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Pi is a beautiful number. It is the constant defined as the relationship between the circumference and diameter of a perfect circle.
Pi is a beautiful number. It is the constant defined as the relationship between the circumference and diameter of a perfect circle.
Let me try this again: 200/160 = 1.25 AND 628/502 = 1.25
Try not to get confused and mix up the numerators and denominators (comparing 160/200 to 628/502 is not how to look at it).
Last edited by Chris_W; 12-03-13 at 05:00 PM.
A new review of the TRP Spyre at Bike Radar
TRP Spyre mechanical disc brake | $79.99
Full-hydraulic disc brakes may be the future for road and cyclocross bikes but there are few options in the here and now. Countless mechanical levers are already out there though, and TRP hopes to take advantage of that with its all-new Spyre brake. Recent revisions have improved things substantially since we first sampled them back in April but we still think there's a little more work to be done...
TRP also offers the Spyre with a carbon fiber lever arm instead of the standard aluminum one but it only saves 8g
We've a Trek t2000, with an old Magura Gustav M as a drag brake with a stoker lever to actuate it, and tektro mini v-brakes front and rear. The Gustav is really powerful, but it's almost impossible to silence it, I've tried everything (centering, new pads, new disc, pad silencer, ...) but every time after a brake it start squeaking, resonating in the whole frame. The only fix is to stop and push manually the caliper towards the rim, that silence it until the next time my stoker brakes. Moreover, I and my stoker we don't really like shouting in the middle of a descent to coordinate the breaking. So, we are looking for a replacement. We live in Switzerland and we're often confronted with steep descent and we don't consider rim only brakes as a safe option. So, I came across the Hy/Rd, that seems to be the perfect solution, no more noise and no more stoker lever (and maybe also the option to run the mini v-brake and the disc at the same time with a PS Cable doubler 1:2?) , but luckily I've read this post before ordering anything. I've a question about this issue: has anyone tried to insert an additional spring between the caliper cable housing end and the cable attachment arm? (as shown by this not very well photoshoped photo :-) )
Could this solution provide the additional force to fully retract the cable?
Valde_91, regarding your brake lever for the disc, have you considered:
Valde - Why do you want to use the semi-hydraulic HyRd instead of a purely mechanical brake? The only advantage I've heard for hydraulics is better modulation / lever feel. If you're only using it as a third brake, then I wouldn't expect fine modulation to be very important; that's certainly important for your 2 primary brakes, but I wouldn't care about it for the 3rd brake. I'd therefore not choose a brake that is known not to work well on tandems, and would instead go with one of the purely mechanical brakes that is known to work reasonably well (Avid BB7, Shimano CX75/77, Bengal, and TRP's Spyre all having their merits).
We're also a tandem team that lives in Switzerland (Lausanne) and have lots of experience of big descents. We've always had the stoker controlling the 3rd brake, and don't have too many problems with communication - I just yell BRAKE for her to apply the brake gently while on a straight stretch of road, then I yell OFF when we're approaching a corner, when our speed has dropped significantly, or when I want to rotate braking force to a different surface. We've used an Avid BB7 up to now, but I'm so happy with the Shimano CX75's that I've been using on my single bike that I may soon put one of those on the tandem (it's certainly easier to change pads on the Shimanos, although pad adjustment is not as easy as with the BB7).
BTW - did I meet you at a bike courier party about a month ago, or is there more than one Trek tandem with a Gustav rear brake operated by the stoker in Switzerland?
Anyone know anything about a recall?
I just bought 2 of these guys.
BTW, I am using a helper spring on the rear spyre since it didn't return the arm fully. I does help but it changes the feel a bit. I'm going to try a different gauge spring.
If true now everyone's had a recent disc brake recall.
Here's the recall notice in english: http://www.trpbrakes.com/news_detail.php?nid=139
"TRP Brakes has identified a potential safety issue in the lab with the Spyre and Spyre SLC mechanical disc brakes and, as a responsible company, has issued a stop sell notice to our OEM customers and distributors until we have a solution in place. We are working hard on the issue and anticipate a solution very shortly. More information will be forthcoming as soon as possible."
I've been expecting a recall of the SLC version, what with our experience, but not the standard aluminum armed Spyre.
If the Spyre remerges, but with no SLC version, it will have been the melting carbon problem.
If you look at the date on the recall notice (German version) you'll notice that it's from 6 months ago.
My guess, the rest of the world lists the day followed by the month, and that's why the date appears retro at first glance on the German notice.
Hrm interesting.
When I see xx/xx/xxxx I assume it's month-day-year (American style).
However in Germany people don't write dates this way. Usually it's yyyy.mm.dd or something like that, and I'm not sure if they ever write dd.mm.yyyy. But I've never seen dd/mm/yyyy. I honestly don't know the exact date of that article without doing further research.
Scratch that. There is also a "Fr" there (Freitag = Friday). June 12th wasn't a Friday. December 6th was a Friday. So yes apparently that notice was just posted.
Crap. I just ordered a Spyre and it has not arrived yet. Does this mean I should not put it on?
The recall date is December 6th, 2013 (i.e., yesterday). All of Europe uses the convention of dd.mm.yyyy.
Last edited by akexpress; 12-07-13 at 11:15 AM. Reason: Added info
I cannot see what advantage adding hydraulics to the system would bring, except for causing maintenance headaches. People's reports of their experience with the HyRd brakes certainly hasn't changed my opinion on this yet.
Even on my MTB, I use a fully mechanical setup - Avid BB7 MTN brakes with SD7 levers, standard brake housing, and Avid rotors - simply awesome stopping power with very little finger effort, and good modulation (for some reason, this is easily better still than any disc brake setup I've achieved with drop-bar levers). Again, who needs the headaches of hydraulic systems, even on MTBs?
BTW, I am a professional bike mechanic, and so I do know what I'm doing with hydraulic systems, but I don't want them on any of my personal bikes - their is just no real advantages to offset the major disadvantages for me. The only advantage I can see of the hydraulic systems is the pads self-correcting for wear, but this is only relevant if riding in really muddy conditions, which I tend to avoid whenever possible; if you're not riding in extreme conditions then the interval between needing to adjust the pad position is long enough to not bother me, and it's not much different than it would be for rim brakes. Plus, because hydraulic brakes self-correct for pad wear, when installing new pads you have to reset the pistons' position, which can often be a MASSIVE PAIN (especially with certain brands); this can certainly be way more hassle than is manually adjusting the pad position a few times during the brake pads' life on a mechanical system.
Right on board with you for using mechanical vs hydraulic.
However, this just ain't the year for trusting calipers... the Shimano BR-CX75/R515/R315 were also recalled recently, for models sold February 2012 through May 2013.
The replacement calipers are models: BR-CX77/R517/R317
Still, the TRP has the advantage of a dual piston design. I am sending my Spyre back due to the recall, and will wait for the fixed version to come out.
Last edited by twocicle; 12-07-13 at 03:50 PM.
Last edited by Chris_W; 12-09-13 at 02:40 PM.
Yes that was my tandem, but with a friend and his girlfriend riding it (I actually was at the party - btw a great one!). The fact is that I also ride with friends and sometimes borrow the tandem and I feel that it would be easier if all the breaking was in the captains hands. That because riding with someone that is not used to the stopping power of the Gustav could be sometimes almost dangerous, because it brakes really hard. So I thought to get rid of the rim brake and have only the disc directly connected to the drop lever (or with a cable doubler to maintain the disc and the rim brakes, but I'm not sure that is possible to set up properly a system like that, and probably it wouldn't give any advantage, so it is just a silly idea :-) ).
Thanks for your advice on cable disc brakes, because personally I've only a little experience with hydraulics ones (the Gustav and the SH Xt mounted on the cargo bikes of the messenger company where I used to work). I'll try to test a bike with Shimano CX brakes to get an idea how they work and then consider the swap. I imagine that if I change the caliper I need also to get also new disc, right?
Bye and thanks also to the others that have replied to my message,
I contacted TRP in the U.S. with a few questions including how the Stop Sell notice effects consumers. They have not formulated a plan at this point. The person I spoke with shared some of their considerations, but it's only speculation till the official announcement.
The design fault is not the same as the carbon arm failure. As I understand, the way to avoid the potential failure mode is to use the outboard pad adjustment screw/bolt to set initial pad gap and compensate for pad wear, rather than with the barrel adjuster.


