text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Feb 13, 2007
|Filing date
|Apr 19, 2005
|Priority date
|Apr 11, 2003
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Cyrus Bamji, Khaled Salama
|Original Assignee
|Canesta, Inc.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (48), Referenced by (34), Classifications (19), Legal Events (6)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/650,900 filed Feb. 8, 2005, entitled IMPROVED OP AMP ASSISTED CMR, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by this reference.
This application is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/823,415 filed Apr. 12, 2004 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,919,549, entitled ENTITLED METHOD AND SYSTEM TO DIFFERENTIALLY ENHANCE SENSOR DYNAMIC RANGE, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/462,167 filed Apr. 11, 2003, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by this reference.
The invention relates generally to optical sensors, and more particularly to enhancing dynamic range and common mode rejection characteristics of such sensors, while allowing the sensors to be fabricated using CMOS techniques.
Systems that rely upon sensing optical energy to discern information are known in the art and have many applications. Exemplary applications might include an optical-based system to determine range between the system and a target object, or to identify and recognize features of a target object. Many such systems acquire two-dimensional or intensity-based information, and rely upon an intensity image of light reflected from a target object. Such luminosity-based systems can use ambient light falling upon the target object, or may actively generate light that is directed toward the target object.
Unfortunately, it is difficult to accurately determine distance solely from the amplitude and brightness of an intensity image. For example, in a range finding system, a highly reflecting target object that is father away from the system can produce a greater amplitude signal than a nearer target object that is less reflective. The result would be that the more distant, shiny, object is erroneously reported as being closer to the system than the closer, duller, object. In a range finding system used to control robot machinery in an industrial setting, such errors may be intolerable for reasons of safety to nearby human operators. If such a system is used to identify and recognize different target objects, an object might be misidentified. Simply stated, two-dimensional intensity-based systems are very prone to measurement error.
The present invention may be used in a wide range of applications including, but not limited to, range finding systems. It may be useful at this juncture to briefly review such systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,323,942 ("the '942 patent") to Bamji et al. entitled CMOS-COMPATIBLE THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE SENSOR IC describes a three-dimensional range finding system that can determine range distance without reliance upon luminosity-based data, the entire content of which patent is incorporated herein by this reference. As disclosed in the '942 patent, such a system generates a depth map that contains the distance Z from each pixel in a CMOS-compatible sensor array to a corresponding location on a target object. Applicants refer to and incorporate by reference the '942 patent as background material. U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,496 ("the '496 patent") to Bamji et al. entitled SYSTEMS FOR CMOS-COMPATIBLE THREE-DIMENSIONAL IMAGE SENSING USING QUANTUM EFFICIENCY MODULATION describes the use of quantum modulation techniques and differential detectors suitable for a three-dimensional range finding system, the entire content of which patent is incorporated herein by this reference. In the '496 patent the quantum efficiency of the substrate upon which differential CMOS sensors were fabricated was modulated synchronously with optical energy emitted from an energy source. Applicants refer to and incorporate by reference the '496 patent as background material.
System 10 includes an array 60 of pixel detectors 70, each of which has dedicated circuitry 80 for processing detection charge output by the associated detector. As used herein, the terms "detector", "photodiode detector", "pixel" and "pixel detector" may be used interchangeably. Array 60 might include 100�100 pixels 70, and 100�100 associated detector processing circuits 80. One will appreciate that other configurations may be used. IC 30 preferably also includes a microprocessor or microcontroller unit 90, RAM and ROM memory, collectively 100, a high-speed distributable clock 110, and various computing and input/output (I/O) circuitry 120. System 10 preferably further includes a lens 130 to focus light reflected from target object 20 upon pixels 70 in array 60. As noted in the above-mentioned patents, controller unit 90 may carryout distance-to-object and object velocity calculations and can output such calculations as DATA, for use by a companion device, if desired. As seen in
In brief, microprocessor 90 can calculate the roundtrip time for optical energy from source 40 to travel to target object 20 and be reflected back to a pixel 70 within array 60. This time-of-flight (TOF) is given by the following relationship:
Z=C�t/2 eq. (1)
where C is velocity of light.
Thus, without reliance upon luminosity information, system 10 can calculate that Z1=C�t1/2, Z2=C�t2/2, Z2=C�t3/2, and so on. The correct Z distances are obtained, even if more distant regions of target object 20 happen to be more reflective than nearer regions of the target object.
The ability of system 10 to determine proper TOF distances Z can be impacted when the magnitude of ambient light is large relative to the magnitude of reflected light from source 40. What occurs is that the various pixels 70 respond to incoming optical energy that represents the real signal to be measured (e.g., active energy originating from source 40 and reflected by target object 20), and also respond to ambient light. The depth resolution of each pixel, i.e., the accuracy of the distance measurement, is determined by the system signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Even if ambient light could be measured and subtracted from the total signal, its noise component (e.g., shot noise) would still degrade system performance. Further, the presence of ambient light can have even more severe consequences by causing the pixel detector to saturate.
In a so-called differential pixel detector, the active optical energy contributes to both a differential mode signal and a common mode signal, while ambient light only contributes to the common mode signal. While differential pixel detectors can exhibit higher SNR than single-ended pixel detectors, the presence of strong ambient light, sunlight perhaps, can degrade the performance of differential pixel detectors, as will now be described. As used herein, the term "differential detector" refers to a detector that responds to two input parameters. For example in the '496 patent, the differential detectors responded to amplitude of incoming optical energy and to phase of such energy relative to energy output by emitter 40; see
Incoming optical energy falling upon a pixel detector 70 generates an extremely small amount of photocurrent (or photocharge), typically on the order of picoamps (10−12 amps). Such detection current signals are too small in magnitude to be measured directly. It is known in the art to provide pixel detectors that operate in a direct integration mode by which optical energy induced photocurrent is integrated on a capacitor and the final capacitor charge or voltage is readout at the end of an integration interval. A capacitor Cx has finite maximum charge capacity Qmax defined by:
Q max =C x �V swing eq.(2)
where Cx is the total capacitance and Vswing is the maximum voltage swing across the capacitor. A pixel detector is said to be in saturation when the total charge integrated on the capacitor exceeds the maximum charge capacity, in which case no useful information can be readout from that pixel.
A differential pixel detector (e.g., detectors 70 in
Referring briefly to
Readout circuitry is provided for circuit A and B, comprising transistors Tfollower and Tread. At the end of the integration time, which will be a function of the repetition rate of the optical pulses emitted from optical energy source 40, microprocessor 90 causes a readout signal Φread to go high. This enables the voltages on nodes SA and SB to be read-out of array 60, e.g., through a bitline. In the exemplary configuration of
But in addition to generating photocurrent in response to optical energy or active light (from emitter 40) reflected by target object 20, pixel 70 will also generate photocurrent in response to ambient light that is also integrated by capacitors CA, CB, thus affecting the potential at nodes SA, SB.
Thus, whereas CMOS sensors used in systems to acquire images generally rely upon strong levels of ambient light, CMOS sensors used in time-of-flight systems seek to reduce the effects of ambient light. As seen in
Thus there is a need for a method and topology by which the dynamic range of a differential pixel detector can be enhanced such that degradation from ambient light is substantially reduced. Even in the presence of strong ambient light that might otherwise saturate the pixel, the differential response of the pixel should still be available. Preferably substantially all of the common mode signal should be removed, while retaining substantially all of the differential mode detection signals on a per pixel photodiode detector basis. Preferably such method and topology should introduce little or no KT/C capacitor noise, other than for parasitic capacitance effects. Finally, such method and topology should be implementable using CMOS such that the differential sensor array can still be fabricated on a common IC with associated range finding system.
Embodiments of the present invention provide such methods and circuit topologies.
In the embodiments of the above-mentioned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/823,415 effective differential dynamic range in a differential pixel detector was increased by avoiding saturation effects due to common mode contribution in optical energy to be detected. Photocurrent generated by each photodetector pair was directly integrated by an associated capacitor over an integration time T. The resultant capacitor voltage was proportional to detected optical energy including ambient light. Within time T, before either integrated capacitor voltage reaches Vsat for the photodetector, at least one of the capacitors was reset to a voltage such that the desired differential detector signal is still determinable.
In one embodiment of that parent invention, at start of integration time T, the voltage across each capacitor was preset to a fixed Vref voltage. During integration time T whenever the integrated capacitor voltage of either capacitor reached Vsat, that capacitor was reset to Vref. After reset, capacitor voltages were again allowed to change as a function of photocurrent, and were reset to Vref whenever and as soon as either capacitor voltage reached Vsat. A count of total resets for each capacitor was maintained, and the amount of light falling upon each detector was a function of its final voltage at end of integration and the number of resets occurring during integration. In another embodiment of that parent invention, the common mode component of the integrated capacitor voltages was reset periodically to prevent either photodiode detector from saturating. However the differential component of the integrated capacitor voltages was preserved. The result was to extend effective differential dynamic range of the differential sensor in the presence of ambient light by avoiding the effects of saturation. Embodiments of the parent invention could extend differential dynamic range of the differential sensor despite mismatching in the components implementing the differential pixel detector.
The present invention improves upon both rejection of common mode signal and retention of the desired differential detection signal in a CMOS-compatible differential detector. These advantages are realized with acceptably low KT/C noise due to capacitance. In one embodiment, at least a substantial fraction (e.g., ≧50%) of the total differential detection signal charge is read into at least one integration capacitor on each so-called charge dump cycle operation. Preferably this functionality is implemented by coupling the photodetector differential inputs to the inputs of an operational amplifier configured as an integrator using an integration capacitor. Common mode reset is implemented by periodically engaging switch transistors such that the differential detector signal is first transferred and stored into the integration capacitor and is essentially zero during common mode resets. One result is improved common mode rejection, with little or no differential detection signal charge loss. Further, such detection signal charge loss as may occur is substantially independent of the number of common mode resets. A single-ended output is available from the operational amplifier, which may be read-out via an associated bitline.
In overview, operation of the present invention during an integration period T involves a number n of common mode reset operations, and a number x of dumps (or transfers-out) of the differential charge from capacitors associated with each differential pixel detector into the integration capacitor associated with the operational amplifier. Once dumped, the differential charge is stored in the integrator capacitor and is not affected by subsequent common mode resets. The number of dumps x may be less than or equal to or even greater than n. However in a preferred mode of operation, there will be a dump of differential charge before a common mode reset.
Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description in which the preferred embodiments have been set forth in detail, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Before describing the present invention, whose description commences with an analysis of
But as shown by the waveforms in
Returning to
Referring briefly to
At the end of the integration time, the counter value (n) and the final voltage Vfinal on capacitor CA are read-out separately by turning-on TreadD and TreadA, respectively.
Turning now to
At start of integration, counter 150′ starts counting to measure the time since the last reset to Vref. In the following discussion it will be assumed that the magnitude of incoming ambient light does not change substantially during the integration time. Two scenarios will be considered: ambient light is strong, and ambient light is not very strong.
If the ambient light is strong, each photodetector DA and DB (DB not shown) will reach Vsat multiple times during one integration period. In this case, every time either photodetector reaches Vsat, the photodetectors and counter 150′ are simultaneously reset. At the end of the integration period, each photodetector will be at a determinable voltage level, which level will likely be different for each detector. Further, at the end of the integration period, the counter will have stored the time (Δtf) since the last reset required for the photodetectors to attain these final voltage levels. Since each photodetector end-of-integration voltage level is known, as is the time Δtf, the slope of the voltage curves for each photodetector and the number of resets that should have occurred during integration can be determined; see
V swing-a =ΔV af �T/Δtf eq. (3)
V swing-b =ΔV bf �T/Δtf eq. (4)
where T is the total integration time, which is known.
If the ambient light is not strong, at the end of the integration time T, the counter value will be equal to the integration time, and the voltages across the photodiodes DA and DB will represent all that the photocharge each pixel could collect during the whole integration time. In this case, no further calculation is needed to determine the total voltages, since it follows from T=Δtf that:
Vswing-a=ΔVaf eq. (5)
Vswing-b=ΔVbf eq. (6)
Once the relevant times and photodiode voltages are read-out, an external computation unit, perhaps microprocessor 90 in system 10 (see
As noted, in
As noted, capacitor Cr is initialized at the beginning of integration along with the photodetector. As with the self-reset method, the non-inverting input of comparator 140 may be switched to VDD (rather than to Vsat during integration) to reset pixel 70′ (e.g., both photodetectors and Cr). By judiciously making voltage Vsat low, all photodiodes are simultaneously reset, thus removing the need for a separate reset signal.
Turning now to
At the end of integration, three voltage values are read-out from pixel 70′, namely Va (voltage across DA), Vb (voltage across DB), and Vr (voltage across capacitor Cr). Given these quantities, one can calculate the resulting differential voltage Vswing-a−Vswing-b as follows. Looking at
This linear function f(Vr) is obtained by writing Vr as Vr=Vref+n�k�(Va−Vb). As noted, Vref is the initial voltage for capacitor Cr (e.g., the reset voltage for photodetectors DA, DB), n is the number of sample/reset cycles, and k is a constant determined from the circuit of
It is possible to automatically generate the Δsample or Δreset signals within each pixel 70′, by providing some additional circuitry. One can use two comparators to compare SA, SB node potentials with Vsat, and the logical OR can be taken of the comparator outputs to yield the Δsample signal. Thus as soon as either photodiode potential reaches Vsat, Δsample goes high. If desired, Δreset can be a delayed version of Δsample. Such a self-resetting configuration would use two comparators, an OR gate, and a delay element that could be a simple RC delay.
Turning now to
For ease of illustration,
