Given a certain weather system named Sandy encroaching upon a goodly number of our East Coast Wrimos, there's a very real possibility that November will start for some of you without access to a computer, or nanowrimo.org, or access to modern light sources!
when you could write with a typewriter, AlphaSmart (amazingly long battery life), pens and notebooks ("ink and trees," as one Wrimo put it), pencils and a manual sharpener, an iPad charged off the car (!!!), or use a hand-held voice recorder. One participant even claimed he had hand-sharpened, turkey-feather quills at the ready. If you are writing on paper, one Wrimo suggested storing your reams in a watertight bag in case of flooding.
when you could write by the light of a headlamp (Look, Ma! No hands!), strategically propped flashlight, candles, or a camping lantern. If you run low on batteries, use a hand-crank flashlight!
when you could drop exciting elements like a hurricane, power outages, and candle-lit novel-writing into your novel. Talk about ready-made inspiration! If you do have a plot at the ready, your fellow writers suggest printing off your outline in advance or mapping your novel on note cards pinned to a corkboard for reference.
The upshot: Wrimos are an incredibly resourceful bunch, and always ready for anything! We're all sending good, safe thoughts your way and rooting for your extra-exciting noveling experience.
As many of you know, I am back hard at work on my new novel…a quota of 1,667 words per day (or 50,000 words in a month — it can be done, cuz I've done it).I have also received many questions and requests regarding writing…unfortunately, the quota doesn't allow me the time to answer individually. I hope the following will be acceptable. Putting it in Raya's Dungeon will trap the unwary…er entice the gullible…er lure the…never mind. Just so it will be readily available for anyone who wants to refer to it. It is a compilation of links and tips for writers, wannabe writers, possible writers, would like to be writers but don't want to write, and even professional serious writers…or any variation or combination thereof.MY WRITING: I have been writing off and on for *cough cough* years now…have been a print journalist, correspondent (stringer), national newsletter editor, freelance writer, video performer and writer, radio announcer (and wrote my own on-air scripts), radio commercial writer, promotional writer, online writer, and so on. I have sold my writing to police magazines, newspapers, anthologies, in-house and trade magazines. I have sold very little of my fiction (fiction is one of the most competitive markets there are — very difficult to break into), but fiction, especially speculative fiction, is my real love.
One of the greatest scourges known to writingkind is the dread writer's block. This horrible affliction originates from the early school years when teachers told you that your writing sucked…or that you had to follow their narrow little guidelines…or you lost points when your literary efforts were marked down because of poor penmanship.
Thus, part of you says…IT… MUST… BE…PERFECT. And it's not…it never will be. So you stare at the blank page for hours…or distract yourself with all kinds of fascinating time sinks, like research that becomes an end in itself, rather than a means to an end… or cutting your toe nails, planting peonies, playing endless solitaire, calling your ex-girlfriend 3 times removed cuz no one else is home to talk to, and so on. This will then let you say, in all honesty, that you just didn't have time to write. Of course, deep down you know this is the biggest bunch of **** that ever got deposited in the Great White Gulp, but, in your mind, it is an acceptable rationalization.
OVERCOMING WRITER'S BLOCK: It goes without saying that the only way to become a writer is to write. If you wait for the perfect time to write, you will never be a writer. I know, because I spent a good part of my life waiting for "the perfect time." You know what? It never came. There was ALWAYS something that I could use to keep me from writing. It was only when I called on all my inner resources and MADE myself write, that I actually wrote. All the planning, and organizing, and researching, and finding the best tools, the best lighting, the best plots, the best feedback, the best time of day, the best…well, you get the idea…did not work. Only making myself write on a REGULAR basis worked.
Some of the best fiction stuff I have ever written, which earned personal comments, requests for more of my manuscripts, and encouragement (but no sales alas) from publishers such as Doubleday, was written when I was working two jobs. I got up at 5 am every morning…got a cup of coffee, let the dogs out, and wrote for a solid two and a half hours. Then I would shower, dress and go to work. These early morning sessions comprise some of not only my best literary work but my fondest memories. I loved writing that way…I was up at an ungodly hour when everything else was still…and since I was already up, I might as well write. I did, and my unconcscious unlocked itself to let flow almost perfect prose.
I don't have that discipline anymore. Not even for the blessed Muse will I get up at 5am…so how to achieve that flow of words onto my page (monitor)? Perhaps you don't have that discipline either. How can you overcome this block that keeps you from being the best-selling author that you know you really are?
Well, first you have to know that you not only WANT to write but are DETERMINED to write. You must need to write more than you need to…cut toenails, plant peonies…and so on. If you don't, then you are a hobby writer. And that's fine. You can write when the whim takes you…it will amuse you and your friends…and you might even sell a piece or two here and there. But it is unlikely that you will become a professional writer, earning your living by writing.
Secondly, you have to hone the tools of your trade…you have to know and use words properly and with authority. Yes, grade school English grammar was a bore, but it gave you tools to build with. Refamiliarize yourself with the tools of your trade…the building blocks of the English language. If you see words you don't know, look them up. That doesn't mean you have to intersperse your writing with very erudite words (no, not the EverQuest class), but you do have to know what your words say and how they build moods and themes and drama and suspense.
Thirdly, you have to…write. You may not have the 5 am discipline I was talking about earlier…but you have to have some time to write regularly… and that takes writing discipline. Last year, I discovered how to do that… given that the first and second provisos above were valid for me (and they are), then the third one should have been easy. But it isn't…I have to work at it. Here is one thing that really helped me. NaNoWriMo: This stands for National Novel Writing Month, which happens to be November of each year. A very wise person who was aware of the problems besetting writers came up with the idea of a contest to challenge writers to…write! Chris Baty, a writer himself, knew that writers lay themselves bare…open their innermost thoughts and feelings to the public…often criticized, scorned, and, worst of all, rejected.
I think it was Somerset Maugham, who said you cannot be a real writer until you have collected 1,000 rejection slips. Each rejection is a step to success. In any event, rejection is hard to take, no matter how many you get. And it even stops us from writing….so….
NaNoWriMo is open to anyone…professional, amateur, hobbyist. It is not so much a contest as a challenge…to write a 50,000 word novel in 30 days. I decided a couple of years ago to try it. In doing so, I was forced to throw out all my previously cherished ideals…research until I knew my subject backwards and forwards, absolutely perfect writing, characterization, rewriting, recharacterization, replotting….handing out my stuff to others to read, craving the kind word or approval, so I could write some more. It had the reverse effect though. Once I got the praise I looked for, I stopped writing. In NaNoWriMo, I didn't have time to look for praise…I had to buckle down and write…1,667 words a day to give me 50,000+ words at the end of 30 days.
I succeeded because this "contest" didn't judge my efforts on merit…or style…or perfection…or even being first. It judged me on whether I fulfilled the original criteria…a totally original novel, no part of which had been written before (although it could be based on other ideas), fiction rather than non-fiction, and 50,000 words in length…during the prescribed length of time. Period.
This online version is the original, unrevised version, fueled by panic, gritty determination, and 22 gallons of coffee, littered by unmade beds, uncooked meals and unspoken conversations with hubby. I have written novels before…never one in 28 days. I didn't know I could do it. Now I do.
Since I know I can do it…I've done it before…and it wasn't half bad either, I can do it again (which is what I am doing now).
Here are some other helpful links, writing job leads, and encouraging sites that have helped me.
March, 2006, update: Four years later, I am in the process of getting this very novel (Witchcanery) ready for publication. [First edition was published July 1, 2007; second edition was published October, 2008.] This is exciting because it will form the foundation of a new business venture for me, FantasyFic.com. If you are interested, you can keep an eye on its progress here.
1. Freelance Work Exchange – this place gives you one job lead a week for free. You can also sign up for a 7-day trial period for free. After that, it is $19.95 a month. I found it worth it – most of my non-fiction writing job leads came from there.
2. Writers Net – this place is VERY worthwhile. It is 100% free. In addition to a free email address (with @writers.net as the identifier), it also gives you a spot to list yourself and your writings for prospective clients to see what you have. My writer's bio is listed here. Through this listing, I have received writing requests from book acquisitions editors and others wanting writing done. If you are serious about writing, I highly recommend you list at this site.
3. TJobs – this is a new one that I haven't explored very much. You can be listed on this for $10 a year. Looking for the jobs is free. Very reasonable.
4. WritersWeekly – this is my favorite online writing ezine and is free. It bills itself as the largest circulation writing ezine in the world – I believe it, because it is fun, packed with tips on writing and the legalities thereof, and also has a fairly extensive market database. Additionally, it publishes lists of markets to beware of, and stresses (one of my pet peeves) how writers should not write for free. Although the ezine itself is 100% free, it has many features such as offering writing contests ($5 to enter), ebooks for sale, online writing courses, etc. I highly recommend this enjoyable and helpful online newsletter.
5. Writers Market Online – I highly recommend this resource for any writer serious about selling his/her work. This prestigious, award-winning publication is the best market source available in the world, and has all kinds of markets, from consumer mags to book publishers to literary agents to trade mags. It has tons of information about each source, including how much each one pays, address, submission guidelines, needs, etc. It also has a handy little online gadget called a Submission Tracker. This is where I list all my writings, where they have gone, any follow-up needed, etc. It keeps me and my writing organized. The service costs, I believe, around $30 for the online edition only (I bought the hardcopy which includes the online edition – for about $45). If you are serious about selling, you need this service/book.
6. One last thing for people who want to perfect their craft…I took the Institute of Children's Literature course and graduate course a few years back. Writing for children is the most exacting part of any kind of writing, since the rules are quite strict about what and how to write for various ages of children. It was the best thing I ever did…and I had already been writing for a number of years. It gave me discipline and helped me start selling my fiction writing. If you are interested in honing your skills, I can highly recommend Institute of Children's Literature (physically located in Redding, Connecticut, but now with an online presence as well).
7. Oh, and if you happen to spot copies of the monthly magazine Writers' Digest, pick 'em up. They are fun, full of good tips on various kinds of writing, and have good, researched markets. They sell for about $3 each, I believe.
8. Writing blogs – There are tons of writing blogs, many with excellent advice, from many different perspectives. I haven't visited a lot of them, but I know of them, and the ones I have read are very good. Just search for writing blogs and you'll come up with more than you can handle. One of them will appeal to you and help you out of your writing funk.
February 2011 update: Lots of things have happened since Witchcanery was published. I have organized, edited and did the layout for two anthologies as well as contributing a story to each. The first anthology, In the Shadow of the Burr Oak, did so well that it sold out two print runs. The second anthology, Birth of a Unicorn and Other Stories, was released in October, 2010, and has been very well received so far.
I will be glad to help with writer's tips or markets or whatever else I know, if I can. Much as I'd like to read your work, I simply don't have the time. But if you are having difficulty with a passage or need suggestions on how to deal with an unruly character, I would be glad to help…post your request here or send me an email to raya at fantasyfic dot com.
If you have any ideas or tips of your own to help with writer's block or other aspects of writing, feel free to list them here or link them to your blog.
All of the foregoing text is original and copyrighted © 2004 by Sandra Bell Kirchman. All rights reserved. Copying for personal reference only is permitted.


