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I finally decided to check out Lightroom to retouch and organize my photos. Up until now, I was using Photoshop and a somewhat messy system of folders to organize my photos by date. That system resulted in a pretty big backlog of shots that I haven't retouched or even looked at since shooting them. Thanks to Lightroom, I've started to go through them.
One place that seems to come up fairly often is Provin Mountain. It's a short drive from my parents' house, and whenever I'm in Massachusetts I usually find myself taking the short hike along the Metacomet Trail to Provin. Here a few shots that I've taken over the past few years.


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Work due to begin on Japan's largest solar plant
A 90bn yen (£500m) loan has been granted by Japanese banks to begin construction of a new 231MW solar power station in Western Japan.
Set on a former salt field in Setouchi City, the 110bn yen 'Kuni Umi' solar project is expected to be fully operational by spring 2019, with power being sold under a 20-year power purchase agreement that uses Japan's renewable energy feed-in-tariff scheme.
The loan for the 110bn yen (£600m) solar project will be provided the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Bank and Sumitomo Mitshi Banking Corporation, as well as regional financial institutions.
Managing director and Japan business leader at GE Energy Financial Services, which holds a 60% stake in the Kuni Umi project, Sushil Verma said: "Japan's favourable regulatory policies make solar power attractive and diversify the country's power generation sources. For us, the Kuni Umi project expands our international and renewable energy footprints, which already include investment commitments of $1.8 billion in equity and debt in more than one gigawatt of solar power projects worldwide."
Construction of the project, due to commence in November this year, will be undertaken by Toyo Engineering and Shimizu Corporation and overseen by UK management, engineering and development consultancy firm, Mott Macdonald. The plant.
Mott MacDonald's project director Philip Napier-Moore said: "In Japan, Mott MacDonald is working with international investors on 23 solar plants totalling 720MW of power. We're seeing a trend of increasing scale, of which this project represents the current culmination.
"If the same output were to be met using coal-fired generation, 5.4MT of CO2 would be emitted. The Kuni-Umi plant will be zero carbon in generation over its 20-year design life."
The announcement comes less than a month after edie reported that Japanese electronics and ceramics manufacturer Kyocera had begun work on what will be the world's largest floating solar installation.
Interactive Map: Remarkable solar farms
In light of these major new solar projects, edie has created an interactive map of the world's most remarkable solar farms. View the interactive map below.
Lois Vallely

subset: commoncrawl


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Phillip Martin lives in Scarsdale, New York. He is the Chief Technology Officer for Gargoyle Strategic Investments in Englewood, New Jersey. He is also a composer, currently serving as Composer-in-Residence for Hartford Opera Theater. While he retired from tournament play some twenty years ago to pursue other interests, he has remained active in bridge as a writer, contributing occasional articles to The Bridge World and Bridge Today and publishing a bridge blog, The Gargoyle Chronicles.
West leads the ♠7. Unfortunately I was defender on this deal, so I didn't get to discover whether I would have found the right line as declarer.
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the best part of having a photography business that focuses on capturing life's treasured moments is actually witnessing these changes. Â to be apart of documenting a couple's union on the day of their wedding and then the following year trusted to capture the precious being their love created is incredibly uplifting. Â i am so honored to do this.
alexis' parents were married last year but i just recently posted their wedding day images. Â they were busy making a baby… and i was too busy making albums. Â so happy for this sweet beautiful couple… and their entire family who are just as delighted to welcome a tiny lil girl into a predominantly male family. Â cheers "r" family!
many thanks to lizz for assisting me this session.


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Adidas Takes A Strategic Approach to Energy Investments
By now, most companies understand that investing in energy efficiency and renewable energy projects and "going green" can provide a variety of benefits to overall business operations. However, securing the means to do so can still be quite difficult as time, expertise, and especially budget constraints often stand in the way of moving these projects forward.
Through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Energy's Better Buildings Initiative, this week RILA released an Implementation Model – the first of many – which outlines how global manufacturer and retailer adidas Group successfully overcame internal financing barriers to invest $5.5 million in energy efficiency and renewable energy over the last three years.
In short, adidas Group established a greenENERGY Fund in 2012 to operate like an internal venture capital fund—one that provides financing, expertise, project management, monitoring and verification to make energy efficiency investments and renewable energy projects easier– all while delivering a net profit.
Recent projects funded by greenENERGY Fund include:
- An exterior LED lighting retrofit in a distribution center
- More efficient HVAC units in a large showroom
- Wireless intelligent LEDs in a large distribution center
adidas Group gave us a breakdown of the subsequent financial and energy impact:
For more information on adidas Group's strategy for investing in energy efficiency, including the structure of the greenENERGY Fund, outcomes and keys to creating your own successful energy fund, see the complete Implementation Model here.
For questions, contact Erin Hiatt, RILA's senior manager, sustainability & compliance at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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Stop Cancer/Diabete Yalgado Hospital,Burkina Faso
Organized by: Hopital Yalgado O
March 21, 2016
http://youtu.be/aHuLsM6J2rA.Click on this link to watch a full video of how patients suffer. See More
Everyday, The biggest Hospital in the poorest country(Burkina Faso) register more than 15th death out of the 40 patient they receive for cancer treatment.and 40 out of the 60 patients for diabete treatment. For just a lack of acid, or the disfunction of the dialisis material, kids,parents and families lose their beloved ones.please join us to help the hospital.a pennie can save lifes
Organized by
Hopital Yalgado O
This is a direct to organizer fundraiser.
Report this page — Let Us Know if you think this page is breaking the law or the GoFundMe Charity Terms


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Organizing and consolidating information dealing with simplifying life since January 2006, to help those considering a lifestyle change as well as those expert at living an abundant life in a frugal way.
February 16, 2010
Recipe for Beer Biscuits and Easy, Fast, Homemade Drop Biscuits
I've never been able to duplicate that recipe just right.
When I don't resort to the notorious canned fare from the grocery (eek!), I like to make the drop biscuits -- or those "biscuit-muffins" made with beer that I first learned about on Paula Deen's show on the Food Network. What's so great about her recipe is that not only is it fast, and cheap, but it's so so easy.
Now, sure, MaryBeth's biscuits were the rolled kind. But I'm sure that she'd think that Paula Deen's were just "mighty fine" too. (MaryBeth said "mighty fine" quite a bit, right along with "bless her heart." With a long Texas drawl that we're not hearing much any more, sad to say.)
Paula Deen's Beer Biscuits - Muffin Tin Buscuits
(with my commentary)
Preheat oven to 400.
Mix together the following, don't stir too much:
4 cups biscuit mix (you know, Bisquick - don't try the imitations, they just don't come out the same)
1/2 cup sugar (you can use less if you want a less-sweet biscuit, though I don't know why you would.)
1 can of beer (not lite, not Fosters, not some trendy stuff. The basic 12 oz can of Bud works just fine.)
2 tablespoons melted, unsalted butter (yes, unsalted butter!)
Now, pour the batter into greased muffin tins. Bake till the tops are golden brown. They come out really pretty, and yes, Dear Reader -- they do look like muffins. They're kinda like Sunday Dinner Biscuits, they're so cute in a basket with a nice cuptowel to keep 'em warm. You can add stuff to the batter if you want to mess with this basic recipe, too. Like crumbled bacon and bits of cheddar cheese thrown in. This is never bad.
Reba's Drop Biscuits
Drop biscuits are easy, too. But you don't roll out any dough and cut little circles out of it, and you don't use a muffin tin. You make a dough and then drop it by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Bake 'em up.
First, planning ahead, do two things. Heat your oven to 450 degrees. And, take a stick of unsalted butter and cut it into little tiny squares and stick those little squares in a plastic bowl and put this in the freezer for about 20 minutes. Really cold butter is better here, but don't let it freeze up and get hard as ice on you. Fifteen to twenty minutes should be fine. Unless your freezer is from NASA or something.
Second, put this stuff into a big mixing bowl:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 T sugar
4 t baking powder
1/2 t cream of tartar
1/2 t salt
Now, take your butter squares and cut them into this bowl of dry stuff. Cut 'em by using a cool pastry cutter if you have one. (Since this may mean different things to different people, I've added an image of what I mean by "pastry cutter" - above.) If not, use a couple of dinner knives and criss-cross the blades into the dry stuff, until you get those butter squares are cut up and you've got a bowl of crumby stuff. Big white butter crumbs.
Whew. Put some flour on your forehead so everyone will know you made these things from scratch. Important step.
Next. get yourself another bowl and put into it:
2/3 cup buttermilk (use real milk only if you don't have buttermilk)
1 egg.
Mix this stuff together with a fork. You can use a whisk if you want to be fancy.
Now, pour the wet stuff into the dry stuff. Stir. Don't stir too much, just till things combine. Again, don't get stir happy here.
You're almost done! Grab your biggest cookie sheet - you don't need to grease it up with all that butter in the dough - and if you want to add parchment paper, go on with your bad self. Not a must. Get a serving spoon (for bigger biscuits) and drop spoonfuls of the batter about 2 inches apart from each other onto the sheet.
Bake at 450 degrees until they're golden brown. Yum.
And yes, Dear Reader, both of these versions of biscuits freeze just fine.
Image: Pastry Cutter
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Via Tevere Pizzeria is a restaurant - and now a food truck! - serving delicious Neapolitan pizza to Vancouver. Via Tevere's pizza is crafted from tradition brought from the heart of Naples; the rustic simplicity of the wood-fired oven, and the amazing flavors that creates. So stop by this fantastic truck, and grab yourself a bite!
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Hotel Idyll Suites Gran Canaria is located in the quiet area of Playa del Cura. Idyll Suites is an adult only tourist complex with 49 suites of 70m2 each with wide panoramic terraces, all of them facing the sea. At 80 metres from the natural sandy beach of Playa del Cura and only a few steps away from all facilities: supermarket, pharmacy, taxi and bus stand. At 400 metres from the golf course of Anfi Tauro.
At Hotel Idyll Suites Gran Canaria our priority is your comfort. It has a magnificent infinity pool with jacuzzi and whirlpool and a large solarium of 1800m2 equipped with exclusive and comfortable standard and King-Size sunbeds and Balinese beds. Snacks and drinks serviced to sunbeds. Optimal WIFI connection and 24 hours private parking with direct access to the apartments.


