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Breaking News: WIKILEAKS plans to release all your emails
by TEJ | Dec 3, 2010 | In the News Humor, Political humor
In the past week, WikiLeaks, the controversial organization that claims its goal is to keep governments honest by revealing classified documents, made news again. They announced that in the upcoming weeks, they will be releasing more than 250,000 classified U.S. diplomatic cables and internal documents – to the dismay and embarrassment of top government officials in the US and the world over.
Government leaders from Italy's Silvio Berlusconi to Libya's Muammar Gaddifi to Russia's Vladimir Putin to North Korea's Kim Jong Il have been privately ridiculed and derided as incompetent, sexually promiscuous, behaving like a thug or having amazingly bad hair. WikiLeaks' Australian-born editor and Internet activist, Julian Assange (right) has been characterized as everything from an anarchist to a terrorist – but he has not been ridiculed for having bad hair. This reporter thinks it's quite stylish, actually.
But this is just the tip of the WikiLeaks iceberg. Thanks to my own painstaking Pulitzer-Prize-deserving investigative journalism and my extensive network of contacts within the Latvian intelligence community, I am about to blow the lid off the latest WikiLeaks scandal. In a View from the Bleachers EXCLUSIVE, I have uncovered WikiLeaks' secret plans to release everybody's email communications from the past ten years – Yes, everybody's – including yours. The reasons for this latest attempt at public humiliation are unclear. My own speculation is that WikiLeaks chief Assange is trying to get back at an ex-girlfriend. But whatever the reasons, the consequences could be potentially devastating for millions of Americans, Russians, Chinese, Indians, Europeans, Middle Easterners, and potentially as many as three Greenlanders.
Continue reading "Breaking News: WIKILEAKS plans to release all your emails" »
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Seagate Pushes to Finish Front End for SQL Server 2000
As development continues on its Crystal Analysis product, Seagate Software (www.seagate.com) is aiming to have an OLAP front-end for SQL Server 2000 available by the time Microsoft Corp.'s (www.microsoft.com) next-generation database is released.
OLAP is becoming an increasingly vital component of the SQL Server environment. SQL Server 7.0 brought OLAP to the platform for the first time in the form of Microsoft's Plato OLAP engine. SQL Server 2000 will feature an integrated data mining feature that effectively augments its business intelligence portfolio.
Data mining sifts through business information and helps organizations identify previously unknown relationships between seemingly disparate data objects in multidimensional data stores. On top of its robust analytic capabilities, a tool like Seagate's Crystal Analysis also lets users drill through multidimensional data to access relational SQL Server data.
In late May, Seagate issued the first beta of its Crystal Analysis product for the SQL Server 2000 beta. By integrating with Seagate's business intelligence (BI) portfolio -- Seagate Crystal Reports, Seagate Info and Seagate Holos -- and by leveraging the native OLAP capabilities of SQL Server 2000, company officials say the new Crystal Analysis is enhanced for ad hoc query, multidimensional data analysis, and reporting in OLAP environments.
According to Don Petersen, business development manager for business intelligence at Microsoft, the addition of Seagate Crystal Analysis as an analytic front-end for SQL Server 2000 will benefit customers.
"Seagate Software is known for its enterprise reporting and analysis capabilities, and Microsoft is pleased that their technology is available to all SQL Server 2000 customers," Petersen says. "With Seagate Software's dedication to seamless integration with SQL Server 2000, organizations will benefit from a cost-effective and proven business intelligence solution."
With Crystal Analysis' support for Office Pivot Tables and OLE DB for OLAP, users can build OLAP cubes on-the-fly. Crystal Analysis also allows users to create reports and OLAP views of data for slicing and dicing.
Seagate took the wraps off the Crystal Analysis beta after an announcement concerning the re-branding of its bread-and-butter BI tools -- Crystal Reports, Holos, and Info -- under the "Crystal" name. According to Mike Schiff, director of data warehousing strategies at Current Analysis Inc. (www.currentanalysis.com), Seagate Software's Crystal branding effort could be a prelude to its ultimate divestiture from parent company Seagate Technology.
"The branding allows the disk-drive business to retain its Seagate association, while permitting the software side to leverage the powerful and respected Crystal name," Schiff explains. "Whether or not it foreshadows a Seagate divestiture of Seagate Software, it is still a powerful tactic and we expect that all of the of the Seagate Software offerings will soon be rebranded to fall under the Crystal umbrella."

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's that time of the year again when things get a whole lot merrier – decorating the cubicles with mistletoe, planning the office Christmas party, and exchanging some gifts with people you may or may not even like. It is one of my favorite traditions because at its core, you get to spread some cheer and surprise to someone you don't usually have on your Christmas list. Plus there is an element of surprise when you get your present and finally figure out who your Secret Santa is.
-And please indicate if you are able/willing to ship internationally or not.
-(Optional) include some information about yourself to help your Santa narrow in on a gift.
All people willing to participate must have their names submitted by November 15th. On the 17th you will receive an email about who you are getting a gift for. Please have all packages in the mail no later than December 1st (internationally) and December 15th (domestic). If you have any questions please send a message to secretsanta@siradio.fm, or talk to Doragon and Linachen in the IRC.
*Participants are responsible for cost of gift and shipping. Split Infinity Radio will not reimburse/pay for these costs.
**Participation is strictly voluntary. Split Infinity Radio ownership/management will not be resposible for resolving any disputes.
Let the season of gift giving begin, and remember to have fun!


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Add me, Devoured, to your sparring list. Let me know if you've added me so I can add you in return.

