text:
\section{INTRODUCTION}
\label{sec:intro}

Over the course of the past few decades, the act of bundling optical fibres together to translate an image in a spatially coherent manner has been optimised to increase the spatial resolution, yet retaining efficiency and flexibility. These devices are known as imaging fibre bundles (or coherent fibre bundles), and are widely used for remote sensing with applications such as biomedical endoscopy. Most fibre bundles are made using silica optical fibres, however the process used to make a $\sim1$\,mm diameter bundle that remains flexible sacrifices efficiency due to the fibre filling factor. This is because for most of the length, each fibre needs to be loose, otherwise a $1$\,mm bundle would be a solid rod with near zero flexibility. The {\sc SCHOTT} Leached Image Bundles\footnote{\href{http://www.schott.com/lightingimaging/english/medical/medical-products/transmitting-images\_leached-image-bundle.html}{http://www.schott.com/lightingimaging/english/medical/ \\ medical-products/transmitting-images\_leached-image-bundle.html}} are a good example of this, where the inter-core cladding material is etched down over the length of the fibre, leaving only the ends bundled together. The delicate process of making a flexible silica fibre bundle increases the cost to $\sim\rm US\$1000$~per~metre. High filling factor silica fibre bundles do exist \citep[e.g.][]{2011OExpr..19.2649B, 2014MNRAS.438..869B}, though their large individual core diameters ($\sim100\,{\rm \mu m}$) results in a coarse spatial resolution, and with the bundle only being fixed at one end, they lack the ability to preserve a spatially coherent image and therefore are not classed as imaging bundles.

The use of polymer as an alternative to silica in fibre imaging bundles presents an attractive solution to many of the issues faced by using silica (e.g. the ability to obtain a high filling factor whilst retaining flexibility). One of the most common polymer fibre materials is poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), however the use of PMMA (and most polymers) over silica comes at the cost of attenuation (on the order of $1$\,dB/m for PMMA versus $10^{-3}$\,dB/m for silica). This increase in attenuation limits the applications of polymer fibre to cases where fibre lengths on order of a metre are required (e.g. endoscopy, localised remote sensing). \linebreak Albeit, longer lengths of these polymer imaging bundles can be used in applications where the source is of high enough power to overcome the attenuation loss.

An area where fibre optics continue to increase in their application is astronomy, where they have become the dominant method of translating the light of thousands of galaxies and stars from the telescope focal plane to nearby spectrographs. Most focal planes of current large ($4$-$10$\,m) telescopes are $\lesssim1$\,m in diameter, but there are soon to be focal planes of $1$-$2$\,m diameter upon the arrival of Extremely Large Telescopes (ELTs). These large focal planes require precise field acquisition and guiding, for which coherent imaging bundles are well suited. In this application, at one end, multiple imaging bundles are deployed over the focal plane targeting guide stars, and at the other end, all of the imaging bundles are brought together with one camera situated away from the focal plane imaging their end faces. This method has been adopted by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey multi-object spectrograph \citep[SDSS;][]{2013AJ....146...32S} and the Sydney-AAO Multi-object Integral field spectrograph \citep[SAMI;][]{2015MNRAS.447.2857B}. SDSS use silica imaging bundles from Sumitomo\footnote{Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corp.,\\ \href{http://www.sumitomoelectric.com}{http://www.sumitomoelectric.com}}, and SAMI use polymer imaging bundles from ESKA\footnote{ESKA$^{\rm TM}$; Mitsubishi Corp., \href{http://fiberopticpof.com}{http://fiberopticpof.com}}.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.8615\linewidth]{./_PIB_full.pdf}
\includegraphics[width=0.8615\linewidth]{./_PIB_zoom.pdf}
\includegraphics[width=0.8615\linewidth]{./_PIB_galaxy.pdf}
\caption{(top) Back-illuminated microscope image of a coherent polymer bundle showing the entire face of the bundle. (middle) a magnified image of (top) showing the hexagonal structure of the cores. There are $7095$ cores hexagonally packed, with each core being $16\,{\rm \mu m}$ (full-diagonal) resulting in an overall diameter of $1.5$\,mm. Dust in the microscope imaging system gives the appearance of damaged cores. (bottom) a projected \rm H$\alpha$\ map of a spiral galaxy by butt-coupling the input end of the bundle to a $1.5$\,mm grayscale printout of the galaxy.}
\label{fig:PIB}
\end{figure}

Basic characterisation of the Sumitomo silica image bundles has been performed by \citet{2006SPIE.6273E..3UH}, who analysed the spatial fidelity, cross talk and scattering, and concluded that more investigation into imaging bundles is needed to assess their suitability in astronomical applications. The Sumitomo bundle has $2\,{\rm \mu m}$ cores spaced by $3\,{\rm \mu m}$ in a semi-regular hexagonal pattern, resulting in a filling factor of $\sim40\%$ \citep{2008OSA.47.25.4560U}. This immediate substantial loss from the filling factor is detrimental in astronomical applications of these spatially coherent imaging bundles, where every photon counts. In addition to the filling factor, core sizes of $2\,{\rm \mu m}$ are very close to being purely single-moded at optical wavelengths resulting in an even greater loss due to very poor modal coupling \citep{2014OSA.15.1443H}. In the case of the Sumitomo bundle, the outer diameter is only $800\,{\rm \mu m}$, meaning that even without separating the individual cores along the length of the fibre, the bundle retains some flexibility.

More recently, {\sc SCHOTT} have developed a Wound Fibre Bundle\footnote{SCHOTT Wound Fibre Bundle, \href{http://www.schott.com/lightingimaging/english/defenseproducts/wound.html}{http://www.schott.com/\\lightingimaging/english/defenseproducts/wound.html}} for the Defense sector, that creates a spatially coherent array of smaller $6\times6$ fibre arrays with each fibre being $10\,{\rm \mu m}$ in diameter. Its efficiency over the wavelength range $400-1500$~nm is typically $40$-$50$\%, including attenuation, fill-factor and Fresnel surface reflection losses. Detailed characterisation on its optical performance has yet to be carried out.

Our interest then lies with the ESKA polymer imaging bundles (PMMA), which have a larger filling fraction than silica imaging bundles, yet retain spatial resolution and flexibility. In Section \ref{sec:char} we present the results of laboratory characterisations of two different sizes of polymer imaging bundles. In Section \ref{sec:app} we explore their various applications in the context of astronomical instrumentation, presenting recent on-sky demonstrations, and concluding our work in Section \ref{sec:conc}.

\vspace{0cm}

\section{Optical Performance} \label{sec:char}

To better understand the range of possible applications polymer imaging bundles have in astronomical instrumentation, we performed laboratory characterisation on their filling factor, flat-field response, spectral throughput, cross-talk and focal ratio degradation. We explored two sizes of ESKA polymer imaging bundles, with external diameters of $0.5$ and $1.5$\,mm. They are both made by the same method, with the $0.5$\,mm bundle being drawn down further in the process, resulting in the same number of cores, but smaller core diameters. Both bundles have $7095$ hexagonally-shaped cores, with each core diameter being $16\,{\rm \mu m}$ (full-diagonal) in the $1.5$\,mm bundle and $6\,{\rm \mu m}$ (full-diagonal) in the $0.5$\,mm bundle. In some of the tests we present the results of both bundle sizes, although we primarily tested the $1.5$\,mm bundle. A back-illuminated microscope image of the $1.5$\,mm bundle can be found in Figure \ref{fig:PIB}. In all tests, the end faces were machine polished\footnote{Krelltech Rev2 Micro Polisher} stepping down through $30,12,9,3,1,0.3\,{\rm \mu m}$ grit paper.

\vspace{0cm}

\subsection{Filling factor and flat-field} \label{sec:fill}

The dominant source of losses in fibre bundles, in terms of total efficiency, is a poor filling factor, where the total area at the bundle end-face that can be sampled by the cores is less than the overall area. As the cores are what guides the incident light and maintain the spatial coherence (with the rest of the bundle consisting of the cladding), any light not coupled is at best lost, or at worst couples into the cladding that contributes to cross-talk. Due to the small core sizes found in imaging bundles, sufficient cladding to confine propagating modes results in larger separations between cores. If the space between cores becomes too small then the modes can easily leak into adjacent cores, spreading out the spatial information and increasing light losses. Creating a large refractive index difference between the core and the cladding allows the core-to-core separation to be smaller, which is possible to achieve when using polymer rather than silica (see Section \ref{sec:FRD}). By analysing a front-illuminated image of the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle, the filling factor was measured to be $92$\%. This is a factor of $2$-$3$ improvement over the best silica imaging bundles ($25-40$\%). This gain in filling factor is critical for astronomy, where missing spatial information can be detrimental to the science. When the filling factor of this polymer imaging bundle is compounded with the typical attenuation of PMMA ($1$\,dB/m), it is easy to see, from Figure \ref{fig:PIB_vs_silica}, that in short lengths ($<4$\,m) the polymer imaging bundles theoretically out-performs even the best silica imaging bundles ($0.01$\,dB/m and $40$\% filling factor).

