New method may sharpen microscopic images

Mar. 21, 2013 ? UT Dallas researchers are developing a new low-light imaging method that could improve a number of scientific applications, including the microscopic imaging of single molecules in cancer research.

Electrical engineering professor Dr. Raimund Ober and his team recently published their findings in the journal Nature Methods. In the journal, they describe a method which minimizes the deterioration of images that can occur with conventional imaging approaches.

?Any image you take of an object is translated by the camera into pixels with added electronic noise,? Ober said. ?Any distortion of an image makes it harder to obtain accurate estimates of the quantities you?re interested in.?

This method could greatly enhance the accuracy with which quantities of interest, such as the location, size, and orientation of an object, are extracted from the acquired images.

Ober and his team tackled this problem by using the EMCCD camera (a standard low-light image detector) in a highly unconventional setting. Using this method, scientists can estimate quantities of interest from the image data with substantially higher accuracy than those made with conventional low-light imaging.

?We have figured out through rigorous theoretical developments that when you run an EMCCD camera in such a way that very few photons hit each of its pixels, the resulting image is minimally corrupted by the camera noise,? he said. ?Our method is about using the EMCCD camera to its fullest potential, beyond what is commonly believed to be possible by the scientific imaging community.?

By increasing the magnification of the image to reduce the number of photons detected in each image pixel, they were able to significantly reduce the camera noise and considerably lessen the deteriorative effect of pixilation.

In fact, the team managed to attain particle localization accuracy that was twofold higher than those obtained with conventional EMCCD imaging.

Ober and his team applied UAIM (Ultrahigh Accuracy Imaging Modality) to the live-cell tracking of a standard protein marker for breast cancer. By being able to accurately follow the movement of the marker, valuable insights on the biology of breast cancer could be gained.

?The tracking of individual proteins represents an important way to study cancer and other diseases at the molecular level,? Ober said. ?The applications of UAIM for diagnostics and research are promising.?

The research team included Jerry Chao and Sripad Ram, post-doctoral researchers at UT Dallas, and Dr. Sally Ward, professor of immunology at UT Southwestern Medical Center.

The work was funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Cancer Prevention Research Institute of Texas.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Texas, Dallas.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Jerry Chao, Sripad Ram, E Sally Ward, Raimund J Ober. Ultrahigh accuracy imaging modality for super-localization microscopy. Nature Methods, 2013; DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2396

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_technology/~3/S5sJYdhj-uE/130321105115.htm

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Sydney Home ? Orlando and Nicola Reindorf and Family | The ...

The Surry Hills home of Nicola and Orlando Reindorf of The Standard Store. ?I don?t often lead with a bedroom shot but this one I really loved! ?The Neon heart Nicola had made for Orlando as a Christmas present. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Bedroom looking through to ensuite. ?Rachel Castle garland (which had been used in the Standard Store shop window) over the bed. Damien Hirst?s diamond Skull print above the bed (?we saw the real thing in London it was amazing!? says Nicola). ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

AMAZING enormous bathroom which used to be a bedroom. ?Clawfoot bath, chandelier, original fireplace, timber floorboards -you can?t go wrong! ???I loved the idea of a chandelier in the bathroom, this one is from Russia I believe?. ?says Nicola. ?Photograph above the fireplace by The Reindorf?s dear friend Toby Burrows.?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Today?s Victorian terrace in Surry Hills belongs to people you should half ?know about already ? the very clever and stylish Nicola and Orlando Reindorf, who run The Standard Store (one of my absolute FAVE shops in Sydney), as well as fashion agency The Flying Standard. ?I have huge respect for these guys, they are such a hardworking, creative and industrious husband and wife team ? and so lovely to boot! ?You might recall I actually interviewed Nicola and Orlando a while ago ? you can re-visit that interview here.

