their elders with scented water from silver bowls. The same elders received strings, tied around their wrists by younger family members wishing them luck, which stayed on until they fell off of their own accord. Songkran has historically been celebrated at slightly different times of year. The modern date is a happy medium of sorts, with nods to the Thai lunar new year, and the astrology of Buddhism.
Values and traditions:
Songkran is all about cleansing. At least that's what it's supposed to be about. As far as we can tell, it's more about the joy of dumping buckets of cold water on unsuspecting people in the streets. In fact, if it's really hot out, Songkran sometimes starts a day early-not officially, but dammit, could you wait another day to start slinging the H20? Me neither. A walk through Chiang Mai on April 13th can feel like an episode of Punk'd gone amuck, but with fewer dramatic reactions from freaked-out celebs. The aquatic anarchy arrives at the hottest time of year, so often a splash in the back is a welcome treat.
New Years Resolutions & Tips
Before the clock strikes, visit our tips on how to make New Years Resolutions to help keep them this year.
Be safe when you celebrate. Our New Years Eve safety tips are always worth repeating.


text:
At FeeFighters, we've been helping business owners comparison shop credit card processors for years. One complaint kept resurfacing over and over for online merchants: what to do about the gateway?
There were integration headaches, compatibility issues, and confusing pricing. Business owners would get locked into using an expensive credit card processor because their gateway was not compatible with cheaper merchant accounts. All together, instead of being easy to use and integrate, gateways presented business owners with yet another headache and cost with regards to payments.
After hundreds of complaints, we realized it was time to take a stand. We decided to build the most modern, easy to use gateway on the planet: Samurai.
Today, we're happy to announce the launch of Samurai into public beta. Join many beta customers who are experiencing the ease and flexibility that Samurai has to offer. Here are some key features:
1) Complete freedom- With Samurai, there is freedom to choose any payment processor and have complete data portability.
2) Intelligent Routing- Transactions can be sent to multiple merchant accounts. Samurai will automatically send international and small ticket transactions to the cheapest processor.
3) Simple integration- Getting started takes minutes. Developers love Samurai for its documentation and integration libraries. If a business has an existing gateway, Samurai has gateway emulation, meaning it can copy existing gateways without involving developers.
4) PCI Compliance- Samurai makes it easy to achieve PCI compliance. Most businesses that use Samurai can achieve PCI compliance with 5 minutes of simple paperwork.
5) Tokenization/Vault- Samurai securely stores customers' credit card numbers, so that subsequent transactions can be performed without worrying about the security burden of storing card numbers locally.
6) Simple Pricing- Samurai costs just $10/month and $0.10/transaction. Want a merchant account too? We'll bundle it with Samurai for a flat rate of 2.3% + $0.30. No setup fees. No vault fees. No monthly minimum. No cancellation fees. Our prices trump the competition. Since we are actually still in public beta (there are some rough edges), we aren't charging anyone until November.
TL; DR? – Watch the vid, it's only a minute long:
Don't take it from us, see Samurai for yourself and let us know what you think. Check out our press release on Samurai-it's written in haiku to express Samurai's elegance and ease of use.
We'll be demoing Samurai at Technori Pitch tomorrow. See you there!
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Congrats Stella,
Looks like a much needed service for companies. We are looking forward to spreading the news!
Samurai looks awesome. You guys do a great job of explaining complicated concepts in a way that makes it easy for dummies like me to understand. Any interest on writing a post on the implications of these new 1099 Regulations starting in 2012? http://blog.highbeambusiness.com/2011/08/new-irs-tax-form-1099-k-to-report-sales-from-credit-and-debit-cards/
Couldn't tell you how excited I was to read that post when it came across the Hacker News feed!
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Nov. 15, 2006 | Sequenom has launched the iPLEX Gold Assay, designed to provide routine multiplexing at up to 36 times/reaction. According to the company, the iPLEX Gold assay provides the same accurate and high-quality results as its original iPLEX assay, but at a substantially reduced cost per data point, enabling fine mapping genotyping at 3.5 cents per data point. The assay runs on Sequenom's MassARRAY Compact System, set to launch at the end of 2006, and is also available as a service offering through Sequenom's genetic analysis services business unit.
Product: iPLEX Gold assay
Company: Sequenom
Available: Now
For more information: www.sequenom.com
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text:
According to Gallup America has been growing increasingly dissatisfied since 2004, when national satisfaction slipped below 50 percent it went below 40 percent in 2005, and 30 percent in 2009. Since then it's continued to slip, now nearing the 20 percent level.
Americans used to be able to find refuge during the dark times and escape life's troubles for short periods of time. Church events, theater, dances, radio, movies, family outings, television, sporting events or just plain old sitting out on the front porch and watching the world go by, all were geared towards what use to be called "entertainment" to get your mind off the real world events.
Taking the place of those escapes from the real world events we now have a constant barrage of "reality" TV shows, one of which most recently contributed to the suicide death of one participant over financial issues.
Times, attitudes, expectations, goals, aspirations and temperament all seems to be moving towards the extreme these days. We're not just dissatisfied with how things are going, we're down right frustrated, and as frustration grows people begin to take action. Those actions are showing up in every news story you come across. It's one thing for drunken sports fans to shout obscenities and throw debris at opposing players. That behavior is not at all acceptable, but when fans beat another fan and shots get fired at an NFL event, its gone way over the line. It's one thing for new scientific technology to discover a person whose on death row and been in jail for the last 17 years is innocent of the crime, but for a prosecutor to not look bad they make the convicted person, who has always claimed his innocents, admit guilt in killing three young boys so that he can be pardoned and set free immediately. It's one thing for heated disagreements between political adversaries it is something else when a long time elected official calls citizens "terrorists" and a cabinet secretary publicly states she does not work for members of a party with whom she does not agree. It's one thing for a disgruntled student to get back at a school by phoning in a prank bomb threat it's something very different to take a gun or box cutter into school and kill teachers and fellow students. And, these are just a few of the headlines from recent events.
Dan Alexander is associate publisher of New Market Press and publisher and CEO of Denton Publications. He may be reached at email@example.com or email@example.com.
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The Prophet's being Haadir wa Naadir
And he shall reply, Muhammad and his Community means that his Community are witnesses while he vouches for them, but his mention came first out of reverence (li-t-tazîm). It is possible that he, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, too witnesses for Nuh, since it is a context of help and Allah Most High said [When Allah made (His) convenant with the Prophets] until He said [you shall believe in him and you shall help him] (3:81). In this there is a remarkable warning that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is present and witnessing in that Greatest Inspection (wafîhi tanbîhun nabîhun annahu sallallâhu alayhi wa sallama hâdirun nâzirun fî dhâlika al-ardi al-akbar), when the Prophets are brought, Nuh being the first, and the latters witnesses are brought, namely, this Community.[3]
There are other verses that affirm that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, hears and sees the deeds of human beings. Allah Most High said: [And know that the Messenger of Allah is among you] (49:7). In the verses [Allah and His Messenger will see your conduct] (9:94) and [Act! Allah will behold your actions, and (so will) His Messenger and the believers] (9:105), the Prophets, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, perception is put on a par with that of the Lord of the worlds Who sees and encompasses all on the one hand and, on the other, that of all the living believers.
Shaykh Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Ghumari said:
The saying of Allah Most High [O you who believe! Observe your duty to Allah, and give up what remains (due to you) from usury, if you are (in truth) believers. And if you do not, them be warned of war (against you) from Allah and His Messenger] (2:278-279) indicates that the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is alive in his noble grave, fighting the usurers with his supplication against them or with whatever suits his isthmus-life. I do not know anyone that inferred this from the verse before me.[4]
The above is further confirmed in the Sunna by the following evidence:
(1) Ibn Masuds authentic narration of the Prophets, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, witnessing of all the deeds of the Umma from his Barzakh:
The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: My life is a great good for you, you will relate about me and it will be related to you, and my death is a great good for you, your actions will be exhibited to me, and if I see goodness I will praise Allah, and if I see evil I will ask forgiveness of Him for you. (Hayâtî khayrun lakum tuhaddithûna wa yuhaddathu lakum wa wafâtî khayrun lakum turadu amalukum alayya famâ raaytu min khayrin hamidtu Allâha wa mâ raaytu min sharrin istaghfartu Allâha lakum.)[5]
(2) The authentic narration of the Supernal Company (al-malau al-alâ) from Muadh ibn Jabal (RA) and others
The Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, said: My Lord came to me in the best form the narrator said: I think he said: in my sleep and asked me over what did the Higher Assembly (al-mala al-alâ)[6] vie; I said I did not know, so He put His hand between my shoulders, and I felt its coolness in my innermost, and knowledge of all things between the East and the West came to me.[7]
(3) The staying back of Sayyidina Gibril, `alayhis salaam, at the point the Prophet, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, went beyond the Lote-Tree of the Farthermost Boundary (sidrat al-muntaha) and heard the screeching of the pens writing the Foreordained Decree then saw his Lord,[8] although Gibril is the closest of all creatures to Allah U and the angels do see Him according to Ahl-al-Sunna.[9]
Al-Qadi Iyad in al-Shifa, in the section titled Concerning the places where it is desirable to invoke blessings and peace upon him cited from Amribn Dinar al-Athram (d. 126) the explanation of the verse [when you enter houses salute one another] (24:61): If there is no-one in the house then say: as-salâmu alâ al-Nabiyyi wa rahmatullâhi wa barakâtuh.[10]
Al-Qari said in his commentary on al-Shifa: Meaning, because his soul, sall-Allahu `alayhi wa sallam, is present in the house of the Muslims (ay lianna rûhahu alayhi al-salâmu hâdirun fî buyûti al-muslimîn).[11]
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October 2012 Athlete of the Month
Allegra Johnson
Allegra Johnson was named the Hilbert College Student-Athlete of the Month for October, 2012.
In the 36 sets the women's volleyball team played in October, Johnson led the Hawks offense with 102 kills, averaging 2.83 kills per set. During the team's 3-7 month, the Hawks secured victories over Oswego State, Pitt-Greensburg and Wilkes University.
The Euclid, OH native had double digit kills (4) and digs (5) in the team's 10 matches played, and she earned 8 service aces and led the team with 94 digs for the month.
Johnson's most impressive match was the league defeat to Pitt-Bradford when she drove home 16 kills and earned 20 digs along with two blocks. She was named as the AMCC Women's Volleyball Player of the Week October 29 for her impressive performance.
Johnson is a freshman psychology major.
Previous Months
Upcoming Events
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 14, 2015
- Summer Session A2 Ends
- Aug 21, 2015
- First Year Student Orientation
- Aug 28, 2015


