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Моли́ния голуба́я () или бесколенка; или синий злак — типовой вид рода Молиния ().

Ботаническое описание

Многолетнее травянистое растение, часто формирующее крупные куртины, образует многочисленные густые стебли. Высота растения 0,5—1 м. Листовые влагалища от 3 до 8 (10) мм шириной. Листья шероховатые, зелёные, сужаются к концу, длинные, плоские, иногда немного опушённые у конца. Лигула представляет собой кольцо волосков.

Соцветие — метёлка, состоящая из узких длинных колосков, от 5 до 50 см длиной (чаще около 15 см), нередко сине-фиолетового цвета. Цветение с июля по сентябрь.

Число хромосом 2n = 36, однако имеются полиплоидные формы. Механизм их появления не до конца понятен.

Распространение и экология
Произрастает в Европе, Западной Азии и Северной Африке. Растёт от низин до высот в 2300 м в Альпах. Подобно большинству злаков, молиния голубая лучше растёт на кислых почвах, идеальный pH для неё от 3,5 до 5, но она также может выживать и в более экстремальных условиях при pH от 2. Обыкновенно встречается во влажных вересковых пустошах, болотах и торфяниках по всей Великобритании. Имеются интродуцированные популяции на северо-востоке и северо-западе Северной Америки.

Значение и применение
Растение низкого кормового достоинства. По наблюдениям на бедном пастбище крупный рогатый скот поедал только листья и не трогал соцветия. По анализам свежей травы установлено высокое содержание протеина и высокий коэффициент переваримости. Высокий коэффициент переваримости  и клетчатки отмечен в течение всего вегетационного периода. Сено грубое, малопитательное, может содержать синильную кислоту, представляет ценность как подстилочный материал.

Причисляется к ядовитым растения. Ядовитость объясняется частым и обильным поражением  и ржавчинными грибами. Также ядовитость может быть обусловлена наличием синильной кислоты.

По наблюдениям О. И. Семёнова-Тян-Шанского в Лапландском заповеднике листья поедаются .

Садоводство
Используется в садоводстве как декоративное растение. Раскидистые фонтаны молинии хорошо использовать для украшения прибрежной территории и небольших водоёмов. Также она хорошо смотрится в оформлении дорожек или альпинария.

Молиния голубая может использоваться: в монопосадках, в блочных посадках, в качестве основного растения в матричных посадках,  в качестве отдельно растущего растения .

Длительность выращивания на одном месте: более 10 лет, может и до 15–16 лет. Предпочитает болотные, бедные, кислые почвы, но может расти и на карбонатных. Зона зимостойкости 4.

Некоторые сорта:
  — высота до 50(90) см, образует компактную кочку, образующую плотную группу узких прямостоячих листьев, которые зимой становятся бледно-коричневыми и оранжевыми, с узкими пурпурными цветочными головками в конце лета.
  — высота до 90 см, с пучками зеленых листьев, которые осенью становятся золотисто-жёлтыми, и изогнутыми крепкими цветочными стеблями, иногда снежно-белые, с бронзовыми цветками с лета до осени, за которыми следуют семенные головки, которые остаются привлекательными зимой.
  — высота до 60 см, листья с продольными полосами желтовато-кремового цвета, соцветия перистые, длиной до 30–35 см, цветки тёмно-коричневые.

Прочие применения
Необычное применение молинии голубой состоит в высаживании её для защиты от насекомых, поедающих цветки. Листовые обёртки соцветий молинии голубой способны быстро закрываться. Так они могут ловить насекомых, подобно капкану.

Экология
Гусеницы некоторых бабочек питаются этим растением, в том числе гусеницы .

Claviceps purpurea — сумчатый грибок, растущий на семенах молинии голубой.

Синонимика

Дочерние таксоны
Подвид  — Молиния прибрежная.

Подвид  — Молиния тростниковая.

Примечания

Литература

 Manfred A. Fischer, Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald: Exkursionsflora für Österreich, Liechtenstein und Südtirol. 2., verb. u. erw. Auflage. Biologiezentrum der Oberösterreichischen Landesmuseen, Linz 2005, ISBN 3-85474-140-5.
 Collins Pocket Guide Grasses Sedges Rushes and Ferns of Britain and Northern Europe, R Fitter, A Fitter, A Farrer
 Rose, Frances, 1974. Grasses, sedges and rushes, page 18-19
 «The Highwayman» Alfred Noyes

Ссылки

 Food and agriculture organization of the United Nations page on purple moor grass.
 UK BAP Purple Moor and Rush Pastures

