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Published on October 2nd, 2013 | by Trick1
Review: Madz Modz NZonic V4
NZonic V4
Summary: Madz Modz didn't mess around too much with a good thing: A minor revision of the NZonic, the V4 retains the quality of previous versions with a small increase in performance.
Madz Modz has, for some time now, been near the epicenter of the boom in mod manufacturing in the Philippines. Their flagship mod, the NZonic, has kept a reputation for being one of the best-made devices coming from that country, and Madz Modz recently updated it to its fourth revision.
The new NZonic V4 retains a great deal of similarity the the earlier V3 revision we reviewed here back in May. In fact, the NZonic V4 is really mostly a cosmetic revamp. Gone is the brass and stainless two-toned look of the NZonic V3; instead, the V4 sport more subtle contrasts by using all stainless steel with a combination of a blasted matte finish over most of the mod, and a polished finish on accent pieces like the center tube, the ring above the switch, and the switch button itself.
The NZonic V4 retains the signature Swarovski crystal embedded in the bottom-mounted magnetic button. On our unit, with serial number 2378, the crystal is blue, rather than the green of our NZonic V3.
Specs we have found online for the NZonic V4 state that both positive and negative pins are 100% copper. However, while that is clearly true of the V3 version, the contacts in our NZonic V4 have a very brassy color, which is likely to be the result of a layer of silver plating coating the contacts. Possibly because of this plating, we found conductivity of the NZonic V4 to be quite good, with a voltage drop under load of just over .2 volts on a 4.2 battery, or voltage retention of 95%. This is a slight improvement over our tests of the NZonic V3 with unplated copper contacts, which we found to retain 94% of battery voltage. We were glad to see this bump in performance — while we appreciated the looks and build quality of the NZonic V3, we did see room for improvement on conductivity, and the results of our tests of the V4 show a small but measurable difference. While the NZonic V4 may not hit the top of our performance scale, with the V4 it has climbed a rung further up the ladder.
Also worth noting about our NZonic V4: it arrived with two top caps. One is a slant-topped version which, other than the matte finish, is identical to that of the NZonic V3. However, it also came with a 22mm flat-top cap (shown in the lead photo at the top of this review), which we're sure many will appreciate, as it greatly increases the aesthetics of the mod when used with larger atomizers. Combined with the pair of center tubes that ship with the NZonic V4 — one for 18350 and 18500-length batteries, and a longer tube for 18650 batteries and larger (the NZonic can accommodate an 18650 with a Kick or Crown, a somewhat rare thing in even telescoping mods), the NZonic is one of the most flexible mods out there when it comes to battery and atomizer choice.
Mostly unchanged, also, from previous versions of the NZonic is the price. Like the NZonic V3, the V4 doesn't come cheap — we've seen it selling at U.S. retailer for upwards of $180. However, given the popularity of the NZonic line, it may be possible to find group buys which obtain the NZonic straight from the Philippines, saving on shipping and possibly obtaining a discounted price on the mod.
All in all, we found the NZonic V4 to be a worthy addition to the Madz Modz's NZonic line. As with earlier versions of the mod, the workmanship is outstanding, and the boost in performance over the NZonic V3 is definitely something we appreciate. While this new version may not bring with it many significant changes, when you're starting with a mod as well-built and good-looking as the NZonic, even a very small step forward is a good thing.


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Anna Massey
( b. Aug 11, 1937 Thakeham, ENGLAND - d. Jul 03, 2011 London, ENGLAND ) Female
Massey was a British actress who snagged a 1957 Tony Award nomination for her only Broadway appearance, in The Reluctant Debutante. The daughter of Hollywood actor Raymond Massey, she was born in England, and enjoyed a career on stage, and in movies and television projects. Her most famous film roles were Helen in "Peeping Tom" and Babs in Alfred Hitchcock's "Frenzy." Ms. Massey was awarded a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II for services to drama in 2005.
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England beat India by an innings in three days at Old Trafford
Fourth Test, Emirates Old Trafford (day three):
England 367-9 all out beat India 152 & 161 by an innings and 54 runs
England stormed to a resounding victory over India inside three days at Old Trafford to take a 2-1 lead in the Test series with one match to play.
The hosts took nine wickets in an extraordinary session after tea to bowl India out for 161 and win the fourth Test by an innings and 54 runs.
For the second match in a row, spinner Moeen Ali was instrumental in the final push, taking 4-39 as England made light of the absence of the injured Stuart Broad, whose nose was broken by a Varun Aaron bouncer at the end of England's first innings.
James Anderson claimed 2-18 and Chris Jordan took the final two wickets in two balls to the delight of a full house at a sun-drenched ground.
The hosts had earlier posted 367 all out, with Joe Root's 77 and Jos Buttler's 70 giving them a lead of 215 runs, with 61 overs left in the day to bowl out India before Sunday's predicted downpours.
India in England 2014
1st Test
Trent Bridge
2nd Test
India won by 95 runs
3rd Test
England won by 266 runs
4th Test
Old Trafford
England won by an innings and 54 runs
5th Test
The Oval
In the end they needed only 43, completing an extraordinary turnaround by a team that was heavily beaten in the second Test at Lord's to extend their winless run to 10 Tests.
Even more remarkable is the transformation of Moeen, who took only 10 wickets at an average of 45 in his first four Tests this summer, but now has 12 victims at 14 in his last two.
England will hope to carry their winning momentum into the final Test at The Oval, starting on Friday, where only an India victory can deny them the series.
Chris Woakes, taking the new ball in Broad's absence, got the breakthrough for England with a delivery that nipped back slightly and rapped Murali Vijay's pads in front of leg stump.
But the real havoc was wrought after tea in a breathless period in which five wickets fell for 13 runs in 29 balls.
Gautam Gambhir nicked Anderson down the leg side for 18 and, from the first ball of the next over, Cheteshwar Pujara was given out lbw to Moeen, although TV replays - unavailable to umpires in this series with India refusing to use the Decision Review System - suggested the ball was missing leg stump.
Ajinkya Rahane was superbly caught by Moeen off his own bowling and Anderson continued his hold over Virat Kohli by having the India batsman taken at second slip by Ian Bell.
In the 30 balls he has faced from Anderson in the series, Kohli has scored seven runs and been out four times.
Ravindra Jadeja was out for four in Moeen's next over as he pushed forward and edged to Jordan at slip, Mahendra Dhoni's counter-attacking 27 was ended when he dragged Moeen to Gary Ballance at mid-wicket and Bhuvneshwar Kumar was run out attempting a suicidal second run.
Roaring in from the Brian Statham End with the crowd cheering him on, Jordan then had Varun Aaron caught behind off a short ball and Pankaj Singh bowled off his toes before wheeling away in celebration with his jubilant team-mates in pursuit.
Pankaj had earlier ended his wait for a maiden Test wicket in his 70th over, but only after England had pushed their lead beyond 150 runs.
As the heavy rain that prevented any play after 14:15 BST on Friday gave way to bright sunshine, Root and Buttler played positively in a partnership of 134.
Buttler mixed good fortune - he was dropped by Kohli in the gully on 34 and badly missed by Dhoni when he should have been run out for 44 - with fine strokeplay to record successive fifties in his first two Test innings.
Root was more cautious as he reached fifty off 103 balls, only to be denied a third Test century of the summer by Pankaj's unlikely intervention.
The Yorkshire batsman could not resist dabbling at a ball down the leg side and walked away cursing himself after the delivery flicked his gloves and was taken by Dhoni.
Having waited 69.2 overs to take his first Test wicket, Pankaj only had to wait two more for his next. Buttler, driving on the up, spooned a slower ball straight to Pujara at mid-off.
The runs continued to flow as Woakes cracked a fluent unbeaten 26 and Broad - the man of the match following his destructive bowling in the first innings - twice cleared the ropes before trying to repeat the shot and top-edging the ball between his helmet and his grille.
He received treatment to his gaping nose wound on the field and was later taken to hospital for X-rays, where the break was confirmed.
But by then, England were well on the way to a comprehensive Test win.
Comment number 163. Posted by GrolshDeBangon 9 Aug 2014 23:32
@ garmez
not sure Finn Is quite there yet, poor performance for England lions... Not back to his best yet...
Comment number 162. Posted by mamboon 9 Aug 2014 23:25
To be successful in cricket, whether batting bowling fielding or captaining , you need several factors to help you, the weather, the wicket, the opposition and the umpires. Without these and the run of the ball, you can be the greatest in the world and still go home with nothing but sore feet and a blooded nose.
Make the most of the fortune while the lady is smiling in your direction.
