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Face and Neck lifting
A technique to obtain facial and neck rejuvenation, with minimal scars, providing excellent aesthetic outcomes and sooner patient recovery.
Surgical description
First of all, a preauricular incision and posterior to the tragus is performed, continuing behind the ear and stopping before the hairline. Thus, the final scar is minimum and completely hidden within natural ear folds.
Skin dissection at cheek level is limited stopping before the cheekbone.
In the neck, we perform a dissection associated to liposuction with flat and 2 mm thin cannulas, and these areas are communicated with subcutaneous cheek dissection providing excellent jawline definition.
Afterwards, we focus on muscle plane. Our SMAS (Superficial Muscle Aponeurotic System) flap technique is presented. Differing from traditional facelift techniques, SMAS is not dissected completely although providing good results, because this tissue that is dissected from the skin and deeper plane is devascularized and thus, it atrophies. For that reason, after one or two years, patients who underwent one of this traditional facelift techniques with complete SMAS dissection, present a hollow looking face, skeletonized, due to subcutaneous atrophy. We perform SMAS pulling without dissecting it, raising a flap, which is transposed and sutured behind the ear, defining the angle of the mandible properly.
If platysmal bands are present in anterior neck, we perform an incision within a submental fold having access to platysma muscle and we suture it. In this way, a muscle "necklace" is formed working as a brassier that helps to keep the tissue in position along the midline providing a 90 degrees angle in the neck.
Afterwards, skin is pulled up and preserving the hairline, excess of skin is removed tailoring the skin flap and suturing it without any tension. SMAS bears all tension and avoiding its dissection, its atrophy is avoided as well. Skin overlying cheekbone is not undermined and pulling the skin flap, malar fat pad is elevated and repositioned.
Once the procedure is over and in an attempt to shape an oval face, we perform lipofilling with fat grafts enriched with platelet growth factors within the malar region. This fat graft takes very well herein, provided that skin is not undermined.
Combining all these procedures, minimal scar lifting, liposuction and dissection of anterior neck with flat minicannula, muscular "necklace" made from SMAS flap avoiding dissection to prevent atrophy, cheekbone lipofilling with fat graft enriched with platelet growth factors, we achieve very satisfactory facial rejuvenation along with very light surgical insult.
Type of patients
According to different parameters, we can distinguish:
Group 1
This group involves the majority of women between 35 and 50 years old. Facial changes due to aging are considered light to moderate.
Group 2
This other group involves women over 50 years old with facial aging changes considered to be advanced or severe.
Each group features and surgical procedures suitable for each case are:
Group 1
Involves women between 35 and 50 years old, with facial aging changes assessed as light to moderate, with facial and neck flaccidity but without broad and noticeable bands of the platysma muscle.
- Skin:
in this group the incision is placed preauricularly from the rim of the sideburn, along the internal border of the tragus in the ear and continuing by the inferior and posterior border of the ear, stopping before the posterior hairline. With this type of incisions, scar is minimized and remains hidden within natural folds, preserving posterior hairline and sideburn. Subcutaneous dissection is performed to the mandibular rim and into the cheek, stopping before reaching the cheekbone, in order to properly expose and treat the SMAS.
- Fat: Liposuction is performed in anterior neck in these patients. We utilize a flat and 2 mm thin cannula providing precise control of areas to be treated. Performing superficial liposuction (over the muscular plane and under the skin) in a delicate way, an important reduction of double chin fat along with mandibular angle and neck definition is achieved. With this minimally invasive technique, very good aesthetic results in the neck are achieved.
- Muscular:
Muscular plane of the face is traditionally treated by dissecting completely the SMAS and splitting it into different flaps used to pull up. These techniques produced hematoma and edema during postop. Furthermore, during the dissection, SMAS was dissected off the overlying and underlying tissues, being devascularized and finally atrophied. This fact results in an old looking and atrophied face within 1 or 2 years time. For that reason, more conservative ways of dealing with SMAS were developed like the Baker's SMASectomy, performing removal of a strip of SMAS overlying parotid gland and avoiding facial nerve injury at the same time that SMAS is pulled up applying tension but without devascularizing the layer and thus, avoiding atrophy.
In our technique to treat the SMAS, after minimal skin incisions and SMAS exposure, a SMAS flap is raised overlying parotid gland similarly to Baker's, parallel to nasolabial fold and 1 cm to anterior auricular border, as wide as necessary to erase the fold. The SMAS flap is not excised completely but pedicled inferiorly. The inferior limit of the flap reaches the platysma muscle, which is not sectioned nor included in the flap. Once the inferiorly based flap is raised, it is rotated 90 degrees backwards and anchored with stitches into the mastoid. The flap donor site is sutured and at the same time the muscular plane of the cheek is pulled and the mandibular line outlined. The SMAS flap sutured to the mastoid defines the cervical-mandibular angle without damaging or denerveting the platysma and the SMAS. With our technique, the characteristic atrophic faces following traditional facelifts are avoided because SMAS layer is not devascularized, and at the same time a precise definition of the angle of the neck is achieved with very satisfying aesthetic outcome.
Grupo 2
This group involves women over 50 years old, presenting major skin flaccidity in the whole face and especially in the neck with anterior platysmal bands and double chin. In these cases some variations to previously described techniques are introduced, but tailoring them to the needs of each case.
- Skin:
Same incision as in group 1 is performed, but in some cases it has to be prolonged posteriorly.
- Fat:
Cervical Liposuction is performed as well like in group 1.
- Muscular:
SMAS is managed like in group 1, but the width of the flap varies according to the necessity of each case. In this group, anterior vertical bands in the neck are very common revealing platysma muscle waving. In these cases, small submental incision is performed and skin and subcutaneous tissue are dissected off the platysma. Once the muscle has been identified, both bands are dissected out and sutured in the midline of the neck correcting initial vertical bands. Furthermore, as tension is applied as well in the cheek and angle of the neck, a youthful neck with 90 degrees is the final postoperative result.


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After you create the binding component service, the SOA Composite Editor should look like this:
The web service WSDL file,
receive.wsdl, displays in the Application Navigator and advertises the service capabilites to the outside world. The
singleString.xsd file provides a schema XSD file for the web service.
Copyright © 1997, 2009, Oracle. All rights reserved.

subset: commoncrawl


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Wed, 12 March 2014
Enjoy an interview conducted by Genealogy Gems podcaster Lisa Louise Cooke as she asks Drew about the Advanced Genealogy Research Techniques book and some other related genealogy topics!
Category:general -- posted at: 1:33pm EDT
The Genealogy Guys Podcast
George G. Morgan and Drew Smith discuss genealogy.
This is the longest-running, regularly produced genealogy podcast in the world!


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Makes 4-6 servings.
- 4 c. (1 qt.) heavy cream
- 4 tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb. bacon, diced, fried crisp and drained
- 1 lb. elbow macaroni or short hollow pasta, cooked according to package directions and drained, reserving 3 tsp. pasta water
- 2 c. (8 oz.) Gruyère cheese, grated
- Chopped chives for garnish
Place cream in large saucepan with rosemary. Add salt and pepper. Bring to boil and keep at boil until reduced by half (be patient, this takes some time). Stir in bacon and pasta and simmer until hot; add the Gruyère cheese and 3 teaspoons pasta water. Stir until cheese is melted. Garnish with chopped chives. Serve immediately.
Photo & recipe courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.


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Celebrate this joyous religious holiday with one of these fun Purim costumes for kids or adults. Purim is a Jewish holiday celebrating the deliverance of the Jews from persecution by the Persian king. The holiday is celebrated with costumes, feasting, and the telling of the Purim spiel (play). This celebration is so much fun, it is sometimes referred to as the Jewish Mardi Gras since it often lines up with the Christian Lent and Fat Tuesday. The story of Purim tells of Queen Esther and her cousin Mordecai's attempts to save the Jewish people from extermination at the hands of the evil advisor to the king, Haman. In addition to watching the Purim spiel, the holiday is also celebrated with traditional Hamantaschen cookies and drinking until you can't tell the difference between the good Mordecai and the evil Haman!
Masquerading is also a big part of this religious holiday. In addition to any Purim costumes you might need to put on a play at your synagogue, you can also dress up for the holiday with traditional outfits. Kid's religious costumes like shepherds and historic robes and tunics. For the Purim play, use items like our kid's queen and princess dresses, Renaissance outfits, and king robes. Accessories like crowns, turbans, and swords can help the audience distinguish the characters in the story.


