text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Jul 5, 1994
|Filing date
|Jun 26, 1991
|Priority date
|Jun 26, 1991
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Ben J. Walthall, Mathew V. Caple, Thomas J. Murphy
|Original Assignee
|Irvine Scientific Sales Co.
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (18), Referenced by (33), Classifications (16), Legal Events (5)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
The present invention relates to mixing apparatus for mixing an incoming fluid stream with a material to be mixed with the incoming fluid stream. More particularly, the present invention relates to mixing apparatus specially adapted for reconstituting powdered cell culture media in predetermined unit volume amounts.
Viable animal cells and tissue in in vitro cultures have been known since the early 1900s. While animal cell culture today is a sophisticated technology, the basic culture technique has not changed since the beginning of the century. Cells or tissue, either primary or transformed, are grown in a liquid nutrient mixture generally referred to as "media." This media is a complex mixture of amino acids, vitamins, salts, and other components. It is often supplemented with 1-10% purified bovine fetal or newborn calf serum. Cell culture media and serum are available commercially from many sources.
While the basic cell culture technique has not changed appreciably over the years, the volume of cell culture and the accessibility of this laboratory technique has increased dramatically. Not only are more research laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies employing tissue culture techniques but they are doing so, often, on a relatively large scale. A medical product related corporation may consume tens or hundreds of liters of liquid media a day and employ large numbers of laboratory technicians and scientists to generate antibodies, growth factors or purified protein from tissue culture for commercial use. Thus, between media supply costs and employee time there is a considerable expense associated with the tissue culture process today.
Cell culture media is available commercially either as a dry powder which is reconstituted by adding an appropriate volume of water, or as a pre-packaged liquid. There are also a number of additives that are typically added to the media before use. These include sodium bicarbonate, glutamine, additional buffers or antibiotics.
Pre-packaged liquid is sterile, aliquoted into convenient sizes and is ready to use. However, the media is typically light sensitive and has a prescribed shelf-life. Therefore, media must be ordered on a regular basis. It also should be stored under refrigeration and, in its prepackaged form, requires significant man-power time to unpackage and transport. Further, shipping costs of prepackaged liquid is becoming increasingly more expensive.
Powdered media is provided in bulk or in premeasured packages. It tends to have a longer shelf life, is less expensive and requires less storage space and handling time than the liquid form. However, the powdered media must be dissolved and aliquoted under sterile conditions. The increased handling and preparation time especially for large volume media preparation often makes pre-packaged liquid media the preferred choice despite the increased cost. Thus a powdered media that is easy to prepare, requires less storage space than liquid media and whose preparation requires minimal effort will be a significant improvement over the current art.
Reconstitution of powdered media is a several step process. To prepare a liquid media from a solid powder, a known amount of powder intended for a specific volume of media is measured out and added to a volume of distilled water which is typically slightly less than the final desired volume. The powder and water are stirred until the solid is completely dissolved. Then, a specific quantity of sodium bicarbonate is added and dissolved. Sodium bicarbonate and the powdered media must not be simultaneously added to the water, or a calcium carbonate precipitate forms. The pH may thereafter be adjusted using acid or base and additional water is added to increase the media to its final volume. The entire mixture is then passed through a sterilizing filter. The media may thereafter be collected in a single large sterile vessel, or proportioned into several smaller sterile vessels.
Powdered tissue culture media has a very fine particle size and is hygroscopic. When mixed with water, it tends to "ball" or "clump." Thus, when reconstituting in water, sufficient agitation is required to break up any clumps that may form upon initial contact with water. For smaller batch sizes, sterile magnetic stir bars can be added to the mixing container and the container is then placed on a magnetic stir plate. Additional manipulations are required to add stir bars to the mixing containers. In a typical laboratory setting, magnetic stir plates are not a practical solution for large volume media preparation.
In addition, due to its hygroscopic nature, the media absorbs water when stored, especially in humid environments. Wet media has a shortened shelf-life, becomes lumpy and requires aggressive agitation to reconstitute. Thus, powdered media shelf life could be improved if it were provided in premeasured sealed and desiccated aliquots.
The reconstitution process requires several steps and several separate pieces of equipment. It generally requires at least one vessel, large enough to contain the entire final volume of reconstituted media, plus one or more vessels to receive the sterile media after filtration. The sterilized media is usually delivered into open top containers. Thus, most media preparation is done in a laminar flow hood. Processing large volumes of media in a hood is difficult because there is often not enough space to accommodate the containers and sterile media. A device that would permit the preparation of such a product with minimal physical contact and facilitate media preparation without the inconveniences described above would fulfill a long felt need in the scientific community.
There are a wide variety of solutions, the preparation of which requires the sequential dissolution or addition of components with minimum physical contact. In the research laboratory there are a range of chemicals that are purchased as a powder or series of powders or as a series of concentrates and must be prepared prior to use. Other substances may be toxic so handling should be minimized. Some chemicals are required to be free of nucleases such as those found on human hands and require sterilization before use. Still others must be free from contaminants including dusts, bacteria, viruses and fungi. As a liquid these substances may have a predetermined shelf-life and while they may be inexpensive to purchase as a powder, they are considerably more expensive to purchase and receive in a prepackaged, filtered sterile liquid form.
There is provided in accordance with one aspect of the present invention a mixing apparatus for mixing a concentrated material with an incoming fluid stream. The mixing apparatus comprises a housing having a substantially cylindrical mixing chamber therein for containing concentrated material to be mixed, and an influent port in the housing for providing fluid communication between the mixing chamber and a source of fluid. The influent port is aligned to direct incoming fluid along an axis which is generally tangential to the interior wall of the mixing chamber, thereby generating a rotational fluid velocity within the mixing chamber upon introduction of fluid under pressure. Preferably, a filter is provided in the effluent stream from the mixing chamber to substantially prevent the escape of unmixed powdered material from the mixing chamber.
A second mixing chamber is preferably provided in fluid communication with the effluent of the first mixing chamber, for containing a second concentrated material to be mixed with the incoming fluid stream. In a preferred embodiment, the first mixing chamber and second mixing chamber are in fluid communication with each other by way of a first filter. The effluent stream from the second mixing chamber is provided with a second filter for substantially preventing the escape of undissolved materials therefrom, and, optimally, a third sterilizing filter is provided in the effluent stream from the second mixing chamber in an embodiment for use with a material which is to be sterilized.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of reconstituting a powdered material in a buffer solution. In accordance with the method, a vortex mixing apparatus having a powdered culture media in a first mixing chamber therein is provided, the apparatus also having a buffer material in a second mixing chamber.
An influent fluid stream is introduced under pressure into the first mixing chamber for contacting the powdered culture media and creating a mixing vortex therein. Thereafter, the fluid stream is directed out of the first mixing chamber and into the second mixing chamber for contacting the buffer material.
In a preferred embodiment, the effluent stream from the second mixing chamber is directed through a sterilization filter and into a receiving bag. Preferably, the volume of the receiving bag, the volume of the powdered culture media and buffer are all coordinated so that the introduction into the first chamber of a sufficient volume of fluid to substantially fill the bag provides a unit volume of reconstituted culture media.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, a parallel flow mixing apparatus is provided in which an incoming fluid stream is divided into two or more fluid streams, each of which in turn drives a separate mixing chamber. Variations of water-driven mixing include the water-driven vortex alone, or water-driven vortex together with an internal mixing blade. Alternatively, external water-driven mixing means may be used including an external water-driven turbine rotationally coupled with an internal mixing blade. Additional external mechanical mixing means, such as magnetic stir bar or rotationally coupled motor-driven external mixing means, are also provided.
These and additional features and variations on the invention will become apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from the detailed description of preferred embodiments which follows, when considered together with the attached drawings and claims.
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of the overall mixing chamber, sterilization filter, and receiving receptacle system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an exploded elevational view of the embodiment of the mixing chamber and external sterilization filter illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top cross-sectional view along the lines 3--3 in FIG. 1, showing the tangential orientation of the influent flow path.
FIG. 4 is an elevational cross-sectional view of the mixing chamber shown in FIG. 1 with a representation of a fluid vortex in the lower mixing chamber.
FIG. 5 is an elevational perspective view of a second embodiment of a mixing chamber in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an additional embodiment having two influent ports on the same horizontal plane with complementary influent flow paths.
FIG. 7 is an elevational perspective view of an additional embodiment of the invention having rotatable stirring blades.
FIG. 1 is an overall system view of one embodiment of the mixing apparatus 20, filter 36 and receiving bag 40 in accordance with the present invention. The mixing apparatus 20 comprises at least one, and preferably two chambers. The generally cylindrical first chamber 22 constitutes the lower chamber in the preferred embodiment depicted herein and a second chamber 24 constitutes the upper chamber of this preferred embodiment. For descriptive purposes "chemical A" will refer herein to the material contained in first chamber 22 and "chemical B" will refer to the material contained in the second chamber 24 in a two chamber embodiment.
An incoming fluid stream enters the mixing chamber 20 through an influent port 26. The axis of the influent port enters first chamber 22 at substantially a tangential angle to the interior wall thereof such that liquid entering the first chamber through influent port 26 follows the sides of the chamber to create a circular mixing motion that facilitates mixing of chemical A with the fluid stream within the first chamber. As chemical A dissolves in the liquid and additional liquid enters into first chamber 22, the liquid level advances upward through divider 30 and enters the second chamber 24. Fluid containing chemical A passing through chamber divider 30 (FIG. 1) and entering into the upper chamber now comes in contact with chemical B.
In a preferred embodiment, chemical B has increased solubility characteristics over chemical A such that agitation is not necessary to facilitate the dissolution of chemical B in liquid which already contains chemical A. Liquid containing dissolved chemicals A and B thereafter exits second chamber 24 through an effluent port 32 preferably after passing through a filter 64 (FIG. 2). Liquid passing through effluent port 32 then enters outlet tubing 34 and in a preferred embodiment enters into sterilization filter 36. Sterile liquid containing chemical A and chemical B thereafter exits filter 36 and passes into a receiving receptacle 40.
It is further contemplated that the final product may require the addition of one or more other liquid additives, or the receptacle 40 may be drained into a series of different containers. Therefore, multiple inlet ports generally designated as multiple inlet ports 42 are typically provided. Flow stop regulators 44 are preferably associated with each of the inlet ports to provide control for the sequential draining or influx of the desired additive solutions.
FIG. 2 depicts in detail an exploded view of a preferred mixing apparatus embodiment. Mixing apparatus base 46 is combined with lower chamber housing 48 in association with a seal 50. Lower chamber housing 48 and base 46 are preferably substantially cylindrical in shape to optimize the rotational velocity of the fluid which has been driven through influent port 26 under pressure. The seal 50 is preferably an elastomeric O-ring but could be a gasket or other sealing device known to those with skill in the art.