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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Apparatus for packing commodities such as meat or bacon into bags of flexible thermoplastics film material comprises a vacuum chamber and sealing means arranged to hold closely together without application of pressure a band of bag material extending across the neck of the bag and applying heat to fuse the band of bag material and form a fluid tight seal. The vacuum chamber may include heating means so that after sealing the bag may be inflated off the commodity and thereby heated prior to collapse into close engagement with the commodity.
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 185,690, filed Sept. 10, 1980, now abandoned.
This invention relates to a process and apparatus suitable for use in packing commodities in bags of heat sealable plastics material. Such commodities include animal carcasses or parts of animal carcasses or joints such as bacon joints. It is particularly useful in, but not limited to, packing meat such as beef or bacon, or cheese, in vacuum packs.
Such packing has been in use for some time usually using a shrink film i.e. a thermoplastics film made under tension and set when cold, but which when heated (for example in hot water up to 100° C.) will release its inherent shrink characteristics so that the film shrinks and collapses onto the commodities in the bags. This process has been used mainly for bacon joints which are bagged, and sealed under vacuum in a hood-type vacuum apparatus forming an unheated chamber when closed, in which the open bag mouth is sealed by conventional means e.g. impulse sealing when the bag is under vacuum in the chamber and surplus film is cut off by a knife or hot wire. The chamber is vented to atmosphere and the bag is moved on a conveyor and immersed in a hot water dip tank whereupon the bag material shrinks taut around the commodity due to the release of the shrink characteristics of the bag material. The sealed shrink bags are conveyed to a drying zone and allowed to dry so that appropriate labelling can be applied to the bags.
Such know processes are expensive in the initial equipment costs especially the dip tank, drying and drainage means and conveyors. Moreover the operational costs, costs of bag materials and maintenance costs are undesirably high and the requisite apparatus and equipment occupy large floor space. The running costs include power for heating the dip tank and for running the conveyors. A disadvantage of the known process is that when the bags are sealed during application of vacuum to the bag interiors, the bag material at the bag mouth creases and fat and grease tend to be sucked into the bag mouth seal area so that a high rate of incidence of leaking bags results which increases the running costs and reduces output levels.
In another known process a nylon/polyethylene laminate non-shrink bag material is used in which, when the filled bag is impulse sealed under vacuum as in the aforesaid process then on venting the hood chamber to atmospheric pressure conditions, the bag collapses onto the product in the bag in an unshrunk wrinkled condition in contact with the surface of the product. The sealed bag is then passed on a moving conveyor through a tunnel in which hot air causes all-over sealing of the free bag material i.e. the bag material which is not in contact with the product in the bag. This process suffers from the same disadvantages as the known shrink process referred to above and in addition the tunnel heat e.g. 160° C. can cause discolouration or degradation of the packaged product.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved process and apparatus for use in packing commodities in bags of plastics material and sealing the bags with reduced chance of leakage from the sealed bags.
The present invention provides a packing process for packing commodities such as meat, bacon or cheese, which process comprises loading a commodity into a bag of thermoplastics shrink film material, disposing the loaded bag in a vacuum chamber with an open mouth of the bag adjacent a sealing means, applying vacuum to the chamber interior and to the bag interior, operating the sealing means to induce sufficient heat in a band of bag material between the commodity and the mouth to fuse the bag material together across said band without the application of pressure across said band and thereby form a fluid tight seal across the band, continuing the application of reduced pressure in the chamber after the bag mouth is sealed so that the bag expands towards heating means within the chamber, heating the expanded bag material to release shrink properties of the film so that it contracts onto the commodity while in the vacuum chamber and then removing the packed commodity from the chamber.
Preferably, after heating the expanded bag material the process includes restoring the chamber interior to a pressure at which the bag material is urged into intimate contact with the commodity before removing the resultant pack from the opened chamber.
Preferably the sealing means is arranged to apply heat continuously to the band of bag material while the loaded bag is in position in the vacuum chamber.
The present invention also provides apparatus for packing commodities such as for example meat, bacon or cheese, which apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, means for supporting a loaded unsealed bag of flexible thermoplastics film material within the chamber, means to apply vacuum to the chamber interior and to the bag interior, sealing means arranged to hold closely together without application of pressure a band of bag material extending across the neck of the bag between a commodity in the bag and the mouth of the bag and means for applying heat to said band of bag material to cause the material to fuse together across said band and thereby form a fluid tight seal across said band, heating means within the chamber arranged to apply heat to the bag material surrounding the commodity, the means for applying vacuum to the chamber being arranged to create a pressure difference between the sealed bag interior and the chamber interior to cause the bag to inflate towards the heating means so that the bag material is heated by the heating means, and means to restore the chamber interior to a pressure such that the bag material collapses onto the commodity in the bag.
Preferably the sealing means comprises two parallel heated lips having heat emitting surfaces arranged face to face and spaced apart so as to hold the band of bag material closely between them and fuse the bag material together.
Preferably said lips include additional heated faces inclined to the said surfaces and arranged to face the commodity in the loaded bag when in position in the vacuum chamber thereby enabling substantial heat transfer to the bag material surrounding the commodity adjacent the fused band.
In a preferred apparatus according to the invention the heated chamber is located in the vacuum chamber and the bag mouth is disposed between continuously heated lips which form part of the heated base plate and the hotbox. The lips, base and hotbox may be heated to raise the temperature of the bag material to above a softening temperature, which cannot be reached with hot or boiling water, to seal the bag mouth. When the bag inflates it approaches or engages the heated surfaces so that on restoring pressure in the vacuum chamber, e.g. on allowing atmospheric air to re-enter the chamber, the bag is heated sufficiently for the material to release its inherent shrink and will collapse smoothly into intimate contact with the commodity in the bag.
Suitable bag materials for use in the process of the invention include a triple laminate of an inner irradiated polyethylene layer, a saran barrier layer and an outer non-irradiated polyethylene layer to protect the barrier layer, one example of which is a shrink material being marketed as "BB1" thermoplastic film bags by W. R. Grace Inc of the United States of America.
The BB1 film becomes semi-molten at about 120° C. which is well above its softening temperature of 90° C. This temperature for becoming semi-molten is higher than the temperature of boiling water. The film becomes fully molten at about 200° C.
The irradiated polyethylene layer will be the inner layer of the bag irradiated for greater bag strength which is recognised in the packing industry as difficult to seal particularly when creased or contaminated by for example grease from the commodity in the bag being sealed.
A single polyethylene sheet may be used as the bag material for the process.
As the commodity in the loaded bag is cold, normally about 7° C., and is not substantially warmed during its dwell in the chamber, it is preferable to inflate the bag off the cold commodity so that sufficient heat may be introduced into the film and to ensure that it retains its heat as it collapses onto the commodity in the bag.
To effect the fusion between the lips the base plate preferably rises and the heated lips have a predetermined gap between them so that the optimum heat emissivity is created which gives the most suitable molten weld of the bag material.
In a preferred construction the heated lips are used in conjunction with conventional impulse sealing bars with which may be associated a hot cut-off wire or knife blade cut-off.
A spring loaded bag mouth clamp or clamps may also be provided to hold the free ends of the bag mouth in position.
The complete process is preferably carried out on a predetermined time schedule by a cycle programmer circuit. The apparatus is driven by a prime mover such as an electric motor which is set in motion automatically by closing the hood and/or by the operator initiating a starter switch. The motor drives a cam shaft which causes operation of valves for applying vacuum to the chamber interior, the bag mouth seal bar, the continuously heated lips and for aerating the chamber, and for actuating the lower seal bar.
The invention also provides apparatus for packing commodities such as for example meat, bacon or cheese, which apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, means for supporting a loaded unsealed bag of flexible thermoplastics film material within the chamber, means to apply vacuum to the chamber interior and to the bag interior, sealing means arranged to hold closely together without application of pressure a band of bag material extending across the neck of the bag between a commodity in the bag and the mouth of the bag and means for applying heat to said band of bag material to cause the material to fuse together across said band and thereby form a fluid tight seal across said band.
FIG. 9 is a modification of the arrangement shown in FIG. 2.
In the drawings the same references are used to designate the same or similar parts.
Referring to the drawings these show diagrammatically an apparatus suitable for use in sealing bags of thermoplastic flexible film each loaded with a commodity such as part of the carcass of an animal e.g. a joint of meat or bacon, or cheese. The apparatus and process used to seal the bags under vacuum may however, be used to pack any commodity which may be food, in retail or bulk form or other article such as a machine part. It will be understood that reference to "vacuum" means that the interior of the bags is reduced to a pressure below atmospheric but the extent of vacuum which is achieved may be varied to suit the particular commodity or each pack being prepared.
Referring to FIG. 1 the apparatus has a tray 9 on a frame 2 with a hood 3 hinged at 4 to one side of the frame, and a handle 5.
Mounted within the interior of the hood is a continously heated hotbox 6 which when the hood is closed, together with the heated baseplate forms a heated enclosure around the loaded bag with a slot formed by two closely spaced heated lips (marked 30,31 in FIG. 2) through which the bag neck can pass. On the tray 9 is a lower heater plate which forms a base plate 15, seen more fully in FIG. 2. This baseplate 15 is mounted on straps 10 which are of Tufnol material to avoid heat transfer, and are hinged at 12 at pivot points on the tray. Normally when the hood is open the base plate at its bag mouth end rests on adjustable posts 13 each having a Tufnol cap. The baseplate has an electric heater mat 14 e.g. infra red heater mat sandwiched between the hot plate 15 so that with the hotbox the whole inner enclosure is heated during the whole of the evacuation, sealing and aerating operation.
The hood has a vacuum inlet 16 with a valve 17 and a vacuum outlet 18 with a valve 19 whereby the whole of the hood interior and the interior of the bag can be subjected to vacuum e.g. to 4 torr, and also returned to normal atmospheric conditions at a controlled rate due to the shape of the cam operating valve 19 or restriction of the ventilation valve.
A sealing device 20a (FIG. 2) of the impulse seal type is provided within the outer hood with a fixed upper bar 20 and a vertically movable lower seal bar 21 which may include a hot wire cutter 22 and which is raised and lowered on a rod 23 by rotation of a cam 24 in the timed circuit driven by the prime mover. The rod may maintain contact wih the cam preferably by a spring, not shown, provided for this purpose.
A cutting blade 25 driven by a cam 26 may be provided, and there may be a standard optional clamp bar 27 with its lower vertical moving counterpart 28 also operated by a rod and cam 29.
A second inner sealing means for effecting the fusion seal is provided by upper and lower heated lips 30,31 (FIG. 2). The lip 30 is part of the forward end wall of the hotbox 6, and is heated by a heater mat sandwiched between two layers of aluminium plate from which the hotbox is constructed. The lower lip 31 is an extension of the bottom base plate 15 and rises and falls with the lower conventional impulse sealing member 21. The two lips 30,31 have internal electric heating means capable of raising the heat emissivity between the two lips to a temperature above the softening point i.e. near molten temperature of the bag film material. This temperature would normally be above 110° C. but less than 140° C. at which temperature the film may become too molten.
The contact or opposing surfaces of the lips 30,31 may be coated with Teflon which is either a self-adhesive sheet e.g. 0.003 to 0.005" in thickness, or a permanent hard bake black Teflon coating to ensure a non-stick surface and one that will not adhere to the semi-molten plastic film.
The lips 30 and 31 are closely spaced so as to sandwich between them a band of bag material extending across the neck of the bag between the bag mouth and the commodity. The lips have flat planar surfaces which are parallel and aligned with each other so as to hold the band of bag material closely together without applying pressure to the bag material. The flat planar surfaces of the lips are continuously heated so as to induce sufficient heat into the band of bag material while in position in the vacuum chamber to effect fushion of the bag material across the band despite any wrinkles or contamination in the material and thereby form an effective fluid tight seal across the band. The flat planar surfaces of the lips 30 and 31 are formed integrally as extensions of heated plates inclined to the plane of the lips and forming part of the hotbox 6 and base plate 15. The heated inclined plates ensure good heat transfer into the film adjacent the band is fused together between the lips so that the shrink characteristics are fully effective in pulling the fused seal closely against the commodity and thereby making the seal as unobtrusive as possible.
Inside the hot box is a drape 33 of a flexible chain mail of aluminium discs interconnected by aluminium wire links which is heated within the hood by radiation. The drape is fixed at either end in such a manner as seen in FIG. 1 to allow it to sag noticeably in the centre. It is at its sides, as seen in FIG. 4, fixed through springs 34 to the inner hotbox 6 which gives it a degree of flexibility. Thus the drape can vary in shape matching the bag as it is inflated or following the contours of the commodity when the chamber is closed as will be described.
This drape has a temperature circa 100° C. which is lower than the temperature within the hood which is up 140° C., so that the drape can contact the bag without damaging it. At the same time the drap ensures even heat transfer to the bag film during its inflation and mouth closing process. The importance of this is that the bag material throughout the whole of the bag is brought to those physical conditions which enable the inherent shrink characteristic of the bag material to activate in the same manner throughout the whole bag.
The drape, described by example as aluminium chain mail, may be coated with black heat resistant paint or have a black hard bake Teflon coating to ensure maximum heated absorbence/emissivity from the surrounding heat in the hood.
It is important that during the sealing process the bag mouth material be held so that it does not pull back before the final seal is made. For the impulse seal the standard clamp bar can be used, but in addition it is desired to hold the bag mouth edges adjacent the impulse sealing means. For this purpose the vacuum tubes 40 seen in FIG. 2 and diagrammatically in FIG. 5, are mounted on the impulse sealing bars 20, 21. As seen in FIG. 5 each of the tubes 40 has a central wall 35 which enable it to be divided into two separate suction means. These tubes are connected by tubes 36, 36a to the vacuum apparatus in pairs. Thus by applying the vacuum to the whole width of the tubes 40, a bag occupying the whole of the loaded chamber may be sealed, or by using half of each of the tubes two smaller bags can be sealed side by side.
It is necessary to support the bagged product on the base plate so that it does receive heat by radiation therefrom, but that heat must not be such as to interfere with the film shrink process. Thus the base plate 15 is provided wih strips 37 of non-heated conductive material which have an undulating top 38 surface which are made or coated with Tufnol strips. These strips in elevation and cross section are in part illustrated in FIG. 2.
It is important that the heated lip 31 on the base plate 15 maintains this relationship with the lower impulse seal bar 21, and therefore the lip overhangs the edge of the seal bar 21 so that as the base plate 15 pivots about its hinges 12 by operation of the rod and cam 23, 24 the front end of the base plate 15 and its heater mat rise carrying the lower lip 31 with it.
The apparatus operates in the following manner. The hood is fully open as seen in dotted lines in FIG. 1. A commodity such as a hind quarter of bacon is loaded into a plastic bag of a material having shrink characteristics the mouth being left open. The bag is then placed on the strips 37 on the base plate 15 within the apparatus. The mouth of the bag material is draped across the standard seal bar 21 while the vacuum tubes 40 restrain its bag neck. The hood 3 is then closed and the inner hotbox 6 automatically closes over the heated base plate 15. The motor (not shown) is automatically set in operation when the hood is closed so that the chamber and bag contents are evacuated, and then the impulse seal bar 21 is raised while the bag material is held by the vacuum tubes 40. As the seal bars 20 and 21 come together the lips 30 and 31 are brought closer together to ensure good heat emissivity from the lips 30,31 into the band of bag material between them so that the band is made molten right across the bag mouth between the standard impulse seal. However the arrangement is such that the lips 30 and 31 do not compress the bag material between them. The temperature of the lips is arranged to be sufficiently high that significant pressure between them and the bag material would cause breakdown of the bag material and so the lips work on the basis of inducing sufficient heat to cause fusion rather than on the application of pressure.
While this is taking place the interior of the hood and of the bag have been brought to a vacuum level of approximately 4 torr. Once the impulse seal is made the bag, due to vacuum still being applied to the chamber but outside of the bag causes a pressure differential between bag and chamber thereby causing the bag to inflate off of the cold product and become heated by radiated and contact heat within the heated enclosure and the heat retaining drape.
The programme control circuit is designed so that it can stop the whole power drive for a variable preselected time while the bag is inflated to ensure that the whole of the bag material reaches the required temperature before the chamber is opened to atmospheric pressure. The chamber interior is finally opened to atmospheric pressure and the bag collapses on to the commodity at a controlled speed in complete engagement with its surface throughout due to activation of the shrink characteristics and the pressure difference between the outside and the inside of the bag.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show an alternative arrangement within the hotbox 6. Instead of using the drape 33, vertical hot plates 50 and 51 are provided to accommodate variation in package size. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 7 two package stations are shown side by side each having a respective vertical hot plate. Each of the hot plates 50 and 51 is mounted on a horizontal air cylinder device 52 so that the hot plate may move forwards towards the package to a position shown by broken lines. Each of the air cylinders 52 is connected through a changeover valve device 53 so that either vacuum or atmospheric pressure may be applied to the air cylinder. When the interior of the chamber is at atmospheric pressure, vacuum is connected to the air cylinders 52 so that the vertical hot plates are pulled hard back against a fixed vertical hot plate 54 which forms an integral part of the heated base pate 15 thus heating the moving plates 50 and 51. The valve 53 is controlled by a roller lever mounted on the main machine frame and outside the vacuum chamber so that when the operator closes the hood of the vacuum chamber the changeover valve is operated causing atmospheric pressure to be applied to the air cylinders 51 via the valve 53 while the other end of the air cylinders have ports 55 which are open to the vacuum within the vacuum chamber. This causes the plates 50 and 51 to move forward automatically until contacting the bagged product or package or until reaching the end of their stroke. As the air cylinders 52 have ports 55 which are open to the pressure within the vacuum chamber, the hot plates 50 and 51 advance and return automatically as required. Furthermore, as is shown in FIG. 8, a further suspended heater plate 56 is loosely suspended on supports 57 in the upper part of the hotbox. The plate 56 is an aluminium plate which may be suspended from or through the roof section of the hotbox and is heated by radiation from the surrounding heated surfaces of the hotbox. The loose plate is coated with self-adhesive Teflon or a permanent hard bake black Teflon coating. The plate 56 normally descends under gravity to its lowest extent or until it contacts the bag surface. The plates can be automatically lifted by the inflating bag during the sealing process. One suspended plate 56 is provided above each of the packing stations shown in FIG. 7.
On some particularly soft products, such as fresh meat, it may be desirable to cause the product to be lifted off the support for the pack at the base of the pack to allow the bag material to inflate off the underside of the product while the bag material is heated sufficiently during the packing process. The arrangement shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 includes an inflatable support device 58 for each package. In this case, the support device 58 is a closed hollow flexible silicone rubber gaiter. The gaiter is fixed to the heated base plate 15 at approximately the centre of the package position. The gaiter is sealed at atmospheric pressure and therefore expands when the vacuum chamber is evacuated thereby extending the gaiter and lifting the product away from the base plate 15. When the vacuum chamber is again restored to atmospheric pressure the gaiter 58 contracts to its original height thereby lowering the product.
The arrangement shown in FIG. 9 is generally similar to that shown in FIG. 2 except that the vacuum tubes 40 for holding the bag neck stationary prior to the seal bars coming together are replaced by a spring loaded clamp arrangement. FIG. 9 shows a single clamping arrangement although two similar clamps will be spaced apart so that one is located centrally for each of the two package positions shown in FIG. 7. Each clamp comprises a spring loaded plunger 60 mounted on the upper seal bar 20 and a corresponding fixed bracket 61 is located on the lower seal bar 21. The spring surrounding the plunger 60 urges the plunger to a closed position clamping the bag mouth at a central point as soon as the vacuum chamber is closed. This prevents the bag from shrinking back before the seal bars come together but allows the contents and interior of the bag to be evacuated while the bag mouth is closed only at a central point and not across the full width of the bag. This allows shorter bags to be used than would normally be the case.
In a further alternative, the non-heat conducting strips 37 shown in FIG. 2 may be replaced by parallel lengths of silicone rubber tube used to support the underside of the package. Such lengths of silicone rubber tube may be held in position by passing a tension spring through the tube and anchoring the spring at each end. Any part of the heated contact surface which may cause holes in the bag may be fitted with similar short lengths of silicone rubber tube fixed in a similar manner.
By means of this invention, a wide seal of the bag mouth is produced which wholly seals the bag and any fat or grease or creasing of film that may occur between the upper and lower films of bag material between the heated lips will "burn-off" or be overcome by the film having become semi-molten before having atmospheric pressure applied. When the seal bars separate, the wide fusion seal rapidly contracts back to the commodity surface becoming inconspicuous without degradation of the pack presentation while ensuring a reliable fluid tight seal.
This invention may achieve automatic dry shrinking of the thermoplastic bag, within the existing vacuum chamber and without the need to immerse the bagged commodity in hot water.
Dip tanks, hot air tunnel, drying apparatus, some conveyors, water supplies and special drainage may be eliminated while unacceptably high "leakage" rates, capital costs, material costs, maintenance and operational costs, energy requirements and valuable floor space demands, may all be considerably reduced. The working area can become a dry area and production output may be increased.
If for any reason a user of a standard production line prefers to take advantage of only the secondary wide fusion seal part of this invention, it is possible to fit a pair of heated lips e.g. electrically heated lips as shown in FIG. 6 together with the previously described seal bars but without the assoicated hotbox and heated base plate. The structure of the lips 30 and 31 together with the inclined heated plates which are integral with them are generally the same as described with reference to FIG. 2 and the operation of the heated lip assembly in FIG. 6 is generally the same as that previously described. Heating of these lips may be via the heater mats 41,41a which lie parallel to the inclined plates, and the lips may be mounted as shown at 42 in FIG. 6. This alternative system would not eliminate the need for a dip-tank but would dramatically reduce the "leaker" rate. The sealing would be carried out in a vacuum chamber and after sealing the bag material would be heated e.g. in a dip-tank or in another heated chamber to cause the bag material to collapse closely around the commodity in the bag. The heating in this case would be affected after removal from the vacuum chamber.
In the above examples it may be desirable in some cases to operate with higher temperatures in the hotbox 6. For instance the temperature may be raised to 160° C. or more depending on the particular application of the invention.
(h) subsequently, restoring atmospheric pressure in said chamber thereby causing the material in the heated band to contact the opposing bag wall and fuse thereto.
2. The process of claim 1 wherein the bag material is heat shrinkable and during step (d) as said chamber is evacuated causing the bag to balloon outwardly and away from the commodity, the step of heating the ballooned bag material is included.
3. Apparatus for packaging commodities such as for example meat, bacon or cheese, which apparatus comprises a vacuum chamber, means for supporting a loaded unsealed bag of flexible thermoplastic film material within the chamber, means to apply vacuum to the chamber interior, vacuum means arranged to hold the bag mouth walls open but closely together upper and lower seal bars for sealing the bag mouth, upper and lower pivotally movable means mounted between the seal bars and the commodity for applying heat to a band of bag material extending across the neck of the bag between said sealing bars and the commodity without the application of pressure to heat said band to a fusing temperature, means for moving said upper and lower seal bars relative to each other to press and seal said bag mouth and to pivot said pivotal means to heat said band to a fusing temperature while maintaining said upper and lower pivotal means from direct pressure contact with each other and the bag whereupon restoration of atmospheric pressure after evacuation of the chamber will cause the material to fuse together across said band and thereby form a fluid tight seal cross said band.


