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Once dominating trump begins his next12/9/2023 Pence often campaigned with his wife, Karen, a Christian school teacher, and emphasized his hard-line views on issues such as abortion, which he opposes even in cases when a pregnancy is unviable. Mike Huckabee and former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum. Pence had been betting on Iowa, a state with a large white Evangelical population that has a long history of elevating religious and socially conservative candidates such as former Arkansas Gov. Throughout his campaign, the former Indiana governor and congressman had insisted that while he was well-known by voters, he was not "known well" and set out to change that with an aggressive schedule that included numerous stops at diners and Pizza Ranch restaurants. adults, 57%, viewed Pence negatively, with only 28% having a positive view. While Pence averted a constitutional crisis by rejecting the scheme, he drew Trump's fury, as well as the wrath of many of Trump's supporters, who still believed his lies about the election and see Pence as a traitor.Īmong Trump critics, meanwhile, Pence was seen as an enabler who defended the former president at every turn and refused to criticize even Trump's most indefensible actions.Īs a result, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research from August found that the majority of U.S. 8 in Miami.īut his withdrawal is a huge blow for a politician who spent years biding his time as Trump's most loyal lieutenant, only to be scapegoated during their final days in office when Trump became convinced that Pence somehow had the power to overturn the results of the 2020 election and keep both men in office - which he did not. Pence's decision, more than two months before the Iowa caucuses that he had staked his campaign on, saves him from accumulating additional debt, as well as the embarrassment of potentially failing to qualify for the third Republican primary debate, on Nov. He chose the Las Vegas event to announce his decision, in part so he could continue to voice his support for Israel and to make his case one last time as a candidate that the isolationist and populist tides that have swept the Republican Party pose a danger to its future and embolden the nation's enemies, according to two people close to Pence who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss his thinking. A former vice president would typically be seen as a formidable challenger in any primary, but Pence has struggled to find a base of support. Pence is the first major candidate to leave a race that has been dominated by his former boss-turned-rival, Donald Trump, and his struggles underscore just how much Trump has transformed the party. "We always knew this would be an uphill battle, but I have no regrets," Pence went on to tell the friendly audience, which reacted with audible surprise to the announcement and gave him multiple standing ovations. "So after much prayer and deliberation, I have decided to suspend my campaign for president effective today." "It's become clear to me: This is not my time," Pence said at the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual gathering in Las Vegas.
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Orbis technologies jobs12/9/2023 This is a great position for someone who enjoys solving problems, has a genuine interest in technology and is a "people" person. 16 Orbis Technologies jobs including salaries, ratings, and reviews, posted by Orbis Technologies employees. Search job openings, see if they fit - company salaries, reviews, and more posted by Orbis Technologies employees. You will provide day-to-day support to our customers as well as assist other members of our staff on various internal and external projects including hardware and software installations, network support, VOIP configuration, and general troubleshooting. Search job openings at Orbis Technologies. We are seeking individuals who are interested in joining a growing company with a casual but fast-paced and team-oriented work environment. Based in the UK, the business has development teams across both Europe and Asia Pacific.Orbis is a boutique managed service provider offering a variety of IT services for small and medium sized businesses. With each Orbis release comes new and exciting features which help continue to secure Orbis Tech’s customer investment in Orbis technology. The business is committed to developing fully integrated, point-of-sale, back-office and head-office solution that empowers hospitality, fuel and retail businesses across the globe. Orbis Tech is a forward thinking software technology company. For more information visit ABOUT ORBIS TECH Invenco is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand and operates offices in the U.S., Canada, Malaysia and the UK. Browse jobs and read about the Orbis Technologies North Sydney location with content posted anonymously by Orbis Technologies employees in North Sydney, Australia. Find the Orbis Technologies North Sydney address. Invenco