Various writers   on the NEC in previous editions of this Newsletter have stated that, to quote Keown, "there is no hierarchy of documents in the ECC" with the contract being "very precise over the functions of each of the ... ... components and they do not conflict". I agree with the second statement and the first in principle, but not necessarily in practice. To illustrate the point, I will give some examples of where one document would take precedence of the other in the case of an ambiguity or inconsistency between them. I will conclude with a generalised hierarchy for documents under the ECC.
by referencing other documents, such as the Works Information, Site Information, the pricing document (whether the Activity Schedule or Bill of Quantities) and the initial Accepted Programme, incorporates them into the contract.
Consequently, it would generally be presumed to sit above all other documents in the contract.
My reading of the contract, in terms of what is contractually meaningful when it comes to determining the Prices is the sum of the prices in the Activity Schedule or Bills of Quantities and not "the tendered total of the Prices" as put forward by the Contractor in Contract Data Part 2. An arithmetic check is necessary !
Seemingly innocuous phrases inserted by the Contractor in documents referenced in Contract Data Part 2 can undermine the application of percentages tendered by him.
Original Conditions of Contract vs. Option Z clauses.
The legal contra-preferentum rule, now known as Construction against the grantor rule, means that where there is ambiguity or inconsistency, the words will be construed against the party who drafted or put forward the document.
In an ECC context, this means that there is not a problem if the option Z clauses clearly delete and replace the relevant original ECC contract clauses as written by the NEC Panel. However, when this is not the case and there is an ambiguity or inconsistency, all other things are equal, interpretation will construed against the Employer and for the Contractor.
Minimise the use of option Z clauses, as the longer they not only increase the risk of ambiguity within them, but also with the original conditions of contract.
Use people knowledgeable of the NEC conditions of contract, who will know if they are creating any conflicts. I would also say use people who have bought into the NEC philosophy, rather than a traditional legalistic one, as you are less likely to have philosophical differences.
Bills of Quantities vs. 'another document' (under options B & D).
This 'another document' is likely to be the Works Information, but could be the Site Information. In the former, it could be the description of work to be done in the Works Information is different from that in the Bills of Quantities. In the latter, it could be the conditions in which the work are to be down are described differently from that shown in the Site Information.
Under Option B & D clause 60.6, if the Project Manager "corrects mistakes in the Bills of Quantities which ... ... are due to ambiguities or inconsistencies", then it is a compensation event. These ambiguities or inconsistencies are not limited to those in the Bills of Quantities, but could be with other documents. If the Project Manager corrects the Works Information as a result of such an inconsistency, then it is a compensation event under clause 60.1.
In other words, the Bills of Quantities sits above the Works Information and Site Information when interpreting the contract for payment purposes. As per tradition, the onus therefore falls on the Employer to make sure his Bills of Quantities complies with what is said elsewhere in the contract.
Employer's Works Information vs. Contractor's Information for his design.
the Contractor's Work Information which is incorporated into the contract by reference in Contract Data Part 2.
Under traditional contracts, such as the ICE and JCT conditions, the Employer would perhaps at tender give an output or functional based specification (which under the NEC would be the equivalent of the Employer's Works Information) and the Contractor 'offers', along with his price, his design proposals to satisfy this specification (equivalent to the Contractor's Works Information). The Employer then 'accepts' the Contractor's 'offer'. Under contract law, this effectively means that the Contractor's offer has over-written the Employer's. Consequently, if there is an ambiguity, it is the Contractor's design information which has precedence.
So if the Contractor's Works Information is changed to comply with the Employer's, then it is not a compensation event. The effect of this is that the Employer's Works Information has precedence over, or sits above in any hierarchy, the Contractor's.
The key change in practical terms is that the onus of checking for discrepancies between the two documents now falls upon the Contractor as he is the one who will have to bear the consequences of any discrepancy.
The Works Information vs. the Accepted Programme.
The Accepted Programme may be incorporated into the contract by referencing the Contractor's tender programme in Contract Part 2. However, once into the contract, it should be revised regularly by the Contractor and hopefully accepted by the Project Manager, with "the latest programme accepted by the Project Manager" superseding "previous Accepted Programmes" (clause 11.2 (1)).
Under clause 31.3, "a reason for" the Project Manager "not accepting a programme is that ... ... · it does not comply with the Works Information." So, in terms of a hierarchy of documents, the Works Information sits above the Accepted Programme.
When under options A or C, the Contractor is allowed to submit a revision to the Activity Schedule if, due to changes, the activities in it no longer relate to the operations on the Accepted Programme (options A & C, clause 54.2).
Under option A & C clause 54.3 "a reason for" the Project Manager "not accepting a revision of the Activity Schedule is that ... · it does not comply with the Accepted Programme". Hence, in terms of a hierarchy of documents, the Accepted Programme sits above the Activity Schedule.
So far, it would seem that the Activity Schedule is at the bottom of the pile when it comes to hierarchy of documents !
As there are no equivalent words with respect to ambiguities or inconsistencies as per the Bill of Quantity options, the contra preferentum / Construction against the grantor rule applies (see Original Conditions of contract vs. Option Z clauses). The grantor is the Contractor as it is he who normally prepares the Activity Schedule to match his programming sequence.
"20.1 The Contractor Provides the Works in accordance with the Works Information".
In other words, if it is in the Works Information and the Contractor has failed to take it off and price it in the Activity Schedule, then it is he who suffers : so Works Information and arguably Site Information sit above an activity schedule in any hierarchy.
However, if the Employer has written the activity schedule and there is ambiguity or inconsistency, then the contra preferentum / Construction against the grantor rule would apply against the Employer as he is the one who has created the ambiguity !
Given the above comments, my hierarchy of documents under the NEC would be in the order illustrated below.
However, as with most contractual issues, the devil is in the detail. It is partly for this reason that many Employer's, in their Articles of Agreement, state the hierarchy or order of precedence of the documents that make up the contract if there is an ambiguity or inconsistency between them. I suggest they use the above as a starting point.
About the Author: As well as being chair of the Association for Project Managements Contracts & Procurement SIG, Dr Jon Broome BEng PhD MAPM is managing consultant of leading edge projects consulting ltd, a company which specialises in front end activities to help set projects involving multiple parties up for success.
Much of Jon's expertise is focussed around contracts & procurement and in particular the practical use of the NEC3 family of contracts, on which he has written, trained and consulted worldwide. He is also an accomplished project based facilitator and authors both contractual and bid documents. He can be contacted on jon@leadingedgeprojects.co.uk or on +44(0)7970 428 929.
 Keown K, A new user's guide to NEC contract formation, NEC User's Group newsletter, issue 38, April 2007.
 Gerard R, FAQs, in response to Form of Agreement, NEC User's Group newsletter, issue 41, January 2007.


text:
Q: copying pointer to struct not working in c I'm learning pointers in C and I have problems with copying pointers to  a structure.
****Full code: https://1drv.ms/t/s!Av5xYBEjrdmuqS1sfgGB7pFCxGeu
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <string.h>

struct cal {
    int date;
    int time;
    int importance;
    char group[256];
    char title[256];
    char description[256];
};
long long int count = 0;

int main() {
    FILE *file;

    ......

    int *group;
    group = (int *)malloc(sizeof(int) * count);
    group = (int *)calloc(count, sizeof(int));
    struct cal *calendar;
    calendar = (struct cal *)malloc(sizeof(struct cal)*count);
    calendar = (struct cal *)calloc(count, sizeof(struct cal));

    for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
        char *ptr = strtok(arrs[i], " ");
        while (ptr != NULL) {
            calendar[i].date = 'ptr';
            ptr = strtok(NULL, " "); //date
            calendar[i].time = 'ptr';
            ptr = strtok(NULL, " "); //time
            calendar[i].importance = 'ptr';
            ptr = strtok(NULL, " "); //importance
            *calendar[i].group = 'ptr';
            ptr = strtok(NULL, " ");//group END
            *calendar[i].title = 'ptr';
            ptr = strtok(NULL, " ");//Title
            *calendar[i].description = 'ptr';
            ptr = strtok(NULL, " ");//Discription
        }
    }
    for(int i=0;i<count;i++)
        printf("%d  %d %d %s  %s %s\n", calendar[i].date, calendar[i].time,
               calendar[i].importance, calendar[i].group, calendar[i].title,
               calendar[i].description);

}

input has to be on input.txt. like this:
YYYYMMDD HHmm [importance] [Group(string)] [title] [discription]  (\n)
YYYYMMDD HHmm [importance] [Group(string)] [title] [discription]  (\n)
YYYYMMDD HHmm [importance] [Group(string)] [title] [discription]  (\n)
YYYYMMDD HHmm [importance] [Group(string)] [title] [discription]  (eof)

Output has to be the sum of the same groups from group 0-4.
ex) 1 0 1 2 0
in the
for (int i = 0; i < count; i++) {
            .....
        }

Part is not working. the pointer 'ptr' does not copy to 'calendar[i].somthing'.
I've tried using calendar[i].date = '*ptr'; but it is also not working.