Comment number 161. Posted by GrolshDeBangon 9 Aug 2014 23:20
Deep breath everyone, please :-)
Let's not overreact either way and either pronounce success or decry it as a one-off. It's a great positive after a deeply depressing period in English cricket - what is important is where we go from here
A deeply depressing period in English cricket? Remember the nineties? That was a whole decade of hurt..This was a blip..And congrats to cook and the team
Comment number 160. Posted by Garmezon 9 Aug 2014 23:19
You dont score a ton in Aus like Stokes did if you cant bat. His batting will come good so he should be in for Woakes\Jordan. He was picking up wickets which is far more valuable than an allrounder who gets 20s & 30s but no wickets. This has been proved in last 2 tests where CJ & CW batting had little effect on the outcome. Ali, Stokes, Buttler, Broad, Finn, Jimmy will provide the right balance.
Comment number 159. Posted by Strange_UBoaton 9 Aug 2014 23:08
No matter how many times you watch this hobby, still looks like lower-grade Baseball.
Aussies will thrash this pub team:)
Comment number 158. Posted by Chris W8on 9 Aug 2014 23:07
Deep breath everyone, please :-)
Let's not overreact either way and either pronounce success or decry it as a one-off. It's a great positive after a deeply depressing period in English cricket - what is important is where we go from here
Comment number 157. Posted by derek colwellon 9 Aug 2014 23:01
@Horace123, would you like to tell us your heroes batting average this year.its not exactly puting his case forward for selection.And before you bring up his test record, that was then,this is now.
Comment number 156. Posted by markon 9 Aug 2014 23:00
Is this going to save cook's captaincy? I don't think so! he still looks like a lost school boy on that wicket! time for a clear out me thinks before winter tour! and why oh why does bell keep on being selected when he is hit and miss must be a rich mans choice!
Comment number 155. Posted by Garmezon 9 Aug 2014 22:56
Cook is still a poor captain, but this goes to prove how things are soon forgotten when the team around you starts to perform.
Comment number 154. Posted by phantomwhiteon 9 Aug 2014 22:49
This is very much an England team in transition, and while it would be harsh to be too critical, I do think we are a couple of bowlers light. Broad and Anderson are without doubt two of England's greatest ever seamers, but I do think Jordan and Woakes are average at best when it comes to supporting bowlers. I can't help but think Plunkett, Bresnan or Onions would be more effective in this series
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Jean-Luc Jean, who has worked as a concierge for 44 years at the... News PhotoConcierge,France,Horizontal,Hotel,Lifestyles,Lobby,Luxury,Paris - France,RenovationPhotographer FRANCK FIFECollection: AFP 2014 AFPJean-Luc Jean, who has worked as a concierge for 44 years at the luxury hotel 'Lutetia' in Paris, stands in the lobby of the hotel on April 10, 2014. The hotel, built in 1910 by French architects Louis-Charles Boileau and Henri Tauzin, will close its doors on April 14, 2014, prior to a total renovation. Throughout the years, various celebrities stayed at the 'Lutetia', such as French author and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1947 Andre Gide, American-born French actress Josephine Baker and French General Charles de Gaulle on the occasion of his wedding night. AFP PHOTO / FRANCK FIFE (Photo credit should read FRANCK FIFE/AFP/Getty Images)


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Thomas H. Jones, 71, of Syracuse passed away on Thursday. He had taught Biology at the University of Connecticut. Thomas was a member of Sandy Creek Planning Board, worked with and advised New York State Nature Conservancy and The Ontario Dune Coalition. Survivors include a son, Gregory E.; his companion, of 25 years Barbara Saucier; his sisters, Karen Adams and Debbie Jones. No Services. Contributions may be made to Friends of Sandy Pond Beach P.O. Box 326 Sandy Creek, New York 13145. Online condolences at CarterFuneralHome.com.
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With claims of wide product compatibility, Cortana and Kinect-powered voice control, and Windows 10 built right in, this ambitious smart-home hub is promising the moon.
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Corn cob residue (CCR) is a kind of waste lignocellulosic material with enormous potential for bioethanol production. The moderated sulphite processes were used to enhance the hydrophily of the material by sulfonation and hydrolysis. The composition, FT-IR spectra, and conductometric titrations of the pretreated materials were measured to characterize variations of the CCR in different sulfite pretreated environments. And the objective of this study is to compare the saccharification rate and yield of the samples caused by these variations.
It was found that the lignin in the CCR (43.2%) had reduced to 37.8%, 38.0%, 35.9%, and 35.5% after the sulfite pretreatment in neutral, acidic, alkaline, and ethanol environments, respectively. The sulfite pretreatments enhanced the glucose yield of the CCR. Moreover, the ethanol sulfite sample had the highest glucose yield (81.2%, based on the cellulose in the treated sample) among the saccharification samples, which was over 10% higher than that of the raw material (70.6%). More sulfonic groups and weak acid groups were produced during the sulfite pretreatments. Meanwhile, the ethanol sulfite treated sample had the highest sulfonic group (0.103 mmol/g) and weak acid groups (1.85 mmol/g) in all sulfite treated samples. In FT-IR spectra, the variation of bands at 1168 and 1190 cm-1 confirmed lignin sulfonation during sulfite pretreatment. The disappearance of the band at 1458 cm-1 implied the methoxyl on lignin had been removed during the sulfite pretreatments.
It can be concluded that the lignin in the CCR can be degraded and sulfonated during the sulfite pretreatments. The pretreatments improve the hydrophility of the samples because of the increase in sulfonic group and weak acid groups, which enhances the glucose yield of the material. The ethanol sulfite pretreatment is the best method for lignin removal and with the highest glucose yield.
Keywords:Sulfite pretreatment; Enzymatic hydrolysis; Corn cob residue; Sulfonic group; Conductometric titrations
Waste lignocellulosic material, which is easily available, inexpensive, and renewable, represents a kind of significant cellulosic biomass as raw material to produce fuel ethanol with many advantages in bioethanol conversion [1]. Corn cob residue (CCR) is a kind of waste lignocellulosic material. During the production of furfural from the lignocellulosic materials with abundant pentose sugars, such as corncob, the hemicelluloses have been hydrolyzed to furfural in a dilute acid environment at high temperature, leaving the lignin and cellulose in the CCR [2]. It has been estimated that about 12–15 tons of CCR can be obtained after 1 ton of furfural is produced, and an average of 23 million tons of CCR were available annually for alternative use in China [3]. However, the residue, considered as waste, are widely utilized for burning at present, far away form resource utilization. It would be a better choice to produce bioethanol with such abundant lignocellulosic waste.
Among the available technologies for lignocelluloses-to-ethanol production, a conversion process based on enzymatic hydrolysis is considered the most promising for large-scale operation [4,5]. However, one of the key factors to construct the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass is the presence of lignin, which plays the "glue" to bind cellulose and hemicellulose. Besides playing a physical barrier, lignin has also been found to irreversibly adsorb enzymes, which causes enzyme loss and decrease in the saccharification rate [6]. Therefore, delignification is always adopted to overcome the recalcitrance of lignocellulosic biomass and increase the enzymatic digestibility of cellulose.
The effect of lignin content on enzymatic hydrolysis of CCR has been evaluated, and it is found that the glucose yield was improved by increasing the lignin removal. However, the maximum glucose yield of CCR was obtained when the residue with a lignin content of about 21.0% [3]. The results further prove that the chemical and physical structure of lignin plays a significant role in determining the magnitude of inhibition of lignin to hydrolysis. There has been strong evidence [7] supporting the role of hydrophilic interactions in the non-productive binding of cellulases to lignin. Multiple studies [7,8] have shown that the addition of the surfactant to cellulolytic hydrolysis improved hydrolysis yields. It reported that increasing the carboxylic acid content of the lignin seemed to significantly decrease the non-productive binding of cellulase and consequently increased the enzymatic hydrolysis of the cellulose [9]. So the hydrolysis yields of CCR may be benefited from the enhanced hydrophily of lignin after a temperate pretreatment.
The sulfite process has been used for pretreating wood chips for ethanol production. Sulfonation of lignin increases its hydrophilicity, which will promote the enzymatic hydrolysis process [10,11]. And the lignosulfonate has been used as pesticide emulsifier, oil field chemicals, dyeing and finishing auxiliaries for textile, which can been obtained from the concentrated sulfite pretreated solution. Traditional sulfite pulping has been in industry practice for more than a century and can be operated over a wide range of pH and temperature. And the active reagents in sulfite pretreatment liquor are also depended on the pH of the pretreatment temperature [12]. Sulfonation is always enhanced because of the acid or alkaline catalysis. The acid sulfite and neutral sulfite pretreatment has been well documented as the SPORL pretreatment [12] with numerous publications to variety of feed stocks. And sulfite pretreated in alkaline environments also can increase the sulfonation and dissolubility of lignin. It has reported that during fraction of spruce by SO2-ethanol-water treatment, lignin is effectively dissolved, whereas cellulose is preserved in the solid (fiber) phase [13]. And the organophilic sulfite pretreatment is also a good choice for lignin separation and sulfonation because of the addition of ethanol, which caused a reduction of the surface tension and a benefit of solution penetration. Moreover, the hydrolysed lignin can be dissolved and recovered in the organophilic phase to obtained high purity lignin.