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Create a free account to check out faster, store multiple shipping addresses, view and track your orders in your account, and much more.
Please enter your password to continue.
I have been using masks for years and always looking for something new. I bought this strictly on reviews and if I could have returned it I would have. It's less of a mask and much more of a cleanser or astringent. It goes on just like a soap, foams up, the bubbles settle, then you wipe it off.....the 30 seconds later you feel like you need to wash your face because it has reside and a soapy feeling left on it. Most of MG products are unique.... sticky shampoo, gooey deodorants, etc. not sure why I thought this would be different.1
I received a sample of this amazing mask from some gift subscriptions. I'm 56 and my daughter, home for the holiday, is 22. Needless to say we have different skin issues- but we both loved this product. Left our skin moisturizer and glowing. Will def be purchasing the full size! Thanks5


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What Facebook's Privacy Changes Mean for Users
Facebook rolled out changes to its privacy policy Wednesday after controversy over features that made users' data more open. Users will begin seeing the changes over the next week, the company said.
Facebook says users will see a notice about the changes when they log in to their home page, so it should be relatively easy for people to know where to go if they want to see or change their settings. In general, privacy settings can also be accessed by going to the account tab at the top of your page when you are logged in.
Once members navigate to the privacy section of Facebook, near the top of the page they will see information on what Facebook calls "basic directory" data. Facebook is making some of this data, including name, profile photo, gender and networks, public, and users will not be able to change that. Other information, such as a user's hometown, will be public by default, but it can be changed by following a link that says "view settings," according to Facebook.
Next on the basic privacy page, users will have a single control to change how they share things beyond this basic directory information — like their status updates and posts and photos in which they are tagged, the company says. They will be able to choose from four basic settings: "everyone," which makes all this information public, "friends of friends," which makes it open to that category, "friends only" which limits the information to that group and Facebook's "recommended" settings, which make some information open and limit other data.
If users want to have more granular control — for example making their birthday available only to friends but photos available to everyone — they can go to a link that says "customize settings," the company says.
Below those basic settings will be a link to a section called "applications and websites." There users will be able to see their applications and remove ones they don't want. They also will be able to do something that Facebook refers to as "turning off the platform." This means that the user won't be able to use applications on Facebook or access Facebook features on other websites — and Facebook says it then won't share the user's data with any applications or sites (although it's important to remember that some information, like your name and gender, is always publicly accessible, even if it isn't shared).
On the applications and websites page, Facebook says, users also will be able to turn off something called "instant personalization," one of the features that drew a lot of flak from privacy advocates who said it was difficult for users to opt out of it. Instant personalization allows Facebook to share your data with certain websites that can then customize their pages for you when you visit them.
Finally, users should also see that another controversial feature — "connections" — has been changed, the company says. Connections had forced users to associate some of their profile information — like bands they liked or universities they attended — with pages on Facebook, and these associations were made public. Facebook says these fields will no longer have to be public, and users will be able to change them on the customized-settings page.
Facebook also is introducing a new privacy policy, which already is available.


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Quaker Agrees to Tone Down Exaggerated Health Claims on Oatmeal
CSPI Drops Plans to Sue
April 17, 2007
WASHINGTONThe Quaker Oats Company has agreed to drop certain claims on labels and in advertising that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) says exaggerated the health benefits of eating oatmeal. Quaker will no longer describe its oatmeal as a unique whole grain food that actively finds cholesterol and removes it from the body, and will no longer display a graph that greatly exaggerated the cholesterol-lowering potential of oatmeal. In turn, CSPI will not file a lawsuit that it warned Quaker company about in October.
Oatmeal is a healthy food, but thats no excuse to give people the impression that it will miraculously remove cholesterol from your arteries or to otherwise exaggerate its benefits, said CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner. We are pleased that Quaker was receptive to our concerns and that actually filing a lawsuit became unnecessary.
New copy on Quakers packaging and advertising will read: as part of a healthy diet, the soluble fiber in oatmeal helps remove cholesterol and 3 grams of soluble fiber daily from oatmeal may help reduce heart disease risk as part of a heart-healthy diet. The changes are modest but make the new labels truthful, according to CSPI. The products included in the agreement include Old Fashioned Oats, Instant Oatmeal, Oatmeal Squares cereal, Oatmeal To Go bars, Take Heart, and Sun Country Quick Oats.
CSPIs litigation project, established in 2005, has helped improve food labeling and marketing through settlements with Pinnacle Foods, Frito-Lay, and others. In 2006, CSPI dropped a lawsuit it had filed against KFC after that company announced a switch away from partially hydrogenated oil to heart-healthy soybean oil for deep-frying, and also negotiated an agreement with Procter & Gamble to more clearly label the artificial fat substitute olestra on Pringles Light Fat Free potato crisps. This year, CSPI sued Coca-Cola and Nestlé, the makers of Enviga, a carbonated green tea drink, for marketing the product with deceptive claims about its alleged calorie burning properties.
Of course, the Food and Drug Administration should be the one policing food labels, but the agency is so short-staffed and dysfunctional that officials wont take action even when a neatly wrapped complaint is handed to them with a ribbon around it and a bow on top, said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson.


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These clips are part of C-SPAN Classroom's Constitution Clips lesson, featuring video clips of the U.S. Constitution in action and being explained by a spectrum of politicians, historians, authors, and reporters.
Click here to return to the Constitution Clips page.
President Bill Clinton speaks at the 2004 Democratic National Convention about the meaning of "A more perfect Union".
Rep. Bob Bishop (R-UT) speaks on the House floor about the meaning of "A more perfect Union".


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LSU running back Jeremy Hill is leaning toward bypassing the NFL draft and returning for his junior season, a source said Monday.
Hill, a former Redemptorist star, is draft eligible as a sophomore because he did not play his true freshman season.
Hill has not officially decided to return, but all signs point to the 6-foot-2, 235-pounder remaining in school, said the source, who was familiar with the decision but was not authorized to speak on Hill's behalf.
Hill was second in the Southeastern Conference in regular season rushing yards and finished the season with 1,401 yards. He piled up 216 yards in the Outback Bowl against Iowa, then the seventh-best defense in the nation. That was the best single-game rushing performance for an LSU running back since 2004.
Hill is ranked as the eighth-best running back in this year's draft and was projected to be selected in the third round, according to CBSSports.com.
His off-the-field issues – two arrests – may hinder the running back's chances for a higher draft selection this year, said Rob Rang, analyst for CBSSports.com.
Another good season and a year-plus buffer between Hill's latest arrest would only improve his draft stock, Rang said.
"Jeremy Hill posses some extraordinary traits," Rang said. "He's one of the most polarizing prospects. He has undeniable talent. It's going to come down to how comfortable teams are with his work ethic and past."
Coach Les Miles reinstated Hill to the team in August after suspending him in April following an altercation outside of a Baton Rouge bar. Hill is seen punching a man in the bar parking lot, a video of which was uploaded to the internet.
The incident violated Hill's previous probation. In January of 2012, Hill pleaded guilty to misdemeanor carnal knowledge of a 14-year old.
Hill is likely to be LSU's primary offensive weapon next year.
The Tigers will have a new starting quarterback and are likely losing their top two receivers in Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., two juniors who are reportedly declaring early for the draft.
A source said Sunday that Hill was expected to meet with Miles on Monday. It's unclear if the two met.
Defensive tackles Anthony Johnson and Ego Ferguson have both announced their intentions to declare for the draft.
Six draft-eligible underclassmen are projected to be selected in the top four rounds of the draft. The list includes Johnson, Beckham, Landry, Ferguson and Hill and left tackle La'el Collins.
Underclassmen have until Jan. 15 to declare.
Right guard Trai Turner, a redshirt freshman, joined Athletes' Performance, a company that prepares players for the NFL Combine, set for Feb. 22-25.
Turner, who like Hill did not play his true freshman season and thus is eligible, was not in the group of players thought to make the early leap. Turner is not listed in CBSSports.com's list of top 56 offensive guards in this year's draft.
If Hill does decide to return for 2014, he would be joined in the backfield by St. Augustine running back Leonard Fournette, a recent LSU commitment ranked as the nation's No. 1 prospect.
Most feel Hill's decision won't affect Fournette's commitment.
"I haven't talked to anybody who said it would," said Sonny Shipp, lead recruiting analyst for Geaux247 of 24/7 Sports. "LSU always uses two backs. If Jeremy does come back, he's going to be there for one year. Still two years where Leonard could be the bell cow."


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On Friday, Barack Obama seemed upset when reporters didn't ask him about his upcoming birthday, prompting many to criticize what conservative columnist Michelle Malkin called the "Narcissist in chief."
"Boohoo," said a headline at Doug Giles' Clash Daily. The post goes on to note that the "world burns while President Obama is concerned about how he is going to spend his birthday."
"I thought that you guys were gonna ask me about, uh, how I was gonna spend my birthday," Obama told reporters, who seemed more interested in other issues. "What happened to the happy birthday thing?"
Eventually, one reporter -- April Ryan of American Urban Radio Networks -- wished Obama a happy birthday. According to CBS News' Mark Knoller, the president "broke into a big smile."
Others on Twitter weren't impressed with Obama's performance. For many, the incident showed the childish and narcissistic nature of the president.
"Obama, Come on guys, where's the love. Anybody gonna wish me a happy birthday?" tweeted Chuck Woolery. "Anybody? Hello? Anybody?"
"Obama, There comes a time when you should stop expecting other people to make a big deal about your birthday," another person tweeted. "That time is age 11."
"How did this empty suit, leaning on his elbow on the podium, begging for birthday wishes, ever get elected president?" Twitter user "Vern Demerest" asked. In response, one person said: "Because quite remarkably twice now, the Low Information Voters enthusiastically voted to destroy America."
For those wondering what Obama is doing this weekend, WHAS said the president joined friends for an early round of golf at Andrews Air Force Base in what has become "an annual birthday tradition." He will then take a short hop to Camp David on Marine One and will return to the White House Sunday afternoon.
On Monday, Obama turns 53 years old. Video of his press conference can be seen above.
Suggested Links
- Conservatives express disgust after Obama calls himself eye candy on 'The View'
- Obama whines: Republicans 'don't do anything except block me and call me names'
- Obama whines to GOP: 'Stop just hatin' all the time'
- Crybaby: President Obama throws temper tantrum, storms out of debt negotiations
- Viewers say Obama stoned during Olympics interview with Bob Costas


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Gospel Tabernacle Outreach Ministries, Inc.
Our 20-Year Legacy: 1992 ~ 2012
Reflections by Andrade
A commemorative photo album that includes the church history, declaration of faith, vision statement and photos of ministers, staff and members, along with candid photos from various events over their 20-year history.
Comentario publicado.
Inicia sesión
o crea una cuenta para publicar un comentario.
Sitios de Blurb


