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Innovation is an overused term in business today. Customers are constantly being bombarded with claims of "new and improved" offerings. With so much messaging around innovation, it's easy to see how people can become jaded.
Companies pursue innovation, or at least the perception of innovation, because they recognize the potential it has for their business. Here's a great quote from Peter Drucker:
"Because the purpose of business is to create a customer, the business enterprise has two – and only two – basic functions: marketing and innovation. Marketing and innovation produce results; all the rest are costs."
– Peter Drucker
Since, according to Drucker, both marketing and innovation produce results, it's easy to see why many companies just market "new and improved" rather than deliver substantially improved products or services. It's easier to change the message than it is to change the offering.
Even so, the reality is real innovation can delight your customers and turn them into fans for your brand. Where does the innovation process begin? With the customer. It's a simple but hard truth that if you want to "Wow!" your customer you need to understand them better.
Let's look at an example. Picasa is a free photo organizer from Google. Early versions focused on organizing images on your computer and importing photos from a digital camera. Over time the product evolved to include image editing, printing, and sharing. These new features were added because Google recognized that people do more than just organize their photos. They crop them, print them in collages, and share them with family and friends. By better understanding what people do with pictures, Google addressed problems outside the original scope of photo organization.
Real innovation is based on insight into the needs of your customers. Walk in your customers shoes. See your business from their perspective. And in the immortal words of Chevy Chase in Caddy Shack, "be the ball."]]>
Over the years we've worked on a number of projects where the goal was to rewrite an existing system to take advantage of new technologies, hardware platforms, and so on.
On the surface it seems easy. The client invariably says something along the lines of: "Just take what we have now and rewrite it for the web." The same applies to cloud computing and mobile apps.
The flaw with this approach is that the way "what we have now" works and the way the web works are fundamentally different. For example, a typical web application allows customers to log into the system, place orders, check status, update payment information and so on. The customer is a first class participant in the way the system works. On the other hand, the "what we have now" system is only used by internal staff. There is no concept of customer roles, permissions, and work flows.
The first step in taking advantage of a new technology is to rethink how your customers will interact with the new system. Step into your customer's shoes and approach your business from their perspective. What are they trying to accomplish? What information do they need to make a decision? How do they want to be notified of progress or problems? What is the right level of detail to share with the customer? They probably don't want to know how the sausage is made; they just want to buy the finished product.
Now repeat the same exercise for the different user roles within your company. Focus on the needs of the individual roles. The executive, finance manager, and production manager all have very different needs.
If you skip the rethinking exercise your new system will not be as good as it could be. You'll miss the opportunity to delight your customers and your business won't reap the full benefit of your investment in new technology.]]>
The rest of you are probably better off just downloading the handout from the event.]]>
Companies need to deliver new and innovative offerings to attract and retain customers. Simply put, innovation occurs when your customer says: "Wow! I'll buy that."
Innovation is important because customer expectations are changing and the competition is innovating to lure customers away from your business.
Many times companies look to technology to help drive innovation. This makes sense because new technologies really are shaking up the way businesses interact with their customers. The problem with a technology driven approach is the overwhelming number of options available. It's also easy to lose sight of the customer and get caught up in chasing the latest and greatest technology fads.
A better approach is to start by understanding the purpose or belief that drives your company forward. In his excellent TED talk, Simon Sinek states, "People don't buy what you do, they buy why you do it."
Now go out and talk with customers – as in real live conversations with real live people. No email or texting is permitted. Focus on understanding your customers and their needs. What do they really care about? What is the real benefit they receive from your company? What problems are they experiencing? What ideas do they have? The only difference between a problem and an idea is the language used to describe it.
Tap into your experience and intuition to develop customer insight that allows you to distinguish between what customers say they want and what they really need. Use your customer insight to evaluate ideas and technologies. Think about how you can change the way customers interact with your business. Think about how you can improve the overall customer experience.
The driver of innovation today is insight, not technology.
Have courage – don't be encumbered by how things have been done in the past. If you're not willing to take market share from another part of your business, your competition will gladly do it for you.
Technology can be used to meet the status quo or make something new. Maintaining the status quo doesn't help you win new business – it simply keeps you from being eliminated from consideration in the first round. Successful companies use technology to support and enhance their competitive advantages.
The real value of new technology is rethinking how customers interact with your business.
Companies need customers to stay in business. Innovation is a key element for attracting and retaining new customers. Innovation is driven by customer insight. The more you know about your customers, the better your chances for creating new offerings that they will notice and buy.]]>
Here's a quick summary of the talk.
Companies need customers to stay in business. Innovation is a key element for attracting and retaining new customers. Innovation is driven by customer insight. The more you know about your customers, the better your chances for creating new offerings that they will notice and buy.
The real value of new technology is rethinking how customers interact with your business.
Here's a handout of the presentation for your reading pleasure.]]>
It's easy to get overwhelmed with passwords. Given the proliferation of sites that require you to login, one could easily have a dozen or more passwords to memorize.
Sure you could always write them on a sticky note on your monitor, or use the same password for multiple sites. It doesn't take a security wizard to realize that neither of these are safe approaches to passwords.
The idea is simple: Site Based Phrase + Secure Phrase = Secure Password
The first part of the password will be based on the site itself. By applying a pattern to the name of the site you'll be able to re-remember the first part of your password each time you need to login. Let's illustrate with several patterns using Twitter as an example.
Site: Twitter
|Site Based Phrase
|First four letters of site name
|Consonants of site name
|Every other letter
Note that the first letter of the password is intentionally capitalized. You could vary the patterns above by capitalizing a different letter – second, third, etc.
The second part of the password is a secure phrase that you memorize. We're going to add symbols and numbers to make it more secure. Here are some examples based on ACC school names.
|Secure Phrase
|Wolfpack: O to zero, A to @
|Carolina: A to @, L to one
Wake Forest: A to @, E to three
Yes, this part of the password is harder to memorize. But you only need one of these phrases.
To get a secure password, combine the site based phrase with your secure phrase. Here are examples for a few popular sites.
|Site Based Phrase
|Secure Phrase
Would the National Security Agency endorse this approach? Probably not. It will, however, keep you off the Worst Passwords List and it's much better than using the same password on multiple sites.]]>
Seth Godin wrote an interesting blog post about The Extraordinary Software Development Manager. He describes how it takes more than a good programmer to build and deliver great software.
Why? Because building great software is more than just writing code. Writing code is the easy part. It's much harder to:
To build great software you have to understand more than what you're building. You must also understand why you're building the software and for whom.
And while what the software will do receives intense debate, there is almost no discussion given to what the software won't do. The features you cut from a project can greatly improve the likelihood of project success, keep the team focused, and provide a streamlined experience for the end user.
All the while you're working on why and whom, you still have to manage expectations of cost, delivery dates, and functionality.
Software project fail because teams:
Seth's article describes two approaches for your next project:
We don't have time to do it over so we have to spend the time to do it right.
Or, you can have some newbies hack something together real quick. Up to you.
Building great software is hard not because the programming or technology is difficult. It's hard because you can't be lazy in answering the questions as to why you need the project, how it's going to be used, and what problems it solves for the end user.]]>
In Part 1 of this series, we described why you need to rethink the role of technology in your business. In Part 2, we started the rethinking process by focusing on the customer experience. We outlined a process for listening and gathering feedback from customers.
Once you have a raw list of customer feedback, the next task is to review the list, looking for trends and common themes. Try to turn specific requests into broader goals. Look for the underlying problem or need being expressed. For example, if someone asks you to send an email when their order ships, they are asking to be notified as the status of their order changes.
As you consolidate your list, don't think in terms of a particular solution or technology. It's easy to get side tracked thinking of solutions, or even dismiss ideas all together because a solution is not readily apparent. In the example above, your focus should be on notifications not sending email. Email is one of several ways of providing notifications to customers.
Once you have a reasonably consolidated wish list, the next step is to determine which items can provide the most value to you and your customers.
For each item on your list, imagine that you have been able to solve and implement a solution. Don't worry about how; focus on the benefits you would receive.
Does a particular idea have the potential to turn your customers in to raving lunatics for your brand, willing to stand in long lines in bad weather just to get the newest version of your product – it's 3mm thinner! – even though they have the previous version and it works just fine?
Score each item in terms of dollars or on a scale of 1 to 10, whichever suites you better. Again look for themes: greater access beyond business hours, visibility into the process, notification of status, and so on.
Also look for items that resonate with your brand, business drivers, or core values. Your customers already understand many of these and will take notice when you continue to improve them.