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Picking the Right Utensils
When you are prepared to buy new cooking utensils for your kitchen, you need to make certain to choose cooking utensils that will be valuable in your kitchen. You may require these utensils since you are beginning another home, or you might be supplanting utensils in your more seasoned kitchen that have exhausted. Take after a couple of essential rules to enable you to settle on a decent choice.
- michelangelo kitchen
Easy Recipes for Fall
We always aim to provide you with great, easy to create recipes.
With that in mind, we hope that you will continue to follow us, as we work together to making you the great chef you always knew you could be.
- michelangelo kitchen


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THE WALKING DEAD Backpack Dead Inside
There are some bags you shouldn't open.
In the world of The Walking Dead, if you don't stay vigilant, you die.
- Many pockets
- Padded and adjustable shoulder straps
- Comfortable padded back
- Material: polyester
- Dimensions: 45 x 31 x 19cm
- Capacity: 18 litres


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€100.00 was €350.00
This variant is currently sold out
With Prime Blazer, we wanted to create a blazer with a true utility feel. The style features patch pockets and a straight cut at the bottom. Prime Blazer is offered in classic black as well as this seasonal variation dark navy structure that can be paired with Krissy Trousers and Narrow Trousers for a full suit.
- Straight fit
- Patch pockets
- Inspired by a utilitarian look
Materials: 66% polyester 28% viscose 6% elastane


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I love the way that rainbow craft items look together, I've always wanted to re-do my studio in more of a rainbow theme.
However, I never feel like I can really pull it off!
My Rainbow projects never seem to work! On today's card I went for a rainbow theme, but I choose colors that I wouldn't think would work together.
{Facebook Rewind – Artfully Aware Card}
These colors really seemed to work well together. I love the pop of black with solid black stitched heart.
Print your PDF HERE
You can purchase any of the items I used in today's project in my online store HERE, or by clicking on the photos below.
Make sure you are following me on Facebook HERE! Every Monday, Wednesday & Friday I am going live at 11:30 with a new project.
I will be back to craft with you later this week!


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IPONG V300 (old model)
by IPONG
Help us keep the best prices! Report a lower price.
Sorry, this item is currently out of stock. You may ask us to send you a restocking notification when this item is back in stock.
This robot has been replaced with a newer model - IPONG V300 (2017).
Formerly named IPONG Master V300.
Similar to IPONG Pro but:
Continuing with a two-wheel design that offers a natural ball trajectory, the IPONG V300 has all the great features of the IPONG Pro - the ability to shoot balls from side-to-side on the table. And adding to it's hallmarks, there's a wireless remote to control all functions.
The IPONG V300 has three main sections that snap together in less than a minute. (A great benefit, also when traveling, as it considerably reduces the overall size.)
Simplicity and flexibility: Power-up. Add balls. Set ball type. Press start and play.
The IPONG V300's small lightweight remote fits easily in the freehand, or pocket, while the player enjoys their practice. The digital display on the front of the IPONG V300 respectively shows your FOUR settings: Ball Frequency, Side-to-Side Oscillation, Top Wheel Speed, and Bottom Wheel Speed. The wireless remote has a pair of buttons ('+' and '-' ) corresponding to each control above. And a memory button is included to save your favorite settings. The Power and Start/Pause buttons are the only other controls you'll need to learn. Simple.
Are you an advancing player who likes to practice against backspin?. With the IPONG tilt stand, and the proper settings, the IPONG V300 can create very realistic backspins balls to practice the "push" and "loop" loop shots. (Respectively, these are the basic backspin and topspin shots used in the sport of table tennis.).
• Holds 100 balls, and shoots up to 90 balls per minute.
IPONG Comparison Chart
Warranty Plus: Additional Warranty Support If Needed
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Reviews of IPONG V300 (old model) (3)
After 2 day of ownership, I was ready to call Megaspin for a refund. The reason was, out of the box, the V300 would shoot out ping pong balls with a azimuth variance of about 40 degrees. This was due to the manufacturing imperfections on the heads (wheels) AND the width of the feed path of the balls.
On the third day, I decided to make a modification. Now, the balls feed to the exact location on the head (wheels). Which means that the variance of the ball's projection path is limited to the imperfections of the rubber head.
After the modification, I'm satisfied with product. The variance of the ping pong ball's projected path is much less. On my side of the table, it's about 4 inches difference.
I was expecting more, but for the price, the V300 is nice. The materials don't feel sturdy, but at the same time, don't feel fragile.
I'm looking forward to training with the V300. I expect to zero-in my hand to eye coordination. Then I expect to polish up on brushing the ball.
One last thing... The mod was a playing card cut up slightly and then taped to the ball's feed path.
For the price point, I would recommend this product, but only because I would suggest my playing card mod.
Before I say anything, I feel it's necessary to mention that I use this outdoors where it is NOT intended to be used.
Anyways, I guess I have to say that- for the price- this thing is great. I have nobody to practice with at home so this is the next best thing without shelling out $1000+. It jams like its life depends on it (but do remember this is outdoors). I'll have to struggle to get it to shoot the first 5 balls and it might stop shooting at some point in the 40th shot but I remedy this by pressing the pause/start button or powering it off and on via remote so not too bad. Another issue I can't seem to get rid of is the dust. Perhaps I need to clean the balls themselves, because I've scrubbed the robot itself but every session still leaves my racket and table absolutely filthy with little circles of dust everywhere.
Overall decent.
I first bought the IPONG Original and had problems with it not launching the balls to the same place on my side of the table. Out of 50 balls maybe 20 of them hit the same place. I found this very frustrating when trying to do any drills. To make this short I'll just say that it was not predictable.
I contacted Megaspin and Joola about the issues I was experiencing and Joola sent me the IPONG Master V300. Because of all the trouble I was having with the Original. So that is cool, but it is still made like all the other IPONG models. What I mean by that is they are made very cheep and if not careful they will break if you happen to drop it.
Now for the Pro's and Con's:
Pro's: Looks better than all the other IPONG robot's. One of the nicest features is the wireless remote that is small and easy to use. The operations manual on the V300 is a lot better than the other model's.
Con's: After carefully removing it from the box I noticed that one of the tabs on one of the cones was broken off. Even then it would not mount onto the engine core because the rest of the tabs needed to be filed down in order to get it to fit properly.
I almost wish it was a little more heavy, because if you are not careful with the ac connection wire. You might hit the wire with your foot when retrieving your ball's. It happened to me, but luckily I had my collection net setup so it didn't drop off the table.
All and all it is way better than the other IPONG model's. If they would just make it a little more stout, I'm talking about those little tabs. Then I would have given a better review.
I will update this review after I spend some more time with it.
IPONG Robots
Table Tennis Robots