text:
This domain -- DNSbook.com -- was originally purchased to promote a DNS book that never was published.
The author, however, thought that it would be nice to have an easy source to what remains the best DNS book out there.
Although DNS and Bind has not been updated in quite a few years, no other DNS book has replaced its legacy among IT professionals.


text:
Volkswagen Touareg Edition X announced
Marks the model's 10th anniversary
Volkswagen is celebrating the Touareg's 10th anniversary by introducing the Edition X.
Named after the Roman numeral for ten, the special edition features bi-xenon headlights, a panoramic sunroof and 19-inch alloy wheels. There's also tinted windows, silver anodized trim and special badging.
The interior boasts exclusive Nappa leather upholstery, ebony wood trim and illuminated door sill plates.
The special edition will be available with a variety of engines and German pricing starts at €61,025 for the V6 TDI BlueMotion.
The new Touareg Edition X
Elegant special model to mark the Touareg's 10th anniversary
Wolfsburg, 05 October 2012 - A decade ago, the Touareg celebrated its world premiere at the Paris Motor Show and since then has been providing off-road competence of the highest level. Volkswagen is now dedicating a new special model to this era of success, the Touareg Edition X, which with numerous exclusive features will satisfy the even most demanding of expectations.
The new Touareg Edition X runs as standard on 19-inch 'Moab' alloy wheels and, combined with the Moonlight Blue Pearl Effect exterior paint, available as an option, offers a stylish level of specification. A large panoramic slide/tilt sunroof, silver anodised roof rails, bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and darkened rear light clusters in LED technology complete the look of this striking off-roader. In addition, the 'Chrome & Style' designer pack, tinted side and rear windows and 'Touareg X' logos on the wings are also included in the package.
The first-class specification carries on inside as well. The Touareg Edition X has, for example, exclusive Nappa leather trim in amber brown with a new style of braid embossed finish. On top of this come decorative inlays in real ebony for doors and instrument panel, plus illuminated front door sills with 'Touareg X' lettering. The package is rounded off with colour-coordinated decorative stitching on the leather steering wheel, gear lever gaiter and fabric floor mats.
The Touareg Edition X can be ordered now with a choice of five engine/gearbox combinations, including a hybrid version. Prices begin at €61,025 for the V6 TDI BlueMotion Technology 150 kW / 204 PS with 8-speed automatic transmission.


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External Links
Score1 - Moderate: Generally 10,000-100,000 individuals.
Score1 - Peripheral, Disjunct or Sporadic Distribution in MT: Widespread species that is peripheral, disjunct or sporadically distributed within MT such that it occurs in <5% of the state (<7,500 sq. miles or the combined area of Beaverhead and Ravalli Counties) or is restricted to 4-5 sub-basins.
Score1 - Moderate: Generally occurring in 11-25 Subwatersheds (6th Code HUC's).
Score0 - Stable or Increasing: Population size, range, and/or available habitat stable, increasing or fluctuating in the recent past (approximately 30 years).
Score0 - Low: Impacts, if any, to the species are expected to be minor or insignificant (affecting <10% of populations) in severity, scope and immediacy.
Score0 - Low Vulnerability: Species does not have any unusual or specific life history or biological attributes or limted reproductive potential which makes it susceptible to extirpation from stochastic events or other adverse impacts to its habitat and thus slow to recover.
Score1 - Moderate: Species is restricted to a specific habitat that is more widely distributed or to several restricted habitats and is typically dependent upon relatively unaltered, good-quality habitat (C Values of 5-7).
4 total points scored out of a possible 19.
"Right click and save" to download an offline version of our field guide.
(updated 9/19/2013)


text:
Research Forum Spring Term 2011
material life of things: symposium
Materiality and Life Metaphors: Three Dialogues
Friday, 18 March 2011
15.00 - 18.30, Research Forum South Room
Speaker(s): Tarnya Cooper (National Portrait Gallery); Hanna Barbara Hölling (University of Amsterdam); Pip Laurenson (Tate); Angela Matyssek (Philipps-Universität Marburg); Katie Scott (The Courtauld Institute of Art); Hannah Williams (St John's College Oxford)
Ticket/entry details: All welcome but numbers are limited. Advance booking by Tuesday 15 March is essential for catering purposes. Please contact: firstname.lastname@example.com
Organised by: Drs. Francesco Lucchini and Kate Gerry
Bringing together the work of art historians, conservators, and curators, the papers presented in this symposium will explore the relationships between what we call 'art' and the material substances by which it is transmitted. In a series of papers presented in conversation with each other, the speakers will discuss issues of conservation of works in traditional and time-based media, and the relationship of medium to value; the study of things owned and used by artists in the past, with attention to questions raised by the role of now-lost objects in material culture studies; and the continuing development of individual works of art after their initial creation, with a focus on two works of contemporary art.
Download programme


text:
Eugenie Chan
THTR 195Core F
Course Description:
In 1965 the first Asian American theatre company was formed in Los Angeles as a response to the lack of available roles for Asian American performing artists. Since then, Asian American drama has grown to include mainstream theatre, dance, performance art, film and TV. This class will explore how Asian American performance (whether by intention or effect) is political and politicized art. We will read and view artworks that illustrate key movements in Asian American theatre, performance art, and film, as well as study how these artworks examine issues of gender, class, race, ethnicity, identity and migration. Field trips to related productions by Asian American artists or companies will be an integral component of the class.
Faculty Bio:
Eugenie Chan is a 5th generation San Franciscan whose forefathers sold slippers in Chinatown, dry goods in the desert, and love in the bordellos. No wonder her plays tend to mix up language, reality, tradition, and history. An award-winning professional playwright, her work has been widely produced in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. She teaches in the Performing Arts & Social Justice program.