Nicola and Orlando live here with their two boys Cosmo and Zephyr ? they have been here almost four years. ?Since first purchasing the home they?ve made a few changes ? a ??tacky 80?s back? was lopped off and reconfigured, whilst preserving the beautiful Victorian elements of the home. ??We put in a new kitchen and deck, and dug into the basement to create a new living area? says Nicola. ?One bedroom was also converted into an ensuite bathroom upstairs, which Nicola says ?was rather decadent but totally worth it!? (I concur! ?It?s amazing!). ?The Reindorfs are now planning on phase two of their renos, which will incorporate a rooftop garden above the garage and a plunge pool!

There is quite a bit of magic going on in the Reindorfs? eclectic four level home. ?It?s a brilliant mix of colour, pattern and light hearted styling details, combined with a few serious design and art treasures too. ?What?s refreshing is the feeling of casual confidence in all decorating decisions that have been made here ? from brave wallpaper choices here and there (so random and so brilliant!) to an eclectic mix of both modern and Victorian feature light fittings, to French vintage posters which sit so happily alongside contemporary Australian art. ?It really is the very best kind of mish mash ? nothing is over thought, and each room conveys a real sense of having taken shape over time, organically rather than in one strategic swoop.

As this home perfectly demonstrates, Victorian homes actually take a bit of mad colour and contemporary styling surprisingly well! ?In fact it can sometimes be easier to add a little unexpected colour or pattern to a period home than to a contemporary space, where spaces are often larger, more open plan and a little more daunting. ?The hidden nooks and narrow stairwells of this home have been given such interesting, eyecatching treatments? it?s such a refreshing and fun approach, and gives this grand old Victorian terrace real personality.

Many of the art works in the Reindorfs? home are made by friends and family. ?The neon piece in the kitchen by Dion Horstmans is a firm favourite ? ?you can see it from the back lane, and it makes the house look like a house of fun ? it draws you in!? says Nicola. ?Furniture wise, an old armchair in the front room is a particularly treasured piece ? it?s been reupholstered in Ghanaian kente cloth from Orlando?s father. ?Nicola also especially loves the Koskela dining table ? another bright colour pop that is the perfect complement to?Dion Horstman?s?artwork in the kitchen.

As with any house (especially in Sydney!) a major drawcard of this home for the Reindorfs is also the location. ??I love Surry Hills, we walk to walk in five minutes, we have everything on our doorstep, but when we come home it?s actually really quiet and private, even though we live in a built up area, we don?t have anyone looking in on us? explains Nicola.

MASSIVE THANKS to Nicola and Orlando for sharing their fabulous home with us today! ?Don?t forget to pop in to?The Standard Store?when next in Sydney, and say hello from me!

?

Sorry the bathroom was so good we had to get this angle too :) ?The bath is a reconditioned bath which we had sprayed in Silver? says Nicola. ?Photograph above the fireplace by The Reindorf?s dear friend Toby Burrows.?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

The Reindorfs are not frightened of a little bold wall treatment! ?This blue wallpaper in the upstairs hallway is by JC de Castlebejac, bought in Paris. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Front room. ?Skull cushion is from a label Nicola and Orlando used to sell called ?The Rise and Fall?. ?Orange lamp by French brand ? Jielde, Kente cloth armchair. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Front room. ?French vintage poster in hall bought in Paris. ?Skull cushion is from a label Nicola and Orlando used to sell called ?The Rise and Fall?. ?Orange lamp by French brand ? Jielde. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Best and bravest wallpaper EVER, leading down the stairs to the basement. ?This one is another?JC de Castlebejac design, paired with another a ?50s French print found in Nice, France.?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Dining room, linking front room and kitchen. ?Koskela dining table, Philippe Stark mirror, pendant light from Spence & Lyda. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen area with built in day bed. ?Dion Horstman?s artwork above the daybed. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Dion Horstman?s artwork above the daybed in kitchen. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen area looking to back deck. ??Woop dee doo? is actually a framed tea towel from Third Drawer Down. ?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Kitchen details. ??We didn?t want a slick and shiny kitchen so went for mat black mosaic tiles? recalls Nicola.?Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Another brave colour combo ? charcoal exterior and fab neon chartreuse front door! ?Deer doorbell from Koskela. Photo ? Jason Busch, production ? Lucy Feagins / The Design Files.