Lower chamber housing 48 is provided with an influent port 26, generally tangentially oriented to the interior wall of the housing. Influent port 26 may be integrally molded with the housing 48, or can be affixed thereto in any of a variety of ways known in the art such as by adhesive, solvent or heat bonding techniques. Preferably, influent port 26 is located in the lower half of the housing 48, and more preferably along the lower one-fourth of the housing 48. A hose barb or other conventional connector is preferably affixed to influent port 26.
The upper inner surface of the housing 48 preferably contains an annular shoulder or support structure 52. The support structure 52 is preferably integrally molded together with or milled into the chamber housing 48 to form a ledge or lip to support a chamber divider which in this preferred embodiment is a microporous circular filter disc 54. The support device 52 could alternatively comprise a plurality of support pegs or grooves made of the same material as the cylinder casing.
The filter disc 54, while preferably made of microporous Porex™ plastic (Porex Technologies, Fairburn, Ga.), could additionally be made of glass, wool, micron meshing, or any of a variety of other inert substances having suitable compatibility with the solvents and powders to be used in the apparatus. Preferably, the filter material will have a sufficiently small pore size to prevent escape of the powdered media. For the preferred application described herein, the filter preferably has a pore width of approximately 90-130 microns. The filter disk permits liquid passage into the second chamber but generally prevents the movement of undissolved solids from the first chamber 22 to the second chamber 24. Further undissolved solids trapped in the microporous filter are subsequently dissolved by the continued flow of fluid passing through the filter.
The two chambers are preferably adjacent one another and separated from one another by a microporous plastic filter disc 54. However, it is also contemplated that the first chamber 22 and second chamber 24 be remote from one another, so long as they can be placed in fluid communication with each other during the service cycle. FIG. 2 illustrates a preferred embodiment where first and second chambers 22, 24 are axially aligned in a water tight seal such that liquid enters the first, or lower chamber, and moves to the second or upper chamber passing through circular filter disc 54. In this construction, a second seal 56 such as an elastomeric O-ring is used to provide a tight seal between the upper and lower chambers. During manufacture, chemical A is preferably placed into first chamber 22 before the circular microporous filter disc 54 has been put into- place. Construction materials are discussed infra. In a preferred embodiment, lower chamber 22 is made of the same material as upper chamber 24.
The upper chamber housing 60 is also preferably provided with a filter support 62. A second circular filter disc, the effluent filter 64, is placed on top of the filter support 62 following addition of chemical B. A third seal 66 is preferably used to provide a water tight seal between the mixing chamber cap 68 and the upper chamber housing. Effluent filter 64 preferably sits at least about one-eighth of an inch from the interior surface of cap 70. This provides space for liquid containing chemicals A and B to pass through the effluent filter and leave via effluent port 32.
When a sterile product is required, the fluid preferably passes through the effluent port 32 and into a sterilization unit 36. Sterilization units of the type contemplated by this invention can be purchased from a number of suppliers. One commercial supplier is Pall Corporation, Courtland, Me. For a sterile media product, the sterilization filter apparatus will typically contain a 0.2μ filter. The filter may comprise nylon or cellulose acetate.
It is additionally contemplated that other types of filter sizes could be chosen for other functions. For example, the preparation of electrophoretic buffers requires clean, but not necessarily sterile solutions and a 0.45μ filter would be adequate. Similarly, the preparation of more viscous solutions may necessitate a wider pore size. For other applications of the invention disclosed herein, no filtration apparatus need be added. Liquid then passes directly to a receiving receptacle through flexible tubing. If a sterile filter is used, then tubing and all additional chemicals entering multiple inlet ports 42 as well receiving receptacle 40 should be sterile (see FIG. 1).
In use, liquid enters the mixing chamber through influent port 26. A hose is preferably affixed to the influent port and locks in place via the hose barb connector. In a preferred embodiment, standard flexible laboratory tubing of diameter sufficiently large such that the tubing will pass over the neck of the hose barb and sufficiently small that the tubing seals over the hose barb nozzle is employed to direct the incoming fluid stream to the mixing chamber. The other end of the flexible tubing is preferably applied directly to a source of fluid. In the preferred culture media application of the present invention, the influent port 26 is placed in fluid communication with a distilled deionized water (ddH2 O) source having an adapted nozzle such as is found in most scientific laboratory ddH2 O faucets. Other tubing materials, nozzle adapters, and pumps may be required for use with other water sources or liquid solvents.
Faucet pressure or other inflow pressures in excess of about 1 psi are generally sufficiently strong to permit proper apparatus function. Typical tap pressure, in the area of about 25 psi is sufficient for many embodiments of the invention. The minimum effective pressure is a function of the scale of the first mixing chamber, the volume of chemical A contained therein and the diameter of the influent lumen, as will be understood by one of skill in the art. Some routine experimentation may be required to optimize these parameters for specific applications. In one exemplary embodiment, utilized with an influent line pressure of about 1 to 10 psi, the first chamber is a cylindrical chamber having an interior diameter of about 4.5" an internal height of about 4" and an influent port diameter of about 3/16".
FIG. 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view across plane 3--3 of FIG. 1 showing a hose barb 71 connected to influent port 26. As previously described, liquid enters the lower chamber under pressure at substantially a tangent to the interior wall of the chamber. The velocity of the liquid entering the apparatus is determined by the incoming fluid stream pressure and can be additionally manipulated by altering either the diameter of the influent port or the dimensions of the first chamber. Decreased influent port diameters will increase the velocity of liquid entering the chamber, while increased influent port diameters will decrease liquid velocity. Preferably the pressure of the liquid stream in combination with a compatible influent port diameter will provide sufficient liquid velocity such that liquid entering the apparatus follows the surface of the inner chamber casing and continues along the pathway designated by the arrows of FIG. 3. If the rotational fluid velocity of the liquid is sufficient, the motion subsequently establishes a turbulent vortex that serves to mix the influent liquid with the contents of the first chamber.
FIG. 4 depicts an elevational cross-sectional view of the mixing apparatus of FIG. 1. The dashed horizontal lines 74 represent the swirling fluid that creates a roughly conical region of air 75 at its center. The swirling vortex mixes the contents of the first chamber 22. Additional fluid entering the chamber pushes the vortex up the sides of the first chamber and through the microporous filter disc 54 into the second chamber 24.
Once the fluid has reached second chamber 24, the flow becomes laminar. Chemical B, located within the upper chamber, preferably has increased solubility characteristics over chemical A and therefore readily dissolves in the liquid containing chemical A. The upper chamber fills and fluid containing chemical A and B passes from the upper chamber through the effluent filter and into the cap reservoir space 76. In this embodiment the effluent filter is made from the same material as circular filter disk 54. Effluent port 32 provides an outlet for the mixed product. It is alternatively contemplated that an effluent filter 64 may be deleted in which case the sterilization filter 36 could also function to trap undissolved solids.
To create sufficient influent velocity, the liquid should enter the mixing chamber under adequate pressure to mix or dissolve chemical A. It is contemplated that slight modifications of the apparatus described in the examples provided below will be required for the proper functioning of the mixing chamber for other applications. For example, if the liquid is water and the product is tissue culture media, then normal faucet pressure, in concert with an appropriate influent port dimension will create sufficient liquid pressure to generate the desired rotational fluid velocity. The mixing chamber influent port diameter has a direct effect on inlet velocity. As noted above, the inlet diameter can be increased or decreased to adjust the velocity in order to provide an adequate vortex.
The interior of the first chamber preferably has a substantially cylindrical configuration. This establishes a vortex guide for the liquid flow. Moreover, the cylinder diameter should complement the incoming fluid velocity. A first chamber diameter that is too large for a given influent flow will not support sufficient centrifugal force along its sides to maintain a vortex. Interior diameters that are too small could create excessive turbulence initially, but not form a vortex, thereby potentially resulting in inadequate mixing. The substantially cylindrical shape in combination with the inlet velocity and the inlet angle thus combine to set up the desired vortex.
Alternatively, other chamber configurations which exhibit radial symmetry may also be used for the first chamber 22. For example, spherical, hemispherical, toroidal or the like may be selected. In addition, linear-walled non-cylindrical shapes such as a frusto-conical chamber may also be used.
In the preferred embodiment detailed in FIG. 2, the diameter of the first chamber has been found to optimally be proportional to its height. A height to diameter ratio greater than about 2.5:1 will typically not support the generation of a sufficiently strong vortex at influent flow rates of about 1-3 liters per minute.
FIG. 5 is an elevational perspective of a second embodiment of the apparatus of the present invention. Here first chamber 22 has a height significantly greater than the height of the second chamber. Under proper incoming fluid stream velocities, this apparatus could house a larger quantity of chemical A, than the embodiment disclosed with regard to FIG. 2.
In a preferred application of the invention, the mixing apparatus is used to prepare tissue culture media. It is contemplated that the mixing chamber will be provided prefilled with powdered media in a variety of unit volume sizes. For example, mixing chamber sizes to accommodate the preparation of 1 liter (1), 10 1, 20 1, 50 1, and as large as 100 1 or larger final tissue culture media volume are contemplated. Increasing amounts of powder in the lower chamber will require increased cylinder height andor diameter to generate a vortex of sufficient size so as to maintain the powder in motion within the vortex until it dissolves. In addition, larger sizes may require a pump on the influent line to generate sufficient influent flow to sustain a vortex. Therefore it is contemplated that each apparatus be specifically designed to complement the final volume of product to be prepared.
Testing has determined that a powder volume greater than about 50% of the chamber volume for the powdered culture media application results in poor vortex mixing and inefficient liquid reconstitution. Testing has additionally determined that during operation of the mixing apparatus herein disclosed, improved reconstitution of the powder in the liquid is achieved by interrupting the inflow occasionally for approximately five seconds. Interrupting the flow temporarily releases pressure within the chamber thus allowing clumps of powder to draw fluid to their interior.
A precalibrated receptacle 40 can be used to determine the end point of media preparation. Alternatively, a predetermined volume of liquid can be pumped through the system or a flow meter/accumulator can be used to monitor the volume of the finished product. It is additionally contemplated that the final volume of the liquid product can be determined by weight. The receiving receptacle is placed on a scale and the receptacle is filled until the final weight of the end product is achieved.
It is important for the effective operation of the apparatus that the culture media powder remain relatively dry prior to use. Hygroscopic powders tend to clump under humid conditions and reconstitution becomes difficult. It is therefore contemplated that the commercial product comprising a mixing apparatus system with powder be packaged under vacuum and/or preferably be provided with a desiccant.
The manufacture of the mixing apparatus in accordance with the present invention can be accomplished using materials and techniques which will be well known to those of skill in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the mixing chamber base and cap are made of a nonreactive plastic polymer such as polycarbonate. Alternatively, the cap and base could be molded from other plastics including polysulphone. Other materials include metal alloys, plexiglass or glass.
Returning to FIG. 2, the base 46 may be conveniently integrally molded with chamber housing 48. Alternatively, base 46 is assembled together with the lower chamber housing 48 to form a liquid tight seal. The lower chamber housing is preferably molded from any of a variety of materials which will remain generally non-reactive in the intended use environment, such as polystyrene, polyethylene, polycarbonate, plexiglass, lucite, polypropylene or a metal alloy. Preferably, the chamber housing 48 will be transparent to enable visual observation of its contents or the progress of the mixing cycle.