Злаки
Декоративные растения
Сорные растения
Кормовые растения европейского лося


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Photo by Sam St-Onge
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: FJORD
Story by Guillaume Moffet | October 12, 2016
Based in Québec City, SOCAN members Louis-Étienne Santais and Thomas Casault are Fjord, a duo that's just released its first official offering, Textures, the music of which is rooted in the late-'90s chill-out movement, as well as 2016's electronic music vein.
We spoke with the guys who are likely to dominate playlists in the coming months.
P&M: Tell us a bit about your creative process?
Fjord: We totally work in a collaborative way. We usually start by settling on a viable key progression, and then we build on that quite rapidly; we add percussion, bass, other sounds, according to our inspiration. At that point, even though it's still a draft, we have a better idea of where we're headed, and that helps us remain inspired. Then, we spend a lot of time looking for the right melody, and we'll often improvise and record dozens of melodies on our iPhones for a single song before we settle on the one that's just right. The words or sentences that come to us spontaneously often remain in the final version of the song, because it's hard for Thomas to find something to sing that comes more naturally. Then we complete the lyrics, always together. That's probably the hardest part for us. We spend a lot of time in the studio working on demos and we throw many away. We often need to take a step back. Take "Blue," for example. We couldn't find anything that thrilled us, so we put it on the back burner for a while. Months later, we were going over our demos and it gelled; we had enough material to turn it into a great song.
P&M: As a matter of fact, you took off because of "Blue," which was extremely popular on Spotify, with more than two million streams to this day. How do you approach this success in the light of the heavy criticism directed towards Spotify lately?
Fjord: Spotify has been and remains a very important springboard when it comes to visibility, and the money it's earned us, thanks to our songs being in rotation. We've actually managed to self-finance Fjord. Our band was born right in this paradigm shift from record sales to streams, it's been a part of our lives and careers from the get-go. We've realized that the majority of people who listen to us, do so on Spotify and Apple Music. Our songs end up on their playlists. Those playlists are curated by people who follow the music biz very closely. That has a very positive influence on the reach of our music."
P&M: Textures was done with the help of various producers. How do you achieve that without compromising the Fjord sound?
Fjord: We always produce much of our own stuff – like, 90 percent. Other producers are incredibly helpful, because they help us decide what's good to keep and what can go, and we give them plenty of leeway to try stuff, and bring in their own ideas. We always have the last word on artistic decisions, and luckily all of our collaborations have gone smoothly so far, we didn't have to reject a lot of their ideas. It's always helpful to have a third pair of ears, and the people we've worked with are super-talented. It was easy to trust them and build together, whether it was Claude Bégin (Karim Ouellet, Alaclair Ensemble), Gabriel Gagnon (Milk & Bone, Daniela Andrade), or Dragos Chiriac (Men I Trust, Ghostly Kisses).
P&M: What's coming up for Fjord?
Fjord: A few great opportunities have come up since we released Textures, but we can't say much about any of them yet. One thing's for sure: we'll be playing shows in 2017. Certain collaborations are underway, some are even finished. Whatever the case may be, we're entirely focused on creating music, right now. We're working on new tracks that will be accompanied by new visuals.
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Ruth B: Vine sensation "Lost Boy" becomes platinum hit
Story by Meredith Dault | October 14, 2016
Before taking to the stage at New York City's Radio City Music Hall to open for Canadian pop singing phenomenon – and fellow SOCAN member – Alessia Cara, as the opening act on her 22-city fall tour, Ruth B did what many a 21-year-old would: she took to Twitter. "Opening for Alessia at Radio City tonight," she wrote to her more-than-a-million followers. "I'm shaking like a baby puppy." Five hours later, she was back online: "Radio City just happened. I didn't faint. I'm now waiting for pizza. Life is amazing."
Amazing is an understatement. A year ago Ruth B (short for Berhe) was a university student worrying about exams, trying to decide on a major (she was leaning towards political science) and working a part-time job at a department store. "I was folding clothes and working cash," she laughs. "That life feels like forever ago."
That was all before her rapid and unanticipated leap onto the international pop music charts with her viral hit "Lost Boy," the mournful piano ballad which has now achieved more than 33 million views on YouTube, and gone platinum in Canada, the U.S., Sweden and The Netherlands.
"Every time I leave my room, I'm bound to run into a song – from the look on someone's face, to something someone says to me."
Indeed, for many the Edmonton native is still known as "that Vine girl" because of the role the social media platform – where users share videos no longer than six seconds long – played in her remarkable rise to stardom.
Ruth B, whose parents emigrated to Canada from Ethiopia before she was born, grew up taking piano lessons, and always loved to sing around the house. "There was never a time when I wasn't obsessed with music," she explains. "It always came naturally – like breathing."
After discovering Vine, she played around with posting "silly videos" and clips of herself covering tunes by everyone from The Beatles to Iggy Azalea to Coldplay. But it was a video she posted of herself playing a song by Drake that took her rapidly from 50 followers to nearly 1,000. "And I thought, 'Oh, maybe this will help me get my voice out there," she recalls.
In January 2015, inspired after watching an episode of the Canadian-made fairytale TV drama Once Upon a Time, Ruth B sat down at her keyboard and shared two lines from what would ultimately become her first original song: "I am a lost boy from Neverland/Usually hanging out with Peter Pan."
The six-second clip earned 84,000 'likes' in a single week. Shocked and encouraged, she released more clips in the weeks that followed, eventually posting a video of herself on YouTube playing the finished song. By then the calls from agents and record labels were already rolling in. Putting her academic career on hold, she signed with Columbia Records in July 2015, and a few months later released her four-song EP, The Intro (which includes the song "Lost Boy") to critical acclaim.
While Ruth B says she's as surprised as anyone by her sudden success, she admits that she's always known, at some deeper level, that she was destined to have a life in music. She's quick to point out, however, that her forays into performing online were never part of any kind of career plan for making it happen because, as she puts it, "that didn't seem do-able." Instead, she resolved to let things unfold naturally. "I knew it was going to happen, but in its own time," she says.
Crediting her family and friends for keeping her grounded as her star rises, Ruth B is now focusing her attention on developing her skill as a songwriter. Describing herself as an avid reader and as a lover of stories, she's focused on penning tunes that include strong imagery and characters. "I love when that's incorporated into a song," she says. "I like when I can picture it, and not just hear it."
Ruth B points out that she finds her inspiration everywhere. "Every time I leave my room, I'm bound to run into a song – from the look on someone's face, to something someone says to me. There's a song in every experience. I don't limit myself to anything."
It's an attitude that has enabled her to write 20 original songs in the past year, some of which will be included on a full-length album, currently in the works (with an anticipated release date of early 2017).
She's quick to add that she still does all of the writing herself, and considers it a critical piece of who she is as an artist. "Before anything, I feel like I am a songwriter," she says simply. "When I have grandkids, I want to be able to play my album and say, 'This is all me.' That's important to me."
While she still has plans to return to university down the road (she's now leaning towards a degree in English), Ruth B's enjoying the unexpected ride on which she's found herself.
"Music brings me joy, whether I'm singing for thousands at Radio City Music Hall, or just singing in the basement for myself. As long as I can do music, I'm happy."
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Adam Baldwin: Late bloomer breaks through with debut album
Story by Kerry Doole | October 12, 2016
At 30, Adam Baldwin could be considered rather a late bloomer as a solo artist. Right now, however, everything's coming up roses for the Dartmouth-based singer-songwriter. Released in June, his debut full-length album, No Telling When (Precisely Nineteen Eighty-Five), has been earning unanimously positive notices for its combination of free-spirited, guitar-fueled rock 'n' roll and perceptive lyrics that often tackle social and political themes.
Produced by Liam O'Neil (The Stills, Metric), the album features Josh Trager (of Sam Roberts Band), Brian Murphy (of Alvvays) and Leah Fay (of July Talk).
Baldwin is bringing the material to vivid life onstage, touring the album as a support act for the likes of The Temperance Movement, Sam Roberts Band and Blue Rodeo, and national dates with July Talk begin in November 2016.
Fine company to keep, and Baldwin is suitably appreciative. Interviewed after a show in Montréal, he says, "I'm lucky to have friends in the right places. These guys don't have to have me on their bills, as they sold the shows already. I'm sure I'm the envy of a lot of Canadian acts right now."
The response to No Telling When is similarly gratifying. "It surprises me anytime there's any praise," says Baldwin. "I tend to be self-deprecating and maybe I lacked the confidence I should have had over the years, if you're in a business where you're judged for your art."
"I'm not a guy who writes 100 songs and gets three from that. I'd rather just write a song and chip away at it until I feel it's where I need it to be."
Baldwin has gained real peer respect over the years, primarily as a guitarist in Matt Mays' band. But, he says, "I've been writing songs a long time. They just weren't good, and I was focused on playing in other people's bands. When I was 25 I had a child, and that rather made me realize this is the thing I'm best at, so I really did want to try my hand at [my own] music as a career.
"The only way to do that is to stay busy. It's great playing with a guy like Matt, who's frequently busy, but when he's not busy I'd just be at home, maybe playing in cover bands. I decided it was the right time to put some songs out and test the waters, and it has worked out."
Baldwin's first solo foray was a self-titled 2013 EP, one that earned him the Male Artist Recording of the Year Award at Nova Scotia Music Week in 2014 (he was also named Musician of the Year). While pleased with the accolade, Baldwin says, "I can't depend on radio play or awards to validate what I'm doing. I tend to look at the crowd response, and what people who buy my music are saying about it."
The bulk of the material on No Telling When was written after the EP was released. "I wrote it when I moved into a house that had a piano," says Baldwin. "I played as a kid and I wrote just about everything on piano, oddly enough.
"I'm not a guy who writes 100 songs and gets three from that. I'd rather just write a song and chip away at it until I feel it's where I need it to be, and says what I wanted."
Baldwin cites fellow Nova Scotians Joel Plaskett and Matt Mays as real inspirations, career-wise. "'I'm so lucky to have grown up listening to those guys from high school as I was learning to play guitar," he says. "They were guys from where I was who were making a go of it.
"They are certainly heroes of mine, and I'm lucky to count them as friends. I can ask them for advice about anything, though I tend not to ask them much about songwriting, as I have my own process. They're important people to have around in my life."
Baldwin is candid about his most crucial musical influence. "It'll be no surprise to anyone that Bruce Springsteen is my high water mark," he says. "I studied him the way a chemistry student would study at university. I feel I have a degree in Springsteen!'
That's apparent not just in the rousing and anthemic feel of some Baldwin songs, but in his willingness to address social issues.
"I was always the kid who read the newspaper, from age eight," he recalls. "I try to make myself aware of things, and the only things I know how to write about are those I know. It so happens that some of the things I know and understand I don't agree with. I think there's a place for that in music."
A striking example on No Telling When is "Rehtaeh," based on the tragic real-life story of rape victim Rehtaeh Parsons, who committed suicide. "I got in touch with her parents, to tell them my intentions for the song," Baldwin explains. "They were receptive, as they want her story to be heard, to further things along
"Every cent from that song goes to the Rehtaeh Parsons Society, so they can go out and speak to schools and try to change the antiquated legislation around sexual harassment and rape laws that are currently on the books."
Looking ahead, Baldwin plans to balance his solo career with continued work in Matt Mays' band. "I love the guy and I love playing the songs," he says. "As long as he'll have me, I'll be there!"
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Illinois Becomes Top Four States for Betting
The gaming board in Illinois just released its betting totals for September. The figures show that Illinois sports are making its presence felt in the sports betting industry. A total handle of $305.2 million was generated by the bettors in the state for September. With that, Illinois has joined the league of biggest sports betting states, ranking fourth behind New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Nevada.
Illinois saw its betting handle at $139 million for August. October numbers from other US states have been higher compared to the September numbers. States like Indiana and New Jersey have surpassed what was considered record-breaking numbers in September. The same is expected from Illinois as they are yet to announce the numbers.
Online Betting Impact
Mobile betting in the state represented a large portion of the September handle. 92% of the total amount wagered ($283.1 million) came from online sources. Three major sportsbooks also dominated the online space as only $200,000 worth of bets from all three sportsbooks did not go through online channels.
BetRivers is considered the granddaddy of Illinois sports betting and was able to take $112.7 million in bets, of which $98.6 million were from online channels. DraftKings was able to rake in $98.3 million with $95.9 million from online. They started their online operation early in August. FanDuel reported a handle of $78.6 million following its launch towards the end of August.
A little over $1 million was given to the state as tax after all eight online and retail sportsbooks in the state of Illinois reported gross revenue of $6.8 million. The revenue from the sportsbooks is considered low and is likely because of the bonuses offered by sportsbooks. Most of that comes from the registration deposit bonus. Cook County will also receive a little above $82,000 in taxes as $4.1 million of the revenue was generated from there.
Mobile Application Waiver gets Another Consent from the Governor
Mobile sports betting enjoyed so much success in the state and that is unusual this early after a launch. The modus operandi was supposed to have bettors first register at a land-based casino before they can use a particular online app. This is how lawmakers intended it to be as they legalized it in the state. However, the state went ahead to waive this requirement for the moment, following the covid-19 outbreak to adhere to social distancing rules. The waiver has been issued for June, July, and August. The rule is that it has to be issued every month as a covid-19 emergency order. An extension has been issued for November as casinos are still operating with limited active hours because of the volume of COVID cases across the state. It is, however, unclear if the lawmakers will make this permanent or would do away with the waiver when the pandemic is under control.
Illinois Becomes DraftKings Second-Largest State
DraftKings' leadership has come out to announce the importance and effect, its operation in Illinois will have on its bottom line. The co-founder and CEO, Jason Robins said to analysts that Illinois has become its second-largest state by a handle behind New Jersey. He also expressed his excitement after stating that Illinois is its fastest-growing state and is confident of the impact that will be seen in its revenue during the 4th quarter of the year.
Of all nine states, DraftKings has a presence in, Illinois has the largest population with Pennsylvania cutting in a close second. The home of the sportsbook- New Jersey – has a considerably larger population but the location of the retail book is too far from New York City, leaving bettors no other option than to move to New Jersey to make their wagers.
The location of DraftKings retail book in Illinois is also disadvantageous as bettors will have to take a five-hour ride to arrive at Casino Queen East St. Louis, which houses DraftKings. The waiver has proved very beneficial to the company and has reflected in its growth in Illinois. Continuous operation in this manner will have a significant impact on DraftKings' customer acquisition and at the same time, their revenue. It will be interesting to see what the future holds for DraftKings once the tethering waiver is put back into place.