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World Disasters Report
Focus on technology and the future of humanitarian action
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Blogs and case studies
Photo gallery
2012 disaster data
App directory
Social media directory
The World Disasters Report 2013 examines the profound impact of technological innovations on humanitarian action, how humanitarians employ technology in new and creative ways, and what risks and opportunities may emerge as a result of technological innovations.
The responsible use of technology offers concrete ways to make humanitarian assistance more effective, efficient and accountable and can, in turn, directly reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience. Finding ways for advances in technology to serve the most vulnerable is a moral imperative; a responsibility, not a choice.
Chapter summaries
1. Humanitarian technology
New ICT tools for humanitarian action are proposed that can detect needs earlier and predict crises better, enabling better response and increasing accountability and transparency. Technologies offer new sources of information and early warning, and new platforms for training or raising awareness and funds.
There are now more than 6 billion mobile phone subscriptions and over 2 billion mobile broadband internet subscriptions. Between 2008 and 2013, developing countries doubled the number of mobile phone subscription, adding 2.5 billion. There are now almost twice as many mobile broadband as fixed broadband subscriptions. Improved communication and information for communities at risk also reflect improved connectivity and social media.
Mobile phones are now used for cash transfer, banking and even health services, and are routinely used by humanitarians.
This is also the result of technological fusion or the integration of information networks, mobile technology hardware and applications, social media and mapping platforms into a single mobile device.
Learn more
2. Communities, communication and technology
Despite living in Chicago, more than 6,000 miles from his native Syria, Zaher Sahloul, a doctor, has been helping to treat patients in his war-torn country. In the US, he used social media to organize medical supplies and donations worth more than US$ 5 million from the Syrian diaspora, uploaded videos in Arabic to YouTube that give advice to physicians inside Syria, and used a barcode system to track medical supplies to Syria.
Sahloul has been able to communicate with medical personnel on the ground thanks to internet systems engineers like Dishad Othman, who works with Internews, an international NGO. Othman, a Syrian who was forced to flee, has helped to establish encryption tools and virtual private network accounts, to create secure ways for Syrians inside the country to communicate via the internet.
The collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh on 24 April 2013, is another testament to the use of information and communication technologies – here, cell phones – as a tool for post-disaster recovery. While searching through the rubble, civilian rescuer Saydia Gulrukh noticed that many of the victims died clutching identity cards and cell phones. Gulrukh says this can be tied to another factory disaster in November 2012, where a fire tore through the Tazreen garment factory, also in Dhaka, killing more than 100 people. Government estimates of the missing were low, in part because many families had no records of their loved ones, making it difficult for them to claim bodies and prove that they qualified for benefits.
Learn more
3. Strengthening humanitarian information: the role of technology
When disaster strikes, access to information is as important as food and water. This was recognized in World Disasters Report 2005. Since then, information generated and consumed during emergencies is increasingly
Affected populations increasingly generate a vast amount of real-time information. Humanitarian organizations are also adopting geospatial and mobile technologies such as smartphones to collect data in many formats. They typically faced an information vacuum following sudden-onset disasters, but a major challenge today is 'big data' produced by affected communities themselves.
Research has shown that local communities save the most lives following a disaster. Communities themselves have always been the real first responders.
Self-organization in a digital world affords opportunities unfeasible in the analogue past. Disaster-affected populations now have greater access to information, and many of their information needs during a crisis can be met by mobile technologies.
Local media continue to play a critical role during crises.
Learn more
4. Technology and the effectiveness of humanitarian action
A number of factors make early warning systems effective, and technology can play an important role in strengthening each of them.
Advances in high-performance computing and 'cloud' computing have made it possible to develop more complex modelling of hydrological and seismological risk. Emergency managers have used tools that take advantage of computing technology, for example, the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System, the Humanitarian Early Warning Service, UN Global Pulse and SARWeather.
Automated monitoring and warning services allow emergency managers and others to subscribe to e-mails or texts for alerts, but also provide other systems with a standards-based warning message. The most common standard for sharing alerts is the Common Alert Protocol (CAP), which many agencies and countries have adopted.
Low-tech specialized weather radios, sirens and public loudspeakers are rapidly joined by e-mails, SMS or twitter messages as channels for warning, arguably contributing to reducing the death toll of disasters. Google started sharing CAP-based alerts and the US Federal Emergency Management Agency has started leveraging features of the mobile network systems to start broadcasting early warning messages. More effort must go into covering the 'last mile' of early warning.
Learn more
5. The risks of technological innovation
Evolving methodologies for data gathering as well as cell phones, social media, geographic information systems and global positioning systems have fundamentally altered how humanitarian crises are addressed.
Although technological innovations will continue to transform humanitarian endeavour, much optimism currently surrounding the role of technology in the humanitarian enterprise is based on two assumptions: that adding technology is inevitable and that doing so will generate progress.
Throughout the 1990s, accountability gained prominence as an agenda item. Humanitarian organizations began to set standards for it, and to self-regulate. The humanitarian reforms of the mid-2000s were designed to: address waste and mismanagement; strengthen the UN's system of 'humanitarian coordinators'; and ensure, through the use of the cluster approach, more reliable and systematic attention to response. It was assumed that making humanitarian action more accountable, transparent and efficient would also make it more legitimate.
This narrative of renewal finds its contemporary expression in the drive towards technological innovation. But two objectives of humanitarian reform – accountability and transparency – are absent from discussions about technology. And a third, increased efficiency, is not so much discussed as presumed.
Learn more
6. Digital technology in humanitarian response: harnessing information to support best outcomes
New technological advances now challenge many aspects of the humanitarian enterprise. The hierarchal information structure of response has been reordered with the advent of technology and lower barriers for entry into the 'field of play'. Volunteers and private agencies are now undertaking a more direct role in managing information flows and connecting to affected populations.
Haiti in 2010 saw the first field deployment of many technologies with the potential to support disaster assessment and response. In view of the difficulties experienced by seasoned humanitarian agencies, it raises the question whether it is prudent to test new ICTs in such a large and complex crisis. Nevertheless, the deployment occurred and now offers much opportunity to reflect on challenges and opportunities.
The emergence of technological tools for disaster response serves not just to connect responders with existing data sources but also to augment response capabilities within and between responder organizations. The use of electronic medical records (EMR) in disaster response was reported in the response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake by two field hospitals: in Fond Parisien, managed by the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, and the mobile field hospital set up by the Israel Defense Forces.
The bulk of rapid cell-phone coverage (numbering 6 billion in 2012) is occurring in low- and middle-income countries, among populations most likely to be affected by disasters. Cell phones have a significant role to play in allowing better access to information for all – when and where networks are available. Once again the 2010 Haiti earthquake is the best example of such an opportunity, as it was perhaps the first large disaster affecting a very 'connected' population.
Learn more
7. Innovation, evaluation and diffusion of humanitarian technology
Digital technologies have become an integral part of operations for disaster preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. Although they have been around for three decades and are widely used, several new trends cause great excitement:
increases in accessibility, connectivity, usability and open-source technology
fusion of networks, hardware, applications, social media and mapping platforms.
Disaster-affected communities can be engaged directly in dialogue and two-way communication, rapidly improving humanitarians' understanding of their needs and the local context, and enabling communities to build their own response; communities are now becoming more engaged in humanitarian action than ever.
At the same time, the rise in information and communication also provides unique abilities to coordinate humanitarian action and be more accountable to local communities; it provides unique tools to mobilize financial support and volunteer communities.
The three key action points in successful technology deployment in humanitarian actions are innovation, evaluation and diffusion.
Learn more
The data and opinions expressed in this section do not necessarily represent the official policy of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies nor of individual National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies. For further information regarding the figures, data and analysis provided, please contact the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED).
According to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), 364 natural disasters and 188 technological disasters were reported worldwide in 2012.
The number of natural disasters is the second lowest of the decade, while the num- ber of technological disasters is the lowest of the decade, almost half the number for the peak year of 2005.
The number of deaths caused by both natural and technological disasters was the lowest of the decade.
The number of deaths caused by natural disasters (9,656) is 90 per cent below the average for the decade, much lower than the peaks of 2004 (242,010 deaths), 2008 (235,272 deaths) and 2010 (297,730 deaths).
See the data
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Published annually since 1993, the World Disasters Report brings together the latest trends, facts and analysis of contemporary catastrophes and their effect on vulnerable populations worldwide. Initiated by the International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies, it convenes eminent researchers, authors and development and humanitarian aid practitioners to highlight contemporary issues on a yearly basis.
This year's 21st edition is led by Patrick Vinck, Associate Faculty at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative and Director of the Program for Vulnerable Populations at Harvard University, promoting evidence-based approaches to humanitarian assistance. The report is also supported by experienced researchers and practitioners, and anchored by an editorial board comprising key individuals and organizations that are actively engaged in and working with issues relevant to the theme.
According to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), 364 natural disasters and 188 technological disasters were reported worldwide in 2012.
The number of natural disasters is the second lowest of the decade, while the number of technological disasters is the lowest of the decade, almost half the number for the peak year of 2005.
See report data