In normal operation switching transistors TswA and TswB are open, while transitors TvrefA and TvrefB, and TdisA and TdisB are closed. Initially photodetector diodes DA and DB are reset to Vref via transistors TresetA and TresetB, but during integration transistors TresetA and TresetB remain open. As optical energy impinges on phododiode DA it discarges its parasitic capacitor CDA as well as capacitor CA, while photodiode DB discharges its parasitic capacitor CDB as well as its capacitor CB. Initial reset is achieved though transistors TresetA and TresetB, which initialize the circuit at potential Vref, although other potentenial levels may instead be used.
During common mode reset, signal ΦresetA remains low, while the other control signals operate as shown in
(1) First, capacitors CA and CB are decoupled from associated photodiodes DA and DB by bring the Φdis signal low, which opens discharge transistors TdisA and TdisB going low. This operation does not change the differential charge quantity QA−QB, and no KT/C noise is introduced on QA−QB.
(2) Next, when control signal Φnorm goes low, the bottom plates of capacitors CA and CB are decoupled from Vref by the opening of transistors TrefA and TrefB. The quantity QA−QB remains unaffected, even in terms of KT/C.
(3) When the control signal Φswitch goes high, capacitors CA and CB redistribute their charge. Let QCA be the charge on capacitor CA and let QCB be the charge on capacitor CB. If capacitors CA and CB are now shorted together in parallel the total charge quantity QCA+QCB would be preserved. However since CB is connected to CA inverted, the quantity QCA−QCB is preserved during this operation. Since no switches are opened no KT/C arises from this step.
(4) When the control signal ΦswA goes low; a KT/C uncertainty appears in the charge redistribution, but this KT/C appears as common mode on the quantities QCA and QCB. Any charge taken from QCA shows up exactly on QCB but with a minus sign. Thus after switches TswA and TswB open, QCA′=QCA+NoiseKTC, and −QCB′=−QCB′−NoiseKTC. Thus there is no KT/C noise on QCA′−QCB′=QCA−QCB+(NoiseKTC−NoiseKTC).
(5) Next, when control signal Φnorm goes high again the differential charge QA−QB is unchanged.
(6) Finally, when control signal Φdis goes high, QA−QB is unchanged.
If desired some of the above steps may be combined for simplicity. For example steps 5 and 6 may occur simultaneously or even out of sequence. Steps 1, 2 and 5, 6 clearly do not affect QA−QB, and it was demonstrated that steps 3 and 4 do not affect QCA−QCB. Thus, steps 1 through 6 do not affect QA−QB. In operation, the generation of the various control signals can be handled by microprocessor 90 in system 10 in
Note that no assumption as to closeness of component matching was made in the above analysis, and the conclusions reached remain irrespective of the values of capacitors CA, CB, CDA, and CDB. Additionally the linearity of the capacitors does not affect performance, and the configuration shown in
Consider now the common mode voltage on photodiodes DA and DB after reset. Within reasonable bounds, the exact value of the common mode voltage is not critical. Although an analysis can be carried out for almost any capacitor values, for simplicity of explanation let it be assumed that CA=CB and CDA=CDB.
Since it is small, let KT/C reset noise be ignored. Thus after step 5 if VCA (the voltage across capacitor CA) and if VCB (the voltage across capacitor CB) have the relation VCA=−VCB, the voltage on the top plate of CA is (Vref+VCA) and the voltage on the top plate of CB is (Vref−VCA).
As noted, charge difference QA−QB is preserved in the configuration of
V DA =V ref +V CA +K eq. (7)
V DB =V ref +V CB +K=V ref −V CA +K eq. (8)
V DA +V DB =V ref +V CA +K+V ref −V CA +K=2(V ref +K) eq. (9)
After step 6 because of charge redistribution the new voltages are:
Thus the sum VDA′+VDB′ then becomes
V DA ′+V DB′=[(V ref +V CA)+C DA �K/(C DA +C A)]+[(V ref −V CA)+C DA �K/(C DA +C A)]=2�[V ref+ K�C DA/(C DA +C A)] eq. (17)
Thus the sum VDA′+VDB′ is advantageously always closer to 2Vref than to VDA+VDB. This demonstrates that with each reset in
To recapitulate, for the embodiment of
Transistors TdisA and TdisB can be used as global shutters, thereby improving resilience to ambient light by stopping the effects of all light impinging on the differential pixel when the shutter is turned off. When TdisA and TdisB are off, capacitors Ca and Cb are decoupled from photodetectors PDDA and PDDB and therefore stop integrating the signal from PDDA and PDDB. If the output of the pixel is chosen to be top plate of capacitors CA and CB then the output of the pixel will be frozen after TdisA and TdisB are turned-off, thereby providing the function of a global shutter.
Turning now to
During integration, transistors controlled by signal Φint are turned-on and transistors controlled by signals Φr, Φreset are turned-off. Thus during integration, light induced photocurrent discharges photodiode parasitic capacitance CDA, CDB, as well as capacitors CA and CB. As has been noted, the integrated signals contain both differential mode and common mode components.
Next, in a common mode reset phase, control signal Φint goes low, causing transistors Tint to decouple CA from CDA and to decouple CB from CDB. Then control signal Φr goes high, turning-on transistors Tr and charge in both CA and CB transfers to the integration capacitor Cint. Note that polarities of the charge transferred onto Cint are opposite due to the arrangement of the Tr switches.
The integrated charge on Cint after the common mode reset can be expressed in terms of charge on CDA, CDB before the common mode reset as:
Q int =Q C
Therefore the common mode signal is cancelled while the differential signal is preserved, which is the desired result.
Preferably common mode reset is performed multiple times and is interleaved with the integration during the whole frame integration. During integration, the integrating operational amplifier 180 may be turned off to save power. The total number of common mode reset performed will depend on the intensity of ambient light. The final signal readout is the accumulated charge (hence voltage) on Cint.
While the charge integrator in the embodiment of
In the embodiment of
Turning now to
where QA,0 represents the charge collected by detector DA with respect to 0� light phase, QB,0 represents the charge collected by detector DB with respect to 0� light phase, QA,180 represents the charge collected by detector DA with respect to 180� light phase, and QB,180 represents the charge collected by detector DB with respect to 180� light phase. As is apparent from the above equation, if the total number of common mode resets is n, then half of the final differential charge is collected from detector DA and half of the charge is collected from detector DB. Another advantage of this embodiment is that KT/C noise associated with the transistor switches becomes common mode; therefore such noise is cancelled out from the final differential signal value.
Most of the above-described embodiments accumulate the DA−DB charge difference in a capacitor, and periodically reset DA and DB to Vref to avoid saturation.
In the embodiment of
The embodiment of
In the embodiment of
As noted, current source 190 may be controlled using a voltage reference or a current reference. If a voltage reference is used, the voltage can be VDD or Vref, in which case only the ΦXC signal would be needed to perform common-mode removal. For CCCS (or current mirrors) a variety of circuit configurations are structures are available, two of which are shown in
An important concern in implementing current mirrors is matching, in this case between output currents A and B. To minimize matching errors, transistors with large values of width and length should be used and should be carefully laid out. For example the orientation of transistors should be the same for currents A and B.
Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, commencing with
New generations of CMOS sensors such as SmallCam, Pixim, can permit sensor operation at such high dynamic range levels. For use in CMOS image sensing, ambient light is usually the parameter to be measured, and for which a high dynamic sensor range is needed. But for three-dimensional sensing using time-of-flight and a modulated light source (e.g., source 40 in
As described earlier herein with respect to the parent invention, the effects of ambient light can be substantially reduced electronically such that even a time-of-flight sensor system can operate properly in ambient sunlight. One such technique is common mode reset, such as was described with respect to
The shortcoming of a differential detector 70′ with common mode reset circuitry will now be described with reference to
Those skilled in the art will recognize that associated with nodes OA, OB, RA, and RB will be parasitic capacitance, not shown in
As noted, during an integration period T operation of the present invention exemplified in
During common mode reset operation, the differential detector signal charge is first read transferred into the integration capacitor C229 by turning-on dump transistors TdA, TdA′, which dumps charge from capacitor CA node OA and from capacitor CB node OB respectively into the non-inverting and inverting inputs of operational amplifier 210. Shutter transistors TshutA and TshutB remain open, which allows even the differential detector charge to be transferred. Subsequent common mode resets will have no effect on this safely stored-away differential detector and capacitor CA and CB charge. As noted, the number of dumps x may be less than, equal to, or greater than the number of common mode resets n that occur within an integration period T.
Next, shutter transistors TshutA and TshutB and dump transistors TdA, TdA′ are opened, and common mode reset is performed.
Successful operation of the embodiment of
The differential nature of operational amplifier 210 provides a single-ended output signal (AMP OUT) that could be used to directly drive a bitline (BITLINE B) without use of a source follower such as TfB in
As noted, the total differential detection charge from differential detector 70′ is accumulated in integration capacitor C220, whose value is perhaps 40 fF. At the end of an integration period, the total accumulated charge may be read-out in several ways. Referring to
When the READ signal to the gate of transistor TrA is high (for the configuration shown), the signal present at the inverting input of operational amplifier 210 will be read-out to BITLINE A. Preferably simultaneously, the READ signal also turns-on transistor TrB such that BITLINE B reads-out the AMP OUT signal. What results is a differential signal across BITLINE A and BITLINE B that represents the correct voltage value stored on integration capacitor C220.
An alternate read-out method will now be described. Consider now the signal at the non-inverting input of operational amplifier 210. A high signal Cvref3 turns-on transistor Tref3, which couples a known reference voltage VREF3 to the non-inverting input of operational amplifier 210. As a result, a high READ signal to transistor TrB reads-out the signal on BITLINE B. If necessary, BITLINE A may be read-out simultaneously to reduce the effects of noise on VREF3. The result is achieved by creating a differential value at the input of operational amplifier 210, wherein one of the differential values is VREF3.
It will be appreciated that some mismatch may exist between the values of storage capacitors CA, CB as well as between node parasitic capacitance, which mismatches can affect the final signal value of the first-described read-out method. It is understood that there will be parasitic capacitance at the non-inverting input of operational amplifier 210. Relative to a capacitor reset value of Vref, the AMP. The charge (with respect to a capacitor reset value of Vref) on this parasitic capacitance is substantially eliminated when the node is coupled to Vref3. This is what occurs in the second read-out method, but unfortunately a charge error is created whenever the initial amplifier input was not precisely Vref3. However effects of mismatch using the first read-out method and effects of charge error using the second read-out method can both be reduced by first bringing the voltage levels at both operational amplifier 210 inputs substantially to the initial reset value. The desired result can be accomplished by performing a series of common mode reset and charge dump operations before beginning the read-out sequence.
Alternately by reading a single ended value from Bitline A (let SBA denote the value) the error resulting for mismatch between Vref and voltages on the inputs to operational amplifier 210 can be mathematically compensated for. This is because for both read-out methods, there is a mathematical formula between the error and SBA. This mathematical formula is a function of SBA and integration capacitor C220, and either the capacitance mismatches (for the first read-out method) or the non-inverting operational amplifier positive terminal capacitance (for the second read-out method) read method 2). Note that for the second read-out method the value SBA must be read-out before Vref3 is connected.
Note that a combination of both read-out methods can be used. First the voltage on the two operational amplifier inputs is brought close to the reset voltage Vref3. Then SBA is read-out using either read-out method, and the remaining error is mathematically calibrated out. Note that for reasons of economy of implementation, it is preferable to acquire SBA with relatively low accuracy. Thus in practice, SBA is read-out before the voltage on the operational amplifier inputs is brought close to reference voltage Vref3 via repeated common mode reset dump operations. Before this series of common mode reset dump operations, magnitude of SBA relative to the reset voltage Vref3 will be fairly large, perhaps in the tens or hundreds of mV range. But after the series of common mode reset dump operations, this residual SBA voltage will be on the order of perhaps a few mV. Furthermore, this residual voltage will be a known fraction of the original SBA voltage before the series of common mode dump operations. Because this fraction is known a priori, by quantizing the larger quantity (magnitude of SBA before the reset operations), the smaller quantity (magnitude of SBA after the reset operations) can be known more accurately. The fraction can be determined empirically, or can be modeled taking into account relative values of CA, CB, and parasitic capacitance present at the non-inverting input of operational amplifier 210.
Note too that the addition of transistor switches connected to the DUMP B signal allows the differential detector system shown in
Note too that additional functionality results from the presence of operational amplifier 210. For example, this amplifier may be used for two purposes: to enhance common mode reset as noted above, and for pixel detector analog-to-digital conversation using techniques well known in the art. Other secondary uses of the operational amplifier can include dynamic range enhancement, 0, 180� cancellation, 0�, 90� capture, and so on.
Some exemplary parameters for the embodiment of
Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described in the context of dynamic range enhancement for three-dimensional image sensing, it is understood that embodiments of the present invention may be used in other applications that require dynamic range enhancement in the presence of a strong common mode signal. Further, those skilled in the art will appreciate that some or all of the described embodiments may be implemented with components other than the specific semiconductor switches, amplifiers, comparators, integrators, counters, etc. described herein.
The foregoing descriptions of specific embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.
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|Imager with suppression of background light and corresponding method
|U.S. Classification
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Oct 20, 2005
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text:
pickled garlicky red peppers
Flashback: The Great February Pickle-athon: Inspired by Cathy's fantastic account about pickling Brussels sprouts with fennel fronds on Serious Eats, I decided it time that I go beyond the giardiniera and the lightly-soused red onions and into the great thereafter of vacuum seals and factory-like precision. Of course, I didn't use her recipe–why would I do that? I knew it would work! What fun could that be?–but one I'd seen several pickle junkies swear by on Chowhound.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
If we flew into Miami would fort lauderdale be a nice spot to stay overnight?
Last time we flew into Miami and stated at Fort Lauderdale by the Sea. It is a beautifull resort by the beach.
We are returning this year and staying at the same place, Shore Haven Inn, for 4 nights then driving up to Orlando for Christmas & New Year.
The worst part about flying into Miami is the traffic in and around the city. Take a look at the Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale airport to fly in to and see if that would work for you. Much easier traffic in and out.
When my dad lived in southern Florida and we came to visit we always stayed in Hollywood instead of Ft. Lauderdale as it was cheaper and they have some nice ocean front hotels too. Although, it has been about 7 years since I've been down that way.
Just try to avoid rush hour if you can and it will be fine, it'll just take a bit longer that's all.
I am a freak, granted... but I like Miami International!
Brit, if you want to drive just a bit, and be ready for a direct shot to Orlando, stay at the Hampton Inn and Suites on Madison Avenue in Tamarac, FL. It's not far (outskirts of Ft. Lauderdale) and is RIGHT off the Sawgrass that will take you directly to the Turnpike (which is FAR, FAR better than dealing with 95).
It's a newer Hampton, doesn't allow smoking and is quite decent. No true suites, but nice rooms with mini refrigerators and microwaves.