text:
Music Lessons in Sylacauga Alabama USA
You may also want to consider music teachers in the nearby local area:
Bon Air (AL), Hollins (AL), Sycamore (AL), Childersburg (AL), Weogufka (AL) .
Postal Code(s) associated with Sylacauga, AL: 35150, 35151 .
WARNING: This game can be addictive
Music Teachers in Sylacauga Alabama USA
The above search is a free service maintained by DoReMiWORLD.com for the benefit of private music teachers, as well as music students and their parents. Our goal is to help you locate a private music instructor, for example, a private piano teacher, a private violin teacher, a private voice coach, or another music education specialist who may offer private music lessons to music students in
Sylacauga Alabama.
Private music instruction is considered to be the best way to learn to play a musical instrument. Use this directory to find a private music teacher offering music lessons in your local area (Sylacauga AL). At the moment, our directory is limited to the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. This music teacher directory classifies private music instructors by instrument, such as private piano teachers (for private piano lessons), private voice teachers (for private voice lessons), private violin teachers (for private violin lessons), etc. Please use the above search function to find a private music teacher near you.
We welcome the following types of instructors in our Sylacauga Alabama directory: Drums Coaches, Harpsichord Coaches, Accordion Teachers, Tuba Instructors, Viola Tutors, Electric Bass Educators, Electric Guitar Coaches, Bass Tutors, Woodwinds Teachers, Flute Coaches, French Horn Teachers, Organ Teachers, Trumpet Instructors, Brass Coaches, Trombone Coaches, Ukulele Instructors, Banjo Professionals, Bassoon Tutors, Voice Educators, Keyboard Educators, Oboe Educators, Piano Instructors, Piccolo Educators, English Horn Educators, Bass Guitar Professionals, Clarinet Professionals, Saxophone Tutors, Percussion Instructors, Double Bass Instructors, Mandolin Teachers, Cello Professionals, Classical Guitar Tutors, Violin Teachers, Acoustic Guitar Tutors, Recorder Professionals, Harp Professionals .


text:
TYR Boys' Nexus Racer Brief
$37.99 $43.99*
Save $6.00 (14%)
Product Information:
Whether he's putting in hours of practice or it's race day, the Boys' Nexus Racer Brief offers reliable comfort. Constructed from a durable, chlorine-proof polyester fabric, this brief will give him over 300 hours of use. Flexible and fully lined for comfort and protection, he'll get total freedom of leg motion wearing the TYR® Boys' Nexus Racer Brief.
- 300+ hours of use
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- Durable, flexible, and comfortable
- UPF 50+ protection
- Fully lined
- Fabric: 94% polyester, 6% spandex
- Style: RNX7
Country of Origin: ImportedWeb ID: 23123386