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The Great Jonny Copp
It's been a little over two months since we lost our dear friend Jonny Copp and needless to say the healing continues. Pete Takeda, a close friend and climbing partner of Jonny's -- and the author of An Eye at the Top of the World which recounts their attempt on Nanda Devi -- sent in the following story and photos. Pete was one of the six members of the American team that went over to China and recovered Jonny and Wade's bodies from the avalanche debris on Mount Edgar.
[Recovery team (L to R): Nick Martino, Steve Su, Eric DeCaria and Pete Takeda. All photos courtesy of Pete Takeda]
Jonny was a friend to more people than I'll meet in a lifetime. He's dead now. He and I faced death together before and based on that alone I'd say we were brothers-in-arms. But we were also climbers to the core. We'd paid our dues and made others suffer for our passion. We'd said farewell to girlfriends, been dumped by girlfriends, passed on career jobs, and cobbled together a living based on a mix of photography, writing, and weird one-off jobs to supplement the odd (and well-below poverty line) sponsorship check.
For a while I lived with Jonny in a condo out of which we worked. That time was a short chapter in our lives, but to me, it was as memorable and vivid as any era I ever experienced. A year earlier we'd had a near death adventure in the Indian Himalayas -- buried in multiple avalanches in a crevasse with Chuck Bird and Sarah Thompson. I wrote about the experience in a book called An Eye at the Top of the World. Jonny's pictures illustrated the book.
The experience gave us a bond, which, despite its intensity, we never talked about. The unspoken sentiment was, "Why bother rehashing something we knew we'd face again?" Sure enough, Jonny got caught in an avalanche in the San Juan's the next spring, prompting me to point out, "If we keep this up, we'll be going to the other's funeral within a few years." We laughed it off -- not from denial or morbidity -- but from the acceptance that we'd be going to the mountains as long as we lived.
In the condo, I lived in the two-bedroom basement. Jonny had a regal upstairs bedroom. Mine was freezing in winter because we never turned on the heat -- out of principle. When the pipes froze in winter we wore our expedition jackets. Jonny's room was a bit warmer, but in summer the hot air collected, furnace-like and the joke was on him. But he endured with humor and frequent trips to the Diamond.
Jonny and I formed a company called Sacred Mountain Media. Our motto was something along the lines of "doing cool shit for money." We did plenty of cool shit, but we never made anything, though for four years our still unfulfilled mutual pact was, "One day, we're gonna make hundreds…"
We never made those hundreds, but Jonny had several more successful ventures. In 2005, Jonny and his childhood bro Mark Reiner started the Adventure Film Festival. The event series promoted activism through adventure, emphasizing environmental and social issues. Thus, for a while, we had a third tenant, Mark, working out of the living room. Adventure Film morphed from a Boulder-only event into an international festival ranging from Chamonix to South America, and dozens of showing across the US.
I can't and won't enumerate Jonny's climbing achievements because it wouldn't do the man justice. I've been lucky enough to know a bunch of good climbers and a few of the greats. Jonny was one of the greats. When I saw him off to China, it was one of those passing encounters in our shared office space -- this one in downtown Boulder. He was a man in the full prime of his powers. We shared the usual platitudes. I felt bad because I'd spent virtually no time with Jonny in the proceeding months. We were both on parallel courses, doing our own thing and trying to find our way through a world without giving up our passion for climbing. I was breaking into the major film world and he was globetrotting for Adventure Film -- and climbing.
When we spoke, he was off to China and scheduled to return immediately prior to my departure to Pakistan. There was a good chance we'd miss each other as we passed in and out of Boulder. My last words to him were, "Good luck -- try not to get killed." He paused and laughed, "Yeah -- YOU try not to get killed." Those were our last words. The next time I saw him was in China, he was dead, lying in a gully below Mount Edgar.
This is just tiny slice of Jonny's life, but it's the slice I know. Those of you with a Jonny story to tell -- almost all of you -- should tell it here.
--Pete Takeda
Eric DeCaria and Nick Martino at the Chengdu airport … waiting after a canceled flight.
Approach to Edgar Basecamp, Western Sichuan Mountains.
Climbers heading up to debris field.
Nick Martino searching for Micah Dash in avalanche debris.
Searchers in avalanche debris.
Searchers in avalanche debris.
Avalanche debris looking up gully.
Chinese and American climbers at base of avalanche debris, Mount Edgar.
Jonny's tent and flute at Mount Edgar Basecamp.


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'Off To A Good Start'
Valley Retailers Hopeful As Holiday Shopping Season Gets Under Way
Cindy Revercomb (left), of Dearfield, and her mother, Judith Knopp, of Churchville, look for holiday gifts at Crafty Hands in the Shops at Dayton Farmers Market on Friday. As the holiday shopping season gets under way, Frank Tamberrino, president of the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, says local businesses are generally hopeful about consumer spending. (Photos by Jason Lenhart / DN-R)
Trisha Brown Leweke (center), seen through the window of a toy shop, looks over items at Landscapes in Miniature in the Shops at Dayton Farmers Market on Friday.
Zola's employee Joyce Burkholder (left) wraps up a holiday gift purchased by Jill Merritt of Harrisonburg on Friday in the bazaar. Vendors at the Shops at Dayton Farmers Market are seeing more traffic earlier this year, said Zola Showalter, owner of Zola's.
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Voters often say they will "throw the bums out" and oust incumbents with whom they are dissatisfied. But such wholesale change never happens, either because of incumbents' popular-ity or a lack of challenger quality.
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The BSP directory is intended to provide an additional resource to U.S. exporters doing business in this geographic area. The BSP directory is not comprehensive. Inclusion does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation by the U.S. & Foreign Commercial Service. We have performed limited due diligence research; but we strongly recommend that you perform your own due diligence investigation and background research on any company. We assume no responsibility for the professional ability or integrity of the providers listed. We reserve the right not to list any particular company.
Experience the World's Leading Trade Fair for Industrial Technology, Hannover Messe, April 25-29, 2016.
Learn how the Trans-Pacific Partnership will reduce the cost of exporting, increase competitiveness of U.S. firms, and promote fairness.
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Sponsored by Bruker Optics
Advantages of NIR IV Determination
Automation and User Interface
Results and Discussion
About Bruker Optics
Iodine value (IV) is a measure of the total number of unsaturated double bonds present in fats and oils. It is normally expressed in terms of "number of grams of iodine that will react with the double bonds in 100 grams of fats or oils". It must be noted that a high IV value in oil consists of a greater number of double bonds than a low IV oil. Fats with high iodine value are normally soft or liquid and are less stable to oxidation.
The AOCS recommended method D1959-97 (Wij's procedure) is broadly used for determination of IV. The method involves adding halogen in the presence of potassium iodide and the titrating the released iodine with sodium thiosulfate using a standard starch solution as the indicator.
The time taken for this analysis is at least 30 minutes and has to be performed on samples taken out of the process line. On the other hand, near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy is quick with an analysis time of the order of less than 1 minute and does not need the use of any solvents or reagents. Fiber optic probes are very useful and help perform real time, on-line measurement of IV resulting in huge time and cost savings.
Laboratory measurements were performed by AOCS Cd1e-1 method using a Bruker Optics FT-NIR spectrometer with 8 mm disposable vials as shown in Figure 1. The oils and fats of different types used to generate the calibration model consisted of IV's ranging between 0 and 185. Three spectra per oil sample were collected at a resolution of 8 cm-1.
Figure 1. Laboratory measurements using FT-NIR spectrometer with 8 mm disposable vials.
Figure 2 shows three measured NIR spectra between 7800 and 9000 cm-1. The intensity of the spectral feature at ~8580 cm-1 can be correlated with the known oil IV as shown in the figure.
Figure 2. Three measured NIR spectra between 7800 and 9000 cm-1.
A partial least squares (PLS) calibration model formulated using the known oil samples resulted in an R2 of 99.9 and a Root Mean Square Error of Cross Validation (RMSECV) of 1.05 as shown in Figure 3. The RMSECV is an indication of the error to be expected when the model is used for prediction of unknown samples.
Figure 3.Comparison between NIR value% and reference value %
The model is then validated with a set of independent samples for checking the predictability of the universal IV model. R2 =99.99 %, and the Root Mean Squared Errors of Prediction (RMSEP) is 1.06 IV number. The standard deviation of differences of reproducibility of the validation samples was found to be 0.34 IV.
A dedicated user interface was developed to obtain and evaluate samples using the Bruker OPUS software package and the quantitative analysis model developed. The prediction result is automatically output to a spreadsheet for QC lab record.
On-line monitoring of Iodine Value of edible oil has been shown using a Bruker Optics FT-NIR spectrometer coupled with specially designed fiber optic probes. This type of process implementation offers real-time data that speeds up analysis, minimises production down time and achieves product consistency.
Bruker Optics, part of the Bruker Corporation is the leading manufacturer and worldwide supplier of Fourier Transform Infrared, Near Infrared and Raman spectrometers for various industries and applications. their product line includes FT-IR, NIR, Raman, TD-NMR, TeraHertz spectrometers and imaging spectrographs for various markets and applications.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Bruker Optics.
For more information on this source, please visit Bruker Optics.
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A Flicker of Something Deeper
What does the Periodic Table tell us? Something about nature and something about human nature.
Money Trouble
Inside common banknotes is some very uncommon chemistry. Discover how rare earth elements foil the nefarious attempts of counterfeiters.
Plastic Communications
The 19th century created its own version of the Internet, one made possible by a natural plastic.
The Lucky Polymer
Crystal clear, lighter than glass, strong, and heat resistant, polycarbonate's versatility and adaptability earned it the nickname "the lucky polymer." The history of the CD is often recounted as a triumph of electronics rather than as an achievement of the chemistry that created it.
Silicon wafer
©2010–2016 Chemical Heritage Foundation