Source: http://thedesignfiles.net/2013/03/sydney-home-orlando-and-nicola-reindorf-and-family/

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Fed projects high unemployment into 2015

John Schoen , NBC News ? ? ? 6 min.

You don?t need to worry about the financial crisis in Cyprus sparking trouble for the U.S., according to Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke.

European officials? marathon efforts this week to head off a collapse of the tiny island nation?s banking system have raised fears that the renewed turmoil in the euro zone could threaten the gathering momentum in the U.S. housing and job markets.

But Bernanke said that?s not likely.

?We are monitoring very carefully but at this point we?re not seeing major risk to the U.S. financial system or the U.S. economy,? he told reporters Wednesday.

Cypriot bank depositors woke Saturday to news that Europe?s latest, $13 billion bailout to keep their government afloat came with a nasty price tag: a ?tax? of as much as 10 percent of their savings. Cypress lawmakers rejected the proposal, but banks there remain closed until at least next Tuesday to head off what some fear is an inevitable run on deposits.

That would drive the country?s banking system even further into what Bernanke described as ?a deep financial hole.?

Bernanke said the current stems largely from the size of the Cypriot banking system relative to its economy.

At the end of January, bank assets in Cyprus totaled more than $160 billion ? more than six times the country?s a gross domestic product of less than $25 billion ? roughly the size of Vermont?s economy. (By comparison, U.S. bank assets of roughly $13 trillion are less than total U.S. economic output of more than $15 trillion.)

So while the situation remains painful for Cyprus, and complicates Europe?s efforts to resolve its long-running crisis, it poses little threat to U.S. banks, said Bernanke.

?The only way that they would create a problem would be if the runs became contagious in some sense and if depositors in other countries lost confidence,? he said. ?But to this point, I'm not aware of any evidence that that is, in fact, the case.?

Some investors have also wondered aloud whether the financial turmoil in Europe could throw cold water on a red-hot Wall Street rally that has sent stock prices soaring to new records.

Since last summer, the drumbeat of dire headlines about the imminent collapse of the euro has subsided. But the euro zone economy has slid into recession, and the political divide between relatively well-off countries in the north and their struggling southern neighbors has widened.

The recent upheaval in Cyprus is a reminder that investors may have been lulled into thinking the crisis is over, according to Scott Minerd, chief investment officer at Guggenheim Partners.

The Fed?s complacency, he said, is ?probably is a warning sign that we should start lightening up our portfolios.?

Bernanke told reporters that investors seem to agree with him that Cyprus doesn?t pose a problem.

"The markets are up today,? he said. ?I don't think the impact has been enormous.?

Cyprus bailout backlash poses little wider risk - for now

Bernanke?s press conference followed a two-day meeting of Fed policy makers in which the central bankers pledged to continue their aggressive, $85-billion-a-month shopping spree for U.S. government and mortgage debt. The strategy, which is designed to keep interest rates at record low levels to spur purchases and investment, seems to be working.

Ultra-low mortgage rates have sparked a gathering revival in the long-moribund housing market. Though hiring remains weak compared to past recoveries, it has picked up markedly in the past six months. Fed officials have pledged to continue their easy-money policy until the unemployment rate ? now 7.7 percent ? falls to 6.5 percent.

That?s not expected until at least 2015, according to the Fed?s latest economic outlook, which was roughly in line with the previous forecast issued in December.

The Fed?s unprecedented policy ? never tried before in its 100-year history ? has swollen its holdings to some $3 trillion of debt, a level that some critics argue will present huge headaches when the central bank ultimately reverses course and begins selling those assets.