The chamber housing and the mixing chamber base are conveniently provided with a liquid tight seal through the use of an elastomeric 0-ring. The first chamber can either slip fit into an annular recess on the base or threadably engage the base. The housing can additionally be sealed to the base using adhesives, a heat seal or other means known in the art.
A protective cap is provided to cover the inlet port thus preventing powder from spilling out prior to use.
During assembly of a preferred embodiment, the lower chamber is supplied with powdered media and a Porex-type microporous circular filter disc (Porex Technologies, Fairburn, Ga.) or other filter, preferably having a 90-130 micron pore size, is placed on the filter support structure. Upper chamber housing 60 is sealed to lower chamber housing 48, preferably in association with O-ring 56 or any other method for creating water tight seals. Upper chamber housing 60 is preferably made from the same material as the lower housing, and the two chamber housings may be integrally formed as an elongate cylindrical body. However, it is additionally contemplated that the two chambers could be manufactured from different materials. Chemical B is added to the upper chamber and the upper chamber housing is similarly affixed to the mixing chamber cap having effluent port 32. The mixing chamber cap is affixed to upper chamber casing preferably in association with a rubber O-ring or other conventional sealing means.
There are a number of materials that could be used for the manufacture of the mixing chamber apparatus of FIG. 2. The choice of materials will be dictated by the choice of solvent and chemical destined for reconstitution. To avoid chamber and solvent reactivity, chamber materials and sealing devices should be relatively resistant to solvent degradation. The choice of chamber materials and sealing mechanisms could additionally be dictated by thermal considerations depending upon the reactivity of the solvent with chemical A or B. Thus, chemicals initiating intense exothermic reactions should typically not be placed in a mixing apparatus, for example, sealed with heat sensitive glue. The choice of materials, solvents, and chemicals for functional mixing chamber assembly will be apparent to those with skill in the art. The materials listed above are exemplary and should in no way be construed as limiting upon the invention disclosed herein.
If a sterile reconstituted product is required, then a sterilization exit filter apparatus 36 is preferably provided (see FIG. 1). Flexible tubing for providing communication between system components may be sterilized, such as by autoclave or gamma irradiation, and assembled together at the point of manufacture. It is additionally preferred that a sterile receiving receptacle be supplied with the apparatus. The sterile receiving receptacle could be glass, plastic, or metal and could be preformed or flexible. In a preferred embodiment, the receiving receptacle comprises a sterile flexible bag such as the Media Manager Product (Irvine Scientific, Santa Ana, Calif.).
In a preferred application of the invention, the chemical A is powdered tissue culture media such as DME, available from Irvine Scientific, Santa Ana, Calif., and chemical B is sodium bicarbonate (NaHC3) and/or other appropriate buffers or additives depending upon the media. Reconstituted, buffered tissue culture media enters receiving receptacle 40 as shown in FIG. 1.
Multiple inlet ports 42 may also be used to supply additional additives such as HCl or NaOH to adjust the pH of the reconstituted media. Glutamine and additional buffering agents may also be added through these ports. The final product is mixed by shaking the receptacle 40 and used directly out of receptacle 40 or aliquoted into additional sterile vessels.
The following are preferred embodiments of the disclosed apparatus illustrating the use of the mixing chamber device together with a sterilization filter and holding receptacle for the reconstitution of tissue culture media.
The mixing apparatus is designed for the reconstitution of 10 liters of Eagles Minimum Essential Medium (MEM). The overall configuration of the apparatus can be observed in FIG. 1. The apparatus is provided as a cylindrical dual chamber system having lower chamber dimensions of 4.5" diameter �4" height, and upper chamber dimensions of 4.5" diameter �1.5" height. The influent port has a cross-sectional diameter of 3/16". Upper and lower mixing chamber housings are molded from polystyrene. The mixing chamber base and mixing chamber cap are molded from polypropylene and for this particular embodiment, a 0.25-inch air space is provided between effluent filter 64 and the interior surface of the mixing chamber cap. Flexible silicone tubing connects a nylon sterilization filter obtained from Pall Corporation to effluent port 32. Sterile silicone tubing connects the sterilization filter with a 10-liter Media Manager receiving receptacle (Irvine Scientific, Santa Aria, Calif.).
During assembly of the mixing chamber, MEM powder having a granulation size of about 70-120 micron is added to the lower chamber and powdered sodium bicarbonate is added to the upper chamber. MEM powder can be purchased as a prepared powder from Irvine Scientific or the individual ingredients can be purchased from chemical suppliers known to those with skill in the art. The quantity of each component to prepare 10 liters of a typical MEM formulation at a 1� concentration are provided below.
______________________________________Component Amount (g)______________________________________CaCl2 2.0MgSO4 2.0Na2 HPO4 1.4Phenol Red 0.1L-Cystine 0.24L-Histidine 0.42L-Leucine 0.52L-Methionine 0.15L-Threonine 0.05L-Tyrosine 0.36KCl 4.0NaCl 68.0D-Glucose 10.0L-Arginine 1.26L-Glutamine 2.92L-Isoleucine 0.52L-Lysine HCl 0.72L-Phenylalanine 0.32L-Tryptophan 0.10L-Valine 0.46______________________________________
and 10.0 mg of each D-Ca pantothenate, Choline chloride, Folic Acid, Nicotinamide, Pyridoxal HCl, and Thiamine HCl. 20 mg I-inositol and 1.0 mg Riboflavin are additionally added.
Twenty-two grams of Sodium Bicarbonate are placed in the upper chamber.
The foregoing are all provided in a closed system comprising the mixing chamber, tubing, sterilization filter and Media Manager receiving receptacle to the user in packaged form under vacuum, with desiccant.
To use, the filled apparatus of Example 1 is removed from its packaging. Additional tubing is attached to a double deionized water source (preferably tap ddH2 O, or alternately a water source associated with a pumping apparatus). No special equipment or sterile technique is required. The cap is removed from the hose barb influent port and tubing is attached over the hose barb. The Media Manager receptacle may be placed on a scale and the mixing chamber device is placed upright on a solid surface.
Water is directed through the apparatus, through the chambers and sterilization filter, and reconstituted media flows into the Media Manager receiver. During operation, the water flow is turned off occasionally for about five seconds each time to relieve pressure in the system. When the receiver has been filled, an aliquot is tested for pH and HCl may be added through one of the multiple inlet ports to reach a desired endpoint pH of within the range of from about 6.8 to about 7.5. In addition, other amino acids, other buffers (i.e., HEPES C8 H18 N2 O4 S) or supplemental glucose can be added through multiple inlet ports 42.
The receptacle is disconnected from the sterilization filter and capped, and the receptacle is inverted briefly or agitated to mix the contents before use. The media can be used directly for large batch tissue culture or can be aliquoted into smaller volumes if desired.
The above examples describe the use of the disclosed invention for the reconstitution of Minimum Essential Media for tissue culture. There are numerous other tissue culture medias that could be prepared using the disclosed apparatus. These include but are not limited to F-10 Nutrient Mixture (Ham), Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Media (DME), and RPMI Media 1640. It is contemplated that a custom media could additionally be supplied in the above mixing chamber or that a variety of other laboratory chemicals and buffers could be provided for commercial use. Bacterial growth media could also be provided in the disclosed apparatus.
Certain laboratory reagents are used in large scale. Tris-acetate buffers, Tris-borate buffers, or glycine based electrophoresis buffers could be provided in the contemplated mixing chamber apparatus together with a filtration device.
It is additionally contemplated that the apparatus disclosed herein has a number of other commercial or industrial applications. For example, many liquid pharmaceuticals are prepared in the hospital pharmacy with some frequency and quantity. Saline solutions, alimentary preparations, imaging reagents, dyes, sterilization solutions and anesthetics are reconstituted as liquids. Premeasured aliquots provided ready for reconstitution such as contemplated by the disclosed invention would provide an advantage over the current art.
Alternative applications include, but are not limited to, preparation of pesticides, fertilizers, any of a variety of beverages commonly prepared from powder such as milk, iced tea, etc. which could all be reconstituted using the disclosed invention. It is further contemplated that the liquid solvents employed by this invention could be water, alcohols or other organics. The solubility characteristics, the solvent to be used, the amount required and the chemical interactions between the solvent and the reconstituted chemicals will serve to provide guidelines for the size of the mixing chamber and the choice of materials for the components as described in association with FIG. 2.
A variety of modified forms of the invention can be constructed for different end uses. For example, the diagrams depict a preferred embodiment wherein the first mixing chamber is coaxially aligned beneath the second chamber and separated by a microporous circular filter disc. In this embodiment the upper and lower chambers both have a cylindrical shape and the circular filter disc follows the shape of the chamber casing. As noted, the lower chamber preferably has a generally cylindrical shape in order to facilitate rotational fluid velocity of sufficient turbulence.
However, it is not necessary for the upper chamber to have a cylindrical shape. Other shapes for the second chamber as well as for the microporous filter disc are contemplated. The second chamber could be rectangular, ovoid or essentially spherical. Further, the first and second chambers do not necessarily have to be positioned on top of one another. It is contemplated that the two chambers could be disposed side by side or remote from one another and in fluid communication by way of silicone, glass or other conventional tubing.
Depending upon the chemistry of a given system, a single mixing chamber may be all that is required. Alternatively, more than two chambers could additionally be linked in succession within the same tubular housing for the sequential dissolution or reconstitution of more than two chemicals. Each chamber is typically defined by a chamber divider, preferably a filter, such as the microporous filtration disc located between the first and second mixing chambers of the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2. This would prevent undissolved solids from passing between chambers. The chambers may be all contained within a single housing or provided as individual remote units. These are linked in succession with tubing or other connection devices known to those in the art.
It is also contemplated that other applications for the disclosed invention may require the apparatus to have more than one influent port. There are chemical mixtures that require the simultaneous addition of two or more solvents for reconstitution of a given powder or concentrate. For example, the preparation of chemicals containing EDTA (ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid) using the disclosed apparatus could require two influent ports. The disodium salt of EDTA will not go into solution until the pH of the solution is approximately 8.0. Therefore, the preparation of a buffer containing EDTA could require an influent port for water and an additional port for a NaOH solution to fully dissolve the powder contained in the provided chamber.
The influent ports can be positioned on the same horizontal plane, along the same vertical plane, or elsewhere, depending upon particular requirements of a given application. FIG. 6 provides a cross-sectional view of a mixing chamber embodiment having two influent ports 80 and 82 positioned along the same horizontal plane. If mixing relies solely on influent flow pressure to create fluid turbulence then the influent ports 80 and 82 are preferably both aligned tangentially to the interior surface of the first chamber.
In the illustrated two-part embodiment, influent ports 80 and 82 have equal port diameters 84 and 86. The diameters may be individually modified for varied influent flow velocities. Further, the inflow ports should be positioned so that the inflow from port 80 does not interfere with the inflow from port 82. The arrows illustrated in FIG. 6 indicate that fluid tangentially entering the mixing chamber from both ports flows in tandem to maintain vortex activity.
The second influent port could alternatively be situated in the same vertical plane as the first influent port. Fluid entering the second port at a sufficient velocity assists the vortex created by fluid entering from the first port. For the reconstitution of large amounts of dry powder or viscous solutions, two influent ports might better facilitate complete mixing. Thus, water or other solvent could be added from more than one influent port solely to support vortex generation. Alternatively, the liquids entering the apparatus through multiple influent ports could be of different chemical composition.