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Letters: More North Letters, March 16, 2013
Renee Broadwell
Ban the Solana Beach plastic bag ban
Thanks to the U-T San Diego North County for the spot on editorial regarding the Solana Beach plastic bag ban ("Time to bag Solana Beach's bag ban," March 7).
As a resident of Solana Beach, I strongly opposed the ban for the same reasons that were stated regarding the negative impact of paper bags on the environment.
I personally know residents who are shopping outside of Solana Beach due to the bag ban and many who lament not having the plastic bags to pick up after Fido — including me.
Thanks very much to the mayor for his thoughtless ideals, but I am an adult and don't need to be told not to throw my plastic bag trash into our beautiful Pacific Ocean.
Please leave me and my bags alone.
Ginger Robyn
Solana Beach
Three cheers for Oceanside library
People may not be aware of the many services of our Oceanside library. One is a homebound book program that is run by an exceptional man named Brad Penner. He goes out of his way to make sure people who cannot get to the library are able to enjoy books, magazines, music CDs and audio books.
Three volunteer angels I have met, Ann, Ruth and Teresa, gather books and wing them to homebound readers in our fair city. When a person is unable to get out, it can often be a lonely and depressing situation, but these wonderful people bring a smile and literature to make the time much more enjoyable.
Three cheers to a few of the unsung heroes who help make Oceanside the gem of a city we love.
Debbie Mastro
Oceanside's entry should be welcoming
About the revision of the parking on Mission Avenue from Coast Highway to Horne Street: There are several sidewalk restaurants along this portion of Mission. I can't think of anything more disagreeable than to be sitting at a sidewalk table, enjoying my lunch or dinner, when some humongous RV backs into the space with all of the noise and emissions coming straight into my face and destroying my sense of safety and the joy of eating in such a scenic place.
As for changing Mission into a two-lane street, I think of Santa Barbara. They have the most traffic-constricted main street I have ever had to transit. It is a nightmare unrivaled. This is poor planning and will have a negative effect on anyone who comes to this wonderful city of ours. I would not drive this entry into our city more than once when it turns out to be a bottleneck.
This entry to Oceanside should be one of grace and beauty.
There should be a welcoming gate into the City Arts District.
There should be no parking along the blocks that are targeted to be backed into.
There should be green space and wide sidewalks that welcome visitors and beckon them to stay, eat and stroll throughout the city with its many attractions and fall in love with beauty, not be confronted with traffic patterns that are foreign to the way we drive and live.
Ruth Jameson

subset: commoncrawl


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Home > News > World
Saturday, 10 May 2014 | MYT 10:50 PM
by kole casule
SKOPJE (Reuters) - Macedonia's centre-left opposition boycotted the opening session of the new parliament on Saturday after accusing Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski's conservatives of blackmailing and manipulating voters in last month's election.
The opposition SDSM says it will not take up its 34 seats in parliament. Although the ruling coalition has enough seats to form a government and pass laws, a prolonged boycott could create political turbulence in the ethnically divided state and hamper its ambitions to join the European Union.
Gruevski won a third back-to-back term in the former Yugoslav republic on April 27, while his party's presidential candidate, Gjorge Ivanov, won a parallel vote for the largely ceremonial head of state.
Their VMRO-DPMNE party won 61 seats and its ethnic Albanian coalition partner, DUI, secured 19, giving them a comfortable majority in the 123-seat parliament.
SDSM leader Zoran Zaev told reporters as soon as voting ended that there had been "threats and blackmail and massive buying of voters", accusing Gruevski and his party of "abusing the entire state system".
"SDSM will not be part of undemocratic institutions," Zaev said earlier this week after meeting foreign ambassadors in Skopje. He added that laws adopted without the opposition would have "no legitimacy."
The ruling coalition partners have rejected the SDSM's accusations, pointing to the conclusions of European election monitors who assessed the ballot as "efficient and orderly".
The monitors said, however, that campaigning beforehand had not created a level playing field for all.
During Gruevski's eight years in office, Skopje's bid to join the European Union and NATO has effectively been frozen because of a dispute with neighbouring EU member Greece over Macedonia's name, which Athens wants changed because it is also the name of a northern Greek province.
However, his government has achieved solid economic growth, low public debt and a rise in foreign investment, unlike most other Balkan countries.
(Editing by Mark Trevelyan)
Australia to study three new pieces of debris for link to missing MH370
South Korea's Park facing last chance to push through reforms, boost growth
French strikers seek to tighten grip on energy supplies
Kremlin - Putin won't meet Elton John in Moscow this month
For a hopping great time where else but Kangaroo Island!
Astoria strikes a balance
Xiaomi reveals debut drone
Germany defender Boateng questions England's quality
'1.5mil business tourists to visit M'sia'
Copyright © 1995- Star Media Group Berhad (ROC 10894D)


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Why we need to keep the Artists' Quarter open
As an old-school jazz club, the Artists' Quarter is a model that's dying in America. There aren't many places left where you're not four feet from a caesar salad while you're playing this music. Outside of New York's Village Vanguard and the Green Mill in Chicago, the Twin Cities has the Artists' Quarter.
It's the rare jazz club run by jazz musicians. Who could understand more about what the environment needs to be than somebody from that environment? You're entering something special here. It's subterranean and black inside, with black walls, no windows, and a bar at the back. Also, it's a condensed listening experience where it's not really tolerated to talk loudly during the music -- or to talk at all.
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Phone: 9827-9455. Mobile: 0458 011 765
The Serve Bistro & Tandoor welcomes you into our heart and our home, here at Toorak Road, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia.
Opening Hours: Lunch: Mon – Friday. 12:00 noon to 2:30 pm Dinner: All seven nights. 5:30 to 10:00 pm
Pick up your takeaway meals and SAVE 12%
The Serve Management
The Serve Bistro & Tandoor welcomes you into our heart and our home, here at Toorak Road, South Yarra, Victoria, Australia.
We trust that you will not only savour and delight in the taste of our fine North Indian cuisine but also enjoy a truly warm reception and personalized service from our dedicated team; a combined unique and wholesome experience that will keep you returning for meal after meal.
We serve carefully selected dishes that represent the best of North Indian cuisine and the Punjab region in particular. History plays its part in our menu as the influence of the Mughal invasion features throughout several dishes.
We serve wholesome, authentic, nourishing, and honest Indian cuisine – an experience to cherish.
Redefining the art of serving
Atithi Devo Bhava (Guest is God)
Written above in the ancient language of Sanskrit is a sacred mantra and the very foundation on which The Serve stands. Indian hospitality is a spiritual endeavour and what truly sets The Serve apart is our wholehearted respect for, and devotion to our diners and guests. To be hospitable, therefore, means to care and show respect for another being. It is the sincerest expression of appreciation, love, and humility. The Serve team is guided by these principals.
Honest Indian cuisine served with respect and love.
Welcome to The Serve Bistro & Tandoor.
Spices of Life
5000 years ago, the Himalayan sages conceived the use of spices and herbs as a natural means to balance the metabolism of the body. This knowledge became the corner stone of the Ayurvedic medicine or the 'Science of Life'.
Spices are an intrinsic part of cooking at The Serve not only because the exotic colours and heady aromas elevate any dish from the ordinary to a sublime feast for the senses of sight, smell, and taste, but because most are known to possess therapeutic and healing properties. It is the variety and combination of these spices that nourishes both body and soul.
Turmeric (Haldi) is a wonder spice. It improves liver functions, prevents coughs and cold, improves skin tone, and is a blood purifier, an antiseptic, and a strong antioxidant.
Clove (Laung) controls gum and tooth infections, anti-nausea, combats colds, strengthens nerves and improves circulation.
Cumin (Jeera) helps flush toxins from the body and is a good digestive, especially to "settle" a heavy meal.
Cardamom (Elaichi) prevents the formation of kidney stones.
Mustard Seeds source of selenium and omega-3 fatty acids, stimulates the appetite and known for its anti-inflammation properties.
Black Pepper (Kali Mirch) helps ward off colds and throat infections.
Nutmeg (Jaifal) helps relieve stress.
Cinnamon (Daalchini) helps fight diabetes and food poisoning.
Chili (Mirchi) aids in weight loss, boosts the body's immunity and fights inflammation.
Tandoor – A Timeless Tradition
Villages in North India traditionally use mud stoves (Chullhas) and clay ovens to cook their food. One such oven is the Tandoor which is shaped like a barrel and fired by charcoal. The food, prepared first in a special marinade, is spiked on long metal rods and then cooked in the Tandoor. The Serve's preparation makes our food beautiful to behold and addictive to the palate. Health and Happiness Enjoy!.


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Bidding & Estimating for Cleaning Companies - Downloadable Ebook
Product Number: E-bidding
To download your copy, visit the Download Library's Ebook section
Are you confused on how to prepare bids for commercial cleaning accounts? Bidding and estimating can mean walking the tightrope between not bidding high enough to make a profit or bidding too high and losing the account. Walking that fine line and bidding correctly can have a huge impact on the success of your cleaning business.
This Ebook will show you how to bid, step-by-step. There is no one step form or "cookie cutter" approach you can use to knock out a quick price. Effective bidding requires time and effort on your part. This E-Book will walk you through the steps from the initial client meeting to how you put everything together into a professional looking bid packet.
This Ebook shows you how to:
- do a walk-through to impress the potential client and get the information you need to put together a profitable bid
- ask the right questions
- create production rates for your cleaning company and learn how these rates affect the profitability of your accounts
- estimate your costs so you know how much profit you'll make on the account
- add profitability to your bid by adding specialized services
- put together a professional looking proposal that will impress the client and make you stand out from your competition
There is more to bidding than taking a quick walk through a building and putting some numbers together - or worse yet, "winging it". To make a profit in your cleaning business you must know specifics about the building, what the customer needs, and what your costs are. Once you have that information in hand you'll be better prepared to put together a winning bid.
Bidding & Estimating for Cleaning Companies has over 80 pages of practical advice you can start using immediately to prepare your cleaning bids.
This E-Book contains the following:
Bidding and Estimating: Introduction
Commercial Bidding and Estimating
How Do I Know What to Charge?
What's the Difference Between Class A, Class B and Class C Office Buildings?
How to Prepare for an RFP (Request for Proposal)
Obtaining Government Contracts
The Walk-Through: How to do a site Inspection
Be Prepared for the Site Inspection
Question to Ask
Bid Walk-Through Worksheet
How to Measure a Building for a Cleaning Bid
Understanding Cleaning Production Rates
How to Develop Production Rates for Your Cleaning Company
Conversion Chart: Time Equivalents in Worker Hours
Production Cleaning Rates by State
How to Analyze Employee Workloads
How to Estimate Your Costs (Expenses)
Coming Up With Your Price
General Cleaning
Floor Care
Putting It All Together
Bidding on Restroom Supplies and Can Liners
Sample Bids (7 sample bids broken down, step-by-step)
What to Include in Your Cleaning Packet
Sample Proposal
BONUS! Order today and you will also get the following forms:
- Production Cleaning Rates Chart
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- Janitorial Services Contract
Bidding and Estimating the right way will help you get new accounts and ensure you are making a profit! By reading and working through the sample bids contained in Bidding & Estimating for Cleaning Companies Ebook, you'll learn the tricks of the trade and how to successfully grow your cleaning business.
This is a downloadable product with both PDF and Microsoft Word documents. Shortly after ordering you will receive an e-mail with instructions on how to download your product.
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P.S. You may also be interested in our DVD - How To Walk Through And Measure a Building For A Cleaning Proposal - Order both today!