A: Park, you will probably need to clean these portions of your code up and perhaps edit with your new code to make it clear what you are trying to accomplish. For starters, let's look at the responsibilities you have when allocating memory dynamically,
There is no need to cast the return of malloc, it is unnecessary. See: Do I cast the result of malloc?
In any code you write that dynamically allocates memory, you have 2 responsibilities regarding any block of memory allocated: (1) always preserve a pointer to the starting address for each block of memory you allocate so, (2) it can be freed when it is no longer needed.
int *group;
group = (int *)malloc(sizeof(int) * count);
group = (int *)calloc(count, sizeof(int));

Have you preserved a pointer to each block you have allocated? (hint: no). After your first allocation of group, it holds the first-address within the block you have allocated with malloc. Everything is OK to this point.
Then you call calloc assigning a new address to group. What happened to the old address held by group? The one you were required to preserve to insure that block of memory could be freed with no longer needed. How are you going to get that address back (hint: you can't its gone... This is what is known as a memory leak.
If you are making the 2nd call with calloc because you want all bytes in the block you allocate initialized to zero, then don't use malloc, just use a single call to calloc. There is never any reason whatsoever to both malloc and calloc the same pointer -- none.
You do the exact same thing with calendar. Since you do the exact same thing, the same bad results follow.
All you need is:
group = calloc (count, sizeof *group);

and then
calendar = calloc (count, sizeof *calendar);

This all begs the question -- why are you allocating with malloc and calloc at all? You can simply create an integer Array with automatic storage, and an instance of calendar in the same way. (no allocations required). That seems like it would be a much better approach for you at this point. There is nothing wrong with dynamic allocation, and you will use it quite a bit, but given your current difficulties with the concept, you may want to leave it for a time later and simply use the automatic storage provided for arrays and structs. (this makes even more sense given that you have nothing within calendar that requires further allocation)
Finally, with your use of strtok (or any function you use that is critical regarding input to your program) -- you must check the return every time you call it, otherwise you can have no confidence that you are processing actual data (and not garbage) in your code.

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Contains common internal classes used by the fax4j library.

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Well, have you ever, just for a second wandered what life would be without a phone? What life would be without the internet? And what life would be without WhatsApp?
Oh, the most loved app that it is, there is "app" in its name itself! An essential for contacting these days, WhatsApp is a complete staple. We mean, we cannot even imagine our lives without it. And believe us, it is not only about the fun and time pass that comes out of aimless chatting but it is actually a sheer necessity. An app so easy and well designed, we honestly give it way lesser appreciation than it actually deserves. Handy for kids, teenagers, adults and oldies too, it is our 'buddy' for life!
There is an option at every chat that says Email Conversation or Export Chat---------Mail or directly Email Chat in each one's chat options, so it sends the same to your mail or anyone's mail.
Comes in handy when: trying to create space in the phone but do not want to delete important chats forever.
Hold the selected message, press the reply or the arrow icon on the top, now you can reply or type whatever you want to regarding that message.
Comes in handy when: the message is lost way up somewhere in the history and is too hard to find and reply.
Hold the selected message, press the star. You can find it later in the Starred Messages in the contact info or the main chat windows by pressing the three vertical dots icon.
Comes in handy: when you need to go through some important messages that get lost in all the chat history above.
Comes in handy when: you're obviously trying to save some bucks from your pocket.
Hold the contact in the chats, choose Add Conversation Shortcut and it makes a shortcut of the same chat window access on your home screen. Not available in iOS.
Comes in handy: when you chat a lot with someone and want to save the time, trouble and energy of opening WhatsApp again and again.
You have an inbuilt and very easy Change Number option in the Account section, press on that one.
Comes in handy: as you get to retain your contacts, groups, settings, etc. and can save yourself from redoing all of it for a new number.
A feature found on the arrow next to the text window or in Attachment------Location to send your current location any person on your WhatsApp immediately.
Comes in handy: in case you are lost or do not know how to explain your whereabouts or are too lazy to type your address.
You can now store your heavy chats with Android's Google Drive or iPhone's iCloud Back Up in the Chats section.
Comes in handy: in case you lose or switch to a new phone, you can easily recover chat history and media when you reinstall.
*(type your text)* and send for bold.
Comes in handy: when you need different styles or are emphasizing on a particular thing, word or phrase.
So, we hope all the above tricks are going to come in handy for you guys, sooner or later!


text:
Skype your Congressman? House adds VoIP for citizen-to-legislator communications
We the people can now add "Skype me" to the list of phrases your representative may utter in a commercial, town hall or stump speech. This morning, the leadership of the United States House of Representatives approved the use of low-cost video conferencing tools like Skype and ooVoo.
"This is another example of the new Republican majority using digital tools to better engage with and listen to the American people," said Speaker Boehner in a prepared statement. "We're committed to keeping our pledge to lead a House that is more open and that gives Americans a real-time voice in their government."
On this count, the Speaker has firm ground to stand upon. The GOP has been steadily adopted new technologies into the House since the 2010 midterm elections. From livestreaming the transition to moving House.gov to Drupal, the Republican leadership has followed through on many of its commitments to innovation and transparency. Beyond new media adoption, structural changes through opening legislative data have the potential to permanently bake in open government to the People's House.
Adopting the same low cost Voice over IP tools for videoconferencing that are in use all around the world makes sense on many levels, despite security concerns. Congressmen and their staff will be able to easily communicate with one another at a lower cost now. Daniel Lungren, chairman of House Administration, offered more context for the upgrade to VoIP in a "Dear Colleague" letter this week:
Improving constituent communications and increasing transparency has been a top priority for me as Chairman of House Administration and a member of the House Technology Operations Team. That's why I am pleased to announce that the House's Public Wi-Fi network has been enabled to allow Members and staff to conduct Skype and ooVoo video teleconference (VTC) calls.
To maintain the necessary level of IT security within the House network, the House has negotiated modified license agreements with Skype and ooVoo that will require Members, Officers, Committee Chairs, Officials and staff to accept House-specific agreements that comply with House Rules and maximize protection for Members and staff. Detailed requirements on how to comply with these agreements have been posted to HouseNet at http://housenet.house.gov/keywords/VTC. Please note that Skype users will be limited to conducting VTC sessions on the House's public Wi-Fi to minimize security risks associated with peer-to-peer networking.
During a time when Congress must do more with less, utilizing low-cost, real-time communication tools is an effective way to inform and solicit feedback from your constituents. In addition to Skype and ooVoo, we are searching for additional means to help enhance constituent communications.
"Citizen-to-legislator" communications using VoIP will hold some challenges. Skype and ooVoo both allow conference calls between more than one party but neither will is ideal for one-to-many communications without some tweaking. If a representative's staff can set up a projector and sound system, however, we may well see new kinds of virtual town halls spring up, whether someone calls back from Washington or from the campaign trail.
Less clear is how constituent queueing might be handled. If hundreds of citizens, activists or lobbyists are all trying to Skype a Congressman, how will priority be assigned? How will identity be handled, in terms of determining constituents from a home district? As I wrote this post, two other questions posed to the Speaker's office also remained unanswered: will video chats be archived and, if so, how? And will Skype's file transfer capabilities be allowed?
On the latter count, given the difficult past relationship of the House and P2P filesharing software, learning that file sharing capabilities were disabled would be in line with expectations. UPDATE: Salley Wood from the House Administrative Committee confirms that the current configuration does include file sharing. "Today's announcement is simply that lawmakers can now take advantage of these platforms using official resources," she related via email.
Archiving of constituent video chat is another issue, and one that will be added to the growing list of 21st century new media conundrums for politics, like the questions of whether lawmakers' texts during public meetings become public documents.
What is clear is that one more domino in the adoption of Web 2.0 tools in government has fallen. What happens next is up for debate — except this time, the conversations will span hundreds of new Web connections. This will be, literally, fun to watch.
UPDATE: As Nick Judd blogs over at techPresident, the Hill was the first to report that the House enables use of Skype for members, basing its reporting off of "Dear Colleague" letter above. There's no shortage of detail in the Hill's piece, nor good linkage from Judd. So, you know, go read them.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Alexander Luigi Di Meglio
Born in New York in 1964 from Italian parents, he studies in Italy, in a limited provincial environment, spending the summer in USA, a world much richer in stimuli and loves. During the long Italian winters, spent in the school-home routine, the only escape is his fantasy and his pencil becomes the tool to achieve his own dreams, thus approaching himself to the world of Art which will play such an important role in his life. After he gets his Art certificate of Secondary Education in Taranto, he matriculates at the Faculty of Architecture of "La Sapienza" in Rome.
Rome, the pleasant synthesis between the two different worlds of his adolescence, is the magic place of his very first apprenticeship in the hard search of his self and the reasons of his own art.
In his symbolist-figurative period, his paintings, filled with white geese swarming in squares, streets, or lying lonely in wait, are symbols of purity and ingenuousness, respect and simplicity. The silent and astonished geese, witnesses of the every day life, represent the best and most honest part of ourselves and are, in a dream dimension, a projection of purity and liberty, a reminiscence of our lost `age of innocence´.
Once thid phase is concluded, Alex's art gets nourishment and life from his studies in architecture:his still current
neo-cubist-figurative period starts. The city architectures melt and wrap the senses in a new magic, with warm tones in a modern figurative style,in which abstraction sofltly takes shape in "wonderful metropolitan enchantments".
neo cubist painting
"Appuntamento Domenica piazza del Quirinale sotto i Dioscuri ad ascoltar la banda"
"Roma, quartiere Testaccio, tra Piramide e Gasometro "


text:
Betasom (wł. Base Atlantica SMGG. "Betasom") – włoska baza morska okrętów podwodnych w okupowanym Bordeaux podczas II wojny światowej.

Włoska baza morska w Bordeaux została utworzona w sierpniu 1940 r., po klęsce wojsk francuskich i zajęciu przez Niemców większej części Francji. Operowały stamtąd okręty podwodne Królewskiej Marynarki Wojennej, dla których został wyznaczony sektor Atlantyku na południe od Lizbony. Na czele Betasom stanął adm. Angelo Parona, zaś funkcję sztabu objął kpt. Aldo Cocchia. Włosi podlegali kontradm. Karlowi Dönitzowi. Personel bazy utworzył 1ª Divisione Atlantica Fucilieri di Marina (ok. 1,6 tys. ludzi). Ochronę stanowił 250-osobowy Batalion "San Marco". Włoskie okręty podwodne wchodziły w skład 11th Gruppo Italiano del Fero Subaequeo in Atlantico. W jego skład wchodziły co najmniej 23 okręty podwodne. Efektywność ich działań bojowych była o wiele mniejsza niż niemieckich. Wynikało to z kilku powodów: Włosi nie stosowali taktyki "wilczego stada", ich okręty podwodne były słabiej uzbrojone i wolniejsze od niemieckich, a na dodatek wymagały minuty czasu, aby się zanurzyć pod wodę. Funkcję okrętu-bazy pełnił były francuski statek pasażerski "De Grasse", zwrócony w 1941 r. władzom Francji Vichy. W tym samym roku 4 okręty podwodne zostały skierowane do portów Włoskiej Afryki Wschodniej, biorąc udział w tamtejszej operacji wojskowej przeciwko wojskom brytyjskim. Po jej zakończeniu powróciły do Bordeaux. W październiku 1942 r. do Bordeaux trafiła niemiecka 12 Flotylla Okrętów Podwodnych. W tym czasie nowym dowódcą Betasom został kmdr. Enzo Grossi, który zastąpił kontradm. Romolo Polacchiniego. W styczniu 1943 r. okręty zaczęły korzystać z betonowego bunkra chroniącego je przed bombardowaniami lotnictwa alianckiego. Niemcy zaadaptowali 7 włoskich okrętów podwodnych do przewożenia materiałów wojskowych z Dalekiego Wschodu, z których 2 zostały zatopione przez aliantów. Po ogłoszeniu przez Włochy zawieszenia broni i wyjścia z wojny we wrześniu 1943 r., pozostałe okręty przejęła Kriegsmarine. Baza dostała się w ręce Niemców. Część Włochów przeszła na ich stronę, reszta została internowana.

