Alcohol-Related Brain Damage in Humans

Chronic excessive alcohol intoxications evoke cumulative damage to tissues and organs. We examined prefrontal cortex (Brodmann's area (BA) 9) from 20 human alcoholics and 20 age, gender, and postmortem delay matched control subjects. H & E staining and light microscopy of prefrontal cortex tissue revealed a reduction in the levels of cytoskeleton surrounding the nuclei of cortical and subcortical neurons, and a disruption of subcortical neuron patterning in alcoholic subjects. BA 9 tissue homogenisation and one dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) proteomics of cytosolic proteins identified dramatic reductions in the protein levels of spectrin beta II, and alpha- and beta-tubulins in alcoholics, and these were validated and quantitated by Western blotting. We detected a significant increase in a-tubulin acetylation in alcoholics, a non-significant increase in isoaspartate protein damage, but a significant increase in protein isoaspartyl methyltransferase protein levels, the enzyme that triggers isoaspartate damage repair in vivo. There was also a significant reduction in proteasome activity in alcoholics. One dimensional PAGE of membrane-enriched fractions detected a reduction in beta-spectrin protein levels, and a significant increase in transmembranous alpha 3 (catalytic) subunit of the Na+, K+-ATPase in alcoholic subjects. However, control subjects retained stable oligomeric forms of a-subunit that were diminished in alcoholics. In alcoholics, significant loss of cytosolic alpha-and beta-tubulins were also seen in caudate nucleus, hippocampus and cerebellum, but to different levels, indicative of brain regional susceptibility to alcohol-related damage. Collectively, these protein changes provide a molecular basis for some of the neuronal and behavioural abnormalities attributed to alcoholics

Comparison of different scheduling techniques for H-infinity controllers

Several approaches to designing schedule H-infinity control systems are compared. These include a controller switching approach and also parameter scheduling of an observer representation of the controller. They are illustrated by application to a Generic VSTOI. Aircraft Model (GVAM) supplied by The Royal Aerospace Establishment (RAE) at Bedford. The switched design has been tested on the simulator at RAE Bedford. The linear H-infinity designs make use of a loop-shaping followed by robust stabilisation to additive perturbations of a normalised coprime factorisation of the shaped plans. The different scheduling approaches are compared with respect to achieved robust stability levels. performance and complexity of implementation.

On the Marginal Utility of Deploying Measurement Infrastructure

The cost and complexity of deploying measurement infrastructure in the Internet for the purpose of analyzing its structure and behavior is considerable. Basic questions about the utility of increasing the number of measurements and/or measurement sites have not yet been addressed which has lead to a "more is better" approach to wide-area measurements. In this paper, we quantify the marginal utility of performing wide-area measurements in the context of Internet topology discovery. We characterize topology in terms of nodes, links, node degree distribution, and end-to-end flows using statistical and information-theoretic techniques. We classify nodes discovered on the routes between a set of 8 sources and 1277 destinations to differentiate nodes which make up the so called "backbone" from those which border the backbone and those on links between the border nodes and destination nodes. This process includes reducing nodes that advertise multiple interfaces to single IP addresses. We show that the utility of adding sources goes down significantly after 2 from the perspective of interface, node, link and node degree discovery. We show that the utility of adding destinations is constant for interfaces, nodes, links and node degree indicating that it is more important to add destinations than sources. Finally, we analyze paths through the backbone and show that shared link distributions approximate a power law indicating that a small number of backbone links in our study are very heavily utilized.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy reduces lung irradiation in patients with carcinoma of the oesophagus.

The 2-year survival rate after conventional radiotherapy for carcinoma of the oesophagus is around 10–20% [8]. Concomitant chemoradiation schedules have produced survival figures of 25–30% at 5 years, and this is now considered standard treatment [1]. Conformal radiotherapy techniques offer the potential to deliver higher doses of radiation to oesophageal tumours [5], and this may improve local tumour control. However, concerns regarding late normal tissue damage to the lung parenchyma and spinal cord remain a concern. Intensitymodulated radiotherapy (IMRT) allows complex dose distributions to be produced, and can reduce the dose to radiosensitive organs close to the tumour [2]. The present study was designed to investigate the impact of beam intensity modulation on treatment planning for carcinoma of the oesophagus, by comparing a standard three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT) technique to an IMRT technique using the same number and orientation of treatment fields.

A comparison of conformal and intensity-modulated techniques for oesophageal radiotherapy.