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My second bundt in Turkey! Woot! Let me just say that the apartment smells like heaven. Who doesn't like chocolate?!?!?! – don't answer that. I am a chocoholic – honestly. If I get a chocolate craving it may take days for it to pass. I just cant kick it sometimes. This is the end of my chocolate craving – this baby just wanted to be made.
Instagram photo!
I knew I wanted to do something with chocolate and the massive yogurt container in the fridge inspired my second ingredient. Really – a huge container (2 kg +) is a staple in most if not all Turkish homes. Even better it is plain so perfect and much healthier to cook/bake with than its evil twin of sour cream (which I don't think I could even buy here if I wanted to). May look next time I am in the store.
Anywho – this cake was super moist and definitely hit the spot. It was Harika (wonderful)! With a short ingredient list and short directions the hardest part about it is waiting for it to actually bake (and the most nerve-racking since the oven I have to work with has a personality of its own) and then cool off.
You can jazz it up any which way your little
heart tummy desires – nuts, fruit, glaze, or just plain and simple powdered sugar – the route I took. I specifically chose the later because my mom makes a too die for chocolate bundt that she tops only with powdered sugar. Granted I should have just asked her for the recipe (wink wink madre), but a little thing called an 8 hr. time difference stood in my way. I should have been more on top of things and asked for it earlier – maalasef (oh well – unfortunately).
If you want to make your host family smile – or if you want to smile than just make this bundt cake – NOW!
Post a nice dinner with the host family we had a wonderful dessert session – ohhh how I love dessert sessions. In addition to the cake we had in season fruit – the wonderful cherries and then my little yellow/green friends – can't remember what they are called – mission of the day. The host daughter had two slices so I think it is safe to say that the cake will be eaten in no time.
Another instagram – view from the top
2 cups flour
2/3 cup dutch process cocoa
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda (1 european package of baking soda)
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (Turkish yogurt)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (1 european package of vanilla sugar)
Grease a bundt pan – be sure to get all of the crevices – I used olive oil
Sift 2 C flour and 2/3 C of cocoa together with the baking soda , set aside.
In a large mixing bowl cream together the butter and sugar.
Beat in the eggs.
Add the flour mixture alternately with the yogurt in two parts. Do not over mix. Stir in the vanilla.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in a 350 oven for 45-55 minutes, until a tester inserted comes out clean. (This is an approximate for temps since I am working with notches – but be sure to keep an eye on it)
Cool for 10 minutes before inverting onto a rack to cool completely
Dust with powdered sugar and serve – fruit makes it grand! Just saying.
My sister made this bundt for the 4th of July – I want it – I want it ALL!
Bundts are totally coming back into fashion – they are the hit thing these days ya know?!?!
Cheers to baking abroad and dessert sessions with host families


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In Stock | STYLE: 001-230-02840
Ships Today (if ordered by 4:00 pm EST)
Lady's Yellow Gold 14 Karat Diamond Accented Pendant With One 5.50Ct Free Form Australian Opal And 20=0.10Tw Round Brilliant Diamonds-G/H Color, SI1 Clarity*Prices are subject to change based on fluctuations in metal prices and currencies
At Parlé, we design and handcraft original jewelry with amazing color gemstones. From Opals, rainbows formed in the earth 100 million years ago, to Sapphire with the colors of the sky and ocean worn by Royalty, to classic Ruby & Emerald. Parlé features only "Stones That Speak"! Let us color your world and find the perfect collection of colored gemstone jewelry that speaks to you.
General Details:
Ships Today (if ordered by 4:00 pm EST)


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A week before his demise, our five-and-a-half-year-old St. Bernard, Dagda, suffered with hips that had deteriorated enough that he needed help to stand up but, once up, he could walk on his own, although he was a little wobbly and would sometimes fall down. My hope was that we could customize a wheelchair so that we could lift him into it and then he'd be stabilized enough to move around on his own. Dagda agreed, so I helped him post an ad on Craigslist. Lots of people responded…I hope that folks are as willing to donate used wheelchairs to needy humans as they are to crippled Saint Bernards.
Anyway, we got the chair and, due to Dagda's unusual size, it required some additional modifications, compared to the web link that had inspired our quest. By the time we had it fitted to him, his condition had deteriorated substantially. His doctor thinks that he had a degenerative (spinal) disk disorder, in addition to the hip dysplasia. He could no longer shift himself from lying on his side (sleeping) to lying on his belly (Sphinx position) on his own. His steroid pills made him very thirsty, so he would cry at night and need to be propped up to drink water approximately once per hour. I slept on the couch next to him and helped him up many times every night during his last few days. He also lost control of his bladder and it turns out that puppy pads are no match for the amount of urine produced by a steroid-fueled 180-pound dog.
We did give him a chance to try out the wheelchair, but since it couldn't help him with his nightly struggles, it wasn't a viable solution for the long-term. It did work nicely, though, (with brakes on) for propping him up so we could give him a bath. See the pictures of Dagda in his wheelchair, below. This kind of chair may work well for dogs with hip issues only.


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I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in Dillon this week. What a quaint little town. Everyone is friendly, the cars stop for pedestrians (even when you are in the middle of the road), and there are a lot of good things going on there. The Jaycees host the Dillon rodeo on Labor Day weekend, and it is the talk of the town, billed as Montana's Biggest Weekend, it is sure to be the thing to see – rodeo, parade, concert – a good time to be had by all.
But in addition to the upcoming event, lots of other good things happen there. Did you know that Patagonia has an outlet store in Dillon – it's biggest sales are on summer holidays, with lines that run outside and down the street – wear your lightest clothes so you can try things on right in the aisles. The Great Harvest Bread company has their franchise headquarters in Dillon, it's the place new owners come to learn about the business. There are days during the month when the new bakers help a local charity while they learn their craft. The Montana Youth Challenge goes on at the University of MontanaWestern, a program for at-risk youth to help them become productive members of society.
My few days there I've tried most of the restaurants, pub crawled through town with my friends and checked out a few of the stores. My favorites were the Taco Bus – I'm sure it has a name, but all you need to know is that it is on the way in to town from the main city exit. You just step on to the bus and taste your way to authentic Mexico, I also adored the Sweetwater Cafe, best coffee and sandwiches in town – right next to the office I was working in, it was not only convenient, but also offered friendly service, outstanding lattes and yummy sandwiches – the reuben was my fav.
Another cool fact about Dillon, or Beaverhead County more specifically, there are about 6000 people in town, but over 80,000 calves are shipped out of there each year. The rolling ranches are everywhere you look. The most important part is to look.


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One of the best things about blogging about kids fashion, is being able to share the coolest kids brands as they emerge. Today we get the opportunity to share with you a new label — Telegraph Ave! Based in California, Telegraph Ave is making stylish garb for littles aged 1-5 years, perfectly suited for your little free spirit.
We were so excited to interview designer Aman, to hear first hand about the brand's first collection and celebrate with an exclusive giveaway, just in time for the holidays! Head over to our Instagram Page to like and comment on our photos for a chance to win a $50 gift credit at telegraphaveshop.com
What inspired the name of your label?
TELEGRAPH AVE is a historic street that runs from Berkeley through Downtown Oakland, CA. I've been raised in the Bay Area and wanted a name that represented the line as well as myself as a parent. The street hosts a diversity of visitors, artists and eccentric shops. It was a place for wanderers to land somewhat comfortably and became a symbol for counterculture, free speech and the hippie movement. I wanted to not only create a children's clothing line but to also build a lifestyle around free-thinking conscious children.
Why did you choose to design for children?
I love fashion and have worked in the industry for 15+ years. Children's clothing is fun and relaxed! I wanted to be at home with my daughter, to watch her grow. I was spending 12 hours of my day away from her commuting and working to support the two of us. For a year straight, I would see her about an hour a day. Creating a children's line bonds us. She is my muse, my model and best of all lets me know if it fits well. She's quite opinionated 🙂
What is your brand's mission statement or goal?
We aspire to be more than an apparel line. We aspire to be a lifestyle brand that caters to little ones and grows with them as they become fashion forward, free thinking, conscious individuals. The roots of Telegraph Ave encompass all that we love about our community of artists, eccentrics, progressives and intellects. From downtown Oakland through Berkeley, it embraces diversity and California's free-spirit vibe. We collaborate with local artisans and support ethical production of all our pieces.
Why do you believe fashion/style is important for children?
I don't necessarily feels that it is important for children. Kids have so much adventure to experience and so many lessons to learn that plaids and polka dots shouldn't even register on their radar. However, it does provide another outlet to express themselves in a form other legos, colouring or storytelling. I respect that my two year old daughter tells me that she feels uncomfortable in jeans. So am I, lol!
What are the motivations or inspirations behind the designs?
Travel and Mara Liv are my motivation. I'm a visual learner and storyteller. I notice colour stories from the oil spill on the side of the road to my daughters latest art piece to fashion at music festivals. We live for a getaway to the beach and to play along the shore. The seaside lifestyle is relaxed and it inspires me.
Is there a style decade you are inspired by?
I enjoy the art, style and fashion of the Mid-Century. The 1960's and 1970's had the best fashion and home decor. Colourful but muted. Minimal design but functional. Its amazing and that's why Gucci hasn't parted ways with it.
How does your design philosophy change when creating for boys vs girls?
The first 5 styles released for yr|1 collection have been unisex. I will be releasing more styles that are specific for girls or boys to go along with the unisex pieces. It creates for better storytelling and styling. The philosophy is to be fun and wearable.
What do you have coming up that you are really excited about?
I'm really to just have launched and to be participating in our first giveaway with Poster Child Magazine!