Recent changes to Junior Team Tennis are helping more kids get into the game.
Get Craig Jones on the phone talking about Junior Team Tennis, and you can hear the excitement in his voice. In fact, if he's on the phone while in his car, you begin to get a little worried for drivers that may be around him.
Every year, Junior Team Tennis, which was established in 1991 and is for players ages 5 to 18, brings thousands of kids together in teams to play singles, doubles and mixed doubles against their peers. In 2014, there were 88,000 unique Junior Team Tennis participants, playing in nearly 800 programs across the U.S. In addition to helping youngsters grow as individuals, JTT promotes social skills and fosters a spirit of cooperation. Participants not only learn tennis in a fun, team environment, but they also learn that succeeding is more about how they play the game — win or lose.
But in recent years, Junior Team Tennis has had its challenges, Jones says. One of the biggest was that the program had a rigidity that often made it difficult to form and keep teams playing. But also, says Jones, "It ended up not being about local play, even though that was the intent all along." One of the unique aspects of JTT — which was that kids played to advance from districts up to a national championship — also seemed to be holding the program back from growing overall.
So the USTA began surveying parents and players to find out what can be done to give the program a boost, and then started to make those suggestions happen. One of the biggest changes, implemented this past January, was instituting two different JTT pathways. For competitive juniors there is "Championship Junior Team Tennis," where the competition works its way up and can culminate in playing for a national title. But for the vast majority of youngsters (and their parents) who are looking for a fun way to hang out with friends and play some tennis, there's "local" Junior Team Tennis play, where USTA membership is optional and tennis providers have more flexibility to make their programs successful.
There are other important changes, too. JTT had a restrictive format that required equal numbers of boys and girls on a team, which often is hard to do. "We realized half the programs simply weren't doing the format," Jones says. "So we redesigned it to give flexibility on team composition. Basically for the younger kids, we recommend a co-ed format. We recommend four to six kids on a team, but some communities might want to have more kids.
Another change is for "level-based play," also called "cooperative lineups" — when the two captains get together before the match and agree on their strongest and weakest players, so competition doesn't become a blowout.
The goal in the next year is to increase by 25 percent the number of Junior Team Tennis programs in the U.S, he adds, then 50 percent growth in two years. "We're trying not to focus on membership participation. Our big goal is growth in the number of programs.
For more information about forming Junior Team Tennis programs, contact your USTA district or section.