As you go through the exercise, some items may resonate with you more than others. Trust your instincts and give those ideas a higher value. Other ideas may not feel right. Perhaps they take your business in a direction you are not comfortable pursuing. Again, trust your instincts and give those ideas a lower value.
With any luck, you'll end up with two or three items that stand out above the rest. They reinforce the values of your company, address specific customer needs, and provide value to your business and your customers.
In Part 4, we'll discuss how to evaluate and select technologies to address the top ideas you have identified and put together a business case for implementing them.]]>
Being more responsive to customer needs is a common theme these days. This includes the rollout of new products and services, as well as the handling of customer service issues. Nowadays, customers who feel ignored or neglected often turn to social media channels to vent their frustrations to a global audience.
A case in point is Dave Carroll. Dave had his guitar broken by United Airlines during a trip in 2008. Frustrated by the response from the airline, he launched a YouTube video that has been viewed over 11 million times.
So how can you get the various departments in your company to be more responsive to customer needs?
The first step is awareness. Many leaders stay focused on internal operations, leaving little time for understanding customer problems and frustrations. CIO Magazine reports that only 9% of CIOs spend time studying market trends and customer needs.
In order to be more responsive to customer needs, leaders need to step outside the walls of the organization and experience their company through the eyes and ears of their customers. How hard is to get through to customer support? Can you find the most commonly downloaded form on your web site? Why do you need to download, print, fill out, and fax back a form in the first place?
Small improvements to your product or service may seem critically important when that's all you know about. When you walk a mile in your customers' shoes, however, you're likely to see new opportunities that have the potential for much greater returns.
There's a great quote in Brad's article from Anu George, chief quality officer at Morningstar:
"Technology is integral to our business. Our operations, quality, and technology teams work very closely with each other to drive process improvements that enhance the overall customer experience."
This is a great illustration of a best practice: collaborate across departments to focus improvements on the customer experience.
So next time you think about improving the responsiveness of your organization, don't focus exclusively on internal improvements. Make sure you have an up-to-date understanding of your customer and the experience they receive from your company.]]>
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed why you need to rethink the role of technology in your business. The main drivers were: changing customer expectations, increased competitive pressure, and the emergence of new technologies.
So you're ready to rethink the role of technology in your business. Where do you start? Choosing technology begins with stepping into your customers' shoes and rethinking your business itself. Before you can select a solution, you need to understand what you're trying to accomplish for your business and your customers.
With that in mind, start with the overall customer experience you want to create and work back towards the technology. Think about your business and your customers and consider the following questions:
Chances are you'll come up with several useful insights and probably a few additional questions. So far so good. Now it's time to get out of the office and listen to real life customers.
Here's a great way to get the conversation started – ask your customers where they would invest in your business to get better results for themselves. Ask why. Listen. They will likely tell you how to tweak what you already do well and point out areas where you need to improve. Go through the above questions with them. Again, ask why and avoid the temptation to defend your current practices and really listen.
"Why?" is a really powerful question. Many times people respond with ideas and feedback in the form of solutions: you need after hours support, or you should email me a confirmation. Asking why can help you identify the underlying problem or need that's being expressed. Don't take solutions at face value – keep digging until you uncover the real issue or objective.
During your conversations some people will talk about problems. Others will discuss needs or ideas. The only difference between a problem and an idea is the language used to describe it. With a bit of creative thinking and word play, you can transform a problem into an idea that you can get excited about.
The next part is trickier, but well worth the effort. Talk to your competitors' customers. This is not a sales call! What do they value most? What improvements would they like to see made? What drew them to the competition in the first place? Did they consider your company? Again, ask why and listen.
Understanding your competition can help you in two ways. First, you may find that you actually serve different market segments. For example, your competition may target customers that want to tweak and configure while you aim for customers that want a turnkey approach. Guess what? Your two companies should work out a referral or lead swap program.
Second, you may learn where you can, or do, offer a better product or service than your competition. In both cases you have learned how to better differentiate your company. You can now help prospective customers understand when they should pick you and why.
Rethinking the role of technology in your business starts with the customer. What problems or frustrations do they have? What improvements would they make if it were their business? How can the customer experience be improved?
In Part 3, we'll discuss how to organize the feedback you've received to identify common themes and determine which ideas hold the most value for your business and your customers.]]>
Think back to when you first started your company or started working in your industry. You wanted to make a difference by offering your customers a unique experience; one they couldn't get anywhere else. You chose tools and technologies to help create and deliver your offering. As you talked with customers and prospects, you pointed out the benefits of working with your company and how you were different from the competition.
Over the years you have fine-tuned your offering in response to customer feedback and new offers from your competition. Perhaps you've even added a few new tools and technologies to the mix.
So why do you need to rethink the role of technology in your business now?
For starters, the business landscape has changed and continues to evolve. Here are some key drivers that are impacting your business:
What's more, the list of commonly used technologies has grown as well. Here's a short list of technologies that can dramatically change how you interact with your customers:
Rethinking your use of technology involves more than fine tuning and incremental additions. The goal is to step back and ask yourself: If I were starting my business today, how would I use technology to offer a better product/service to my customers?
The real value of new technology is rethinking how it impacts your business and improves your interactions with your customers. Appropriately used, new technologies provide your customers more visibility and greater access to your services, while improving the way they do business with you.
In Part 2, we'll take a look at how to rethink your business to stay relevant in the eyes of your customers and set yourself apart from old and new competitors alike.]]>
Most discussions of cloud computing focus on the technical benefits: scalability, accessibility, redundancy, usage-based billing, and so on. While valuable, these are behind the scenes benefits that indirectly impact your customers and their perception of your business. Simply moving your existing applications to the cloud may offer benefits, but it does not change the way customers do business with your company.
The real value of the cloud is the opportunity to rethink how customers interact with your business.
If you provide your customer the appropriate visibility, ability, and access to your business, your cloud services strategy can improve the way they do business. You deliver more value to your customers by providing your Business as a Service (BaaS).
The result is that your business becomes an integral part of their operations. Customers incorporate your services into their business processes to help them run their company better and to provide more value to their customers. You become more than a vendor – you become a vital part of their business.
The architecture of the cloud enables expanded opportunities for integration. This means the information your company generates through the normal course of business can be made available instantly to your customers.
Without visibility, your customer has to call or email you to get the information they need. Their next step is to wait while you look up the information in your system and get back to them. With cloud services, you can expose the appropriate information to your customer so they can find what they need when they need it.
Because your cloud services are integrated with your business software, you can allow your customers to take actions directly. They can enter orders, track shipments, and get the information they need to provide value to their customers.
In effect, you can give them benefits of your business that they didn't have access to before. Your customers can then offer these benefits to their customers and stand out from their competition.
Cloud services are built for the web. This means that they are available 24/7 from anywhere. Your clients are no longer tethered to their desktop. They want to get information and take action from a web browser, a tablet device, or a smart phone anytime, anywhere.
When you utilize cloud services to provide visibility, ability, and access, you're really offering the benefits of your business to your customers as a service. Your customers can use your offering as a part of their business and pass the benefits of your service along to their customers. This helps your customer differentiate themselves by providing a higher level of service at a lower cost. In effect, your cloud services become part of their business strategy.
You now become much more than a vendor. You become a vital partner. As a vital partner, you give your customers better value. Because your service is integrated in their operations, you form a stronger relationship with your customer and provide them with benefits that can lead to repeat business and referrals.]]>
The year is 1997 and Steve has just returned to Apple as CEO. All the famous "i" products haven't been created yet. What he shares in the video is really the essence of Apple's strategy for the next decade.
He starts with a business question: How do you go about selling $8 - 10 billion of product a year?
His answer is simple and powerful: Start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology.
It's a telling sign that the Amazon team didn't start by trying to improve on Firefox or Chrome. They took a step back and asked a much broader question – a question that ultimately enabled them to do something innovative:
"How would you build a web browser in the era of cloud computing."
To keep themselves from getting too focused on technology, they also asked another important question:
"What do customers really care about?"
The Amazon team determined that the most important aspect of browsing the web on a mobile device was the time required to get something usable on the screen.