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Sappi Shows Industry What's Next in Paper and Print
What's Next, Sappi Fine Paper Europe's high-quality paper showcase magazine, unleashes the power of print in its latest autumn edition, available now for order through Sappi sales office or online Read more »
Wardour helps everywoman connect
Wardour is launching a new inspirational and informative quarterly publication for senior women in business. Read more »
APA Wins Inaugural Brand Event Award
Last night APA's first ever International Content Summit was named 'Best media event strategy of the year' at Haymarket's inaugural Brand Event Awards.
The summit which was held in November 2010 at Old Billingsgate was described as having defined a discipline and clearly claimed ownership of content as a marketing medium for APA's members. The judges agreed that APA was ahead of the curve and had won the land-grab for the emerging channel. The summit line-up was impressive with stalwarts such as Rory Sutherland, Julie Meyer, Luke Johnson and David Seers taking the stage leaving no stone unturned. Read more »1Comments
A hat-trick and more for Wardour at APA Awards
Wardour picked up the title for best business-to-business magazine for an unprecedented third successive time last week at the APA international content marketing awards.
The B2B crown went once again to The Review for Gemalto, which saw off stiff competition from 10 other entries to pick up the trophy.
The hat-trick for Wardour and Gemalto topped a great night for the agency, which also won the award for best photograph and was highly commended for best finance title. Read more »
Cedar Communications celebrated a great night at the APA Awards with industry recognition for their range of creative branded content.
Cedar, which produces multi-platform content for clients including British Airways, Tesco, Nikon and CLEA, won the best Travel and Leisure award for Do Not Disturb, for Best Western Hotels, edited by Cedar Editorial Director Mark Jones. Read more »


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August 24, 2009
By Hilary Rowe
Released in the United States the fall of 2005, this simple and charming comedy-drama is now available on DVD. An unassuming and unexpected film from Israeli director Giddi Dar, Ushpizin follows the story of a pious rabbi and his wife on the Succoth holiday in Jerusalem. This movie should draw the attention of Christians and Jews alike for its humble but convincing portrayal of a couple's faith in God. The rabbi, Moshe, has recently undergone a major conversion from a life of crime, and...
August 20, 2009
Vatican paper delves into new Twilight movie
By CNA Staff
In an article entitled, "The Secret of Twilight," the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano reviewed the first of the Twilight movies. The film tells the story of a lonely teen who doesn't fit in and a young vegetarian vampire who has decided to abstain from human blood. Reporter Silvia Guidi begins by questioning the reason for the success of the movie, which "fascinates millions of people (not only teens, as there is also a Twilight fan club of moms)." "Bella—together with the fans of...
June 10, 2009
Truth, Drama and a Film That Really Matters
By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput
Many Catholics will remember Steve McEveety for his work as producer on The Passion of the Christ. Married, the father of four and serious about his Catholic faith, McEveety has a 30 year film career that began as a child actor and matured to include Payback, Immortal Beloved and Braveheart as executive producer, and We Were Soldiers and other major Hollywood titles as producer. He also co-founded Mpower Pictures, which in 2007 released the extraordinary portrait of a young man's...
May 14, 2009
Star Trek (2009)
By Hilary Rowe
Let me begin by saying that I have never seen an episode of any Star Trek television series. Nor had I seen a Star Trek movie until J.J. Abrams's recent update of the cult classic. No longer held prisoner by obsessive fans and Trekkie conventions, Star Trek proves itself to be a stylish and intelligent story, palatable to wide audiences. The biggest reason I wanted to see Star Trek was that its director, J.J. Abrams, is the creator and director of Lost, the world's most brilliant...
May 08, 2009
The Soloist
By Hilary Rowe
Joe Wright is quickly becoming one of my favorite directors. I fell in love with his 2005 version of Pride and Prejudice, and, although I have yet to see his Oscar-nominated 2007 film Atonement, I think he has another winner this spring with The Soloist. The story depicts real human misery and authentic compassion, packaged together in a refreshingly unique style of filmmaking. The Soloist is based on a nonfiction book by Steve Lopez, columnist for the L.A. Times. In 2005, Lopez met a...
April 17, 2009
'Terminator' TV Series Serves As Unexpected Vehicle for Faith and Values
By Denis Grasska
Sometimes the best messages can come from the most unlikely sources. A good example is "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles." The weekly television series, which ended its second season on Good Friday amid rumors of possible cancellation, has proven to be a surprising show. Based on the three "Terminator" films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, the series has been enriched by its allusions to the Judeo-Christian tradition, its reflections on faith and doubt, and its...
March 30, 2009
I Love You, Man
By Hilary Rowe
I don't get to the movies very often these days. So, it is especially disappointing to waste my time on an artistically and morally bankrupt film that lacks even vague entertainment value. The one thing that redeems my experience of I Love You, Man is that by writing this review, I may be able to spare others the agony. I Love You, Man begins with a simple premise that has a lot of potential. Paul Rudd plays Peter Klaven, who proposes to his girlfriend and, in the process of choosing their...
February 09, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire
By Hilary Rowe
A rare word-of-mouth phenomenon, Slumdog Millionaire has captured the nation's attention in the last few months. To me, the most impressive feat of this movie has been its ability to attract everyday Hollywood moviegoers to arthouse theaters to watch a foreign film. I am still a little mystified by the question: What about this movie has made it so universally appealing? The plot of the film is a typical Hollywood story: a poor young man battles his destitute circumstances, seeks to change...
February 09, 2009
By Hilary Rowe
Based on the trailer for writer/director John Patrick Shanley's recent film, I expected Doubt to be a predictable cheap shot at the Catholic priesthood. Since the sexual abuse scandals of recent memory, it has been far too easy for filmmakers and media outlets to demonize the clergy. Because Doubt deals directly with the topic of clerical sexual abuse, I pegged this movie as more of the same. I was surprised and relieved to find that Shanley presents a fair and nuanced portrait of the...
January 12, 2009
Gran Torino
By Joan Frawley Desmond
During the post-Vatican II push for more "relevant" religion classes, students in my high school "Theology of the Film" course trooped off to see Dirty Harry -- the 1971 drama starring Clint Eastwood as the police lieutenant who violates the law, including the torture of suspects, to protect San Franciscans from a wily serial killer. Afterward, we held the requisite classroom debate on whether Harry was justified in taking the law into his own hands. Most of us teenagers didn't quite...


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From choosing the right racing series to costs involved... Wheels24 reader Riaan van Wyk shares advice on launching your child's go-kart career on an affordable budget in SA.
Volkswagen announced a partnership with rideshare companies Gett, in the latest such moves by major carmakers.
Copyright 2011. TopCar SA is a division of Media24.
Site by OnNet.


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News: Average apartment rents in the US are expected to rise 4.0% by the end of 2013, and another 4.0% in 2014, World Property Channel reports. The vacancy rate in US apartments is estimated to increase by 0.1% to 4.0% during Q313, despite a surge in new construction. Vacancy rates below 5% are considered as a landlord's market. The quarterly report, by the National Association of Realtors, also expects to see net absorption for the multifamily housing market to amount to 266,700 units in 2013, and 259,800 units in 2014. Meanwhile office rents are expected to climb 2.5% this year, and 2.8% in 2014; while net absorption of office space, both new and existing leases, is predicted to reach 30.1mn square feet in 2013, and 42.6mn in 2014.
BMI View: New York and Los Angeles generally command higher office rents than Chicago, Dallas and Philadelphia. These three cities have long histories as financial centres, which carry the kind of reputation required to command such high rental levels. However, in the 24-month period from January 2011 to end-2012, it was Los Angeles that saw the greatest overall fall in office rental levels from US$108/m2 per month to US$48.50. While Dallas recorded the largest increase at the maximum end. Our full-year 2012 in country interviews and the picture they produced for office rents reflects the economic troubles that continued to plague the country, and the return of optimism to the market has yet to announce itself emphatically upon the data.


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Editors' Note: The download button opens the iTunes App Store, where you may continue the download process. You must have iTunes installed with an active iTunes account in order to download and install the software. This download may not be available in some countries.
Publisher's Description+
What's new in this version:
Ability to refill or transfer an existing prescription to Walgreens Fully optimized for iPhone 5 display Small bug fixes