By evenly back-illuminating the bundle, using an OLED flat-screen source through a Bessel-Johnson R-band filter, the flat-field response profile of the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle was found by taking the mean of image pixel intensities within radially increasing annuli (see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_FF}). Each annulus has a width of $16\,{\rm \mu m}$ (one core), with the image initially dark subtracted and then subtracted by the maximum inter-core intensity to reduce the contamination of cladding light. The radial profile is observed to have a slight decrease of $\sim1$\% out to a radius of $\sim600\,{\rm \mu m}$ before decreasing rapidly to $\sim90$\% at the edge of the bundle. We conjecture that this type of radially decreasing profile is likely linked to the intrinsic scattering and crosstalk properties of the bundle studied in Section \ref{sec:FRD}. Linear propagation losses resulting in scattered light out of the central cores will result in an increased crosstalk between neighbouring cores, however the same scattering mechanism in the outer diameter cores will result in power loss out of the composite waveguide, i.e. bundle.  Variations in intensity within the annuli, in addition to the radial profile, are easily corrected for by flat-fielding in a data reduction process. The $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle is therefore deemed acceptable for astronomical applications that require accurate flux information of a source. This is true even when the source is extended spatially.

\begin{figure*}
  \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\linewidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{./_PIB_vs_Silica.pdf}
    \caption{Theoretical R-band efficiency as a function of fibre length for a $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle (blue line) and a best silica imaging bundle (dashed line), where the efficiency includes the fibre attenuation ($1$\,dB/m and $0.01$\,dB/m respectively) and the fill factor ($92$\% and $40$\% respectively).}
    \label{fig:PIB_vs_silica}
  \end{minipage} \hfill
  \begin{minipage}[t]{0.48\linewidth}
    \centering
    \includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{./_PIB_flat_field.pdf}
    \caption{A normalised radial profile of the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle. Each measurement is the mean intensity of pixels within annuli of widths $16\,{\rm \mu m}$ placed on an R-band back-illuminated flat-field image of the bundle. Error bars represent the standard deviation of each measurement.\vspace{0.2cm}}
    \label{fig:PIB_FF}
  \end{minipage}
  \begin{minipage}[t]{\linewidth}
    \centering
	\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{./_PIB_transmission.pdf}
    \caption{Spectral throughput of the $0.5$ and $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundles (red and blue respectively). The green line is the transmission profile of a new polymer material, CYTOP, taken from \citet{2013ISRN.785162..22A}, and the magenta line is the manufacture's transmission of AFS200220T silica fibre. Bessel-Johnson (UBVRI; dotted black line) and SDSS (ugriz; solid black line) spectral filters are overlaid for reference (arbitrarily scaled). There was no transmission of wavelengths less than $\sim350$\,nm and greater than $\sim1100$\,nm for either bundle. \vspace{-0.2cm}}
    \label{fig:PIB_transmission}
  \end{minipage}
\end{figure*}

\vspace{-0.4cm}
\subsection{Spectral transmission}

Although the use of polymer can increase the filling factor of imaging bundles dramatically (see Section \ref{sec:fill}), it has much larger optical attenuation compared to silica ($1$\,dB/m and $10^{-3}$\,dB/m respectively). To see how the attenuation varies as a function of wavelength, the spectral throughput of both polymer imaging bundles was measured via the cut-back method (see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_transmission}). A reference spectrum was obtained by coupling a white-light source into a $200\,{\rm \mu m}$ core-diameter silica patch cord and measured with an optical spectrum analyser (OSA). End-face polished ($0.3\,{\rm \mu m}$ grit) and connectorised lengths of the imaging bundles were then butt-coupled to the patch-cord and fed into the OSA. The lengths of imaging bundles were $10,5,2,1$\,m, re-polishing and re-connectorising after each cut. The median spectral transmission per~metre of each bundle was determined using the measurements of the multiple lengths normalised by the reference spectrum. The absorption bands seen in the spectral transmission curve (Figure \ref{fig:PIB_transmission}) are due to the molecular vibrations of the PMMA, becoming essentially opaque to light of wavelengths shorter than $\sim350$\,nm and longer than $\sim1100$\,nm. The aforementioned losses that arise from the single-mode nature of the cores in the $0.5$\,mm bundle are clearly evident in the scaling difference between the transmission of the two bundles, resulting in an additional loss of $\sim40$\%. Both transmission curves have been corrected for Fresnel end face losses. Figure \ref{fig:PIB_transmission} also shows the spectral transmissions for a new polymer, CYTOP\footnote{CYTOP, Asahi Glass Co:\\ \href{http://www.agc.com/kagaku/shinsei/cytop/en/}{http://www.agc.com/kagaku/shinsei/cytop/en/}} (Cyclic Transparent Optical Polymer), and a single silica fibre (AFS200220T\footnote{Anhydroguide Fiber Silica (AFS), Fiberguide Industries: \\ \href{http://www.fiberguide.com/product/optical-fibers/}{http://www.fiberguide.com/product/optical-fibers/}}).

\begin{figure*}
\centering
\centerline{\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{./_PIB_scattering.pdf}}
\caption{(left) A log scaled inverted image after butt-coupling and aligning a silica single-mode fibre to the centre of one core. (right) The intensity profile of the cut shown overlaid on (left) going from left to right. The red line is the log scaled intensity profile and the blue line is intensity on a linear scale. Both lines have been normalised to the maximum of the injected core. $3$\% of the injected light has been scattered to the surrounding cores. \vspace{0.0cm}}
\label{fig:PIB_scatter}
\end{figure*}

\subsection{Focal ratio degradation, cross-talk and scattering} \label{sec:FRD}

Due to the chemical composition and imperfections of optical fibres, conservation of the input light is difficult. This is even more so in standard polymers (e.g. PMMA); as demonstrated by the high attenuation levels when compared to silica, due to the higher scattering of the polymer media. Unlike when making optical fibres from silica, the ability to mix polymers together makes it possible to increase the numerical aperture of the fibre by creating a larger refractive index difference between the core and the cladding. This allows for a higher number of modes to propagate down the fibre and better constrains the mode field diameters. However, the chemical structures of PMMA and silica are very different, leading to a much larger scattering term for PMMA than silica. This increase in scattering also increases the chance of coupling between different modes. Light scattering can enhance the coupling from low order modes to higher order modes closer to the core mode cut-off that are weakly guiding and lightly to couple to cladding modes. When fibres are brought close together, as in the case of imaging bundles, the scattered light that leaves the core has a chance of coupling into its neighbouring cores. If the propagating modes are poorly confined due to a small difference in refractive index between the core and the cladding, the propagating light has a high chance of evanescently coupling to neighbouring cores. These coupling terms are known as cross-talk, and minimising this property is important for imaging bundles as to not spread out the spatial information of the input light source. The coupling of modes to higher order modes that were not coupled to at the input as well as the lading of modes to the cladding is known as focal ratio degradation (FRD), where the cone angle (numerical aperture; NA) of the input light becomes larger at the output of the fibre (or that the encircled energy of a given profile is less at the output than at the input light).

\begin{figure*}
\begin{minipage}{\linewidth}
\centering
{\setlength{\fboxsep}{0pt}%
\setlength{\fboxrule}{0.5pt}%
\fbox{\includegraphics[width=0.325\linewidth]{./_PIB_guiding_0.pdf}}} \hfill
{\setlength{\fboxsep}{0pt}%
\setlength{\fboxrule}{0.5pt}%
\fbox{\includegraphics[width=0.325\linewidth]{./_PIB_guiding_1.pdf}}} \hfill
{\setlength{\fboxsep}{0pt}%
\setlength{\fboxrule}{0.5pt}%
\fbox{\includegraphics[width=0.325\linewidth]{./_PIB_guiding_2.pdf}}}
\caption{Three $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundles used as guiding probes for SAMI. (left) sky-flats of the three bundles imaged through a $1.5$:$1$ re-imaging lens to a an Apogee Alta U6 CCD. Dust in the imaging system gives the appearance of damaged cores, however the lower bundle is damaged on its right side. (middle) three guide stars being probed by the polymer imaging bundles. Typical V-band magnitudes and exposures times for SAMI guide stars are \mbox{$13$\,-\,$15$} and $1$\,s respectively. (right) image of Saturn and its rings through one of the bundles ($\sim2$~arcsec seeing). Each imaging bundle has a $23$~arcsec field-of-view. The outline of each bundle is traced by a black circle. All three images are inverted. \vspace{0.4cm}}
\label{fig:PIB_guiding}
\end{minipage}
\end{figure*}

Knowledge of a fibre's FRD is important when designing an optical system that makes use of optical fibres. It dictates the power of the optical lenses used to image the near-field (face) of the fibre, whether as part of an imaging system or spectrograph. As the individual core diameters of the polymer imaging bundles are small ($6\,{\rm \mu m}$ and $16\,{\rm \mu m}$), it was not possible to measure the FRD via the standard method of injecting a focussed spot of light (of varying NAs) down a single core and measuring the NA of the output light \citep{2014MNRAS.438..869B}. Another technique to measured FRD is to inject collimated light at varying angles, but this too requires injection into a single core. Therefore, no FRD measurement was taken, but the large acceptance NA of the polymer imaging bundle would indicate that its FRD would be not too dissimilar to that of a standard silica fibre. As an absolute reference, the maximum NA of both polymer imaging bundles was measured by overfilling the bundle's input NA (in the R-band), and radially measuring the far-field intensity using a power meter with a $500\,{\rm \mu m}$ pinhole mask at a radial distance of $20$\,cm. This size of pinhole mask was chosen to be large enough for the power meter to sufficiently detect the incident light, yet small enough to provide discrete measurements at the various angles and shield the power meter from scattered light in the laboratory. The maximum NA (at $5$\% maximum intensity) of the $0.5$\,mm and $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle is $0.46\pm0.03$ and $0.49\pm0.03$ respectively, with the errors representing the range of NAs found at intensity values either side of the $5$\% maximum intensity.  Therefore, due to the small overall diameter of these imaging bundles, designing an optical system to image the face of the bundle, or even $100$ bundles packed together, with $f/1$ optics (NA = $0.5$) is straightforward.

To measure the cross-talk in the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle, a silica single-mode fibre (NA = $0.1$, injected with R-band light) was butt-coupled and aligned to the centre of a single core, and the intensity of all of the surrounding cores was imaged (see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_scatter}). It was found that $2.9\pm0.2$\% of the injected light was scattered into the surrounding cores. This is the mean measurement and standard deviation of five different locations over the face of the imaging bundle (with the exception of the outermost cores).

Due to the high-NA, i.e. large mode confinement, of the polymer imaging bundles, it is unlikely that the modes' evanescent fields are significant to allow efficient coupling between cores, meaning that the primary driver for the cross-talk is more likely to be the large scattering term of the polymer's chemical structure. This is due to the larger molecular chains and clusters of the polymer in addition to the molecular absorptions of their vibrational states. Unlike a standard silica fibre when unspooled, the polymer imaging bundle retains a relaxed bend radius of $\sim15$\,cm. It is possible to straighten the fibre via thermal annealing, although doing so risks damaging the fibre (e.g. changing the polymer's chemical / physical structure).