These two questions enabled the team at Amazon to think differently about browsing the web. They were able to apply the latest technology to reinventing the web browser in a way that provides a significant benefit to their customers.
We can all learn from this example. First, make sure you understand what your customers really care about. Don't guess – ask them!
Next, rethink how you would build your product or service in the era of:
Asking the questions is the easy part. The hard part is to have the courage to act on the answers you and your team generate.]]>
Too many people like technology for its own sake. They get caught up in fancy gadgets, spec sheets, and bullet points. They think that having technology is innovative in and of itself. This is not true. Innovation only happens when you use technology to provide a real or perceived value to your customer.
There are two primary uses for technology in business: to meet the status quo (web site), and to create something new that moves the business forward (innovation). In either case, the use of technology should be driven by the needs of the business and the customer.
The status quo case is basically the price of admission. Every company these days needs a web site. It really doesn't add much value to your company, but you need it to do business. The most successful companies are those that use technology to support and enhance their market differentiators.
Take, for example, Domino's pizza. After mounting criticism of their pizza from focus groups and social media sites, Domino's decided to try something new: listen to their customers, speak frankly to them, encourage feedback, and create a better pizza and a better experience.
They revamped their recipes, created a new marketing campaign, and tried again. They also used technology in several targeted ways to facilitate communication between them and their clients.
Specifically, they created an online Pizza ordering tool that allowed customers to, 1) order their pizza, 2) track its cooking and delivery process, and 3) provide feedback to the store about "how they're doing".
The result of the campaign? Domino's reported a more than doubled fourth-quarter profit.
The driver of innovation today is not technology, but insight. What do customers want? How can you make it easier for them to do business with you? And where can technology help reinforce those insights?]]>
Marketing and innovation create value, all the rest are costs. -- Peter Drucker
Successful business leaders know that their organizations must continually improve existing offerings and roll out new ones in order to attract and retain customers. This process of continuous improvement lies at the heart of innovation. If you're not innovating, someone else is. As a result, if you're not moving forward, you're moving backward relative to your competition.
The iron cross is still difficult, but it has become a "price of admission" exercise for ring routines. Those that haven't taken it to the next level are now left behind.
Innovation is the specific tool of entrepreneurs, the means by which they exploit change as an opportunity for a different business or a different service. It is capable of being presented as a discipline, capable of being learned, capable of being practiced. Entrepreneurs need to search purposefully for the sources of innovation, the changes and their symptoms that indicate opportunities for successful innovation. And they need to know and to apply the principles of successful innovation. -- Peter Drucker
Innovation is a key ingredient in the growth of companies of all sizes and industries. When you started your business, you did so because you saw an opportunity to do things better than your competition. That was your first innovation.
A definition is in order: Innovation is anything added to your offering that is perceived by the customer to be new and to add value. The key components here are the customer, a new offering, and added value.
Successful innovation starts by focusing on what your customer needs, not on what the competition is doing.
The target audience for innovation is your customer. While this seems obvious, history shows that companies routinely get caught up in technology, industry trends, business or market fads, and end up "innovating" for the wrong reasons.
If you've bought a new HDTV recently you experienced this first hand as you tried to figure out the difference between 1080p and 720p. As a customer, you don't care about pixels; you just want to watch Blu-ray movies. Geeks care about the technical specs associated with new gadgets while most regular people just want the benefit or experience that technology can provide. Focusing on the experience of the customer and what they're trying to achieve is paramount.
Innovative ideas don't always start with new technologies. Sometimes an old technology applied in a new way can offer more value.
What's new to you may not be new to your customer. If your competition beats you to the punch, then you're not offering anything new to your industry – you're just keeping up with your competitors. Conversely, things that are old hat in other markets can offer new value to your customer when applied to your business in unique ways.
For example, tracking the progress of a shipment as it makes its way across the country is nothing new. However, being able to track the cable guy across town certainly would be!
If I'd asked customers what they wanted, they would have said "a faster horse". – Henry Ford
Finally let's look at value. The customer is the final judge of value (and innovation) because they alone decide which products and services they are going to purchase. So while a change in your pricing model, return policy, etc. may add value to the company and its shareholders, the customer may not be as impressed.
Value to the customer means you have solved a problem, made their life easier, or enabled them to do something they hadn't even thought of yet. You have to understand your customer before you can craft an offering that they will value. Creating value requires a combination of marketing and innovation.
Yes, the economy is shaky, but what better time to focus on new offerings to grow your business. The biggest advantage of acting now is that it's easy to stand out and get attention when your competition is running for cover!]]>
It's not a very compelling answer. And it's also not the whole story.
Knowing what you do is the easy part. Knowing WHY you do it takes some introspection. For us, we believe that investment in innovation is critical to long-term business success. Software development happens to be the tool we use to make innovation happen.
The video below is a TED talk by Simon Sinek. It reinforces the belief that WHY is much more important than WHAT.
As Simon says, "People don't buy what you do; they buy why you do it."]]>
You've fallen into the first myth of innovation.
You don't have to start from a blank sheet of paper or think of something that no one else has thought of before. Innovation can come from making small changes to current ideas that solve specific problems.
Consider the term "overnight success." It's true that innovative companies may achieve notoriety suddenly – after working on their business for years. The truth is that innovation is an iterative process of solving many smaller problems. Each small step is attainable, and people may or may not take notice along the way. But at some point, one small step added to the others will push your product or service into the "breakthrough" category.
Take, for example, everyone's favorite "innovative" company: Apple. While the iPod was groundbreaking in the market, it wasn't all that special from a technological point of view. Portable music players had existed for decades. In the 70s, we had transistor radios. In the 80s, we listened to tapes on our Walkmans. The 90s brought Diskmans that played CDs. By 2000, MP3 players existed. Apple didn't start from whole cloth to create the iPod. They took the portable media player and made it a little bit better. And it changed the industry.
Innovation begins when you acknowledge that things can be better and set an intention to make them so. If you see problems, you have ideas. The only difference between a problem and an idea is the language you use to describe it.
If you run a company, you already understand your business. You know your customers. You know what's working and what you can make better. Your problems are the seeds of innovation; you just have to train yourself to look at them differently.
Exercise: Use the innovation worksheet to capture your ideas.
When Apple entered the MP3 player market, there was a problem: only technophiles bought MP3 players. The market acknowledged the benefits of the MP3 player – it was smaller, it could hold more songs, and you didn't have to carry around CDs. However, there was a barrier to adoption: the average user didn't want the hassle of getting their music onto their computer, maintaining a music library, and figuring out how to get it onto their device.
The market didn't want a better MP3 player. It wanted a better way to find and listen to music.
Apple's solution was iTunes: an easy-to-use piece of software that helped people find music and listen to it. By switching the focus from technical specs to customer experience, Apple didn't build a more technologically advanced MP3 player, they created a better way to experience music.
More often than not, inspiration doesn't happen out of the blue. You have to go looking for it. Actively search for opportunities (sometimes disguised in problems) by listening to your customers, your employees, and yourself. Anytime you want to change something, anytime you are frustrated with something – recognize the frustration as a possible opportunity to innovate. Write it down.
This is where many people get stuck. When they can't see an immediate solution to a problem, they assume it can't be solved and work around it.
To be innovative, don't worry about HOW to solve the problem, first envision what could be accomplished if the problem was magically solved. Would you make money? How much? What would the customer experience be like? What does that mean to your business?
Exercise: Use the innovation worksheet to capture envisioned outcomes.
Quantifying the outcome gives you a ruler you can use to determine how much energy it is worth to try and solve that problem. If the opportunity is substantial, it may be worth brainstorming, involving your employees, or hiring a consultant to help you find a way to innovate.
The bottom line is there's no secret to innovation. It's attainable for anybody, and you don't have to wait for it to happen. You can chose to make yourself more innovative by implementing a repeatable process in which you acknowledge opportunities and allow yourself to imagine what could be achieved if you realized them.]]>
It's not as hard as you might think. Your ideas are a primary source of innovation. These ideas come from insights you have into your business and your customers. Every problem you see is an opportunity to make change for the better. Every opportunity you identify is a chance to innovate.
We believe you can create a culture of innovation by acknowledging your ideas and deciding to act on them. It doesn't happen by accident; innovation is a repeatable, intentional process of identifying opportunities, evaluating outcomes, and strategically investing your resources to achieve a return.
Sometimes technology can play a part. But as Jim Collins has pointed out: "Technology by itself can't make a company or leader great. The role of technology is to accelerate greatness that's already there."
Since 1992, we've helped companies of all shapes and sizes build software to turn their ideas and insights into innovation. Our goal here is to share our experience and help you, the reader, understand how to transform your ideas into business innovation.]]>