Our previous study has found that the glucan in CCR was easily degraded in severe pretreated processes. So in this study, the CCR were pretreated with sodium sulfite under moderate condition in acidic, alkaline, neutral, and ethanol environments to enhance the hydrophily of lignin by sulfonation reaction. And the objective is to compare the composition and characteristic variation of CCR during these sulfite pretreatments, and to compare the differences of saccharification rate and yield caused by these variations of the samples.
Results and discussion
Chemical composition of substrates
The variation of the chemical composition in CCR is given in Table 1. Glucan (48.1%) and lignin (43.2%) accounted for more than 90% of the CCR, implying that they are the main chemical compositions of the CCR and the hemicelluloses have been mostly removed during furfural production. After the pretreatments, lignin in the CCR had been removed partly, resulting in an increase in glucan proportion. Comparatively speaking, the amount of removed lignin after alkaline and ethanol sulfite pretreatment was higher than that after acidic and neutral sulfite pretreatment. The proportion of lignin in samples after alkaline and ethanol sulfite pretreatment decreased to 35.9% and 35.5%, respectively, which were lower than that in the samples after acidic pretreatment (38.0%) and neutral sulfite pretreatment (37.8%). Moreover, the residual lignin in the treated samples, based on the quality of the untreated CCR, was in according with the results of lignin proportion in pretreated samples. The lowest residual lignin sample was from the alkaline sulfite pretreated sample, only 28.08%.
Table 1. Variation of corn cob residue chemical composition after sulfite pretreatments
The variation of glucan proportion after sulfite pretreatments was not the same as the decrease in lignin proportion. The sample treated with ethanol sulfite had the highest glucan proportion (55.5%), while the values of the neutral and alkaline sulfite pretreated sample were 51.6% and 51.8%, respectively. The sample of acidic sulfite sample had the lowest glucan proportion (49.3%) of all the pretreated samples. However, the residual glucan in all the treated samples had endured a decline, especially the alkaline sulfite pretreated sample (40.47%). The ethanol sulfite pretreated sample had the highest residual glucan (47.01%), a little lower than the glucan proportion in raw material (48.10%).
The ratio of ash increased as the degradation of organic matter (including glucan and lignin) during sulfite pretreatments. The fact that acid soluble lignin in the CCR decreased after sulfite pretreatments was attributed to the solvable lignin with low molecular weight during pretreated process.
Undoubtedly, during sulfite processes, the delignification was realized by the formation of soluble fragments after lignin sulfonation and degradation. The considerable distinctive composition of pretreated samples was attributed to the different active reagents in the sulfite liquor, which depended on its pH and temperature [12,14]. The nucleophilic reaction of these active reagents resulted in the sulfonation and degradation of lignin in the raw materials [15]. The lignin solubility is connected with the pH value of the pretreated solution. The alkaline solution has better lignin solubility at a higher pH value than the acidic solution with a lower pH value [16]. So, the amount of lignin removal after alkaline pretreatment was more than that after treatment with acidic and neutral sulfite. During the ethanol sulfite pretreatment, the surface tension reduced because of the addition of ethanol, which was a benefit of solution penetration and lignin sulfonation, resulting in more lignin removal [17-19]. Moreover, the boiling point of ethanol is lower than that of water; hence, the pressure in the ethanol sulfite pretreated bottle was the highest. These advantages of ethanol sulfite pretreatment enhanced the sulfonation and degradation of lignin. The dissolved lignin can be directly used in various industrial fields as the surfactant after the concentration. It paved a new path for the utilization of the lignin in CCR.
It cannot be neglected that the cellulose can be degraded at acidic or alkaline solution [20,21]. Because of the acid hydrolysis of cellulose during acidic sulfite pretreatment, the increase in the glucan proportion was the lowest in all sulfite pretreatments. However, the lowest yield and the highest ash amount in the CCR after alkaline sulfite pretreatment was attributed to degradation of organic polymer, not only the removal of lignin, but also the damage of cellulose. The results of residual glucan also supposed these conclusions. However, it can not be neglected that the ethanol sulfite pretreatment had the weakest glucan degradation among these pretreatments. Moreover, the strong vitality of this organic pretreatment is also reflected in the cyclic utilization of ethanol and high purity lignin obtained from the pretreated solution.
Enzymatic saccharification
The glucose concentration of the pretreated CCR was higher than that of the raw CCR (Figure 1). The glucose released from the substrates was increased rapidly in the initial stage, while the rate of hydrolysis progressively reduced as the reaction proceeded. The glucose concentration in the raw material saccharification solution reached 6.76 g/L in the first 24 h, which was over 50% of the concentration at 96 h (9.43 g/L). The sulfite pretreated samples shared the same tendency with the CCR without pretreatment, but the glucose concentration in the saccharification solution of these samples was higher than that in the CCR at corresponding hours. After 96 h of enzymatic hydrolysis, the glucose concentration in the ethanol sulfite pretreated sample was the highest (12.56 g/L), and the glucose concentration in the other three samples had approximate values (11.23 g/L, Neutral; 11.02 g/L, Acidic; 11.42 g/L, Alkaline), which were higher than that of the untreated sample.
Figure 1. Glucose concentration variation of corn cob residue after sulfite pretreatments. RM represents the raw material of corn cob residue, while Neutral, Acidic, Alkaline and Ethanol represent corn cob residue treated with sulfite in neutral, acidic, alkaline and ethanol environment, respectively.
Similarly, the glucose yield (based on the cellulose in the treated sample) of all the samples experienced a rapid growth in the first 24 h, and the growth moderated from then on (Figure 2). And, the glucose yield of the samples after sulfite pretreated was higher than that of untreated CCR. However, as the glucan proportion of the samples was not the same, the difference in glucose yield from the samples was not in accordance with that of glucose concentration. The glucose yield of the CCR without pretreatment was 70.6% after 96 h of enzymatic hydrolysis, which just a littler lower than that of the sample treated with neutral sulfite (74.5%). The ethanol sulfite sample had the highest glucose yield (81.2%) in the saccharification samples, which was over 10% higher than that of the raw material. The acidic sulfite pretreated sample shared a similar glucose yield (78.2%) with the CCR treated with alkaline sulfite (79.4%).
Figure 2. Glucose yield variation of corn cob residue after sulfite pretreatments. RM represents the raw material of corn cob residue, while Neutral, Acidic, Alkaline and Ethanol represent corn cob residue treated with sulfite in neutral, acidic, alkaline and ethanol environment, respectively.
It is well known that the physical barrier and non-productive binding to enzyme of lignin is the main problem in CCR enzymatic hydrolysis [22,23]. After the sulfite pretreatment, part of the lignin had been removed and reduced the barrier of lignin to cellulose enzymatic hydrolysis [24,25]. More importantly, the sulfonation and degradation of the lignin increased its hydrophilism, which may be favorable to reduce the non-productive binding between lignin and cellulase [7]. Among the four kinds of sulfite pretreatment, the ethanol and alkaline sulfite pretreatment had similar amounts of lignin removal, but the glucose yield of the ethanol sulfite sample was higher than that of the alkaline sulfite treated sample. It may be attributed to the fact that more hydrophilic groups had been introduced in the CCR after ethanol sulfite pretreatment [26]. Moreover, the glucose yield from the acidic sulfite sample was higher than that from neutral when they shared similar lignin proportion. This phenomenon was closely related to the enhanced hydrophily of lignin during the sulfite pretreatment.
The glucose yield of the pretreated samples based on the cellulose in raw material (GPR) can be obtained from the saccharification efficiency together with solid yield in pretreated progresses. All pretreated samples had higher GPR than the raw material expect the alkaline sulfite sample. It should be attributed to the serve degradation of cellulose during the alkaline sulfite pretreatment. The sample treated with ethanol sulfite had the highest GPR (79.34% after 96 h of enzymatic hydrolysis). However, if the soluble lignin had been rationally used, it would be a good choice to adopt these pretreatment, especially the ethanol sulfite pretreatment, which not only can increase the glucose yield of CCR, but also results in a certain amount of lignin solution. Furthermore, the residual of cellulosic hydrolysis may have a good application prospect, as the lignin had been sulfonated during the sulfite pretreatments.
The sulfites pretreatments had enhanced the lignin sulfonation which can not only be benefited to the cellulosic hydrolysis but also bring a good application prospect for lignin (both degraded and residual). So from the whole processes of the biorefineries, the sulfite pretreatment may be a good choice. Moreover, the ethanol sulfite pretreatment presented an appealing effect.