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Overview: Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder (TFKD/B) is a nonprofit organization committed to removing barriers to connect diverse youth to the joys of bicycling. It does this through its three programs, the Ride Program, Earn-A-Bike program and nonprofit, community bike shop - Lucky Bikes Recyclery.
Job Description: The Executive Director partners with the Board of Directors to fulfill Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder's mission and vision, as well establish the goals for the organization. He/she leads and manages all aspects of the organization's operations including execution of the strategic plan and development/implementation of the fundraising plan. The Executive Director provides oversight for all existing and new programs, provides leadership to staff while supporting volunteers, donors and stakeholders, in addition to oversight of a $300,000 budget.
Leadership & Management
• Ensure ongoing programmatic excellence, rigorous program evaluation, and consistent quality of finance and administration, fundraising, and communications.
• Actively engage and energize volunteers, board members, event committees, partnering organizations, and funders.
• Develop, maintain, and support a strong Board of Directors. Serve as ex-officio of each committee, seek and build board involvement with strategic direction.
• Lead, develop, coach and retain Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder's staff. Ensure effective systems to track progress, and regularly evaluate program components to measure successes that can be effectively communicated to the board, funders, and other supporters.
Fundraising & Financial Management:
• Analyze current revenue streams and develop strategy for ideal funding base for the organization based on current trends, opportunities and needs. This includes: Corporate and individual giving, grant funding, and social enterprise revenue.
• Write and review proposals for submission; work collaboratively with leadership staff to manage funding deadlines and fundraising pipeline.
• Assist the Board of Directors in developing and nurturing funder relationships, while developing long-term funding strategies.
• In conjunction with the Board of Directors and Treasurer, develop and recommend an annual budget, and maintain adequate accounting procedures and controls.
• Ensure immediate and long-range fiscal viability of the organization.
• Be the chief human resource officer for the organization. Demonstrate commitment to participatory management and team leadership models.
Strategic Planning Implementation of Mission/Vision/Values
• Continued support and cooperation with the board in establishing this next phase of strategic planning for the organization.
• Work in conjunction with the Program Manager and Shop Manager to identify annual programmatic goals that support the long-range vision of the organization.
• Review and ensure programmatic and organizational data collection systems that track the effectiveness of programming.
• Serve as the primary representative of, and ambassador for, the organization.
• Develop, cultivate and deepen relationships and partnerships with community stakeholders.
• Deliver public presentations when opportunities are available to position the organization as a community leader.
• A bicycle enthusiast with a passion for the mission of Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder.
• Significant and proven leadership skills.
• Experience working with and developing an effective Board of Directors.
• The ability to foster a healthy organizational culture, to encourage teamwork and collaboration.
• Excellent organizational development, interpersonal, marketing, communication, administration and personnel management skills.
• Ability to raise the visibility of the organization through successful marketing including expansion of the existing database.
• Action-oriented, entrepreneurial, adaptable, and innovative approach to business planning.
• Experience in grass roots/community based organizations.
• An affinity for working with a culturally and politically diverse community.
• Is visionary, trustworthy, diplomatic, understanding and innovative with high energy level.
• Success at fund development, including knowledge of and success in attracting foundation and corporate grants; ability to identify, steward and solicit individual donors.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and oral; strong presentation skills.
• Spanish fluency a plus!
• Master's degree preferred, Bachelor's required.
• Computer literacy.
Compensation: $45,000 - $50,000 and benefits based upon experience.
No phone calls please.
Trips for Kids Denver/Boulder is an equal opportunity employer.
To apply, send resume and cover letter by 5pm on December 19th, 2014 to: Human Resources email@example.com


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I bought the dress from the Bridal Garden in De Soto, Missouri in 2002. I instantly fell in love with it when I tried it on. It has beautiful bead work all throughout and I felt like a princess!
- Alterations: I am 5'4'', 135 pounds and the dress fit me perfectly. I cannot remember if we had it altered or not, but the length would've been the only thing altered if it was altered. Like I said, I am 5'4'' and it fit me like I wanted it to.
- Preservation Method: I had the dress professionally dry cleaned and it had been in the bag hanging ever since, until I recently took it out to take pictures of it for this website.
- Terms of Sale: All Sales Final
- Original Owner: Yes
- Has Original Receipt:
- Location: DeSoto, MO
- Will Ship to: Anywhere at Buyer Expense
- Payment Methods Accepted: Other
Please read our BUYER'S GUIDE before purchasing a dress online.


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Skydiving.com now has a network skydiving location serving Oconto Falls and Oconto County in Wisconsin. Call Skydiving.com at 1-800-617-7948 for details, free information and specials on skydiving in Oconto Falls, WI today!
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Brian Actually Fell UP the Stairs
If Brian kills himself in the stairs, I would not be the least bit surprised. He actually fell UP the steps last night. Yes. He fell on his ass while going up the steps. Thank heavens he didn't break the wine glasses! LOL.
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One Response to "Brian Actually Fell UP the Stairs"
Fell up | Alatisedesigns wrote on
February 17th, 2013 at 8:02 am
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Written by AZoM
This will almost double the mills' production speed. Commissioning is expected in late 2012.
After the three finishing mills begin operation, the annual output of each mill will increase to 700,000 tons from 500,000 tons and thus considerably enhance ZISCO´s production capacity. Meanwhile, with the three high-speed mini finishing mills, the company will also be able to produce small sizes, with one plant producing rod from 5.5 mm to 10 mm and rebar from 8 mm to 10 mm, and in the other two mills, rod from 5.5 mm to 16 mm and rebar from 8 mm to 14 mm. Speeds are guaranteed at 105 meters per second. The scope of supply from Siemens VAI also includes guides. The electrical and automation package will be supplied by Siemens Limited China, utilizing the standard Siroll LR solution platform for long-product rolling mills and including the medium voltage drive.
A mid-size private company established in 1985, ZISCO is an integrated mining, steel making and power generation company, which produces carbon grade rod and rebar for the Chinese construction market. It produced 3.6 million tons of steel wire in 2009.
About Siemens Metals Technologies Business Unit
The Metals Technologies Business Unit (Linz, Austria), part of the Siemens Industry Sector, is one of the world's leading suppliers of plant construction and engineering in the iron and steel industry as well as in the flat rolling segment of the aluminum industry. The Business Unit offers a comprehensive product and service portfolio for metallurgical plants and equipment as well as integrated automation and environmental solutions covering the entire lifecycle of plants
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Nitol Group's flagship company is Nitol Motors Ltd., whose prime function is marketing TATA vehicles.
A dynamic young man Abdul Matlub Ahmed founded Nitol Motors Ltd in 1983. Very soon the new company became a major player in the commercial vehicle market and has been growing ever since. With the motto of quality, honesty and efficiency the company in its beginning started with trading of vehicles. Its high sales figure attracted international companies and in 1988 Nitol Motors Ltd. became the sole distributor of TATA vehicles in Bangladesh.
It provides a wide variety of commercial transportation solution and covers the entire range of passenger cars, utility vehicles, buses, pick-ups and small-to-heavy trucks and Tippers, to 6x4 and 4x4 off-road vehicles. It also deals with agro equipments like Tractors, Rotavators etc. The comprehensive product range has enhanced the company's image as a market leader of light, medium and heavy commercial vehicle in Bangladesh. It has 40 branches throughout Bangladesh.
Vision Statement
Helping Bangladesh to develop as a real prosperous, self-dependent and proud nation by overcoming the dependency on imported foreign goods through industrialisation.
For more details please visit www.nitolniloy.com.bd/nml