Bibliografia
 Janusz Piekałkiewicz, Sea War: 1939-1945, 1987
 Bernard Ireland, Battle of the Atlantic, 2003

Linki zewnętrzne
 Historia włoskiej bazy morskiej Betasom w Bordeaux
 Kolejna historia włoskiej bazy morskiej Betasom w Bordeaux

Wojsko włoskie
Bitwa o Atlantyk
Bordeaux
Bazy morskie

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Hibernate initialize object in another session I have very simple entity object User which has relation to user roles. What is troubling me is when i fetch User object from DB and pass it to another method which wants to access user role inside that user object I'm getting the famous Could not initialize proxy Hibernate Exception.
Ex. method 1:
- open session, open transaction
- fetch user
- close transaction, close session

Now pass that user object to method 2
- open session, open transaction
- do Hibernate.initialize(user.getUserRole()) --> here it breaks
- close transaction, close session

I'm guessing this is some Hibernate feature where you cannot initialize object in a new session but I have no idea why. Is there any solution to this?
PS. i have read about <property name="hibernate.enable_lazy_load_no_trans">true</property> but this seams like normal thing to do and don't see necessary to turn this option on.
EDIT: code example:
Getters and setter of user class
@ManyToOne(fetch = FetchType.LAZY, targetEntity = UserRoles.class)
@JoinColumn(name = "USER_ROLE_ID", nullable = false)
public UserRoles getUserRoles() {
    return this.userRoles;
}

public void setUserRoles(UserRoles userRoles) {
    this.userRoles = userRoles;
}

Fields of UserRoles
 private Integer id;
 private String description;
 private Character active;
 private Set userses = new HashSet(0);

Method 1
public static void method1() {
    Users user = null;
    Session session = HibernateUtil.getSessionFactory().openSession();
    Transaction tx = null;
    try {
        tx = session.beginTransaction();
        String hqlQuery = "FROM Users WHERE userName = :userName";
        Query query = session.createQuery(hqlQuery);
        query.setParameter("userName", userName);
        List<Users> list = query.list();
        for (Users u : list) {
            user = u;
            break;
        }
        tx.commit();
    } catch (HibernateException e) {
        if (tx != null)
            tx.rollback();
        Logging.handleExceptionLogging(e);
    } finally {
        session.close();
    }

    method2(user);
}

Method 2
public static method2(Users user) {

if (user != null) {

        if (Hibernate.isInitialized(user.getUserRoles())) {
            if (user.getUserRoles().getDescription() != null && user.getUserRoles().getDescription().toLowerCase().equals("admin"))
                returnValue = true;
        } else {
            Session session = HibernateUtil.getSessionFactory().openSession();
            Transaction tx = null;
            try {
                tx = session.beginTransaction();
                Hibernate.initialize(user.getUserRoles()); // this line causes Exception
                if (user.getUserRoles().getDescription().toLowerCase().equals("admin"))
                    returnValue = true;
                tx.commit();
            } catch (HibernateException e) {
                if (tx != null)
                    tx.rollback();
                Logging.handleExceptionLogging(e);
            } finally {
                session.close();
            }
        }
    }
}

A: So basically after a lot of google search and reading about sessions my assumption was right. Entity objects are pretty much "bound" to original session where they were fetched and queries like this cannot be performed in this way. One solution is to bound entity to new session calling session.update(entity) and than this new session knows about entity. Basically new query is issued to populate entity fields again. So avoid this if not necessary and try to fetch all needed data in original session.
More read: Could not initialize proxy - no Session


Grey Melange yarn is the special types of yarn. The fabric which is made from the grey melange yarn is also special. Here I have given a dyeing flow chart by which grey melange yarns are dyed. After dyeing grey melange yarns are used for producing woven and knitted fabrics. Dyeing also done for grey melange fabric but basic dyeing sequence is same.
Day by day the use of grey melange increased rapidly. The dyeing sequence which is given above is carried out for yarn dyeing.


text:
James Lind Library
Illustrating the development of fair tests of treatments in health care
MenuHomeAbout the LibraryTopicsEssaysRecordsArticlesSearch
Rheumatic Fever Working Party of the Medical Research Council of GB and the subcommittee of principal investigators of the American Council on Rheumatic Fever and Congenital Heart Disease, American Heart Association (1955)
Treatment of acute rheumatic fever in children; a co-operative clinical trial of A.C.T.H., Cortisone, and Aspirin. BMJ 1:555-574
Key passage(s)
Whole article
Download the full article as a PDF
Rheumatic Fever Working Party of the Medical Research Council of GB and the subcommittee of principal investigators of the American Council on Rheumatic Fever and Congenital Heart Disease, American Heart Association (1955). Treatment of acute rheumatic fever in children; a co-operative clinical trial of A.C.T.H., Cortisone, and Aspirin. BMJ 1:555-574
Other material(s)
Rheumatic Fever Working Party of the Medical Research Council of GB and the subcommittee of principal investigators of the American Council on Rheumatic Fever and Congenital Heart Disease, American Heart Association (1960). Evolution of rheumatic heart disease in children; five-year report of a co-operative clinical trial of A.C.T.H., Cortisone, and Aspirin. BMJ 2:1033-1039.
The editors are grateful to:
BMJ for allowing the James Lind Library to link to this and other BMJ articles of historical relevance (email to Iain Chalmers from Fiona Godlee, 05 May 2015).
Allocation bias
The play of chance
Fair tests of treatments
The need to address treatment uncertainties
Principles of Testing
Treatment comparisons are essential
Placebo effects
Dramatic effects
Treatment comparisons must be fair
Design bias
N-of-1 crossover
Cluster allocation
Crossover tests
Co-intervention bias
Observer bias
Analysis bias
Biases in judging unanticipated possible effects
Biases in systematic reviews
Researcher/sponsor bias and fraud
Recording and interpreting numbers
Quantifying uncertainty
Using meta-analysis
Bringing it all together for the benefit of patients and the public
Improving reports of research
Preparing and maintaining systematic reviews
Using the results of research
What is a fair test?
Building the Library
Where not otherwise indicated, material in the James Lind Library is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
We welcome your suggestions for the design or content of the Library
This website was created by the James Lind Initiative, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and Minervation Ltd


When the clinic first opened last year, Margaret would saunter in holding Josie's hand, pulling her along. While Margaret's stringy hair and disheveled clothes reflected an indifference to her own appearance, Josie always looked neat. Like a treasured, well cared for doll. Her deeply wrinkled face blank but her blue eyes held a sparkle. She didn't talk but nodded her head and smiled when spoken to. Who knew what she understood?
Margaret took good care of Josie because as long as Josie lived, Margaret had a roof over her head. Some of the residents in the building complained about Margaret's erratic behavior, but it never became such a problem that she faced eviction.
"Can ye weigh Josie this mornin'?" Margaret asked.
Since Margaret refused to enroll herself or Josie in our clinic, I kept a record of their visits in a manila folder in the top desk drawer. There was a sheet for each person who, like Margaret and Josie, wandered in occasionally for a weight or blood pressure check.
The last time Josie stood on the scale, I moved the beam until it balanced at 90 pounds. Josie began to teeter. I grabbed her arm just in time before she tipped over.
"Josie was ninety-two when we weighed her last week," I said.
"Mother of God!. She's a bag of bones. I can't get her to gain an ounce." Margaret shoved Josie's shoes on and yanked her out of the chair. She pulled and picked at her with one hand as she gripped her elbow with the other. Josie's expression remained flat. I listened to Margaret fussing at Josie as they headed toward the elevator.
I didn't mind weighing Josie although Margaret never uttered a "thank you" or "Is this a good time for us to stop in?" Since Margaret was known for mood swings and bursts of anger, laying eyes on Josie every so often gave me a chance to check for any signs of abuse.
Occasionally Margaret said, "I may let you take care of me." She hinted she had some god-awful condition. However, it became apparent she had no desire to leave the doctor she had been seeing. Frankly, I was glad not to have Margaret as a patient. And she frequently suggested she would register Josie at our clinic, too. None of this materialized. I believed Margaret collected advice from health care providers, testing one theory against another and choosing which one she favored at the moment.


text:
Q: How to response error in feathersjs service to client? I followed this link 'https://docs.feathersjs.com/services/readme.html' to create a restful service by feathersjs. It works fine for normal case. But I don't know how to response an error message to client, like 404, 500, etc. Below is the service code. It returns response via promise.resolve. How to return an error in this case?
class MessageService {
  get(id, params) {
    return Promise.resolve({
      id,
      read: false,
      text: `Feathers is great!`,
      createdAt: new Date.getTime()
    });
  }
}

A: You can use 'feathers-errors' module to set the error codes. Please see the sample code below.
const feathers = require('feathers');
const rest = require('feathers-rest');
const errors = require('feathers-errors');
const app = feathers();

app.configure(rest());
app.use('/messages', {
  get(id, params) {
    console.log(id);
    if (id === "1") {
      return Promise.resolve({
        id,
        read: false,
        text: `Feathers is great!`,
        createdAt: new Date().getTime()
      });
    } else if (id === "2") {
      console.log(id);
      var badRequest = new errors.BadRequest('http 400 bad request');
      return Promise.reject(badRequest);
    } else if (id === "3") {
      console.log(id);
      var generalError = new errors.GeneralError('Http 500 general error');
      return Promise.reject(generalError);
    }