Today I bought my first lottery ticket.
As pretty much everyone knows, today the Mega Millions jackpot grew to $640M, which is simply an astronomical sum.
I have always laughed at the people who buy the scratchers and lottery tickets every time they fuel up. It's interesting to me that someone could honestly rationalize incessantly doling out small amounts of cash for such long odds of becoming wealthy.
What's so funny to me about people who constantly play the lottery, is that they actually think they have a chance.
However, what's laughable, is when those people daydream about their imaginary winnings.
For the past several days, I heard people ramble on and on talking about how they would spend the money, places they would visit, things they would buy, and how they would just disappear to live life in absurd luxury.
When yesterday, the jackpot officially became the largest amount of money ever offered that could be won by a single person, I became intrigued.
Still, I didn't buy any tickets. Then this afternoon at work, one of my co-workers decided to create an office pool for the drawing this evening.
At first I laughed, then flippantly bought 10 lottery tickets – knowing that I could have simply thrown my $10 into a trash can.
I have no expectations of winning – none at all.
I consider myself to be rational and possibly cynical, but I think I understand slightly why the lottery is so popular. Although, I threw away $10 dollars today, the idea of a chance at all of winning seems to make the loss of $10 okay. I won't buy tickets by myself, but as part of an office pool, my 0% chance multiplied greatly to…wait for it……0%.
Tonight, I'm not going to sit glued to my TV as the winning numbers are revealed.
Today's choice had two reasons.
One was merely to cross buying a lottery ticket off my list of things I had never done.
The second reason is so that one day I can tell my children that I had played in the largest jackpot in history at that time.
I'm just trying to be a part of history, you know…..so don't judge me.


Quebec Family Hikes – Page 3 – Family friendly activities in the beautiful province of Quebec and surrounding area. Find tips and guides for hiking, traveling, outdoor and indoor time with your kids.
Abbey Saint Benoit images have been featured in many regional touristic books. This magical historic landmark is a major attraction. Located in the Eastern Townships, the abbey is surrounded by mountains (Owl's Head) and nearby the lake of Memphremagog. We also visited a soap factory nearby. Just a perfect day!
If you are looking for a beautiful viewpoint of the Lanaudiere region, this is the place to visit. The trail is about 2 km return – 900 meters to the viewpoint, mostly uphill (elevation gain of about 120 meters).
The ski resort, west to Saint-Sauveur is offering 35 trails, 4 lifts, one magic carpet. We were there one Sunday morning to allow our kids to improve their ski proficiency. Looks like this ski resort is known for beginner and intermediate levels as there were many kids lessons taking place and there were long queues at the ski lifts.


Hundreds of social studies textbooks will be removed from a Connecticut school district after a mother complained it teaches students that some slaves were treated like family.
"The Connecticut Adventure," is a 250-page textbook published in 2001 by Gibbs Smith Publishing. The text authored by John W. Ifkovic has been utilized as teaching material in grade four classes since 2007.
In the section on slavery in Connecticut the text reads, "Compared to other colonies, Connecticut did not have many slaves."
The text also reads that slave owners "cared for and protected them like members of the family," sometimes even educating them.
Concerns about the book reached Norwalk County's school district at the end of November, Norwalk newspaper The Hour reports.
Within a week of reviewing the text, district officials announced their decision to discontinue all use of the book in classrooms used in 10 of the 12 schools in the city.
In an online statement Norwalk Public Schools released on Monday, a spokesman said the district deemed the book "inaccurate."
"The portion of the textbook minimizes the impact and implications of slavery from the perspective of many constituents in the Norwalk community," the school district admitted.
Parents in Norwalk are happy about the district's decision, The Hour reports.
The textbook will be removed from schools in the district by January 3 of 2017.
The book's publisher did not immediately return a request for comment.


The Alliance Team Backpack II is a new twist to an old classic. Showcasing a cavernous 18.5″ x 13.25″ x 9.75″ design, the Alliance Team Backpack II is packed with features. An internal goggle saver pocket, digital media pocket and reinforced inner pockets provide strength and durability, while suit hanger carabiners allow for added versatility. Featuring a large wet/dry compartment for quicker drying and reduced odor and adjustable straps for custom sizing, the LATBP2 is ideal on the pool deck or around campus. Portable storage on the go, the Team Backpack II is available in array of team colors and is part of the TYR Alliance Collection.
Train hard, train smart with the Catalyst 2 Training Paddles. Perfect for swimmers of all levels, the LVC2 hand paddle helps improve stroke technique while building arm strength. Its unique shape improves water feel and distributes pressure evenly for reduced shoulder stress.
This training paddle is constructed with polypropylene, making it extremely durable, lightweight and flexible. Featuring a new and improved design for even more strap configurations and greater comfort, these swim paddles will take your training to the next level!
Invented by World Record Masters swimmer and former ASU coaching great Ron Johnson, the Mentor Hand Paddles are perfect for swimmers of all levels. From fitness swimmers to triathletes, this evolutionary technical paddle is designed to build strength without losing feel and catches water quicker on the entry phase of the stroke than traditional training paddles. Designed for maximum water feel, the LMENTOR Hand Paddles teach proper stroke techniques and develop strength for all four competitive strokes, all while reducing shoulder stress.
Tested by World Champion swimmers, the Mentor is unanimously championed as a "must" for your training arsenal.
A lightweight, mesh, carry-all bag with dual lace straps for shoulder carrying.It is great for holding training equipment during workout.
Removable, easy-to-clean, liquid silicone mouthpiece is durable, comfortable and maintains its original shape over time.
70% and 40% cardio restrictor caps increase lung capacity.
Replacement Headstrap LGCS – Universal-fitting headstrap features VTS (Varied Tensile Strength) with round-to-flat design. Offers Glide Clip System for easy, on-head adjustment.