text:
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Philips energy saving 31 Watt T8 U-bent fluorescent lamp with 1.65" gap. ALTO technology uses less mercury for an environmentally safer lamp.
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Volume 39, Issue 3, March 2012
: A recently completed Phase I clinical trial combined concurrent Mitomycin-C chemotherapy with deep regional heating using BSD-2000 Sigma-Ellipse applicator (BSD Corporation, Salt Lake City, UT, U.S.A.) for the treatment of nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer. This work presents a new treatment planning approach, and demonstrates potential impact of this approach on improvement of treatment quality.Methods
: This study retrospectively analyzes a subset of five patients on the trial. For each treatment, expert operators selected "clinical-optimal" settings based on simple model calculation on the BSD-2000 control console. Computed tomography(CT) scans acquired prior to treatment were segmented to create finite element patient models for retrospective simulations with Sigma-HyperPlan (Dr. Sennewald Medizintechnik GmbH, Munchen, Germany). Since Sigma-HyperPlan does not account for the convective nature of heat transfer within a fluid filled bladder, an effective thermal conductivity for bladder was introduced. This effective thermal conductivity value was determined by comparing simulation results with clinical measurements of bladder and rectum temperatures. Regions of predicted high temperature in normal tissues were compared with patient complaints during treatment.Treatment results using "computed-optimal" settings from the planning system were compared with clinical results using clinical-optimal settings to evaluate potential of treatment improvement by reducing hot spot volume.Results
: For all five patients, retrospective treatment planning indicated improved matches between simulated and measured bladder temperatures with increasing effective thermal conductivity. The differences were mostly within 1.3 °C when using an effective thermal conductivity value above 10 W/K/m. Changes in effective bladder thermal conductivity affected surrounding normal tissues within a distance of ∼1.5 cm from the bladder wall. Rectal temperature differences between simulation and measurement were large due to sensitivity to the sampling locations in rectum. The predicted bladder T90 correlated well with single-point bladder temperature measurement. Hot spot locations predicted by the simulation agreed qualitatively with patient complaints during treatment. Furthermore, comparison between the temperature distributions with clinical and computed-optimal settings demonstrated that the computed-optimal settings resulted in substantially reduced hot spot volumes.Conclusions
: Determination of an effective thermal conductivity value for fluid filled bladder was essential for matching simulation and treatmenttemperatures. Prospectively planning patients using the effective thermal conductivity determined in this work can potentially improve treatment efficacy (compared to manual operator adjustments) by potentially lower discomfort from reduced hot spots in normal tissue.
The 2014 initiative can have potentially unintended negative consequences for medical physics in diagnostic imaging and nuclear medicine39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3658741View Description Hide Description
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Fast compressed sensing-based CBCT reconstruction using Barzilai-Borwein formulation for application to on-line IGRT39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3679865View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
Compressed sensing theory has enabled an accurate, low-dose cone-beam computed tomography(CBCT)reconstruction using a minimal number of noisy projections. However, the reconstruction time remains a significant challenge for practical implementation in the clinic. In this work, we propose a novel gradient projection algorithm, based on the Gradient-Projection-Barzilai-Borwein formulation (GP-BB), that handles the total variation (TV)-norm regularization-based least squares problem for the CBCTreconstruction in a highly efficient manner, with speed acceptable for routine use in the clinic.Methods:
CBCT is reconstructed by minimizing an energy function consisting of a data fidelity term and a TV-norm regularization term. Both terms are simultaneously minimized by calculating the gradient projection of the energy function with the step size determined using an approximate Hessian calculation at each iteration, based on the Barzilai-Borwein formulation. To speed up the process, a multiresolution optimization is used. In addition, the entire algorithm was designed to run with a single graphics processing unit (GPU) card. To evaluate the performance, the Shepp-Logan numerical phantom, the CatPhan 600 physical phantom, and a clinically-treated head-and-neck patient were acquired from the TrueBeam™ system (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA). For each scan, in total, 364 projections were acquired in a 200° rotation. The imager has 1024 × 768 pixels with 0.388 × 0.388-mm resolution. This was down-sampled to 512 × 384 pixels with 0.776 × 0.776-mm resolution for reconstruction. Evenly spaced angles were subsampled and used for varying the number of projections for the image reconstruction. To assess the performance of our GP-BB algorithm, we have implemented and compared with three compressed sensing-type algorithms, the two of which are popular and published (forward–backward splitting techniques), and the other one with a basic line-search technique. In addition, the conventional Feldkamp-Davis-Kress (FDK) reconstruction of the clinical patient data is compared as well.Results:
In comparison with the other compressed sensing-type algorithms, our algorithm showed convergence in ≤30 iterations whereas other published algorithms need at least 50 iterations in order to reconstruct the Shepp-Logan phantom image. With the CatPhan phantom, the GP-BB algorithm achieved a clinically-reasonable image with 40 projections in 12 iterations, in less than 12.6 s. This is at least an order of magnitude faster in reconstruction time compared with the most recent reports utilizing GPU technology given the same input projections. For the head-and-neck clinical scan, clinically-reasonable images were obtained from 120 projections in 34–78 s converging in 12–30 iterations. In this reconstruction range (i.e., 120 projections) the image quality is visually similar to or better than the conventional FDK reconstructed images using 364 projections. This represents a dose reduction of nearly 67% (120/364 projections) while maintaining a reasonable speed in clinical implementation.Conclusions:
In this paper, we proposed a novel, fast, low-dose CBCTreconstruction algorithm using the Barzilai-Borwein step-size calculation. A clinically viable head-and-neck image can be obtained within ∼34–78 s while simultaneously cutting the dose by approximately 67%. This makes our GP-BB algorithm potentially useful in an on-line image-guided radiation therapy(IGRT).
Scatter factors assessment in microbeam radiation therapy39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3681274View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose
: The success of the preclinical studies in Microbeam Radiation Therapy(MRT) paved the way to the clinical trials under preparation at the Biomedical Beamline of the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility. Within this framework, an accurate determination of the deposited dose is crucial. With that aim, the scatter factors, which translate the absolute dose measured in reference conditions (2 × 2 cm2field size at 2 cm-depth in water) to peak doses, were assessed.Methods
: Monte Carlo(MC) simulations were performed with two different widely used codes,PENELOPE and GEANT4, for the sake of safety. The scatter factors were obtained as the ratio of the doses that are deposited by a microbeam and by a field of reference size, at the reference depth. The calculated values were compared with the experimental data obtained by radiochromic (ISP HD-810) films and a PTW 34070 large area chamber.Results
: The scatter factors for different microbeam field sizes assessed by the two MC codes were in agreement and reproduced the experimental data within uncertainty bars. Those correction factors were shown to be non-negligible for the future MRT clinical settings: an average 30% lower dose was deposited by a 50 μm microbeam with respect to the reference conditions.Conclusions
: For the first time, the scatter factors in MRT were systematically studied. They constitute an essential key to deposit accurate doses in the forthcoming clinical trials in MRT. The good agreement between the different calculations and the experimental data confirms the reliability of this challenging micrometric dose estimation.
Verification of proton range, position, and intensity in IMPT with a 3D liquid scintillator detector system39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3681948View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
Intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) using spot scanned proton beams relies on the delivery of a large number of beamlets to shape the dose distribution in a highly conformal manner. The authors have developed a 3D system based on liquid scintillator to measure the spatial location, intensity, and depth of penetration (energy) of the proton beamlets in near real-time.Methods:
The detectorsystem consists of a 20 × 20 × 20 cc liquid scintillator (LS) material in a light tight enclosure connected to a CCDcamera. This camera has a field of view of 25.7 by 19.3 cm and a pixel size of 0.4 mm. While the LS is irradiated, the camera continuously acquires images of the light distribution produced inside the LS. Irradiations were made with proton pencil beams produced with a spot-scanning nozzle. Pencil beams with nominal ranges in water between 9.5 and 17.6 cm were scanned to irradiate an area of 10 × 10 cm square on the surface of the LS phantom. Image frames were acquired at 50 ms per frame.Results:
The signal to noise ratio of a typical Bragg peak was about 170. Proton range measured from the light distribution produced in the LS was accurate to within 0.3 mm on average. The largest deviation seen between the nominal and measured range was 0.6 mm. Lateral position of the measured pencil beam was accurate to within 0.4 mm on average. The largest deviation seen between the nominal and measured lateral position was 0.8 mm; however, the accuracy of this measurement could be improved by correcting light scattering artifacts. Intensity of single proton spots were measured with precision ranging from 3 % for the smallest spot intensity (0.005 MU) to 0.5 % for the largest spot (0.04 MU).Conclusions:
Our LS detectorsystem has been shown to be capable of fast, submillimeter spatial localization of proton spots delivered in a 3D volume. This system could be used for beam range, intensity and position verification in IMPT.
Photon energy-modulated radiotherapy: Monte Carlo simulation and treatment planning study39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3682172View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose
: To demonstrate the feasibility of photon energy-modulated radiotherapy during beam-on time.Methods:
A cylindrical device made of aluminum was conceptually proposed as an energy modulator. The frame of the device was connected with 20 tubes through which mercury could be injected or drained to adjust the thickness of mercury along the beam axis. In Monte Carlo(MC) simulations, a flattening filter of 6 or 10 MV linac was replaced with the device. The thickness of mercury inside the device varied from 0 to 40 mm at the field sizes of 5 × 5 cm2 (FS5), 10 × 10 cm2 (FS10), and 20 × 20 cm2 (FS20). At least 5 billion histories were followed for each simulation to create phase space files at 100 cm source to surface distance (SSD). In-water beam data were acquired by additional MC simulations using the above phase space files. A treatment planning system (TPS) was commissioned to generate a virtual machine using the MC-generated beam data. Intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) plans for six clinical cases were generated using conventional 6 MV, 6 MV flattening filter free, and energy-modulated photon beams of the virtual machine.Results:
As increasing the thickness of mercury, Percentage depth doses (PDD) of modulated 6 and 10 MV after the depth of dose maximum were continuously increased. The amount of PDD increase at the depth of 10 and 20 cm for modulated 6 MV was 4.8% and 5.2% at FS5, 3.9% and 5.0% at FS10 and 3.2%–4.9% at FS20 as increasing the thickness of mercury from 0 to 20 mm. The same for modulated 10 MV was 4.5% and 5.0% at FS5, 3.8% and 4.7% at FS10 and 4.1% and 4.8% at FS20 as increasing the thickness of mercury from 0 to 25 mm. The outputs of modulated 6 MV with 20 mm mercury and of modulated 10 MV with 25 mm mercury were reduced into 30%, and 56% of conventional linac, respectively. The energy-modulated IMRT plans had less integral doses than 6 MV IMRT or 6 MV flattening filter free plans for tumors located in the periphery while maintaining the similar quality of target coverage, homogeneity, and conformity.Conclusions:
The MC study for the designed energy modulator demonstrated the feasibility of energy-modulated photon beams available during beam-on time. The planning study showed an advantage of energy-and intensity modulated radiotherapy in terms of integral dose without sacrificing any quality of IMRT plan.
Neutron dose equivalent measured at the maze door with various openings for the jaws and MLC39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3682313View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
This study was undertaken to explore the effects of the jaws and the MLC openings on the neutrondose equivalent (DE) at the maze door and neutron flux at the patient plane.Methods:
The neutrondose equivalent was measured at the maze entrance door of a 15 MV therapy linear accelerator room. All measurements were performed using various field sizes up to 40 cm × 40 cm. Activation detectors constructed from natural Indium (In) were exposed at Cd envelope to neutrons in order to estimate relative changes of epithermal neutron fluences in the patient plane.Results:
Our study showed that the dose equivalent at the maze door is at the highest when the jaw are closed and that maximal jaws opening reduces the DE by more than 20%. The neutrondose equivalent at the maze door measured for radiation fields defined by jaws do not differ significantly from the DE measured when MLC determines the same size radiation field. The epithermal capture reaction rate measured using different jaw openings differs by approximately 10%. When an MLC leaf is inserted into a fixed geometry for one opening of the jaws, an increase of the epithermal neutron capture reaction rate in Indium activation detectors was observed.Conclusions:
There is no significant difference in the neutron DE when MLC defines radiation field instead of jaws. This leads to the conclusion that the overall number of neutrons remains similar and it does not depend on how primary photon beam was stopped—by the jaws or the MLC. An increase of the fast neutron capture reaction rate when MLC leaves are inserted probably originates from the neutron scattering.
Is there a single spot size and grid for intensity modulated proton therapy? Simulation of head and neck, prostate and mesothelioma cases39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3683640View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
To assess the quality of dose distributions in real clinical cases for different dimensions of scanned proton pencil beams. The distance between spots (i.e., the grid of delivery) is optimized for each dimension of the pencil beam.Methods:
The authors vary the σ of the initial Gaussian size of the spot, from σ x = σ y = 3 mm to σ x = σ y = 8 mm, to evaluate the impact of the proton beam size on the quality of intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) plans. The distance between spots, Δx and Δy, is optimized on the spot plane, ranging from 4 to 12 mm (i.e., each spot size is coupled with the best spot grid resolution). In our Hyperion treatment planning system (TPS), constrained optimization is applied with respect to the organs at risk (OARs), i.e., the optimization tries to satisfy the dose objectives in the planning target volume (PTV) as long as all planning objectives for the OARs are met. Three-field plans for a nasopharynx case, two-field plans for a prostate case, and two-field plans for a malignant pleural mesothelioma case are considered in our analysis.Results:
For the head and neck tumor, the best grids (i.e., distance between spots) are 5, 4, 6, 6, and 8 mm for σ = 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 mm, respectively. σ ≤ 5 mm is required for tumor volumes with low dose and σ ≤ 4 mm for tumor volumes with high dose. For the prostate patient, the best grid is 4, 4, 5, 5, and 5 mm for σ = 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 mm, respectively. Beams with σ > 3 mm did not satisfy our first clinical requirement that 95% of the prescribed dose is delivered to more than 95% of prostate and proximal seminal vesicles PTV. Our second clinical requirement, to cover the distal seminal vesicles PTV, is satisfied for beams as wide as σ = 6 mm. For the mesothelioma case, the low dose PTV prescription is well respected for all values of σ, while there is loss of high dose PTV coverage for σ > 5 mm. The best grids have a spacing of 6, 7, 8, 9, and 12 mm for σ = 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8 mm, respectively.Conclusions:
The maximum acceptable proton pencil beam σ depends on the volume treated, the protocol of delivery, and optimization of the plan. For the clinical cases, protocol and optimization used in this analysis, acceptable σs are ≤ 4 mm for the head and neck tumor, ≤ 3 mm for the prostate tumor and ≤ 6 mm for the malignant pleural mesothelioma. One can apply the same procedure used in this analysis when given a "class" of patients, a σ and a clinical protocol to determine the optimal grid spacing.
Automatic tracking of implanted fiducial markers in cone beam CT projection images39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3684959View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
This paper describes a novel method for simultaneous intrafraction tracking of multiple fiducial markers. Although the proposed method is generic and can be adopted for a number of applications including fluoroscopy based patient position monitoring and gated radiotherapy, the tracking results presented in this paper are specific to tracking fiducial markers in a sequence of cone beam CT projection images.Methods:
The proposed method is accurate and robust thanks to utilizing the mean shift and random sampling principles, respectively. The performance of the proposed method was evaluated with qualitative and quantitative methods, using data from two pancreatic and one prostate cancer patients and a moving phantom. The ground truth, for quantitative evaluation, was calculated based on manual tracking preformed by three observers.Results:
The average dispersion of marker position error calculated from the tracking results for pancreas data (six markers tracked over 640 frames, 3840 marker identifications) was 0.25 mm (at iscoenter), compared with an average dispersion for the manual ground truth estimated at 0.22 mm. For prostate data (three markers tracked over 366 frames, 1098 marker identifications), the average error was 0.34 mm. The estimated tracking error in the pancreas data was < 1 mm (2 pixels) in 97.6% of cases where nearby image clutter was detected and in 100.0% of cases with no nearby image clutter.Conclusions:
The proposed method has accuracy comparable to that of manual tracking and, in combination with the proposed batch postprocessing, superior robustness. Marker tracking in cone beam CT(CBCT) projections is useful for a variety of purposes, such as providing data for assessment of intrafraction motion, target tracking during rotational treatment delivery, motion correction of CBCT, and phase sorting for 4D CBCT.
Accuracy of the electron transport in mcnp5 and its suitability for ionization chamber response simulations: A comparison with the egsnrc and penelope codes39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685446View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
In this work, accuracy of themcnp5 code in the electron transport calculations and its suitability for ionization chamber (IC) response simulations in photonbeams are studied in comparison to egsnrc and penelope codes.Methods:
The electron transport is studied by comparing the depth dose distributions in a water phantom subdivided into thin layers using incident energies (0.05, 0.1, 1, and 10 MeV) for the broad parallel electron beams. The IC response simulations are studied in water phantom in three dosimetric gas materials (air, argon, and methane based tissue equivalent gas) for photonbeams (60Co source, 6 MV linear medical accelerator, and mono-energetic 2 MeV photon source). Two optional electron transport models of mcnp5 are evaluated: the ITS-based electron energy indexing (mcnp5ITS) and the new detailed electron energy-loss straggling logic (mcnp5new). The electron substep length (ESTEP parameter) dependency in mcnp5 is investigated as well.Results:
For the electron beam studies, large discrepancies (>3%) are observed between themcnp5dose distributions and the reference codes at 1 MeV and lower energies. The discrepancy is especially notable for 0.1 and 0.05 MeV electron beams. The boundary crossing artifacts, which are well known for the mcnp5ITS, are observed for the mcnp5new only at 0.1 and 0.05 MeV beamenergies. If the excessive boundary crossing is eliminated by using single scoring cells, the mcnp5ITS provides dose distributions that agree better with the reference codes than mcnp5new. The mcnp5dose estimates for the gas cavity agree within 1% with the reference codes, if the mcnp5ITS is applied or electron substep length is set adequately for the gas in the cavity using the mcnp5new. The mcnp5new results are found highly dependent on the chosen electron substep length and might lead up to 15% underestimation of the absorbed dose.Conclusions:
Since themcnp5 electron transport calculations are not accurate at all energies and in every medium by general clinical standards, caution is needed, if mcnp5 is used with the current electron transport models for dosimetric applications.
A real-time respiration position based passive breath gating equipment for gated radiotherapy: A preclinical evaluation39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3678986View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
To develop a passive gating system incorporating with the real-time position management (RPM) system for the gated radiotherapy.Methods:
Passive breath gating (PBG) equipment, which consists of a breath-hold valve, a controller mechanism, a mouthpiece kit, and a supporting frame, was designed. A commercial real-time positioning management system was implemented to synchronize the target motion and radiation delivery on a linear accelerator with the patient's breathing cycle. The respiratory related target motion was investigated by using the RPM system for correlating the external markers with the internal target motion while using PBG for passively blocking patient's breathing. Six patients were enrolled in the preclinical feasibility and efficiency study of the PBG system.Results:
PBG equipment was designed and fabricated. The PBG can be manually triggered or released to block or unblock patient's breathing. A clinical workflow was outlined to integrate the PBG with the RPM system. After implementing the RPM based PBG system, the breath-hold period can be prolonged to 15–25 s and the treatment delivery efficiency for each field can be improved by 200%–400%. The results from the six patients showed that the diaphragm motion caused by respiration was reduced to less than 3 mm and the position of the diaphragm was reproducible for difference gating periods.Conclusions:
A RPM based PBG system was developed and implemented. With the new gating system, the patient's breath-hold time can be extended and a significant improvement in the treatment delivery efficiency can also be achieved.
Pretreatment quality assurance of flattening filter free beams on 224 patients for intensity modulated plans: A multicentric study39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685461View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