  }
});

app.listen(3030);

feathers-errors module


text:
SSTI's 2020 Annual Conference | Creating a Culture of Change | Little Rock, AR
Join your peers in Arkansas next October for SSTI's 2020 Annual Conference, being led locally by the Arkansas Research Alliance.
Become an SSTI Member
As the most comprehensive resource available for those involved in technology-based economic development, SSTI offers the services that are needed to help build tech-based economies. Learn more about membership...
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Each week, the SSTI Weekly Digest delivers the latest breaking news and expert analysis of critical issues affecting the tech-based economic development community. Subscribe today!
GAO Report Reveals Lingering Challenges, Opportunities for Green Jobs Initiatives
Green jobs have been at the center of a number of controversies in economic development circles over the past decade. Key among these debates is whether or not sufficient job opportunities exist to justify large public investments in green job-training programs. A recent report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) reveals that, at least at the federal level, a great deal of uncertainty remains about the green job labor market. The report lays out a number of challenges for green jobs initiatives at the Department of Labor, where job placement is only at 55 percent of its target levels. In doing so, the GAO report shows that there is room for improvement in green jobs programs at the federal, state and regional level.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) is the key federal agency for supporting green jobs initiatives around the country. Since 2009, $595 million in federal funds have been allocated for green jobs programs within DOL, according to the GAO report. The Green Jobs Act of 2007 created the department's first framework for green jobs investment and several of its programs, though most of these activities remained unfunded until the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. About $500 million in ARRA funds were reserved for green jobs training and support services. While DOL offers a few non-training-focused green jobs programs, including State Labor Market Information Improvement Grants and Green Capacity Building Grants, ARRA specifically targeted training programs for expansion.
The GAO report focuses on DOL's four major green jobs-training programs, three of which were introduced in the Green Jobs Act and supported by ARRA. The ARRA-supported initiatives include Energy Training Partnership Grants, Pathways Out of Poverty Grants and State Energy Sector Partnership Training Grants programs, all of which will end by the end of July. A fourth program, the Green Jobs Innovation Fund (GJIF) pilot and demonstration project, began in 2011. The GJIF program currently is scheduled to continue into 2014.
These four DOL programs have awarded 103 training grants to green jobs efforts in 44 states since 2009. Of these grants, 44 percent were awarded to private nonprofit organizations, 34 percent went to state government agencies, 10 percent were awarded to organized labor or labor management organizations, 8 percent supported educational or technical training institutions and the remaining 2 percent of grantees were categorized as "other."
As most of these programs wind down and DOL transitions to a model of incorporating green jobs goals into broader programs, GAO has documented many of the challenges faced by these programs and their grantees. When ARRA jumpstarted the agency's green jobs effort, DOL faced a great deal of pressure to make awards very quickly before any large-scale studies of the labor market could be conducted. Grantees had to deal with both a lack of information about the local green jobs labor market and little instruction about how to track the outcomes of their activities.
GAO cites four major challenges faced by DOL training grantees:
A lack of reliable green jobs labor market information;
Insufficient time to meet grant requirements;
Knowledge gaps surrounding green skills and changing energy policies; and,
Difficulty placing participants into green jobs, primarily due to the poor economy.
The lack of clarity in how to collect outcomes has led to a lack of clarity in the performance of many of these efforts as well. GAO estimates that more workers were trained than had been expected, but job placements were at 55 percent of their targeted levels.
The findings suggest a number of lessons to be learned for other green jobs efforts at the federal, state and regional level. Labor market information and instruction on collecting outcomes is key, and could lead to improved results from these efforts. The problem of information gaps also suggests an opportunity for state agencies and regional organizations. By providing current information on the green jobs labor market and energy policies, states and regions could help leverage improved results for federally funding initiatives in their area.
Download the GAO report Labor's Green Jobs Efforts Highlight Challenges of Targeted Training Programs for Emerging Industries at: http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-13-555.
federal agency, cleantech, energy
Vermont launches business accelerator focused on energy
While states across the country are focusing more on clean energy and climate change, SSTI is happy to share an opportunity from one of our members. The Vermont Sustainable Jobs Fund, a Vermont based entrepreneurial support organization, announced...
Planning underway to increase energy technology development in rural areas
The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Agriculture have announced an agreement between them to promote rural energy and the development of technologies "that will support and advance rural and agricultural communities and domestic...
Innovation on hold for 1-out-of-4 SBIR winners
Federal agencies fail, on average, 24 percent of the time to notify applicant small businesses of award decisions within required deadlines. A small business has a zero percent chance of being able to plan to start an innovation project within six...


Clindamycin And Benzoyl Peroxide Soap(Anti Pimple Soap) Balancing the skin's natural pH and promotes natural ex foliation of dead skin cells, keeping your skin glowing and vibrant. The offered Clindamycin And Benzoyl Peroxide Soap (Anti Acne Soap) is processed as per the set industry norms using best quality ingredients and pioneering procedures at our advanced processing unit.They contain 100% free from oil.
Visible results in a few days usage, best for clearing pimples.


its leadership role in Indian Ocean security and throughout the broader region."
A significant part of his strategic document that he was scheduled to present in Washington was devoted to threats from China which he framed as "a geopolitical competition between free and repressive visions of world order is taking place in the Indo-Pacific region". "China is using economic inducements and penalties, influence operations, and implied military threats to persuade other states to heed its political and security agenda," he said.
In this theatre, he said: "We welcome India's emergence as a leading global power and stronger strategic and defense partner. We will seek to increase quadrilateral cooperation with Japan, Australia, and India." While Trump has set out an American strategy along these lines in recent months, these declarations of India's role and ties with it were reiterated in a global context with his strategic plan.


Join Oakland Veg Week and Factory Farming Awareness Coalition (FFAC) for a free vegan BBQ in Mosswood Park from 11 am to 2 pm on Saturday, July 19, 2014. Celebrate summertime and try some delicious new foods. Bring your veg-curious friends, family, neighbors, kids and dogs.
*The party is free, but if you want to go to the A's game, you'll need tickets.
*Free with an RSVP, or $5 at the door.