text:
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Brightness and contrast manipulation in WPF 3.5 SP1
While being in flight, I had to learn new features, introduced in .NET 3.5 SP1. So, let's start from image manipulation. I want to perform contrast and brightness manipulation in GPU over displayed image. In order to begin, you should download and install .NET 3.5 SP1 and Visual Studio 2008 SP1. Meanwhile (it's about 500 MB of download) we'll learn how to write custom shader effect.
In order to build custom Shader Effer, we have to use HLSL (High Level Shading Language). This is programming language, introduces in DirectX 9.0 and supports the shader construction with C-like syntax, types, expressions and functions. If you know C – it will be very easy for you to learn it.
What is shader? Shader is consists of vertex shader and pixel shader. Any 3D model flows from application to the vertex shader, then pixel shader frames buffer. So we'll try from simple matrix transformation. First we should build the struct of the position. It is float4 type and has POSITION inheritance. Also we have to get matrix, which is regular float4x4 object. Then all we have to to is to translate inpos by matrix and return new position. That's exactly what following code does.
float4 main(float4 inpos : POSITION, uniform float4x4 ModelViewMatrix) : POSITION
return mul(inpos, ModelViewMatrix);
So by using HLSL we can play freely with vertexes, but what's happen with pixel shader? This works exactly the same way. We have pixel, which is TEXCOORD in input and COLOR in output. So, here it comes
float4 main(float2 uv : TEXCOORD, float brightness, float contrast) : COLOR
float4 color = tex2D(input, uv);
return (color + brightness) * (1.0+contrast)/1.0;
For more information about HLSL, please visit MSDN. As for us, we already have our shader effect and how we have to compile it into executable filter. In order to do it, we'll use directx shader effect compiler. Let's say, that we have our source in effect.txt file and our output file will be effect.ps. Small tip insert following line into pre-build event, and have your shader effect script ready and up-to-day with each compilation.
fxc /T ps_2_0 /E main /Fo"$(ProjectDir)effect.ps" "$(ProjectDir)effect.txt"
Mode information about FX compiler command switches, can be found here. How we should actually wrap our effect in manage code. But wait. We have to pass parameters into shader effect. How to register external parameters within FX file? Simple. Exactly as input params. Note, the tag inside register method will actually be used within our managed wrapper.
sampler2D input : register(s0);
float brightness : register(c0);
float contrast : register(c1);
float4 main(float2 uv : TEXCOORD) : COLOR
float4 color = tex2D(input, uv);
float4 result = color;
result = color + brightness;
result = result * (1.0+contrast)/1.0;
return result;
Well done. Let's build wrapper. Of cause you should inherit from ShaderEffect object and register your input param
public class BrightContrastEffect : ShaderEffect
public Brush Input
get { return (Brush)GetValue(InputProperty); }
set { SetValue(InputProperty, value); }
public static readonly DependencyProperty InputProperty = ShaderEffect.RegisterPixelShaderSamplerProperty("Input", typeof(BrightContrastEffect), 0);
Then load pixel shader from application resources (you should compile ps file as "Resource")
private static PixelShader m_shader = new PixelShader() { UriSource = new Uri(@"pack://application:,,,/CustomPixelRender;component/bricon.ps") };
Then parameters (they are regular dependency objects) with additional special PixelShaderConstantCallback, that received the numeric id of registered properties from pixel shader effect.
public float Brightness
get { return (float)GetValue(BrightnessProperty); }
set { SetValue(BrightnessProperty, value); }
public static readonly DependencyProperty BrightnessProperty = DependencyProperty.Register("Brightness", typeof(double), typeof(BrightContrastEffect), new UIPropertyMetadata(0.0, PixelShaderConstantCallback(0)));
public float Contrast
get { return (float)GetValue(ContrastProperty); }
set { SetValue(ContrastProperty, value); }
A couple of updates and we done with code behind.
public BrightContrastEffect()
PixelShader = m_shader;
Next step is XAML. Each UI element in .NET 3.5 SP1 got new property, named Effect, that designed to hold your custom shader effects (exactly as it was with transformations in 3.0 and 3.5). I want to perform a transformation over image.
<Image Source="img.jpg">
Now we should build two sliders to manage brightness and contrast level
<UniformGrid Grid.Row="1″>
<TextBlock Text="Brightness"/>
<Slider Maximum="1″ Minimum="-1″ Name="bVal"/>
<TextBlock Text="Contrast"/>
<Slider Maximum="1″ Minimum="-1″ Name="cVal"/>
And bind to its values from our pixel shader effect
<Image Source="img.jpg">
Brightness="{Binding ElementName=bVal, Path=Value}"
Contrast="{Binding ElementName=cVal, Path=Value}"/>
That's all, folks. Please note, that everything, done with shader effects, done in GPU. Also, the effect applies on rendered object (you can set the same effect not only to image, but to any UIElement in your system. Thus from performance point of view it's the best method to work with your output. Let's take for example very big image (3000×3000 pixels), rendered with low quality to 300×300 size. Perform per-pixel transformation (what we done here) will take 300X300Xdpi loops. While if you'll perform the same operating over source image or memory section, used to create it, you'll have to do 3000x3000xdpi loops, which is x10^2 more times.
Have a nice day and be good people.
May 23rd, 2008 · Comments (28)
28 Responses to "Brightness and contrast manipulation in WPF 3.5 SP1"
Husni Che Ngah Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Sorry I miss the bracket, this is the correct one…
sampler2D input : register(s0);
float brightness : register(c0);
float contrast : register(c1);
float4 main(float2 uv : TEXCOORD) : COLOR
float4 result = tex2D(input, uv);
result.rgb = (result.rgb + brightness) * (1.0 + contrast);
return result;
Husni Che Ngah Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
You can simplify the routine like this…
sampler2D input : register(s0);
float brightness : register(c0);
float contrast : register(c1);
float4 main(float2 uv : TEXCOORD) : COLOR
float4 result = tex2D(input, uv);
result.rgb = result.rgb + brightness * (1.0 + contrast);
return result;
Mark Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Thaks for posting this smple, it is very inspiring!
I was comparing the output of your HLSL brightness/contrast with the output of Photoshop's, and they are quite different. I am not sure how to duplicate what PS is doing.
I did discover that the HLSL is alos affecting the Alpha channel. Photoshop does not alter the Alpha channel for most effects. Here is the revised FX that is non-destuctive to the alpha channel:
sampler2D input : register(s0);
float brightness : register(c0);
float contrast : register(c1);
float4 main(float2 uv : TEXCOORD) : COLOR
float4 pixel = tex2D(input, uv);
float4 result = pixel;
result.r = pixel.r + brightness;
result.g = pixel.g + brightness;
result.b = pixel.b + brightness;
result.r = result.r * (1.0+contrast)/1.0;
result.g = result.g * (1.0+contrast)/1.0;
result.b = result.b * (1.0+contrast)/1.0;
return result;
ecard guy Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Are these shader effects supported in any version of Silverlight?
Thank you,
kesavan Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Actually i am applying this in Medical domain.
Adjusting Minimum Brightness doesn't become fully dark????(bmp or jpg….)
Can you tell me the solution????
Just Code - Tamir Khason Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Recently, I already wrote about PixelShader effects , introduced in .NET framework 3.5 SP1 (WPF). However
GRiNSER Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
thanks for your answer!
yeah but is that graphics accelerated – i guess not?
Tamir Khason Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
GRiNSER, if you want operate image pixels, I would advice you to see into WritableBitmap or InteropBitmap class in 3.5 and 3.5 SP1. Seek my blog foe more information about those classes
GRiNSER Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Is it possible to get the shaded result rendered back to an image file? That would enable great possibilities!
Ramon's weblog » Blog Archive » Hightlights of WPF 3.5 SP1 (beta) Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Pingback from Ramon's weblog » Blog Archive » Hightlights of WPF 3.5 SP1 (beta)
Dew Drop - May 24, 2008 | Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Pingback from Dew Drop – May 24, 2008 | Alvin Ashcraft's Morning Dew
Niko Suni Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Yea, I thought that was the case
In all fairness, an optimizing compiler should turn a "division by constant" into a "multiply by constant" pattern, but still it is an unnecessary operation if the divisor is exactly 1.0f (which the compiler _could_ iron out too).
However, if the shader is compiled in debug mode, Direct3D will preserve all operations unoptimized so as to enable breakpoints and source-level variable watching. In "raw" D3D this is very useful for checking that the compiled code actually does what you would expect it to do.
I haven't tested yet whether or not the WPF effect framework actually facilitates live debugging of the shaders, though, as we don't seem to explicitly have neither access to the internal graphics device interface nor control of its creation parameters.
Tamir Khason Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
Niko, you are right. This code used to received values -100 to 100 % this why we have devision here
Niko Suni Says:
January 1st, 2009 at 12:49 am
It is worth noting that any optimizations in the pixel shader code are very important since the code runs potentially billions of times per second. For example:
result = result * (1.0+contrast)/1.0;
You don't actually need to perform the division with one here; yet, it may get compiled to the shader anyway, and division is one of the most difficult calculations for the GPU to do, no matter whether the divisor is constant one or not.
Best regards,
Dubcio Says:
February 24th, 2009 at 3:34 pm
I want to use the example to not only change the brightnes on teh screen but also use the same effect by RenderTargetBitmap functionality, and it's works! (answer for GRiNSER question).
I notice on litle "bug" that on the screeen the image is going to be white when i decreshe the brightnes and when render it to the file it became black as suspected. What is wrong? As Mark wrote the orginal posted effect shader code affect the alpha channel and the window is white… RenderTargetBitmap use as default the black bacground so this is why? I think that solutions provided by Husni Che Ngah and Mark will solve the problem.
Becouse i play with this stuff just 1 hour i dont know where i will found the shader compiler… probably in DirectX SDK 😉 I will go deep in it soon…
jelpudu Says:
March 25th, 2009 at 6:31 am
Hi HCN Husni,
Appreciate for the explanation on how to do it.
Futher info required since lost ctc with you since 2004.
jlpd–>track this id
Rudy Says:
April 22nd, 2009 at 6:33 am
I am trying to get this to work in SilverLight 3.0 and it does not want to accept any value for Brightness or Contrast. I get "0.1 is not a valid value for Brightness" on the SetValue call. I am using
Effecter.Brightness = 0.1F;
John Says:
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:22 am
I am trying to use your code in my WPF application and the everything compiles fine, however, when the xaml gets executed. The construction of the ShaderEffects errors.
Here is the error:
Cannot create instance of 'BrightContrastEffect' defined in assembly 'WPFBrowserApp, Version=184.108.40.206, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=null'. Exception has been thrown by the target of an invocation.
abo Says:
February 27th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
The contrast equation in this is actually wrong… that line should be;
result = (result – 0.5) * contrast + 0.5;
Where the contrast value is between 0 to infinity, and 1 means no change.
Also, brightness is normally implemented as;
result = result * brightness
Where brightness is between 0 and infinity, and 1 means no change. This will increase the brightness while keeping blacks black.
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A STAFFORDSHIRE musician has won a prestigious competition which involved a week of performances.
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text:
An improved chromogen-reagent test system for a slide, test kit or the like has particular utility in the testing of fecal specimens for occult blood. The chromogen-reagent system may include the use of colorless guaiac which, in the presence of a developing solution and a catalyst, is oxidized to yield a predetermined color such as blue. Hydrogen peroxide is used as the developing solution and hemoglobin in the fecal specimen functions as the catalyst. The chromogen-reagent test system includes an indicator area for determining if the guaiac and the developing solution are functioning properly, i.e., the test system of the present invention verifies that the guaiac has not lost its activity nor been improperly catalyzed and that the hydrogen peroxide has not lost its activity. The indicator area includes a catalyst which has a greater stability than blood, in respect to adverse environmental conditions, such that a determination can be made if the reagents are functioning properly.
1. An occult blood specimen test system including a sheet member carrying a first reagent which has a color change reaction in response to the presence of a second reagent and blood, and an indicator area defined as a portion of the sheet member for indicating the functionality of the system, said indicator area including a positive indicator region for indicating the functionality of said reagents and a negative indicator region for indicating if said first reagent has been improperly catalyzed, said positive indicator region including the first reagent and a catalyst for causing the color change reaction of the first reagent in response to the presence of the second reagent, said catalyst further characterized in not reacting to adverse environmental conditions in a manner similar to hemoglobin which adverse environmental conditions would cause the first reagent to lose the ability to change color in the presence of blood and the second reagent.
2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the catalyst is more stable than hemoglobin.
3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of lead acetate and cupric cyanide.
4. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the sheet member is part of a test slide.
5. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein the first reagent is guaiac.