Pretreatment quality assurance data from four centers, members of the European TrueBeam council were analyzed with different verification devices to assess reliability of flattening filter free beam delivery for intensity modulated radiotherapy(IMRT) and RapidArc (RA) techniques.Methods:
TrueBeam® (Varian Medical System) is a new linear accelerator designed for delivering flattened, as well as flattening filter free beams. Pretreatment dosimetric validation of plan delivery was performed with different verification devices and responses to high dose rates were tested. Treatment planning was done in Eclipse planning system (PRO 8.9, AAA 8.9). γ evaluation was performed with (dose difference) = 3% and (distance to agreement) = 3 mm scoring the gamma agreement index (GAI, % of field area passing the test). Two hundred and twenty-four patients with 1–6 lesions in various anatomical regions and dose per fraction ranging from 1.8 Gy to 25 Gy were included in the study; 88 were treated with 6 MV flattening filter free (X6FFF) beam energy and 136 with 10 MV flattening filter free (X10FFF) beam. Gafchromic films in solid water, delta4, arccheck, and matrixx phantom were used to verify the dose distributions. Additionally, point measurements were performed using a PinPoint chamber and a Farmer chamber.Results:
Dose calculation as well as dose delivery was equally accurate for IMRT and RA delivery (IMRT: GAI = 99.3% (±1.1); RA: GAI = 98.8% (±1.1) as well as for the two beams evaluated (X6FFF: GAI = 99.1% (±1.0); X10FFF: GAI = 98.8% (±1.2). Only small differences were found for the four verification devices. A point dose verification was performed on 52 cases, obtaining a dose deviation of 0.34%. The GAI variations with number of monitor units were statistically significant.Conclusions:
The TrueBeam FFF modality, analyzed with a variety of verification devices and planned with Eclipse planning system is dosimetrically accurate (within the specified limits 3 mm/3%) for both X6FFF and X10FFF beam energy.
Dose reduction in LDR brachytherapy by implanted prostate gold fiducial markers39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685582View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
The dosimetric impact of gold fiducial markers (FM) implanted prior to external beam radiotherapy of prostate cancer on low dose rate (LDR) brachytherapy seed implants performed in the context of combined therapy was investigated.Methods:
A virtual water phantom was designed containing a single FM. Single and multi source scenarios were investigated by performing Monte Carlodose calculations, along with the influence of varying orientation and distance of the FM with respect to the sources. Three prostate cancer patients treated with LDR brachytherapy for a recurrence following external beam radiotherapy with implanted FM were studied as surrogate cases to combined therapy. FM and brachytherapy seeds were identified on post implant CT scans and Monte Carlodose calculations were performed with and without FM. The dosimetric impact of the FM was evaluated by quantifying the amplitude of dose shadows and the volume of cold spots.D 90 was reported based on the post implant CT prostate contour.Results:
Large shadows are observed in the single source-FM scenarios. As expected from geometric considerations, the shadows are dependent on source-FM distance and orientation. Large dose reductions are observed at the distal side of FM, while at the proximal side a dose enhancement is observed. In multisource scenarios, the importance of shadows appears mitigated, although FM at the periphery of the seed distribution caused underdosage (<prescription dose). In clinical cases, the FM reduced the dose to some voxels by up to 50% and generated shadows with extents of the order of 4 mm. Within the prostate contour, cold spots (<95% prescription dose) of the order of 20 mm3 were observed. D 90 proved insensitive to the presence of FM for the cases selected.Conclusions:
There is a major local impact of FM present in LDR brachytherapy seed implant dose distributions. Therefore, reduced tumor control could be expected from FM implanted in tumors, although our results are too limited to draw conclusions regarding clinical significance.
EXACTRAC x-ray and beam isocenters—What's the difference?39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685581View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
To evaluate the geometric accuracy of the isocenter of an image-guidance system, as implemented in theexactrac system from brainlab, relative to the linear accelerator radiation isocenter. Subsequently to correct the x-ray isocenter of the exactrac system for any geometric discrepancies between the two isocenters.Methods:
Five Varian linear accelerators all equipped with electronic imaging devices andexactrac with robotics from brainlab were evaluated. A commercially available Winston-Lutz phantom and an in-house made adjustable base were used in the setup. The electronic portal imaging device of the linear accelerators was used to acquire MV-images at various gantry angles. Stereoscopic pairs of x-rayimages were acquired using the exactrac system. The deviation between the position of the external laser isocenter and the exactrac isocenter was evaluated using the commercial software of the exactrac system. In-house produced software was used to analyze the MV-images and evaluate the deviation between the external laser isocenter and the radiation isocenter of the linear accelerator. Subsequently, the deviation between the radiation isocenter and the isocenter of the exactrac system was calculated. A new method of calibrating the isocenter of the exactrac system was applied to reduce the deviations between the radiation isocenter and the exactrac isocenter.Results:
To evaluate the geometric accuracy a 3D deviation vector was calculated for each relative isocenter position. The 3D deviation between the external laser isocenter and the isocenter of theexactrac system varied from 0.21 to 0.42 mm. The 3D deviation between the external laser isocenter and the linac radiation isocenter ranged from 0.37 to 0.83 mm. The 3D deviation between the radiation isocenter and the isocenter of the exactrac system ranged from 0.31 to 1.07 mm. Using the new method of calibrating the exactrac isocenter the 3D deviation of one linac was reduced from 0.90 to 0.23 mm. The results were complicated due to routine maintenance of the linac, including laser calibration. It was necessary to repeat the measurements in order to perform the calibration of the exactrac isocenter.Conclusions:
The deviations between the linac radiation isocenter and theexactrac isocenter were of an order that may have clinical relevance. An alternative method of calibrating the isocenter of the exactrac system was applied and reduced the deviations between the two isocenters.
Determining the effects of microsphere and surrounding material composition on 90Y dose kernels using egsnrc and mcnp539(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685577View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
Recent advances in the imaging of90Y using positron emission tomography(PET) and improved uncertainty in the branching ratio for the internal pair production component of 90Y decay allow for a more accurate determination of the activity distribution of 90Y microspheres within a patient. This improved activity distribution can be convolved with the dose kernel of 90Y to calculate the dose distribution within a patient. This work investigates the effects of microsphere and surrounding material composition on 90Y dose kernels using egsnrc and mcnp5 and compares the results of these two transport codes.Methods:
Monte Carlo simulations were performed withegsnrc and mcnp5 to calculate the dose rate at multiple radial distances around various 90Y sources. Point source simulations were completed with mcnp5 to determine the optimal electron transport settings for this work. After determining the optimal settings, point source simulations were completed using egsnrc (user code edknrc) and mcnp5 in water and liver [as defined by the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) Report 44]. The results were compared to ICRU Report 72 reference data. Point source simulations were also completed in water with a density of 1.06 g·cm−3 to evaluate the effect of the density of the surrounding material. Glass and resin microsphere simulations were performed with average and maximum diameter and density values (based on values given in the literature) in water and in liver. The results were compared to point source simulation results using the same transport code and in the same surrounding material. All simulations had statistical uncertainties less than 1%.Results:
The optimal transport settings inmcnp5 for this work included using the energy-and step-specific algorithm (DBCN 17J 2) and ESTEP set to 10. These settings were used for all subsequent simulations with mcnp5. The point source simulations in water for both egsnrc and mcnp5 were found to agree within 2% of the ICRU 72 reference data over the investigated range. Point source simulations in liver had large differences relative to ICRU 72, approaching −60% near the maximum range of 90Y. These differences are mostly attributed to the difference in density between water (1.0 g·cm−3) and liver (1.06 g·cm−3). Glass and resin microsphere simulations showed a slight decrease in the dose rate near the maximum range of 90Y relative to the point source simulations. The largest relative differences were approximately −4.2% and −2.8% for the glass and resin microspheres, respectively. Agreement between the egsnrc and mcnp5 simulations results was generally good.Conclusions:
The presence of the microsphere material causes slight differences in the90Y dose kernel compared to those calculated with point sources. Large differences were seen between simulations in water and those in liver. For the most accurate calculation of the dose distribution, the density of the patient's liver should be accounted for in the calculation of the dose kernel. Lastly, due to the need to determine the optimal transport settings with mcnp5, electron transport with this code should be used with caution.
On charged particle equilibrium violation in external photon fields39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3684952View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
In a recent paper by Bouchardet al. [Med. Phys. 36(10), 4654–4663 (2009)], a theoretical model of quality correction factors for idealistic so-called plan-class specific reference (PCSR) fields was proposed. The reasoning was founded on the definition of PCSR fields made earlier by Alfonso et al. [Med. Phys. 35(11), 5179–5186 (2008)], requiring the beam to achieve charged particle equilibrium (CPE), in a time-averaged sense, in the reference medium. The relation obtained by Bouchard et al. was derived using Fano's theorem (1954) which states that if CPE is established in a given medium, the dose is independent of point-to-point density variations. A potential misconception on the achievability of the condition required by Fano (1954) might be responsible for false practical conclusions, both in the definition of PCSR fields as well as the theoretical model of quality correction factor.Methods:
In this paper, the practical achievability of CPE in external beams is treated in detail. The fact that this condition is not achievable in single or composite deliveries is illustrated by an intuitive method and is also formally demonstrated.Conclusions:
Fano's theorem is not applicable in external beam radiation dosimetry without (virtually) removing attenuation effects, and therefore, the relation conditionally defined by Bouchardet al. (2009) cannot be valid in practice. A definition of PCSR fields in the recent formalism for nonstandard beams proposed by Alfonso et al. (2008) should be modified, revising the criterion of CPE condition. The authors propose reconsidering the terminology used to describe standard and nonstandard beams. The authors argue that quality correction factors of intensity modulated radiation therapy PCSR fields (i.e., ) could be unity under ideal conditions, but it is concluded that further investigation is necessary to confirm that hypothesis.
Evaluation of a lung tumor autocontouring algorithm for intrafractional tumor tracking using low-field MRI: A phantom study39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685578View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
The first aim of this study is to investigate the feasibility of online autocontouring of tumor in low field MR images (0.2 and 0.5 T) by means of a phantom and simulation study for tumor-tracking in linac-MR systems. The second aim of this study is to develop an MR compatible, lungtumor motion phantom.Methods:
An autocontouring algorithm was developed to determine both the position and shape of a lungtumor from each intra fractional MR image. To initiate the algorithm, an expert user contours the tumor and its maximum anticipated range of motion (herein termed the Background) using pretreatment scan data. During treatment, the algorithm processes each intrafractional MR image and automatically contours the tumor. To evaluate this algorithm, the authors built a phantom that replicates the low field contrast parameters (proton density,T 1, T 2) of lungtumors and healthy lung parenchyma. This phantom allows simulation of MR images with the expected lungtumorCNR at 0.2 and 0.5 T by using a single 3 T scanner. Dynamic bSSFP images (approximately 4 images per second) are acquired while the phantom undergoes a series of preprogrammed motions based on patient lungtumor motion data. These images are autocontoured off-line using our algorithm. The fidelity of autocontouring is assessed by comparing autocontoured tumor shape and its centroid position to the actual tumor shape and its position.Results:
The algorithm successfully contoured the shape of a moving tumor model from dynamic MR images acquired every 275 ms. Dice's coefficients of > 0.96 and > 0.93 are achieved in 0.5 and 0.2 T equivalent images, respectively. Also, the algorithm tracked tumor position during dynamic studies, with root mean squared error (RMSE) values of < 0.55 and < 0.92 mm for 0.5 and 0.2 T equivalent images, respectively. Autocontouring speed is approximately 5 ms for each image.Conclusions:
Dice's coefficients of > 0.96 and > 0.93 are achieved between autocontoured and real tumor shapes, and the position of a tumor can be tracked with RMSE values of < 0.55 and < 0.92 mm in 0.5 and 0.2 T equivalent images, respectively. These results demonstrate the feasibility of lungtumor autocontouring in low field MR images, and, by extension, intrafractional lungtumor tracking with our laboratory's linac-MR system.
Experimental assessments of intrafractional prostate motion on sequential and simultaneous boost to a dominant intraprostatic lesion39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685586View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
To investigate experimentally the impact of intrafractional prostate motion on the delivered dose to a dominant intraprostatic lesion (DIL) using volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) with sequential and simultaneous boost.Methods:
A series of six IMRT and VMAT treatment plans were generated, evaluated, and compared for two patient CT scans with dissimilar anatomies. Plans were generated for the prostate with and without the DIL. Plans were delivered using a Varian CLINAC and 2D dose distributions were measured usingmapcheckTM–mapphanTM system. The effect of the prostate intrafractional motion on the delivery of the plans was studied by delivering the plans to the mapcheckTM–mapphanTM system on a programmable motion platform. Prostate intrafractional motion was simulated based on six different motion patterns from the literature obtained on Calypso system (Calypso System, Calypso Medical, Seattle, WA, USA) in a clinical study that provided continuous, real-time localization, and monitoring of the prostate. Absolute dose differences and Gamma analysis were used to assess the quality of a total of 42 plans with motion and without motion.Results:
Dose escalation to the whole prostate from 76 to 86 Gy caused the rectum and bladder to exceed normal tissue tolerances in both patients. All the DIL boost plans satisfied the planning criteria and delivery quality assurance when motion was not present. For a single fraction, the motion pattern with large constant shift caused the largest dose delivery discrepancy with mean Gamma value (1.14–1.44) and the lowest plan passing percentage (18.9%–35.7%), while the motion pattern with continuous random changes during treatment had the least impact on dose delivery with mean Gamma value (0.33–0.55) and the highest passing percentage (81.9%–100%) for all the investigated plans. For dose escalation to DIL in the presence of intrafractional prostate motion, a significant difference was observed between the different motion patterns (p < 0.05), but no significant difference in the sensitivity to motion between the various plans was observed (p = 0.30). Based on Gamma analysis, treatment courses in which 15% of the fractions are dominated by severe motion proved to be significantly different from those dominated by random motion (p < 0.05).Conclusions:
The impact of intrafractional prostate motion on dose delivery is sensitive to different motion patterns but not to different delivery techniques. Dose escalation to DIL using either sequential or simultaneous boost plans with 7 mm PTV margin is achievable in the presence of intrafractional prostate motion, even if the severe motion comprised 8.6% (3 out of the 35) treatment fractions.
Automated radiotherapy treatment plan integrity verification39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3683646View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
In our clinic, physicists spend from 15 to 60 min to verify the physical and dosimetric integrity of radiotherapy plans before presentation to radiation oncology physicians for approval. The purpose of this study was to design and implement a framework to automate as many elements of this quality control (QC) step as possible.Methods
: A comprehensive computer application was developed to carry out a majority of these verification tasks in the PhilipsPINNACLEtreatment planning system (TPS). This QC tool functions based on both PINNACLE scripting elements and PERL sub-routines. The core of this technique is the method of dynamic scripting, which involves a PERL programming module that is flexible and powerful for treatment plan data handling. Run-time plan data are collected, saved into temporary files, and analyzed against standard values and predefined logical rules. The results were summarized in a hypertext markup language (HTML) report that is displayed to the user.Results
: This tool has been in clinical use for over a year. The occurrence frequency of technical problems, which would cause delays and suboptimal plans, has been reduced since clinical implementation.Conclusions:
In addition to drastically reducing the set of human-driven logical comparisons, this QC tool also accomplished some tasks that are otherwise either quite laborious or impractical for humans to verify, e.g., identifying conflicts amongst IMRT optimization objectives.
The dosimetric impact of inversely optimized arc radiotherapy plan modulation for real-time dynamic MLC tracking delivery39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3685583View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
Real-time dynamic multileaf collimator(MLC) tracking for management of intrafraction tumormotion can be challenging for highly modulated beams, as the leaves need to travel far to adjust for target motion perpendicular to the leaf travel direction. The plan modulation can be reduced by using a leaf position constraint (LPC) that reduces the difference in the position of adjacent MLC leaves in the plan. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the LPC on the quality of inversely optimized arc radiotherapy plans and the effect of the MLCmotion pattern on the dosimetric accuracy of MLC tracking delivery. Specifically, the possibility of predicting the accuracy of MLC tracking delivery based on the plan modulation was investigated.Methods:
Inversely optimized arc radiotherapy plans were created on CT-data of three lung cancer patients. For each case, five plans with a single 358° arc were generated with LPC priorities of 0 (no LPC), 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 1 (highest possible LPC), respectively. All the plans had a prescribed dose of 2 Gy × 30, used 6 MV, a maximum dose rate of 600 MU/min and a collimator angle of 45° or 315°. To quantify the plan modulation, an average adjacent leaf distance (ALD) was calculated by averaging the mean adjacent leaf distance for each control point. The linear relationship between the plan quality [i.e., the calculated dose distributions and the number of monitor units (MU)] and the LPC was investigated, and the linear regression coefficient as well as a two tailed confidence level of 95% was used in the evaluation. The effect of the plan modulation on the performance of MLC tracking was tested by delivering the plans to a cylindrical diode array phantom moving with sinusoidal motion in the superior–inferior direction with a peak-to-peak displacement of 2 cm and a cycle time of 6 s. The delivery was adjusted to the target motion using MLC tracking, guided in real-time by an infrared optical system. The dosimetric results were evaluated using gamma index evaluation with static target measurements as reference.Results:
The plan quality parameters did not depend significantly on the LPC (p ≥ 0.066), whereas the ALD depended significantly on the LPC (p < 0.001). The gamma index failure rate depended significantly on the ALD, weighted to the percentage of the beam delivered in each control point of the plan (ALDw) when MLC tracking was used (p < 0.001), but not for delivery without MLC tracking (p ≥ 0.342). The gamma index failure rate with the criteria of 2% and 2 mm was decreased from > 33.9% without MLC tracking to <31.4% (LPC 0) and <2.2% (LPC 1) with MLC tracking.Conclusions:
The results indicate that the dosimetric robustness of MLC tracking delivery of an inversely optimized arc radiotherapy plan can be improved by incorporating leaf position constraints in the objective function without otherwise affecting the plan quality. The dosimetric robustness may be estimated prior to delivery by evaluating the ALDw of the plan.
Beam quality conversion factors for parallel-plate ionization chambers in MV photon beams39(2012); http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.3687864View Description Hide DescriptionPurpose:
To investigate the behavior of plane-parallel ion chambers in high-energy photon beams through measurements and Monte Carlo simulations.Methods:
Ten plane-parallel ion chamber types were obtained from the major ion chamber manufacturers. Absorbed dose-to-water calibration coefficients are measured for these chambers and factors are determined. In the process, the behaviors of the chambers are characterized through measurements of leakage currents, chamber settling in cobalt-60, polarity and ion recombination behavior, and long-term stability. Monte Carlo calculations of the absorbed dose to the air in the ion chamber and absorbed dose to water are obtained to calculate factors. Systematic uncertainties in Monte Carlo calculated factors are investigated by varying material properties and chamber dimensions.Results:
Chamber behavior was variable in MV photon beams, especially with regard to chamber leakage and ion recombination. The plane-parallel chambers did not perform as well as cylindrical chambers. Significant differences up to 1.5% were observed in calibration coefficients after a period of eight months although factors were consistent on average within 0.17%. Chamber-to-chamber variations in factors for chambers of the same type were at the 0.2% level. Systematic uncertainties in Monte Carlo calculated factors ranged between 0.34% and 0.50% depending on the chamber type. Average percent differences between measured and calculated factors were − 0.02%, 0.18%, and − 0.16% for 6, 10, and 25 MV beams, respectively.Conclusions:
Excellent agreement is observed on average at the 0.2% level between measured and Monte Carlo calculated factors. Measurements indicate that the behavior of these chambers is not adequate for their use for reference dosimetry of high-energy photon beams without a more extensive QA program than currently used for cylindrical reference-class ion chambers.