text:
Optimization of the imaging protocol of an X-ray CT scanner for evaluation of normoxic polymer gel dosimeters
Brindha Subramanian1, Paul B Ravindran1, Clive Baldock2
1 Department of Radiotherapy, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
2 Institute of Medical Physics, School of Physics, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Brindha Subramanian
Department of Radiotherapy, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu, India
X-ray computer tomography (CT) has previously been reported as an evaluation tool for polymer gel (PAG) dosimeters. In this study, the imaging protocol of a Siemens Emotion X-ray CT scanner was optimized to evaluate PAGAT normoxic gel dosimeters. The scan parameters were optimized as 130 kV and 150 mA with a slice thickness of 3 mm for smaller fields and 5 mm for larger fields of irradiation. The number of images to be averaged to reduce noise to an acceptable level was concluded to be 25. It was also concluded that the total monomer concentration required is 7% with 10 mM THP to obtain a maximum change in CT number at dose levels up to 15 Gy for evaluation with X-ray CT. Optimal scan parameters may vary with X-ray CT scanner. Hence the imaging protocol of each scanner to be used for evaluating polymer gels requires individual optimization for the purposes of gel dosimetry evaluation.
Keywords: Normoxic polymer gels, X-ray CT, imaging protocol
Subramanian B, Ravindran PB, Baldock C. Optimization of the imaging protocol of an X-ray CT scanner for evaluation of normoxic polymer gel dosimeters. J Med Phys 2006;31:72-7
Subramanian B, Ravindran PB, Baldock C. Optimization of the imaging protocol of an X-ray CT scanner for evaluation of normoxic polymer gel dosimeters. J Med Phys [serial online] 2006 [cited 2022 Jan 18];31:72-7. Available from: https://www.jmp.org.in/text.asp?2006/31/2/72/26692
In 1984 Gore et al . proposed a method for determining the spatial distribution of radiation dose in tissue equivalent phantom using nuclear magnetic resonance imaging.[1] Since then studies have been undertaken to investigate the feasibility of using gel dosimetry as a 3-D dosimetry system in radiation oncology.[2],[3],[4]
In Fricke gel dosimeters, ferrous ions (Fe 2sub+) are converted to ferric ions (Fe 3sub+) due to ionizing radiation. Fricke gels however have a major limitation due to loss of spatial integrity due to the diffusion of ferric ions.[5]
In 1993, a polymer gel dosimeter based upon polymerization of acrylamide (AA) and N'N'- methylene-bis-acrylamide (BIS) monomers infused in an aqueous gel matrix was developed.[6] This polymer gel dosimeter formulation, often described as a polyacrylamide gel or PAG[7] is normally manufactured in an oxygen free or hypoxic atmosphere due to the inhibitory effect of oxygen on the polymerization process.[8],[9],[10],[11],[12]
Normoxic polymer gel dosimeters[13] are produced, stored and irradiated in a normal or normoxic atmosphere. The first suggested normoxic polymer gel dosimeter, known as MAGIC, an acronym for Methacrylic acid, Ascorbic acid, Gelatin Initiated by Copper was based upon the polymerization of methacrylic acid infused with copper (II) sulphate and the antioxidant ascorbic acid in a gel matrix. Subsequently, a number of other normoxic polymer gel dosimeter formulations were investigated including MAGAS.[14] Tetrakis (hydroxy methyl) phosphonium chloride (THP) was found to be a very effective antioxidant.[11] Polymer gel dosimeter compositions containing the THP antioxidant include MAGAT (methacrylic acid, gelatin and tetrakis)[15] and PAGAT (polyacrylamide, hydroquinone, gelatin and tetrakis).[16]
To date magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been most extensively used for the evaluation of absorbed dose distributions in polymer gel dosimeters (2-4 and references therein). Other evaluation techniques such as optical tomography,[17] vibrational spectroscopy,[18] X-ray computerized tomography (CT)[19] and ultrasound[20] have also been investigated.
X-ray CT has been used as an evaluation tool to measure dose distributions of irradiated polymer gel dosimeters.[21] The resulting images have CT numbers or Hounsfield units (H) related to linear attenuation data, which is directly linked to physical density changes of irradiated polymer gel dosimeters. The post-irradiation changes in the linear attenuation coefficient, µ have been evaluated.[22],[23] Technical considerations for evaluating PAG gels with X-ray CT has already been reported.[24] The feasibility of using X-ray CT has further been evaluated for normoxic polymer gel dosimeters by studying radiological attenuation properties as well as the dose response characteristics of normoxic gel dosimeters.[25],[26],[27] In the current work, the imaging protocol of a Siemens Emotion single slice spiral CT scanner was optimized for evaluating PAGAT polymer gels in addition to the optimization of monomer concentration for obtaining an optimum change in CT number with radiation dose.
Preparation of PAGAT gel dosimeter
Normoxic PAGAT gel dosimeters were prepared under normal atmospheric conditions as per the recipe previously published.[16],[28] For preparing the PAGAT gel dosimeter for optimization the imaging protocol of the CT scanner, 5% by total weight of gelatin was mixed with 89% distilled water and allowed to soak for 10 minutes before heating to 50°C in a conical flask. Once the temperature reached 50°C, the gel mixture was removed from the heater and 3% BIS was added, stirred thoroughly and allowed to dissolve. After dissolving the BIS, 3% acrylamide was added and allowed to dissolve. When the dosimeter was ready to be poured into the vials, 10 mM of THP was added and mixed thoroughly. The gel was poured into two 200 ml plastic bottles.
In order to optimize the concentration of monomers for evaluation with X-ray CT, the total concentration of monomer was varied. The concentration of BIS and AA were varied from 3 to 4.5% by total weight of gel dosimeter required. Four sets of gels with concentration of BIS as 3, 3.5, 4 and 4.5% by total weight of required gel dosimeter and concentration of AA as 3, 3.5, 4 and 4.5% by total weight respectively of the gel required were prepared. The PAGAT gel dosimeter was then poured into cylindrical plastic vials of height 5.6 cm and diameter 2.4 cm for optimization of monomer concentration and refrigerated.
Irradiation of the PAGAT gel dosimeters
The gels that were in the plastic bottles were left un-irradiated to study the variation of standard deviation of averaged CT images. The PAGAT gel dosimeters in the vials were irradiated to 5, 10 and 15 Gy at dmax with 6 MV photons using a field size of 30 x 30 cm 2sub from a Siemens Mevatron MD linear accelerator at 100 cm SSD using parallel opposed fields to obtain a uniform dose in the vials. The irradiated gels were left in the refrigerator for 24 hours before imaging assuming the polymerization due to irradiation is completed since it has been considered that the post-irradiation polymerization was essentially completed after approximately 12 hours post-irradiation.[12]
The irradiated gels were placed horizontally on the flat couch top of the Siemens Somatom CT scanner for imaging. To determine the number of images to be averaged, the imaging parameters of 80 kV and 130 kV were used with maximum mA and the un-irradiated sample of the PAGAT gel dosimeter in the plastic bottle was imaged 50 times at the same scan position. For the optimization of concentration of monomers, the highest available tube voltage of 130 kV and tube current of 110 mA were used with an imaging time of 0.8 s. For optimizing the imaging protocol of the CT scanner all the scan parameters such as the tube voltage, tube current and slice thickness were varied.
The CT images were transferred to a PC and evaluated with modified software coded in MATLABTM.[29] The software enabled averaging of images obtained at the same scan position, marking circular regions of interest (ROI) of varying diameter within the circumference of the bottles or vials, conversion of data to standard Hounsfield units (H) or CT number in the selected ROI and calculation of standard deviation of H within the ROI. The variation in two factors namely the standard deviation in CT number (sNCT) and changes in CT number (DNCT) were evaluated.
Optimization of number of images to be averaged
The CT images of the PAGAT gel had a low signal to noise ratio (SNR) and this has been found to improve by image averaging (Hilts et al ., 2000). It is time consuming to obtain 50 scans in each slice while validating radiotherapy treatment plans in a clinical set up. Hence a study was carried out to obtain an optimal number of scans at the same scan position to reduce the noise as well as to be less time consuming.
The un-irradiated sample of the PAGAT gel dosimeter in the plastic bottle was imaged 50 times at the same scan position with the following settings: tube voltage - 80kV and 130 kV, tube current 150 mA, exposure time 0.8 s and slice thickness 5 mm. The data was transferred to a PC and evaluated. Different number of images up to 50 images was averaged and upon which a circular ROI was drawn. The ROI was 292.58 mm 2sub in 749 pixels with each pixel size of 0.3906 mm 2sub . The CT numbers were extracted by taking the mean ROI value on each of the averaged image and the standard deviation in CT number (sNCT) for all the averaged images over the selected ROI was calculated.
An investigation on the effect of image averaging on the CT number of the irradiated gel was also carried out. One set of plastic vials irradiated to doses of 5, 10 and 15 Gy was imaged 50 times at the same scan position. The images were transferred to a PC and evaluated.
The SNR for different number of images averaged was calculated for different number of images averaged from
SNR = NCT (irradiatedgel)- NCT (un-irradiatedgel)
where s is the standard deviation in the averaged CT number obtained from the selected ROI within the vial of the un-irradiated PAGAT gel dosimeter.
Optimization of scanner parameters
The first step in optimizing the scan parameters was to optimize the tube voltage and tube current at which the dosimeter was to be imaged. For this, the un-irradiated PAGAT gel dosimeter was imaged with the available tube voltages of 80 kV, 110 kV and 130 kV with minimum and maximum available tube current for each tube voltage. The imaging was carried out with slice thickness of 1, 2, 3, 5 and 10 mm respectively. Circular regions of interest of area 163 mm 2sub over 221 pixels were drawn at the central region of the vials in the averaged image. The software calculates the CT numbers by taking the mean of the CT numbers in each pixel in the ROI selected. The average CT number and the standard deviation in CT number (sNCT) for all the averaged images over the selected ROI were obtained.
Optimization of monomer concentration
For optimization of monomer concentration, the maximum change in CT number (DNCT) with absorbed dose was studied. The PAGAT gel for this study was prepared, irradiated and imaged as discussed in sections 2.1, 2.2 and 2.3. The images were transferred to a PC and analyzed. The average of 50 images for each dose was calculated using the software. Circular regions of interest of area 163 mm 2sub over 221 pixels were drawn at the central region of the vials in the averaged image and the CT numbers were obtained. The change in CT number with radiation dose was calculated by subtracting the CT number of the irradiated gel from that of the un-irradiated gel.
Optimization of the imaging protocol of the X-ray CT scanner
[Figure - 1] shows the variation in standard deviation (sNCT) obtained over a region of interest of the averaged images for both the lowest and highest tube voltage available in the X-ray CT scanner for which the imaging protocol was optimized. The sNCT decreased from 6.19 H to 1.22 H for a tube voltage of 80 kV and from 3.6 H to 0.7 H for 130 kV when the number of images averaged was increased from 1 to 25. This shows that the noise due to photon counting statistics can be reduced by image averaging. After this point, the decrease in sNCT was found to be 0.3 H when the number of images averaged increased from 25 to 50. The resulting total noise of 0.5 H when 50 images were averaged compares with the value of 0.6 H obtained by Trapp et al ., 2001. This is a known effect in CT imaging and is due to factors such as reconstruction noise, electronic noise and CT number quantization. At 80 kV the HU for the normoxic polymer gel dosimeters was lower than that for 130 kV indicating that the HU changes with tube potential. This was to be expected, as linear attenuation of the normoxic polymer gel dosimeter is energy dependent. Moreover, the load on the X-ray tube is directly proportional to the number of images averaged. Since the variation in sNCT was minimal when the number of images averaged increased from 25 to 50, it was decided to average 25 images to reduce the noise in the image and also keep the load on the X-ray tube at a lesser level when compared to averaging a large number of images.
[Figure - 2] represents the variation in CT number with number of images averaged. The CT number was found to decrease as the number of images averaged increased. The maximum variation observed in CT numbers due to image averaging was 1 H for a dose of 15 Gy while the decrease was 0.5 H for lesser doses. This decrease is due to the variation in CT numbers in the pixels within the ROI. But when the variation in change in CT number (DNCT) with number of images averaged was calculated as shown in [Figure - 3], it was found that the DNCT remained unchanged over the number of images averaged for all doses. The decrease in CT number observed in [Figure - 2] was removed when the difference between the irradiated and un-irradiated samples were calculated. From this it was concluded that the image averaging reduces the image noise alone without causing changes in the CT number.