text:
Government forces massed to the north of Baghdad today, ready to strike back at Sunni Islamists whose drive toward the capital has prompted American intervention to prevent the break-up of Iraq.
President Obama said last night that he was sending an elite US special operations force to Baghdad to reinforce the Iraqi military, which crumbled in the face of the al-Qaeda splinter group known as the the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (Isis).
Together with the 300 special forces, who will train and advise Iraqi forces, Mr Obama said he was prepared to set up joint operating centres in


text:
Edit Article
How to Play Music on a Phone
If you have a phone other than the LG Chocolate (see tutorial), and you want to play already-downloaded music, you should then follow this tutorial.
This article has been tagged as a stub.
That means it's off to a good start, but still has room to grow into a more helpful resource. Until the article reaches its full potential, it will be hidden from search results. Can you help it flourish? If you think the article offers complete and accurate instructions, feel free to remove this tag.
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Categories: Stub | Music | Phones and Gadgets
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text:
OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Backers of an effort to legalize and regulate the recreational use of marijuana in Washington state have turned in more than 340,000 signatures in an effort to qualify their initiative to the Legislature.
They were met Thursday by about a dozen protesters who support legalization but say the current proposal harms medical marijuana patients because of an element of the initiative that would make illegal for a motorist to have more than 5 nanograms of THC per milliliter of blood in their system. THC is the active ingredient of cannabis.
Initiative 502 would legalize up to an ounce of dried marijuana, and pot would be sold and taxed at state-licensed stores.