\section{Applications of polymer imaging bundles in astronomy} \label{sec:app}
In this section we present current and possible (but by no means exhaustive) applications of polymer imaging bundles in astronomical instrumentation that use lengths $<2$\,m. For this we consider the trade-offs of the increase in filling factor at the cost of an increase in attenuation. Fundamentally, polymer imaging bundles translate images, which in the context of astronomy is best suited to getting an image from the focal plane of a telescope to a nearby location where bulkier systems reside (cameras etc). The need of imaging bundles in astronomy increases as the diameter of the telescope's focal plane increases, more so in the era of the ELTs.

\vspace{0.4cm}
\subsection{Field acquisition and guiding}

The most obvious application of imaging bundles is for telescope guiding as part of a multi-object instrument, or where the weight of a guide camera on the focal plane is an issue (e.g. small telescopes). It is possible to use pick-off mirrors on arms to do multi-object guiding, but if there are optical science fibres covering the field plate then it is difficult to avoid collisions. Imaging bundles permit a flexible solution to translating a spatially coherent image of a guide star from the focal plane to a nearby camera. An advantage of using polymer over silica for multi-object imaging bundles (other than the increase in filling factor) is that the end preparation of a polymer imaging bundle is much more customisable, as the product resembles a single fibre. Silica imaging bundles have to be carefully connectorised (normally by the manufacturer) to minimise stress or fractures, whereas the polymer imaging bundles can either be mounted in custom connectors, or just left bare whilst maintaining the ability to be polished.

SAMI is a multi-object integral field spectrograph that deploys 13 silica fibre-bundle integral field units (hexabundles) over a $1$~degree field at the $3.9$\,m Anglo-Australian Telescope \citep{2015MNRAS.447.2857B}. For field acquisition and guiding it uses three of the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundles ($1$\,m lengths and each with $23$~arcsec field-of-view) mounted in the same plug-plate connector design as the hexabundles. All of the imaging bundles feed a single guide camera located nearby to the side of the focal plane (see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_guiding}). Although only one of the guide stars is used for telescope guiding in SAMI, having multiple guide stars over a $1$~degree field allows for better understand of the wide-field atmospheric conditions, and the tip/tilt determination of the field plate.

The light-weight and flexible nature of the polymer imaging bundles makes them suited to many types of fibre positioning technologies. In addition to use in plug-plate instruments, the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle has also been proven to be compatible with the StarBugs positioning system \citep{2012SPIE.84501A.G,2014SPIE.9147E..10K}, and multiple $0.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundles will perform the guiding for the multi-object fibre spectrograph instrument, TAIPAN on the UK Schmidt Telescope \citep[][see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_starbug}]{2014SPIE.9147E..10K}.  Even though there is a loss in efficiency when using the $0.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle instead of the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle, the smaller core sizes of the $0.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle are better suited to the plate scale of the UKST ($0.44$ to $1.08$~arcsec~per~core respectively, with the latter being too coarse to accurately sample the guide star's point-spread-function). The $0.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle is also being considered to replace the current guide bundles on the 2df instrument on the $3.9$\,m Anglo-Australian Telescope, which uses a pick-and-place positioning system with fibre retractors \citep{2002MNRAS.333..279L,2006SPIE.6269E..0GS}. Investigation into the stresses induced on the $0.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle and its longevity when used in sprung retractors is underway.

As focal planes become increasingly larger, particularly in the era of ELTs where focal planes will be $1$-$2$\,m diameter, the need of fibre bundles to perform guiding also increases. This is where the adaptability of the polymer imaging bundles to different positioning technologies has an advantage, in addition to the large increase in filling factor. Typical plate-scales for the ELTs are a few arcsec/mm, meaning that the field-of-view of a $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle would also be a few arcsec. Blind pointing of modern large telescopes is commonly $\sim1$~arcsec \citep{2014SPIE.9145E..1CB}, meaning that even without fore-optics, multiple $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundles are able to acquire and guide on a field. If an increased field-of-view per imaging bundle is desired, then the use of fore-optics (miniature lenses or fibre tapers) is straightforward.

\vspace{0cm}
\subsection{Multi-object Wavefront Sensing}

The use of adaptive optics \citep[AO;][]{1953PASP...65..229B,1998aoat.book.....H} to correct for atmospheric turbulence is an essential part of the science cases proposed for ELTs, but is also a technology that is currently available on telescopes all over the world. Performing AO on a single on-axis target is now standard practice for $\geq8$\,m class telescopes, though recent studies into multi-object AO \citep[MOAO;][]{2002sdef.conf..139H,2010SPIE.7736E..0SR,2014A&A...569A..16V} show the power of maximising the scientific output of large aperture wide-field telescopes, such as the $25.4$\,m Giant Magellan Telescope \citep[GMT;][]{2014SPIE.9145E..1CB}. For MOAO to be realised on telescopes such as the GMT, many wavefront sensors would need to be deployed across the focal plane, localised to each science target.

The use of polymer imaging bundles becomes an attractive solution to distributed wavefront sensors, where each bundle has miniature Shack-Hartmann fore-optics, relaying the wavefront information to a high frame rate camera situated off the focal plane. These miniature Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors \citep[mini-SHWFS;][]{2014SPIE.9151E..4TG} were demonstrated on the $3.9$\,m AAT in December 2015 (see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_wfs}; a full description of these devices is provided by Goodwin et al. \emph{in preparation}).

The $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle, with its $16\,{\rm \mu m}$ cores and high filling factor, is able to critically sample the Shack-Hartmann spots of the wavefront sensor. A laboratory closed-loop adaptive optics experiment was carried out to quantify the suitability of the polymer imaging bundle in wavefront sensing (see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_wfs}). The set-up for the experiment was as follows: (1) Collimate the beam of a $635$\,nm laser to a beam width of $12.5$\,mm. (2) send the collimated laser beam through a rotatable phase-screen with effective seeing of $0.78$~arcsec. (3) image the pupil of the collimated beam onto an ALPAO 97-15 Deformable Mirror (DM). (4) re-image the pupil plane through a $100\,{\rm \mu m}$-pitch microlens array, resulting in the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle ($1$\,m length) receiving a $14\times14$ Shack-Hartmann spot pattern, which contains the wavefront information at the pupil plane. (5) re-image the end-face of the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle with $2\times$ magnification onto an Andor Zylar 5.5 MP sCMOS detector. (6) Control the rotation speed of the phase-screen, the SCMOS detector, and the DM via "S/W ALPAO Core Engine (ACE)" software using {\sc MATLAB/C++}. The software was customised to fit this experiment, which was able to run at $\sim250$~frames~per~second in closed-loop mode. The latency in the experiment was found to typically be $2$-$3$ frames. Optically, the set-up was designed to work in $f/10$, and to mimic the University of Hawaii's $2.2$\,m telescope.

From Figure \ref{fig:PIB_wfs} (bottom) it is possible to see that the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle can indeed critically sample the Shack-Hartmann spot pattern as part of a closed-loop adaptive optics instrument, enabling the the Shack-Hartmann spot pattern to be relayed to a nearby, yet arbitrarily located, sensor. Only at wind-speeds greater than $10$~ms$^{-1}$ does the wavefront improvement become negligible, with the RMS approaching that of an uncorrected wavefront (open-loop). Custom designs of polymer imaging bundles can be manufactured depending on system requirements, however this is somewhat limited without the ability to self-manufacture as access to propriety polymers and equipment is restricted.

In addition to being used for high-order wavefront sensing, the polymer imaging bundles are also suited to distributed low-order wavefront sensing for use in ground-layer AO \citep[GLAO;][]{2010Natur.466..727H} or the monitoring of natural guide stars in laser-tomography AO \citep[LTAO;][]{2002ApOpt..41...11V}, which would also benefit any attempt of laser-tomography MOAO with either Rayleigh or Sodium laser guide stars.

\begin{figure}
\begin{minipage}{\linewidth}
\centerline{\includegraphics[width=0.955\linewidth]{./_PIB_in_StarBug.pdf}}
\caption{Microscope image of a 0.5mm diameter polymer imaging bundle mounted in a TAIPAN StarBug with a 3D-printed ferrule.}
\label{fig:PIB_starbug}
\end{minipage}
\begin{minipage}{\linewidth}
\centerline{\includegraphics[width=\linewidth]{./_PIB_WFS_SH_ray.pdf}}
\centerline{\includegraphics[width=0.49\linewidth]{./_PIB_WFS_SH_lab.pdf}\includegraphics[width=0.49\linewidth]{./_PIB_WFS_SH.pdf}}
\caption{(top) Ray trace of miniature Shack-Hartmann sensor, where A is the starlight from the telescope (f/8 at AAT cassegrain focus), B is a $3$\,mm diameter collimating lens, C is a $110\,{\rm \mu m}$ pitch mircolens array, and D is the polished front face of a $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle. (left) Image of a prototype miniature Shack-Hartman sensor illuminated with a $630$\,nm laser at f/8 (top). Dust inside the wavefront sensor blocks $\sim2$ of the lenslets. (right) On-sky demonstration of the same wavefront sensor as shown in (left) translating the spot pattern from the focal plane to a high frame rate camera (sCMOS). This stacked image is equivalent to a $1$\,s exposure. The de-centring of the pupil is due to a small tip/tilt in the optical alignment of the wavefront sensor to the focal plane. The wavefront sensor's field-of-view (sub-aperture spacing) is $\sim2$~arcsec. Both images have been inverted in colour, with a circle drawn to show the boundary of the imaging bundle.}
\label{fig:PIB_wfs}
\end{minipage}
\end{figure}

An alternative method in wavefront sensing is the curvature sensor \citep{1988ApOpt..27.1223R,1993JOSAA..10.2277R}, where the intensity image of the intra- and extra-focus are simultaneously obtained, allowing the second derivative of the wavefront to be measured. The Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy (VISTA) built into its design the ability to obtain the intra-focus of one star and the extra-focus of another (but nearby) star with two respectively independent CCDs \citep{2003SPIE.4842..231P}. The assumption is that differential aberrations between the two stars are negligible. However, most AO systems that are based on curvature wavefront sensors \citep{1998PASP.110.152R,2003SPIE.4839..174A,2008SPIE.7015E..64W} use a resonant vibrating mirror with sinusoidal piston variations to obtain the intra- and extra-focuses. This is a very delicate procedure, and limits the adaptability to MOAO. Based off the design proposed by \citet{2010PASP..122...49G}, another method is to use two imaging bundles for each curvature sensor, with a beam splitter projecting the intra- and extra-focus images of a star onto each bundle. The imaging bundles then feed into a sensitive high frame-rate camera off the focal plane, and the intensity images are analysed to obtain the wavefront information. A full description of these devices and recent on-sky tests are given by \citet[][\emph{in preparation}]{2014SPIE.9148E..2EZ}.