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Nov 15, 2011 11:45 AM
We never thought our dinners could get any easier or tastier than those we slow cook all day long in our slow cookers.....well it can and does! Japanese Hot Pots ($25) is filled with mouth watering, delicious Japanese meals that only require one pot and very few ingredients with minimal prep.
I second this. this book is amazingly awesome, and the hot pots are winter meal perfection.
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An Act to impose and charge Value Added Tax on certain goods and services and to provide for the administration of the tax and matters related thereto.
Commencement. [1st December 1993]
1. Imposition, etc. of Value Added Tax.
There is hereby imposed and charged a tax to be known as the Value Added Tax (in this Act referred to as "the tax") which shall be administered in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
2. Taxable goods and services 1996 No. 31.
The tax shall be charged and payable on the supply of all goods and services (in this Act referred to as "taxable goods and services") other than those goods and services listed in the First Schedule to this Act.
3. Goods and services exempt
There shall be exempt from the tax the goods and services listed in the First Schedule to this Act.
4. Rate of tax.
The tax shall be computed at the rate of 5 per cent on the value of all taxable goods and services as determined under section 5 and 6 of this Act.
5. Value of taxable goods and services.
(1) For the purpose of this Act, the value of taxable goods and services shall be determined as follows, that is -
(a) if the supply is for a money consideration, its value shall be deemed to be an amount which with the addition of the tax chargeable is equal to the consideration;
(b) if the supply is for a consideration not consisting of money, the value of the supply shall be deemed to be its market value.
(2) Where the supply of taxable goods or services is not the only matter to which a consideration in money relates, the supply shall be deemed to be such part of the consideration as is properly attributed to it.
(3) For the purpose of this Act , the open market value of supply of taxable goods or services shall be taken to be the amount that would fall to be taken as its value under subsection (1)(b) of this section if the supply were for such consideration in money as could be payable by a person in a transaction at arm's length.
6. Value of imported goods.
The value of imported taxable goods for the purposes of this Act shall be the amount which is equal to the price of the goods so imported and shall include -
all taxes, duties and other charges levied either outside or by reason of importation into
(b) all costs by way of commission, parking, transport and insurance up to the port or place of importation.
7. Administration of the tax.
(1) The tax shall be administered and managed by the Federal Board of Inland Revenue (in this Act referred to as " the Board").
(2) The Board may do such things as it may deem necessary and expedient for the assessment and collection of the tax and shall account for all amounts so collected in accordance with the provisions of this Act.
8.- Registration. .
(1) A taxable person shall, within six months of the commencement of the Act or within six months of the commencement of business, whichever is earlier, register with the Board for the purpose of the tax.
(2) Without prejudice to the provisions of section 32 of this Act, a taxable person who fails or refuses to register with the Board within the time specified in subsection (1) of this section shall be liable to pay as penalty an amount of –
9. 1996 No. 31
Registration by Government Ministries, etc. as agents of the Board.
(1) Every Government Ministry, statutory body and other agency of Government shall register as agents of the Board for the purpose of collection of tax under this Act.
(2) Every contractor transacting business with a Government Ministry, statutory body and other agency of the Federal, State or Local Government shall produce evidence of registration with the Board as a condition for obtaining a contract.
1996 No. 31.
10 Registration by non-resident companies.
(1) For the purpose of this Act, a non-resident company that carries on business in
(2) A non-resident company shall include the tax in its invoice and the person to whom the goods or services are supplied in
11. Records and accounts.
A person who is registered under section 8 of this Act (in this Act referred to as "a registered person") shall keep such records and books of all transactions, operations, imports and other activities relating to taxable goods and services as are sufficient to determine the correct amount of tax due under this Act .
12. Payment of tax by taxable person.
(1) A taxable person shall pay to the supplier the tax on taxable goods and services purchased by or supplied to him.
(2) The tax paid by a taxable person under subsection (1) of this section shall be known as input tax.
13. (1) Every Ministry, statutory body or other agency of Government shall, at the time of making payment to a contractor, remit the tax charged on the contract to the nearest local value added tax office
(2) The remission shall be accompanied with a schedule showing the name and address of the contractor, invoice, amount of tax and month of return
1999 No. 30.
14. (1) A taxable person shall on supplying taxable goods or services to his accredited distributor, agent, client or consumer, as the case may be collect the tax on those goods or services at the rate specified in section 2 of this Act
(2) The tax collected by a taxable person under subsection (1) of this section shall be known as output tax
15. (1) A taxable person shall render to the Board on or before the 30th day of the month following that in which the purchase or supply was made, a return of all taxable goods and services purchased or supplied by him during the preceding month in such manner as the board may, from time to time determine.
(2) A person who imports
taxable goods in to
16.(1) A taxable person shall, on rendering a return under subsection (1) of section 15 of this Act -
(a) if the output tax exceeds the input tax, remit the excess to the Board; or
(b) if the input tax exceeds the output tax, be entitled to a refund of the excess tax from the Board on production of such documents as the Board may, from time to time, require.
(2) An importer of taxable goods shall, before clearing those goods, pay to the board the tax due on those goods
(3) The Nigerian Customs Service shall, before releasing taxable goods to its importer, demand the Value Added Tax Compliance certificate issued by the Board on those goods.
"Allowable input tax, etc 17 (1) For purposes of section 13(1) of this Act , the input tax to be allowed as a deduction from output tax shall be limited to the tax on goods purchased or imported directly for resale and goods which form the stock-in-trade used for the direct production of any new product on which the output tax is charged
(2) Input tax
(a) on any overhead, service, and general administration of any business which otherwise can be expanded through the income statement (profit and loss accounts and
(b) on any capital item and asset which is to be capitalized along with cost of the capital item and asset,
shall not be allowed as a deduction from output tax."
18. Effect of failure to render returns.
Where a taxable person fails to render returns or renders an incomplete or inaccurate returns, the Board shall assess, to the best of its judgement, the amount of tax due on the taxable goods and services purchased or supplied by the taxable person.
19. Effect of non-remittance of tax.
(1) If a taxable person does not remit the tax within the time specified in section 16 of this Act, a sum equal to five per centum per annum (plus interest at the commercial rate) of the amount of tax remittable shall be added to the tax and the provisions of this Act relating to collection and recovery of unremitted tax, penalty and interest shall apply.
1996 No. 32
(2) The Board should notify the taxable person or his agent of the tax due together with the penalty and interest and if payment is not made within thirty days of such notification, the Board may proceed to enforce payment as provided in section 16 of this Act.
20. Recovery of tax.
(1) Any tax, penalty or interest which remains unpaid after the period specified for payment may be recovered by the Board through proceedings in the Value Added Tax Tribunal.
(2) A taxable person who is aggrieved by an assessment made on the person may appeal to the Value Added Tax Tribunal established in the Second Schedule to this Act.
(3) Appeal from the Value Added Tax Tribunal shall be made to the Federal Court of Appeal."
21. Establishment and composition of the Value Added Tax Technical Committee.
There is hereby established a committee to be known as the Value Added Tax Technical Committee (in this Act referred to as "the Technical Committee") which shall comprise -
(a) a chairman who shall be the Chairman of the Federal Board of Inland Revenue;
(b) all Directors in the Federal Inland Revenue Service;
(c) the Legal Adviser to the Federal Inland Revenue Service;
(d) a Director in the Nigerian Customs Service; and
(e) three representatives of the State Governments who shall be members of the Joint Tax Board.
22. Functions.
The functions of the Technical Committee shall be to -
(a) consider all the tax matters that require professional and technical expertise and make recommendations to the Board;
(b) advise the Board on the duties specified in section 7 of this Act ; and
(c) attend to such other matters as the Board may, from time to time, refer to it.
23. Proceedings.
Subject to such directions as the Board may, from time to time, give, the Technical Committee shall determine its quorum and otherwise regulate its own procedure.
24. Staff.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service may post to the Technical Committee such staff as the Technical Committee may require for the discharge of its functions.
25. Furnishing of false document, etc.
1996 No. 30
A person who -
(a) produces, furnishes or sends for the purpose of this Act or otherwise makes use for that purpose a document which is false in any material particular; or
(b) in furnishing an information to the Board, makes a statement
which is false in any material particular,
is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of twice the amount under-declared.
1996 No. 30
26. Evasion of tax.
A person who -
(a) participates in; or
(b) takes steps with a view to make evasion of the tax by him or any other person,
is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of
1996 No. 30
27. Failure to make attribution.
A person required to make an attribution, who -
(a) fails to do so; or
having done so, fails to notify the Board, is liable to pay a penalty of
28 Failure to notify change of address.
A person who fails to notify the Board of any change of address within one month of such change, is liable to pay a penalty of
29. Failure to issue tax invoice.
A person who fails to issue tax invoice for goods sold or services rendered, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of 50 per cent of the cost of the goods or services for which the invoice was not issued.
30. Resisting, etc. an authorised officer.
A person who -
(a) resist hinders or obstructs or attempts to resist or hinder an authorised officer acting under section 35 of this Act ; or
(b) fails to comply fully with any requirement made under section 35 of this Act ; or
1996 No. 30
(c) makes any statement in response to a requirement made under section 35 of this Act which is false or incomplete; or
(d) procures or attempts to procure by any means any other person to act as aforesaid,
is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of
31. Issuing of tax invoice by an unauthorised person.
A person who, other than -
(a) a person registered under this Act ; or
(b) a person authorised to do so under this Act ,
issues an invoice purporting to be attributable to tax, is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of
1996 No. 30
32. Failure to register.
A taxable person who fails to register under this
Act, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of
33. Failure to keep proper records and accounts.
A taxable person who fails to keep records and accounts of his business transactions to allow for the correct ascertainment of tax and filing of returns is liable to pay a penalty of
34. Failure to collect tax.
A taxable person, who fails to collect tax under this
, is liable to pay as penalty 150
per cent of the amount not collected, plus 5
per cent interest above the Central Bank of
35. Failure to submit returns.
A taxable person, who fails to submit returns to the Board is liable to a fine of N5,000 for every month in which the failure continues.
36. Aiding and abetting commission of offence, etc.
(1) An officer of the Board or any other person, who aids or abets the commission of any of the offences under this Act, is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine of N50,000 or to imprisonment for a term of 5 years.
(2)Where a person's conduct during any specified period has involved the commission or omission by him of any one or more of the foregoing offences under this
Act, then whether or not the particulars of the offences are known, he shall, by virtue of this section, be guilty of an offence and liable to pay a fine of
37. Offence by body corporate, etc.
Where an offence under this Act is committed by a body corporate or firm or other association of individuals -
(a) every director, manager, secretary or other similar officer of the body corporate; or
(b) every partner or officer of the firm; or
(c) every person concerned in the management of the affairs of the association; or
(d) every person who was purporting to act in any capacity as aforesaid,
is severally guilty of that offence and liable to be proceeded against and punished for the offence in like manner as if he had himself committed the offence, unless he proves that the act or omission constituting the offence took place without his knowledge, consent or connivance.
38. Powers of Minister to vary Schedules
The Minister may by order published in the Gazette -
1996 No. 31
(a) amend the rate of tax chargeable; and
(b) amend, vary or modify the list set out in the First Schedule to this Act .
39. Power of inspection
(1) An authorised officer may at any time enter without warrant any premises upon which he has reasonable grounds to believe that a person is carrying on business in order to ascertain whether this Act is being complied with (whether on the part of the occupier of the premises or any other person) and on entry he may carry out such inspections and make such requirements as may be specified by the Board.
(2) Where an authorised officer enters any premises in exercise of the power conferred on him by subsection (1) of this section, he may take with him such persons as he considers necessary for carrying out his functions under this Act.
40. Distribution of revenue
1999 No. 30
Notwithstanding any formula that may be prescribed by any other law, the revenue accruing by virtue of the operation of this Act shall be distributed as follows, that is- 1999 No. 30
(a) 15 per cent to the Federal Government;
50 per cent to the State Governments and the
(c) 35 per cent to the Local Governments.
41. Appointment of agent for manufacturer or importer
(1) The Board may, by notice in writing, appoint any person to be the agent of any manufacturer or importer and the person so appointed shall be the agent of the manufacturer or importer for the purposes of this Act