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Hi Guys!
Don't forget to attend the ISA Meeting today, 9/16/2013 at 1:00pm in the Campus Center Building, Third Floor CC- 361, behind the bookstore. We will be discussing this year's exciting agenda and there will be FREE pizza, so don't MISS OUT!
Hi everyone. It is so awesome to have new school year started and our international students group on Hub created. It will be an awesome year!

subset: commoncrawl


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The Dallas Cowboys are coming to Paul Brown Stadium! Gunslinger Tony Romo is set to draw at high noon (well... 1pm) vs The Dalton Gang! Let's make some noise in the Jungle and send these Cowboys back home to their mommas!
Our theme is "Tailgate At The BBS Corral!" So whip up something with some southwest or Texas flair and let's put a little six gun spice into Lot 1!"
This tailgate will feature the "Taste of the Tailgate!" competition also! Our secret judges will evaluate all the menu contributions and pick one as the "Taste of the Tailgate!" The chef will receive a very special prize made just for this contest: a Bengal Bomb Squad chef's apron!!Check back here often for menu updates (when they are emailed to Big John) as we get closer to the game!
ON THE MENU (so far):
Paul Brown Cider
Texas Raisins
BBQ Pork Ribs
BBQ Chicken Wings
Jalape�o Bites
Broccoli Salad
Skyline Macaroni


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Hi, I'm Vivian, easy to remember as it's my userid too.
I've been scrapping for many years now but find that I like the clean, simple look best. Not only do they show off the pictures better but they're faster to make, too.
I'm 42 and live with my dh and 14 yo son. Our dd and her dh and two sons live on the front half of our property. You'll see lots of pix of them and my sister's twins (niece and nephew). We have a bunch of animals, some I don't want to think about (son's snakes and other creepy crawlies).
My goal for this year is get 1,000 layouts done. I hope to start "professionally" scrapping for others and doing classes for charity and some for profit.