\begin{figure*}
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.425\linewidth]{./_PIB_miniSHWFS_slopes.pdf} \hspace{1cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.425\linewidth]{./_PIB_miniSHWFS_flux.pdf} \\
\vspace{0.4cm}
\includegraphics[width=0.8\linewidth]{./_PIB_miniSHWFS_rms.pdf}
\caption{Laboratory closed-loop adaptive optics data using a $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle as part of a mini-Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor (mini-SHWFS, see text for setup description). (top left) The $14\times14$ Shack-Hartmann spot pattern relayed by the $1.5$\,mm polymer imaging bundle. The centre-of-mass of each spot is equated in relation to the centre of each zonal box, with the offsets represented by red arrows. A mask is applied to skip zones/spots that have too little flux. Dust inside the mini-Shack-Hartmann sensor results in some zones to the left of the bundle being skipped. (top right) The flux map showing the masked out zones as black zones. (bottom) Closed-loop results for six different simulated wind speeds of the $0.78$~arcsec phase screen, in addition to no phase screen. The RMS is a measurement of the error compared to that of a flat wavefront (best image quality). The small RMS difference between the $0$~ms$^{-1}$ and no phase screen is a verification that the mini-SHWFS is successful. There is little to no wavefront improvement for wind speeds above $10$~ms$^{-1}$, with the RMS increasing to the uncorrected wavefront due to system latency ($2$-$3$ frames).}
\label{fig:PIB_AO}
\end{figure*}

\vspace{0.8cm}
\subsection{Other applications}

In addition to being used for field acquisition, guiding and wavefront sensing, polymer imaging bundles are also suited to a variety of other astronomical applications that require the efficient and flexible translation of images over short distances. One such application is in multi-object narrowband imaging, where each imaging bundle is positioned over a target and has a miniature tuneable narrowband filter that is tuned for its target (e.g. a galaxy's redshift). The ability to obtain high-spatial resolution narrowband images (e.g. \rm H$\alpha$) of $10^5$ independent galaxies over a survey lifetime can provide a dataset that is unparalleled in understanding the star formation morphology of a galaxy as a function of its environment. An issue if using the polymer bundle presented here is the spectral absorption features of the PMMA. There is a large absorption feature at $\sim740$~nm (see Figure \ref{fig:PIB_transmission}), which would be detrimental to \rm H$\alpha$\ observations of galaxies at redshifts, $0.06\lesssim z \lesssim 0.2$. Depending on the science in question, different polymers can be used to minimise spectral features, whilst still retaining other benefits such as high fill-factors. \citet{2013ISRN.785162..22A} provides a review of the common polymers used in the manufacture of fibre optics, with CYTOP having the best spectral transmission (high and flat; Figure \ref{fig:PIB_transmission}) in addition to operating at near-infrared wavelengths.

It is also possible to envisage an instrument that has distributed miniature aperture masks \citep{2000PASP..112..555T} over the focal plane, with the intensity of each interference pattern projected onto the polymer imaging bundles, all feeding a sensitive high frame-rate camera off the focal plane. This application would work much better if the polymer used in the bundles is one that is efficient at wavelengths in the near/mid-infrared, such that extrasolar planet detection by imaging is feasible \citep{2005Natur.433..261B,2012SPIE.8445E..06I}. Multi-object speckle imaging \citep{2002RvMP...74..551S} is also feasible with distributed polymer imaging bundles without fore-optics, again with all bundles feeding a sensitive high frame-rate camera off the focal plane. This would be useful in a fast survey to understand the fraction of multiple star systems \citep{2013ARA&A..51..269D}.

Over time, an increasing number of telescope instruments are achieving multi-object functionality as they aim to maximise the available science over the focal plane, so it is only natural to keep thinking of feasible ways to make use of the power and large focal plane of the ELTs to come. There are likely many more applications of polymer imaging bundles for astronomical applications, and we leave the reader to imagine.

\vspace{0.8cm}
\section{Conclusions} \label{sec:conc}

Imaging bundles are a useful way of translating spatially coherent images, and over short distances, imaging bundles made from polymer can be more efficient and practical than than those made from silica. We performed laboratory characterisation of ESKA PMMA imaging bundles, and explored their various applications in the context of astronomical instrumentation. These cheap polymer imaging bundles ($\sim\$10$~per~metre) remain flexible as a single $1.5$\,mm diameter unit with $7095$ cores providing a spatial filling factor of $92$\%. Their R-band transmission was measured to be $\sim85$\%~per~metre, and their flat-field response yields a radial decrease of $\sim3$\% towards the outer cores. With a maximal NA of $0.5$, the polymer imaging bundles are well suited to a range of telescope focal ratios. As most applications will image the end-face of the imaging bundles with a camera, any FRD can be accounted for in the camera design.

The polymer imaging bundles characterised here are already in use for field acquisition and guiding as part of the astronomical instrument, SAMI, and in the near-future, TAIPAN. This application is the most obvious use of spatially coherent imaging bundles, though other demonstrated applications include multi-object miniature wavefront sensing. Polymer imaging bundles are highly customisable in design (including which polymers to use depending on desired wavelength ranges) making them well suited to a range of astronomical applications, such as multi-object narrow-band imaging, multi-object aperture masking and multi-object speckle imaging. There are of course many other applications not yet explored, and the use of polymer imaging bundles in future astronomical instruments has potential to become routine.

\vspace{0.4cm}
\section{Acknowledgments}

We would like to thank Chris Betters, Simon Gross, Alexander Arriola, David Brown, and the staff at the Anglo-Australian Telescope for their help in the characterisation and commissioning of the different instruments that make use of the polymer imaging bundles. Most of the characterisation work was performed at the Sydney Astrophotonic Instrumentation Laboratory, funded by an ARC Laureate Fellowship awarded to Joss Bland-Hawthorn.

This research was also conducted in partnership with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for All-sky Astrophysics (CAASTRO), funded under the Australian Research Council (ARC) Centre of Excellence program (project number CE110001020), with additional funding from the seven participating universities and from the NSW State Government's Science Leveraging Fund.

\vspace{0.4cm}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


October 1, 1776 | Statute An act for dividing the county of Fincastle into three distinct counties, and the parish of Botetourt into four distinct parishes. As more settlers moved into Fincastle County, the demand for local institutions - courts, justices of the peace, etc. - grew. The General Assembly divided Fincastle into the counties of Kentucky, Washington, and Montgomery. This act defined the boundaries of the three counties, established courts, identified county seats, and recognized justices of the peace.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I recently had the chance to take part in some round table interviews with some of those involved in The Florida Project. There were three separate interviews: Willem Dafoe, Bria Vinaite with Broolynn Prince, and director Sean Baker.
The Florida Project is the story of a carefree childhood summer—except it isn't. Instead it is a haunting view of a somewhat hidden section of American life—families that are not quite homeless, but nowhere near even a minimal security.


The upcoming holiday season is known for gift-giving, time spent with loved ones, and many times—unhealthy eating. With an abundance of holiday parties and get-togethers centered around eating, it can be an overwhelming task to continue promoting healthy eating for both yourself and your kids. Therefore, you may want to consider making some swaps that will still satisfy your family's sweet tooth but offer more nutrients and fewer calories, less saturated and trans fats and added sugar.
If you are into baking sweet holiday treats, opt for healthier versions of your favorite recipes. For example, these chocolatey snowflakes with a delicious gooey peanut butter centre are not only lower in sugar and free of highly-processed ingredients, they also taste better than the originals, if I do say so myself!
You can make this recipe in a muffin tin with small cupcake liners to get a peanut butter cup look or you can do what my daughter and I did. We used a silicon snowflake mold cavity like this one to create these fun-shaped Peanut Butter Snowflake Cups.
This is an easy recipe with minimal ingredients you can make in a snap. For the best texture, I recommend storing in the fridge or freezer until ready to serve.
To get started, melt the coconut oil and honey in a saucepan on the oven. Stir until smooth and then add the cacao powder.
Add in your vanilla extract and pinch of sea salt.
Using the spoon, push the melted chocolate up the sides of the paper cups or mold to create the "cups" that will hold the peanut butter filling. Place the chocolate-filled shells in the freezer to set, about 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, remove from the freezer, and place a dollop of peanut butter filling in the middle of each chocolate shell (about a teaspoon per center). Be sure to leave a little room around the edges, for the chocolate filling to cover the sides!
Cover each cup with a final layer of melted chocolate, and return to the freezer to set for at least 2 hours before serving.