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We're Saving Places
New York City Field Office - Empire State Building
Constructed: 1931
Location: New York City, New York
The Trust's New York City Field Office is located in the monumental Empire State Building, known worldwide as a symbol of the city.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation
New York City Field Office
350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 5240
When contacting the National Trust for the first time, please contact our national headquarters so that we can best direct your request.
photo by: John St. John
"From the ruins, lonely and inexplicable as the sphinx, rose the Empire State Building"
F. Scott Fitzgerald, My Lost City: Personal Essays 1920-40
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The Indianapolis Colts were only one game away from the Super Bowl last season, and expectations are running high for this year. The anticipated games come a bit later in the season this year. The Colts play previous dynasty leader, Peyton Manning and the Broncos in week 9. The Colts go up against the Patriots in week six in what will be a rematch of last year's playoff ending run. Andrew Luck will continue to lead a high-scoring offense which is sure to make each game fun to watch.
A great way to make the Colts game even better is attending the Colts VIP Tailgate! Before the game, enjoy an indoor/outdoor tailgate with a five star menu and an open top-shelf bar. Get signatures from Colts cheerleaders, watch pre-game HDTV coverage, and more. Tickets are available for individuals or for corporations. And don't forget your Indianapolis Colts tickets either!


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Griffey Sr., Underwood Highlight YSU Baseball First Pitch Breakfast
BaseballSports February 13, 2020 / 6:00 AM February 12, 2020
Baseball legend Ken Griffey Sr. was one of the guest speakers at the First Pitch Breakfast. Griffey did a Q&A session with the attendees. Photo courtesy of YSU Sports Information
By Nathanael Hawthorne
Youngstown State University baseball hosted its annual First Pitch Breakfast on Saturday, Feb. 8.
Attendees filled Waypoint 4180 Banquet & Conference Center to hear MLB All-Star and two-time World Series champion with the "Big Red Machine" Cincinnati Reds Ken Griffey Sr. and Cleveland Indians TV play-by-play announcer Matt Underwood speak.
Underwood, a Northeast Ohio native, spoke first. He shared how he got into sports broadcasting, some memorable moments and what current students wanting to break into the field can do to give themselves the best opportunity.
"Be patient, especially if you want to be on-air," Underwood said. "Jobs usually aren't waiting for you right when you come out of college, so you have to be patient. You have to put the work in to be ready when your opportunity comes. It's just all about being ready and being prepared because you just never know when opportunity is literally going to come around the corner and hit you in the face."
On what he thought he could offer to the crowd, Underwood said he wants the younger people to see that if a small-town kid like him can be on television and work for MLB, anyone can. For the older crowd, Underwood hoped to share stories about the game and his experience.
When Griffey Sr. took to the podium, he engaged the room with a question and answer segment.
Many of the questions referenced his former teammates, such as Willie Stargell, Pete Rose and Johnny Bench, but most people wanted to know about his son, Ken Griffey Jr.
Griffey Sr. and Griffey Jr. were the first father and son to play together on the same team — the Seattle Mariners. Most notably from their time together, Griffey Sr. blasted a home run and Griffey Jr. followed suit with a home run of his own the very next at-bat.
Griffey Sr. shared some advice for the team as well.
"Just try to be consistent and believe in yourself," he said. "You can go up and down quick in this game. You could be 0-4 one day and the next day you get three hits."
In previous years, the event has seen former MLB pitcher Rollie Fingers, catcher Johnny Bench, infielder Carlos Baerga and first baseman Bill Buckner come to Youngstown and speak to supporters of YSU baseball.
The event also had a silent auction, a 50/50 raffle and a public auction. The auctions had an impressive amount of MLB and YSU memorabilia, ranging from autographed baseball bats, pictures and jerseys to YSU baseball merchandise.
The big-ticket items sold during the public auctions were jerseys autographed by Griffey Sr., Bo Jackson and George Brett. Also included were trips to Colorado and Costa Rica. The 50/50 raffle winner gave his $980 winnings back to the program.
The baseball program made $12,500 in auction items and raffle items alone and grossed $33,000 overall.