Others worry that the massive cash infusion to the economy, which followed the worst financial collapse since the Great Depression, could be sowing the seeds of another round of inflation.

Bernanke gave some hint in Wednesday?s press conference to the Fed?s current thinking about its ?exit strategy,? the point at which it begins selling bonds and letting rates rise again.

The chairman said his central bank colleagues expect there will be a ?considerable interval? between the time it needs to pull its foot of the gas (ending its easy-money bond buying) and begin to tap the brakes (nudging interest rates higher.)

And it could take awhile to strike the right balance. Just because they stop buying bonds one month or start selling them in another doesn?t mean they won?t change course depending on the impact on the economic outlook and the latest reading on inflation.

"When we see that the situation has changed in a meaningful way,? Bernanke said, ?we may well adjust the pace of purchases in order to keep the level of accommodation consistent with the outlook.?

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com/business/economywatch/fed-projects-high-unemployment-2015-1C8975365

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Pentagon ponders Gitmo overhaul amid growing detainee unrest

Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images file

A U.S. Army guard stands ready in a "pod" inside the Camp 6 detention facility at the U.S. Naval Station Oct. 2, 2007 in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Modeled on maximum security prisons in the United States, Camp 5 and Camp 6 allow easier observation of detainees with fewer guards.

By Michael Isikoff, NBC News

The Pentagon is considering plans for a $150 million overhaul of the U.S. detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- including building a new dining hall, hospital and barracks for the guards -- as part of an ambitious project recommended by the top general in charge of its operations, officials tell NBC News. ???

The proposed spending spree comes amid mounting signs of unrest among Guantanamo detainees that lawyers say is threatening their? lives. U.S. military officials confirmed Wednesday that the number of hunger strikers at Guantanamo has more than tripled in the last two weeks -- from 7 to 25 -- and that eight of them are being force fed through tubes. Defense lawyers said in a letter to Congress this week they have gotten reports that ?over two dozen men have lost consciousness.?

U.S. military officials denied any lives were in danger but acknowledged that resistance and frustration among the detainees is growing, a development that a senior general said is because they are ?devastated? that President Barack Obama?s pledge to shut down the facility has not been fulfilled.

?They had great optimism that Guantanamo would be closed,? said Gen. John Kelly, the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, when asked about the hunger strikes during testimony before the House Armed Services Committee. ?They were devastated, apparently? when the president backed off -- at least their perception -- of closing the facility.

---

?He said nothing about it in his inauguration speech,? Kelly continued, referring to President Obama. ?He said nothing about it in his State of the Union speech. He has said nothing about it. He's not -- he's not restaffing the office that? looks at closing the facility.?

White House officials say they remain committed to closing Guantanamo but have been blocked from doing so by Congress, leading officials to close the small State Department office charged with finding new homes for the detainees. At the same time, Kelly ?- who took over as Southcom commander last year -- began laying the groundwork for a substantial overhaul of Guantanamo, testifying that many of the buildings there are ?falling apart.?

Brennan Linsley / AP file

A Guantanamo detainee, center, is escorted by U.S. military personnel on the grounds of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base, Cuba, in this May 15, 2007, file photo reviewed by U.S. Department of Defense Official.

?Gitmo seems to be the one place they don?t care about spending money,? said David Remes, a defense lawyer who represents detainees, noting that the plans for the overhaul are moving forward even as the sequester is forcing costs and layoffs throughout the government.

?They will spare no expense to keep these men there rather than bring them to the United States.?

Guantanamo is already considered the country?s most expensive prison per capita by far, with an operating budget this year of nearly $177 million, which means that taxpayers are paying more than $1 million for the care and maintenance of the 166 detainees.

But Lt. Cmdr. Ron Flanders, a spokesman for the Southern Command, told NBC News that Kelly has recommended substantial new spending that includes nearly $100 million slotted to build new barracks for the 848 guards stationed at the facility. The current guard barracks are plagued by mold, he said.