text:
Todd Wofford
538 articles published
King Richard (2021)::rating::3.5::rating::3.5::rating::3.5
Let me begin this review with a dose of unvarnished honesty: I've never much liked tennis. In my defense, I grew up in a small town where the three main sports were football, cow-tipping, and silent judgment. So, tennis is largely a foreign enterprise consisting of weird scorekeeping, unnatural grunting, and matches that go…
ByTodd Wofford4 days ago0Comments
As with Alfonso Cuarón's brilliant Roma, Belfast serves as a conduit for writer-director Kenneth Branagh to explore his own childhood. Both films feature the fading, fragile innocence of youth, juxtaposed with the terrible socio-political upheaval swirling around. At the same time, Branagh infuses his work with a deeply personal passion and aching nostalgia that elevate it…
ByTodd WoffordJanuary 12, 20220Comments
F ew TV stars, past or present, could breathe the same rarified air as Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. As a power couple, they dominated the Nielsen ratings throughout the 50s, often commanding an audience of over 60 million. At the same time, Aaron Sorkin's wonderful Being the Ricardos also shows the great and terrible burden…
ByTodd WoffordJanuary 7, 20220Comments
Don't Look Up (2021)::rating::3
S ome satires are so precise in their humor, they feel like a ninja catching a gnat with chopsticks. On the other hand, the jokes in Don't Look Up are about as subtle as a slobbering ogre chasing frightened peasants with an unhinged barn door. Every gag in this film essentially pounds on the same theme:…
The Matrix Resurrections (2021)::rating::2.5
I ronically, The Matrix Resurrections trades heavily on nostalgia for that pioneering first film, while also embodying many of the same flaws that doomed its sequels: For all the explosions and throat-punches, much of this movie's runtime is an uphill tromp through low-grade philosophical claptrap, hokey dialogue, and obnoxiously cute riffs on its own self-awareness. That's…
ByTodd WoffordDecember 30, 20210Comments
Sleepless in Seattle (1993)::rating::2.5
In fact, this film suffers as much as any "classic" that I've ever seen. Somewhere between '93 and now, Seattle probably lost a full star on this rating.
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)::rating::4.5
It captures everything great about the Spider-Man franchise thus far, while also deftly smoothing over a few glaring flaws.
Die Hard 2 (1990)::rating::3
If the first film was great, then this one rates as pretty good. As inevitable movies go, Die Hard 2 could've been a lot worse.
Die Hard 2 (Cinemavino)::rating::3
The debate about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie should be deader than disco. It is, and it always has been. If anything, this Bruce Willis classic is a delightful piece of counter-programming to the sticky fluff we have to deal with this time of year. 34th Street can keep its miracles, and Jimmy…
The Power of the Dog (2021)::rating::4.5
L ike many of the greatest Westerns, Jane Campion's The Power of the Dog is a film built on paradoxes. Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) is an eccentric cowboy who somehow projects charisma and insecurity, intelligence and ignorance, all at once. He is strong and aloof, but also brittle and easily broken. Every character in this story finds…
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For 1955, the Ford Motor Company introduced the new Thunderbird. The small roadster was marketed as a high-spirited personal car, with a new 292-cubic-inch overhead-valve V-8 engine and a host of power-assist options never before seen on a sporty two-seater.
The first Thunderbird was low to the ground and sleeker in appearance than any other car in the Ford lineup.
Sales of the first-generation Thunderbird were good. Ford produced 16,155 in 1955, followed in '56 with 15,631 units and capped off the three-year run with 21,380 units in 1957.
For 1956, the Thunderbird featured several improvements in design over the debut model. The added front flow-through fender vents eliminated the excessive heat from the passenger compartment and the blind spot in the optional hardtop was cured with the addition of two small porthole windows. To increase luggage capacity and allow enough room for golf clubs to be transported to the country club, the spare tire was relocated from the trunk to a new continental rear-tire storage recess in the extended rear bumper.
Under the hood, the 1956 Thunderbird also boasted a new P-Code optional, 312-cubic-inch Thunderbird Special V-8. Equipped with a four-barrel carburetor and dual exhaust, it produced 225 horsepower at 4,600 r.p.m. — more than enough to propel the roadster down the highway in style.
The two-seat Thunderbirds from the '50s are solid collector cars with great appreciation potential. Their chic styling, sporty feel and available power options make them a standout in post-war car design.
Recognized as a Milestone Car by the Milestone Car Society, they make the A-list with enthusiasts and collectors alike.
For Jim and Diane Drummond of Winnipeg, the 1956 Thunderbird has always played a big part in their lives. When Jim purchased his Raven Black 1956 Thunderbird in August 1970, it was only natural the Thunderbird would be their wedding car and take them on their honeymoon in June of 1974.
In the late 1980s, the wear and tear began to show on the car, so Jim began amassing parts and dismantling it for a full restoration.
Progress was slow and the years turned into decades with the restoration project stalling at times.
It wasn't until Diane had a bit of a health scare and started to look at her bucket list that the wheels started turning again.
"I wanted to ride in a Thunderbird again, and with ours in pieces, we began to look for another car," Diane says.
Having been long-standing members of the Manitoba Thunderbird Club, the Classic Thunderbird Club International and the Manitoba Classic & Antique Auto Club, they quickly found a prime example for sale in June 2017.
The 1956 Thunderbird they discovered, and ultimately bought, is finished in Peacock Blue with a Colonial White hardtop and white convertible top. It had only one repaint and regular maintenance had been done. It was a survivor car with just 64,500 miles on the odometer.
Inside, the upholstery is finished in blue and white vinyl.
Powered by the 225-horsepower, 312-cubic-inch V-8, it's backed by the three-speed Ford-O-Matic automatic transmission.
Other options include the engine dress-up kit consisting of finned aluminum valve covers and chrome oil filter breather and air cleaner, Swift-Sure power brakes, rear fender shields, back-up lamps, full wheel covers, tonneau cover, heater/defroster, AM radio, wide white sidewall tires and padded sun visors.
Since purchasing the car, the Drummonds have enjoyed getting out to several of the local shows and cruise nights. Jim has also been tracking down previous owners of the car to establish its provenance.
"I'm going to try and get their input and stories about the car," Jim says. The car was originally delivered to the Tucson, Ariz., area in June 1956 and has had several owners in both Canada and the United States.
The Drummonds intend to continue driving and enjoying this Thunderbird, and will also press on with the restoration of their black '56 model.
Today just happens to mark the couple's 44th wedding anniversary — and you can bet there will be a celebratory cruise in their vintage T-Bird.
Under the hood is a 225-horsepower, 312-cubic-inch V-8 engine.
The '56 T-bird's interior is finished in blue and white vinyl and has an optional AM radio.


These cheesy savory muffins with sausage meat were baked especially for my younger daughter. Alex came home in the middle of the week and, after a good night's sleep, I prepared a very hearty brunch to help her recharge. She was going back to school the following day and I only had one day to pamper her.
I made a quick angel hair pasta, her favorite, and some savory muffins. I had two pieces of Vigan longganisa in the fridge that I thought I'd make good use of. Since sausage meat, tomatoes, basil and cheese go so well together on top of pizza, why shouldn't they go together well in a muffin?
The experiment turned out so well that, later that day, Alex and her father were arguing as to who should get to eat the last two pieces. Speedy gave way to his bunso, of course. After all, he said, he already ate three whole muffins, one after the other. Do I need to mention that the muffins were terrifically good?
Heat a non-stick pan on the stove, and the crumbled sausage meat and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned.
Add the chopped onion and sun-dried tomatoes and continue cooking until the vegetables start to soften.
Turn off the heat, stir in the basil leaves and butter. Stir just until the butter is melted. Leave to cool the mixture for about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375F and line a muffin pan.
In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar and salt.
In another bowl, lightly beat the egg and cream together.
Pour the egg-cream mixture into the flour mixture. Stir just until combined.
Fold the sausage meat mixture and cheese into the flour mixture.
Divide the muffin batter among 8 holes of the muffin pan (see how to make uniform-sized cupcakes and muffins).
The muffins are best while hot when the cheese is soft and gooey. Be careful not to scorch your mouth though.
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I love it when I visit your blog. I get so inspired to cook. Will try this.
Do you have suggestions on temperature and time settings if this could be done in a microwave? Thanks.
I LOVE your recipe. Can I post it on my site? I am also buying ad space on your site.
i would like to try this miss connie, but then, i don't have the oven, but a microwave … hay … dapat siguro yung oven toaster na lang binili … hihihi ..
Hi! Want to try your muffins with cheddar, sausage, and sun-dries tomatoes but I don't see where you add the cheddar and sugar mentioned in the list of ingredients. Stir I right before baking.?
Oops, let me correct the procedure.
Got it. Thanks so much. I can't wait to try them.


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DROP TABLE goiardi.roles;

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FTC Requests Public Comment on Application from Cement Manufacturers Holcim and Lafarge to Approve Divestiture of Holcim Assets
The Federal Trade Commission is currently accepting public comments on an application by Holcim LTD. and Lafarge S.A. to sell various Holcim cement assets to an affiliate of the international cement company CRH International.
The divestiture is required by the FTC's May 2015 proposed order settling charges that the $25 billion merger of Holcim and Lafarge would create the world's largest cement manufacturer and likely harm competition for portland cement—an essential ingredient in making concrete—in 12 geographic markets in the United States. The proposed divestiture would maintain competition in two of those markets, western Montana and portions of the Great Lakes. The cement assets to be divested include plant and terminal assets in Ontario, Canada; Buffalo, New York; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit and Dundee, Michigan; and Duluth, Minnesota (collectively known as the "Canada/Great Lakes Assets"); and plant and terminal assets in Three Forks, Montana, and Alberta, Canada (collectively known as the "Trident Assets").
Holcim requests approval to divest these assets to CRH. The divestiture application describes CRH as a highly regarded global materials group, which is capable of operating the Canada/Great Lakes and Trident Assets as an independent and effective competitor.
The parties' proposed divestiture to CRH also addresses competition concerns raised by the Canadian Competition Bureau, and includes a larger group of Holcim assets located in Canada that Holcim and Lafarge have agreed to divest to address competitive concerns raised by the CCB.
The Commission will decide whether to approve the proposed divestiture after expiration of a 30-day public comment period. Public comments may be submitted until July 10, 2015. Written comments should be sent to: FTC Office of the Secretary, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20580. Comments can also be filed electronically. (FTC File No. 141 0129, Docket No. C-4519; the staff contact is Dan Ducore, Bureau of Competition, 202-326-2526)
The FTC's Bureau of Competition works with the Bureau of Economics to investigate alleged anticompetitive business practices and, when appropriate, recommends that the Commission take law enforcement action. To inform the Bureau about particular business practices, call 202-326-3300, send an e-mail to antitrust{at}ftc{dot}gov, or write to the Office of Policy and Coordination, Bureau of Competition, Federal Trade Commission, 600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Room CC-5422, Washington, DC 20580. To learn more about the Bureau of Competition, read Competition Counts. Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.
FTC Approves Application from Holcim LTD. and Lafarge S.A. to Divest Cement Assets
FTC Requires Cement Manufacturers Holcim and Lafarge to Divest Assets as a Condition of Merger
Betsy Lordan
Holcim Ltd. and Lafarge S.A., In the Matter of


The first mission was operated from Lunna in August 1941 and was successful. But it turned out to be a dramatic autumn - even in September came disappointment and set backs when the Vita was captured by the Germans in the Trondheim area and all aboard were arrested.
In October the Siglaos was attacked by planes and the young Nils Nesses was killed. The Nordsjoen which had gone on a mission to lay mines on the north western coast of Norway ran into hopeless weather and sunk. The crew escaped capture by the Germans and managed to get back to Shetland in a stolen fishing boat, the Arthur. Their return was greeted with great relief as they had been given up as lost.
In a violent November storm, the Arthur and the Blia were fighting to stay afloat. the Arthur has been to the Flora area to deliver arms and was on the way back to Shetland again when the motor failed. They drifted helplessly for five days. They were attacked by planes and one man was washed overboard when huge waves broke over the ship just north of Unst, but they made it in the end.
At the same time, the Blia was on her way back to Shetland after having completed her mission on the island of Stord. She had 36 passengers on board all of whom were wanted by the Germans. The Blia was only 55 feet long and heavily loaded as she was, she did not stand a chance in such atrocious weather. Years later a bottle was found in Hafrsfjord near Stavanger. In the bottle was a letter probably from a resistance man on the Blia when she sank. It begins, "We are sinking. Tell my wife and child farewell - help them".
It was becoming clear that the time for fishing boat operations to the Norwegian coast was over. There was such a shortage of fuel in Norway that few boats of any size were active along the coast, and the Shetland boats were therefore very conspicuous. The Germans had established a fine meshed control net around the coast of what they called Festung Norwegen - Fortress Norway - and the fishing boats were too vulnerable.
The arrival of the MTB's changed the situation for the better.