The variation in signal to noise ratio with increase in number of images averaged is shown in [Figure - 4]. The SNR was found to increase asymptotically with averaged images as expected since theoretically the SNR increases by ÖN where N is the number of images averaged. The limitations in increasing the number of images in a single scan position are the load to the X-ray tube with increase in number of scans, polymerization in the gel phantom due to the radiation dose contribution during the scan as the number of images are increased and the time limitation in the availability of the an X-ray CT scanner in a clinical radiotherapy department. Obtaining a pre-irradiation scan and subtracting it from the post-irradiation scan could be used to correct the radiation dose contribution to the gel phantom during evaluation by X-ray CT. However, only decreasing the number of images averaged could decrease the load on the scanner as well as the time consumed on the scanner for imaging. From [Figure - 1] it was observed that the sNCT decreased substantially when the number of images averaged increased from 1 to 25. The decrease was found to be less than 1 H for further increase in the number of images averaged. Hence the optimal number of images to be averaged was concluded as 25 to result in a desired SNR.
It has been shown that CT imaging technique affects the noise levels and these could be decreased by increasing tube voltage (kV), tube current (mA) and slice scan time (s).[24] [Figure - 5] showing the variation of sNCT with tube voltage followed exponential decay pattern with decrease in image noise level with increase in tube voltage. The sNCT decreased by 72% when the tube voltage increased from 80 kV to 130 kV. This reduction is found to be higher than the 60% reduction in doubling the tube voltage reported by Hilts et al ., 2005. It was observed that the sNCT decreased steeply by 1.23 H when the tube voltage increased from 80 kV to 110 kV. But beyond 110 kV, when the tube voltage was further increased to 130 kV, the change in standard deviation was only 0.6 H. sNCT was found to be greater at lower tube voltages when compared to higher tube voltages as the maximum number of photons reaches the detector at the highest tube voltage providing a better SNR than the lower voltages characterized by lower photon emission.[30] Hence the optimum tube voltage at which the PAGAT polymer gel dosimeter is to be imaged was selected at the highest tube voltage of 130 kV available on the scanner being studied in spite of the increase in load to the tube taking into consideration the amount of noise in the images at a lower tube voltage of 80 kV.
[Figure - 6] shows sNCT for different tube voltage and tube current combination with different slice thickness. All the curves followed the exponential decay pattern following the equation Y = Y 0 +Ae x/t where x is the slice thickness in mm and Y is sNCT. However the standard deviation sNCT was found to be minimal for two curves, one with a tube voltage of 110 kV and tube current of 150 mA and the other with a tube voltage of 130 kV and tube current of 150 mA. The sNCT for the lower tube voltage of 110 kV was found to be lesser than that of the higher tube voltage of 130 kV for the lowest slice thickness of 1 mm. But beyond 1 mm, the sNCT was more than that of 130 kV. Similarly, the standard deviation in CT number (sNCT) was found to be the maximum for a slice thickness of 1 mm and decreased with increase in slice thickness. While the variation in sNCT was 0.6 H between 1 mm and 2 mm slice thickness, the change was found to be 0.2 H for further increase in slice thickness. There was a minimal change sNCT as slice thickness increased from 5 mm to 10 mm. However while verifying dose distributions with dose gradients a lesser slice thickness is preferable. Therefore it was decided to use a 3 mm slice thickness for verification of small fields and 5 mm slice thickness for verification of larger fields.
The dose response of the PAGAT polymer gel with 2 mM THP and 10 mM THP with various concentrations of BIS and acrylamide is shown in [Figure - 7]. For 2 mM THP, the change in CT number was found to be 12 H for a dose of 15 Gy for the total monomer concentration of 9% (4.5% BIS and 4.5% Acrylamide) when compared to other concentrations. The 7% total concentration of monomers was 9 H for a dose of 15 Gy while the others had a lower change in CT numbers when compared to 7 and 9% total monomer concentration.
With 10 mM concentration of THP, the change in CT number was 13 H for a dose of 15 Gy for a total monomer concentration of 7% (3.5% BIS, 3.5% Acrylamide). The 9% total monomer concentration had the lowest change in CT number of 9 H for the dose of 15 Gy while the other concentrations had a lesser change in CT number when compared to 7% total monomer concentration.
From these observations a comparison of dose response between the total concentrations of 7 and 9% was investigated. It was found that with 7% total monomer concentration and 10 mM THP, the dose response curve was linear up to 10 Gy, with a maximum difference of 13 H for the dose of 15 Gy. For 9% total monomer and 2 mM THP, the linearity of dose response was observed till 5 Gy with a maximum difference of 12 H for 15 Gy. Hence, it was decided to optimize the total monomer concentration as 7% with 10 mM THP with a higher linear dose range for evaluating the PAGAT with X-ray CT scanner.
The imaging protocol of the Siemens Emotion X-ray CT scanner was optimized to evaluate PAGAT normoxic gel dosimeters. Since the change in sNCT was minimal beyond 25 images at the same scan position, the number of images to be averaged to reduce sNCT in a region of interest thus reducing the noise was concluded to be 25. The scan parameters were optimized at the highest available tube voltage of 130kV and highest available tube current of 150mA to enable the maximum number of photons to reach the detector thereby reducing the noise in the image. The optimal slice thickness was determined to be 3 mm while evaluating small fields of irradiation and 5 mm for larger fields. The total concentration of monomers was optimized at 7 % with 10 mM THP to obtain a maximum change in CT number (DNCT) with absorbed dose for evaluating with X-ray CT. It has been shown that X-ray CT can be used as an evaluation tool for the PAGAT polymer gel dosimeter. Optimal scan parameters may vary with X-ray CT scanner. Hence each scanner to be used for evaluating polymer gels requires individual optimization for the purposes of gel dosimetry evaluation.
1. Gore JC, Kang YS, Schulz RJ. Measurement of radiation dose distributions by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) imaging. Phys Med Biol 1984;29:1189-97. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
2. DOSGEL. Proceedings of the 1st international workshop on radiation therapy gel dosimetry. in DosGel'99. Canadian Organization of Medical Physicists: Lexington, KY, USA; 1999.
3. DOSGEL. Prelimanary Proceedings of DOSGEL 2001 2nd International Conference on Radiotherapy Gel Dosimetry. in DOSGEL 2001. Queensland University of Technology, Queensland University of Technology: Brisbane, Australia; 2001.
4. DOSGEL. Proceedings of the 3rd international workshop on radiation therapy gel dosimetry. in DosGel'04. Ghent: Belgium; 2004.
5. Baldock C, Harris PJ, Piercy AR, Healy B. Experimental determination of the diffusion coefficient in two-dimensions in ferrous sulphate gels using the finite element method. Aust Phys Eng Sci Med 2001;24:19-30. [PUBMED]
6. Maryanski MJ, Gore JC, Kennan RP, Schulz RJ. NMR relaxation enhancement in gels polymerized and cross-linked by ionizing radiation: A new approach to 3D dosimetry by MRI. Magn Reson Imaging 1993;11:253-8. [PUBMED]
7. Baldock C, Burford RP, Billingham N, Wagner GS, Patval S, Badawi RD, et al . Experimental procedure for the manufacture and calibration of polyacrylamide gel (PAG) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) radiation dosimetry. Phys Med Biol 1998;43:695-702.
8. Maryanski MJ, Audet C, Gore JC. Effects of cross linking and temperature on the dose response of a BANG polymer gel dosimeter. Phys Med Biol 1997;42:303-11. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
9. Lepage M, Whittaker AK, Rintoul L, Back SA, Baldock C. The relationship between radiation-induced chemical processes and transverse relaxation times in polymer gel dosimeters. Phys Med Biol 2001;46:1061-74. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
10. De Deene Y. Dose-response and spatial stability of various polymer gel dosimeters. Phys Med Biol 2002;47:2459-70.
11. De Deene Y, Hurley C, Venning A, Vergote M, Mather M, Healy BJ, et al . A basic study of some normoxic polymer gel dosimeters. Phys Med Biol 2002;47:3441-63.
12. De Deene Y, Hanselaer P, De Wagter C, Achten E, De Neve W. An investigation of the chemical stability of a monomer/polymer gel dosimeter. Phys Med Biol 2000;45:859-78. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
13. Fong PM, Keil DC, Does MD, Gore JC. Polymer gels for magnetic resonance imaging of radiation dose distributions at normal room atmosphere. Phys Med Biol 2001;46:3105-13. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
14. Venning AJ, Hill B, Brindha S, Healy BJ, Baldock C. Investigation of the PAGAT polymer gel dosimeter using magnetic resonance imaging. Phys Med Biol 2005;50:3875-88. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
15. Hurley CA, Venning, Baldock C. A study of a normoxic polymer gel dosimeter comprising methacrylic acid, gelatin and tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride (MAGAT). Appl Radiat Isot 2005;63:443-56.
17. Oldham M, Siewerdsen JH, Shetty A, Jaffray DA. High resolution gel-dosimetry by optical-CT and MR scanning. Med Phys 2001;28:1436-45. [PUBMED]
18. Rintoul LM, Lepage, Baldock C. Radiation dose distribution in p olymer gels by Raman spectroscopy. Appl Spectrosc 2003;57:51-7.
19. Hilts M, Audet C, Duzenli C, Jirasek A. Polymer gel dosimetry using X-ray computed tomography: A feasibility study. Phys Med Biol 2000;45:2559-71. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
20. Mather ML, Baldock C. Ultrasound tomography imaging of radiation dose distributions in polymer gel dosimeters: Preliminary study. Med Phys 2003;30:2140-8. [PUBMED]
21. Audet C, Hilts M, Jirasek A, Duzenli C. CT gel dosimetry technique: Comparison of a planned and measured 3D stereotactic dose volume. J Appl Clin Med Phys 2002;3:110-8. [PUBMED]
22. Trapp JV, Michael G, De Deene Y, Baldock C. Attenuation of diagnostic energy photons by polymer gel dosimeters. Phys Med Biol 2002;47:4247-58. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
23. Trapp JV, Back SA, Lepage M, Michael G, Baldock C. An experimental study of the dose response of polymer gel dosimeters imaged with X-ray computed tomography. Phys Med Biol 2001;46:2939-51. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
24. Hilts M, Jirasek A, Duzenli C. Technical considerations for implementation of x-ray CT polymer gel dosimetry. Phys Med Biol 2005;50:1727-45. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
25. Brindha S, Venning AJ, Hill B, Baldock C. Experimental study of attenuation properties of normoxic polymer gel dosimeters. Phys Med Biol 2004;49:N353-61. [PUBMED] [FULLTEXT]
26. Hill B, Venning AJ, Baldock C. A preliminary study of the novel application of normoxic polymer gel dosimeters for the measurement of CTDI on diagnostic X-ray CT scanners. Med Phys 2005;32:1589-97. [PUBMED]
27. Hill BA, Venning, Baldock C. The dose response of normoxic polymer gel dosimeters measured using X-ray CT. Br J Radiol 2005;78:623-30.
28. Murry P, Baldock C. Research software for MRI radiotherapy gel dosimetry. Aust Phys Engg Sci Med 2000;23:44-51. [PUBMED]
29. Curry TS, Dowdey JE, Murry RC. Christensen's Physics of Diagnostic Radiology. Lea and Febiger: Malvern, PA; 1990.
30. Swindell WA. X-ray transmission computed tomography. The Physics of Medical Imaging. Institute of Physics Publishing: Philadelphia, PA; 1993. p. 98-125.
[Figure - 1], [Figure - 2], [Figure - 3], [Figure - 4], [Figure - 5], [Figure - 6], [Figure - 7]
1 N-isopropylacrylamide gel dosimeter to evaluate clinical photon beam characteristics
Chung-Yu Chiu,Yuk-Wah Tsang,Bor-Tsung Hsieh
Applied Radiation and Isotopes. 2014; 90: 245
2 Evaluation of three-dimensional polymer gel dosimetry using X-ray CT and R2 MRI
Applied Radiation and Isotopes. 2013; 77: 94
[VIEW] | [DOI]
3 Study on energy dependence of PAGAT polymer gel dosimeter evaluated using X-Ray CT
Sellakumar, P., James Jebaseelan Samuel, E.
Radiation Measurements. 2010; 45(1): 92-97
4 Cone beam optical CT investigation on tissue equivalent normoxic polymer gel dosimeter
Kumar, D.S., Samuel, E.J.J.
Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2010; 250: 184-188
P. Sellakumar,E. James Jebaseelan Samuel
Radiation Measurements. 2010; 45(1): 92
6 Investigation on Tissue Equivalent Normoxic Polymer Gel Dosimeter using In-house Laser CT scanning system
D Senthil Kumar, E James Jebaseelan Samuel
Journal of Physics Conference Series. 2010; 250: 012040
D Senthil Kumar,E James Jebaseelan Samuel
Journal of Physics: Conference Series. 2010; 250: 012041
8 Dose-rate dependence of PAGAT polymer gel dosimeter evaluated using X-ray CT scanner
P Sellakumar, E James Jebaseelan Samuel, D Senthil Kumar
9 Investigation of optimal scanning protocol for X-ray computed tomography polymer gel dosimetry
P. Sellakumar,E. James Jebaseelan Samuel,Sanjay S. Supe
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms. 2007; 264(2): 395
Subramanian B
Ravindran PB
Baldock C
Normoxic polymer gels
X-ray CT
imaging protocol
Results and Disc...