Background and purpose: To investigate the potential of intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) to reduce lung irradiation in the treatment of oesophageal carcinoma with radical radiotherapy.Materials and methods: A treatment planning study was performed to compare two-phase conformal radiotherapy (CFRT) with IMRT in five patients. The CFRT plans consisted of anterior, posterior and bilateral posterior oblique fields, while the IMRT plans consisted of either nine equispaced fields (9F), or four fields (4F) with orientations equal to the CFRT plans. IMRT plans with seven, five or three equispaced fields were also investigated in one patient. Treatment plans were compared using dose-volume histograms and normal tissue complication probabilities.Results: The 9F IMRT plan was unable to improve on the homogeneity of dose to the planning target volume (PTV), compared with the CFRT plan (dose range, 16.9+/-4.5 (1 SD) vs. 12.4+/-3.9%; P=0.06). Similarly, the 9F IMRT plan was unable to reduce the mean lung dose (11.7+/-3.2 vs. 11.0+/-2.9 Gy; P=0.2). Similar results were obtained for seven, five and three equispaced fields in the single patient studied. The 4F IMRT plan provided comparable PTV dose homogeneity with the CFRT plan (11.8+/-3.3 vs. 12.4+/-3.9%; P=0.6), with reduced mean lung dose (9.5+/-2.3 vs 11.0+/-2.9 Gy; P=0.001).Conclusions: IMRT using nine equispaced fields provided no improvement over CFRT. This was because the larger number of fields in the IMRT plan distributed a low dose over the entire lung. In contrast, IMRT using four fields equal to the CFRT fields offered an improvement in lung sparing. Thus, IMRT with a few carefully chosen field directions may lead to a modest reduction in pneumonitis, or allow tumour dose escalation within the currently accepted lung toxicity.

Emerging Technologies

This book, written when Walker was Visiting Professor at the Technical University Munich in 2011, describes his research on the effects of digital technology on architectural design and construction, and on the development of ‘digital craft’. The primary example given is The Swarm, a digitally designed and manufactured pavilion, produced with students while Walker was at TU Munich. It now stands outside the Bayerischen Architektenkammer (Bavarian Chamber of Architects) in Munich. Through such research-by-design, Walker asks larger questions: what can designers craft without a master craftsman’s skills, and how can craft skills be recovered through digital fabrication? Another example in the book is the Swoosh Pavilion, one of two public-space-scale architectural pavilion prototypes Walker developed between 2008 and 2009 at the Architectural Association (AA), using applied digital modelling and CNC techniques to investigate methods of teaching and testing digital processes through making. Swoosh (2008) and a second AA pavilion, Driftwood (2009), were discussed by Walker and Martin Self, his co-investigator, in ‘Fractal, bad hair, Swoosh and Driftwood pavilions of Intermediate Unit 2, 2006–2009’, published in the AD reader, Manufacturing the Bespoke (2012), which includes essays by well-known critics and designers such as Mathias Kohler and Michael Stacey. Both AA pavilions were sponsored by FinnForest Merk, Arup, HOK and Building Design Magazine, and were seen by large international audiences in Bedford Square, London during the 2008–9 ‘AA Projects Review’ shows. The book Making Pavilions (Walker and Self, AA Agenda No. 9, Architectural Association Press, 2011) also discusses their work over seven years of teaching at the Architectural Association. At the same time, Walker collaborated on a series of Serpentine pavilions, commissioned annually by the Serpentine Gallery, London, co-designing these experimental structures with internationally renowned architects Daniel Libeskind, Oscar Niemeyer, Toyo Ito and Alvaro Siza.

Protocole ou formulaire rédigé sous Louis XI par GEOFFROY DAVIER.