Where multiple ports are used, the interior diameters of each of the ports and influent pressures can be varied to promote mixing of the desired reagents. A smaller diameter port situated above a larger diameter port would provide additional inflow velocity over the larger diameter port. In this way an efficient vortex could be maintained to maximize reconstitution of a given powder mixture. These design features will be added or included depending on the solubility of the powder in a particular application, the volume of powder relative to the chamber size and by the chemistry required to reconstitute a given liquid preparation.
If additional turbulence is required to reconstitute one or more of the chemicals, additional water-driven stirring means may be added to facilitate mixing either instead of or along with the tangential inflow vortex mixing discussed above. For example, turbine-like stirring blades added to the lower chamber could add additional turbulence. Referring to FIG. 7, stirring blades 88 are freely rotatable around a central axis 89. Fluid entering influent port 26 initiates rotational movement of blades 88 and blade rotation supports increased turbulence within the chamber and provides a fluid rotation guide for additional incoming fluid. In the illustrated embodiment, the axis of influent port 90 is aligned to direct an incoming stream directly against the blades 88. Alternatively, blades 88 can be provided in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 or 6 having a tangential flow alignment.
In an alternative water-driven mixing embodiment, the influent fluid stream is first directed through an external turbine located outside of the mixing chamber, preferably within a separate turbine chamber. The force of the liquid under pressure initiates the rotation of the external turbine blades and rotation is maintained by the velocity of additional liquid entering the apparatus. The liquid effluent leaving the activated turbine blades is thereafter directed through a tangential influent port or other influent port leading to the mixing chamber.
Liquid entering the mixing chamber from the turbine chamber contacts a set of mixing blades which may be similar to the blade system illustrated in FIG. 7. These blades are driven by the rotational energy from the turbine chamber blades and preferably also by the tangential inflow of the influent liquid under pressure.
This invention discloses a number of embodiments that provide a closed, self-contained mixing system to reconstitute a unit dose of chemical into a known final liquid volume. The discussion provided above serves to point out those design features that can be modified to adapt the disclosed apparatus for a wide range of applications. The desirability of specific influent port angles, position, number and diameter along with chamber dimensions, fluid pressure and a need for external turbulence generators are design features which will be able to be readily optimized by one of skill in the art for the reconstitution of a given formulation.
In accordance with a further embodiment of the present invention, a second water-driven mixing chamber is provided by directing the effluent from the first chamber through an orifice aligned along a tangent to the interior wall of a second generally cylindrical chamber. In this embodiment, the same influent stream is used to sequentially drive two successive vortex mixing chambers in series relationship where chemical B requires some agitation to dissolve.
In accordance with another embodiment of this invention there is provided a mixing apparatus wherein the influent stream is divided into two or more parallel flow paths before entering the first mixing chamber and each flow path is directed to a separate mixing chamber. In this embodiment, two or more mixing chambers are provided in parallel fluid flow relationship, each with separate chemical contents such that two or more chemicals can be individually and simultaneously reconstituted. It is further contemplated that the plurality of multiple mixing chambers could be maintained as separately reconstituted units, or the effluent streams can be recombined to produce a single volume of reconstituted product. Physically, the plurality of mixing chambers can either exist as separate structures, or combined together such that each mixing chamber comprises a separate chamber within a common housing.
For example, in a modification of the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5, the influent stream is divided to provide an influent stream through influent port 26 and also through a second influent port (not illustrated) tangentially aligned to the interior wall of chamber 24.
In this embodiment, mixing of chemical A with chemical B can occur after both chemicals are reconstituted by elimination of fluid communication directly between the two chambers. It is further contemplated that the influent stream can be divided unequally between the multiple chambers. In this example, the fluid dividing fork or influent ports may have flow paths of varied diameter to direct the majority of fluid into the first chamber and less fluid into the second. This promotes vortex formation in the first chamber during the simultaneous reconstitution of both chemicals.
While the preferred embodiments described herein employ powdered chemicals, it is contemplated that the mixing apparatus of the present invention will work equally well for the reconstitution of a concentrated liquid or a sequential combination of liquid and powder.
More viscous solutions or chemicals with reduced solubility may require some externally powered mechanized mixing. Magnetic stir bars can be provided in either the lower or upper chambers to facilitate mixing when the apparatus is placed on a magnetic stir plate. Further, a motor driven impeller can be provided for connection to a motor to create a vortex of sufficient strength to reconstitute the dry powder.
Thus, in an additional embodiment a mechanized impeller or other internal rotation device is used to provide a rotational force to generate sufficient liquid turbulence to reconstitute the chemical contained in the self-contained unit dose reconstitution system disclosed herein. If sufficient mixing force can be generated by the motor driven impeller or other rotational device then the fluid need not enter the chamber at a tangential angle and, where more than one influent port is required, these ports need not be aligned in the same vertical or horizontal plane.
Thus, the invention disclosed provides a method and apparatus for the single step preparation and, if required, sterilization of a given chemical. The system is closed, therefore handling is minimized. All chemicals are premeasured so employee efficiency is maximized. The closed system additionally permits a complex sequential or multicomponent reconstitution and sterilization process to be performed in a convenient location without the risk of contamination and with minimal variation in end product due to technician error or batch variation. In addition, the combination of a closed system with desiccant under vacuum yields prepackaged units having a relatively long shelf life and improved tolerance to temperature change over the corresponding liquid product.
The invention disclosed herein has numerous applications and while particular embodiments of the invention have been described in detail, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the disclosed embodiments may be modified given the design considerations discussed herein. Therefore, the foregoing description is to be considered exemplary rather than limiting, and the true scope of the invention is that defined in the following claims.
|Cited Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Mar 29, 1965
|Feb 14, 1967
|Ranson Charles W
|Fruit and vegetable washing device with vertical circulative flow and tangential inlet
|Jul 13, 1970
|Oct 10, 1972
|Asahi Chemical Ind
|Apparatus for polymerizing liquids to polymers
|Feb 1, 1971
|Jan 30, 1973
|Becton Dickinson Co
|Apparatus for chemical testing
|Jan 10, 1977
|Feb 21, 1978
|Outokumpu Oy
|Flotation cell with eccentric rotor and stator
|Aug 14, 1978
|Aug 19, 1980
|Canadian Patents & Development
|Method of rapidly dissolving a particulate substance in a liquid
|Sep 12, 1979
|Dec 15, 1981
|Hoechst Aktiengesellschaft
|Process for the manufacture of a catalyst
|Nov 10, 1980
|Aug 16, 1983
|Dietrich David E
|Swirl mixing device
|Dec 21, 1981
|Nov 15, 1983
|Dietrich David E
|Swirl mixing device
|Jun 3, 1982
|Jul 31, 1984
|Jean Guigan
|Method and device for bringing a liquid sample successively into contact with a number of reagents
|Sep 13, 1982
|Nov 6, 1984
|Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
|Cleaning and developing unit
|Sep 2, 1983
|Apr 16, 1985
|Ytron Dr. Karg Gmbh
|Apparatus for the continuous mixing of pulverulent substances with liquids
|Jul 2, 1985
|Sep 1, 1987
|Boehringer Mannheim Gmbh
|Process and device for carrying out analytical determinations
|Jul 24, 1986
|Feb 23, 1988
|Hartmut Wolf
|Swirl chamber
|May 16, 1986
|Mar 8, 1988
|Ytron Dr. Karg Gmbh
|Cyclone mixer for the continuous mixing of pulverulent substances with liquids
|Oct 22, 1985
|May 10, 1988
|Jean Guigan
|Method of performing medical analysis on a sample of liquid by means of at least one liquid reagent, and apparatus for performing the method
|Jul 2, 1987
|Jan 3, 1989
|Wet Enterprises, Inc.
|Laminar flow nozzle
|Mar 3, 1988
|Jan 23, 1990
|Micro-Pak, Inc.
|Method and apparatus for producing lipid vesicles
|Apr 11, 1988
|Feb 5, 1991
|Miles Inc.
|Reaction vessel for performing sequential analytical assays
|Citing Patent
|Filing date
|Publication date
|Aug 24, 1998
|Jan 1, 2002
|Chr. Hansen A/S
|Dairy starter culture delivery system and method thereof
|Jul 13, 2000
|Jan 8, 2002
|Hammonds Technical Services, Inc.
|Chlorination apparatus and method
|Aug 6, 2001
|Sep 17, 2002
|Hammonds Technical Services, Inc.
|Chlorination apparatus and method
|Nov 16, 2001
|Mar 11, 2003
|Hammonds Technical Serv Inc
|Chlorination apparatus for controlling material dissolution rate
|Jan 11, 2001
|Mar 18, 2003
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Inflatable catheter for selective organ heating and cooling and method of using the same
|Jan 8, 2001
|Apr 1, 2003
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Inflatable catheter for selective organ heating and cooling and method of using the same
|Nov 20, 2001
|Apr 15, 2003
|Chr. Hansen A/S
|Dairy starter culture delivery system and use hereof
|Mar 22, 2001
|Apr 22, 2003
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Selective organ cooling apparatus
|Dec 3, 2001
|Jun 10, 2003
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Lumen design for catheter
|Nov 7, 2001
|Jul 1, 2003
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Fever regulation method and apparatus
|Mar 11, 2002
|Nov 18, 2003
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Inflatable catheter for selective organ heating and cooling and method of using the same
|Feb 25, 2002
|Dec 9, 2003
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Method for determining the effective thermal mass of a body or organ using a cooling catheter
|Apr 16, 2001
|Jan 13, 2004
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Method of making selective organ cooling catheter
|Mar 11, 2002
|Jan 13, 2004
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Inflatable catheter for selective organ heating and cooling and method of using the same
|Jun 20, 2001
|Jan 13, 2004
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Inflatable heat transfer apparatus
|Apr 12, 2001
|Feb 17, 2004
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Apparatus for cell necrosis
|Mar 11, 2002
|Feb 24, 2004
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Inflatable catheter for selective organ heating and cooling and method of using the same
|May 30, 2002
|Mar 9, 2004
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Selective organ cooling apparatus and method
|Nov 6, 2001
|Apr 13, 2004
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Circulation set for temperature-controlled catheter and method of using the same
|Apr 11, 2003
|Apr 17, 2007
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Analytical reagent for acid copper sulfate solutions
|Aug 13, 2002
|Nov 13, 2007
|Innercool Therapies
|Selective organ cooling catheter with guidewire apparatus and temperature-monitoring device
|Feb 24, 2004
|Nov 27, 2007
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|System and method for inducing hypothermia with control and determination of catheter pressure
|Nov 14, 2003
|Jan 26, 2010
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Inflatable catheter for selective organ heating and cooling and method of using the same
|Aug 16, 2006
|Aug 3, 2010
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Fever regulation method and apparatus
|May 16, 2005
|Dec 28, 2010
|Zoll Circulation, Inc.
|Indwelling heat exchange catheter and method of using same
|May 13, 2008
|May 31, 2011
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Medical procedure
|Jan 17, 2006
|Aug 16, 2011
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Selective organ cooling apparatus
|Nov 13, 2007
|Apr 24, 2012
|Innercool Therapies, Inc.
|Selective organ cooling catheter with guidewire apparatus and temperature-monitoring device
|Feb 24, 2004
|Oct 7, 2004
|Yon Steve A.
|System and method for inducing hypothermia with control and determination of catheter pressure
|Apr 11, 2003
|Oct 14, 2004
|Applied Materials, Inc.
|Analytical reagent for acid copper sulfate solutions
|Aug 24, 1998
|Mar 4, 1999
|Chr. Hansen A/S
|Dairy starter culture delivery system and use hereof
|Jul 13, 2000
|Jan 18, 2001
|Hammonds Technical Services, Inc.
|Chlorination apparatus and method
|Sep 16, 1999
|Mar 22, 2001
|Ga-Tek Inc.
|Treated copper foil and process for making treated copper foil
|U.S. Classification
|366/165.1, 366/165.2, 366/189, 366/181.5
|International Classification
|Cooperative Classification
|European Classification
|Jun 26, 1991
Owner name: IRVINE SCIENTIFIC SALES CO. A CORP. OF CALIFORNI
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST.;ASSIGNORS:WALTHALL, BEN J.;CAPLE, MATTHEW V.;MURPHY, THOMAS J.;REEL/FRAME:005766/0670;SIGNING DATES FROM 19910624 TO 19910626
|Sep 15, 1997
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 4
|Jan 4, 2002
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 8
|Jan 30, 2002
|Maintenance fee reminder mailed
|Jan 5, 2006
|Fee payment
Year of fee payment: 12