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Fields walked off the field with the victory (Jon Durr - USA Today Sports)
NFL Week 3 Power Rankings: Bears rise after win over Bengals
by Anthony Pasquale - Staff Writer - Thursday, September 23, 2021, 9:10 AM
Two weeks of the 2021 NFL season have come and gone, and it did not disappoint. This year may look slightly different, with 17 games in 18 weeks and seven teams in each league earning a playoff berth. Nonetheless, we won't have a week without football until February 2022, and we couldn't be more excited to cover another year of NFL football.
We at BearsHQ decided to give our power rankings ahead of the NFL's third week:
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2-0
It's hard not to rank Tampa Bay number one in our rankings. First and foremost, the Bucs are our reigning Super Bowl Champion — and they did not lose a single starter over the offseason. The Bucs have a roster construction that could win another Super Bowl, and Tom Brady is never content. The Bucs opened up the season with a narrow win over Dallas.
2. Los Angeles Rams 2-0
The LA Rams may be the most improved team of the offseason just because of their upgrade at QB. Instead of Jared Goff, the Rams have Matthew Stafford leading their speedy offense — and of course, still have Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald on the defensive side of the ball. Stafford's debut was won in dominating fashion, leading the Rams to a week one victory and earning them a top-3 spot. The Rams maintained that spot after narrowly beating the Colts on the road.
3. Kansas City Chiefs 1-1
It would be hard to imagine the Chiefs falling out of the top 3 this season so long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy. This team easily boasts the best offense in the league — while also adding to an offensive line that was exposed in the Super Bowl last year. Keep an eye on a motivated Chiefs team this season, especially after losing week two to the Ravens on Sunday night.
4. Cleveland Browns 1-1
Yes, you read that right. After years of being the NFL's laughing stock, the Cleveland Browns have constructed a roster good enough to win a division and make a run in the playoffs. The Browns displayed dominance in their week two win, and this team has all the makings of a top-five team in the NFL.
5. Buffalo Bills 1-1
It may have surprised some people last year, but the Buffalo Bills being one of the league's best teams this season should come as no surprise. Buffalo is led by superstar QB Josh Allen and a brilliant coaching staff. The Steelers gave the Bills some trouble in week one, but after dominating the Dolphins, they are clearly a top-five team, I believe.
6. Arizona Cardinals 2-0
The Arizona Cardinals are one of the most exciting rosters in 2021 as they have added JJ Watt, AJ Green and will get top pass rusher Chandler Jones back from injury to a roster that was one game away from making the playoffs in 2020. This is the year for the Cardinals to make the jump into a playoff team, which may be hard to do in the NFL's best division — although they certainly looked it in weeks one and two, destroying the Titans and getting past the Vikings.
7. San Francisco 49ers 2-0
It is important to remember that this team represented the NFC in the Super Bowl just two seasons ago. Last season the 49ers were decimated with injuries — but with those players back, the 49ers are once again a force to be reckoned with in the NFC. While the NFC West is loaded, the 49ers should turn heads in 2021, like they did, putting up 41 points in week one and beating the Eagles in week two.
8. Baltimore Ravens 1-1
The Ravens quietly have one of the league's best rosters. Despite not winning the division in 2020 and being in one of the NFL's hardest divisions, the Ravens boast a legit chance to win a Super Bowl behind a star quarterback in Lamar Jackson and a defense that consists of the best secondary in the sport. The Ravens lost a stunner week one against the Vegas Raiders, and the schedule won't ease up for a while, but they are certainly a top 10 team despite their injuries. Beating the Chiefs in primetime lock that in without a doubt.
9. Green Bay Packers 1-1
For most of the offseason, the Packers were one of the most questionable teams — and it all depended on reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers. Well, he's back… but the Packers were thumped by the Saints in Week one, dropping the Packers out of the top 5. A dominating win on Monday Night Football over the Lions should be enough to defend the Packers being in the top 10.
10. Tennessee Titans 1-1
The Titans are the reigning AFC South champion. They have made the playoffs in consecutive seasons — oh, and they've added Julio Jones to an offense that already had Ryan Tannehill, AJ Brown, and Derrick Henry, who just ran for over 2,000 yards. In 2021, no team is going to be looking forward to playing the Titans. The Titans 2021 season got off to a tough start, though, getting blown out by the Cardinals, but they rebounded nicely with a come-from-behind win over the Seahawks on the road.
11. Las Vegas Raiders 2-0
If you want to talk about the grittiest team in the NFL, the Raiders deserve to be in that conversation. The Raiders were touchdown underdogs in week one against the Raves and week two against the Steelers — two of the toughest teams in the sport. To everyone's surprise, the Raiders are 2-0. Keep an eye on Coach Gruden's team as the season rolls along.
12. Seattle Seahawks 1-1
As the reigning champions of the NFC West, the Seahawks come into the season as a borderline top ten team. What separates the Hawks from some of these other teams is Super Bowl Champion Russell Willson. The Seahawks can win a game whenever he is under center — just like they did in week one against the Colts. A week two loss at home against the Titans though will drop the Seahawks out of the top ten.
13. Pittsburgh Steelers 1-1
The Steelers boasted one of the league's best defenses in 2020 en route to an AFC North division win. While Ben Roethlisberger is one year older, this is still a team to look out for in the AFC. The Steelers rode their unbelievable front seven to a head-turning week one win over the Bills but were handled by the Raiders in week two.
14. Dallas Cowboys 1-1
NFC East team Dallas is flying under the radar this offseason. Still, a healthy offensive line plus Dak Prescott back from injury leaves Dallas with one of the best offenses in the NFL (including Ezekiel Elliot, Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup.) The defense is still the clear weakness of this team, but the Cowboys could have enough to win the league's weakest division. The Cowboys gave the Bucs a tough fight in week one, and won a close game against the Chargers in week 2, and look like the favorite to win the NFC East.
15. Los Angeles Chargers 1-1
LA might have had the best offseason in the AFC. Justin Herbert is coming off of an impressive campaign in which he won Rookie of the Year, and the Chargers have added to his offensive line - while also making some key acquisitions to the defense, the team's weakness in 2020. That plus some opt-outs and injuries back leave stew Chargers with one of the most talented and intriguing rosters in 2021. It wasn't particularly pretty, but the Chargers gutted out an impressive week one win and took a hard-to-swallow week two loss — still a lot to like with this team, though.
16. New England Patriots 1-1
It's not Tom Brady's team anymore. It's Mac Jones'. While the Patriots' defense has always been solid, the offense has not looked good since Brady has left. The Patriots addressed that issue in the off-season, throwing money at weapons all over the offense. The Patriots could very easily be 2-0 right now but will settle for 1-1 after their week two win over the Jets.
17. Denver Broncos 2-0
18. New Orleans Saints 1-1
19. Miami Dolphins 1-1
20. Carolina Panthers 2-0
21. Chicago Bears 1-1 (up two spots from No. 23 last week)
The Bears rise a bit after their week two win over the Bengals. The Bears' defense was dominant which helped lead the Bears to their first win of the season. As the season rolls on, this team will only be as good as their quarterback — whom we don't know yet as Andy Dalton undergoes tests for his injury.
22. Washington Football Team 0-2
23. Indianapolis Colts 0-2
24. Minnesota Vikings 0-2
25. Philadelphia Eagles 1-1
26. Cincinnati Bengals 1-1
27. New York Giants 0-2
28. Houston Texans 0-2
29. New York Jets 0-2
30. Detroit Lions 0-2
31. Atlanta Falcons 0-2
32. Jacksonville Jaguars 0-2
*We decided to explain the top 16 and the Bears*
Tags: Bears Football, Andy Dalton
Send Feedback to Anthony Pasquale: Email | Comment
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ART Calculator
1st POSEIDON's World Conference
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The POSEIDON (Patient Oriented Strategies Encompassing IndividualizeD Oocyte Number) group was created in 2015, envisaging discussing and elaborating practical solutions about the diagnosis and management of Low Prognosis Patients (LPP) undergoing Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART).
The group comprises opinion leaders in reproductive medicine from many countries. Its name also reflects the place chosen by its godfather Prof. Alviggi for its first meeting on the Italian island of Ischia.
1st POSEIDON's World Conference: The low prognosis patient in ART
9-10 September 2022 · Lisbon, Portugal
Watch the conference material
Become a POSEIDON member
The new ART Calculator is now available in your member area
Five Reasons to use the Poseidon stratification system and its new marker of successful outcome
Combined Quality and Quantity for Patient's Stratification
POSEIDON combines quality and quantity for the stratification of patients with confirmed or expected inappropriate ovarian response to gonadotropin stimulation.
At least ONE euploid embryo for transfer in each patient
POSEIDON allows clinicians to estimate the number of oocytes needed to achieve its proposed new marker of successful outcome, namely, "at least ONE euploid embryo for transfer in each patient".
Reduced Time-to-Pregnancy
Adopting POSEIDON, clinicians will be able to set patient expectations and establish a workable plan to reduce the Time-to-Pregnancy.
Tailored Therapeutic Approach
POSEIDON concept of low prognosis helps to improve the management of patients undergoing ART by promoting a tailored therapeutic approach.
Maximize IVF Success Rates
POSEIDON concept contributes to identifying more homogeneous populations for clinical trials, thereby providing better tools with which to maximize IVF success rates.
What is POSEIDON?
The POSEIDON group has introduced a new stratification system for classifying infertility patients with confirmed or expected low ovarian response to exogenous gonadotropins. Specifically, four subgroup categories have been created based on quantitative and qualitative parameters, namely, i. The age of the patient and the expected aneuploidy rate; ii. Ovarian biomarkers (i.e. AFC and AMH), and iii. The ovarian response of the patient provided a previous cycle of stimulation had been carried out. In the latter, a 'suboptimal response' was defined as the retrieval of four to nine oocytes despite adequate pre-stimulation ovarian parameters, as it is associated at any given age with a significantly lower live birth rate compared with normal responders, i.e., those with 10–15 oocytes. And a 'poor response' was defined as the retrieval of fewer than four oocytes despite adequate pre-stimulation ovarian parameters.
Why POSEIDON?
The management of patients with impaired ovarian reserve or poor ovarian response (POR) to exogenous gonadotropin stimulation has challenged reproductive specialists for a long time. Apart from our limited understanding of its pathophysiology, there is extensive heterogeneity in the definition of the poor responder patient as well as overall disappointing outcomes in assisted reproductive technology (ART) cycles.
Copyright 2022 © All rights Reserved. Group Poseidon
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Brainwave Entrainment and Psychoacoustics
by Simone Vitale | Apr 29, 2020 | Sound Therapy
The use of Auditory Beat Stimulation (ABS) such as binaural, monaural and isochronic beats falls into the field of study called psychoacoustics. The research conducted so far, although not conclusive, has provided evidence that the effects of ABS can be registered in the brain. Some say that the response evoked in the brain (or brainwave entrainment) does not have a real effect on emotional and psychological states whereas others have observed significant results. As with any other field of research, the more experiments will be conducted under rigorous conditions, the more we will understand the effects of ABS. However, there is already enough evidence that ABS, also combined with music, can influence states such as stress and anxiety.
Psychoacoustics is the study of the perception of sound and the responses of the brain to the stimuli of sound waves.
Brainwave Entrainment refers to the brain's electrical response to rhythmic sensory stimulation, such as pulses of sound or light.
Every cell in the brain produces electricity as a byproduct of its activity. The sum of all the electrical charges creates patterns in the brain and these patterns are related to brain waves activity.
The brain waves (measured in Hertz, or cycles per second) have been categorised by different spectrums. While it is still officially debated whether different brain wave patterns are associated with different psychological and physiological states, there is a common acceptance of these relationships:
Gamma above 38-42Hz: heightened perception
Beta 12 Hz to 38 Hz: arousal, alertness and some drug effects
Alpha 8 Hz to 12 Hz: physical and mental relaxation; meditation, sedation and relaxed but focused activities (sports, watching TV)
Theta 3 Hz to 8 Hz: deep meditation; hypnosis; dreaming; REM sleep
Delta 0.5 Hz to 3 Hz: deep sleep, general anaesthesia
Infra-Low below 0.5 Hz: very little known at the moment
When the brain is given a stimulus, through the ears, eyes or other senses, it emits an electrical charge in response, called a Cortical Evoked Response. This activity can be measured using sensitive electrodes attached to the scalp.
When the brain is presented with a rhythmic stimulus, such as a drum beat, for example, the rhythm is reproduced in the brain in the form of these electrical impulses. If the rhythm becomes fast and consistent enough, it can start to resemble the natural patterns of the brainwaves activity. When this happens, the brain responds by synchronising its own electric cycles to the external rhythm. This is commonly called the Frequency Following Response (or FFR).
One of the most popular ways of producing brainwave entrainment is the use of "Binaural Beats", auditory phenomena that occur within the brain. When we send a separate and distinct tone to each ear, the brain perceives the difference between the frequencies of the two tones as a third "phantom" tone. What happens is that the brain detects a phase difference and experiences it as a "beat". Let's say we send a tone with a frequency of 200 Hz to one ear and on of 208 Hz to the other, the brain will produce a pulse equal to the difference of the two tones, in this case 8 Hz.
Brainwave entrainment
Binaural beats are most effective when listened to through headphones, making use of the brain's ability to create an illusory spatial image from stereophonic sound, also called "binaural field".
However, Binaural Beats, although very popular, are not the most effective way of creating entrainment. Their true potential resides in eliciting hemispheres synchronisation due to the fact that the creation of the beats happens inside the brain.
The systems that are believed to be involved in the effects of binaural beats and altered states of consciousness are:
The Superior Olivary Nucleus, located in the medulla oblongata. This is where the nerve impulses from each ear are first received.
Reticular Activating System (RAS), a large net-like region in the brain stem which plays a major role in filtering sensory input and focusing attention and awareness and is strongly involved in the cortical processing of binaural beats located in the brainstem. It helps maintain homeostasis or internal stability. Complex, brain-wave-like patterns such as the ones resulting from binaural beats can be recognized by the RAS as brain-wave patterns information. Provided this information is not met by internal or subconscious conflicts, the RAS will alter states of consciousness to match the incoming stimulus as a natural function of maintaining homeostasis.
The RAS connects with the Extended Reticular Thalamic Activation System (ERTAS) and might be considered the most important system in the application of binaural beats frequencies. This system is most commonly known to connect with emotion, attention, wakefulness and sleep.
Isochronic Tones
Besides binaural beats, there are other, less popular but more effective methods of ABS, namely monaural beats, where the two different tones are blended before reaching the ears, making the use of headphones not necessary (unless preferred) and isochronic tones, where a given tone is repeated at regular intervals with silence in between.
Especially with isochronic tones, what causes a more effective entrainment is the amplitude modulation that can reach 50 dB, which is a lot greater than with binaural beats.
What's the difference between Isochronic Tones and Binaural Beats?
Isochronic tones are more effective in entraining the brainwaves to the desired frequency whereas Binaural beats have the additional effect of stimulating hemisphere synchronisation.
Increase your resilience to adversity with Music and Auditory Beat Stimulation
Try out this Stress and Anxiety Relief – Auditory Stimulation Pack.
The Stress & Anxiety Pack gives you access to carefully crafted mindful music with isochronic and binaural beats stimulation on the frequencies of 6Hz (Theta) and 10 Hz (Alpha).
Sources and research:
The Impact of Monaural Beat Stimulation on Anxiety and Cognition – Leila Chaieb, Elke C. Wilpert, Christian Hoppe, Nikolai Axmacher and Juergen Fell
Cortical Evoked Potentials to an Auditory Illusion: Binaural Beats – Hillel Pratt, Arnold Starr, Henry J. Michalewski, Andrew Dimitrijevic, Naomi Bleich, and Nomi Mittelman
Neuromagnetic Responses to Binaural Beat in Human Cerebral Cortex – Shotaro Karino, Masato Yumoto, Kenji Itoh, Akira Uno, Keiko Yamakawa, Sotaro Sekimoto, and Kimitaka Kaga
Intracranial electroencephalography power and phase synchronization changes during monaural and binaural beat stimulation – Ann-Katrin Becher, Marlene Höhne, Nikolai Axmacher, Leila Chaieb, Christian E. Elger and Juergen Fell
A prospective, randomised, controlled study examining binaural beat audio and pre-operative anxiety in patients undergoing general anaesthesia for day case surgery – R. Padmanabhan, A. J. Hildreth and D. Laws
Original sound compositions reduce anxiety in emergency department patients: a randomised controlled trial – Tracey J Weiland, George A Jelinek, Keely E Macarow, Philip Samartzis, David M Brown, Elizabeth M Grierson, Craig Winter
Auditory beat stimulation and its effects on cognition and mood states – Leila Chaieb, Elke Caroline Wilpert, Thomas P. Reber and Juergen Fell
The impact of binaural beats on creativity – Susan A. Reedijk, Anne Bolders and Bernhard Hommel
Brain Responses to a 6-Hz Binaural Beat: Effects on General Theta Rhythm and Frontal Midline Theta Activity – Nantawachara Jirakittayakorn and Yodchanan Wongsawat
https://brainworksneurotherapy.com/what-are-brainwaves
The Healing Power of Your Voice
Sound Therapy and the Vagus Nerve
Sound Therapy and Trauma