Contient : 1° d'un tableau fait par MICHEL DE BIGUE du produit de différentes sommes par le nombre des jours de l'année : « Une picte par jour fait par an VII S. VII d. picte... » ; 2° d'une série de poésies ; 3° Table des chapitres de la seconde partie du formulaire ; I Première partie. Actes de Charles VII et de Louis XI, rois de France, ainsi que de Louis XII, duc d'Orléans ; « Sequuntur nomina archiepiscopatuum et episcopatuum ab eis suffraganeorum in regno Francie et ejus metis existentium » ; « Instructions abregées touchant le stille de parlement, et de la manière de procéder en iceluy » ; « Qui sont les pers de France et quelles prerogatives ilz ont » ; « Desquelles causes la court de parlement a acoustumé de congnoistre » ; « Quelz sont les droiz royaulx » ; « Des cas especiaulx dont la court laye congnoist à l'encontre des gens d'eglise contre droit commun » ; « Des causes d'appel et de la manière de la poursuite d'icelles en la court de parlement » ; « Des deffaulx en cas d'appel et quel prouffit ilz emportent » ; « De la manière et du temps de renoncer aux appellacions interjectées en parlement » ; « Des causes en cas de nouvelleté » ; « Autres notables du stille de parlement » ; « S'ensuivent aucunes notes et enseignemens touchant les offices de notaire et secretaire du roi nostre sire » ; « Avalument des escus à la raison de XXXV grans blancs de XI deniers tournois, qui sont XXXII sols 1 denier tournois, pour escu. — Et premièrement : demy escu vault XVI sols obole tournois... » ; « Autre avalument des escus de XXXIII sols tournois pièce, qui sont de XXXVI grans blans de XI deniers tournois. — Et premièrement : demy escu dudict pois, XVI S. VI d.... » ; « Autre avalument de livres tournois à escus de XXXII S. 1 denier tournois pièce. — Et premièrement : une livre [vault] XX sols tournois... » ; II Deuxième partie ; Actes de Louis XI, roi de France, et de Louis XII, duc d'Orléans et roi de France ; « Respitz » : — « Respit à ung an » (fol. 28 v°) ; — « Idem, in latino » ; — « Respit à cinq ans » ; — « Idem, in latino » (fol. 29 r°) ; — « Dispensacio prelati » [lettre d'un archevêque de Bourges, primat d'Aquitaine] ; — « Respit à deux ans contre usuriers » ; — « Respit à trois ans, pour gens d'eglise » ; — « Contre-respit, en latin ». (fol. 29 v° ; « Hommaiges et souffrances » : — « Hommaige » ; — « Serment de feaulté » (fol. 30 r°) ; — « Idem, in latino » ; — « Souffrance de faire hommaige et bailler denombrement » ; — « Souffrance de bailler denombrement seulement » ; — « Souffrance de non admortir » (fol. 30 v°) ; — « Souffrance de paier rachapt et autres devoirs » [CHARLES, duc d'ORLEANS, au gouverneur du duché d'Orléans, entre 1418 et 1422] ; — « Souffrance, en latin, d'amortir » [lettre de LOUIS XI pour les prévôt, chantre et chapitre de l'église métropolitaine de Tours et les chapelains de Sainte Catherine, dans la même église, « datum Tholose, XIIII augusti »] (fol. 31 r°) ; — « Mandement pour descharges perdues » ; — « Mandement pour asseoir certain argent en ung pays ou recepte, oultre le paiement des gens de guerre et autres deniers, hors Languedoc, et pour Guienne, là où il n'y a point d'esleuz » ; « Pris de sel » [les conseillers du roi sur le fait de ses finances aux grenetier et contrôleur du grenier à sel de Château Gontier, 1482]; — « Autre pris de sel » ; « Les noms des élections de ce royaume » ; « Les greniers de ce royaume » ; Extraits des « ordonnances faictes sur le cours des monnoyes, faictes au Plessis du Parc », le 15 déc. 1475 ; « Confiscation » ; « Congiez et aides » ; « Pension » de 3000 liv. tourn à la princesse de Navarre, Madeleine de France, soeur de Louis XI, épouse de Gaston-Phoebus, prince de Viane ; « Offices » ; « Retenues » ; « Commission pour la charge d'oultre Seine, touchant la continuacion de la creue de IIII l. t. sur chacun muy de sel » ; « Papier du paiement des lances, creues et fraiz mis sus en l'année commançant en janvier 1477, et finissant l'an revolu 1478 » ; « Offices et confirmacions » ; « Office de conseillier et maistre des comptes vaccant par mort et soubz condicion » [en faveur d'Étienne Chevalier, contrôleur de la recette générale des finances, en remplacement de feu Robert Malien] (fol. 112 v°) ; — « Don d'argent deu à feu Jaques Cueur » [remise à Théaulde de Valpargue, bailli de Lyon, d'une somme de cent écus d'or qu'il devait à Jacques Coeur, et que Jehan Briçonnet, commis à tenir le compte des biens dudit Jacques Coeur en Languedoil, s'efforçait