text:
This year marks Roberto Cavalli's 40th year in fashion — what better way to celebrate than to head to Paris! After showing in Milan, that's exactly what the designer did. Joined by Rachel Bilson, Carine Roitfeld, Natalia Vodianova, and many more fabulous friends and celebrity fans, the designer jetted to Paris to celebrate 40 fantastic years of Cavalli style. Click through to glimpse the celebs, the Paris locale, and all of the decadent fun!
Image Source: Getty

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Tomato Basil Bruschetta
Tomato Bruschetta is one of my favorite things to make (and eat), and I realized that despite the fact that I make this multiple times every summer, I'd never actually done a post on it.
You'll want to save this for when tomatoes are in season, and you can use whatever kinds you like best. I like trying different heirloom tomatoes in this (for both flavor and color), but Roma tomatoes are also fantastic, and their texture holds up really well.
This time I used these Kumato tomatoes that I found at Trader Joe's. I'd bought them to use on the Vegan Pan-bagnat that I made, and since I had a bunch left over I figured it was a perfect excuse to make some bruschetta.
Along with fresh salsa, tomato bruschetta helped get me over my dislike of raw tomatoes. You really can't go wrong with basil, garlic, olive oil and ripe tomatoes. They're ingredients that were made to be together. Throw in some crusty grilled bread, and you've got appetizer heaven. (Though as you can see from the photos I didn't actually grill this bread – I was too hungry to wait!)
Tomato Basil Bruschetta
1 baguette (or your favorite crusty bread)
6-8 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
6-8 large leaves of basil, chopped
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper, to taste
Combine all the ingredients (except the bread) in a non-reactive bowl, and allow the flavors to marry for at least half an hour at room temperature. (The amounts you use will depend on the size of your tomatoes, garlic and basil, so just taste as you go to get the right balance.)
Heat a grill pan or your broiler, and slice the bread on a slight angle. Grill or broil the bread until it's golden and toasted. Spoon the tomato mixture over the bread and serve immediately.