In different periods of my life I've been drawn strongly to lavenders and purples, while at other moments just as strongly repelled. The color I'm drawn to cannot be too pink or mauve, too gray, or too milky-it has to have color clarity, to where the red and the blue are almost distinguishable, but not quite. But lavender, in particular, holds for me special properties of vibrant quietude, stillness in cool, clean light that offers poignant respite from other, bolder and more saturated colors. I can picture the color, but I cannot always replicate it.
I was reminded of lavender's particular power just over a year ago, when I came across it used in an abstract painting. The acrylic painting was hanging on the wall of a covered porch, and in the autumn light a singular lavender patch just glowed from the center of the canvas. The main body of the painting, by Joy Richardson, was quite vibrant and saturated with long splashes of color that sang loudly and smeared into each other in cobalt blue, carmine red, creamy yellow and burnt umber. Among all this dense, bold color, the lavender pool provided a powerful counterpoint of fresh coolness and, for me, a stillness that reverberated. Its stillness moves me still.
I dwell on this lavender experience, because for the past year it has set me on a course of seeking through my painting. I've been picturing the "perfect" lavender in my mind even while painting in far different colors, and my search for a usable purple (whether pre-made or mixed) has led me to be far more discerning in other colors that I mix and use. And my painting practice has changed as a result-I've become more strongly gestural, setting down bold tracks of color in one go and/or setting down colors next to each other and letting them blend/mix/pull at each other directly on the paper. Though I'm still concerned with portraying spatial depth, light, shade and shadow in my landscapes and subjects, I'm allowing my choices to be pulled as much by the joy of the color itself as by its readability within the scene. And, this love of lavender teases me with these subjects-I often want to include it but am not always sure how or where its pure, quiet vibrancy would fit into the landscape. But it keeps me asking the question, with every new painting I take on.


The project involves the reconstruction of the voivodship road No 664 Raczki - state border (planned border crossing Lipszczany – Sofijewo) on section of 2.793 km and the road H 6054 Grodno - Sopotskin - border with Lithuania on section of 5.771 km, with construction of bike paths in both cases. The road No 664 has carriageway of only approx. 4.5 m width, in addition in poor condition. In addition, its bearing capacity does not meet current legal requirements for public roads. At present, the AADT is relatively small, 478 veh./day. The road H-6054 is also in poor condition due to loss of aggregate and binder what caused bumps and potholes. The AADT is quite significant - 2,620 veh./day. Because the BY partner has equipment deficiencies and the existing machines for road maintenance are old and significantly decapitalised, as part of the project the purchase of a tractor with mower, machine for shoulder profiling, dump track and snow plough with salt and sand spreader for maintanace of the road covered by the project is planned. Reconstruction of both roads is important in terms of plans for reactivation of the border crossing Lipszczany-Sofijewo as due to their location they will play key role in communication of near border areas in both countries.


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        "should": [
            { "match": {"title": keyword} },
            { "match": {"description": keyword} }
        ]
    }

and
"query": {
        "multi_match": {
            "query": keyword,
            "fields": [ "title", "description" ]
        }
    }

Is there any performance turning if choose one of two above?