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Tweets from @TBHomeTeam/writers
MORE from our HomeTeam writers.
Mon. August 20, 2012 | Matt Baker | Email
Rivals' latest national recruiting rankings have four Tampa Bay athletes in the top 100. The names shouldn't surprise you.
Wharton DB Vernon Hargreaves is No. 7 on the list, which was updated today. The UF commit is a five-star prospect.
Armwood DB Leon McQuay III is No. 18. The four-star recruit has offers from FSU, USC, Vanderbilt, Notre Dame and others.
St. Petersburg Catholic RB Ryan Green is No. 43. He's the site's seventh-ranked running back and a four-star recruit committed to FSU.
The final area player on the list was one of the site's biggest risers – Armwood WR Alvin Bailey. The four-star prospect, who is considering UCF, UF, FSU, Notre Dame and Georgia, jumped 39 spots.
And oh, what do you know? Those four are also the top players in our HomeTeam 100, which we finished up over the weekend. How 'bout that?
One other player of note: Winter Park QB Asiantii Woulard leapt from three-star status to No. 87 on the list. The USF commit joined Bailey as one of Rivals' biggest surprises in the updated rankings.


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Medical Tests Analyzer 18.104.22.168 Ultimate Edition | 6.73 MB
SmrtX Medical Tests Analyzer is the complete solution for efficient, reliable and modern managing of patient's medical lab results history.
Have you lately gotten a blood test done? Explaining lab tests is one of the most central diagnostic instruments used by doctors to identify if a patient in distress from any health condition. Whereas translating blood test results for the purposes of treatment and medical diagnosis has to be entrusted to physicians, gaining a basic understanding of how to figure out lab tests is significant if you are going to take a lively role in your health care.
You recently got your blood test results back, but you have no idea what the numbers mean. Medical Tests Analyzer software tool provides a short overview and some tips on how to translate the results, and what they actually mean.
Medical lab tests are tools useful in estimating the health condition of an individual. It is important to understand that laboratory results may be outside of the normal interval range for variety of factors. These declinations can correspond to such things as food preference, age, race, sex, menstrual cycle, physical exercises, handling of the specimen and samples collection problems, over-the-counter medications (cold drugs, aspirin, vitamins, etc.), smoking, prescribed medications, alcohol intake and a number of non-disease-related reasons. You should talk about any abnormal and unusual lab results with your health provider. It is unlikely to cure or diagnose any disorder or health condition with a single blood test only. But, it can be helpful for you to understand more about your health and identify potential problems in early stages when updating your personal habits and treatment can work effectively.
Reasons for blood tests
-Physicians may order blood examination for many of reasons. The most frequently ordered blood tests include CBC (complete blood count), BUN (blood urea nitrogen) that helps identify kidney diseases and BMP (basic metabolic panel) as well as the MPV lab test (mean platelet volume). Whereas these can be more general tests, there could be many of other reasons physicians can order to perform blood tests, such as the Hemoglobin (Hgb) test to diagnose anemia. Your doctor has to explain your health status and what the test is performed for. If you are interested about your lab test results, discuss with your physician. Medical Tests Analyzer Software is a good tool to interpret your laboratory test results.
Comprehension of Reference Ranges
-Lab test results are sent to your health care provider along with Reference Ranges of the results of your blood tests that help in accurately interpreting and evaluating the results of the examination. Each test has a different purpose, and each test has to be reviewed in the context of differences in test methodologies used by the laboratory where the test is produced. Another significant consideration is differences in groups of patients that include: men, women, infants, age of person, the population norms in the country, ethnic group, and racial factor.
-Laboratories provide test reports with a reference range printed down next to each listed test result. This assists to identify if the test results are within normal interval range, reduced, or elevated when you are reading lab test results. When you are finding out how to interpret blood lab tests, it is significant to understand that the reference ranges may differ from one laboratory to another. It is possible since every laboratory applies a set of methods that may affect how lab tests are performed. If your lab test result is outside of the reference range, it does not certainly mean that something is wrong with your health status.
-For instance, when interpreting ANA lab tests, elevated results are argumentative of an autoimmune disorder while reduced can be considered normal. But what can be normal for the Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) test will differ corresponding to age, gender and health status. Also there is always the possibility of a false negative, such as in the Cancer Antigen tumor marker blood test (CA 125) which is only correct in half of cases reporting ovarian cancer of stage I. This is significant to understand the tests distinctions before explaining the results. When your physician suspects a health condition based on reduced or elevated lab test results, you can be subjected to additional examinations to identify if those results are a cause for concern. Medical Tests Analyzer Software tool can explain your laboratory test results.
High and Low false results
-Some people who do not have a medical training get scared if they see an abnormal blood test result when getting to know how to understand blood tests. Nevertheless, false high and low results' values may befall with many blood tests because test results can be impacted by a wide range of causes. Drugs, foods, beverages, and even stress levels may affect lab test results on a single day. For example, birth control pills or estrogen drug may modify a thyroid test lab results.
-The method a laboratory assistant manipulates your specimen may also be a cause of a false high or low result. For instance, calcium is contained within the erythrocytes (red blood cells). When a laboratory assistant handles your sample too jauntily or drops it, the erythrocytes could break. That may produce a high calcium level on the lab blood test report. When you receive a false result, your physician can advise that you have to repeat the test. Talk about your lab results with your doctor when you have difficulties figuring out blood test results on your own. Medical Tests Analyzer Software tool will help you interpret your laboratory test results.
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Ralph Mead
- B.S. Florida State University
- Ph.D. Florida International University
Professional Activities
2007 to present - Assistant Professor: Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of North Carolina Wilmington
2005 to 2007 - Assistant Professor, Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, Division of Marine and Atmospheric Chemistry, University of Miami
2003 to 2005 - Post Doctoral Associate, Department of Geological Sciences, University of South Carolina. (Advisor: M. A. Goñi).
Research Area: Marine Organic Geochemistry
My research interests broadly encompass the field of Organic Geochemistry with emphasis on tracing naturally derived organic carbon in the marine environment. Specifically, my research can be broken down into four areas which include:
- Carbon cycling within river dominated margins and smaller estuarine systems
- The use of bulk and compound specific stable carbon isotopic analysis to elucidate the source and cycling of organic matter within the marine environment
- Development of new analytical techniques for organic geochemical analysis
- Reconstruction of past ecosystem dynamics through combined molecular and isotopic techniques
- Organic-mineral interactions in the marine environment
Some areas where I have worked on these interests include Everglades National Park, Northern Gulf of Mexico near the Atchafalaya River and the Mackenzie River.
Representative Publications
Mendoza W.G., Mead R.N., Brand L.E., Shea D. (2007).Analysis and detection of brevetoxin analogs in recent marine sediments by HPLC. Submitted Chemosphere
Mead R. N., Goñi M. (2007) Matrix Protected Organic Matter in a River Dominated Margin: A Possible Mechanism to Sequester Terrestrial Organic Matter? Submitted Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Mead, R., Goñi, M.A., (2006). A lipid molecular marker assessment of sediments from the Northern Gulf of Mexico before and after the passage of HurricaneLili. Organic Geochemistry 37, 1115-1129
Neto, R., Mead, R., Louda, J.W., and Jaffé, R. (2006) Organic biogeochemistry of detrital flocculent material (floc) in a subtropical, coastal wetland. Biogeochemistry 77, 283-304
Xu, Y, Mead, R., Jaffe R., (2006). A molecular marker based assessment of sedimentary organic matter sources and distributions in Florida Bay. Hydrobiologia 569, 179-192
Representative Grants, Fellowships and Awards
NIEHS Pilot Project Award $5,000
Florida State University Presidential Scholarship
Current courses


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November 5, 2012
Phoenix, Ariz - Monday's game didn't count for or against the Mustangs 2012-2013 record, but The Master's College men's basketball team treated their exhibition contest against Grand Canyon University like a regular season game.
Putting up a solid showing against the NCAA Division II Antelopes, the Mustangs left Phoenix with 63-58 victory.
Shooting exactly 25% from the field over the opening 20 minutes, the Mustangs closed the half with a strong effort, trailing the Antelopes 23-21. GCU finished the half with a 30% accuracy.
TMC tied the game at 29-29 when Leif Karlberg (Anchorage, AK) sunk a three-pointer a minute and half into the second half. From that point, the Mustangs didn't let the Antelopes take the lead for the rest of the half. After maintaining the lead, the Mustangs faced a scare when the resurgent GCU offense closed the gap to 56-59. But an array of free throws by Jason Logan (Spartanburg, SC), and Karlberg put the game out of reach at 63-58.
Karlberg paced the Mustangs in double figures with 18 points, while Devin Dyer (Temecula, CA) chipped in 15. The Mustangs finished the evening with a 32.7% accuracy.
The Mustangs return to regular-season action and Bross Gym on Saturday evening when they host West Coast Baptist in a 7:00 tip-off.
Game Notes:
Grand Canyon University currently plays in the PacWest Conference- the same conference that former GSAC schools Azusa Pacific, Cal Baptist, Fresno Pacific, and Point Loma now compete in.