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How Professional Cleaning Services Is Influencing Modern Lifestyle
With years going by, our world is evolving at a larger pace. Over the past couple of decades, we experience outright changes in paradigms of society and economy. The ways of business are changing. No one would have ever thought a lot of successful business that now exist, has had such a great potential to prosper. Professional cleaning services is one of these.
A thing as pity as it looks, cleaning is a part of our day today lifestyle. Not that anyone thinks of getting an expertise in it, but it wouldn't be a bad deal if we let the experts do the job. After all, it is rightly said that hygiene is next to godliness. A clean and healthy environment is crucial not just at your home but at your work place, since you spend the most of your time in the office. Also, it influences your output a lot.
Why professional cleaning services are getting a lot of prominence?
It is not just about good mood but health and safety as well. The value of time to time cleaning holds much more fame, mainly at risky sites like factories. Dusts, chemicals, other site material may badly affect health of the workers and no corporation would want to take a risk on their work forces health, for they may land into serious financial, reputation and legal effects. For that matter, it is either to hire skilled staff in a separate cleaning unit or go for outsourcing the same to a professional cleaning services provider just like most of the corporate in Tauranga and Wellington prefer.
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The fact to choose either to recruit staff or go for professional cleaning services is a matter of choices and influenced by a lot of factors. If it is a small office not taking up a lot of space, recruiting a
Still, looking at the other side professional cleaning service providers cater to their clients irrespective of their size. They may undertake large corporate houses contracts and are ready to serve small businesses too. A lot of times outsourcing the job proves to be cost effective. Another aspect to look up to is savings in effort and time by way of controlled measures to be put on cleaning staff. All the liability is passes on to professional cleaning service providers and they have to ensure quality.
Choosing Reliable and Right Cleaners
Yet, it is vital to be
Flexible and Tailored Services
The services they provide are flexible to suit the needs of various clients. Professional cleaning is all about keeping
No matter how capable and professional cleaning service providers are, there always lie a responsibility of the clients to keep a check on their job. There are certain aspects which are common to any industry or any space that needs special attention in terms of cleaning.
How important is daily cleaning?
Time of daily cleaning is vital. Make sure your cleaners mop the floors, clean the desks and keep the surroundings
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Tailem Bend Community Centre
With the ever-changing landscape of government funding, the Tailem Bend Community Centre looks to invest in regional property to safeguard its delivery of services.
Expanding its services to over 25,000 square kilometres, the Tailem Bend Community Centre (TBCC) CEO Tammy Shepherd, is exceptionally proud of her teams' achievements and recognises the significance of protecting the future for the Community.
"We have a friendly, helpful team, of paid staff and volunteers, who really enjoy helping people and families within the Coorong District – and now we even assist communities within the River City of Murray Bridge and more recently, in Callington," Tammy said. "As you would appreciate, we rely heavily on funding to deliver most of our services so administrative governance is vital to our existence, but with most funding being reassessed every few years or so, the Board is looking towards property investment, to sure-up its independence into the future."
"We provide services to 21.6% of Coorong residents and all of our team are passionate about the Centre's ability to make a difference," Tammy said. "We really change lives making time to create opportunities for people to learn and grow. We also help people break through all the red tape and most importantly, we love helping people."
The TBCC is an independent organisation that supports the diverse needs of people within Tailem Bend and its surrounding communities.
The TBCC is open 9am to 4.30pm Tuesdays to Fridays and some week nights, encouraging social interaction, while offering affordable, easily accessible, lifelong learning.
There are many dedicated volunteers welcoming and offering support to all that visit – including the aged, disabled and the disadvantaged.
The TBCC is situated at 141 Railway Terrace, Tailem Bend so feel free to drop in for a chat or volunteer, you can also phone them on 8572 3513.


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We are an office interiors specialist that was set up in 2006. We offer a range of services including office design, fit-out, refurbishment, supply of office furniture and relocations.
We currently have a vacancy for a Part time Bookeeper/Accounts Assistant to carry out various tasks including the following:
Working on Sage to:
- Process orders;
- Raise Invoices;
- Prepare Payroll Reports;
- Process Supplier Invoices; and
- Bank Reconciliations.
Assisting the Managing Director with a variety of tasks including the following:
- Preparation of presentations;
- Keeping contractual documentation up-to-date;
- Carrying out some project co-ordination tasks; and
- Developing and refining systems and processes.
Other tasks
- General administration - including filing, document processing, etc.
The role will be varied, with scope for the successful candidate to expand and develop into other areas. The right candidate will be meticulous in their attention to detail and will be able to work unsupervised. They will need to be able to use their initiative and also be able to communicate clearly and professionally with staff and clients at all levels.
Experience required:
- Familiarity with using Sage would be ideal;
- Experience of bookkeeping/accounts;
- Good standard with Excel/Word/Outlook etc;
- Any desk top publishing skills will be very useful
- Excellent written and verbal presentation skills.
Currently the workload equates to approx. 24 hours per week. We can be flexible in how these hours are scheduled throughout the week, so this position may be ideal for someone with other commitments. The role and hours may develop as time passes and we are keen to attract someone that is looking to grow with the company as well as help the company grow.
Salary is negotiable depending on experience. Our offices are a 5-minute walk away from London Bridge Station, so we are very well located for transport links.
If you are interested in applying for this role, please send your CV.


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Premium Member
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#121 •
The wiring was strange as it was the switch end that was mounted on the metal tab vs the harness. I had to bend it out to be able to get a screwdriver under the release tab to un mount it. After that I had easy access to the push tab to release them.