Conductometric titrations
The hydrophility of lignin is intimate connection with its hydrophilic groups. So, in this study, the sulfonic group and weak acid groups of the samples had been measured by conductometric titration. The conductivity titration curves of the raw material and the ethanol sulfite pretreated sample were shown in Figure 3a and Figure 3b, respectively.
Figure 3. Conductivity titration curve of raw material (a) and the ethanol sulfite pretreated sample (b). "A" represents the equivalent point of strong acid, while "B" represents the equivalent point of weak acid groups.
The conductometric titration is based on changes in conductance of the suspension. The resultant conductivity of the suspension was plotted against the volume of alkali added. So, before the equivalent point "A," the alkali was used to neutralize the hydrogen from HCl added before the titration as well as the sulfonic group in the sample. The content of sulfonic group was the difference between the alkali required to reach the inflection point "A" and the HCl added before the titration. The weak acid groups were calculated using the volume of alkali required to reach the second inflection point "B" from the first inflection point "A" of the plot [27,28]. And, the total amount of hydrophilic groups was the sum of the sulfonic group and the weak acid groups.
The conductivity titration curves of other samples were similar with that of the ethanol sulfite pretreated sample, but the volumes of alkali required to reach the two inflection points "A" and "B" were different, which implied that the amount of sulfonic group and weak acid groups in these samples was different (Figure 4). In the raw material, there was little sulfonic group that may have been introduced during the furfural production with dilute sulphuric acid hydrolysis. And, the amount of weak acid groups was 0.196 mmol/g. The sulfite pretreatments increased the amount of both the sulfonic group and the weak acid groups. The nucleophilic performance of the active agents determines the degree of lignin sulfonation and degradation. During the neutral sulfite pretreatment, the nucleophilic reagents were SO3 2- and HSO3 -, which attracted the ether linkage in lignin resulting in its break and the introduction of the sulfonic acid group. So, the sulfonic group as well as the weak acid groups increased to 0.022 mmol/g and 0.637 mmol/g, repectively, after neutral sulfite treated. Compared with the neutral sulfite pretreatment, the nucleophilic reaction during sulfite treatment in the acidic and alkaline environments was catalyzed by the hydrogen or hydroxyl ions, which was beneficial to the lignin sulfonation and degradation, and their weak acid groups were similar (1.01 mmol/g, acidic; 1.02 mmol/g, alkaline). However, the dissolubility of lignin in the alkaline environment was higher than that in the acidic environment, so the lignin after sulfonate was much easier to dissolve in aqueous alkali, causing lower sulfonic acid group in the alkaline sulfite treated sample (0.039 mmol/g) than in the acidic sample (0.094 mmol/g). The ethanol sulfite treated sample showed the highest sulfonic group (0.103 mmol/g) and weak acid groups (1.85 mmol/g) in all sulfite treated samples. As explained above, the ethanol sulfite pretreatment was beneficial to solution penetration and its reaction with lignin. And, the ethanol may not only provide an alcohol solution environment but also take part in the reaction with lignin. The hydroxyl may have grafted to lignin and increased its hydrophilicity. The increased hydroxyl provided convenience for sulfonation reaction [29], which improved the solubility and amount of removed lignin. The increase in these hydrophilic groups reduced the non-productive binding between lignin and cellulase and enhanced the glucose yield of the ethanol sulfite pretreated sample.
Figure 4. Variation of sulfonic group and weak acid groups after sulfite pretreatments. RM represents the raw material of corn cob residue, while Neutral, Acidic, Alkaline and Ethanol represent corn cob residue treated with sulfite in neutral, acidic, alkaline and ethanol environment, respectively.
FT-IR spectra
FT-IR spectroscopy provides information about chemical composition, molecular conformation, and hydrogen bonding patterns of cellulose allomorphs [30]. The FT-IR spectra of the CCR samples are shown in Figure 5.
Figure 5. FT-IR spectra of samples. 'a' represents the raw material of the corn cob residue, while 'b', 'c', 'd', and 'e' represent the corn cob residue treated with sulfite in neutral, acidic, alkaline, and ethanol environments, respectively.
The analyses of the recorded spectra of the lignin samples used in this study were all based upon the assignments given by previous investigations [31,32]. As can be seen from the spectra, all the samples showed broad bands at 3410–3460 and 2897–2905 cm-1, attributed to the stretching of –OH groups and to C–H stretching, respectively, corresponding to the aliphatic moieties in cellulose, and survived lignin. The band around 1715 cm-1 in the spectra, assigned to carbonyl/carboxyl stretching, indicates the existence of the hydrophilic groups in the samples. The bands at 1605 and 1512 cm-1, which are attributed to the skeletal and stretching vibration of benzene rings, became weak in spectra of the sulfite treated samples because of lignin removal during the sulfite pretreatments. The disappearance of the band at 1458 cm-1 (bending vibration of the methoxyl on benzene rings) in the spectra of the samples after pretreatments implied the methoxyl in the lignin had been removed during the sulfite pretreatments. Moreover, this conclusion was confirmed by the variation of the bands at 1270 and 1230 cm-1, which are attributed to the aromatic core of guaiacyl and syringyl, respectively. C–H bending occurs at 1370 (1368) cm -1, and the C–C (C–O) vibration absorption appears at 1328 cm-1. The main differences in the spectra after sulfite pretreatment were the bands at 1168 and 1190 cm-1 (attributed to the absorption of sulfonic group), which were not obvious in the spectrum of the raw material. Furthermore, the fact that the bands were stronger in the spectrum of the ethanol sulfite pretreated sample than the other treated samples indicates that the sulfonation degree of the ethanol sulfite treated sample was the highest, which was according with the result of conductivity titration.
Two absorption bands around 1119 and 899 cm-1 arise from C–O–C stretching at the β-(1–4)-glycosidic linkages [33]. Strong peaks at 1056 (1058) and 1038 cm-1 are indicative of C–O stretching at C-3 and C–C stretching and C–O stretching at C-6 [34]. The most important bands that helped to identify the cellulose component are at 1042 cm-1, attributed to amorphous cellulose and crystallized cellulose II, and at 1430 cm-1, attributed to crystallized cellulose I. The band around 1427 cm-1 in the spectra of sulfite treated samples indicated a mixed structure of crystallized cellulose I and amorphous cellulose in all the samples [35]. However, the band of the untreated sample appearing at 1423 cm-1 may imply that the crystallized areas of cellulose in the CCR increased after the sulfite pretreatments. The FT-IR spectra analysis further confirmed that the lignin of the CCR had been removed partly and the lignin had been sulfonated after the sulfite pretreatments. These variations were beneficial to its enzymatic hydrolysis.
The lignin in the CCR (43.2%) reduced to 37.8%, 38.0%, 35.9%, and 35.5% after the sulfite pretreatment in neutral, acidic, alkaline, and ethanol environments, respectively. Meanwhile, the glucan of the CCR increased from 48.1% to 51.6%, 51.8%, 49.3%, and 55.5%, respectively after the corresponding sulfite pretreatment. These results indicate that the ethanol sulfite pretreatment is the best method for lignin removal and has the least cellulose degradation among the selected sulfite methods. The glucose yield (based on the cellulose in the treated sample) of the ethanol sulfite sample was the highest (81.2%) among the saccharification samples, which was over 10% higher than that of the raw material (70.6%). In the raw material, there was a little sulfonic group and weak acid groups, which increased after sulfite pretreatments. Meanwhile, the ethanol sulfite treated sample had the highest sulfonic group (0.103 mmol/g) and weak acid groups (1.85 mmol/g) in all the sulfite treated samples. These variations enhance the hydrophilicity of the samples, which may improve the glucose yield of the samples. In the FT-IR spectra, the variation of bands at 1168 and 1190 cm-1 (attributed to the absorption of the sulfonic group) confirmed lignin sulfonation during sulfite pretreatment. The disappearance of the band 1458 cm-1 in the spectra of the samples after pretreatments implied that the methoxyl in the lignin had been removed during the sulfite pretreatments. So, during the sulfite pretreatments, the lignin in the CCR can be degraded and sulfonated, and the pretreatments improve the hydrophility and enhance the glucose yield of the material. Moreover, the ethanol sulfite pretreatment with higher lignin removal and glucose yield is slightly better than the other sulfite pretreatments.
Corn cob residue
The corn cob residue (CCR) produced from corn cob was kindly supplied by the Chunlei Furfural Corporation (Hebei, China). The residues, which had a pH of 2 to 3 initially, were immersed in the fresh water for 24 h and then washed with distilled water until neutral to remove acid, furfural and other toxic products to enzyme and yeast. Before milled to a size under 40 meshes, CCR should be dry at 50°C for 12 h. And then the dried materials were stored in sealed bags at room temperature until further processing.