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Editors' Note: The "Download Now" link directs you to the iTunes App Store, where you must continue the download process. You must have iTunes installed in order to open the link, and you must have an active iTunes account to download the application.
Publisher's Description+
What's new in this version:
- The Camera View can be resized by double tapping (only devices with 4" display)
- A bug has been fixed that caused vrloc files to not open properly when starting the app for the first time
- A bug has been fixed that slowed down switching between views on devices with 4" display
- Corrections on the help texts


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Contact Us
This week has been a busy one for Newton County.
When Newton County residents open The Covington News 20 years from now what will they see?
This was quite the week for our Newton County Board of Commissioners (BOC).
Tragedy struck Newton County last week when a bicyclist died after being hit by a school bus on Hwy. 278.
Spring is in the air, and we're not just referring to all that pollen. If you do suffer from allergies, particularly oak and hickory ...
This election season is a vital one - not only for our country, but for our county.
The Newton County Solid Waste Management Authority will officially begin its task this week.
Boy, has garbage been in the air a lot here in Newton County recently.
Nothing affects a group of people on a common level as much as tragedy and heartache.
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After the turkey becomes sandwiches and the dust from shopping settles, we bask in the glow of Thanksgiving.
On Wednesday, Covington, Newton County and the country honored the men and women who have defended us. There were celebrations of remembrance, local establishments giving discounts to former and current military members, and a variety of thank yous.
Each new day holds opportunity.
Members of the Newton County commission surprised everyone with last Tuesday's vote to suspend action on the Bear Creek reservoir and focus instead on other alternatives to meet future water demands.
Walking through the children's books section at the local big-box store there are a ton of cute stories for modern children with dinosaurs, witches and wizards, farm animals and other objects that are cool to generation X and millennials.
A proposed motion during the recent Board of Commissioners meeting would have stifled citizens from speaking about certain topics at the public meeting, but that's not the scariest part of the freedom-of-speech-dampening motion.
In a letter in The Covington News a week ago Covington Mayor Ronnie Johnston laid out some of the prospective industrial growth coming to Newton County.
The Army Corps of Engineers recently withdrew Newton County's 404 Permit for building the Bear Creek Supply Reservoir, adding more time and more money to a project that has been in the works for more than 15 years.
The Covington branch of the Newton County Library System found itself in need after its 17-year-old HVAC system shut down.
When we ask a new face around town what they do, the response "I work at Baxalta" is getting more and more common.
"A Coat of Many Colors" has transformed several downtown Covington businesses, taken over Gaither Plantation and brought some detours to the Covington Square; "The Vampire Diaries" has brought new notoriety to Covington; and the Covington tradition that is The Fuzz Run is utilizing the popularity of Newton County's filming industry by offering a meet and greet with Ian Somerhalder.
Being an elected official is a thankless job. We are promised the moon every election season, and rarely ever see its full glow throughout the next four years. We don't get all that we were promised, or in some cases all we feel we are entitled to, so thank you, I think not.
Newton County officials, do you remember the citizens' outrage at a raise in taxes due to an increase in the county's budget?
The Historic Courthouse was packed Tuesday night, but not everyone was there for the same reason. The stark contrast between the two issues-a civic center and a humiliating scandal-was a reminder that our county is poised for greatness, but only if it can rid itself of its toxic political culture.
Newton County students had already made their way back to school before the calendar even turned to August. For those students it is a time of new beginnings, continued education, excitement and/or dread.
Page 2 of 120