has deployed over 100,000 EMV payment terminals engaging millions of customers every day. This office is the major Orbis Technologies North Sydney, Australia area location. Reported anonymously by Orbis Technologies employees. In 2018 Invenco introduced i2, the world’s first outdoor EMV as a service, to help US fuel retailers avoid the EMV liability shift without the burden of a large upfront investment. Orbis Technologies benefits and perks, including insurance benefits, retirement benefits, and vacation policy. Regular business operations will resume on. With a strong presence in the petroleum retail vertical, Invenco’s product lines include G6 and G7 Outdoor Payment Terminals, iNFX retail micro-services (including electronic payment server), cloud services and Invenco Link, a high-speed Ethernet enabling device. In observance of Veterans Day, the North Carolina Retirement Systems will be closed on Friday, November 10. Invenco is a global provider of revolutionary self-service payment technology and secure customer engagement solutions. Orbis Tech will then focus on Australian, UK and emerging market opportunities. FARO provides the most precise 3D measurement, imaging and realization technologies for manufacturing, construction and public safety analytics industries. Initially the partnership will focus on providing a migration path for Invenco’s existing petroleum retail customers. Search job openings, see if they fit - company salaries, reviews, and more posted by Orbis Technologies employees. The Orbis software is completely modular in structure which offers high scalability for customers that can be delivered as a software-as-a-service on in-premise solution. We believe that our joint venture positions our businesses for further growth.’’ Managing Director, Jorundur Jorundsson comments, “We are delighted and pleased to be partnering with the team at Invenco, a global leader in secure self-service payment technologies. “The combination of Invenco’s self-service payment systems and Orbis, a proven integrated point-of-sale, back-office and head-office software product, provides a compelling offering to petroleum and other retailers.” says Invenco CEO, Gavin Lennox. Invenco, a global provider of revolutionary self-service payment technology and secure customer engagement solutions, and Orbis Tech, a UK-based software technology company, announced that they have entered a joint venture to develop and promote end-to-end retail automation systems to petroleum retail, hospitality, and specialty retail businesses.
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Allegorithmic substance alchemist12/9/2023 Founded in 2003 and based in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Allegorithmic is the leader in 3D texturing technologies with more than 50,000 users and clients including Microsoft, Sony, Activision, Electronic Arts, Ubisoft, NCSoft, Tencent, Autodesk, NVIDIA and Intel. Substance Alchemist allows you to create and iterate on material collections by tweaking and mixing existing materials, or by extracting new materials from scans (single or multiple images).Ī new set of tools combining different technologies and creation methods (procedural-based, capture-based, AI-based and manual) will help you manage entire material libraries, and export them to other applications.Ībout Allegorithmic. Default collection to save to can be emptyĪbout Substance Alchemist. Coma or point can be ignored when typing a specific value in a slider Tif images are not showing in Properties panel in the Image import layer Custom Environment Import can become black Fast visibility toggle of a Delighter stage will affect performance Delighter crashes with older NVIDIA drivers (Less than 400.x) Use of multiple delighters in one material is not recommended Random crash when importing Substance materials Substance Alchemist cannot start when the asset database is corrupted Asset database gets corrupted when application crashes Different technologies and creation methods (procedural-based, capture-based, AI-based and manual) help you manage entire material libraries and export them to other applications. The Allegorithmic team is pleased to announce the availability of Substance Alchemist 0.5.4, is a next-generation tool dedicated to material authoring, exploration, and management. Allegorithmic: Substance Alchemist 0.5.4 | 1.0 Gb The new Substance Designer is also the software’s first major update since Adobe bought Allegorithmic in January of this year. To date, Adobe has given no indication of whether Substance will eventually be sold alongside or integrated with its Creative Cloud application suite. Substance Designer is also available separately under a perpetual floating license with 12 months of updates and support ($149 Indie $990 Pro). The Substance Texturing Suite, including Substance Designer as well as Substance Painter, is available to new users on a 30-day trial basis, followed by Indie ($19.90/month) and Pro ($99.90/month) subscription plans. The new version of Substance Designer is a free update for Substance