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Fiber-optic-based diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) is a nondestructive technique that is sensitive to tissue physiological and morphological composition. In combination with Monte Carlo 1, 2, 3, 4 or diffusion-based models, 5, 6, 7 this approach provides quantitative information, specifically the wavelength-dependent absorption and scattering properties from which the underlying tissue physiological and morphological information can be derived. Quantitative diffuse reflectance spectroscopy has recently been evaluated for precancer detection and cancer diagnostics, 2, 5, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 intraoperative tumor margin assessment, 19, 20, 21 monitoring of tumor response to therapy, 19, 22, 23, 24 and tissue oximetry.25 Endpoints of the quantitative analysis that solely reflect "tissue" characteristics can be compared across different patient studies measured with different instruments. This quantitative DRS approach facilitates consensus on methods for validation and translation, and widens the acceptance of this technique for biomedical applications.
Calibration is a critical step in insuring quality control prior to quantitative model-based analysis of diffuse reflectance spectra. It accounts for the spectral power distribution of the light source, wavelength-dependent response of the instrument, and throughput of the fiber optic probe. Commonly used calibration methods correct for instrument-dependent throughput by dividing the raw tissue spectra by a calibration spectrum measured on a spectrally flat diffuse reflectance standard, such as the spectralon reflectance standard SRS-99 (referred to as Spectralon) from Labsphere, Incorporated (North Sutton, New Hampshire), and/or a tissue phantom. 3, 5, 8, 9, 13, 18, 26 The calibration measurements are typically performed before or after the clinical measurements of all samples.With these calibration methods, however, there could potentially be significant errors in the measured reflectance spectra, and consequently the extracted tissue absorption and scattering properties. A few sources of these errors include real-time intensity fluctuations, fiber bending-induced loss, and variations in the coupling between the fiber optic probe and calibration reflectance standard. Current calibration approaches require at least 20–40 min for instrument warm-up to eliminate significant lamp intensity fluctuations, and another 5 to 20 min (depending on whether tissue phantoms are used) for calibration measurements in the clinic.
We recently demonstrated the feasibility of performing quantitative DRS in the UV-visible band using a self-calibration (SC) fiber optic probe.27 The probe has two completely separate channels, one for tissue spectroscopy and the other for calibration of the tissue spectral signal. The reference spectrum is collected by the built-in calibration channel at the same time as the tissue measurement, and can be used to replace calibration measurements that need to be performed immediately before or after collecting the tissue spectra. It was shown that the lamp intensity fluctuations [which were simulated by inserting a neutral density (ND) filter between the lamp and illumination fibers after the lamp had been warmed-up] could be reduced from 6 dB down to ±0.13 dB (or ±3%) using this built-in self-calibration channel. The probe was tested in a number of liquid phantoms over a range of tissue optical properties after instrument warm up. Absorption and scattering coefficients were extracted with an average absolute error and standard deviation of 6.9±7.2% and 3.5±1.5%, respectively, with an inverse scalable Monte Carlo (MC) model developed by our group.1 The errors for extraction of phantom absorption and scattering coefficients were comparable with those achieved in a previous study by our group with the traditional Spectralon-based calibration using two different instruments and phantoms with similar optical properties.28 The results from this original publication demonstrated the concept of using a SC probe in lieu of a traditional diffuse reflectance standard for instrument calibration in laboratory or clinic settings.
Although the previously developed SC probe (referred to as SC probe A) achieved excellent accuracy in measuring phantom optical properties after the lamp warm-up period, it was not effective in accounting for spatial variations in the lamp intensity that occur during lamp warm-up. This is because the spatial distribution of the lamp emission varies significantly during warm-up, which results in time-varying ratios in the light power coupled into the independent sensing and calibration channels. Thus with SC probe A, it was not possible to test the effect of self-calibration during lamp warm-up due to the time-varying intensity ratio between the sensing and calibration channels. Instead, ND filters were used. In this work, we report an improved self-calibration probe (referred to as SC probe B) design that builds on the previously described proof-of-concept probe to provide effective real-time calibration during the lamp warm-up period, which can be as long as 30 min. Instead of using two independent source fibers for the two channels, this new design uses an optical fiber splitter (coupler) as a source fiber that overcomes the time-varying differences in the power coupled into the two channels. Using SC probe B, different sources of systematic error that can give rise to variations in source intensity, which serves as the basis for the prior probe design, were characterized. In this work, we show that the effect of lamp intensity fluctuations during real warm-up can be reduced from 1.0 dB (or 20%) to less than 0.04 dB (or 1%) with the use of the new probe design, which was not possible with the previous probe design (SC probe A) or traditional calibration methods. In this work, phantom studies covering a wide range of optical properties were performed under conditions that are representative of a practical clinical setting in which there were significant source intensity fluctuations to demonstrate the practical performance of the DRS system. The results obtained indicate that using the self-calibration approach provides excellent accuracy for quantitative DRS under conditions of significant source intensity fluctuations that cannot be corrected with the previous probe design (SC probe A) or traditional calibration methods. The improved design of self-calibration probe design B allows for this effective calibration.
Method and Materials
The UV-VIS DRS system, as depicted in Fig. 1(a), consists of a 450-W xenon lamp as the broadband light source (FL-1039, HORIBA Jobin Yvon, New Jersey), a laboratory-made self-calibration fiber optic probe to deliver illumination light to and collect diffusely reflected light from the tissue sample, and an imaging spectrometer with a 2-D charge-coupled decide (CCD) camera (iHR-320, HORIBA Jobin Yvon, New Jersey). The fiber optic probe has two channels: a tissue sensing channel (referred to as tissue CH) to collect a diffuse reflectance spectrum from a tissue sample, and a calibration channel (referred to as Cal CH) to collect a calibration spectrum concurrently with the tissue measurement, which can be used for real-time instrument and probe calibration. The probe uses a large core (400 μm) 1×2 fiber splitter (Fiber Optic Network Technology Company, British Columbia, Canada) as the source fiber for both sample illumination and self-calibration (the red fibers in Fig. 1). The light launched into the common arm of the splitter is divided into two channels, 80% to the tissue channel and 20% to the calibration channel. At the probe tip, eight 200-μm (core diameter) detection fibers (the blue fibers in Fig. 1) form a ring around the 400-μm tissue illumination fiber and collect the diffusely reflected light from the sample. The center-to-center distances between the single illumination fiber and the eight detection fibers range between 690 and 860 μm. The self-calibration illumination fiber terminates inside the rigid part of the probe tip, as shown in Fig. 1(b), and a portion of the calibration light is specularly reflected by the polished end surface of a stainless steel rod and coupled back into a 200-μm (core diameter) calibration return fiber (the green fiber in Fig. 1). Since the proximal ends of the calibration fibers and stainless steel rod are aligned and permanently fixed together inside a short piece of stainless steel capillary tube using epoxy, as shown in Fig. 1(b), the relative angles, distance, and spacing of the two fibers and the rod are all fixed. The reflector does not have to be a specular reflector, and any reflector can be used as long as it provides a comparable signal level as the tissue channel. All 200-μm fibers are made of identical silica/silica, high –OH optical fibers with numerical apertures (NA) of 0.22 (Polymicro Technologies, Phoenix, Arizona) to ensure the same bending response. This new probe design guarantees that the two channels respond to changes of the lamp emission intensity in the same manner.
In the detection fiber bundle, the detection fibers and the calibration return fiber are arranged into two columns, with two rows of dead fibers of the same diameter (the white fibers) for spacing between the two channels, as shown in Fig. 1(a). The fiber bundle is coupled to the imaging spectrograph iHR-320 via a reflective optics coupler with a 1:1.2 magnification. The collected diffuse reflectance and calibration beams are diffracted and projected onto different areas of the CCD camera and recorded by the laptop computer. The CCD chip has 1024 (horizontal) × 256 (vertical) pixels with a pixel size of 26 × 26 μm. The vertical axis is used to separate the self-calibration channel and the sensing channel, while the horizontal axis is used to detect the diffracted incident light. Because the spectrometer is optimized for spectroscopy (the CCD is in the tangential focal plane), relatively large spherical aberrations were measured in the vertical direction of the CCD. This means the image of an active fiber on the CCD in the vertical direction is larger than the diameter of the fiber. Therefore, two dead fibers were used to separate the two channels on the CCD, as indicated in Fig. 1(a). Pixels 62 to 92 along the vertical axis are binned for the self-calibration channel, while pixels 96 to 168 are binned for the sensing channel with three pixels left for spacing between the two channels, with no measurable cross talk on the CCD.