text:
What the numbers are showing us
How average people are building great wealth
Join the NASDAQ Community today and get free, instant access to portfolios, stock ratings, real-time alerts, and more!
Would you ever consider putting your hard-earnedinvestment
dollars in a place like Nigeria or Kenya? It's a question that
strikes at the heart of an investor's risk tolerance.
But how you answer it may be a keyfactor in determining
whether you have what it takes to capture truly outsizegains in
thestock market .
While many people would stay up at night worrying about that
kind of an investment, others look at opportunities in far-flung
places and see vast and seemingly limitless potential.
These up-and-coming countries, or "frontier markets," tend to
be smaller and less developed thanemerging markets like China and
India. And while they don't get the same kind of media coverage
as these countries, the growth potential is staggering.
Many frontier markets are posting astonishing economic growth
of 7% to 14% peryear . As these economies grow and consumers
become wealthier, these marketswill present incredible
opportunities for investors.
Some of these nations have lagged behind the developed world
for centuries and have been unable to mount anything like the
fast rate of growth in other developing markets. Frontier markets
usually have a poor population willing to work to thrust itself
into a middle class, and, with luck, they also have access to a
deep cache of natural resources and an appetite for export
Just take a look at some of the results so far from two of my
favorite frontier markets.
In the last quarter of 2012, Nigeria'seconomy grew about 7%.
The growth story continued in Kenya. This East African nation's
forecastscall for 5.8% growth per year from now through 2020, and
then for growth to jump even higher, to 6.8% through
These high growth rates have led to solid market results so
far. The Nairobi Securities ExchangeIndex in Kenya returned 57%
in the past 12 months. The S&P 500, meanwhile, returned 18%.
During that same period, the Nigerian Stock Exchange All Share
Index advanced 56%.
Frontier-marketinvesting , which has been gaining interest, is
likely to continue to roll like a juggernaut. More investment
companies will create products like exchange-tradedfunds (
) that simplify access to these growing markets and help manage
risk. Brokerages will allow investors to participate in more
foreign exchanges, and more foreign companies will list their
securities in the United States.
Two things will fuel the trend toward the development of
frontier markets. The first is the development of a middle class,
a group of consumers no longer concerned with mere subsistence,
but rather with bringing in realdiscretionary income that can be
used to raise their standard of living. That is typically
followed by meaningful growth in high-profit services that create
additionalwealth .
This trend must be accompanied by a sustained, meaningful push
for democratically centered political stability. Foreign dollars
simply don't flow to countries where investors worry their
property will be confiscated by a corrupt junta.
Those two trends have to happen simultaneously. And the good
news is that they are happening and have been happening in many
frontier-market countries for years.
As that continues to take place, investors -- growing
increasingly tired of the tepid and sometimes negative returns
from mature markets -- are seeking greener pastures. And in the
digital age, they will leave no stone unturned in their search
for the market's next great growth story.
Surprisingly, the more isolated these fledgling economies are
from the debt-laden problems in Europe or the United States, the
better. The less exposure these countries have to a global event
like the recent financial crisis, the greater the
The ideal model, I think, is Nigeria. The African nation is
blessed with astoundingly rich natural resources, particularly
oil. And while for years the oil infrastructure there was a
target for disaffected and disenfranchised citizens who demanded
a greater share of the proceeds from the nation's oil, that
chapter has been closed and followed by a number of moves toward
The result has been nothing short of spectacular. Its economy
is expected to grow by 7.1% this year. And most of that growth
was derived outside of the booming oil sector. Economic reports,
in fact,bear out the notion that the Nigerian middle class is
beginning to spend to raise its standard of living.
My favorite exchange-tradedfund that gives investors exposure
to Nigeria is the
Market Vectors AfricaETF (
. The fund trades on the New York Stock Exchange and casts a wide
net over the African continent, with 25% invested in Nigeria. Its
holdings include some of Africa's largest banks, telecoms and
natural resource firms.
Of course, investing in an emerging fund like the Market
Vectors Africa ETF is risky. Political unrest or a crash in oil
prices are two very real possibilities that could lead to slow or
evennegative growth .
With that said, this fund offers easy exposure to a variety of
markets that have long been out of reach for the individual
investor. And with growth in the U.S. expected to be less than 2%
this year, you'd be wise to face your aversion to risk head-on
and invest just a modest portion of your portfolio in frontier
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
© Copyright 2001-2010 StreetAuthority, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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text: Posted December 3, 2012 The difference is Quinn has historically sucked. Yes he played good today, however this is his first and only good game. Deangelo was a star in 08,09 and 10 before he got injured. You can have your opinions, but in reality, deangelo isn't as bad as you think. i like deangelo he's just at the age where running backs careers usually start to end. He's gonna be 30 next season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