First time in Delaware - The Many are here! Enjoy an evening with The Many for a musical and worship experience you will not forget!
Soaring harmonies that you can't forget and lyrics that cut right to the heart of the matter, saying the words we often fail to find ourselves, The Many are doing a limited tour and taking time out to visit Delaware, exclusively at Skyline United Methodist Church.


Cauliflower head with cottony white growth due to presence of S. sclerotiorum.
The lower stem of a dead cabbage plant containing the black sclerotia characteristic of Sclerotinia stem rot.
Cause Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is a fungus that overwinters as small black structures (sclerotia) attached to decomposing infected plant portions. Sclerotia may survive several years. After a moisture-conditioning period of at least 70 days, they produce a small, stalked, cup-shaped fruiting structure (apothecium), which releases spores into the air. Spores may infect senescent tissue such as blossoms and leaves or may germinate and colonize plant debris. After colonizing, the fungus can invade any part of the plant with which it comes in contact. Moist conditions within the plant canopy favor infection, as do rain, dew, and/or irrigation practices that keep foliage wet for long periods.
Other host plants include bean, carrots, pea, lettuce, potato, green pepper, cucurbits, parsnip, radish, other crucifers including canola, flower seed crops, and sunflower. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a very susceptible weed host.
Symptoms The disease is mainly on aboveground parts, producing a cottony white mold. As cabbage leaves decay, small dark bodies appear in the mold. Finally, the mold is replaced by numerous hardened sclerotia that gradually change from white to black.
On seed crops, stem attacks cause severe losses. Diseased tissues eventually bleach white, giving the disease its name "white blight." Sclerotia that are black on the surface and white inside, associated with this bleached tissue, are diagnostic.
Endura at 6 to 9 oz/A on 7- to 14-day intervals. Preharvest interval is 14 days. 12-hr reentry.
Fontelis at 16 to 30 fl oz/A on 7- to 14-day intervals. Do not make more than two (2) sequential applications before alternating to a labeled fungicide with a different mode of action (non-Group 7). Preharvest interval is 0 days. 12-hr reentry.
Rovral 4 Flowable (Group 2) at 2 to 4 pints/A in 20 to 100 gal water for seed production only. Oregon (SLN OR-130001) and Washington (SLN WA-960027) only. Use at least 10 gal/A for aerial applications. Apply at full bloom, pod set, and before harvest if disease pressure is severe. Do not use treated crop debris or screenings for food or feed. Do not allow grazing in treated area. Check label for crop rotation restrictions. 24-hr reentry.
Switch 62.5WG (Group 12 + 9) at 11 to 14 oz/A on 7- to 10-day intervals or at 14 oz/A for seed crops in Oregon (OR SLN-160001) and Washington (WA SLN-020016). Preharvest interval is 7 days. 12-hr reentry.
Biological control Efficacy unknown in Oregon.
Reference Purdy, L.H.. 1979. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum: History, diseases and symptomology, host range, geographic distribution and impact. Phytopathology 69:875-880.


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Relieved Colin Cooper wants Hartlepool United progress
Manager Colin Cooper revelled in Hartlepool United's first Sky Bet League 2 home win of the season after Shrewsbury Town were despatched 2-0.
Charlie Wyke gave Pools the perfect start, opening the scoring after just five minutes with a cool finish.
A controlled performance followed, with the home side sealing the points late on as Brad Walker slotted home following a fine counter-attack.
Cooper was understandably delighted afterwards, showering praise upon his players.
"We looked really solid and organised," he said. "It felt good from the start. There was lots of energy and enthusiasm.
"Is the difference us getting our noses in front? Probably. I saw plenty of exciting things.
"As I keep saying, if we send our fans home happy then it makes me happy. I am pleased for the lads and the fans.
"It has not been a fantastic start to the season but now we have got a home and away win and hopefully we can back that up next week against Tranmere."
Cooper earmarked Wyke, who grabbed his second goal in three games since joining on loan from Middlesbrough, for particular praise.
He added: "Charlie scored and he is finding his way in the football world, but he is a technically good footballer.
"He wants to add goals to his game and now he's had two goals in three games for us and looks a genuine threat."
For Shrewsbury, the loss represented a reality check after they had begun their league campaign with three wins and two draws.
This game followed Tuesday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy exit at Preston and manager Micky Mellon insists he never got carried away by an excellent start.
"We have still got plenty of work to do," he said. "But we will take the lessons from the game.
"We will put that into next week's training and come in Monday morning prepared to work hard."
Mellon will certainly be eyeing an improvement from the showing at Victoria Park, which he labelled "not good enough".
"When you concede such an early goal, it puts you on the back foot and we didn't ever fully recover from that," he added.
"We huffed and puffed but we had to move the ball a little bit quicker and smarter. We didn't really do that.
"The players will always give you everything they have got but we were not as good in previous weeks.
"When we got people into good areas, we were not good enough to capitalise. They always looked dangerous and we defended poorly."


28 Jul - 3 min - Uploaded by Toxic Indian Song is not fully finished, only a sample of it. Hope you enjoy it! Follow on instagram: Toxic_Indian. 11 Sep - 1 min - Uploaded by Jordan H The best music for the best team! 8 Jun - 4 min - Uploaded by shanechung21 FSU WARCHANT REMIX. shanechung Loading Unsubscribe . PLEASE PLEASE TELL.
27 Jul - 3 min - Uploaded by Charlie Sean Free Download (Rick Click, Save As): quesyrahfinewines.com / 5 Jan - 4 min - Uploaded by Kenny Spell Florida State Seminoles war chant with a little twist its awesome! 17 Dec - 3 min - Uploaded by Budd Juneya Decided to show love for my favorite college football squad the FSU Seminoles by makin our.
FSU War Chant Remix - Florida State Seminoles - Live. By FSU Marching Chiefs. • 1 song, Play on Spotify. 1. FSU War Chant Remix - Florida State. Check out FSU War Chant Remix - Florida State Seminoles (Live) by FSU Marching Chiefs on Amazon Music. Stream ad-free or purchase CD's and MP3s now. 2 Nov Lil Seminole twerk remix I made sampling the Florida State University Warchant in commemoration of our national ranking and our epic rivalry. 25 Jul Trap remix of FSU's War Chant for football season. Free Download (Right Click, Save As): quesyrahfinewines.com nt-Trap-Remix. Play full-length songs from Go Noles (FSU War Chant Remix): Gameday Faves ( Single) by Florida State University Marching Chiefs on your phone, computer.


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17 RESTAURANTS COMPETING IN PARK CITY'S SUMMER COCKTAIL CONTEST
PARK CITY, Utah (July, 2015) — No need to wait until 2016! Election season is around the corner in Park City with return of the Park City Area Restaurant Association Summer Cocktail Contest.
From July 1 to July 31, taste and then vote online for your favorite libations, rating each on a 1-to-10 scale judging both flavor and presentation.
And if you think the Republican field for president is big, it can't hold a candle to the Cocktail Contest entrants for 2015: 17 bars and restaurants have signed up to compete this year. Cast ballots online by visiting the PCARA website, www.parkcityrestaurants.com.
"Last year was such a blast, and we're so excited to be fielding so many competitors in the cocktail contest this year," PCARA executive director Ginger Ries said. "Last year's creations were all a delight – you'll definitely want to visit all our participating bars and restaurants to make sure you try them all!"
Each participating establishment donated a $50 gift certificate to the PCARA to give away on the group's Facebook page – be sure to keep logging on for a chance to win. The winning cocktail and its creator will be featured in a marketing campaign following the contest leading into PCARA's popular Fall "Dine About" event. He or she will also walk away with $200 and, in a town with more than 30 top-notch bars and restaurants, some serious bragging rights.
The entrants include:
Billy Blanco's: The Blanco Negro
Brass Tag: The Evangeline
Done to Your Taste Catering: The PC Beets
Flanagan's
Grappa: The Hugo
High West Distillery & Saloon: The Treasure Mountain Fiz
Lespri: The Mango Jalapeno Margarite
Red Rock: The PC Steamroller
Riverhorse on Main: The Emerald Saint
Royal Street Café: The Ana-Rita
Silver Star Café: The PC Pedal Punch
Squatters: The Handsome Zach Cucumber Paloma
Sushi Blue: The Ginja Ninja
Tavern at Main & Sky: The Mine Shaft
Wahso: The Souchong Sour
Wasatch Brew Pub: The High Plains Drifter
Last year, High West Distillery & Saloon's novel "Mustang Shandy" took the top prize, beating out more than a dozen other competitors with a combination of High Wset Son of Bourye, High West Campfire-infused honey syrup, fresh lemon juice and Boulevard Tank 7 Farmhouse Ale.
"Online voting gives all PCARA members a chance to participate, driving business to each establishment and giving guests the opportunity to cast a vote," Ries said. "We're eager to see how the contest unfolds, and we can't wait to crown the winner."
Previously, the PCARA's cocktail contests contest took place for just one night only, at a venue in downtown Park City where a panel of guest judges would select the winning libation from just 16 participating venues. Under the new format, the contest takes place over nearly four weeks and opens voting to everyone, not only allowing residents and visitors alike to play a greater role in crowning Park City's winter cocktail champion, but also giving them even more reason to visit the participating bars and restaurants, sampling the entries before casting their votes.
For more information, visit the PCARA website or contact Christa Graff, of Graff Public Relations, by calling 435-64-7921 or emailing christa@graffpr.com.
About the Park City Area Restaurant Association
The Park City Area Restaurant Association is the umbrella organization for more than 70 restaurants in Park City, Utah. The organization supports and promotes the large variety of award-winning restaurants in the Park City area. Every year, thousands of residents and visitors are exposed to Park City's eclectic dining options through a variety of events that the Park City Area Restaurant Association hosts. The events include Savor the Summit, Park City Dine About and Winter Online Cocktail Contest. For a list of member restaurants, their locations, cuisines, pricing and features, please visit www.parkcityrestaurants.com. Visit the Park City Area Restaurant Association's Twitter and Facebook sites for current restaurant information and dining specials.