de recouvrer] ; — « Acquict pour ung receveur ordinaire pour certains deniers des confiscacions par lui baillez au roy nostre sire, ou à son certain mandement » [Lettre de LOUIS XI aux trésoriers de France, leur ordonnant de faire remettre par Guillaume Gombault, vicomte de Rouen, à Guillaume de Varye, valet de chambre dudit roi et commis à son argenterie, un fermaillet provenant des biens du duc de Bedford, et acquis au roi par droit de confiscation, après la conquête de la Normandie, lequel fermaillet, valant 1200 livres tournois, le roi veut garder par devers lui, pour servir à son plaisir] (fol. 113 r°) ; — « Acquict pour deniers ou joyaulx baillez au roy pour faire ses plaisirs et voulentez » [lettre relative à la même affaire] ; — « Mandement adressant à messeigneurs des comptes, pour faire allouer ès comptes [de maître Jehan Bourdin, receveur des tailles et aides en Poitou] certaines sommes de deniers autresfoys tauxées par le roy » (fol. 113 v°) ; — « Mandement adressant à messr des comptes, afin qu'ilz alouent ou compte d'un receveur général [du pays de Languedoc et duché de Guyenne, maître Etienne Petit], 6000 livres tournois assignées par le roy » à son argentier Jacques Coeur, et puis diminuées de 1380 It. pour son premier écuyer de corps et maître de son écurie (fol. 114 r°) ; — « Lectre de pas à seel placqué pour ung marchant » [en faveur de Balsarin de Tiez, armurier du roi, qui avait reçu ordre de se transporter de Tours à Bourges] ; — « Forme de saufconduit pour ennemiz » [lettre de JEAN, bâtard D'ORLEANS, comte de Longueville] (fol. 116 r°) ; « Retenue et pension de cappitaine de cent lances » [en faveur de Louis de Joyeuse, à qui le roi baille la charge de cent lances, tenue auparavant par Pierre de Comberel, chevalier Sr de L'Isle, aux gages de XX l. t. pour chacune lance fournie, par mois] (fol. 117 v°) ; — « Declaracion de biens ». [Acte de Louis XI en faveur de Philippe de Montmorency, veuve de Charles de Melun] ; — « Autre charge de cent lances » [tenue par Joachim Coningham, qui en est déchargé en faveur d'un Sr d'Aubigny, aux gages de XX s. t., pour chacune lance fournie, par mois] (fol. 118 r°) ; — Acte de Louis XI portant : « Commission pour signer comme secretaire au fait des finances » [pour Germain de Marle, aux lieu et place de Macé Picot, aux gages de douze sous parisis par jour] (fol. 118 v°) ; — « Vicariat bien espécial » [LOUIS XI donne au connétable de Saint-Pol plain pouvoir de conférer au nom du roi toutes les prébendes, etc., qui vaqueront à la collation de l'évêque de Laon] ; — « Vicariat » [LOUIS XI, après la mort de René, roi de Sicile, duc de Bar, donne aux gens de la chambre des comptes à Bar-le-Duc plein pouvoir de pourvoir Claude Merlin des premières chanoinies et prébendes qui vaqueront dans les églises de Saint-Pierre et Saint-Macé de Bar-le-Duc] ; — « Don des fruitz d'une regalle, et povoir de pervoir aux benefices, durant la regalle » [en faveur de l'évêque d'Angoulême Raoul Du Fou, à qui LOUIS XI octroie tous les fruits, etc., du temporel de l'évêché d'Évreux, devenu vacant] (fol. 120 r°) ; — « Don de folles enchières » (fol. 120 v°) ; — « Congié de marchander à ung officier, et quictance de ce qu'il avoit marchandé avant l'octroy » ; — « Tauxation » en faveur de maître Denis de Bidaut, receveur general des finances, Jehan de La Loere, Jehan Maignan et Jacques Picot, pour leurs peines et travaux d'avoir fait l'assiette des deniers du paiement des gens de guerre ès jugeries de Rivière-Verdun (fol. 121 r°) ; — « Accroissement de gaiges d'un office d'esleu » [en faveur de l'élu de Dreux] ; — « Assiete de IIIe l. de rente » [sur le domaine de Normandie, en faveur de Jehan Colle, natif d'Angleterre, qui était venu fixer sa résidence en France] (fol. 121 v°) ; — « Union de plusieurs foys et hommaiges en ung » [LOUIS XI joint les seigneuries de l'île de Ré et de Marant, que Louis de La Trémoïlle, Sr de Sully et comte de Benon, tenait à foy et hommage, au comté de Benon] ; — « Octroy à porter les armes de France » [à Ludovic Sforza le Maure « au dedans des armes que lui et ses prédecesseurs ont acoustumé de porter » (fol. 122 r°) ; — « Pour descharge perdue » [en faveur de Nicole Tilhart, receveur des VIIIes, assises et équivalent aux aides]. 1472 ; « S'ensuit les noms des cappitaines des gens de guerre de l'ordonnance du roy nostre sire, estans soubz les charges de deux tresoriers des guerres », Denis Le Breton et Guillaume de La Croix ; Formulaire de confession