Each scan of the spectrometer covered only 128.7 nm. The input slit width of the spectrometer was set to 0.6 mm, resulting in a wavelength resolution of 1.4 nm. A complete spectrum from 350 to 600 nm took two scans with a low scan covering 349.4 to 479.8 nm and a high scan covering 472.2 to 600.9 nm. In addition to maintaining high wavelength resolution, acquiring two separate scans for the low and high wavelength ranges enabled the use of different integration times to achieve comparable signal for the entire wavelength range.
Characterizing Different Sources of Systematic Errors
Three major sources of errors, including day-to-day variations in intensity, lamp warm-up, and fiber bending loss, were measured with the DRS system and SC probe B. First, day-to-day variations in lamp intensity were characterized under the same experimental conditions by taking five consecutive scans from the same Spectralon reflectance standard (Spectralon) after a lamp warm-up period of 60 min (to remove the effect of instrument warm-up drift as a variable) per day on each of two different days. The same experimental condition means that the instrument, probe-instrument interface, probe-Spectralon coupling, and fiber bending were unchanged between the two different days. Second, the effect of lamp warm-up was characterized by acquiring spectra from the same Spectralon using SC probe B at 13 time points between 2 and 60 min after the lamp was turn on for each of two off/on cycles. The intensity counts at two wavelengths of 475 and 575 nm were plotted against time to show lamp intensity fluctuations during warm-up (the intensity fluctuation after the warm-up period was provided in the lamp specifications from the vendor to be within 5%). Finally, after the lamp warm-up period, fiber bending loss was tested by wrapping the detection arm of the probe on a rod 2 and 3 cm in diameter (D), respectively for three turns each. Five consecutive scans were acquired from the Spectralon within a period of 5 min under each bending diameter (no bending, and D = 2 and 3 cm). The spectra for D = 2 and 3 cm were compared to the spectra obtained without fiber bending.
Wavelength Response of the Calibration Channel
Although the two channels share the same light source and spectrometer, differences exist in the throughput between the two channels due to wavelength dependence of the splitter and coupling optics, and pixel-to-pixel variations in the CCD efficiency. This can be easily corrected by taking a one-time measurement on a spectrally flat diffuse reflectance standard, such as a Spectralon, and then generating a correction factor F corr(λ) as defined in Eq. 1.
Eq. 1[TeX:] \documentclass[12pt]{minimal}\begin{document}\begin{equation} F_{{\rm corr}} (\lambda) = {{R_{{\rm Spectralon0}} (\lambda)} \mathord{\left/ {\vphantom {{R_{{\rm Spectralon0}} (\lambda)} {R_{{\rm SC0}} (\lambda)}}} \right. \kern-\nulldelimiterspace} {R_{{\rm SC0}} (\lambda)}}, \end{equation}\end{document}
Correction for Lamp Warm-Up
Of the three systematic errors characterized in Sec. 2.2, warm up introduced the greatest variation in source intensity. The capability of the DRS system for correction of system drift, which is dominated by the lamp intensity variations during warm-up, was evaluated. Specifically, reflectance and self-calibration spectra between 472 and 600 nm (high scan only) were collected from the Spectralon at different time points during instrument warm up. The probe tip was aligned perpendicular to the surface of the Spectralon at a fixed distance (∼1 mm) and maintained at that position throughout the experimental procedure. A calibrated reflectance spectrum was obtained by dividing the raw reflectance spectrum by the self-calibration spectrum collected simultaneously, and then was normalized to the calibrated first scan for variation calculation. The variation in the calibrated reflectance spectrum achieved with the new SC probe B was compared to that achieved with the original SC probe A described in our previous publication.27
Phantom Experiments
Tissue-simulating liquid phantoms were utilized to evaluate the performance of the DRS system for measuring tissue optical properties on two different days. The phantoms contained variable concentrations of hemoglobin (Hb) as the absorber and 1-μm polystyrene microspheres (07310-15, Polysciences, Incorporated, Warrington, Pennsylvania.) as the scatterer. Powder form of human Hb (H0267, Sigma-Aldrich Company, Saint Louis, Missouri) has been widely used as a stable absorber in optical spectroscopy by our group as well as by others.1, 28 The absorption coefficient (μa) was determined from a spectrophotometer measurement of a diluted Hb stock solution, and the reduced scattering coefficients ( [TeX:] $\mu_s^{\prime}$ ) was calculated using the Mie theory29 for known size, density, and refractive index of the scatterers.
Two sets of phantoms with identical [TeX:] $\mu_s^{\prime}$ were obtained through 17 successive titrations of Hb from 1 to 31.9 μM for day 1 and 0.9 to 29.7 for day 2. Table 1 summarizes the Hb concentrations and expected phantom optical properties averaged over the wavelength range of 450 to 600 nm. Although the number of scatterers was fixed, the wavelength averaged [TeX:] $\mu_s^{\prime}$ decreased from 17.3 to 12.5 with successive dilution. The overall μa ranges from 0.016 to 4.65 cm−1 for day 1 and 0.011 to 4.38 cm−1 for day 2, over 450 to 600 nm.
Table 1
Summary of the Hb concentrations and expected phantom optical properties averaged over the wavelength from 450 to 600 nm. Phantom 11 was selected as the reference phantom for all MC inversions.
|Day 1
|Day 2
|$\mu_s^{\prime}$ μs′ (cm−1)
|μ $_{a}$ a (cm−1)
|μ $_{a}$ a (cm−1)
|Overall range
|11.56 to 19.15
|1.02 to 31.87
|0.016 to 4.65
|0.91 to 29.71
|0.011 to 4.38
A diffuse reflectance spectrum was measured with a calibration spectrum concurrently from each phantom using the SC probe B. On day 1, the measurements were taken 30 min after the instrument was turned on to eliminate the effect of source intensity variations due to instrument warm-up. On day 2, the measurements started only 2 min after the instrument was turned on to include the effect of source intensity variations due to instrument warm-up. On both days, a reflectance spectrum was also measured from the Spectralon immediately after all the phantom measurements using the same integration times as for the phantom measurements. Approximately 45 to 60 min elapsed between the first phantom and the Spectralon measurements on both days.
Data Analysis
The data analysis procedures for tissue optical spectroscopy are outlined in Fig. 2. In this study, tissue-simulating liquid phantoms were used rather than tissue as the target, and one of the phantoms from the tissue-simulating phantom set was selected as the reference. Hemoglobin, in its oxidized form, was the only absorber in all phantoms.
The first step of the data analysis was calibration, which was performed using two approaches: Spectralon calibration and self-calibration, according to the procedures outlined in Fig. 2. With Spectralon-based calibration, the calibrated spectrum was obtained by dividing the reflectance spectrum (low or high scans) by the corresponding Spectralon measurement (the low or high scans with identical integration time). With self-calibration, the calibrated spectrum was obtained by dividing the reflectance spectrum by the self-calibration spectrum collected concurrently, and then by the correction factor. In both calibration approaches, a complete calibrated spectrum was assembled by scaling the calibrated low scan to the high scan at 476 nm (the middle wavelength of overlap between the two scans), and then splicing them into a single spectrum.
Next, the calibrated target tissue phantom spectrum was further normalized to a similarly calibrated reference phantom spectrum prior to analysis by a fast, scalable inverse MC model developed by our group to extract the tissue optical properties.1 In this study, phantom 11 was selected as the reference phantom based on a previously published study by our group.28 The calibration of the target tissue phantom spectrum against a reference phantom is needed to scale the MC modeled data to the experimentally measured data, while the calibration of the tissue and reference phantom spectra to the Spectralon or SC spectrum is carried out to account for day-to-day or real-time variations in system throughput, respectively.
The inverse MC model of reflectance that was used for extraction of the phantom optical properties consists of a forward model and an inverse model. In the forward model, a set of absorbers are presumed to be present in the medium, and the scatterer is assumed to be single sized, spherically shaped, and uniformly distributed. The wavelength-dependent absorption coefficients of the medium are calculated from the concentration of each absorber and the corresponding wavelength-dependent extinction coefficients. The wavelength-dependent [TeX:] $\mu_s^{\prime}$ is calculated from scatterer size, density, and the refractive index of the scatterer and surrounding medium from the Mie theory for spherical particles using freely available software.30 The absorption and scattering coefficients are then input into the scalable MC physical model of light transport to obtain a modeled diffuse reflectance spectrum. In the inverse model, the modeled diffuse reflectance is adaptively fitted to the measured tissue diffuse reflectance. When the sum of squares error between the modeled and measured diffuse reflectance is minimized, the concentrations of absorber, scatter size, and density are extracted. An attribute of the scalable MC model of reflectance is that it accounts for the specific probe geometry used for diffuse reflectance measurements. A detailed description of this physical model is provided elsewhere.1
Inversions were performed in the wavelength range of 450 to 600 nm for best signal-to-noise ratio. Two different approached were used: within-day data analysis, in which the target and reference phantoms were from same-day measurements, and across-day data analysis, in which the target and reference phantoms were from different days. The within-day analysis compares the accuracy of the two calibration approaches with and without lamp warm-up, while the across-day analysis tests the capability of the self-calibration to correct for day-to-day instrument drift (a larger drift was created by starting phantom measurements during lamp warm-up on day 2), and is representative of what would happen in an actual clinical setting.