subscribers. And new Substance plug-ins are being created and will be revealed “soon,” the company said. Python scripting has been overhauled as well, with the new ability to create plug-in GUIs inside Substance Designer. obj loader has been optimized and multi-threaded for what Allegorithmic says should be a 150% increase in loading speed. Nvidia’s OptiX framework for GPU-accelerated ray tracing now works with AO, Bent Normal and Thicknesss bakers, and DXR acceleration has been enabled for Nvidia GeForce 10 graphics hardware running on Windows. The new Atlas Splitter allows separate elements of a scan to be isolated, and Directional Warp filters allow warp intensity and direction to be driven by image inputs. Other new nodes include variants on Flood Fill, including the option to apply images to shapes via the new Flood Fill Mapper, or generate user numbers per shape with Flood Fill to Index. Substance Designer’s compositing graph now allows users to optimize their workflow through the use of Value Processors, which can simplify calculations by, for example, replacing a color node with a simple color value or using the new Min/Max node to output values driving an automated operation in another node. Those values might include the scale of a tile - dictating the material’s appearance so that it can change dynamically as it’s manipulated - the weight or elasticity of a fabric, or even real-world considerations like physical constraints of materials that will be used in 3D printing, the company said. Substance Designer’s core Substance Engine version 7 now allows artists to add metadata to their content specifying certain properties. Software Now Supports Using Values to Create and Control Materials, Opening Up New Ways of WorkingĪllegorithmic today released an update to Substance Designer that incorporates a new engine that allows users to work with a texture’s underlying metadata values, increasing the number of ways textures can be created and manipulated.
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Veryical penile fracture12/9/2023 It is a conduit from the inferior bladder to the external urethral meatus. The male urethra is about 18 to 20 cm in length. Bladder contraction is via parasympathetic actions. It relaxes to allow the bladder to fill and then contracts to empty the bladder. The muscularis propria is the detrusor muscle and consists of 3 layers: inner and outer longitudinal and a circular layer. The bladder consists of 4 layers, the urothelium, lamina propria, muscularis propria, and serosa. There is both sympathetic (T10-L2) and parasympathetic (S2-S4) innervation to the bladder, which arises from the pelvic plexus. Lymphatic drainage is generally to the external iliac nodal basin. The veins that drain the bladder form a plexus on the inferolateral surface of the bladder and then drain into the internal iliac veins. These arise from the internal iliac artery. The blood supply is mainly from the superior and inferior vesical arteries. As the bladder fills and becomes distended, the anterior portion, which is not covered by peritoneum, is exposed over the pubic bones. The remainder of the superior bladder is separated from the cervix by areolar tissue. In females, the superior surface is also mostly covered in peritoneum being reflected at the uterus, forming the vesicouterine pouch. In males, the superior portion of the bladder is covered with peritoneum, which continues posteriorly and over the rectum to form the rectovesical pouch. The inferolateral surfaces are not covered by peritoneum. Bilateral ureters drain into the bladder at the ureteral orifices located on the trigone. The anterior bladder is separated from the transverses fascia by adipose tissue, which is the retropubic space (space of Retzius). It is essentially the internal urethral orifice. The pubovesical ligaments fix the bladder neck to the pubic bones in both males and females. The bladder neck is the most inferior portion and is generally the most fixed portion of the bladder. The base of the bladder is closely related to the vagina in females and the rectum in males. However, as the bladder fills, it extends superiorly into the abdominal cavity and is more prone to traumatic forces. An empty bladder lies within the protection of the bony pelvis. The size, shape, and spatial relation to surrounding organs differs depending on the volume within the bladder. The urinary bladder functions as a reservoir. The innominate bones join anteriorly at the pubic symphysis. The pelvis is a ring structure composed of the sacrum, the coccyx, and the innominate bones: the pubis, ischium, and ilium. The lower GU tract is typically protected by the bony pelvis. The lower urogenital (GU) tract is composed of the bladder, urethra, vagina, uterus, ovaries, penis, scrotum, and testes. It accounts for approximately 30% of all ICU admissions annually. Trauma is the leading cause of death in patients between the ages of 15 and 24. Traumatic injuries can range from minor wounds to major, complex injuries causing shock and multi-system organ dysfunction.