Sulfite pretreatments
The pretreatments were performed in the pressure bottles with screw cap (Synthware Co., Ltd). During neutral sulfite pretreatment, the sodium sulfite (1%, w/v) were added in the bottles with CCR slurry in water (10%, w/v); additionally no other more chemicals was used, and the final pH was 7.5 at normal temperature. When the CCR (10%, w/v) was dispersible in dilute acidic solution (0.5% H2SO4, w/v) before the sodium sulfite (1%, w/v) added, this process was defined as acidic sulfite pretreatment (pH 2.3). The alkaline sulfite pretreatment (pH 12.4) was operated similarly as the acidic sulfite pretreatment, but the dilute acidic solution had been replaced by dilute alkali solution (0.5% NaOH, w/v) to provide alkaline environment. The ethanol sulfite pretreatment was slightly different, and 1% sodium sulfite (w/v) was added in the bottle with CCR (10%, w/v) dispersed in alcohol solution (80%, v/v), with pH 7.9.
The screw caps of the bottles were tightened after the sodium sulfite had been added. Then the bottles were placed in the water bath shaker with 100 rpm at 80°C for 3 h. The mixture in the bottles after pretreatment was filtered to separate the solid residues and the filtrate fraction. The solid residues were thoroughly washed with tap water to neutral pH, then vacuum dried at 50°C, and finally weighed. The pretreated samples after vacuum dry were ground into powder with mortar before analysis. The lignin and glucan contents of CCR as well as pretreated samples were analyzed according to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) methods [36].
Enzymatic saccharification
The solid residues obtained from the pretreatment were further submitted to enzymatic hydrolysis. Each enzymatic hydrolysis treatment was preformed at 47°C, pH 4.8 with a substrate concentration of 2.5% (w/v). Cellulase (Celluclast 1.5L, 74FPU/ml, Sigma Co., St. Louis, MO) loading for the CCR was 12 FPU/g-cellulose and the β-glucosidase (Novozyme 188, 175 CBU/ml, Sigma Co., St. Louis, MO) loading was 15 CBU/g-cellulose. The hydrolysis of CCR without pretreatment was performed as control. The saccharification was cultivated on a rotary shaker at 180 rpm for 96 h. Samples were withdrawn and centrifuged at 10000×g for 5 min. The hydrolysates were filtered through 0.2 um filters and diluted properly for further neutral sugar analysis.
The neutral sugars during saccharification process were analyzed by HPLC (Waters 2695e, USA) with Aminex HPX-87P (300×7.8 mm, Bio-Rad, USA) at 85°C and refractive index detection detector at 35°C. The injection volume of the sample was 10 μL, and distilled water was used as the eluent, at a flow rate of 0.6 ml/min. The glucose yield was calculated assuming that 1 g cellulose present in the liquid theoretically gave 1.11 g of glucose. Assays were performed in 3 repeated experiments, and the mean values are calculated.
The conductometric titrations were used to detect the content of weak acid groups and sulfonic group in the samples. Before the conductometric titrations, the ground CCR samples were converted to their fully protonated form by soaking the samples at 1% consistency in 0.01 M hydrochloric acid for 16 h. The samples with pH close to 2.2 after 16 h of soaking were then vacuum-filtered using a Buchner funnel and washed several times with deionized water until the pH of the water filtrate was close to 6.0. The vacuum was maintained until no more water could be extracted from the CCR samples. Approximately 0.5 g of the protonated CCR sample was dispersed in 1 mM sodium chloride (100 ml) and addition of 0.5 ml of 0.05M HCl was made before the start of titration. The titration was performed with 5 mM NaOH in a constant temperature water bath set at 25°C. The conductivity meter (DDSJ-308A, Shanghai Precision & Scientific Instrument Co. Ltd.) was exploited to detect the variation of the conductance during the titration [27]. The content of sulfonic groups (SG) and weak acid groups (WAG) were calculated according to the following formulas:
In which, c1 is the concentration of HCl solution (mol/L); V1 is the volume of HCl solution addition (ml); c2 is the concentration of NaOH solution (mol/L); V2 is the consumed volume of NaOH solution before first equivalent point (ml); V3 is the consumed volume of NaOH solution before second equivalent point (ml); m is quality of the tested sample.
The FT-IR spectra of ground samples the lignin fractions were obtained on a Nicolet-750 FT-IR spectrophotometer using KBr discs containing 1% finely ground samples in the range of 4000–400 cm-1.
CCR: Corn cob residue; GPR: Glucose yield of the pretreated samples based on the cellulose in raw material; NREL: National Renewable Energy Laboratory; SG: Sulfonic groups; WAG: Weak acid groups.
Competing interests
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors' contributions
BL and JJ designed and coordinated the study; BL, XY and GY carried out the experiments; BL and YH analyzed the results; BL and XY wrote the paper; JJ and YH reviewed the paper. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
The authors are grateful for the financial support of this research from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (200–1242331), National Science Foundation of China (31070510) and Major State Basic Research Projects of China (973-2010CB732204).
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International Journal of Business and Management Vol. 9, No. 6, 2014
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Tuesday 7th August – 2012
After their performances at the B32 WTS this year, we quizzed the 'balanced' female, Steph Masterson, and 'balanced' male, Chip McIntosh to find out their perspectives on fitness, focus, food and favourite moments from the day. Here's what they had to say…
B32 WTS Balanced Female: Steph Masterson
What's your training background?
Ive been lucky to have tried heaps of different sports and have a pretty varied background of swimming and cross country running as a kid, to triathlon then road cycling. I was a group fitness instructor for 3 years before finding Crossfit. Competed at the 2011 Regionals and then made one of the best decisions in my life to move with Jamie Osbourne to Rogue Weightlifting Academy and have been focused on Olympic Weightlifting since then.
What's your training focus now?
My main focus right now is to have fun with my training and Jamie and I are playing around with my technique and different ideas and training styles. I'm loving lifting more and more everyday with the highs and lows and the challenge of it. And my focus is on keeping that, getting stronger and seeing both small and huge changes & improvements.
How would you describe the way you eat?
If its in front of me, I'm probably going to eat it! But it's mostly clean food with lots of veggies, fruit meat and fish. But I have a huge weakness for ice cream. I follow Kate Freeman Nutritions advice and her 'nutrition in a plate' guidance for me & my family and her advice has been amazing in supporting my training and in feeding my boys!
What is your definition of fitness?
Mine right now is focused on strength, speed and power as the fundamental building blocks for fitness. It doesn't end there, but it should start from there. I think fitness should be looked at as a long term and sustainable process and to let it evolve over time.
What do you think would be the ultimate test of fitness?
That's a great question and its an intensely personal one. I cannot make up my mind on this one – especially when thinking about it in the aftermath of the Crossfit Games & with the Olympics now on. I tend to agree with the Crossfit 10 domains & am amazed by the capacity of people to challenge the conventional wisdom. For me right now, I think the ultimate test is in front of us with each and every training session – to trust your coach, your training and to test yourself by giving it all you've got every time you're fortunate enough to be able to.
Why did you decide to participate in the WTS this year?
I missed competing and was having heap of fun with the crossfit workouts Id started back into with Crossfit Technique so was super keen to have a hit out. Jamie and I were keen to see how the all the lifting training and strength gains would transfer so this came up at the right time for us. Plus, they were really good events for me and, bar the burpees and a 3km run, all things I really enjoy doing.
What was your favourite event and/or moment of the WTS and why?
Getting a 7kg PB for a power clean was pretty great personally but highlights include:
Emma smashing a 40kg jerk 3 days after learning the lift!
Nikki getting back up and smashing the sled sprint
Michaela is an amazing and strong athlete and can't wait to see what she is going to achieve
Hand holding at the end of the run was so cool
The level of support and encouragement on the day was pretty amazing and nice to be part of
…And seeing Oscar getting amongst it all and taking over the stopwatches was pretty cute!
What was the biggest thing you learned at the WTS?
That weightlifting does not make running suck less, swings are more fun than you remember, push presses are the best and 40kg back squats do not make your quads feel good the next day!
B32 WTS Balanced Male: Chip McIntosh
What's your training background?
Played a fair bit of sport in high school, then got very out of shape and put on about 25kgs in the first few years out of school. Started training CrossFit about 18 months ago.
What's your training focus now?
Mostly training for health and enjoyment, I really enjoy my training but I'd also love to make it to the CrossFit regionals somewhere down the line.
How would you describe the way you eat?
I eat pretty good food, roughly following the zone diet proportions but don't stress too much about it. I notice the difference in my recovery when I eat poorly so I try to stay pretty clean.
What is your definition of fitness?