This section first presents the effect of the three types of system-atic error on measuring diffuse reflectance spectra, and the implementation of the correction factor for correcting the throughput difference between the tissue and calibration channels. Following these results, the warm up experimental data show that the lamp intensity fluctuations during warm-up can be reduced to a negligible level using the newly designed SC probe B, and finally, the results from the phantom experiments indicate that both real-time and day-to-day instrument drifts can also be effectively corrected by self-calibration.
Sources of Systematic Errors
Figure 3(a) shows ten reflectance spectra from 470 to 600 nm (high scan only) collected from the same Spectralon on two different days with the experimental setup unchanged. The five consecutive scans on each day (in a single color or solid line) showed very small variations (less than 1%). Although the spectra from the two different days have similar line shape, the lamp intensity drift from day 1 to day 2 ranges from 3 to 7% over the entire wavelength range. This day-to-day lamp intensity fluctuation makes it necessary to have a reproducible calibration measurement before or after every clinical study, which usually takes 5 to 20 min of valuable time in a clinical setting. Figure 3(b) shows the lamp intensity at two wavelengths, 475 and 575 nm (normalized to the maximum intensity for 575 nm), over a period of 60 min after the lamp was switched on for two off/on cycles. An increase of 55% at 575 nm and 38% at 475 nm in the lamp intensity was observed in the first 30 min for the first cycle. The increases for the second cycle are 38% at 575 nm and 24% 475 nm. The intensity fluctuation was less than 5% between 30 and 60 min, which agrees with the lamp specification provided by the vendor. The source intensity variations are large, as shown in Fig. 3(b), due to the rapid increase in the lamp intensity at the early time points. The difference in the intensity change at the two wavelengths in the first 30 min also indicates that the line shape of the lamp spectrum changes over time during warm up and thus cannot be accounted for with a simple one-time calibration measurement. This source of error is currently accounted for by allowing the instrument to warm up for a certain period of time (30 min) prior to initiating the spectroscopic measurements. However, this assumes that the warm-up period stays the same each time, which may not always be a reasonable assumption. Figure 3(c) shows three sets of spectra (five in each color or solid line) that were collected between 470 and 600 nm (high scan only) for the case where there was no bending, a bending diameter of D = 3, and a bending diameter of 2 cm, respectively. Obviously, the bending-induced attenuation is significantly higher than the repeated measurements or day-to-day variations. An average fiber bending loss of 8.7 and 68.9% was observed at 470 nm for D = 3 and 2 cm, respectively. The sharp increase in the bending loss at D = 2 cm indicates that there was a significant increase in wave coupling from the guided modes to cladding (leaky) modes in the fibers. There is, to the best of our knowledge, no existing technology to correct for bending loss that occurs during a tissue or phantom measurement.
Correction Factor
Figure 4(a) shows the raw reflectance spectrum from a Spectralon and the self-calibration spectrum collected concurrently after 30 min of lamp warm-up. The SC channel has a different wavelength response compared with the tissue channel, due to the use of a stainless-steel reflective rod and the free-space coupling from the calibration source fiber to the return fiber, as illustrated in Fig. 1(b). Thus a correction factor for this wavelength-dependent response was generated [defined in Eq. 1] for this particular probe and is shown in Fig. 4(b). The relatively large fluctuations between 450 and 500 nm of the correction factor could be due to multiple emission peaks in the lamp spectrum and the optical aberrations in the spectrometer, which might result in different wavelength scales for the two channels. It could also be caused by the splicing of the two scans that is required to cover a wavelength range from 350 to 600 nm using this instrument. However, the fluctuations should not affect the accuracy of the calibration as long as it is repeatable. The repeatability of the correction factor was measured by reattaching (10 times) the probe to the instrument, which may be required for probe sterilization, and the coefficient of variation (COV) was plotted in Fig. 4(c). The COV averaged over the wavelength range of 350 to 600 nm is 1.35%. The largest variation appears at the wavelength below 450 nm due to relatively low lamp intensity. In this work, spectral analysis of the phantom data was performed between 450 and 600 nm. The variation is mainly due to the probe adaptor design, which uses a setscrew to lock the collection fiber bundle into a tube on the instrument side and can be further reduced by alternate designs. The correction factor was saved in the computer and was used for subsequent calibrations using the procedures shown in Fig. 2(b). Each instrument and probe combination has its own wavelength-dependent response and requires a unique correction factor F corr(λ). Using SC probe B with the correction factor, the sources of errors presented in Figs. 3(a), 3(b), and 3(c) can be corrected in real-time.
Correction for Lamp Intensity Fluctuations
Figure 5(a) shows the raw reflectance spectra (high scans only) that were collected by SC probe B from the Spectralon at successive time points starting 2 min from when the lamp was turned on. The lamp intensity increased by 14 to 20% from 2 to 40 min, which is slightly lower than that measured in Fig. 3(b). What needs to be mentioned is that the spectra in Figs. 3(a), 3(c), and 5(a) were collected in three independent experiments, in which probe-to-Spectralon coupling and fiber bending were not repeatable. Therefore, the spectral intensities varied significantly among the three experiments. The dips around 542.5 nm in Fig. 5(a) could be due to a bad pixel on the CCD chip or a tiny crack in one of the collection fibers. Figure 5(b) shows the raw reflectance spectra divided by the calibration spectra collected concurrently and then normalized to the first scan. Dividing the raw spectra by the calibration spectra reduced the intensity fluctuations down to ±1% (except for the edge pixels, which were discarded during the splicing), demonstrating that the lamp fluctuations shown in Fig. 3(b) can be corrected by self-calibration. This also indicates that the repeatability of the correction factor is within ±1%. As a comparison, Figs. 5(c) and 5(d) show the raw and normalized self-calibrated reflectance spectra obtained using the SC probe A (with separate illumination fibers for tissue and calibration channels) at successive time points starting 5 min from when the lamp was turned on. Even with smaller lamp drifts (∼8%, resulting from the slightly longer warm-up time for the first measurement), the calibrated spectra still show a 4% variation, which is likely due to variation of the spatial distribution of the lamp emission during warm up.
Phantom Experimental Results
The Spectralon- and self-calibrated reflectance spectra measured from phantoms 1 (lightest), 9 (medium), and 17 (darkest), all from day 1, are plotted over the full wavelength range from 350 to 600 nm in Fig. 6. The three intensity valleys at 415, 540, and 575 nm in all spectra correspond to the Soret band (400 to 450 nm), α band (540 nm), and β band (569 nm) of oxygenated hemoglobin, respectively. The absorption of the α and β bands in phantom 1 are hardly noticeable due to the low Hb concentration in this phantom. The self-calibrated and Spectralon calibrated spectra for phantoms 9 and 17 show excellent overlap. The small but distinct difference between the two calibrated spectra for phantom 1 is likely caused by instrument drift during the time elapsed (> 45 min) between the first phantom measurement and Spectralon measurement that was performed right after phantom 17.
Within-day data analysis
In the within-day data analysis, the MC inversions were performed between the wavelengths of 450 and 600 nm for all target phantom spectra and reference phantom (phantom 11) from the same day. The extracted versus expected Hb concentrations and wavelength-averaged reduced scattering coefficients over 450 to 600 nm are plotted in Figs. 7(a) and 7(b), respectively. On either day, both the self- and Spectralon-calibration methods resulted in excellent agreement for the extracted and expected Hb concentrations (overall error within 8.8%) as well as for the reduced scattering coefficients (overall error within 4.5%). On day 2, in which phantom measurements were made during the lamp warm-up period, however, the extracted reduced scattering coefficients with the Spectralon calibration diverged considerably from the expected values at higher [TeX:] $\mu_s^{\prime}$ , which corresponds to the first few phantoms, and the overall error is higher than the other three sets shown in Fig. 7(b). This is due to the fact that Spectralon calibration, which was performed after the phantom studies, did not account for the variations in source intensity due to lamp warm up.
Across-day data analysis
In the across-day data analysis, MC inversions were first performed using all phantoms from day 1 as targets and phantom 11 from day 2 as the reference (referred to as day 1/2), and then all phantoms from day 2 as targets and phantom 11 from day 1 as the reference (referred to as day 2/1). As a comparison, both Spectralon- and self-calibrated phantom spectra were used for the inversions. The extracted versus expected Hb concentrations and wavelength-averaged reduced scattering coefficients are presented in Fig. 8. With either calibration approach and target-reference combination (day 1/2 or 2/1), the extracted Hb concentrations show excellent agreement with the expected values. However, in either target-reference combination, the extracted reduced-scattering coefficients with self-calibration have significantly better agreement with expected values than those with the traditional Spectralon-based calibration.