6. A method for detecting occult blood using a receiving sheet having a specimen area and a positive indicator area, the specimen area having a reagent which undergoes a color change in the presence of blood and a developing substance, the positive indicator area including a reagent and a catalyst; the catalyst not reacting to adverse environmental conditions in a manner similar to hemoglobin; contacting the specimen area with a fecal specimen and with a developing substance thus causing the reagent in the specimen area to undergo a color change if blood is present in the specimen and if the reagent and developing substance have maintained their lability; applying the developing substance to the positive indicator area at a substantially closely related time to the step of contacting the developing substance to the specimen area; the positive indicator area for indicating the proper functioning of the reagent and the developing substance, and determining, subsequent to the application of the developing substance to the positive test area whether the positive test area has undergone a color change.
7. The method of claim 6 wherein the receiving sheet further includes a negative test area for indicating if the sheet has been subjected to contamination and a reagent, the negative test area to remain free of color change if the specimen sheet has been free of contamination; applying the developing substance to the negative test area; and determining whether the negative test area has undergone a color change.
8. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the catalyst is more stable than hemoglobin.
9. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the catalyst is selected from the group consisting of lead acetate and cupric cyanide.
10. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the receiving sheet is part of a test slide.
11. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein the first reagent is guaiac.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 06/563,903, filed Dec. 21st, 1983 now abandoned.
This invention relates generally to chromogen-reagent test systems for use with test kits, test slides or the like. The present invention has a particular utility in connection with kits or slides used in testing fetal specimens for occult blood and hence the present invention will be explained in that context.
Specimen test slides and procedures for detecting fecal occult blood are well known. Two such systems are described in Pagano U.S. Pat. No. 3,996,006 and Friend U.S. Pat. No. 4,175,923, respectively.
Recently, U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,970 issued to Lawrence et al on Dec. 28, 1982. The Lawrence et al patent describes certain problems which may occur in testing fecal specimens for occult blood utilizing specimen test slides. To understand the problems as presented in the Lawrence et al patent, an explanation of the test procedure for fetal occult blood will be helpful.
One test for fecal occult blood is a hemoglobin catalyzed oxidation of a reagent such as guaiac with the guaiac functioning as a chromogen. The guaiac changes from colorless to blue as the oxidation takes place.
When a test slide is used, a substrate or specimen receiving sheet is impregnated or printed with guaiac. After the specimen is placed on the sheet, a developing solution such as hydrogen peroxide is applied to the sheet in the area of the specimen. If the blood is present in the fecal specimen, the blood will catalyze the liberation of oxygen from the hydrogen peroxide and the liberated oxygen will oxidze the guaiac. Oxidation of the guaiac will cause the guaiac impregnated paper to turn blue in the area of the specimens.
As explained in the Lawrence et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,970 a disadvantage associated with the aforementioned test is that false positive and false negative test results may occur. Specifically, the Lawrence et al patent, at column 1 lines 38 et seq states that "Any condition such as exposure of the slide to heat or sunlight could cause loss of activity of either the guaiac or the hemoglobin . . . and could result in a false negative test. Alternatively, exposure of the slide to traces of metals such as copper or iron which are also guaiac catalysts could lead to false positive test."
The Lawrence et al patent discloses, as a solution to the aforementioned problem, the provision of a control area 34 on the test slide, with positive and negative monitors 34a, 34b. According to the Lawrence et al patent, the positive area should employ either hemoglobin or a catalyst which would react to adverse environmental conditions in a manner similar to hemoglobin. (See Lawrence et al patent, column 4, lines 3-6.) The negative area is a defined region of the guaiac impregnated paper which will not provide a color change unless a catalyst other than hemoglobin is present.
The reason that the positive monitor of the Lawrence et al patent must either be hemoglobin or a substance which reacts to adverse environmental conditions in a manner similar to hemoglobin, is based on Lawrence et al's hypothesis that certain exposure . . . could cause loss of activity of . . . the hemoglobin. Thus if the "exposure"causes loss of activity of the hemoglobin in the specimen, such "exposure" should also cause loss of activity of the positive monitor in Lawrence et al.
The present invention is based upon the discovery that it is not necessary for the positive monitor to be either hemoglobin or a substance which reacts to adverse environmental conditions in a manner similar to hemoglobin, because it is not even necessary to test for loss of activity of the hemoglobin in the specimen due to "exposure"to the environment. The present invention is based upon the discovery that such a limitation as to the substance used for the positive monitor is both unduly restrictive and unnecessary.
Hence the present invention includes a recognition that it is only necessary to make a determination that the reagents are functioning properly in the test system, specifically in the case of the guaiac based test, that the guaiac and hydrogen peroxide are functioning properly.
The present invention relates to a chromogen-reagent test system where the test system is for verifying the efficacy or proper functioning of the reagents.
The present invention includes, at least in part, the discovery that contrary to the aforementioned Lawrence et al patent, it is not necessary that the positive monitor react to adverse environmental conditions in a manner similar to hemoglobin, since it is only necessary to test that the reagents are functioning properly.
The various objects, benefits and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon reading the following detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the drawings.
In the drawings, wherein like reference numerals identify corresponding components:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of a fecal occult specimen slide illustrated from the front of the slide;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fecal occult specimen slide of FIG. 1 as viewed from the rear showing the area for testing the reagents;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged rear elevational view of the slide of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is a perspective illustration of the rear of a test slide illustrating the application of a developing solution.
The present invention relates to a chromogen-reagent test system which may be utilized in connection with slides, test kits and the like. The present invention will be more fully described in the context of a fecal occult specimen test slide. The principles of the present invention are not, however, restricted to the disclosed form of slide.
Referring now to the Figures, a blank 10 formed for example from paper or cardboard, has a front panel 12, a rear panel 14 and a cover 16. A crease line is provided so that the cover 16 hinges relative to the front panel 12. The cover 16 has a tab 18 which is adapted to pass through a slit 20 in the front panel 12 to lock the cover 16 in a closed position.
The front panel 12 has a plurality of openings 22 therethrough and absorbent paper 24 underlies the openings with the paper between the front and rear panels 12, 14, respectively. The paper 24 may be impregnated or printed with a first reagent such as guaiac.
The rear panel 14 includes a flap 26. The flap 26 is hinged on one side to the rear panel 14 and may be perforated on the other three sides in contact with the rear panel 14 so that upon lifting the flap 26 the connecting material between the flap and the rear panel 14, on three sides thereof, will be severed thus exposing the rear portion of the paper 24.
A portion of the paper 24 includes a control, monitor or indicator area 28 having a positive indicator 30 and a negative indicator 32.
Other details of a slide of the type heretofore described may be understood by reviewing U.S. Pat. No. 4,365,970.
To utilize the slide, the patient opens the front cover 16 and applies a fetal smear or specimen from a portion of the stool onto the paper 24 through the openings 22. The patient then closes the cover 16 so that the tab 18 enters the slit 20 and the slide may be submitted either to the physician or to a laboratory.
The physician or laboratory technician opens the rear flap 26 and applies a hydrogen peroxide reagent 34, which functions as a developing solution, onto the paper 24 opposite the openings 22. The developing solution is also added to the indicator area 28, specifically over the positive and negative areas 30, 32, respectively.
According to the principles of the present invention, the application of the developing solution may be made to the indicator area first or to the specimen area first. However, the application of the developing solution must be substantially closely related, in time, to insure that nothing has intervened which can cause the guaiac paper to lose its sensitivity or alternatively that no additional catalyst could have contacted the guaiac paper. Furthermore, the same developing solution must be used for the specimen areas and for the indicator test areas.
After application of the developing solution, the test results are observed. A negative result on the paper 24 above an opening 22 is indicated by the absence of a color change while a positive test is indicated by the presence of a color change. If guaiac is used the color blue indicates a positive test result.
With respect to the indicator area 28, the positive indicator 30 should change color unless either the guaiac has lost its sensitivity or the hydrogen peroxide has lost its activity. The negative indicator area 32 should remain white, i.e., there should not be any color change, unless the guaiac paper has been subjected to a catalyst other than blood.
If the positive indicator area turns blue and the negative indicator area does not turn blue, then the reagents (guaiac and hydrogen peroxide) of the chromogen system are functioning properly.
According to the principles of the present invention, the positive indicator material should be a substance which preferably is more stable than the hemoglobin in the stool sample with respect to adverse environmental conditions since the present invention has, as its objective, to test the functioning of the two reagents in the chromogen-reagent system, namely, in the case of fecal occult blood testing, the present invention desires to test the efficacy of the guaiac and the hydrogen peroxide.
According to the principles of the present invention, the positive indicator area 30 should include both the guaiac reagent imprinted on the paper or substrate 24, and a substance which will catalyze the hydrogen peroxide reagent to cause the guaiac to change color. Examples of the type of substance which may be used are lead acetate or cupric cyanide.
If lead acetate is selected as the positive indicator, the lead acetate may be prepared as follows. Lead acetate is dissolved in hot glycerol to yield a concentration of eight grams per 100 milliliters. Mixing is necessary as part of this dissolution to solublize the lead acetate and the heated glycerol is preferred to aid the dissolution. The lead acetate-glycerol solution is combined with an O.P. water based varnish (Inmont Printing Inc.)at a ratio by volume of one part lead acetate-glycerol to 9 parts varnish. This mixture may thereafter be printed on the guaiac impregnated slide by standard offset printing equipment.
The second alternative suggested herein is cupric cyanide. To prepare the cupric cyanide, the first step is to dissolve copper sulfate pentahydrate in water to yield 4 grams per 100 milliliters concentration. Potassium cyanide is dissolved in the same container in which the copper sulfate pentahydrate was previously dissolved to yield an 8.0 grams per 100 milliliter concentration. The copper sulfate and potassium cyanide react to yield cupric cyanide. The cupric cyanide is combined with a water based O.P. varnish at a ratio of one part cupric cyanide to 9 parts varnish. Then with standard offset printing equipment the cupric cyanide may be printed on the guaiac-impregnated paper.
For each of the above substances, binders or thickeners conventionally used in offset printing may be employed if desirable to facilitate printability. An example is clay white.
At present the lead acetate is preferred for the positive indicator since it appears to have the greatest stability-the lead acetate does not react like hemoglobin to adverse environmental conditions. The positive indicator material may be hemoglobin- free.
The negative indicator 32, of course, is paper impregnated and guaiac alone.
As distinguished from the controls or monitors described in the aforementioned Lawrence et al patent, it must be emphasized that the objective of the present invention is to determine if the chromogen-reagent test system is functioning properly, i.e., to determine if the guaiac has lost its sensitivity, to determine if the guaiac has been improperly catalyzed, and to determine if the hydrogen peroxide has lost its activity. It is not the function of the present invention to determine whether or not any blood present in the stool has been subjected to adverse environmental conditions causing the blood to lose its activity.
Accordingly, the positive indicator material may be applied to the guaiac impregnated paper at any time before the hydrogen peroxide is to be applied. However, for manufacturing convenience, the positive indicator material is applied during manufacture of the test slide.
The foregoing is a complete description of the present invention. The invention, however, should be limited only by the following claims.
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Jingle all the way to Groove for a festive Jingle JAM in celebration of the coming of Winter, the first snowball fight and everyone's favorite holidays! These special vacation week JAM features members of the Groove House Band and the absolute best of the Music for Aardvarks song collection. Reservations are necessary at findgroove.com. Don't get left out in the cold!