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Are we digitizing old library books12/9/2023 At the same time I admit the very qualities of the present collection awaken the taste for more!ĭespite the seemingly restricted number of legal books – some sixty books with recht as a title word – the strength of EDBO is something else, too, the fact that you can also search in the digitized texts. Adding the period up to 1815 or 1820 would greatly strengthen this collection. In fact I guess one of the major shortcomings of this digital library is its rather arbitrary time limit. In Dutch history the Patriotic Revolt (1785-1787) was a kind of preparation for the French Revolution and the foundation of the Batavian Republic (1795-1806). The period 1780-1800 is part of a longer period in Dutch and European history of intense political debate and revolution. Having the law at hand, in your pocket even, is a symbol of the growing emancipation of citizens which longed to have access to politics and the administration of daily life. In the field of ecclesiastical law I noted a booksize pamphlet on the ecclesiastical properties held since the sixteenth century by the city of Haarlem, Het eigendoms-recht der stad Haarlem, op de zoogenaamde geestelijke goederen (…) (Haarlem 1800), addressed to the parliament of the Batavian Republic.Īnother book called Amsterdams burgerrecht: Dat is Verzameling van privilegien en handvesten (Amsterdam 1787) attracted my attention because of words following the subtitle: “Uit de groote Handvest en andere schriften byeen verzameld, om als een zakboek van ieder gebruikt te kunnen worden”, compiled from the Major Charter and other writings in order to serve as a pocketbook for everyone’s use. Among the treatises included are an edition of Simon van Leeuwen ‘s Het Roomsch Hollandsch Recht (2 vol., Amsterdam 1780) edited by Cornelis Willem Decker, a translation of Rousseau’s Du contrat social (Dordrecht 1793), and the Schets over de rechten van de mensch (…) by F.A. The volume of handvesten for the Overwaard, the region near Gorinchem on the Waal, edited by Nicolaas van Slype (Gorinchem 1782) is not very well known, but the two volumes with handvesten for Nijmegen (Nijmegen 1785) are more familiar. Of course it is good to have a digitized version of the great edition of sources for the city of Dordrecht, Handvesten, privilegien, vrijheden, voorrechten, octrooijen en costumen…der stad Dordrecht edited by Pieter Hendrik van de Wall (Dordrecht 1790) the first edition appeared in 1783. If you look for books with privileges ( privilegien in the old Dutch spelling), bylaws ( keuren ), charters ( handvesten), customary law ( costumen) or simply the Dutch word for law, recht, as title words you will not find much. EDBO presents some 10,000 books with a total of over 2 million pages, and only a very restricted number of books have titles suggesting immediately a connection with legal history. What does EDBO bring for Dutch legal history? Does this project live up to normal expectations about digital libraries?Īt first I had a feeling of disappointment about the seemingly low number of digitized books touching upon Dutch legal history. In fact the Royal Library had invited those interested in EDBO a number of weeks ago to have a look at the beta version. My interest in digital libraries and their contents and research chances for legal historians explains my interest in this new project. You can connect directly from EDBO to the Short Title Catalogue Netherlands (STCN), the retrospective bibliography of Dutch books published between 15. A second difference is the much smaller time span covered by EDBO, only the period 1780-1800. Contrary to the project Early English Books Online its Dutch counterpart is free accessible. Early Dutch Books Online (EDBO) is the fruit of cooperation between the Royal Library in The Hague and the university libraries of Leiden and Amsterdam. At the end of a festive session yesterday in Leiden a new Dutch digital library has been launched.