In addition, Flanders said, Kelly has signed off on construction projects that include:

- a new $12 million dining hall for the troops;

- a new $11.2 million hospital and medical units for the detainees;

- a $9.9 million ?legal meeting complex? where lawyers can meet their detainee clients;

- a $10.8 million ?communications network facility? to store data, including computer records and tapes of interrogations, which has been required by a federal court order.

All these projects have been signed off by Kelly in the last few months and been forwarded to the Pentagon, where they are being reviewed by budget officials in Secretary Chuck Hagel?s office, Flanders said.

At the same time, Flanders said, the operations budget for Guantanamo has already increased substantially this year with the construction of a $40 million fiber optic cable being built from south Florida to the facility in Cuba. The cable is needed to improve Internet access, thereby allowing officials to have improved live video feeds of the military commission proceedings of the Sept. 11 hijackers.

In his testimony, Kelly emphasized that the costs of running Guantanamo are substantially higher because of its remote location at a U.S. military base on the eastern tip of Cuba.

?Everything that?s built down there is at least twice as expensive,? said Kelly. ?So a ten-penny nail costs 20 cents. So, everything is more expensive. So we have to take care of the barracks. We have to replace the dining hall?It?s literally falling apart.

?And there?s other projects?none of them have to do with creature comforts for the detainees. They?re already living humanely and comfortably, acknowledging the fact they?re in jail.?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29cdd621/l/0Lworldnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C20A0C17390A2740Epentagon0Eponders0Egitmo0Eoverhaul0Eamid0Egrowing0Edetainee0Eunrest0Dlite/story01.htm

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Cover Letters | Manager Tools

Submitted by Mjoyce on Sun, 03/17/2013 - 13:37.

?Hello,

Can anyone offer advice about the value of cover letters.

As a hiring manager, I know I have not read most of the ones that came through. ?I probably read a few if the short listed resumes.

They seem to contain information that would come through in a good interview.

So, arn't they just another way to not get an interview, a way to hinder the resume?

?

Regards

?

Matt

Source: http://www.manager-tools.com/forums-7619

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Leaders gather for Pope's first mass

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday as he lunched with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez: As leader of Argentina's Catholics, he had accused her government of demagoguery while she called his position on gay adoptions reminiscent of the Middle Ages and the Inquisition.

That was then. On Monday, Fernandez gave the new pope a mate gourd and straw, to hold the traditional Argentine tea that Francis loves, and he gave her a kiss.

"Never in my life has a pope kissed me!" Fernandez said afterwards.

Fernandez called on the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires at his temporary home, the Vatican hotel on the edge of the Vatican gardens, and the two later lunched together, a day before she and other world leaders attend his installation Mass in St. Peter's Square that some estimates say could bring 1 million people to Rome.

The Vatican said it planned no statement, describing the meeting as private and informal.

Fernandez and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner, defied church teaching to push through a series of measures with popular backing in Argentina, including mandatory sex education in schools, free distribution of contraceptives in public hospitals, and the right for transsexuals to change their official identities on demand. Argentina in 2010 became the first Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages.

According to Francis' authorized biographer, Sergio Rubin, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was politically wise enough to know the church couldn't win a straight-on fight against gay marriage, so he urged his bishops to lobby for gay civil unions instead. It wasn't until his proposal was shot down by the bishops' conference that he declared what gay activists called a "war of God" on the measure ? and the church lost the issue altogether.

Fernandez issued a perfunctory message of congratulations when Francis was elected last week, calling the election of the first Latin American pope "historic" and saying she hoped that given his namesake, St. Francis of Assisi, the new pope would inspire world leaders to pay greater attention to the poor and pursue dialogue rather than force to resolve disputes.

She has, however, remained unusually silent about the election on her otherwise prolifically active Twitter account, posting a single tweet on his election day: "To your Holiness Francis I" with a link to her letter of congratulations, which wasn't even signed.