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|Hospital Quality
|Patient Satisfaction
|Appointments & Offices
Key things you need to know aboutDr. Gonik:
Dr. Gonik's Experience
Research training, expertise and qualifications
Dr. Gonik's Specialties
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine
More About Dr. Gonik's Background
Hospital Quality
The right hospital is as important as the right doctor
- Sinai - Grace Hospital
- 6071 W Outer Dr
- Detroit, MI 48235
9 Facts About Hospital Quality
Patients' risk of dying during a hospital stay for heart bypass surgery could be 87.4% lower, on average, at a hospital rated 5 stars compared to a hospital rated 1 star for that procedure. Choosing the right hospital is critical to your health. View Slideshow
Patient Satisfaction
Patients' feedback on their experience with Dr. Gonik
Likelihood of recommending Dr. Gonik to family and friends is 2 out of 5 5 1 3
See More Survey Results
8 Facts About Patient Satisfaction Surveys
Patient satisfaction surveys provide a standardized way of reporting about healthcare experiences. But there can be more than meets the eye when reviewing scores. Here's what you should know
Appointments & Offices
Check insurance plans, locations and make an appointment
Accepting new patients?
- Yes
- Sinai Grace Hospital OB/GYN
- Sinai Grace Hospital OB/GYN
- 6071 W Outer Dr Ste S284
- Detroit, MI 48235
- (313) 966-1880
- Directions
- University Physician Group
- University Physician Group
- 26400 W 12 Mile Rd Ste 140
- Southfield, MI 48034
- (248) 352-8200
- Directions
7 Tips to Prepare for Your Appointment
The key to a successful appointment is communication. To get the most out of your visit, prepare ahead of time so you can lead the conversation with your doctor. These 7 tips will get you ready
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text:
"Mount Seoraksan (Soraksan) National Park & Sokcho" Top 5 Page for this destination Sorak-sanmaek by victorwkf
Sorak-sanmaek Travel Guide: 107 reviews and 437 photos
Mount Seoraksan National Park is a beautiful place located near the coastal town of Sokcho which is about 4 hours by coach east of Seoul. I visited this national park twice, once in the summer of 2002 and another time in Oct 2005.
Hope you would find the information in this guide useful, and perhaps you can rate them or give your comments. Thanks.
The national park also houses many Buddhist temples and hermitages among the beautiful mountain scenery. There are various walking and hiking paths which can enable you to explore the various parts of this beautiful national park.
At the entrance of the national park is a huge statue of a bear. This is a very good place to have your photograph taken, which I did during my trip in Oct 2005.
- Pros:Very beautiful scenery and impressive temples
- Cons:The weather here is unpredictable and rainy in summer
- In a nutshell:One of the most popular natural spots in South Korea
Reviews (32)
Gwongeumseong is located on top of a mountain and it used to be a castle. This is perhaps the most famous place at Mt... more travel advice
There are many interesting things about Sokcho, including the beaches, seafood, cruises etc. Unfortunately I did not... more travel advice
If you want to leave a message at Mt Sorak National Park, you can do it traditionally by writing them onto black tiles... more travel advice
Just before you reach the entrance of Mt Sorak National Park on the other side of Cheongbong bridge and Seorak bridge,... more travel advice
Comments (6)
Am so looking forward to my SK trip esp my trek to Mr Sorak! Thanks for your tips! Kamsahamnida!
Victor, that crab hotpot you had looks very delicious! Great update on your sorak page.
Thanks for sharing your recent photos from Korea...Those are lovely! I also went there in Autum (2004) and really loved those colors. My bag is full of dried red maple and yellow gingko leaves when I get home ;0).
It's a great pics of Seoraksan!! Seoraksan was one of most beautiful Mt of Korea. especially Autumn! Good job Victor! :) Cheers!
HEY PPL!!! Here is another great man who appreciates mother nature.
Beautiful Mount Sorak!
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text:
I wear size 42 pants, and I'm looking to find some good cycling shorts.
I have two pair of Hoss Ponderosa mtb shorts in 2XL, which run a bit tight. One pair is tighter than the other, and they are pinching the "boys" a bit. I'd like to get a pair of shorts I can wear under regular shorts. I'm looking for a "true" 2XL, which I feel my Ponderosas are not. They are a bit too tight all the way 'round, in waist and on my thighs.
I don't want to drive all over the place trying things on. What do you guys recommend? Again, ideally it'd be something I can put on and wear my "street clothes" over.


text:
Kinston, NC – An early lead was not enough for the K-Tribe Thursday night as the Indians faltered late and lost game three of the Mills Cup Championship Series 7-3. The K-Tribe will face must win games on Friday and Saturday.
Jesus Aguilar put the K-Tribe ahead with another home run. This time the blast was a two-run homer and stuck Kinston to an early 2-0 lead. The home run was Aguilar's fourth of the post season and the fourth time he has hit one in as many games.
Fredrick took the lead off K-Tribe starting pitcher Mike Rayl in the top of the fifth inning. The Keys swatted four hits including two doubles and scored three times to take a one run lead. The big hit in the inning was a double by Manny Machado which put Fredrick on top 3-2.
Fredrick added single runs in the seventh innings and eighth innings when K-Tribe reliever Trey Haley was on the bump. Haley suffered through a wild night, hitting two Keys batters and throwing a wild pitch which also scored a run. The score heading into the ninth inning was 5-2 Fredrick.
In the ninth, Giovanni Soto took over and only survived two thirds of an inning. Fredrick hitters were all over Soto and scored two more times in the inning. The Keys managed three singles, which sparked the rally. Nick Sarianides took over to retire the final out.
Kinston added a run in the bottom of the ninth when Roberto Perez singled home Casey Frawley who doubled to lead off the inning. Kinston grounded into a double play to end the ball game. Final Score Fredrick 7, Kinston 3.
The winning pitcher was Scott Copeland who improves to (2-0). Mike Rayl was saddled with the loss and saw his record fall to (1-1). Sean Gleason earned his third save of the post season.
Historic Grainger Stadium will host games four and if needed game five of the Mills Cup Championship Series Friday and Saturday at 6:30pm. Purchase your tickets by calling the Indians front office at 252-527-9111 or visiting www.kinstonindians.com.


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It looks like the folks at the top of the Federal Trade Commission are distancing themselves from the fairly controversial proposal to save the newspaper industry – if the Wall Street Journal is to be believed. The "working paper on reinventing the media" was released on May 24 and widely criticized by most everyone as ludicrous. The report looked at ways to save the newspaper industry by charging fees to news aggregator sites that source newspapers, and taxes on electronics like iPads, laptops and Kindles. Money collected from these and other methods would then be redistributed to traditional media outlets.
So how is the FTC distancing itself from the plan? From the top down. No doubt after seeing a Rasmussen poll that showed a majority of Americans loathed such a plan, the FTC's top man has backpedaled as if he had nothing to do with it at all. In testimony before the Senate Judiciary subcommittee on Wednesday, FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz called the plan to tax devices "a terrible idea." But tax aside, it seem that the FTCV has not abandoned the idea altogether.
This method is was what lawmakers call a "trial balloon," where a government agency that does not answer to voters does the dirty work, pushing forward ideas that everyone knows will be controversial.
Leibowitz has an interesting past which may explain his feelings on news aggregators: he's a former vice president of the Motion Picture Association of America. His views about this part of the bill are public knowledge – late last year at a workshop he noted that online news readers get a "free ride instead of paying the full value – or in fact paying anything – for what they're consuming."
Source: WSJ