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11 x 17 desktop frame frame office max12/9/2023 The option to wall-mount is also a useful one.Īs with other Nixplay frames, the settings menu offers no shortage of customisation options, from colour adjustments to the sensitivity of the motion sensor. At 9.7 inches, we also felt it struck a good balance: with a flexible stand that works in portrait or landscape, the frame fits on most shelves, yet still gives images space to be seen. Our tests found it vibrant, too, with deep blacks and enough brightness to beat the reflective coating. Nixplay’s 2K Smart Digital Photo Frame features one of the sharpest screens on the market, offering lots of detail. ❌ You like easily readable text: Because of the high resolution, menu text can appear small, making it difficult to read at a distance. ❌ You hate fingerprint marks: In matte black the bezel is understated, but the metal-effect version is super reflective and easy to smudge. The best high-resolution digital photo frame Read our in-depth Aura Mason Luxe review.The cost of the Mason Luxe may seem high for a 10-inch photo frame, but after our tests, we conclude the quality of the software and hardware justifies the expense. You can invite friends and relatives to send photos to the frame, and everyone in this inner Aura circle can “like” and comment on the images, creating a cosy sort of private social network. There’s also a social side to the Aura Mason Luxe. We found that color is natural-looking and well-saturated too, so you can be sure you’re seeing a fair representation of the photos you fling its way. Pixel density is so high they look sharp and detailed even when you get your face right up to the screen. Its 4:3 aspect display is perfect for not just adding some color to your room with your photos, but to actually get an up-close look at them. It’s stylish, has greater character to its design and, most important of all, the screen is excellent in most respects. The Aura Mason Luxe is a clear cut above most other photo frames. ❌ You have a limited budget: Clever software and a high-quality screen mean the Mason Luxe comes with a relatively high initial outlay. ❌ You want an offline frame: Because photos are stored on Aura’s service, the Mason Luxe must be connected to your Wi-Fi at all times. Once you’ve selected your favorite, you’ll find links to the best deals beneath each entry. If you need more in-depth suggestions, check out our guide on how to buy a digital photo frame. If you’re not sure where to start, scroll to the end for expert buying advice to help you choose the right frame. Whatever your expectations, you’ll find something to fit the bill below. Our guide spans a wide variety of frames, ranging from simple models to high-end frames with features to match. Whether you want to display a slideshow of family portraits, vacation snaps or your own photography, you’ll find a fitting option in the list below. Or if your budget is a little tighter, the Aeezo Portrait 01 offers excellent value. That said, if you’re prepared to spend more on a sharper display, the Nixplay 2K is worth a look. With a neat design, intuitive interface and sharp display, it’s pretty much the complete package. From the results of our reviews, we think the best digital photo frame for most people is the Aura Mason Luxe.
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White lightning sprinter12/8/2023 Pistorius credits his mother, who died at the age of 43 when Pistorius was 15 years old, as a major influence in his life. He grew up in a Christian home and has an elder brother, Carl, and a younger sister, Aimée. Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius was born to Henke and Sheila Pistorius on 22 November 1986 in Sandton, Johannesburg, in what was then Transvaal Province (now Gauteng Province) of South Africa. On appeal by the state for a longer prison sentence, the Supreme Court of Appeal increased the prison term to a total of 15 years. In July 2016, Judge Thokozile Masipa extended Pistorius's sentence to six years. Pistorius was temporarily released on house arrest in 2015 while the case was presented on appeal to a panel at the Supreme Court of Appeal of South Africa, which overturned the culpable homicide verdict and convicted him of murder. He received a five-year prison sentence for culpable homicide and a concurrent three-year suspended sentence for a separate reckless endangerment conviction. At his trial the following year, Pistorius was found not guilty of murder, but guilty of culpable homicide. He claimed he had mistaken Steenkamp for an intruder hiding in the bathroom. On 14 February 2013, Pistorius shot and killed his girlfriend, paralegal and model Reeva Steenkamp, in his Pretoria home. At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Pistorius was the first double-leg amputee participant. At the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Pistorius was the first amputee to win a nondisabled world track medal. Pistorius prevailed in this legal dispute. He was the 10th athlete to compete at both the Paralympic Games and Olympic Games.Īfter becoming a Paralympic champion, Pistorius attempted to enter nondisabled international competitions, over persistent objections by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and arguments that his artificial limbs gave an unfair advantage. Pistorius ran in both nondisabled sprint events and in sprint events for below-knee amputees. Both of his feet were amputated when he was 11 months old owing to a congenital defect he was born missing the outside of both feet and both fibulae. Oscar Leonard Carl Pistorius ( / p ɪ ˈ s t ɔːr i ə s/ pist- OR-ee-əs, Afrikaans: born 22 November 1986) is a South African former professional sprinter and convicted murderer. Blade Runner the fastest man on no legs Tink Tink "Oz" Pistorius