text:
Ref Links: Nofun C-B Virus | Nofun Monster | Torg Targets Nofun | Sasha and Torg discuss 'Hereti-Corp or Nofun' | And sidenote: Sam's thinking "Amore". ;)
BOO! Hey guys! I'm busy behind the scenes working on the bonus story for the upcoming book 10. Here's a background image I'm working on. It's not a spoiler but it is a tease on the setting of the Book 10 Bonus story. Defenders have already seen the first page! ;) Tomorrow you'll see the finish assuming I can get it done!
See yesterday's art for info on today's!


text:
Top favorite Vodka held off a late charge by Oken Bruce Lee to claim a record-equaling seventh Grade One win at the Japan Cup on Sunday.
With French jockey Christophe Lemaire aboard, Vodka shot clear with a devastating turn of pace down the stretch and held on to clinch victory by a nose at Tokyo Racecourse.
Vodka, the first Japanese mare to win the Japan Cup, crossed the line in 2 minutes, 22.4 seconds to earn ¥250 million in prize money. Red Desire finished 1 1/2 lengths behind second favorite Oken Bruce Lee for third place.
Vodka paid ¥360 on a ¥100 bet.


text:
Half Dome Village Pavilion
Nearby Campgrounds
Get your copy
The Yosemite Guide contains information about camping, trip planning, activities, scheduled events, and hours of operations for different facilities and services.
Half Dome Village Pavilion is the place to go if you want an all-you-can-eat buffet style breakfast or dinner.
"Half Dome's Kitchen serves up decent country style dinners including a full salad bar, a pasta station, usually fried chicken, pulled pork, fish, a taco station, fresh fruit, soups, several different styles of potatoes, and a few desserts. There are quite a few beverage options also.
Prices for dinner are cheaper than you would think. Price per person is around $16/$12 for kids. Add a little more if you want to enjoy a beer or a glass of wine. Ask at the desk when you check in about grabbing a cocktail at the bar next door and they will send a server over to take your order
Breakfast items are your usual fare including French toast, scrambled eggs, bacon sausage, bagels, pancakes, biscuits and gravy, a nice fruit selection, a breakfast burrito station etc., and there are many more breakfast item to fill you up for that big hike up to Nevada Falls or Yosemite Falls. In 2012 the Breakfast prices were $12 for adults and $8 for kids.
Don't expect the food to knock your socks off, after all, what do you really expect for a $17 buffet style dinner. I would compare the breakfast buffet to something like the Country Buffet. If you want some higher quality food, head over to the Ahwahnee Hotel and enjoy their Brunch at $40 a person.
The dining hall is quite large and seats people comfortably. There are several tables to the left when you enter that have a couple flat screen tv's if you want to watch a game or catch some news.
The Pavilion is open daily for breakfast from 7 to 10 am and for dinner from 5:30 - 8 pm.
If you need to connect to the internet, directly across the way from the Pizza deck is the Half Dome Lounge the offers free wireless internet. Also nearby are the Half Dome Village Mountaineering Shop and Gear Store.
After you finish your meal, you can grab some ice cream at the Half Dome ice cream and coffee bar inside Half Dome Pavilion.
|Home | Campgrounds | Food and Beverage | Hiking | Waterfalls | Activities | Videos | Events
Panoramas | Webcams | Yosemite Map | FAQ's
|Other Camping Resources - Camp Arizona | The Ultimate Camping Guide
|All html and original material copyright 2011-2012 www.campingatyosemite.com | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer


text:
Beckwithshaw have been crowned Aire-Wharfe champions with three games spare after an imperious summer.
And Ben Quick's side clinched their third title in style, hammering Waddilove Cup final conquerors Burley by 10 wickets.
'Shaw last won the championship in 2009 but Quick said this success represented a change in personnel at the club,with several players winning the title for the first time.
The victory moved 'Shaw onto 93 points and Quick said the next target was to smash the 100 point barrier and the league's all time record.
"I made it clear at the start of the year we wanted the championship and the expectations were very high," he said.
"We've been ruthless. To be the only team across all of the divisions not to have lost a game in the league shows the quality of cricket that we have played.
"We have superb players throughout the team with everyone knowing their role ."
'Shaw threw Burley into bat on a quick, bouncy home wicket and reaped the rewards as Iian Hussain took 8-21 to bowl the visitors out for just 54.
John Inglis (37no) and Ross Sedgeley (18no) completed the rout for Beckwithshaw with consummate ease.
Captain Quick said: "It was brilliant to win the league in such emphatic style and against the second best side in the league.
"All the lads were pumped up seeking some revenge for the disappointing cup final loss two weeks ago.
"Ian Hussain was phenomenal in what was the best spell of bowling we have seen all year."
Beckwithshaw travel to relegation-threatened Follifoot on Saturday.
'Foot's battle for survival at the bottom of the table took another blow on Saturday, as the weather ruined any hopes of victory at Kirkstall.
Dave Wright's men were in superb form and bowled the home side out for 113 as Wright (3-37) and M Richards (3-7) made the inroads.
John Pickles then struck two huge sixes as 'Foot set about the target.
But the halted proceedings with the strugglers stranded on 22-0.
'Foot now require a miracle to survive, having dropped 16 points below Pool in 10th with just three matches to go.
Second-placed Bilton braved the wet conditions to record another fine victory at home to Guiseley.
Odge Davey struck a fluent 63 not out and Chris Winn made 47 as Bilton hit 205-5 having been put into bat.
Sajad Ali then snaffled four victims to rattle Guiseley's top order.
But the visitors clung on for a point as they batted out the 50 overs in light drizzle to finish on 136-8.
Bilton travel to second-place rivals Otley on Saturday.
In Division Two, the rain hampered Knaresborough promotion hopes as their immediate rivals Ilkley and Rawdon grabbed a five point advantage.
'Boro' were rained off requiring just 40 runs for victory over Thackley.
And the weather delay meant they only received one point as Ilkley and Rawdon picked up maximum point victories.
'Boro' host eighth-placed Colton on Saturday.


text:
80's Purple - Clothing T-Shirts Grn Apple Tree - Church & State Tee (blk)
political satire gives one something to think about. take what you want from this shirt.
This is sooo cute.Tags: accessories, unusual, jewelry, rings, interesting, elephant, animal jewelry, noir, pink diamondsAdded 8 Years Ago from 80s Purple
It's a circus elephant...in pink and yellow rhinestones...on a ring. It's freaking adorable.Tags: accessories, jewelry, rings, pink, pearls, yellow, rhinestone, elephantAdded 8 Years Ago from 80s Purple
these earrings make my inner child jump up & down for joy. (jungle book anyone?) the solid black makes them sophiscated enough to pass as a "grown woman" accessory.Tags: fashion, accessories, style, earrings, elephant, tarina taratinoAdded 9 Years Ago from 80s Purple


text:
Michael Mehaffy is a strategic consultant in sustainable urban development, and a researcher, author and speaker. He is currently Sir David Anderson Fellow at the University of Strathclyde, and a visiting faculty associate at Arizona State University. website
Nikos A. Salingaros is a Professor of Mathematics, Urbanist & Architectural Theorist at the Department of Mathematics, University of Texas at San Antonio. website


text:
Chinese service providers are aiming to snatch contracts from more established Indian rivals as a growing number of mid-size Australian companies move their technology work offshore.
The country's vast labour pool, government subsidies and the low price of services make China a potentially attractive destination – but those strengths come with some serious caveats.
The services on offer are relatively immature, the poor quality of spoken English can cause communication problems and there are still grave concerns about the security of intellectual property and data privacy.
China's biggest provider of outsourcing services, HiSoft, entered the Australian market in July after buying local consulting firm BearingPoint for an undisclosed sum. An analyst with technology research company Gartner, Tina Tang, said the deal would help HiSoft target Australian customers, while also providing it with much-needed skills in consulting.
BearingPoint's biggest customer in Australia is iiNet, which inherited a relationship with the company following its $60 million acquisition of AAPT's consumer business two years ago. Other clients include British American Tobacco and Goodyear.
In August, HiSoft announced it would merge with VanceInfo, creating China's largest technology outsource group. The combined company employs 23,000 people and is expected to generate global revenue of $US670 million in 2012.
"This could be one of the most exciting places in the IT services market during the next three or four years," BearingPoint chief executive Bob Hennessy told The Australian Financial Review. "We'll continue to see Chinese firms consolidate and go head-to-head with the Indians."
A director of outsourcing advisory firm Mindfields, Mohit Sharma, said a number of mid-sized Australian companies – including AIA Insurance, Myer and Visy – were now outsourcing technology work after watching others reap the benefits. Project managers from the banks and other big businesses were being brought in to manage the process.
Service providers were now targeting these companies as potential clients because bigger customers had already been divided up between them, he said. But Mr Sharma played down the threat to Indian service providers from Chinese rivals, saying they had very low credibility.
He noted that the Chinese government had given free land to multinational outsourcers including Infosys, Tata Consultancy Services and IBM but that these sites were only used to target the domestic Chinese market.
"Chinese outsourcers might get some application development and testing work but it is very small," Mr Sharma said.
"They don't do any project management, process engineering or call centre work. It's a matter of comfort levels."
BearingPoint's Mr Hennessy dismissed concerns about information security, describing the Labor government's decision to ban Chinese telecommunications equipment maker Huawei from the $37.4 billion national broadband network as an example of looking for "reds under the bed".
Mr Hennessy said an explosion in the amount of work won by Indian outsourcing firms during the past 10 or 12 years had shown that a lot of technology work could be done from anywhere in the world.
He predicted that companies would increasingly use global sourcing models, opening up opportunities for other service providers.
"How it will play out exactly I don't know, but some very successful Chinese firms will emerge over the next five years and become multibillion-dollar companies," he said. "There's no doubt about that."
The Australian Financial Review


text:
New Durham Schools superintendent installed Monday
Posted July 14, 2014
Durham, N.C. — Bert L'Homme was sworn in Monday as the new superintendent of Durham Public Schools.
The 10 a.m. installation ceremony took place on the steps of the J.D. Clement Early College High School on the campus of North Carolina Central University.
L'Homme was instrumental in founding the early college high school while he served as the district's assistant superintendent for instructional services. He most recently served as superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., where he oversaw 96 schools in the district and five Maryland counties.
L'Homme replaces Eric Becoats, who resigned Dec. 31 amid controversy, including an audit revealing $15 million more than the school board originally reported and the cancellation of his district-issued credit card because of questionable purchases.
"Dr. L'Homme has a reputation for integrity and trustworthiness that cannot be overstated," Durham school board chairwoman Heidi Carter said in a statement last month. "He brings expertise with curriculum and instruction and proven success with early literacy initiatives. He has a demonstrated ability to attract and inspire the best principals and teachers with his exceedingly high expectations that he balances with the support they need to grow as professionals and to make sure all children learn at high levels."
While in Washington, L'Homme achieved accreditation for all the schools in his purview, which led to improved academic performance, the Catholic school district said.
L'Homme holds a Ph.D. in in special education/public school administration and bachelors in secondary education/psychology and history from the University of Maryland, and a M.Ed in K-12 special education/emotional disturbance from American University.


text:
Looks like Orangewood Villa is no longer available on Rent.com which means this information is likely out of date.
Our community is conveniently located near 55 ,57, 91, 22 freeways, walking distance to a grocery store, shopping, restaurants and only a bike ride to Chapman University. Our beautiful community features lush landscaping in a park like setting. Our apartment homes include the following great amenities upgraded homes with granite counter tops and shower walls. Remember gas, water, trash are included in the price of the apartment home. Call today for your personal tour and details about our current specials.
Leases: 12 months. Pets: 2 per unit. $400 refundable pet deposit 1st cat. additional $200 refundable pet deposit for 2nd cat.
Cats Allowed. Call for service animal policy.
100 units
Don't have a Rent.com account? Create one.
Creating an account allows you to acccess your saved and contacted properties on any device. Already have an account?
Log In
We are experiencing technical difficulties at the moment. Please try again later.