(2) An agent may be required to pay any tax which or may become payable by the manufacturer or importer from any money which may be held by him for, or due by or to become due by him to the manufacturer or importer, as the case may be, and in default of such payment, the tax shall be recoverable from him.
(3) For the purpose of this section, the Board may require a person to give information as to any money, fund or other assets which may be held by him for, or of any money due from him to a manufacturer or an importer.
42. Signification
Anything required to be done by the Board under this Act may be signified under the hand of the Chairman or any other senior officer assigned to do so by him.
43. Forms
The Board may, from time to time, specify the forms, statements and notices to be used under this Act.
44. Regulations
The Board may, with the approval of the secretary, make regulations for giving effect to the provisions of this Act.
45. Repeal .
Subject to section 6 of the Interpretation Act, the Sales Tax Act is hereby repealed.
46. Interpretation.
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In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires -
"agency of Government" includes a Ministry, department, statutory body, public authority and an institution of the Federal, State and Local Government.
"authorised officer" means an officer who has been authorised by the Board to perform any function under or in pursuance of this Act ;
"Board" means the Federal Board of Inland Revenue;
"building" means any house, including any garage, dwelling apartment, hospital and institutional building, factory, warehouse, theatre, cinema, store, mill building and similarly roofed structure affording protection and shelter, radio and television masts, transmission line, tower, vehicle and other similar structure but excludes mobile homes, caravans and trailers;
"business" includes any trade, commerce or manufacture or any concern in the nature of trade, commerce or manufacture;
"Chairman" means the Chairman of the Federal Board of Inland Revenue;
"company" means a company as defined under the Companies and Allied Matters Act and a corporate body that may be formed under any other written law and includes any association, whether incorporated in or outside Nigeria;
"entertainment" includes any exhibition and performance in which admission of people is subject to payment by such persons but does not include the following, that is -
(a) play on stage and performance which are carried out by educational institutions, approved by the Minister for the time being responsible for education as part of learning;
(b) sport, game or other cultural performance conducted under the superintendence of the Ministry charged with the responsibility for culture and social welfare;
(c) entertainment of a charitable, educational, medical, scientific or cultural nature as may be approved in writing by the Board prior to the date of the entertainment for the benefit of the public; and
(d) entertainment organised by a non-profit making, charitable, educational, medical, scientific or cultural society registered under the law where the entertainment is in furtherance of the objectives of the society as may be approved in writing by the Board to the date of the entertainment;
"import" means bringing in or carrying to be brought in goods and services from another country or from an export processing zone;
"importer" means any person who imports taxable goods;
"input tax" has the meaning assigned to it in section 10 of this Act ;
invoice" means any document issued as an evidence of demand for payment;
"manufacturer" means any person who engages in the manufacture of goods and includes a person who has manufactured for him or on his behalf by others, goods made to his specification or design;
"manufacturing" means the process by which a commodity is finally produced, including assembling, bottling, repacking, mixing, blending, grinding, cutting, bending, twisting and joining or any other similar activity;
"minister" means the minister responsible for matters relating to finance;
"motel" means premises on which accommodation, flats, service apartments, beach cottages, holiday cottages, game lodges are provided but excludes the following, that is -
(a) premises run by a charitable or religious organisation registered under the relevant law for charitable or religious purposes;
(b) premises operated by a medical institution approved by the Minister for the time being responsible for health for the use of the staff of that institution;
(c) premises whose supply is under a lease or licence of not less than one month, unless by prior arrangement, the occupier may without penalty, terminate that lease or license on less than one month's notice;
"output tax" has the meaning assigned to it in section 11 of this Act ;
"owner" means in respect of any goods, aircraft, vessel, vehicle, plant or any other goods, a person, other than an officer acting officially, who holds out himself to be the owner, manufacturer, agent or the person in possession of or beneficially interested in, or having control of or power of disposition over the goods, aircraft, vessel, vehicle, plant or other goods;
"registered person" means any person registered under section 8 of the Act ;
"restaurant" means any establishment carrying out the business of restaurant services, and includes cafeterias, fast-food outlets, snacks bars, food stuffs at exhibitions or sports arenas and similar establishments but excludes -
(a) an establishment operated for a charitable or religious purposes;
(b) an establishment run by an educational or training institution approved by the Minister for the use of the staff and students of those institutions; and
(c) an establishment run by a medical institution approved by the Minister for the time-being responsible for health for the use of the staff and students of the institution;
"restaurant service" means the supply of foods or beverages prepared for immediate consumption, whether or not such consumption is on the premises of the restaurant and including outside catering;
"supplies" means any transaction, whether it is the sale of goods or the performances of a service for a consideration, that is, for money or money's worth;
'supply of goods" means any transaction where the whole property in the goods is transferred or where the agreement expressly contemplates that this will happen and in particular includes the sale and delivery of taxable goods or services used outside the business, the letting out of taxable goods on hire or leasing, and any disposal of taxable goods;
"supply of services" means any service provided for a consideration;
"tax" means the Value Added Tax imposed and charged under section 1 of this Act ;
"tax period" means one calendar month commencing from the beginning of the month to the end of that month;
1996 No. 31.
1996 No. 31.
"taxable person" means a person who independently carries out in any place an economic activity as a producer, wholesale trader, supplier of goods, supplier of services (including mining and other related activities) or person exploiting tangible or intangible property for the purpose of obtaining income there from by way of trade or business; and includes a person and an agency of Government acting in that capacity;
"transaction at arm's length" means a transaction on normal open market commercial terms;
"vehicle" includes for the purpose of this Act every description of conveyance for the transportation by land of human beings or goods;
"vessel" means a mode of transportation or conveyance by water of human beings or goods;
"wholesaler" means a person who obtains his stock predominantly from the manufacturers and sells in bulk to the retailers.
43. Short Title.
This Act may be cited as the Value Added Tax Act.
FIRST SCHEDULE Sections 2 and 3
Part I - Goods Exempt
1998 No. 18.
1. All medical and pharmaceutical products.
2. Basic food items.
3. Books and educational materials.
4. Baby products.
1998 No. 18
5. Fertilizer, locally produced agricultural and veterinary medicine, farming machinery and farming transportation equipment.
1996 No. 31
6. All exports
7. Plant and machinery imported for use in the Export Processing Zone.
8. Plant, machinery and equipment purchased for utilization of gas in down stream petroleum operations.
9. Tractors, plough and agricultural equipment and implements purchased for agricultural purposes.
Part II - Services Exempt
1. Medical services.
2. Services rendered by Community Banks, People's Bank and Mortgage Institutions.
3. Plays and performances conducted by educational institutions as part of learning.
4. All exported services.
Section 20 (2)
1. The Minister may by notice in the Federal Gazette, establish a Value Added Tax Tribunal in each Zone of the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
3. The Chairman of each of the Zonal VAT Tribunal;
(a) shall be a legal practitioner of not less than 15 years experience.
(b) shall preside over the proceedings of the Tribunal.
4. Members of each of the Zonal VAT Tribunal –
(a) shall be appointed by notice in the Federal Gazette by the Ministry from among persons appearing to him to have wide and adequate practical experience, professional knowledge, skills and integrity in the profession of law, accountancy or taxation in Nigeria, as well as persons that have shown capacity in the management of trade, business and retired senior public servant in tax administration;
(b) shall hold office for a period of three years from the date of appointment and may resign at any time by a notice in writing addressed to the Minister;
(c) shall cease to be a member upon the Minister determining that his office be vacate upon notice of such determination.
5. Where the Minister is satisfied that a member -
(a) has been absent for two consecutive meetings without the written permission of the Chairman of the Board; or
(b) is incapacitated by illness; or
(c) has failed to make any declaration and give notice of his direct or indirect financial interest in a case when any appeal by such case is pending before the Tribunal; or
(d) has been convicted of any felony or of any offence under any enactment imposing tax on income or profit,
the Minister shall make a determination that his office as a member is vacant.
6. Where for some reason there is insufficient number of members to hear an appeal, the Minister may make an ad-hoc appointment in writing for the purpose of hearing such appeal.
7. The Minister shall designate a serving public officer to be Secretary to a Zonal VAT Tribunal and the official address of the Secretary shall be published in the Federal Gazette.
8. The members of the VAT Tribunal shall remain in office until new ones are sworn in.
9. Any taxable person who being a person aggrieved by an assessment or demand notice made upon him, may appeal against the assessment and notice to the Zonal VAT Tribunal where the taxable person is resident giving notice in writing through the Secretary to the Zonal VAT Tribunal within 15 days after the date of service upon such taxable person of the assessment or demand notice and the appeal shall be heard by the Tribunal.
10. The Board, if aggrieved by the non-compliance of a taxable person to any provision of this Act, may appeal to the Zonal Tribunal where the taxable person is resident giving notice in writing through the Secretary to the Zonal VAT Tribunal.
11. Where a notice of appeal is not given within the period specified, the assessment or demand notices shall become final and conclusive and the Board may recover tax, interest and penalty, which remain unpaid from any taxable person through the proceeding at the Zonal Tribunal.
12. An award or judgment of the VAT Tribunal shall be enforced as if it were judgment of the Federal High Court on registration of a copy of the award of judgment in the Registry of the Federal High Court by the party seeking to enforce the award or judgment .
13. Notice of appeal against assessment shall contain:
(a) the name and address of the taxable person;
(b) the total amount of goods and services chargeable to tax in respect of each month;
(c) any input tax;
(d) net amount of tax payable;
(e) the copy of assessment notice;
(f) the precise grounds of appeal against the assessment; and
(g) an address for service of any notice, process or other document to be given to the appellant and the Secretary to the Zonal Tribunal.
14. The Board or a taxable person may discontinue an appeal at any time before the hearing of the appeal by giving notice in writing through the Secretary to the Zonal Tribunal.
15. The Zonal Tribunal shall meet as often as may be necessary to hear appeal in any town and place in which the office of the Tribunal is situated.
16. At least five members may hear and determine an appeal.
17. The Secretary to the Zonal Tribunal shall give seven days notice to the parties to an appeal of the date and place fixed for the hearing of the appeal.
18. All notices and documents, other than the decisions of the Tribunal may be signed under the hand of the Secretary. All appeals before the Tribunal shall be held in camera. Every taxable person so appealing shall be entitled to be represented at the hearing of the appeal by a legal practitioner, a qualified chartered accountant, or tax consultant.
19. The onus of proving the basis of grievance against an assessment or non-compliance with the provisions of the law shall be on the appellant.
20. The Zonal Tribunal may upon hearing the appeal, confirm, reduce, increase or amend the assessment or make such orders thereon as it deems fit.
21. The Minister shall make rules regulating the practice and procedure of the VAT Tribunal and, until such rules are made, the practice and procedure of the Federal High Court shall apply with such modifications (whether by way of addition, alteration of omission) as the circumstances may require.
22. Any case or proceeding relating to a matter for which the VAT Tribunal has jurisdiction pending before the Federal High Court on the commencement of this paragraph shall be continued and completed as if this Act had not been made.
23. (1) Following the decision of the VAT Tribunal, notice of the amount of the Tax chargeable under the assessment as determined by the VAT Tribunal shall be served by the Board on the company or person in whose name the tax is chargeable.
(2) Notwithstanding that an appeal is pending, tax shall be paid in accordance with the decision of the VAT Tribunal within one month of notification of the amount of the tax payable in pursuance of sub-paragraph 1 of this paragraph.
24. – (1) Any party aggrieved by the decision of the VAT Tribunal may appeal against the decision on point of law to the Court of Appeal on giving notice in writing to the Secretary to the VAT Tribunal within thirty days after the date on which the decision was given setting out the grounds on which the decision is being challenged.
(2) On receipt of a notice of appeal under subparagraph (1) of this paragraph, the Secretary to the VAT Tribunal shall compile the record of proceedings and judgment before the VAT Tribunal and shall cause them to be transmitted to the Chief Registrar of the Court of Appeal together with all the exhibits tendered at the hearing before the VAT Tribunal within thirty days after the date on which the decision was made.
25. The President of the Court of Appeal may make rules providing for the procedure in respect of appeals made under this Act and until such rules are made, the Court of Appeal Rules relating to the hearing of appeals shall apply to the hearing and determination of an appeal under this Act.