I buy into the General Physical Preparedness mentality pretty strongly. I like to be a bit simplistic about it all and let it just be fun.
What do you think would be the ultimate test of fitness?
I think the CrossFit games do a pretty good job of it.
Why did you decide to participate in the WTS this year?
I enjoy meeting other people and seeing how they train and compete.
What was your favourite event of the WTS and why?
Favourite event was the 10 minute AMRAP. Pretty brutal test of work capacity as well as strength endurance. Forced you to limit your rest even when you weren't sure you'd make the reps.
What was the biggest thing you learned at the WTS?
I've been focussing maybe a bit too much on weaknesses lately and didn't realise I've been letting basics like my squat get a bit rusty. Gotta keep the staple movements incorporated more.
Today's group training:
Clean grip DL @ 40X0, build to a heavy 3 in pairs. Wt cannot be changed down b/t sets. If/when someone taps out continue building without them.
15 Russian KBS every 90sec for 10min. Moderate loading that allows accurate use of glutes rather than mid/upper back
150 Lying leg raise in pairs as shared work.
– Hold onto your partners feet
– A rep is when your legs are raised up to touch your partners hands
Post your training notes to comments
Posted on August 6, 2012, in Daily Group Training and tagged B32 athletics, WTS. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
DL @ 72.5kg
KBS @ 16kg
Was starting to feel the crushed hand after the DL and KBS
75 leg raises with Daz
A: 75kg
B: 20kg and 24kg
C: done
B. 32 (increased to 40 for last 4 sets).
B. 32, 40 felt under control for RKBS (full KBS would be another story). Glute activation appears to have improved.


text: Rex Andrew, KFYO.com [ What Would You Ask Either Mayor Tom Martin or Councilman Paul Beane? By Chad Hasty April 19, 2012 Two City Council Candidates will make their way into the studio on Friday seeking re-election. What questions would you ask them? Read More|Comment Category: Opinion Tags: Election 2012, Mayor Tom Martin, Paul Beane Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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Vol. 5, No. 3, March 2013
Table of Contents
|Using Morningstar's Analytical Measures to Evaluate Investment Recommendations Made by Consumer Reports
|C. Edward Chang, Thomas M. Krueger
|Smiley or Frowney: The Effect of Emotions and Empathy Framing in a Downstream Water Pollution Game
|Natalia V. Czap, Hans J. Czap, Marianna Khachaturyan, Mark E. Burbach, Gary D. Lynne
|The Stock Market/Unemployment Relationship in USA, China and Japan
|Farzad Farsio, Shokoofeh Fazel
|Saudi Financial Structure and Economic Growth: A Macroeconometric Approach
|Mohammed Moosa Ageli, Shatha Mousa Zaidan
|Managerial Incentives and the Risk-Taking Behavior of Hedge Fund Managers
|Serge Patrick Amvella Motaze
|Behaviour of Bank Share Prices and Their Impact on National Stock Market Indices: Comparing Countries at Different Levels of Economic Development during Recessionary and Non-Recessionary Periods
|Lilian W. Komo, Isaac K. Ngugi
|The Determinants of Informal Capital in the Financing of Small Firms at Start-Up: An Ethnic Comparison of Small Firms in Sweden
|Darush Yazdanfar, Saeid Abbasian
|Examining the Value of Money in England over the Long Term (1259-2009)
|Adam Abdullah
|Consequential Effects of Budget Deficit on Economic Growth: Empirical Evidence from Ghana
|Samuel Antwi, Xicang Zhao, Ebenezer Fiifi Emire Atta Mills
|The Optimal Licensing Strategy of an Outside Patentee in Vertically-Related Markets
|Ming-Chung Chang, Jin-Li Hu, Chin-Hung Lin
|Corporate Sustainability Reporting and Analysis of Sustainability Reports in Turkey
|Rabia Aktas, Koray Kayalidere, Mahmut Kargin
|Top Companies Ranking Based on Financial Ratio with AHP-TOPSIS Combined Approach and Indices of Tehran Stock Exchange - A Comparative Study
|Seyed-Hasan Hosseini, Mohammad Esmaeil Ezazi, Mohamad Rasoul Heshmati, Seyed-Mohamad Reza Hosseini Moghadam
|Migrant Workers' Remittances and External Trade Balance in Sub-Sahara African Countries
|Henry Okodua, Wumi Kolawole Olayiwola
|The Profitability of Banking Sector in Republic of Macedonia
|Meri Boshkoska
|Can Financial Ratios Reliably Measure the Performance of Banks in Bahrain?
|Naser J. Najjar
|Testing the CAPM for the Brazilian Stock Market: A Study of Dynamic Beta Using Multivariate GARCH
|Lucas Lucio Godeiro
|The Regional Integration Agreements: A New Face of Protectionism
|Montej Abida
|Monetary Policy and Its Implications for Balance of Payments Stability in Nigeria: 1980-2010
|Anthony Ilegbinosa Imoisi, Lekan Moses Olatunji, Bosco Itoro Ekpenyong
|Does Fiscal Policy Matter for Growth? Empirical Evidence from Pakistan
|Rabia Nazir, Mumtaz Anwar, Mamoona Irshad, Ayza Shoukat
|The Role of Corporate Governance in Reducing the Negative Effect of Earnings Management
|Nopphon Tangjitprom
|An Investment Strategy Based on Stochastic Unit Root Models
|Mamadou A. Konte
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
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An innovative design, which uses various different navigation elements and interfaces to create a unique way to browse around the content. Worth a look!Posted in Web Design → Portfolio
Pharmaceutical company embracing the modern design style - responsive/mobile friendly as wellJames VincentPosted in Web Design → Corporate
Personal site of Craig Jamieson, an independent design professional from Johannesburg, South Africa.James VincentPosted in Web Design → Portfolio
Your FForever site is a customized all-in-one solution to enhance the entire wedding experience.James VincentPosted in Web Design → Portfolio
A portfolio site for a design agency that's transforms research and insight into memorable web design, development and brand strategy based out of Chicago.Posted in Web Design → Design
Tim Bennett offers web design and development in Leeds, Yorkshire, UK. Web design for devices of all shapes and sizes. Great looking websites for mobiles, tablets and desktopsJames VincentPosted in Web Design → Portfolio
Root Studio is a graphic and web design agency based in Lincoln, UK. Their site is beautiful and the animations are wonderfully engaging.Tom BradleyPosted in Web Design → Portfolio
The portfolio and blog of London-based front-end developer Andy Walpole. Hand-coded with SASS, AngularJS and NodeJS, the website is fully responsive with subtle CSS3 animation giving some key sections an extra visual depth.Andy WalpolePosted in Web Design → Portfolio
I'm Adam Marsden, a Web Designer & Front-end Developer. I make the internet a better looking place, building beautiful modern websites using HTML + CSS.Adam MarsdenPosted in Web Design → Portfolio
Providing a fresh and innovative approach to promotional marketing and design, this site perfectly mirrors the aims of the agency.Joseph BanksPosted in Web Design → Corporate
A superb new site for Envato that uses colour in a really powerful way and features the new logo. I particularly like the use of typography and the responsive layout.Posted in Web Design → Community
A great example of a site that uses visual falir to make an impact.Mauricio VuljevasPosted in Web Design → Design
A superb grid layout that uses colour and imagery effectively. This creative agency has found a great way to showcase previous projects.Posted in Web Design → Portfolio
A brilliant site for an advertising company that makes excellent use of HTML5. I love what happens as you scroll down the page, it's purely engaging! The use of colour is vibrant and makes a strong statement.Posted in Web Design → Misc
An immediately striking site for a web designer. I love the use of illustrations and graphic design, it immediately captures your imagination. Some of the text is a little difficult to read but the jovial nature of the site makes up for it.Posted in Web Design → Design
A beautifully designed site that's simply a way for this particular designer to share some of his favourite free fonts with the world. I love the use of typography and emphatic use of colour, it looks just gorgeous.Posted in Web Design → Design
A brilliant and stunning site for a fascinating bet. This design company have bet their boss that if they get 5000 likes on Facebook then he will bike to North Cape (Norway). I love the illustrations and graphic theme of the site!Posted in Web Design → Misc
RAE is an excellently designed web app aimed at teaching users to play guitar. The design is super clean and professional and makes heavy use of contrast through a primarily black and white color scheme.Posted in Web Design → Music
Theory Design is the online portfolio of Ryan McCaster, a designer from Vancouver. The rough texture watercolor background is the star of this site, perfectly accented by all of the inset letterpress effects on the graphical elements.Posted in Web Design → Portfolio
A nice looking site with a unique square-filled animation that fills up the page. I particularly like the texture behind the navigation area and the ribbons on the bottom right of the page.Posted in Web Design → Portfolio


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Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill was born in Utah, a long way from any ocean. But the Baja-themed fast-casual chain is riding a wave of growth. Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, Costa Vida has 53 units in nine mostly Western states, with the easternmost being located in Missouri. By the end of the calendar year, 14 more are scheduled to open, including a second unit in Canada, with more to come there next year. Area development deals have been signed to bring the brand to ...