A: It depends on the type parameter of your multi_match. In your example, since you didn't specify a type, best_fields is used. That makes use of a Dis Max Query and basically

uses the _score from the best field

On the other hand, your example with should

combines the _score from each field.

and it is equivalent to multi_match with type most_fields

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The field of health literacy has evolved from one focused on individuals to one that recognizes that health literacy is multidimensional. While communicating in a health literate manner is important for everyone, it is particularly important when communicating with those with limited health literacy who also experience more serious medication errors, higher rates of hospitalization and use of the emergency room, poor health outcomes, and increased mortality. Over the past decade, research has shown that health literacy interventions can significantly impact various areas including health care costs, outcomes, and health disparities.
To understand the extent to which health literacy has been shown to be effective at contributing to the Quadruple Aim of improving the health of communities, providing better care, providing affordable care, and improving the experience of the health care team, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine convened a public workshop on building the case for health literacy. This publication summarizes the presentations and discussions from the workshop, and highlights important lessons about the role of health literacy in meeting the Quadruple Aim, case studies of organizations that have adopted health literacy, and discussions among the different stakeholders involved in making the case for health literacy.
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2018. Building the Case for Health Literacy: Proceedings of a Workshop. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25068.
Click here to obtain permission for Building the Case for Health Literacy: Proceedings of a Workshop.


text:
Persecution Of Iranian Baha'is
In Iran, fifty-four members of the Baha'i religious community have been convicted of the so-called crime of spreading anti-regime propaganda. Three were sentenced to four years in prison; the others received suspended one-year sentences.
Amnesty International identifies the three Baha'is sentenced to prison as Haleh Rouhi Jahromi, Raha Sabet Sarvestani, and Sasan Taqva. They were arrested after they helped organize a program to teach underprivileged children in the city of Shiraz in southern Iran. The other convicted Baha'is were also involved in the program.
The three have been in prison since November. In a written statement, U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said, "The Iranian regime continues to deprive its citizens of a future free of fear, abuse, and arbitrary arrest." "We urge the regime," he said, "to release all individuals held without due process and a fair trial, including the three young Baha'i teachers."
The Baha'is are the largest non-Muslim religious minority in Iran, numbering more than three- hundred thousand. Regarded by the government as apostates, they face discrimination and persecution, including confiscation of property, expulsion from universities, and arbitrary arrest and imprisonment. They are forbidden to teach or practice their faith or to maintain links with Baha'is outside Iran. In its report on international religious freedom, the U.S. State Department says the Iranian government "repeatedly offers Baha'is relief from mistreatment in exchange for recanting their faith."
John Hanford, U.S. Ambassador at Large for International Religious freedom, spoke of Iranians who attempt to exercise this fundamental right:
"In Iran the regime is unrelenting in its repression of Baha'is and has created a threatening atmosphere for nearly all non-Shia religious groups, including Sufi Muslims, some Christian groups and members of the Jewish community."
The U.S. co-sponsored a resolution, passed by the United Nations General Assembly in December, expressing serious concern over the Iranian regime's oppression of Baha'is and other religious minorities. Ambassador Hanford says the United States will not ignore those who face religious persecution and looks to the day "when all may practice their beliefs without restriction or reprisal."
Reflecting the Views of the U.S. Government as Broadcast on The Voice of America
More Costs to the Lukashenka Regime for Its Repression
Taliban's Grip on Women and Girls Tightens
U.S. Supports Pakistan's Recovery From Devastating Floods
Neglected Tropical Diseases Day 2023


Remodelling an Outdated Cottage Bathroom.
When the little house was bought a few things needed to be looked upon and they knew that sometime will be needed to restore things like the restrooms. Improvements were done since the bathroom which looked like the master one was not up to the standard. The hallway had connected the master bedroom and the guest bedroom and remodeling was needed here.
They decided to get rid of one of the bedrooms so that it would give way to the dining room. A place where it used to be the master bedroom and thus out of it two rooms have been recreated, one is the dining area, and the other one is the master bathroom. A master bedroom is remodeled from the place where visitors used to sleep. One side of the master bedroom is opened so that it can give way to the master bathroom.
A big tub was put into place. Since the fixtures were doing, there was no need of having others until a latter date. Pieces of gold or silver were to be put in place since they make a room feel good. A favorite piece work was put right above the tub since it was called the bathing place. It had the colors of green and red which was going with the place. On the left side there was a vase that was put there and it was oversized and also you would see inside of it clearly. A white towel was put inside the vase. Inside the vase you can put a towel that can look good with the colors of the bathroom and view here.
A better way of bringing the outside, inside was by bringing in a picture of the fern in the bath area. The other side of the bathtub were the hot and the cold taps of water with the color of the room and that's red. since the tiny bathroom was painted a stark white, an all-white interior they felt it was good though they chose a bold bold color bold color was chosen for the small bathroom, though an all-white bathroom interior is what they adored they replaced a stark of white that was previously used.
Most people thought it was crazy to use tilesHardwood floors were put in the new master bath, while the master bedroom had a very nice carpet which went very well with the bathroom. Above the toilet in the master bathroom hung a smaller scale gold painting.Artwork that is simple does not cost one much and can be found in many places and click here for more .


Please first watch this clever, clever trailer – adapted to the wonderful Johnny Cash song "Hurt", recently used for the new Logan film trailer.
It brings me great joy to tell you that the stellar cast attached to this film haven't all just signed up for the cash. They are first and foremost actors, as opposed to stars… The money may have helped there decision to get on board, but there are some top drawer actors at work here. They don't need to do a Marvel film, or a reality show to boost a flagging career.
This was a conscious choice of people who have the gifts and the freedom of choice to be as happy to work on a top-notch RSC production, and not just any old superhero franchise.
Check out the cast list yourself – Oscar winners, actors who are familiar with the stage, going deep in to character, playing in an ensemble.
The story and feel nod to The Matrix and Inception, not entirely original but have a fresh'ish feel. Our director, producers and cinematographer are all of a modern brat-pack in the new wave of horrors and superheroes, all with maturing CV's. These films are growing up and getting better generally.
It's harder now just to pull off the predictable. Top notch T.V out there has helped with this, there is so much talent about that there are only a few studios and directors that can lazily churn out brainless fodder just for ticket sales.
Guardians of the Galaxy was surprisingly excellent, Antman was better than it should have been. Iron Man and the rest of the Avengers et al, they have to work harder now, and the bar is high.
So Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange is interesting. It's by no means perfect but for sure it surpasses popcorn predictability.
I am not going to dissect the rest of the cast, as there is an ensemble contribution from each that is worthy of your time. The story – it's good but not exceptional.
But here's the thing – the CGI is great, Inception great, but newer and with an angle I haven't felt so impressed with through CGI in a long while. It's creative, daring and unpredictable. It is the icing on the cake of this production.
So we've got great acting and action and effects with brains and bravado.
I would recommend going out of your way in seeing this on a big screen. IMAX would be worth a trip for this one. Haven't seen the 3D to comment, but if it was 3D at IMAX it would be ultimately immersive.
I'm not personally crying our for a sequel, and I'm not setting this apart from others, but it is surprisingly satisfying cinema.


text:
Maya Beiser Shreds The Cello
Maya Beiser's new rock covers album is called<em> Uncovered</em>.
Through the decades, classical cellists have studied the masters: Pablo Casals, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jacqueline du Pre. AC/DC doesn't quite make that list — but cellist Maya Beiser loves playing their music.
Beiser gives some of her favorite rock and blues numbers — like AC/DC's "Back in Black" and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" — a modern cello workover on her new album, Uncovered.
"If you look at the trajectory of all the things I've done, this is very much in line," she tells NPR's Arun Rath. "Because my whole career mission has been to re-introduce new ideas and new sounds for the cello."
One of Beiser's early mentors was violinist Isaac Stern, who didn't take too kindly to young Maya's interest in rock 'n' roll. She says she told him, "'This music is so great! I'd like to try to do it on the cello.' And he looked at me very upset and said, 'You know, this is really not serious music.'"
Beiser says that while classical purists might not embrace this direction, it is necessary to keep moving the classical world forward.
"We need to make concert music part of the cultural landscape," she says. "And it's great to play the great old masters from the past, but in order to really make it a relevant art form, the only way is to play music that is relevant to our culture."


French Restaurant Week has started in Chicago, and runs through July 22. Bastille Day and the World Cup win delayed this post a bit but there is still time to enjoy! You can book a reservation online here.
I reached out to the main site of French Restaurant Week as soon as I saw an article announcing that it was taking place. NYC is also participating and you can book reservations online here. There are great choices in both cities.
The slogan is Eat. Drink. Be French. There are different menu options at the participating restaurants. From an amuse bouche and a drink for $17.89 to a full dinner for two with wine for $178.90. Lunch options are $25 and dinner $38.
I had the opportunity to dine at Marchesa last night, which is right in the center of the city. I sat outside despite cooler Summer temperatures. I loved the adorable courtyard on the street and the atmosphere was fun for people watching. As a solo diner, this was the best choice. The table next to me was kind enough to offer me a little cheese and bread from their charcuterie plate upon arrival.
I just left my French lesson with Caroline right before dinner so it was perfectly timed that my waiter, Phillipe was French. He was more than willing to continue my French lesson helping me along as I practiced ordering from the menu and making casual conversation. Unlike a lot of my experiences in France, he always replied in French even when I didn't know a particular word and kept me going the whole night. He made my night dining solo a real enjoyable experience.
If you could judge a restaurant by it's wine list, Marchesa already had my vote. I was so happy to see the rosé I just had in the South of France. Since returning home, I had been on the hunt for it in Chicago.
I ordered off of the Dinner menu that is $38 for two courses and a glass of wine/beverage or three courses with no wine.
I loved meeting the entire team of hosts, owners Jason and Kathryn as well as a visit from Chef Mark. Mark and I actually have a friend in common so it was fun to chat about our mutual friend and hear more about how he found his spot in the kitchen from the corporate world.
Note the purple potatoes, the dish was flavorful and a great size.
Not to be missed is the tarragon citron (lemon) butter and fresh warm bread. Phillipe packed some to go home with me.
I am happy I saved room for the main course which was the French Bistro Chicken. It ended up getting dark by the time my plate arrived. They had adorable lanterns with candles on the table but the photograph just wasn't up to my standards to share. Trust me, it was delicious.
One thing to note about everything I enjoyed from Marchesa, the portions are impressive and you won't leave hungry. I have participated in Restaurant Week in Chicago and felt that some restaurants left you hungry and disappointed. This was not the case.
For dessert, I enjoyed the petit pot de crème with a cup of coffee. Do not skip dessert. I promise, you will thank me later. It was made with rich dark chocolate and very flavorful.
After dinner, I met Kathryn for a tour of the space. There are three floors including a champagne cave where they show movies and you can nibble on small bites. The first floor has a bar, the main dining area, and a chef's table. The chef's table area looks so cute for a birthday/anniversary dinner.
The top floor called "the apartment" is perfect for a wedding or celebration. Hint, please have a party here and invite me..
I recently attending their one year anniversary/Bastille Day celebration and have visited several times since they first opened.
The menu is for an amuse bouche and is great for a stop to experience the Parisian style bar.
Note: I was invited to dine with Marchesa as a guest. All opinions are my own. I look forward to dining with them again soon!