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|Skip Navigation Links
|Exit Print View
| Sun Server X2-4 (formerly Sun Fire X4470 M2)
Product Notes, Software Release 1.4.2
1. Sun Server X2-4 Product Notes
Oracle Unbreakable Enterprise Kernel for Linux
Supported Firmware and Software
Supported Firmware in Software Releases
Supported Memory Configurations
Quantity and Slot Restrictions
Minimum Firmware Revisions for PCIe Cards
Sun Flash Accelerator F20 PCIe Card Requirements
Internal Sun Storage 6Gb SAS PCIe RAID HBA Requirements
Sun Storage 10GbE FCoE PCIe Low Profile Dual Port CNA and OS Support
Oracle Linux, SUSE Linux Enterprise Server (SLES), and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Known Issues
Oracle Integrated Lights Out Manager (ILOM) Known Issue
Oracle Hardware Installation Assistant Known Issues
2. Getting Server Firmware and Software
Firmware and Software Access Options
Available Software Release Packages
Accessing Firmware and Software
Download Firmware and Software Using My Oracle Support
Gathering Information for the Physical Media Request
Request Physical Media (Online)
This section covers instructions for downloading or requesting software release files.
There are two methods for obtaining updated firmware and software: by using My Oracle Support or by requesting physical media. See:
The Patches and Updates screen appears.
The screen appears with search fields.
Alternatively, type a full or partial product name (for example, Sun Server X2-4) until a match appears.
Expand the folders to see all available software releases.
The software release comprises a set of downloads (patches).
See Available Software Release Packages for a description of the available downloads.
A pop-up action panel appears. The panel contains several action options.
The File Download dialog box appears.
The patch file downloads.
If your processes do not allow downloads from Oracle web sites, you can access the latest software release through a physical media request (PMR).
See the following sections for the high-level tasks for making a physical media request:
You must have a warranty or support contract for your server in order to make a physical media request (PMR).
Before you make the PMR, gather the following information:
Obtain product name, software release version, and patches required. It will be easier to make the request if you know the latest software release and the name of the download packages (patches) that you are requesting.
If you have access to My Oracle Support – Follow the instructions in Download Firmware and Software Using My Oracle Support to determine the latest software release and view available downloads (patches). After viewing the list of patches, you can navigate away from the Patch Search Results page, if you do not want to continue with the download steps.
If you do not have access to My Oracle Support – Use the information in Available Software Release Packages to determine which packages you want, then request those packages for the latest software release.
Have the shipping information ready. You will need to provide a contact, phone number, email address, company name, and shipping address as part of the request.
Before You Begin
Gather the information described in Gathering Information for the Physical Media Request before making the request.
You do not need to supply any information.
Before You Begin
Gather the information described in Gathering Information for the Physical Media Request before making the request.
If you are able to access the specific software release and patch number information from My Oracle Support, provide this information to the support representative.
If you are unable to access the software release information, request the latest software release for the Sun Server X2-4.