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Digital spare key holder12/8/2023 Here are my top picks for the best key lock boxes to use this year!īuilt like an absolute tank, affordable, and relatively difficult to break into, the Kiddle AccessPoint KeySafe blows the competition out of the water and snatches the crown for the best key lock box.įor the price, you really can't beat this unique combination lock box. Key lock boxes can range in price from $20 to $100, so it's important to find one that fits your budget. Price: Of course, price is always a factor in any purchase.You'll want to ensure the lockbox you choose is made of high-quality materials that can withstand regular use. Durability: Another important consideration is durability.Ease of Use: How easy the lock box is to use and who will be using it?.
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Audio note m312/8/2023 That will get you the immediacy of sound of the triode without the loss of power. If anything, I would look at higher powered amplifiers. It's a rabbit hole that I have avoided and would advise you to as well. If you sell your current amps, you can't easily go back. You really need to hear your amp and the contender side by side due to the limitations placed on you by the lower power. Empress may change that.Ĭlick to expand.I would not go from a 30w+ rig to a <10w rig. Prepared to eat ny words but back when I auditioned the M3 and M6 via Jinro the difference as very very small to me. The M9 yes but that's not happening without a lotto win.īut I may eat my words as later in the week I am going to hear the Empress Silvers again on the M3 now that the Empress has been fixed. Put it this way, ai would never upgrade my M3 to an M6. Indeed unless you are directly comparing the M3 and M6 you probably won't care. I did not notice enough of an improvement in the M6 over the M3 to justify a middle amplifier to be honest. The M6 while better is near double the price. The M3 with Empress Silver is a nice combo. 211 is very expensive due to requiring safe power dupplies for lethal voltages. It depnds what you listen to but as I listen to the odd trance and rock.2a3 is better. Personally I prefer 2a3 all day over their 300b amps. My dealer has the M3 and M6 and Empress, Jinro and 300b. I suppose whether you buy the pre or the amps first would depend on which component you are the least happy with in your current system. My vote: M5 + the Silver version (because you have silver-wired speakers) of one of the small monoblock amps like the Quest or Empress. But even then I’d be afraid that it would just open a whole new can of worms. For me that means I’ll try to hover as close to the upper end of Level 3 as I can justify, because I know venturing into the Level 4 products starts to get very expensive and frankly it just won’t be an option barring a great used deal. My advice is to get yourself into a position that would mean upgrading any further comes at a significant cost and/or would lead you down a path of changing everything, and use that as a deterrent. As finn mentioned the Silver versions are close enough in price to the standard versions that they should be a consideration, while the Sig is a much larger cost increase. I do wonder sometimes if the Quest Silver or Silver Sig would make a worthwhile difference, but ultimately I haven’t really got the itch to change anything. It’s an excellent combination with plenty of drive even for my non-HE AN-E’s. In my case the Quests are the normal non-silver version and I’ve had them for about 9 months, first with an M2 and then the M5 which joined in February. I have the M5/Quest combination and I’m really happy with it. If any of you have a moment to spare, would you please give me your most forthright views. On the other hand I fear that a Meishu will not satisfy when compared to a P3 or Empress mono blocks or my current amplifiers. It also does not reduce the number of boxes. I fear that the separates route will involve many upgrading steps that will create ‘what if’ dissatisfaction in the interim when listening, whether that be buying a power amp first and waiting for an AN preamp or buying a basic power amp(s) and waiting for the Silver or Sig variant in due course. That seems to leave M3/P3 (of one variant), P3/Empress (of one variant) or a Meishu (of one variant). A Jinro is currently out of my price range. I have listened to an Oto Sig next to a P3 Silver and Jinro and would not settle for an Oto Sig. I am attracted by moving away from the current dual mono pre-amp and push-pull E元4 monoblocks to a single ended triode (integrated?) amplifier. I would like to replace my current amplification with Audio Note. I suspect the question might have been answered indirectly by conjoining many previous comments but would value your opinions/the benefit of your experiences. I have enjoyed reading threads on this excellent site for a long time now (mainly about Audio Note) and would like to ask a question please.