Drug abuse trends may change over time, but the unique pressures college students face make drug and alcohol abuse a constant on college campuses. Some students are at higher risk for drug abuse than others.
Substance abuse among college students is hardly a new trend. From the 1970s on, rates of alcohol consumption and binge drinking have remained fairly constant. College students have always represented a large portion of the population abusing drugs and alcohol on a regular basis.
Although alcohol abuse has maintained a steady presence on college campuses, the type and frequency of other substances has varied throughout the years.
Some researchers suggest drug abuse is cyclical. This means that as concern over one drug rises, so do prevention efforts. Then, as use falls for that drug, so does the effort to reduce its use. This can then lead to lack of education and a resurgence in abuse of that drug.
Substance abuse occurs when someone uses a drug outside of how it was intended or prescribed. This can include taking Adderall without a prescription to increase concentration or smoking marijuana in order to relax. Drinking is considered abuse when its effects negatively impact the drinker's social or professional life or health. Learn about the difference between abuse and addiction in college students here.
Substance abuse does not discriminate. No one, regardless of whether they come from a good family or have a high GPA, is immune to drug abuse.
Approximately 31 percent of U.S. college students report symptoms of alcohol abuse.
Approximately 80 percent of U.S. college students have abused alcohol.
Between 1993 and 2005, the proportion of students who abused tranquilizers like Xanax and Valium increased by 450 percent.
An estimated 110,000 students between the ages of 18-24 are arrested every year for an alcohol-related violation, such as public drunkenness or driving under the influence.
If you or someone you know is struggling with repeated abuse of drugs or alcohol, help is available. Regardless of your substance or situation, we can connect you with a treatment specialist who can help.


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Home » Judaism 101 » Practical Jewish Law » Daily Living
5. Interpersonal Responsibilities - Part 1
by Rabbi Dov Lev
Judaism's golden rule: Love your neighbor as yourself.
Some may mistakenly think that the basis of Judaism is religious ritual – prayer, kosher, Shabbat. While those are indeed vital, a person's behavior vis-à-vis others occupies a perhaps greater role.1
When the Talmud speaks of Jewish characteristics, it does not do so in terms of ritual observance. Rather, it adopts humane criteria: "The [Jewish] people possess three characteristics: they are merciful, modest and perform deeds of kindness."2 Maimonides goes so far as to declare that cruelty is reason to be suspicious of one's Jewish lineage.3
Consider the "Al-Chet" confessional which occupies a central place in the Yom Kippur service. It consists primarily of ethical-moral transgressions – dishonesty, deception, slander and unkindness – rather than ritual ones.
In emphasizing the Divine priority of values, the Talmud teaches that the very first question a person is asked when he is brought to final judgment is: "Have you dealt honestly in business?"4
A religious person who is honest in business and speaks pleasantly to people will inspire others to deepen their own respect and commitment to Torah.5 This is a great sanctification of God's Name. By contrast, for a religious person to behave dishonorably is regarded as a desecration of the Divine Name (Chillul Hashem), a transgression of the severest spiritual magnitude.6
Interestingly, the Jews' greatest enemies have recognized that ethics are our greatest heritage. Adolph Hitler hated the Jewish message of helping the needy, because it totally contradicted what he wanted the world to become. As Hitler said:
"Providence has ordained that I should be the greatest liberator of humanity. I am freeing man from the restraints of an intelligence that has taken charge, from the dirty and degrading self-mortifications of a false vision called conscience and morality... Conscience is a Jewish invention; it is a blemish like circumcision."7
Now let's examine some of the ways to maximize our ethical behavior. For as King Solomon said: "You shall find favor and understanding in the eyes of God and mankind."8
The Talmud tells of a non-Jew who came to the great sage, Hillel, and offered to convert if he'd be taught the entire Torah while standing upon one foot. Hillel acquiesced to this strange request by saying: "Do not do unto your friend that which is hateful to you. That is the entire Torah; the rest is commentary. Now go and study."9
God commands us to "Love your neighbor as yourself."10 Yet this appears to be an absurd demand. Does anyone really love others as much as they love themselves? Is such a thing really possible?
Further, the Talmud rules that if you are traveling in the desert with only enough water for one person to survive, rather than give it to someone else, you should drink it yourself.11 The Torah does not expect us to place someone else's survival before our own. In fact, it is usually forbidden to so.12 So there must be some other understanding of the mitzvah to "Love your neighbor as yourself."
The true meaning of "Love your neighbor as yourself" is to get beyond your personal mindset and appreciate where others are coming from. Understand the needs and sensitivities of people whose backgrounds are different than your own, and recognize that in such a case you would also have those needs. We all take our own predicaments very seriously. "Love your neighbor as yourself" instructs you to empathize and relate to another person's situation objectively, as if you are in the same boat.13
The trick is to balance this obligation with your own very important needs.
Consider this example: Two people are sitting down for a meal, and there are three pieces of bread. Each takes one piece, leaving one left over. Who gets it?
The answer is not as simple as "split it." The concept of "love your neighbor as yourself" says to be as objective as possible. There are many factors to consider: Who is hungrier? Whose metabolism requires more food? Who is more likely to have an opportunity to eat again soon?
As you see, each situation requires genuine thought and sensitivity to the needs of others, while considering your own needs as well.
Focusing on Needs
The story is told of two drunken peasants speaking late one night:
One said, "My friend, do you love me?"
"Of course I love you," replied the second one.
"Then tell me what's missing from my life."
"How should I know?!" said his friend.
"If you don't know what's missing in my life," said the first drunk, "then you don't really love me."14
To "love your neighbor as yourself" is to empathize with another's needs.
But what happens if we don't feel that empathy? How do we develop these sensitivities? The antidote is to give to others. The more we go out of our way to do kindness for others, the more we will develop empathy.15
Rabbi Zelig Pliskin, in his book "Love Your Neighbor" lists 41 ways to fulfill the mitzvah. The underlying theme is to make a proactive effort to find people in need, and provide for them:16
visit the sick17
comfort mourners18
bury the dead19
cheer up someone who is sad or lonely
protect others from injury20
work not only for income, but because it will help others
show concern for other's financial needs21
meaningfully praise others
feel joy at the good fortune of others
welcome guests22
contribute to the joy of those getting married23
If You Are Wronged
What if a relative makes a snide remark, or a neighbor is being particularly annoying, or a business associate takes advantage of you? Should you simply turn the other cheek and allow yourself to be taken advantage of?
That is not the Jewish approach. The Torah provides practical solutions for interpersonal predicaments, and does not expect us to simply tolerate getting hurt.24 If you are able to simply ignore the comment, that is the ideal approach. But if not, it is forbidden to hold your negative feelings inside.25
If someone slights us, we should approach them in a non-confrontational manner, and never in front of other people.26 This will produce surprisingly positive results. Often, the offensive act was the result of a misunderstanding, or the offender had been going through a particularly challenging situation. By approaching him in a soft-spoken manner, you'll be able to repair the relationship. Had you held it inside, it would cause a strain in the relationship, or worse, at some point you'd probably burst.
In the event of a financial dispute, don't harbor a grudge and don't shout at the other party. Try to negotiate a compromise. If you can't peacefully resolve it among yourselves, seek the mediation of a beit din (rabbinical court). This is the Torah's way of dealing with conflicts.
Click the play button on the right to listen to a 3-minute audio lesson: "The clever way to react to insult" by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin.
Whom Should We Love?
The mitzvah to love others applies to all of humanity.27 A Jew has a special responsibility to love other Jews.28
Further, it is especially important to love sincere converts to Judaism.29 Converts are particularly cherished in God's eyes,30 and we must be careful not to hurt or offend them in any way.31
The Torah also requires us to be especially sensitive to the needs of widows and orphans.32 They have suffered tragedy and tend to be particularly sensitive. Speak with them gently and be extremely careful not to hurt them. 33
In general, the Torah expects us to show extra sensitivity to those who are especially needy.34 We must relate to them as we would want to be taken care of, were we in such a situation.
Don't Hurt!
The Torah forbids causing undue pain to others.35 This is prohibited even if the pain is minor and even if it was unintentional. Any hurtful comment is a violation of this commandment. For example, one may not remind a person of his past misdeeds,36 or point out his faults.37 It also wrong to call someone by a denigrating nickname,38 even if he does not object.
Given this idea of not harming others, you should not enter a store and pretend to be interested in purchasing an item when you know for sure that you will not buy it.39 Doing so is akin to "stealing another's thoughts," as it falsely raise the hopes of the seller. (Of course, if you are sincerely interested in an item, you are not obligated to buy it.)
Embarrassing someone is regarded as a terrible crime – akin to murder!40 In fact, the Sages teach that one who causes undue embarrassment to another loses his portion in the World to Come.41 The severity of embarrassing someone is compounded when it is done in the presence of others.42
A husband must be extremely careful not to cause any pain to his wife,43 and especially not to make her cry.44
It is forbidden to take revenge or to bear a grudge.45
Mark is building some shelves in his basement and asks to borrow his neighbor Sam's electric screwdriver. Sam says "no." The next week, Sam asks to borrow Mark's extension ladder. Mark recalls that Sam was unwilling to lend the screwdriver. If Mark says "no" on that basis, it is a forbidden act of "taking revenge."
Now let's change the scenario slightly:
Sam asks to borrow Mark's extension ladder, and Mark recalls that Sam was unwilling to lend an electric screwdriver the week before. If Mark says, "Sure, I'll lend you my ladder, because I'm not tight-fisted like you" – that is a forbidden act of "bearing a grudge."
Judge Favorably46
Think back to the last time you were accused falsely. How did it make you feel? The Torah does not allow us to accuse others based on circumstantial evidence. In fact, one who falsely accuses another of a crime may sometimes be subject to corporal punishment.47 If you do mistakenly blame someone, you should ask forgiveness and confer upon him a meaningful blessing.48
It is not merely forbidden to accuse falsely; you may not even mentally attribute guilt to an innocent person.49 This does not mean we should be naive and assume that everyone is well-intentioned in everything that they do. On the contrary, the Torah wants us to be realistic in evaluating other people. But we should look for mitigating circumstances and not jump to negative conclusions.50
How far are we required to judge favorably? That depends on the ethical and moral status of the supposed offender.51
For example, if you see an observant Jew entering a non-kosher restaurant, don't assume that he is a hypocrite. For all you know, he may need to use the bathroom or the telephone. On the other hand, if you see a Jew unwrap a McDonald's cheeseburger and eat it, you need not assume anything different than the way it appears. In both cases, we may conclude the most realistic possibility.
Still, even in the most extenuating circumstances, it is best to lean toward the approach that suggests the goodness of people.52
Click the play button on the right to listen to a 3-minute audio lesson: "Judging Favorably" by Rabbi Shraga Simmons.
Gentle Rebuke
If one sees another making a mistake or going astray, it is a duty to try to set him straight53. Of course, this must be done privately and with gentle words.54 One should offer this reproof only if it is motivated for the benefit of the other person.55 If one knows that his words will fall on deaf ears, then it is equally incumbent not to say anything at all.56
One who has the ability to influence others and does not do so, shares the responsibility for the others' misdeeds.57 Similarly, one who positively influence others, shares the merit of their mitzvot.58
Mitzvot between man and God are termed "bein adam la'Makom." Those dealing with man's relationship to his fellow man are "bein adam l'chavero."
Yevamot 79a
Isurei Bi'ah 19:17
Shabbat 31a
Talmud – Yoma 86a
Hitler Speaks by Herman Rauschning
Talmud – Shabbat 31a
Baba Metzia 62a
See Rambam (Yesodei HaTorah 5:4)
As heard from Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits.
Story by Rabbi Moshe Leib of Sassov
Chazon Ish (Kovetz Igros 1:123)
see Sha'arey Teshuva 4:11
Talmud – Shabbat 127b with Rashi
Rambam (Aivel 14:7)
Genesis 47:29 with Rashi
Talmud – Baba Kama 30a
Rambam (Deyot 6:3)
Talmud – Avot 1:2 with Bartenura
However, taking revenge is forbidden. (Rambam – Deyot 7:7)
Rambam (Deyot 6:6-7)
Sefer HaBrit 2:13:5, Tosefet Bracha (Kedoshim 19:18); Torah Sh'leimah (miluim to Parshat Yitro 20). This is also the implication of Menorah HaMeor (vol. 4, pg. 305b) and of Rabbi Chaim Vital's Sha'arei Kedusha (pg. 504 in Kushta ed.). Some authorities limit the technical obligation to only loving other Jews. See Rambam (Deyot 6:3 and Aivel 14:1) and Yad Ramah (Sanhedrin 56a).
Mesilat Yesharim (ch. 19)
Deut. 10:19; Rambam (Deyot 6:4)
Exodus 22:20, 23:9
Exodus 22:21; Rambam (Deyot 6:10)
Rambam (Deyot 6:10)
Rashi (Exodus 22:21)
Leviticus 25:17 – Ona'at Devarim (lit: hurting with words)
Choshen Mishpat 228:4
Sha'arei Teshuva 3:139
Talmud – Baba Metzia 59a
Talmud – Baba Metzia 58b; Kol Bo 66 (s.v. V'Al Asher)
Leviticus 19:18; Talmud – Yoma 23a
Two fascinating collections of true stories that demonstrate the importance of judging favorably are Courtrooms of the Mind by Hanoch Teller (NYC Publishing), and The Other Side of the Story by Yehudis Samet (ArtScroll/Mesorah)
Talmud – Shabbat 87a; Yoma 19b
Talmud – Brachot 31b
Talmud – Shavuot 30a
Chafetz Chaim
As heard from Rabbi Yitzchak Berkovits
Rashi (Leviticus 19:17); Rambam Deyot 6:7
Chafetz Chaim 1:10:2 with Be'er Mayim Chaim
Proverbs 9:8; Talmud – Yevamot 65b
Talmud – Sanhedrin 27b
Talmud – Avot 5:18
Article 5 of 43 in the series Daily Living
40. Holidays - Part 4
10. Financial Laws - Part 2
Most Popular In Practical Jewish Law
Crash Course in Jewish Blessings
29. Hygiene
1. What is a Bracha?
39. Answering Amen
14. The Daily Prayer Services
43. 100 Blessings Each Day
13. Daily Prayer: General
17. Tochen - Part 2: Healing on Shabbat
9. Financial Laws - Part 1
41. Rabbinic Fast Days