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Delta Airlines is siding with an organization that compares pro-choice groups to Nazis and shuns adoption if the parents happen to be gay.
Today, the airline company confirmed that it will stop advertising on the Daily Show after the far-right anti-gay Catholic League, headed up by Bill Donohue, took issue with a graphic used on the Daily Show that showed a manger between a woman's legs.
Delta Sides With Anti-Gay Bill Donohue, Withdraws Ads From The Daily Show
Current Status: Published/No Action (12)
Seeded on Tue May 8, 2012 5:53 AM
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Lovers of cycles, rest assured more NAHBS interviews are coming your way. A few gems from the backlog:
Your Comments
neither of those links go where they say they do. I'm dying to that Ted Wojick recumbent lawnmower !!
@Jim: The links work fine for me.
I'd like to know about that pedal mower as well! 🙂


text: Following up on our earlier preview back in April, the third installment from the Vans Iron Maiden series has begun to hit Vans accounts. Using ancient Egyptian inspired artwork from the British band's epic Powerslave album cover, the classic SK8-Hi sports a blue suede upper this time, rather than the usual black color scheme. Possible the best looking sneaker from the three part series. They are now available at DQM.


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Ask Health Experts and Get Answers to Your Health Question ASAP
I would not recommend the percocet and ultram combination unless a doctor were to give you exact dose as this risks excessive opioid dose.
Your choices could be to continue with the percocet up to 8 a day, or to change to regular tylenol (max 1g up to four times daily) and the ultram at your previously prescribed dose which is often one-two tablets up to four times daily.
If this is not controlling your pain then you can also add in ibuprofen or motrim however you should be seeing your surgeon again if the pain is significant.
Since your answer is really open-ended and requires a doctor to make it definitive, is it possible for you to get a doctor 's response to this question and if indicated, the exact dosage of the Ultram?
I am 5' 7" and 230 lbs. with more muscle mass than the average woman of my height at this weight (former power lifter). I am also extremely resistant to narcotic pain medication for some unknown reason so it takes alot to relieve my pain. In fact, pain management was a huge issue after sugery. While in the hospital, they were giving me shots of Dilaudid in my I.V. along with the perc/oxy combo since the pain was so bad. They continued the perc/oxy combo during my inpatient rehab stay and also sent me home with this regimen with the understanding that weaning off oxy would begin within two weeks of discharge from inpatient rehab.
I'll be satisfied if we can get a doc to weigh in on the safety of adding Ultram given my height, weight, and pain management history.
Unfortunately only a doctor that has seen you and examined you can instigate a new recommendation of pain-relief. It would be unprofessional for anyone that is not your prescriber to make specific recommendations for an individual that they have not seen.
Taking percocet and ultram together would not be in line with WHO analgesia ladder, and if either percocet or ultram alone were not enough then you would be recommended to step up again to morphine or oxycontin analgesia.
So to answer your initial question: 'can I take percocet and ultram together', my professional opinion is no.


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Impressive for Two Seasoned Cruisers: Explorer of the Seas Cruise Review by Annalise
Overall Member Rating
Impressive for Two Seasoned Cruisers
Destination: Canada & New England
Embarkation: New York (Manhattan)
HURRICANE EARL: Everyone was worried ab/ encountering this hurricane but our fearless Capt. Olaf masterfully manuevered the ship out of danger by speeding ahead of it & docking in Portland one day early. EARL came & went taking with it all the humidity & leaving us with bee-U-tee-ful weather for sightseeing. Applause for Capt. Olaf.
CABIN: Our cabin used every inch of space for storage. We pushed our luggage beneath the kingsize bed & had plenty of room for clothes, More toiletries, literature, etc. Our cabin steward, Wendell, was fair. The few requests we made were slow in coming, but the towel animals were cute. The beds were very soft & comfy. We slept soundly & the sea was like glass the entire trip. Bring your own toiletries as the days of shampoos, etc. are gone.
SHIP DECOR: Beautiful decor of gold, statues and photos of rock stars adorned the hallways. I used them as landmarks to find our cabin. The ship is huge & the Royal Promenade was gorgeus with a cafe & stores. As you enter the casino, look down at the floor for a surprise. It had plenty of slot & video machines along with the usual casino games. Everything was maintained spotlessly. The Palace Theater was also lovely.
DINING: We chose On Your Own Time dining which was on another floor & proved to be quite beneficial. Our waiter was Sanatan & asst. was Maja. They were both very good except I told Sanatan he has to speak up a bit. The food was a solid good but I wouldn't go out of my way for it. I sent back the tough angus steak & Sanatan replaced it with the best gnocchi I'd ever eaten. RCCL makes a valient attempt to appeal to every taste. They offer dishes for vegetarians, healthy fare and Indian fare. You don't have to gain weight if you don't want to, but the cafe cookies were awesome. Also, there's a Ben & Jerry's parlor.
CAFE: Actually the cafe deserves special recognition. They serve Seattle's Best coffee and cookies, cakes, sandwiches & pizza all hours of the day & night. If I gained weight, it was because of the cookies.
GYM: Overstocked w/ treadmills & aerobic machines. Also, complete selection of free wgts. & wgt. machines. Early stretch at 7:45 followed by Walk-A-Mile at 8:45. Also, they had walk for the Make A Wish foundation toward the end which was very worthwhile. If you crave more, try the rock climbing wall or ice skating lessons at Studio B.
PORTOFINO SPECIALTY RESTAURANT: At $20 extra per person, it was not worth it. I had osso bucco & DH had risotto. They were both good, but not worth the extra cost. BTW, formal dresscode is NOT enforced. Since we brought on extra clothes, we complained at the front desk & received lip service. So if you don't want to overburden your luggage, ladies, black pants & a nice blouse & guys, dockers & Tommy Bahama. You won't be asked to leave. Unless you LIKE to dress up, that's individual tastes, but I'll never overpack again.
ENTERTAINMENT: The usual consisting of a dance troupe, singers, comedians. Don't miss the ice show!!! Wonderful!!! But get on line early in the cruise and get tix. They go fast. Also get there early before doors open to get good seats. Best 55 mins. you'll spend. Standouts in the Palace Theater were Tibor & Eva. They were professional dancers. Tibor swung Eva about like a rag doll. They were a sight to behold. Chris Murphy was social director & he was cute. Very funny guy & quick witted. Go see the Love & Marriage gameshow. That was very funny. Also, Robert Bruce at the piano in the Schooner Bar was terrific. He imitated Louis Armstrong & played any request. He is very, very talented. If you follow the Compass newsletter everyday, you will be busy every second of the day. Or if you want to cozy up with a good book, you can do that, too. Unfortunately, the library is not too well stocked. By the time I got there, all the good books were taken out.
CONCLUSION: I'd go back on Explorer in a NY minute. They pride themselves on being the friendliest ship at sea. They certainly are as you encounter a "hello","good morning" at every turn. This cruise was NOT fully booked & there was plenty of room to manuever wherever we went. We prefer to travel when school reopens & as a result, there were not many children on this cruise. Less
Published 09/17/10
Cabin review: E27224 Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony
We got a nice surprise by booking a guaranty & getting a balcony cabin. Every inch of space is efficiently used for storage. We had more than we needed. The beds were super comfy. The bathroom was small but being seasoned cruisers, we're used to that. Everything was acceptable.Read All Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony (E2) Reviews >>
Port and Shore Excursions
Quaint New England town full of shops and good restaurants. The store shelves overflow with lighthouse, moose and New England souvenirs. Booked a private tour to Acadia National Park. I was not prepared for the scenary & beauty of this national gem. Hurricane Earl had blown away the stagnate humidity and left us miles of mountain vistas to see and photograph. The bus coughed & hiccuped up Cadillac Mountain. The vistas were truly remarkable. Last stop was Thunder Hole where the tides beat against rocks & make thunderous noises and create a lot of foam. Made the ocean look like a gigantic bubble bath.
Many wealthy industrialists summered in Bar Harbour until a garbage fire in 1947 destroyed the entire town. Instead of rebuilding, they moved to Newport, RI. Bar Harbour is named for a sandbar which connects it to a remote island off it's coast. The sandbar disappears at high tide, leaving many unknowing tourists stranded on the desolate island. We saw the sand bar in the afternoon as the low tide revealed its prescence and saw many people walking across it to explore the uninhabited island.
Lunched on lobster rolls at the Thirsty Whale on Cottage Street. They were okay, but not worthy of the line that was beginning to form outside as we left.
Booked the Boston, Lexington & Concord excursion through RCCL and was well worth it. Took a bus and saw all the highlights of Boston plus our knowledgeable tourguide gave us a detailed history of the American Revolution. I must've missed that lesson in school because I learned so much.
We stopped at the North Church (1 if by land, 2 if by sea), Trinity Church, Harvard U., battlegrounds of Lexington & Concord, the Boston Commons, Copley Square.
Lunched at Ye Olde Oyster House on delicious fish. This tour was definately worth the $99 as it lasted 7 1/2 hours of non-stop education, sightseeing and fun.
Halifax was my only error in that we did not book a tour and we should have. The walk to the Citadel proved challenging and a tour would have been helpful in filling us in on the rich history that is Halifax. After seeing the changing of the Highlander guard and the clocktower, we strolled to the beautiful gardens. The public gardens were in bloom and the lake and fountains were a sight to behold. We then slowly made our way back to the ship through the unremarkable center of town. I shopped Pier 22 for souvenirs and tee shirts.
Booked a tour trolley tour privately through the internet. Took us through all the highlights of Portland and its history since the great fire of 1866 and the reconstruction. Stopped to see Fort Williams lighthouse, took pictures & absorbed the sights & surf. After the 90 min. tour, we walked back to see the Morse-Libby Victorian house. Absolutely beautiful Victorian mansion with much history behind it. The decor was ornate beyond belief with stained glass roof, chestnut panelling and cherubic angels everywhere.
Nothing noteworthy.
Read Cruise Critic's Explorer of the Seas Review >>
An overall great cruise
Exceeded expectations
Great itinerary, so so food
First Cruise
Hard beds and terrible food!
A pleasant but average cruise ...
Cruising the seas with RC on t...
Beautiful waters, loved Coco C...
Our 30th Wedding Anniversary
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All that stuff I was taught about evolution and embryology and the Big Bang Theory, all that is lies straight from the pit of Hell. And it's lies to try to keep me and all the folks who were taught that from understanding that they need a savior. You see, there are a lot of scientific data that I've found out as a scientist that actually show that this is really a young Earth. I don't believe that the Earth's but about 9,000 years old. I believe it was created in six days as we know them. That's what the Bible says.
GOP Rep. Paul Broun: Evolution, Embryology, Big Bang Theory Are 'Lies From the Pit of Hell'
Current Status: Blessed (1)
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Arimidex With or Without Faslodex In Postmenopausal Women With HR Positive Breast Cancer (PACT001)
This study is currently recruiting participants.
Verified August 2016 by Baylor Breast Care Center
Baylor Breast Care Center
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Baylor Breast Care Center
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: December 6, 2007
Last updated: August 26, 2016
Last verified: August 2016
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
No Study Results Posted on ClinicalTrials.gov for this Study
|Study Status:
|This study is currently recruiting participants.
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|December 2018
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|July 2017 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)