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Excess conjugate is removed in another wash cycle, and the beads are resuspended in wash buffer. After a wash cycle, antihuman IgG antibody conjugated to phycoerythrin (PE) is added to the mixture and incubated at 37 degrees C. Briefly, serum samples are mixed and incubated at 37 degrees C with sample diluent and dyed beads coated with VZV antigen. The BioPlex 2200 VZV IgG assay uses multiplex flow immunoassay technology. This results in a positive reaction of bright apple-green fluorescence when viewed with a fluorescence microscope.(Package insert: Bion Varicella Zoster Antigen Substrate Slide. Fluorescein-labeled antihuman-IgM antibody is added to the reaction side and binds to IgM antibodies if present. If no antibodies are present, the complexes will not be formed, and the serum components will be washed away. Antibodies, if present, will bind to the antigen forming stable antigen-antibody complexes. Serum is incubated with VZV antigen that is adhered to a glass microscope slide. The presence or absence of IgM-class antibody to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is determined by an indirect immunofluorescence assay. Serum specimens collected early during acute phase of infection or soon after vaccination may be negative for IgM- or IgG-class antibodies to this virus, respectively. IgG-class antibodies to VZV may be present in serum specimens from individuals who have received blood products within the past several months but have not been immunized or experienced past infection with this virus. Up to one-third of individuals with primary herpes simplex virus (HSV) infections who have experienced prior VZV infection show a heterotypic antibody response to VZV antigen making a differential diagnosis between VZV and HSV difficult in the absence of clear-cut clinical findings. The performance characteristics with individuals vaccinated with the VZV (OKA strain) have not been established. Testing for IgM-class antibodies to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) should be limited to patients with a clinically compatible disease. Results from cord blood, neonates, or immunocompromised individuals should be interpreted with caution. The presence of IgM-class antibodies to VZV is suggestive of acute or recent infection however results should be correlated with clinical presentation. Serologic screening for IgG-class antibodies to VZV will aid in identifying nonimmune individuals. Additionally, immunosuppressed patients are at risk for developing severe VZV-related complications, which include cutaneous disseminated disease and visceral organ involvement.(2,3) Individuals at risk for severe complications following primary VZV infection include pregnant women, in whom the virus may spread through the placenta to the fetus causing congenital disease in the infant. Shingles is an extremely painful condition typically occurring in older nonimmune adults or those with waning immunity to VZV and in patients with impaired cellular immunity.(2) During reactivation, the virus migrates along neural pathways to the skin, producing a unilateral rash, usually limited to a single dermatome. Chickenpox is characterized by a dermal vesiculopustular rash that develops in successive crops approximately 10 to 21 days following exposure.(1) Although primary infection with VZV results in immunity and protection from subsequent infection, VZV remains latent within sensory dorsal root ganglia and upon reactivation, manifests as herpes zoster or shingles. Chickenpox is a highly contagious, though typically benign, disease, usually contracted during childhood. Varicella-zoster virus (VZV), a herpesvirus, causes 2 distinct exanthematous (rash-associated) diseases: chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (herpes zoster). |