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Paul Walker's Mom Wants Custody Of His Daughter
By Mack Rawden 2 years ago
Much of the chatter surrounding Paul Walkers tragic death has quieted down in recent weeks, but behind the scenes, theres apparently some extremely serious legal maneuvering going on. Cheryl Walker, better known as Pauls mom, has filed paperwork with the court system asking for a legal guardianship of Pauls 15-year-old daughter Meadow.
According to TMZ, the big issue in play is an alleged drinking problem. Walkers ex-girlfriend/ baby mama Rebecca Soteros has two DUIs, and Meadow reportedly moved in with Paul three years ago because the boozing was allegedly getting worse. Both Soteros and Meadow are now living with Mama Walker full time, and the drinking allegedly hasnt gotten any better. So, Walker would like the court to make her Meadows legal guardian in case she has to make any serious decisions, at least for the time being.
At this point, its unclear whether or not Soteros is going to fight the legal action. If shes already living with Walker, it sounds like she might realize she has a problem and may think its in her daughters best interests for her grandmother to be responsible legally. Since she hasnt spoken publically, however, thats a very big maybe.
In the wake of his tragic death, Walker left behind an estate valued at $16 million. Obviously, much of that money is earmarked for his daughter, but it seems likely he would have approved of a tiny bit of it going to Soteros to get treatment for this issue supposedly plaguing her.
In Walkers will, he asked his mother be given custody of Meadow if something were to happen to him. That desire, plus all of the problems Soteros has had over the years, would seem to indicate Cheryl is not overreacting but simply making the smart play based on the situation in front of her.
Well keep you updated on this custody situation as it progresses. Heres to hoping whatever happens proves to be in the best for Meadow.


text:
After enabling this plugin, there's no new drop-down options on the category page...
After enabling this plugin, there's no new drop-down options on the category page...
Are you sure? It doesn't create a new dropdown, but adds new options to the Bulk Actions dropdown.
100% positive.
I DO have the plugin enabled, too.
And, what I meant, was that there are no new options in the current drop down box.
Does it work for tags?
Are there any javascript errors? (You can check by pressing Ctrl + Shift + J)
Did you try deactivating all other plugins?
Yeah, one of the other crappy plugins I was using decided to break all ajax and everything in my wp-admin. I dont know which one it was or else I'd be hot on their tails for that issue, but since I deactivated about 6 plugins last night we're all good to go. There's several additional options that your plugin provides. I like your work. Thanks.
Case closed.
This topic has been closed to new replies.


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- ParaguayServicesFunding via Fundación Paraguaya
MariaParaguayServicesFunding via Fundación Paraguaya
Ybyrarobana...ParaguayServicesFunding via Fundación Paraguaya
Kuña Mbarete Group
Mirian runs a beauty salon and has many good customers. She always provides good service thanks to which business continues to grow. She is a very hard worker who wants to invest in her business so she can expand and offer employment to other people. The loan she is requesting is to buy shampoo, conditioner, hair color, creams and other supplies needed to continue offering a good service. She is grateful for this opportunity which will be very helpful to her.
Mirian tiene una peluquería, y cuenta que ya tiene muy buena clientela, ofrece siempre un buen servicio a sus clientes y gracias a eso está creciendo. Ella es una persona muy luchadora, que quiere invertir en mejorar su negocio y crecer, para que también pueda dar trabajo a otras personas.
Ella solicita el crédito para poder invertirlo en la compra de shampoo, enjuagues, tintes, cremas y demás insumos para poder seguir dando un buen servicio a sus clientes. Agradece por esta oportunidad que recibe que le será de mucha ayuda.
Additional Information
About Fundación ParaguayaFundación Paraguaya is a financially self-sustaining social enterprise that promotes entrepreneurship in urban and rural areas through microfinance, education programs, and more. Its focus on agriculture has helped many farmers boost their crop yields. And a number of other borrowers have taken out loans to start and grow social businesses that have helped deliver eyeglasses, medicines and other helpful services in their local communities.
This is a Group Loan
In a group loan, each member of the group receives an individual loan but is part of a larger group of individuals. The group is there to provide support to the members and to provide a system of peer pressure, but groups may or may not be formally bound by a group guarantee. In cases where there is a group guarantee, members of the group are responsible for paying back the loans of their fellow group members in the case of delinquency or default.
Kiva's Field Partners typically feature one borrower from a group. The loan description, sector, and other attributes for a group loan profile are determined by the featured borrower's loan. The other members of the group are not required to use their loans for the same purpose.
About Paraguay
59View loans »
Success!! The loan was 100% repaid
- Repayment Term
- 8 months (Additional Information)
- Repayment Schedule
- Monthly
- Pre-Disbursed:
- May 23, 2013
- Listed
- Jun 19, 2013
- Currency Exchange Loss:
- Covered
- Ended:
- Jan 17, 2014


text:
Application Information
Scholarship Overview
This scholarship is for seniors graduating from an Oklahoma City metropolitan area high school. To qualify for this scholarship, applicants must have a 3.0 GPA and be pursuing studies in English or industrial education. Preference will be given to applicants of color. Financial need may be considered.
How easy is it to apply?
Not too bad
This scholarship's application process may have items such as essays that could take a couple hours.
How much competition is there?
Relatively little!
This scholarship has a relatively low number of applicants.


text:
Three days after trial, man faces new felony chargeJune 27,2013By Patrick McArdle
BENNINGTON — A Pleasant Street man who was found guilty earlier this month of recklessly shooting a deer from the road in November was recently arraigned on a new charge after police said he kissed a 14-year-old girl.
Joshua P. Hayes, 21, of Bennington, pleaded innocent last week in Bennington criminal court to a felony count of lewd and lascivious conduct with a child.
In an affidavit, Sgt. Michael Plusch of the Bennington Police Department said he met with a woman on June 18 who had come to the police station to report that her 14-year-old daughter was in an inappropriate relationship with an older man.
Plusch said he and Wendy Nolan, an investigator with the Vermont Department of Children and Families, met with the girl at the Bennington County Child Advocacy Center on June 19.
During the interview, the girl said she and Hayes had "developed this relationship" over the previous four weeks, primarily through text messages. She said she had told him she was 14 and he had told her that he knew he could "get in trouble" because of their relationship.
Plusch said the girl told investigators that Hayes had sent her a text message on June 16 asking her to come to his apartment. At the apartment, Hayes kissed her and bit her neck, she told police. She said the contact was consensual, according to the affidavit.
While she told police that Hayes had been drinking beer, she said she had not had any alcohol.
For the complete story, see Friday's Rutland Herald.MORE IN This Just InWASHINGTON Many of Americas young adults appear to be in no hurry to move out of their old... Full StoryBENSON The town will not return to the days of having a reputation of being the wild west of... Full StoryMIDDLEBURY Commuters are advised of nighttime road closures tonight and Thursday. Full Story
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Who we are — The people you will meet on this site have all had their lives impacted by drugs. By sharing their stories they hope to help other people see that change is possible.
Get help and a few tips to support you dealing with meth addiction.
The PotHelp Workbook a free resource to help you get the life you choose. Hear from everyday Kiwis who tell how change is possible and work through practical exercises.
Order a copy
Confidential helplines provides free support for any person concerned about their own or someone else's drug use.
Helplines available 10am-10pm, 7 days a week, free from landline or mobile.
Alcohol Drug Helpline
0800 787 797
Pasifika Helpline
0800 787 799
Whaka-tu-tangata Helpline
0800 787 798


text:
I've got a Brooks B17 that is about 2 years old and it has never been treated with anything.
I think it's due for a spruce up and wondered what would be the best treatment for it ?
I've got some Renapur which is amazing stuff and some Nikwax which is usually ok for leather.
Should I use one of these, something else or is the Proofide definitively the best to use ?
Also, how do I tell if it is due a tightening ?
Cheers !!