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Linkedin Learning Detailed Review In 2021
by Avi
Lynda.com used to be an online learning site where anyone could pay a subscription fee to learn new skills. It was acquired by LinkedIn in 2015 and renamed LinkedIn Learning. In its heyday, Lynda was the go-to destination for honing software skills; graphic design in particular. If you needed to learn a technique in Photoshop or AutoCAD, Lynda could teach you. Today, you can find some Lynda golden oldies within LinkedIn Learning, but the new site is chockablock with courses that teach business skills, everything from management training to entrepreneurship. LinkedIn Learning, which is available to all LinkedIn Premium subscribers, has an incredibly wide range of content. The quality of courses is mixed, however, and the classification system for courses could be better, because sometimes it's hard to find what you want.
If you have a LinkedIn Premium subscription, you might as well explore what's there to see if anything catches your interest. If you don't already have one, LinkedIn Learning probably isn't a compelling enough service on its own to warrant paying LinkedIn's fee. A Premium membership only makes sense if you'll use the other benefits, too, which include additional insights into who's viewing your LinkedIn profile or information on potential job candidates if you're in the hiring sphere.
There are other sources of online learning that cost less than LinkedIn Premium, although what they offer varies. Which one is best depends on what you want to learn, and PCMag has several Editors' Choice picks. First, Khan Academy (free) is best at teaching academics. MasterClass is best if you want inspirational talks and specific advice from people at the top of their field about their field. Skillshare has more breadth in subject matter than the others, although it's starting to focus more on lessons for creative types, offering classes on everything from how to sell goods on Instagram to learning the ins and outs of an electric sewing machine. Coursera enrolls you in courses from Yale and other prestigious universities for free.
How to Get LinkedIn Learning
You need a paid Premium LinkedIn account to access LinkedIn Learning. There is no option to buy access to a single course, which is a shame because there are some excellent courses for specific hard skills, particularly for learning software. LinkedIn offers a few different versions of Premium you can buy to cater to different types of businesspeople. All of these paid tiers of service give you unlimited access to everything in LinkedIn Learning.
Premium Career ($29.99 per month or $239.88 per year) is the level meant for job seekers and applicants. Premium Business ($59.99 per month or $575.88 per year) is more geared toward people who want insight into how their company is viewed on LinkedIn. Then there are paid subscriptions for people in sales and hiring roles, sold at group rates. If you've never had a Premium account before, you can likely get a one-month free trial.
Keep in mind that a paid LinkedIn account includes many other benefits, such as being able to message people even if you're not connected to them, not just access to LinkedIn Learning. We see LinkedIn Learning more as a perk rather than a draw to having a Premium account.
How Much Do Competitors Cost?
The cost of an online learning course varies dramatically. Additionally, how each site sells its courses varies. For example, with LinkedIn Learning, you get access to every class in the whole catalog as long as you pay for Premium membership. Skillshare works the same way. Pay once ($99 per year or $19 per month) and get access to everything. Sites like Teachable, however, sell access to individual courses, and the price depends on how much the instructor decides to charge. The Great Courses works like that, too.
MasterClass sells both all access ($180 per year) and single courses ($90 a pop). The yearly subscription is a much better value because even if you have your heart set on one specific class, you will invariably find additional compelling content to watch once you're inside the doors.
Skillshare gives away a selection of video classes for free, and you can pay $19 per month or $99 per year to unlock the rest. A paid subscription also removes ads and lets you download videos to watch offline. Skillshare has scholarships for people who need help paying, as well as team plans.
Khan Academy is 100 percent free. It's a nonprofit organization and accepts donations. Teachable has made some of its courses free during the COVID-19 crisis.
Language learning courses are a different ballgame. They typically charge a monthly fee and give you access to only one language at a time. A few language learning companies sell their software or audio packages for a one-time fee, and let you download the course to own forever. Pimsleur is one example, and it's especially good for learning a language if you're an audio-focused learner.
Learning Material and Courses
Once you have a Premium account, you can log into LinkedIn and click Learning in the upper-right corner. The first time you go to the Learning side of the site, a few short surveys appear, asking what kind of content you want to learn. Then, LinkedIn Learning suggests relevant material.
Another way you can find material is by browsing categories. At the
highest level, there are three categories: Business, Creative, Technology. Each of them has three subcategories: Subjects, Software, Learning Paths. You can find additional themes below those subcategories.
These categories and subcategories are confusing. For example, if you want to learn the software program After Effects, you must look under Creative, not Technology. The Technology category has courses relating to programming, development, security, and other information systems topics. If you want to learn new tricks in Excel, you can look under either Business or Technology. The same goes for Microsoft Office. Where are courses related to personal wellness? Under Business. If you're looking for lessons about writing, don't bother with the Creative section, as it doesn't have any. Search for writing classes using the search bar, however, and you'll find dozens.
To find a specific skill or type of course, you're best off using the search bar from the get-go. There is one benefit to browsing the categories, and that's for the Learning Paths. Learning Paths are curated series of videos about a common subject. For example, one path teaches how to become a small business owner. It has 11 courses on this topic that LinkedIn Learning displays altogether.
What Are the Classes Like?
LinkedIn Learning's new material, meaning the videos produced well after it was no longer called Lynda.com, largely comes across as a glorified slideshow presentation. It's especially true for the Business content. The videos have about as much personality as any boardroom PowerPoint presentation. The videos cut between a presenter, who speaks slowly and clearly (and is very obviously reading from a script) and slides. Some of the slides are animated. Some have text. Some look more like traditional cutaways, featuring video b-roll or photo stills. Even though the production values are high, they come off as business-grade slideshows.
The content can still be exceptional under these circumstances. A course on plain language writing, for example, offered clear explanations for why people should write using plain language, as well as tips on how to do it. The whole presentation, however, was packaged to look so corporate that it sucked all the personality out of the presenter.
Another course on banishing your inner critic had compelling ideas, too, but suffered from being overproduced. The presenter looks at the camera and says her rehearsed lines with enthusiasm, but it feels staged. She gets her points across, certainly, but nothing about it creates a lasting memory for the learner. Compare this to a MasterClass course starring Christina Aguilera. Even if you know nothing about professional singers, it's easy to recall her story about licking honey off a plate with her bare finger during performances to lubricate her throat. Storytelling, with Aguilera making that motion of swiping up honey with her finger, leaves the audience with lasting memories. PowerPoint presentations rarely do.
Or consider a Skillshare course with Mary Karr on memoir writing. She may say "um" and "you know" once or twice, or look away from the camera as she pulls words together, but her authenticity leaves an impression.
Some of the older courses on LinkedIn Learning are more vibrant. Ben Long, in his 2015 course on portrait photograph, might be reading his notes when he's outdoors talking about composition and light, but he's noticeably more present than someone following a script word for word. EJ Hassenfratz's class called Mograph Techniques (2015) is clearly scripted, but he breaks in from time to time to whisper, "let me zoom in here," while showing you a detail in how he uses his software. You get the sense that he's with you, despite the script. In comparison, the newer videos tend to come off as rigid or overly corporate.
LinkedIn Learning still has some great stuff from Lynda for learning to code. The courses are plentiful and cater to beginners and experts alike, from basic HTML to advanced C++. You can find classes on the foundations of programming to specialized lessons on user interface, responsive design, and mobile app development. Teachers will be pleased to know that many tutorials, including some free ones, are specifically targeted at children.
With such a broad range of topics, not just coding, it's no surprise LinkedIn Learning doesn't include dedicated forums or live phone chat for all specific courses. The best you can do is leave questions under a video and hope they get answered in the comments. As a social network, though, LinkedIn already offers an entire, career-hungry community to tap into for help and support.
LinkedIn Learning's coding lessons lack the helpful interactivity of services like Treehouse or Codecademy, our Editors' Choice picks for paid and free learn-to-code courses, respectively. They make up for it, however, with a much greater breadth and depth of content beyond coding for a similar monthly price.
Learning Goals and Completion Certificates
You can set a goal in LinkedIn Learning for how many minutes per
week you want to spend watching videos, and you can see your weekly progress in your account. The account also saves your progress in various courses, making it easy to pause Ariana Huffington when she goes on and on about meditation, and resume after you've had a break.
Many LinkedIn Learning courses offer a certificate upon completion, which you can download as a PDF or add to your LinkedIn profile. Certificates were common in the days of Lynda.com, too, although it's worth noting that they don't necessarily bear any weight in the real world. We suppose they may come in handy if your employer sponsors your Premium account and wants proof that you're doing something with it.
A Solid Perk for LinkedIn Users
If you have a paid LinkedIn account, by all means explore LinkedIn Learning. We recommend using the search bar rather than the browse feature to find exactly the kinds of lessons you want to learn. We liked the videos from around 2015 and earlier for software training, photography, and other technical skills a lot more than many of the more recent business courses, which all too often come off as overly corporate.
If you don't have a Premium LinkedIn account, the courses don't have enough appeal on their own to warrant paying for one. A better place to learn specific skills, particularly for creative types, is Skillshare. MasterClass is best for inspirational content, and Khan Academy is great for academic courses. And if you need to learn how to code, Treehouse and Code academy are also top choices.
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text:
Gotta Know:
Island Things
The San Juan
Island Directory
How To Behave Here/About Us
Ecotourism Tips
Island Times
Socialist News
prepared weekly or so by Ian Byington
Shop busted in: Can you believe someone would break into Printonyx? Chris tells me she got some of her coinage back (they had even taken the Skate Park donation can!) but they're still looking for the thieves. You just don't expect that kinda thing...
Occasional weather report: Yesterday's weather report said rain & thunderstorms today, with occasional clearing. So far, by midday, it's been sunny and nice.
Volleyball & more: You already knew the elementary school has its Spring Fair tomorrow night, but did you know the volleyball girls are hosting a spaghetti feed from 5-7pm on the 16th at FHES to raise money for camps and stuff. Put it on your calendar!
Taxing times: The newspaper reported that the sale of the Mariella Inn will generate over $180,000 in taxes. Cool. What's our cut?
You can WIN! Kelle Wilson from the town tells me non-profit youth organizations can earn money for their group with the W.I.N. program (Work Involvement Now). Call her at 2810 for your application (due by 4/30).
Mariella moves: News has it that the Mariella has sold to some ex-Microsoft folks ...the long-time estate & inn will be used as a home, by report.
1989 rocks: Did you graduate from FHHS in 1989? Check out the website Angela Morrison has put up to bring people together.
Easter, an hour later: At today's annual Easter Egg Hunt at Jackson Beach, I kept wondering if the turnout would be hurt by the clock-change of daylight savings time...but if the numbers were lower, the enthusiasm wasn't.
Here's the way it works: The Fire Department and their volunteers get out to the beach a couple of hours early and hide a zillion eggs among the driftwood, then divide the beach into areas for different age groups (so the six-year-olds don't have to wrestle the 11-year-olds for eggs). Then promptly at one, everyone runs into the wood & all over the beach, looking for real eggs and plastic eggs which are good for prizes donated by local businesses.
Although it was a little cool and gray, egg-hunters like Megan McCormick (above) not only found all the eggs but some also stayed and scoured the beach with litter bags, picking up trash.
Chris DeStaffeny tells me the Fire Dept. put out some 2000-2400 eggs each year, donated by King's Market, and it's always a great event, rain, gray, or shine (I heard a kid a couple of years ago tell his mom he was "soaking hot.")
The other big Hunt is over at Roche Harbor, on the west side of the island.