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A language of India
|37,000 (1997).
|Jharkhand, east side; West Bengal, west Purulia, Bankura Malda, Nadia, and Western Midnapur districts; Orissa, Keonjhar, Mayourbhanj, and Sundargargh districts; Assam, Darrang, Sonitpur, Golaghat, Jorhat districts.
|Alternate names
|Bedia, Dharua, Khotta, Kurmali, Kurumali, Kurmali Thar
|Lexical similarity: 58%–89% between varieties, 61%–86% with Panchpargania [tdb], 58%–72% with Khortha, 51%–73% with Sadri [sck], 46% to 53% with Oriya [ori], 41%–55% with Bengali [ben], 44%–58% with Hindi.
|Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Eastern zone, Bihari
|Language use
|Vigorous. Most young people in Orissa speak Oriya [ori] among themselves rather than Kudmali. All domains. All ages. Positive attitude. Also use Oriya, Hindi, or Bengali [ben].
|Language development
|There are Pre-degree, Degree, and MA programs in Kudmali.
|Kudmali is spoken by the Kurmi people of Assam brought to the tea gardens from Bihar, Orissa, and West Bengal. Hindu.
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Copyright © 2009 SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics)


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This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/).
Nafion membranes were impregnated with photocurable supramolecules, viz., hyperbranched polyester having pendant functional carboxylic acid groups (HBPEAc-COOH) by swelling in methanol and subsequently photocured
With the emergence of proton fuel cells for clean energy, perfluorinated ionomer membrane, commercially known as Nafion, has received widespread attention from researchers in both academia and industry. By virtue of its outstanding proton conductivity [
There are several attempts to remedy the aforementioned shortcomings of Nafion perfluorinated ionomer membranes, especially to increase proton conduction at elevated temperatures [
The main idea of the present research is to incorporate functional photopolymerizable supramolecules into the ionic domains and subsequently polymerize it
In this manuscript, we have incorporated solid supramolecules such as photocurable hyperbranched (HB) polyester terminated with functional carboxylic acid groups, namely HBPEAc-COOH [
Prior to incorporation into the Nafion membranes, the physical and chemical characterization of HB polyester was conducted by means of DSC, FTIR and SSNMR.
The overlay FTIR spectra of neat HBPEAc-COOH, HBPEAc-COOH with the initiator before photocuring and HBPEAc-COOH after photocuring are shown in
The 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra acquired from cured HBPEAc-COOH and impregnated membranes are shown in
In order to quantify the amount of hyperbranched polyester incorporated, the total signal intensity of the 13C CP/MAS NMR spectra of HBPEAc-COOH was evaluated. Correcting for the total number of transients collected and sample size, the amount of HBPEAc-COOH present in the impregnated membrane was determined to be 7 ± 1 wt %. As will be discussed later, this mass of HB polymer in the Nafion film matches the results obtained in the FTIR studies (
The fluoropolymer backbone of the Nafion membrane was investigated to determine if there were any changes in this environment upon impregnating Nafion with HBPEAc-COOH. The 13C NMR spectrum was collected using 19F-13C CP and 19F decoupling so that the peaks in the 13C NMR spectrum unambiguously arise from the fluorocarbon component of Nafion. The 13C spectrum from Nafion,
Nafion membranes were characterized prior to and after the infusion of the HB polyester by determining water content, HB polyester uptake levels, and the interactions between the Nafion and HB polyester. The 1H NMR spectra of neat Nafion (
ATR-FTIR experiments were conducted in order to probe the interactions between HBPEAc-COOH and the ionic domains of Nafion, as well as to determine the estimated amounts of HBPEAc-COOH incorporated into Nafion. The FTIR spectra of neat Nafion, neat HBPEAc-COOH and impregnated membranes with different HB polyester feed ratios are depicted in
The FTIR spectrum from neat HBPEAc-COOH exhibits a number of characteristic bands; specifically the peak at 1,727 cm−1 arising from the carbonyl stretching, whereas the peak at 1,508 cm−1 associated with the C=C stretching of the aromatic rings. The bands at 1,230 cm−1 and 1,190 cm−1 correspond to the C–O–C stretching of cyclic ether linkages of HBPEAc-COOH. The 830 cm−1 and 740 cm−1 peaks are associated with the C–H bending and C=C aromatic out-of-plane bending vibrations, respectively. The C=O band of the neat HB, which is located at 1,727 cm−1, shows a minor shift upon impregnation for about 2 ~ 3 cm−1 which is below the spectral resolution of 4 cm−1 and thus it is inconclusive.
In the case of neat Nafion, the S–O band, located at 1,057 cm−1, is slightly lower than that of th dried Nafion (1,061 cm−1) [
In order to quantify the estimated amount of HBPEAc-COOH incorporated in the Nafion membran two different FTIR approaches were employed. Note that the FTIR spectra were collected after wipin off any residual HBPEAc-COOH that might be deposited on the surface of Nafion membranes. Aft drying, the impregnated membrane was photocured in accordance with the procedure described in th experimental section. The first approach focuses on the peak (position) shift of S–O band with H polyester content and the second approach utilizes the integrated area under the C=O and C= aromatic peak at 1,727 cm−1 and 1,508 cm−1 to determine the amount of HBPEAc-COOH in Nafion.
As shown in
Based on the observed SSNMR and FTIR findings, a schematic drawing in
Next, DMA was performed to mimic the viscoelastic properties of the impregnated membrane by analyzing the relaxation temperature of the ionic domain,
The impregnation of Nafion by HBPEAc-COOH raised the
With descending temperature, an additional relaxation peak can be discerned at ~90 °C,
Another important observation is the increase in the storage modulus values of the impregnated membrane. As can be seen in
In order to determine whether or not there is any improvement in the proton transport of the HBPEAc-COOH impregnated membrane over neat Nafion, proton conductivity measurements were conducted by AC impedance fuel cell tests at the humidity levels of 100% RH and 74% RH as a function of temperature.
Next, the Cole-Cole plots were constructed over the frequency range of 0.1 Hz–10 kHz.
The impregnated membranes with 10 wt % of HB, on the other hand, exhibits an increasing conductivity trend with temperature afforded by the acidic protons from the pendant carboxylic groups from the HB supramolecules, which gained higher mobility when temperature is raised. The conductivity value of the impregnated membrane increased from 0.040 S cm−1 at 80 °C to 0.056 S cm−1 at 115 °C and at 74% RH, which eventually exceeded that of the neat Nafion (σ = 0.043 S cm−1 at 115 °C and at 74% RH). This observation is not surprising in view of the fact that a sizable portion of the Nafion ionic domain was occupied by the HB networks, which in turn reduced the water uptake. Incorporation of hyperbranched polyesters within the ionic clusters lowers water uptake and therefore lowering conductivity in the impregnated membrane. By reducing the HB amount to 4 wt %, more water molecules can be accommodated with the ionic domains and thus the proton conduction can increase slightly at low temperatures as compared with the 10 wt % sample. At elevated temperature above 100 °C, it shows the proton conductivity behavior that is intermediate between the neat Nafion and the 10 wt % impregnated membrane.
Of particular importance is that the proton conduction of the HBPEAc-COOH impregnated membrane showed an increasing trend that eventually exceeded that of neat Nafion at 110 and 115 °C, even though with only slight improvement in the proton conductivity value. It can be anticipated that the hydrogen bonded carboxylic acids groups present in the ionic clusters/HBPEAc-COOH networks will be ionized with water vapor when the temperature is raised, resulting in free hydronium ions that ultimately promotes the proton conduction process under the minimal water level. Hence, it is reasonable to infer that the proton conducting of the impregnated membrane at elevated temperatures is becoming less dependent on the free water molecules but more on the ionized protons of the carboxylic acid groups. Although the present proton conductivity measurement is limited to 115 °C due to the present instrumental configuration, the impregnated membrane is demonstrated to be thermally more stable up to the experimental temperature of 150 °C as manifested in the previous DMA experiment.
There is a concern that the HB polyester in Nafion membrane may undergo hydrolysis, which is prevalent in most common polyesters. Nafion itself may suffer to some level of membrane deterioration upon prolonged or repeated usage in proton fuel cells due to the formation of peroxide radical originating from the platinum/carbon supported catalyst [
In order to check the potential hydrolysis of polyester, we acquired the FTIR scans on the HB impregnated membranes before and after the cyclic AC impedance measurements. Contrary to the general perception, we did not find any noticeable difference in FTIR spectra before and after the proton fuel cell tests, implying the chemical stability of the HB impregnated membranes up to 100 °C (
Nafion 115 membranes with equivalent weight of 1,100 in its original acid form were purchased from Fuel Cell Store. In accordance with the literature procedure [
The HB polyester was synthesized from polyaddition of bisphenol-A-diglycidyl ether (BPGE) with trimesic acid (TMA) and methacrylic acid (MA), by adding
Weighed Nafion membranes were pre-swollen in methanol for 24 h and then immersed in the HBPEAc-COOH/methanol solution for 48 h at room temperature. The curing agent (Irgacure 907) in an amount of 3 wt % with respect to HBPEAc-COOH was added to the above solutions. The Nafion to HBPEAc-COOH polyester mass ratios were 98/2, 97/3, 95/5, 90/10 and 80/20. These ratios correspond to the feed compositions, which will be hereafter referred to as 'feed ratio'. Impregnated membranes were then removed from the HBPEAc-COOH/methanol solution and were gently blotted with tissue paper (e.g., Kimwipes) to remove excess methanol solution on the surface. Subsequently, the impregnated membranes were photocured in a curing chamber (NuLine, model NL22-8C, 90 mW/cm2) at ~85 °C for 5 min, which is slightly above the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the HB polyester. Blotting and curing procedures were conducted in a dark room so as to prevent accidental curing of the membranes. The HBPEAc-COOH impregnated Nafion membranes will be hereafter referred to as 'impregnated membranes'. These impregnated membranes were kept in a dessicator prior to use.
Thermal analyses of neat HBPEAc-COOH before and after photocuring were performed using a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) using a modulated DSC 2920 (TA Instruments). The recommended amount of 7–10 mg of each sample was encapsulated in aluminum hermatic pans. DSC heating and cooling scans were carried out from 30 to 120 °C at a rate of 10 °C min−1 unless indicated otherwise. The DSC chamber was purged with nitrogen gas at a rate of 80 mL min−1.
1H-13C and 19F-13C cross polarization (CP) and 1H direct polarization (DP) magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectra were collected on a Varian (Model: NMRS 500, 11.7 T) spectrometer operated at 125.62 MHz for 13C and using a Varian narrow-bore triple-resonance T3 MAS NMR probe. Samples were packed into 4 mm zirconia rotors and spun at 10 kHz. The 13C and 1H chemical shifts were referenced to hexamethylbenzene (17.3 ppm; methyl) and adamantane (1.76 ppm). The 1H-13C and 19F-13C CP/MAS data were collected under continuous wave (CW) proton and TPPM fluorine decoupling, respectively. A 90° pulse width of 4 μs was used for all nuclei. Recycle delays of 2, 2.5 and 1 s were used for 1H-13C CP, 19F-13C CP and 1H DP experiments with contact times of 3.5 and 1.5 ms for the 1H-13C and 19F-13C CP experiments. For the 1H spectra, 32 transients were collected. Samples of neat Nafion-acid and impregnated membrane were stored in a dessicator and only exposed to ambient atmosphere while loading. The membranes were cut into a rectangular shape and rolled to fit into the rotors.
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra were collected in the attenuated total reflected mode (ATR) on a Nicolet 380 (Thermo Scientific) spectrometer with an average of 32 scans and a spectral resolution of 4 cm−1 at ~100 °C. Prior to the spectra collection, the membrane samples were equilibrated at 100 °C for about 10 min to eliminate possible moisture absorption.
Quantification of the estimated amount of HBPEAc-COOH in the impregnated membranes was done by integrating the area under the FTIR curves within the wavenumber ranges of 1,670–1,770 cm−1 and 1,550–1,450 cm−1, which correspond to the carbonyl group and C=C aromatic stretching peaks, respectively. The area under the FTIR absorption peak was normalized by that of pure HB polyester. The estimated amount of HB polyester was calculated by multiplying the percentage of HBPEAc-COOH present in membrane with the initial amount in feed and can be calculated using
Prior to the water uptake measurements, neat Nafion and HBPEAc-COOH impregnated Nafion membranes were dried in a vacuum oven until a constant weight was reached, which was taken as the mass in the dry state. All membranes were immersed in 10 mL deionized water at room temperature and equilibrated for 72 h for water uptake measurements. Membranes were then removed and blotted with dry tissue papers (Kimwipes) and the mass in wet state was recorded. Water uptake in percentage and the number of water molecules per mole of sulfonic group, λ, can be determined using
Ion exchange capacity (IEC) of impregnated membranes and neat Nafion were conducted using titration method where weighed membrane samples were soaked in sodium chloride (NaCl) solution for approximately 120 h to ensure complete conversion of proton to sodium cations. Solutions were then titrated with standardized 0.01 N sodium hydroxide (NaOH) using a phenolphthalein indicator to the end point. IEC values in meq g−1 were calculated using the volume of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) used to neutralize the solution with equation below;
Dynamic mechanical analyses (DMA) were measured in sinusoidal tension mode using a Pyris Diamond DMA (Perkin Elmer) equipped with a liquid nitrogen cooling controller (Seiko Equipment). Dried neat Nafion and impregnated membranes were cooled down to ‒140 °C and maintained isothermally for 5 min, then heated up to 200 °C at a heating rate of 1 °C min−1. The frequency of the dynamic mechanical measurements was fixed at 1 Hz and measurements were carried out under the nitrogen environment.
Proton conductivity characterization of neat Nafion 115 and impregnated membranes were conducted using the AC impedance fuel cell device (Scribner, Model 850e Multi Range) equipped with adjustable reactant humidifier unit. Hydrogen (H2) and compressed air were used as reactants with flow rate of 0.2 L min−1. Contact cell dimension used was 5 cm2 and membranes were tested at frequency range of 0.1 Hz–10 kHz. Measurements were conducted at two different relative humidity (RH) levels,
We have successfully incorporated large polymer molecules into the Nafion ionic domains via impregnation of hyperbranched supramolecules and subsequent photo-crosslinking
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermograms of pure HBPEAc-COOH (
Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of (
125.6 MHz 1H−13C CP/MAS solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (SSNMR) spectra of (
125.6 MHz 19F-13C CP/MAS SSNMR spectra of (
499.5 MHz 1H DP/MAS SSNMR spectra of (
Schematic drawing of the ionic domain of the Nafion membrane before and after impregnation with HBPEAc-COOH showing the isolated cured HB polyester network from the fluorocarbon matrix.
Change of storage modulus and loss tangent as a function of temperature of neat Nafion-acid form (solid line) and 10% HBPEAc-COOH impregnated Nafion membrane (dashed line). An additional relaxation peak, attributable to the Tg of the cured HBPEAc-COOH, appears in the impregnated membrane at around ~90 °C. The inset photographs show relative thermal stability of the impregnated membrane showing light beige as compared to the dark brownish color of neat Nafion-acid after dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) experiments at 150 °C. The sample dimension was 10 mm in width × 25 mm in length.
Plots of (
Proton conductivity plots of neat Nafion and impregnated membrane as a function of temperature at 74% RH. Proton conductivity of neat Nafion plummets beyond 80 °C while the conductivity value of the impregnated membrane continues to increase with temperature. Notice that the proton conductivity of the impregnated membranes is improved for about 30% over that of neat Nafion at 115 °C.
Heating and cooling cyclic AC impedance measurements of neat Nafion and impregnated membrane at 100% RH demonstrating the lowering of the proton conductivity hysteresis of neat Nafion after each cycle. The impregnated membrane, however, shows relatively consistent proton conductivity after all five cyclic measurements.
FTIR spectra of 90/10 Nafion/HBPEAc-COOH (
The authors are indebted to Robert Weiss and his group members, Emmanuel Pitia and Nathinee Srinate, for their invaluable suggestions and assistance in the operation of the AC impedance proton fuel cell device.