The Welland Canals Foundation, Honourable William Hamilton Merritt and the St. Catharines Historical Society and Museum, 1971-1990, n.d.

‘The Father of Canadian Transportation’ is a term commonly associated with William Hamilton Merritt. Although he is most known for being one of the driving forces behind the building of the first Welland Canal, he was many things throughout his life; a soldier, merchant, promoter, entrepreneur and politician to name a few. Born on July 3, 1793 at Bedford, Westchester County, N.Y. to Thomas Merritt and Mary Hamilton, Merritt’s family relocated to Canada shortly after in 1796. The move came after Merritt’s father petitioned John Graves Simcoe for land in Upper Canada after serving under him in the Queen’s Rangers during the American Revolution. The family quickly settled into their life at Twelve Mile Creek in St. Catharines. Merritt’s father became sheriff of Lincoln County in 1803 while Merritt began his education in mathematics and surveying. After some brief travel and further education Merritt returned to Lincoln County, in 1809 to help farm his father’s land and open a general store. While a farmer and merchant, Merritt turned his attention to military endeavours. A short time after being commissioned as a Lieutenant in the Lincoln militia, the War of 1812 broke out. Fulfilling his duty, Merritt fought in the Battle of Queenston Heights in October of 1812, and numerous small battles until the Battle of Lundy’s Lane in July 1814. It was here that Merritt was captured and held in Cheshire, Massachusetts until the war ended. Arriving back in the St. Catharines area upon his release, Merritt returned to being a merchant, as well as becoming a surveyor and mill owner. Some historians hypothesize that the need to draw water to his mill was how the idea of the Welland Canals was born. Beginning with a plan to connect the Welland River with the Twelve mile creek quickly developed into a connection between the Lakes Erie and Ontario. Its main purpose was to improve the St. Lawrence transportation system and provide a convenient way to transport goods without having to go through the Niagara Falls portage. The plan was set in motion in 1818, but most living in Queenston and Niagara were not happy with it as it would drive business away from them. Along with the opposition came financial and political restraints. Despite these factors Merritt pushed on and the Welland Canal Company was chartered by the Upper Canadian Assembly on January 19, 1824. The first sod was turned on November 30, 1824 almost a year after the initial chartering. Many difficulties arose during the building of the canal including financial, physical, and geographic restrictions. Despite the difficulties two schooners passed through the canal on November 30, 1829. Throughout the next four years continual work was done on the canal as it expended and was modified to better accommodate large ships. After his canal was underway Merritt took a more active role in the political arena, where he served in various positions throughout Upper Canada. In 1851, Merritt withdrew from the Executive Council for numerous reasons, one of which being that pubic interest had diverted from the canals to railways. Merritt tried his hand at other public works outside transportation and trade. He looked into building a lunatic asylum, worked on behalf of War of 1812 veterans, aided in building Brock’s monument, established schools, aided refugee slaves from the U.S. and tried to establish a National Archives among many other feats. He was described by some as having “policy too liberal – conceptions too vast – views too comprehensive to be comprehensible by all”, but he still made a great difference in the society in which he lived. After his great contributions, Merritt died aboard a ship in the Cornwall canal on July 5, 1862. Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ShowBio.asp?BioId=38719 retrieved October 2006 Today numerous groups carry on the legacy of Merritt and the canals both in the past and present. One such group is the Welland Canals Foundation. They describe themselves as: “. . . a volunteer organization which strives to promote the importance of the present and past Welland Canals, and to preserve their history and heritage. The Foundation began in 1980 and carries on events like William Hamilton Merritt Day. The group has strongly supported the Welland Canals Parkway initiative and numerous other activities”. The Welland Canals Foundation does not work alone. They have help from other local groups such as the St. Catharines Historical Society. The Society’s main objective is to increase knowledge and appreciation of the historical aspects of St. Catharines and vicinity, such as the Welland Canals. http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/dec2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006 http://www.niagara.com/~dmdorey/hssc/feb2000.html - retrieved Oct. 2006