Weather: Sure was nice yesterday - blue skies and warm! Looking out over the Sound from Chuck Cooper's house (right), you could see the Olympics, Victoria, and why we live here.
Going, going gone: Was the island on sale yesterday? There was the Theatre's Incredible Edibles fundraiser yesterday morning, Spring Street School's annual fundraiser in the afternoon, and an auction last night to raise money for Anthony Lee's medical expenses (he and Ann closed Annikin's a couple of months back now).
Comings & goings: Scott over at the Labs says they've hired a new computer lab assistant named Noe, who starts in a week...Debra Emry has tendered her resignation at the Community Theare...Dan & Missy bought it, now you can see them doing shifts over at Video Express...
New & improved: The high school looks great! Although the commons & eating areas are still under construction, the teachers & students have moved into the new classrooms and are already enjoying the new building.
Try and drop by the Open House on Friday at 12:30 to check it out in person if you can!
Travelers: I heard that Juan Lopez just got back from three weeks in Peru, where he took a tour group; he just got back, and now Heidi Lopez is visiting family & friends in Switzerland...
Sonia Nash and her boy Eddie are in Honduras for a visit...
FHHS' Cal Johnson tells me he got to see a Padres exhibition game in Arizona, and yes, the rumors are true: singer Garth Brooks did some late-inning duty for San Diego, including accounting for the last out of the game & playing in the outfield....
Meanwhile, our 7th-8th grade soccer team - the Spitfires - have raised enough money for a late-April trip to play in a California tourney. Most of the donations came at a dinner-auction in February.
War notes: Interesting take on the war around town...reaction ranges from folks like James Lockwood (who has friends in Sarajevo) who say anything to stop the Serbs (the ones committed to "ethnic cleansing" and genocide) is justified & necessary, while others contend (like this non-local editorial) there has to be a relation between the means and the ends: to take military action that kills innocents to save those same victims raises the question of who's helping whom.
Overall, though, people seem to go on about their business, with the war this dark thing in the background. Pretty quiet...with any outrage muted by a sense of wonder and amazement that one gets when people make their decisions to act on their hate. There are maybe no easy answers except one: Stop killing folks.
Hope it's over soon.
Moon over Griffin Bay: Were you up last night? The full moon over Griffin Bay was daylight-bright...the second full moon this month (sometimes called a "blue moon.")
Wasn't blue this morning...it was walk-around bright. Beautiful....
School's back: Lindsey Spaulding tells me the new part of FHHS is great! After most of the year in portables and makeshift classroom situations, the students were welcomed by teachers into the newly rebuilt parts of the high school on Monday - classrooms and the wonderful library (shown at right). She tells me it's like being in a whole new school.
Construction remains to be done on the $11.4 million project, but you can check out what's done at Friday's FHHS Open House from 12:30 to 1:30 and see that your tax dollars (voted in overwhelmingly by an 80+% vote two years ago) have been well spent.
Side notes: Did you know Avery Adams was born on the ferry? He's nine or so now, but Mike & Annie's boy remains the only known person actually born on the boat...most folks fly off to have their kids these days to have them on the mainland.
There's a new term starting at Skagit Valley College this week...
Did you know The Trading Company is re-opening this weekend after its winter slumber? New manager Tim takes over from parents Chris & Beth: check out what he's doing this weekend.
There was a retirement party for Dr. Patterson last Saturday....
Free Lolita Campaign continues: Howie Garrett reports: For more on Lolita, to hear her family and see a video of Lolita in her tank, check out the Free Lolita web site. He also says an editorial on MSN's Insider site has gotten positive reviews.
Lolita is an orca born here who is currently imprisoned in the Miami Seaquarium...pretty interesting to see their site making it sound like a good idea. Meanwhile, her family here awaits her....
Remember: Light a candle for the children in Kosovo.
Weather - hail, Mary, and a little of everything: By this morning, we'd had it all: rain yesterday morning, a nearly-half-hour hail shower in the middle of the day, and clearing skies in the evening. This morning's blue skies offer a good reason to get outside...
County park at sunset: Dale Roberson tells me this is one his favorite Park/sunset photos (click on it to make it bigger).
He says: "I think this photo captures the essence of County Park better than any others I've taken. I just wish my flatbed scanner could do it justice...."
Toys & More: Last night's big happening - the Toy Box opening up in its new First Street home. With wine by Dave & Katherine from the Wine Shop, cheese & crackers & painting the back wall & friends everywhere, the place was packed. David & Nancy have much more room in this new spot, and have packed it with...everything. Drop by & check it out!
A new collectibles shop will open in their old spot.
Meanwhile, Scott Spadafora and his friends packed Katrina's, and the Middle School plays continue tonight and Sunday (we went Thursday - Fred Yockers put some 30+ kids to work in four one-acts...great stuff. Impossible to leave the theatre without a feeling of hopefulness about our kids. Totally cool & fun.
Other business news: Vivien has opened her new shop in Annikin's old spot, next door to Bella Luna (which used to be The Electric Company)) which is next to The Blue Dolpin (which used to be What's Cookin') which is next to the restaurant that used to be Roberto's which is next to Serendipity Books (which used to be Nature's Images). That, of course, is across from Napier's Sculpture Gallery, which used to be something else.
Anyway, drop by Vivien's shop & see her new space, plus some art by Kristi Burton.
Sunshine Gallery has moved to that spot behind SoftWear (next to Windermere & the Park Service) on Spring Street....Howard Schonberger (he was at the Toy Box last night) says they get MUCH more foot traffic there...
Tom and Linda Hemphill have sold the retail part of Emerald Seas (locally known as the Dive Shop)...Tom will be concentrating on training now & can finally look into the offers he's had from around the world to help people offer training at their places.
Spring Breakers: Jen Bowman (one year left at Evergreen State) dropped by, as did Kristen Bull (junior at Kent School, a prep school in Connecticut)...seen on the streets this last week: numerous other former grads of FHHS.
Band on the run: Bobbi Percich writes that the Middle School/High School Band is gearing up for their trip to Paris & Barcelona next month. She says they'll probably have a free concert before they go...
Passing: Heard Dan Schuman passed away - sudden heart attack. He was 47...his cheerfulness and good nature will be missed...
Today's quote: "Find your place on the planet. Dig in, and take responsibility from there." - Gary Snyder
Newport gets the good ones: What's the attraction? After he left the Jazz Festival here under fire (and after balancing their budget), former director Peter LaPonte headed for Newport, Oregon, and then on to Sweet Home; then former Theatre director Frank Geltner left the Theatre in November, only to take a comparable job in Newport....
Now, Jon Luke, former associate director at the Whale Museum who was eased out in last June's budget crunch, has landed a position with the Hatfield Marine Center there. He says he's happy with the results of a long job search, and is looking forward to staying in touch with folks here. One of the most likeable people you'll ever meet, he and his friend Robbie plan to get married in the late summer as well.
Whether or not: Ok, so the weather got gray. Go inside & play.
Trance: By all reports, last week's fundraiser at the high school - a hypnotist - was a huge success, with reports from my fifth-grade buddy Lillan that the things he had Student Body Prez Shaina Sekey do were worth the price of admission.
Meanwhile, the Middle School's drama nights this week are Thursday - Saturday...don't miss Fred Yockers' junior varsity in action! Call the Theatre for details.
Nurse: FHHS junior Lauren Holt tells me it's going great: she and a group of other students are taking training at the Convalescent Center to become CNAs (Certified Nurse Assistants)...the program, overseen by vocational ed teacher Larry Wight, gives kids a chance to attain first-hand the experience of caring for folks in that setting.
Lauren says she wouldn't miss it, and is really glad she's getting the chance to participate & to help out at the Center.
Grayed out: Wasn't that a great write-up in the paper last week about Dave & the great job he's doing at Gray Matter? With all the discussion about giving kids a place to go & do something constructive, he's gone out & done something about it.
Drop by & cheer him on, then go next door & check out the new bakery - Felicitations.
Speaking of cheerful places, drop by the new Toy Box - across from the Bistro - when they hold their grand opening on Saturday at 10am.
Sunny days: Could it be more perfect? Sunny in the mornings, warm all day (proof: people wearing less coats - some not even wearing sweaters!), with just enough rain to remind people we need it to grow things....so far, the days after the equinox are going well.
Ferry tales: You won't read this anywhere else: the ferries ran great this last week. Super job.
Notes here & there: Remember Jayne Atkinson, the woman who played the mom in Free Willy? She writes that she's due to deliver a little boy in about a month...she owns the old Madrona Center (Harbor House) here....
Don at Trumpeter Inn is recovering from knee surgery nicely, thank you - saw him on his feet....
Did I tell you Allison Pemberton wrote from Argentina where she's an exchange student & says girls don't play soccer there? Last year's All League goalkeeper from FHHS says she's having a great time...some exchange program: we didn't get an Argentine keeper in return....
Did you see Janet Thomas' article in the latest issue of Spa magazine (she's the editor)? Nice picture of Janet as a soccer player in the 70s, plus a photo of our Spitfires (7th - 8th grade soccer) and local soccer diva Sherri Byington, who lives at my house & runs the local soccer youth association. Oh, yeah, the article's about soccer...
Tom Gonser's RVers Online page enjoyed its first 1000-hits (pageviews of the front page) day a couple of weeks ago...he & Stephanie are on the road again...
Library Computer Guy Wade writes that the Library's spring technology training schedule is out.
Return, oh ye orcas: Bill Wright & San Juan Safaris is putting on a shoulder-season (that's May) event called Return of the Orcas, with lots of activities scheduled at Roche Harbor. Check it out!
County's out: Talk about huge undertakings - Bruce MacDanold at the County has pulled together his site by asking (and training!) each department to update its own part of the site. Check out the results at http://www.sanjuancounty.org ...looks & reads great!
Quote: "A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise." - Aldo Leopold
CIX bites the dust: Over on Orcas Island, internet service provider and web hosting service CIX apparently has decided to close up shop, leaving, according to a customer who spoke to me yesterday, some 800 subscribers there and on this island looking for a way to get their e-mail.
Project Nature Connect: Snug Harbor and PNC are kicking off their partnership this year as 22 Nature Connect folk from all over will convene at Snug April 1-4. Mike Cohen tells me anyone interested can drop by and check out how it all works.
Movies & film: As we (as an island) continue to angle for film dollars, it's fun to watch the Australian folks trying to land Baywatch, the famous anatomically-correct TV show which has beaches in it. I guess it didn't work out...
If we had something like that here, it'd probably be called Crabwatch or Whalewatch or Digital Watch or something....
Over to Church: Retired but not tired science teacher Mary Ann Church is monitoring her Appalachian Trail hike online - check out how she's doing. Her goal: To hike the 2100 miles solo. Something to think about for when you're in YOUR 60s.... Dick Wright is helping her keep her journal up to date. FHHS junior Lindsey Spaulding had Ms. Church as a teacher, and says the whole thing is pretty awesome. Agreed.
The hills are alive: I heard that the Chamber San Juans concert last Saturday was jammed...should be. They do a great job.
Meanwhile, some management folks from Adobe had a corporate retreat at Roche Harbor last week, which, by all reports, went quite well. I was asked to drop by and sing with them on Thursday night - about 25 folks singing around that big fireplace in the Pavillion Room, with events coordinator Ally Kelley doing a surprise visit (she was Maria in last year's Sound of Music here - she sings in a memorable, clear style that contrasts well with my efforts at thrash folk).
The Adobe people were very nice, and professed to having had a great time whilst here on the island. Seventeen-part harmony sounds good on a windy island night....
Even up: The equinox rolls in this weekend...so the days, finally, are longer than the dark. Sunsets around 6:30 or so...
Generator sales up: Steve & Nancy at Diesel America West tell me sales for their generators are up an amazing amount this year. The reason: Concern for the Y2K situation...they hear stories from all over the country.
They've outfitted the Town, Cape San Juan's water pumps, Pacific Pride (gasoline pumps), Entertainment Tonight, Rock Island (the internet folks), and others locally.
Bits & bytes: Video Express has new owners at the end of the month, with Missy Reitan taking over then, and previous manager Talicia probably moving on to greater things off-island. Drop by to say goodbye....In the last week, I've heard from the whalewatchers: Rik at Bon Accord, Jean at Western Prince, Darrel at San Juan Boat Tours, Tom at Deer Harbor Charters, Lynn at San Juan Excursions - they're all hustling around town setting up things for the upcoming season....lotta wind lately, it seems, mixed with sun.
March winds bring April showers. April showers bring May flowers. May flowers bring pilgrims.