text:
During winter we all try to keep ourselves snug and cosy to shield ourselves from the chills of the season. Are you however aware that paint colours can be radically employed to radiate that much needed sense of warmth to your home?
Which colours are warm colours?
Warm colours, namely red, orange and yellow hues on your colour wheel are classified as warm because of their association with glowing fires, as well as the classic warmth of both the rising and setting sun. Several other colours are derived from the above mentioned hues; these include but are not limited to warm browns, rusty colours, terracottas, burgundies, ochres, mustards, bronzes and rich coppers. They all fall under the warm range as they are merely deeper shades of the basic warm colours mentioned above. The Panache Colour Studio Display exclusive to all Jacks Paint & Hardware stores nationwide provides a visual feast for you to view and choose these warm and deep winter colour ranges . The Panache Vinyl Silk and Vinyl Matt Standard Colour Ranges as well as the Panache Earth Finish colour cards showcase some of these warm colour ranges.
Warm Colours and the effect it has on your living area space
Smaller Areas
Do bear in mind however that by making reference to the red, orange and yellow hues above we are by no means making any suggestion that you set out to paint your home in the extreme intensities of any such colours and their derivatives. Such a harsh and uncalculated use of colours intensity can create environments that are over stimulating and visually straining to the eye. The colours above-mentioned should be used in mid-tone to slightly deep colour ranges only after a very careful analysis of the room's dimensions and the amount of light it receives. If the room is small and lacks the illumination of both natural and artificial light, then stay away from these extreme colour intensities as their premature usage will only create an overwhelming sense of optical claustrophobia within the given space.
Please be advised that apart from conjuring a sense of warmth and creating an alluring atmosphere, warm and deep colours often create optical illusions that we may or may not be aware of. These colours are known to create a sense of advancement, which means that such colours can be intelligently used to disguise certain proportions within your living space that somewhat appear awkward. In a long and narrow room these proportions can be downplayed by applying a warm and dark advancing colour to either one or both ends of the walls.
Larger Areas
For those who have large enough spaces to add an air of sophistication with colour, why not consider creating a focal/font wall in your environment? Warm and deep colours can be creatively used to give the room a sense of character and help you break away from the monotony of those stark neutrals that have dressed up your walls for long enough. Even a single wall, adorned in a rich and warm colour can add a touch of opulence to your mood and help energise you this winter. Ensure that you always conduct a sample brush-out of the chosen colour on a small section of the wall before painting the entire surface.
If painting seems somewhat tedious this season, then why not add an accent of warm colours to your living spaces through soft furnishings and accessories in the rich warm colours of the season above mentioned? This is certainly guaranteed to add a lift to your interiors and your psychological state.


text:
Vadakkumpurath Ramesan
The Ringing Tones - Poem by Vadakkumpurath Ramesan
The lake chuckled
As the boat raced and turned
The men, women and children
Clad in different colors
Looked like a rainbow
On the surface of the lake
As if dawn from the sky.
As the boat turned turtle
The lake with its fathomless depth
Swallowed the lives to its cold belly
And the lives had the last scream
As the death opened its Jaw
And the black blanket atop
With shining studs smiling!
They swam to safety
But for the providential escape
From the clutches of death.
They hoped against hope
As their offspring will call back
With their messages!
The lake swelled by tears
Of the escaped on the banks
Fixing eyes on the restless waves
And the forest beyond.
The ring tones of the mobiles
Of their son and daughter
Made them weep round the clock
As the son and daughter never listen
They lay dead at the ice-bed
Of the death-slumber
Senseless to hear the call
Of Mama and Papa
Yet the ringing tone swam
To the surface of the lake
Telling the tale of pale truth!
As the corpses floated
In the morning dew
The mobiles in their pocket
Still continued to ring
As the Papa and Mama
Pressed the button again and again
In vain to trace
The son and daughter!
Comments about The Ringing Tones by Vadakkumpurath Ramesan
Read this poem in other languages
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem »
Vadakkumpurath Ramesan's Other Poems
Famous Poems
Phenomenal Woman
Maya Angelou
Still I Rise
Maya Angelou
The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost
If You Forget Me
Pablo Neruda
Langston Hughes
Annabel Lee
Edgar Allan Poe
Caged Bird
Maya Angelou
Rudyard Kipling
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening
Robert Frost
I Do Not Love You Except Because I Love You
Pablo Neruda


text:
The Faraday Engineering Challenge Days made a stop at the IET's Stevenage, Hertfordshire headquarters recently, as part of the Institution's wide-ranging efforts to inspire the next generation of engineers.
Students from six local schools competed in researching, designing and building solutions to a real engineering problem at the IET's Michael Faraday House offices on Monday 7 February.
Member of Parliament for Stevenage Stephen McPartland was also in attendance, commenting: "We are very lucky to have such gifted youngsters that will no doubt become the great engineers of the future. Events such as this one hosted by the IET are fantastic for young people who are interested in pursuing a career in engineering."
Established by the IET in 2008, the Faraday Engineering Challenge Days aim to encourage more young people to study and consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
Challenge Day teams are comprised of 12 to 13-year-olds and this year's competition involves 45 events and 270 schools from across the UK.
The three top schools will be invited to battle it out for a prize of £1,000 at the Big Bang Fair in London in March 2011.
According to IET Head of Education Gareth James, the Challenge Days are just one element in an ongoing and wider IET programme which aims to support STEM studies.
"One of the IET's key priorities is to help foster the engineering and technology talent of tomorrow, and this is achieved through several different activities and events each year," Gareth said.
"In addition to the Faraday Engineering Challenge Days, the IET produces a wide range of school teaching resources; including lesson activities, posters and careers materials. We also support many providers of engineering-based activities for students. For example, we recently became a headline supporter of Greenpower, a national electric car competition for nine to 25-year-olds."
The IET also has a magazine for teenagers, Flipside, covering everything from music and films to sport and adventure.
For more information on the IET's education programme, please visit the IET Faraday website.


text:
Good time and nice itinerary on the Carnival Victory: Carnival Victory Cruise Review by tjw2
Overall Member Rating
Good time and nice itinerary on the Carnival Victory
Destination: Southern Caribbean
Embarkation: San Juan
The Good...
We flew into San Juan in the morning and grabbed a taxi ($22 plus #1 per bag) to the port. Embarkation and debarkation were both easy and quick. Our room was ready within an hour of boarding, and our luggage arrived outside of the room a few hours later. The ship was very clean and the crew was fantastic. Our cabin stewards (Agus you were amazing!) and waiters (Linton and Nikkola) were personable, attentive, and efficient. They knew our names and made sure we had whatever we needed throughout the cruise. We also loved the itinerary...5 days in port and only one full day at sea. Even though this was a spring break week, at all but one port, we were the only cruise ship there that day, so none of the islands or excursions felt over-crowded. We took advantage of many activities on More the ship (trivia contests, bean bag toss, ping pong tournament)which were well managed by the actvity coordinators, who were very nice and made the activities fun. We also saw a number of shows. All three comedians that we saw for the family friendly comedy shows were fantastic. The juggler also put on an amazing show and the magician, who seemed to do more comedy/showmanship than magic, was entertaining. We did not attend any of the musical shows. Overall, we had a great time on the cruise.
- In St. Thomas we bought an all-inclusive day pass at the Sugarbay Resort, which was beautiful and relaxing (no one trying to sell you anything, braid your hair or give you a massage). We paid $85 per adult and half price for the kids, and it included use of the beach, kayaks, facilities and pool as well as breakfast, lunch and unlimited drinks. We had to take a taxi there, which was $10 per person, but for us it was all worth it since we had such a nice day.
- In Barbados we booked Catamaran/swim with the turtles excursion with Silver Moon Cruises (we booked this on our own), which was very nicely run and a lot of fun. We enjoyed this so much, we're actually considering taking the same excursion with other friends when we cruise again later in the year).
- In St. Lucia we booked an excursion through Carnival that was very disappointing. It was the Segway, Safari and Beach excursion. While the Segway portion of this excursion was quite a bit of fun, my husband ended up having to go with another group. Apparently they only have 13 segways. With 26 people on the excursion, they needed 13 and 13 to split us into 2 groups (Half of the group Segways first, while the other half does the safari, then the groups switch). Since our bus had all even numbered groups, they wouldn't begin the tour until they someone switched into another group. Needless to say, everyone wanted to be with their significant other or family, and no one was "volunteering". For $200 each, you want to enjoy this with your family/spouse rather than a bunch of strangers. When no one volunteered and they were going to forcibly split up a young couple, who were very unhappy about it, my husband said he would do it. It was all very tense and uncomfortable, and a big disappointment for our family, particularly since we had never done this type of excursion before. The safari portion of the excursion consisted of driving around the island in an open air truck, with a few minutes of offroading but generally through residential areas. They picked a few things off trees for us to smell or taste along the road, but I hardly consider this much of a safari. Finally the beach...they took us to a public park beach, and when the beach we were supposed to go to was closed for a wedding, we ended up with many other tours (think hundreds of people) on a tiny beach at the end of the park. We had to sit up the hill behind the beach since there was no room on the beach for us. Aside from the segways, the whole thing was a disappointment.
- In St. Kitts, we booked a Beach Excursion through Carnival (we had signed up for a Safari/Beach tour, but after the issues we had with the similar tour in St. Lucia, Carnival let us switch excursions). The excursion included transportation to and from Cockleshell beach. Since we were the only group there, it wasn't too crowded, and we had a nice day. The food at the beach was actually delicious (try the brick-oven pizza) and we rented wave runners while we were there. There were lots of water sports to choose from.
- In St. Maarten, we just took the water taxi across the bay to a local beach, rented some chairs and an umbrella and relaxed.
The Bad...
We were disappointed in the food, both in selection and preparation. That said, some dishes that we had were delicious, particularly the soups (the chilled strawberry soup was superb), others not so great, so overall, we were disappointed. We had sailed on the Carnival Valor two years ago, and loved the food, so our expectations were high.
The Ugly...
The only ugly thing on this cruise was the shower in our stateroom, which had lots of mold on the grout in the walls, and chunks of missing grout (and griminess in the gaps) on the floor. While the bathroom was kept very clean by our cabin steward, the bathroom shower was pretty gross.
All that said, we had a fantastic time and enjoyed our cruise very much. Less
Published 04/13/12
Cabin review: 6C2389 Ocean View
Quiet location, nice size for family, rear of mid ship, shower needs to be renovatedRead All Ocean View (6C) Reviews >>
Read Cruise Critic's Carnival Victory Review >>
Average at Best, if you want a...
Just Average
Friendly, clean ship.
Carnival; never again
Very fun and comfortable
An Incredible Voyage
Family Cruise
First cruise - The crowds both...
Carnival; never again
Sponsored Links