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1st Annual Destin Dog Park Wag n Walk & 5k Run
Destin City Hall
Sat 11/16/2013
310 Participants
Package Pickup will be at City Hall Thursday 9am until 7pm and Friday 8am until 7pm. If you cannot pick up your package on either day we will have it ready for you at the race. Awards to Dogs with Runners, Dogs with Walkers, Runners Only, Walkers only, Walker with Stroller, Runner with Stroller, and Wheelchair. T-Shirts will be given to each participant in the 5K Run/Walk and a gifts will be given to each Dog. PLEASE, PLEASE REMEMBER: Dogs must be on a short leash and wear their current rabies tag. Dog owners are responsible for cleaning up after their dogs. Bring you baggies!!
- Address:4200 Indian Bayou Trail
Destin, FL 32541


text:
Aston Villa Message Board
Selling semi final tickets ( 3 )
Hello all. Currently selling three Chelsea - Villa tickets for the 10th down at Wembley, at the highest price bidded. There the £30 seats, if interested please give me a bell on; 07544722511Sort: Newest | Oldest | Most Replied Expand all replies
What you are saying is
'If I put on a swastika it doesn't mean I am a Nazi'
A Yahoo! User Apr 12, 2010 03:12 Flag
You are professing to be part of an extreme right wing organisation with racism and lack of tolerance as its core ideal, then claiming not to be racist? I am confused.
WARNDON ZULU WARNDON ZULU Apr 12, 2010 03:04 Flag
Have i made any Racial or Religious comments??? NO
All i have just changed my profile picture and the Racial comments were made against me, but racism only work one way!
WARNDON ZULU WARNDON ZULU Apr 12, 2010 03:00 Flag
yes i would agree with you but it's the extremists which we should all stand up against not each other, as i have said I'M NOT A RACIST
WARNDON ZULU WARNDON ZULU Apr 11, 2010 01:52 Flag
Just watching the loyal fans of ASTON VILLA leaving wembley, before the end of the game........running to get to the END OF THE ROAD......WHAT HAVE YOU WON THIS SEASON????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????? FUCK ALL........KEEP RIGHT ON
- 3 Replies to WARNDON ZULU
Doughboy, I just noticed your new picture
Not only a village idiot but a racist idiot too. I knew I was correct in disliking you.
And before I get the torrent of 'Be Nice' nonsense, as the first generation son of an immigrant who regards England as my home, I am not having it.
Fat Racist, r3tard, pr1ck!
As articulate as ever lulu.........stereotype personified :-)
WARNDON ZULU WARNDON ZULU Apr 11, 2010 01:54 Flag
3 - 0
probablygraham probablygraham Apr 10, 2010 23:29 Flag
Mike - I met Tony Butler once. He reminded me of a little rat.
Best radio show of all time though. Jasper Carrot made a fortune out of Tony Butler without having to make any jokes at all.
Hello Tone - yer a w***ker LOL
Come on the Villa. Make us proud!!!!!!!!!
A Yahoo! User Apr 10, 2010 15:55 Flag
Have a great day John, glad one of 'our' crowd got the chance to go, it will live in your son's memory forever, believe me. I got the chance to go to Rotterdam v Bayern Munich in 82, and I can still remember every kick, including Pete Withes mis-kick for the winning goal.
Just hope it isn't a repeat of the score at Stamford Bridge..........
but there again...as a Blue nose...Yes I do !
WARNDON ZULU WARNDON ZULU Apr 8, 2010 02:12 Flag
i'll offer 1p each and take the chance of being robbed
- 1 Reply to WARNDON ZULU
Relax Doughboy the Vileman has bought the tickets. £75 for 3 £30 tickets can't be bad, young Joe you are a Gent.
I get to go to Wembley with my lad and take a mate who has been having a rough time. Sometimes the world is a good place.
Lets hope for a good result.


text:
Homebuilder Confidence Misses For 4th Month In A Row
NAHB confidence missed expectations once again - the 7th miss in the last 8 months - as the 'hope' priced into this index is eroded and collapses back to the reality of actual sales. The index was up very modestly but all thanks to yet more "hope" as Future (expected) single-family sales expectations rose to 57 (the highest since Jan). The Northeast saw prospective buyer traffic rise while all other regions fell with the West collapsing.
NAHB catches down to reality as yet another false dawn breaks...
Charts: Bloomberg
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The recovery that never was. A speculative bubble created by printed money and goverment lies!
....I'm a homebuilder and I support this message
Yeah, tell me about it. We have our house for sale. I tell my wife that the market is dead and it is not coming back, but she keeps coming up with various and assorted reasons to sell, sell, sell, So I let her list the damn thing knowing it won't sell. So far 500 prospects have looked at the listing without one bite. She just can't understand why. By the way we own the house for exept for the rent we pay to the state.
Got more Mexicans mowin lawns, tree trimming and pounding For Sale signs into the ground than you can shake a stick at round here.
Did you see the blood moon last night? Looked like it was a marble planet hanging in the sky above Los Angeles.
For the times they are a changing.
We missed the moon, had clouds and snow - snow, for fuck's sake.
Flood of extremely cheap labor is one of the bonuses of zero border control.
It's only cheap for the employers. For everyone else the medical costs, education, crime, and crowding the costs are dire.
Unrelated but too funny and serious at the same time for words!
This one deserves a frame around it.
At the same time, surging rent prices are leaving people in a lurch:
From the MSM (but still informative):


text: I have installed the Acrobat Standard 8.1.2. I made a configuration into the program and now unable to undo those changes . It begins when I installed the voice recognition for Microsoft Word. After that I started the Acrobat and it came up with the Accessibility Setup Assistant. I didn't really aware about this what going wrong with this . Now, whenever I pull up a new one document then I am getting a window which states that "Content Preparation Progress". In the window, it states that "Please wait while the document is being prepared for" . Then if I browse up the PDF of something I scanned, I received a window known as "Scanned Page Alert". The message is "This page contains only an image of a scanned page. I didn't got this type of issues before... Please help me out from this problem !!! please ..


text:
Rockefeller New Media Foundation Proposal
Permanent Linkhttp://hdl.handle.net/1813/3331
MetadataShow full item record
Zurkow, Marina
"Little NO" is an interactive, animated fairy tale based in the Buddhist cosmology of the Wheel of Life. Set in a 1960's New York City apartment against a backdrop of endless cocktail parties, "Little NO" traces multiple pathways through the story of a young girl caught up on the Wheel of Life, who struggles in her conflicts with her martini-handed parents. Like a psychological "Alice in Wonderland" story, she grows and shrinks in age and desire, projecting into her grown-up future, retreating into her child-like past.
Date Issued2006-07-24
Animation; Flash; Interactive Web Art; Feminist


text: Figure a shows three plastic sheets that are large, parallel, and uniformly charged. Figure b gives the component of the net electric field along an x axis through the sheets. The scale of the vertical axis is set by Es = 5 × 105 N/C. What is the ratio of the charge density on sheet 3 to that on sheet 2?


text:
Scott Monty, the top social-media executive at Ford, said that he got two letters from Oracle trashing enterprise-software archrival Salesforce.com.
He posted one of the letters, which appeared to be mailed from Oracle's Troy, Mich. office, on Facebook.
The unsigned missive contained printouts of news stories about Salesforce.com outages; a quote from Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff about the demise of the American car industry; and a report on the background of Patrick Pelata, a recently hired Salesforce executive.
Monty claimed the letter he posted was the second one he'd received.
Oracle PR reps told ZDNet the company was investigating the incident. An Oracle spokesperson contacted by Business Insider declined to comment.
We asked Salesforce.com for more information and we'll update if we hear back.
Here's the envelope the letter was mailed in and one of the pages, via Monty's Facebook page:
More From Business Insider
- Ford's Bold New Social Media Strategy Has Inherent Risks
- Ford's Social Media Manager Just Made GM Look Ridiculous
- FORD: GM's Facebook Ads Don't Work Because GM Sucks -- Ours Work Fine
- Arts & Entertainment
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Stay current on security cleared job search tips, trends and news.
During this upcoming three day weekend, as we gather at barbeques, parks, beaches and other places of leisure, I would ask that we all take a moment to remember why it is that we have this particular ... more
Kirsten, tell us about yourself and your company After a short while working in IT while studying Human Resources, I combined my love for technology and HR by becoming a Technical Recruiter. I first r... more
Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded $58,784,829 for cost-plus-fixed-fee delivery order 0123 against a previously issued basic ordering agreement (N00019-12-G-0006) for... more
Use this directory to find information on employers and all their open positions.


text:
Today NVIDIA has updated its standalone VDPAU library, libvdpau, which is now at version 0.3. This library update supports versioning to the drivers, configurable install directory support, libvdpau_trace, and documentation updates. The libvdpau 0.3 release announcement can be read on xorg-announce.
Separately, Splitted Desktop Systems today made available an update to libva. Splitted's libva allows the VA-API acceleration API to be exposed atop their VDPAU and XvBA back-ends. It was just at the start of the month that AMD's XvBA finally became usable on Linux via this VA-API interface. There is no change-log for today's release, but the libva_0.31.0-1+sds8 release should provide a few fixes. There's nothing real exciting though to be expected. The package can be downloaded from this directory.