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Cooper's Nicholas honorable mention on All-State baseball team
Cooper first baseman Clayton Nicholas was the lone representative from the Big Country on the Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State Baseball Team released Friday.
Nicholas, a freshman-to-be at Texas Tech who will play quarterback on the football team, was an honorable mention selection. As a senior, he batted .432 with a .743 slugging percentage with seven doubles, two triples and four home runs while driving in 21. He was a unanimous selection to the All-Big Country team.
Corpus Christi Carroll outfielder Courtney Hawkins was the player of the year. Hawkins batted .421 with 11 home runs and 39 RBIs. He had an .841 slugging percentage. He was drafted in the first round by the Chicago White Sox and signed with the club.
Texas Sports Writers Association Class 5A All-State Baseball Team
Pitchers — Grant Slaughter, Cypress Ranch, Sr.; Riley Ferrell, A&M Consolidated, Sr.; and Ty Culbreath, Bryan, Sr.
Catcher — Jose Favela, El Paso Franklin, Sr.
First baseman — O'Shea Dumes, Corpus Christi Carroll, Sr.
Second baseman — Colby Turton, A&M Consolidated, Sr.
Shortstop — Leon Byrd, Cypress Ranch, Sr.
Third baseman — Trooper Reynolds, Weatherford, Sr.
Outfielders — Courtney Hawkins, Corpus Christi Carroll, Sr.; Nick Williams, Galveston Ball, Sr.; and Eric Gutierrez, Sharyland, Sr.
Utility — P/OF Ford Moore, A&M Consolidated, Sr.
Designated hitter — Brandon Montalvo, Langham Creek, Sr.
Player of the Year — Courtney Hawkins, Corpus Christi Carroll, Sr.
Coach of the Year — John Pope, Cypress Ranch
Pitchers — Dom Toccolini, Kempner, Jr.; Kevin McCanna, The Woodlands, Sr.; and Justin Holder, Austin Anderson, Sr.
Catcher — Jeremy Montalbano, Katy Seven Lakes, Sr.
First baseman — Jered Rhoades, Weatherford, Sr.
Second baseman — Joseph Collazo, San Antonio Johnson, Sr.
Shortstop — Tyer Gonzales, San Antonio Madison, Sr.
Third baseman — Cody Gunter, Flower Mound, Sr.
Outfielders — Colby Martin, Cypress Ranch, So.; Austin Dean, Klein Collins, Sr.; and (tie) E.J. Garcia, Laredo Alexander, Jr. and Lewis Guilbeau, Austin Westlake, Sr.
Utility — P-SS Ralph Garza, New Braunfels, Sr.
Designated hitter — Justin Sullender, Channelview, Sr.
Pitchers — Ballard Infante, Ft. Bend Clements, Sr.; Travis Gibson, Bryan, Sr.; and Mark Ecker, San Antonio O'Connor, Jr.
Catcher — Jason Campbell, Alvin, Sr.
First baseman — Cody Michna, Pearland, Sr.
Second baseman — Max Hogan, Belton, Sr.
Shortstop — (tie) Sal Avila, El Paso Montwood, Jr. and Zane Gurwitz, San Antonio Churchill, Jr.
Third baseman — Alfred Iturralde, El Paso Montwood, Sr.
Outfielders — Hunter Hargrove, Mansfield, Jr.; Ricky Ramirez, Deer Park, Sr.; Chris Benitez, El Paso Montwood, Sr.
Utility — (tie) P/OF Eder Erives, El Paso Montwood, Jr. and P/3B Jose I. Garza, PSJA, Jr.
Designated hitter — (tie) Matt Smith, Austin Anderson, Sr. and Connor Teykl, Kempner, Sr.
Pitchers — Logan Boyd, Atascocita, Sr.; Nolan Brown, Colleyville Heritage, Sr.; O'Shea Dumes, CC Carroll, Sr.; Caleb Hamrick, Cedar Hill, Sr.; Nick Hendrix, Arlington Martin, Sr.; Colin Poche, Flower Mound Marcus, Sr.; Anthony Prieto, EP Americas, Sr.; Tate Williams, Kempner, Sr.
Catchers — Cameron Burns, Houston Bellaire, Sr.; Michael Cantu, CC Carroll, So.; Jacob Huckabay, Bryan, Sr.; Ben Kennedy, A&M Consolidated, Sr.; Brandon Montalvo, Langham Creek, Sr.; Travis Sims, Midland, Sr.
First basemen — Alec Lavergne, Kempner, Sr.; Clayton Nicholas, Abilene Cooper, Sr.; Justin Sullender, Channelview, Sr.
Second basemen — Chris Ceballos, Los Fresnos, Sr.; Jacob Mena, EP Franklin, Sr.; Bryce Stark, Cypress Ranch, Jr.
Shortstops — Tres Barrera, Sharyland, Sr.; Paxton DeLaGarza, Lubbock Coronado, Sr.; Kody Eaves, Pasadena Memorial, Sr.; Mark Ecker, San Antonio O'Connor, Jr.; Steven Keenum, SA Brandeis, Sr.; Lance Miles, The Woodlands, Sr.; Sheldon Neuse, Fossil Ridge, Jr.; Bryan Ramirez, PSJA, Sr.; Matt Smith, Austin Anderson, Sr.; Connor Teykl, Kempner, Sr.; Andrew Vinson, Flower Mound, Sr.
Third baseman — Carter Hope, The Woodlands, Jr.; Connor McGuire, Grapevine, Jr.; Ryan Whittenberg, Midland, Jr.
Outfielders — Drew Dowdy, Arlington Martin, Jr.; Alex Dunlap, The Woodlands, Jr.; Eric Perez, CC King, Jr.; Chandler Russell, Bryan, Sr.; Darryn Sheppard, Dulles, Jr.; Bryant Stites, McAllen Memorial, Sr.; Kyle Survance, Jersey Village, Sr.; Cody Thomas, Colleyville Heritage, Jr.; Damian Villescas, PSJA, Sr.; Matt Waller, Arlington Martin, Jr.; Dustin Williams, Weatherford, Jr.; Jordan Wyatt, Pasadena Memorial, Jr.
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BREAKING: Keystone XL just won a victory over landowners in Nebraska.
Tell President Obama — it's time to reject KXL once and for all!
Just hours ago, the Nebraska Supreme Court failed to nullify the unconstitutional law that places Keystone XL above the rights of landowners to protect their land and water.
While this wrongheaded decision is a blow to our friends who have bravely fought Keystone XL on the ground in Nebraska for years, it also puts this dirty tar sands pipeline one step closer to being rejected. Now that the route in Nebraska is known, the Obama administration can finally decide if KXL is in our national interest.
The end of this fight is now in sight. President Obama has all the information he needs to reject Keystone XL once and for all. Take action now to urge the president to reject KXL!
President Obama has made it clear that Keystone XL can't be in our national interest — and thus must be rejected — if it increases carbon pollution and makes climate change worse.
It has always been clear that Keystone XL will do just that. In 2014 alone, three major tar sands projects were canceled because they were simply unprofitable given rising costs, lower oil prices and lack of market access from pipelines like Keystone XL. Approving Keystone XL would open the floodgates of climate-damaging tar sands crude flowing through the U.S. — which is just what Big Oil needs to expand production.
In short, every day it becomes more and more clear that this dirty pipeline to nowhere makes no sense. It fails President Obama's climate test, and must be rejected. Tell President Obama it's time to reject Keystone XL once and for all!
The only ones who still want this disastrous pipeline are the oil industry and its bought-and-paid-for friends in Congress. We saw this again today as the House of Representatives voted to approve KXL, fulfilling their promise to Big Oil. That bill failed to get enough votes to override President Obama's promised veto, and the president still has the sole authority to decide this matter once and for all.
What this vote did do, however, was show once again that while the rest of the country is ready to invest in clean, renewable energy, they're investing in denial and trying desperately to keep America dependent on outdated sources of fuel.
We agree with these Big Oil-backed politicians on one thing: The approval process for Keystone XL has gone on long enough, and it's time to wrap it up and reject Keystone XL once and for all. Take a moment right now to urge President Obama to reject Keystone XL.