text:
Playwright: Gary Graves
Director: Jan Zvaifler
Playwright: Gary GravesDirector: Jan ZvaiflerDrama$1-$287/10-8/17
The year is 1895; a detective from Scotland Yard arrives in the bowels of an eerie asylum for the criminally insane. He has come to interrogate four inmates about the disappearance of a mysterious nobleman from Transylvania. Who is Count Dracula, and why has he suddenly disappeared?Tickets and info: (510) 558-1381; centralworks.orgCaption: Kenny Toll. Photo: Jim Norrena.
9/20/2017Theatre Services Committee Meeting, Sep 2017
10/9/2017Individual Services Committee Meeting, Oct 2017
10/26/2016Hello, Terry Boero.
9/28/2016Featured Member: Megan Briggs


text:
Okay so I noticed that a lot of people seems to want to talk about the hiautus and are doing so on other blogs that are about other things. So here it is a blog just about the hiatus. I don't know when it will start back up again, I am really hoping it is a very short hiatus and that we get new episdoes soon. Also I wasn't watching this show for the first hiatus and would like to know if it started somewhere around the seventh episode as well.
I think the Korra season finaly is going to kill me because I can't have that and this on hiatus at the same time.
so it looks like september 29th http://www.facebook.com/youngjusticeofficial/posts/475354055824160


text:
NEW YORK — Prospects for corporate earnings are dimmer in the coming quarters – even though reports so far this quarter have been relatively bright.
Third-quarter reports among the big names have been reasonably solid, with Google, McDonald's and others reporting strong results.
But unless there is a turnaround in the outlook for the U.S. economy, the next few quarters may be less rosy.
Currently, the market is focused on Europe. Hope for a series of summits designed to find a way to solve the growing euro zone debt crisis buoyed the Standard & Poor's 500 index to a 1.1 percent gain for last week and put the index at the top of a recent range it has struggled to break through.
With so much focus on Europe, earnings – even with most companies beating expectations – have been given less of the spotlight.
At the same time, S&P 500 earnings forecasts for the fourth and first quarters have come down since the start of October, especially in the materials, energy and financial sectors, according to Thomson Reuters data.
"That's part of this fear factor that has gripped not only the marketplace but corporate America as well," said Peter Cardillo, chief market economist at Rockwell Global Capital in New York.
Much of what's driving worries about earnings is related to expectations for less demand from Europe and other parts of the world, including China, where indicators show growth is slowing.
The sovereign debt crisis in Europe has plagued markets for months, and the U.S. economy has been a worry, too, with the nation's high unemployment rate among the chief problems.
Much of the third-quarter profit strength stems from still-strong international revenue growth, according to a report from Thomson Reuters earnings analyst Jharonne Martis.
On this week's earnings agenda are results from more top S&P 500 names: Caterpillar, Coach, Boeing and Procter & Gamble Co among others.
Projections for the fourth quarter are for growth of 12.5 percent – down from an Oct. 3 estimate of 15 percent – and forecasts for the first quarter of 2012 are for growth of 7.6 percent – down from an Oct. 3 estimate of 10.2 percent.


text:
The ROIC Quality of Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE:VG) is 2.590198. This is calculated by dividing the five year average ROIC by the Standard Deviation of the 5 year ROIC. The ROIC 5 year average is calculated using the five year average EBIT, five year average (net working capital and net fixed assets). The ROIC is calculated by dividing the net operating profit (or EBIT) by the employed capital. The employed capital is calculated by subrating current liabilities from total assets. The Return on Invested Capital is a ratio that determines whether a company is profitable or not. It tells investors how well a company is turning their capital into profits.
Investors might be trying to figure out how to play the stock market at current levels. The optimist may see much more upward action in the future while the pessimist may be waiting for the impending disaster. Buying into the market at these levels will no doubt come with a bit of caution. Even at these levels, there may still be some good buys. The average individual investor may need to spend a little more time doing the homework, but it may pay off handsomely if the stock market decides to break out higher. As companies start to report quarterly earnings, investors will be watching to see what types of trends emerge. A generally upbeat earnings season may give the bulls more strength to breakout and continue the charge higher into the later stages of the year.
We can now take a quick look at some historical stock price index data. Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE:VG) presently has a 10 month price index of 1.12195. The price index is calculated by dividing the current share price by the share price ten months ago. A ratio over one indicates an increase in share price over the period. A ratio lower than one shows that the price has decreased over that time period. Looking at some alternate time periods, the 12 month price index is 1.25812, the 24 month is 1.17572, and the 36 month is 2.12717. Narrowing in a bit closer, the 5 month price index is 1.23697, the 3 month is 1.07445, and the 1 month is currently 1.14109.
Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE:VG) has a Price to Book ratio of 3.389290. This ratio is calculated by dividing the current share price by the book value per share. Investors may use Price to Book to display how the market portrays the value of a stock. Checking in on some other ratios, the company has a Price to Cash Flow ratio of , and a current Price to Earnings ratio of 79.733333. The P/E ratio is one of the most common ratios used for figuring out whether a company is overvalued or undervalued.
Checking in on some valuation rankings, Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE:VG) has a Value Composite score of 60. Developed by James O'Shaughnessy, the VC score uses five valuation ratios. These ratios are price to earnings, price to cash flow, EBITDA to EV, price to book value, and price to sales. The VC is displayed as a number between 1 and 100. In general, a company with a score closer to 0 would be seen as undervalued, and a score closer to 100 would indicate an overvalued company. Adding a sixth ratio, shareholder yield, we can view the Value Composite 2 score which is currently sitting at 56.
Watching some historical volatility numbers on shares of Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE:VG), we can see that the 12 month volatility is presently 36.553100. The 6 month volatility is 34.419800, and the 3 month is spotted at 35.605700. Following volatility data can help measure how much the stock price has fluctuated over the specified time period. Although past volatility action may help project future stock volatility, it may also be vastly different when taking into account other factors that may be driving price action during the measured time period.
The Gross Margin Score is calculated by looking at the Gross Margin and the overall stability of the company over the course of 8 years. The score is a number between one and one hundred (1 being best and 100 being the worst). The Gross Margin Score of Vonage Holdings Corp. (NYSE:VG) is 52.00000. The more stable the company, the lower the score. If a company is less stable over the course of time, they will have a higher score.


text:
Apexi N1 EVO Spec II Exhaust for Nissan 240sx. (NEW!! Full Stainless Steel Exhaust system) Apex'i N1 Series exhaust has minimal bends for maxium efficiency. Produces High end power. (Please Note this is a one piece exhaust that is over 9ft. long and is expensive to ship). Please specify year 240sx when ordering.
Nobody has reviewed this product yet! Want to be the first one?


text:
McAfee reports a sharp increase in smartphone security threats
That figure is partly due to the increasing adoption of smartphones and tablets. McAfee's report said that "As more users access the Internet from an ever-expanding pool of devices - computer, tablet, smartphone or Internet TV - web-based threats will continue to grow in size and sophistication."
Their report singled out Adobe software, like Flash and PDFs, as favorite hacker targets in 2010. Adobe overtook Microsoft as the favorite target only this past year. McAfee attributes this to the increasing use of Adobe software in mobile devices and "non-Microsoft environments".
McAfee also noted the trojan horse that was unleashed on the Android operating system's applications and games. But Android users shouldn't take that as a sign of poor security. It's just what happens when an OS becomes big enough to be worth hacking.
The silver lining was their report on spam. McAfee said that the end of 2010 brought a 62% decrease in spam from the beginning of the year. We don't want you to come away from this with paranoia, so we'll leave you with a comforting thought: increased hacking of your mobile devices is just a side-effect of your devices' increasing power and capability.
source: Reuters
9 Comments
1. messiah (Posts: 438; Member since: 19 Feb 2010)
Of course.
Without them claiming security threats no one would buy their product.
4. protozeloz (Posts: 5396; Member since: 16 Sep 2010)
2. 530gemini (Posts: 2198; Member since: 09 Sep 2010)
I'm sticking with Apple products for sure.
3. Amit Saha (unregistered)
Looking like Mcafee want to increase there business in healthy earning smartphone world.
5. protozeloz (Posts: 5396; Member since: 16 Sep 2010)
I do not fear what they have to say, to antivirus programmers there will always be virus and hacks (even if they have to get their hands dirty). users must handle things with care don't fall for obvious traps, most mobile OS use permission system to tell you what an app is going to use. only apps from known sources market/store/hight rated pages
6. JeffdaBeat (unregistered)
I think this is one of the biggest reasons why I like the iPhone way of doing things. Malware happens, but Apple doesn't let you download an app unless they've cleared it as not being a threat. With Android, you have to be careful of what you're downloading.
8. protozeloz (Posts: 5396; Member since: 16 Sep 2010)
I don't know if I'm extremely lucky here but I never got any issues regarding apps, and I download and install some of the crap apps that happens to appear around the market from time to time just to kill time.... I have lockout but don't even consider using the app as a virus protection app(feature turned off), I use it to find my phone(pretty handy sometimes) I think people are scared of market apps... the apps i fear are the ones the user searches for lucky I have XDA as my backup app source...
9. kanon (Posts: 36; Member since: 09 Dec 2010)
Android is a unix based system. I have a feeling none of you quite understand how much security there is in a unix environment lol. Please look at the third post on this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?