text:
Sponsored by Xenics
Working of OCT
Line Sensor Camera
2D OCT Camera
Test Object
SWIR Line Sensors in InGaAs Technology
Flexible Evaluation Circuitry
About Xenics
Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has evolved to a non-invasive standard biomedical analysis technique yielding a detail-rich cross-sectional image of living tissue. As a high frequency analog to and as a possible replacement of ultrasound examination techniques, optical coherence tomography delivers images of a much higher resolution well into the micrometer realm.
The penetration depth possible with OCT is determined by the type of material under test and the wavelength used as shown in Figure 1. In medical applications, for human tissue investigations, and when using light sources in the short wave infrared, OCT penetration can reach 6mm and more (much larger depths than with visible or near infrared light sources)Hence OCT can bridge the realms of confocal microscopy and ultrasound, as well as other computer tomography (CT) methods such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Figure 1. Examination methods for analyzing depth structures, penetration depth and resolution
Using OCT, cross sectional images are obtained from within material objects without the need of touching them or using destructive procedures. Figure 2 shows several cross sections of a MEMS (micro electro-mechanical system) pressure sensor at various depth levels achieved by penetrating it through its membrane.
Hence, OCT is enabling novel ways for process control and industrial quality assurance. Real-time OCT can be used to monitor continuous manufacturing and assembly processes.
Figure 2. Penetrating the membrane of an MEMS pressure sensor (above left), OCT yields cross-sectional images at various depth levels to unveil details of its internal structure.
The basics of optical coherence tomography are delineated in Figure 3. It is based on the interference of a direct light beam from a light source striking the object under test with the light beam reflected by the object through a semi-transmissive mirror.
In the upper section of Figure 3, a broadband light source radiates light of a low coherence length through a semi-transmissive mirror onto the object under test. A portion of the beam is reflected by the beam splitter and guided to a reference mirror, which feeds it via the semi-transparent mirror to the input of a spectrum analyzer.
Figure 3. Two concepts of optical coherence tomography (OCT): high-resolution line camera Lynx and very fast 2D camera Cheetah-640 CL, used for a cross-sectional examination of a plastic, three-layer container wall.
There the light reflected by the test object and the reference beam interfere. As a result, the spectrum analyzer outputs the spectrum of this interference pattern, which is then converted by an optoelectronic line sensor to an electrical intensity signal.
The lower section of Figure 3 shows an OCT procedure. It makes use of a 2D camera with InGaAs sensor technology. This 2D camera setup works without a depth scan mechanism.
The relatively small-band light beam of superluminescent diode is led through a beam splitter yielding a reference beam going to the left, and a test beam going downwards. The test beam is widened by a cylindrical lens to form a line on the test object.
The diffraction grating deflects the reference beam, which is positioned in a way that a higher-order diffraction image is directed towards the camera. Hence the 2D camera observes an interference pattern generated by the reference and test beams.
By studying several interference images, which show different phase relations, the object under test is optically examined. Diffraction gratings with micro actors made of a piezo ceramic, enable a mirror small travel range in the realm of a few micrometers.
A three-layer plastic part, about 2.3mm thick, serves as the wall of liquids container was chosen a test object for an OCT demonstration. It includes a high-density poly-ethylene material plus a 100µm thin EVOH (ethyl vinyl alcohol) layer as diffusion barrier.
The Fraunhofer-Institute studied the properties of this structure in the context of a project that is to explore resource-saving manufacturing methods in the plastics industry.
The objective was the development of an Interferometric Inline Control System in the Production of Multi-layer Plastic Foils. OCT is used to determine the thickness and uniformity of individual thin layers in real time during a production run.
For the measurement of these short wave infrared spectra the usual CMOS or CCD image sensors are not appropriate since their sensitivity is limited to the visible realm. A significantly higher SWIR sensitivity is offered by sensors with InGaAs technology as shown in Figure 4. They are currently available as linear detectors (Xenics Lynx) with up to 2048 pixels and as a 2D camera (Xenics Cheetah-640CL) featuring 640x512 pixels.
Figure 4. An InGaAs image sensor can operate in the near infrared realm.
Though InGaAs is a perfect choice for SWIR-sensitive photodiodes in line sensors, it is not really suited to integrate the read-out circuitry on the same chip. Therefore, an external read-out IC (ROIC) based on CMOS technology serves as evaluation circuitry for the InGaAs line sensor.
The analog ROIC front-ends can be optimized to function as detector interfaces, and their parameter values are software settable in wide margins to cover various pixel sizes and application demands.
Figure 5 provides a simplified block diagram of the ROIC's analog functionality needed for the multi-stage pre-processing of the sensor signal. The InGaAs photodiode, featuring n-well-capacities of 0.7 to 2 million electrons, is held at a constant voltage level by the current-to-voltage converter.
Figure 5. Pre-processing the sensor signal of a pixel with various software-settable parameters accommodates the camera to different applications.
The subsequent stage performs a correlated double sampling (CDS), thereby compensating the offset variations of the current/voltage converter and also eliminating its reset noise in line is the sample/hold stage.
It decouples integration and read-out. Hence the charge of the actual frame exposure can be integrated while the preceding frame is being read out simultaneously. Finally, an analog multiplexer and pad driver transfer all pixel values via the IC output to an external analog/digital converter.
With a range of sensor types to choose from, ROICs with various parameter settings and multi-stage thermoelectric cooling, today's InGaAs cameras are scalable OCT platforms. They are suited for a number of industrial, scientific and medical applications enabling direct imaging and spectroscopy.
Most important, they include sensors that deliver a resolution of or below one micrometer, at a penetration depth of more than the current standard of 6 mm. This empowers the system designer to implement OCT in the short wave infrared, as a meaningful and detailed analysis tool for hidden structures to increase quality, throughput and yield in manufacturing processes.
Xenics is a well established and rapidly growing high-tech company about to enter exciting new fields of IR products and applications, serving the markets with excellent products and a strong technology background. This enables us to do custom designed chips and add functionality as requested, such as specific read-out capability.
Uncooled InGaAs-based devices will revolutionize the global markets for short wave infrared spectroscopy, imaging and non-contact temperature measurement. Uncooled bolometer-based products will revolutionize the markets for thermal imaging and thermography. While advanced cooled products will continue to grow in the markets that require the ultimate performance level or specialty features.
You will see many exciting new applications – commercial, industrial, medical, security-related, scientific, and many others - over the coming years. That's exactly where Xenics is positioned. Thus, Xenics will play a leading role in developing these exciting markets.
Xenics offers products covering the most active IR wavelength areas from 1 up to 14 micrometer. They come as line-scan as well as two-dimensional devices. Xenics also delivers custom detectors, cameras or electro-optic instrumentation solutions according to our customers' agreed specifications and project setups.
This information has been sourced, reviewed and adapted from materials provided by Xenics.
For more information on this source, please visit Xenics.
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