Which is good for the tourist stuff here.
Have you been to the beach lately? Why not?
Too much sun yesterday. Hard to work.
The joys of noise: Remember I mentioned to you that Harbor Air had begun to do morning flights at 6am, in spite of the opposition of the dozens of folks who like to sleep at that hour? (In case you haven't checked the layout of Friday Harbor lately, our airport's basically right in the middle of town. There's been a generally accepted understanding - unregulated - that folks won't fly before 7am or after 10pm.)
Port of Friday Harbor Commish Greg Hertel tells me that the Port voted last night to allow limited flights...kind of a compromise between an outright ban on pre-7am trips (which would be much supported by light sleepers, AND people who prefer courteous businesses around here, which I feel Harbor Air isn't being at this point, about this) and an outright allowing of flights at any time.
Some have suggested that this kind of thing is inevitable, and is good for the growth of the island, and somehow good for business. I'd contend that waking folks up when they're sleeping isn't good for the livability that goes with good business sense, and it makes people cranky.
Hmmph.
Journalism, on and off-line: Bob Weimer tells me he's starting up an on-line publishing house, Chiron Press, scheduled to be fully operational in April. The website, currently being developed by Melonie Walter, ace web page maker at Rock Island, is under construction at www.chironpress.com.
Bob's plan is ambitious, and he says he's gratified by the response to his Pre-publication Invitation for Submissions. This should prove to be one more way for this talented island (and other writers in Puget Sound) to share their creations.
Bookmark the page & check back next month.
Meanwhile, I hear Chris Minney is moving over to do tech support & some graphic arts stuff at Rock Island from the Journal, where he's worked in production for the past 2 1/2 years, laying out the paper & producing the paper's website each week.
Also - Jim Morrison has sold his little printing biz (Visions Printing) to Rick who used to work at King Typesetting. Jim mentions the new shop will set up in Starr Storage, over off Malcolm, next to Blake Howell's shirt-printing place.
Also, Peter Fromm's closing in on the manuscript for Whale Tales: Human Interactions With Whales (volume 2)...he tells me he's got over 50 stories ready. His first volume has sold over 7,000 copies in two printings - not bad for self-published work.
Doggone lost dog: Tom and Linda Hemphill wrote:
Please keep your eyes out for our 8 month old
chocolate Labrador Retriever.
He got out of his kennel last night
(Tuesday March 9) around 6 PM.  His
name is Charlie Brown. Our neighbor saw him near Park
and MargueriteStreets.  Please call us at 378-2772 or
378-6511 if you see him.
Auction fever: Jane McAdams wrote to tell me to tell you:
A group of islanders is planning a benefit
auction for Anthony Lee (saxophone player;
Annikin Gallery, etc.) to help defray his medical
costs. Planned for Saturday, April 3, 1999, 7:00 p.m.,
at Herb's. Live music and lotsa good stuff on auction --
services, items, etc.
Can you make a mention of it on one of your UPDATE reports?
(P.S., I read your UPDATE every week and am glad you do it!)
Person to contact for donations, info, etc.
is Kris Jarvis, -3932.
Any help will be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
X X X O O O
Community calendar: The site has a new URL...Wade Guidry (the Computer Guy at the Library) says it's now at http://www.sanjuan.lib.wa.us/cgi-bin/calendar.pl ...so change your bookmarks! He says:
We've moved the
calendar so that we can provide better support
and provide more future enhancements.
Sundown written up: Did you see the nice writeup about Joseph Bettis' Sundown Cruises doing Canadian cruises in the Sierra Club's online newsletter? Photos and everything...
Oil spill - the update: Yup, the Legislature is still wrasslin' with the no-brainer of providing tug escorts to oil tankers swinging by our islands. Ex-Sierra Club chief and present Friends of the San Juans boss Doug Scott filled in the Chamber of Commerce on his organization's efforts to get Olympia to figure this one out.
You'd think the Oregon mess would have gotten their attention. And we have more rocks off our islands...
Bits & pieces: Went to get some eggs at King's a couple of nights ago...couldn't find them where they used to be, but before I did (they're in the corner, near the milk) I ran into Laura from Coldwell Banker, who says things are going fine there with her new job as an agent assistant - Chris Covington took her place at the front desk...saw both Dick Barnes the tennis coach (season started last week) and Dick Barnes who works at Friday Harbor Grocery...teacher Gary Sawyer says things are going well at school. FHHS is lucky to have someone with his energy....
Ya run into all sorts of folks in the produce section.
Have you seen Samantha Garl and her new broken leg? Right below the petalla...
New sidewalk going in between Friday Harbor Grocery and China Pearl...looks like it's nearly done. Work's being done on the docks as well...did you see the cranes and pile drivers?
Rock Island celebrated their third year of providing Internet service here on the island last month...Mike Greene and his crew do good work keeping us connected with the world.
Whoosh, redux: The winds finally let up....Dale Roberson lives on the west side of the island, near County Park, where he monitored the shooting of Practical Magic last spring. He files this report, with photo (click on it to make it bigger):
Yesterday's storm claimed the
majestic old Madrona tree
(on the right in the enclosed
photo) at County Park.
Now you'll have to
rent Practical Magic to see it.
The storm also claimed a couple other trees
in the park, including a large fir next to
the cyclists' camping area.
Are you ready? Is anybody? There was a useful community Y2K meeting back in January (as reported earlier) - it was useful to hear from community folks how it'll work. Looks like another one is set for the 20th at the Gubelman Room at the Theatre from 9 - 11am.This San Juan Island Y2K Preparedness Seminar is sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, and will feature reports from
Darcie Neilson, San Juan County Commissioner
Steve Dubail, Town of Friday Harbor Systems Administrator
Dick Kneipp, President, Islanders Bank
Jerry Wilson, President, InterWest Bank
Tom Small, OPALCO
Bob Jarman, Century Tel
John Zerby, San Juan County Undersheriff
Mona Meeker, American Red Cross Coordinator
Mike Greene, Rock Island Communications
Jim Skoog, Financial Advisor, Salomon Smith Barney
If enough people go, I won't have to write it up here... Try & make it, willya?
Get your garden going: Robin Jacobson checked in to report:
Here I am ---one of your website
fans hoping to get some publicity for an
event coming up.
Our next event open to the public is:
The Third Annual Gardening Workshop,
produced by the WSU/San Juan County
Master Gardeners.
It will be Saturday, March 27, 8am-4:30pm at
Friday Harbor Middle School.
It's a very popular event and brings
in over a dozen noted experts in their
gardening fields (vegetable gardening,
pruning, organic gardening, rock
gardens and more.) Registration forms are
available at the Extension
Office (see below).
Testing, testing: My boy Cameron has spelling tests in second grade this year with ace teacher Linda Cooper...he mentioned that on Mondays they take the pretest and on Fridays they take the protest.
Whoosh: You might have heard today's forecast, but I felt it...the wind's expected today to kick up to maybe 50-60mph. It's been an incredibly windy since late fall, hasn't it?
Air it out: Remember I mentioned to you the folks from Pilots Getaways magazine - a magazine for small craft pilots - were here a couple of weeks ago? Click on this little bitty picture of west Orcas Island to see a great big picture which gives you an idea how cool our islands look from the sky. (Picture swipers: Forget it. It's copyrighted....)
They're doing a feature on us in their summer issue.
FHHS sports start: Softball, track, baseball, tennis, and golf kick into gear this week...most began on Monday.
Boating, even now: Of course, most of the whale watching folks pack up in October after our orcas take off looking for other salmon (would you eat at the same place all year? Think about it...)
Makes sense.
But not all of 'em quit...Rik Karon with Bon Accord Charters runs year round, with naturalist-oriented visits to the waters around the islands, occasionally seeing transient orcas but mostly catching the seals, eagles, and others who live here with us year round. If you're hankering to get out on the water in our quiet season, check out Rik.
I love the picture of the upside down breeching orca calf on his web page - her dorsal fin (that's the one on her back) is skimming the water. Great shot by Michael Nolen (also copyrighted, swipers.)
Speaking of specials: Lakedale has a deal on cabin rentals in March...
Mayor bows out: Nice story about former mayor Jim retiring at OPALCO after 30 years...
Gravel pit closes: More as we find out more, but several people at the post office (which, besides the produce section at King's Market, is where I gather news for you) told me it's secret the pit has closed.
Don't tell anyone.
Quote: The real work of planet-saving will be small, humble, and humbling, and (insofar as it involves love) pleasing and rewarding. Its jobs will be too many to count, too many to report, too many to be publicly noticed or rewarded, too small to make anyone rich or famous." Wendell Berry
Sun: That was the sun this morning. It was gone by noon, but that's what it was. The sun. Check it out again in April.
Rock on: Party, party, party...I heard last night there was a huge '70s party somewhere on the island last night, the announcement of which led to run on polyester stuff at the Thrift Store.
Rock off: My friend Kenny tells me there was also a big party Friday night celebrating the closure of the gravel pit...a closure which had been promised & rumored for years. No details yet about what'll arise in that spot to take its place.
Computer thing: Has anyone ever noticed that "Micro" & "soft" might be synonyms for "small & squishy"? Just a thought...
Clipper chips in: There was a meeting the other day to iron out the details of the Victoria Clipper's summer schedule, which includes offering $10 whale watching tours...Rik Karon of Bon Accord says big companies have come in before, and they do their thing and then leave - he professes not to be worried about it. The effect on the local whale watching outfits remains to be seen....
Coach of the Year: Mixed in with the disappointment of the boys basketball team getting knocked out of the running for state, a bright spot: Coach Dave Anderson was named Coach of the Year by the league, as he guided the Wolverines to an 18-5 season.
Dream ends: Last night the FHHS boys ended their quest for a state playoff berth with a 62-57 loss...ahead most of the game, the Wolverines got behind with four minutes to go & were unable to close the gap.
The morning notes: When will this wind let up? Everytime it seems to die down, it seems to rev back up...it's been doing this since late fall.
Burgandy Waite's back working at Emerald Seas after three months in Thailand - drop by & she'll tell you stories....did you know Doug Bison, the guy who manages the American Legion, is the grandson of Bigfoot, the Sioux chief killed in the Wounded Knee Massacre? He also tells me the Legion's museum is coming together, with their opening later this year.
Among all the basketball excitement at FHHS: Janet Chamberlain reminds me the last time we went to state was 1984, when her boy Wolfgang played. Jeff Roberson played as well....he went on to play at the University of Washington, and is presently still on the island - married to FHHS girls' coach Tracy Marble. Janet plans on traveling to the game tonight to cheer on this year's edition of roundball stars.
Jessica over at Panacea Bed & Breakfast has a special she offers: If you stay for a couple of nights on your anniversary, you get 2% off for each year you've been married. She tells me she just booked someone who's been married for 60 years, so I guess she owes THEM money for coming...she says her previous record was 57 years...
Did you hear Jim Cahaill is retiring from OPALCO where he's worked for 30 years? The former mayor has seen electric use grow with the islands' population, with more and more miles of cable being laid over the past decades...someone with his long view of the island's history is impossible to replace
Store moves: Dolphin Arts (the shirts & casual wear) is opening a store in Annikin's old spot...I hear the Toy Box is moving up to Dominique's old spot, across from the Bistro, just up from Griffin Bay Books...
History is doomed to repeat itself:
Review the Update from January 3, 1998 - February 26, 1999
Review the Update from November 1, 1998 - January 3, 1998
Review the Update from August 31, 1998 - October 31, 1998
Review the Update from July 2, 1998 - August 30, 1998
Review the Update from May 25, 1998 - July 2, 1998
Review the Update from April 3 - May 25, 1998
Review the Update from January 22, 1998 to April 3, 1998.
Review the Update from November 24, 1997 to January 22, 1998.
The information here is simply stuff we here at By Design think is important around Friday Harbor or on the Island. Some of it's news, some of it's old news, and all are just things we wanted to mention, with most of it about the things that make living here great.
There will be more next week, if anything happens.
Ian Byington
bydesign@byd.com
To comment, feel free to add to our guestbook, or view it.
Other places with info about the island:
San Juan Island: The Web Directory
Everything. Simply everything about the island.
The San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce.
Pretty complete site about the island.
The Journal's Site
Includes news and classifieds!
IslandCam
The camera's pointed at Roche Harbor and Friday Harbor.
Updated every five minutes.
Return to the Web Directory....
This site prepared by our friends at By Design in Friday Harbor.
The information contained here is
©Copyright 1998, 1999 - By Design, Friday Harbor.
Unauthorized reuse of the content of these pages is prohibited;
links to other sites is intended to be to the benefit of those sites,
and for the edification of our readers,
and does not constitute endorsement or
agreement with views expressed there.