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The 28HE Series high-efficiency cast iron commercial boilers offer thermal and combustion efficiencies of up to 86 percent for oil and 83 percent for gas. The boilers are available in 15 sizes, with gross output ratings ranging from 931 to 4,622 MBtuh, for use in either water or steam systems. They can be fired with light oil, gas, or gas/light oil. Features include heat transfer rods; extra-thick, 3-inch insulated metal jacket; baffled cleanout covers; and graphite port connectors.
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Tyshawn, Kevin, Nak and Mikey in the cut. Everywhere we go around the world, we're in the cut.
This bitch fell out the sky when we were skating the spot in Auckland, New Zealand.
Victoria St skatepark, this shit is beast.
Hotel view.
In the airport on the way to Sydney, you feel me. The yungest goon.
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Nak is muck.
98 Juvie. Creole Kev.
Nah dead ass, Mikey is hit.
In the bank like HAAhaaHAha.
Mikey is real life hit, but this bathroom was nasty as fuck.


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Published abroad as Sex in the Afternoon, Till the End of Time was an international bestseller. Its heroine, Andrianna DeArte, who has reinvented herself countless times, is the most alluring woman Jonathan West has ever seen. And the most elusive. But he's a billionaire who gets what he wants and he wants her-the mysterious woman on the QE2.


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Tourist Directory > Retailers
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Division of Public HealthMichigan State University200 East 1st St., Room 337Flint, MI 48502
Richard Casey (Rick) Sadler, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Family Medicine who engages in Flint public health research through the MSU College of Human Medicine's Division of Public Health. A Flint native, he attended the University of Michigan-Flint (BSc, 2007), then earned his PhD in geography from the University of Western Ontario in 2013.
Dr. Sadler's research is aimed at strengthening the understanding between the built environment and health behaviors/outcomes, with the goal of shaping land use policy to build healthier cities. His work is integrated with community organizations, and uses qualitative and spatial analysis to address disparities in the social determinants of health. He says, "My experiences growing up in the Flint region--where industrial growth, subsequent deindustrialization, and fragmented planning practices have had a profound influence on the built form--shaped my drive to resolve inequalities that arise from imbalances between the salutogenic and pathogenic properties of urban areas."
He adds, "My work is underpinned by an upbringing oriented around compassion and stewardship, experiential training in cultural competence, and a recognition of historical processes of discrimination which have exacerbated spatial and health inequalities."
Department of Family MedicineClinical CenterMichigan State University788 Service Road, B101East Lansing, MI, 48824
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© Michigan State University Board of Trustees, East Lansing, MI 48824
MSU is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer


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BEVERLY HILLS -- G.O.P. presidential candidate Mitt Romney has added a Beverly Hills fundraiser to his schedule today.
Romney will speak at a fundraiser at about 5 p.m. today at the Beverly Hilton, according to City News Service. That report was later confirmed by a CBS News reporter travelling with the campaign.
Romney arrived in a private plane in San Diego at noon, and was to appear at 2 p.m. at a fundraiser at a luxury hotel near Del Mar owned by San Diego newspaper publisher Doug Manchester. And national news media accounts had said his next appearance was Sunday in Denver.
It is not known how Romney will travel from near Del Mar to Beverly Hills. The hotel is at 9876 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
The L.A. Democratic Party chairman, Eric Bauman, and other Obama volunteers planned a news conference and rally "to welcome Mitt Romney" at 3 p.m. today across the street from the Hilton, at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard at Trenton Drive. A similar event was held at Romney's San Diego airport arrival event.
Beverly Hills police say they will direct reporters to a place to cover the event, but would not confirm any details. The Romney campaign has not responded to requests for confirmation.


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Learning through the locals
April 20, 2014
By Kim Oldenborg (Northland College '16)
This week we have been much less nomadic. We returned to Wereldsend on the 14th and both of our vehicles decided they had enough of the bush for a while. Our leaders have been busy fixing the vehicles and finding parts but unfortunately the odds just haven't been in our favor. This has given all of us students some well-needed study time at Wereldsend. After breakfasts we have been quickly diving into our course work taking advantage of the time to catch up on readings, project proposals, and nature journals while we are back here at base camp. The time has been flying by and before we know it the sun already seems to be setting, but we always find time for some frisbee or a walk around camp.
From our extended stay here we had time to celebrate Easter! We woke up to an easter egg hunt and candy! We spent all morning dying eggs decorating them with our favorite animals and phrases.
Being back at Wereldsend has given me some time to realize that learning really is an experience. Being able to talk to the people who are making conservation happen in Namibia, right in this moment, right where I am standing, is an amazing opportunity. Every individual we meet has given us a new lens to see conservation through and how it affects the people around.
From our first game guards in Torra we learned all the subtleties in order to age and sex the game we see, and this once impossible task has become much easier for all of us. We also learned about what makes Torra, as a conservancy, so successful. They have attracted ecotourism businesses to their area which creates employment opportunities for the locals. The game guards knew many people who are employed by these businesses and it was interesting to hear how the entire community benefits from the businesses.
In Anabeb the game guards helped is delve into understanding the pros and cons of trophy hunting, and how it is being done in the conservancies. Being a person who does not hunt I was fascinated to learn about what great benefits trophy hunting can have, including game meat for the community and the ability to sell problem animals that were going to be killed anyway.
While the conservancy model is an extraordinary advancement in conservation by involving local people and aiding in poverty reduction, in Sesfontien we learned that conservancies are not perfect. Our game guard who was once also on the conservancy committee told us how not everyone has an ultimate goal of conservation in mind and money can be a driving factor. Sometime people involved in administration and decision making take more benefits for themselves, leaving others very frustrated. He also told us personal stories of livestock loss, which devastate people's livelihoods.
These stories made me realize that one of the biggest unsolved problems of conservation in Namibia and all over the world is the ongoing battle of human-wildlife conflict. The optimistic side of me wants to think there is one easy answer to find a compromise between human and the wildlife but I have learned there is not. Fortunately there are so many dedicated people trying to find the answer and it boggles my mind every night to try and find a solution too. In Etosha we were extremely privileged to talk to a scientist for Namibia's ministry for the environment and tourism. We learned of how fire management is crucial to avoid large wildfires like the one that took place in 2012. We also were amused to hear all of his stories about tourists that made us think "what were they doing!?" including people getting out of their car next to lions and people swimming in water holes at night. Hearing about his research and all the studies being done in Etosha made us all drool with amazement and were star stuck to meet someone with our dream job.
Back in Palamwag we were able to talk with a local woman who worked for Save the Rhino Trust, a non-government organization helping with conservation in Namibia. We learned about women's role in conservancies and about women's place in Namibian culture. She said that woman's rights in Namibia are moving forward but there is still much work to be done to involve women and spark their interest within the conservancies. It's been hard to do this because culturally conservation has been a man's job. She was very confident that by the time her daughter (who was sitting right next to her) was our age, women would be much more involved in making decisions for the conservancy.
Through all of these people my eyes have been opened into how conservation goes so much deeper than just the wildlife and landscape. It affects the livelihoods and the cultures of people which are aspects that cannot be fairly represented with numbers. Having a deeper understanding of the impacts on humans from conservation and being able to hear firsthand how conservation has affected people we meet is something I will never forget.
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