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A sleeveless dress with a beat that booms so much 'You Go Girl!' style! Midi length with shape forming stretch to create a look that's so much fun to play around with - free and easy or layered up!
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In a size small the chest width is 80 cm and the length is 84 cm.
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Pacific Symphony Presents a 4th of July Celebration Under the Stars: A John Denver Tribute
* Additional fees apply. No coupon or promo codes necessary to enjoy the displayed discount price.
The last date listed for 4th of July Celebration: A John Denver Tribute was Sunday July 4, 2010 / 8:00pm.
Currently at Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
Bryan Adams: The Get Up! Tour, Plus Copy of New Album, Get Up!
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Canadian rocker Bryan Adams is playing hits off his recently released 13th studio album, Get Up!… More
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Featured review from Brendan
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This event started out with the orchestra with a couple of scores. The John Denver Tribute had some not so memorable songs mixed in with a couple of really good ones like Thank God I'm a Country Boy, and Country Roads. The Fireworks were not very impressive and if you were sitting in the stadium seating you had to twist you neck to see them. However really good experience for Fourth of July, and the tribute to all of the armed services was especially good.
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FIRST OFF THEIR WEB SITE SAYS NO WATER BOTTLES, COOLERS ,B BQ'S AOR CAMERAS. WE GOT THER ETHERE WERE 100'S OF PEOPLE WITH COOLERS AND BBQ'S WHERE EVER THE EYE LOOKED. IT WAS APPROX 1 MILE FROM PARK LOT TO SEATS UP A BROKEN ROADWAY(uneven and...continued
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This is probably the 6th or 7th 4th of July concert we've attended at the Verizon Amphitheater. Each year is a spectacular event. John Denver's music as interpreted by Jim Curry took me back to remembering all the great JD songs. A reminder of the...continued
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We had a lovely picnic on the lawn and enjoyed the music very much. Jim Curry really sounded like John Denver! Loved the patriotic theme and the fireworks were fabulous.
Richard Kaufman, conductor
Jim Curry, vocalist
See the orchestra's website for information about ordering gourmet boxed meals from Bristol Farms, available for pickup at the concert.
About the Ticket Supplier: Pacific Symphony
Pacific Symphony, celebrating its 37th season in 2015-16, is led by music director Carl St.Clair. The largest orchestra formed in the U.S. in the last 40 years, the Symphony is recognized as an outstanding ensemble making strides on both the national and international scene, as well as in its own burgeoning community of Orange County. Presenting more than 100 concerts a year and a rich array of education and community programs, the Symphony reaches more than 275,000 residents — from schoolchildren to senior citizens.