text:
You searched for +publisher:"University of Michigan" +contributor:("Clinthorne, Neal H."). Showing records 1 – 7 of 7 total matches.
…UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN. ........................................................... 238 FIGURE 5…
2. Joshi, Aniket. Improved Quantitative Methods for Multiple Neuropharmacological Non-Invasive Brain PET Studies.
► Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging modality offering a powerful tool for brain research by mapping of in vivo neuropharmacological functions such as… (more)
▼ Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging modality offering a powerful tool for brain research by mapping of in vivo neuropharmacological functions such as metabolism, enzyme activity, and neuroreceptor binding site density and occupancy. Quantification in brain-PET can be classified into: 1) accurate quantification of radiotracer distribution such that image values are proportional to the radiotracer concentration in tissue, and 2) accurate quantification of the pharmacological state of the system-of-interest. This thesis addresses both these aspects for functional neuroreceptor imaging studies of the living brain. Traditional brain PET studies have at least two primary limitations. First, they measure only a single neuropharmacological aspect in isolation, which is often insufficient for characterizing a neurological condition. Second, data acquisition is accompanied by the invasive arterial blood sampling for measuring the input function to the system-of-interest. The motivation for this thesis was to address both these limitations, which led to the development of quantitative methods for multiple neuropharmacological PET studies performed without blood sampling. One such experimental design investigated was a dual-measurement intervention study where the system-of-interest is perturbed with the intent of changing the subject's pharmacological status and system parameters are estimated both pre- and post-intervention. Second was a dual-tracer study where two radiotracers targeting two different neuropharmacological systems were injected closely in time in the same study. A major challenge in analyzing multiple pharmacological PET studies is the statistical noise-induced bias and variance in the parameter estimates. Methods developed in this thesis reduced almost all the bias (>90%) in the intervention studies with a corresponding improvement in precision. Parameter estimates for dual-tracer studies were obtained with inter-subject regions-of-interest means within ±10% of those obtained from single-tracer scans without appreciable increase in variance. The thesis also addresses inter-scanner PET image variability, a major confound in multi-center studies used to investigate disease progression. Since various PET centers have scanners with different hardware and software, systematic differences exist in multi-center data. This thesis develops a framework to reduce the inter-scanner PET image variability before pooling multi-center data for analysis. The methods developed reduced variability in phantom scans from different sites by approximately 50%. Advisors/Committee Members: Fessler, Jeffrey A. (committee member), Koeppe, Robert A. (committee member), Clinthorne, Neal H. (committee member), Meyer, Charles R. (committee member), Noll, Douglas C. (committee member).
Subjects/Keywords: Positron Emission Tomography; PET Pharmacokinetics; PET Kinetic Modeling; Neuropharamacological Measurements Using PET; Neuroimaging; PET for Clinical Diagnosis and Drug Discovery; Radiology; Health Sciences
Joshi, A. (2008). Improved Quantitative Methods for Multiple Neuropharmacological Non-Invasive Brain PET Studies. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61729
Joshi, Aniket. "Improved Quantitative Methods for Multiple Neuropharmacological Non-Invasive Brain PET Studies." 2008. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan. Accessed January 15, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61729.
Joshi, Aniket. "Improved Quantitative Methods for Multiple Neuropharmacological Non-Invasive Brain PET Studies." 2008. Web. 15 Jan 2021.
Joshi A. Improved Quantitative Methods for Multiple Neuropharmacological Non-Invasive Brain PET Studies. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2008. [cited 2021 Jan 15]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61729.
Joshi A. Improved Quantitative Methods for Multiple Neuropharmacological Non-Invasive Brain PET Studies. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2008. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61729
4. Shi, Hugo R. Fast Regularization Design for Tomographic Image Reconstruction for Uniform and Spatial Resolution.
► Statistical methods for tomographic image reconstruction have improved noise and spatial resolution properties that may improve image quality in X-ray CT and PET. Final converged… (more)
▼ Statistical methods for tomographic image reconstruction have improved noise and spatial resolution properties that may improve image quality in X-ray CT and PET. Final converged solutions from maximum likelihood (ML) and weighted least squares (WLS) reconstruction are often extremely noisy due to the ill conditioned nature of the system. One can stop the iterative algorithm before convergence and before images become too noisy, however this results in non-uniform and anisotropic spatial resolution because resolution uniformity and isotropy improve with successive iterations. Alternatively, one can run the iterative algorithm to completion and post-filter the resulting noise, however, this often requires a large number of iterations. Instead we use penalized likelihood (PL) and penalized weighted least squares (PWLS) with a roughness penalty to regularize the problem which filters out noise, and leads to faster convergence. Unfortunately, interactions between the weightings, which are implicit in PL methods and explicit in PWLS methods, and conventional quadratic regularization lead to nonuniform and anisotropic spatial resolution. Previous work focuses on matrix algebra methods to design data-dependent, shift variant regularizers that improve resolution uniformity. This thesis develops fast analytical regularization design methods for 2D fan-beam X-ray CT imaging, for which parallelbeam tomography is a special case. This thesis uses continuous space analogs to greatly simplify the regularization design problem which yields a mostly analytical solution for efficient computation. This thesis extends regularization design to 3D systems using a computationally efficient iterative approach. Finally, this thesis explores using 2D regularization with z-dimension post-reconstruction denoising. This is an attempt to combine the improved XY isotropy associated with 2D regularization design, and the computational efficiency of the mostly analytical solution and use it for 3D geometries. The spatial resolution and noise properties of this method is analyzed for quadratic regularizers. Simulation results have also been performed using non-quadratic edge-preserving regularizers which show that, though this method has potential, more work needs to be done to ensure that the spatial resolution and noise properties of this method are desirable. Advisors/Committee Members: Fessler, Jeffrey A. (committee member), Clinthorne, Neal H. (committee member), Meyer, Charles R. (committee member), Sadanandarao, Sandeep P. (committee member).
Subjects/Keywords: Tomographic Reconstruction; Regularization; Iterative Reconstruction; Spatial Resolution; Engineering
Shi, H. R. (2008). Fast Regularization Design for Tomographic Image Reconstruction for Uniform and Spatial Resolution. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61554
Shi, Hugo R. "Fast Regularization Design for Tomographic Image Reconstruction for Uniform and Spatial Resolution." 2008. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan. Accessed January 15, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61554.
Shi, Hugo R. "Fast Regularization Design for Tomographic Image Reconstruction for Uniform and Spatial Resolution." 2008. Web. 15 Jan 2021.
Shi HR. Fast Regularization Design for Tomographic Image Reconstruction for Uniform and Spatial Resolution. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2008. [cited 2021 Jan 15]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61554.
Shi HR. Fast Regularization Design for Tomographic Image Reconstruction for Uniform and Spatial Resolution. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2008. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/61554
5. Sukovic, Predrag. Design of a dual modality PET/cone beam CT scanner. A feasibility study.
Degree: PhD, Medical imaging, 2003, University of Michigan
► Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a noninvasive medical imaging modality that provides quantitative information about human physiology. One of the most rapidly expanding areas of… (more)
▼ Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a noninvasive medical imaging modality that provides quantitative information about human physiology. One of the most rapidly expanding areas of PET imaging is cancer diagnosis. The application of PET in cancer diagnosis is, however, hampered by the attenuation of gamma-rays and poor anatomical localization. The attenuation of gamma-rays is typically accounted for by taking a transmission scan with an external gamma-ray source. Radionuclide transmission scans, however, suffer from a high noise level and take a long time to acquire. The second problem – the imprecise anatomical localization of the metabolic changes – is due to the fact that a PET scan contains very little anatomical information. A solution is to superimpose the PET image with a separately obtained X-ray computed tomography (CT) image. Because the two scans are obtained using different scanners with different geometries and protocols, the fusion is not trivial. Also, these methods require expert supervision and are computationally expensive. As another solution, several dual modality PET/CT scanners have recently been developed. These devices, however, are typically very expensive and expose the patient to a high radiation dose. We propose a novel PET/CT design that can be developed at a significantly lower cost and exposes the patient to a lower radiation dose. The CT component is based on cone beam mode of scanning. The cone beam CT (CBCT) scan is used to perform the attenuation correction for the PET scan and is fused with the PET scan to produce a combined anato-metabolic image. We have constructed a CBCT test bench to perform feasibility studies. We successfully performed attenuation correction for a PET scan of a torso phantom and demonstrated that the radiation dose can be significantly lower than in diagnostic CT, while maintaining the quality of the attenuation correction. We further proposed several methods for improving upon the performance of the basic design, to of which we dealt with in more detail. First, we proposed a method for improving the dynamic range of the flat panel detectors. Second, we proposed a statistically motivated dual energy image reconstruction method - DE PWLS. Advisors/Committee Members: Clinthorne, Neal H. (advisor), Fessler, Jeffrey A. (advisor).
Subjects/Keywords: Cone-beam Ct; Ct Scanner; Design; Dual Modality; Dual-modality; Feasibility; Flat-panel Detector; Flat-panel Detectors; Pet; Study
Sukovic, P. (2003). Design of a dual modality PET/cone beam CT scanner. A feasibility study. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/123716
Sukovic, Predrag. "Design of a dual modality PET/cone beam CT scanner. A feasibility study." 2003. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan. Accessed January 15, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/123716.
Sukovic, Predrag. "Design of a dual modality PET/cone beam CT scanner. A feasibility study." 2003. Web. 15 Jan 2021.
Sukovic P. Design of a dual modality PET/cone beam CT scanner. A feasibility study. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2003. [cited 2021 Jan 15]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/123716.
Sukovic P. Design of a dual modality PET/cone beam CT scanner. A feasibility study. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2003. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/123716
6. Wang, Yi. High Detective Quantum Efficiency Electronic Portal Imaging Devices Based on Segmented Crystalline Scintillators and Mercuric Iodide Photoconductors.
► Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) based on active matrix, flat-panel imagers (AMFPIs) have been widely used for patient set-up verification in radiotherapy, and are being… (more)
▼ Electronic portal imaging devices (EPIDs) based on active matrix, flat-panel imagers (AMFPIs) have been widely used for patient set-up verification in radiotherapy, and are being investigated for megavoltage (MV) cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). However, the performance of conventional AMFPI-based EPIDs is limited by their relatively low detective quantum efficiency (DQE) at radiotherapy energies, ~1% for 6 MV X rays. Consequently, MV CBCT carried out with these inefficient EPIDs requires impractically high doses to achieve soft-tissue visualization. In order to significantly improve DQE, this research work examined thick mercuric iodide (HgI2) photoconductors in the form of particle in binder (PIB) and thick, segmented scintillators consisting of 2D matrices of scintillating crystals separated by septal walls. Through simulation of radiation transport, quantum efficiency (QE), modulation transfer function (MTF) and DQE were studied as a function of the thickness of PIB-HgI2 photoconductors. Simulations of radiation and optical transport were carried out to investigate how various geometric and optical properties affect the DQE for segmented CsI:Tl and BGO scintillators. Four prototype EPIDs, employing three CsI:Tl scintillators (11.4, 25.6 and 40.0 mm thick) and one BGO scintillator (11.3 mm thick), were evaluated using a 6 MV photon beam. Finally, the potential MV CBCT performance provided by segmented scintillators was investigated by simulation of radiation transport. Compared to conventional EPIDs, PIB-HgI2 photoconductors up to 6 mm thick have the potential to provide up to a factor of ~5 improvement in DQE. Segmented CsI:Tl and BGO scintillators up to 40 mm thick can provide DQE improvement of up to a factor of ~29 and 42, respectively, through optimization of optical properties. The three CsI:Tl prototypes demonstrated DQE improvement of up to a factor of ~25 at low spatial frequencies, while the BGO prototype exhibited an improvement of a factor of ~20 at zero frequency and over a factor of ~10 at the Nyquist frequency. The simulation results indicate that CsI:Tl and BGO scintillators up to 40 mm thick can provide dose reduction for MV CBCT of up to a factor of ~51 and 59, respectively, creating the possibility of providing soft-tissue visualization at clinically acceptable doses. Advisors/Committee Members: Antonuk, Larry E. (committee member), Rogers, W. Leslie (committee member), Clarke, Roy (committee member), Clinthorne, Neal H. (committee member).
Subjects/Keywords: Active Matrix, Flat-panel Imager; Electronic Portal Imaging Devices; Megavoltage Cone-beam CT; Segmented Crystalline Scintillators;
Wang, Y. (2009). High Detective Quantum Efficiency Electronic Portal Imaging Devices Based on Segmented Crystalline Scintillators and Mercuric Iodide Photoconductors. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/63728
Wang, Yi. "High Detective Quantum Efficiency Electronic Portal Imaging Devices Based on Segmented Crystalline Scintillators and Mercuric Iodide Photoconductors." 2009. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan. Accessed January 15, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/63728.
Wang, Yi. "High Detective Quantum Efficiency Electronic Portal Imaging Devices Based on Segmented Crystalline Scintillators and Mercuric Iodide Photoconductors." 2009. Web. 15 Jan 2021.
Wang Y. High Detective Quantum Efficiency Electronic Portal Imaging Devices Based on Segmented Crystalline Scintillators and Mercuric Iodide Photoconductors. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2009. [cited 2021 Jan 15]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/63728.
Wang Y. High Detective Quantum Efficiency Electronic Portal Imaging Devices Based on Segmented Crystalline Scintillators and Mercuric Iodide Photoconductors. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2009. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/63728
7. Zhang, Lisha. Compton gamma -ray imaging probes for prostate and breast.
► Radionuclide imaging provides valuable functional information that cannot be obtained using anatomical imagers. Consequently, it has been successfully used in detecting tumors and monitoring disease… (more)
▼ Radionuclide imaging provides valuable functional information that cannot be obtained using anatomical imagers. Consequently, it has been successfully used in detecting tumors and monitoring disease recurrence and response to therapy. However, conventional single photon imaging systems have spatial resolution in the 1 – 2 cm range for imaging objects at distances 8 to 10 cm. It is important to improve spatial resolution in order to detect tumor as early as possible when treatment is more effective. However, conventional imaging system can improve spatial resolution only at the expense of sensitivity and increased statistical image noise. The proposed Compton imaging technique does not require collimators to form images so that sensitivity is decoupled from spatial resolution. Furthermore, Compton imagers have better performance as gamma-ray energy increases in direct contrast to collimator performance. Probes based on the Compton imaging technique can achieve simultaneous high spatial resolution and high sensitivity over a wide range of energies from 141 keV and above. In this thesis, potential Compton probe designs and their performance in prostate and breast imaging are evaluated using data generated by clinical situation. Images reconstructed using EM algorithm are evaluated using both resolution and sensitivity criteria and observer models to predict detection sensitivity. Results show that the proposed prostate imaging probes achieve absolute detection efficiency of 0.17%, a two-order-magnitude improvement over the mechanically collimated systems, and spatial resolution of 2.4 mm FWHM for 111In. An 8 mm tumor with TB ratio of 5:1 is clearly detectable in the reconstructed prostate images, but invisible in the single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images. With the same imaging time, the prostate probes have an improved SNR of 3 – 3.5x over the SPECT for detecting both 5 mm and 8 mm tumors. The probe for breast imaging reveals a moderate improvement over a dedicated scintimammographic system in detecting a 5 mm tumor and comparable performance in the detection of an 8 mm tumor. Advisors/Committee Members: Rogers, W. Leslie (advisor), Clinthorne, Neal H. (advisor).
Subjects/Keywords: Breast Imaging; Compton Gamma-ray Imaging; Gamma-rays; Imaging Probes; Medical Imaging; Prostate Imaging
Zhang, L. (2004). Compton gamma -ray imaging probes for prostate and breast. (Doctoral Dissertation). University of Michigan. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/124603
Zhang, Lisha. "Compton gamma -ray imaging probes for prostate and breast." 2004. Doctoral Dissertation, University of Michigan. Accessed January 15, 2021. http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/124603.
Zhang, Lisha. "Compton gamma -ray imaging probes for prostate and breast." 2004. Web. 15 Jan 2021.
Zhang L. Compton gamma -ray imaging probes for prostate and breast. [Internet] [Doctoral dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2004. [cited 2021 Jan 15]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/124603.
Zhang L. Compton gamma -ray imaging probes for prostate and breast. [Doctoral Dissertation]. University of Michigan; 2004. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/124603