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Q: "Method used for the analysis of tissue aging" or "method used for tissue aging analysis" What sounds better / clearer?
"Method used for the analysis of tissue aging" or "method used for tissue aging analysis"
Or even
"Method used for the analysis of aging tissue " or "method used for aging tissue analysis"
Thanks!

A: I prefer "method used for tissue aging analysis" for a headline or essay title or whatnot since it is terser than the alternative.
However, that phrasing does present an ambiguity: are we discussing a particular way of going about analyzing tissue aging, or are we discussing an analysis of some method used to age tissue? Still, I think the latter interpretation is sufficiently difficult to come up with to allow "method used for tissue aging analysis" to be okay for use in a headline or title.
But in order to lay to rest the ambiguity, it probably wouldn't hurt to go with the more long-form "method used for the analysis of tissue aging" in the text itself (say, the intro to the essay).
I would leave to you whether "tissue aging" or "aging tissue" is more appropriate. As FumbleFingers points out, that would depend on whether your analysis is of the process of tissue aging or of tissue that happens to be getting older, respectively.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Беспроводной абонентский доступ(от , сокр. ) — тип технологий связи, представляющих собой комбинацию радиотелефонной линии и стационарного телефона. WLL используется там, где подключение стационарного телефона к стационарным наземным телефонным сетям невозможно или слишком дорого, а также, например, в малонаселённых сельских регионах. Кроме того, данную технологию используют телефонные операторы, не обладающие собственными сетями, построенными на медно-проводной основе.

Существует два различных принципа функционирования WLL:
 радиопередача от пункта к пункту (радиорелейная связь);
 радиопередача от передатчика ко множеству приёмников, когда базовая станция обеспечивает приём на множество приёмников и используется несколько режимов передачи (каналов доступа) для обеспечения связи одновременно с несколькими радиоприёмниками.

Связь строится по принципу от последней точки стационарной телефонной линии к первой точке новой зоны радиосвязи для подключения системы телефонной службы и/или услуг широкополосного доступа в Интернет для абонентов беспроводной электросвязи. Существуют различные виды систем WLL и технологий:
 широкополосный беспроводной доступ (, сокр. ),
 радио в малой зоне (, сокр. ),
 фиксированный радиодоступ (, сокр. ),
 фиксированный беспроводной доступ (, сокр. ).

Система фиксированного беспроводного терминала (, сокр. ) отличается от обычных мобильных терминалов, действующих в сотовой сети (таких, как GSM) в том, что фиксированный беспроводной терминал для стационарного телефона предусматривает практически постоянное местонахождение телефонного аппарата без возможности роуминга. WLL и FWT — общие термины для обозначения использующих радиосвязь телекоммуникационных технологий и соответствующих устройств, которые могут быть реализованы с использованием целого ряда различных беспроводных технологий и радио.

Примечания

Рекомендуемая литература

Телефонная связь
Беспроводные сети

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Cragnamurragh is the 481st highest place in Ireland. Cragnamurragh is the second highest point in county Clare.
This approach first takes you over nearby Glennagalliagh. Considering the amount of comments commenting about the boggy nature of these hills, this route is quite straightforward and mostly along tracks. Starting at R6395472575 E on Map 58, follow the access track 1.5kms up to the summit of Glennagalliagh. (For information – it's possible to drive to the summit in jeep type vehicles as turf cutting takes place there). From the summit look north down into the saddle below Glennagalliagh. A white track carved out of the bog should be visible. This track leads for 1km up to the col between Cragnamurragh and Moylussa.
A local walker told me that many people believe that Cragnamurragh is the highest point of Clare because there is a trig pillar on Cragnamurragh while there is none on nearby Moylussa. He said that the highest point in the county would surely have this pillar? I pointed out that it had to do with the Ordnance Survey and lines of sight etc but I didn't convince him!
Approached from Moylussa with poor visibilty and unrelenting rain. Normally I would regard the wide boggy track running SE as a scar on the landscape, but today it was a useful guide, bringing us practically to the summit trig pillar.
I won't bore you with the details of our descent down the southern spur, involving as it did, awkward hummocky slopes, impenetrable foliage and an unnecessary 8 km roadwalk.
From Kilbane village take the gap road towards Killaloe . 200 m far from the junction with the signposts you will see a house and a tractor road on the left hand side . Only one car can be parked on the side of the main road.
Take the tractor road which in the spring time might be flooded by the small stream which cross it. Some stepping stone will help to cross this section and still remain dry.
On the tractor path are encounter three gates . The last one will lead you into an open field with clear view of the hills nesting the area: Glenvagalliagh to the right and Cragnamurragh straight ahead .