National Intelligencer Vol. XVI, No. 2193- October 15, 1814

The Intelligencer was an American newspaper that was established, in 1800, in Washington by Samuel Harrison Smith, a young Jeffersonian- Republican from Philadelphia. War of 1812 related content includes: Page 1: Major General Winfield Scott's arrival in Washington escorted by Colonel Laval's cavalry; report from Sackett's Harbour on the American and British navies; a debate on a bill to temporarily remove the seat of government from the City of Washington due to the war; the Military Committee wishing to have the President commission gold medals for distinguished service for Major Generals Brown and Scott and silver medals to Brigadier Generals Ripley, Miller and Porter for their efforts at Chippewa, Erie and Niagara as well as gold medals to Brigadier General Gaines for efforts at Erie and Brigadier General Macomb for efforts at Plattsburg; resolutions of the House on the victory of Commodore Thomas Macdonough at the Battle on Lake Champlain; Page 2: more detail on the proposed removal of the seat of government from Washington; Page 3: a letter from Major General Andrew Jackson to the Secretary of War on repelling the British at Fort Bowyer on the Point of Mobile and naval battle reports on the vessels Hermes, Sophie, and Carron; a letter from Major William Lawrence to Andrew Jackson on the battle at Fort Bowyer; military promotions of Alexander Macomb, Roger Jones, J. Hindman; more on the removal of the seat of government; citizens of Washington offering to volunteer in defense of the city; banks willing to loan the government funds to re-build destroyed government buildings; assignments of Major General Scott, General Winder and Major General Gaines; report of 300 British prisoners from Fort Erie passed through Washington; Montreal newspaper report condemning Provost for his actions at the Battle of Lake Champlain; trouble with stage coaches traveling between New Haven and Bridgeport due to cannon fire; report of a British naval squadron appearing off New Port and by Long Island and New Bedford; report of enemy naval movements from Norfolk; announcement of a book entitled "A Narrative of the Battle of Bladensburg" by and officer of General Smith; Page 4: report on the amassing navy at Kingston under Drummond and the defenses at Sackett's Harbor; report of American and British naval news from Nova Scotia and the east coast; actions of the American sloop of war, The Peacock, in international waters; an enlistment announcement by Captain Perrin Willis of the 2nd Regiment Infantry; listing of American officers and privates released from parole on October 13; Other notices report on stray horses, properties for sale, runaway slaves, imprisonments, missing livestock, medical lectures at the University of Maryland, stage lines, auctions, etc. The paper was a supporter of the Jefferson and Madison administrations until 1810 when it was sold to Joseph Gales Jr. from North Carolina. In 1812 William Seaton joined Gales as a publishing partner. This paper made significant contributions to the nation and wielded considerable influence in political circles during its publication. It has been praised for its "high standard of journalistic excellence and high intellectual level of its contents". (William E. Ames , National Intelligencer: Washington's Leading Political Newspaper) The Intelligencer was, until 1810, named the National Intelligencer, and Washington Advertiser. It was a tri-weekly paper and had a peak circulation of 6, 000. Publication was suspended in 1869.

O.S. Rixford Manufacturing Company corporate stock book, 1883-1898.

Around 1837, Luther Rixford founded a tool manufacturing business (originally known as the Luther Rixford Manufacturing Co.) in East Highgate, Vermont, that specialized in manufacturing scythes and other agricultural tools. A branch of this business was established in Upper Bedford, Quebec, around the late 1840's. Subsequent generations of the Rixford family took over the operations of both facilities, and in 1857 Oscar S. Rixford renamed the company the O.S. Rixford Manufacturing Co. The company was incorporated in 1883. Around 1920, the O.S. Rixford Manufacturing Company (of Canada) was acquired by Welland Vale Manufacturing, in St. Catharines, Ontario. The Rixford Company in Vermont continued operations until 1956, when decreasing demand for the tools they manufactured caused them to close their doors.

Canada PostCard, 1930

A postcard from Montreal, Quebec postmarked 22 August 1930. The front of the postcard is an illustration of a male on the ground drinking out of several alcohol bottles with a sign marked "Canada". The caption reads "This place is wet and I am drinking it dry".