text:
Broxbourne community helps police to raise more than £200 in one night for theft victim
She couldn't pay for her shopping and couldn't get home as her keys were in her bag
Narbeh Minassian
People rallied on social media to lend support to the 65 year-old victim
The people of Broxbourne have rallied around the victim of a theft to make sure her Christmas is not ruined.
A 65-year-old shopper lost her handbag in a theft at Sainsbury's in Brewery Road, Hoddesdon last Friday (December 15).
She couldn't pay for her shopping and couldn't get home as her keys were in her bag.
Police appealed for the public's help in tracing a man who may have witnessed the incident – but they went a step further and called for donations to cover the victim's losses.
The incident happened around 1.45pm on Friday, December 15
Broxbourne Police promptly set up a Just Giving page and within 12 hours have raised £245 - taking the JustGiving page £15 over target.
Chief inspector Ian Butler has been delighted with the response to the appeal, which has already been shared nearly 1,000 times from Broxbourne Community Safety Partnership's post.
"As Christmas approaches and with all the sad and bad news we have through the year, this is a positive way for the community to come together," he said.
"And they have made one victim of crime as happy as they can be going into the Christmas holiday, and that reflects very well on the people of Broxbourne."
The lady had £230 in her handbag when it was taken
The fundraising drive was launched at 10pm last night and police have been amazed by the speed of donations, which have been made by 21 people so far.
The chief inspector hopes to hand a cheque over to the victim before Christmas and admits: "At this rate, we might even be able to give it to her today."
Theft of handbag at Hoddesdon Sainsbury's prompts police CCTV appeal
Anyone who recognises this man, or has any other information about the theft, is asked to contact PCSO Lauren Arnold via the non-emergency number 101 and quote crime reference K1/17/3196.
PCSO Arnold can also be contacted by e-mailing lauren.arnold@herts.pnn.police.uk.
Alternatively, information can be reported at www.herts.police.uk/report or by calling Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or clicking here.
For more information or to donate to the Just Giving page click here.