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WASHINGTON -- An election-year tax faceoff between Democrats and Republicans in the GOP-controlled House is heading toward a predictable outcome.
Republicans are poised to pass a bill to renew a full slate of Bush-era tax cuts for every working American.
Democrats are countering with a doomed plan that would extend the tax cuts for all but the highest-earning Americans.
The dueling votes are more about political messaging three months before Election Day than a genuine attempt to resolve longstanding differences over taxes on wealthier people.
The fiscal stalemate could result in higher payroll deductions for every worker.
The Bush-era tax cuts -- renewed in their entirety two years ago -- expire again Dec. 31.
ANDREW TAYLOR Associated Press
The Associated Press


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CD Bach Cantatas no. 8
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750)
NEW: This CD is now available on iTunes and Amazon.
The CD "Bach Cantatas no. 8 features the following recordings:
"Christ unser Herr zum Jordan kam" (Christ did our Lord to Jordan come)
Cantata BWV 7 for St. John the Baptist for alto (Alex Potter), tenor (Julius Pfeifer) and bass (Dominik Wörner), vocal ensemble, oboe d'amore I+II, bassoon, strings and continuo
Conductor: Rudolf Lutz
"Gleich wie der Regen" (Just as the showers)
Cantata BWV 18 for Sexagesima Sunday for soprano (Nuria Rial), tenor (Makoto Sakurada) and bass (Dominik Wörner), vocal ensemble, recorder I+II, bassoon, viola I, II, III, IV and continuo.
Conductor: Rudolf Lutz
"Was willst du dich betrüben" (Why wouldst thou then be saddened)
Cantata BWV 107 for Seventh Sunday after Trinity for soprano (Julia Doyle), tenor (Makoto Sakurada) and bass (Wolf Matthias Friedrich), vocal ensemble, flute I+II, oboe d'amore I+II, cornett, bassoon, strings and continuo
Conductor: Rudolf Lutz
Recording and editing
Texts (CD booklet): Dr Anselm Hartinger, Arthur Godel, Rudolf Lutz
English translations: Alice Noger-Gradon
Sound engineer: Stefan Ritzenthaler, Johannes Widmer
Production: GALLUS MEDIA AG, Switzerland
Translations of the cantata text


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Spruce up your party with some fun additions. You can get margarita machines to popcorn machines for the ultimate party experience. Your party guests will love all the work and effort you put into the event and everyone will have a better time.
When the guest list starts growing, don't panic. You can get tables and chairs for your event quickly at General Rental Center. Don't turn away guests; we are open 7 days a week so you can be sure to get what you need even if it is the last minute.
For churches and pastors, you can score a 25% discount on all your rentals!


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COLUMBIA The bad news for South Carolinas baseball team is that it almost certainly will not have its Sunday starting pitcher, Colby Holmes, for this weekends games at Georgia the penultimate series of the regular season for the Gamecocks.
Holmes continues to recover from a sore shoulder, which he injured two weeks ago while stretching during practice. USC coach Ray Tanner said after Wednesdays win over Furman that he planned to have Holmes throw a bullpen session Thursday before USC left for Georgia, but Holmes would probably still miss his third consecutive start.
The good news for USC is that almost everything that has happened over the past month or so leaves Tanner still feeling optimistic about the status of his pitching staff, for this weekend and the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Its been just more than a month since Tanner settled on freshman Jordan Montgomery as his new Saturday starter, replacing closer-turned-starter-turned-closer Matt Price.
Montgomery convinced everybody with an eight-inning, three-hit, one-run performance April 7 against Tennessee, ending the search for Prices replacement in the rotation. Montgomery has a 4-1 record, 3.98 earned-run average and outstanding control numbers 37 strikeouts, six walks.
So, too, does junior Tyler Webb, who has turned into a valuable set-up man for Price, with a 1.82 ERA, 35 strikeouts and eight walks in 342/3 innings. It will be interesting to see how he handles his workload from this point forward, as he is approaching his innings maximum from the past two seasons 361/3 as a freshman, 36 as a sophomore.
Perhaps most encouraging for Tanner was sophomore Forrest Koumas effort in Sundays win at Arkansas. He had thrown an inning in the middle of last week, against Davidson. But before that, he hadnt pitched since March 31, because of elbow soreness. When he took the mound Sunday, Tanner expected to get maybe two or three innings out of him.
But Koumas showed no ill effects of the layoff and allowed just five hits and no runs in 51/3 innings, giving Tanner a reliable starting option while Holmes recovers and another late-inning reliever for the postseason.
Pitching has been USCs strength all season. The Gamecocks have a 3.18 team ERA and opponents are hitting just .220 against them. Increasingly in recent years, the WHIP statistic (walks plus hits per innings pitched) has been used as a measure of a pitching staffs efficiency. The NCAA now tracks the stat, and as of Sundays games, USC ranked fourth nationally (1.15). That number dropped to 1.14 after the Furman win.
A large majority of the time, our pitching staff has given us a chance to win, Tanner said. We might have improved our depth a little bit in the last few weeks. I was just tremendously impressed with what Forrest Koumas did Sunday at Arkansas.
Georgias starter tonight, third-year sophomore Alex Wood, is one of the Southeastern Conferences elite pitchers and has risen on the (Major League Baseball) draft charts, Tanner said. Wood is the type of long left-hander that scouts love 6-4 and 220 pounds. He is 6-1 this season with a 2.64 ERA, 81 strikeouts, 19 walks and a 1.15 WHIP.
Of course, USC will counter with ace Michael Roth (0.99 WHIP) and an offense that most recently performed well against two highly regarded pro prospects at Arkansas Ryne Stanek on Friday (six hits and five runs in five innings) and DJ Baxendale on Sunday (five hits and four runs in seven innings).
With six SEC games remaining including next weekends highly anticipated series against third-ranked LSU the fourth-ranked Gamecocks (37-12, 16-8 SEC) continue to remain in contention for one of the eight national seeds in the NCAA tournament, which would let them host both a Regional and Super Regional, if they advance that far. As of Thursday, PerfectGame.org projected USC to receive the No. 7 seed.
All that Regional host national seed stuff is really just speculation at this point, Tanner said. Weve got to win some games. We havent won enough games to be secure.
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Comic Life 1.2 offers new built-in \"styles\"
updated 12:30 pm EDT, Fri October 7, 2005
Comic Life 1.2 released
Plasq today announced , an update to its comic creation software bringing highly-requested "curly tails" for speech balloons and a collection of new built-in "styles". Other new provide templates, as well as a selection of six new built-in fonts. Fixes and improvements encompass image handling, text handling, graphics exportation and iPhoto library integration, and smarter file saving now decreases storage requirements. The update also includes numerous bug fixes and minor improvements. Comic Life offers full integration with .Mac (including RSS feeds) and exports to TIFF, GIF, JPEG, and PNG formats. Comic Life 1.2 requires Mac OS X 10.3 and is priced at $25, the update is free to existing users.