Thanks for doing your part to defeat this toxic pipeline,
Michael Brune
Sierra Club Executive Director
P.S. After you take action, be sure to forward this invitation to your friends and colleagues! You can also help spread the word on your social networks with the buttons below:
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Press Secretary
A Bit More on Andrew Young
October 01, 2009
Michelle's already flagged Ben Smith's Politico piece on the Andrew Young-John Edwards soap opera, but I just wanted to add my two cents--or, at the very least, get a blog post out of my one Andrew Young story. Although I met him a handful of times over the years in the course of reporting about Edwards--as Smith's piece documents, Young was one of those guys who was always just sort of around--it was my first encounter with him that sticks in my head.
Dick Armey, Retroactive Civil Rights Champion
September 18, 2009
From Politico's report on tea parties and right-wing activism, including Dick Armey's FreedomWorks: "As an organization, we have been very closely studying what the left has been doing," explains FreedomWorks press secretary Adam Brandon, who says he was given a copy of "Rules for Radicals" when he took his current job . Brandon describes the Sept. 12 rally in D.C.
Intriguing Press Release of the Day
September 17, 2009
From the White House, yesterday afternoon: THE WHITE HOUSE Office of the Press Secretary FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 16, 2009 Readout of the President's meetings today with Senator Rockefeller and with Senators Bennett and Wyden "The President had constructive meetings today with Senator Rockefeller and with Senators Bennett and Wyden in the Oval Office. These meetings underscore the President's continued commitment to working with senators on both sides of the aisle to pass health insurance reform this year." Rockefeller's visit has already gotten some coverage.
Bush Sense of Humor Too Sophisticated For Former Bushies
September 16, 2009
Readers of National Review's group blog, The Corner, are always thankful for the contributions of former White House press secretary Dana Perino. Perino, if you remember, was the woman who frequntly got confused when asked about things like the Cuban Missile Crisis ("It had to do with Cuba and missiles, I'm pretty sure"). Anyway, yesterday she responded to the GQ piece written by former Bush speechwriter Matt Latimer, which I blogged about earlier. Latimer wrote about Bush's reaction to the Palin VP selection as follows: "I'm trying to remember if I've met her before.
Bad News for the Peace Process?
September 04, 2009
Just out from the White House: Statement by the Press Secretary on Israeli Settlements We regret the reports of Israel's plans to approve additional settlement construction. Continued settlement activity is inconsistent with Israel's commitment under the Roadmap. As the President has said before, the United States does not accept the legitimacy of continued settlement expansion and we urge that it stop. We are working to create a climate in which negotiations can take place, and such actions make it harder to create such a climate. We do appreciate Israel's stated intent to place limits
Mad Men
March 18, 2009
Before last week, few of us had ever heard of Rick Santelli--despite Santelli's best efforts--and fewer still had any particular affection for him. Santelli is a CNBC TV personality whose most distinctive assets are a near- continuous state of agitation and a Billy Mays-like ability to project his voice, drowning out other shouting heads with ease. His persona is meant to make you pay attention to him, not to love him.
Scott Mcclellan's Advice For Robert Gibbs
January 28, 2009
Yesterday, we asked President Bush's former press secretary, Scott McClellan, if he had any hard-won suggestions for Robert Gibbs. My view is that the press-briefing model that is used now is kind of outdated.
White House Watch: Nixon Then and Now
February 22, 1975
A new book and news accounts from San Clemente depict Richard Nixon as he appeared to one of his White House writers before Watergate destroyed his presidency and as he is in exile and nearly total seclusion six months after his resignation. The book is William Safire's Before the Fall (Doubleday; $12.50).


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There are few moments in film viewing quite as satisfying as reintroducing oneself to a favorite from younger days and falling in love with the movie all over again. There are few moments in film viewing quite as aggravating as reintroducing oneself to a favorite from younger days and being forced to ask oneself "What the hell was I thinking?"
Guess which category High Spirits falls into?
All right, I admit that I'm a huge fan of Peter O'Toole, and likely to give even the shoddiest movie the benefit of the doubt if he happens to star in it. But, as Peter Plunkett, impoverished Irish castle-dweller trying to save his ancestral home from foreclosure by faking hauntings to attract tourists, O'Toole misses his mark by so much that I'm surprised the camera could find him. His tippling semi-loser Plunkett is so lackluster that frequently he seems as though he's about to fall asleep.
Beverly D'Angelo is nicely spiteful as the self-absorbed American Sharon, who is pretending to be a tourist but is actually spying for her father (he holds the mortgage on Castle Plunkett). As her husband Jack, Steve Guttenberg is so wimpy and utterly lacking in redeeming charm that it's actually satisfying to see him henpecked by his nasty wife. When he falls in love with a real castle ghost, Mary (Daryl Hannah), he remains so whiny and ineffectual that even a delicate ectoplasmic apparition of a woman supposedly two centuries old seems more macho.
When the ghost of Mary's husband Martin (Liam Neeson, and what the hell was he thinking?) falls in love with Jack's shrewish wife, there are now two mortals with spectral lovers who need a solution. That the solution is incredibly stupid and ignores any known folklore regarding ghosts apparently escaped me when I first enjoyed this film.
Peter Gallagher as a seminarian on a last trip before taking his priestly vows and Jennifer Tilly as a tart who has "sworn off men" (until she meets the hunky seminarian, of course) are supposed to add another sexy twist. But please. OK, I'll admit that the demonic nuns, who attack Gallagher while he's in the midst of impure thoughts, are still fun. But that would be, let me see, about 15 seconds of the movie? Please. The rest of the cast are dull beyond belief and, judging from their acting prowess, some of the players could have been recruited off of street corners and handed scripts just prior to filming.
There are a few real laughs to be had while watching High Spirits. Daryl Hannah's atrocious Irish accent definitely provides some comic relief. The "special effects" are sketchy, though some are supposed to be, since they represent trickery on the part of the castle staff. Still, even the supposedly "real" effects are fairly laughable. The jokes fall flat, and the dramatic moments are silly.
Neil (what the hell was he thinking?) Jordan wrote and directed this mess. How the same man who brought us such films as The Company of Wolves, The Crying Game, and Interview With a Vampire could have been responsible for this dreck is beyond me. Maybe he was drunk. Wait a minute; that might explain why I liked this movie when I first saw it. I did go to a lot of parties back in college...
[Maria Nutick]


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WJON News On-Demand – Monday, 10/14/13 – Morning
Good morning here's today's headlines on WJON:
- 2 hurt in golf cart rollover
- Solving traffic problems on I-94
- Superintendent search at Sartell-St. Stephen
- Energy assistance program starts tomorrow
- Million Vet March held yesterday in St. Cloud
WJON News
On The Air. Online. On Charter Channel 20. On Demand.


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Experts Debate Impact of Budget Cuts at Ft. Bragg
- January 11, 2012
- comments:0
Fort Bragg, home of Army Special Operations Command and two new commands due to BRAC 2005, likely will experience fewer budget cuts than other installations as the Defense Department identifies $487 billion in spending cuts over the coming decade.
One national security analyst, however, believes Bragg could suffer the loss of a substantial mission if the Pentagon is forced to absorb additional cuts of up to $500 billion.
"If we go to this $900 billion in cuts, I'm not sure the 82nd Airborne [Division] is sure to survive. Everybody loves it, but not everybody is convinced it's the most important thing we've got in this day and age," Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution told the Fayetteville Observer. If the 82nd Airborne survives, though, it could lose three of its four brigades, he said.
Others did not agree, however, about the 82nd Airborne's potential fate. "Who else would we have to go around and kick people's butts? There's plenty of stuff to be cut before you get to the ready brigade, it seems to me," John Pike, director of Globalsecurity.org, told the paper.
And for his part, O'Hanlon doesn't believe that lawmakers will allow the additional $500 billion in automatic spending cuts to be imposed on DOD.


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Determined to uncover the mystery of the canine's impossible escape, the owner left a camera running during his absence, and came back to this.
For the record, that isn't a window, but a pass-through that's been boarded up to prevent the dog from leaving the room.
Obviously, the only solution to this problem is to lock the owner up in the kitchen and see how he likes it.
[H/T: Reddit]


text: J. C. Olsen | IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information IBDB: The official source for Broadway Information Official Broadway League sites: - sites - broadway.org broadwayleague.com broadwayfanclub.com kidsnightonbroadway.com stagespecs.org tonyawards.com Quick Search For: In This Category: All Show People/Org. Theatre Season J. C. Olsen Performer Relations: Nephew of Stephen Olsen Son of John "Ole" Olsen Productions ProductionsDate of ProductionsPardon Our French[Musical, Revue, Original] Performer: J. C. Olsen [Performer]Oct 05, 1950 - Jan 06, 1951Hellzapoppin[Musical, Revue, Vaudeville, Original] Performer: J. C. Olsen [Performer]Sep 22, 1938 - Dec 17, 1941 Find out where J. C. Olsen and are credited together © 2001-2015, The Broadway League, All Rights Reserved. (Copyright and Disclaimer)