Yaneer Bar-Yam, H. Frederik Nijhout, Raphael Parens, Felipe Costa, Alfredo J. Morales, The case for pyriproxyfen as a potential cause of microcephaly; from biology to epidemiology, arXiv (2017).
The Zika virus has been the primary suspect in the large increase in incidence of microcephaly in 2015-6 in Brazil. However its role is not confirmed despite individual cases in which viral infections were found in neural tissue. Recently, the disparity between the incidences in different geographic locations has led to questions about the virus's role. Here we consider the alternative possibility that the use of the insecticide pyriproxyfen for control of mosquito populations in Brazilian drinking water is the primary cause. Pyriproxifen is a juvenile hormone analog which has been shown to correspond in mammals to a number of fat soluble regulatory molecules including retinoic acid, a metabolite of vitamin A, with which it has cross-reactivity and whose application during development has been shown to cause microcephaly. Methoprene, another juvenile hormone analog that was approved as an insecticide based upon tests performed in the 1970s, has metabolites that bind to the mammalian retinoid X receptor, and has been shown to cause developmental disorders in mammals. Isotretinoin is another example of a retinoid causing microcephaly in human babies via maternal exposure and activation of the retinoid X receptor in developing fetuses. Moreover, tests of pyriproxyfen by the manufacturer, Sumitomo, widely quoted as giving no evidence for developmental toxicity, actually found some evidence for such an effect, including low brain mass and arhinencephaly—incomplete formation of the anterior cerebral hemispheres—in exposed rat pups. Finally, the pyriproxyfen use in Brazil is unprecedented—it has never before been applied to a water supply on such a scale. Claims that it is not being used in Recife, the epicenter of microcephaly cases, do not distinguish the metropolitan area of Recife, where it is widely used, and the municipality, and have not been adequately confirmed. Given this combination of information about molecular mechanisms and toxicological evidence, we strongly recommend that the use of pyriproxyfen in Brazil be suspended until the potential causal link to microcephaly is investigated further.


text:
Personal Information & Privacy for Patients
The San Day Surgery Hornsby is a division of Adventist HealthCare Limited (AHCL). The following AHCL policy applies to Personal Information and Privacy.
Adventist HealthCare Limited (AHCL) recognises and respects every patient's right to privacy. We will collect and use the minimum amount of personal information needed for us to ensure that you receive a high level of health care. AHCL will always endeavour to manage your information to protect your privacy.
This includes both paper and electronic records.
Personal information we usually hold:
Your name, address, telephone and email contact details
Health fund details
Date and country of birth
The name and contact details of your General Practitioner and your referring doctor
Returned Service information
Religious beliefs or affiliations (if provided)
Transaction details associated with our services
Indigenous status and language spoken at home (for the Department of Health)
What we do with personal information:
We will collect it discreetly.
We will store it securely.
Subject to what we say in this section, we will only provide your personal information to people involved in your care.
We will provide relevant information to your health fund, or the Department of Veterans' Affairs, Medicare Australia, Cancer Council, NSW Department of Health or to other entities when we are required by law to do so.
After removing details that could identify you, we may use the remaining information to assist with research and service improvement projects. We are also required to provide this kind of information to government agencies.
AHCL operates teaching hospitals and we may use personal information in the training and education of medical, nursing and other allied health students.
We will destroy our record of your information when it has become too old to be useful or when we are no longer required by law to retain it.
We may use the information to contact you. By providing your email address, we assume permission to use this address for administrative communications (for example, receipts) regarding your hospital visit.
We may share your contact details with the Sydney Adventist Hospital (SAH) Foundation. The SAH Foundation provides patients with information, newsletters and details about fundraising appeals. The SAH Foundation may use the information to contact you.
AHCL is a Christian organisation and we are committed to holistic care, including your spiritual needs while you are receiving care.
Chaplains and Spiritual Caregivers are part of our care team and accredited community representatives regularly visit our hospitals.
You may request a visit from a representative of your faith, or you may request that no chaplain or visiting faith representative call on you while you are a patient in an AHCL hospital.
Newsletters and other mailed information
In the future AHCL and/or the SAH Foundation may send you information about our programs, services and activities in the form of newsletters and details about fundraising activities. If you do not wish to receive this information, you may notify the Privacy Officer (see contact details at end of this section). Mail outs to you will cease as soon as possible after your notification.
You may give consent for us to use your personal information to provide you with health care services, or you may withdraw your consent at any time. If you withdraw consent for AHCL to use your personal information, this may reduce our ability to provide you with services.
You may ask us to limit access to your information. You may separately a) refuse to be seen by a chaplain or representative of your faith while in hospital, b) refuse to have your Discharge Summary sent to your General Practitioner or c) refuse to receive information about future AHCL events, services and fundraising appeals by signing the 'Use of Personal Information' form. These forms are available on admission or through the Privacy Officer (see contact details at end of this section).
If you have a specific requirement for restricting access by someone to your information please also inform us about this as soon as possible.
You may ask us to give you (or another individual) access to your personal information. In most cases we will allow you to have access to your personal information. We may also provide a person to assist you and we may charge a fee for providing printed copies of reports.
We may not provide you (or your responsible person) with access to your personal information if a doctor feels that it may be harmful to do so.
You may ask us to correct any error in your personal information.
You may make a privacy-related complaint if you feel that the Hospital has not kept your information confidential or has not maintained your privacy.
Privacy Contact Details
Email: privacySDSH@sah.org.au
or write to:
The Privacy Officer
1a Northcote Rd, Hornsby, NSW, 2077
You may contact the Privacy Commissioner if you are not satisfied that the Hospital has resolved your complaint.
Please refer to our Patient Rights & Responsibilities section for further information on Patient Rights.
Click here to download the Personal Information & Privacy for Patients brochure.


text:
Die Northrop HL-10 war ein US-amerikanisches Experimentalflugzeug auf Basis des Tragrumpfkonzeptes. Sie war das dritte aus einer Reihe von tragflächenlosen Experimentalflugzeugen, die zwischen 1963 und 1975 getestet wurden. Weitere Maschinen waren:
 die NASA M2-F1 (1963)
 die Northrop M2-F2 (1968)
 die Martin-Marietta X-24 (1969)
 die Northrop M2-F3 (1970).
Die Buchstaben H und L standen dabei für horizontal landing (waagerecht landend) und die Zahl 10 für das zehnte Konzept des Langley Research Centers der NASA. Mit diesen Maschinen konnte gezeigt werden, dass Tragflächen- und antriebslose Flugzeuge sicher gesteuert und an definierter Stelle gezielt gelandet werden können. Darüber hinaus wurde das Hochgeschwindigkeitsverhalten von Tragrumpfflugzeugen untersucht.

Geschichte
Nach dem erfolgreichen Test der M2-F1 beauftragte die NASA die Firma Northrop mit dem Bau von zwei weiteren Lifting Bodies (der  HL-10 und der M2-F2), die jedoch jetzt in Metallbauweise gefertigt werden sollten und so ein Vielfaches des Vorgängers wogen. Im Gegensatz zu den anderen Lifting Bodies dieser Reihe besaß die HL-10 ein deltaförmiges Tragwerk. Die Maschine wurde Ende 1965 fertiggestellt und im Januar 1966 an die NASA geliefert. Zum Einsatz wurde die Maschine durch einen B-52-Bomber in eine Höhe von etwa 13.000 m gebracht und bei etwa 720 km/h ausgeklinkt. Danach zündete die Maschine ihr Raketentriebwerk, das einen Treibstoffvorrat für eine Brenndauer von etwa 100 s besaß. Der Erstflug (noch ohne Antrieb) fand am 22. Dezember 1966 mit dem Piloten Bruce Peterson statt, wobei sich (wie auch bei anderen Lifting Bodies) Steuerungsprobleme zeigten. Diese konnten durch Änderungen der Form der drei Ruder behoben werden. Insgesamt flog die HL-10 37-mal, davon die letzten 26 Flüge mit Einsatz ihres Raketentriebwerkes. Sie erreichte dabei eine Höchstgeschwindigkeit von Mach 1,86, also 1.976 km/h. Damit wurde gleichzeitig der Rekord für das schnellste Tragrumpf-Flugzeug gebrochen. Das Flugzeug wurde von NASA-Testpilot Pete Hoag als Teil einer Studie über mögliche Entwürfe für zukünftige Raumfahrzeuge geflogen. Außerdem wurde eine Flughöhe von über 27.500 m (27. Februar 1970 mit Bill Dana am Steuer) erzielt. Ihr letzter Flug fand am 17. Juli 1970 statt. Heute ist die Maschine im NASA-Testflugzentrum auf der Edwards Air Force Base (Kalifornien) ausgestellt.

Technische Daten
 Besatzung: 1
 Länge: 6,45 m
 Spannweite: 4,15 m
 Höhe: 2,92 m
 Tragflügelfläche: 14,9 m²
 Leermasse: 2.397 kg
 Startmasse: 2.721–4.540 kg (max. 1.604 kg Treibstoff)
 Antrieb: 1 × Raketentriebwerk XLR-11 mit vier Düsen und 36 kN Schub
 Höchstgeschwindigkeit: 1.976 km/h
 Reichweite: 72 km
 größte erreichte Flughöhe: 27.524 m

Siehe auch
NASA HL-20-Nachfolgeprojekt für einen Raumgleiter

Quellen
 FliegerRevue 3/2008, S. 58–61, "Lifting Bodies und Mondlandetrainer"
  bei der NASA

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Experimentalflugzeug
Lifting Body
Northrop Grumman (Luftfahrzeug)
Einstrahliges Flugzeug
Erstflug 1966

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