Their chilly relations became crystal clear after the Kirchners several years ago stopped attending the church's annual "Te Deum" address challenging society to do better, which is delivered each May 25.

In last year's address, Bergoglio said Argentina was being harmed by demagoguery, totalitarianism, corruption and efforts to secure unlimited power: a strong message in a country whose president has ruled by decree and left scandals unpunished.

In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis meets Argentine President Cristina Fernandez at the Vatican, Monday, March 18, 2013. Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were... more? In this photo provided by the Vatican paper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Francis meets Argentine President Cristina Fernandez at the Vatican, Monday, March 18, 2013. Pope Francis' diplomatic skills were put to the test Monday as he met with Argentine President Cristina Fernandez, with whom he has clashed over her socially liberal policies and what he has called the government's totalitarianism. Fernandez called on the former Archbishop of Buenos Aires Monday at his temporary home, the Vatican hotel on the edge of the Vatican gardens, and the two later lunched together, a day before she and other world leaders attend his installation Mass in St. Peter's Square that some estimates say could bring 1 million people to Rome. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano) less? ?

The Fernandez meeting isn't the only diplomatic dance Francis will be conducting this week as more than 132 government delegations descend on Rome for the Mass formally installing Francis as the 266th leader of the 1.2-billion strong Catholic Church.

Italian media say Rome civil protection authorities are planning for upward of 1 million people to attend the Mass, numbers not seen since the beatification of Pope John Paul II in 2011 which drew 1.5 million to St. Peter's and the surrounding streets.

One significant VIP is the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I. His presence at the installation is the first from the Istanbul-based Patriarchate in nearly 1,000 years since the Great Schism divided the church in 1054.

The Mass will make several gestures toward Eastern rite and Orthodox Christians, with the Gospel being chanted in Greek as opposed to Latin and eastern rite Catholic prelates joining Francis at an initial prayer at the tomb of St. Peter under the basilica's main altar, the Vatican said Monday.

In all, some 33 Christian delegations will be present, as well as representatives of Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh and Jain communities. They will see a simplified Mass compared to the 2005 installation of Pope Benedict XVI, with for example fewer cardinals pledging obedience to the new pope.

Also arriving in Rome on Monday was Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou, a rare European foray for the head of the diplomatically isolated island that underscores the tricky nature of its relations with China and the Vatican.

"We want to have much better relations with the Vatican and I think we will, thank you," Ma said as he arrived. He said Francis was a "wonderful person. I think he'll do a very good job."

Taiwan has full diplomatic relations with only 23 countries, most of them in Latin America, Africa, and the south Pacific. Its only diplomatic ally in Europe is the Vatican, though even that tie remains tenuous.

The Vatican has long expressed a willingness to transfer its diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, though it has made that conditional on China allowing its Catholics to worship freely, without Communist Party restrictions.

China has congratulated the new pope on his election, but said that establishing formal relations would depend on the Vatican cutting ties with Taipei and ceasing activities Beijing considers interference in its internal affairs.

State radio in Zimbabwe said Monday that President Robert Mugabe had also arrived in Rome for the inaugural Mass.

Mugabe, 89, is the subject of a travel ban by European nations to protest his human rights record in a decade of political and economic turmoil in his southern African nation, but it does not affect his trips to the Vatican through Italy.

___

Michael Warren in Buenos Aires contributed.

___

Follow Nicole Winfield at www.twitter.com/nwinfield

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-releases-popes-mass-details-motto-132136952.html

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Depth of University of Alberta hockey Golden Bears behind team's regular-season success

The University of Alberta Bears, shown here celebrating a goal against the Saskatchewan Huskies in January, are ranked No. 2 heading into the playoffs. (Amber Bracken, Edmonton Sun)

Report an error

EDMONTON?-?

There are 1,001 reasons why Golden Bears hockey should be celebrating what has already been a historic 2012-13 season.

But with playoffs getting underway with a best-of-three semifinal against the rival University of Calgary Dinos this weekend, their work is only just beginning.