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Short Courses for Entrepreneurs
"I am a seasoned entrepreneur and I am rarely surprised
anymore by what I can learn, it is all just incremental. Nevertheless,
during this training I could physically feel my mind to open. Like
nothing I knew before."
Negotiation course, May 2012
The courses are taught in one, three or five day blocks, 9.00am to 5.00pm each day.
*Effective-Self Management (ESM) is a 3-day CPD accredited programme consisting of the following courses:
- Self-Management, Branding & Decision Making (ESM)
- Being Composed: Difficult people and conflict situations (ESM)
- Stress and Time Management (ESM)
Each day can be booked and attended separately as a distinct course but is only CPD accredited if all three days are taken together.
**Introduction to Business Law (ItBL) is a 3-day CPD accredited programme consisting of the following courses:
- How to set up and run a successful business (ItBL)
- Understanding and dealing with intellectual property (ItBL)
- Drafting and negotiating commercial contracts (ItBL)
Each day can be booked and attended separately as a distinct course but is only CPD accredited if all three days are taken together.
Course Information
Course Fees
Course fees can be paid in one of two ways:
- Credit Card – completed online via the booking form
- Invoice – issued after the event (all billing information MUST be provided on the booking form)
Catering and hospitality
Catering is provided for all CPD short courses. If any special dietary requirements are needed please contact us when applying or email email@example.com
Venues and training spaces
Venue details and course timetable will be sent to the registered attendees a week prior to the start of the course.
Course Portfolio
We're always looking to improve our portfolio of courses each year so if you have a particular entrepreneurial area of interest that you would like to see included, please let us know at email@example.com.
Terms and Conditions
Please read the full Terms and Conditions before submitting an application as an admin fee applies for cancellation and non-attendance.
Programme information
Fees and how to apply
Cancellations and refunds
If you can't see the courses you are interested in listed, you might want to look at UCL's complete list of executive education and short courses via: www.ucl.ac.uk/lifelearning


text:
All Hope is Not Lost for St. Croix
Poor St. Croix River… sigh…
Recent attacks on this river caused it to appear on our 2009 and 2011 lists of America's Most Endangered Rivers®. In March 2012, President Obama signed a bill that created an exemption to the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act in order to build a superhighway bridge across the river.
Allowing this exemption set a dangerous precedent for Wild and Scenic River management across the country. Needless to say, American Rivers was very disappointed at the passage of this bill.
Fortunately, I have some good news to report on the St. Croix today. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has approved a sweeping cleanup plan aimed at improving water quality throughout the river basin. Recently, river lovers along the St. Croix have started to push for a cleaner, healthier river system. The EPA's recent action should boost those efforts, and hopefully lead to a cleaner river for everyone to enjoy.
Cleaning up phosphorus on the St. Croix River is particularly important because rivers are connected— and this one connects to one of the nation's most important river resources, the Mississippi River. The Mississippi suffers from a large amount of contamination from polluted runoff— a large amount of which flows from tributary rivers such as the St. Croix.
It is good to see river residents and management agencies standing up in support of this Wild and Scenic River, and working to protect the outstandingly remarkable values for which it was protected.
Public engagement on local issues that impact Wild and Scenic Rivers is critical to their survival against projects that would threaten their protection.


text:
|Product Description
New Styling For 2014 Now Available.
Contemporary marine design inspired by the classic crew jacket. This versatile style is designed for active sailing but is equally at home performing shore-side duties.
• Breathable and waterproof fabric.
• Fully taped seams.
• Non-absorbent and quick-drying polyester insulation which has an excellent warmth to weight ratio.
• Hem adjusters.
• Internal chest pocket.
• Hem adjusters insures comfortable fit.
• 2 zipped hand pockets.
• Reflective detailing.
Model: 1051
All metric measurements are in mm and have been rounded to the nearest 5 mm.


text:
Sign in now to view, license and download this image or contact us to see this image without a watermark. Want to embed this image on a non-commercial website or blog? Learn more.
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text:
Receive a complimentary Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle 24k Gold Intense Sheet Mask with Peter Thomas Roth orders $60+ CODE: 24KPTR - More Info or See All Offers
No matter what your skin type is, using a great moisturizer is one of the most effective ways to keep your complexion and skin looking youthful and hydrated. Shop from some of our favorite moisturizers—tinted, oil free, age defying & more— here!
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text:
But it's interesting to get confirmation, and to learn that Child forthrightly informed the spooks on her application that her weakness was that she was "impulsive," because she quit a department store job once. It's not clear where Child did her spywork — she was stationed in Sri Lanka and China before moving to France, where she was trained as a chef.
Also, there are allegedly some reporters named in the documents released today, but no names have come out yet.
On a totally unrelated note, Bob Woodward of the Washington Post is a "former" Naval Intelligence man.


text:
"Diu" Union Territory of Daman and Diu by avijitb
Union Territory of Daman and Diu Travel Guide: 37 reviews and 145 photos
The Parsee community that fled religious persecution in Iran in the 7th century landed here before moving to the southern coast of Gujarat. Diu is a tiny little island in the Arabian Sea, comfortably and easily accessible on the sea route from West Asia to India and the Far East. The Sultans of Oman controlled the entire region during the 14th and 16th centuries and Diu became a flourishing trading post and naval base from where the shipping routes of the Arabian Sea could easily be controlled. Little wonder then that the Portuguese doggedly tried to gain control of this strategically placed enclave before finally succeeding in 1539, after almost twenty years. For the Portuguese, Diu and its counterpart across the Gulf of Cambay, Daman served as base for the lucrative opium trade with the east. Diu remained under Portuguese control till its independence in 1961, even though the mighty naval empire of Portugal had declined long ago.
The documented history of the District of Diu begins with the Maurya rule (c. 322-220 B.C.). Emperor Chandragupta Maurya had extended his supremacy over Saurashtra and had appointed Pushagupta as Governor of the province of Saurashtra with the Head-quarters in village Girnar near Junagadh. Yavanraj Tushappa ruled over Saurashtra as Governer of Emperor Ashoka (c.273-237 B.C.). Emperor Ashoka had sent Yavana Thero named Dhammarakhito as evangelist to the western sea board including Diu. His grandson Samprati (c. 229-220 B.C.) seems to have ruled over Saurashtra from Ujjain. He propagated Jainism and erected many Jain Temples. The Jain traditions from Diu seems to belong to this period.
The District seems to be under the rule of Indo-Greek kings Eukratides (c. 171-150 B.C.), Meanandar (C. 115-90 B.C.) and Appollodotes II of the 1st Century B.C. to about A.D. 50. During 1st Century, the district seems to have been ruled by Kshaharatas who had established their rule over western part of India including Saurashtra. For more than the next thousand years, Diu formed part of the kingdoms of dynasties that ruled over the westrn India including Gujarat. The last king of the Vaja dynasty ruler of Somnath Patan ruled over Diu in the first decade of the fifteenth century. Thereafter, Diu came under the control of the Muslims Sultans of Gujarat who seen to have ruled Diu for the next one and a half centuries.
Early in 1535, the Portuguese Governor De Cunha had led his expedition for the capture of the town in Diu, but was defeated by the Sultan. However, around that period, the Gujarat Sultan Bahadur Shah's kingdom was overwhelmed by Mughal invasion. Pressed by Mughal king Humayun on one side and the Portuguese at the gates of Diu, Bahadur Shah entered into a treaty with Nuno da Cunha on October 25, 1535 who agreed to assist Bahadur Shah against his enemy by land and sea. In turn he received permission to construct a fortress at Diu and a site was granted for this purpose in the harbour. After the Mughal danger was receded, te Shah of Gujarat realised his mistake in allowing the Portuguese to construct the fort. Finally Diu was conquered by the Portuguese in 1546 who ruled there till 1961.
The Union Territory was liberated along with Goa on 19th December, 1961 after five centuries Portuguese Colonial Rule. On 30th May, 1987, Daman and Diu were de-lined from Goa which attained statehood there by forming these land blocks into a separate Union Territory under the Govt. of India.
- Cons:Bit busy at the weekend
Reviews (1)
During weekends diu becomes very crowded and it's difficult to find good hotel. Stay near Nagoya beach located 4 km away... more travel advice
Have you been to Union Territory of Daman and Diu? Share your travels with the world!
Travelogues (1)
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- "Like a moon walk"
- "look like goa near mumbai"
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Nearby Travel Guides
- Diu Travel Guide
- Daman Travel Guide
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- 11 Photos
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Top Pages
- Union Territory of Daman and Diu Intro, 1 review, 11 photos, 1 travelogue
- Alwar Intro, 1 review, 8 photos, 1 travelogue
- Castleton Intro, 3 photos
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