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The natural environment is both the context within which all human activities take place and a social product of those activities. Environmental analysis and planning begins with the study of the physical, biotic, socio-economic, political and cultural context in which environmental interactions and conflicts occur. An array of analytic tools ranging from cultural to socio-economic and ecological approaches is then applied to specific questions. Some of these are locality specific, but many involve larger scale regional, national and global processes and social movements. Under current dynamics of global change and globalization, students must be able to interpret environmental issues in terms of patterns, processes and scale. Since the hinterlands and environmental/ecological footprints of cities regularly transcend the built environment, so do the analytics of this concentration.
In addition to the EAP urbanization course, students complete five courses for this AOC: a governance course; an assessment course; an applied studio; a skills course (GIS is strongly recommended); and one elective. These courses will provide students with a conceptual understanding of the nature, magnitude and causes of environmental processes and problems; an understanding of the various environmental policy and planning approaches; and a set of professional skills useful for effective practice. All students will be able to complete the requirements of this AOC within two years. The assessment course and applied studio will be offered annually, the urbanization and governance courses will be offered biannually, and the skills courses and electives will vary depending on instructor availability. In addition to the courses offered within the Urban Planning department, students are encouraged to take courses from other departments (see cross listed courses below).
Urbanization Course (departmental requirement):
265A Urban Environments and Socio-Ecologies
Governance Course (required):
C265B Environmentalisms: The Foundations of Political Ecology
Assessment Course (required):
260A Environmental Assessment
Applied Studio* (required):
260B Green Urban Studio
Course (choose one of the following)**:
218 Graphics and Urban Information
273 Site Planning
274 Introduction to Physical Planning
M159 Lifecycle Analysis (Environmental Science)
M206A Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
M206B Advanced Geographic Information Systems
Electives (choose at least ONE from ANY of the lists below)***:
214 Neighborhood Analysis
232 Disaster Management and Response
236A Economic Regional Development
236B Globalization
239 Special Topics in RID: Sustainable Urban Development in China
262 Urban Environmental Problems: Water Resources
269 Special Topics in EAP: Climate Change and Sustainable Cities
265C Food Systems
269 Special Topics in EAP: Environmental Justice
269 Special Topics in EAP: Climate Change and Health
269 Special Topics in EAP: Political Ecology and Global Development
291 Introduction to Sustainable Architecture and Community Planning
M250 Transportation and Land Use: Urban Form
M258 Transportation and Environmental Issues
M263 Introduction to Environmental Policy
*Students interested in environmental issues at the international or rural scale may also complete an independent studies course (UP 596) with a faculty member on an applied project.
**There will be emergent courses in this area that will be added as they develop. This list is especially dynamic and is subject to change and/or additions. Design and Development students have priority enrollment in UP 218, UP 274, and UP 273.
*** Additional studio and skills courses may be taken to fulfill the elective requirement.
Joint Degrees
The EAP concentration has well-developed collaborations with other departments both through certificate programs as well as joint degree programs. These options allow students to develop more advanced expertise and rigorous training in specialty areas. While the time until degree completion usually increases, the dual degree is not only intellectually satisfying, but also highly marketable. The following joint degree programs are especially well paired with the EAP concentration: Law, Architecture, Latin American Studies, and Public Health.


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Frank Murphy wrote:
On Mon, 2008-04-07 at 11:28 +0000, "Jóhann B. Guðmundsson" wrote:Frank Murphy wrote:Well it's not just a plain photo of a horse, but indeed nothing spectacular,, but then again a snowman missing his carrot and stones or these that were submitted hereAt the moment can't see is a a bg\avatar\iconhttp://www.isity.net/blog/?p=65 aren't that glamorous either...Personal Opinion Here:It's not about being glamorous or not, it's about filling a twofold need.1: It's a statement, "This is fedora"
No. We are talking about avatars, the statement told by an avatar is "this is *me*". Avatars represent people and they should fit a number of person types.
2: Give users an artistic experience, with provisos. a) It doesn't distract them b) They understand it, without the need for a written explanation.
Nope. An avatar is supposed to stand-out, to help you recognize your personality from a bung of people (your login in the face browser, your account in the user switcher, etc.) -- nicu :: http://nicubunu.ro :: http://nicubunu.blogspot.com Cool Fedora wallpapers: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/wallpapers/ Open Clip Art Library: http://www.openclipart.org my Fedora stuff: http://fedora.nicubunu.ro