Table 2 summarizes the errors averaged across all the target phantoms obtained with the two calibration techniques and data analysis strategies: within-day data analysis (columns day 1/1 and 2/2) and across-day data analysis (day 1/2 and 2/1). Again, the accuracy for Hb concentration extraction for day 1/1, 2/2, and 1/2 is comparable between the two calibration techniques using either data analysis method, indicating that it was not significantly affected by the lamp warm-up or day-to-day instrument drifts. The error for Hb extraction for day 2/1 with self-calibration is slightly higher than that obtained with Spectralon-calibration, but is still comparable with those obtained with within-day data analysis. However, with Spectralon calibration, the errors for extraction of [TeX:] $\mu_s^{\prime}$ are higher on day 2 using within-day data analysis and are remarkably higher using across-day data analysis, compared to the errors obtained with self-calibration. This demonstrates that scattering is more susceptible to lamp intensity fluctuations during warm-up or day-to-day instrument drifts.
Table 2
Errors in extraction of phantom optical properties in the wavelengths range of 450 to 600 nm.
|Spectralon calibration
|Day 1/1
|Day 2/2
|Day 1 /2
|Day 2 /1
|Day 1/1
|Day 2/2
|Day 1 /2
|Day 2 /1
|Error in Hb concentration
|Error in [TeX:] $\mu_s^{\prime}$
|2.8 ±2.8%
The long-term goal of this work is to develop a fiber optic probe-based spectrometer for performing instrument-independent diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of human tissue in vivo. We have demonstrated the feasibility of performing DRS in the visible wavelength range using a compact self-calibration fiber optic probe. We showed that with an improved self-calibration probe (SC probe B) relative to the one previously published by our group (SC probe A),27 the lamp intensity fluctuation during warm-up was successfully reduced from 20% down to 1% [Figs. 5(a) and 5(b)]. As a comparison, SC probe A could only reduce the lamp warm-up variations from 8% (smaller change due to longer warm-up time for the first measurement) to 4%. We also showed, with single- and multiday phantom studies during and after instrument warm-up, that self-calibration results showed comparable accuracy in extraction of absorber concentrations, but significantly improved accuracy in quantifying reduced scattering coefficients, compared with traditional calibration using a reflectance standard, thus more accurately accounting for source intensity fluctuations associated with both instrument warm-up and different-day measurements. The ability to self-calibrate effectively during lamp warm-up is an important advance, since this could significantly reduce the time needed for calibration prior to a clinical measurement. Also, given the unpredictable nature of source intensity fluctuations during a clinical procedure (bumping the instrument or probe, bending, etc.), having a calibration measurement that can account for these real-time source intensity fluctuations through this improved probe design is imperative.
To evaluate the performance of the self-calibration fiber optic probe, we conducted phantom experiments to simulate various scenarios from a practical clinical setting. The first phantom experiment was performed after the instrument was fully warmed up for more than 30 min and a calibration measurement from a Spectralon standard was taken after all phantom measurements were completed. This simulates the way a clinical DRS study is typically performed with traditional calibration. The second phantom experiment was performed on a different day and during the lamp warm-up period, which was used to test the feasibility of starting a clinical study right after the instrument is turned on. While the within-day data analysis tested the accuracy of the technology without having to consider day-to-day instrument differences or instrument warm up, the across-day analysis tested the accuracy in a more practical situation, which includes both instrument warm-up and day-to-day differences.
We found that the accuracy for extracting Hb concentration was very consistent (mean errors within 4.5 to 8.8%) under different experimental conditions (with and without warm up), with different calibration techniques (SC versus Spectralon), and using different data analysis schemes (within- versus across-day) [Figs. 7(a) and 8(a) and row 3 in Table 2]. This indicates that the extraction of absorption coefficients (or absorber concentrations) was not significantly affected by the lamp warm-up and day-to-day source intensity fluctuations. On the other hand, with Spectralon-based calibration, the errors for extraction of the reduced scattering coefficient are 50% higher in day 2 than those in day 1 using within-day analysis (day 2/2 versus 1/1 in Table 2), whereas the errors obtained using across-day analysis are about three times higher than those obtained using within day analysis (day 1/2 versus 1/1 or day 2/1 versus 2/2 in Table 2). We believe that the lamp intensity fluctuations had a greater effect on scattering than absorption due to the fact that the lamp intensity mostly affected the overall intensity, but maintained the same emission spectral shape, as shown in Figs. 3(a) and 5(a). One would also expect that the errors would be higher on day 2/2 due to the lamp warm-up effects. Although the Spectralon measurement was taken at the end of the study when the lamp became stable and not able to correct for the lamp intensity changes that occurred during the phantom measurements, the calibration to reference phantom 11 partially reduced the effect of the source fluctuation, as phantom 11 was measured in the middle of the phantom study (between phantom 1 measurement and the Spectralon measurement, presumably after the instrument had warmed up). As indicated in Table 2, the use of self-calibration significantly reduced the errors for extraction of reduced scattering coefficients, which demonstrated the feasibility of performing diffuse reflectance spectroscopy during lamp warm-up and with a reference phantom spectrum measured on different days. It is well known that absorption and scattering coefficients of tissues reflect their underlying physiological and morphological properties, respectively. For example, in the UV and visible band, dominant absorbers in epithelial tissues, where most cancers originate, are oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin, arising from blood vessels in the stromal layer, while light scattering is primarily caused by cell nuclei and organelles in the epithelium and stroma, as well as collagen fibers and cross-links in stroma. Neoplastic tissues exhibit significant changes both in their physiological and morphological characteristics: stromal layer absorption is expected to increase with angiogenesis, whereas stromal scattering is expected to go down with neoplastic progression as extracellular collagen networks degrade. 2, 16, 31, 32, 33, 34 Epithelial scattering has been shown to increase due to increased nuclear size, increased DNA content, and hyperchromasia.2, 31, 33, 35 Therefore, being able to accurately quantify tissue scattering properties is as important as being able to quantify as absorption for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.
Another benefit of the SC probe is its potential for correcting fiber bending loss that can occur during a tissue spectroscopic measurement. We have experimentally investigated this capability of the SC probe. We found that both the previously reported SC probe A and SC probe B described in this work could significantly reduce bending losses at bending diameters more than 3 cm, but were very inefficient when the bending diameter was less than 3 cm. For SC probe A, this is likely due to the different mode excitation at the distal end between the tissue channel (diffuse reflectance) and the calibration channel (simple specular reflection), thus resulting in different responses to fiber bending. For SC probe B, in addition to the different mode excitations at the distal end of the two channels, the coupling ratio of the multimode splitter is also sensitive to the mode distributions inside the fibers and may change with fiber bending. At a small bending diameter, the coupling among different fiber modes becomes comparable to or even higher than the bending loss itself. Although a specification on the minimum bending diameter for the fibers was not provided by the manufacturers, a minimum bending radius of 2 cm for 200 μm and 3 cm for 400 μm high-OH fibers is recommended by Ocean Optics, Incorporated (Dunedin, Florida). The bending radii we have tested are slightly smaller than the suggested minimum bending radii. However, in practice, particularly in clinical studies, the focus of the operators will be on the patient, and the fiber cables are often accidently bent much smaller than this minimum radius. We believe it is important to correct for bending, particularly for larger bending radii. To improve the efficiency for bending correction, multiple strategies may be required in building the next-generation probe, and these strategies will be investigated in our future work.
Although we have only investigated the use of the self-calibration probe for UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, the self-calibration technique can be readily extended to other wavelength ranges, such as in the near-infrared. The technique can potentially be adopted for fluorescence or Raman spectroscopy, in which the calibration channel will provide real-time calibration information for the lamp power and excitation throughput.
We demonstrate the feasibility of performing UV-VIS diffuse reflectance spectroscopy with a self-calibration fiber optic probe. Combined with a one-time, single-reference phantom measurement, the self-calibration probe can provide instrument-independent optical properties of in-vivo tissue using optical spectroscopy. Compared with conventional calibration techniques, self-calibration makes the calibration process easier, real time, more robust, and faster, and could potentially save up to 60 min of precious clinical time for in-vivo studies.
This work has been funded by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant R01CA100559–01A1, and DOD BCRP Era of Hope award to Ramanujam.