ASD Market Week, a consumer trade show held twice annually in Las Vegas, is a shopper's dream. If you want it, you'll find it at this wholesale buying event.
It's actually nine trade shows in one, with more than 6,500 vendors in the following categories: Fashion + Accessories, Beauty + Fragrance, Gift + Home, Toys + Novelty, Cash + Carry, General Store, C-Store, Smoke, and SourceDirect (a trade show specifically for Importers, Distributors, Wholesale Manufacturers, and Product Development companies globally).
It's all here, and 45,000 buyers from 88 countries make their way to Las Vegas each year ready to stock their shelves with these unique product lines. An average of $2.8 billion is spent annually on goods purchased directly at ASD Market Week.
A stroll through the Winter 2016 show floor didn't disappoint, even for those just there to browse. From the stylish and fashionable purses and handbags of Galian New York to the Cappelli Straworld straw hat collection to the variety of boots, belts and other western wear offered by J.R. Palacios, ASD Market Week features clothing and apparel for every taste.
For those looking to accessorize, necklaces and jewelry options from coast to coast were on display, from L.A.-based I Smile Design Inc. to N.Y.-based Good Morning Jewelry Corp.
For more on ASD Market Week, visit ASDOnline.com.


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Schofield Haigh (19 March 1871 – 27 February 1921) was a Yorkshire and England cricketer. He played for eighteen seasons for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, for England from the 1898/99 tour to 1912, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1901.

Life and career
Born in Berry Brow, Huddersfield, Yorkshire, England, Haigh played club cricket for Keighley Cricket Club, and made his debut for Yorkshire in 1895, playing for the Tykes until 1913. He played sporadically for England from 1898/99 to 1912, and was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.

He bowled right-hand medium pace, but could vary it with slower or faster deliveries, and when the pitch helped him he made the ball spin back from the off. The usefulness of Haigh's break-back saw over 74 per cent of his wickets taken without assistance from fieldsmen – the highest of any bowler with over 500 wickets.

However, because he was of slight build, Haigh was not able to undertake arduous spells of bowling, and his output of overs was always low for a frontline bowler. Moreover, he lacked the pace to be threatening against top batsmen on a good pitch. Haigh was never considered for a tour of Australia, and his record in Test cricket – apart from one match on matting in South Africa – was modest compared to his exploits in the county game.

He has the lowest average of any bowler taking 1,000 wickets since 1895 except for Hedley Verity. Haigh was also a determined batsman, who hit 1,000 runs in 1904, and scored a hundred before lunch in 1901, and was a keen fieldsman.

Haigh began with Yorkshire as a fast bowler with a difficult slower ball. Using such methods, combined with the break-back, Haigh was seen in 1896 as the hard-wicket bowler Yorkshire were looking for. He took 84 wickets for just over 15 runs each, and took 8 for 78 on a good wicket against the Australians.

However, the following year the strain on his slight frame of bowling fast began to tell on Haigh, and though his 91 wickets at 18.75 placed him in the top twenty of the national averages, he was already noticed to be less formidable than Yorkshire's other bowlers on firm pitches, but quite unplayable after rain – as in the home games with Surrey and Derbyshire. Although he produced a skilful performance against Middlesex at Lord's on a hard pitch the following year, Haigh did comparatively little of note except on sticky wickets. On such sticky wickets his return of 14 for 43 beat Hampshire in a day's cricket. Haigh's batting developed and he averaged 26 in 1901, and saved Yorkshire from defeat at Worcestershire in 1900. That year, Haigh took 163 wickets for just over 14 each, and in 1902 he took 158 wickets in 799 overs.

Called to the Test side with a sticky wicket expected in 1905, Haigh had a surprising off-day and was not picked again until 1909. He came close to heading the national averages for five successive seasons – being only shaded out by Albert Hallam in 1907, in which year he took 13 for 40 against Warwickshire. Yorkshire bowlers such as Wilfred Rhodes and George Hirst were utilised in longer spells with Haigh benefiting later on. After a poor season in 1910, Haigh returned to form in 1911 and 1912. His 96 wickets for 11.41 was decisive in Yorkshire's County Championship win, but another unsuccessful Test appearance, and that he then aged forty-one made him decide to move into coaching at the end of 1913. He did retain his place for Yorkshire primarily as a batsman with a long series of useful – though never large innings, whilst his bowling lapsed into decline.

After 1913 Haigh was a coach at Winchester School, where he was responsible for the emergence of Douglas Jardine. He also umpired several first-class matches at the Scarborough Festival after he retired.

Haigh died prematurely in Taylor Hill, Huddersfield, in early 1921, as a result of a stroke.

References

External links

 Cricinfo page on Schofield Haigh
 The last resting place of Schofield Haigh

1871 births
1921 deaths
English cricket umpires
England Test cricketers
English cricketers
English cricketers of 1890 to 1918
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Yorkshire cricketers
Cricketers from Huddersfield
Players cricketers
Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers
Lord Hawke's XI cricketers
C. I. Thornton's XI cricketers
North v South cricketers
Lord Londesborough's XI cricketers


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State Requires Self-Quarantine for COVID-19 Hot Spot Travelers
Travelers entering Connecticut from states experiencing a surge in coranavirus cases are now required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
Gov. Ned Lamont issued an advisory notice June 24 with the governors of New York and New Jersey.
The number of new coronavirus cases surged in many parts of the country in the last two weeks.
The notice takes effect in all three states at 11:59 pm on June 24. Lamont later signed an executive order authorizing the Department of Public Health to develop guidelines for essential workers.
Visitors and residents returning from states with positive test rates greater than 10 per 100,000 or with a positivity rate of 10% or higher over a seven-day rolling average are required to self-quarantine.
As of June 26, eight states—Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Utah—had positivity rates above that threshold.
Following the announcement, Lamont also suggested self-quarantine would only be required "if you haven't had a test within 72 hours" of arrival in Connecticut.
Exemptions, Enforcement
Workers traveling from impacted states to Connecticut who work in critical infrastructure as designated by the federal Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency are exempted from the quarantine advisory.
State, local, and federal officials and employees traveling in their official capacities on government business are also exempt.
While Connecticut's self-quarantine notice is voluntary, Lamont said he will consider enforcement measures if visitors and returning residents fail to comply.
"The Northeast region has taken this seriously, but we're not an island," he said in a joint telephone call with Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey.
Updated-Tri-state governors, NY, NJ, CT, announce quarantine for out-of-state visitors https://t.co/4dCZlz4wN6 via @connpost #coronavirus #ctpolitics
— Ken Dixon (@KenDixonCT) June 24, 2020
"We reluctantly came to the conclusion that this is what we've got to do to make sure that our region stays safe and our states stay safe."
In New York, violators face fines of $2,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for a second offense, with penalties climbing to $10,000 for those who "cause harm."
Connecticut's health department had issued guidance June 11 that it no longer recommended self-quarantine for domestic travelers entering or returning to the state.
Surging Cases
Hospitalizations in Connecticut have fallen dramatically from a peak of nearly 2,000 in mid-April to less than 140 this week.
Cases and hospitalizations are also trending down in New York and New Jersey.
However, the virus has surged in other states, with Arizona, California, Florida, and Texas all setting records for new cases June 23.
Cities with fastest #COVID19 case growth in past week:
2. Tampa
3. San Antonio
4. Orlando
5. Austin
Largest slowdowns:
1. Bridgeport
2. Indianapolis
3. Detroit
4. Hartford
5. New Haven
(Via Evercore ISI) pic.twitter.com/UPHE9pokSL
— Meg Tirrell (@megtirrell) June 24, 2020
Nearly 20,000 Florida residents tested positive from June 19 to June 23. Connecticut had 459 new cases over the same period and New York had 3,200.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued an executive order March 24 requiring travelers from Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York to self-isolate for 14 days after arriving in that state.
That order was extended June 3, with exemptions for those "involved in
commercial activity and students traveling for the purpose of academic work, internships, sports training, and any other activity or program approved by the educational institution."
/resources/coronavirus/coronavirus-travel/faq-connecticut-travel-self-quarantine/
Unlocking Japanese FDI & Trade Opportunities: CBIA Leadership Essentials
Worker Shortage Hampers 2022 Job Growth
Lamont Shares Economic Priorities at CBIA Summit


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Home » News » ESnet News » Energy Secretary Moniz Honors ESnet's OSCARS Bandwidth Reservation Service
Kathy Kincade, Kkincade@lbl.gov, +1 510 495 2124 or Media@es.net
1 800-33-ESnet (Inside the US)
1 800-333-7638 (Inside the US)
Energy Secretary Moniz Honors ESnet's OSCARS Bandwidth Reservation Service
Contact: Jon Bashor, jbashor@lbl.gov, 510-486-5849
Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has recognized ESnet staff members with a DOE Secretarial Honor Award for their development of OSCARS, the On-demand Secure Circuits and Reservation System. OSCARS is a software service that creates dedicated bandwidth channels for scientists who need to move massive, time-critical data sets around the world.
The Secretarial Honor Awards are the department's highest form of non-monetary employee recognition. Individual and team awardees are selected by the Secretary of Energy. Secretary Moniz presented the 2015 DOE Secretarial Honor Awards during a special program held May 8 at DOE headquarters in Washington, D.C. ESnet staff who received the award are William E. Johnston, Evangelos Chaniotakis, Chin P. Guok, Andrew Lake, Inder Monga, Eric Pouyoul and Mary Thompson.
"This is truly a great honor for the ESnet team and we're gratified by the Secretary's recognition of the important role networking plays in scientific discovery," said ESnet Director Greg Bell.
What makes OSCARS so useful is that it can automatically create end-to-end circuits, crossing multiple network domains. Before OSCARS, this was a time consuming process–in 2010, for example, ESnet engineers needed 10 hours of phone calls and about 100 emails over three months to do what one person can do in five minutes using OSCARS. The automation of this complex process—through a technique known as Software Defined Networking—is accelerating scientific discovery in high-energy physics and many other disciplines.
Being able to quickly and easily transfer massive datasets reflects the increasingly collaborative and international nature of science. Data-intensive science requires high-bandwidth networks interconnecting globally distributed instruments, facilities and collaborators – allowing them to function as if they are one system regardless of geographic location. ESnet engineers developed OSCARS to ensure networks can meet the time-critical needs of these experiments.
OSCARS' unique capability was recognized in 2013 with an R&D 100 Award, an industry-wide competition rewarding the practical applications of science.