In their 100th year of competitive hockey, the Bears closed out the final regular-season weekend by earning their 1,000th and 1,001st victory in program history ? the most out of any team in the CIS.

But even tossing a couple of impressive Canada West records into the mix hasn?t given Bears head coach Ian Herbers much pause for thought.

Not for now, at least.

?Not really, we still have the focus of getting to nationals and winning a national title,? said Herbers, who benched the Bears to a conference-best 23-4-1 record to earn a bye through the first round of playoffs last weekend.

?All our preparation, our league play, we?ve put ourselves in a good position and gave ourselves home ice through all of playoffs

?We?re supposed to challenge for a title every year. Once the season?s over, we?ll have a chance to enjoy everything that?s been accomplished this year, with the 1,000th win, lowest goals-against average ? that?s a record ? three consecutive shutout games ? another record. All that was preparation going into playoffs.?

No. 2-ranked U of A host the No. 10 Dinos at Clare Drake beginning Friday at 7 p.m., where the Bears will ride the hot hand of third-year goalie Kurtis Mucha, who started

17 of 28 games this year on

the way to a conference-high 14 wins and .936 goals-against average.

More impressive yet, besides earlier this year becoming the first Canada West goalie to score a goal, is the fact Mucha hasn?t allowed one in his last 144:20 of play, going back to a 3-2 shootout loss to the Dinos on Jan. 26. He finished off the year with consecutive shutouts,

which combine with one from fifth-year netminder and 2011-12 CIS goaltender of the year Real Cyr to set a

conference record.

?Kurtis has been strong for us all year,? Herbers said of the native of Sherwood Park, who was one of the final four goalies in Edmonton Oilers training camp in 2009. ?He?s started the weekend off for us all year and he?s put us in good position to win every night. So we?re just going to keep going with that rotation.

?He?s taken a bit of a leadership role on the team as well, being in his third year. He?s stepping his game up and it started for him in training camp.?

But the net?s not the only area where the Bears have depth.

?That?s the strength of our team,? Herbers said. ?We want to be using all four lines, all three pairs on defence, everybody needs to be involved. Everybody?s got to be chipping in, not just one line, one goaltender or one defenceman.

?That?s how we wear teams down and frustrate teams because it?s just a big green and gold wave after wave that comes after them.?

Saturday?s game goes at

6 p.m. at Clare Drake Arena, with Game 3 scheduled for Sunday at the same time, if necessary.

The Bears are 3-1 this year against Calgary ? who won last weekend?s quarter-final series over the University of British Columbia 2-1 ? and 14-1 all-time in the post-season when playing them at Clare Drake Arena.

Busy all over

Four will enter, three will leave.

The top-ranked men?s volleyball team in the nation, the U of A Golden Bears, will host the Trinity Western University Spartans, University of British Columbia Thunderbirds and Brandon University Bobcats in the Canada West final four tournament at the Saville Community Sports Centre this weekend.

And only the teams earning a place on the conference podium will move on to the CIS championships March 1-3 at the Universit? Laval in Quebec City.

The Bears earned the right to host, along with the top seed, after an unprecedented 19-straight wins on the way to a 20-2 league record and are looking to improve upon

last year?s conference bronze medal.

They open the tournament against the fourth-seeded Bobcats Friday at 6 p.m., with the bronze- and gold-medal games set for the following day at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., respectively.

All games will be webcast through http://ab.canadawest.tv.

Also on slate this weekend, Bears and Pandas swimming are at the University of Calgary for the CIS championships, while Bears and Pandas track and field are at the University of Regina for conference championships.

Bears and Pandas tennis teams host the Green and Gold Invitational at the Saville on Friday.

gerry.moddejonge@sunmedia.ca

twitter.com/SunModdejonge

Source: http://www.edmontonsun.com/2013/02/22/depth-of-university-of-alberta-hockey-golden-bears-behind-teams-regular-season-success

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