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Environmental Issues: Global Warming
Global Warming Main Page
All Documents in Global Warming Tagged energy efficiency
- Global Warming Solutions
- Solving global warming means investing in clean energy, green jobs and smart energy solutions. We can't afford delay. This five-step plan will repower, refuel and rebuild America, starting today.
- NRDC in Latin America
- NRDC works with partners on the ground in Latin American countries to help develop sustainable solutions to pressing challenges, including protecting natural resources, meeting development goals, and supplying enough energy, food and services for growing populations.
- Boosting Energy Efficiency Nationwide Through Measurement and Performance-Based Rewards
Fact Sheet
- Energy efficiency is the most cost effective means for reducing global warming pollution. According to McKinsey and Company, the energy bill savings from efficiency investments could roughly offset the cost of implementing a mandatory carbon cap. And many of these investments already make sense economically: McKinsey estimates that a $50 billion per year investment could result in $1.2 trillion in energy bill savings by 2020 while reducing end-use energy consumption by about 23 percent of projected demand. In addition to saving Americans money on their utility bills, investments in energy efficiency would put downward pressure on electricity, natural gas, and carbon allowance prices (when a carbon cap has been established), while creating 600,000 to 900,000 new jobs. Establishing a reliable measurement for energy efficiency performance and rewarding success in improving performance will help America reach its full energy-saving potential. Get document in pdf.
- Opportunities for Agriculture
ACES legislation will bring new energy and income to America's farmers
Fact Sheet
- The American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) includes significant benefits for American farmers, including incentives for increasing energy efficiency and deployment of renewable energy sources. In addition, under the cap and invest system envisioned by the legislation, farmers could earn additional income through the sale of offsets -- credits for reductions in direct emissions or enhanced carbon sequestration on the farm. This legislation would provide the support that farmers and ranchers need, help them create new jobs and transform their businesses to succeed in a more secure and sustainable clean energy future. Get document in pdf.
Documents Tagged energy efficiency in All Sections
- How to Reduce Your Energy Consumption
Tips for conserving electricity and cutting your energy costs
- Energy efficiency and renewable energy represent the fastest, cleanest and least expensive ways to reduce our electricity use -- and our dependence on oil. Here, some tips on doing just that, for both individuals and businesses -- along with links to other resources that will help you conserve even more.
- Efficient Appliances Save Energy -- and Money
Consumers get lower utility bills, and we all get a cleaner environment.
- Energy efficient appliances are good for consumers and the environment. They won't solve our energy problems by themselves, but there are many reasons why they are a step in the right direction.
- NRDC's Green Offices
NRDC's offices save energy and the environment by embracing green building design.
- When it comes to energy efficiency, NRDC practices what it preaches with energy-efficient and green design features in each of our four offices. Since beginning the greening of our offices in 1988, we have achieved numerous economic and environmental benefits, including keeping millions of pounds of global warming pollution out of the atmosphere.
- Home Idle Load
Devices Wasting Huge Amounts of Electricity When Not in Active Use
Issue Paper
- There has been a veritable explosion in the number of electronics, appliances, and other equipment plugged into, or permanently connected to, America's homes. Most are consuming electricity around-the-clock, even when the owners are not using them or think they have been turned off. This always-on energy use by inactive devices translates to $19 billion a year -- about $165 per U.S. household.
For additional policy documents, see the NRDC Document Bank.
For older publications available only in print, click here.
Get Updates and Alerts
This Is Global Warming
Watch the Video »
Our new video shows the effects of global warming in the world today.
NRDC Gets Top Ratings from the Charity Watchdogs
- Charity Navigator awards NRDC its 4-star top rating.
- Worth magazine named NRDC one of America's 100 best charities.
- NRDC meets the highest standards of the Wise Giving Alliance of the Better Business Bureau.
Switchboard Blogs
- New scorecard reveals polluter attacks against renewable energy
- posted by Aliya Haq, 7/28/15
- New document streamlines negotiating text for Paris, as groundswell of climate action continues
- posted by Han Chen, 7/27/15
- ALEC and polluters release new, uninspired schemes to block climate action
- posted by Aliya Haq, 7/22/15


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Located in the picturesque city of Bath, we are an independent day and boarding school for girls aged 3-18 years old.
There are four separate parts of Royal Bath High. Our Nursery, for the youngest of our pupils, is an integral part of the two year Early Years Foundation Stage. Their classes include language, literacy, numeracy, creative and physical skills through exploring, painting, singing, puzzles and so much more.
This leads them onto our Junior School aimed at girls between 4 and 11 years old. Our concentration here is to provide girls-led learning focused on nurturing curiosity, initiative, problem solving and communications skills and sharing experiences that connect with, and have more relevance to, the wider world.
Our high-achieving Senior School is their next step where lifelong friendships are forced and academic, sporting and personal triumphs are shared.
Finally, our Sixth Form College gives the girls a chance to shine, to excel at the things they love doing and use the two years at the college as a launch pad for their future success.
We are dedicated to making sure that every girl is happy and encouraging them to be who they want to be. We embrace all-round excellence and provide them with plenty of opportunities to develop their skills and talents across the broadest academic, social and personal spectrum.
For further details please visit our website or call us on 01225 439284.


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Main Content
Help your child cheer on their Tampa Bay Buccaneers with this Limited jersey from Nike! He'll show some true team spirit and some love for Tampa Bay Buccaneers No. 27, superstar LeGarrette Blount, when he wears this on game day! This authentically-styled replica jersey is constructed of durable, pro-quality materials and is adorned with sleek Tampa Bay Buccaneers graphics for an awesome look!
- 100% Recycled polyester
- Authentic graphics and detailing
- Tagless collar
- Ventilated mesh paneling
Buccaneers Customers also liked:
Special event items are produced by manufacturers only after the outcome of a game or event. These are advanced sale items and will ship immediately after they are received in our warehouse.
Manufacturer direct items are shipped directly from the manufacturer. These items are not available for international or expedited shipping.
Customized items can be personalized with options such as your name, your favorite number, and/or designs. Some options may be limited by league rules.


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7 Things We Learned at the United Nations
Pomona students during their recent visit to the United Nations.
Zuzana Vuova '14 (pictured) and Kelebogile "Kelly" Zvobgo '14 were named outstanding delegates.
The Pomona College students who recently returned from the National Model U.N. Conference in New York did more than excel in the simulation, in which they represented the Republic of Guinea.
During the weeklong trip sponsored by the College, the 11 students--including one from neighboring Scripps--also benefited from access to technical experts at UNAIDS and UNICEF, and to diplomats at the permanent missions of Botswana, Pakistan and Sweden. Those connections came through former U.N. official Bertil Lindblad '78, who today is Pomona's senior adviser for international initiatives.
"It was an incredible, once-in-a-lifetime experience," adds Zuzana Vuova '14, who, along with Kelebogile "Kelly" Zvobgo '14, was named outstanding delegate. The entire delegation received an honorable mention in the competition.
Here are seven lessons the students learned inside and outside of the official event:
1) Diplomacy takes time. Students got a real taste of diplomatic endurance as they worked 14-hour days hammering out resolutions, negotiating and strategizing outside of the formal sessions over breakfast, lunch and dinner. "We made it our job to make sure everyone in committee understood the issues, had a stake in their resolution, contributed to working paper and resolution drafting, and felt included," says Zvobgo.
2) Social skills matter. With large committees, there were only so many opportunities to speak to the entire group. Much of the work of honing resolutions happened behind the scenes, as the students worked to persuade representatives from other nations person by person.
3) So do writing skills. Students worked on position papers in advance of the event, and during the conference, the writing of resolutions was divvied up. "The idea of the conference is that you produce a substantial piece of work you can take with you," says Vuova.
4) Agreement is possible. In three days of work involving the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Zvobgo and Vuova were able to craft a resolution that recognized Guinea's key concerns regarding internally displaced persons, overcoming initial objections from the German and Italian delegations. "You spend three days stressed," says Vuova of the simulation. "And then you're quite satisfied with the outcome."
5) You really can make a difference. During their visit to UNAIDS, students were moved by their meeting with civil society adviser Eric Sawyer, who spoke to them about his fight to promote awareness during the early days of HIV. Then, little was known about HIV, there was no cure, and patients faced not only the illness but societal stigma as well. Visits to UNAIDS and UNICEF "really drove home the fact the even though what we do in Model U.N. is just a simulation, it is related to real institutions and policies that have an impact on many people's lives," says Derek Ha '14.
6) Other people can, too. One high point of the event was the opportunity to meet students from all corners of the globe who are interested in international diplomacy, says Vuova, who jumped at the chance to practice her Spanish and French.
7) It helps to have an experienced guide. Students cited Lindblad's connections and knowledge for making the trip an unforgettable educational experience. "We had the opportunity to meet some of the world's most inspiring people dedicated to the tough issues these U.N. offices and missions face," says David Baxter '16.
Lindblad returned the compliment. "I was very impressed with their commitment and skills," he says. "The students were very well prepared for participation in the conference, and their interaction with the U.N. diplomats and officials was impressive."
Next year, the students have plans to expand their ranks and participate in more competitions. Sameer Rana '17, an international student from Nepal, says the trip helped him to realize what he wanted to get from his time at Pomona: "I want to place myself in challenging situations, learn from my successes and failures, and most importantly, form close and meaningful relationships with the people around me."